Roots and Reflections - Exploring Ideas, Experiences and Wisdom

Kashmiri Pandit Ritual of Punn Diyun Kashmiri Pandit culture is quite distinct, and this segment of Sanatan Dharma engages in various rituals, ceremonies, and traditions that set this small community apart from the rest of Hinduism. One such ritual, known in Kashmiri as Punn Deun, is observed and performed by Kashmiri Pandits. Despite their displacement from Kashmir, the KP community has managed to preserve their rites, rituals, ceremonies, and traditions. However, not all KP households participate in the Punn ritual; it is specifically those families whose ancestors traditionally performed it that continue the practice. This ritual, which takes place around Ganesh Chaturthi, evokes a sense of nostalgia for Kashmiri Pandits. During this time of year, as summer begins to wane and autumn starts to make its presence felt in the valley, Kashmiri Pandits celebrate the Punn ritual (meaning "thread" in Kashmiri). Coinciding with Ganesh Chaturthi, referred to as Vinayak Chorum by the...

  Famous Jhiri Mela revives the memory of Martyrdom of Baba Jitto In our country, several fairs and festivals are celebrated round the year. Jammu and Kashmir is also famous for various fairs, melas, festivals and festivities such as Jhiri Mela,Sankari Mela,Bahu Mela, Baishaki Mela etc. There fairs and festivals add color to our rich culture and depict our unity in diversity .There local fairs and festivals show Dogra culture at the national level.  So in our Jammu and Kashmir an annual fair is held in honor and to pay homage to Baba Jitto ,a simple and honest farmer who sacrificed his precious life rather then submit to the unjust demands of the local landlord to part with the crop. He killed himself in the village of Jhiri. It is said that Baba Jitto sat on the heap of crop –grain and stabbed himself with a dagger and all the grains were smeared with his blood .The village Jhiri is located about 20 Kms from Jammu ,on the Jammu - Akhnoor highway. Every year during the Karti...

     Chinar Trees turn yellow/Golden/Reddish in autumn                   BOO’EN God’s Firey Showpiece It is believed that Hazrat-e-Ameer-e-Kabri, Mir Sayeed Ali Hamdani-RA is credited with the origin of many things including Chinar tree called in Kashmiri Boo’en. Boo’en is also spelled as Bouen. It in fact has come from Sanskrit word Bhawani. It is said that Boo’en have been first planted by Syed Qasim Shah Hamdani RA companion of Shah-e-Hamdan RA. Boo’en is the part and parcel of Kashmiri culture. It attracts a good number of tourists especially in autumn. The leaves of Chinar trees in Kashmir during autumn season turn into yellow, red and fall from the trees and also turn earth below yellow and red .During the autumn season it has a great appeal as it turns totally reddish and resembles as if it is on fire. It is a sight worth seeing and beautiful and tourists and the local kashmiris take great pleasure in observing the china...

                                                 Photo Source: Internet              Kashmiri Pandits have a distinct, unique and peculiar cultural identity and heritage in the broad spectrum of Sanatan Dharma. The KP’s attire, dress and ornaments are very distinct and these are traditional and from these symbols their cultural identity finds expression. It is every body’s knowledge that Kashmiri Pandits migrated in 1989-90 and thereafter because of militancy they took refuge in Jammu and other states of India. But the minuscule Kashmiri Pandit community needs commendation that despite their exile they have somehow preserved their traditional culture and heritage albeit with some modification here and there. Not only their attire and dress used to be different but their food habits and cuisines too are different and the KP commun...

King Kohli:- A True Sportsman and a dedicated Cricketer  Born to Prem and Saroj Kohli in Delhi, India, in 1988, he was christened after a famous Hindu character, the king of Aurangzeb's time in the late 17th century. As a toddler, little would it have been possible for anyone to predict the awesome height of his future achievements.  From the tender age of 9 years, Kohli was well into cricket, from where he gradually ascended to being one of the best modern-day batsmen. He laid the foundation of his cricket career at the West Delhi Cricket Academy when he was just around nine years old. He was an extraordinary kid and rose fast through the ranks. Both his inexpressible natural talent and ferocity of devotion to the game left deep impressions on coaches and some eager peers. The debut stint in Ankhillon: Kohli made his first-class debut for his native Delhi at the age of 19. He made a mark, scoring 50 on his debut, in addition to showcasing tremendous strokeplay. A continuum of...

  Kangri- The darling of every Kashmir                       (Image source: Internet) It is said and rightly so that necessity is the mother of invention and some foresighted man in the ancient past may had invented Kangri .It has become a darling of every Kashmiri in winter and it warms and protects him /her from the severe cold. Kangri gives warmth ,during calm, cloudy and cold days of winter called Wandah and Shishur seasons in Kashmir .The Kangri has a special importance for ruralites as well as urban people. The farmer takes Kangri round the year in fields and use huka with the help of Kangri embers. A puff of huka provides respite to the farmer from the hard work .A city walla, makes use of kangri in his kitchen and home. Kangri consists of two parts, one earthen pot called in kashmiri as ‘kundal and its wicker cover of various ordinary and beautiful designs and colors. Kangri is portable and is carried to any place..Ka...

‘’Vakartund Maha Kayai suri Koti Sama Prabha, Nir Vignam Kuromay Davi Sarva Karishu Sarvadha.’’ The Kashmiri Pandits of village Hanad Chawalgam Kulgam have constructed a magnificent temple dedicated to elephant God Ganesh at Nanak Vihar Lower Mutti. The construction of the  Ganesh temple which is the replica of the Ganesh Shrine of Hanad Chawalgam started in the year 2009 and was competed in year 2011. A marvelous idol of Lord Maha Ganesh was installed in the temple. The Ganesh temple was constructed under the auspices’ of Maha Ganesh Chartible foundations which is a registered body and the donations to the trust are exempted from the income tax under section 80 of the income tax Act. It was in fact the charitable foundation which conceived the idea of constructing the Ganesh temple and the idea was given the practical shape with the donations and moral support of the KP community living in Jammu and even from the KP’s living in other cities of India, the donations for constructing...

  In today’s digital age, the internet plays a vital role across various sectors, including marketing, production, education, public and private firms, e-commerce, banking, IT, BPO, and software industries. Our daily routines often begin with our mobile phones, as we browse and search for information online. The internet has become an essential part of our lives, almost like a lifeline. It's remarkable to see even young children spending hours on their phones, enjoying videos and reels, which has led to a growing addiction. Nowadays, we communicate with those around us through various online platforms, sending messages via email, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and many other social media channels. Additionally, we understand that data is crucial for any organization. Now efforts must be put on to protect and secure the important and vital data of every organisation from unauthorised access. It becomes very crucial for the data maintaining authority to secure its informatio...

The Capital is presently observing extreme Air Pollution and each day sees the quality go down. This is a major cause of concern, considering that the Delhi NCR region is suffering from pollution that has become common for every winter season. SMOG has engulfed the entire of Delhi, prompting residents of the Capital to complain more regularly about air-borne diseases and ill-health linked to bad air quality. A number of such initiatives have been getting underway, some under pressure from local civil society organizations, engaging on the local, national, and international fronts. However, since the aggravating air quality will now allow for the 50 percent WFH rule for government staff, this is going to be temporary relief for the employees who daily face difficulties in commuting from their homes to offices. Like smoke from the wildfires often set by people, particulate matters and gases are released in nature into the atmosphere and volcanic eruptions, for instance, ash and gases, an...

Whole of Kashmir valley is home to various goddesses, gods, saints and seers and the sacred land of Kashmir is also abode of the Shakti Peethas .The ancient village of Taragram which is known as Taragam is a village situated in tehsil Qazigund ,district Anantnag .This village is the abode of goddess Tara and a shrine of Mata Tara Davi is situated in the village of Taragam. The name of village Taragam comes from Sanskrit name Taragram,which with the passage and afflux of time turned into Taragam. In good olden days Shivism and Shaktism was most popular in Kashmir. Goddess Tara is the manifestation of Shakti and her shrine in Taragam is a shaktipeeth and this village has the distinction of being a Shakti peetha. In Shaivisim and Shaktism tradition of Hinduism ,the goddess Tara is the second of 10 Mahavidyas .She is considered a form of Adishakti, the tantric manifestation of Parvati. Her three most famous forms are Ekajata, Ugratara, and Nilasarasvati .Her most famous centre of worship i...

Workplace bullying has now become a common practice in India and many companies and organizations inadvertently perpetuate a bullying culture by failing to take a proactive approach to anti-bullying policies, or lacking a framework and process for victimized parties to follow to report a problem. It is indeed very sad that workplace bullying has assumed alarming proportions and has become now the talk of the town. Bullying can affect us in one way or the other but its ramifications are very serious in nature. Workplace bullying is basically repeated, intentional behavior directed at an employee that is intended to degrade, humiliate, embarrass, or otherwise undermine their performance. It can come from colleagues, supervisors, or management, and is a real problem for workers at all levels. Workplace bullying can be discreet, hard to define and challenging to explain to another party, which means that many victims feel powerless to take action. Being pinned into a corner by an angry bos...

                                        Our country is facing an array of social evils like caste System, female infanticide, child marriage, dowry system, child labour, domestic violence etc. And Eve-teasing is one of the major social evil that India is facing at present and has become now the talk of the town. No matter how advance the country is, such types of social evils exists in every country. Eve teasing in our country is becoming one of the utmost ordinary concerns where a girl is sexually or mentally hassled in public which ultimately poses a great mental stress and anxiety among the women. Eve-teasing today has become malicious, appalling and disgusting practice and is generally being categorised into various types like Verbal eve teasing, Physical eve teasing, psychological harassment, sexual harassment and harassment through some objects. Violence against women has become on...

The relevance of Shreemad Bhagavad Gita in the modern times cannot be exaggerated. It is a spiritual treasure which guides us and shows us how to live a life of contentment. It is nectar coming from the lips of the Lord Krishna and every one of us should partake this nectar meaning thereby that we should read and study the treasure kept by the Lord in this book. This scripture has got universal applicability and it is cosmopolitan in nature. Its significance and importance cannot be denied in today’s world. This spiritual treasure is specially relevant in the modern greed torn world were everything is weighed on the touchstone of gain or loss.In these days of the materialistic world were there is mad race for money, name and fame this treasure helps us to lead a contented life and the book shows us as to how the purposeful life and meaningful life can be lived in this materialistic world. The world is going to celebrate the Gita Jayanti on 3rd of December 2022 with great fervor and ent...

  Save and Protect Mother Earth Saving and protecting earth and soil is not only important but it is indispensible as well. Human beings and all living beings depend on earth for their sustenance and growth and development and therefore it is all the more important to save earth and soil .Earth should be saved from degradation and soil should be saved from nature’s fury of floods and soil erosion .It is mother earth which gives man everything which is essential for living of the humankind and for all other living beings and therefore it is the bounden duty and social and moral responsibility of the people to take earnest steps to save earth and soil from the vagaries of nature and manmade exploitation .It should be noted that human beings have no or little control on the vagaries and fury of nature but man can save earth from the useless exploitation of cunning and greedy humanity .Basically and essentially soil and earth is the primary entity on which all terrestrial life depends ...