Rakhi Festival

Rakhi festival or Raksha Bandhan festival is one of the most popular Hindu festivals in India, which celebrates the sacred bond of love between brothers and sisters. The term Raksha Bandhan is originated from the Hindi language, which means a relationship or an association based on protection. Rakshabandhan festival, which has a long standing Indian heritage, is more commonly known as Rakhi. 

Rakhi festival is celebrated on the Shravan Purnima (full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravan (July - August), where in sisters tie the sacred Rakhi thread on their brothers right wrists, and pray for their long life. Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi is called by various names such as Vish Tarak (the destroyer of poison), Punya Pradayak (the offer of boons), and Pap Nashak (the destroyer of sins).

The auspicious Rakhi Thread

As Rakhi signifies the various phases of protection from evil forces, as a mark of this, the sister ties Rakhi string to her brother’s hand. The Raksha Bandhan thread is tied on the right wrist of brothers who in return take a pledge to protect their sisters from all evils. This Rakhi thread binds brothers and sisters into a bond of affection and care for each other. These threads in ancient times used to have simple traditional looks. However, in the modern times, Rakhis are made more attractive, finely blown up using various artistic patterns. Finest quality soft cloth, shimmering beads, stones and zari are used these days to create Rakhi threads. They are also made of silk with gold and silver threads, beautifully crafted embroidered sequins, and studded with semi precious stones.

How is Rakhi Festival celebrated in India?

The traditional way of celebrating Rakhi festival starts with the offerings made to the family deities. Then, the sisters prepare the Thali for the puja which contains the Rakhi threads, kumkum (vermillion) powder, rice grains and an earthen or metal lamp called diya , incense sticks and sweets. They perform the aarti to the brother with the thali and tie the rakhi. They apply the kumkum powder or Tilak on the forehead of the brother and offers sweets. When doing this ritual, the sister prays for her brother's well being. The brother in turn blesses the sister and promises to protect her from the evils of the world. Rakhi gifts are offered to the sisters, as a token of love and affection.

Legendary Importance

A part in the Indian epic Mahabharatha narrates the divine bond of brother-sister love between Lord Krishna and Draupathi. Lord Krishna, during his battle with the evil King Shishupal, was hurt and left with bleeding finger. Draupathi, on seeing this, tore a strip of cloth from her sari and tied around his wrist to stop the bleeding. Lord Krishna was bounded by her sisterly love and he promised her to repay this debt whenever required. Years later, the Pandavas lost Draupathi in the game of dice. When Kauravas started removing her sari, Lord Krishna helped her by elongating the sari so that they could not remove it.Though, Rakhi Festival is more famous in north and western region of India, Raksha Bandhan festival is celebrated with much religious importance all over India. Rakshabandhan is celebrated as Nariyal Purnima in West India, Kajari Purnima in Central India, Pavitropanain in Gujarat. Read more about Rakhi Festival Celebration in India Here.

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Why are there Tears in Bengali Eyes?

Have you noticed that the City of Joy has turned out to actually be a City of Billboards? The skyline as viewed from the roads is plastered with huge hoardings. If only they were placed somewhat lower, they could hide the squalor directly below. The displays for luxury apartments hang directly over the shack dwellings; advertisements for purified drinking water cast a shadow over the polluted cesspools that are the byproduct of cleaning and washing by the shanty dwellers. Then there are displays for fancy snacks and beverages, frowning directly on the people down below who live on less that one dollar a day. But the advertisers have a point in placing their billboards here, for they are not meant for the pedestrian hoi polloi, you can only view these displays from a distance if you are riding an automobile. In addition to the billboards, Calcutta has a tradition of roadside walls and building facades covered with paper posters, to be on the eye level of the passers by. The billboards are gaining in prominence as the car population in Calcutta is climbing exponentially every day. The posters are still there, but for the benefit of the politicians seeking your votes and cheering you up to attend a huge rally for protesting something the government has done. They probably recognize that many people who can afford a car do not even vote at the election time or care for protesting all that is abysmal around. But if you think the protest is from the out of power opposition party only, you will be wrong. Unless you run down the establishment in a public platform you have a fat chance of being heard. So the ruling party protests their own action and denounce themselves in those huge rallies-everyone negating everyone else and sometimes the self also. There are also posters for low budget Bengali movies, which are not ones that car owning intellectual middle class of Calcutta watches. Bills for miracle herbal medicine and promises for the cure of all sexual dysfunction or offering a year of computer education with the assurance of a job, possibly followed by a placement in America are in abundance too for the eye level masses. Educations being a major, if not the only industry in Calcutta, revenues generated by education business are substantial. Not surprisingly, advertisements inviting enrollment in sprawling high priced private schools and ubiquitous professional business and technical colleges are subjects reserved for billboards.

Yet Calcutta billboards are quite fascinating and sometimes intriguing. For example, some advertising campaigns start with teasing questions aimed at generating curiosity in viewers’ minds. Assuming, the answers will be forthcoming shortly, people start speculating about what it could be and guess what would be the product being promoted. That certainly raises curiosity and interest as a marketing strategy. Recently, one such billboard introducing yet unknown merchandise was all over the city. The question posed was “Why are Bengali eyes tearing up?” with a likeness of the renowned writer Sunil Ganguly looming large. Mr. Ganguly wore a grim sorrowful look and slightly disheveled hair. What would be of such a concern for him and what panacea would Mr. Ganguly, a serious thinker and author, be coming up with? Is he referring to the Netai massacre of civilians by Marxist Communist cadre (cadre in Calcutta political parlance euphemistically means strong-armed goons)? Is he recommending throwing them out of power? Is this really a political advertisement? But not knowing his political inclination, I was not sure whether that was the correct answer. See, all writers, playwrights and artists have some political affiliation and patronage, which they do dare not to mess with.

Mr. Ganguly’s distress is surely not about the high cost of Moog Dal at eighty rupees or potatoes’ being sold at forty rupees a kilogram – the billboards are out of the line of sight of folks who are finding it hard to put food on their table because of out-of-reach prices. Could it be the blinding air pollution that was causing burning eyes? That was unlikely. Why should someone spend their own money just to empathize with the fellow citizens? After much thought I finally settled on the premise that Mr. Ganguly would soon be publishing a very tragic novel which would make the Bengalis cry. That would be quite welcome and something to look forward to, as Mr. Ganguly is indeed a very powerful writer, the most acclaimed among the current throng of Bengali authors.

The wait was not long before the answer was added in the billboards. It was really a brand of mustard oil that would surely make the Bengalis cry, Mr. Ganguly promised. Its pungent smell and its aroma, Mr. Ganguly claimed, will irritate the sinuses like never before done by any other brand of mustard oil. Enjoy cooking in mustard oil while shedding tears of joy at the same time. That would really be exciting, I conceded. Monounsaturated fatty acids with high uric acid in mustard oil are a minor distraction. Cholesterol is not good. Who says? We should not believe pharmaceutical companies. They have a vested interest; they only want to sell more of their statin drugs. Trust our own, especially if he happens to be a celebrity novelist. Who is most qualified to be a brand ambassador for something which makes people cry? A widely successful and much revered novelist indeed, whose business is to make people laugh and cry. (With only one exception: the one person who knew more about mustard oil was my mother – eternal peace be with her – who not only cooked in mustard oil all the time, but knew how to relieve congestion by rubbing warm mustard oil on your chest, or how much water to mix with mustard oil to use it as hair nourishment. Though, of course, never shed a tear over it.)

Now, for the first time, a standard for judging the efficacy of cooking oil has been introduced – a Tear Index. Imagine how convenient it will be for Sarshe-Ilish loving Bengalis to compare a good cooking oil with not-so-good ones by reading the packaging only. If Ganesh brand claims two milliliters of tears per cooking for their product, not to be undone, Emami brand may post 3 milliliters in their packaging. It also reveals for the first time to his numerous fans and followers around the world that Mr. Ganguly also cooks an occasional meal or two enjoying first hand his sentimental mustard oil moments.

The trivialization of the Bengali ethos and evoking grave sentiments in a certain population, ironically with a banality like mustard oil, that too by a serious prolific writer who has otherwise done exactly the opposite with an astute socio-political representation in literature, to say the least, sounds inconsonant. But give him credit for what is his due; for his compassion and understanding for fellow Bengalis. With all the chaos, privations, killing and banditry around, perhaps Bengalis have no feelings and emotions left; only acceptance of what is ugly and cruel in life. We have stopped empathizing; our eyes have permanently dried up. A tear or two would be timely, even if prodding from a billboard brings it upon us.

Original post By Amitava Sen

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People often refer to taking a picture as capturing the moment, but conventional photography does not really capture the moment. It captures one angle, one set of light, and one focus of the moment. If you are a professional photographer, you might capture the best parts of the moment. If you are someone like me, you most certainly will not. With Ren’s light field camera, you actually capture the moment or at least all of the light that visually represents the moment.

Once you have captured the moment, you can go back at any time and get the picture that you want. Specifically, after you take the picture, you can refocus, re light, and re-orient the shot.

Essentially, you can take the picture you wish you would have taken after the fact. If you are used to the old paradigm, it’s like travelling backwards through time. You can take a picture then figure out what you really wanted then go back through time and take that picture. And oh by the way, you can view the pictures in 3D. Way.

You may be thinking that this is all good and fine, but is there really a market for a magic camera? It turns out that the three biggest frustrations with conventional plane-of-light cameras are:

• They are too slow—It turns out that auto focusing takes a fair amount of time. How many times have you tried to capture a moment only to have the moment disappear while you were waiting for your camera to focus?
• The pictures aren’t bright enough—Somehow, you didn’t actually capture enough light on the plane to get the shot you wanted.
• They are too complicated—Current cameras provide lots of buttons and knobs to overcome the one plane limitation, but the result is a super complicated device.

With Lytro’s light field camera, you take pictures instantly. No need to focus, because you can do that later. The camera uses all of the available light in the scene, so you can take photos in very low light environments even without flash. With no buttons for special focus, the Lytro camera is dead simple.

This is just amazing. And if you want to be really amazed, check out their site and specifically the picture gallery.

I wonder if you can do this for moving images. Talk about ratcheting down production times and ratcheting up post-production!

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Interesting Facts about India and Indians!

Amazing Facts about India and Indians! India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history. India is the world's largest democracy. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called "the ancient city" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C.E, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. The World's first university was established in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education. Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages. Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987. Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago. Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in our civilization. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth. The art of Navigation was bornin the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians. Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10**53(10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10**12(10 to the power of 12). IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Prof. Jagdish Bose and not Marconi. The earliest reservoir and dam for irrigation was built in Saurashtra. According to Saka King Rudradaman I of 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Raivataka during Chandragupta Maurya's time. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization). The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC. India is one of the few countries in the World, which gained independence without violence. India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World. India is the largest English speaking nation in the world. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously. Famous Quotes on India (by non-Indians) Albert Einstein said: We owe a lot to the Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discovery could have been made. Mark Twain said: India is, the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend, and the great grand mother of tradition. Our most valuable and most instructive materials in the history of man are treasured up in India only. French scholar Romain Rolland said: If there is one place on the face of earth where all the dreams of living men have found a home from the very earliest days when man began the dream of existence, it is India. Hu Shih, former Ambassador of China to USA said: India conquered and dominated China culturally for 20 centuries without ever having to send a single soldier across her border. Facts to make every Indian proud Q. Who is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems? A. Vinod Khosla Q. Who is the creator of Pentium chip (needs no introduction as 90% of the today's computers run on it)? A. Vinod Dahm Q. Who is the third richest man on the world? A. According to the latest report on Fortune Magazine, it is Aziz Premji, who is the CEO of Wipro Industries. The Sultan of Brunei is at 6th position now. Q. Who is the founder and creator of Hotmail (Hotmail is world's No.1 web based email program)? A. Sabeer Bhatia Q. Who is the president of AT & T-Bell Labs (AT & T-Bell Labs is the creator of program languages such as C, C++, Unix to name a few)? A. Arun Netravalli Q. Who is the GM of Hewlett Packard? A. Rajiv Gupta Q. Who is the new MTD (Microsoft Testing Director) of Windows 2000, responsible to iron out all initial problems? A. Sanjay Tejwrika Q. Who are the Chief Executives of CitiBank, Mckensey & Stanchart? A. Victor Menezes, Rajat Gupta, and Rana Talwar. We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives. There are 3.22 millions of Indians in USA (1.5% of population). ,

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How to spend it: Rs 100 in a day!

BOOKS Where: The second-hand bookshops lining College Street. What: A Collection of Stories by Edgar Allan Poe. condition: Mint, almost. Cost: Rs 30 What: A Mills & Boon titled A Taste of Heaven. condition: Much-thumbed. Cost: Rs 20 What: A “complete and unabridged” edition of Jane Austen’s Persuasion. condition: As good as new. Cost: Rs 30 What: Sydney Sheldon’s The Doomsday Conspiracy. condition: Dog-eared. Cost: Rs 20 They Speak: “Rs 100 is a king’s ransom on College Street. Half the fun is in haggling with the shopowners to bring the ridiculously low prices further down.” CLOTHES What: A pair of Old Navy denim shorts. Where: At one of the stalls outside Indian Museum. Cost: Rs 35 What: A V-neck white cotton top. Where: In front of the Indian Museum. Cost: Rs 25 What: A pink printed silk scarf. Where: Sunshine, on Sudder Street. Cost: Rs 40 They speak: “Shopping is so much fun when an entire outfit can be assembled for just Rs 100! A little bit of patience, a keen eye to ferret out the right stuff and the dum to bargain are enough to get you going.” Statutory warning: Wash ’em before you wear ’em. FOOTWEAR Where: Outside New Market. Cost: Rs 100 They speak: “You have an array of footwear to choose from for 100 bucks. There are flats and heels, peep-toes and strappy sandals. But for summer, what better than Oshos?” ACCESSORIES What: Broad red hairband. Where: Outside Sreeram Arcade. Cost: Rs 10 What: Coconut shell neckpiece and earrings set. Where: A Tagore mela at the Nandan complex. Cost: Rs 30 What: Silver-coloured anklet. Where: Beside New Market. Cost: Rs 13 What: Funky marble-and-bead neckpiece. Where: Grand Arcade. Cost: Rs 30 What: Brown hair clip. Where: Gariahat footpath. Cost: Rs 5 What: Blue wooden bangle. Where: Gariahat footpath. Cost: Rs 10 What: Tiny black earrings. Where: In front of Gariahat Market. Cost: Rs 2 They speak: “Calcutta is a treasure trove when it comes to accessories. New Market and Gariahat are the best stops.” ENTERTAINMENT What: A date with history. Where: Indian Museum. Cost: Rs 10 (camera charges extra) They speak: “It is a great place to spend a summer afternoon. It is really cool inside. And there’s so much to see — artefacts, fossils, insect specimens, masks and paintings. The big crowd-puller seems to be the Egyptian mummy.” What: On the wild side. Where: Zoological Garden (Alipore zoo). Cost: Rs 20 (ticket) + Rs 10 (ice-cream) + Rs 5 (Frooti) + Rs 3 (150g groundnuts) + Rs 12 (mineral water) = Rs 50 They speak: “Not a good option when the sun’s blazing but on a cloudy day, ambling through the zoo’s green premises can be great fun. You might even see the peacocks dancing. It takes almost three hours to visit all the enclosures. But armed with a bottle of water and the occasional ice cream, it makes for an ideal lazy summer morning.” What: Starry, starry day. Where: M.P. Birla Planetarium. Cost: Rs 30 They speak: “If you crave air-conditioned comfort, this is the place to be. The shows on planets, constellations and other celestial matters are for around 45 minutes each and are held throughout the day at regular intervals.” What: An evening stroll or a morning walk. Where: Victoria Memorial Hall. Cost: Rs 10 (for entry to the grounds and museum) They speak: “It is a beautiful place to just sit and chat or to take a walk. There is lush greenery, shaded benches and a little lake. To escape the sun and for a dose of history, step inside the museum (except Mondays). In the evenings (except Mondays), there are light-and-sound shows for Rs 20.” FOOD What: Chicken Momo with Soup. WHERE: Exide crossing. Cost: Rs 12 They speak: “A yummy, healthy, low-calorie meal.” What: Chocolate Softie. Where: Emami Mall, Lord Sinha Road. Cost: Rs 6 They speak: “With summer at its peak, an ice cream a day is a must. But gelatos every day would burn a hole in the pocket. The softie ice cream is cool on you and your pocket.” What: Phuchka. where: Opposite Azad Hind (Hindustan Park). Cost: Eight pieces for Rs 10 They speak: “You cannot possibly walk past a phuchka stall without yielding to temptation.” What: Mango Shake. Where: Elgin Road. Cost: Rs 15 They speak: “It’s the season for mangoes. When you down an original Aam Sherbet — that too chilled — the bottled mango drinks just fade into oblivion!” What: Mutton Shammi Tikia and Lachha Paratha. Where: Saima, behind Rabindra Sadan Metro station. Cost: Rs 18 + Rs 7 = Rs 25 They speak: “This little place is hidden by the Metro station, but it’s a tasty and pocket-friendly find.” What: Slush (Semi-frozen drink with added flavour). Where: Fillers, Vivekananda Park. Cost: Rs 15 They speak: “Why drink the regular cola every day? A glass of Slush is extremely refreshing. With a wide range of flavours, one could drink a different kind of Slush each day of the week.” What: Ice Paan. Where: Behind New Market, just outside Aminia. Cost: Rs 3 They speak: “It’s cold, it’s sweet and it melts in your mouth.” What: Egg Roll. Where: Bedwin, Gol Park. Cost: Rs 14 They speak: “Rolls are a classic student-favourite. It’s an eat-while-you-run meal.”

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