The festival of Deepavali is a time for lamps, gifts, sweets, new clothes and families to get together. But how did it all begin?
Lamps are lit to remember Rama's return to Ayodhya and hence the name of the festival — Deepavali, or line of lamps.
At the very mention of Deepavali, many beautiful images crowd the mind; the firecrackers, lamps, gifts, sweets, new clothes, Lakshmi and so on. Interestingly, the many facets of the festival have evolved with the various regional customs getting assimilated.
Dhanteras is celebrated two days before the amavasya. The son of King Hima was doomed to die on the fourth day of his marriage by snakebite. To defeat this prediction, his wife lit lamps all over the palace and laid the ornaments in a big heap at the entrance. When the god of death arrived there in the guise of a serpent, the dazzle of those brilliant lights blinds his eyes and he could not enter the prince's chamber. This victory is remembered and people buy some item of jewellery for dhanteras and keep a lamp lit nearby all night.
Bursting crackers for Deepavali is a South Indian custom and is connected with the killing of the demon Narakasuran by Krishna. After the killing, Krishna freed all the women who had been held captive by Naraka. Hence the custom of waking up before dawn, bursting at least one symbolic cracker and having oil bath of purification.
In North India, Deepavali marks the return of Rama to Ayodhya. On this dark amavasya night, the people of Ayodhya light up the route with rows of oil lamps to welcome the princes. In remembrance of this wonderful event, lamps are lit and the festival bears the name of Deepavali or line of lamps. In the Jaina custom the day marks the passing into Nirvana of Mahavira. The lighting of the lamps is a symbolic, material substitute for the light that was extinguished with Mahavira's passing.
The fourth day of the festival also marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya in 56 B.C. Vikram Era, the calendar followed in North India, starts with this date and the day is hence the first day of the New Year. New account books are opened with the prayer that the business makes profit during the year ahead.
Another legend is that on this day, during the churning of the seas for amruth, Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, emerged from the ocean. Hence on the evening of Deepavali, an aarti to the goddess is considered auspicious.
Deepavali ends with Balipadyami or honouring of Bali. Narayana gave the boon to the king of the Underworld that on this one day of the year, he would be Devendra and rule the universe. On Balipadyami day people remember Bali Chakravarthy and pray for the kind of prosperity that existed during his reign. Exchanging gifts on this day is said to please the generous king.
Happy Diwali Enjoy it :)
Monday, October 31, 2005
HAPPY DEEPAVALI
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Silent Revolution
Through its activities across the globe, Sai Medicare is setting model without fanfare!
In March last year, a tornado caused such havoc in Cordoba, Argentina, that the government declared national emergency. The army erected tents for a medical camp and doctors of Sai Medicare who began the day by singing the National Anthem and reading from the Holy Bible, provided care, nutrition and medication to over 1,500 people.
In 2003, in a medical camp in flood-ravaged Cossack, Sai Medicare teams from Russia and Europe treated 8,000 patients and rebuilt the local hospital and ambulance station. At Aceh, Indonesia, Sai volunteers and teams of doctors from Canada and the US organized by the Sai Sathya Sri International Medical Committee got going the only two hospitals in the region, which had lost its staff to the tsunami.
The medical team that rushed to Talpetate on the El Salvador-Guatemalan border following an earthquake did some social work as well. Discovering that lack of water supply was the greatest problem there, they installed water supply to 100 homes through a $4,000 water project. In the US, Sai doctors run free health education and screening camps for those without health insurance. In Caracas, Venezuela, doctors of the local Sai organization conduct regular eye camps and in Africa, 8,000 free cataract surgeries are planned this year.
These are just a few instances of how volunteers of a global movement called Medicare with Love are reaching out to the needy across the world. In 2004-2005, more than 300 medicare camps were held in over 30 countries, benefiting over 77,000 patients.
The nucleus of this movement is the secondary care hospital in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, which was launched 50 years ago as a small four-bedded hospital by Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Today, it caters to over 500 outpatients daily, besides inpatients. A similar general hospital has been functioning at Whitefield, near Bangalore, for 30 years. The icing on the Sai medicare cake, however, has been the Sri Sathya Sai Institutes of Higher Medical Sciences at Puttaparthi and Whitefield, which have been providing free world-class tertiary medicare for over a decade.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, the inspiration for this silent medical revolution: Love can heal any disease; just live in infinite Love as I do and you too can do all this and more. Baba gave the message of Love at the international Sai Medical Conerence held at Prashanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi, last month: Love all and serve all with out fanfare and ego and thus realize your own innate divinity.
In India, Sai medicare has been running free outpatient clinics in urban areas for the past 25 years. In the last two years, over 39,500 rural medical camps have been held benefiting over 5.2 million people. The free Sai clinic for passengers at Chennai Central is the first of its kind in Indian Railways. Sai medicare has tie-ups with projects of other nation, too. Kenya’s Sai organization has tied up with the government to distribute insecticide treated be nets to prevent malaria. By November, 50,000 Sai nets would have been distributed.
The Sai net initiative validates all the recommendations of the millennium task force set up by the African heads of states that a direct community approach is needed to tackle malaria, that insecticide- treated nets need to be given to all, and that the tie-up between governments and faith-based organizations is desirable to ensure successful project implementation as commitment is greatest is such organizations.
For the Sai volunteers, there is only one caste, the caste of humanity, only one religion, that of love, and only one God, the omnipresent one.
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Joke : Oru thalaivar madaiel solrar: Namitha athierkatchienar puhar solvathu? Namitha pathrikaikal purali kelapuvathu? Namitha pothumakkal kobapaduvathu? Sinthepper….
Anathan vayasaiettalum kuda namma thalaivaruku puthu cinema nadikaikalna oru sabalam! Atthan Nam-metha -nu kalvi katkarathuku pathila Namithanu thirumba thirumba solraru, enna panrathu.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HAPPY Weekend.
In March last year, a tornado caused such havoc in Cordoba, Argentina, that the government declared national emergency. The army erected tents for a medical camp and doctors of Sai Medicare who began the day by singing the National Anthem and reading from the Holy Bible, provided care, nutrition and medication to over 1,500 people.
In 2003, in a medical camp in flood-ravaged Cossack, Sai Medicare teams from Russia and Europe treated 8,000 patients and rebuilt the local hospital and ambulance station. At Aceh, Indonesia, Sai volunteers and teams of doctors from Canada and the US organized by the Sai Sathya Sri International Medical Committee got going the only two hospitals in the region, which had lost its staff to the tsunami.
The medical team that rushed to Talpetate on the El Salvador-Guatemalan border following an earthquake did some social work as well. Discovering that lack of water supply was the greatest problem there, they installed water supply to 100 homes through a $4,000 water project. In the US, Sai doctors run free health education and screening camps for those without health insurance. In Caracas, Venezuela, doctors of the local Sai organization conduct regular eye camps and in Africa, 8,000 free cataract surgeries are planned this year.
These are just a few instances of how volunteers of a global movement called Medicare with Love are reaching out to the needy across the world. In 2004-2005, more than 300 medicare camps were held in over 30 countries, benefiting over 77,000 patients.
The nucleus of this movement is the secondary care hospital in Puttaparthi, Andhra Pradesh, which was launched 50 years ago as a small four-bedded hospital by Sri Sathya Sai Baba. Today, it caters to over 500 outpatients daily, besides inpatients. A similar general hospital has been functioning at Whitefield, near Bangalore, for 30 years. The icing on the Sai medicare cake, however, has been the Sri Sathya Sai Institutes of Higher Medical Sciences at Puttaparthi and Whitefield, which have been providing free world-class tertiary medicare for over a decade.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba says, the inspiration for this silent medical revolution: Love can heal any disease; just live in infinite Love as I do and you too can do all this and more. Baba gave the message of Love at the international Sai Medical Conerence held at Prashanthi Nilayam, Puttaparthi, last month: Love all and serve all with out fanfare and ego and thus realize your own innate divinity.
In India, Sai medicare has been running free outpatient clinics in urban areas for the past 25 years. In the last two years, over 39,500 rural medical camps have been held benefiting over 5.2 million people. The free Sai clinic for passengers at Chennai Central is the first of its kind in Indian Railways. Sai medicare has tie-ups with projects of other nation, too. Kenya’s Sai organization has tied up with the government to distribute insecticide treated be nets to prevent malaria. By November, 50,000 Sai nets would have been distributed.
The Sai net initiative validates all the recommendations of the millennium task force set up by the African heads of states that a direct community approach is needed to tackle malaria, that insecticide- treated nets need to be given to all, and that the tie-up between governments and faith-based organizations is desirable to ensure successful project implementation as commitment is greatest is such organizations.
For the Sai volunteers, there is only one caste, the caste of humanity, only one religion, that of love, and only one God, the omnipresent one.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joke : Oru thalaivar madaiel solrar: Namitha athierkatchienar puhar solvathu? Namitha pathrikaikal purali kelapuvathu? Namitha pothumakkal kobapaduvathu? Sinthepper….
Anathan vayasaiettalum kuda namma thalaivaruku puthu cinema nadikaikalna oru sabalam! Atthan Nam-metha -nu kalvi katkarathuku pathila Namithanu thirumba thirumba solraru, enna panrathu.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HAPPY Weekend.
Friday, October 28, 2005
Post has a new role to perform
The postman not only delivers mail at the doorstep but also collects letter, including registered post, and sells stamps
Communication has advances so much so that walking down to drop a letter in the post box is a memory for many. And for the older generation, especially those who are not familiar with modern technology such as e-mail, handwritten letters are still the only means to communicating with relatives and friends.
India Post’s new customer friendly initiative benefits this segment most. Now, the postman not only delivers mail at the doorstep but also collects letters, including registered post, and sells stamps. Postmen now carry pouches containing stamps of various denomination and covers. They also have receipt books to Speed Post.
The service, launched in Chennai in July, was introduced in the western regions like Coimbatore, Erode, Salem ect… in August. The response has been encouraging. This service especially benefits the elders, the disable and companies that want to dispatch bulk mail.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday was a Heavy rain in Chennai. My street look like Cavari river, the rain is a gift for rain lovers and is a boon for office going people. but it is a enjoy able day for me.
Because of the Heavy rain my Internet connect was cut, so i cant blog yesterday, it just came at 10.00pm today, so this is argent post.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joke : A two persons talking: enna rendu thalaivarkaLum sarnthu pichchai poodurangaka?
ithuthaan kUttaNi tharmam!
Communication has advances so much so that walking down to drop a letter in the post box is a memory for many. And for the older generation, especially those who are not familiar with modern technology such as e-mail, handwritten letters are still the only means to communicating with relatives and friends.
India Post’s new customer friendly initiative benefits this segment most. Now, the postman not only delivers mail at the doorstep but also collects letters, including registered post, and sells stamps. Postmen now carry pouches containing stamps of various denomination and covers. They also have receipt books to Speed Post.
The service, launched in Chennai in July, was introduced in the western regions like Coimbatore, Erode, Salem ect… in August. The response has been encouraging. This service especially benefits the elders, the disable and companies that want to dispatch bulk mail.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday was a Heavy rain in Chennai. My street look like Cavari river, the rain is a gift for rain lovers and is a boon for office going people. but it is a enjoy able day for me.
Because of the Heavy rain my Internet connect was cut, so i cant blog yesterday, it just came at 10.00pm today, so this is argent post.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joke : A two persons talking: enna rendu thalaivarkaLum sarnthu pichchai poodurangaka?
ithuthaan kUttaNi tharmam!
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Ex-Example Village
Bihar.
Bangaon village is all what the state of Bihar is not..
When the world is increasingly relying on security system and burglar alarms, villagers of Bangaon in Saharsa does not even need a lock and key. The last case of theft in the village was registered in August 2002. The Police is surprised that not a single criminal case has been registered since 2002.
Bangaon is a paradox in Bihar, which was adjudged the most corrupt Indian state by Transparency International and Center for Media Studies. The village of 35,000 people has motorable roads, electricity supply and 3,000 telephone connections, and is an example in communal harmony. Brahmins come to Muslim’s home for Muharram and Brahmins will go to their homes to celebrate Holi.
The Panchayat and the Sarvopakarinee Sansthan Dharma Sabha sort out disputes. The Dharma Sabha was the birth child of a Babua Khan, the father of Bangaon, who opened a school 98 years ago Bangaon’s literacy rate (70%) is more than double the district average of 29%, and the village has produced three IAS and two IPS officers, hundreds of other government servants, and 30 doctors. Four of its villagers have struck it rich in the US and Germany and have built impressive Dollar houses in Bangaon.
The Dharma Sabha’s influence is all pervading. Babua Khan taught people to respect elders by touching their feet, a system that is still in. Social evils like dowry are a taboo in the village. Boys and girls seldom marry outside the village. A man Ram Narain Khan a retired major, have 13 children; 11 married in Bangaon. The title Khan is common among Brahmins and they believe that Muslim rulers conferred it to reward bravery of two Thakur brothers or some others who defended the honour of their women.
The Buddha had visited Bangaon after he attained enlightenment. He chose two disciples. The village is called Aapan Nigam in Buddhist literature later it became Bangaon because of it being surrounded by ban (jungle). Adi Shankaracharya, too, is said to have set his foot in the village, but Baba Laxminath Gosai is a more popular saint and wrongdoers. According to Freedo Struggle of Saharsa by Abhaya Shankar Khan, people here unfurled the Indian flag on August 13,1947 itself.
The villagers are aware that freedom comes from collective responsibility. Major decisions ever on whom to vote for are by consensus. They were never forced to vote for any candidate, but they follow the decision. No wonder the politicians feel lucky to preside over a function here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A smale joke - in Tanglish.
Oru paiyan kattan yennada indda pattasu maala konjondu Paper suthieruku? adukku antha paiyan sonna, aathu Namitha vadi da nu.
Bangaon village is all what the state of Bihar is not..
When the world is increasingly relying on security system and burglar alarms, villagers of Bangaon in Saharsa does not even need a lock and key. The last case of theft in the village was registered in August 2002. The Police is surprised that not a single criminal case has been registered since 2002.
Bangaon is a paradox in Bihar, which was adjudged the most corrupt Indian state by Transparency International and Center for Media Studies. The village of 35,000 people has motorable roads, electricity supply and 3,000 telephone connections, and is an example in communal harmony. Brahmins come to Muslim’s home for Muharram and Brahmins will go to their homes to celebrate Holi.
The Panchayat and the Sarvopakarinee Sansthan Dharma Sabha sort out disputes. The Dharma Sabha was the birth child of a Babua Khan, the father of Bangaon, who opened a school 98 years ago Bangaon’s literacy rate (70%) is more than double the district average of 29%, and the village has produced three IAS and two IPS officers, hundreds of other government servants, and 30 doctors. Four of its villagers have struck it rich in the US and Germany and have built impressive Dollar houses in Bangaon.
The Dharma Sabha’s influence is all pervading. Babua Khan taught people to respect elders by touching their feet, a system that is still in. Social evils like dowry are a taboo in the village. Boys and girls seldom marry outside the village. A man Ram Narain Khan a retired major, have 13 children; 11 married in Bangaon. The title Khan is common among Brahmins and they believe that Muslim rulers conferred it to reward bravery of two Thakur brothers or some others who defended the honour of their women.
The Buddha had visited Bangaon after he attained enlightenment. He chose two disciples. The village is called Aapan Nigam in Buddhist literature later it became Bangaon because of it being surrounded by ban (jungle). Adi Shankaracharya, too, is said to have set his foot in the village, but Baba Laxminath Gosai is a more popular saint and wrongdoers. According to Freedo Struggle of Saharsa by Abhaya Shankar Khan, people here unfurled the Indian flag on August 13,1947 itself.
The villagers are aware that freedom comes from collective responsibility. Major decisions ever on whom to vote for are by consensus. They were never forced to vote for any candidate, but they follow the decision. No wonder the politicians feel lucky to preside over a function here.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A smale joke - in Tanglish.
Oru paiyan kattan yennada indda pattasu maala konjondu Paper suthieruku? adukku antha paiyan sonna, aathu Namitha vadi da nu.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Very sad news for me
Today morning we got a phone call, the message is my cousin Uncle died, in his sleep. He was a very good heart person. He was very care of me, sad to hear his dead news.
He is a non-fear person; he will do all risk works and hard worker in field. 12 years back he lost his left eye, where the bike he traveled was accident with a car. With in a single eye he will drive bike and tractors. Some years before he got kidney problem and his kidney was failure, they he done kidney transplantation, after the transplantation doctor told him to take rest, but he dint obey, he stared his farm work, yes he is a former. One day he spread insect’s medicine for his field; there he got the trouble, the insect medicine went into his body and again his kidney was failures. Then he did another transplantation, after keeping the kidney in his body the kidney color was changed into blue and the kidney was waste, they removed it. For one and a half years he was living with the help of doing Dialyses. While dialyses he will feel dead pain, but he take it easy and don’t show that in his face. Today morning he was died in his sleep.
I am very surprised to see his work on field, when every we go to his village, he will take us to the field. He will climb the coconut tree and pick the coconuts and give us, he will take us to the forest and will all pick casiunuts (mundhri parupu) and burn it and eat. And we will bath on the small river, where the water will go to field. It was a very happiest days in my life. He has two children. I do no how they will live without their father, is very sad.
Let his soul in peace, god will bless there family.
He is a non-fear person; he will do all risk works and hard worker in field. 12 years back he lost his left eye, where the bike he traveled was accident with a car. With in a single eye he will drive bike and tractors. Some years before he got kidney problem and his kidney was failure, they he done kidney transplantation, after the transplantation doctor told him to take rest, but he dint obey, he stared his farm work, yes he is a former. One day he spread insect’s medicine for his field; there he got the trouble, the insect medicine went into his body and again his kidney was failures. Then he did another transplantation, after keeping the kidney in his body the kidney color was changed into blue and the kidney was waste, they removed it. For one and a half years he was living with the help of doing Dialyses. While dialyses he will feel dead pain, but he take it easy and don’t show that in his face. Today morning he was died in his sleep.
I am very surprised to see his work on field, when every we go to his village, he will take us to the field. He will climb the coconut tree and pick the coconuts and give us, he will take us to the forest and will all pick casiunuts (mundhri parupu) and burn it and eat. And we will bath on the small river, where the water will go to field. It was a very happiest days in my life. He has two children. I do no how they will live without their father, is very sad.
Let his soul in peace, god will bless there family.
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