Building the ties....

Dharamsala is a trendy, cool little town..
What's different is the dressing style that has slowly come to develop in this radical area....
What with the traditional Himachali apparels to the Tibetan urban line, the Indian tang in the midst of the streets of Dharamsala and then there's your strikeouts westernites....



People here shop to rock!..
You will never know when u might come across people with the most unexpected of all dresses.. Hippies will be hanging around the streets of Mcleodgunj, Tibetans will be bargaining their prices, the richie rich people will be shopping madly away and then there'll be us who'll pick up other item s other than clothes like bracelets, Mala's , rings with beautiful stones embedded upon them...



Dharamsala is filled with people strolling along with the most updated and fashionable styles of clothings which can outwit the everyday designs...
Why u ask?... Well it's because the people themselves funk the styles to bring about outstanding results of modernized clothing...





Its comfortable, easily available, not too cheap neither is it too costly...
Looks great, brings out your personality and one more thing...
U are the one who fixes the whole style of the outfit....



Dharamsala has moved to an entire new level when it comes to fashion...
It's nothing that u will see in cat walk shows but let's say everyday lives..
This very fact delights and encourages not only the people here but the foreigners as well...

On most of the occasions you'll find the himachali's all dressed up and ready in their traditional dresses for a marriage ceremony to take place...







The manner in which all the fashion senses blend in together in Dharamsala is what makes it exciting...
Anywhere u go you won't find the same thing but a diverse environment all together..!
The great wall of difference between our cultures, our traditions, the environment in which we reside in can be termed as unique...



Imagine, if like we mix up our clothes, in the same way if we combine our differences then don't u think that would result in a much peaceful world..
I guess you can understand my meaning for writing everything so far...
Like everyone has a double, this very thing has a double meaning...

There's a lesson and a reason behind every article, ever statement, everything which I write... It's in your hands to see it through and understand the meaning.....

....................................................................
Naintara Gurung

Navratri

Navratri or the Festival of Nine Nights from Ashvin Sud 1 to 9 is devoted to the propitiation of Shakti or Divine Mother. She represents prakriti, counterpart of purusha jointly making possible the creation of the world according to the religious ideology of Goddess worship. Such worships were prevalent in India even before the advent of the Aryans, who adopted it as a religious practice. References in vedas and puranas confirm this opinion. The main temples of mother goddess that are visited by multitude of devotees during Navratri are the shaktipithas, of which there are three in Gujarat. It is believed that Lord Vishnu had to cut the body of Sati into pieces to stop the destruction by Shiva who was perturbed by her death. At fifty-two places these pieces fell, the three in Gujarat being; Ambaji in Banaskantha, Bahucharaji in Chunaval and Kalika on Pavagadh hill in Panchmahals.

This festival is essentially religious in nature. It is celebrated with true devotion in the various temples dedicated to the Mother, or Mataji, as she is familiarly called. In some homes, images of the Mother are worshipped in accordance with accepted practice. This is also true of the temples, which usually have a constant stream of visitors from morning to night.

The most common form of public celebration is the performance of garba or dandia-ras, Gujarat's popular folk-dance, late throughout the nights of these nine days in public squares, open grounds and streets. Females wear ethnic Chania Choli and Males wear Dhoti-Kurta and enjoy garba and dandiya ras (dance) the whole Night. The participants move round in a circle around a mandvi (garbo), a structure to hold earthen lamps filled with water and to house the image or idol of mother goddess.


The day after Navratri i.e. the 10th day after Ashwina, is Dussera which celebrates the victory of lord Rama over Ravana. Ravana is burnt in effigy, often giant dummies of Ravana stuffed with fireworks are shot with arrows until they blow up before a large, applauding audience.



The dance which is also a feature of Navaratri is the dandia-ras or ‘stick’ dance, in which men and women join the dance circle, holding small polished sticks or dandias. As they whirl to the intoxicating rhythm of the dance, men and women strike the dandias together, adding to the joyous atmosphere. So popular are the garba and the dandia-ras that competitions are held to assess the quality of the dancing. Prizes are given to those judged to be the best. The costumes worn for the dances are traditional and alive with colour. The dances usually commence late in the night and continue until early morning, testifying to their great popularity.

The Religious Day for millions...

Festivals... A day for all... A day on which brotherhood is meant the most..
So many festivals reside in this world today... All belonging to different countries and their particular religions..
Boy am I glad to say people are given the right to celebrate their own individual occasion.. You have to admit the world would be boring if it didn't have a large diversity..
Isn't it exciting and a whole new experience to be part of an occasion you haven't ever been to... Don't you think that it develops a feeling of admiration, greatly increases your crave for worldly experience and most all you have fun!
Well don't know about you but I love all the festivals in the world even if i don't know some of them!

Here I'm again with a whole new page.. Mind you better be a nice person for what you are going to read is very spiritual... Fine I won't scare you my readers...

21st March- A day normal like all others in the scientific sense but if you turn the tables this day holds a very special touch to it.... A day filled with good omens..

21st March is the day on which millions of people will be celebrating two different occasions...


Holi
Good Friday

Isn't this awesome??!!.. It's like all your wishes are coming true...
Let's start with the first festival-

Holi :-


Happy Holi
The trees smile with their sprout
of tender leaves and blooming flowers,
Eternal nature with its transient expression.
Hails spring with ecstasy and joy!
Bewildering shades with so many tinge.
The land of beauty and greatness,
India, witnessing color of happiness and peace.
Nation come alive to enjoy the spirit
A celebration of color- Holi!
An experience of content, harmony and delight.

What is Holi about- It's a festival of colors!
'Just like a rainbow colors the sky,
We the humans color ourselves in harmony'

In this festival main emphasis is laid on the burning of Holika or lighting of Holi. The origin of the traditional lighting of Holi is attributed by some to the burning of demoness es like Holika, Holaka and Putana who troubled little children or to the burning of Madan according to others....

Friends, Family and even strangers together rejoice in this beautiful festival marking each other with different colors... Not only do we have fun but also trust me on this one WE GET A LOT OF TASTY GOODIES!!!!

Good Friday:-


And they dressed Him in purple
And condemned Him to die
Mocked, spat upon, and whipped Him
As Pontius Pilate stood by

And with thorns as a crown
He was then led away
To carry His cross
And show us the way

Falling under the burden
Of its heavy weight
But rising up again
Knowing full-well His fate

And meeting His mother
With anguish untold
As God's plan of Great Love
Proceeds to unfold

Simon helps Jesus
Who seems broken and frail
And Veronica steps forward
To wipe His face with her veil

But He soon falls again
For a second time
Paying a price with His suffering
His love being the crime

Women and children
He meets on His way
Then falls for a third time
This most solemn Friday

Adding further humiliation
To any of His woes
Jesus is then
Stripped of His clothes

And while nailed to the cross
His earthly time here passes
His own life He gave
For the salvation of masses

Good Friday, also called Holy Friday or Great Friday, is the Friday before Easter (Easter always falls on a Sunday). It commemorates the crucifixion and death of Jesus at Calvary.
Jesus carries his cross to the site of execution, called the place of the Skull, or "Golgotha" in Hebrew and "Calvary" in Latin. There he is crucified along with two criminals...
Jesus agonizes on the cross for three hours while the sun is darkened. With a loud cry, Jesus gives up his spirit. There is an earthquake, tombs break open, and the curtain in the Temple is torn from top to bottom. The centurion on guard at the site of crucifixion declares, "Truly this was God's Son!"...

Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin and secret follower of Jesus, who had not consented to his condemnation, goes to Pilate to request the body of Jesus. Pilate asks confirmation from the centurion whether Jesus is dead. A soldier pierced the side of Jesus with a lance causing blood and water to flow out and the centurion informs Pilate that Jesus is dead.

Joseph of Arimathea takes the body of Jesus, wraps it in a clean linen shroud, and places it in his own new tomb that had been carved in the rock in a garden near the site of crucifixion. Another secret follower of Jesus and member of the Sanhedrin named Nicodemus also came bringing 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, and places them in the linen with the body of Jesus, according to Jewish burial customs.They rolled a large rock over the entrance of the tomb... Then they returned home and rested, because at sunset began the Sabbath......
.................................................................
Naintara Gurung

Where did the snow go???

Only now do I see white stars falling by,
Your very presence igniting my lands,
Spreading your mist across the sky,
I treasure your existance in my hands....

Your heavenly curtain looks so light,
I ask myself, Is it God's paradise?,
My once lonesome feelings start to disappear,
Twilight light shining my way ....

As the sun sparkles upon my face,
I wake from that slumbered state,
Friends, Family and strangers embark
Your magic causes them to stroll together along...

But Wait! Your white veil starts to fade away,
Oh my beauty please don't leave me here...
Trap me inside your sheet, I pray,
Invisible you become with me here awaiting the next year!
.....Naintara Gurung





Here I'm back again with another new chapter to my life....
Everything I write, I do so for a reason...
Snowfall... Beautiful and inspiring... - You pour your gaze upon it and seconds away you're enchanted... Its an abyss of light, not even the darkest of all things or creatures can taint it....
I would love to become part of it... But alas can't!


This very snow is what I want to talk about right now... Where I live this cold persona is what almost everyone dreams to see one day... Well there was a time when we the people of Himachal Pradesh could witness the Godlike snowfall almost everyday...
But as they say!- Not everything happy lasts long...

Now it's nothing but plain old dry lands to cast your gaze upon.. Where did the snow go??? I as a writer ask you the reason... So many answers yet all leading to one main problem- 'Global Warming..'



Does this cursed misfortune have to land itself on Earth? Why not some other planet!
Well its obvious isn't it? You don't find humans on other planets!
Man is such a vile creature... Pride is always what makes us weak and fall hard on the ground... Everything the changes that had been happening to this Earth is because of the careless mistakes that we make..
I won't mention them for I'm sure everyone is aware of those upcoming problems..
All that I can say at this moment is this that I hope one day I'll be able to enjoy playing in the snow without having to worry that something bad is gonna happen!

I ask from my readers... Don't you agree with me?

Himalayan Species.....

The Himalayas are inhabited by the most mysterious and alluring creatures... Some we have seen while the rest stay hidden away from Humanity.. Since the Himalayas are known to be Majestic Young Fold Mountains; it's explainable as to why they are the perfect place for different species of animals to reside... The snow there might be one of the reasons as to why few creatures are camouflaged... Since the high mountains are almost indomitable, they provide these creatures with protection...
Here are a few pictures of the most rare wild species of animals in the Himalayas...


1.The Himalayan Black Bear
2.The Himalayan Ibex
3.The Himalayan Marmot
4.The Himalayan Snow Leopard
5.The Himalayan Mountain Monkey
6.The Himalayan White Squirrel
7.The Himalayan Wild Fox























....................................
Naintara Gurung