Makar Sankranti

When the wind is high don 't moan and groan with it, just take out
your kite and fly it.
That 's what I said to myself this morning when my helper who does a little bit of house work did not show up. She has gone to the village to see her future son-in-law who had met with an accident.
Crowds of pilgrims poured into the city for the Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti and she could not get transport back because of the rush.
So I also took the morning off and had a leisurely breakfast out on the porch in the warm sun - and really enjoyed doing things differently which is my goal for 2011.

These are pictures of the International Kite Festival in Gujarat which takes place today.

January 14th is celebrated all over India as Makar Sankranti a Hindu festival heralding the harvest season. People take take baths in holy rivers and ponds in the quest to cleanse themselves from sin and gain salvation.

In my city Magh Mela a month long Hindu religious fair started today on the banks of the river Ganga at Sangam where 3 rivers Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati have their confluence. Read more about it in THIS NEWS STORY

I took these photos from the web to show you what the bathing looks like.

This is man in search of freedom from sin and a guilty conscience.

Can the water of a river worshipped as Mother Ganga cleanse a soul from sin?

As persons we inherited a sinful condition from the fall of man.

Genesis 3

a. To be sinful means you accept and believe error Psalm 19 ;12

b. To be sinful means you practice error. Romans 3:9-18,23

c. To be sinful means you inherited a nature that wants to sin Romans 5 ;12-21

Jesus Christ came into the world to save mankind from the curse of sin. He gave his life for us on the cross - a sacrifice for sin - the only one acceptable to God. He shed he innocent blood for us to wash away our sin.

In this video sin has been personified and given a voice. Watch it carefully. CLICK HERE TO WATCH I AM SIN

Jai Hind- Happy Independence Day India

School children in New Delhi (our national capital) rehearsing for the flag hoisting at the Red Fort. They are dressed in the colors of our flag

The rest of the photos are from different parts of the country showing people 's enthusiasm. (Courtesy IBN Live)

August 15th - India 's 64th Independence Day
Happy Independence Day to my countrymen all over the world.

Do watch these videos.
This the fast developing modern India





The heat, dust, struggles and tears of India

This is India to write home about.

FIFA 2010-The Waka Waka Fever

The Grand opening of the FIFA World Cup took place last Friday followed by exciting matches which are keeping us glued to the telly in the evenings.Although India is not on the international football scene (cricket is worshipped here), the game is followed and cheered enthusiastically.

Bengal. Kerala and Goa are the 3 states where the game is most popular

.(Above)Lionel Messi ( ARG)

My fav teams are

Argentina

Brazil

Portugal

Italy

S, Korea

France

Germany

Japan

England

(Above)Cristiano Ronaldo (POR)

Football paraphernalia and momentoes are selling like hot cakes here- team jersey 's, caps, posters and cut outs etc. Those who can afford it are buying the latest LCD and plasma TVs to watch the event in style with adoring friends and family. ..planning football parties.I remember the year when we were all living together and my sister Anju , BIL Prem and their 2 kids were visiting from Nigeria. We were a big jolly group of spectators. Prem used to provide the snacks and Sonia needed no nudging to make cups of tea or sherbet.Our friend Tigi and his German wife, Astrid used to come from across the river to watch the matches with us.One night everyone was centered around the TV , Prem and Anju were sitting/laying on an old camp bed and just as Tigi and Astrid entered the room, the bed broke and they crashed to the floor. We found that more entaining than the 90 minutes

Oh! those were the days. Its always fun to watch a sporting event with a good group of friends.The more the merrier. What do you think?

Its been very hot an d humid these past few days and electricity has been playing truant.

I 've had to take extra pain killers for my flared up joint pain.

This evening a woman came to return some money she borrowed from me. Recently I heard a dreadful news about her which would normally make me want to hate her. But when I saw her I did not feel any anger or animosity towards her. God wiped it all away otherwise I wouldn 't even want to look at her face. I know how the sister felt when she visited the convict in "Dead Man Walking".

Sports does not build character

It reveals it

- James Wooden

In the midst of the blaring of the vuvuzelas (South African horn) I am reminded of the sporting adventure of life

In the New Testament 1 Corinthians 9 says-

" 24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize

25Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. 27No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

I have to examine myself and train myself so that I may not be disqualified.

If you are cheering for any team let me know and I will join with you.

Shop till you Drop on Dhanteras

Yesterday was Dhanteras the first celebration

of the five day festival of Diwali or Deepawali I went out on a short walk
to watch the eager shoppers
and take photographs.

These are street stalls selling
decorations and religious items for puja.
Everyone was in a hurry to get their bag full.

Down this post I have provided excerpts from Wikipedia
which will give you more information
about Dhanteras


A stall selling puffed rice or lie-lava
and sugar animals which are offered to deities and eaten
during this festival.

Clay idols of gods and goddesses

These are baskets of raffia grass
you can buy them for your house or as gifts.
They are very pretty

This is an attractive wall piece.

More than a 100 years ago

Dr Sam Higginbottom and his wife Ethel,Presbyterian

missionaries came to Allahabad to establish

an Agricultural college

(which is a very large university now)

Ethel taught the women of the nearby villages how

to make baskets with raffia grass so that

they could get income by selling them.

This trade is flourishing till today.

Decorative items made with clay and painted.

Little houses, pots and toys

all fashioned with clay.

Children of all religions must

have them to play with.

When we were little our parents used to

buy them for us.

These are earthen diyas or oil lamps.

Lighted shops to attract customers

This is a jewellery shop

Its raining lights.

This shop beckons you to

come and buy gold and silver from them on this auspicious occasion.

This is a short video to give you a feel

of the atmosphere.

Don 't the vehicles honk loudly?

Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day Diwali Festival. The festival, also known as "Dhantrayodashi" or "Dhanwantari Triodasi", falls on the auspicious thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Ashwin (October/November).[1]
The word Dhanteras, Dhan stands for wealth. On Dhanteras, the "Owl" form of the Goddess Laxmi is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. Dhanteras holds special significance for the business community due to customary purchases of precious metals on this day
Preparations
To mark the auspicious day, houses and business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colorful with traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights.
Traditions
On Dhanteras Hindus consider it auspicious to purchase gold or silver articles or at least one or two new utensils. It is believed that new “Dhan” or some form of precious metal is a sign of good luck. "Laxmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny Diyas of clay are lit to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs- in praise of Goddess Laxmi are also sung.
Celebrations
"Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess. There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
In villages, cattle are adorned and worshiped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In south India, cows are offered particularly special veneration because they are thought of as incarnations of the Goddess Lakshmi.

Celebration Weekend - Rajasthan Desert Festival

India is celebrating this weekend.

Today our Hindu friends celebrate the birthday of Krishna

And tomorrow is our Independence Day.

But the festivity is dampened by the

price rise and H1N1 .

Here are some photos of the

Rajasthan Desert Festival

Tourists trying on the traditional turbans.
The top photo shows two men donning the turban.

A desert dweller showing off his long moustache.
Its a matter of pride to grow and tend this appendage..
Here is video from Rajasthan.
The music is enchanting.
In the end he sings a line in Sanskrit
our ancient language, which means
"Guests are gods"

********************

Rabindranath Tagore was one of the greatest poets of India.

He was a Nobel Laureate and freedom fighter.

Here is a short poem by him.

Man's abiding happiness is not in getting anything but in giving himself up to what is greater than himself,to ideas which are larger than his individual life,the idea of his country, of humanity, of God.

Even though the monsoon clouds

wink at us from afar

and shed a few tears now and then

on our parched land

the people of my state will not hesitate

from celebrating the month of Sawan (monsoon).

Sawan for us means

Henna tattoo painting
dancing peacocks
festivals with folk dances

girls on swings in mango orchards

and when the pitter patter of
raindrops are heard
delicious savories called
samosas and pakoras liven
the enjoyment

together with cups of'
hot sweet milky chai (tea)

the bhuttawala or corn seller
is seen at every street corner
roasting corn on the cob
which is served with
salt and pepper with a dash of lemon juice.


I bought these colocasia leaves very cheaply from the

vegetable market

and made colocasia rollups
with spices and gram flour (besan)
Last week Hindu women celebrated
Hariyali Teej.
They perform rituals in temples and
get together for music and dancing
wearing green sarees.
You can see henna tattoo painting
and girls on the swing.
They are singing special songs called Kajri.
Its like our Indian 'country" music
with delightful stories in them.

I recorded these short videos
from a TV program