Navratri 2020: Festive vibes in the air!

Festive vibes in the air! Everywhere, I can hear the Navratri chants and prayers and the energies invoking the Divine Goddess as we move towards the festival of Diwali. In the southern side of the country, Navratri golu arrangements are a beautiful way of honouring and celebrating the nine Goddesses and their strengths.

A time to honour the Goddess within.

A time to renew one's unique strengths with fearlnessness and love.

A time to feel self-love and respect one's own divine energy.

What a glorious way to dispel the darkness within!

May the Nine Goddesses prevail and show us the way forward to battle our inner demons.

Do drop a line and comment on the traditions and customs related to Navratri in your town/village and your memories of it and how you celebrate it.

Comments

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences. [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste. You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being born

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. Frequently Asked Questions About Lighting Deepam at Home Collating most queries related to how to light the deepam at home, I'v

Saaradhi Malayalam movie review: A watchable film starring Sunny Wayne; but no action, no drama

Saaradhi Malayalam movie review: Watching 'Saaradhi', a Sunny Wayne starrer, got me thinking about life and death. The story revolves around an ambulance driver rushing with a dead body at the back of his vehicle and then getting trapped in an unexpected situation beyond his control. Gradually, the ambulance driver finds himself becoming 'attached' to the dead body. Now, that is the peg of the film which somehow gets lost in the movie altogether! While this film has no comedy scenes, memorable songs, it still kept me alert. [Source: YouTube] So, my son and I started watching the film and yes, there were several stretches in 'Saaradhi' that were boring. Firstly, Sunny Wayne was simply not getting into the skin of the protagonist. His timing was definitely off. Saaradhi Malayalam Movie Review: Timing a key problem In Malayalam movies, timing is everything, and it is what adds punch to every dialog

What is the story of Shivaji? The great son of a great mother called Jijabai

Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior whose guerrilla warfare tactics are fleetingly mentioned in Indian history textbooks, is increasingly relevant today. A Hindi movie 'Tanhaji' starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol got many of us curious to know more about this warrior. Sadly, we don't seem to have much information in our history textbooks! [ READ: Significance of Surya Argya and How do you Light Deepam? ] Source: Anjali Natarajan on Twitter Shivaji Maharaj: The Great Son of a Great Mother Jijabai The more I read about Shivaji Maharaj, the more fascinated I am. I wondered why we have learned so little about this great warrior and his great mother Jijabai, and why public memory has been totally erased from most history books! As a mother, I have always been fascinated by how some of India's greatest and most revered men and women are individuals who were deeply influenced at an early age by their mothers. Bharat is a country that belongs to great mothers who

Malayalam Movie Review: Rani Padmini asks serious questions but fails to deliver a meaningful impact

I like movies that show strong women. I had great expectations from Aashiq Abu's latest Malayalam movie - Rani Padmini. The two heroines Manju Warrier and Rima Kallingal demonstrate commendable chemistry despite a poorly paced script and badly written screenplay. W hile Jinu Joseph is impressive as the racer, there is no chemistry with Manju Warrier. The vibes are sangfroid between the two actors. The first half of the movie puts you on edge. You keep waiting for a spectacular story but the second half is where the story "begins." The pace of the film is inconsistent. The 'Ant" story and also the 'paragliding' scenes were stretched to too slow. Then suddenly, the narrative becomes too pacy. Malayalam Movie Review: Rani Padmini Story The story goes like this: Padmini (starring Manju Warrier) is a Malayali girl married to a Delhi based racing car driver, whose name is Giri (starring Jinu Joseph). The couple love

Petals!

Search This Blog