Kumbh Mela - Hindu Religion

The millenium's first Ardh Kumbh Mela at the ancient city of Prayag (Allahabad, UP, India) starts on 03 Jan 07 and will continue till Maha Shiv Ratri on 16 Feb 07.

This event takes place once in six years.

This six weeks period is considered auspicious in Hindu religion. Hindu sages and mystics, pilgrims and tourists join millions in taking holi dip in Sangam at Prayag during this period. Sangam is the conflunce of rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, the three mighty rivers of Northern India. Hindus consider these rivers to be sacred for their life-enhancing properties.

Important dates to note are:

03 Jan 07 - Paush Purnima
14, 15 Jan 07 - Makar Sankranti
19 Jan 07 - Magh Amavasya
23 Jan 07 - Basant Panchami
02 Feb 07 - Magh Poornima
16 Feb 07 - Maha Shiv Ratri

Discover what makes Kumbh one of the greatest congregations of mankind on earth. Stay tuned in for more exciting news about this religious practice.

Hindi Greetings for New year

If you wish to send New Year greetings in Hindi language, here are some you can use. You may even modify them to suit your taste and requirements.

So here we go:

1. नव वर्ष मंगल मय हो!
2. नया साल मंगल मय हो!
3. नया साल आपके लिये सुख और सम्मृधि से भरपूर हो!
4. Nav varsh ki haardik shubh kamanaye!
5. Naye saal ki haardik shubh kamanaye!
6. Naya saal mubarak ho!
7. Naye saal ka mubarakbaad!
8. Naye saal me Ishvar apni anukampaa aap par banaye rahe!
9. Naye saal me Ishvar apki manokamana poori kare!
10. Naya saal apke liye khushiyon ka khazana ho!
11. Naye saal me aap pragati aur safalata kii seema paar kare!
12. Nav varsh kii pavan bela me apko shat-shat pranam!

You can use them as it is or modify it if you want. You can also find these written in Hindi script at our Hindi website (Look for Hindi Quotations under reference in left Navbar)

It's Diwali Time Now!

Just to give you a headsup!

Get started on your preparations to celebrate this festival of lights for there are just about two weeks left.

Won't you like to arrange the diyas and make the fireworks/crackers light up the nightsky while you partake of the delicious dishes prepared on the occassion. Ofcourse to make it really memorable, you must invite and be ready to receive your friends, relatives, neighbours, and other guests in your traditional Indian attire including jewellry and silk dresses.

The Indian market is abuzz with new offers and those staying away from Indian landmass can take help of the online shops to order in stuff you want to get. There are quite a few which you can use asuch as fabmart.com and shopping.indiatimes.com

Looking ahead for a enjoyable Diwali.

Live Telecast Of Durga Puja Celebrations

Durga puja symbolises the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil and the underlying hope of the ultimate triumph of all that is good. The battle rages not only against the external enemies confounding us with beguiling appearances but also internally between base and benign instincts in every person.

Doordashan Bangla (DD7 - TV channel) has made arrangements to telecast live Durga puja programs. The viewers residing in India as well as abroad will be able to watch the telecast of puja programs from 6 pm to 12 midnight (Indian standard time) from the sixth day of Durga puja till immersion of Durga idols.

The Hindu Celebrations Begin

The Hindus traditionally observe a "Pitrapaksh" or "Mahalaya"- a fortnight long period of remembrance of one's forefathers - which ends on 22 Sep 06.

On 23 Sep 06, Navratra starts. This also marks the beginning of Dussehara.

Navratra is a festival of worship, dance and music celebrated over a period of nine nights. It is celebrated from first to ninth of Ashwin Shukla Paksh of the Hindu calendar. These nine days are divided into sets of three for the worship of Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati.

On the first day of Navratra, first incarnation of goddess Durga called "Shailputry" is worshipped. The goddess got her name from her birth place which is considered to be in Himalayas.

Navratra celebrations are a beautiful mix of power with devotion. It normally include prayers in the morning, and community gatherings in the evenings at pre-designated places generally spent in singing, dancing, and making new friends and acquaintances.

Though regional variations do exist, but the underlying idea remains same.

Among the prominent regional variations - Durga Puja in Bengal region, Garba is Gujrat- Maharastra and Dussehra North-Cental parts of India are the different forms.

Ganesh Visarjan Today!

Ganesh chaturthi, the celebrations related to Lord Ganesh which started ten days ago comes to an end today.
The idols of Lord Ganesh will be taken out of the pooja-mandap and immersed in water. A procession is taken out from pooja mandap till the water point which is generally sea or lake available in the area. It is worth watching the enthusiasm of people singing and dancing all the way during the procession. It's akin to a carnival but with a religious flavour and ofcourse no liquor is consumed.
If you can't join it, you can atleast watch it on TV. All major Hindi TV channels will be broadcasting it during the day.

Onam Festival - Legend of Mahabali

Onam is a traditional harvest festival of Kerala state in South India. It is celebrated in the memory of a benevolent king Mahabali who ruled the present state of Kerala in ancient times.

The Legend
King Mahabali was an Asura king during whose ruling people lived unitedly without the difference of rich and poor. Hindu lord Mahavishnu decided to test Mahabali. He came to earth as -'vamana' - a poor dwarf, went to king Mahabali and asked him for three feet of land to live. The king laughed and told 'vamana' to take three feet of land from wherever he wished. Suddenly vamana grew in size. He covered the entire earth by one foot and the sky with the other foot. He then asked king Mahabali where was the space for third foot. King Mahabali understood that vamana was not an ordinary person, and has come to test him. So the king without hesitating bowed his head and offered it for the third foot. Vamana placed the third foot on king's head and Mahabali was pushed down under the earth. He was however granted wish to come to earth once a year.
Onam is the day when King Mahabali visits earth.

The Lesson
Is there something to learn?
Think about this - No matter how strong and powerful, everyone is just a tiny part of this universe.

Ganesh Chaturthi Festival Begins

The much awaited ten-day long festival of Ganesh Chaturthi starts on 27 Aug 06.

Day-one is marked by the sthapana of the Ganesh idol. The preparations for this begin in advance. The place where the idol is to be kept (puja premises) is cleaned and redecorated. The idol is carried from the market with their faces covered with a saffron cloth amidst chanting and sound of cymbals. By the evening, idol is seated in a majestic splendor in puja premises.

The ceremony begins by placing the idol, usually made of terracotta, in the puja premises. The puja begins at the time designated according to calculations based on the Hindu calendar. The priest performs a ritual by which the idol is said to be imbued with life. Next follows the traditional puja. The worshippers perform pranayama, bow and prostrate before the Ganesh idol and sip holy water. This follows singing of Ganapati aarti and atharvashirdha with the accompaniment of cymbals, bells and rhythmic clapping. The last rite for the day is offering of 'modak' or prasad to the deity with flowers after which the prasad is distributed to the devotees.

Modak is prepared mostly by women at houses. One of the modaks contains salt inside it. It is believed that Lord Ganesh bestows special blessings on the person who gets the salty modak.

Ganesha Chaturthi on 27 Aug 2006

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesh on the fourth day (chaturthi) of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadrapad in Hindu calendar.
Lord Ganesh is worshipped by all Hindus with zeal and enthusiasm. While it is celebrated all over India, it is at it's most elaborate in Maharastra and Andhra regions.
It is interesting to note that this festival was used by Lokmanya Tilak during India's freedom movement as an event to unite Hindus all over India.
In this year's Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations, there is some security concern on account of terror threats in the city of Mumbai and the event is likely to be organised under supervision of security personnels.

Hindi Is English?

Is it or should it be "Hindi In English"?
The differnce is as between "Desi" and "NRI". It has moved from being a part of diction to becoming part of dictionary.
Last week, the august OED released the list of new words in the 2006 edition. As a measure of extent to which Hindi has shaken, stirred and otherwise Bangalored the world's conciousness, several more words from Hindi have swarmed into Queen's English.
Many of OED's additions come courtesy the multiplicity of Indian restaurants abroad. Globalisation rode on aloo-gobhi, and today you can possibly find a tandoori takeaway in the tundra. So "M" now includes "makhani", "masala", "methi" and "Moghali". And the new menu also burps with 'pilau rice', 'tarkha dal', and 'kachori'.
Food and yoga are but a messanger. The message lies enshrined in 'Desi', 'NRI' and 'Hindi'.