While Indians are fighting on Issues like Religionism and Regionalism , Pakistan is trying its best to deplete Indian economy. Lakhs of Indian fake currency enters Indian Bank every Month and not a single time this issue is been raised in Parliament. Some of the Incident in recent pasts are :-
Special Narcotic Cell (SNC) of Punjab police on Oct 25 claimed to have seized fake currency of Rs 5 Lakh with the arrest of alleged accused Sukhchain Singh resident of Amritsar.Conforming the seizure and arrest of alleged accused, Official of SNC informed that fake currency was smuggled from Pakistan to India.The SNC officials informed that alleged smugglers have warm links across the border with Pakistani smugglers who used to send fake currency to India.
More than Rs.2 million worth fake Indian currency notes seized on Lucknow, July 30 in two incidents and half-a-dozen people arrested in this connection -- Uttar Pradesh appears turning into a major fake currency hub in the country.The main reason behind this as the border of nepal and Uttarpradesh cannot be tracked end to end at a time. People can easily move from Nepal to UP whenever they wish.The 1751-km-long border is largely unmarked, unguarded, porous, and smuggling is as easy as cycling across the border with illegal goods.
The Special Task Force - of the UP police September 3 arrested a person from Siddharthnagar district, bordering Nepal, and recovered fake currency notes of Rs.500,000 from him. Later, after interrogating Abid, as he identified himself, the cops also arrested a cashier of the State Bank of India posted at the Dumariyaganj branch in the district. In a similar catch in previous week, Lucknow police arrested four persons and recovered counterfeit Indian currency worth Rs.1.6 million from them.
Two Indians, an Iranian and a Pakistani were arrested after Dubai police busted a fake Indian currency racket in this west Asian metropolis. Police arrested the four-member gang on Aug 5 and recovered fake Indian currency with a notional value of Rs.2 million ($46,500). The cops working on the issue also have a strong belief that these notes are manufactured in Pakistan and are infiltrated into India by the Inter Services Intelligence.
Birganj, the biggest town in Nepal's Terai region, has become a transit point for almost all the fake currency entering India. The smuggling is so widespread that Birganj’s Superintendent of Police Yogeshwar Rom Khami can produce produces hundreds of fake notes on asking.Fake currency dealers and couriers in Nepal told to one of the news channels that Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is pushing crores of fake currency every month into India from Nepal. They also said that by 2010 nearly Rs 10,000 crore of fake currency would be in circulation in India.
How fake currency and terror are related
Intelligence Bureau and investigating agencies have established that fake currency funds terror in India. IB officials say there is a whopping Rs 17,000 crore worth of fake currency in circulation in India. While it funds terror organizations, it also helps intensify economic terrorism in the country.
Sameer, one of the accused in the Hyderabad twin blasts, said in his confession and recent narco analysis conducted in Bengaluru that the notes are printed in Pakistan and routed into India through Bangladesh. He said that it is distributed to the rest of the country from Uttar Pradesh.Sameer said he was mainly responsible for bringing in people from the across the border to carry out terror attacks in India. Along with the men, large consignments of fake currency too were transported, he added.
What has foxed investigating agencies is that the serial numbers on the seized fake notes were similar those on genuine notes. Moreover the paper and printing quality of the notes have improved in the past few years making it very difficult to spot the fakes.
Majid Bilal, brother of alleged Hyderabad blasts mastermind Shahid Bilal, said during his narco analysis test that it is was compulsory for the men coming in from across the border to carry fake currency with them. He said that the notes were exchanged with agents within India (mostly in Rajasthan, UP and Andhra Pradesh) at a 2:1 ratio. He also said that Rs 5 crore had been spent on the Hyderabad twin blasts and added that all the money came from distribution of fake currency.
There are credible reports that intelligence agency of a neighbouring country continues to pump in fake Indian currency notes (FICN) in all parts of India," Minister of State for Finance P K Bansal told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. As per the information provided by the National Crimes Record Bureau, number of notes seized in India in 2005 was 3,61,700, amounting to Rs 6,92,70,876. The number of notes seized in 2006 and 2007 stood at 3,58,007 and 3,34,566 amounting to Rs 8,39,49,269 and Rs 8,85,88,385 respectively.During the current year up to June 30, 1,84,101 notes worth Rs 6,04,38,340 had been seized.
This might look a very small problem , but it can lead to disastrous situation if fake currencies continues to flow with the same pace.To an extent this is also kind of terrorism against India. Economic Terrorism .
There should be advance technologies provided to bank so that they can take care of newly generated fake currencies , as the machines given to the bank still have the old algorithm, Now a days advance technologies with high quality paper is used so that it become too difficult to identify the fake currency. What a government should do ?? Is there anyone who can do something to counter this attack on Indian economy.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Don't use Chinese Milk Products.
Dont use Chinese Milk Products.
The 2008 Chinese milk scandal is a food safety incident involving milk and infant formula, and other food materials and components, which had been adulterated with melamine.
With China's wide range of export food products, the scandal has affected countries on all continents. By the end of September, an estimated 94,000 victims have been claimed; four infants have died from kidney stones and other kidney damage.The chemical appeared to have been added to milk in order to cause it to appear to have a higher protein content. The same chemical was also involved in a series of pet food recalls in 2007. In a separate incident, watered-down milk resulted in 13 infant deaths from malnutrition in China in 2004.
The scandal broke on 16 July, after sixteen infants in Gansu Province who had been fed on milk powder produced by Shijiazhuang-based Sanlu Group were diagnosed with kidney stones.[cm 1] After the initial focus on Sanlu, the market leader in the budget segment, government inspections revealed the problem existed to a lesser degree in products from 21 other companies, including Mengniu, Yili, and Yashili. The issue has raised concerns about food safety and political corruption in China, and it has also damaged the reputation of China's food exports; at least 11 countries having stopped all imports of Chinese dairy products. A number of arrests occurred as a result of the scandal; the head of Sanlu, seven local government officials, as well as the Director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) have been fired or forced to resign in response to the incident.
The World Health Organisation referred to the incident as one of the largest food safety events it has had to deal with in recent years. It says the crisis of confidence among Chinese consumers would be hard to overcome. A spokesman said that the scale of the problem proved that it was "clearly not an isolated accident, [but] a large-scale intentional activity to deceive consumers for simple, basic, short-term profits."
Which companies are affected:
Nestle , Cofee Mate, KLIM, Mr. Brown Coffe, Maxwell House,Uniliver, Lotte, Pizza Hut, Starbucks Coffe, M&M's, Snickers, Dove
The 2008 Chinese milk scandal is a food safety incident involving milk and infant formula, and other food materials and components, which had been adulterated with melamine.
With China's wide range of export food products, the scandal has affected countries on all continents. By the end of September, an estimated 94,000 victims have been claimed; four infants have died from kidney stones and other kidney damage.The chemical appeared to have been added to milk in order to cause it to appear to have a higher protein content. The same chemical was also involved in a series of pet food recalls in 2007. In a separate incident, watered-down milk resulted in 13 infant deaths from malnutrition in China in 2004.
The scandal broke on 16 July, after sixteen infants in Gansu Province who had been fed on milk powder produced by Shijiazhuang-based Sanlu Group were diagnosed with kidney stones.[cm 1] After the initial focus on Sanlu, the market leader in the budget segment, government inspections revealed the problem existed to a lesser degree in products from 21 other companies, including Mengniu, Yili, and Yashili. The issue has raised concerns about food safety and political corruption in China, and it has also damaged the reputation of China's food exports; at least 11 countries having stopped all imports of Chinese dairy products. A number of arrests occurred as a result of the scandal; the head of Sanlu, seven local government officials, as well as the Director of the Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) have been fired or forced to resign in response to the incident.
The World Health Organisation referred to the incident as one of the largest food safety events it has had to deal with in recent years. It says the crisis of confidence among Chinese consumers would be hard to overcome. A spokesman said that the scale of the problem proved that it was "clearly not an isolated accident, [but] a large-scale intentional activity to deceive consumers for simple, basic, short-term profits."
Which companies are affected:
Nestle , Cofee Mate, KLIM, Mr. Brown Coffe, Maxwell House,Uniliver, Lotte, Pizza Hut, Starbucks Coffe, M&M's, Snickers, Dove
Indians stand out as most loyal consumers for cell phones.
When it comes to mobile phones, Indians stand out as the most loyal consumers. A latest study on consumer mobility, the first of its kind in the Indian market, reflects that consumers have high preference over their existing handset brand and operator services.
The study has been conducted by Boston-based ICT research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics. It notes that an ultra-low cost handset strategy can then provide benefits, including potential brand loyalty and sustained competitive advantage to handset vendors.
The findings say that that nearly 53% consumers are definite to retain their handset brand during upgradation and more than 80% are unwilling to switch between operators in the coming years. Handsets with higher memory and good entertainment features are still priced quite high in India.
"The entry-level phones are relatively poor on these parameters contributing to decline in satisfaction scores. The vendors need to focus on these areas to further improve their brand recall," said Rahul Gupta, manager, emerging market communication service, global wireless practice, Strategy Analytics.
While vendors might have recently launched a deluge of handsets at above Rs 20,000 like Apple iPhone, Nokia N96 or E71, Samsung's Omnia or Innov8, the study pointed out that majority of Indian consumers still spend below $ 250 (around Rs 12,000) for their handsets. In fact, only about 4% consumers spend more than $ 250 to buy their mobile phones.
"Growing demand for low-cost phones will contribute to the growth of local-brand mobile phones in the market. It is expected that local manufacturers will carve out 20% of India's total mobile handset production by 2011, while the remaining 80% will go to the five largest handset manufacturers in the world," said Gupta.
Around 80% of Indian subscribers make voice calls for more than 120 minutes a week. While this can be attributed to the fact that India has one of the lowest tariffs in the world, the study said the Indian market also has one of the highest mobile usages in the world.
The monthly spend on mobile services for most consumers in India is about $ 10. The study also highlighted an interesting fact about mobile usage. Most Indian consumers do not prefer to use their cell phones while traveling.
The study has been conducted by Boston-based ICT research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics. It notes that an ultra-low cost handset strategy can then provide benefits, including potential brand loyalty and sustained competitive advantage to handset vendors.
The findings say that that nearly 53% consumers are definite to retain their handset brand during upgradation and more than 80% are unwilling to switch between operators in the coming years. Handsets with higher memory and good entertainment features are still priced quite high in India.
"The entry-level phones are relatively poor on these parameters contributing to decline in satisfaction scores. The vendors need to focus on these areas to further improve their brand recall," said Rahul Gupta, manager, emerging market communication service, global wireless practice, Strategy Analytics.
While vendors might have recently launched a deluge of handsets at above Rs 20,000 like Apple iPhone, Nokia N96 or E71, Samsung's Omnia or Innov8, the study pointed out that majority of Indian consumers still spend below $ 250 (around Rs 12,000) for their handsets. In fact, only about 4% consumers spend more than $ 250 to buy their mobile phones.
"Growing demand for low-cost phones will contribute to the growth of local-brand mobile phones in the market. It is expected that local manufacturers will carve out 20% of India's total mobile handset production by 2011, while the remaining 80% will go to the five largest handset manufacturers in the world," said Gupta.
Around 80% of Indian subscribers make voice calls for more than 120 minutes a week. While this can be attributed to the fact that India has one of the lowest tariffs in the world, the study said the Indian market also has one of the highest mobile usages in the world.
The monthly spend on mobile services for most consumers in India is about $ 10. The study also highlighted an interesting fact about mobile usage. Most Indian consumers do not prefer to use their cell phones while traveling.
Poem On Deepawali. Hope all will Like It
It's the "Festival of Lights" today,
It's again the day of Diwali,
It's time to dress up folks,
It's time to adorn the thali.
It's the occasion to throng the temples,
Pray to the Gods and give them offerings,
It's an opportunity to entreat the deities,
To bless us all and rid us of sufferings.
It's the day to light the diyas,
Ignite the rockets and burst crackers,
But it's also the time to be safe,
From the fireworks and all the sparklers.
It's the season to pay a visit,
To all our friends and relations,
To hand them over sweets and presents,
Diwali is our splendid chance.
But while you spend a time of joy,
Don't think it's merriment all the way,
Out there wait many of those,
For whom it's no time to be gay.
Denied of laughter and smiles for days,
They know not what it is to enjoy,
Can you not share something you have,
Can you not bring them a little joy?
When you can make someone else smile
When you can be someone's ally
That's when you can yourself be glad
That's when you'll have a HAPPY DIWALI!
Ranveer
It's again the day of Diwali,
It's time to dress up folks,
It's time to adorn the thali.
It's the occasion to throng the temples,
Pray to the Gods and give them offerings,
It's an opportunity to entreat the deities,
To bless us all and rid us of sufferings.
It's the day to light the diyas,
Ignite the rockets and burst crackers,
But it's also the time to be safe,
From the fireworks and all the sparklers.
It's the season to pay a visit,
To all our friends and relations,
To hand them over sweets and presents,
Diwali is our splendid chance.
But while you spend a time of joy,
Don't think it's merriment all the way,
Out there wait many of those,
For whom it's no time to be gay.
Denied of laughter and smiles for days,
They know not what it is to enjoy,
Can you not share something you have,
Can you not bring them a little joy?
When you can make someone else smile
When you can be someone's ally
That's when you can yourself be glad
That's when you'll have a HAPPY DIWALI!
Ranveer
Happy Deepavali - Know our Festivals
This Diwali which leads us into Truth and Light is celebrated on a nation-wide scale on Amavasya - the 15th day of the dark fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashwin (Aasho) (October / November) every year. It symbolises that age-old culture of our country which teaches us to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali, the festival of lights even to-day in this modern world projects the rich and glorious past of our country and teaches us to uphold the true values of life.
The word "Diwali" is the corruption of the Sanskrit word "Deepavali" - Deepa meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. It means a row of lights and indeed illumination forms its main attraction. Every home - lowly or mightly - the hut of the poor or the mansion of the rich - is alit with the orange glow of twinkling diyas-small earthen lamps - to welcome Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Multi-coloured Rangoli designs, floral decorations and fireworks lend picturesness and grandeur to this festival which heralds joy, mirth and happiness in the ensuring year.
This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the regions of India and is looked upon mainly as the beginning of New Year. As such the blessings of Lakshmi, the celestial consort of Lord Vishnu are invoked with prayers. Even countries like Gkyena, Thailand, Trinidad, Siam and Malaya celebrate this festival but in their own ways.
This Diwali festival, it is surmised dates back to that period when perhaps history was not written, and in its progress through centuries it lighted path of thousands to attain the ultimate good and complete ecstasy.
Diwali or more aptly Deepavali is very enthusiastically celebrated for five continuous days and each day has its significance with a number of myths, legends and beliefs.
The First day is called DHANTERAS or DHANTRAYODASHI which falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin. The word "Dhan" means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has a great importance for the rich mercantile community of Western India. Houses and Business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colourful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights. Believing this day to be auspicious women purchase some gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs- in praise of Goddess Laxmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess. There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
In villages cattles are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In south cows are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped on this day.
The SECOND day is called NARKA-CHATURDASHI or CHOTI DIWALI which falls on the fourteenth day of the month of Ashwin.
In South India the victory of the divine over the mundane is celebrated in a very peculiar way. People wake up before sunrise prepare blood by mixing Kumkum in oil and after breaking a bitter fruit that represents the head of the demon King that was smashed by Krishna, apply that mixture on their foreheads. Then they have an oil bath using sandalwood paste.
In Maharashtra , traditional early baths with oil and "Uptan" (paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders are a `must'. All through the ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers and fireworks are there in order that the children enjoy bathing. Afterwards steamed vermiceli with milk and sugar or puffed rice with curd is served.This Narakachaturdashi day therefore is dedicated to lights and prayers heralding a future full of joy and laughter.
The THIRD day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day of LAKSHMI-PUJA which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of "CHOPADA-PUJA". On this very day sun enters his second course and passes Libra which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.
The day of Lakshmi-Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the temples as man is invoking Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous holy "pouring-in" of his heart. All of a sudden that impenetrable darkness is pierced by innumerable rays of light for just a moment and the next moment a blaze of light descends down to earth from heaven as golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on earth in all her celestial glory amidst chantings of Vedic hymns. A living luminance of Universal Motherhood envelopes the entire world in that blessed moment of fulfillment of a long-awaited dream of the mortal. A sublime light of knowledge dawns upon humanity and devotion of man finally conquers ignorance. This self enlightenment is expressed through the twinkling lamps that illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the lowly abodes of the poor. It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks through the green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and showers her blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. When the sun sets in the evening and ceremonial worship is finished all the home-made sweets are offered to the goddess as "NAIVEDYA" and distributed as "PRASAD". Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged on this day gaily dressed men, women and children go to temples and fairs, visit friends and relatives. Everything is gay, gold and glitter!
One of the most curious customs which characterises this festival of Diwali is the indulgence of gambling, specially on a large scale in North India. It is believed that goddess Parvati played dice with her husband, Lord Shiv on this day and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuring year. This tradition of playing cards- flush and rummy with stakes on this particular day continues even to-day.
The FOURTH day is PADWA or VARSHAPRATIPADA which marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya and Vikaram-Samvat was started from this Padwa day.This day is also observed as Annakoot meaning mountain of food.
In temples specially in Mathura and Nathadwara, the deities are given milkbath, dressed in shining attires with ornaments of dazzling diamonds, pearls, rubies and other precious stones. After the prayers and traditional worship innumerable varieties of delicious sweets are ceremoniously raised in the form of a mountain before the deities as "Bhog" and then the devotees approach the Mountain of Food and take Prasad from it.Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in every Hindu household and her blessings sought for success and happiness. This day is looked upon as the most auspicious day to start any new venture. In many Hindu homes it is a custom for the wife to put the red tilak on the forehead of her husband, garland him and do his "Aarathi" with a prayer for his long life. In appreciation of all the tender care that the wife showers on him, the husband gives her a costly gift. This Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and devotion between the wife and husband. On this day newly-married daughters with their husbands are invited for special meals and given presents. In olden days brothers went to fetch their sisters from their in-laws home for this important day.
The FIFTH and final day of Diwali Festival is known by the name of "BHAYYA-DUJ" in the Hindi-speaking belt "BHAV-BIJ" in the Marathi-speaking communities and in Nepal by the name of "BHAI-TIKA".
Diwali on the whole has always been the festival with more social than religious connotations. It is a personal, people-oriented festival when enmities are forgotten, families and friends meet, enjoy and establish a word of closeness.
As a festival of light and beauty it encourages artistic expressions through home-decorations stage-plays, elocution competitions singing and dancing programmes, making gift items and making delectable sweets thereby discovering new talents of younger people. As a result innumerable communities with varying cultures and customs mingle together to make Diwali celebrations a very happy occasion for all.
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore has so aptly put forth the true significance of Diwali in these beautiful lines :-
The night is black
Kindle the lamp of LOVE
With thy life and devotion."
The word "Diwali" is the corruption of the Sanskrit word "Deepavali" - Deepa meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. It means a row of lights and indeed illumination forms its main attraction. Every home - lowly or mightly - the hut of the poor or the mansion of the rich - is alit with the orange glow of twinkling diyas-small earthen lamps - to welcome Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Multi-coloured Rangoli designs, floral decorations and fireworks lend picturesness and grandeur to this festival which heralds joy, mirth and happiness in the ensuring year.
This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the regions of India and is looked upon mainly as the beginning of New Year. As such the blessings of Lakshmi, the celestial consort of Lord Vishnu are invoked with prayers. Even countries like Gkyena, Thailand, Trinidad, Siam and Malaya celebrate this festival but in their own ways.
This Diwali festival, it is surmised dates back to that period when perhaps history was not written, and in its progress through centuries it lighted path of thousands to attain the ultimate good and complete ecstasy.
Diwali or more aptly Deepavali is very enthusiastically celebrated for five continuous days and each day has its significance with a number of myths, legends and beliefs.
The First day is called DHANTERAS or DHANTRAYODASHI which falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin. The word "Dhan" means wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has a great importance for the rich mercantile community of Western India. Houses and Business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colourful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs to welcome the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights. Believing this day to be auspicious women purchase some gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs- in praise of Goddess Laxmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess. There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
In villages cattles are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In south cows are offered special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped on this day.
The SECOND day is called NARKA-CHATURDASHI or CHOTI DIWALI which falls on the fourteenth day of the month of Ashwin.
In South India the victory of the divine over the mundane is celebrated in a very peculiar way. People wake up before sunrise prepare blood by mixing Kumkum in oil and after breaking a bitter fruit that represents the head of the demon King that was smashed by Krishna, apply that mixture on their foreheads. Then they have an oil bath using sandalwood paste.
In Maharashtra , traditional early baths with oil and "Uptan" (paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders are a `must'. All through the ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers and fireworks are there in order that the children enjoy bathing. Afterwards steamed vermiceli with milk and sugar or puffed rice with curd is served.This Narakachaturdashi day therefore is dedicated to lights and prayers heralding a future full of joy and laughter.
The THIRD day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day of LAKSHMI-PUJA which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of "CHOPADA-PUJA". On this very day sun enters his second course and passes Libra which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.
The day of Lakshmi-Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the temples as man is invoking Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous holy "pouring-in" of his heart. All of a sudden that impenetrable darkness is pierced by innumerable rays of light for just a moment and the next moment a blaze of light descends down to earth from heaven as golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on earth in all her celestial glory amidst chantings of Vedic hymns. A living luminance of Universal Motherhood envelopes the entire world in that blessed moment of fulfillment of a long-awaited dream of the mortal. A sublime light of knowledge dawns upon humanity and devotion of man finally conquers ignorance. This self enlightenment is expressed through the twinkling lamps that illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the lowly abodes of the poor. It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks through the green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and showers her blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. When the sun sets in the evening and ceremonial worship is finished all the home-made sweets are offered to the goddess as "NAIVEDYA" and distributed as "PRASAD". Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged on this day gaily dressed men, women and children go to temples and fairs, visit friends and relatives. Everything is gay, gold and glitter!
One of the most curious customs which characterises this festival of Diwali is the indulgence of gambling, specially on a large scale in North India. It is believed that goddess Parvati played dice with her husband, Lord Shiv on this day and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuring year. This tradition of playing cards- flush and rummy with stakes on this particular day continues even to-day.
The FOURTH day is PADWA or VARSHAPRATIPADA which marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya and Vikaram-Samvat was started from this Padwa day.This day is also observed as Annakoot meaning mountain of food.
In temples specially in Mathura and Nathadwara, the deities are given milkbath, dressed in shining attires with ornaments of dazzling diamonds, pearls, rubies and other precious stones. After the prayers and traditional worship innumerable varieties of delicious sweets are ceremoniously raised in the form of a mountain before the deities as "Bhog" and then the devotees approach the Mountain of Food and take Prasad from it.Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in every Hindu household and her blessings sought for success and happiness. This day is looked upon as the most auspicious day to start any new venture. In many Hindu homes it is a custom for the wife to put the red tilak on the forehead of her husband, garland him and do his "Aarathi" with a prayer for his long life. In appreciation of all the tender care that the wife showers on him, the husband gives her a costly gift. This Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and devotion between the wife and husband. On this day newly-married daughters with their husbands are invited for special meals and given presents. In olden days brothers went to fetch their sisters from their in-laws home for this important day.
The FIFTH and final day of Diwali Festival is known by the name of "BHAYYA-DUJ" in the Hindi-speaking belt "BHAV-BIJ" in the Marathi-speaking communities and in Nepal by the name of "BHAI-TIKA".
Diwali on the whole has always been the festival with more social than religious connotations. It is a personal, people-oriented festival when enmities are forgotten, families and friends meet, enjoy and establish a word of closeness.
As a festival of light and beauty it encourages artistic expressions through home-decorations stage-plays, elocution competitions singing and dancing programmes, making gift items and making delectable sweets thereby discovering new talents of younger people. As a result innumerable communities with varying cultures and customs mingle together to make Diwali celebrations a very happy occasion for all.
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore has so aptly put forth the true significance of Diwali in these beautiful lines :-
The night is black
Kindle the lamp of LOVE
With thy life and devotion."
Lets Support Raj Thakery
We all should support Raj Thackeray and take his initiative ahead by doing more...
1.We should teach our kids that if he is second in class, don't study harder.. just beat up the student coming first and throw him out of the school.
2.Parliament should have only Delhiites as it is located in Delhi
3.Prime-minister, president and all other leaders should only be from Delhi
4.No Hindi movie should be made in Bombay. Only Marathi.
5.At every state border, buses, trains, flights should be stopped and staff changed to local men All Maharashtrians working abroad or in other states should be sent back as they are SNATCHING employment from Locals
6.Lord Shiv, Ganesha and Parvati should not be worshiped in our state as they belong to north (Himalayas)
7.Visits to Taj Mahal should be restricted to people from UP only
8.Relief for farmers in Maharashtra should not come from centre because that is the money collected as Tax from whole of India, so why should it be given to someone in Maharashtra?
9.Let's support Kashmiri Militants because they are right in killing and injuring innocent people for the benefit of their state and community..
10.Let's throw all MNCs out of Maharashtra, why should they earn from us? We will open our own Maharashtra Microsoft, MH Pepsi and MH Marutis of the world
11.Let's stop using cellphones, emails, TV, foreign Movies and dramas. James Bond should speak Marathi
12.We should be ready to die hungry or buy food at 10 times higher price but should not accept imports from other states
13.We should not allow any industry to be setup in Maharashtra because all machinery comes from outside
14.We should STOP using local trains... Trains are not manufactured by Marathi manoos and Railway Minister is a Bihari
15.Ensure that all our children are born, grow, live and die without ever stepping out of Maharashtra, then they will become true Marathi's.
16.Also, We should ask Smita Thakery to produce only marathi pictures and not the hindi one. Being a marathi manus She should only wears sari and not salwar suits as its a nort indian dress.
1.We should teach our kids that if he is second in class, don't study harder.. just beat up the student coming first and throw him out of the school.
2.Parliament should have only Delhiites as it is located in Delhi
3.Prime-minister, president and all other leaders should only be from Delhi
4.No Hindi movie should be made in Bombay. Only Marathi.
5.At every state border, buses, trains, flights should be stopped and staff changed to local men All Maharashtrians working abroad or in other states should be sent back as they are SNATCHING employment from Locals
6.Lord Shiv, Ganesha and Parvati should not be worshiped in our state as they belong to north (Himalayas)
7.Visits to Taj Mahal should be restricted to people from UP only
8.Relief for farmers in Maharashtra should not come from centre because that is the money collected as Tax from whole of India, so why should it be given to someone in Maharashtra?
9.Let's support Kashmiri Militants because they are right in killing and injuring innocent people for the benefit of their state and community..
10.Let's throw all MNCs out of Maharashtra, why should they earn from us? We will open our own Maharashtra Microsoft, MH Pepsi and MH Marutis of the world
11.Let's stop using cellphones, emails, TV, foreign Movies and dramas. James Bond should speak Marathi
12.We should be ready to die hungry or buy food at 10 times higher price but should not accept imports from other states
13.We should not allow any industry to be setup in Maharashtra because all machinery comes from outside
14.We should STOP using local trains... Trains are not manufactured by Marathi manoos and Railway Minister is a Bihari
15.Ensure that all our children are born, grow, live and die without ever stepping out of Maharashtra, then they will become true Marathi's.
16.Also, We should ask Smita Thakery to produce only marathi pictures and not the hindi one. Being a marathi manus She should only wears sari and not salwar suits as its a nort indian dress.
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