Sunday Reading : Bonfire ( Holika Dahan)

 Hello readers!

                       Here I am going to wrote about A Bonfire. This task is my academic task so my professor was given question about bonfires and I have answer this question. This task is given by Dilip barad sir from Bhavnagar University. So let's see, 

1) How Many Countries Celebrate Bonfire? Why. 

Ans :-     India

           We all know that India is a religious country. Holi is a fastival  of India. Holi is not only celebrated In India, but in other parts of the world as well. It is celebrated with much fanfare in countries outside India and Nepal, Holi is observed by the minority Hindus in Bangladesh and Pakistan as well in countries. With large Indian subcontinent diaspora populations. Such as Suriname, Gugana, Trinidad and Tobago, south Africa Malaysia. 

Assam:

Holi is known as PhakuWa/Doul or Doul Jatra in Assam. Here, the festivities span over two days. On the first day, the Assamese people burn clay huts to symbolise Holika Dahan and, on the next day, play with colours. 

■Odisha

n Odisha, Holiis referred to as Dola. On this day, devotees worship Lord Jagannath and apply abira (gulal) on each other.

■West Bengal: 

In West Bengal, Holi is celebrated on the Purnima Tithi and is known as Dol Purnima or Dol Jatra. People greet each other with abeer (gulal) and enjoy the festival while getting drenched in the colours of joy.

■Uttar Pradesh: 

The Braj Bhoomi (a place associated with Shri Krishna) is in Uttar Pradesh. Here, in the towns of Barsana and Nandagaon, people celebrate Lathmar Holi. Women from Barsana would hold bamboo or wooden sticks to beat men from Nandgaon, as they would use a shield to guard themselves. The natives follow the tradition that has been in practice since the times of Shri Krishna and Radha. In some parts of Uttar Pradesh, people also use flowers to celebrate Holi.

■Uttarakhand: 

Holi in this state is known as Baithaki Holi, Khari Holi or Mahila Holi. Men and women dressed in their traditional attire sing songs and take part in folk dance. And they also in make use of natural colours to play Holi.

■ Bihar : 

Holi is known as Phaguwa in Bhojpuri. Here, on the first day (Purnima Tithi, people light the bonfire, and on the next day, celebrate Holi with colours.

Holi is celebrated with the same zest and enthusiasm in the other parts of Northern and Western India. The Indian states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh Chattisgarh and the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir also celebrate the festival of colours.

Other countries 

Canada

Due to their historic connection to Britain, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador have many communities that celebrate Bonfire night; this is one of the times when small rural communities come together. In the province of Quebec, many communities light up bonfires on June 24 to celebrate. 

Iraq

In Iraq bonfires lit to celebrate the Feast of the cross by the Assyrian Christians. Beside the bonfire every household hang traditionally a lighted fire in the roof of their house.

Nepal

Bonfire in Nepal is taken almost synonymous with camp-fire. During winter months its quite common to have a bonfire in hotels, resorts, residential area as well as private properties.

Bonfire is also done during Siva ratri in th evening. It is based on lunar calendar falls during month of February. 

2) what are the rituals around such Celebration?

Ans :- Holi rituals include  Holika Dahan. Hiranyakashipu's own son, Prahlada, however, disagreed. He was and remained devoted to Vishnu.This infuriated Hiranyakashipu. He subjected Prahlada to cruel punishments, none of which affected the boy or his resolve to do what he thought was right. Finally, Holika, Prahlada's evil aunt, tricked him into sitting on a pyre with her. Holika was wearing a cloak that made her immune to injury from fire, while Prahlada was not. As the fire roared, the cloak flew from Holika and encased Prahlada,survived while Holika burned. Vishnu, the god who appears as an avatar to restore Dharma in Hindu beliefs, took the form of Narasimha.

The Holika bonfire and Holi signifies the celebration of the symbolic victory of good over evil, of Prahlada overHiranyakashipu, and of the fire that burned Holika.

Festival of Colors.Religion, bonfires and an abundance of colored chalk.India's Holi Festival could just be one of the world's most beautiful celebrations. Holi is an ancient Hindu festival, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is celebrated predominantly in India, but has also spread to other areas of Asia and parts of the Western world through the diaspora from the Indian subcontinent. Holi is popularly known as the Indian "festival of spring", the "festival of colours", or the "festival of love". The festival signifies the arrival of spring, the end of winter, the blossoming of love, and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh, forget and forgive, and repair broken relationships. The festival also celebrates the beginning of a good spring harvest season.

《3》 Is there any story or myth around  those celebrations?  Write  about various  myths  around  bonfire. 

Ans :- yes, I believe because The word Holi derives its name from Holika. According to Hindu mythology, Holika was the sister of demon King Hiranyakashyapu.As per the legend, Prahlad, a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu, Prahlad was born to Hiranyakashyapu. Prahlad’s devotion to lord Vishnu did not go down well with his father. As a result of this, Hiranyakashyapu tried to kill his son several times, but the Vishnu devotee escaped unhurt every time, frustrating the demon king.After numerous unsuccessful attempts, the demon king thought of taking help from his sister, Holika, who had a boon by Lord Brahma which said she would not be burnt in a fire.As per the myth, Holika had a shawl which would protect her from the flames of a fire. The demon king asked her sister to take Prahlad on her lap and set the two on fire. Prahlad kept chanting the name of Lord Vishnu and as the fire got intense, a gust of wind removed the shawl from Holika and went on to cover Prahlad, killing the enchantress in the flames.

Thank you...

   

Sahitya Academy Award poet :- Arundhathi Subramaniam " when God is a Traveller"

 Hello readers!

                                 Here I am going to write about " when God is a traveller",  this poem is written by the famous sahitya Academy Award winning poet Arundhathi Subramaniam. This blog is my academic task is given by Dilip barad sir from Department of English Bhavnagar University. 

Arundhathi Subramaniam 

                          Arundhathi Subramaniam is an Indian poet, writer, critic, curator, translator, Journalist, writing in English. Arundhati Subramaniam' s volume of poetry. " when Gof is a Traveller" was the season choice of the poetry Book, society, shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot prize. Her poetry has been published in various international Journals and anthologies. She has worked as Head of Dance and chauraha at the national centere for the performing Arts in Mumbai, and has been Editor of the India domain of the poetry international web. 

Award :-  Khushwant singh memorial prize for poetry on 25 January 2015, Arundhathi won the first Khushwant singh memorial prize for poetry for her work when God is a Traveller. 

Works 

Poetry Collection 

1) love without a story 

2) when God is a Traveller 

3) when I live : new & selected poems

4) where I Live

5) on cleaning Bookshelves. 

Prose

1) Sadhguru

3) The Book of Buddha

" when God is a Traveller" 

      Trust the god back from his travels, his voice wholegrain (and chamomile), 

his wisdom neem, his peacock, sweaty-plumed, drowsing in the shadows.

 Trust him who sits wordless on park benches listening to the cries of children fading into the dusk, his gaze emptied of vagrancy, his heart of ownership.

Trust him who has seen enough— revolutions, promises, the desperate light of shopping malls, hospital rooms, manifestos, theologies, the iron taste of blood, the great craters in the middle of love. 

Trust him who no longer begrudges his brother his prize, his parents their partisanship. 

"when God is a traveller" poem by Arundhathi Subramaniam. This poem is awarded by Kushwant Singh memorial prize fore poetry on 25 January 2015.we all find ourselves feeling closer to God in different ways. For you it might be reading a spiritual book on his love for us, for others it is worship music and for some it is fellowship at church. It varies from person to person and there is no right or wrong way to experience this, God makes Himself know through his creation so that all creatures are without excuse.

In this  poem poet use the word  Trust  many time, so some  time we feel that poet  wants that  we have to  trust that  God who  come back from the  travel. This  word  shown the prasoic in poem. Because  During the travel  God seen  many  things. This travel  is, he done without  reason.

In 'When God is a Traveller', Subramaniam weaves metaphors, metaphors that are distinctly hers, into language that is simultaneously fluid and simple. Everydayness is woven as a metaphor rife with allusions to the deeper meanings of life.Subramaniam’s poetry collection is the imagery. Even when the meaning of the poems eludes the reader, the meaning-making processes remain accessible through the vivid images constructed, which interact with each other to produce meaning. In this text, the meaning is created through the words as well as through the imagery.

Thank you...

Thinking Activity :- Da Vinci Code

 Hello readers!

                           Here I am going to wrote about the Da Vinci code written by Dan Brown. This Blog is a part of my classroom thinking activity given by Professor Dr. Dilip Barad in which students have to interpret given question. 

1) Brown states on his website that his books are not anti-Christian, though he is on a 'constant spiritual journey' himself, and says that his book The Da Vinci Code is simply "an entertaining story that promotes spiritual discussion and debate" and suggests that the book may be used "as a positive catalyst for introspection and exploration of our faith."

Ans :- Dan Brown asserts that his books are not anti-Christian, and it is right also because he wants to reveal the facts. He also says that he is on the spiritual journey as he portrays the characters who have faith in the religion. Through the murder mystery he unfolds the factual things about the Christianity. The painting of Leonardo Da Vinci, The Last Supper, which tells about the relation between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Seemingly it is an entertaining story murder mystery, the puzzle, paintings of Da Vinci. As a part of spiritual discussion Dan Brown attempts to raise the issue of blind faith in religion, people like Bezu Fache, Silas, Bishop Aringarosa, who have faith in Opus dei. 

 2) “Although it is obvious that much of what Brown presented in his novel as absolutely true and accurate is neither of those, some of that material is of course essential to the intrigue, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman has retained the novel's core, the Grail-related material: the sacred feminine, Mary Magdalene's marriage, the Priory of Sion, certain aspects of Leonardo's art, and so on[1].” How far do you agree with this observation of Norris J. Lacy?

Ans :- I agree to the observation of Norris J. Lacy that many things in the novel is not accurate and fact like there is no any autheniticity and reliable proofs about the existence of priory of sion and also novel has not show real opes die. Furthermore, there is no such proof about marry Magdalene and so on. And absolutely the screen writer beautiful presented the core of novel to use appropriate materials about secrets and sybmols. And also choose very wonderful places and scenes. I can say that movie is worth watching than books because movie use very wonderful materials.

  3) You have studied ‘Genesis’ (The Bible), ‘The Paradise Lost’ (John Milton) and ‘The Da Vinci Code’ (Dan Brown). Which of the narrative/s seem/s to be truthful? Whose narrative is convincing to the contemporary young mind?

Ans :- According to me the narrative of 'The Paradis lost' is better narrative than ''The Da Vinci Code' because Milton gave the voice to minor characters like Eve and Satan rather than God and Adam. So, somehow it is convince modern mind because they find the discrimination in the Bible. Whereas  'The Da vinci code' narrative look very far away from truth.

4) What harm has been done to humanity by the biblical narration or that of Milton’s in The Paradise Lose? What sort of damage does narrative like ‘The Vinci Code’ do to humanity?

Ans :-  By this kind of narration, people's faith in God can be lost and there is nothing like morality without God. Religion gives us a right path and teach moral lesson. So, if you narrate this kind of story then as Eliot said about spiritual degradation and sexual perversion make waste land. Some People are arguing that people keep on fighting with each other in the name of religion but it is not true because religion is innocent, problem is in humanbieng. These all hatred created by people for their benefit like relegious master and saint for power and wealth.                         

5) When we do traditional reading of the novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’, Robert Langdon, Professor of Religious Symbology, Harvard University emerges as protagonist and Sir Leigh Teabing, a British Historian as antagonist. Who will claim the position of protagonist if we do atheist reading of the novel?

Ans :- I do atheist reading of the novel the protagonist will be professor Robert Langdon because he himself said that I can not understand the God. Throughout the novel/movie I coudn't find Langdon had any kind of faith in God, he just solves and decoded the symbols and puzzles and I don't find that atheist attacked on religion like Teabibg. Whereas Sir Leigh Teabing seems anti christian in the novel but why? According to me he is not atheist. There are many reason behind his hatred against Christianity. Jaques Saunier and Teabing were known to each other and I think Teabing want to discover Holy Grail. If he is atheist then why very curious about Holy Grail? Jealous or avenge to Priori of sion is may be a reason behind that. 

Thank you...