Tuesday, 21 August 2012

What is ‘Aachaaram’?

Caution: This blog is about certain people who consider themselves as ‘aachaaram’.  I am happy for this to be categorized cynical or sarcastic.  Those who have eaten puliyodarai and dhidhyonnam alongside McD stuff, please do not read this!

I have a friend who says he and his family are 'aachaaram' (pronounced aa-cha-rum).  To him aachaaram is, 'he and his family cannot take food cooked the previous night or preserved in fridge'.  As a matter of fact they do not even visit 'Pillaiyar koil' (Lord Ganesha’s abode) as the family considers it to be 'un-aachaaram' (opposite of 'aachaaram'). 

The real meaning of aachaaram is to do with bodily and spiritual cleanliness.  I find my friend and his family funny because they do not seem to have either!

When they are in the US, they keep previous day’s food in the fridge and eat, they eat frozen food and they eat at McD.  They blame McD because McD’s are the ones who make tasty (teasing) burgers and fries (fried alongside or sometimes in the same oil of the most aachaaramised beef (Gomatha) burger).

I agree that the world is full of controversies.  I know I will get criticized for my views.  But most people like me treat all Gods the same way, be it Lord Mahavishnu or Lord Shiva!

I know lot of ‘aachaaramised’ people will swarm and write all those evil things I do (or find fault in whatever I do!!).  But my question stays, "Is it an excuse for ‘aacharamised’ people not to be bodily or spiritually clean?"

puuuuuffffuuuuufffffff!

Glossary:

Aachaaram – Staying clean physically and spiritually

Aachaaramised – People cleansed by following certain principles and policy

Gomatha – synonymn for Cow

Puliyodarai – synonymn for tamarind rice

Dhidhyonnam – synonymn for Curd rice

Disclaimer:

All characters or objects or subjects or anything you can imagine related to this blog is considered purely fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons or objects or subjects, living or dead, is purely coincidental.  This blog is not in anyway meant to hurt anyone’s personal or religious feelings.

4 comments:

Sri said...

Well, temporarily leaving aside people who show off to be aacharam in India, and then go on to live a westernized life in US, in general, I feel that, most people blindly follow these customary actions like being aacharam, instead of getting to know why it is all being followed so. I believe that every action has its reasons, like for example, we see 'paththu' because, if we touch cooked food like sambar, etc., and if by chance it has got stuck onto our hands, and then we touch curd or milk with that hand without washing, then there's a possibility that the curd/milk can get spoilt earlier. Similarly, taking bath before cooking is all a matter of being hygienic. Like you said, these aacharam and other customary principles eventually breakdown to be a way of being hygienic, and for physical and spiritual cleanliness. But since many people follow these merely on beliefs, without reasoning out, it all have ended up being a form of exaggeration of each individual's opinion about it and eventually a mere show off. All I feel is, it is high time people of these kind just Grow Up!

thambi said...

Hi Venki, The above blog on Aachaaram is really interesting. It is to the point and portraying the facts. This should now open the eyes of people who consider themselves divine by calling themselves 'aachaaram'.

Jorge Andres Ramirez said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Jorge Andres Ramirez said...

Venkita, I am evidently not completely getting your blog post due to a lack of some cultural background. However, it sounds to me like you are refering to some of those contradictions that are attached to un-challenged traditions all around the world. Everything needs to be challenged! On a very material level, I have an example of it. Until recently, I did not put anything in the fridge if it was hot. I was taught to do like that at home and I never questioned it. Just recently I learned more about it and realized the fool I was. My mom advice was right, however the reasons behind her advice need to be understood before you blindly follows an un-challenged tradition as you were taught.