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Vishu's pooja

Published:Sunday | December 4, 2011 | 12:00 AM
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Vishu Tolan (centre) is joined by his children, VJ (left) and Shavi, during the ceremony. They support their father as he passes the fire over the 'altar' (a mixture of flowers and food). This was Vishu Tolan's 50th birthday party held at Stanmore Terrace, West Kirkland Heights, on Friday night, November 25.
The Ramkissoon Group from Trinidad performing at the ceremony.
Vishu Tolan (left) welcomes guests Michael Belnavis and Karen Calu.
Justice Mahadev Dukharan (right) has the attention of Nari Williams-Singh (left) and Dr Winston Tolan.
Vishu Tolan gets a big hug from Sharmila Bedasee.
Family connection (from left) Savitri, Lori and Shavi Tolan get a family pic.
Father of the birthday boy, Arthur Tolan (left), chats with Answerd Ramcharan.
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Birthdays should be special occasions (after all, it marks another year on the planet), and businessman Vishu Tolan decided that for his 50th, he wanted to do something different and meaningful.


This was not to be any ordinary celebration, as Tolan decided to go back to his Indian roots (of which Tolan is immensely proud judging by his work with the National Council for Indian Culture in Jamaica). He had a pooja (Indian religious ceremony) in West Kirkland, Red Hills, on Friday, November 25, with the theme being 'Ole Time Dinner Yaad, Indian Style'.

A pooja is really a thanksgiving to God and can be used to mark any occasion, not just a birthday. So, Tolan, dressed in the traditional garb of a dhoti, sat between his children, VJ and Shavi, as a Hindu priest conducted the ceremony, reading specific passages and prayers, while Tolan's brother Winston, a reservoir of knowledge of Indian culture himself, led the singing of bhajans (devotional songs). The pooja brings positive energy (karma) to the proceedings and to the individual.

After the ceremony, a group from Trinidad, who were specially invited for the event, performed more bhajans, while guests were served milk and honey (a type of communion) and a sweet treat. The feast was also in the true traditions of Indian culture. Guests were seated and then served, each guest taking whatever they wanted. In olden times, the food was served on banana leaves, but buckets were able substitutes. There was no meat or alcohol and after each set of guests finished dining, they would get up for the next set to have their meal. All the while the 'Trini' band continued with bhajans, including a special birthday piece for Tolan.

The following night, at the same venue, Tolan hosted a 'western world' type party to round out his half-century.


 Photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer