Aluchi Vadi, Indian Snacks

Aluchi Vadi also known as "Paatra" is a popular dish in Maharashtra as well as in Gujarat. It is made from Colocasia leaves.

Aluchi Vadi is one the favourite tea time snack.
 Marathi, colocasia leaves are known as 'Alu' or 'Aloo'.

This recipe has no resemblance to anything potatoes as in Hindi 'Alu' or 'Aloo' is the term for potatoes.
Since fresh colocasia leaves or taro leaves are easily available in the monsoons, one can make this snack for Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

This vegetable is particularly available in the rainy season and forms an integral part of a staple religious diet.






Preparation of Aluchi Vadi


To know in detail, how yummy fully tummy snacks is prepared visit here : Aluchi Vadi, Indian Snacks

Cusps of Scorpio, Zodiacs

Cusps of Scorpio  are the individuals born when the Sun was on the verge of changing signs with Libra and Sagittarius. They often identify with two signs and become a hybrid of both the zodiacs. Those born under this cusp are harmonious and beautiful.


Scorpio/ Libra Cusp (October 23 through October 27)
• Positively, they are charming and attractive, despite their potential detachment. They make loyal friends.
• Negatively, they can be bossy, jealous and sarcastic. They may be manipulative or sly.





Scorpio/ Sagittarius Cusp (November 17 through November 21)
• Positively, they are affectionate and caring for other people. They have a very generous and humanitarian nature.
• Negatively, they can be very suspicious and jealous if they are not careful. This can keep them from attaining their potential.

Read more : Cusps of Scorpio, Zodiacs

Zoos in India

Zoos in India are known as 'zoological gardens' and just like wildlife sanctuaries

Zoos have the objective of preserving the flora and fauna present in the country.

However, the main difference between these two is that, zoos keep animals in captivity and within artificially created habitat,whereas sanctuaries provide home to animals in their natural habitat without captivity.

The zoos attract tourists and provide recreational facilities. Given below are the Zoos in India.

Zoos of Northern India
Manda Zoo is situated in Janipur in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir.
Chhatbir Zoo is located in Chhat Village, Zirakpur.

LucknowZoo hosts about 57 species of reptiles, about 348 species of birds, about 447 species of mammals and about 97 varieties of animals. Some of the other zoos are Manali Zoo, National Zoological Park and Jaipur Zoo.

Zoos of Western India
Rajiv Gandhi Zoological Park was established in 1999. It houses a vast variety of reptiles, birds, mammals.

Katraj Snake Park is well known for snakes. Dadra and Nagar Haveli has a mini zoo, more specifically a deer park.

Daman and Diu also has a mini zoo, more specifically a deer park.Some of the other zoos are Kamla Nehru Zoo, Mumbai Zoo and Maharaj Baug and Zoo.

Zoos of Southern India
Karnataka houses one of the oldest and popular zoos in India, namely
Mysore Zoo. It is located near a palace in Mysore.

Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is located amidst Kambalakonda Reserve Forest in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.

Nehru Zoological Park is housed in Hyderabad in Telangana.  Some of the other Zoos are Warangal Zoo, Thiruvananthapuram Zoo and Arignar Anna Zoologial Park.
Zoos of Eastern India
Sanjay Gandhi Jaivik Udyan, also known as the Patna Zoo. Birsa Zoological Park is located near Ormanjhi, on the Ranchi-Patna National Highway.
Nandankanan Zoological Park is located in Bhubaneswar. Some of the Government Zoos of West Bengal are Alipore Zoological Garden, Adina Deer Park and Jhargram Deer.

Zoos of North East India
The Assam State Zoo cum botanical garden is located within the Hengrabari Reserved Forest in Guwahati.
The Manipur Zoological Garden is located about 7 kms from Imphal. Two other zoos of North East India are Nagaland Zoological Park and Tripura Zoo.

Read more : Zoos in India

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge , Indian movie

The movie 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge', is a super hit which got Rajat Kamal as best popular film in the year 1995.

Plot


Cast and Crew:
The actors playing the lead roles in The Indian Movie, "Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge" are named as Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Anupam Kher, Amrish Puri, Farida Jalal, Satish Shah, Mandira Bedi, Himani Shivpuri, etc.
The director of the film is Aditya Chopra while the producer of the film is his father Yash Chopra.

Awards:
The Indian Movie, 'Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge' is hugely awarded with ten filmfare awards in the year 1996. In the year 1995 the film has got national film award
 Rajat Kamal as best popular film.

To know visit here : Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

Hindu Gods, Hinduism

Hindu Gods is a concept that evolved in accord to the cosmic activity of the Supreme Being.
Hindus have assigned many names to the Hindu Gods since time immemorial. Among the various Hindu Gods, the Hindu Trinity; Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the main worshipped Gods in Hinduism.

Some of the Gods that are worshipped by the Hindus are as follows:

Lord Varuna
The people of India also worship the God of water and ocean called Lord Varuna. Lord Varuna rides on Makara which is a type of holy sea-creature.

Lord Kartikeya

The origin of Lord Kartikeya, the symbol of masculine might, who could obliterate the ghastly demon, Taraka.

Lord Brahma

He is the God of Creation, an important deity among the Hindus. He is seen with four heads representing four Vedas, which is also called the four 'Yugas'.



Lord Vishnu

He is the God of maintenance, protection and sustenance among the Gods of India.  Vishnu not only maintains the universe, but also maintains dharma.

Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva is the God of destruction and is highly revered among the Gods of India. Enormous energy of the creator is denoted by the ‘lingam’ which absorbs the creator Brahma, Vishnu and Gayatri Devi in its heart.

Lord Ganesha

Lord Ganesha is one of the prime Gods of India Known as ‘Vighneshwara’, He is seen in the form of an elephant head in a human body, with four arms and a huge belly.

Lord Jagannath

This God is the name given to describe a deity form of Lord Krishna. The oldest and renowned Jagannath deity is at Puriin Odisha.

Lord Hanuman

He is also known as ‘Anjaneya’ and is among the most important Gods in the Indian epic Ramayana. He assisted Lord Rama in recovering Sita from the captivity of Ravana.


Lord Indra
Another most important God of India is Indra who is known as the king of the Gods and the ruler of the heavens.
In India, several natural objects are also worshipped and some of the natural objects are considered as the forms of Indian Gods.

Lord Agni
 
Lord Agni or Fire-God is a Hindu and Vedic Deva. This God is beneficent as well as destructive.

Lord Vayu

Pavan or Vayu, the God of wind or air, in Hinduism is mainly a deity which is worshipped for his power that controls nature.

Read more : Hindu Gods, Hinduism

Mahadeva, Lord Shiva

 

Mahadeva is one of the main deities of Hinduism that is worshipped as the paramount lord by the Shaivite sects of India.

He is known as the third element in the Hindu Trinity (Trimurti), the other two members being ‘Lord Brahma - the creator’ and ‘Lord Vishnu - the protector’.

According to some scholars, Mahadeva as "Mahakaal" destroys and dissolves everything into nothingness but as "Shankara", he also reproduces that which has been destroyed and dissolved.
His symbol of
Lingam or the phallus represents this reproductive power.

Appearance and Attributes of Mahadeva
Mahadeva is often shown with many faces, as creator, destroyer and preserver in total command of the cosmos. Lord Shiva is shown either in Meditating or in the form of a Dancing God "
Nataraja" where his dance is to the beat and rhythm of creation.
Besides, there are a lot many attributes associated with Lord Shiva. Each of his depiction signifies a different aspect of his Supreme Being.

Sacred Ganga: The holiest of the holy rivers, Ganga
 flows from the matted hair of Shiva.


The Third Eye: Lord Shiva is known as the "3 Eyed Lord" or "Tryambaka Deva". The sun is his right eye, the moon left while the 3rd eye of Shiva on his forehead is the ‘Eye of Wisdom’.

Half-Open Eyes: The half-open eyes show that universes cycle in process.


Crescent: Mahadeva bears on his head the crescent of the moon. This is placed near the fiery third eye and this shows the power of Soma.

The Cobra Necklace:   The cobras around his neck also represent the dormant energy, called ‘Kundalini’, the serpent power. The snake curled 3 times around the neck of Lord Shiva depicts the past, present and future time. The snake looking in the right direction of Lord Shiva signifies that the Lord’s perpetual laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe.




Vibhuti: Vibhuti is a 3 line of ashes drawn on the forehead that signifies the Immortality of the soul and manifested glory of the Lord.

Tiger Skin: Lord Shiva is shown sitting on or wearing a tiger skin. The tiger is the vehicle of Shakti, the Goddess of power and force.

Nandi, the Bull: Nandi is said to be the vehicle of Lord Shiva. The bull represents both power and ignorance.



Rudraksha Necklace: ‘Rudra’ is the other name of Mahadeva which means strict or uncompromising and ‘aksha’ means eye. The necklace has 108 beads, which symbolize the elements used in the creation of the world.

Damru : A small drum with two sides alienated from each other by a thin neck-like structure represents the two utterly different states of existence, unclear and clear.

Trishul (Trident): A three-branched trident shown adjoining to Lord Shiva symbolizes his 3 fundamental powers will, action and knowledge.

Read more in detail here :  Mahadeva, Lord Shiva

Healthcare with Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of essential oil from herbs, flowers and other plants. Healthcare professionals use essential oils to help treat a variety of conditions, including headaches, insomnia, immune-system support, insect bites and other skin conditions.

Some popular essential oils to treat various conditions include:


 Lavender, which is used to alleviate anxiety, depression and grief, and to treat sleep problems.


Bergamot, which is used to alleviate depression and anxiety, for sleep disturbances and as a pain reliever.


Lemon, which is used to treat colds and flu and to increase alertness.


Eucalyptus, which is used to treat sinusitis or muscle pain.

Benefits of Aromatherapy
Essential oils can provide a variety of health benefits. In fact these amazing oils can provide support for all systems within the body:

• Immune system
• Digestive function
• Kidney function
• Healthy heart muscle function
• Relax muscles
• Lung function
• Joint and cartilage function
• Healthy bone structure

Read more : Healthcare with Aromatherapy

Vishu, Festivals of Kerala

Vishu is a major festival of Kerala. It is a new year for the people of Kerala that is celebrated in the month of April.

'Vishukkani' is a major custom which means "the first thing seen on the day of Vishu after awakening". Vishukkani are arranged the night before.

On the day of Vishu it is customary to wake up at dawn and go to the puja room with eyes closed so that the Vishukkani is the first sight of New Year.

'Kani' means "that which is seen first", so "Vishukkani" means "that which is seen first on Vishu". This is arranged by the mother.

People visit temples like Sabarimala Ayyappan Temple, Guruvayur Sree Krishna temple in the early hours of to see the Vishukanni. 

Children celebrate with burning firecrackers. New clothes are worn on this occasion and elders of the family give money ( Vishukkaineetam) to children, servants and other family members. On this day many food items are prepared as it is a day of feasting.

This day is considered as the first day of Zodiac Calendar.
Kani Konna is major item that is a part of vishukanni. It beliefs an auspicious kani at dawn on the Vishu day is lucky for the entire year.

Read more : Vishu, Festivals of Kerala