Kanya Pujan is celebrated on mahasaptami, mahaashtami and mahanavami of the Durga Navratri. Young girls are worshiped as a symbol of nine forms of Durga. Young girls are innocent and considered pure souls. Before the woman in them awakens, we celebrate their existence by offering them vanity items. This year, my kanya puja offering includes…
Tag: Indian Traditions
Draupadi’s Dilemma
There is no shortage of dilemmas in the Mahābhārata. A very poignant question, always, remains of Yudhisthira choices. Did Yudhiṣṭhira have the right to stake Draupadī after he lost himself? As the story goes, a menstruating Draupadī was dragged into the sabhā by her hair, weeping, bleeding, clad in a single garment. She berates the elders…
Lord Krishna is Born
According to Hinduism, Krishna was the 8th avatar of Vishnu, and his birth marked the start of Kalyuga, the world we live in. Janmashtami or Gokulashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna is celebrated with great devotion and enthusiasm in India. Per the Hindu calendar, this religious festival is celebrated on the Ashtami of Krishna Paksh or…
Meaning of GOD
So during my recent trip to Halibeedu, I had the good fortune to meet with a wonderful guide, Uma, who helped us decode the mystery of the ruined temple of the Hoysala dynasty. She told us, pointing at this statue, that this the Hindu meaning if the the word GOD: the Generator or creator (lord…
Happy Solar New Year
Now several people in a major part of India are oblivious to the fact that south India is made up of five states (Telangana, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala) with distinct languages, cultures and celebrations. While Ugadi marks the new lunisolar year in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the same is celebrated as…
Vishu Kanni
Vishu Kanni is an important part of Vishu celebrations in all Mallu households. Being part Mallu (the one that comes from my father), Kanni is a part of the lunisolar new year celebration in my house too. Kanni literally means first view and is the first thing you open your eyes to on the auspicious…
Let Us Prosper
As I was born and brought up in Maharashtra, the Marathi harvest festival/new year (according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar) known as Gudi Padva is a celebration I look forward to. Padva in general means festival or celebration and the Gudi is a “flag” of the Hindu god Brahma (Bhramadhvaj), who is believed to have created time and…
Floral Beauty
In our part of the world, it’s quite common to spot women adorning their hair with strings of flowers. Every flower has a significance and is believed to bring love, luck, prosperity, and above all happiness to the wearer. Women also believe it brings abundance to their households. Some of these have medicinal value too;…
And The Wedding Bells Ring…
Happily-forever-afters are what everyone yearns for. While there are no guarantees in life, there is nothing more moving than seeing two people in love, making promises for each others happiness. Although we cannot expect happiness from another unless we choose it for ourselves, to promise another that one wouldn’t cause his partner despair either is…
Nine Forms Of Strength
For a country with no solid religion to fall back on, India has made up for it with a strong set of cultural values and social ethos. Before you jump to conclusions, let me explain. Hindusim by and large isn’t as much a religion as it is a way of life; hence it is called…
Snapshots of my World 