It has been customary to hold the Birthday Celebrations of Sri Hymavathi Devi regularly every year in Jillellamudi as per the Lunar calendar on Bahula Shashti during the month of Kaartheekam. Her birthday (71st) this year happened to be on the 24th November. The celebration this year also was held with traditional gaiety and religious fervor, decorating Hymalayam and its precincts with festoons and buntings.
In view of its significance and importance, people, especially women from surrounding and far-flung villages throng the place. Collective chanting of Sri Lalitha Sahasranamam with a target of 10 million (‘Koti’ naamaarchana) being the major part of the celebration, it calls for enthusiastic participation by several hundreds of people.
Thus, the celebrations commence during early hours of 24th November, to the accompaniment of traditional South Indian musical instruments and ritualistic worship in Hymalayam. The Lalitha ‘Koti’ naama paaraayana commenced with lighting of the lamp by Sri T.T.Appa Rao, an ardent devotee of Amma from Eluru (A.P.) and settled in Jillellamudi. The collective chanting involved participation by those who gathered for this purpose from other places, the students of the local Matrusri Oriental College (MOC), the inmates of the institution and the office-bearers and staff of the Sri Viswajanani Parishat (SVJP). The target, however, fell short this year by several thousands due to the inability of many people from far-off places to attend as a result of the threat of an impending cyclonic storm over the surrounding areas which loomed large during the period.
In the evening, a function was held to felicitate Senior Journalist and Editor of “Pramukh Andhra”, a Telugu magazine, Sri Goteti Rama Rao of Chennai. He was honored by the SVJP by offering new clothes by Mr. M.Dinakar, the President of SVJP, while a citation was read out by Sri PSR Anjaneya Prasad and a memento presented by Sri B.Ramabrahmam former President of BJP. Mr. B.Ravindra Rao and Sri Lakshmana Rao also joined the felicitation function. The veteran compere and the former Lecturer of MOC, Sri. M. Srimannarayana Murty conducted the proceedings. Sri Srirama Rao in his response, recalled his close association with Amma and Nanna garu attributing all these honors to the divine Grace of Amma.
This was followed by the release of colorful and beautifully designed calendars of Sri Hymavathi Devi for the year 2014 got printed by Mr. P. Premagopal. The calendars were released by Mr. B. Ravindra Rao in the Hymalayam.
In the programme organized by the SVJP during 23rd & 24th to perform puja to young and unmarried girls, Sri Mudrakarta Srinivasa Rao and his wife Smt. Veenadhari offered new clothes as Prasadam from Amma.
As has been the tradition established during the past years, Sri Hymavathi Devi is offered as many items of eatables (dishes) as the ‘n’ th year of her birthday (71 in the present case) and equivalent number of ambulations around the sanctum. This forms the concluding part of the celebrations in the night. Before that a birthday cake was cut by the young kid Arkesh, son of Mr.Naveen & his wife Smt.Sundari.
In Hyderabad:
The devotee children of Amma joined to celebrate Sri Hymavathi Devi S 71st Birthday on 18th November, 2013 at the residence of Dr. T.S. Sastry in Hyderabad. By the divine grace of Sri Hymavathi Devi the family of Dr.Sastry has been fortunate to celebrate her birthday every year at their residence for the past nearly three decades. This year a little more than 100 people from the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad participated in this grand celebration.
The 18th November this year being a Monday, occurring in the month of Kaartheekam assumes great religious significance for Hindus and befitting this occasion a beautifully adorned Sri Hymavathi Devi was seated on an aesthetically designed dais decorated with earthen lamps surrounding it (Lighting earthen lamps during the month of Kaartheekam is a form of paying obeisance to entwined Ardhanareeswara form of Shiva-Shakti). All those who gathered for the occasion experienced the divine radiance of Amma. Everyone had a happy reminiscence in this context of Amma’s famous pronouncement saying “I and Hyma are images and its reflection!”.
All the people participated in the collective chanting of Sri Lalitha Sahasra naama followed by puja reciting Sri Lalitha & Sri Hymavathi Ashtottara Sata naamaavali (108 names).
Later Sri VSR Murty, noted “Spiritual Scientist” speaking on this occasion, said that the terms “Rajarajeswari” and “Lalitha” are lesser in importance than the word ‘Amma’. He exhorted, “Let us pray and strive to understand ‘Amma’ as ‘Amma’. This was followed by an appeal from Mr. VSR Prasada Rao, President of the local “Jillellamudi Amma Seva Samithi” and Mr. V. Dharmasuri requesting the devotee children to contribute their mite to the service activity of offering woolen blankets to the poor people sleeping unclad on the pavements during the nights. There was a spontaneous response from a couple of people, notably from a sister Smt. Bandari Rajarajeswari (Rani) of Hyderabad who announced a donation of Rs. 10,000/-.
The function concluded with the distribution of ‘Prasadam’ in the form of dinner. All the brothers and sisters had a soul-filling experience and enjoyed the occasion to their heart’s content.
The credit of the beautiful decoration and design goes to the devoted artistic work of Smt. Anasuya and Mr. Vatsalya Murty. May the divine blessings of Sri Hymavathi Devi! be upon them.
JAYAHO MATA!