Festivities and Celebrations

Do you or your family make any special dishes for the holidays?

In India every few days there is a celebration. the yogic culture celebrates many natural phenomenon during which the spiritual energy is thought to be the most perceptible. Most full moon days, ekadashi, navratri (devi navratri, shri ram navratri, vital navratri etc.), shivaratri, sankashti, etc are auspicious and are celebrated with great fervour in different parts of the country.

Most of these celebrations involve fasting, chanting and meditation followed by breaking the fast over temple prasadam. Many stories revolve around the significance and importance of these events. Moreover, every temple has similar special events throughout the year.

These festivities were organised by our ancestors on deep knowledge of science and the influence of the moon on the earth. It was also a way to keep everyone motivated and bring people together for celebrations via bhajans, Kirtans, folk music, classical dances, dramas etc. It was created in such a way that almost all days were festive.

This was important as it kept people healthy by way of fasting, meditation and eating healthy food made in the temple premises by the community themselves. This also provided opportunities to people to learn and teach art forms, thus piquing the creativity of the community and immersing them in a positive environment.

Moreover this system ensured socialization, personal growth and development, a healthy body and mind as well as spiritual upliftment making every day of life a celebration.

Image- Diwali celebrations in Ayodhya sourced from google

Jallianwala Bagh

13 April 1919

A black day in Indian history

Silent protestors men, women, children

Massacred mercilessly

Around 1500 killed and injured in a closed courtyard

Colonel Dyer, the butcher of Amritsar

Opened fire with his battalion

Not one spared or fled

The walls still bear evidence

To this brutal act

But the most painful of all is that

The victims were Indians and so were the hands that fired

It’s time to take a learning from history

Be united against divisive forces

As with all our differences and skills

We make a formidable force

And let’s promise ourselves

Never ever again to allow

A repeat of Jallianwala Bagh tragedy

and the horrors of history

Jai Hind!

Image from google

To a Brighter Future

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

ने मजसी ने परत मातृभूमीला सागरा प्राण तळमळला

O ocean take me back to my motherland, my soul is in pain.

This is a line from a very heart wrenching emotional marathi poem written by freedom fighter Shri Veer Sawarkar while in captivity which still brings tears to one’s eyes.

Such was the love for motherland of our ancestors and freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Sardar Patel, Tilak and many many more that they have borne unimaginable torture and sacrificed their lives for the glory of this country.

As rightful successors of the land we need to carry on their legacy. We need to contribute to the development of the country in whatever miniscule way possible so that our future generations can lead a better life than us. We need to impart the knowledge and cultural values to the next of kin. We are a country in which almost every individual is multilingual, is capable of multi-tasking and creating opportunities and the masters of ‘jugaad’. We should be able to pass on these skills to our children and not lose them in the name of development. Our traditions are unique and our own which can only be transmitted by us to our children, if not it will be lost forever.

Hence as children of the land and as service to our motherland we should be proud of our rich cultural heritage and wherever in the world we choose to be we need to strive to make this world better and more hospitable.

The next generation will remember us by the legacy we leave for them. Hence it’s time to choose wisely. Let’s vow to make the future brighter and better.

Image source

Bharat- A Beauty in Chaos

India or Bharat has always been a country of spiritual seekers. Many modern discoveries were already known to ancient Indian scholars. Right from discoveries of zero (aryabhatta), surgical procedures (sushruta), complex Mathematics (Ramanujan), discovery of electricity (Rishi agasthya), aeroplanes (vimanas) are just a few examples.

However many find the Indian lifestyle erratic and full of chaos. The loud roads, the worship of nature and it’s elements, the cowdung houses etc. But they fail to understand that it is that chaos what gives beauty and colour to the nation. Or it could just mean that what is chaos to one could be a systematic process to another. There is increasing scientific evidence to the benefits of the practices adopted by the ancient people of the country.

Whatever you may label it but it is irrefutably the binding force holding together the gems of different cultures, traditions, ethnicity and differences to form a colourful garland comprising all colours and shapes. Providing a source of inspiration to the artists ,scientists and scholars, making it an unparalleled beauty amidst the chaos.

Reena’s Xploration Challenge #304

My Country My Nation

With the Independence day around the corner, a few words in my country’s honour. A great land with a glorious past…

Stretching from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari
With the love of lassi, dhokla and panipuri,
Indulging in the likes of Bhangra, Dandiya and Kuchipudi
My nation is an epitome of diversity. .

High waves the tricolour
A symbol of sacrifice, peace and prosperity
Uniting all its people
In a feeling of oneness and vanity

We salute our heroes who gave us freedom
Our hearts filled with patriotism
As we stand here together as one country, one nation

Yes we are the Indians
We are the Indians..
Jai Hind

Image: http://www.shutterstock.com