A wonderful story from the team at the carving site. Ayudha puja has just been performed to all the tools and machines for Iraivan Temple. Here is created a massive slideshow for all to see.

"Ayudha Puja is always a colorful event for every soul in India and to those who have their roots deeply originated from the Hindu culture. It is definitely a much anticipated event, celebrated at the end of Navaratri, usually on the ninth to the tenth lunar tithi of the moon. Every tool, and anything that aids in helping us work. is made into a hero on that day, it may be a pencil, it may be a plane. Some are washed, some are painted and some are scrubbed to remove collected dirt over the years of working. Extensive cleaning and cleaning to make sure all the machines and every tool is happy with its new clean outlook ready for a grand celebration. At our Iraivan carving site, small chisels get dressed with kumkum and a splash of vibuthi and sandal paste after a short bath. Bigger machines are decorated with colored papers and little banana trees are tied to the corners as a mark of importance and smeared with vibuthi and sandal paste. By evening all of our cars and our friendly crane operator who without fail celebrates the event lines up his cranes and its just like a race line from the CARS movie. Wait a minute, we forgot about the super powered lemons we place below the wheel, ready to become juice once we drive the cars after Puja.

"After all of the intensive decoration and making sure all of the equipment and tools are ready for the event, all of the silpis take a short bath and we start the celebration at our Ganesha temple. A short arathi and then we head to the black smith where its like our carving site. Its the place where traditionally chisels are manufactured from mild steel and given life by the blacksmith who endlessly sharpen the chisels. After an Arathi is performed, the fire in the blacksmith shop is lit as a mark of another year of tool making. Every tool making area, working sheds and bigger machines are further blessed to remove 'kan drishti' (warding of the evil thoughts from an evil eye) could be your jealous neighbor himself...or anyone. This is done by breaking a bottle gourd ( the round variety) preloaded with a lot of kum kum powder and coins by slitting a small square opening on the side and filling it up and closing the square again. After every Puja a gourd will be shown counter clockwise rotation facing the machine or tool room with a couple of camphor tablets lit on it, burning the evil eye and unwinding the spell. Its broken by throwing it down on a stone placed just in front. All the silpis jump to grab as many coins as the gourd breaks and shatters its belly filled with red kum kum.

"This is followed by Puja to our CNC machine, the tool repair room, the electrical room, the generators, the air compressors for our pneumatic tools, and our bore well motor which supplies water for our needs. Not to miss even our big 3 meter saw gets its bit of celebration. All the bigger machines are powered on after Puja to each of them followed by the gourd breaking ritual.

"Then we come to the highlight of the event where a short Puja is performed to a stone and silpis take turns to chisel a few times as well as grind a little with power cutters as a mark of starting a new year of successful work free of doshas and blessed with gods will. Following this massive baton race of silpis chiseling, we complete the event by doing Puja for the vehicles which serve us. The forklift gets the top priority followed by cars, bikes, cycles and not to miss our friend cranes. All of the cars are moved a little to smash the lemons placed under the wheels and all of the hydraulic parts of the forklift and cranes are hoisted up and down to initiate a new working year.

"Then finally we come to the most exiting event awaited by the silpis who each receive a bonus for their hard work and its paired with a nice packet of dress material which they can stitch later. Happy smiles light the shed as silpis take a peek at what they were gifted. This marks the end of the event and all head happily to the canteen for a heavy assorted special dinner cooked for the event.

"Ayudha Puja is a much awaited event and one which blesses and gives a safe and secure feeling for every operator, his working area and the tools he uses. Its a divine connection made with god that he values his blessing and show how important the tools as well as the working environment is and performing this annual ritual blesses everything and secures it as a blessed, evil free wonderful working environment for the next year. Jai Ganesha"