AWESOME WINTER and FESTIVALS...

Winter: the best time to stop running around and settle...sit at a place quietly, speculate and evaluate, spend quality time with family, go for movies, museums, research centres, complete all pending works before year ends, spread happiness in Christmas and New Year...time to spread our arms wide and welcome the fresh year and learn from past year, wave a good bye and to never look back...gone is gone...

Best time to re-connect with family members...around fire place, painting, telling stories to kids, writing books/novels/poems...to talk to kids regarding any issues bothering them an finally to ‘cuddle around’ little bundles of joys inside a blanket and whisper ‘good night, sweety’ and watch them slowly closing their eyes...mine would try his level best to keep them open...then, slowly we both drift together to dream land...WOW...

Now, i want to share this cute fairy tale story with all of you from the EPIC "RAMAYANA"....

Lord Rama, was the prince of a huge kingdom called Ayodhya. His step mother sent him to exile for 14 long years in order to have her own son succeed the throne of Ayodhya. But her own son, Bharata, disowned his mother for this selfish act and vowed to himself to take care of the kingdom till elder brother comes back. Lord Rama was accompanied to the forest by his beautiful wife Sita and younger brother Lakshmana...in the forest, Sita was abducted by the king of Lanka, demon RAVANA... Lord RAMA got the support of forest animals and won the battle against mighty Ravana...WHEN he returned back to his kingdom after winning the battle safe and sound with his wife and brother, people of the kingdom celebrated the occasion by lighting the oil lamps ( in the snap, posted here)...to mark the victory of light over darkness...

Since that day, this festival is celebrated with great pomp and show in India every November...kids get new dresses, newlyweds get jewellery, delicious food is cooked with all exotic dishes and in the evening the entire house is decorated with oil lamps and Papa used to get us toys made of clay on Diwali...and finally fireworks and the time for me to hide under couch till my sister finished her and mine share of lighting fireworks...then, a brave girl (me) would come out and go out with my parents for a stroll around the neighbourhood to enjoy the ‘festival of lights’...DIWALI...that day, no studies...WOW...

this day all my friends come home and Mom makes delicious sweets for all of them...No one bothers about religion...the main idea is to ENJOY and CHILL OUT....life is uncomplicated and fun...( in the center is Lord RAMA, next to him is Devi Sita and Brother Lakshmana, and sitting near his feet is Lord HANUMANA who helped him win the battle and is the greates devotee of Lord RAMA)

Every year, the dummy of RAVANA is made with clothes and woods...and is filled with fireworks and burnt to celebrate the end of evil soul, That is known as DUSSEHRA which comes prior to Diwali....

Then one more festivalknown asDURGA PUJA, in which Goddess DURGA kills one more demon called MAHISHASHURA and symbolises the power of a woman in a modern world...SHE REPRESENTS POWER and Encourages all women to stand up against injustice.......GODDESS DURGA LOVES THE COLOUR "RED" and hence all married women are supposed to wear red bangles, red kumkum on forehead to be in touch with her...GODDESS saves the family from evil forces...

Another one is KARVACHAUTA – in which married women fast the entire day for their husbands’ long life and they eat only in the night after moon comes out ....lol...this is tough...