About the Pongal Festival: As a majority of Indians depend on agriculture for their livelihood, many of our festivals are related to agricultural activities like sowing and harvesting. So harvest festivals are celebrated in various forms all across the country. Pongal is an important harvest festival of Tamil Nadu, celebrated to mark the end of… Read More »
Bhakti means to worship and every believer in any religion understands the qualities of devotion. What is unusual about the Bhakti movement in India is that it was a surprisingly rebellious one that was led by ordinary people and that constantly questioned our traditional rituals and beliefs. When we think of Bhakti we recall the… Read More »
He called that time of day ‘amrit vela’ – those moments at dawn when the air is as mellow as nectar. Guru Nanak wanted us to pray and sing in the praise of God during this time. And one of the most beautiful experiences in our land is to wake up to the sound of… Read More »
If you ask anyone to define Yoga you will get many answers and many of them will be intrinsically correct. Some will say that Yoga is a system of physical exercises. It can also be a form of meditation and spiritual awakening. Many think it is all those complex asanas where the body is contorted… Read More »
We all know that exercise is good for health and in our daily lives most of us do not get enough of it. We take cars everywhere, we dislike walking and take the elevator instead of stairs, we do little house work and even a stroll in the park is a rare occurrence. The decision… Read More »
It may be hard to believe but even in ancient times human beings faced stress. We talk of work stress, health stress and even long queues and traffic jams causing stress. Now think of people living in, say the first millennium, and what they faced – there were invaders and wars, poverty, famines and epidemics… Read More »
No one is born wise. You gain wisdom through seeking self knowledge like all our great teachers have done. Gautama Buddha would ask two very simple questions, “Why do we feel sorrow?” and “What is the cause of sorrow and how can it be ended?” and it would take him years to find an answer.… Read More »
It could not have been easy being Vibhishan. For many he is the symbol of a traitor because he abandoned his elder brother Ravan, the king of Lanka, at a time of war and then joined the opposition. In the Ramayana the actions of Vibhishan raise the moral question of what is more important –… Read More »
He is called Maryada Purushottam, the perfect man who respects and upholds dharma, the rules of society. He proves this as a young prince and then as a king when he gives priority to his duties over his personal wishes. Ramachandra, son of King Dasharath and Queen Kaushalya of Ayodhya remains the ideal for many… Read More »
The mausoleum of the Sufi saint Sheikh Salim Chishti stands in the middle of the courtyard of the Jami Masjid in Fatehpur Sikri. It is a marble tomb that glows like a jewel in the heart of the complex of red sandstone arches, domes and minarets and has a fascinating story to tell. In the… Read More »
