Roots and Reflections - Exploring Ideas, Experiences and Wisdom

(Main Entrance gate of Shailputri Gokul Dham Ashram) Jammu - The city of temples is famous due to number of old and new temples & shrines scattered throughout the length and breadth of city creating an atmosphere of spirituality and divinity.  In the heart of Jammu city not far from Tillo Chowk, lies a very peaceful and holy place of worship which has been a favorite of our people and spiritual seekers in the area: Gokul Nath Aashram at Ambika Vihar, Gole Gujral, Jammu (commonly referred to as Bhawani Mandir). Being faithfully dedicated to Mata Shera Wali Ji, this temple and ashram compound has become one of the most restful and spiritually inspiring places in Jammu City. The temple itself provides a sacred vibe, a manmade cave representing Mata Vaishno Devi, and regular satsangs that create devotion through darshan; as a result, it has become a place of faith, devotion, and divine energy.  Regardless of whether you are from Jammu, here as a pilgrim, or passing through fo...

                        (Photo Source: Internet) Padamshri Padma Sachdev is a prominent modern poet of Dogri literature from Jammu. She was born in 1940 in Purmandal Town (located on the banks of the sacred river Devak) some 39 Kms from Jammu and is the eldest of three children of Prof. Jai Dev Baru who was a Sanskrit scholar. Padma Sachdev is a delightful and endearing women, full of home-spun fun and laughter (rather loud laughter for the more cultured ears). She was also a lovable person with all the homely qualities of a good housewife - an excellent cook, an entertaining hostess and an interesting talker. She was a successful writer with wide readership among a specific section of the society. All these mutually supportive elements, especially combined with a joy for living, a positive attitude, strong will power, dedication and tremendous energy to produce, to carve out a name for herself.  Despite her health complic...

Kashmir has produced a galaxy of sufi poets, iconic mystics and spiritual saints, who were very affectionate towards the society and  rendered a meritorious service to the Kashmiri language and literature. Kashmiri sufi poets voiced for brotherhood, peace and prosperity. One of such great sufi poet was Samad Mir. Sammad Mir was born at Narwara Srinagar in the year 1894 and he died in the year 1959.  Samad Mir is viewed as one of the most distinguished poets in Kashmir, and his poetry continues to resonate with the cultural and spiritual lineage of the valley. Born into poverty, he achieved public embrace and recognition through his connection to the masses and his command of traditional forms of Kashmiri poetry. His poetry combined themes of mysticism, folklore and human values, reflecting both the beauty of Kashmir's landscape and the suffering of its people. His philosophical and spiritual poetry continues to be celebrated for lyrical richness and depth, and he remains an in...

Shankaracharya Temple is one of the most revered and ancient temple of Hindus. This famous Hindu temple is situated on the zabarban range in Srinagar in the Kashmir valley of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The temple is located at elevation/height of 1000 feet above surface level of the main srinagar city. Shankaracharya mandir is dedicated to lord Shiva and is considered to be the oldest shrine of worship in Kashmir valley. This ancient shrine offers a majestic panoramic view of the Srinagar city and the mesmerizing Dal Lake. From the premises of Shankaracharya Mandir, Srinagar appears like a bowl-shaped valley, beautifully cradled by high rising mountains on all four sides. Though I have visited Srinagar city many a times but due to tight schedules I didn't get chance to visit this glorious and sacred place of worship. This temple is also one of the main pilgrimage site for Kashmiri pandits and there is huge rush of devotees especially on the occasion of Maha Shivratri...

Kashmir has been in the news for the last three decades because of the militancy and Pak-sponsored terrorism, which unfortunately took the heavy toll of thousands of precious lives. If we go deep and think objectively, we will definitely come to the conclusion that the Kashmir issue has existed and remained in the news ever since the nation attained freedom from British rule. Since childhood, we have been hearing “Kashmir, Kashmir,” yet the issue still stands alive even after seventy-six years of self-rule and independence, thanks to the narrow handling of Kashmir by the first Prime Minister, Pt. Jawahar Lal Nehru. Indian rulers ever since freedom have considered Kashmir as an economic issue, and the problem continues even today. The Indian government has pumped tons and tons of the taxpayers’ money into Kashmir, but the problem has remained unsolved, and this is the irony.  Kashmir is not an economic problem but is a political as well as a law and order problem. But the Indian gov...

Food adulteration in India has become a very serious public health issue, and the day-by-day deteriorating quality of food items is affecting all of us in one way or another. Adulteration of food items is not confined to one type of food or one section of society; however, it affects the urban population as well as the rural population. It is affecting rich as well as poor people alike, thus affecting the overall population and thereby putting all of us at huge risk. The cheap practice and habit of mixing inferior and harmful food items has been prevalent for decades, but it has assumed alarming proportions in recent times. Due to the burgeoning population and growing demand for food items, dishonest and unethical traders/dealers indulge in this cheap practice of mixing food items, as they prioritize profit over public health. Some items like milk, oil, pulses, rice, and spices are no longer safe from this menace of adulteration of food. Some reports reveal that synthetic milk containi...

          Let me start this write up with the hindi couplet of a great authority which reads as “kab yovan se nikar uthegi yeh hindi ki basha, kab sara jag issey hojayega matwala”. A language should unite and not divide People and countries on narrow linguistic lines. But instead languages should become tools of unity however alas language have often become source of discard and division. Language chauvinism should not come in the way of national unity. We have seen countries divided on the basis of languages. Pakistan was divided on the basis of language in 1971 when the then East Pakistanis considered imposition of Urdu language as an assault on their Bengali language and culture. As a result East Pakistan was separated from Pakistan and a new country Bangladesh was formed though with the support of India under the able Prime Ministership of Late. Smt. Indira Gandhi.  Even the same religion could not keep Pakistan united and it is the language that is the...