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A Divine Glimpse
Etched in my mind are childhood memories of jostling a determined crowd to get a glimpse (jakhi) of Shivji Bawa, better known as Shreenathji, eight times* a day during my trips to Nathdwara, Rajasthan. I grew up in a devout vaishnav family and a yearly visit to this auspicious shrine town was a given. Shrinathji is a form of god Krishna manifest as…
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Poetry in Stone: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Walking through the ruins of the fifth city of Delhi, Firuzabad, one is drawn in by the unique scents and silver smoke emanating from incense sticks. We have found our way to the stone walls of Firuz Shah Kotla, built on the bank of the river Yamuna in 1354 by Sultan Feroz Shah Tughlaq. What was once the grand…
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Un-veiling the story of the Ghunghat
India is a land that worships goddesses such as Saraswati, Durga, Laxmi. Ever seen them wear a ghungat, or the veil? Never. Then where did this culture of covering a woman’s head and face come from? The ghungat, yet another symbol of Indian history, in a way retells the story of the various invasions of India. It is yet another custom…
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Planting Trees, Planting New Traditions
Coming from a land overburdened with age old customs and traditions that are fighting for survival and relevance in a constantly changing world, it is heartening to see a community sowing seeds of new traditions to fight issues that are plaguing the human society in the 21st century. Piplantri, a village in south Rajasthan, has been…
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Why do Indians wear Tilak on their Foreheads?
The beauty of most Indian Traditions is that they are little lessons in Human Physiology. Disguised as Traditions and Customs, they form habits at an early age with deep meaning attached to them that ensure the well-being of our Mind and Body. Wearing Tilak on our foreheads is one such custom. Though it symbolizes Hinduism and has…
Storytellers of Wonder 