Knick n knack

Festival season in India has come and is here to stay for a time now. After celebrating Krishna Janashtmi with fervor and devotion, now arrives Lord Ganesha! It is believed and practiced that all prayers to God must start with Ganesha Stuti as he is the bestower of goodwill and benevolence.  In many parts of the country, Ganesh Chaturthi is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chavathi.   It is celebrated in honors of the birth of elephant-headed God Lord Ganesha with great joy and passion for 10 days.  Lord Ganesh is worshipped as god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. The festival touches its height in state of Maharashtra where people chant ' ganpati bappa moriya, agle baras tu jaldi aa' while dipping the idols in lakes, rivers and sea on the 10th day.  Ganesh Chaturthi will be celebrated on 11th September, 2010. The same day world will celebrate another great festival of Eid. Both the festivals will be celebrated with equal enthusiasm and respect in India.

K rishna Janamashti is a week away and Delhi has started preparations for celebrating the Krishna janam divas. Last  week witnessed ‘Raksha Bandhan’, which portrays the strong roots of our great Indian families. Come August-September, and the country start preparing itself for months of festivals which start with ‘Raksha Bandhan’ and ends on ‘Diwali’. While Diwali is the festival which celebrates the homecoming of Lord Rama, Janamashtmi celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Temples across the country celebrates the festival with grandeur and poise. The actual celebrations start at 12 midnight, when lord made his divine appearance. Prayers, fasts, devotional songs and many other rituals are performed to mark his birth on Earth. Celebrations in Dwarka, Mathura, Vrindavan and Gokula are high in its festivities and devotional mood reaches its peak. Maharashtra celebrates Janamashtmi with Dahi Handi where earthen pot containing butter and milk is elev