Shree Mahaa Vishnu and Shree Mahaa Lakshmi Fests

Tomorrow is a very auspicious in the Hindu Calender as Ekaadashi, of which the presiding deity is dharma, which like all other deities is under Lord Shree Mahaa Vishnu's command. Devotees observe complete fasting or part fasting according to Scriptures, depending upon their age and health.

Shree Mahaa Vishnu with His wife Shree Mahaa Lakshmi 

Tomorrow is also very auspicious as the day on which good housewives perform Go Padma Vratham.

Deities present in Gho maathaa (Mother cow)

Jai Shree Lakshmi Naaraayanaa🙏

Sparrows scarcity

A few years back I read a well written article on disappearance of sparrows from our concrete jungles which we call 'cities'. Every resident in our cities know this odd reality and how human self centered desires causes this extinction.

Half an hour back I heard a delightful sound of a sparrow at one of the windows in my house. I tried to catch it in my camera without disturbing the tiny bird. Thank God, I succeeded in my attempt. Following is a photo of the sparrow:

It is well known that sparrows possess enormous skill in constructing good looking and effective nests as shown in the following photo:

There is a popular story about sparrows in Panchathanthraa, a children's story book. This story mentions a sparrow and the theory of karma as mentioned in our Sanaathana Dharmaa. Let me share the story here.

Krishnam Vande Jagad Gurum🙏

Four months' semi_fasting

Today is a very auspicious in the Sanaathana Dharmaa (Hindu) Calender. The day marks the beginning of Chaathur maasya vratham.

The Chaathur maasya vratham is explained in detail in this article.

Krishnam Vande Jagadh Gurum🙏

Down the memory lane

This afternoon as I was browsing through a few online magazines of my choice, I came across a very interesting article. It took me back to my school days. My parents encouraged us to read good books and magazines. 

My father used to bring children's books in English as well as in Tamil, two languages in which I was most proficient. (My mother tongue is Marathi but it is significantly different from Marathi that is spoken in Maharashtra. My maternal and paternal ancestors are believed to be descendants of Marathi people who accompanied King Sarfoji when they left Maharashtra and settled down in Thanjavur in Tamilnadu and other places in Southern India. What we speak in our homes is known 'Thanjavur Marathi'). I was regular reader of 'Kannan' , a monthly children's magazine in Tamil and 'Chandamaamaa', a children's magazine in English. Besides, I used to regularly read 'Yoing Folk's League' in The Illustrated Weekly of India, a popular weekly magazine of those years. Whenever we visited our maternal grandfather's house, I used to enjoy reading books in my grandfather's library (a room filled with nicely arranged books in racks). He had a wide variety of good books including ancient Indian classics, books by Bertrand Russel, Leo Tolstoy etc. 

My mother used to explain stories such as 'Ugly duckling' written by a British author and was part of our English language textbook. She also taught English Grammar using a graamar book written by Wren and Martin; this book was considered a gold standard in those years.

I remember how I was encouraged to draw pictures and paint them using water colour. I fondly remember my water colour box and the brushes that came with it.

Those were golden years. Thanks to Rajiv Eipe for enabling old guys like me at 70 plus to revisit their boyhood years.

Courtesy: Google Images

Courtesy: Google Images

Memories of Mahindra Jeep

Reshma (my sister's daughter) informed me that her husband bought a Mahindra 7 seater car recently. They had a 5 seater car.

This info took me back to the 1990s when I was working in a school and an NGO.

In the mid 1990s when I was working in PREPARE, a Chennai based NGO, I had to travel to Odisha and Andhra Pradesh frequently. Sometimes, I myself used to drive the NGO's Mahindra Jeep (as shown in the following photo) to visit villages covered in our Education Projects.

Similarly when working as Principal in Rani Lakshmi Bai Public School in Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh, in 1997, I derived some pleasure in driving a Mahindra Jeep and taking my teaching staff to a nearby dam during a weekend. I think that I gave some rest to the Jeep's driver. My staff seemed to enjoy the visit to the dam and back. The CEO of the School told me that he would provide a Maruthi Suzuki for my personal use.

Amazing Amazon (Online Store)

On 18 July I mentioned about how an inappropriate  item was delivered to me by a misleading manufacturer/vendor via Amazon Online Store. I returned the item and sought a refund. Amazon Online Store processed my requested and the refund got done.

Thanks to the manufacturer/vendor and to Amazon.

Soorya Naaraayanaa Poojaa

Today is an auspicious day in the Hindu Calender as the day on which Vaivasvatha Soorya Poojaa is performed.

Shree Soorya Naaraayanaa

Jai Shree Soorya Naaraayanaa🙏

Maadhwaa Saint

According to a WhatsApp notification  from our Uttaraadi Mutt, today is an auspicious day as the anniversary of the day on which Shree Sumathinidhi Theertha attained the lotus feet of Lord Shree Krishna. I could not access any information on this saint from Google Search. Hence I am unable to provide any internet link about this saint.

Jai Shree Krishnaa🙏

Maadhwaa Saint

Today is an auspicious day in the Maadhwaa Calender. It is the anniversary of the day on which Shree Varadhendhra Theertha attained the lotus feet of Lord Shree Krishna. 

Jai Shree Krishnaa🙏

Amazing Amazon (Online Store)

A few days back, I ordered for a 3 legged walking stick for me. An acquaintance advised me to go in for a 4 legged one as it will be more sturdy. Hence I cancelled my order and placed a fresh order. Within a few hours after cancellation, Amazon Online Store credited the amount that I paid for the earlier order, into my account. Amazon Store is a boon.