सलाम नमस्ते INDIA

Welcome to Kashi Vishwanath The original name of Varanasi was 'Kashi,' derived from the word 'Kasha,' meaning brightness. It is also known variously as Avimuktaka, Anandakanana, Mahasmasana, Surandhana, Brahma Vardha, Sudarsana and Ramya. How Varanasi Got Its Name The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south. Another speculation about the origin of the name is that the river Varuna itself was called Varanasi in olden times, from which the city got its name. This is generally disregarded by historians. Evening prayer to the Ganges, Varanasi ( The daily sunset prayer to the Ganges River ceremony at Dasaswamedh Ghat in Varanasi, India)

Banarash - The oldest City in the world   An engraving from 'Le Tour du Monde', 1861 "Diwali in Benares," from 'Le Tour du Monde', 1874   "Great Mosque of Aurungzebe and Adjoining Ghats," a wood engraving from the Illustrated London News, 1875 (with modern hand coloring)   "Ghaut at Benares," an engraving from the Illustrated London News, 1876   "Mosque of Aurungzeb at Benares," a wood engraving by E. Therond, c.1878   "A Pagoda, Benares," a wood engraving by Hildebrand and Moynet, 1878   From "The Earth and its Inhabitants" by Elisee Reclus (D. Appleton and Company, 1884)   A chromolithograph by E. T. Compton, 1892   "A fakir's funeral," based on a painting by Edwin Lord Weeks; Illustrated London News, 1892 "The Last Voyage: A Souvenir of the Ganges," from a painting by Edwin Lord Weeks, 1894

बनारस की सुबह (banaras ki subah) Banaras  Banaras , the  holy city of India  is widely popular as  Varanasi . Banaras  is known as the oldest living city in the world.  Banaras city  is the  culture capital of India . This  Banars  place became the center for fairs and festivals by virtue of their  cultural and religious  importance.  Festivals  are celebrated almost every month. The celebration symbolizes life at its best with the dedication of  Banaras beliefs . It is the  holiest city in Hinduism and has been a place of  pilgrimage  for thousands of years. The city is presided over by the  god Shiva , and rests on the banks of the  Ganges River . The importance site in  Varanasi  is the  shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath . It is the holiest shrine in the city, and is one of twelve  Jyotirlingas of Shiva . These are shrines where people worship Shiva  in the form of " lingam of light ". The original shrine was destroyed, but this is a reconstruction built in 1780

How Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize Here is an interesting story on How Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Rabindranath Tagore {1861-1941}   When in 1913, Thomas Sturge Moore, a member of the Royal Society of London sponsored Rabindranath Tagore {1861-1941} for the Prize; the Nobel Committee took it upon itself as a privilege to honor a great name that created ‘Gitanjali’ a collection of poems.    At the time, the committee was about to consider another candidate, a French literary historian and moralist Emile Faguet. But a written statement by a member of the Committee Verner von Heidenstam {1859-1940} worked wonders for Tagore. Carl Gustaf Verner von Heidenstam   Heidenstam wrote, “I read them with deep emotion and I cannot recall having seen for decades anything comparable in lyric poetry… and if ever a poet may be said to possess the qualities which entitle him to a Nobel Prize, He is precisely the man… we shoul

RABINDRANATH TAGORE GITANJALI আলো আমার আলো ওগো, আলো ভূবন ভরা আলো নয়ন ধোওয়া আমার আলো হৃদয় হরা । নাচে আলো নাচে ও ভাই, আমার প্রাণের কাছে - বাজে আলো বাজে ও ভাই, হৃদয়বীণার মাঝে জাগে আকাশ, ছোটে বাতাস, হাসে সকল ধরা । আলোর স্রোতে পাল তুলেছে হাজার প্রজাপতি আলোর ঢেউয়ে উঠল মেতে মল্লিকা মালতী । মেঘে মেঘে সোনা, ও ভাই যায়না মানিক গোনা - পাতায় পাতায় হাসি ও ভাই, পুলক রাশি রাশি । সুরনদীর কূল ডুবেছে সুধা-নিঝর-ঝরা। - অচলায়তন Alo amar, alo ogo, alo bhubon bhora alo noyon dhoa amar, alo hridoe hara. Nache alo nache, o bhai, amar praner kachhe -- baje alo baje, o bhai, hridoe binar majhe -- jage akash, chhoţe batash, hashe shokol dhora. Alor srote pal tulechhe hajar projapoti. Alor đheue uţhlo mete mollika maloti. Meghe meghe shona, o bhai, jae na manik gona -- patae patae hashi, o bhai, pulok rashi rashi. Shuronodir kul ḍubechhe shudha-nijhor-jhora. -Ocholaeoton

Lansdowne, here time stands still Lansdowne may not be the quintessential  hill station  with unending views of hills covered with alpine forests, and it may not give you the dizzying feeling of being on a cliff top, but nothing compares the timeless charm of its rundown town center with a cinema hall, the clean meandering roads, the creeper-ridden Church of St. Mary's, and the hyperactive dogs prancing down hillside.  You may not immediately take a shine to the place, and try and compare its setting to that of Chail or Dhanaulti, but the thing about this tiny cantonment town  is it grows on you insidiously making you want to come back for yet another stay. Named after the then Viceroy of India, Lord  Lansdowne  who came here in 1884, Lansdowne at 1700 metres above sea level in Uttarakhand , has since been home to the  Garhwal Rifles  that can be rightly credited with preserving its pristine surroundings and keeping it neat as a pin. Unlike more commercial hill stations suc

Holidaying in the farms of Punjab The sight of lush farms blooming with sarso (mustard), a merry breeze stroking the green grass and the gentle aroma of freshly baked rotis (Indian bread) daubed with homemade ghee, envisage these three things together and that's when you'll know you're in Punjab! Delhi is awkwardly located in terms of geography, especially when it comes to planning a weekend getaway. It's either  the hills  of Himachal that beckon us to their imposing grandeur, the historical streets of Rajasthan or the scenic landscapes of  Uttarakhand  that top the list of brief sojourns. But this time, I wanted something simple, something secluded yet close to home. A quick research on the internet landed me on Shivya Nath's  travel  website called 'India Untravelled'. Her travel stories about lesser known destinations in India were intriguing and what caught my attention was a place called Prakriti Farms. Situated in Rupnagar, Punjab, approximatel

आधा गाँव (Adha Gaon) The novel traces the dilemmas and confusions suffered by the Indian Muslim community in the wake of Indian Independence... Author:  Rahi Masoom Raza   Not all of Indian Muslims went to Pakistan, in fact the never opted for it but by a stroke of destiny, not only the sub-continent as a macro level entity, but each and every village was virtually divided into two halves. ‘Gangoli’ the ancestral village of the author is one such half the village wherein both the ordinary Hindus and Muslims are trying to come to terms with the upheaval the politics of religious identity is causing. The Muslims all of a sudden, find themselves suspect and outsiders. The confusion and suffering of half the village is brought forth powerfully in the language of people exactly the way it is spoken in the streets, the author’s descriptions being the only occasion for polished literary prose. The interaction of these two registers of the language makes this novel both a delight a

Dudhwa: The Garden of Eden At Dudhwa the  stubborn jungles  refuse to be tamed. The  spooky swamps  stagger the bravest of the brave The vast  carpets of grass  spread beyond the horizon. Here myriads of creatures nestle in the apparent stillness and quiet. Yet, soundlessly, as though effortlessly, the forests are spinning with activity Situated on the Indo-Nepal border in District Lakhimpur-Kheri of Uttar Pradesh, the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve with an area of 614 sq. Km is one of the finest, of the few remaining examples of the exceedingly diverse and productive tarai eco-systems. The northern edge of the reserve lies along the Indo-Nepal border and the southern boundary is marked by the river Suheli. It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species which includes Tiger, Leopard, Swamp deer, Hispid hare, Bengal Florican, etc. The Kishanpur Sanctuary located about 30 km from Dudhwa, is the other constituent of the reserve. Spread over about 200 sq. km it lies on