Happy Vaisakhi (Baisakhi)

Punjab (CHAKRA) - Wishing everyone a happy Vaisakhi on this auspicious day. Sikhs, Punjabis and Indians all over the world celebrate Vaisakhi (also known as Baisakhi) today.

Vaisakhi is a historic harvest festival based out of the Punjab and Haryana area which starts a new harvest season as well as marking a new solar year.  For Sikhs, Vaisakhi is one of most significant festivals in the Sikh calendar and commemorates the beginning of the Khalsa at Anandpur Sahib in year 1699. This was done by Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji (the 10th Sikh Guru) where the first Sikhs were baptized  using amrit (sweet nector juice). Therefore, Indian Punjabis and Sikhs reflect on the values taught by Sikh Gurus and celebrate the Khalsa’s birth. 

The start of the Hindu solar new year is also celebrated today by Hindus in Nepal and various Indian states such as Kerala, Orissa and West Bengal.

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Happy Hanuman Jayanti 2010

India (CHAKRA) - Hanuman Jayanti Greetings to everyone as it is the birthday of Lord Hanuman and is observed on the full moon (Purnima) day in the Hindu month of Chaitra (March – April) as per traditional lunar Hindu calendar. This year it is doubly auspicious as the Jayanti day falls on Tuesday or Mangalwar which is dedicated to Hanuman. Lord Hanuman is also known as Bajrang Bali and Anjaneya and is one of the most popular gods in Hinduism. He is a Chiranjeevi meaning the one blessed with immortality.
In Andhra Pradesh, Hanumant Jayanti is observed after a 41-day Deeksha which begins on Chaitra Purnima and in 2010 the date is June 7. In Tamil Nadu, Hanuman Jayanti is observed during the Margazhi month (December – January). Another popular day dedicated to Hanuman is the Hanumantha Vrata observed in Margashirsh month (November – December) in Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

What is Lord Hanuman’s relevance in today’s society?

In today’s society of convulsions, inertia, selfishness, moral and social, spiritual and ethical decay, Lord Hanuman has become the standard bearer and the embodiment of courage, self-control, power, selfless service, bravery, integrity and humility.

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Happy Ram Navami 2010

India (CHAKRA) - Ram Navami (also pronounced Nomi) is the birthday of Lord Rama. This year Ram Navami will be celebrated on March 24. It is the 9th day of the Hindu calender and coincides with the last day of Navaratras.

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Happy Holi!

India (CHAKRA) - The festival of colours, Holi is being celebrating on March 1 across the country. Holi is one of the most important festival of Hindu and for all Indian. According to the Hindi calendar, Holi is celebrated on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun. Holika Dahan is being celebrated on the eve of Holi. The tradition behind the holika dahan is, demon King Hiranyakashyap asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap but Prahlad was saved by lord himself for his extreme devotion and evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes. Peoples gather at streets, colonies, crossroads and light huge bonfires.

All age group of people celebrates the festival of colour, holi, with joy, excitement and fun. They paint each other with coloured powder and throwing colourful water, kids used to play Holi with colourful pichkaris of different shapes like giant syringes or squirt guns or some cartoons and animals etc.

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Lord Shiva

 Devotees paid obeisance to Lord Shiva on occasion of Shivratri on Friday. Right since early morning, people started gathering in the

city’s temples. Police were on high alert outside major temples to avert any mishap. In major city temples including Sangla Shivala, Durga Mata Mandir and Dandi Swami, police and traffic personnel were appointed so that traffic jams or stampedes caused by a huge number of devotees coming to the temple could be avoided. People offered fruits and milk, paid obeisance and offered prayers to the deity at the shrines.

Describing the importance of the day, Kapil, a devotee, said Shivratri is celebrated for several reasons. Lord Shiva was married to Goddess Parvati on this night. There are those who believe Lord Shiva became ‘Neelkantham’ or the blue-throated one by swallowing the deadly poison that came up during churning of the milky ocean. The poison was so deadly that even a drop in His stomach, representative of the universe, would have annihilated the entire world. So he held it in his neck, which turned blue owing to the poison’s effect. Shivratri is, therefore, a day of thanksgiving to the Lord for protecting us from annihilation, he added.

For unmarried girls too, the day is significant, as is expressed by Silky, another devotee. “Shivratri is considered one of the most auspicious festivals among Hindus and a large number of unmarried girls fast on this day so that they could get an ideal match. The fast on this day is equivalent to 17 fasts on successive Mondays.”

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Guru Nanak Dev

On February 09 1924-

1st Shaheedhi Jatha of 500 Akali Sikhs, under the command of Jathedar Udham Singh of village Verpal, marched from Sri Akal Takhat for Gangsar, Jaito. It reached Jaito on Feb 20-21, the third anniversary of Nankana tradegy.

JAITO - village under Nabha, which falls on the Bathinda-Ferozpur railway line. It is 96 miles from Lahore and 17 miles from Bathinda.

On February 09 1992-Expressing their desire to live free of India, Sikhs overwhelmingly boycotted elections under the Indian constitution. Despite efforts by government troops to force Sikhs to vote at gunpoint, less than 3.4 percent of the Sikhs in villages voted. In over 2000 villages, not a single vote was cast.

On February 09 1975-First World Sikh Convention was convened by Jathedar Gurcharan Singh Tohra. It resolved (i) to get gurdwaras exempted from Land Ceiling and (ii) from the levy of the income tax on gurdwaras, (iii) to keep intact the jurisdiction of S.G.P.C. as it existed earlier (iv) to force government to hold elections to Delhi Gurdwaras Parbandhak Committee as per the relevant Act. The central government by an ordinance (May 9,1975) agreed to implement all the four demands.

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