HAPPY MAKAR SANKRATI

Wish you & your family a very
Happy Makar sankranti and Pongal

Makara Sakranti, the winter solstice in the Hindu solar calendar, is marked by the passing of the sun into the sign (Sakranti, Samkranti) of Makara (Capricorn). This day symbolizes the age old culture of our country which teaches us to live together in peace and harmony spreading the light of love and wisdom.
Lets come together and celebrate this auspicious occasion by showing our gratitude towards the god almighty for all that he has granted us with. And pray for the glorious future filled with happiness and joy for all.

Sunder mundriye ho!
Tera kaun vicaharaa ho!
Dullah bhatti walla ho!
Dullhe di dhee vyayae ho!
Ser shakkar payee ho!
Kudi da laal pathaka ho!
Kudi da saalu paatta ho!
Salu kaun samete!
Chache choori kutti! zamidara lutti!
Zamindaar sudhaye!
bade bhole aaye!
Ek bhola reh gaya!
Sipahee pakad ke lai gaya!
Sipahee ne mari eet!
Sanoo de de lohri te teri jeeve jodi!
Paheenve ro te phannve pit! ”

May this harvest season bring prosperity and abundance in your lives.

HAPPY LOHRI!!!!!

Russia lives in history—and history lives in Russia. Throughout much of the 20th century, the Soviet Union cast an ominous shadow over the world. It was the U.S.’s dark twin. But after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Russia receded from the American consciousness as we became mired in our own polarized politics. And it lost its place in the great game of geopolitics, its significance dwarfed not just by the U.S. but also by the rising giants of China and India. That view was always naive.

Russia is central to our world—and the new world that is being born.

• It is the largest country on earth;
• it shares a 2,600-mile (4,200 km) border with China;
• it has a significant and restive Islamic population;
• it has the world’s largest stockpile of weapons of mass destruction and a lethal nuclear arsenal;
• it is the world’s second largest oil producer after Saudi Arabia; and
• it is an indispensable player in whatever happens in the Middle East.

For all these reasons, if Russia fails, all bets are off for the 21st century. And if Russia succeeds as a nation-state in the family of nations, it will owe much of that success to one man, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

No one would label Putin a child of destiny. The only surviving son of a Leningrad factory worker, he was born after what the Russians call the Great Patriotic War, in which they lost more than 26 million people. The only evidence that fate played a part in Putin’s story comes from his grandfather’s job: he cooked for Joseph Stalin, the dictator who inflicted ungodly terrors on his nation.

When this intense and brooding KGB agent took over as President of Russia in 2000, he found a country on the verge of becoming a failed state. With dauntless persistence, a sharp vision of what Russia should become and a sense that he embodied the spirit of Mother Russia, Putin has put his country back on the map. And he intends to redraw it himself. Though he will step down as Russia’s President in March, he will continue to lead his country as its Prime Minister and attempt to transform it into a new kind of nation, beholden to neither East nor West.

TIME’s Person of the Year is not and never has been an honor. It is not an endorsement. It is not a popularity contest. At its best, it is a clear-eyed recognition of the world as it is and of the most powerful individuals and forces shaping that world—for better or for worse. It is ultimately about leadership—bold, earth-changing leadership. Putin is not a boy scout. He is not a democrat in any way that the West would define it. He is not a paragon of free speech. He stands, above all, for stability—stability before freedom, stability before choice, stability in a country that has hardly seen it for a hundred years. Whether he becomes more like the man for whom his grandfather prepared blinis—who himself was twice TIME’s Person of the Year—or like Peter the Great, the historical figure he most admires; whether he proves to be a reformer or an autocrat who takes Russia back to an era of repression—this we will know only over the next decade. At significant cost to the principles and ideas that free nations prize, he has performed an extraordinary feat of leadership in imposing stability on a nation that has rarely known it and brought Russia back to the table of world power. For that reason, Vladimir Putin is TIME’s 2007 Person of the Year

 In a year when Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize and green became the new red, white and blue; when the combat in Iraq showed signs of cooling but Baghdad’s politicians showed no signs of statesmanship; when China, the rising superpower, juggled its pride in hosting next summer’s Olympic Games with its embarrassment at shipping toxic toys around the world; and when J.K. Rowling set millions of minds and hearts on fire with the final volume of her 17-year saga ——one nation that had fallen off our mental map, led by one steely and determined man, emerged as a critical linchpin of the 21st century was because of Vladimir Putin.

Runner-Ups

• Al Gore : Nobel laureate, minding the environment.
• J.K. Rowling : Harry Potter creator, finally telling secrets.
• Hu Jintao : China’s leader depends on both ancient wisdom and communist doctrine as guides to action.
• David Petraeus : The commanding general in Iraq fought America’s most difficult foreign war — and one at home

Source: Time

(June 21, 1953 – December 27, 2007) 

Bhutto, Pakistan’s opposition leader and twice previously prime minister, was killed in a suicide bombing on Thursday as she campaigned in the northern city of Rawalpindi, ahead of elections due in January. She had spent many years in exile in Britain, only returning to her homeland earlier this year.

“Bhartiya Naagrik” pays tribute to the leader who was believed to be the only hope for establishing democracy in Pakistan.

Washington post:

Bhutto was fearless, from her college years in America to her cruel assassination yesterday. She had an unshakable belief that Pakistan should embrace the modern world with the same confidence and courage that she had. She believed in democracy, freedom and openness — not as slogans but as a way of life.

Gordon Brown, UK PM:

Benazir Bhutto was a woman of immense personal courage and bravery. Knowing, as she did, the threats to her life, the previous attempt at assassination, she risked everything in her attempt to win democracy in Pakistan, and she has been assassinated by cowards afraid of democracy.

David Cameron, a conservative leader:

Today Pakistan has lost one of its bravest daughters. Those responsible have not only murdered a courageous leader but have put at risk hopes for the country’s return to democracy.

Before bidding goodbye to 2007, here is a list of top 10 NRI newsmakers – the achievers and those who suffered.

The selection is subjective, based on news value and the degree of interest and concern to NRIs.

1. Sunita Williams: As a woman and an NRI, she made everyone proud with her new record for the longest uninterrupted space flight by a woman in June. “Planet Earth looks beautiful from space. There are no borders on the Earth,” she said, recounting her space experience of 195-days aboard the space shuttle Discovery. The Shuttle’s re-entry held everyone on edge but its smooth landing made history. Reminding Indians about the late Kalpana Chawla, Sunita visited India in September and made news wherever she went.

2. Bobby Jindal: In October, the 36-year-old Jindal became the youngest US governor of a state in the US and the first chief executive of any state who is of Indian-American descent. He won convincingly against heavy odds by over 50 per cent of the primary votes against a field of 12 candidates. Now, can an NRI in the US dream of the White House?

3. Sir Salman Rushdie: In June, the Queen knighted him for his services to English literature. Rushdie went into hiding and was in police protection in 1989 under threat of death after an Iranian fatwa as his book The Satanic Verses offended Muslims worldwide and a bounty was placed on his head. He returned to public life in 1999 and has remained a secularist. This year, he was separated from his wife, the model Padma Lakshmi.

4. Dr Haneef Mohammed: The Indian doctor working in Australia made headlines when he was accused of involvement with terrorist bombers in Britain. His distant cousin, Kafeel Ahmed, had crashed a burning Jeep Cherokee into the terminal at Glasgow’s international airport. He was freed in July and returned to India. Later in December, he was allowed to return to Australia. He is currently performing the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with his wife and mother.

5. Ugandan Indians: They came under attack from African protestors in April reminding the world of the programme by the late dictator Idi Amin. Two Indians were killed and some others injured in Jinja and Kampala. But peace was restored soon and Indians continue to work and live there.

6. Mother India: Celebrated 60 years of independence in August with great fanfare in every country where NRIs live. NRIs across the world held their heads high in pride celebrating her achievements in the six decades. The new status of India as a ‘soft’ super power on the global scene with its vibrant democracy and economic progress were hailed.

7. Indian Doctors in Britain: Around 15,000 doctors have been fighting an immigration law abolishing permit-free training for overseas doctors, mainly Indians. They have been embroiled in a long legal fight for almost two years to force the British government to treat non-European Union medics at par with Europeans. The legal battle affects 3,000 international medical graduates, mostly Indian, who were able to secure jobs in August. But many thousands did not and some thousands have left for India, which brings the number of affected Indian doctors down from 15,000.

8. NRI Investor in India: Reaped high returns when the Sensex touched 20,000 and also made a killing on the Indian stock exchange with the Subprime financial crisis in the West. The Indian economy crossed the $1 trillion mark and continued with its nine per cent growth rate – standing up global downturns. The strong domestic demand and exports resulted in high dividends for NRI investors.

9. Malaysian Indians: Attacked in December when they launched peaceful protests in Kuala Lumpur demanding compensation from Britain for decades of discrimination. Many were injured and also imprisoned but released later. Originally brought by British rulers to work on rubber plantations, their Hindu descendants organised these marches to highlight their demand for four trillion dollars. After the government’s high-handed response to Indians, Indian tourists to Malaysia may rethink over their plans.

10. Vayalar Ravi: India’s minister for overseas Indian affairs has been constantly visiting countries with significant NRI populations. As a native of Kerala, he has accorded high priority to Indians in the Gulf Region, where millions of Keralites have gone to work. He hammered out measures to ease their working conditions. His pet projects, an NRI University and an NRI Centre in Delhi, are progressing to cheer NRIs.

Source: Hindustan Times

(22 December 1887 – 26 April 1920) 

Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in a poor Tamil Brahmin family that resided in the town of Kumbakonam. He attended school there and did averagely well. While in school he came across a book entitled “A synopsis of elementary results in Pure and Applied Mathematics” by George Carr. This book is just a compendium of results on integrals, infinite series and other mathematical entities found in analysis. Yet it left a lasting impression on Ramanujan; in fact it virtually determined his mathematical style. He would later write mathematics as a string of results without proof or with the barest outline of a proof.   

After school Ramanujan was hooked on mathematics. He spent all his time with his head over a slate working with problems in number theory that interested him and neglected everything else. The result was that he could never get through another examination. An early marriage as was usual at those times led to a frantic search for a job to earn an income. He became a clerk in the Madras Port Trust with the help of some well wishers. 

In the meantime Ramanujan kept showing his results to various people who he thought would be interested or would help him get a job that would give him a lot of time to do mathematics. He wrote to a couple of well known British mathematicians giving a list of some of the results he had obtained. They ignored him – thought he was a crank! Finally he wrote to one of the most distinguished English mathematicians of the time – a person who had done a lot of work on number theory – G H Hardy. Hardy arranged for Ramanujan to come to Trinity College, Cambridge where he and Ramanujan met almost daily discussing mathematics for about three years. Ramanujan died shortly after at the age of 33.

Ramanujan made substantial contributions to the analytical theory of numbers and worked on elliptic functions, continued fractions, and infinite series and is well known for his Taxi Cab problem.

All interested people are referred to The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan by Robert Kanigel.

Read more about Ramanujan at:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan

https://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Mathematicians/Ramanujan.html

https://members.tripod.com/mathsc/ramanujan/sramanujan.htm

https://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/References/Ramanujan.html

Light, being symbol of hope and positive things, indicates the victory of good over evil. And by spreading light in every corner of our premises we try to destroy the reign of darkness on the night of diwali. It is a tradition to light our homes and offices on diwali. People decorate paths with diyas, electric bulbs series and other decorative electric items to make their surroundings filled with colorful light and to make it bright and beautiful. The ultimate beauty created by lighting all over is the main feature that makes this festival unique. 

Dipavali is the Indian festival that brings a series of festivals with it. One after another we get a chance to celebrate five festivals together. The people of all age groups and classes with equal zeal and enthusiasm celebrate Diwali throughout India. They put on new apparels and participate in the various activities that are related to Diwali celebrations.

 

On Karva Chauth day, tens of millions of women keep a fast, taking neither food nor water, for the well being and long life of their husbands. The fast of Karwa Chawth truly sets the merry tone of the fun and frolic, festivity and feasting that come in good measure during Diwali – the biggest festival of the Hindus. Even the ‘hip-hop’ generation now celebrates the ‘My Family’ spirit, with Karva Chauth having become a cool fad among teenagers. For some of these youngsters it’s a trend, for others it’s pure devotion, and there are still others for whom it’s just fun giving company to her mother who observes the fast.

Tradition /Preparations:

Karwa means clay pot and chauth means fourth night after the full moon. It has great social and cultural significance and is mostly practiced in Northern India where wives start their fast at night just after the appearance of the moon, within sight of their husbands. They then wait until the next night’s moonrise to begin the fast breaking ceremonies, without consuming any food or drink.

A few days before Karva Chauth, married women would buy new karvas (spherical clay pots) — 7″-9″ in diameter and 2-3 litres capacity — and paint them on the outside with beautiful designs. Inside they would put bangles and ribbons, home-made candy and sweets, make-up items, and small clothes. The women would then visit each other on the day of Karva Chauth and exchange these karvas.

There are variations within regions, groups, and communities in India about rituals of starting and breaking the fast, and worshipping the moon. In Punjab, for example, women start their fast by consuming food called sergi sent in beautifully wrapped baskets by her mother-in-law before the dawn.

Women dress up in their best finery, with henna-decked hands, bindis, colorful bangles, vermilion in their hair-parting and the best of jewelry. Often, the newly wed wear their wedding dress on this auspicious occasion, usually the ghagra-choli or Banarsi saris, embellished with the old-new shimmer of gold, diamonds and rubies. After dressing up, she receives gifts from the mother-in-law. The morning passes by in myriad activities like decorating hand and feet with heena, decorating the pooja thali and meeting friends and relatives.

Henna

Henna or Mehndi is considered to be auspicious for married women, and is a necessary part of the Karva Chauth ritual. It is believed that, married woman who get dark color from mehendi will get loads of love and caring from her groom and mother-in-law. It also denotes prosperity and good luck. Women get intricate henna designs applied on their hands before they get down to the actual rituals. Most traditional henna patterns consist of very simple shapes – circles, triangles and lines are the most basic. These shapes can be combined to create a very intricate pattern and a very beautiful henna designs on the palm and feet of women.

The steps to apply Mehndi / Henna:

• 1. Make a smooth henna paste by sifting the dry henna powder to remove any debris and adding to it a hot mixture of tea or coffee and mustard oil until it has a mud-like firmness.
• 2. After the paste is ready take a plastic cone with a very fine key-hole at the end (similar to a cake decorating tube). Pour the paste into the cone and tie the broader end with a rubber band.
• 3. Hold the cone in the right hand and gently squeeze the paste on the palm and start making patterns. Keep the palm horizontal and let the patterned-paste rest on it till dry.
• 4. Warm it near the fire and leave it on for as long as it takes to get the stains deeper.
• 5. When it is almost dry, dab a piece of cotton in sugar and lemon solution and apply lightly on the designs so it further darkens to a reddish-brown hue that can last for weeks.
• 6. After 2-4 hours wash off the hands with plain water.

Kathaa-Puja / Story:

In the late afternoon women gather at a temple or a garden or someones’ place who has arranged the pooja. A small area is prepared for the ceremony that can be performed in any part of the house as well as in the open. A small square platform is placed against the wall and kharia matti (powdery mud) is used to cleanse, make anew and decorate the puja area. An idol of Gaur Mata or Goddess Parvati, the consort of Shiva (the Destroyer in the Hindu Holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer) is placed on the consecrated spot.

About an hour before moonrise, the women place their bayas over their karvas in a plate and assemble around the puja area to pray. An elderly lady narrates the legend of Karwa Chouth about a young woman who by an unfortunate twist of fate was tricked into breaking her fast. The husband drops dead the very instance his wife breaks the fast. Enraged at the deception that led to her husband’s death the girl implores Gaur Mata to resurrect her husband. The husband finally comes back to life after a period of seven Karva Chauths during which time the young girl neither eats nor drinks. Thus the bride with her unflinching love for her husband and belief in Godess Parvati achieves the ‘impossible’. After the story is read out to everyone, the women exchange their respective karvas till each one gets her own karva back, while chanting the following:

Addey-addey Krishna pakshe var
Tith Karva Chauth
Manse hain apne suhag ke liye
Yeh karva, mattri, halwa, sari, nagdi
Apne suhag ka liye rani ka sa raj dena
Gaur ka sa suhag dena Shri Krishna nimant.

The chant is a prayer for the well being of the husband and for marital bliss. The puja ends with the women showering rice and vermilion on Parvati and seeking her blessings. The younger women touch the feet of the elders, seek their blessings and offer their baya to them.

It is believed that a Pati-Vrat woman has the power to confront the God of Death, Yama. This Karva Chauth fast is undertaken by the wife, so that the husband enjoys a long and prosperous life.

The essentials of this gathering and listening of the Karwa chauth story , a special mud pot, that is considered a symbol of lord Ganesha, a metal urn filled with water, flowers, idols of Ambika Gaur Mata, Goddess Parwati and some fruits, mathi and food grains. A part of this is offered to the deities and the storyteller. Every one lights an earthen lamp in their thalis while listening to the Karwa story. Sindoor, incense sticks and rice are also kept in the thali.

At this time the women wear heavy saris or chunries in red , pink or other bridal colors, and adorn themselves with all other symbols of a married women like, nose pin, tika, bindi, chonp, bangles, earrings etc.

Breaking the fast:

The fast breaking ceremony involves looking at the moon through a sieve, and then looking at her husband’s face. Water is offered to the moon seven times by each of the fasting women as they all hum a chant. Though the women are allowed to break their fast after they see the moon, it is preferred if they can also see the faces of their husbands before they eat or drink. They often close their eyes in the process and do not see anyone but their husbands just after seeing the moon.

The family then sits down for a grand vegetarian meal that ideally should exclude rice, lentils, garlic and onions, to celebrate the festival of Karva Chauth.

Modern Day:

In modern day, with all the trappings of commercialization attached, Karva Chauth, the big fasting day has turned into a full-fledged event. The Halwais, the Mehendi and Churiwallis have traditionally been busy on this auspicious day. But joining the bandwagon in recent times are the beauty parlour owners, the event management companies and the restaurant owners.

https://www.karwachauth.com/

Jindal, the Republican 36-year-old son of Indian immigrants, had 53 percent with 625,036 votes with about 92 percent of the vote tallied. It was more than enough to win Saturday’s election outright and avoid a November 17 runoff.

The Oxford-educated Jindal had lost the governor’s race four years ago to Gov. Kathleen Blanco. He won a congressional seat in conservative suburban New Orleans a year later but was widely believed to have his eye on the governor’s mansion 

“My mom and dad came to this country in pursuit of the American dream. And guess what happened. They found the American Dream to be alive and well right here in Louisiana,” he said to cheers and applause at his victory party.

Another indian — on the roads to success, reaching out to the stars.

src: https://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/21/louisiana.governor.ap/index.html