History

WHY IS THE RED FORT AT DELHI SELECTED FOR THE INDEPENDENCE CEREMONY?

The Red Fort built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was the seat of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal Emperor, when he was declared the Emperor of Hindustan during the 1857 uprising against the British. 

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, head of the exiled Azad Hind Sena, wished to hoist the flag of free India from the Red Fort. 

It was therefore, in a symbolic meeting of past on the ramparts of the Red Fort, that on 15th August, 1947, India ushered in a new dawn and the promise of a new beginning. 

Gypsum crystal

DESERT ROSE

The desert rose is neither soft nor fragrant. In fact, it is not a flower at all but a gypsum crystal. Do you know what gypsum is? It is a mineral used in the creation of concrete, sheet-rock and plaster of paris. In the desert, gypsum crystals are found in sand dunes. The grains of sand interfere with the growth of crystals and the result is that the crystals are formed in the shape of petals. Desert Rose gypsum is found in many locations around the world and specimens found in different places can look radically different, but all of them are without doubt delicate beauties born of the earth. 

Strange grief ritual

FINGER AMPUTATION

Have you ever been so overcome with grief that you just need to cut off a piece of your finger? Hopefully not. But for the people of Dani Tribe, finger cutting is a typical mourning practice. 

Located in a remote area of Papua, New Guinea, the Dani are deeply attached to their customs --- even the ones that encourage detachment of body parts. When someone dies, the tribe will cut off a portion of every woman's finger who was close to the deceased. The more loss a woman experiences, the more she loses of herself, literally.

Before being amputated, the fingers are tied with a string for thirty minutes to numb them. Once amputated, the new fingertips are burned to create new scar tissue. Though now banned by the government, this custom, one of the world's most bizarre cultural practices, is still occasionally practiced by the tribe from time to time. It is a ritual performed to satisfy the ancestral ghosts and has been going on for many generations.

Though mostly applicable to older women, the practice sometimes goes down all the way to baby females who have the tips of their fingers bitten off in a similar ritual.

Pole used for communication

TOTEM POLE

Totem poles are large wooden poles that are beautifully carved with many symbols. The totem pole of the Red Indians, provided a means of communicating their stories, myths and legends. They were generally carved from giant trees and were made up of an arrangement of symbols. The symbols on the totem pole told a story or recalled an event. These messages and stories tell a lot about the Red Indians and their culture. 

Some poles were erected to celebrate cultural beliefs, others were just an artistic presentation. Certain poles also contained graves within them. But whatever their purpose, totem poles are awesome. 

Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity

MAHA KUMBH 2025

The Maha Kumbh Mela, an integral part of Indian tradition, is renowned globally as the largest peaceful congregation of people. The festival is a testament to the human quest for divine and spiritual liberation, representing the belief in freedom from the continuous cycle of birth, death and rebirth. This gathering allows millions of devotees to immerse themselves in the holy waters of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati, symbolising the purification of the soul and as believed, a path to attaining Moksha or liberation. 

The Amrut snan / Shahi snan (Royal bath) has gained global recognition. It is not just a religious gathering anymore; it has become a spectacle of faith, a cultural extravaganza, attracting not just devotees, but also tourists, researchers and international media. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has inscribed the Kumbh Mela on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, further elevating its status globally. 

The word Prayag has traditionally meant 'a confluence of rivers'. For Prayagraj, it denotes the physical meeting point of the Ganga and the Yamuna in the city. According to ancient belief a third river, the invisible Saraswati, also meets here with the Ganga and the Yamuna.  It is believed that Lord Brahma performed the very first sacrifice (yagya) at this place. 

Triveni sangam (or simply sangam) is a more frequently used name for the confluence. Prayagraj meaning the king of prayagas, is used as a term to indicate that this confluence is the most splendid one of the five sacred confluences in India - the holy grounds for the Kumbh. 

The Kumbh Mela is the largest and the most sacred fair of all which takes place once in 12 years at Prayagraj. This year it is being celebrated from January 13, 2025 to February 26, 2025. A sea of humanity lands up here for a dip in the rivers. The mega fair is a melting point of beliefs and ethnicities, drawing lakhs of Indians and foreigners alike. The people also come to seek spiritual solace.

According to legends , at the time of creation, the devas (gods) and asuras (demons) churned the ocean until the kumbh (pot) of amrit, the nectar of immortality, appeared. A fierce battle for the kumbh ensued, between the devas and asuras. During the 12 days (12 years in human life) struggle over the kumbh, four drops fell on earth, in four different places, and every three years there is a mela (festival) at one of these places to commemorate the devas’ victory in wresting the kumbh from the asuras. It is a victory of light over dark; truth over ignorance; positivity over negativity. 

Monday, January 13, marked the first day of 45­day long Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, listed by UNESCO as the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on earth, where devotees walk miles to take a dip at 'Sangam', the convergence of the holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. The fair is visited by Hindu ascetics, saints, ash­ smeared Naga Sadhus, skeleton­-donning, Aghoris and other pilgrims. It is expected to have a footfall of 450 million this year, nearly twice the population of Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous State. 

Kumbh, derived from a Sanskrit word which means a pitcher, is rotationally held every three years at the four riverside cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. Its schedule is based on the planetary alignments mainly of that of Sun and Jupiter. The Ardh (half) is held every six years at Haridwar and Prayagraj while Purna (complete) Kumbh takes place in all four cities every 12 years. The Maha Kumbh happens after 12 Purna Kumbhs in Prayagraj, once in 144years and is considered the most auspicious. The central ritual of the fair remains bathing in icy cold waters of the sacred rivers where millions immerse themselves with the belief that the act will cleanse them of their sins and liberate them from the cycle of birth and death and will attain spiritual liberation. 

Musical instrument

XYLOPHONE 

The xylophone is a colourful and fun instrument that makes happy sounds! It consists of wooden or metal bars of different sizes. When you hit the bars with small small sticks called mallets, they make music. Bigger bars make deeper sounds, and smaller bars make higher sounds. 

Playing the xylophones is easy and exciting for kids. You can play songs by tapping the bars in the right order. Many xylophones for kids are colourful, making it easy to know which bar to tap.

Xylophones are used in music all around the world. They are great for making cheerful tunes and learning about music. 

Did you know? The word "xylophone" means "wood sound" because "xylo" means wood and "phone" means sound. It's the perfect instrument for learning music and having fun at the same time!

An African folktale

THE MAN WHO NEVER LIED

Once upon a time, there lived a wise man named Mamad, known far and wide for never telling a lie. People from even distant lands spoke of him. When the king heard of Mamad, he summoned him to the palace. 

The king asked, "Mamad, is it true that you've never lied?"

"Yes, it's true, " Mamad replied. 

"And you never will lie?" the king asked. 

"I'm certain of that," Mamad answered. 

Several days later, the king called Mamad again. A large crowd gathered as the king prepared to go hunting. Holding his horse by its mane, with his left foot in the stirrup, the king gave Mamad an order. 

"Go to my summer palace, tell the queen I'll join her for lunch, and ask her to prepare a grand feast. We will have lunch together."

Mamad bowed and went to the queen. Meanwhile, the king chuckled, thinking, "We won't go hunting now, and Mamad will lie to the queen. Tomorrow, we'll have a laugh."

But Mamad went to the palace and said, "Perhaps you should prepare a grand feast for lunch tomorrow, or maybe you shouldn't. Perhaps the king will come by the noon, or perhaps he won't."

"Will he come or not?" asked the queen. 

"I don't know." said Mamad, "I know if he puts his right foot in the stirrup or his left foot on the ground."

Everyone waited for the king, who came the next day and told the queen, "The wise Mamad, who never lies, lied to you yesterday."

The queen explained what Mamad had said. Hearing this, the queen realised that a truly wise man never lies.