Festival

 Tulsi Vivah

Tulsi or the basil plant is considered highly sacred in Hinduism and is one of the most worshipped plants.

It holds a great significance not only in rituals but also holds medicinal values.

Tulsi Vivah or the marriage of Tulsi with Bhagwan Vishnu or His Bhagwan Krishna Avatar is celebrated on the Prabodhini Ekadashi, the eleventh day of Shukla Paksha or the twelfth day in the Hindu month of Kartik.

The day signifies the end of the monsoon month and the beginning of the Hindu wedding season.

Legend behind Tulsi Vivah:

A pious girl named Vrinda born in the Asura clan to Kalanemi who was a great devotee of Bhagwan Vishnu.

Her husband Jalandhar, the King of asuras, became invincible by defeating the Devas, due to the penance of his pious wife Vrinda.

Bhagwan Vishnu then took the form of Jalandhar and went in front of Vrinda who invited him to sit beside her.

When Vrinda touched Jalandhar’s feet she recognised that it was not Jalandhar. Bhagwan Vishnu then took His real form which angered Vrinda as she did not expect Bhagwan Vishnu to cheat her this way and break her chastity.

Vrinda angrily cursed Bhagwan Vishnu to turn into a stone.

But when the Devas requested Vrinda to not turn Bhagwan Vishnu into a stone, she reduced her curse.

She said that Bhagwan Vishnu would return to earth as "Shaligrm", a form of Bhagwan Vishnu.

She ended her life as her purity was maligned which resulted in the killing of the Asura Jalandhar.

Bhagwan Vishnu was pleased with her devotion.

 He blessed Vrinda that His worship will be considered to complete only when Vrinda is a part of it and even after herdeath she will remain on earth in the form of a Tulsi Plant and  will function as life giving plant. He also declared that whenever somebody will offer Him a Tulsi leaf with full devotion He will bless them.

As per her prayers, she was married to Bhagwan Vishnu in this form. Since then, worship of tulsi, offering of tulsi for Bhagwan Vishnu and Tulsi Vivah came to be practiced by the devotees.

 Celebration:

Tulsi Vivah is celebrated on the Shukla Paksha Ekadashi in the Kartik month.

The rituals performed on the day are the same as that of a Hindu wedding.

The ceremony is performed either at home or at temples.

A mandap is installed around the courtyard where the Tulsi plant is planted.

The Tulsi Vrindavan is decked up as a bride with red saree, jewellery, and flowers. Some people even attach a paper face to the Tulsi plant.

The groom is a brass idol or a picture of Bhagwan Vishnu or Bhagwan Krishna.

The Vigraha or the picture of Bhagwan is draped in a dhoti and decorated with flowers. During the ceremony, Bhagwan Vishnu and Tulsi, are tied together with a cotton thread also called as Mala.

In Maharashtra and Goa, Mangala Ashtak (mantras sung during the marriage ceremony) is recited by the priests by holding a white cloth between the bride and the groom. Akshada, rice coloured with vermilion, haldi, and kumkum, are showered on the couple and later the white cloth is removed signifying the approval to the wedding.

Sugarcane, tamarind, fruits, and puffed rice are offered as Naivedya to Tulsi and later distributed as Prasad.

Tulsi is offered saree, vermilion, and Mangalsutra while Bhagwan Vishnu is offered men’s clothing, sacred thread and sandalwood.

In Goa Tulsi Vivah is called Vhadli Diwali (Big Diwali)

Married women (Suhasinis) of the house burn Jodvi (365 X 2 wicks of cotton) and pray for good health and long life of their husbands.

Cuisine is vegetarian as same as that is prepared for a wedding. 

Celebration:

Tulsi Vivah is celebrated on the Shukla Paksha Ekadashi in the Kartik month.

The rituals performed on the day are the same as that of a Hindu wedding.

The ceremony is performed either at home or at temples.

A mandap is installed around the courtyard where the Tulsi plant is planted.

The Tulsi Vrindavan is decked up as a bride with red saree, jewellery, and flowers. Some people even attach a paper face to the Tulsi plant.

The groom is a brass idol or a picture of Bhagwan Vishnu or Bhagwan Krishna.

The Vigraha or the picture of Bhagwan is draped in a dhoti and decorated with flowers. During the ceremony, Bhagwan Vishnu and Tulsi, are tied together with a cotton thread also called as Mala.

In Maharashtra and Goa, Mangala Ashtak (mantras sung during the marriage ceremony) is recited by the priests by holding a white cloth between the bride and the groom. Akshada, rice coloured with vermilion, haldi, and kumkum, are showered on the couple and later the white cloth is removed signifying the approval to the wedding.

Sugarcane, tamarind, fruits, and puffed rice are offered as Naivedya to Tulsi and later distributed as Prasad.

Tulsi is offered saree, vermilion, and Mangalsutra while Bhagwan Vishnu is offered men’s clothing, sacred thread and sandalwood.

In Goa Tulsi Vivah is called Vhadli Diwali (Big Diwali)

Married women (Suhasinis) of the house burn Jodvi (365 X 2 wicks of cotton) and pray for good health and long life of their husbands.

Cuisine is vegetarian as same as that is prepared for a wedding.

Father of Indian Industry

 Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata

Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata (1839 – 1904), industrialist, is hailed as the man who took India into the industrial age. The founder of the Tata industrial empire, he was a great visionary with ideas far ahead of his time.

Living in a time when India was under British rule, he envisaged projects that laid the foundation for the nation’s development once it attained independence.

The institutions he founded continue to set the pace for others in their respective areas even today.

Jamsetji was born on March 3, 1839, in Navsari, Gujarat, as the eldest of five children of Nusserwanji Tata, a Parsi merchant and banker.

His ancestors had been Zoroastrian priests, and Nusserwanji was the first in the family to venture into business.

He moved from his native Navsari to Bombay with his wife,Jeevanbai.

Jamsetji was educated in Bombay, graduating from Elphinstone College in 1858.

The same year, he joined his father’s trading firm.

An eager learner, he quickly gained knowledge about commodities and markets, trading and banking.

While still a student, Jamsetji had been married to Hirabai. The couple later had two sons, Dorabji and Ratanji.

After working with his father for nine years, Jamsetji started a trading company of his own in 1868.

His foreign trips convinced him that there was tremendous scope for Indian companies in the British-dominated textile industry.

In 1869, he made his foray into the textile industry by buying an old oil mill in Bombay, which he converted into a cotton mill.

Two years later, he sold this mill to a cotton merchant at a good profit.

He then visited England to study the Lancashire cotton trade in depth.

On his return, he worked towards setting up a state-of-the-art cotton mill.

His efforts culminated in the launch of the Empress Mill in Nagpur in1874.

The cloth produced in the mill was sold in India and exported to other countries in Asia and the Middle East, fetching the Tatas huge profits.

However, Jamsetji was not content with being a mere textile merchant.

A great patriot, he had three ambitious dreams that would put the nation on the path to progress: setting up an iron and steel company, generating hydroelectric power, and creating a world class educational institution that would tutor Indians in the sciences.

He spent the rest of his life chasing these dreams, all of which seemed impossible at that time.

Although none of them came true in his lifetime, the seeds he sowed and his hard work ensured that all three did eventually become a reality.

The Tata Iron and Steel Company, set up in 1907 by his successors, represented the culmination of his vision.

It was fitting that the industrial township envisaged by him came to be known as Jamshedpur after him.

The Indian Institute of Science, setup in 1911 in Bangalore, was also the fruit of his efforts as he drew up its blue print, garnered political support for it, and contributed Rs. 30lakh from his personal funds towards its establishment. Jamsetji travelled widely, and many of his business ideas were born during his travels.

He was quick to bring back to India the technologies he saw abroad.

One of his ventures that did bear fruit in his lifetime was the Taj Mahal hotel, a luxury hotel that matched international standards.

Legend has it that Jamsetji was once denied entry into a five-star hotel for being an Indian.

Enraged, he decided to build a world-class opulent hotel where his countrymen could enjoy every luxury.

Thus was born the Taj Mahal in 1903 – India’s finest luxury hotel and Bombay’s first building to use electricity.

A large-hearted man,

Jamsetji was always ready to spend money for the public good.

Sensitive to his employees’ welfare, he laid out plans for them to have a conducive workplace and employee benefits such as provident fund and gratuity –long before these were made statutory worldwide.

On May 19, 1904, the titan breathed his last.

But his legacy, in the form of the industrial group he founded and his philanthropic projects, lives on, enriching the lives of Indians to this day.

 

Do you know?

 1) Carbohydrates in food are our body’s main source of energy.

They are plentiful in sweet things and in starchy food such as bread, cakes and potatoes.

Carbohydrates are burned by our body to keep it warm and to provide energy for growth and muscle movement, as well as to maintain basic body processes.

The average adult needs 2000 to 4000 calories of carbohydrates a day.

2) Space suits protect astronauts when they go outside their spacecraft. The suits are also called EMUs(Extra-Vehicular Mobility Units).

3) Dogs have far superior hearing than human, capable of hearing sounds at four times the distance.

4) An elephant’s brain weighs four times as much as the human brain. However our brains are far bigger in relation to our bodies than those of any other animal.

5) Lions cubs are looked after by several females until they are big enough to fend for themselves.

6) Sharks do not have a single bone in their bodies. Instead they have a skeleton made up of cartilage, the same type of tough, flexible tissue that makes up human ears and noses.

7) A leopard’s tail is as long as its entire body. This helps it with balance and enables it to make sharp turns quickly.

8) Green fruits help make your bones and teeth strong.

9) Dark green vegetables contain more vitamin C than light green vegetables.

10) Whales support many different types of life. Several creatures, such as barnacles and sea lice, attach themselves to the skin of whales and live there.

11) The cabbage encloses nearly as much water as the watermelon. Watermelons contain 92% water whereas cabbages have 90% and carrots 87%.

12) Only one planet rotates clockwise and that’s Venus.

13) Hornbills lay just one egg a year.

14) The biggest bear is Alaskan brown bear, which grows to 2.7m in height and weighs up to 770kg.

15) The sun bear of Southeast Asia is the only tropical bear. It is the smallest bear and a very good climber.

16) Somalia is the only African country in which the entire population speaks the same language, Somali.

Folktale

 THE MIRROR

A humorous Korean Folktale

Long ago, a young farmer married the daughter of a wealthy family.

One day, he was called away to a far city to conduct important business.

“What may I bring you?” he asked his wife.

“A comb,” she replied at once, thinking how lovely it would look in her long black hair.

As soon as she had said this, however, the young woman became sad.

She knew that her husband was most forgetful.

How could he possibly remember to buy her a comb?

Then she looked up and saw that the new Moon had risen high in the night sky.

Its silvery crescent was exactly the shape of the comb she wanted.

“Look there, Husband,” she said. “If you forget what I asked for, you must look up at the Moon. The curve of its crescent will remind you of my comb.”

The young man promised to remember.

Once in the great city, the farmer found that his business dealings were more complicated than he had imagined.

Many days passed before at last he could think about returning home.

Just as his wife had feared, he had forgotten about her gift.

Then he looked up and saw that the full Moon had risen high in the night sky.

Its shining sphere recalled his wife’s request.

“I am to bring her something shaped like the Moon,” the young man thought. “What is it?”

The poor fellow racked his brain, but it was hopeless.

He simply could not remember.

Finally, in desperation, he decided to go to a nearby shop. Thinking that perhaps the shopkeeper could help, he explained, “I am to buy a gift for my wife that looks like the Moon.”

Although the shopkeeper thought this odd, he began to search his shop.

At last he held up a hand mirror and exclaimed triumphantly, “Here! This must be what she wants. It’s round and silver, just like the Moon.”

The young farmer had never seen a mirror before, because they were most rare.

But since his wife was from a rich family, she would undoubtedly know what it was, and so he made his purchase.

No sooner had the farmer arrived home than his wife asked for her gift.

Imagine her surprise when instead of a comb, he handed her this unusual object.

Looking into the mirror’s smooth, shiny glass, she was further astonished to see the face of a lovely young woman.

“What is this, Husband?” she cried. “I ask for a comb, and instead you bring home a pretty girl!” 

In a fit of anger, the young woman ran to her mother.

“See here, Mother!” she said. “My husband hasn’t brought me a comb at all, only a strange young girl.”

Her mother snatched the mirror and gazed into it.

“Why, Daughter, that’s not a girl. It’s a wrinkled old woman.” She, of course, was looking at her own reflection.

At that, the wife began to insist that she saw a pretty young girl.

The mother was equally firm in her belief that she saw an old woman.

The two began quarrelling loudly.

Hearing the commotion, the farmer’s young son hurried over, a bowl of rice in his hand.

The child picked up the mirror and looked curiously at the glass.

What should he see but a strange boy holding his bowl of rice.

Letting out a wail, the child demanded that the stranger return the rice at once.

“Give it back!” he shouted.

A neighbor, likewise hearing the noise, rushed over.

“Show me the bully who has stolen your rice,” the old man said, “and I will take care of him.”

He peered into the mirror, only to see an angry grandfather staring back.

“Why, you terrible old man! Taking food from a child!”

And the neighbour pushed back his sleeve, preparing to deliver a mighty blow. 

He had no sooner raised his fist than the mirror slipped from his hand and fell to the floor, shattering into a hundred bits of glass.

Article

 Influence of companions in life

Our companions play a very important role in our lives.

They also shape our character and personality.

It is said that we become the average of the five people we choose to stay with.

Therefore, the selection of our companions or associates has to be done very carefully and consciously.

In the great epic Ramayana, there is a story that demonstrates the effect of our associates on us.

When king Dasharath announced the crowning of Ram as the next king, queen Kaikeyi was equally happy as she loved Ram as much as she loved her own son Bharat.

But later, Manthara, her maid, poisoned her thoughts.

 She told Kaikeyi that she should make use of the boon that Dasarath had granted her.

She should stop him from crowning Ram as the king, so that her own son could be the next king.

Kaikeyi asked Dasarath to grant her the boon and asked him to crown Bharat as King and send Ram away on exile for 14 years. 

This shows how our associates can influence our decisions and thinking.

The people we associate with even determine our relations with others. Just as Manthara’s association separated Kaikeyi from her loved ones and brought her down in the eyes of her near and dear ones, we too can become a victim of bad association.

The separation of Kaikeyi from Rama also symbolises that when we decide to let bad advice control us, we get separated from God and goodness.

In Mahabharata, we see that the Pandavas triumph in the war whereas the Kauravas got defeated.

This is because of Kuru’s association with Shakuni. While the Pandavas chose Lord Krishna as their advisor, the Kauravas had Shakuni as their associate.

 In the battle of life, whether we emerge as the winner or loser, whether we become successful or not is determined by whether we choose Lord Krishna (goodness) or Shakuni (ignorance) as our leading example.

Karna is another personality in the Mahabharata.

He was the son of the Sun God.

He had astonishing capabilities, but became a villain in everyone’s eyes just because of his association with Duryodhana.

He used his powers for Duryodhana and he let himself be controlled by Duryodhana’s negativity.

Another personality is Ashwathama, the son of Drona (the teacher of the Pandavas and the Kauravas).

He too chose to be with Duryodhana and directed his powers in the wrong direction.

Such is the influence of our companions on us.

Therefore, we need to be careful while choosing our friends.

We cannot avoid negative people around us.

Kaikeyi too couldn’t avoid Manthara, but she should have ignored her words and provocations!

As the famous saying goes, “A ship does not sink because of the water around it, but because of the water that gets into it.”

Likewise, even if we are around negative people, if we let ourselves get controlled by their negativity, then it can harm us.

So, even if we are around negative people, we should make ourselves strong enough to stay unaffected.

Good association can make our lives so much better and positive.

 

Great personality

 

                       Sardar Patel --- Iron man of India

Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel

31 Oct 1875 ~ 15 Dec 1950

He was born at Nadiad in Gujarat.

He was married at age 16, matriculated at 22 and passed district pleader’s examination to practice law.

After his wife's demise in 1909, he travelled to London in 1910 to study and enhance his career as a lawyer.

Returning to India in 1913, he rose to be a leading barrister in criminal law at Ahmedabad.

He was noted for his chivalry, westernised clothes & championship in bridge at the elite Gujarat Club.

In 1917, his life, lifestyle and appearance changed with influence of Gandhi.

He quit Gujarat Club, dressed in simple white clothing and began to eat with his hands.

From 1917 to 1924 he served as first Indian municipal commissioner of Ahmedabad and was elected municipal president from 1924 to 1928.

In 1918, he led mass campaigns of peasants, farmers & landowners of Kaira, Gujarat, against decision to collect full annual revenue taxes despite crop failures caused by heavy rains.

In 1928 he led landowners of Bardoli in resistance against increased taxes.

His efficient leadership of Bardoli campaign earned him the title Sardar.

Like Gandhi, he emphasised need to foster Indian self-reliance and self-confidence.

He disagreed with Nehru on adapting socialist ideas to Indian social and economic structure.

His belief in free enterprise gained him trust of conservative elements that helped with collecting funds for activities of Indian National Congress.

During 1930 Salt Satyagraha he served 3 months imprisonment.

In 1931 he presided over Karachi session of the INC. He was imprisoned in January 1932.

Released in July 1934, he marshaled the organisation.

He was imprisoned again in October 1940, released in August 1941 and imprisoned once more from August 1942 until June 1945.

After independence, he was deputy prime minister, minister of home affairs, minister of information and minister of states.

His enduring achievement was integration of princely Indian states into Indian Union & political unification of India.

He was intensely loyal to Gandhi.

He was the last to privately talk with Gandhi, who was assassinated just minutes after his departure.

Within two months of Gandhi's death, he suffered a major heart attack, which he attributed to grief of demise of his mentor

His health declined rapidly through summer of 1950.

After suffering a massive heart attack (his second), he died on 15 December at Birla House in Mumbai.

He was posthumously awarded Bharat Ratna in 1991.

From 2014 his birthday is celebrated as Rashtriya Ekta Diwas.

He was called Iron man of India for the following incident in his life. This incident was narrated by him in an interview given by him to a magazine.

“Sturdiness has been a part and parcel of my life. Physically, I fast twice a month. In those two long days of fasting, I refrain from food and water. Even at the psychological level, I prefer to live this robustness. I remember, during my childhood, once a boil erupted under my armpit. In those days, for such treatments people used to visit a particular person, who heated an iron rod and put it on the boil. When I visited the man for the same, he averted since I was too young. However, I insisted to do it quickly before the rod turns cold. Finally, when that person could not muster courage, without waiting for him, I did the treatment myself.”

Statue of unity

NO ONE IS USELESS

 No One Is Useless

Once there was a man who did not make it to university.

His mother got him a wife.

After the wedding, he worked as a teacher in a primary school.

Due to the lack of experience, he was squashed by the students in less than a week.

When he returned home, his wife dried his tears. She comforted him with these words.

“You should not be too sad about it. Probably there is a more suitable job waiting for you out there.”

It was in his thirties that he became a counsellor in a

school for the deaf and mute.

Later on, he opened a school for the disabled.

A few years later, he set up a chain of stores in different cities and provinces, selling apparatus and equipment for the disabled.

He became a multi-millionaire.

One day he asked his wife, “When I was looking bleak at my own future, what’s the reason that you had so much faith in me?”

His wife gave him a simple reply. She said, “When a piece of land is not suitable for planting wheat, we could try planting beans. If the beans are not growing well, we could try planting fruits or gourds. If the vegetation is not economical, we can instead scatter buckwheat seeds. These seeds will one day bloom into flowers. On this land itself, there will be at least one seed that will germinate and grow.”

 

We must never lose hope in our life.