Gudi Padwa is the lunar new year celebrated by the Maharashtrian community in India. On this day, families come together to hoist a gudi and pray for a prosperous year. The entire community participates in swagat yatras organised locally to welcome the new year. And then gorge on a lunch of...
Holi – that wonderful festival that conjures up images of rang, bhaang, gulal, abeer, and water pichkaris. It also reminds one of the childhood days, the complete abandonment with which kids play Holi and their oblivion to any notions of health or environment, as may be the case.
In India,...
“Holi Hai!” The sound of that instantly conjures a visual of a cloudburst of colours for anyone who has ever seen what Holi is. In a brilliantly plural country like India, every festival has its own unique tradition in different parts of the country and Holi is no different.
Holi...
Life Of the Bhavai dancers in Rajasthan and Gujarat
India is a land of diverse cultures and traditions. Many of these cultures have their own dance forms that are representative of their unique way of life. Bhavai is one such representation of the culture of the western Indian states of...
These beautiful verses from Sant Tulsidas help you live a better life, a more meaningful life, and a fuller life. Faith in God helps one through any adverse situations and faith has the power to change any situation in your favour. These timeless and valuable verses from Sant Tulsidas,...
Goswami Tulsidas, or more famously Tulsidas, was an Indian poet-saint, philosopher, composer, and social reformer widely known for his literary work Ramcharitmanas - the Hindi equivalent of Saint Valmiki’s Ramayan.
Life and times
Tulsidas was born into a Hindu Vaishnav family in the year 1532 A.D. in the village of Rajapur...
Mewar: the food and culture of central Rajasthan
Mewar - the name itself carries with it the sounds of royalty and centuries worth of cultural richness. Mewar (or Mewad) is the south-central part of the largest state of India, Rajasthan. Although not a single city or district, Mewar is the...
Perhaps for most people who hear the word “Rajputana”, the picture that is immediately recalled to mind is that of turbaned men curling their moustaches or engaging in war with a “do or die” attitude to protect their legacy and honour. While this may be controversial and stereotypical at...
A common thread that binds together a spiritually awakened former prince, a religion, an empire, inscriptions on pillars, and millions of devotees is but an ancient language, Pali. Buddha’s sermons carried its sounds, Buddhism carries its spirit, the great King Ashoka’s Mauryan Empire gave momentum to its usage, and...
Khajuraho temples: art, worship, or erotica?
Khajuraho – a word that conjures up images of scenes from the lives of men and women and gods and goddesses, immortalized in stone and sculpture for posterity. There is a mystery shrouding these ancient temples in the state of Madhya Pradesh which many...
We studied Sanskrit in school, albeit with the aim of scoring high in the final examination, hardly realising that this exotic language of ancient India is the door to the secrets of our sacred ancient texts, which can unravel many a mystery of spiritual life and heritage, which is...
Dear readers,
It's Republic Day and that time of the year which makes me very nostalgic of my time at Curzon Road barracks for Air Force Officers in Delhi, from where we children would climb on top of the very precarious walls and watch the Republic Day parade, the Beating...
We have compiled a guide to finding the perfect yoga school in India. Studying yoga in India can be one of the best gifts you can give yourself. While studying yoga, you would not just experience the rich culture and heritage of the country, but also get to experience...
The Hindu festival of Kal Bhairava Ashtami is being celebrated in many parts of India today. It falls on the ashtami tithi of Krishna paksha of the month of Kartik (as per the South Indian Amavasyant calendar) or Margshirsha (as per the North Indian Purnimant calendar). This year it...
Trupti - a word I truly understood the meaning of when I attended the Palki Utsav held at Shri Chitrapur Matha in Shirali (Uttar Kannada) yesterday on the occasion of Kartik Poornima - which is celebrated with a lot of gaiety and pomp in most parts of southern India....
