Happy New Year

today is the first day of the new year,
according to the vikrami samvat, or the hindu calendar.
so, new year greetings to you.
nav varsh ki hardik shubhkamnayein
happy new year :)

today also brings forth the 'shakti' in our life.
in the form of goddess durga.
it is the beginning of nine days of traditional festivities & worship.
this is 'navratri'.

for nine days, delhi will be flooded with the atmosphere of bhakti and celebrations. especially, the bigger temples like 'Chatarpur', 'Jhandewalan', 'Kalka Ji', the new 'Akshardham' and 'Lakshminarayan or Birla Mandir'. infact the whole of india will be celebrating navratris in different ways.

there is a sense of attachment that's difficult to explain. we literally believe 'ma durga- mother goddess' has arrived in our homes for these nine days. and thus celebrate them with utmost purity and devotion.

for a little brush-up on this sacred festival, the mythology and some important points, have a look at the following links:

http://hinduism.about.com/od/festivalsholidays/a/vasantnavaratri.htm

http://hinduism.about.com/library/weekly/aa100502a.htm

this is a good site if you want to know more about hinduism, especially from today's perspective.

i've had a fast today. will go home now, do some 'pooja' and open the fast.

The Goddess Matangi Mewar Painting; Image: © Brooklyn Museum of Art/Corbis; Date Created: ca. 1760