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Gandhi's Arrival in Ahmedabad and His Reception at Mansukhbhai's Wadi, 1915   Sabarmati Ashram, Sabarmati, Ahmedabad, Gujarat Source: Dr. Richa Singh Gandhi returned to India from South Africa on 9 January 1915. The day he returned has been celebrated as the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas or Non-Resident Indian Day in India since 2003. On his return, he spent the initial phase in understanding the situation of the country on the advice of his political Guru, Gopal Krishna Gokhale and organizing his ashram in Ahmedabad, living a community life with his wife, Kasturba Gandhi and followers from South Africa. One of the reasons he opted for distancing himself from politics or joining any of the current political trends such the Home Rule Movement (founded by Annie Besant in 1916) because in his opinion the time for agitating for Home Rule was not appropriate when the British were in trouble owing to the First World War. Also, he believed that none of the existing different methods of poli

Durga Puja, London, United Kingdom Source: Moushumi Chakraborty Durga Puja is a Hindu festival which honours Goddess Durga.  Durga, a slayer of demons, is considered to be a form of   shakti   of Shiva.   Originally a tribal deity, over time she was adopted into the broader Brahamanical fold.  The name of the goddess means "Inaccessible" or "She Who is Difficult to Approach".   As per mythology, she was created by gods (the trimurti or trinity gods - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva and the lesser gods of the Puranic Hinduism), fully formed as a warrior to fight against a demon named Mahishasura who threatened the power of the gods and the order of creation. She killed the demon after fighting a fierce battle. She is depicted with eight or ten arms, carrying weapons provided to her by the gods. It is to mark this significant victory over evil, the festival of Durga Puja is celebrated. I t is primarily celebrated in the eastern part of India in West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhan

The term Ramayana , meaning the journey of Rama is a compound word, formed by the combination of Rama and ayana. The latter means journey.  There are numerous different kinds of Ramayana plays, mask dances, puppet displays, and dances in India and outside India.  T he Ramayana has been the source of inspiration for several art forms and traditions. It, along with the Mahabharata , continues to impact Indian society in a major way. Ramayana (the journey of Rama) =  Rama + Ayana (journey)  Dance Forms: The Ramayana is portrayed in well-known classical art forms such as Odissi, Bharatanatyam, Manipuri, Kathak, and Kathakali, etc.  Kathakali emerged from Koodiyattam (literally translates to "dancing together"), Krishnattam, Koothu, etc. Kathakali acquired popularity with the masses by prioritizing dance and music over sophisticated acting, incorporating more movement and drama, and using the vernacular language, Malayalam as opposed to Sanskrit.  When it comes to facial makeup

"मा निषाद प्रतिष्ठां त्वमगमः शाश्वतीः समाः। यत्क्रौञ्चमिथुनादेकमवधीः काममोहितम्॥"  While bathing in the Tamasaa River, Sage Valmiki witnessed a hunter killed a male kraunch bird that was engaged in making love with its partner. In rage, he uttered a shloka , cursing the hunter. The shloka turns into the first shloka of the Ramayana and also the first shloka in Sanskrit literature. And so, he is also called Adi Kavi. The incident serves as his inspiration to write the Ramayana , a story about the separation, of Rama and Sita, when Sita is abducted by Ravana, and Rama wanders in forests with his brother Lakshman, looking for her and forms an alliance with Sugreeva, the monkey king and with the help of Sugreeva and his army of monkeys, he rescues Sita after killing Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. The above-mentioned  shloka  uttered by Maharishi Valmiki is a curse which means that since the hunter separated true love from each other, therefore, he would not be able to live