Makar Sankranti, Lohri and Agni

At the outset, a very Happy New Year to all my dear readers and followers.. 

It is disappointing for me to meet you all after lapse of a year. Nevertheless, we meet again and this time I'll put a number of posts with random pictures that I click hither and thither, wherever I go.
Since childhood days, we come across different state festivals, either at our homes or in school curriculum. However, we tend to forget about them as we grow up, and get engrossed in serious worldly business around us. So  this post, endeavours to bring glimpses of Lohri and Makar Sankranti. Along with this, it talks about Agni, an essential element of the celebrations.

Lohri~
The origins of Lohri (Lodi or gurmukhi),a Punjabi festive celebration, can be traced back to people's customary ritual of celebrating the end of  winter solstice. It was originally celebrated on winter solstice day, the shortest day and the longest night of the year. It is also considered as the beginning of the new financial year by farmers who actually start harvesting Rabi crops after the festival.

Makar Sankranti~
Alongside Punjab which celebrates Lohri, a couple of Indian states as well as Nepal celebrate Makar Sankranti( also called Pongal/ Maghe Sankranti/ Makara Sankramana/ Maghe/ Khichdi/Uttarayan/ Bhogali Bihu and such other names) which is a harvestal festival that celebrates the arrival of the beautiful Spring Season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. This even marks the beginning of new year in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Assam along with many other states. As per Indian culture, this holy day marks the yearly transition into an auspicious phase. It holds historical and religious significance as it has has its roots attached back to the ancient era of the Mahabharata. Being the festival of Sun God, who he is regarded as the symbol of divinity and wisdom, Makar Sankranti holds an eternal meaning.


A glimpse into Makar Sankranti in Odisha~
In Odisha, which largely has an agrarian economy, Makar Sankranti is  one of the most important festivals, more so for the farming community. It holds traditional cultural significance. It is astronomically important for devotees who worship the Sun God at the Konark Temple (Sun Temple) with fervour and enthusiasm as the sun starts its annual movement northwards. As per Indian calendars, the Sun's movement changes and the days from this day onwards become lengthier and warmer for which we worship Sun-God on this day. People prepare makara chaula, uncooked newly harvested rice, banana, coconut, jaggery, sesame seeds, rasagolla, khai and chhena(Cottage cheese) puddings or kheer for offering to the deities.  Makara Mela (Fun fair) is observed near a no. of temples in different districts of the State. Makara Sankranti celebration is next to the Odia traditional new year Maha Vishuva Sankranti which falls in mid April.


Agni~
A key feauture of both Lohri and Makar Sankranti is setting of bonfire. As in different winter solstice festivals, lighting of bonfire on Lohri day signifies return of longer days.
In traditional Hindu Mythology and its varied religious texts, Agni, the god of fire and sacrifice, of divine knowledge, identified with energy and action, the first emanation and the sacred spark hidden within all beings has multifaceted roles.  Agni is a cosmic energy bundle that powers human beings at mundane level (wherein it helps manifesting food into working eneregy) as well as at the esoteric level (wherein converts ignorance into perfection). Ranging from the sacrificial fire to the cremation fire, Agni is considerd as a means that transports humans to Gods. Out of 1,028 hymns of the Rig Veda, 218 are dedicated to Agni. Alongwith Varuna( the God of  Water and the celestial ocean) and Indra( God of rain and thunderstorm) Agni is one of the supreme gods in the Rig Veda.  
The first hymn of Rig Veda is dedicated to Agni ( Agni Suktam)  which best summarises the power and role of Agni in Hindu religion.


~I implore Agni, the chief priest, the divine minister of the sacrifice, the Hotri priest, the best giver of wealth.
Agni, worthy to be implored by former poets and by new, may he bring the gods hither!
Through Agni man gained wealth, satisfying even day by day, glorious wealth of vigorous kindred.
Agni, the offering which thou encirclest on all sides, that alone goes to the gods.
Agni, the Hotri priest, the wise counsellor, the truthful, the most glorious, may he, the God, come with the gods!
Whatever wealth thou, Agni, shalt bestow on the sacrificer, thine it will be, forsooth, Agni.
To thee, O Agni, we come day by day, bringing praise in mind, O Illuminator of Darkness!
To thee, the Lord of sacrifices, the bright Guarder of the Law, who art growing in thy own house.
Thou then, O Agni, be gracious to us like as a father to his son; stay with us for our welfare!
-Translation of Agni suktam, Hymn 1, Book 1 , The Rig Veda..

 ~Lohri Fire Altar

~ Offerings made to Agni on Lohri. It is a customary belief that this ushers in Good Luck!!

 Happy Makar Sankranti :)

Sources: Lohri, Makar Sankranti, Agni

Happy New Year with Buddha

'With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts'~ Eleanor Roosevelt 

A very Happy New Year to all readers out there.  It's a little late for the new year post but never mind ;)
 

With the new year comes new ideas, thoughts, plans, RESOLUTIONS ( that can't be missed out), new heights of creativity, imagination, strength, peace of mind, happiness and all the endless list of positive vibes. In this new year blog I am putting my most recent painting on Buddha. This art work holds high in my eyes for many reasons. It is the first painting that I am putting forth in the blog, also because this is the first one of the year 2015 made for my very special sister as a new year good luck charm. This one encourages me to touch new zenith of creativity with every piece of art. So this New Year post is dedicated to the  Meditating Buddha.

'Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate your mind in the present moment.'~ Gautama Buddha

Utilize every moment that u live in the year. Do not ponder about the deeds of the past nor just plan the future but focus equally on the present as, the future builds on the pedestal of the present.  Spread happiness all around the year as happiness manifolds on sharing,like a single candle lighting thousands. Discipline and control the mind, seat of all godly and wicked ideas. This can bring good health, true happiness and the ultimate peace of mind. Seek peace from within and stay contended always so that we stay happy. These are the teachings of Buddha known to every ordinary, rational human.But practicing these is only for the strong willed. It is not a post on preaching Buddhism. These are the basic tenets of almost all religious faiths. This reminds everyone of us to make our lives better each day by following them.

'We are shaped by our thoughts, we become what we think. When the mind is pure. joy follows like a shadow that never leaves'~ Buddha

The painting shows Buddha in his meditation under the leaves of the Bodhi tree where he attained enlightment. Lotus flower has great relevance in Buddha's life. These are symbols of purity . It resembles the purifying of the spirit which is born into murkiness. They symbolize divine birth. The colour of lotus holds value in Buddhism. The white lotus depicted in the painting symbolizes the state of total mental purity and spiritual perfection. The red lotus is symbolic of the heart. It is the lotus of love, compassion, passion, activity and all the qualities of the heart.

 So this new year spread some love, compassion, happiness and retain good health and peace of mind. 

I hope to meet you often with my posts this year unlike the last year. Sending warm wishes across..

Happy New Year.......

                                  बुद्धं शरणम गच्छामि ! धम्मं शरणम गच्छामि ! संघम शरणम गच्छामि !

Nature's Colours

"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom and a little flower." 
- Hans Christian Anderson.

I am back to my blog page after a hiatus. Course work, end semester exams and much more that happened in last few months.

As Luther Burbank once  said, "Flowers always make people better, happier and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul."  Flowers are the best adornments of nature that make it colourful and fragrant forever. Varying from shades of white, crimson, vermillion, yellow, pink, burnt-sienna  and many more, flowers weave a very vibrant and encouraging life around us.

Today's post showcases some captures on streets of Pune. (The names of few flowers are not known. So readers who know may eagerly help me with it). Flowers on this post are not the ones pruned and cared for in people's coveted gardens but, these are truly the gift of nature.

Nerium oleander, commonly known as Oleander
Oleander is one of the most poisonous of commonly grown garden plants. More info here.

These Gulmohar flowers are my childhood favourites..
The bright vermillion colour always attracts and allures me..

A rare sight of blood red Frangipanis (Champa flowers).

These flowers smell awesome..

Frangipani- one of the most fragrant flowers in every home..

Fallen dry leaves. These remind me of the saying~
"What comes from the earth, goes back to the earth!"

Bougainvilleas- The most common, uncared for street side flowering plant
embracing our streets beautifully with varied hues.

My pick from a morning walk- Lantanas and Bougainvilleas

Fallen, dried Bougainvilleas, a joyful sight for a wandering soul, a morning walker.

Known as the yellow trumpet bush,yellow bells, yellow elder, ginger-thomas,
these flowers are the national emblem of Bahamas..

Propping out of the fences, these seasonal flowers definitely add  beauty to the season.

Indian Laburnum making a bountiful golden shower..

A sight of  :).. Everywhere it is yellow.

Hope you all enjoyed this colourful floral post.

Teacher's Day

“One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.” ~Carl Jung

It is rightly said by Brad Henry that ‘A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.’ If I am able to write fluently in my blog posts it is because of  my teachers who have taught me alphabets and inculcated in me the love for language. Probably the creative ideas I put forth in every post, that also is honed by my teachers.

 ‘Guru’ is one who shows us the path of light and knowledge, the remover of all evils and sorrows, the incarnation of supreme bliss, the disperser of darkness, the bestower of blessings. When I say teachers it does not just mean school or college teachers. It includes all those individuals from whom I have learnt important teachings of life in bits and pieces. It includes first and foremost my Mom, Baba and my Sisters- my teachers at home. I show my gratitude to all my school teachers, to my friends, seniors , juniors, may be strangers, all from whom I have learnt at any point of life. Everyone’s contribution counts in making me what I am.

This teacher’s day post I would like to dedicate specially to one of my old school teacher whom I am very fond of,  Dinakar Sir.. I wrote few words in recognition of Sir’s role during last year’s teacher’s day. I would  like to post that article for all my friends to read.. A very Happy Teachers Day to all teachers who keep doing their parts to mould people’s lives..

'IN THE MEMORY OF MY TEACHER'

When one hears the word teacher different ideas come to one’s mind. Some view a teacher as an epitome of knowledge, as a personification of magnificient leadership, for some they are simply none other than persons with heart  that are passionate, caring, lively, and practical and for some others they may be symbols of fear and strict discipline.

When I hear the word teacher I visualize him as a person to be looked forward with awe and respect, a person for whom love and reverence flows as a spontaneous feeling, one who tickles our thoughts, inspiring us to aspire for big ideas and most importantly one who helps pupils know their own potentials. They transform the saplings of mind into fruitful blossoming trees. They are the ones who hone our potentials to make us shine like exquisite pieces of diamonds. No doubt that teachers play a pertinent role in grooming each individual’s life. 

From the very childhood we come in touch with many teachers-at school level, at college and many more in the teachings of life. Some teachers stir our knowledge base and thinking and some others are simply soul stirring. When most of us think of a person to be a good teacher we tend to equate them either to be persons whom we can see next to our parents in terms of the teachings of academics as well as of life or just those persons who master their fields of knowledge. There are those few selective teachers whose words of appreciation and encouragement keep haunting our minds always. 

In my schooling days too I came across many dynamic personalities as teachers, one among who had been Mr. Y. Dinakar- more commonly known as ‘Dinakar sir’. Sir had been dedicated in the field of teaching science and mathematics to high school children for over forty years- giving them real lifetime experiences.

For the first time, I met Dinakar Sir in the year 2009 when I was in Std IX. In my first class in his tuition, we were asked to solve few Maths sums out of which majority people could not solve and then what followed made me feel really  irritated. In the very first class Sir started correcting us on a very serious note. My feelings then about Sir’s first class was not very engrossing. For me it was more discouraging and for a moment I thought as though I was trapped. But, slowly we got used to Sir’s unique way of teaching or perhaps we got used to his witty remarks. Every word of sir resounded with tones of virtue. Virtues not just of physics, chemistry or biology but virtues also of  being a good student, a good child, a good citizen and more about being a good human.

We usually had sir’s tuitions after school at an odd hour- two in the afternoon. But his classes had so captivating power that even after the tiring schedule of school, it kept pulling us throughout his lecture of one and half hours. Hardly can anyone make subjects like Physics and Maths so interesting for school pupils. With the practical daily examples and the neat diagrams that he drew on the board made our classes more interesting. His attitude towards teaching students, keeping their view points in mind distinguished  him from the rest. Always he kept encouraging students to think logically and more importantly encouraged us to ‘speak our mind out’.

Sir’s classes were not just restricted to Newton’s laws of Motion or Laws of reflection and refraction or Ohm’s laws or Pascal’s Law or Periodic Table but they went beyond that. His analysis of the different scientific principles and their interpretations used to make our work easier. Sir’s jokes and subtle sense of humour always made the class lively. More lively than this were Sir’s angry tones which didn’t make us fear him rather made us more duty bound and more indebted to him  for his right advice in the right point of time. Sir’s  towering personality amazes me even today. His  classes became so interesting that cycling down 5 km for a 6:30 am lecture in winter mornings did not feel tiring. 

In the short span of two important years of my life that I spent in Dinakar Sir’s classes can never be forgotten till my last breath. Towards the end when the boards came near and tuitions were to stop forever, I felt  that seeing Sir’s face and listening to  the various theories from him had become a kind of addiction which I never wanted to leave. Even today if I get an opportunity, I would like to sit in his class once more, once more be back in those frolicsome tuition days filled with fun while learning. His words of wisdom guide me even today. Dinakar Sir’s values are like my life’s principles. His worth is no less than my parents. Indeed I feel privileged being the very few persons to have come in contact with such a great teacher in my life, more importantly such a great human. Now when Sir has stooped teaching students I feel sad for those juniors who got deprived of having had an opportunity of being taught by Sir. On this teacher’s day, this article stands as a tribute to Dinakar Sir’s efforts in maneuvering hard in making me what I am today. Surely I am proud to say that I have a teacher as ‘Dinakar Sir’.

Hogging in Pune :)

“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” ~ George Bernard Shaw.

Which living being on earth doesn't want to satiate with a good and deliciously sumptuous meal? 

As Oscar Wilde once said,“After a good dinner one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations.” 

This is the value that food holds in our lives.  Its truly said that 'Cooking' is an art, an art that requires lot of passion and patience to turn any simple food into good food.

From my little experience of cooking and baking I can tell that it always feels great when you make something may it just be a simple salad. That simple salad can turn to be the dish of the meal if we add to it little interest. One whole year in Pune taught me several easy recipes ( most being fraud ones ;) Ample of time at hand led me into experimenting good no. of dishes,every time treading into a new dish with more enthuse and confidence.. For me the secret behind food is how you finally present it. That's what will leave many with hunger pangs and desire to cherish your food..

So staying away from home is not that bad an experience because you always have the liberty to make something good to eat, may be better than what Mom's make at times.

You are special so treat yourself with good home food...

Here are some of the easy ones that I still cherish...

Happy eating time :)

Fruits are one thing I love to eat.. but this one is my personal favourite... Fresh watermelons~ Boon for scorching Summer heat.

Fresh Salad and Soyabean Carrot Rice...

Crispy Corn and Banana in milk..

Its Anniversary...

An Anniversary is a time to Celebrate the joys of today, memories of yesterday and Hopes of Tomorrow ~ Anonymous

June has always been my favorite month for many special occasions lined up for the month. June shares Mom’s birthday and my birthday as well. Another extraordinary event which is close to my heart is Mom and Dad’s anniversary.  

How it all began...starting out on one small stormy noon.....who knew these lovely people, would become each other’s mate. They have sailed through this journey with its many ups and downs. It is true that chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny threads which sew people together through years….

Ever since I have seen my parents as a couple, despite the many differences in thoughts, opinions, way of leading and philosophizing life, they have come to a common stand always and that is what has helped them remain true and happy in this wonderful relation lasting for the last thirty two years. Love and concern for each other has always nurtured and grown with each day. They have reserved their warm relationship amidst all the social obligations and times of worry. Their common professional background has been their shield and times of distress have made their bonds stronger. May all the Happiness you have known through the years, continue through the years to come…each passing year happier than the last.

Though your anniversary was on 2nd June, the day that we rejoiced lavishly, it is never too late to wish for this beautiful event with a blog post.

In recollection of the amazing years spent together, here is the post on Atma’s Musings~ dedicated to celebrate the happy times of the past with these few photos. As you recall your years together, remember the best is yet to come…

A Very Happy Marriage Anniversary Mommy and Daddy...