On Tuesday, November 03, 6-year-old autistic boy Jeremy Mardis was tragically gunned down by Louisiana police.
Jeremy Mardis
In initial reports, the police claimed Jeremy’s father had a warrant to be arrested, had a gun, tried to run over the officers, fired at the officers, and possibly even killed his own son. All of this was proven to be false during the investigation. Yet the police and DA seemed poised to blame this father for his son’s own death, despite the fact that the cops shot at a moving vehicle, which is against federal guidelines.
Police now admit that Few was not only unarmed when officers opened fire, there wasn’t a warrant at all.
Derrick Stafford Norris Greenhouse Jr
This latest case of police brutality that led to the death of a small child may have also been swept under the rug as “justified” if not for video evidence – One of the officers was wearing a body camera which was on at the time of the shooting. While police is yet to release the footage, the arrests were made shortly after the Louisiana State Police reviewed the video, according to KLFY.
When asked about the body camera footage during the press conference, State Police Col. Mike Edmonson told reporters, “It is the most disturbing thing I’ve seen, and I will leave it at that.”
“That little boy was buckled in the front seat of that vehicle,” Edmonson told reporters. “That is how he died.”
Lt. Derrick Stafford, 32, and Norris Greenhouse Jr., 23, are the local deputy marshals who fired at least 18 rounds at an unarmed man and his son, killing a 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis.
On Friday night, Nov 06, authorities announced that Greenhouse Jr. & Stafford were charged with 2nd-degree murder of 6-year-old and attempted 2nd-degree murder of Chris Few.
It has since been revealed, the pair – along with another officer at the scene – were moonlighting as marshals who work for the city courts and serve warrants, carry firearms and have police powers.
Interestingly, both officers, have a horrific track record and should not have been employed as active-duty officers at all. Some of the charges included indictments for aggravated rape.
Derrick Stafford, the officer indicted for rape, also has five pending civil suits against him for various complaints of excessive force, including breaking the arm of a 14-year-old girl on a school bus as well as assaulting and pepper-spraying a 15-year-old boy at a Fourth of July celebration.
Norris Greenhouse Jr., the other officer implicated in the murder of 6-year-old Jeremy Mardis, is named in several of the same suits for acting in tandem with Stafford.
Deepawali or Diwali is certainly the biggest and the brightest of all Hindu festivals. It’s the festival of lights (deep = light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights) that’s marked by four days of celebration, which literally illumines the country with its brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy. Each of the four days in the festival of Diwali is separated by a different tradition, but what remains true and constant is the celebration of life, its enjoyment and goodness.
The Origin of Diwali
Historically, the origin of Diwali can be traced back to ancient India, when it was probably an important harvest festival. However, there are various legends pointing to the origin of Diwali or ‘Deepawali.’ Some believe it to be the celebration of the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. Whereas in Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Mother Kali, the dark goddess of strength.
Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, the symbol of auspiciousness and wisdom, is also worshiped in most Hindu homes on this day.
In Jainism, Deepawali has an added significance to the great event of Lord Mahavira attaining the eternal bliss of nirvana.
The return of Lord Rama
Diwali also commemorates the return of Lord Rama along with Sita and Lakshman from his fourteen year long exile and vanquishing the demon-king Ravana. In joyous celebration of the return of their king, the people of Ayodhya, the Capital of Rama, illuminated the kingdom with earthen diyas (oil lamps) and burst crackers. These Four Days Each day of Diwali has its own tale, legend and myth to tell. The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama. Amavasya, the second day of Deepawali, marks the worship of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth in her most benevolent mood, fulfilling the wishes of her devotees.
The story of Lord Vishnu
Amavasya also tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarf incarnation vanquished the tyrant Bali, and banished him to hell. Bali was allowed to return to earth once a year, to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance, and spread the radiance of love and wisdom. It is on the third day of Deepawali – Kartika Shudda Padyami that Bali steps out of hell and rules the earth according to the boon given by Lord Vishnu. The fourth day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj) and on this day sisters invite their brothers to their homes.
Lights & Firecrackers
All the simple rituals of Diwali have a significance and a story to tell. The illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity.
According to one belief, the sound of fire-crackers are an indication of the joy of the people living on earth, making the gods aware of their plentiful state. Still another possible reason has a more scientific basis: the fumes produced by the crackers kill a lot of insects and mosquitoes, found in plenty after the rains.
The tradition of gambling on Diwali also has a legend behind it. It is believed that on this day, Goddess Parvati played dice with her husband Lord Shiva, and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuing year. Diwali is associated with wealth and prosperity in many ways, and the festival of ‘Dhanteras’ (‘dhan’ = wealth; ‘teras’ = 13th) is celebrated two days before the festival of lights.
In each legend, myth and story of Deepawali lies the significance of the victory of good over evil; and it is with each Deepawali and the lights that illuminate our homes and hearts, that this simple truth finds new reason and hope.
From darkness unto light – the light that empowers us to commit ourselves to good deeds, that which brings us closer to divinity. During Diwali, lights illuminate every corner of India and the scent of incense sticks hangs in the air, mingled with the sounds of fire-crackers, joy, togetherness and hope. Diwali is celebrated around the globe. Outside India, it is more than a Hindu festival, it’s a celebration of South-Asian identities.
If you are away from the sights and sounds of Diwali, light a diya, sit quietly, shut your eyes, withdraw the senses, concentrate on this supreme light and illuminate the soul.
Dhanteras is an important part of Diwali celebrations. Dhanteras marks the first day of Diwali celebrations. Dhanteras is also called Dhanvantari Trayodashi.
It falls on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Kartik (October-November).
The word ‘Dhan’ signifies money or wealth. On the day of Dhanteras, people worship the Goddess of Wealth (Goddess Lakshmi). Since Dhanteras is associated with the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, it is a very important celebration in the homes of the mercantile community. In India, houses and market places wear a festive look on the day of Dhanteras and market places are abuzz with people all around.
Legends
Like most of the Indian festivals, Dhanteras too has some legends associated with its celebration. Let’s have a look at some of the popular legends that are associated with this Dhantears celebration.
Dhanwantari
Churning of ocean (Samudramanthan) by Gods and demons forms an important part of the Hindu mythology. It is believed that during the churning of ocean by Gods and demons, Lord Dhanvantari (the Physician of Gods) emerged out with a jar of Amrit
(elixir) on the day of Dhanteras. Thus, the worship of Lord Dhanvantari has become a part of Dhanteras celebrations in most of the home.
Yamadeep Daan Ritual
According to this legend, the sixteen-year-old son of King Hima was doomed to die of snakebite on the fourth day of his marriage. Aware of the forecast about her husband, the intelligent wife of the young prince made a plan to save her husband. On the predicted day, the wife made all arrangements so that her husband did not fall asleep. Bedsides this, she also put all her silver and gold ornaments at the entrance of the door and illuminated the whole place with lamps and lights. To insure that the husband did not sleep, the wife sang and narrated stories all through the night.Lord Yama, the mythological God of Death, arrived in the guise of a serpent but the illumination caused by lights dazzled his eyes and he was not able to enter the room of the young prince. The legends have it that the serpent, mesmerized by the melodious songs of the Princess’s wife, sat on the heap of ornaments and spent the night and went away in the morning. Thus, the Prince was saved by the illumination of the lamps and devotion of his wife. This legend led to the popularization of the tradition of ‘Yamadeep Daan’. It is due to this reason, lamps and diyas are kept burning all through the night on Dhanteras.
Rituals
As Dhanteras is associated with the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, people draw small footprints with rice flour and vermilion powder throughout the house right from the entrance (indicating the arrival of Goddess Lakshmi). As Dhantrayodashi or Dhanteras is considered very auspicious, people shop for gold, silver and some utensils. To celebrate the auspicious arrival of Goddess Lakshmi, the homes of people are illuminated by oil lamps, which are lit throughout the night. Lakshmi Puja is also an important part of the Dhanteras celebrations. The Lakshmi-Puja is performed at midnight.
The Sikh celebration of the return of the sixth Nanak from detention in the Gwalior Fort coincides with Hindu festival of Diwali.
This coincidence has resulted in similarity of celebration amongst Sikhs and Hindus. The Sikhs celebrate this day as Bandi Chhor Divas i.e., “the day of release of detainees”, because the sixth Nanak had agreed to his release on the condition that the other fifty-two detainees would also be released. These other fifty-two detainees were the vassal kings who had done something to annoy the emperor.
Emperor Jahangir had imprisoned the sixth Nanak because he was afraid of the Guru’s growing following and power. The Sikhs on this day, which generally falls in october-November, hold a one-day celebrations in the Gurdwaras. So in the evening, illuminations are done with Deewé (earthen oil lamps) or candles and fireworks. The celebrations are held both in the Gurdwaras and in homes.
The story of Diwali for the Sikhs is a story of the Sikh struggle for freedom. From the time of Guru Nanak (1469 – 1539), the founder of Sikhism, popular seasonal or folk festivals like the harvest festival of Vaisakhi, or ancient mythological festivals like Holi and Divali, or worship rituals like Aarti, began to take on a new significance for the Guru’s students, the Sikhs.
The Guru used these festivals and special days e.g. first day of each lunar month, as symbols or pegs for his teaching themes. And so the Sikhs were slowly diverted from darkness of superstitious ritualism based on fear and ignorance to an enlightened ideology based on reason and belief in One Creator. The enlightened ideology of Guru Nanak gave new significance to ancient festivals like Divali and Vaisakhi So what about Divali, the festival of lights when, according to Indian lore, Lord Rama returned home after destroying the demon god Ravana who had taken away Rama’s wife, Sita?
The story, of course, has no significance in the Sikh tradition. However, in the Sikh struggle for freedom from the oppressive Mughal regime, the festival of Divali did become the second most important day after the Vaisakhi festival in April. The Sixth Guru Hargobind, was freed from imprisonment in the famous fort of Gwalior by Emperor Jahangir in October, 1619.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be greeted on his maiden visit to the UK by a peppy new song by popular Bollywood playback singer Kanika Kapoor which will highlight the friendship between the two countries.
‘Hello Namaste’ has been described as a “festive upbeat Hinglish” number which highlights the UK-India friendship.
Keerti Mathur, the song’s music producer, said: “Easy to sing along, this retro feel song with a nostalgic ‘Ye Dosti’ (Sholay) start and an upbeat Bhangra end will be performed by Kanika Kapoor live at Wembley Stadium next week and is a perfect way to mark this iconic moment which will go down in history.”
The singer shot to fame by singing Baby Doll for Sunny Leone in Ragini MMS 2, last year.
“The song celebrates the unbeatable combination between the UK and India and a new relationship between the two counties. Marking the biggest community reception for any foreign elected leader on British soil, and themed ‘two great nations, one glorious future’,” organisers Europe India Forum (EIF) said in a statement.
The song was unveiled at a “Hi Chai!” event in central London yesterday, one of nearly 35 such promotional events being held over high tea up and down the UK in the lead up to Modi’s arrival.
WASHINGTON: The Washington, DC, chapter of the American India Foundation (www.aif.org – Twitter @AIFoundation) raised more than $200,000 for its Maternal and Newborn Survival Initiative (MANSI), at its annual gala held at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, MD, on Friday, Nov 06.
MANSI has been primarily designed to reduce maternal and child mortality in rural, impoverished areas of India.
Founded in 2001 at the initiative of then US President Bill Clinton, the community organisation engaged in catalysing social and economic change in India, raised the amount at its annual Washington DC gala Friday.
The gala featured Mamta Mahato, a 26-year old health worker from Jharkhand, India. She shared that skills training from AIF’s MANSI programme has enabled her to safely deliver over 90 healthy newborns in her village.
Indian Ambassador to the United States Arun K. Singh, prominent lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar and President of the Center for American Progress Neera Tanden along with over 250 influential guests were at the power-packed gala.
The gala also saw Javed Akhtar being honored by Indian Ambassador to the US Arun Kumar Singh.
“The American India Foundation is steering relations between the world’s largest democracy and the world’s most powerful democracy,” he said thanking AIF for the great work it has done towards supporting important social causes in India.
Mr Singh addressed the current development challenges in India and the solutions being implemented across the country, including initiatives to revitalise the economy through entrepreneurship and start-ups.
He highlighted the crucial contribution of AIF’s initiatives in female literacy and empowerment to this national economic effort.
“The effort of the government has to be supplemented by what civil society and people like you are able to do,” he said.
Praising the involvement and contribution of the American Indian community in strengthening villages and small towns in India, Akhtar said, “What is wonderful about you is that you have not forgotten your connect to India.”
Teresa Carlson, Vice President of the Global Public Sector at Amazon. Teresa Carlson emphasized the entrepreneurial potential of India.
Venkatesh Raghavendra, AIF Senior Director thanked the young leaders of the greater Washington DC area for having taken ownership of the AIF’s cause.
The gala also recognized the leadership of Neera Tanden, President of The Centre for American Progress, Kumar Barve, member of the Maryland House of Delegates and Aziz Haniffa, managing editor at India Abroad.
Two Indian brothers charged with providing support to al-Qaeda had discussed ideas for an Islamist insurgency in India, documents filed by United States prosecutors show.
Hyderabad-born Yahya Farooq Mohammad and Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad were indicted by a grand jury on Friday, Nov 06, for allegedly providing and raising funds through credit card fraud for slain jihadist ideologue and commander Anwar al-Awlaki.
All four men have been indicted on one count of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, one count of providing material support and resources to terrorists and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.
While Ibrahim was arrested in Texas, where he lived, his brother Yahya lives in UAE. Sultane’s brother Asif also stays in the UAE.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Ibrahim in Texas – where he lived — on Thursday, Nov 05, while Sultane was apprehended in Ohio.
In an e-mail sent by Farooq to Zubair on January 31, 2005, Yahya wrote: “The Muslims there (in India) are our brothers. The non-Muslims our enemies. We do dawah (proselytise) to them in the best manner. But if they refuse, and when we have the capability, we offer them to live as dhimmis (non-Muslims under the protection of Muslim law) or else face the sword.”
“We will never have a subservient attitude for them,” the e-mail says. “There is a time for dawah, and a time for jihad.”
The men also exchanged jihadist literature produced by al-Qaeda — among it, an interview with slain Pakistani Taliban commander Muhammad Illyas Kashmiri, hailing the 26/11 attack in Mumbai.
India’s intelligence officials, government sources said, were informed four weeks ago that Farooq might seek to flee to this country, ahead of the indictment. However, no details were provided on his passport details, origin or possible activities in India.
“FBI had these men under surveillance for a length of time”, a senior official said, “but told us nothing about it. The prospect that they might have funded jihadists in India is a matter of great concern”.
Attorney Kadri Cherrefe, who represents Sultane, said he has pleaded not guilty. It is not known who is representing the other three men in federal court.
“Salim has pleaded not guilty. The case has been filed against him and others. The onus is now on the federal prosecutors to produce documents and evidences to prove,” Cherrefe told PTI over phone.
Officials from either the FBI or the Department of Justice did not respond to calls and emails on the case.
However, given the past precedence, the Department of Justice would try to get back the other two mentioned in the indictment to the US to face the charges.
Yahya, an Indian citizen, studied engineering at Ohio State University from 2002 to 2004. He married a US citizen in 2008, but has been a resident of the United Arab Emirates since 2004, according to local daily The Toledo Blade in Ohio.
Ibrahim, also an Indian citizen, studied engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from 2001 to 2005.
He moved to Toledo around 2006, married a US citizen, and became a permanent resident of the US around 2007, moving at some point to Texas, the daily reported.
Dealing a body blow to BJP led alliance NDA, and denting the image of PM Modi as election winner, the Mahagatbandhan of JDU-RJD-Congress scored an unimagined and unprecedented landslide victory with a clear two-thirds majority to give Nitish Kumar a third term in power. The Mahagatbandhan won 178 of the 243 seats while BJP led NDA was restricted to a paltry 58. CPI-M won 3 and Independents got 4.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad on Sunday rose like the proverbial phoenix from his ashes as he helped script a resounding victory for the Grand Alliance in Bihar and revived the fortunes of his moribund party.
Ousted in 2005 after a 15-year stint in power, RJD was on the verge of being written off after the 2010 Assembly polls when it was restricted to a humiliating 22 seats in the 243-member Bihar House, Mr. Prasad pulled off an emphatic victory for the RJD, which was all set to emerge as the table topper.
RJD contributed nearly half the tally of the Grand Alliance, confirming that in addition to admiring development, Bihari voters vote their caste . The results give Congress, the third party in the partnership, cause for a celebration that has become all too rare: it is on track to 27 seats, almost 7seven times its 2010 tally of four.
Final Scorecard
Supporters of the Janata Dal (United) party celebrate after learning of the initial election results at their party office in Patna, India, November 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
Patna: JD(U) supporters celebrate the Mahagathbandhan’s victory in Bihar assembly elections in Patna on Sunday. PTI Photo
Celebrations at BJP Office Patna (in the morning)
JD(U) Workers & Supporters
Modi (File Photo)
A desolate look at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi as results of the Bihar elections became clear.
Nitish Kumar (L), a leader of Janata Dal (United) and Chief Minister of Bihar, and Lalu Prasad Yadav, chief of Rashtriya Janata Dal, gesture after addressing a news conference in Patna, November 8, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer
Movers & Shakers
BJP in Shock | Bihar stunner: Unmaking of Narendra Modi’s aura confirmed
The strong caste combination that came together in the form of Mahagathbandhan, intolerance debate, lack of local leadership may all have contributed to the slide in BJP’s fortunes in the do-or-die battle.
BJP top brass were left wondering what went wrong. Party president Amit Shah had camped in Patna, Modi had put the affairs of the nation on a backburner to address close to 30 rallies (with good turnout) but the party lost miserably.
As the Grand Alliance surged ahead, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up Mr. Kumar to congratulate him on the poll victory.
The focus of BJP’s campaign that started on development agenda shifted to issues of beef, the occult and reservation and were a part of Modi’s speeches at rallies.
It is too early to analyze the reasons for the failure of BJP in Bihar. But then there are some factors which are quite obvious and identifiable.
Lack of leadership
After BJP’s formulae to announce chief ministerial candidate failed miserably in Delhi Assembly elections, the party went behind the Prime Minister in the 243-member Assembly election. The lack of leadership on the ground and infighting over the seat distribution led to the BJP’s loss. BJP President Amit Shah alluded to bickerings among NDA constituents. Perhaps he knew the consequences. This is also explained by his refusal to comment on election outcome before results came out on November8.
From Sushil Kumar Modi to Nand Kishore Yadav to Prem Kumar, the Bihar BJP has leaders who have emerged from the grassroots and enjoy a solid political clout, but the party failed to use their strength.
Ignoring the popular Bihari leader Shatrughan Sinha also cost the party dearly.
The party, instead, called the brigade from Delhi to campaign in the state in the last one month and tell people about various policies of the government.
Negative campaigning
The BJP repeated the same mistake that it had committed in campaigning in Delhi when it indulged in negative campaigning and name calling. From his earlier rallies in the state, Modi called RJD ‘Rojana Jungle raj ka Darr’, JDU ‘Janata Ka Daman aur Utpidan’.
He later on made Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s meeting with occulist as his poll agenda and took potshots at him. On the other hand, Nitish stuck to his development politics and countered the claims of BJP good governance (sushasan) as sham by referring to incidents of violence against women and opponents of BJP in Gujarat, and poverty in the state which is home to many of the richest businessmen.
BJP President Amit Shah’s remark that if BJP loses in Bihar t firecrackers will be burst in Pakistan al;so did not go down well with the voters.
Price Rise
The price of basic commodities spiraled in the last few months and the BJP had to face the ire of the common man. The price of pulses rose manifold and opposition did not miss any chance to hit out at the Modi government.
The Modi government’s failure to fulfill Lok Sabha poll promises, particularly, the one of bringing in to country black money and giving Rs 15 lakh to every citizen backfired at the party with people raising questions about the credibility of the government.
Retail toor dal prices shot up to Rs 200 per kg despite the government’s steps to boost supply and check prices. Urad too retailed high at Rs 170 per kg.
Beef campaign
The bizarre and outlandish statements by BJP over beef did not go down well with the voters. After a 50-year-old Muslim man was killed over alleged rumors of consuming beef in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri, it became a poll issue. Just a day before the fifth phase of polls, the BJP even came out with an advertisement on statements made on beef and cow.
Even after the BJP cracked the whip on its party men, they continued to stir controversy and gave a tough competition to each other by making such statements.
DNA barb
After Modi made the infamous DNA remark, Nitish started ‘Shabd Wapsi’ (take back your words) campaign. On July 25, while addressing the first election rally, Modi had said, “There seems to be some problem in his DNA because the DNA of democracy is not like that. In democracy you respect even your political rivals.”
In return, Nitish wrote an open letter to Modi saying it was deemed as “an insult by a large section of the people of the state and beyond” and asked him to withdraw it.
Around 50 lakh DNA samples (nails and hair) of people from Bihar were collected and dispatched to PM Modi.
Rebel trouble
With so many aspirants for the BJP ticket, trouble mounted for the party and d it led to infighting. Situation turned for worse and Amit Shah had to step in and even threatened the squabbling leaders.
No CM candidate
Failure of BJP to name a candidate for Chief Minister’s position cost the party dearly.
With Modi aggressively campaigning in the state, the election seemed to be a contest between a chief minister and a prime minister and the BJP paid a heavy price for it.
Alliance trouble
The BJP contested elections in alliance with Lok Janshakti Party, Hindustan Awam Morcha and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party but the allies were reportedly unhappy with the seat sharing. Even though the BJP gave in more seats to allies, the latter remained dissatisfied. The allies were also unhappy over the candidate selection and made their displeasure public. LJP MP Chirag Paswan was vocal in his views that ticket should not be given to certain candidates.
Reservation
The statement by Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on reservation came at a wrong time and did play a major role in marring the prospects of the BJP-led NDA.
And PM Modi’s initial silence on the issue provided ammunition to Nitish-led Mahagathbandhan. The Bihar Chief Minister upped the ante claiming that Modi’s silence on the issue during his rallies suggested that the Union government was in sync with the RSS chief on the issue, evoking a fear of an end of reservation. And Nitish and Lau did not fail to take advantage of the situation.
Though the Prime Minister later made attempt to reach out to voters on the issue and claimed that it was not NDA, but the JDU that wanted to end a chunk of reservation to benefit the “other community”, it failed to convince the voters, who reposed faith in Nitish Kumar.
Sidelining of senior leaders
The BJP sidelined its senior leaders and did not let ‘Bihari Babu’ Shatrughan Sinha, veterans LK Advani and MM Joshi campaign in the polls. Sinha showed his displeasure on Twitter and appealed to voters to vote for the right person.
“Not a question of Bihari vs Bahari..but of how your own Bihari (Babu) has been treated by own people for no fault…,” Sinha had tweeted.
In a huge setback to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), an opposition grand alliance ( Mahagathbandhan) led by chief minister Nitish Kumar has dealt a shocker to NDA by securing a landslide two-thirds majority in the legislative assembly of Bihar.
• The Bihar election results saw Grand Alliance decimate the BJP-led NDA in a bitterly-contested assembly polls.
• The BJP-led NDA, for which Modi mounted an aggressive campaign addressing more than 30 rallies, bagged 58 seats.
• For Modi, the Bihar results are seen as a personal setback.
The alliance, comprising of Nitish Kumar’s Janta Dal (United), JDU, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and Congress, has won 178 seats while BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has been reduced to 58 as per Election Commission website. Nitish Kumar thanked everyone in his tweet after trends showed clear majority to the Grand alliance.
I thank the people of Bihar for their overwhelming support & blessings for the Mahagathbandhan. — Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) November 5, 2015
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had put up an aggressive campaign addressing over 30 rallies, called up Kumar to congratulate him on the poll victory.
“Had a telephone conversation with Shri @nitishkumar & congratulated him on the victory,” Modi tweeted.
Immediately thereafter, Kumar tweeted, “Just received a phone call from the Prime Minister congratulating me…thank you Modiji.”
BJP chief Amit Shah also congratulated Kumar and Lalu on the massive victory.
“Our good wishes to the new government to take Bihar on the path of development,” he said.
“We respect the mandate of the people of Bihar… I congratulate Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav on their victory in Bihar Assembly elections,” the BJP chief tweeted.
Initially, many television channels had projected the NDA to be in the lead. In the last assembly polls in 2010, the JDU had won 115 seats while BJP won in 91 when both parties had an alliance.
Election Commission has released the final tally of Bihar Assembly elections results. Here’s the status of 243 constituencies:
RJD: 80
JD(U): 71
BJP: 53
Congress: 27
Independent: 4
CPI (Marxist-Leninist) (Liberation): 3
LJP: 2
RLSP: 2
HAM(S): 1
November 8, 2015: ‘The People of Bihar have spoken loudly and clearly that they thoroughly reject the politics of growing intolerance and polarization by BJP, that has been promoted ever since their ascendance to power. It is a vote for democracy, pluralism and development, and hearty congratulations are in order for this historic win for the forces that advocate freedom and justice for all its citizens’ said George Abraham, Chairman of the Indian National Overseas Congress, USA.
‘BJP has conveniently overlooked the fact that they gained power at center with only 31% of the vote share and that too was based on their campaign promise of development. However, the last 16 months of their governance has proved that their real objective is to transform the nation away from India’s constitutional principles to follow a Hindutva agenda of regressive policies and illiberal diktats’, the statement added.
‘Bihar has shown that how democratic and secular forces can work together to defeat these forces of yesteryear and build a country based on the rule of law and equal opportunities for all its citizens. It appears that the Congress party being part of the grand alliance is poised to shoulder its responsibility to take the same message across the nation to defeat these forces of bigotry and obscurantism’ the statement concluded.
Nov 07: Bollywood actor Anupam Kher today led a march to the Rashtrapati Bhavan to counter the protests by writers, artistes and others against “rising intolerance”,voicing concern over the “wrong projection” of India by those returning their awards.
The protest was a counter protest against a host of writers, scientists, historians and filmmakers who have raised their voices against what they call “rising intolerance” under the BJP-led government, and have returned various government awards and honours.
Kher, director Madhur Bhandarkar and painter Vasudev Kamath were among 11 members who handed over a memorandum to President Pranab Mukherjee.
The memorandum is signed by 90personalities, including Kamal Haasan, Shekhar Kapur, Vidya Balan, Raveena Tandon and Vivek Oberoi besides, authors, former judges and musicians.
“Any brutal killing is condemnable. We strongly condemn it and expect swift justice. But if it is used by some people to attempt to defame India at the international platform, then we should be worried,” Kher said while reading out their letterto the President.
The actor said the protests, which began with writers returning their Sahitya Akademi awards, shows that rather thanaddressing their concerns through their respective fields, these people are using media to “hurt the spirit of India”.
Taking a dig at Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Mr Kher said, “The leader that opposition party is trying to project does not inspire me. He reads out from prepared statements. Our former PM also used to do the same. The passion with which PM Modi talks about India at international platforms, no other PM has ever done that. No other PM has also visited Kashmir so many times. So, why shouldn’t I respect him?”
Kher said no one has the right to call India intolerantand there is no country in the world, which is more tolerantthan India.
Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a new plan to strip state grant funding from county sheriff’s with a Sanctuary City policy of not honoring ICE detainers.
The move follows Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez’s order that criminal illegal aliens in her jail will be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine if ICE detainers will be enforced.
Governor Greg Abbott threatened to withhold state grant money to Dallas County if the Democratic sheriff there does not detain undocumented immigrants as requested by federal authorities.
Analysts said the warning that extended to sheriffs across the state was mostly aimed at placating Republicans, many of whom want a special legislative session to crack down on cities they see as offering sanctuary to immigrants.
“He’s throwing them a bone but not doing much,” said Southern Methodist University political science professor Cal Jillson.
Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez has said her office is abiding by federal guidelines.
In October, Abbott warned Valdez that he will crack down on local officials who do not report undocumented immigrants to federal authorities.
So far this year, Abbott’s office said it has issued over $4 million in funding to sheriffs, with $78,000 in grants to Dallas County.
The governor’s Criminal Justice Division provide counties with funding for drug courts, juvenile justice programs, body cameras and a crime victim compensation program.
“As governor, I simply will not allow CJD grant funding administered by this office to support law enforcement agencies that refuse to cooperate with a federal law enforcement program that is intended to keep dangerous criminals off Texas streets,” Abbott wrote.
Valdez has eased policies on holding immigrants charged with minor offenses for an additional 48 hours past their scheduled release to give U.S. immigration agents additional time to investigate their status, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Sheriff’s officials were not immediately available for comment.
The sheriff’s office said its new policy was similar to guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The sheriff’s office said it accepted nearly 1,500 requests for detention from Immigration and Customs Enforcement so far this year and has rejected none, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The funding that could be lost would likely be less than what a county would spend on holding immigrants charged with minor offenses for at least two days past their scheduled release, according to Jillson.
Republicans have been taking aim at immigration policies in the state’s largest metropolitan areas including Dallas and Houston, which have turned into Democratic bases and been notable exceptions to Republican control of the state.
Some Republicans believe Dallas and Houston are among the so-called sanctuary cities that do not report undocumented immigrants to federal authorities.
U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday, November 3, at two campaign stops in Iowa that she would like to raise the federal minimum wage to $12 an hour from the current $7.25.
Clinton has said repeatedly she wants to raise wages for working Americans, including by raising the minimum hourly wage, but she has rarely named a specific figure.
“I want to raise the federal minimum wage to $12, and encourage other communities to go even higher,” Clinton told a campaign event in Coralville, Iowa.
“I think we can manage it, and I don’t think there should be any unintended consequences to job creation,” Clinton said at another campaign stop at Grinnell College.
Many U.S. cities and municipalities have established a higher minimum wage than the federal rate. Bernie Sanders, who is Clinton’s chief challenger for the Democratic Party nomination for the 2016 presidential election, has said the federal minimum wage should be raised to $15 an hour.
“I’m more comfortable saying let’s get to $12,” Clinton said at Grinnell, “in a reasonable, expeditious way.”
NEW YORK (TIP): Mars has acid fog which eats away rocks and is caused by volcanic eruptions on the red planet, a new study suggests.
A planetary scientist has found how acidic vapours may have eaten at the rocks in a 100-acre area on Husband Hill in the Columbia Hills of Gusev Crater on Mars. Shoshanna Cole’s research focused on the `Watchtower Class’ outcrops on Cumberland Ridge and the Husband Hill summit. “The special thing about Watchtower Class is that it’s very widespread which means that the rocks record environments that existed on Mars billions of years ago,” she said.
By combining data from previous studies of the area on Mars, Cole saw some intriguing patterns emerge. Spirit examined Watchtower Class rocks and the chemical composition of these rocks, as determined by Spirit’s Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer, is the same, but the rocks looked different to all of the other instruments.
Finding the perfect fragrance can be a tough nut to crack! Choose a perfume from family of six fragrance groups – fresh, floral, oriental, woods, fougere and chypre, that blends with your personality, says an expert.
Scents you like
Take a stock of the fragrances you like. It can be the smell of a particular flower or fruit or maybe of rain and wet earth or sandalwood. Once you decide the smell you like the most, it will be easier for you to find the perfume with similar notes.
Person you are buying the perfume for
Buy a perfume according to the personality of the person you are buying it for as perfumes and personality traits go hand-in-hand. For your mother, pick up something with notes of vanilla and white musk which will echo her confidence making her smell remarkably radiant.
Gift a perfume with notes of rose and blackcurrant to that flirty friend of yours that bring out her playfulness with elegance and grace. Choose perfumes with notes of cardamom, lavender and cinnamon for your rockstar father who is an icon to you. Shower your love on a free spirited vivacious man with fragrances that have notes of lemon, cedar, oak moss and mandarin.
Best for your skin type
Always spray it on your skin to see if the fragrance works well for you. Also consider the type of skin you have before wearing a perfume. On dry skin, the fragrance will dissipate faster. For a long lasting effect, remember to moisturise your skin as the fragrance will blend in with the moisturised skin ensuring long lasting fragrance.
Wearing the fragrance
Perfumes tend to react with fluctuating body temperature throughout the day and emit scent accordingly. To maximise the smell of your perfume, apply it on your pulse points. Wear the perfume on wrist, inside your elbows, the nape of your neck, on your cleavage and even behind the knees.
If you’ve been experiencing hair fall and want your hair to grow faster, here’s what you need to do
Trim your hair every month
The ideal way to ensure that your hair grows faster is by trimming your hair every four to eight weeks. Since your hair grows from the roots, by the time it grows out, the end of your gets split ends because of which your hair gets damaged and rough. Trimming your hair will ensure that your hair breathes oxygen and is healthy and grows long.
Hot oil massage
A hot oil massage if done every alternate week works wonders for your hair. Not only do they ensure that your hair grows faster, but it also makes your hair healthy and reduces hair fall. Oils like jojoba oil, olive oil, coconut oil and lavender oil brings shine and volume to your hair.
Vitamin and proteins for your hair
Just a massage of vitamin E or the application of egg yolk on your hair will bring volume and make your hair healthy. They are also known to heal damaged hair and makes your hair stronger from the roots.
Brush your hair 50 times before bedtime
Make sure that you are combing your hair for at least 50 times before you retire for the night. Brushing the hair makes your roots stronger and also reduces hair fall manifold.
Angelina Jolie was wracked with nerves as she prepared to shoot a naked bathtub scene in her new movie “By The Sea” after undergoing a double mastectomy.
The 40-year-old actress, who initially went under the knife in 2013, directs and stars in the tense drama opposite her husband Brad Pitt, reported Us magazine.
“There were lots of scenes I wanted to change or cut. I realised it was going to be me (naked) in that bathtub. But I told myself, ‘Put all of that aside… You can’t change or cut this scene because you’ve had a mastectomy, or because we’re married and people are going to analyse this or that. That would be cheating’,” she said.
In the film, Brangelina portray a vacationing couple trying to save its marriage. The actors made the movie while on their own honeymoon in Malta after tying the knot in France in August, 2014.
Actress Nicole Kidman is in negotiations to star in the upcoming film “Wonder Woman”, joining Gal Gadot, who plays the title role of the Amazonian Princess.
According to TheWrap, Kidman is being eyed to play “a high-ranking Amazonian warrior”, reports aceshowbiz.com.
Although Kidman’s potential role is yet to be revealed, the website speculates that she may portray the Queen of the Amazons, Hyppolyta, who in the comic books happens to be Diana Prince’s biological mother. Meanwhile, Chris Pine will appear as Wonder Woman’s love interest Steve Trevor.
Earlier rumours suggested that the film would be set mostly in the modern era with flashbacks to World War I. It’s also said that Wonder Woman would team up with Trevor to destroy Circe who, along with Ares, became the masterminds of World War III.
STORY: Chef Adam Jones, rated two stars by Michelin for the culinary marvels served at his old Parisian restaurant, might know his business in the kitchen. But a past drug and alcohol addiction has left him burned. Now in London, he wants to start anew in partnership with an old associate, Tony (Bruhl). After gathering a new team of kitchen expert friends, his aim is now three Michelin stars. But along the way, he must overcome his own personal demons.
MOVIE REVIEW: For a film that’s about the food that a kickass chef is able to dish out, you might wish that there was more about the actual grub. Like, maybe a special dish. Ratatouille was all about that dish. Chef made you salivate. Sure, there are shots of sole being filleted, scallops being diced, shallots caramelizing in a pan, garlic mashed potatoes being whisked and filet mignon steaks browning on a hot plate while being sauced over. But Wells’ Burnt puts the focus on Jones (Cooper) and his tantrum-laden temperament that’s apparently justified by the fact that he can cook better than anybody. His preparations are painstakingly precise (a la Heston Blumenthal) and he aims for nothing short of perfection.
As for the rest of him, he is arrogant, rude (think Gordon Ramsay) and misunderstood. We are told that this can be traced back to a difficult childhood. Fair enough, because Adam finds salvation in the present day. And yes, his performance does evoke emotion.
Enter Helene (Miller), a saucier, who Adam meets (via Tony) and is impressed enough with to triple her salary if she works with him and team, who also comprise Michel (Sy) and Max (Scamarcio). Miller also stands out here, and together with Cooper and Bruhl, takes things up a notch in this tasty treat of a film.
Oh, and we get to watch the perfect omelet being made with just eggs, pepper, salt and butter, for Adam during one interesting sequence, by his rival. You might just feel like treating yourself to a delicious meal after watching this.
The poster of Sunny Leone’s much talked-about upcoming adult comedy, Mastizaade, is finally out and is piping hot.
The Ek Paheli Leela actress has a double role in the film. While on one hand, she plays the bespectacled Lily who drives men silly, on the other hand, she is the hottie, Laila, who is every Majnu’s dream girl. Starring Vir Das as Aditya Chotia and Tusshar Kapoor as Sunny Kele, the film was stuck at the Censor Board for six months due to its suggestive content.
Directed by Milap Zaveri and produced by Pritish Nandy and Rangita Nandy, Mastizaade is set to release on December 4.
Applauded for doing movies centred around the fairer sex, like Kahaani and The Dirty Picture, actress Vidya Balan feels there is no harm in pronouncing films as ‘women-centric’.
“It’s been the norm, every film is male-centric… The identity of the character is missing, vague. When we see film with woman in the lead, it is a woman-centric film. I think there is no harm in pronouncing films as women-centric.
“At this point of time we need it, may be after sometime we won’t need it,” Vidya said on the sidelines of MAMI Mumbai International Film Festival here. Actress Kangana Ranaut, however, thinks it is not about male or female centric films, it is about characters.
“I think it is not about male or female centric films but about the character one plays on screen. The characters are remembered,” she said. The two actresses were speaking at a session on ‘Women in Films’ at MAMI festival, where veteran actress Shabana Azmi and director Kiran Rao were also present.
Complimenting the work done by Vidya and Kangana, Shabana said,
STORY: Guddu (Kunal Kemmu), a Bihari salesman based in Kolkata, makes out with lonely housewives for fun. His interest in women is limited to physical intimacy. This hurts ‘bholi’ (Aparna Sharma), a wannabe ramp model, whose value system shuttles between puja ki thali and bikini blouses. Guddu’s pleasure-seeking lifestyle comes to a screeching halt, when he wakes up to a rude shock one day.
MOVIE REVIEW: Bholi’s grandfather curses the womaniser, rather his ‘gun’, turning it to gold. In order to break the curse, Guddu must find true love and marry her. The hero runs from pillar to post, to find the love of his life. Enters a geeky plain Jane (Payel Sarkar, with a Gracy Singh hangover) the only ‘unattractive’ solution to his problem.
Helping him in the process is a loyal friend/ sidekick (Sumeet Vyas). The duo must dodge the greedy (sexy nurse, silly doctor, sillier don and an anxiety-ridden Bengali man) who are after the gold. Does he succeed?
The film can give terrible sex comedies a run for their money. Kunal Kemmu tries his best to make this dickfest watchable but it’s outright repulsive. Strangely, not because it revolves around a male organ turning into gold but because the film has no substance or humour whatsoever. Your heart goes out to Kunal. The man has a good comic timing (Golmaal, Go Goa Gone) but the film lets him down. He still shows what he’s capable of in probably the only funny scene of the film, which falls towards the end. Kunal sneaks into a historic play dressed as Shah Jahan. When expected to speak Urdu for it, he mumbles, “Dialogues Gulzar sahab ne likhe hai shayad.”
Overall, this supposed adult comedy makes you squirm in your seat with its foolishness.
The growing ethnic and cultural diversity of Hindu religion throughout the world provides the opportunity to participate in the celebrations and rituals of Diwali festival that enhances the feelings of being part of a close-knit group of Indians. Most Diwali celebrations around the world focus on family and friends and it is a time to reflect on the past and envision for a future, perhaps, in a world where people live together in harmony.
Outside India also, as Diwali approaches, people clean their home to escape bad luck in the upcoming year and families gather for a feast and stay up late, celebrating with the help of crackers and sweets. They believe that the Hindu goddess of good luck visits homes that are brightly lit. Children make “diyas” which are small clay lamps to light and bring the good luck goddess to their home so they can receive new clothes and toys. One family may have many thousand of these little diyas decorating their home.
Diwali in Mauritius
Diwali is celebrated with great enthusiasm at Mauritius as this country have great Indian crowd. The Diwali celebrations at Mauritius is as good as in India. The festival of lights- Diwali is celebrated in
October/November. Diwali marks the victory of Rama over Ravana and also commemorates Krishna’s destruction of the demon Narakasuran. Earthen oil lamps are placed in front of every home turning the island into a fairyland of flickering lights.
Mauritius is a beautiful landmass full of picturesque landscapes and enchanting spots. Mauritius accounts a 63% of Indian majority of which 80% follow Hinduism. Hence, celebration of almost all the Hindu festivals in this island is a common phenomenon. In Mauritius, Diwali celebration is an age-old tradition. Beautiful rows of twinkling
candles and lamps of all sorts are lit all over the island to celebrate the return of the hero of the Ramayana, Rama, from his 14 years of exile. Besides celebrating the victory of good over evil and light over darkness, the little flickering lights also symbolize the beginning of summer. The main day of the festivities is seen as a particularly auspicious day for merchants to make up their accounts and balances for the previous year, to go unburdened into the next. After the morning prayers, Hindus share sweets prepared specially for the occasion with family members, neighbors and friends of any faith, in accordance with the multicultural spirit of Mauritius.
Diwali in Thailand
The diversity in Thailand provides a starting point for people living there, to begin to understand and value the many distinct cultures of the world. Diwali is celebrated in Thailand under the name of Lam Kriyongh during the months of October-November. The festival has almost similar ways of celebration as that of Diwali. Diyas (lamps) made of banana leaves are made and candles are placed on it along with a coin and incense.
These are set afloat on a river, which gives a wonderful view together on the water. The Diwali festival is not an extravagant affair. People greet each other and wish them happy returns of the day. Distribution of sweets is a common practice on Diwali day.
Diwali in Nepal
Surrounded by majestic Himalayas, Nepal, is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual society and the only Hindu Kingdom of the world. Hindus in Nepal celebrate the Diwali festival with bright lights, gift exchanges, fireworks, and elaborate feasts to welcome Lakshmi, the goddess of light and wealth. Various houses and shop front in Katmandu, Nepal, displays the bright lights typical of Hindu communities during Diwali.
Diwali is celebrated here with the usual Hindu festivities and rituals. Diwali in Nepal is known as Tihar. Just like most places in India Diwali is celebrated here to honor the goddess of wealth and god of prosperity-Lakshmi and Ganesh respectively. The festival here continues for five days. Every day has its special significance. The first day is dedicated to cows as they cook rice and feed the cows believing that goddess Lakshmi comes on cows. The second day is for Dogs as the Vahana of Bhairava. Preparation of delicious food especially meant for the dog is a typical characteristic of the day. Lights and lamps are lit to illuminate the entire surrounding and some of the specialty items are prepared to mark the third day of the festival. Fireworks, Lamps and crackers are widely used. The fourth day is dedicated to Yama, the Hindu God of Death. He is prayed for long life. The fifth final day is Bhhaya Dooj dedicated for the brothers who are wished long life and prosperity by their sisters.
Diwali in Australia
Australia the wonderful island country on Indian Ocean has an estimated 100000 Indians as settled in Australia. Most of them are the follower of the Hindu religion. Though, some of the Indians here are recent arrivals that belong to the affluent sections of the Indian society. Due to the large number of Hindu here, Diwali is one of the major festivals that is celebrated with great enthusiasm. The lightening of lamps and diyas on Diwali is a common practice. However, the non-availability of the appropriate material of or some other reason have influenced the celebations and has given in the touch of modernity in the celebration of the festival of light.
Diwali in Malaysia
Malaysia as a country is well known for its diversity. Among diverse culture of Malaysia, Diwali is celebrated in Malaysia by people of all races inhabiting there. Far away in another part of the world, even though Diwali Festival is not celebrated with all that pomp and gaiety, for Indians it is still a time to take a trip back the memory lane and enjoy the festival days spent back home in India celebrating the grand occasion. It is time to invite the Malays and Chinese to their houses. Its a public holiday in Malaysia and time to visit and pay homage to the elders. However crackers are banned in Malaysia.
The Hindu community of Malaysia constitutes about 8% of its total population. The community celebrates Diwali festival as a symbol of triumph of good over evil. The Malaysian people call Diwali as Hari Diwali. The south Indian tradition of oil bath precedes all the rituals of Diwali Festival. The Diwali celebration includes visits to temples and prayers at household altars. Diwali is celebrated almost all over the Malaysia except in Sarawak & Federal Territory of Labuan.
Diwali in Leicester
Bright lights, fireworks and chaotic-celebrations – it can only be Diwali. Millions of Hindus, Jains and Sikhs in India and across the world have been marking the annual five-day festival of light this week with traditional prayers, fireworks and a huge amount of feasting. The festival, which coincides with Hindu New Year, involves lighting traditional earthen diyas (candles), decorating houses with colorful rangoli (floor patterns created with coloured rice or powder), and wearing new clothes, often gifts from relatives. Each faith has its own reasons for celebrating Diwali, but the main theme which runs throughout the festival is the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness, shown with huge fireworks displays and by decorating houses with candles and long strings of lights. In India, traditional holiday traffic saw cities across the country draw to a standstill as firecrackers burst overhead, shops buzzed with customers buying gold – Diwali is an auspicious time for new purchases – and children letting off firecrackers in the streets. Sweets are a major part of the festival, and Indian shop windows have been filled with towering arrays of neon-coloured hand-made Diwali specialties such as sutarfeni (sweet shredded dough topped with pistachio nuts). More than 35,000 people attended a Diwali parade on the streets of Leicester city centre October end, an area which is known for some of the largest Diwali festivities outside of India.
Diwali in United States
Diwali was first celebrated in the White House in 2003 and was given official status by the United States Congress in 2007 by former president George W. Bush. Barack Obama became the first president to personally attend Diwali at the White House in 2009. On the eve of his first visit to India as the president of United States, Obama released an official statement sharing best wishes with “those celebrating Diwali.
The Diwali Mela in Cowboys Stadium boasted an attendance of 100,000 people in 2009. In 2009, San Antonio became the first U.S. city to sponsor an official Diwali celebration including a fireworks display; in 2012, over 15,000 people attended. In 2011, The Pierre in New York City, now operated by Tata Group’s Taj Hotels, hosted its first Diwali celebration. There are about 3 million Hindus in the United States.
Nowhere is the bond of brotherly-sisterly love glorified with such grandeur as in India. Hindus celebrate this special relationship twice every year, with the festivals of Raksha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj.
After the high voltage celebrations of Diwali, the festival of lights and fire-crackers, sisters all over India get ready for ‘Bhai Dooj’ – when sisters ceremonize their love by putting an auspicious tilak or a vermilion mark on the forehead of their brothers and perform an aarti of him by showing him the light of the holy flame as a mark of love and protection from evil forces. Sisters are lavished with gifts, goodies and blessings from their brothers. Bhai Dooj comes every year on the fifth and last day of Diwali, which falls on a new moon night. The name ‘Dooj’ means the second day after the new moon, the day of the festival, and ‘Bhai’ means brother.
Legends
Bhai Dooj is also called ‘Yama Dwiteeya’ as it’s believed that on this day, Yamaraj, the Lord of Death and the Custodian of Hell, visits his sister Yami, who puts the auspicious mark on his forehead and prays for his well being. So it’s held that anyone who receives a tilak from his sister on this day would never be hurled into hell. According to one legend, on this day, Lord Krishna, after slaying the Narakasura demon, goes to his sister Subhadra who welcomes him the lamp, flowers and sweets, and puts the holy protective spot on her brother’s forehead. Yet another story behind the origin of Bhai Dooj says that when Mahavir, the founder of Jainism, attained nirvana, his brother King Nandivardhan was distressed because he missed him and was comforted by his sister Sudarshana. Since then, women have been revered during Bhai Dooj.
In Bengal this event is called ‘Bhai Phota’, which is performed by the sister who religiously fasts until she applies a ‘phota’ or mark with sandal wood paste on her brother’s forehead, offers him sweets and gifts and prays for his long and healthy life. Every brother eagerly awaits this occasion that reinforces the bond between brothers and sisters and their affectionate relationship. It’s an opportunity for a good feast at the sister’s place, coupled with an enthusiastic exchange of gifts, and merriment amid the resounding of conch shells in every Bengali household.
Significance
Like all other Hindu festivals , Bhai Dooj too has got a lot to do with family ties and social attachments. It serves as a good time, especially for a married girl, to get together with her own family, and share the postDiwali glee. Nowadays, sisters who are unable to meet their brothers send their tika – the spot of protection – in an envelope by post. Virtual tilaks and Bhai Dooj e-cards have made it even easier for brothers and sisters, who’re far away from each other, specially remember their siblings on this propitious occasion.
Uttar Pradesh
In Uttar Pradesh, at first, sisters give a piece of cloth, knotted into a circular shape, full of batashas (sugar balls) to their brothers. This piece of cloth is called as
‘aabf’. For each brother, there are two aabf. After all the rituals, sisters apply a tika of roli and rice on the forehead of the brothers and then perform aarti, praying for the long and happy life of their brothers. At last, they offer sweets to them and then the story of Bhai Dooj is narrated.
Bengal
In Bengal this festival is called Bhai Photo. On this day, sisters observe fast till the time all the traditional customs have been performed. After this, they apply tika made of sandalwood paste, ghee and kohl (kajal) on their brothers’ forehead. Then the aarti is performed and sisters give sweets to their brothers to eat. Kheer and coconut laddus are the traditional sweets which are prepared on this day.
Bihar
In the Bihar, the festival of Bhai Dooj is celebrated in the most unique way. The sisters curse their brothers in order to keep the evil spirits and dangers away from them. At first, they say very bad things to their brothers and then prick their own tongue with a wild prickly fruit as a punishment. By doing this, they ask their brothers to forgive them for the ill behaviour and mistakes which they have done till the date. Besides this, there is a unique custom in which brothers eat grains of bajri with water, from the hands of their sisters.
Punjab
In Punjab, the day after Diwali is celebrated as tika and on this day, sisters make a paste with saffron and rice and apply tika on their brothers’ forehead to keep away all the difficulties and dangers from them. After this, they exchange gifts and sweets among each other.
Gujarat
Bhai Dooj in Gujarat is known as Bhai Beej and on this auspicious occasion, sisters get up early in the morning and then the traditional tilak ceremony is held. After this, they perform aarti of their brothers and pray for their good fortune and life. Then they offer sweets to their brothers and in return the brothers bless them and exchange gifts.
Maharashtra & Goa
Marathi communities in Maharashtra and Goa called this festival as Bhav Bij. On this day, sisters draw a square on the floor in within the boundaries of which the brothers have to sit. After they are seated, it is a custom for to have a bitter fruit named Karith. After this, the rituals and applying the Tilak, traditional sweets such as Shrikhand Puri and Basundi Puri are served.
Deepavali or Diwali means “a row of lights”. It falls on the last two days of the dark half of the Hindu month of Kartik.
Mythical Origins of Diwali
There are various alleged origins attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura. In South India people take an oil bath in the morning and wear new clothes. They partake of sweetmeats. They light fireworks, which are regarded as the effigies of Narakasura who was killed on this day. They greet one another, asking, “Have you had your Ganges bath?” which actually refers to the oil bath that morning as it is regarded as purifying as a bath in the holy Ganga.
Give and Forgive
Everyone forgets and forgives the wrongs done by others. There is an air of freedom, festivity and friendliness everywhere. This festival brings about unity. It instills charity in the hearts of people. Everyone buys new clothes for the family. Employers, too, purchase new clothes for their employees.
Rise and Shine
Waking up during the ‘Brahmamuhurta’ (at 4a.m.) is a great blessing from the standpoint of health, ethical discipline, efficiency in work and spiritual advancement. It is on Deepavali that everyone wakes up early in the morning. The sages who instituted this custom must have cherished the hope that their descendents would realise its benefits and make it a regular habit in their lives.
Unite and Unify
In a happy mood of great rejoicing village folk move about freely, mixing with one another without any reserve, all enmity being forgotten. People embrace one another with love. Deepavali is a great unifying force. Those with keen inner spiritual ears will clearly hear the voice of the sages, “O Children of God unite, and love all”. The vibrations produced by the greetings of love, which fill the atmosphere, are powerful enough to bring about a change of heart in every man and woman in the world. Alas!That heart has considerably hardened, and only a continuous celebration of Deepavali in our homes can rekindle in us the urgent need of turning away from the ruinous path of hatred.
Prosper and Progress
On this day, Hindu merchants in North India open their new account books and pray for success and prosperity during the coming year. The homes are cleaned and decorated by day and illuminated by night with earthen oil-lamps. The best and finest illuminations are to be seen in Bombay and Amritsar. The famous Golden Temple at Amritsar is lit in the evening with thousands of lamps placed all over the steps of the big tank. Vaishnavites celebrate the Govardhan Puja and feed the poor on a large scale.
Illuminate Your Inner Self
The light of lights, the selfluminous inner light of the Self is ever shining steadily in the chamber of your heart. Sit quietly. Close your eyes. Withdraw the senses. Fix the mind on this supreme light and enjoy the real Deepavali, by attaining illumination of the soul. He who Himself sees all but whom no one beholds, who illumines the intellect, the sun, the moon and the stars and the whole universe but whom they cannot illumine, He indeed is Brahman, He is the inner Self. Celebrate the real Deepavali by living in Brahman, and enjoy the eternal bliss of the soul. The sun does not shine there, nor do the moon and the stars, nor do lightnings shine and much less fire. All the lights of the world cannot be compared even to a ray of the inner light of the Self. Merge yourself in this light of lights and enjoy the supreme Deepavali.
Many Deepavali festivals have come and gone. Yet the hearts of the vast majority are as dark as the night of the new moon. The house is lit with lamps, but the heart is full of the darkness of ignorance. O man! Wake up from the slumber of ignorance. Realize the constant and eternal light of the Soul, which neither rises nor sets, through meditation and deep enquiry. May you all attain full inner illumination! May the supreme light of lights enlighten your understanding! May you all attain the inexhaustible spiritual wealth of the Self ! May you all prosper gloriously on the material as well as spiritual planes!
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The Origin of Diwali 
Lights & Firecrackers 
This coincidence has resulted in similarity of celebration amongst Sikhs and Hindus. The Sikhs celebrate this day as Bandi Chhor Divas i.e., “the day of release of detainees”, because the sixth Nanak had agreed to his release on the condition that the other fifty-two detainees would also be released. These other fifty-two detainees were the vassal kings who had done something to annoy the emperor.
MOVIE REVIEW: For a film that’s about the food that a kickass chef is able to dish out, you might wish that there was more about the actual grub. Like, maybe a special dish. Ratatouille was all about that dish. Chef made you salivate. Sure, there are shots of sole being filleted, scallops being diced, shallots caramelizing in a pan, garlic mashed potatoes being whisked and filet mignon steaks browning on a hot plate while being sauced over. But Wells’ Burnt puts the focus on Jones (Cooper) and his tantrum-laden temperament that’s apparently justified by the fact that he can cook better than anybody. His preparations are painstakingly precise (a la Heston Blumenthal) and he aims for nothing short of perfection.
STORY: Guddu (Kunal Kemmu), a Bihari salesman based in Kolkata, makes out with lonely housewives for fun. His interest in women is limited to physical intimacy. This hurts ‘bholi’ (Aparna Sharma), a wannabe ramp model, whose value system shuttles between puja ki thali and bikini blouses. Guddu’s pleasure-seeking lifestyle comes to a screeching halt, when he wakes up to a rude shock one day.
