Everywhere on the ground lay sleeping natives– hundreds and hundreds. They lay stretched at full length and tightly wrapped in blankets, heads and all. Their attitude and rigidity counterfeited death. – Mark Twain, on a nocturnal drive through Bombay in 1896. The Early History of Slums Late in the 17th century, Gerald Aungier tried to attract traders and artisans to…
I came across an old map of Punjab and immediately thought of writing this article. How many people know that who drew this border? The answer is Cyril Radcliffe. The information provided to Cyril Radcliffe who drew the borders and divided India and Pakistan once said that the information given to him about the geography, demographics and even the maps were…
The 20th century witnessed death and slaughter on an unprecedented scale. It was the century of the Holocaust and two World Wars; of communist, Nazi, fascist and military dictators who between them killed more than 100 million people. The casualties of conflicts involving the U.S., the UK and France in Korea, Algeria, Vietnam, the Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq are excluded…
The beginning of spring and of autumn are two very important junctions of climatic and solar influence. During this period Earth is relatively much near to Sun facing its maximum gravitational pull. It is believed that during this phase, the divine energy intervenes with extra power to pass earth this course with much ease and smoothness. As per Hindu mythology,…
Land of India is not just limited to a great and sacred culture but it is also a holy hand of gods where many incarnations of the divine have manifested. There are many Puranic stories related to these incarnations. The whole universe, including the sun, stars, planets, constellations and five elements is governed mysteriously by the Supreme Being. It is an eternal truth that nothing possible…
While the first song I chose in the “Feel the music” section was intense, poetic, romantic and deep, second song is fun, exciting and full of life. It’s also one of my favorite song – Buddhu sa mann hai from the movie Kapoor & Sons. Dabi dabi si hansi honthon pe phansi hai Gududi kar rahi hawa Oo.. halla macha…
Mumbai rains have been news of the nation in last 24 hours. I switched on news channel to see the mumbai updates. Switched it off in 2 minutes. I opened my whatsapp and am flooded with more messages on dangers and alerts of mumbai rains than the flood in mumbai itself. I myself was out whole and had reached home…
Generally, festivals are celebrations characterized by excitement, enthusiasm, and enjoyment; Jain festivals are characterized by renunciation, austerities, study of the scriptures, and repetition of holy hymns by reciting Sutras and Stavans, meditation, and expressing devotion for the Tirthankars. Paryushan is the most important festival in Jainism. It is observed during the month of August and/or September. The Shvetambar sect observes…
Mahavira was the last Jainist Tirthankara. People call Lord Mahavira by different names such as Vira or Viraprabhu, Sanmati, Vardhamana, Ativira and Gnatputra. When it comes to the values of Jainism, Lord Mahavira deserves a special mention, as he was the one to establish the ethics that are ruling the whole Jain community today. Mahavira (599-527 BC) was the last Jainist…
