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He’d been asked that question ; you know the one — and he’d said “London,” because that’s where he’s been for several years. And the other child had said, “No, but where are you really from?”

I remember that question. I remember being seven and not knowing how to answer it. I remember being seventeen and being angry about it. I remember being twenty-seven and having a rehearsed answer that satisfied no one, least of all me. I’m from Chennai, but hometown is a little village near Kumbakonam. My husband is also from Chennai, but his hometown is Madurai. We had moved to Bahrain when our son was 4 months old, then Doha, then London.

Now I’m watching my son figure it out. And I still don’t know what to tell him.

The truth is, I’m asking him to carry something complicated.

I’m asking him to feel British; because he is. To feel at home here;because this is his home.

But I’m also asking him to hold onto something else.

A language he didn’t grow up immersed in. A music tradition that doesn’t show up on his school curriculum. A set of stories and values and rituals that I absorbed without thinking, but that he’ll have to choose to keep.

That’s a lot to ask of a child.

I feel the guilt constantly.

The guilt when I let things slide ; when we skip Tamil practice because we’re tired, when I don’t correct his pronunciation, when I choose the easy path because the day was hard enough already.

The guilt when I don’t let things slide ; when I insist on something that feels forced, when I see his eyes roll, when I wonder if I’m making him resent the very culture I’m trying to protect.

There’s no winning. Just a series of small choices, every day, and the hope that enough of them add up to something.

But then there are the other moments.

The moment he recognises a Tamil song and lights up. The moment he watches Chennai Super Kings and shouts out, but they don’t give us much of a chance anyways.

The moment he corrects my pronunciation of a sloka he’s been learning. The moment he tells his friend, casually, “In my culture, we do it like this” — and I realise something has stuck.

Those moments keep me going.

I don’t have this figured out. I don’t think any of us do.

But I think there’s power in saying it out loud. In admitting that this is hard. In finding other parents who are carrying the same weight and saying: I see you. Me too.

That’s why I’m writing this.

I’m going to keep writing about this — the language, the music, the identity, the impossible balancing act of raising children between worlds. The stuff we talk about in group chats but rarely say publicly.

If this landed ; if you felt something ; stay with me. Subscribe. And share this with a parent who might need to know they’re not alone.

I get it. When most parents here think “music lessons,” they think piano. Guitar.

Maybe violin if they’re being adventurous. Something with grades and certificates and a clear path to UCAS points.

Carnatic doesn’t fit that mould. So let me tell you what it actually is.

Carnatic music is mathematics.

I’m not being poetic. The rhythmic system — tala — is built on cycles. Your child learns to count in patterns of 3, 4, 5, 7, 8. They learn to subdivide, to hold a beat while the melody moves around it, to feel where “one” is even when the surface is chaos. Studies have linked this to spatial reasoning, to mathematical fluency, to the kind of pattern recognition that shows up in engineering and coding and problem-solving.

Your child won’t know they’re doing maths. They’ll just be clapping along. But the brain is working.

Carnatic music is language.

Every raga has a grammar — rules for how notes move, which phrases are allowed, which are forbidden. When a child learns a raga, they’re learning to speak within constraints. To say something new inside an ancient structure. This is what fluency feels like: not freedom from rules, but freedom within them.

And for diaspora children, there’s something else: Carnatic is a language their great-grandmother would recognise. A sound that ties them to something older than any of us.

Carnatic music is meditation.

To sing a phrase properly, you have to listen — really listen — to yourself, to the pitch, to the drone underneath. You can’t think about tomorrow’s homework or the argument at school. You have to be present. I’ve watched fidgety seven-year-olds become still in a way their parents didn’t think possible. Not because I disciplined them. Because the music asked them to focus, and they answered.

I’m not saying every Tamil child should learn Carnatic. I’m not saying it’s better than piano. I’m saying: before you decide it’s “not for us” or “too traditional” or “we don’t have time,” consider what you might be passing up.

Your child doesn’t have to become a performer.

But they deserve to know this exists. They deserve the chance to hear a raga and feel something stir that they can’t explain. That’s not nostalgia. That’s inheritance.

If you know a parent who’s never considered Carnatic for their child ; or who dismissed it too quickly ;send them this.

My mother was on the screen, her face lit up the way it always does when she sees her grandson. She asked a simple question in Tamil — “Enna pannra?” — what are you doing?

My son paused. Looked at me. Then answered in English: “I’m just playing, Paati.”

My mother smiled. Nodded. Said something back in Tamil.

My son looked at me again. “What did he say?”

And I translated. In my own home. Between my mother and my child.

I kept it together on the call. But when we hung up, I sat there for a long time. Not angry.

Not even disappointed. Just... hollow.

Because I realised: somewhere along the way, without anyone meaning for it to happen, the thread had frayed. My son loves his Paati.

But he can’t really talk to her. Not the way I talked to my grandmother. Not the way my mother talked to hers.

I know I’m not alone in this.

I’ve heard versions of this story from so many Tamil parents in the UK. The cousin who visits from Chennai and the kids can’t keep up. The great-aunt who sends voice notes that go unanswered. The grandparent who quietly stops trying to speak Tamil because it’s “easier for the children” in English.

We all told ourselves the same thing: They’ll pick it up. There’s still time. They understand more than they speak.

And some of that is true. But understanding isn’t the same as belonging. Recognising a language isn’t the same as living in it.

Here’s what I’ve learned: Tamil doesn’t survive by accident. Not here.

Not surrounded by English all day, every day. It survives because we make space for it; not as a chore, not as guilt, but as something worth protecting.

I don’t have a perfect system.

I’m figuring it out like everyone else. But I’ve started small.

Fifteen minutes a day where we only speak Tamil. Tamil songs on Adhavan Radio, in the car.

Letting him struggle through a sentence instead of jumping in with English.

It’s not fluent. It’s not Instagram-perfect. But last week, my son said “Paati, eppadi irukke?” — unprompted, on his own — and my mother’s face lit up in a way I hadn’t seen in months.

That’s what I’m holding onto.

If you’ve felt this — that quiet grief, that creeping guilt, that fear that the language might not make it to the next generation — I want you to know: you’re not failing. You’re just navigating something impossibly hard without a manual.

But we can figure it out together.

If this landed, share it with another Tamil parent who’s felt the same thing. Let’s stop pretending we’ve got it all sorted.

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The journey into the Lalitha Sahasranamam is not merely a spiritual exercise—it is a soul-awakening experience. With the release of our first learning video, where we chant Slokams 1–10, we now step into the living rhythm of devotion. This blog post expands on that practice, offering context, guidance, and inspiration for those walking this sacred path.

🕉️ Why Begin with the First Ten Slokams?

The initial verses of the Lalitha Sahasranamam are more than an opening—they are a spiritual invocation. These slokams set the tone for the entire chant, preparing the devotee’s mind, body, and spirit to receive the divine vibrations of the thousand names.

• Slokam 1 introduces the chant as a dialogue between Hayagriva and Sage Agastya, establishing its divine origin and authority.

• Slokams 2–10 begin the enumeration of the Goddess’s names, each one a mantra, a portal into Her infinite qualities.

These verses are traditionally recited with great reverence, and learning them correctly is considered a powerful act of Sadhana (spiritual discipline).

🎶 Learning Through Chanting: A Meditative Practice

In our video, we focus on slow, clear enunciation, allowing learners to absorb the rhythm and pronunciation. This method is ideal for beginners and for those seeking to refine their chanting.

Each name of Lalitha Devi is:

• A vibration of divine energy

• A seed of spiritual insight

• A mirror of the cosmic feminine

By chanting with intention, we align ourselves with these energies, invoking peace, strength, and clarity.

📖 Understanding the Names: A Glimpse into Divine Attributes

Here are a few names from the first ten slokams and their meanings:

• Sri Mata – The Divine Mother, source of all creation

• Sri Maharajni – The Supreme Queen, ruler of the universe

• Sri Mat Simhasaneshwari – She who sits on the lion-throne, symbolizing courage and sovereignty

• Chidagnikunda Sambhuta – Born from the fire of consciousness, representing pure awareness

Each name is rich with symbolism, and in our teaching batches, we explore these meanings in depth, connecting them to stories, philosophies, and personal transformation.

🔱 The Power of Devotional Sound

Sound is sacred in Hindu tradition. The Sahasranamam is not just recited—it is experienced. When chanted with devotion:

• It purifies the mind

• It energizes the body

• It awakens the heart

The first ten slokams are your gateway. They open the door to a thousand divine expressions, each one waiting to be discovered, felt, and lived.

🌸 Join the Journey

If you’ve watched the video and felt the stirrings of devotion, consider this your invitation to go deeper. Whether you’re chanting alone or joining our structured batches, know that you are part of a timeless lineage of seekers.

You can revisit the introductory blog post here, which lays the foundation for this journey. And if you’re ready to explore the next set of slokams, stay tuned—more videos and insights are on the way.

Welcome, spiritual seeker, to the start of a profound journey. 🙏

This marks the first post in a new series dedicated to exploring the Lalitha Sahasranamam—the thousand glorious names of the Divine Mother, Goddess Lalita Tripurasundari. It is a path of devotion, knowledge, and self-realization, and we begin today by setting the foundation for our exploration.

Our entire series is designed to be accessible, helping both newcomers and seasoned devotees deepen their connection to this powerful text. We start right where the practice begins, with the introductory verses that prepare the mind and heart.

What is the Lalitha Sahasranamam?

The Lalitha Sahasranamam is one of the most revered texts in Hinduism, particularly within the Shakta tradition, which focuses on worshipping the Divine Feminine (Shakti).

1. A Thousand Names: Sahasranamam literally means “a thousand names.” These names are not mere labels; they are poetic descriptions of the Goddess’s infinite qualities, forms, and actions, revealing profound spiritual and philosophical truths.

2. The Divine Mother Lalita: The text praises Goddess Lalita Tripurasundari, a manifestation of the ultimate cosmic power (Shakti). Reciting Her names is a form of direct communion with the source of creation, preservation, and dissolution.

3. The Source: This sacred hymn is embedded within the Brahmanda Purana, where it is narrated by Hayagriva (an incarnation of Vishnu) to the sage Agastya. This ancient lineage underscores its spiritual authority and potency.

In essence, the Sahasranamam is a complete guide to understanding the nature of the Supreme Reality through the lens of the Divine Mother. Every name is a mantra, a seed of consciousness, that plants positive energy and wisdom in the chanter’s heart.

I have posted videos in my Youtube Channel for you to learn on your own (provided here for ease of reference).

The Gateway to Divinity: Understanding the Dhyana Slokam

Before we begin the recitation of the thousand names, we first chant the preparatory verses known as the Dhyana Slokam (Meditation Verses). As highlighted in our first video, these verses are essential—they are the bridge between your ordinary state of mind and the sublime world of the Goddess.

The word Dhyana means meditation. These verses serve a critical purpose:

1. Visualization (Dhyanam)

The Dhyana Slokam vividly describes the physical form and divine attributes of Goddess Lalita. By chanting these verses, you perform a mental visualization (dhyana) that helps you focus the mind and establish a devotional connection with the specific form of the Goddess being praised.

2. Setting the Intention

These verses formally set the intention for the practice, moving the devotee from a worldly state into a spiritual one, making the chanting a true act of worship (Sadhana).

3. Spiritual Preparation

The Dhyana Slokam acts as the ceremonial invocation, purifying the mind and spirit so that the full power of the thousand names can be received and internalized.

Join the Journey: Learning the Lalitha Sahasranamam

The goal of this series is to inspire you to begin or deepen your practice. The video accompanying this post provides a fantastic introduction in a Learning Mode setting, focusing on clear chanting of the Dhyana Slokam.

For those who wish to go beyond chanting and explore the profound depth of this text, I conduct structured teaching batches that offer a comprehensive study.

In these classes, you will not only learn the correct pronunciation and rhythm of the Sahasranamam, but we will also delve into:

• Detailed Meanings: Uncovering the spiritual and philosophical significance of each of the thousand names.

• Divine Stories: Connecting the names to powerful stories of the Goddess’s divine grace, making the wisdom practical and relatable.

This is a complete course designed to transform your spiritual practice.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Let us all proceed with reverence and enthusiasm. The journey of the Lalitha Sahasranamam is the journey back to the Divine Mother, who resides within us all.

To begin your practice, please watch the first video of our series (link text) to chant the Dhyana Slokam and the initial verses.

If you are interested in joining one of my upcoming teaching batches to study the meanings and hear the stories of Devi’s grace, please contact me for more details on batch timings and enrollment.

In our next blog post, we will continue our journey by exploring the first set of names from the main Stotram! Stay tuned! 🌸

Golu tips, based on our teachings:

Singing the glory of Krishna:

Day 1 Golu - in white colour:

Day 2 Golu in Red colour:

Day 3 Golu in Blue:

Day 4 Golu in Pink:

Day 5 Golu in Green:

Day 6 Golu in Grey:

Day 7 in Orange:

Day 8 in Peacock Green:

Day 9 in Pink:

Ending with Saraswathy Poojai:

No hard n fast rules..be creative to change the recipes as per your no.of guests visits/ ur requirements ...as I usually do that.Hope to have a healthy divine Navarathri ✨️ 😍 with Ambals blessings 🙌 🙏 ✨️

Do let me know your thoughts in comments n share this with your golu friends 🧡

#navarathri #navarathrineivedhyam

#neivedhyam

#navarathrireadyreckoner

#neivedhyamideas

#navarathrineivedhyamplanner

#nithusrecipes

#navarathriplanner

#sanathanadharmam #hindufestivalsinuk #hindufestivals

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