Suzuki Cervo : Maruti's answer to Tata Nano

The battle for the small car is getting hotter. Soon after the Tatas stunned the world with a Rs 1 lakh car, Nano, Hyundai stated its intention to come out with a car that could cost less than Rs 2 lakh and hit the road by 2011.

And now, auto biggie Maruti-Suzuki too is ready with Its small car. The little car could hit the road, they say, as early as the end of this year or early 2009.

The Suzuki car will come closest to rival Nano. It will sport a Suzuki 660cc engine - as against Nano's 623cc - and wear a tag of around Rs 1.5 lakh on road (that is, excluding insurance) - a little higher than Nano, which is expected to be Rs 1.25 lakh on road. The car might be called 'Suzuki Cervo'.

Have a look at some pictures of the Japanese Suzuki Cervo... Looks Cool...

Diwali Lakshmi Puja

Lakshmi Puja performed on the third day of Diwali. According to the Hindu's traditions goddess Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Lakshmi Puja on diwali is the best way of pleasing her. The occasion of Lakshmi Puja falls on the dark night of amavasya and is devoted entirely to the propitiation of goddess Lakshmi.

Lakshmi Puja is also known by the name of "CHOPADA-PUJA" as on this day sun enters his second course and passes by Libra, which is represented by the sign of balance. An important tradition associated with Lakshmi Puja is that of gambling, particularly in North India.

According to a common belief goddess Parvati while playing dice with her husband, Lord Shiva said that whoever would play dice on the eve of Lakshmi Puja would be granted with prosperity for the entire year.

Procedure of Laxmi Puja :

• Take a new cloth (sanctified cloth) and spread on a plain platform
• Place some rice or other grains in the centre and on this place a bronze or other metal’s pot (Kalash). The Kalash should be filled till its neck with water. Keep a betel nut, flowers, coins, and some grains in it.
• Place five types of leaves or mango leaves in the pot or Kalash
  Keep a small plate on the Kalash and fill it with rice and draw a lotus or Swastik with turmeric powder (haridrika choornam or Haldi) over the rice grains along with coins the idol of Goddess Laxmi is installed
• Just near Kalash, on the right (South-West direction), install the idol of Lord Ganesha. Make sure to place pens and books and the other stuff related to your business or profession on the base
• Light a diya (deepak / deepam / lamp) and incense sticks and begin the puja by offering haldi, kumkum and flowers and consecrated rice (Akshita) to the base on which the pot or Kalash is installed
• Sprinkle the water on all ‘Puja Dravyas’ (Utensils and substances used in the puja) that are in Kalash in order to sanctify them
• Prepare ‘Panchamrith’ with five basic ingredients – milk, ghee, curd, sugar and honey
  Begin the puja procedure with Ganesha puja. Perfrom Ganesh puja because he is the Lord to remove obstacles. Recite Ganesh mantras and Ganesh Aarti.
• Then invoke Goddess Lakshmi by chanting the Laxmi Stotras. Offer flowers and consecrated rice to the Goddess
• Offer ‘Abhishek’ (bath) to the idol with water and panchamrit and after that repeat the Abhishek with water containing gold ornament or a pearl
• Then offer sandal paste, haldi and kumkum to the Goddess. Offer Naivedya (food offerings) to the Goddess such as cocnut, banana, other fruits and sweets
• As a final step, perform the Aarti for Goddess Lakshmi
• Take prasada and distribute the prasad to all the devotees
• Light the diyas / deepaks / lamps / candles all over the house. Don’t leave a single corner in darkness

Increase your hard disk speed

To speed up your hard disk speed we need to configure a special buffer in the computer's memory in order to enable it to better deal with interrupts made from the disk.

This tip is only recommended if you have 256MB RAM or higher.

Follow these steps:

1) Run SYSEDIT.EXE from the Run command.

2) Expand the system.ini file window.

3) Scroll down almost to the end of the file till you find a line called [386enh].

4) Press Enter to make one blank line, and in that line type

Irq14=4096

Note: This line IS CASE SENSITIVE!!!

Click on the File menu, then choose Save.

Close SYSEDIT and reboot your computer.

Done. Speed improvement will be noticed after the computer reboots.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77

Diwali Dhamaka: Ultra compact cameras under 15K

There are many among us who value style and performance more than the price, and demand a little more than the standard options that you find on an entry-level digital camera.

Here's some of the best (under Rs. 15,000) ultra-compact digital cameras available in the market.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77 (Rs. 14,990)

A replacement for last year's T70, the Cyber-shot T77 features a 10 MP sensor that comes with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 35-140mm lens capable of 4x optical zoom and a 3-inch touch screen LCD. It also incorporates Sony's Super Steady Shot optical stabilization to minimize blur caused due to camera shake.

Tech-specs apart, the T77 is one of the best looking ultra compact cameras available today. It comes in a multitude of body colors with exquisite finish and measures just 94x57x15mm and weighs about 151 gm.

The T77 features face detection technology that is linked to the camera s auto-exposure, autofocus, white balance and flash metering system; something not seen in other brands of cameras.

The face detection system provides a Smile Shutter function, child/adult priority mode, as well as a new anti-blink function in portrait mode that automatically warns the user if the subject has his/her eyes closed in the shot. Thanks to Sony's Bionz image processor, the T77 offers improved image quality, faster response times and better battery life.

The T77 has 15 MB of built-in memory as well as a Memory Stick Duo/PRO Duo card slot. It also has USB 2.0 connectivity for connection to PCs and televisions.

The T77 comes for around Rs. 14,990 with a 1-year warranty.
Those who don't want to spend so much but still want an ultra compact camera can go for Sony's W130, which is a plain-looking 8 MP camera sporting a 4x optical zoom lens, a 32-128 mm lens and a 2.5-inch LCD screen, and comes with most of the features that the T77 has to offer.

The main difference between the two, apart from the looks, is that the W130 has a wider lens as compared to the T77, whereas the T77's lens is better when it comes to shooting distant objects.

Sony Ericsson W580i

Diwali Dhamaka: Phones under 15K

If you were under the impression that the market was flooded with more of the low-end phones you're quite mistaken. Even with a budget of Rs. 10 to 15 thousand your decision to pick the right mobile phone may be quite confusing considering the variety of phones available and the host of features they offer.

This time I've kept the number of phones down so it becomes easier to figure out the best in this price category. Well, with the number of phones available, it's always possible to find something that you find worth investing in.

Sony Ericsson W580i: Rs 10,150

The Sony Ericsson W580i is Walkman branded S500 phone with music quality that's surely better than most phones. The phone has seen quite a success after its price was slashed. The only thing that's poor about this phone is its camera and the 512MB memory card. This phone has RDS FM unlike its S500 counterpart and the Walkman v2.0, which shows album art and visualizations.

The Sony Ericsson W580i sells for just over 10K and can be got for Rs 10,150. It's a good price but a serious upgrade to 1GB memory card is needed and some dealers do offer it in exchange of the 512 MB card and a couple of hundreds. However, this pushes the price to 10.5K. The W580i's good battery life promises not only enough talktime to last you a couple of days but also good amount of music playback.

If you are really not too keen on the music quality and want a better camera along with your music phone, then there is the Nokia XpressMusic 5610. It has a 3.15MP camera with flash and produces image results much better than the W580i. This is an alternate solution and it's for about a thousand more with a 1GB card.

NIH reporting Vitamin C Might Help Fight Cancer, Someday..

Cancerous mice injected with Vitamin C saw a 43 to 51 percent reduction in tumor size, according to a recent study published by doctors from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Although the findings are preliminary, and still need to be tested in humans, the results indicate that Vitamin C may one day be included in the treatment protocol for some cancers.

While high doses of intravenous Vitamin C may not be a pragmatic treatment for cancer just yet, there are still plenty of good reasons to drink orange juice every day. Here are five:

Beautiful Skin “ Vitamin C is necessary to form collagen, a key protein used to make skin and keep it healthy.

Healing Power “ Vitamin C is responsible for the growth and repair of tissue in all parts of your body.

Cheap Antioxidants (Forget Overpaying for Pom!) “ Vitamin C is a natural antioxidant, and blocks damage caused by free radicals

Cold Fighting Power (Maybe) “ Although popular culture tells us that Vitamin C helps prevent and treat colds, modern medicine disagrees. Still, if youre sick, a little OJ certainly wont hurt.

Your Body Doesnt Store It “ Because Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin, it is not stored in the body and must be replenished daily

<>With all of these benefits, and the promise that it may one day help in the fight against cancer, we should all raise a glass of OJ in salute to Vitamin C.

One Line Humor

[1] Regular naps prevent old age, especially if you take them while driving..
[2] Having one child makes you a parent; having two you are a referee.
[3] Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the other is the husband!
[4] I believe we should all pay our tax with a smile. I tried - but they wanted cash.
[5] A child's greatest period of growth is the month after you've purchased new school uniforms.
[6] Don't feel bad. A lot of people have no talent.
[7] Don't marry the person you want to live with, marry the one you cannot live without, but whatever you do, you'll regret it later.
[8] You can't buy love, but you pay heavily for it.
[9] Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.
[10] Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired..
[11] Marriage is give and take. You'd better give it to her or she'll take it anyway.
[12] My wife and I always compromise. I admit I'm wrong and she agrees with me..
[13] Those who can't laugh at themselves leave the job to others.
[14] Ladies first. Pretty ladies sooner.
[15] A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.
[16] You're getting old when you enjoy remembering things more than doing them.
[17] It doesn't matter how often a married man changes his job, he still ends up with the same boss.
[18] Real friends are the ones who survive transitions between address books.
[19] Saving is the best thing. Especially when your parents have done it for you..
[20] Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools talk because they have to say something
[21] They call our language the mother tongue because the father seldom gets to speak!
[22] Man: Is there any way for long life?
Dr: Get married.
Man: Will it help?
Dr: No, but then the thought of long life will never come.

[23] Why do couples hold hands during their wedding? It's a formality just like two boxers shaking hands before the fight begins!

[24] Wife: Darling today is our anniversary, what should we do?
Husband: Let us stand in silence for 2 minutes.

[25] It's funny when people discuss Love Marriage vs Arranged. It's like
asking someone, if suicide is better or being murdered.

[26] There is only one perfect child in the world and every mother has it.

[27] There is only one perfect wife in the world and every neighbor has it!

Amplifying the Energy of the Chakras

Amplifying the Energy of the Chakras

Chakras are the subtle energy centers of the body. The ancient Indian Yogis understood the nature of the subtle energy which drives all biological function. They called these centers Chakras  which literally means wheels.  Those who see energy often perceive the chakras as spinning with a wheel-like appearance.

This energy is most commonly referred to as chi or prana and it is the animating force behind all living things. Physiologists who search for a purely physical explanation of all biological activity are on a fools quest, like a man dissecting a piano in order to find the concerto hidden inside. The mystery is vast.

Somewhat like Dr. Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs which moves from survival, to sex, to emotional well-being, etc., the chakras have a similar hierarchy.

• The first chakra at the base of the spine vibrates with the energy of safety and security.
• The second chakra across from the genitals holds the energy of sex, procreation and creativity.
• The third chakra at the solar plexus carries the energy of emotional expression.
• The fourth chakra at the heart vibrates love.
• The fifth chakra is at the throat and holds the energy of communication.
• The sixth chakra is at the third eye between the brows and holds energy for insight, awareness and wisdom.
• The seventh chakra is at the crown of the head and and helps us open to our spirituality.

Most people who are familiar with the chakras do not realize that you can activate and amplify the energy of the chakras to assist yourself and others for the purpose of healing. Since energy follows thought, when you put your attention into the chakras, you are also bringing energy there. Since breath carries the life-force energy, breathing may also amplify the energy. When you have learned to link powerful body awareness exercises with focused breathing, and vortex the chakras, the energy you generate becomes remarkable

Health Update

Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins University

This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well.

Please circulate to all you know; Cancer update Johns Hopkins - Cancer News from Johns Hopkins

No plastic containers in micro

No water bottles in freezer.

No plastic wrap in microwave...

A dioxin ! chemical causes cancer, especially breast cancer.

Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic.

Recently, Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to xplain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers.. .

This especially applies to foods that contain fat.

He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body...
Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heat! ing food... You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else.
Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc.
He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons...

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food.
Cover food with a paper towel instead.

Funny Science Facts part 1

• Did you know that there are 206 bones in the adult human body and there are 300 in children (as they grow some of the bones fuse together).
• Flea's can jump 130 times higher than their own height. In human terms this is equal to a 6ft. person jumping 780 ft. into the air.
• The most dangerous animal in the world is the common housefly. Because of their habits of visiting animal waste, they transmit more diseases than any other animal.
• Snakes are true carnivorous because they eat nothing but other animals. They do not eat any type of plant material.
• The world's largest amphibian is the giant salamander. It can grow up to 5 ft. in length.
• 100 years ago: The first virus was found in both plants and animals.
• 90 years ago: The Grand Canyon became a national monument & Cellophane is invented.
• 80 years ago: The food mixer and the domestic refrigerator were invented.
• 70 years ago: The teletype and PVC (polyvinyl-chloride ) were invented.
• 60 years ago: Otto Hahn discovered nuclear fission by splitting uranium, Teflon was invented.
• 50 years ago: Velcro was invented.
• 40 years ago: An all-female population of lizards was discovered in Armenia.
• 30 years ago: The computer mouse was invented.
• 20 years ago: First test-tube baby born in England, Pluto's moon, Charon, discovered.
• 10 years ago: First patent for a genetically- engineered mouse was issued to Harvard Medical School.
• 5 years ago: The first successful cloning of human embryo
• The smallest bone in the human body is the stapes or stirrup bone located in the middle ear. It is approximately .11 inches (.28 cm) long.
• The longest cells in the human body are the motor neurons. They can be up to 4.5 feet (1.37 meters) long and run from the lower spinal cord to the big toe.
• There are no poisonous snakes in Maine.
• The blue whale can produce sounds up to 188 decibels. This is the loudest sound produced by a living animal and has been detected as far away as 530 miles.
• The largest man-made lake in the U.S. is Lake Mead, created by Hoover Dam.
• The poison arrow frogs of South and Central America are the most poisonous animals in the world.
• A new born blue whale measures 20-26 feet (6.0 - 7.9 meters) long and weighs up to 6,614 pounds (3003 kg).
• The first coast-to-coast telephone line was established in 1914.
• The Virginia opossum has a gestation period of only 12-13 days.
• The Stegosaurus dinosaur measured up to 30 feet (9.1 meters) long but had a brain the size of a walnut.
• The largest meteorite crater in the world is in Winslow, Arizona. It is 4,150 feet across and 150 feet deep.
• The human eye blinks an average of 4,200,000 times a year.
• Skylab, the first American space station, fell to the earth in thousands of pieces in 1979. Thankfully most over the ocean.
• It takes approximately 12 hours for food to entirely digest.
• Human jaw muscles can generate a force of 200 pounds (90.8 kilograms) on the molars.
• The Skylab astronauts grew 1.5 - 2.25 inches (3.8 - 5.7 centimeters) due to spinal lengthening and straightening as a result of zero gravity.
• An inch (2.5 centimeters) of rain water is equivalent to 15 inches (38.1 centimeters) of dry, powdery snow.
• Tremendous erosion at the base of Niagara Falls (USA) undermines the shale cliffs and as a result the falls have receded approximately 7 miles over the last 10,000 years.
• 40 to 50 percent of body heat can be lost through the head (no hat) as a result of its extensive circulatory network.
• A large swarm of desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria) can consume 20,000 tons (18,160,000 kilograms) of vegetation a day.
• The largest telescope in the world is currently being constructed in northern Chile. The telescope will utilize four - 26 ft. 8 in. (8.13 meters) mirrors which will gather as much light as a single 52 ft. 6 in. (16 meters) mirror.
• The Hubble Space Telescope weighs 12 tons (10,896 kilograms), is 43 feet (13.1 meters) long, and cost $2.1 billion to originally build.
• The longest living cells in the body are brain cells which can live an entire lifetime.
• The largest flying animal was the pterosaur which lived 70 million years ago. This reptile had a wing span of 36-39 feet (11-11.9 meters) and weighed 190-250 pounds (86-113.5 kilograms).
• The Atlantic Giant Squid's eye can be as large as 15.75 inches (40 centimeters) wide.
• Armadillos, opossums, and sloth's spend about 80% of their lives sleeping.
• The starfish species, Porcellanaster ivanovi, has been found to live in water as deep as 24,881 feet (7,584 meters).
• The tentacles of the giant Arctic jellyfish can reach 120 feet (36.6 meters) in length.
• The greatest tide change on earth occurs in the Bay of Fundy. The difference between low tide and high tide can be as great as 54 ft. 6 in. (16.6 meters).
• The highest temperature produced in a laboratory was 920,000,000 F (511,000,000 C) at the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor in Princeton, NJ, USA.
• The most powerful laser in the world, the Nova laser at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, CA, USA, generates a pulse of energy equal to 100,000,000, 000,000 watts of power for .000000001 second to a target the size of a grain of sand.
• The fastest computer in the world is the CRAY Y-MP C90 supercomputer. It has two gigabytes of central memory and 16 parallel central processor units.
• The heaviest human brain ever recorded weighed 5 lb. 1.1 oz. (2.3 kg.).
• The deepest part of the ocean is 35,813 feet (10,916 meters) deep and occurs in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean. At that depth the pressure is 18,000 pounds (9172 kilograms) per square inch.
• The largest cave in the world (the Sarawak Chamber in Malaysia) is 2,300 feet (701 meters) long, 980 feet (299 meters) wide, and more than 230 feet (70 meters) high.
• The hottest planet in the solar system is Venus, with an estimated surface temperature of 864 F (462 C).
• The ears of a cricket are located on the front legs, just below the knee.
• The first electronic digital computer (called ENIAC - the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) was developed in 1946 and contained over 18,000 vacuum tubes.
• The leg muscles of a locust are about 1000 times more powerful than an equal weight of human muscle.
• The cosmos contains approximately 50,000,000,000 galaxies.
• There are between 100,000,000, 000 and 1,000,000,000, 000 stars in a normal galaxy.
• Sound travels about 4 times faster in water than in air.
• Scientists have discovered that copper pollution of the atmosphere occurred about 2500 years ago. This was discovered by analyzing ice cores from Greenland. The pollution was attributed to the Romans who used copper for military purposes and to produce coins.
• Hydrofluoric acid will dissolve glass.
• In a full grown rye plant, the total length of roots may reach 380 miles (613 km).
• In a full grown rye plant, the total length of fine root hairs may reach 6600 miles (10,645 km).
• A large sunspot can last for about a week.
• If you could throw a snowball fast enough, it would totally vaporize when it hit a brick wall.
• Boron nitride (BN) is the second hardest substance known to man.
• The female Tarantula Hawk wasp paralyzes a large spider with her sting. She then lays her eggs on the motionless body so that her developing young have a fresh supply of spider meat to feed on.
• The seeds of an Indian Lotus tree remain viable for 300 to 400 years.
• The only letter not appearing on the Periodic Table is the letter "J".
• Velcro was invented by a Swiss guy who was inspired by the way burrs attached to clothing.
• Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that makes them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
• October 10 is National Metric Day.
• If you stretch a standard Slinky out flat it measures 87 feet long.
• The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
• Super Glue was invented by accident. The researcher was trying to make optical coating materials, and would test their properties by putting them between two prisms and shining light through them. When he tried the cyano-acrylate, he couldn't get the prisms apart.
• No matter its size or thickness, no piece of paper can be folded in half more than 7 times.
• A car traveling at 80 km/h uses half its fuel to overcome wind resistance.
• Knowledge is growing so fast that ninety per cent of what we will know in fifty years time, will be discovered in those fifty years.
• According to an old English system of time units, a moment is one and a half minutes.
• The typewriter was invented in 1829, and the automatic dishwasher in 1889.
• The wristwatch was invented in 1904 by Louis Cartier.
• When glass breaks, the cracks move at speeds of up to 3,000 miles per hour.
• By raising your legs slowly and laying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.
• Ten minutes of one hurricane contains enough energy to match the nuclear stockpiles of the world.
• Most gemstones contain several elements. The exception? The diamond. It's all carbon.
• Diamonds are the hardest substance known to man.
• Which of the 50 states has never had an earthquake? North Dakota.
• When hydrogen burns in the air, water is formed.
• Sterling silver contains 7.5% copper.
• Cars were first made with ignition keys in 1949.
• J.B Dunlop was first to put air into tires.
• Alexander Graham Bell, who invented the telephone, also set a world water-speed record of over seventy miles an hour at the age of seventy two.
• It is energy-efficient to turn off a fluorescent light only if it will not be used again within an hour or more. This is because of the high voltage needed to turn it on, and the shortened life this high voltage causes.
• The Earth's equatorial circumference (40,075 km) is greater than its polar circumference (40,008 km).
• Lake Baikal is the deepest lake in the world.
• Due to gravitational effects, you weigh slightly less when the moon is directly overhead.
• The Earth's average velocity orbiting the sun is 107,220 km per hour.
• There is a high and low tide because of our moon and the Sun.
• The United States consumes 25% of all the world's energy.
• Flying from London to New York by Concord, due to the time zones crossed, you can arrive 2 hours before you leave.
• There is enough fuel in a full tank of a Jumbo Jet to drive an average car four times around the world.
• The surface speed record on the moon is 10.56 miles per hour. It was set with the lunar rover.
• If you could drive to the sun -- at 55 miles per hour -- it would take about 193 years
• The moon is one million times drier than the Gobi Desert.
• Just twenty seconds worth of fuel remained when Apollo 11's lunar module landed on the moon.
• A Boeing 707 uses four thousand gallons of fuel in its take-off climb.
• The planet Saturn has a density lower than water. So, if placed in water it would float.
• Since 1959, more than 6,000 pieces of 'space junk' (abandoned rocket and satellite parts) have fallen out of orbit - many of these have hit the earth's surface.
• It takes 70% less energy to produce a ton of paper from recycled paper than from trees.
• Every year in the US, 625 people are struck by lightning.
• Hawaii is moving toward Japan 4 inches every year.
• The rocket engine has to supply its own oxygen so it can burn its fuel in outer space.
• The North Atlantic gets 1 inch wider every year.

Funny Science Facts part 2

• Oxygen is the most abundant element in the Earth's crust, waters, and atmosphere (about 49.5%)
• A stroke of lightning discharges from 10 to 100 million volts & 30,000 amperes of electricity.
• A bolt of lightning is about 54,000°F (30,000°C); six times hotter than the Sun.
• Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the Universe (75%).
• The average distance between the Earth & the Moon is 238,857 miles (384,392 km).
• The moon is 27% the size of the Earth.
• The Earth weighs 6.6 sextillion tons, or 5.97 x 1024 kg.
• The center of the Sun is about 27 million degrees Fahrenheit (15 million °C).
• Sunlight takes about 8 minutes & 20 seconds to reach the Earth at 186,282 miles/sec (299,792 Km/sec).
• The highest temperature on Earth was 136°F (58°C) in Libya in 1922.
• The lowest temperature on Earth was -128.6°F (-89.6°C) in Antarctica in 1983.
• Sunlight can penetrate clean ocean water to a depth of 240 feet.
• The average ocean floor is 12,000 feet.
• The temperature can be determined by counting the number of cricket chirps in fourteen seconds and adding 40.
• House flies have a lifespan of two weeks.
• Chimps are the only animals that can recognize themselves in a mirror.
• Starfish don't have brains.
• The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
• Shrimp's hearts are in their heads.
• Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.
• The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds
• Emus and kangaroos cannot walk backwards.
• Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs only have about ten.
• Porcupines float in water.
• An ostrich's eye is bigger that its brain.
• An iguana can stay under water for twenty-eight minutes.
• The common goldfish is the only animal that can see both infra-red and ultra-violet light.
• It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
• The pupil of an octopus' eye is rectangular.
• Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
• The leg bones of a bat are so thin that no bat can walk.
• Ants cannot chew their food, they move their jaws sideways, like scissors, to extract the juices from the food.
• Hummingbirds are the only animals able to fly backwards.
• A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
• Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
• A cat's jaws cannot move sideways.
• Armadillos get an average of 18.5 hours of sleep per day.
• Armadillos can walk underwater.
• There are more beetles than any other kind of creature in the world.
• Certain frogs that can survive the experience of being frozen.
• Only humans sleep on their backs.
• The human brain is 80% water.
• Everyone's tongue print is different.
• As an adult, you have more than 20 square feet of skin on your body--about the same square footage as a blanket for a queen-sized bed.
• In your lifetime, you'll shed over 40 pounds of skin.
• 15 million blood cells are produced and destroyed in the human body every second.
• Every minute, 30-40,000 dead skin cells fall from your body.
• The brain uses more than 25% of the oxygen used by the human body.
• If your mouth was completely dry, you would not be able to distinguish the taste of anything.
• There are more living organisms on the skin of a single human being than there are human beings on the surface of the earth.
• Muscles are made up of bundles from about 5 in the eyelid to about 200 in the buttock muscle.
• Muscles in the human body (640 in total) make up about half of the body weight.
• The human body has enough fat to produce 7 bars of soap.
• The human head is a quarter of our total length at birth, but only an eighth of our total length by the time we reach adulthood.
• Most people blink about 17,000 times a day.
• Moths have no stomach.
• Hummingbirds can't walk.
• Sea otters have 2 coats of fur.
• A starfish can turn its stomach inside out.
• A zebra is white with black stripes.
• The animal with the largest brain in relation to its body is the ant.
• The largest eggs in the world are laid by a shark.
• A crocodile's tongue is attached to the roof of its mouth.
• Crocodiles swallow stones to help them dive deeper.
• Giraffes are unable to cough.
• Sharks are immune to cancer.
• Despite the hump, a camel's spine is straight.
• Cheetah's can accelerate from 0 to 70 km/h in 3 seconds.
• A giraffe's neck contains the same number of vertebrae as a human.
• The heart of giraffe is two feet long, and can weigh as much as twenty four pounds.
• On average, Elephants sleep for about 2 hours per day.
• Lobsters have blue blood.
• Shark's teeth are literally as hard as steel.
• A mosquito has 47 teeth.
• Oxygen, carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen make up 90% of the human body.
• Seventy percent of the dust in your home consists of shed human skin
• Fish are the only vertebrates that outnumber birds.
• A cockroach can live for several weeks without its head.
• The average human produces a quart of saliva a day -- about 10,000 gallons in a lifetime
• Elephants have been known to remain standing after they die.
• The embryos of tiger sharks fight each other while in their mother's womb, the survivor being the baby shark that is born.
• Ants do not sleep.
• Nearly a third of all bottled drinking water purchased in the US is contaminated with bacteria.
• Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over 1 million descendents.
• An Astronaut can be up to 2 inches taller returning from space. The cartilage disks in the spine expand in the absence of gravity.
• The oldest known fossil is of a single-celled organism, blue-green algae, found in 3.2 billion year-old stones in South Africa.
• The oldest multicellular fossils date from ~700 million years ago.
• The earliest cockroach fossils are about 280 million years old.
• Healthy nails grow about 2 cm each year. Fingernails grow four times as fast as toenails.
• 20/20 vision means the eye can see normally at 20 feet. 20/15 is better; the eye can see at 20 feet what another eye sees at 15 feet.
• The average person has 100,000 hairs on his/her head. Each hair grows about 5 inches (12.7 cm) every year.
• There are 60,000 miles (97,000 km) in blood vessels in every human.

Karva Chauth Puja

Karwa Chauth Puja Process 

The fast of Karwa Chauth is kept 9 days before Diwali. It falls on the fourth day of the Kartik month by the Hindu calendar (fourth day of the waning moon or the dark fortnight).

The Ritual

Karwa Chauth is considered one of the most important fasts observed by the married Hindu women. On this day the women pray for the welfare and long life of their husbands. The festival is followed mainly in the northern parts of the country.

Married women eat food early in the morning, before sunrise. They are not supposed to eat or even drink water during the day. In the evening the ladies listen to the Karwa Chauth Katha (the legend). The fast is over after the moonrise.

The Puja Process

The pooja preparations start a day in advance. Married women buy the shringar or the traditional adornments and the other pooja items like the karwa, matthi, heena etc.

Early in the morning they prepare food and have it before sunrise. The morning passes by in other festive activities like decorating hand and feet with heena, decorating the pooja thali and meeting friends and relatives.

In the late afternoon women gather at a common place like temple or a garden or someones' place who has arranged the pooja. An elderly lady or the pujarin narrates the legend of Karwa Chouth.

The essentials of this gathering and listening of the Karwa chauth story , a special mud pot, that is considered a symbol of lord Ganesha, a metal urn filled with water, flowers, idols of Ambika Gaur Mata, Goddess Parwati and some fruits, mathi and food grains. A part of this is offered to the deities and the storyteller.

Earlier an idol of Gaur Mata was made using earth and cowdung. Now just an idol of Goddess Parwati is kept. Every one lights an earthen lamp in their thalis while listening to the Karwa story.. Sindoor, incense sticks and rice are also kept in the thali.

At this time the women wear heavy saris or chunries in red , pink or other bridal colors, and adorn themselves with all other symbols of a married women like, nose pin, tika, bindi, chonp, bangles, earrings etc.

Once the moon rises, the women see its reflection in a thali of water, or through a dupatta or a sieve. They offer water to the moon and seek blessings. They pray for the safety, prosperity and long life of their husbands. This marks the end of the day long fast.

 Karwa Chauth Items

Karwa Chauth is a fast undertaken by married Hindu women who offer prayers seeking the welfare, prosperity, well-being, and longevity of their husbands. This festival requires a through planning before the actual date and the following list of items can prove to be handful, especially for women who are doing their first Karva Chauth vrat.

Food Items

* Sargi: which includes pheni (a sweet made of milk and semolina), a dish made of some cereal like parantha , sweets and fruits
* Ten matthis with ten puas (a sweet made of jaggery)
* Halwa

Sringar or Beauty Essential Items

* Mehndi (Henna) on palms and feet.
* Colourful glass bangles.
* Makeup items like Bindi, sindoor, lipstick, rouge, kajal, eye-liner, mascara etc.
* Jewelry - Mangalsutra, maangtika, rings, bangles, necklace, earrings, payal, toe-rings, nosepin etc.


Cloth Items

* Baya (gifts for the mother-in-law - ideally, a sari)
* A set of new clothes


Puja Items

* Platform for the puja
* Cowdung to make the image of the goddess
* Tika
* Nath
* Sindur
* A strand of red thread
* Karva (vessel containing water)
* A plate
* Cash
* Other Puja items

7 ways to Identify a Liar

The seven ways to sniff out if your partner is true to you

Washington, Oct 10 (ANI): Not sure if your partner is true to you? Well, then here are a few signs that may help sniff out whether he/she is lying or not.

Here are seven ways to identify a liar, reports FoxNews.

1. Consider the person's recall: Liars never forget what they have to say but they may stumble when telling a tale by making contradicting statements. They're also eager to change the subject.

2. Observe the person's overall body language: Liars can look ill at ease, fiddling with their hair, stroking their throat, or rubbing their eyes. With their body often turned away from you, you may notice hand or leg fidgeting. Liars also have trouble swallowing and may shake their heads after a point has been made. When the subject finally gets changed, they appear happier and more comfortable, maybe laughing nervously.

3.Take notice of any defensiveness: Liars will often take offence to any indication that they're under suspicion. They're likely to throw any accusations you throw at them back at you. They will also talk too much, feeling the need to over-explain themselves.

4. Home in on facial expressions: Liars fail to control their micro-expressions. While fibbing, you may notice nervous twitching. Their hand may be covering or touching their face. People also tend to touch the mouth when feeling guilty or anxious. They're particularly good with fake smiles.

5. Don't overlook the Pinocchio reaction: When a human tells a lie, extra blood gets pumped through the body and the nose swells by a fraction of millimeter. Liars may subsequently touch the tip of their nose unconsciously.

6. Concentrate on the eyes: A liar has a troubled brow and downcast or darting eyes. They have trouble directly engaging your gaze. They also give you eye-accessing clues. If the person is telling you the truth, he'll look up and to the left since that's the side of the brain we use for recalling information. If she's lying, she'll look up and to the right, which is the creative side of the brain, because she's mentally constructing something that hasn't happened.

7. Note the person's voice: The higher the stakes are, the more the liar has a fear of getting caught. With this, the liar has a harder time controlling his body language or her voice. The pitch or rate of the speech may change, with the individual giving a lot of "umms" and "ahhs." Often, a liar will appear stilted and monotone. Answers may seem rehearsed. (ANI)

Phoenix Bangalore Market City - Whitefield, Bangalore.

PHOENIX BANGALORE MARKET CITY - WHITEFIELD

Market City, Bangalore - a development located in the commercial area of Whitefield in Bangalore with approximately 2.81 million square foot (including 0.80 million square foot of parking) of developable area.

A five-star hotel projected to be approximately 460,000 square feet with around 210 keys and 60 serviced apartments will also be developed.

The special feature of this development is that it has five to seven special and general anchors, consisting of large FEC, hyper, departmental, bookstore, kids play zone, electronics, toy store. The Bangalore Market City also boasts of one of the biggest multiplexes in the city with 12 screens. Expected to complete in 2010.

The development will also include some special elements unlike any other in the city. Thanks to the prime area and size, this site will truly become the complete destination and a must-visit on the tourist sightseeing agenda. Phoenix Bangalore Market City doesn't limit itself to the catchment of 5-10 km radius, because the endeavor is to make a 'city within a city' and extend the catchment to the entire city.

Project Snapshot

Total Land Area 9,29,000 sft
Total Retail Area 17,00,000 sft
Office Area 5,00,000 sft
Hotel Room 236 nos 6,30,000 sft
Hotel Retail Area 1,200 sft
Entertainment Area 18,000 sft
F & B Area 60,000 sft
Multiplex 55,000 sft
Service Apartment 174 nos 60,000 sft
Night Club 12,000 sft
Parking Area for Main Mall (Mall+Hotel+ Service Apartments) 3,000 nos 10,70,000 sft.

Shubh Navratri

It is believed that Goddess Durga on her 10 day journey around the earth removes all evil.......
May Goddess Durga destroy all evil around you, within you and fill your & your loved one's life with happiness and prosperity.

Wish you all Subh Navratri

World's Unsolved Mysteries

The following are the  world famous unsolved mysteries: 

1. Atlantis: Paradise Lost? It is said that much before Summerian civilization, a great civilization existed in the Atlantic Ocean . It was a paradise, where civilization was at its zenith. But then a volcano erupted and the entire grand civilization  was washed away. The story of Atlantis civilization was first told by Greek philosopher Plato. But how far can we believe Plato? This is a question which many ask. After all where did Atlantis disappear? Why do we have no historical proof? Or was the story of Plato a fable? True or fiction? Myth or reality? These are the questions which have inspired many to carry out research. Yet the truth is unknown, untold. 

2. Haunted People ‘Ghosts’ is the subject which baffles everyone, everywhere. Even after the advancement of science, the reality about ghosts remains a mystery till this day. But human beings have always been inquisitive. Harry Price spent 40 years in unraveling the mystery about ghosts in vain. Spirits’ photographers tried their best to substantiate the facts. But again progresses with little success.  In fact, all efforts have been without success. Often people who claim to have seen a ghost are labeled as fraud or suffering psychologically. Science has totally disbelieved in the existence of ghosts. Yet, the phenomenon exists and is as true as our reflection in the mirror. 

3. Eldorado – A golden myth Human beings have always been fond of possessing gold. This lure led to many weird and strange adventures. And the strangest of all the expeditions had been the search of Golden Land – Eldorado. For centuries the legend of Eldorado, the fabulous land of gold led many to undertake the courageous feat. Some lost their fortune, some their reputation and some their life. Still the men remained undaunted. Year after year, decades after decades, men went out in search of the Golden Land . After all, what were they seeking? Gold? A Golden City ? A Golden Man? Or was everything juast a myth, a story which destroyed many adventurers? 

4. Olmecs: The founders of the American civilization? One of the most astonishing unsolved mysteries of the world is the knowledge about Olmecs. The world doesn’t know who Olmecs were? And where did they suddenly disappear? Archeologists believe that Olmecs were the precursors of the Mayas. They were the great sculptors, who created remarkable sculptures. Even the intensive research of the archeologists has revealed little about them. 

5. Who was queen of Sheba ? For 30 years the Queen of Sheba has baffled people. According to the Bible, Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon with rare gifts. But the question is how far can one believe the Bible? Did she really exist? And if she really existed then where was the land Sheba ? Was she a queen, a noble woman, a witch or simply a seductress? Did she marry Solomon? Was Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia , the direct descendant of a union between the Queen and King Solomon?

Innumerable questions surround the personality of the Queen of Sheba. And the field is open to controversy and research till now. 

6. Project U.F.O Throughout the ages, man has always been eager to explain the happenings in the sky. Unidentified Flying Objects (U.F.O.) pose a great mystery to the present scientists. Some American scientists have categorically negated the phenomenon. But some do agree. They explain U.F.O. as objects from other distant galaxy. Yet no unanimous decision has been reached. The mystery of U.F.O. continues to be elusive and intriguing. 

7. The mysterious Iron Pillar The Iron Pillar situated in Meharauli ( New Delhi ) does not rust, although scientific studies reveal that the metal from which the column is made is full of impurities. How is it so? This is the question which baffles us. And we are still groping in the dark about the truth. 

8. The secret of Tutankhamen’s Mummy American archeologists succeeded in locating the Tutankhamen’s mummy. They also unearthed the large amount of wealth buried inside it. But they could not solve two mysteries. Inside the mummy, archeologists discovered 150 amulets. They could not fathom its meaning. Secondly, Tutankhamen’s mummy had started decaying. Why? They could not answer. The historians and archeologists are still experimenting and speculating the significance of 150 amulets and the reason for decay of Tutankhamen’s mummy. 

9. The jungles of Angkor  Angkor Thom, the remarkable capital of the Khmer empire, was the perfect combination of religious faith and economic necessity. The dense jungle of Angkor hid the secret of the civilization, where the rice farmers, with the help of their God-kings controlled the hostile surroundings. The kings built magnificent buildings temples and tanks. Yet, it saw its doomsday. It declined, degenerated and the people completely vanished into thin air. Even after so many years, historians have failed to know the place where they disappeared.  The mystery still hangs in the air. 

10. PSI – The science of seeing the unseen It is the science of knowing something or about somebody without having been told or met or seen. It is a science of extrasensory powers. Animals are supposed to have been endowed with it. But some human beings also have it. And modern science’s attempts to prove the existence of extrasensory powers have inevitably given birth to extensive research resulting in a few facts, but in the process giving rise to much more controversy around it. 

11. The secret of Mayas Archaeology in America is in infancy. Still we have discovered a civilization par excellence. This civilization was called the Mayas. They were far ahead of the Egyptians and Greeks. They had the knowledge of Zero and build impressive architecture. And all this was gazed to the ground before Columbus discovered America . The world is still waiting for documents to prove that how did these people built up such a magnificent civilization at a place, where even to this day, life is an unending struggle for survival? How was it that a flourishing civilization was created by the people of Stone Age? And who were these people whose classical age collapsed before even Columbus could discover America ? 
12. The mysterious Inca Treasure Conquistadors destroyed the great Inca Empire. They destroyed it so completely that historical documents lack evidences. These Spanish Conquistadors indulged in loot, plunder, pillaging and burning. They enslaved the last Inca ruler and killed him. But before his death he escaped to jungles with his wealth. What happened to the great mass of wealth is still to be identified. In fact, the identification of two primary cities – Vitcos and Vilcambamba is itself not known. The Spanish colonial maps do not mention it. But historians believe otherwise. 

13. Is the earth shrinking? Till a few decades earlier nobody believed in the Continental Drift Theory. Now geophysicists accept the fact. They believe that many-many centuries ago the entire world was one place. It was united. But several geographical factors separated the continents. And they cannot answer that for how many more centuries the world will remain in this present condition. Will the earth keep on shifting slowly, or, suddenly something drastic will happen, they do not know. The scientists and scholars only speculate. 

14. The unknown message of Nazca drawings Some specialists believe that the world’s largest astronomical calendar was drawn by the Nazcas on the dry plains of Southern Peru . While others believe that the lines drawn on the expansive wastes are huge birds, animals and geometrical figures. What exactly do these lines signify – nobody knows. Yet they are laid across the desert by the Nazca Indians 1500 years ago – even long before man could fly, although now-a-days it is crossed by the Pan American Highway . 

15. Is there a second life? Science has failed to reason out its existence. Neither has it been able to disprove all stories floating about this syndrome. Reincarnation til this day remains a mystery, beyond the comprehension of believers and non-believers. It is believed that child prodigies e.g. Mozart who composed simple music at the age of four and the 17^th century mathematician Blaise Pascal , who had outlined a new geometric system by the time he had reached 11 years of age may have been reincarnations of talented people of earlier time. Annie Besant, 19^th century feminist and leader in London ’s Theosophical Society, was convinced that she would be reincarnated. In the 20^th century, the case of Shanti Devi is too well known. Despite all the vividness of the cases, science has not been able to accept it. It demands scientific explanations. 

15. Bermuda Triangle – Is it a reality? Is there any point in the Atlantic ocean which is suicidal? Or is Bermuda Triangle mere writer’s imagination? Many books have been even done a long arduous research on the Bermuda Triangle. Yet, till now, no satisfactorily evidence has come forth. The Triangle still baffles everybody and people avoid taking that route. Perhaps, the mystery of Bermuda Triangle can be summed up in the following sentence – ‘at times truth is stranger than fiction’. 

16. The stones which speak of past artistry The huge upright stones standing erect with an air of mystery make an unforgettable impression. There ser called Stonehenge . They have attracted men from all fields to study them. Scientists, astronomers, archaeologists, spiritualists – all studied them but failed to come to a conclusion. The questions remain unanswered. Was it a temple? Was it an observatory? Was it a magic shrine? Was it a computer built much before we came to know about the computer? There are questions and questions. Perhaps one day we will be able to discover the true and actual meaning of these splendid stones. 

17. The navel of the world Easter Island is called the ‘Navel of the World’. Its inhabitants are cut off from the rest of the world. It is the loneliest spot on earth. Yet, the inhabitants produced one of the most magnificent statues. They managed to create a prosperous society; they built and transported giant statues weighing up to 90 tones. The mystery prevails about their motive behind constructing such sculptures and how did they manage to do it? 

18. The splendor of pyramids The skyline of the Nile Valley seems to be dominated by the mountains. But these are no natural mountains. They are man made mountains, known as Pyramids. What exactly was the purpose behind the construction of these pyramids is unknown. Perhaps, they were intended by the god-kings of Egypt as the everlasting sanctuaries for their dead bodies, since they believed in the theory of life after death. 

The question arises how did the ancient Egyptian raise such tall structures? Who built them? Why did they build them? Is it true that the kings had some secret motive which passed away with them? There are questions and questions as the enigma of pyramids astonishes a traveler.

Forgot your Admin Password??

Have you forgotten your Windows Xp Administrator Password, cant remember even after many tries?
Well you can easily change or wipe out your Administrator password during Windows XP Repair. Here's step-by-step description of Repair process.

1. Place your XP CD in your rom and start your computer(it' s assumed that you have your bios set to "Boot from CDrom")
2. Select - Press any key to boot from CD
3. The first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.
4. Press ENTER to Setup Windows now
5. The Licensing Agreement comes next - accept it.
6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair, press R to begin the Repair process.
7. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files
8. After the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot.
9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of "pressing any key" to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted.
10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the Security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.
11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. You will gain graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.
12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. After you've made your changes close the window, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair.
13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password. Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.

Movie Stills Golmaal Returns

Ashtavinayak's GOLMAAL stormed the audiences with its rib-tickling comedy. After creating magic with GOLMAAL Director Rohit Shetty is back with the sequel GOLMAAL RETURNS which promises to be more hilarious than the prequel.

Apart from Ajay Devgan who is a regular feature in all of Rohit Shetty's movies the movie is crowded with horde of stars like Kareena Kapoor, Arshad Warsi, Amrita Arora, Tusshar Kapoor, Shreyas Talpade, Anjana Sukhani, Celina Jaitley, Mukesh Tiwari, Vrajesh Hirjee, Sanjay Mishra, Ashwini Kalsekar, and Murli Sharma.

The music of the film is composed by the talented music director Pritam Chakraborty.

Produced by Dhilin Mehta GOLMAAL RETURNS is slated to release on 31st October 2008.

Nokia Launches First Touch screen Smart phone.

Nokia 5800 Tube Xpressmedia

Nokia, the Finnish firm is a household name in mobile phones in India. Its touch screen phone is the latest but late entry into the phase

 

of such phones. But the company has a history of coming late to the market with innovations yet ends up successful. The main competitors now are Apple's iPhone and Android. 

Carolina Milanesi, an analyst said to Reuters" The Phone is extremely important ........We have been waiting for the market leader to respond to Apple's iPhone for a year and a half now. There is a lot of pressure on Nokia".

 

 

Nokia will unveil the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic tomorrow (2nd Oct'08), otherwise known as the Nokia "Tube". There are no official details yet, but the phone is expected to include a 3.2in colour touchscreen, full internet browsing connectivity, a 3.2 mega-pixel camera and built-in GPS.

 

Other contenders in the smart-phone battle include T-Mobile's HTC G1. Also known as the "Google phone", it has advanced Android software with one-click access to Google search and e-mail, and GPS.
Apple's new 3G iPhone is considered by many to be the sexiest smart-phone and has a plethora of features accessed through it 3.5in touchscreen and virtual keyboard. It also has one-touch music downloads from the iTunes music store.

The Blackberry Storm will be the big Christmas offering from RIM and for the first time has a touchscreen. It should be in the shops by November. Expect all the usual push e-mail features and more.
However, the leaders of the mobile industry are charged up as ever and have predicted a 10% increase in supplying mobile devices this year as compared to 1.14 billion units in 2007.

The company claims to have acquired the S60 software developed by Symbian.The Latest touch screen will soon be available in European and other International markets.
The stocks of the company closed at $19.68, down by 3% on Friday.

Navratri & Dussehra - 30th Sept to 9th Oct'08

Navratri

 Dandiya, the most awaited traditional dance festival of India.

Navratri, the festival of nights, lasts for 9 days with three days each devoted to worship of Ma Durga, the Goddess of Valor, Ma Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and Ma Saraswati, the Goddess of Knowledge. During the nine days of Navratri, feasting and fasting take precedence over all normal daily activities amongst the Hindus. Evenings give rise to the religious dances in order to worhip Goddess Durga Maa.
 

 

1st - 3rd day of Navratri

On the first day of the Navaratras, a small bed of mud is prepared in the puja room of the house and barley seeds are sown on it. On the tenth day, the shoots are about 3 - 5 inches in length. After the puja, these seedlings are pulled out and given to devotees as a blessing from god. These initial days are dedicated to Durga Maa, the Goddess of power and energy. Her various manifestations, Kumari, Parvati and Kali are all worshipped during these days. They represent the three different classes of womanhood that include the child, the young girl and the mature woman.

4th - 6th day of Navratri

During these days, Lakshmi Maa, the Goddess of peace and prosperity is worshipped. On the fifth day which is known as Lalita Panchami, it is traditional, to gather and display all literature available in the house, light a lamp or 'diya' to invoke Saraswati Maa, the Goddess of knowledge and art.

7th - 8th day of Navratri

These final days belong to Saraswati Maa who is worshipped to acquire the spiritual knowledge. This in turn will free us from all earthly bondage. But on the 8th day of this colourful festival, yagna (holy fire) is performed. Ghee (clarified butter), kheer (rice pudding) and sesame seeds form the holy offering to Goddess Durga Maa.

Mahanavami

The festival of Navratri culminates in Mahanavami. On this day Kanya Puja is performed. Nine young girls representing the nine forms of Goddess Durga are worshiped. Their feet are washed as a mark of respect for the Goddess and then they are offered new clothes as gifts by the worshiper. This ritual is performed in most parts of the country.

 

 

Dussehra

Ravan Dahan' that involves the burning of the effigies of Ravana.

 

The festival of Dassehra, also known as Vijayadashmi, is one of the fascinating festivals of India and is celebrated with joy and enthusiasm. According to the great Hindu scripture, the Ramayana, Lord Rama performed chandi-puja (holy prayer). This was carried out in order to invoke the blessings of Durga Maa for the killing of Ravana, the ten-headed demon king of Sri Lanka who had abducted Seeta, wife of Lord Rama.

Durga Maa divulged the secret to Rama on how he could slay the great Ravana. Hence upon vanquishing the demon Ravana, Lord Rama with Sita and younger brother Laxmana, returned victorious to his kingdom of Ayodhya on the day which is called 'Diwali'. Revelers across northern India re-enact the legend at sundown in a performance called the Ramlila, featuring actors dressed as Rama shooting flaming arrows at effigies stuffed with firecrackers.

Dassera day is considered a most auspicious day. It is a time-honored belief that if any new venture is started on this day, it is bound to be successful. Hence, all the undertakings be it laying-in of foundation of a new building, opening of a new commercial establishment or even initiating a child into the world of learning- are started on this day. Also on this day implements of agriculture, manufacturer' s machines, the intellectuals pens, the household articles, the children's school books are placed before the idol of Durga and worshiped.