The Hindu Parenting Podcast

In Episode 52, we speak with Dr. Rajat Mitra, internationally renowned clinical psychologist, on the aftermath of the Pehelgam terror attack on Hindus. What are some typical Hindu responses we saw and why? What drives our infinite capacity for self-abnegation? Has the average Hindu become used to avoiding confrontation, even in our numerous Whatsapp groups? Our habitual behaviours as a community have an impact on families and children. What can we do differently going forward to raise confident children who are comfortable in their own skin?Listen to Dr. Mitra on reprogramming the Hindu psyche and talking to children about our history. Share with all Hindus, especially Hindu parents!Dr. Rajat Mitra had previously shared his expertise working with victims of trans-generational trauma in The Hindu Parenting Podcast #24 - Understanding Hindu Trans-Generational TraumaIf you'd like to be part of a free webinar with Dr. Mitra especially for parents on how to talk to children about Hindu history and war, please register below. The date will be announced shortly depending on the number of registrations.Note: Please support us by signing up for our newsletters on Substack and if possible, upgrading to a paid subscription. Our podcasts (The Hindu Parenting Podcast) can be heard on Spotify, YouTube, Apple and Google Podcasts too.Please follow us on Twitter (X), Instagram or any social media platform of your choice.We are on most social media platforms with the handle “hinduparenting”. We have a Whatsapp and Telegram channel too. Our website is hinduparenting.orgFor comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Episode #51 of The Hindu Parenting Podcast features a riveting conversation with a young father, Bharath, about growing up indoctrinated, the slow path to becoming a committed dharmik, and raising young Hindu children today.This episode will make Hindu parents relive their childhood and understand what children experience. Filled with invaluable insights and exceptional clarity, this podcast will change how we view ourselves, our children, and the world.As an engineer, Bharath logically takes us along on his journey. This one is especially for techie parents!Note: Please support us by signing up for our newsletters on Substack and if possible, upgrading to a paid subscription. Our podcasts (The Hindu Parenting Podcast) can be heard on Spotify, YouTube, Apple and Google Podcasts too.Please follow us on Twitter (X), Instagram or any social media platform of your choice.We are on most social media platforms with the handle “hinduparenting”. We have a Whatsapp and Telegram channel too. Our website is hinduparenting.orgFor comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

We are 50 podcasts old! For the special golden jubilee episode of The Hindu Parenting Podcast, we feature a conversation with Dr. Sampadananda Mishra, who has done more for the cause of children and Sanskrit than anyone else today.What are the benefits of Sanskrit for children? Learn from his insights - how can we make Sanskrit interesting for children? And much, much more, packed into this hour-long episode. Please share with all Hindus, especially Hindu parents.Dr. Sampadananda Mishra, a renowned Sanskrit scholar and passionate proponent of the Indian Knowledge System (IKS), has made significant contributions to the promotion and preservation of Sanskrit language and culture. He founded and launched the world's first 24-hour Sanskrit radio channel, 'Divyavani Sanskrit Radio', in 2013. Dr. Mishra recently launched a monthly e-magazine for children called 'Saptavarna', further enriching the domain of Sanskrit children's literature. Among the many awards he has been honoured with is the 'Kendra Sahitya Akademi Bala Puraskar' in 2018 for his book “Shanaih Shanaih” for children. Among his many popular books, “The Wonder That is Sanskrit”, clearly explains the uniqueness of the language.Note: Please support us by signing up for our newsletters on Substack and if possible, upgrading to a paid subscription. Our podcasts (The Hindu Parenting Podcast) can be heard on Spotify, YouTube, Apple and Google Podcasts too.Please follow us on Twitter (X), Instagram or any social media platform of your choice.We are on most social media platforms with the handle “hinduparenting”. We have a Whatsapp and Telegram channel too. Our website is hinduparenting.orgFor comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Marriage is the most important decision a human being will make in life, so we need to put at least as much thought into it as we do preparing for exams and a career. Parents must guide young Hindus through finding a suitable partner and being happily married. Episode #49 of the Hindu Parenting Podcast, a conversation with Shri. Shankar Kumaran is a must-listen episode for young Hindus and parents alike.Shri Shankar Kumaran, Founder of Life Education Institute, is a counselor and coach who has worked with many young people, including married couples, and helped them have happy marriages. Shri Kumaran was educated in the traditional Gurukula style, which gave him a deep knowledge of Sanskrit and the shastras. At the same time, he holds a degree in psychology and has worked successfully with modern couples.In this podcast, he gives significant insights into the Hindu vivaaha and the secrets of a happy marriage. What do young people need to know before looking for a life partner? What can you do as a parent to ensure your child will have a happy marriage?On the eve of Valentine's Day today, encourage people to listen to this special podcast to understand marriage better.Listen to the complete podcast and share it with all Hindus - young people and parents.You can find more information about Shri Kumaran here.Note: Please support us by signing up for our newsletters on Substack and, if possible, upgrading to a paid subscription. Our podcasts (The Hindu Parenting Podcast) can also be heard on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, and Google Podcasts.Please follow us on Twitter (X), Instagram, or any social media platform you choose.We are on most social media platforms with the handle “hinduparenting”. We have a WhatsApp and Telegram channel, too. Our website is hinduparenting.orgFor comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode #48 of the Hindu Parenting Podcast, we talk with Rajesh Sengamedu about his new book of short stories titled “Desi, Dharma aur Dilemma - Beyond Movies, Music, Mufti and Masala”The stories are about the dilemmas faced by diaspora Hindus in USA, but the theme is applicable to much of urban India today.Through these stories, the author gets us to take a long-term perspective and think about what it means to be a Hindu today. His deft touch and gentle probing go to the root of many dilemmas we face today. The stories are not prescriptive, but leave us with lingering questions and a clear dharmik lens through which to look at our lives.The book is especially relevant for parents. It helps us to see the long-term effects of everyday parenting choices we make as Hindus in the modern world.Enjoy the podcast and please share with friends and family!Read more about the author, Rajesh Sengamedu, in this interview.The book “Desi, Dharma aur Dilemma” is available for purchase on Amazon internationally at this link.Buyers from India can find the book at this link.Note: Please support us by signing up for our newsletters on Substack and if possible, upgrading to a paid subscription. Our podcasts (The Hindu Parenting Podcast) can be heard on Spotify, YouTube, Apple and Google Podcasts too.Please follow us on Twitter (X), Instagram or any social media platform of your choice.We are on most social media platforms with the handle “hinduparenting”. We have a Whatsapp and Telegram channel too. Our website is hinduparenting.orgFor comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.org Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 47 of The Hindu Parenting Podcast, we talk about the Panchatantra with Dr. M. V. Vishwanath, Sanskrit scholar and renowned speaker.The tales of the Panchatantra have always been of special interest to children, but did you know that its actual purpose and message is deeply embedded within the tales? The Panchatantra has travelled far and wide from the place of its origin, Bharat (India). It has unfortunately been relegated to the genre of kiddie literature in modern India, but the Panchatantra is actually profound and visionary in its scope. Listen to the podcast to find out the true meaning behind the text!Dr. Viswanath is a reputed scholar with three M.A. degrees and a PhD in Sanskrit from Benaras Hindu University, Varanasi. His research areas include Sanskrit literature, Arthashastra and Sankhya philosophy.He also delivers various sessions on Bhagavadgita, Vedanta, Yoga and Upanishads for many Yoga schools both online and offline.Note: Please follow us on Twitter (X), Instagram or any social media platform of your choice. Our podcasts (The Hindu Parenting Podcast) can be heard on Spotify, YouTube, Apple and Google Podcasts too. Please support us by signing up for our newsletters on Substack and if possible, upgrading to a paid subscription.General Information:We are on most social media platforms with the handle “hinduparenting”. We have a Whatsapp and Telegram channel. Our website is hinduparenting.orgFor comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 46 of the Hindu Parenting Podcast explores the significance of the bindi/bottu/tilak. Why do we wear a bindi or tilak; what are the different traditions surrounding it?Don't forget to celebrate the International Bindi and Tilak Day on 15th October!Dr. Bharath Srinivasan is our guest for this podcast. He has a Doctorate Degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Delhi and currently works as Engineering and Marketing Head at a small company in Bangalore. He was the founding Director of the Indian History Awareness Group (IHAR) of Houston works on research on Bharat and its ancient traditions. He also is a trustee of Prakruthi Ayurveda Prathisthana for the past 15 years and supports its Research Activities on Ayurveda. He has also worked with Rajiv Malhotra on many projects related to building the Grand Narrative of India. With experience spanning diverse fields and a strong knowledge of the shastras, he is well placed to help us understand the shastric underpinnings of our symbols like the bindi and the tilak.General Information:For comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:X/Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingWhatsApp channel: Hindu ParentingWebsite: hinduparenting.orgThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 45 of the Hindu Parenting Podcast features a conversation with Shawn Binda, host of Hindu Lifestyle on YouTube and a Hindu Educator, about Hindus in the Caribbean.Not many people know of the presence of a sizeable Hindu community in the Caribbean which has held on to its Hindu identity in the face of overwhelming odds. How they have managed to stay Hindu over many generations is a story that Hindus need to hear, as we grapple with the challenge of passing on our traditions and identity to future generations.Shawn Binda is of Indo-Caribbean ancestry and teaches Hinduism at a local mandir in Toronto, Canada, to teenagers and young adults every week. He conducts workshops with Hindu youth. Shawn has a passion for Hinduism. His insights are very valuable to Hindu parents in India and abroad.Show Notes:1:00 - Introduction5:27 - How did Hinduism Survive in the Caribbean?10:30 - Indentured Labour and How Indians got to the Caribbean15:40 - How Did They Withstand the Pressure to Convert? 18:20 - Percentage of Hindus in Different Countries of the Caribbean26:00 - Difference between Hindus raised in India and in the Caribbean32:20 - How Do You Get Kids to Come to the Mandir?38:00 - Role of Music and Dance in Hinduism41:00 - Important Message for Hindu Parents46:00 - Science, Spirituality and Hinduism48:00 - Hindus and Hinduism - The Way Forward 53:00 - ConclusionGeneral Information:For comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:X/Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingWhatsApp channel: Hindu ParentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Introduction 2:00 - Onam the Long Festival Celebration of 14 days7:40 - Onam or Vishu. Which is the New Year? 10:20 - Story of Onam, Thrikkakara Vamanamurti temple, Proclamation of Onam 20:00 - Bali Pratipada celebrated all over India21:00 - Historical references to Onam in Tamil Sangam literature as Vamana Jayanti, or birth of Vishnu avatar. Writings of Alvars talk about Thrikkakara.25:30 - Modern distortion of the Onam story by current narrative in Kerala and dilution of Hindu origins.28:10 - Why did Onam celebration die out in Tamil Nadu?35:50 - Current situation in Kerala, complacence and inability to perceive the difference between Semitic religions and mathas and sampradayas (different opinions or paths from within Hindu dharma)48:00 - Hindu rituals and significance behind pookolam (rangoli), Onam Sadya and boat races as a temple tradition.1:00:00 - How to reclaim Hindu festivals and prevent them from being turned into tools of anti-Hindu propaganda?1:05:00 - Message for Hindu parents. What makes a Hindu different from all others? The five Mahayagnyas or vratas to be observed everyday.1:12:30 - End Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 43 of the Hindu Parenting Podcast features Anshu Dubey, the Founder and President of Brahm Varchas Education, who speaks about parenting based on the shastras and other Hindu scriptures.We talk about the science and art of Vedic parenting, focusing on a set of sutras given by Pujya Vishwanath Guruji. The philosophy and techniques are based on the shastras and especially relevant for modern parents.The all-round knowledge of the upbringing of children handed down since generations is getting lost today. Vedic Parenting knowledge capsules are a gateway for the modern Hindu parent to access and apply ancient wisdom in raising children.Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents. International subscribers can use the upgrade-to-paid option on Substack.QR code for India payments:Thank you!General Information:For comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:X/Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingWhatsApp channel: Hindu ParentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 42, we speak with a Homeschooling mother from USA. This podcast assumes special significance because it is being aired at a time when the woke phenomenon is rampaging through American educational institutions.There is a rising tide of anti-Hindu literature being circulated in American media and academia. When schools portray Hinduism as nothing more than “casteism” and schoolchildren are taught contempt for Hindus, what effect does it have on our children?In light of the Riddhi Patel episode where a Hindu girl was pulled into anti-Hindu and pro-terror activism and is being jailed for making threats to lawmakers, what choices do Hindu parents have if we want our children to stay clear of the indoctrination in public schools in USA?Find out all you wanted to know about homeschooling in the USA in this episode of The Hindu Parenting Podcast.Please listen and share!Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents. International subscribers can use the upgrade-to-paid option on Substack.QR code for India payments:Thank you!General Information:For comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Hindu Parenting Podcast Episode 41 is a conversation with Dr. Omendra Ratnu, a practising ENT surgeon who also has an abiding passion for culture, history and Dharma. Dr. Ratnu runs an NGO, Nimittekam, to rehabilitate minority refugees from Pakistan in Bharat.Dr. Ratnu has a keen interest in the history of Rajasthan and has written several articles on the history of Mewar. His recent book is titled “Maharanas - A 1000 Year War for Dharma”. He is also the Founder of Dharmansh Foundation, which accepts monthly contributions to help underprivileged and persecuted Hindu populations in the Indian subcontinent.Why should this matter to us as parents? Because our children need a thriving community. They need safety in numbers. We need a robust Hindu population for Dharma to thrive into the next generation and beyond.Nimittekam.org and Dharmansh Foundation also accept donations from outside India.Please listen and share!Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents.General Information:For comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 40 of The Hindu Parenting Podcast, Matrushree Ananthalakshmi, Co-Founder of Anaadi Foundation explains IKS - Indian Knowledge Systems.Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS) is quite the buzzword now, but what exactly constitutes IKS (other than Yoga and Ayurveda)? Anaadi Foundation has a set of IKS books specially designed for children, which can be used to teach kids at home. Learn more about the books, the topics covered and how we can teach children all about the scientific heritage of Bharat (India). What is the system of modern Gurukul education like? How does it differ from the mainstream schooling? Ananthalakshmi ji also shares a message especially for parents. Timestamps:1:25: What is IKS?12:03: Details on IKS Books for Children20:37: About Anaadi Foundation28:41 : Location of Anaadi Dharma Gurukula and integration with the mainstream36:53: Training people in Bharatiya pedagogy39:13: Samskara Journal42:24 : Indigenous Education Systems around the world46:06 : Message for ParentsGeneral Information:For comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingWe also have a new Whatsapp channel.The opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Episode 39: A conversation about feminism with Prof. Madhu Purnima Kishwar (Founder, Manushi Trust and one of India's most distinguished academics in the social sciences).The social sciences are a black box for most Hindu parents. The western social sciences hold a disproportionate influence on our lives and our collective future, hence it is essential to talk to our children about feminism and other western movements. This conversation will help bring clarity to feminism and situate it in the Hindu context.Feminism is derived from the Abrahamic thought system which is binary and rooted in perennial conflict. It is different from the dharmik worldview which is based on harmony, balance and consensus. What explains the rise of Marxism, feminism and other theories? What is the danger in viewing dharmik cultures through these modern lenses? Are feminists happy? What is the effect of feminism on women, on men, and on the family as a unit? How can Hindu families navigate through this landscape?Please listen and share!Prof. Madhu Kishwar started her academic career as a lecturer in a DU college and in 1991 was invited as a professor in CSDS, a leading social science research centre based in Delhi. She was awarded national professorship of ICSSR followed by senior fellow at Nehru Memorial Centre for Contemporary Studies. She has also made several documentary films for Doordarshan.Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents.If you live outside India, please use the substack platform (through Stripe). If you live in India, please write to contact@hinduparenting.org to get the QR code.General Information:For comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 38, we talk with Acharya Padmini Ravi, a journey in dance for over 5 decades. An exponent of the ancient craft of Bharatanatyam, a performer, speaker and teacher, she reveals a new dimension to dance.Why should children learn classical performing arts, especially a difficult dance form like Bharatanatyam? The skills they learn helps them be the best version of themselves, no matter what profession they choose in future.We also explore the journey of a dancer from the physical to the metaphysical. Bharatanatyam opens the door to an inner, mystical journey for the dancer, and helps them unlock a new dimension in their creative and spiritual journey.The processes children undergo with rigorous dance training help them connect with the self, adding a layer of poise and confidence to their personality.Acharya Padmini Ravi has trained over 500 students internationally, making her the perfect person to speak on the topic of Bharatanatyam and children. She's currently pursuing her PhD in “The Intangible Benefits of Dance” at Jain University, Bangalore. You can find more about her on her Facebook page and also at Padmini Ravi Dance Academy.General Information:For comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Shri Rishi Pal Chauhan, Founder and Principal of Jiva Public School talks about personalising education because every child is unique. Shri Chauhan elaborates on the ways in which Jiva School incorporates Bharatiya Hindu values like Dinacharya and Svadhyaya into the daily routine for children. It helps children to observe their actions and become self-aware.The body constitution and multiple intelligences of children vary widely. Jiva School helps analyse children and train them in the activities and paths that suits them. Please listen to the end of the podcast for a special message and a free offer to test your children using the Jiva method!You can find more about Jiva Public School here. General Information:For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

The Lohri episode features a conversation around stories and lived experiences from the Punjab area of India. One of our guests is Charu Uppal ji, media scholar and storyteller. You can find her articles at charuuppal.substack.com The word Lohri comes from Loh which means ‘flame'. As the name suggests, the Lohri tradition involves a bonfire symbolising energy, hope and renewal.Listen to the beautiful story of Dulla Bhattiwaala and the origin of Lohri. The story lives on in the form of a ballad singing tradition called Vaar. Listen to the original Punjabi song of Dulla Bhattiwala here. Here are the lyrics and the English translation of the song.You can find more songs related to Lohri here.Many beautiful traditions are slowly going out of fashion as we adopt a uniform Halloween-type culture these days. Watch the folk tradition of going from house to house singing songs and collecting treats. Our festival podcasts bring out the cultural unity of Bharat (India). Lohri as celebrated in Punjab has an amazing similarity with Bhogi celebrated in the Southern Telugu states, which we covered last year during Makara Sankranti.Listen to our Bhogi/Sankranti podcast from last year here. Please listen to the podcasts, watch the video links and involve your children in the celebrations so that we can keep our diverse festivals and traditions alive!Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents. If you live in India, please write to contact@hinduparenting.org to get the QR code. All others outside India can use the substack platform (through Stripe).General Information:For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and podcast suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our Substack and follow our social media handles:Twitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them. Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast, Shri Pankaj Saxena helps us understand the role of the family in the overall context of Hindu cosmology. He explains that the Hindu worldview is based on Kartavya Bodh, a sense of duties toward one another in the family and beyond. We explore how it is clashing with the rights narrative around us today.The family unit makes it easier for a Hindu to repay the Panch Rna-s and live a fulfilled life with psychological, spiritual, physical and intellectual comfort. Listen to an exposition on the pyramid of identities that a Hindu is part of. How do these identities help us with a larger goal and how do they balance human existence with nature and culture?For the family to be remain relevant in today's scenario, we need to step out of our idealistic bubble and take a realistic look at the problems within the family today. Once the situation is understood, we can attempt to explore the way forward.Pankaj Saxena is Co-Founder and Director, Cultural Research at Brhat. He is an author on Hindu temples, arts, literature, history and culture. His writing explains the beauty of Sanātana Dharma through stories about traditions, communities and culture. He has a deep interest in cultural anthropology, evolutionary biology and ecology, and has visited more than 1200 Hindu temples.Link to books of Shri Ram Swarup and Shri Sita Ram Goel, mentioned in the podcast. You can also find PDFs of these books online which can be downloaded.Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents. If you live in India, please write to contact@hinduparenting.org to get the QR code. All others outside India can use the substack platform (through Stripe).Contents of the podcast:0:00 - Introduction to the topic, Family0:54 - Introduction to speaker, Pankaj Saxena1:54 - Courses offered by Pankaj Saxena5:25 - Idea of Family in Hindu society (Grihasthashram)12:49 - Attacks on Traditional family structure today23:09 - Kartavyabodh in Sanatana Dharma, Duties vs Rights30:42 - Varnashrama Dharma39:13 - Convention vs Tradition45:08 - Understanding the Hindu Family structure52:03 – Dowry vs Sthreedhan55:43 - Closing Remarks58:07 - Authentic References for parents to learn59:56 - Message for Hindu Parents1:00:46 - Hindu Parenting Platform InfoGeneral Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them. Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In Episode 34, we look at rituals in Hinduism, in a conversation with Shri PVR Narasimha Rao. The English word ritual does not really capture the sense of sacred or meaningful action that is the core of Hinduism. What is the purpose of Sadhana? What place does it hold in Sanatana Dharma? What do the shastras say?We also touch on the “religious vs. spiritual” debate and understand the importance of both ritual and meditation. How do they help people in living a good life and finally, put them on the path to Moksha?Shri Rao expounds on the different types of sadhanas in Hinduism which are based on the five elements. How do they differ? Are pranayama and homa/havan the same in principle?This podcast will give you a deep understanding of Hinduism and the place of rituals (the better word is Sadhana!) Listen till the end for a special message on introducing rituals to children.Shri PVR Narasimha Rao has BTech from IIT Madra and a Masters from Rice University, USA. He is a senior manager at a US semiconductor company. He is a Jyotish researcher, author, teacher and created a popular free Jyotish software. He is also a Sanskrit scholar, philosopher and teaches homa and other ritiuals. You can find more about his work on teaching homa and other simple rituals at vedicastrolger.orgNote: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents. If you live in India, please write to contact@hinduparenting.org to get the QR code. All others outside India can use the substack platform (through Stripe).Contents of the podcast:0:00 - Introduction1:38 - Ritual, Karma, Sadhana, Meditation20:22 - Types of Sadhana32:48 - Fear of making a mistake38:14 - Is Adhikara necessary?43:05 - Learning how to perform Pooja/Havan45:37 - Personal Pooja Apparatus51:33 - Schedule/timing prescribed by Shastras55:47 - Following Rituals in both letter and spirit1:04:14 - Advice for parents1:10:34 - Do It Yourself Info from Speaker1:13:55 - Hindu Parenting Platform InfoGeneral Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them. Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

This episode features Shri Ramakrishna Kongalla, a researcher on temples and the Asst. Prof. at the Department of Travel and Tourism Management.Shri Kongalla brings his expertise in understanding temples to help us decode the beautiful stories that temples tell. What is the dhvajasthambam? Are there regional variations in temple styles? What do we need to know in order to decipher the sculpture on the temple walls? What is the order of things to do in a temple?We hope parents will use this conversation to help children understand and appreciate the profound yet simple meanings behind everything related to the Devasthanam i.e. the Hindu temple.Please listen till the end for a message especially meant for today's parents and children!Chapters in this episode:0:00 - Introduction1:01 - Is “Temple” the right word for Bharateeya Devalayas?4:14 - Where should a Devalaya be located?8:09 - Difference between Temple and Devalayam10:25 - What are the different components of a Devalaya?19:19 - Two styles of Construction22:36 - Types of Mandapas23:48 - Story of Dvaja Stambham (Highlight)30:16 - Meanings of Devalaya Carvings39:57 - KirtiMukha (Lion face) in Devalaya (Highlight)46:25 - Yali or Vyala representative of Purusharthas52:23 - What to do in Devalaya?1:04:13 - Message for Hindu Parents1:06:07 - Plan for another podcast with the speaker1:07:30 - Additional Info and Pictures are available1:08:00 - Hindu Parenting Platform InfoHere are some beautiful images shared by Shri Ramakrishna Kongalla to aid in the understanding of the concepts explained in this episode.Note: If you find our work valuable, please consider making a contribution. It will help us cover the costs of reaching many more Hindu parents through sponsorship of events and on social media. If you live in India, please reach out to contact@hinduparenting.org to get the QR code. All others outside India can use the substack platform (through Stripe) itself. General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingCopyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode on Hindu festivals, we converse with Monidipa Bose about Durga Puja as it is celebrated in Bengal. Monidipa Bose writes about history and heritage. She traces the history of Matrika worship and the rituals followed in Bengal.Listen to this podcast for everything you wanted to know about Durga Puja, including the different forms of the Devi worshipped each day, the colours associated with each deity, the traditions specific to Bengal and the great tradition of worshipping the Divine Feminine in Bharat.You can find more about Monidipa Bose here.General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we talk to the concept creators behind a global initiative called the International Bindi & Tilak Day, celebrated on October 15 every year. Listen to their story and vision.We need these rallying points to enthuse young people and build a mass movement.Every movement starts with a spark. Let this be the spark we need to reclaim and wear our Hindu identity with pride. Make Hindu culture cool and aspirational!The goals of the creators are to:Promote Hindu Unity through Bindi & TilakEncourage Hindus Worldwide to Sport Bindi & TilakMake Hindu Identity an Accepted NormLet's all stand behind this initiative to forge a strong and collective Hindu identity.Please encourage everyone to use the hashtag #InternationalBindiAndTilakDay to trend pictures of people, pets or loved things with bindi/tilak on social media.General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

This podcast is a conversation with Prof. Vamsee Juluri who teaches Media Studies at the University of San Francisco. We address the challenge of communicating with young people and children who are being told by everyone and everything around them that Hinduism is regressive, patriarchal and casteist.Prof. Juluri brings his vast experience in analysing media and the nature of modern communication to make us aware of the forces at play. He takes a recent example in the news to demonstrate the use of precise and effective communication rather than fall back thoughtlessly on dismissive phrases we hear on social media (buzzwords like leftist, woke, right-wing, Marxism etc). He explains to us how words are not just tools we use, but forces which end up using us, if we are not careful.Once we know what we are up against, what can we do? Can we learn communication skills? We must look to preserve intergenerational bonds, and be open to learning.For more on what we can do, listen to the full podcast in which Professor Juluri shares his unique insight into communication within families and the road ahead.General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingThreads: hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast, we talk to Abhinav Kadambi & Krishna Rajaganesan - Founders of a Bharatiya strength training startup - about the important but neglected area of physical fitness & strength training, from a Bharatiya POV. What's the relevance of physical strength & kshaatra for parents? Hear all about mugdar, gadaa (mace), kusti (wrestling). How is the Bharatiya method different from modern gymming? (It is holistic and develops the body, mind, emotions & spirit). There is a diet component and the whole system of training is personalised. There's also the common thread of the sacred running through all our art forms, making bala-sadhana also a part of self-transcendence eventually. How can you train? (Krishna & Abhinav will walk you through the steps, no matter what your age & profession). Workshops are available for specific groups like Bharatanatyam dancers too.Listen to this interesting conversation on how the fabled Hindu physical prowess is all but forgotten by its descendants today and what we can do to revive it. Please be sure to read about ancient Hindu warriors here.Please support these two young men and their startup by committing to train the Bharatiya way. You can help build a community by getting more people into akhadas. What can you do? Follow “MugdarMonk” and “abhinavk17” on Instagram. Gather a bunch of like-minded people and contact “MugdarMonk” for workshops in your location. Kindly spread the word and share this podcast with your friends and family. General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the most important festivals for Hindus and especially loved by children. In this podcast, we converse with Dr. Arathi V.B., Founder and Chairperson of Vibhu Academy. We cover a lot of topics, including the importance of the festival, how it is celebrated, what is the concept and meaning behind it.This podcast delves into the essence of Sanathana Dharma, the Agamas, Gowri-Ganesha habba as an amalgam of folk and agamic traditions, what is the difference between a vrata and an utsava, the history of sarvajanik Ganeshotsav celebrations and the way forward with respect to imparting knowledge of Hinduism and traditions to children.Dr. Arathi is a Samskrit scholar, an orator, writer, trainer and counsellor. Her contributions are well known in the fields of Academic research, Softskills Training, Mentoring, Samskrtam, Aesthetics, Indian classical arts & Indological subjects. She has more than 20 years of experience in all these domains and has handled hundreds of Softskills Training programmes and Courses on Samskrtam and Indology for Indian and foreign students. She is also a Lay counselor and a popular resource person with TV and Radio channels and print media. She has travelled within and outside the country as a Trainer and cultural ambassador.Please listen and share widely as a service to the Hindu community. Subscribe to us and follow us on the social media channel of your choice. Our handle everywhere is hinduparenting. Please reach out to us with your suggestions and let us help you in the important job of raising happy Hindu children.General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast, we talk with Shri R.B. Ramesh, internationally renowned chess coach and trainer of many successful youngsters like R. Praggnanandhaa. He is the founder of Chess Gurukul, a chess coaching academy.The Dronacharya Series is our humble tribute to the great gurus of our tradition. For young (and not-so-young) parents, the greatest learning comes from the teachers who motivate and inspire children to excel.How does Shri Ramesh train children to work hard & do their best, to deal with wins and losses, to face Grandmasters with intimidating reputations? Why is his training centre called Chess Gurukul? What can we learn from him?What is his message to parents and to the Bharatiya youth of today? Please listen to this podcast and share!General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Festivals and rituals are at the heart of Hinduism. The sheer number, colour, grandeur, meaningfulness, regional variations and wide variety in its festivals make Hinduism unique and exciting for young people. In this podcast, we have a fun conversation with Neha Srivastava, the founder of Shaktitva Foundation about the festival of Raksha Bandhan. We start with the details of when and how it is celebrated in the Uttar Pradesh tradition.Hear the story of its origins, and let your children learn to distinguish between real and fake stories. In today's world, all Hindu festivals are being interpreted using a Marxist or feminist lens. How does this apply to Raksha Bandhan? Listen as Neha Srivastava explains all the issues around it, and how the beauty of a Hindu festival is timeless, no matter how much academicians try to twist and distort it.Do you wish your children knew the actual history and story about Raksha Bandhan, so that they can fight back with facts?We recommend this podcast especially for parents with young daughters. Shaktitva Foundation has come out with a contemporary comic strip to explain Raksha Bandhan to the youth of today. Show this easy-to-read comic strip version of the facts surrounding Raksha Bandhan to your children. Listen to this podcast and share with young Hindus, whether they are parents or not!General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast, we focus on a young startup called Indic Bricks that aims to make our heritage cool while helping kids develop creative & 3D spatial skills; train kids in STEM & robotics while giving them confidence and rootedness.Just as our kids read western fantasy, they also play with western or Japanese toys & comics (think Marvel, Barbie, Manga, Pokémon etc). An interest in our heritage starts with the toy box. What if kids had Indian toys like blocks to build temples with or model yogasanas?Blocks are a great favourite with adults too! Imagine having a fun yoga pose on your desk at work! Indian-themed blocks also connect grandparents with kids (say while building a Ganesha & telling fun stories..)Please listen and share with all!Indic Bricks is offering a special discount on all products exclusively for the subscribers of Hindu Parenting on Substack.Please avail of the discount code HIPA10 valid till October 31st.The discount code is available only to subscribers of Hindu Parenting. So, all those who want to avail of the discount - if you are not yet subscribed to us, please do so at the earliest!Listen to the full podcast to find out about upcoming new blocks sets, especially a big limited-edition collector's item to be released during the opening of the Shri Ram temple in Ayodhya.To browse the store, visit Indic Bricks at indicbricks.comIndic Bricks products are also available on Amazon.General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

This is a special podcast for Hindu parents sending children for college to USA - what to expect, what to avoid, what support networks do students have?In this episode, we talk to Vijaya Viswanathan, co-author of the latest bestseller Snakes in the Ganga, and co-founder of Agastya Gurukulam, an initiative for imparting Bharatiya education.We converse about general dangers like vaping, alcohol, parties & also Hindu-specific ones like pressure to disown your parents & heritage.Should you send children abroad for undergrad or masters programs? Should they take courses on India, Hinduism, South Asia, Indology?Are liberal arts courses worth it? Does choosing a STEM major insulate your child from social justice activism?What are the three important things parents can do to prepare their children before they go abroad?We discuss a wide range of issues from meals plans and food to mental health and..what's the real purpose of education?To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Subscribe to our podcasts for topics, viewpoints and insights that you won't find elsewhere...and then take an informed decision to do what's best for you and your child!General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we address the issue of conversion. We talk to Sruthi about her experiences, the questions she had that her parents couldn't answer, her story of conversion and how she came back to Hinduism in just two and a half hours of logical conversation with Acharya ji of Aarsha Vidya Samajam.The movie The Kerala Story is based on the accounts of many girls like Sruthi. Hindu parents need to listen carefully and learn from these stories, because it is both our right and our duty to raise our children to carry on the Sanatana Parampara.Hear Sruthi's message for young people and the state of Hindu Samaj today. Sruthi's story is also found in the book The Story of A Reversion. This podcast is mainly in MALAYALAM, hence we have a video with ENGLISH subtitles that non-Malayalam speakers can watch.General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this podcast we converse with Dr. Rajat Mitra, internationally renowned Professor and Clinical Pyschologist on the trans-generational trauma faced by Hindus.We explore many issues relating to the collective Hindu psyche, the silence and the lack of empathy with other Hindus. Other survivors of genocides have historically had the same trauma response and the way to set our next generation free from these mental shackles is by owning the past, acknowledging the trauma and moving on into joyous healing.We owe it to our descendants to pass on the glorious tradition of science, learning, knowledge, memory and feeling that is the hallmark of the Hindu civilisation.Listen to a fascinating conversation that will set our children free!Please look up Dr. Rajat Mitra's website to find out about his illustrious career. He has worked with the grief and trauma of people across many countries, giving him an unparalleled perspective into the issue. He is the author of the much-acclaimed work of fiction The Infidel Next Door, recommended reading for parents and children.General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingThe opinions expressed by guests on The Hindu Parenting Podcast are their personal opinions and Hindu Parenting does not assume any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, completeness, suitability or validity of anything shared on our platform by them.Copyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, Gaurav Tiwari, Founder of Sutradhar, shares his great insights on our culture, festivals and the role of storytelling in raising children today. He has designed a range of products and videos for young children and families, some of which are puzzles, board games and different kinds of videos, also available as an app.Gaurav Tiwari, a mechanical engineer from IIT Bombay, quit his career of 16 years in the financial services industry to follow his passion: to help build a better world by imparting Indian cultural values to our next generation through stories from our ancient history.Learn more at mysutradhar.com and the board game at playranbhoomi.comYou can download the app here.Here is a list of all YouTube channels of Sutradhar:मराठी https://youtube.com/@SutradharMarathiEnglish https://youtube.com/@SutradharEnglishओड़िया https://youtube.com/@SutradharOdiaहिन्दी https://youtube.com/@MySutradharKids https://youtube.com/@SutradharKidsSutradhar Podcasts :Sutradhar Mini Tales (हिन्दी) https://shorturl.at/gknNOSutradhar Mini Tales (English) https://shorturl.at/bdmJ1Panchtantra (मराठी) https://shorturl.at/nvACZPanchtantra (English) https://shorturl.at/fit48Panchtantra (हिन्दी) https://shorturl.at/CGU19Mahabharat https://shorturl.at/aCDZ2Ranbhoomi https://shorturl.at/bhtBIItihas Puran ki kathaen https://shorturl.at/bzK37Itihas Puran ki kathaen (Marathi) https://shorturl.at/AKLXZMySutradhar https://shorturl.at/wFIW5Ramayan se pehle https://shorturl.at/ikmzIKahi-Suni https://shorturl.at/vINW5Bheeshm Neeti https://shorturl.at/tuxW3Shri Ram Katha https://shorturl.at/huHVYNala-Damayanti (हिन्दी) https://shorturl.at/fhpFONala-Damayanti (English) https://shorturl.at/fuSUXFollow Sutradhar at:1. Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/mysutradhar2. Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/mysutradhar3. Twitter : https://www.twitter.com/mysutradharGeneral Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparenting Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Listen to Part 2 of our Podcast with bestselling author Ranjith Radhakrishnan, author of “Rama of the Axe”, a novel based on Parashurama, the 6th avatara of Mahavishnu.This set of two podcasts contains deep discussions on essential concepts of Hindu dharma and reclaiming our ways of seeing, rather than using a Western lens.We continue the conversation from Part 1 on the need for kshaatra in the service of dharma. Hear a powerful excerpt read out by the author as he gives us a glimpse into his thought process.We also talk about the Divine Feminine as Shakti being an essential part of Hindu worship, unlike in Abrahamic religions and finally, Ranjith ji gives his advice to aspiring authors who want to write novels/stories based on our itihasas and puranas.Ranjith Radhakrishnan is a Bengaluru based entrepreneur. He is an ex-actor, assistant director, script assistant, toll manager, and pretty much ex everything else. He is father to a brat and husband to a wife who loves dogs, cats, cows, elephants, her husband and other animals, strictly in that order. He loves grandmother's tales and stories from our Puranas and Itihasas. He is a proud pagan and ardent idol-worshipper. He drinks a lot of tea as every right-thinking person should.Published works:Debut Novel: Rama of the AxeShort Story: Shakuni - The Dice of Death, in the anthology Unsung Valour - Forgotten Warriors of the Kurukshetra War.Poem: Tushara Svayamvara, in the anthology Arya - Vedic women of Substance.Website: ranjithradhakrishnan.comTwitter: ranjith_rFacebook: ranjith.radhakrishnanInstagram: ranjithrdhkrshnYou can get your copy of “Rama of the Axe” from any of the booksellers below:Padhega India (40% discount on MRP, Indic bookseller, prompt and friendly service)AmazonFlipkartGeneral Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparenting Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

Listen to Part 1 of our Podcast with bestselling author Ranjith Radhakrishnan. Why is this book a game-changer in its genre? Hear about lesser known facets of Hindu dharma through the 6th Avatara, Parashurama; the axe as a weapon of choice (not the more common bow or mace); the role of kshaatra; the inspiration behind the author's handling of these themes, and more.Ranjith Radhakrishnan is a Bengaluru based entrepreneur. He is an ex-actor, assistant director, script assistant, toll manager, and pretty much ex everything else. He is father to a brat and husband to a wife who loves dogs, cats, cows, elephants, her husband and other animals, strictly in that order. He loves grandmother's tales and stories from our Puranas and Itihasas. He is a proud pagan and ardent idol-worshipper. He drinks a lot of tea as every right-thinking person should.Published works:Debut Novel: Rama of the AxeShort Story: Shakuni - The Dice of Death, in the anthology Unsung Valour - Forgotten Warriors of the Kurukshetra War.Poem: Tushara Svayamvara, in the anthology Arya - Vedic women of Substance.website: ranjithradhakrishnan.comTwitter: ranjith_rFacebook: ranjith.radhakrishnanInstagram: ranjithrdhkrshnGrab your copies from any of the places below:Padhega India: https://rzp.io/l/RamaOftheAxe (40% discount on MRP. Hindu Parenting endorses Padhega India for their extremely prompt and friendly service!)Amazon:http://amzn.eu/d/bzD1W09Flipkart: https://shorturl.at/qruDQ General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparenting Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

The final episode of our series on Mental Health is a summary of the many issues and multiple perspectives that we discussed in the previous episodes. We identify the main problems faced by children, teenagers and young adults. We also discuss ways to deal with the Mental Health crisis and raise happy, healthy children who will be able to lead meaningful lives and become balanced, productive adults.We encourage to you to listen to all the previous episodes in this podcast series to get a full perspective on the magnitude of the problem, what part the media plays, how it affects Hindu children, and what we can do about it. An informed parent is an empowered parent.The previous episodes in the Mental Health Series:Mental Health Series - 1 (The World of Teenagers)Mental Health Series - 2 (From the Teens to the 20s)Mental Health Series - 3 (Subliminal Messaging and pre-Teens)Mental Health Series - 4 (Perspectives from a Mental Health Professional)Mental Health Series - 5 (Indic Perspective on Mental Health)General Information:Subscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparenting Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In Part 5 of the Mental Health Series, we chat with Dr Mala Kapadia, an expert on Indic psychology about perspectives on mental health from within the Hindu tradition.Dr Mala Kapadia, Ph.D. is Director, Anandi Transdisciplinary Research Initiatives, Palani, Coimbatore. She is Principal Investigator in a research project under IKS, MoE, Government of India. The project encompasses creating a framework and Index of Wellbeing and Happiness, based on Hitayu and Sukhayu constructs from Ayurveda. She has designed curriculums based on the same for higher education.Dr. Mala Kapadia's academic journey is through Psychology, Literature, Human Resources, Yoga, Ayurveda, Film and Video Production. She was an adjunct professor at S.P. Jain School of Global Management at Dubai, Singapore, Sydney and Mumbai campuses from 2005 to 2020. Her career has been through research, education, journalism, HR and consulting. Dr. Mala's area of research is Indic wisdom for the betterment of humanity. Her strength is integrating wisdom of India with modern theories and research in the fields of Wellness & Well-being, Emotional Intelligence, Positive psychology, Leadership and Feminine Energy. Education psychology through Ayurveda and Yoga is an integral research area and one of the focus areas of her current work along with creating Indic frameworks and course curriculums for integration into mainstream courses.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparenting Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

For Part 4 of the Mental Health Series, we interview a leading national child and teen psychiatrist who clears many misconceptions about seeking professional help for children. Please see below for more about Dr. Raghavendra. Dr. Raghavendra Kumar K.MBBS, MD Psychiatry, DM Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (NIMHANS) Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (NIMHANS)Diploma in Psychiatry (NIMHANS)Post Graduate Diploma in Child rights Law (National Law School of India University)He has a vast and multi-dimensional experience of more than 13 years in treating Child & Adolescent Psychiatric conditions, all acquired at prestigious institutes of India.He has been the first rank holder for the national level entrance exams in NIMHANS.He is the first child psychiatrist in India to become a qualified child rights advocate after finishing his course in Child Rights Law (PGDCRL).He is one of the very few Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists in the nation, who is skilled in both pharmacological as well as psychological therapies.He is a visiting Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist at Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH) one of the most prestigious and a tertiary care paediatric hospitals in India.He is currently pursuing his Course in Developmental Neurology from Trivandrum Medical College. He will be the first Child Psychiatrist to become a qualified developmental neurologist upon completing it.He is the director of Mana Mandira Healthcare, Bengaluru; one of its kind child mental health start-up in India.He has been a guest speaker at several conferences. He has been a resource person for several parenting workshops at national as well as international level. He has been invited twice as a panelist to the workshops pertaining to child mental health by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Govt of India.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingCopyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In part 3 of the Mental Health Series, we address the important issue of subliminal messaging directed at young children, in a conversation with Subhodeep ji, who is. a civilisational studies researcher and also the father of a 10-year old.For more about his work in civilisational and media studies, please check https://www.subhodeepmukhopadhyay.comGeneral InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingCopyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

We often hear the term “Mental Health” from young people today. So what is this mental health crisis that everyone seems to be talking about? How relevant is it to Hindu parents and what can we do about it?In the second episode of this new series, we talk to two adults in their twenties to get a peek into their world. Are their concerns different from the young teens? What's it like to be in your 20s today? Can we reframe mental health as mental fitness?General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingKoo: hinduparentingCopyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

We often hear the term “Mental Health” from young people today. So what is this mental health crisis that everyone seems to be talking about? How relevant is it to Hindu parents and what can we do about it?In the first episode of this new series, we converse with young teenagers to get a peek into their world. What pressures do they encounter in schools? What are the issues that they face daily? What are their concerns?General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingCopyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

From time to time, we will feature start-ups in the Dharmik Ecosystem with products and services for Hindu parents and children. In this episode, we converse with the young Founders of The Vedic Pond, Sri Hari and Namrata.Listen to Namrata and Sri Hari talk about their journey, what they bring to the Dharmik space, and the increasing demand for cultural entrepreneurship in the area of IKS (Indic Knowledge Systems). Do feel free to explore their website and reach out to them.https://www.thevedicpond.com/The Vedic Pond is a Cultural-Spiritual Learning Platform for re-awakening theINFINITE Potential in the Young Generation, grounded in the Vedic world-viewIt seeks to be the facilitator of the inner unfolding for young minds - much like a Temple Pond, which is a nourishing space for the Lotus Flower to bloom.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingCopyright belongs to Hindu Parenting. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we continue the conversation around stories from Hindu epics, the itihasas (Ramayana and Mahabharata). Bharathi ji, avid storyteller and writer specialising in Mahabharata, helps us access the original texts and bust many myths. We also discuss the danger of assuming versions from outside the tradition to be accurate and true.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingCopyright belongs to Hinduparenting.In this episode, we have talked to Bharathi ji who is really deep into the study of Mahabharata. Do check out her post on substack here, where she has chronicled the myth busting that she did of Ekalavya who we have all learnt is a tragic hero who had to give his thumb as guru dakshina to Dronacharya. Find out the truth of Ekalavya both of rom our podcast as well as Bharathi's substack post. Do subscribe to her substack too and follow her on twitter @MyMBJourney Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we converse with Bharathi ji, a mother and a professional writer and storyteller. We explore the topic of “Why tell Stories” taking many examples of stories within stories in our Itihasas and Puranas. Come, listen to a fascinating discussion and some great stories!General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/hinduparentingFacebook group: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingCopyright belongs to Hinduparenting.Transcript in Progress… Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

We were having so much fun with Neha, that we recorded a 3rd part to our Holi episode, that too in Hindi! To give an authentic experience of the festival, our guest Neha who is the founder of Shaktitva.org, plays Malini Awasthi ji's Phagwa song and helps us understand the lyrics therein which embody the true spirit of Holi!To illustrate the whole point of Holi, Neha chose the following song in Awadhi of Malini Awasthi ji. General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/groups/hinduparenting Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In the 2nd part of our Holi episode, we talk about the colours, issues, the images and the misconceptions with our guest Neha who is the founder of Shaktitva.org.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingTranscriptRekha: Namaste! Welcome to the Hindu Parenting Podcast, Part 2 of the Holi Episode. Please join us as we continue the fascinating discussion about the Festival of Holi with some more stories from Neha ji, founder of Shaktitva and a Devi Upasaka.Neha: So, just to complete the story, eventually when all of these attempts to, you know, to kill Prahlad fail, and Hiranyakashipu decides to take the matters into his own hands and he finds this unarmed child. In a fit of rage, he tries to strike a sword with. So, he, you know, the child ducks and the sword hits a pillar. And from that pillar, Narsimha Avatar appears. And now Narsimha Avatar is the half-man, half-animal. So, it's not either, the boon was either animal or man. But this avatar is half-man, half-animal. And this is the most, you know, interesting element of the story.So, this Narsimha Avatar, Sri Vishnu takes him to the, at the, what we call dehleez , like the corner of the house. Yeah, the threshold of the house, exactly. He stands on the threshold of the house, takes this demon, puts him on his thigh, so that he's not on the ground or on the sky. He's on Sri Vishnu's thigh. And then he claws his heart out with his claws. So, it's not a known weapon. Yeah. And he does this at exactly a dusk when it is neither morning, day or night. Shalini: Sandhyakaal!Neha: Yeah, sandhyakaal, like the mixing when it's neither day nor night. So, he finds that exact combination that will defeat that very ingenious boon. And that's how, you know, Hiranyakashipu is defeated. Finally, Prahlad gets to witness his Ishta in the raw form, and he is blessed. And then Prahlad takes over the throne and continues the lineage of Sage Kashyap going forward. So, that Holika moment. Shalini: You said the story so beautifully.Neha: Awww! Thank you!Rekha: Nehaji, I love the part where the puzzle gets solved. I can see how kids can get absolutely fascinated by this, you know, if parents can just tell their kids, you give this puzzle; even if your kid doesn't know the story but tries to solve this puzzle.“Neither during the day nor night”. I mean, it's just too beautiful.Neha: It's ingenious. Yeah, absolutely. And see, the moral of the story is right, like you can, first of all, like I always wonder these people, they put hundreds of years of sadhana or many lifetimes of sadhana to get a boon from their Ishta, right? Like imagine, you're sitting in extreme penance, like Ravana's penance and then Hiranyakashipu's penance is not ordinary. This is like almost hundreds of years of extreme penance, even thousands of years by some accounts. They sit and you ask for such a stupid thing. I mean, your Ishta is standing in front of you deviate and you ask that you should not be killed. Why is that? I think that shows the nature of who we call demon is not by birth or lineage, you know, these are Kashyap rishi's sons, like these are the most exalted lineage you can find in all of Bharat Varsha. And that is evident because they have the capability to do this penance for eons. This is not ordinary feat in itself and the lineage is definitely blessed. So it's not by birth or by previous or whatever is the other ways of people understanding it. It's not about descent, it's not about race, it's not about caste, it's not about all of these things. It's about what you do with your abilities, right? What are your desires? Shalini:Yeah, absolutely. That is true.Neha: Yeah, as a Devi upasaka, when Ma comes to me and I ask something so stupid, I think like, you know, I should be banned from sadhana… do that if somebody does things like this. But you know, devatas are when they're happy, they're happy, they will give you what they want as long as it's within - as long as it doesn't defy the laws of nature. And so you can find several stories where Brahma is giving boons or Ma is giving boons or you know, Shiva is giving boons and these, depending on who is getting the boons, people do different things.Rekha: I'd like to bring up one point here. You live in the US. And I know that about three years ago, just pre-COVID, there was this thing in US universities about Holi against Hindutva, where Holika was painted as a Dalit woman. And you know, many people tried to spread this rumor in colleges that there's something very bad going on when Holika is burnt because she is an oppressed woman and she's a Dalit. And so I know that a lot of Indian children got swayed by this. I'd like you to weigh in on this because..Neha: yeah, absolutely. So actually, with the exact incident you're talking about, led me to write a two-part article on Holi on Shaktitva blog. The part where I explain what Holi is and the many colors of Holi is one article. And then there is a second article called “Let the Subaltern Speak”, in which I kind of explore exactly this point. So first of all, like logically speaking, you know, a lot of these claims are absurd to the point of ignorance. Like they, they rely on the fact that a lot of people don't know about these stories and the legends or all the meanings behind what we do as a culture. And that's part of colonialism, you know, just detaching us from our roots is definitely part of the colonial projects.So that now that, you know, the urban audience has already detached very few know the story of Holika or why we do this, you can twist the argument in your favor.So there are two main articles that led to this Equality Labs protest that were challenged by it. So basically this Equality Labs organization cited two main articles in their write up for Holi against Hindutva. One of them was from Pradnya Waghule, which said ‘Reading caste in Holi- the burning of Holika, a Bahujan woman'. And the second one is the Equality Labs, its own article, ‘why do we say no to Holi' In both of them, you know, I am not going to critique the whole blog, because it's ridiculous. But you can see a very clear indication that this is nothing but Hinduphobia. So Waghule herself says that she's only only ever lived in cities all her life. Right. So the what I'm trying the reason I'm trying to highlight that is because she has no in-first person knowledge of these traditions. Right. Whereas, you know, most of our families are just two generations ago, we were living in villages. So that's number one. Now this reading of Bahujan woman of Holika - Holika's existence comes from this story that I told you about. She is Hiranyakashipu's sister. Hiranya Kashyapu and Hiranyaksha are very clearly Kashyap Rishi's sons. So Kashyap Rishi is like, you know, one of the Saptarishis. So obviously he's the ultra ultra Brahmin, not even ordinary normal Shukla chukla or, you know, Pandya Brahmin is the ultra Brahmin, like he has an entire Gotra named after him.And he these are the first one, not first one, but he is like, yeah, these two are sons from Kashyap Rishi. So by caste, essentially, because it's a paternalistic tradition, it happens, they have become Brahmin. And so Holika is a sister. So that means she's a Brahmin woman, you know, by legend, which is where she's mentioned. Now, what the reality is, these people when they're mentioning these instances of Holika being worshipped in tribal areas, they are confusing Holika and Holi Mata. Now, Holi Mata is indeed worshipped in many parts of the country in many, many tribal traditions, including my hometown. Now, Holi Mata has nothing to do with Holika.What happens is many of us, many of our tribes are traditionally like the Kula Devi is a Devi, right? The Kula devatha is a Devi. And so usually anything auspicious, Devi has to be worshipped. So when you do that, and usually what the tradition goes that in specific instances, for example, if you're doing the Gauri Pooja, a specific form of Ma is being worshipped, that's why it's called Gauri Pooja. So in the same way, during Holi Mata, a specific form of Ma is being worshipped and a specific type of worship is being done, that ritual only happens around Holi. And that includes your offering, the same colors are offered, new clothes are offered, when the dahan is done, that bonfire is done, a part of that bonfire, ashes are brought to the Mata and so on. So like in the Prasad, this Naivedyam is first created. So that's why we make gujiya after the dahan, and then gujiya is first offered to the god. So if we were in the villages, we would offer it to the Kula Devi. And then eventually it will be distributed. So for that particular purpose, a Murti or a makeshift clay idol is created. And all of the village will gather around and offer the blessings over there, like they'll put the offerings in that on the clay idol.So that is that clay idol is called Holi Mata. So now confusing Holimata with Holika is silly because the same people also do the bonfire. So why would they do the bonfire if they were worshipping Holika later? Then why would you celebrate her death? Just two minutes before! They are not related. Now in other parts of India, you can actually see that Holimata, that makeshift idol, is also taken on a Yatra like Ganesh Chaturthi. So they also, the Visarjan happens and so on, like the same process, which is typical for us, like whenever we have a makeshift idol like in Ganesh Chaturthi or in Durga Puja, once the process is completed, it is done - Visarjan into some form of water body. So that also happens. So those processions will chant Holi Mata Ki Jai or something like that. And that's what these urbanites who actually want to speak for the subaltern without getting to know them, without getting to live their lives or understanding their tradition and faith systems, this is how they confuse people. So in this imagination, because she is the goddess of the tribal people, she becomes a tribal deity because they've already confused it and they're not familiar with these ideas of how Holi Mata is constructed, like on a makeshift thing and all of those nuances are not known. And so they will do this confusion and then they will suddenly Holika, the daughter of Kashyap rishi becomes the Dalit woman all of a sudden. And now nobody from the Bahujan parts of India is coming to read this English language article meant to be circulated in USA to correct it, right? Nobody's going to do that. And so and the rest of you are saying we hardly know anything about why things are happening. So we are not also correcting it. So that's how you get to circulate these, you know, false narratives. And it was actually very offensive, because targeting Holi like that. And here is the thing, you know, if you are, let's say, even if I were to imagine this concept of Brahminical Hinduism versus non-Brahminical, Brahminical tribal Hinduism, Holi is the least Brahminical of all, you know, celebrations of Hindus. Like, you know, if you see the typical hallmarks of what is what, how these people define Brahminism is - at least a Brahmin needs to be present, no? Usually all some festivals you require a priest to come and do some puja, but Holi requires the presence of no priest. Right. As I mentioned, in fact, it's a challenging of social norms and mores.Then the tradition inquires, like it requires no particular, like you usually offer it to your own gods, your own deities and a Kula Devi. But it does not require any elaborate temple visit or anything like that. Right. So how, why would, you know, if this were to be confused, check, if we were to put it in these two arbitrary criteria of Brahminical versus non-Brahminical, this is very fundamentally indigenous tribal and adivasi in origins. Right. So, so the entire basis of attacking an indigenous authentic tribal festival, which is like, in fact, one of the biggest festival for many tribes in India as a, you know, fascist thing and trying to disparage it this way and especially targeting American universities is insidious to say the least.Now, are we saying that Vedic traditions are not uninhibited? They are not, you know, connected to Mata or they are not connected to Kula Devi? No, it's a beautiful spectrum. Right.How, what happens now in a traditional, let's say, let's find a simple example in a traditional homa. Right. If you're doing Rudrabhishekam in your home and you are the Yajman and pundits have come and they're conducting it for you. What happens? Right. The starting is you'll do the cleaning of your hands. You'll remember Sri Vishnu for that. Right. Then you will start by remembering your Guru, your ancestors, your Kula Devi and Sri Ganesha. Right. Not, I messed up the order, but basically this is the, like, start with Sri Ganesha, then your Kula Devi, then your ancestors, your Guru. This is the beginning of every homa, every puja, everywhere.Right. Now, if you had, if you were in living in a place where you had access to your Kula Devi's murti, maybe you put it in your temple or maybe you are living in a place where your Kula Devi temple is nearby and that's where you're conducting it. When you are remembering them, it will involve an offering to them immediately. And this will be guided to you by the priest himself. Right. So he's not, there is no distinction between vedic gods and these gods, right.It's a beautiful spectrum. One cannot exist without the other. So the, now, whether you're reading it from the Shastras or the Puranas or you're telling folk stories, it does not matter. Right. That's just the ritual or how should I say levels of ritualism. If you were to do it at your home by yourself, you probably don't know all the Sanskrit verses. So you do it in your mind. Right. You remember the deity and you have, maybe you have a mantra or maybe you don't have a mantra. Maybe you have a Chalisa. For example, in North India, we have these avadhi verses, which serve as the mantras. So Chalisa is our collection of 40 verses or you have sometimes, you know, these, these arathis, for example, these songs that we have constructed for the singing the legends of our gods, Om Jai Jagdish hare being the most prominent one. So we have all of these different levels and ways of worship. Now, some people do it in a very elaborate way where sometimes you need a priest because it's actually too elaborate and it's not possible for some unless somebody is trained in that ritual for tens of years, which is what often priests do. It's hard for a normal householder to start doing it without training. And also it's not recommended to do it without training either. So depending on the level you're doing, for example, in Shivaratri that just passed, most people will do it in their homes. Right. If they have a lingam at home, they will do a simple Abhishekam at home. If they have, if they're going to a temple, then they'll, you know, put money for a Rudrabhishekam for the temple priests to conduct it. Or sometimes people will arrange for a priest to come and do a homa at their home. It's different levels of the same festival. All of them are valid. All of them are common.Rekha: So Neha Ji, you brought up this very, very important point of two traditions coexisting harmoniously. The universal story, the Pauranic story of Holika dahan, the Hiranyakashipu story, and also the Holi Mata Kuladevi local traditions, which are typically known as the Desi and the Margi traditions within Sanatana Dharma. So the interesting thing is that there is really no conflict. And this thing happens over and over again in our tradition, right, with the festivals, with customs, dance, music, and so many things. And I'd like to say here that I think this is not a bug, but a feature of Sanatana Dharma. Any thoughts on this?Neha: Thank you for that software engineering reference. And you're absolutely right. No, so exactly right. So I think, you know, sometimes I find myself browsing through an article that some colonial, you know, neo-colonial Indologist wrote, and they seem so confused, right? If you read the research papers that get published in Indology journals, they are just, you know, it's like it's impossible for them to parse the continuity of this tradition. So sometimes they will be looking at, you know, let's say they'll go to a rural Kuladevi Mandir, right? And they'll see, let's take for an extreme example, let's say they'll see a Bali ritual, right? And then a few, even in Tamil Nadu, let's just take the example of Tamil Nadu. If you go to the rural villages, there are still like some Kuladevi Kuladevata temples where Bali happens, you know, now with the colonial government banning it and then our modern government continuing colonial traditions, you know, officially it's banned, but still happens. Then you cross- Shalini: I think there is a temple in Kerala also, no? The Muthappan temple. Neha: Not just one, not just one temple. Shalini: Yeah, many, many temples.Neha: A lot of places where you have to secretly do this because, you know, our own government has turned against our traditions or, you know, some places where it's relatively open, but it happens. And then you cross a few kilometers and you come to the heart of, you know, say Chennai and you go to a Vaishnava temple or a Shaiva temple, like, you know, Iyengar temple or an Iyer temple and you're suddenly like, this is like very organized, you know, we have a lot of learned gurus who have given like volumes and volumes of very detailed documentary, like documented evidence of everything that they found. And, you know, somehow for these people who come from the West, it looks like these two traditions cannot coexist each other with each other. And the reason they think that is because they're bound with this Christian mentality, where paganism, which was a pre-Christian tradition of their lands, was considered or labeled as backward and, you know, not civilized by the Christians who came to dominate the space later on. So they see, you know, nature worship as uncouth, uncivilized or, you know, the thing that uneducated people do. And this has also been indoctrinated to us in our education, right? Because our education is also colonial. So every time like you have, I'm sure you have read somewhere that, you know, even in our own books that the people, ancient people worshiped Sun because they did not understand its power, right? And so the idea is that the only reason you worship something is because you don't understand it. And so it becomes a myth. And so therefore science becomes a way to dispelling that myth. And, you know, Christianity brought us to the light. And so the old gods lost the power. This is all very, very standard European Christian commentary. This is how they understand their own past. And their present, which is Christian and then eventually post-Christian. So now they use that same..Shalini: So they project that on our system.Neha: Exactly, exactly. So they project that on our system. Because for them, when they look at, say, Kanchi matham, right, it looks very organized. It looks a little bit centralized. The priests over there are learned. They talk in, you know, high philosophy. And so on, and they can, you know, hold themselves up to any debate. They are, you know, they're experts in science, math, whatever you want them to be. And so this is like, you know, high philosophy is revered, revered as, exalted culture, more civil. And so they see reflections of their Orthodox church in this. And then they look, few villages down, they look at the common villager, who is, you know, just showing pure Bhakti to the Devi. He is also following Tantra. Here is the thing, right, even these temples, the Kula Devi temples are also established as per Agama Tantra. So these, these are still very much rituals that have been told to us, passed down generations of generations through sadhakas, through practical, practical knowledge, right? But because in, in these, to these external observers, it does not appear connected, you know, because unless you are completely disconnected and you're doing some high-falutin philosophy, you're not like, you know, learned enough. So you have to talk in abstract. Suddenly, when you translate that to actual rituals, it becomes old and childish and, and, you know, superstitious and what not. So this dichotomy from their own society, they project on ours. And that's exactly what happens when they look at these traditions.So when they look at the grama traditions, and here is the thing, Dharma clearly says there are many, many acharams, right? There is Vedachar and there is Lokachar, right? And there is not, it is not like a hierarchy. It is not like Vedachar is better than Lokachar. Both are absolutely important. And it is the context that defines which, you know, acharam has to be used and in which circumstance. And so this is, you know, these, all of these interconnectedness is only understood, a lot of this, like even you and I, a lot of us understand this implicitly because we've grown up in this tradition. And, you know, one basic requirement of Indology is that if you've grown up in the tradition, then you're not qualified to speak on it. Because that's the, again, the colonial lens, right? Like, if you're a brown person, you can't possibly be objective in to look at your tradition correctly. Of course, white people can look at white, white culture correctly, but brown people, you know, we have some racial defect. And that's why we can never be objective about our culture unless we prove it to them by proving our atheism first.So all of this, you know, this is a very clever structure created so that their lens remains dominant. So even when a brown person enters these, you know, these academic institutions, you have to prove that your way of thinking has been whitened enough. And that is why they are completely unable to understand these traditions and the beauty of this, this continuity of this tradition, right? Like tantra, whether it's Agama Tantra or Dakshinacharya Tantra or whatever kind of Tantra is learned knowledge. It's practical learned knowledge, like some, you know, great upasaka did years and years and decades of sadhana, found like a point where equally in fact, it is said that there are many Tantric upasakas who have reached a stage where they can access their past lives upasana also. So all of the things that they learned in their past lives, they can collect, remember all of those memories, right? And then they have a bigger picture. And then they try to bring that bigger picture and they try to give you the rules of how to do that for yourself, right? Like they can't just disseminate the secret, you won't understand. So you have to kind of just, they can only show you a path that doing these things in this particular order through this method will lead you somewhere where you can see the truth for yourself.That's Tantra, right? So that's the marg, that's the path that has been given to you. Now it may or may not, Tantra basically distills all of this down to a process. Whereas the Vedanta and other Darshanas, they are more focused on the philosophical end goal. So there is a little bit more philosophy associated with these other paths and less with Tantra, but that does not make these local understanding that we have learned over and built up over generations and generations less valuable, right? And that is exactly how every Indigenous culture has it, right? There is a reason why North American Indigenous people and even Africans, they had so much importance to the elders, right? To the ancient ones, the wisdom of the elders.Why was it valued? It wasn't just a quality of age, that wisdom followed from generation to generation. It was imparted by the ancestors to their future generations when the people felt ready.Rekha: Now this dichotomy, maybe you can analyze the visuals of Holi using this dichotomy too, right? Because Holi being so colorful and so visually appealing, I do know that a lot of photographers converge on Vrindavan just to take photographs of this spectacle and then publish it across the world. But I think a lot of this dichotomy comes into play there also and it has been commercialized quite a bit is what I hear. Neha: Oh absolutely. So you know, the dominant image in the mind of the West is when you are civilized, when you are wise, you are not, you behave a certain way, right? Like, you know, how British were, you were all stuck up and then you know, you behave like you have to act proper and whatever. And so if you're not doing that, right? If you're literally just having fun, that's lack of civilization, right? Lack of civility. And we've learned that even in our minds, we have at some point integrated that.So if somebody is behaving like they're just very, you know, acting very demure and very, you know, quiet and not letting their emotions out, all of that is a mark of manners or civility. And every time you let your hair down and like if you're angry, you're yelling, if you're, you know, happy, you're laughing boldly, all of that is, is, you know, lack of, you know, decorum. So we've learned those behaviors. Rekha: Nehaji, we often see pictures from Mathura and Vrindavan for Holi. Yeah. So is this like the center where it all started and what kind of celebrations are usually done in these places? Neha: Oh, actually, I mean, I don't know if it started there, but it's definitely a very important focal point of the Holi traditions in North India. And the part of the reason is because all of when you, when you listen to Shri Krishna's Rasleela stories, Holi actually plays a very interesting part there. In fact, it comes, the reference comes from his Balakanda to the time he is doing the Rasleela. Yeah. So in fact, because Krishna's birthplace and place where he grew up, are so central to the areas around Mathura, so Mathura, Vrindavan and NandGaon and all of these, they are very, you know, they celebrate the Krishna connection also during those Holi celebrations. So, in fact, when Vrindavan Holi is so very, very famous, in fact, if you just Google it as a most, you know, the most of the Westerners are fascinated by this particular Holi celebration. And I even know of people who try to visit Mathura specifically just to witness the Holi. And so it's actually fairly elaborate. And one of the, this is actually worth mentioning, Vrindavan's Holi lasts for seven days. And just the color playing part. So like the playing part lasts seven days. Everywhere else, we have one day of Holika Dahan, which is the bonfire ritual, and the next day is the playing colors part. But Vrindavan, the thing goes on for a week. And the first Holi in that day is called Laatmaar Holi, right, and translates to being beaten by a stick Holi. And there is, there is actually a legend behind it. So what happened is, it's part of Rasleela stories of Sri Krishna. So Sri Krishna, who hailed it from Nandgaon, he was visiting Radha in Barsana, which is where she used to live. So he was visiting her. Radha and her friends in Barsana on Holi. And he teased Radha and the other gopis so much, right, that they got really annoyed and they started hitting him, him and his friends with a stick and they chased him out of the city. So it's part of the whole like the Rasleela, the play, and he used to be like a notorious prankster, right. So you would run away with the clothes and whatnot. So he was here teasing them and playing pranks on them a lot. And so they got very annoyed. And so they chased him out of the city. So in sync with that legend, now men from Nandgaon will visit Barsana every year, you know, being acting like their Krishna story. And then the Barsana women will basically beat them up with lathis.Shalini: It happens to this day? It happens to this day?Neha: Exactly. So in fact, now this tradition has spread outside Barsana also, in many places they do this. But that is the, that is the role play that's happening, right. So they are Krishna's friends, the men act like Krishna's friends visiting the gopis and the women act like the women of Barsana act like they are the gopis. And so they basically, you know, reenact that scene. And this especially happens outside the Radharani temple in Barsana, like that's the specific part. And this is one of the most famous temples dedicated to Radha Ma in India. And then obviously you sing and dance and you know, we are very happy people. We drink thandai and all sorts of sweets are eaten and nuts and all of that fun stuff happens. But then one of the other days is Phoolon wali Holi where you play with flowers. Then there is another day where the people play with mud. It's not pleasant but it happens. And then the actual colors Holi. And in fact, Shalini: That makes it for three more. Three, four, one is flowers, one is the mud. Neha: Yeah. And one is colors four and I think the three more. Yeah, I don't remember exactly.Shalini: But these are very interesting, very interesting. Rekha: But but at the same time, there is a lot of shock value or, you know, some kind of an intrinsic value in all these visuals, right? You do see international media using a lot of the Holi and then, you know, coming to something like the widows of Vrindavan. You see that every year the media puts these very nice colorful pictures which I believe are actually sold by the international media. INeha: In fact, it's big, it's big money. Like a right picture can the copyrights can be translated throughout the world and it can actually make like quite a decent sum. So photographers from around the world gather around and then the, you know, they will just take captionless photos. And then the caption is added by the whoever is looking at the picture. So actually, you brought the brought up widows of Vrindavan. I actually have a Twitter thread where I analyze this! Ever since I joined Twitter. This was 2009. I've been noticing these headlines, right? “Widows of Vrindavan break taboo, break tradition and celebrate Holi!”. Now I actually did an analysis. I just take this phrase “widows of Vrindavan play Holi” and I append a year to it, right? And you can see these stories coming back from all the way up to 2012. So it's been 10 years and every year apparently, those widows break tradition and celebrate Holi and, you know, they break taboo and celebrate Holi. Every year they will announce it as if it's a new thing. So that just makes you question, was that ever a taboo in the first place or is just a myth that media has created that they just like to break because it's a catchy headline? Well, so this is absolutely like it makes a lot of money and from you can find those articles from, you know, they get sent through those news agencies like ANI and then they republished internationally. It's big money. Some of those photos can actually fetch you a very pretty penny, especially like there's so many aerial shots of those of Vrindavan Holi too these days, a lot of them like so. In fact, if you go to during Holi time, if you go to Vrindavan, you'll see a flock of international photographers over there just trying to get those pictures. Rekha: No concerns of privacy? I mean, I'm just wondering for the western world is so big on privacy, but is there no compunction in you know, preying on somebody's personal space. Neha: I very much doubt that they get these contracts like the privacy waiver signed. Exactly.Rekha: You know, let's talk a little bit about the colors. So these colors, there are some typical colors that are used predominantly. I see most of the people using a kind of a magenta color. Neha: So yes, so that pink is very common. The most common probably is pink. And then yellow is very common. Then nowadays, so almost every color on the spectrum, you can find you can find like light blue, powder blues. And even these days, pastels have come into fad. Also organic colors are appearing nowadays. This is interesting.Rekha: This is an interesting variation. So initially, I think we didn't need an organic color because because obviously all color was organic. Flowers and herbs is what I hear. And that specific bright colors that were made from the powder of certain dried flowers. Is that right?Neha: Yes, exactly. So the yellow was actually a mix of turmeric and marigold. And I don't remember the pink came also from a flower. But these days, so they could become a much brighter pink, at least that's what my nani used to say. But yeah, the definitely some colors are more predominant. Although nowadays, again, most of it is made being manufactured in factories. So you get pretty much every color there is. Shalini: Yeah, there's so much of talk about these being chemical colors and not very good for the skin and all. How much truth is there in that?Neha: growing up, I did have at least some like at least for a couple of years, there definitely was some sort of adulterated color coming into the market that was harsh on the skin. But these days, people are like too aware and especially depending on, but here is the thing, you can't control what color gets put on you. You can buy good colors. But then if somebody else buys whatever colors, then you're at the mercy of that person. But again, I think like cheaper colors as usual, you'll find some adulteration there. But mostly nowadays, there are big companies, just like the fireworks for Diwali, there are big companies dedicated to doing this. So if you buy like those brands or if you make at home, sometimes I've seen people starting to make themselves by grinding flowers. So those options are also there. But you find like very easy to find safe colors, to be honest.Shalini: Okay, so now you play with these colors, what do you do to take them off?Neha: That is this mystery thing called Ubtan. Yeah, I'm glad that you asked about removing the colors. So that's a whole entire exercise in itself. So basically, we make this very gooey paste made of all organic elements found at home. So you take either besan, which is ground chickpea flour, or you take wheat flour, your regular aata, and you mix haldi in it. And you put like turmeric, and you put oil, and you put water. Now, it should be a little bit more on the watery side, because you want it to be sticky. But the oil is there so that it removes well also, like when it comes up, all of it should come off. But if you have less oil, then it won't stick long enough. So the point is that you stick, and it's also used during the wedding ceremonies, by the way, after Haldi. So when you do the Haldi ceremony, it's actually Haldi and oil ceremony. So one round is done with Haldi, one round is done with oil, and then Ubtan is applied. And so the Haldi is, etc., is taken off by the Ubtan. And the idea is that obviously, it's very good for your skin, because putting turmeric is very, very nourishing for the skin. But also that consistency of the Ubtan, it brings out all the impurities of the skin. So in this case, that being colors. So colors come off very nicely with Ubtan, for the most part, unless you're, I'm talking about those my naughty cousins who actually pour that nasty chemical thing on my head, those ones don't come out easily. But the powder ones come off very easily, like with Ubtan, you know, between Ubtan and shower are fully covered, like you won't even, people won't even realize that you played Holi. Shalini: Okay, so I was just going to ask about that, you know, does it go in one day or it takes a few days to get rid of these colors? Again, powder? I can work with remnants of the color, you know, at the next day, it's not all good. Rekha: I call it a post-Holi glow, you know, you can always pick that on people. Neha: 100% there is a post-Holi glow, because you're so tired and you're so happy and you're so well fed by the end of this all, that you know, there's a post-Holi glow. But, but jokes aside, honestly, if you're playing only with powder or even with like, you know, diluted colors mixed in water, all of it comes out in one day for the most part. Unless you've been pranked with the thing on your head, then it will take a while. But I actually remember one of my best friends in school, she had like, you know, normal brown hair, but it's a slightly lighter color than the complete black hair that we usually have. So her hair was slightly brownish. And one time she came back after playing Holi and I kid you not, when she stood in the sunlight, her hair looked pink. This when we were not allowed to color our hair, because we were young children back then. So I think you got like a free hair color when there's not a lot of costs involved. But just things like that happen. Again, it completely depends on like the kind of Holi you play and you know, the type of people that, you know, come to your place to play with you. But for the most part, like, powder color 100% comes off with Ubtan. And it's also very good for your skin. So any kind of this harsh chemical or whatever, right? Like if you do the Ubtan treatment afterwards, it also kind of takes care of that. Like, and as I said early on, you have to be careful and put oil before you go out. And that way it will stain on your skin less if you have oil on your skin. Yeah, so for the most part, it comes out. Rekha: This is insider information.Neha: Absolutely. Shalini: So what a rollicking time we've had, you know, but I think now, I think you should speak about your foundation, Nehaji. What prompted you to start the foundation? What do you do? What are your projects, please? Neha: Yeah, absolutely. You know, that's a Shaktitva Foundation is a labor of love. It started around 2018, had to slow it down a couple for the last couple of years because of COVID and, you know, bereavement and family. But essentially, the original idea behind it, it's a decolonial, indigenous, feminist organization. And what I mean by that and this decoloniality and indigeneity approach from a Hindu perspective. So what essentially that means is this actually started around the same time when Shalini Ji you and I met for the first time. This was like the aftermath of Sabarimala. And, you know, we, I'm sure like all three of us were part of it in some way or the other. But one thing that became very obvious in the aftermath or during the Sabarimala protest for all of us Hindu women was that somehow our voice was being erased, right? This entire war was being fought in our name, right? Suddenly it was a Hindus versus women, you know, and the Hindu women were the least heard of all people. If you remember, like we were not allowed on TV debate, we were not, our opinions were considered, you know, fringe by some exactly some miracle, like, you know, majority of women were suddenly fringe. Anybody who basically did not agree with the five feminists of Delhi was fringe, right? So that that erasure is what led to the frustration that eventually led to the inspiration from my calling this Shaktitva Foundation. So the idea was that, you know, our voices need to have a place and not just the voice of a Hindu woman in India, but also this, the immigrant Hindu woman in growing up in America, right, or living in America. And the same thing that you know, because what happens is if we don't speak up, somebody else takes the mic and starts speaking for us, right? Whether we are the subaltern and whether we are an unrepresented group, if people don't speak up for their own groups, their names are misused and, you know, activists kind of take up that mantle of speaking on behalf of us, even if that is not the majority opinion, or even they forget the majority opinion, even if it is not even a minority opinion, then this will happen. And so we wanted to kind of set up a space where we can bring forth the lived experiences of a Hindu woman from the point of view of what we just did, right? Like we were talking about Holi from the lived experience of a person who has participated in it. And not just that, it's not just isolated to my personal experience, but also I try to kind of dive into the, when we do the research. If you see, a lot of people actually write for us, the articles and the work that we do focuses on bringing forth the original, authentic, indigenous meaning behind the things. And the reason is India and by extension, the South Asian activism circles is full of people who almost are kind of like the people who have been left behind by the colonialists, right? It's almost that they wanted to be taken with them, you know, ‘why did you leave us behind' sort of frustration that you see in these activists. And so they look at every time they sort of create this, you know, unnecessary rift in the society, it's because they're looking at things from a colonial lens, whether it is they're getting angry at Sabarimala tradition or it's not a concern for women that led to the creation of that controversy, right? It was that, you know, it is a colonial view. We must so that the colonial white man saviourism has appointed these brown saviours. And so they're now going to save Hinduism from Hindus, essentially. That's what's happening. So they're taking up for that, that colonial mantle of reform, and they're imposing all of these ideas on us in order to get some name and fame and they become those these heroes of who saved the women from oppressive Hinduism and so on. So whether it's the Sabarimala question, whether it is the Jallikattu again, no concern for actual animals or anything like that, whether it's the elephant controversy or whether it's in North India, the Kavadia controversy. Now they'll say these are rowdy men. Kavadiya men in Kavadia is the same when they become rowdy. 10 minutes later when farm laws happened, the same men who were actually doing Kavadia minutes before these are the oppressed category of farmers.So there is no rhyme or reason to it. So exactly that the point was that, you know, we wanted to create a space where Hindu women could find their voice and essentially take up that narrative and clear it up from their side. So we do a whole host of things. There's one is very important aspect is research driven articles like this one on Holi. I've done another one on Rakshabandhan and there's many more that are coming, not just on festivals, we also do on general issues and so on. And there is the other aspect of on-the-ground activism where we sort of try to help groups. So for example, we did a workshop with Bhutanese Hindu refugees who are living in America, especially the kids. And we did a workshop there about Dharma and specifically with the girls, about menstruation because menstruation is - like the menstrual restrictions are very strictly followed in Nepali and Bhutanese communities. And that becomes a very important propaganda point for missionaries to try to convert these kids. So we wanted to present the honest truth of why these rituals exist, like why are these menstrual restrictions are at all present in the culture and what are the significance, not prescribing them or, you know, or denying them, just presenting the truth of it. After that, it's up to you. Like as is always the case in Dharma. And similarly, we also did a project for to focus on the domestic violence survivors, Indian origin domestic violence survivors in America.That so we're trying to sort of create a space where we can dispel the fake issues and focus on the real issues and essentially, you know, move forward with that mindset.Shalini: So is this an initiative only driven only by you or is are you a team of a few people?Neha: No, we are a team of we're a team of a few people. We have few directors and after that, there is an advisory board. So the details can be found that also volunteers that work at different levels. Some of them are, for example, interested in conducting those workshops that I spoke about in their areas for a specific group. So we sort of arm them with the content and we help them and train those volunteers for those spaces. There's also like several other projects that are in the works just COVID kind of, you know, through a wrench and all of them. But but we're trying to sort of bring it up again. Hopefully this year, you should see a lot more action.Shalini: Sure. This sounds very empowering and well, such a misused word, but for lack of a better word, empowering our own women, you know, Neha: So we'll actually, I'll actually end with the quote. somehow it dawned on me while I was sitting in Sadhana. You know, I said, Hindu women are embodiments of Shakti and you do not empower Shakti, you bow before it. So that's why the name is Shaktitva, which is the essence of being Shakti. Now, this is not to be construed with this modern new agey idea of, you know, I am princess, I am a goddess type, you know, the wrong notions. No, we are talking about like a very sacred channeling of the divine energy that can happen when you are you know, when you are really devoted to your gods and your faith and to your culture and the indigeneity of it all. Like it's not, these terms almost seem to have become like negative terms, honestly, in the western space. But for, you know, as an indigenous person, it's all the same. It's a spectrum. These words are not disconnected at all. Rekha: Nehaji, I'm looking at your website. And there is a scheme, there is something called the Gayatri grants. Is that still operational? Is that something that can be used to encourage young people to write for you?Neha: Oh, absolutely. Yes. So Gayatri grants are not just even for writing. Even if there was a proposal that like that somebody wants to take up like a more elaborate research project towards anything, you know, towards something that brings together that aligns with the mission of Shaktitva. We are more than happy to sort of sponsor that activity because research itself, you know, is expensive. And, you know, so we want to encourage through this grant system, we want to encourage people to apply for, you know, proposals and come up with ideas because, as I said, like it's very difficult for one person to or a few people to cover the breadth of this issue. So if there is even if there's something very simple as you notice that there is a tradition that is unexplored, and it aligns with our mission, and you want to research it, you know, please submit a grant to us, grant proposal to us, the template is provided on the website. So you just have to fill that template up and send us a proposal and we'll evaluate it. And hopefully, like we can come up with a collaboration.Rekha: Can you tell us the name of the website for all the listeners? We will also be providing links to the website on our transcript. But can you just mention the name please?Neha: Yeah, it's Shaktitva.org. S-H-A-K-T-I, Shakti. And then, Shaktitva.org.Shalini: Great. Yeah, so I think we've had a one hell of a ride with you, Nehaji. It's been absolutely exhilarating, I would say. And I think this episode will not stay at 35, 40 minutes, but that's okay. But I think even our listeners will find it extremely engaging and beautiful too. So I think I'm absolutely floored by your quote. I would like you to end once more with the quote that you just mentioned and then we'll call it wraps. Neha: Absolutely. So the way we mentioned it is that Hindu women are embodiments of Shakti. You do not empower Shakti, you bow before it.Shalini: And with that, I think we come to the end of this edition of our podcast, and we will connect with our listeners in a fortnight's time. Thank you. Thank you, Nehaji. Thank you very much for spending so much time with us and giving us one grand experience of Holi. Thank you so much and thank you, Rekha, and we will meet with our listeners soon. Namaste. 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In this episode, we talk about the festival of Holi with our special guest Neha who is the founder of Shaktitva.org.In this episode, we participate and soak in the reminiscences of Neha ji as she recounts her memories of playing Holi in India, growing up.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingTranscriptRekha: Namaste. Welcome to the Hindu Parenting Podcast. Today, we will speak about the festival of Holi. Holi is celebrated on the full moon Purnima in the month of Phalgun as per the Hindu calendar.To help us understand the traditions, the stories and the issues surrounding the festival, we have a special guest today, Neha Ji, who is the founder of Shaktitva Foundation, a Devi Upasaka and many things besides. She is also a software engineer. Namaste, Neha Ji.Neha: Namaste, everyone. Really glad that you chose me to be here. Holi is definitely one of the top two festivals that we celebrate in North India and I'm glad to share it with you all.Rekha: Oh, we are very happy to have you on our podcast too. So this being a special Holi episode, could you tell us a little bit about your childhood memories? Where did you grow up?Neha: Yeah, so I actually am born and raised in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. As you can imagine, that's like the heart of what they call the Hindi heartland. So, you know, we have a very, very elaborate celebration of Holi. Like the anticipation starts building up honestly from like right after Basant Panchami. Holi and Diwali are the two major festivals where everything comes together. For the Western audience, I often compare that to like we have, this is like our Christmas. It's that big. So yeah, I grew up in Lucknow and Holi was like when we were even like younger, like Holi and Diwali are the two times when you definitely get new clothes. That's a guarantee. You may or may not get on your birthday or any other occasion, but these two, you are definitely going to get new clothes. You know, the growing up we, you know, the fondest memories are that most of my cousins who are usually busy with their, you know, daily lives, they're working in different cities and so on. They'll all they choose the Holi vacations to come to the hometown. And we had like a joint family sort of a setup. So we would get relatives we hadn't seen in, you know, months, sometimes even years, who will come over to celebrate with us. Shalini: Nehaji, so is there a concept of Holi vacations in the north? I've not heard of that. Neha: Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. So like for example, right now, my niece has her board exam starting on 27th here. That is Monday, but she will get five days off around Holi. Shalini: Wow, really? This is news to me. I didn't know that, you know, there are vacations for Holi also. Neha: And in fact, my other niece is in the engineering school right now and she is getting her 10 day off. Shalini: 10 days for Holi? That's so lovely. I thinkNeha: what they do is they integrate Holi with whatever their summer like semester break is. So that it happens at the same time. So they say the same as spring break, right? But in this scenario, spring break and Holi are done together. Yeah, so we have this, people would come like, as you said, as because you get these longer vacations to take time to go back to family, if you're not living with them, also the preparations in the household start honestly, even months before. So there is this, so when you're celebrating Holi in the middle of it, like, you know, you're drenched in colors and you get hungry. But you can't sit down to eat your regular food, right? What are you going to eat? Because you're only literally like dripping with colors. So we have to prepare, you have to prepare snacks, right? That are like, that are sort of, you know, homemade fried snacks. So the sweets are offerings, you can eat those.So what we call Gujiya. But other than that, you can, the ladies will start preparing chips and papad. So chips is mostly potato chips, but also other kinds of chips. And papads, so I am sure if you don't know the process of making chips requires you, you know, slice the potatoes in a certain thickness, you lay it all to be dried in the sun. And only then for many, many days, and only then it's ready. Same is the story with papad. So for papad, like, aloo papad is easier, like potato papad is easier. But if you're making papad from tapioca, sabudana, then that one, you have to make that paste, spread it really thin on a plastic, and then again, put it out in the sun to soak, to dry. And if it's not dry, it's not going to fry. Okay, so this is a very, very elaborate process that's taken up almost weeks before. Like, I am sure like back in India right now, the process has started in my home. Shalini: So this all this happens even now? Neha: Yeah. I mean, it's honestly, it kind of depends on the person. Like, you know, you can be as, you know, you can do as much of this as you want. And sometimes you obviously the replacements are available in the market. So if you don't have time to make papad and chips, you can always buy them. But you know, you're talking about memories. So this was definitely, you know, in the, every family and every sister in law, mother in law that I knew whether it was a working lady or not, they're coming back and even entire families involved. To be honest, like my brother used to boil potatoes. And we used to help them, help them spread. Because it's a lot of work, you know, like one person can't do it. So literally, you know, kids will get involved. And also, it's fun because like we're not now all hanging around it and maybe we get to take a bite of it uncooked and raw. And then your tummy will hurt. But you know, children will be children. Shalini: Sounds like a whole load of fun, really.Neha: Yeah, it's a very, very elaborate process. So this is this starts weeks before then you have to plan for the, you know, the actual Holi, so you have to buy colors in advance and so on. And then if sometimes, you know, daughters will visit their Maika, like their mother's home with their husband, if they're local, usually, if they're local. So during the playing time, them, them and their, so usually what happens, you play for a little bit in your home. And then sometimes you, if you have local relatives, you kind of do a tour, you know, like you go to those other houses and play.So sometimes daughters will visit and then, you know, mothers will get very anxious that oh, she's going to visit. So now we have to prepare all of the stuff that has to be given to her and all that fun. So it gets like, you know, the preparations take a while. Then the day before Holi is the Holika Dahan. We'll talk a little bit more in detail about it. But that is the sort of the, it's very similar to how the day before Diwali is. So the Naraka Chaturadashi, that and this one is very similar where you basically the idea is that you clean your house, get all the impurities out of the house. And in this time, we actually put those impurities and burn it in the bonfire. So it's kind of like an evil warding ritual, right. And there is a mythological reason behind it or like I don't want to call it mythological, it's a legendary reason behind it. Shalini: Yeah. Okay. So and then after the, after the, I think the next day is the playing with colours, no? And then what happens after, after all the masti is over? Neha: And then you have to clean up yourself. Shalini: Is that something people looked forward to? Neha: No, no, no, that's the worst part obviously. And depending on how, you know, how, how should I say, how naughty your cousins and friends are, that will increase the intensity of the cleanup. So usually like if you're playing with dry powder colours, which is like Gulal is what we call it in Hindi, those are relatively easier to clean up. Like you can just shower and shampoo and it's more or less it cleans up fast. But these days, sometimes you start getting those wet colours, right? So you mix those, it comes taken a very crystallised form powder and you mix it in the water and then it becomes coloured water. So you throw water at each other. Again, that, that can also relatively get cleaned up. But the naughty part is now at least my brothers used to do this and I am, if you've never met me, but I'm short. So what they'll do is they'll get that entire box of the crystals and put it on my head, dry, not with water. So when I'm shampooing, now this thing is dissolving. So that's when it starts to dissolve and I get freshly coated as I'm shampooing because I'm showering. So for like hours, the water has to run from my head so that the colour and will keep coming out and out and out. So sometimes I'm actually more colourful after the shower than before the shower. So it depends. Rekha: It's a diabolical plan. Neha: People get very creative on Holi. So you must have heard like, you know, neighborhood boy, little young boys will, you know, or boys and girls in fact both. They'll make those balloons filled with water and they'll, you know, throw those from roof tops. The two tease, tease people, we all get yelled at for it. But you know, kids being kids. And then there's also like, sometimes the, some of the friends will hide on the balcony and they will target the people who are coming to the house, right? Like, so if you're knocking and if the balcony faces the door, you're standing on the balcony, hoping to not be noticed. And as soon as the, as you come to knock, we all pour, you know, colour from on top of you. But the fun part, you know, another interesting thing is Holi is in fact, there is an entire genre of songs, traditional folk songs about Holi. And then you'll notice a theme in there. Right? Those are very, very naughty songs. And by naughty, I mean, like, usually there is a, you know, a decorum of how you talk to people or how you behave with certain relations, right? So for example, you know, the daughter's husband is like a sort of a celebrity, like a mini celebrity in the daughter's home. So like, there's like a certain decorum, like, you know, you want to offer the best food to him and you want to treat him special. And also same thing with, you know, elders and some in law relationships are also like that, like daughters in law will be very respectful to brothers in law and so on. Yeah. But on Holi, we call it like, you know, all sins are forgiven. So, so there is a, in fact, there's a slogan called bura na mano Holi hai. Don't mind. So I have permission that I have. I have an implicit permission to, you know, break those barriers. So what that means is if I am a younger sister, usually I'll be very respectful towards my older brother or older sister. But on Holi, I can actually play all these tricks on them and they're not allowed to get angry at me.And the same thing, it will even transcend those boundaries of marriages and custom, you know, so like daughters in law will sometimes play pranks on their, you know, in fact, their mother-in-law or like even their brother-in-law and so on. So that kind of license to, you know, be completely free and enjoy the festival in your, you know, in your natural form. And that like, that laughter and joy that, you know, uncontrolled or rather uninhibited joy is what actually brings the beauty of the festival.Rekha: An opportunity to let off some steam also, right? Neha: Exactly, exactly. So people look forward to it. You know, if you've been, sometimes, like, you know, if you've had some say, let's say you've had a fight with your sister-in-law, you know, you haven't been seeing eye to eye, Holi is the time where you get to be, you know, where you get to talk about it. Or maybe that is exactly because she's not allowed to get upset. So there are songs, entire songs dedicated on how, you know, bura na mano Holi hai theme, essentially. Okay. Rekha: This part is so cultural. I, anybody who's not part of this culture, who hasn't seen it growing up, will have some trouble relating to it. And a chance of misinterpreting this is very high, I feel. Neha: Oh, absolutely. In fact, in fact, this is known, right? For example, if somebody even from other parts of India has moved recently to some part of North India, and they see it for the first time, you know, it will, in fact, appear weirdly rowdy. Oh, my God, what are these, you know, people who appear. It's honestly, we're having so much fun that sometimes we look drunk, but we're not. But like, but if people like so, like, you know, uninhibited that you would feel that they may be like high on something.And you'll see groups of these extremely colored people, you know, wearing weirdo clothes, walking around with bags of color in their hands and throwing it at random strangers and yelling, bura na mano Holi hai, it sounds very uncultured, right? And in fact, it's very common for you, like, maybe you're not expecting to be colored, but you know, suddenly somebody throws color at you and something like that can happen. And it can sometimes be a little off-putting. But you have to understand this is a very, very, Holi is probably one of the most authentic indigenous festivals that has maintained its nature throughout the, you know, two waves of colonization and even this modern, you know, fad of westernization. We have sort of at least Holi preserves that original authentic character.So, you know, it started off in villages where everybody knew everybody. So, first of all, like that, there was this implied sense of relationship, even if it wasn't blood relations. And then so they first sort of this was like a community level function, right? And that uninhibition or lack of inhibition can be a little, you know, I would even say jarring, which is why, you know? Shalini: Disconcerting…Neha: Yeah, exactly. Disconcerting or even maybe jarring, which is why you start seeing these, you know, tweets of hyper-civilized, hyper-westernized or colonized people tweeting about, oh my God, this is so rowdy, this is so rowdy. You know, I've even, I've even heard toxic masculinity pop up, but like, you know, if you see my behavior, then it's also very toxic masculinity on that day. But no, but I think, you know, but of course, there is at the same time, whenever you have some festival like this, there'll always be elements that try to misuse it and, you know, pull that off. But that's not the nature of the festival. Like you can't change a festival because there are criminal elements in the society. Shalini: Oh yeah, that's true. Yeah, absolutely. Neha: But yeah, to your point, you know, it is, it can be, you know, a little bit shocking, but that's also why so many people are attracted to this festival. Like in fact, I live in New York and, you know, ever since I moved here, I know that there is a grand Holi celebration that happens in New York. And there is a, I've actually even participated in a couple of them. Obviously, we can't do it on the actual date because it's too cold. So then the holy celebration in New York is delayed and usually happens in like May. And we book an entire park and have a sport park is booked for celebration and the colors are sold in the stalls right there. There is Indian dancers performing and there's like snacks and everything like it. They try to recreate that experience to the extent possible because it's just so intoxicating in that sense. If you see it vicariously, you want to be a part of it.Shalini: It's, I think that freedom to let go of any inhibitions is something very tempting for everybody no. I mean, you're always living a very rule bound, boundaries, not to violate them, which is, of course, I think required too, but this one occasion to let go is something very attractive.Neha: It creates that balance. Otherwise, we are a fairly conservative society. We live by so many rules that are implied and that sometimes are not even written somewhere, but we have these social norms and the society is very strongly structured around those rules that we have followed for millennia. So this one day where you get to be yourself and have fun and tease and play and be naughty and all of that and play pranks on people that otherwise would get upset is an amazing experience. It just lets you be. It creates that balance that is, I think, very necessary for us to survive. Rekha: Nehaji, in many ways, I wish I had known this growing up because I grew up mostly in South India and had spent a couple of years in Bihar in Patna. And I must tell you that my first Holi there was very unsettling for me because I had no background of Holi, witnessing Holi at all. And you're right. I did see many people wandering around looking colorful. It's just this whole thing. It makes you quite unsettled. And I just wish I had known this to understand it in its proper spirit then. Shalini: Correct. Actually, yeah, even I remember while growing up, Holi was one festival where we would get afraid. It was a bit fear inducing because you don't know who will jump out from where to throw those colors. Even I grew up in the South. So there was a sense of fear associated with Holi. It's just that you're not used to somebody coming and rubbing so much color on you and you looking like a ghoul after that.Rekha: We have all these concepts now of personal space and things like that that we have grown up with because we have internalized them so much. Maybe the modern Western thinking that we all grew up with. So Holi is one occasion that doesn't leave you with this concept of personal space. And that's what I remember thinking back then. But then it's always the lens with which you view these things. And knowing what I know now, it just seems like I should have relaxed and participated.Neha: So I think there's one more thing though. There is an important, you bring up a very important point. I think what I have noticed personally and I may be biased and if your experience is different, I'd be happy to hear it out. But from what my experience says, if I am passing by, you're all in the mood. And if I notice somebody who's clearly telling with me with their body language that they don't want to participate, then most people will leave them alone actually.Unless there's somebody trying to create nuisance, people will generally leave them alone. But of course, if you are participating, like if you're fully colored and you have a bag in your hands, even then I've seen like usually, especially with women and women you don't know, if somebody wants to play with you, they'll come and ask first, is it okay, didi, if I put color on you, something like that. So that kind of respect is still there. We don't completely forget who we are. But again, like, as you said, like, you know, very correctly observed that it's all about the lens that you see it from. If you weren't scared, and if you were willing to participate, the experience may be actually very beautiful. Shalini: It is, because the figure I remember listening to you, it sounds like real, you know, letting your hair down completely, you know, so much. But we never got this perspective growing up, you know, so, Neha: yeah, because your family wasn't participating. Yeah, I think that's the difference, right? Like when you start, like from like in the morning on the color playing day, you're actually not supposed to start playing unless you've offered color to the gods and then to the elders. So I was the youngest and I was obviously the most excited also to play holy. So the first thing I'll do the moment I get up, I'll brush my teeth, and mom will try to put some breakfast out, but I'm not interested. And I will, you know, wear whatever clothes have your marks to be destroyed by Holi. I'll wear those. And then I will put like a plate of all the various colors. And I'll go to the puja room, put it on the gods, offer it to the gods and come back and wake up every family member and put a tika on them so that, you know, I can start playing. So as soon as possible, like even if you have not woken up, the tika will be there because I need to go. So I'll, you know, once I'm ready and all the other cousins from other family and we used to live in a sort of joint family setting. So then I'll go around the rest of the place, offering the same thing. And then, you know, of course, every single time I had to be reminded that I should put oil on my body first. So we'll take mustard oil and we'll put it earlier so that it stains less, like the color stains less if you put oil. So we'll drench ourselves with mustard oil, including the hair, and then you wear those clothes. And so you've already, the moment I enter, you know, I'm prepared for what's about to ensue.So it starts like that, like it starts simple and all the, you know, every single family I'll visit, they'll have snacks on the table ready somewhere, hopefully outside where you don't have to walk too much inside too late. Otherwise you'll just, you know, spill colors everywhere. So they'll, whatever is their visitor's area, they'll put out like a whole plate of snacks right there and they'll offer you, oh, and then as I said mentioned, like, you know, that special sweet has to be prepared, Gujiya. So that is also a night. So in some families, there's a culture that you have to prepare it the night before, after the holika has burned, like that holika dahan has happened, that bonfire has happened. And that's also a decently elaborate ritual.So mostly all of the family would be involved in that also. So it's made from, like from Maida, which is like, you know, filtered wheat flour, and you use Maida and you add, like, you know, flatten it into a small puri. And then you fill it with a sweet mixture of milk solids, like the mawa. And before that, you have to fry mawa to a golden brown color, and then you add dry fruits in it and powdered sugar or gold, like jaggery. And so that mixture is prepared, that is the filling of that Gujiya. And then you seal it up in a semi, like it's a semi circle, sort of shape. And then you then it is fried. So again, everyone wants you to try out their Gujiya and then you have to praise the Gujiya. Shalini: Actually, we had a similar sweet in the south, you know, it's called, yeah, what? Rekha: In Telugu, we call it kajjikai. Neha: Yes. Yes. What you call it, but there is something very similar. Yeah. Yeah, it is slightly different, you know. Shalini: Yeah, the filling is different. In the south, I think they put either channa dal mixed with gud or they put coconut, coconut in it. Neha: We also put coconut, but the base is mawa. Shalini: Yeah, that's what. I've not seen milk solids in the southern version of this.Neha: But you know, by the way, there is a very interesting linkage here. So one interesting thing that my friend Sahana Singh has found is that during the reign of King Harsha, several families, and I'm talking hundreds of families of Brahmins, learned Brahmins were invited to live in the Agrahaara he was setting up in Karnataka. And they were all invited from the Ahi Chhatra part of Uttar Pradesh, which is now Bareli. So actually Sahana Singh's own family traces her origins to Ahi Chhatra area. So it is and that is why it's my personal observation also that the some specific traditions, whether it's wedding rituals or even this these, you know, folk traditions have a lot of commonality between Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.I don't know if this particular sweet is related or not, but I'm just saying like it's entirely possible that the, you know, the there is some cultural interchange that has caused this very similar sweet to have, you know, come into being. Shalini: Yeah, yeah, we should find a lot more of these linkages, you know, just to end this whole North-South divide, you know, completely. Neha: Oh, absolutely. The more you get to know each other, the more you find out it's so similar. You know, there's more common than there are more commonalities than differences.Rekha: Totally. The food, the customs, there's a lot in common. And this whole thing about, you know, UP and Bihar, I feel the culture is just so vibrant. And it's not really understood by a lot of people who have modernized. And the thing is that that area of India, I think holds on a lot still to respect for elders to tradition, and also has a very, you know, a playful way of bringing out these festivals. So it's a beautiful blend and it comes very close to, you know, I like to think of it as India that used to be. So I have a lot of admiration for that.Shalini: The Bharat that used to be perhaps, you know. Rekha: Bharat that used to be, I like that. Yes.Shalini: So Neha ji, we've had such a great time reminiscing about your Holi, you know, not our Holi, but your Holi and had a lot of fun. So I would just like to ask you what, you know, what is a primary story associated with the festival of Holi?Neha: Yeah, yeah. So there are actually several deity specific legends that exist around Holi. So Holi happens on a very specific time, like it's right before the wheat harvest, very close to the vernal equinox. Now, before I get into the legend of Holi, it's important to note that this is a very common time for most indigenous festivals, like, you know, most non-Abrahamic cultures around the world to celebrate equinoxes is a very common pattern to celebrate specific movements of the moon and the sun.So, you know, these kind of celebrations are very common. And so this one is also very similar. Also in other cultures, for example, Native American cultures and even Latin American cultures, pre-Christian ones, you can find similar bonfire rituals. Okay. So and also, I don't know if you know, but similar to Lohdi, like another bonfire ritual that we have, there is a very beautiful parallel in pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland even, where equinoxes and solstices are considered these very powerful times. So this one, Holi falls very close to the vernal equinox. And that is right before the time of the wheat harvest. So North India, you know, for several centuries now, wheat has become one of the most important crops. And so this is sort of a celebration and also an evil warding ritual, the bonfire serves as an evil warding ritual to ensure the health of the crops, to ensure the health of the people, and in general, well-being and prosperity. So that's the one important, like the indigenous commonality of it all. But speaking of our Shastras and Puranas, the first or the most important mention is found in Bhagavad Puran, which is also known as Srimad Bhagavatam. And there you find the story of the Narasimha avatar, which is related to Hiranyakakashipu , the demon and Bhakta Prahlad. So the story basically goes that, you know, Hiranyakashipu was one of the two sons of Sage Kashyap. And they, through both of them, through extreme penance, had gained several boons from Lord Brahma. And the hidden aspiration, sorry. Rekha: Who is it that has gained the boon from Lord Brahma? Neha: Hiranyakashipu, who is the son of Sage Kashyap, but he is him and his brother, both are demons. So Hiranyaksha is their brother and Hiranyakashipu is the other son. So there are two sons. So they've gained boons from Lord Brahma and he has the hidden aspirations, like pretty much all demon stories, to rule the entire universe. So his arch enemy in the story is Vishnu, because Brahma and Shiva both are sort of like, you know, distracted and don't really care about the running of the universe. So these demons always fixate on Vishnu for these purposes. So this fellow, he has now, so he gets a very interesting boon. So by the laws of nature, you can't actually ask for immortality. So when you do this extreme penance and you have to ask for a boon, these demons still want immortality or undefeatability. And so they get creative. So this guy gets really creative. Okay. And so he asks that I should not be able to be killed inside the home or outside the home. Okay. I should not be able to be killed during the day nor at night. I should not be able to be killed from any known weapon or any other thing. And then I should not be able to be killed by any human being or an animal. Or I should not be able to be killed either on the ground or in the sky. Yeah. Okay. So he thinks he's covered all the possibilities of how he can be killed. And so now because these, some of one of the criteria will be met. And so essentially he becomes invincible for the most intentional purposes. So now he is convinced that he is like the master of the universe. Nobody can defeat him, including Vishnu, because you know, all of these rules sort of apply to everybody. It doesn't matter who's killing him. So he is full of ego and greed and jealousy and, you know, confidence. And he establishes a rule in his kingdom that nobody except him can be worshipped. So he declares himself as the one true male jealous God. So he is now the only God that is allowed to be worshipped in his kingdom.Now, as you can imagine, the entire kingdom is full of people who've been practicing their dharma for years and years. And suddenly this diktat comes. So he reels out their terror on all of these people and anybody who tries to oppose this is instantly killed. So this goes on for in fact decades. And all of his subjects are, you know, reeling under this persecution, except for one person who is Hiranyakashupu's 10 year old son Prahlad. So he is fully defiant and he does not care whether he lives or dies. He is only going to worship Vishnu. So initially, you know, Hiranyakashupu is angered by his son's defiance. So he says he sends him to this pathasala where he already has convinced these acharyas to impart, you know, the teachings of Hiranyakashupu. So they are trying to convince Prahlad that he should forget about all other gods and he should only focus on Hiranyakashupu. Because Hiranyakashupu is undefeatable and that's not true for, so that makes him superior to Vishnu. But Prahlad, who's already well versed in the teachings of Sri Maha Vishnu, he defeats them in a philosophical debate. These, you know, sages are very upset and convinced in fact, but, you know, they will lose their heads if they start agreeing with him. So they are, you know, uncertain and they go back to Hiranyakashupu that I cannot convince this kid. So he is again angered. And this time he says, okay, I'm going to make an example out of you. So I'm going to punish you in such a, you know, tyrannical way that anybody else would think twice before disobeying me like this. And imagine this is a 10 year old son, his own son that he is waging this war against. Now, according to the Srimad Bhagavatam verse 7.5, he tries to crush him with an elephant. The Hiranyakashupu tries to crush his 10 year old son Prahlad by elephant, attack him with huge snakes, cast spell of dooms, throw him from heights, to conjure tricks, imprison him, administer poison and subject him to starvation, cold wind, fire and water. He threw rocks at him. But none of these means the demons succeeded in putting his son, the sinless one to death. With his prolonged efforts having no success, he got very nervous. So at this point, he enlists a list of long list of demons he had in his army, and he unleashes all of them on Prahlad. All of them fail. They are all, the Prahlad is saved from all of them because of the blessings of Sri Vishnu. So eventually, Hiranyakashupu finds his own sister Holika. Now Holika also has a boon. She has a boon that she has been granted a cloak, or like a cloth that protects the wearer from being burned in the fire. So she can, if she dons herself with this cloak and she sits in the fire, she will not be burned. So on Hiranyakashupu's command, this woman lowers her young nephew into sitting on a pyre. She puts the nephew on her lap, puts the cloth on her own self and sits on a pyre and the pyre is lighted. So as the fire starts raging, the wind blows again from the blessing of Sri Vishnu and covers Prahlad and uncovers Holika. So instead of Prahlad getting burned, Holika gets burned and the innocent child is saved. Now eventually, and this is the relevant, this is the moment that is celebrated as Holika Dahan. Shalini: I think we will stop at this point for today and we will discuss further in our next podcast which will be coming up very soon. We have so much to discuss with Nehaji and there is just so much more fun awaiting you all in a few days time. So we will take a break for this podcast and come back to the second part of this podcast in just a couple of days time. So please hang in there and wait for the continuation of this episode. Thank you and Namaste. 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In this episode, we talk about the festival of Mahashivarathri.We converse with Sheela, a Shiva bhakta and a working mother and have a freewheeling discussion on not just Maha Shivarathri but a lot more.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingTranscriptRekhaNamaste!Welcome to the Hindu Parenting podcast. As we pointed out in the previous episode, ours is a celebratory culture. Almost every day in our calendar is filled with a celebration of nature or episodes from our rich itihasas and puranas. Our ways of celebration are equally rich and diverse. Today, we will be talking about the festival of Maha Shivaratri. So, when does Shivaratri occur according to the Indian calendar, traditionally known as the Panchangam? The 14th day or chaturdashi of Krishna paksha just before the new moon marks Shivaratri every month, making it 12 Shivaratris in all, but the Shivaratri that falls on Krishna paksha chaturdashi in the month of Magha, or Phalgun, depending on the specific panchang is called the Maha Shivratri. To discuss this festival, we have Sheela, a Shivabhakta, and a working mother. Shalini and I will be talking to her about the festival and how she celebrates it as a person from the Lingayat community. Namaskara and welcome, Sheela.Sheela: Namaskara Rekha, Shalini. Thank you so much for having me on your podcast.Rekha: It's a pleasure to have you on our podcast. Shall we dive right in? First, can you help us understand the significance of the festival? And what are the stories behind Shivaratri?Sheela: Sure. As we all know, the Shivaratri is celebrated every month or there is a Shivaratri every month, or day before the amavasya is considered Shivaratri every month. But in the Magha maasa, we celebrate Maha Shivratri. It is believed that when the samudra manthana happened, there was amrita and visha that came out of the samudra manthan, after the churning of the sea. So when the poison had generated, it caused a lot of problems even to the God. So Shiva offered to consume this haalahala is what they call it. So it so happened that when he consumed it…Shalini: Sorry, what is called haalahala?Sheela: The poison or visha, what we say. Vish, that is called haalahala. Okay, so amrita and haalahala, is what it's called. Shiva is the Lord of the world, is what we call Jagaddodharaka. So for the uddhara of pruthvi or this sampoorna loka, he came forward and said that he would consume that and dissolve that so it doesn't affect the whole world. So when he consumes this haalahala, when it's flowing down his throat, Parvati comes and holds his throat so it doesn't enter his body system. So that's how his throat has turned blue. So if you if you see the picture of Lord Shiva, it is always shown that his neck is blue in color, that's the reason he's also got the name Neelakantha. We can relate this to a story like how in the villages, if a person is bitten by a poisonous snake, he is kept awake for 24 hours. So that is what happened when Shiva consumed the haalahala, all the devas and devatas and the devis kept him awake by singing and dancing and performing different activities. This kept Lord Shiva awake. So that is a reason that we perform pujas on Shivaratri. So in the same way they did not eat anything. It's it's also…you can think this way; like if the head of the family, okay is unwell, can we eat anything? We won't be in a mood to eat because he's unwell. So that was one of the reasons they did upavaasa. Upavaasa also has an explanation for the word. “Upa” was, it said that, “at the threshold of God”. Vaasa means “living”, right. So at the footsteps or at the threshold of God's presence is what is upavaasa, they say. So, that was one of the reasons why they do upavaasa. And why they do jaagarane. They stay awake with the Lord, to help him overcome this, this reaction of the poison, okay by keeping him awake, because once a person sleeps, it may damage the whole system. And that was one of the reason why they keep the person who consumes or who has been bit by sneak awake for 24 hours.Shalini: I think you should come again on that upavaasa bit. Because vaasa, as you said, That's understood that you're talking about the abode of somebody, or where somebody stays, what does upa mean?Sheela: Upa means near and vaasa means to stay.Shalini: Okay, you're staying near the God who has consumed this haalahala. And you're keeping vigil for that person, with him. Right?Sheela: Along with him. Yeah, any fasting is called upavaasa. So you're close to God, it means that you're close to God.Rekha: Okay, so the purpose of fasting is to be close to God, not just to simply abstain from food. The whole purpose behind any kind of fasting upavaasa that we observed for many of our rituals and festivals is to not eat and thereby stay close to God think thinking of our devi or devata? Whichever occasion.Shalini: Right. This is very interesting, what we use the term upavaasa is to denote fasting, but the word itself does not have that meaning at all. Actually, I think it's an interesting word. It just occurred to me when you said it.Rekha: Yeah, I'm thinking it may have something to do with the proliferation of two meanings. You know, Sanskrit is a language that, that has different meanings for every word. So when you say, yeah, so in some way, I think what we are referring to by using the word upavaasa must be its underlying meaning, not the on the surface meaning of just staying away from food, but the underlying reason for it. So that has become coming into usage.Sheela: I would like to add something to this is when you're doing something that you want to achieve, or something that you like to do, or enjoy doing it, you're focused on it. When you're focused on something; imagine a child that likes to play, okay, doesn't think of food or anything, who's enjoying doing the whole act of playing, will not think of food or anything to drink. The game. Shalini: Very interesting point that you know, because when all focus is on some activity, you really are not concerned about food, drink anything. You're concerned only about what you're doing. So I think that's a great point.Rekha: Especially all of us definitely know how hard it is to drag a screaming child away from play to eat.Shalini: That's, that's absolutely true. Yeah. Sheela: So all of us become children when it is the creator that the supreme energy, soShalini: That's very, very nice way to put it. Yeah. So, Sheela, Shiva is worshipped in many forms, okay. I mean, you see a picture of Shiva on on his vaahana which is Nandi. Sometimes you just see a picture of Shiva with Parvati and their children, but the most common one is the form in which he is worshipped as a linga. So, why do you think that Shiva is represented as a linga?Sheela: Okay. Like, we all know energy does not have a shape. So, Shiva himself has no shape is what they say.Shalini: Yeah, I mean, Linga also actually means just a representation no in Sanskrit? Linga is the sign,Rekha: Yeah, the representation of Shiva linga. Linga is the word in Sanskrit word for a sign. So Shiva is represented as a linga and a linga is column of light with no beginning and no end. And when you worship Shiva as a linga, it just means you worship him as this unending, infinite source of light and fire. It's supposed to be a column of fire with no beginning and end. And interestingly the Jyotirlingas are well known to all practitioners of Hinduism. So the Jyotirlingas are supposed to be manifestations of this column or pillar of light, it's also called as sthambh. So the manifestation of the stambh in 12 different locations across India is the story behind Jyotirlingas. And some of the Jyotirlingas, where Bhagwan is represented as a column of light is places like Kedarnath, Mahakal temple in Ujjain.Shalini: There is Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra, also Bhimashankar in Maharashtra too, I think, yeah, then I think Somnath is also one of the Jyotirlingas right?Rekha: They say that these are all swayambhu forms of Bhagwan because the Jyotirlingas are swayambhus which means that they have manifested by themselves without installing. So that is the significance of the 12 Jyotirlingas.Shalini: So Sheela, Rekha has been saying that, you know, a column of light, fire. Actually, Shiva is always represented in this fiery form. There's always a kind of very intense energy associated with him, you know, why is that?Sheela: Yes, as I mentioned, in the beginning, Jagaddhodharaka. So, he is believed to take away all the negatives from the creatures of his own creation, right. So he has created this world is what we believe. So in this world, whatever negatives that are there and that's the reason we go to any temple, okay? To gain energy from them, we don't go there to ask for something, we just try to, it's like, we are recharging our energies, okay. So, every time when we talk, we always say, think positive be positive, okay. So, it is believed that Eeshwara or Jagadeeshwara or Jagadoddharaka draws all the negatives. So, when he is taking all of the negatives, like how he consumed the haalahala, he is considered to be you know, his system is they say that he's very hot. So, any shaivaite if you ask them… He is believed to be abhisheka priya is what they say. If you go to any Shiva temple, you will see that there are drops of water falling on the Shivalinga that is there in the sanctum. It is said that the Shivalinga always needs to be cooled down like, you said Agni or fire that he's holding in his system has to always… you have to cool it so, that's one of the reasons why these water drops keep falling on the Shivalinga. And even if you can connect that to your family as such, it is believed that eeshanya moole in vaastu is what they say, in a house where the north and east coincide is called the eeshanya corner Okay. So, in that corner, even now in certain houses, they follow this ritual of or custom of keeping a vessel of copper or any vessel that has water and so, it is believed that when you keep this water which has to be changed every day, and the vessel has to be clean, and you refill the water, this signifies that like every house has an owner, so to keep them calm or the whole setup of the house to be calm, it is believed that when you keep water there it keeps the whole house in a positive energy or positive environment.Shalini: So that vessel is supposed to absorb all the negativities that arise in that space and imparts the positivity. Sheela: Yes, because that corner is believed that is where Shiva is residing and that is one of the reasons they especially that corner if any house as that corner of it is good to make use of the space to keep at least a small vessel of water.Shalini: So what are what are the abhishekams that Shiva basically likes?SheelaShiva is as I mentioned is abhisheka priya and like how they say Vishnu is alankaara priya. So Shiva is abhisheka priya and you can just do abhisheka with water, nothing else. The least could be water otherwise, just panchamruta abhisheka is what they do normally. Or as we all know, he puts vibhuti, the ashes. So, since he's fond of vibhuti, so vibhuti is another thing but otherwise just by water. Me being a Lingayat, there were times when I used to not get flowers when I used to live in certain places. Even now when I do puja, since we have to do puja to our linga that we wear, every day it is said that we have to do thrice a day but with all the lifestyle that we have, I ensure that at least once in the morning, soon after my bath, I do the puja. I just apply vibhuti and the sandal paste and I just pour little bit of water and that is what is sufficient to keep him happy.Shalini: It's very interesting. All the things that you mentioned, they're all coolants also. Water is a coolant, vibhuti is a coolant, sandalwood paste is a coolant, panchamruta is a coolant. So, I mean it's very consistent. Okay, if they say that he absorbs all the negative energies and so gets heated up and needs to be cooled. All the things that you're using to do abhisheka with for him are also coolants you know, so there is really no inconsistency in our practices. It's really beautiful to see this.Rekha: Just as Sheela pointed out, abhisheka priya and alankaara priya! What are these two? You know, Bhagwan Shiva is known as abhisheka priya and Vishnu, any Avatar of Vishnu is supposed to like decoration, flowers, all the beautiful and aesthetic things. Whereas Shiva is more from an ascetic tradition. So Shalini, do you remember the discussion we were having when we discussed what it means to be a Hindu? And choosing one's ishtadevata?Shalini: Yes, absolutely.Rekha: What Sheela has just said, ties into our devis and devatas having different personalities, you know, one liking the decoration aspect, one being more ascetically inclined, and how beautiful, how naturally diverse the tradition is and how we can choose an ishtadevata, depending on what resonates with our personality..just wanted to point that out.Shalini: Exactly, exactly. That's what I'm saying. It's very consistent, you know, the theories, the practice, everything is consistent. It's for us to discover and appreciate it. It's really, every conversation that we have makes me more and more appreciative of the depth and profundity of our traditions. It's simply amazing. Okay, Sheela, while you were growing up, what was a typical festival day like? How did you celebrate the occasion of Maha Shivaratri?Sheela: Alright. And as a child, what I can remember is, we wouldn't get to eat anything that's made with rice or we wouldn't eat any cooked form of the rice. And my parents used to fast without having any grain. Okay, if we felt hungry, the food that we used to get would be fruits or anything that is made with wheat, and we would try our best to cooperate with our parents by not asking for any food because they are fasting themselves. So it wouldn't be right asking, demanding for something but then it was always a treat to have chapati because that was that is I'm sure even now, like my children, they like to eat chapati. It's not rice. And the whole day from morning till evening, they wouldn't eat anything. And again, they would have bath in the evening and all of us would have bath. And then they would do the abhisheka at home by chanting Rudra or simple Om Namah Shivaya is what we could chant. And then once the puja is done in the evening, around 6:30 or seven o'clock, I'm sure they used to even check for the right time when they will do the puja. And then once that is done, followed by phalahaara is what it's called. Any upavaasa they say phalahaara, it's phala, ahaara; you can have fruits if you want to break your fast or you can have a snack which is made of wheat. Normally in our house, my mom used to always make something with wheat, that would be upma. That was the common thing that would be made. And then we used to get to eat dry fruits and all with which we could eat any fruit if we feel hungry after we break the past. But there are some people who will not have anything at all. They may just have juice sometime, tender coconut is considered to be cooling. So they consumed a coconut and there are certain temples, like there's a temple near our house where I live. There on Shivaratri they have the tender coconut abhisheka. Elaneeru abhisheka is what they call it. So, they will be there they perform this on Shivaratri. And on that day, any temple that you go, a Shiva temple, they will serve you with prasada which will either be dates or it will be some snack which is made of wheat, like upma, is what they give in that temple also. So, there are a lot of devotees who contribute, they volunteer to sponsor the prasada on that day. So it is from morning till the next day morning that they keep, like, you know, puja keeps happening. But this elaneeru abhisheka happens till the evening, then there is another puja again, then there is a different alankaara of vibhuti that they do. And then it is followed by the bhajan and all that that they do.Shalini: Yeah, so you you stay up all night? Or that was the practice, maybe it's not so anymore, but people would stay up all night, right? Yes. And what what would you do? I think you mentioned why we stay up. Because we are also keeping vigil along with the Lord so that, you know, he doesn't fall asleep and swallow that poison, which could affect him. So I think that's why we stay awake. But what would you do staying awake?Sheela: So once you break the fast at home, when we used to break our fast, the next custom was to take us to the temple. So in those days, we had to walk a lot to go to a particular temple that my parents used to visit. So they used to be two, three Shiva temples that they used to take us to. So we used to walk after this, go visit… the farthest temple would be the first place that we would visit. So on our way back, we would go to another temple and then a temple that is much closer to where we used to stay then. Once we visit the temple, the next thing that would happen is to keep us awake for some time, they used to play a movie. So it was a standard movie. I remember two, three years, it would be the same movie. It used to be Shiva Purana story where, like Parvati is dreaming of being married to Lord Shiva, like all of us know the story, right? So the parvata raja story. And this was a movie that used to be played there. And that would go on for probably till midnight, till one o'clock, we used to stay in the temple. And then we used to walk back home. And you will see people all around that community moving around, so it wouldn't be like it is night. So we would come back and we would sleep. I really don't remember if my parents used to stay awake, but when we get up, they're awake again. So in the morning, that's how it used to be.Rekha: This also shows the importance of community right? But for having a community it would be much harder to motivate children to stay awake or to take part in these festivities. But having a connectivity makes it so easy.Shalini: Yeah, and you're right because there are plenty of families also who are taking advantage of big community celebrations in places like Sadguru's Isha plus, I think there is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's Art of Living, they also have a whole night program for Shivaratri. So, I think there are opportunities to do things as a community. And then of course, there are the temples also, which always I think do full night programs on Shivaratri, yeah,Rekha: Yeah, there are so many temples that have all night programs. So, you know, even the littlest ones can be taken to these programs, there are cultural events. And I have noticed the very little ones who come to see, like a music performance or a dance performance done by the older children and they get fascinated and they they beg to they ask their parents, can I also start learning so you know, these kinds of things are facilitated when you start having them participate. In India it is actually quite easy to find a local Shiva temple that has all night programs.Sheela: In villages, normally they follow this jaagarane ritual very devotedly. There are plenty of temples which will have singing, there'll be some people who will be telling stories and be narrating stories. So they ensure that they are awake and there will be small children, they are the ones who will be the most energetic because it is believed on this day. They say that you can gain a lot of energy, especially for saadhaks who are looking forward to achieve something or to do some saadhana. They say that this is an ideal day to do your upavaasa and your jaagarane. So small children definitely enjoy the celebration, especially the jaagarane because it's, it's something unusual, they let them stay awake the whole night.Rekha: Speaking of all night activities, and jaagarane, we can see how the performing arts play a major role in the life of a practicing Hindu. Shiva in his form of Nataraja, the king of natya is just so relatable for kids, don't you think? It is just such an active beautiful, aesthetic image and that's one easy way for kids to connect this whole thing of performing arts and Shivaratri. And then performing in a festival, staying awake at night and performing in a festival..Shalini: dancing the night away with some rules and we cannot have any sort of dancing. ButRekha: That's true. Terminology is so important. Coming back to terminology which we touched in the very first or second podcast. So, dance is not simply dance for us. It is natya. Music is not simply music. It is sangeeta. Practitioners of classical dance, the gurus who make it a point to mention this. I remember meeting one of the renowned gurus and he had specifically said what is dance? Don't use the term dance. It is natya.Shalini: yeah, I think that's that's something that we have to consciously do every day, you know, shed a little bit of the English, start using our own words, then the associated meanings also will come to us. And I think we'll all be better for that.Rekha: Maybe we can also stop saying gods and goddesses and say devatas and devis, and..Shalini: yeah, devatas and devisSheela: I would like to add something to this devi and devatas, devatas and devis. When you're referring to a couple they will always say Srimati and Shri, they will never say Shri and Srimathi. Unlike in English, they'll say Mr. and Mrs, no?Shalini: Wow! That is something that's a very, very interesting point that you brought up.Sheela: Even if you see, when you see an invitation, a wedding invitation, it will always be Srimati and Shri. So, the importance of a woman or the respect that is given for a woman is shown from not now, but from the ancient days. So they always give a lot of respect for a woman in Indian culture. Everywhere.Shalini: Little things no, that we have not actually paid attention to but it makes a world of difference. You always write Srimathi and Shri. You will never write Shri and Srimathi. It even sounds wrong, you know.Rekha: That's because we've grown up hearing it said - Shrimathi and Shri, Devi and Devatha, it just flows so well. You notice that Shri itself means Lakshmi, right? Shalini: Correct. Correct. I was going to raise that too! Good, you raised that Rekha.Rekha: Can this word ‘Mr.' ever mean “Goddess"? Think of how preposterous that sounds!Shalini: ‘Mr.' can never have a feminine element in it, no? Rekha: Just like how Eve was fashioned out of a rib of Adam!Shalini: Correct! Very very interesting point. Things that we generally tend to not notice. Ok Sheela, as a Shiva Bhakta or a family of Shiva Bhaktas, how do you initiate a child into the practice?Sheela: In our community, we have a custom that we follow. Its a part of community rituals, when a child is born, we do a ritual called Linga dharna, which we do on the 11th day after he or she is born. And we call the pandit of our community to come and perform this ritual, where a child is tied a linga. In our house, my daughter also got this linga dharana done when she was born. As a child she used to always ask - you know children are curious, they like to always do and be a part of every ritual and later on it fades off.. but my daughter just a couple of years ago also used to ask, whenever she saw us doing puja. She used to ask, “even I want to do linga puja”. Even we as children were supposed to wear it every day, but because of our lifestyles and we move out and go to different places, we aren't allowed to wear this as there is a ritual that you need to follow and do puja everyday to the shiva linga. Shalini: Meaning that if you wear the linga you have to do the puja everyday. So if you are not able to do it, you should not even wear it - that's what you are saying, right?Sheela: I wouldn't say to not even wear it but you need two do justice right? It's called atma linga, it's close to your heart, so it's almost like the god within you. You are worshipping the god within you in the form of linga so you keep it close to your heart and that's how you wear it in the Lingayat community also. Not everybody wears it, but if you do, you should keep it close to your chest, and you have to perform the puja thrice a day - morning, afternoon and evening also. We used to get an opportunity to do the puja for this linga whenever we used to do rudrabhisheka for Shiva on Shivarathri day, so we used to also get to do the puja, apply the bhasma and the gandha and all that. So we tried the same thing with my daughter when she wanted to do the puja. We got her to hold her linga and we taught het to do the puja and she used to like do it even after Shivaratri for some days. Since she used to ho to school, I used to give her an option that she could do it on her holidays, so she would consciously ask for the Shivalinga to do the puja. That is what we do over here. Normally on Shivaratri as we keep chanting Om Namah Shivaya as we are reading the shloka or the Rudra or the different Stotrams that they read for Shiva. Each house follows each way of doing puja. We make her sit with us and put the bilva patra on the Ishwara. All the lingas are kept in a plate after the abhisheka is done and we start chanting Om Namah Shivaya and we get her also to put the bilva patra on the linga.Shalini: Bilva patra is the leaves of the bilva tree no? which is also something that Shiva likes very much.Sheela: Yes yes. Its called bilva patra or bilpatre or bel in Hindi so that's how we get to be a part of the puja. Somewhere even when they say, “I don't believe in all this”, slowly as they grow up, as the transformation happens, children will get drawn to it when it is inculcated in them as young, small children or even as teenagers. Children need to be told why this is done so once you get a justifying explanation you start believing.Rekha: Sheela, so if a child cannot do the ashtotram by himself or herself, they can chant Om Namah Shivaya 108 times right? As a way of worshipping the linga, isn't it?Sheela: Right, right. If you can chant 108 times, good. If you can't, you can keep telling how many ever times you can chant. So there's nothing that you have to count for 108 times. If you can chant when you are doing the shiv puja every day for how many ever times, good for you, because all of us have time constraints, right?Rekha: And this mantra is incidentally called the Shiva panchakshari mantra, right?Sheela: Yes.Shalini: I think we've had a very, very enlightening, interesting, enjoyable conversation and we have talked about more than just Shivaratri. I think our listeners would enjoy this podcast as much as we enjoyed putting it together, so with this we come to the end of this episode. Thank you Sheela. Thank you for joining us and sharing so many experiences, and thank you Rekha, and we will meet our listeners once again in a fortnight's time. It's going to be yet another festival, the festival of Holi and we will be speaking to another guest about Holi. Until then namaste. Keep well. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we talk about celebrating Indic birthdays so that children feel the joy and excitement of personalised connection with Hindu history and culture. We converse with the founder of Janmatithi.com (also indicbirthday.com) to explore the differences between the Gregorian calendar and the Indic calendar. We also touch on the ways in which celebrating birthdays according to the Indic calendar will help us connect to Hindu dharma.Show Notes0:06 Why celebrate Indic birthdays2:00: Vasco da Gama and the Indic calendar5:00: The European calendar vs. the Indian calendar11:30: How to use the website and find your Janmatithi19:00: What is a tithi?23:11: The Indic lunisolar calendar, the male and female energies of Shiva and Shakti, eco-feminism as a movement.29:00: Indic calendar celebrations - the benefits and joy32:00: Midnight celebration - how did it start? GMT vs the ancient Ujjain Meridian34:24: What can a parent do everyday to enhance connection with the Indic calendar?39:50: Listener questionGeneral InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingTranscript[0:06] Rekha: Namaste. Welcome to the Hindu Parenting Podcast. Today's topic is of particular interest to young parents and children. We are going to be talking of birthdays. Today we celebrate birthdays that sound like 21st December, or 3rd March. But as followers of Sanatana Dharma, we celebrate our gods and festivals on days that sound like Krishnaashtami, Ramanavami, Buddha Poornima, or Mahaveer Jayanti. So how do we reconcile these ways of arriving at birthdays and festivals? Was there a time when we used to calculate and refer to our birthdays differently? The question for us - do we know our Indic birthdays? Can we find our child's Janmatithi? To help us understand the difference and tell us some interesting anecdotes along the way, Shalini and I will be talking to Suraj-ji, founder of Janmatithi.in or Indicbirthday.in. Namaste and welcome, Suraj-ji.[1:11] Suraj: Namaste Rekha-ji. Namaste Shalini-ji, thank you for having me here. And thanks for hosting such a wonderful platform, especially for parents who are looking for a cultural connect for their kids.Rekha: It's a pleasure to have you. Let's start with - why should we bother knowing our Indic birthdays? What is in it for us and our children?[1:29] Suraj: Indeed. So, today if you go and ask any kid when is the birthday of Jesus Christ, he knows it immediately. He'll say it is December 25 from the top of his head, but ask the same kid, what is the birthday of Shri Rama or Shri Krishna? Do you know when they were born? They would not be sure about it, they will start scratching the head and wondering... they would not have an answer like...Sri Rama was born on Chaitra Navami and Krishna was born on Shravana Ashtami. These things are really a question mark for us. Why do kids not know this? One of the reasons is because we have lost our connect with the Indic calendar and the Indic calendar connects us with our culture. If we look back, even the ancient Indians, they excelled in astronomy, they devised astronomical calendar which is based on science and has undergone minimal change since millennia. If you look at the English calendar though, it is rather arbitrary, you know, it was not even standardized till 17th century. Only after 17th century they borrowed some techniques from India and synchronized their calendar. So what was the need for our ancestors to devise such a advanced calendar at such an early age? It was primarily for navigation. Those days, Indians navigated across the world. And the complex calculations and accurate calculations were needed for this. In fact, there's a story that goes that, you know, Vasco de Gama discovered India as per our books, but the story goes that he couldn't have reached India but for the help he received from an Indian called Kanha! Vasco de Gama, when he came, he actually came only through the shores, he did not venture into deep sea. He came to Africa and then from there on, an Indian called Kanha actually navigated him along with his boats to India. So Vasco de Gama documents this, he says that he could see boats which are much larger than his boats. And also, he incidentally says that the person there was navigating us through his teeth. So this was very weird.Shalini: What! [4:00] Suraj: Yeah, so the story is very interesting. So the teeth actually represents - it's represented by a word called kau. A kau is what Kanha was referring to. And his reference was a polestar, this local dialect, he was using a device and he was measuring the altitude of the pole star from the horizon using a wooden board, and the thread was held by his teeth. So when Vasco de Gama saw this, he also heard the word kau and he had a memory of kau being used for teeth, the word kau being used for teeth as well. So he presumed there is some relation between teeth and navigation. Shalini: How ridiculous![4:36] Suraj: While Kanha was going very advanced, he was looking at the pole star and he was measuring. So this kind of highlights the difference of understanding of the Indian perspective of astronomy and navigation, compared to that of a western mind. You know, the navigation and understanding of astronomy was defined by the calendar, the calculations of the calendar. That's why calendar is very important for for us in that context.[5:00] Suraj: And if you go back from the English perspective, as I said they had like no well-defined calendar before the 17th Century. They had a lot of errors, while Indians had this continuous calendar since millennia. And that's why going back into history, we can look at these lessons.[5:25] Shalini: So when was this calendar standardized? And why? And what was there before, before this calendar was standardized?Suraj: So if you really go back to ancient times in the European continent, they had a very harsh winter. So they actually did not count the days during the winter. They did not care about what happened outside, they were indoors, only the first 10 months were important for them after that they really did not calculate time.[5:55] Rekha: So timekeeping took a break for two months?! Is that possible? Suraj: That's right. And it was causing a lot of issues for them. They could not predict festivals correctly, they had trouble getting the winter solstice date correct. And they had nobody to tell them.[6:14] Suraj: So then, in those days, a lot of information came in from the Indian subcontinent, especially through the Arabs. So that's how they evolved their calendar over time, while India was already having all this knowledge. Indians were working off advanced trignometrics, right? This was the situation in India, while in the West it was much different. Now the calendars were then driven by the Emperors and the church. So like, Julius Caesar was dominating the Julian calendar. And Augustus also came in so Augustus kind of said, “Okay, August month should be mine!” That's how July and August have, you know, 31 days, because they are named after Emperors while February is deprived of two days, 28 days, because that there was nobody to..(laughs)[7:00] Shalini: So it was the whim and fancy of some Emperors that they decided to name months after them and use it, you know, in any which way they wanted - 31 days for each of them, and depriving poor February of two days. Suraj: Correct. Once in four years, he turns his head up. But that was much later. And then came in Pope Gregory. So Pope Gregory was the one who defined the Gregorian calendar in the 17th century, the kind we use these days.Shalini: This is what we use today, right? [7:37] Suraj: That's right, that came into practice in the West, in the western continent, around the 17th century, 15th to 17th century. So those days, if you announced the calendar, it doesn't happen immediately. It takes years and centuries to implement it across, for the knowledge to spread. So yeah, that was when the Gregorian calendar came in. And also a point to highlight here is that in Indian calendar, we have the concept of tithis, and the tithis are like the 30 tithis in a month. So the tithis are like days. And it's always 30. So it is consistent across months, it is not like some Emperor told I want something which is better, and it doesn't change. It is much more secular in that sense. While this is more religious, right? Even decisions are driven by the church, Pope Gregory announcing something. And also..[8:26] Shalini: So what adjustments did Pope Gregory make exactly? What did he do? Suraj: So initially, there were.. let me go back one step back as well, if you see, I told about the 10 months, right, so the 10th month was supposed to be December. That's why the year ends at December. And there is Nava. November is nine, Nava. And December is dasha - ten. So that's, that's where they ended the year. But much later on. when they did much more connections, and around the 15th - 16th century, Pope Gregory and with him it was basically some scientists and people who came together and then Pope Gregory announced that we should skip 10 days for the correct date to come in. So around 5th October to 15th October. So we've talked about 5th being one day, and the next day was 15th October! They skipped 10 days in between. [9:24] Shalini: Really?! This is so random and ridiculous and arbitrary. They just skipped 10 days? you know, those 10 days came and went came and went, but they never got recorded. The date changed from..what.. October 5 to 15th?[9:42] Suraj: That's right. That's it - 5th to 15th around that time. So after 5th, the next date was 15th, that's right. So they didn't have October 6, or 7th or 13th.[10:03] Rekha: you know what I find very interesting here? So we have the “secular” calendar that follows the planetary positions, the sun and the moon, you know, the heavenly bodies and everything. But what we are following thinking that it is secular is actually the Christian religious calendar. Is that correct? Suraj: That's absolutely correct. Yes. So we base in fact, the start of the calendar itself as AD/BC, that was based on the birth of Jesus, and every year starts around Jesus birthday. So you know our birthday i.e English birthdays today, are religious birthdays as it is based on Jesus Christ and his birthday.[10:45] Shalini: But today I think they have changed that no? Now, it's called the Common Era. But yes, you're right. While we were growing up, we called it AD and BC, which was, you know, after Christ and before, so, yeah, absolutely. But it's taken, this change probably happened in the latter half of the 20th century, perhaps, right, this movement from AD to CE common era. [11:14] Suraj: Yeah, they have tried to correct a lot of things. But I can come to that, at some point where many concepts of India were very, very advanced. And now the West is trying to catch up on that. So they are copying us still, but not giving the due credit. [11:30] Shalini: Okay, great. So we will, we will discover those by and by, you know, yeah, sure, sure. Maybe, maybe not in this podcast, but maybe in a future one. Because, you know, what we are diving into is a very vast subject. I don't think it will end with one podcast. Anyway, so now that we know how scientific and culturally important it is knowing our Indic birthdays, how can we find our Indic birthdays? You have your website, right? Maybe you can tell us a little bit about how to navigate your website and how to find our Janmatithi using your website. Suraj: Sure, so my website name is indicbirthday.com or indicbirthday.in . The other domain also which points the same website is Janmatithi.com or Janmatithi.in. You can go to any of these and it will bring you to the same website. So on the main page, you can enter your English birthdate, that is your current, whatever birth date, the year of your birth, and then you need to put in the time of your birth then you can if you are born in India, the default timezone is the Indian timezone. You can choose a different timezone if you are born somewhere else, but remember, it's a place of your timezone of your birth, not the timezone of your current place. So, if you're born in India, it should be and currently in US you have to put the timezone as India, because it refers to the birth time and year.Shalini: And suppose one doesn't know the exact time of birth, how important is that?Suraj: It is okay to have an error of about a couple of hours, the reason being we are calculating janmatithi which has a range of around 24 hours - 20 to 24 hours. So it is okay to have that error. So, once you have put this in three inputs, you just say get janmatithi and it will throw you the detailed timings of your birthday for the current year. So it will tell you when to celebrate it in the current year based on the English date reference. And it will also tell you the Indian calendar Indic month and Indic tithi, Indic day that is - and the paksha. So these details will also come up so it can then be saved. And it will go into database in your login. You can log in and then save that birthday and you can share it to your family. They click on the link and it will reopen for them. So it is quite elaborate. We have done a lot of features there to be able to save and share the Indic birthdays.Shalini: I see. So how long have you been working on this website? [14:28] Suraj: It has been a few years now. It's been four or five years, and I have a regular job. So we have been evolving it over time. And with the help of some freelancers. And amazingly, I've got a lot of help from very cooperative freelancers, friends, my family and also there was this help I got from a German collaborator. He was working in a university in Germany. In fact, he was also connected with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi at some point. That's where he was knowledgeable as well. And he can give me a lot of knowledge on the Swiss ephemeral data library, the software library, which gives the planetary positions used for calculating the Janmatithi and Nakshatra, Rashi all those things.[15:23] Shalini: Okay. So you have put in a lot of effort into building this website. So, I think we should encourage our listeners to definitely visit this website janmatithi.in or janmatithi.com or the same thing as Indic birthday.in or Indicbirthday.com. So I think we should, you know, support really hardworking people like this who are putting in time and effort apart from a steady job otherwise to make things like this. Rekha: Wonderful. Thank you so much. Suraj ji![15:57] Suraj: I would like to also add that you know, this tradition is, it is I'm sure this is meant to happen. That's why I'm just the means it's happening. It it is a very living tradition of Janmatithi in many cultures - if you go to Gujarat, they celebrate, they call it tithi anusaar birthday. If you go to Kashmir, it is call koshur - they have a name for this. They call it koshur birthday. In ISKCON, they have this tradition very actively followed. Art of living has their Ayush Homas. Ramakrishna Mission celebrates Vivekanandji's and a list of saints birthdays (janmatithis) published and so it is a very living tradition, even today, and just that we did not have this information out there. So I was really searching for it and decided to develop it myself.[16:42] Shalini: Very nice to hear this. Yeah, really. Okay, so how did you first develop an interest in this concept of Indic birthdays? [16:52] Suraj: Yeah, that's a very interesting story for me. It is a very personal story as well. My father, his name is Krishna. And he was born on September 2, that is his birthday. And that particular year, apparently, it was Janmashtami when he was born. Now, we didn't know this for a long time. But recently, just before we started on this exploration of the website, we had a few years before that, we had this discussion that you know, that will celebrate your birthday, it was a special some anniversary, and he told that okay, but let us do it on on Janmastami because that is very special for me. So we asked why, you know, why is Janmastami special? So then he said that Okay, I was born on Janmastami. And we had this celebration at home, when I was a kid that I ended up, you know, asking him then that “oh, your name is Krishna and you're born and Janmashtami that is a very nice coincidence!”. [17:45] Suraj: But actually, the story is that he since he was born on Janmashtami he was named Krishna, I didn't realize it because of I myself was so disconnected from this concept of Indic dates and months that it didn't strike to me. So then the second question came in “Oh you were Krishna”. So, my grandmother's name is actually Sita and since he was born on Krishnaashtami, she felt it relevant that we should keep his name as Krishna and that was her basis for naming him Krishna. Now, subsequently, the first part was answered that his name is Krishna for that, but what is ashtami? Krishna Ashtami is as it is commonly known. So delving into that we got that it is the name of the tithi on which it is celebrated. So Ashtami stands for ashta, which is eight in Sanskrit. So this was also a revelation for me because all the birthdays if you see Rama navami is based on a name-tithi combination. I found it very beautiful. And I extended the same to my website also. So if you actually add your name in the website along with that birthday, it will give you your personalized birthday name, which says- For example, my name would come up as Suraj Shasti, that kind of thing. [19:06] Rekha: That's a beautiful way to attract children to make them feel special, I would say. Shalini: Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. So Suraj ji you've been talking about tithi, tithi so many times and in the English calendar, I think the equivalent is a date, date versus tithi. Now, can you help us understand the difference between the two? [20:00] Suraj: Sure. So, when we say a date in an English calendar context, it is a Civil day. So it starts at around midnight of the Greenwich Meridian time, but whichever whatever we've studied. Now, in the Indian context, we start the day at sunrise - that is point one. And the other thing is, when we say tithi, what do you mean by tithi? Tithi is actually the 12 degree movement of the relative angle between the moon and the sun when you see it from the earth. Okay I hope you understood what I'm saying.Shalini: Maybe you should make it simpler for all of us.Suraj: Sure, a simple way to represent it would be a lunar phase, you know, when you say there is a full moon and then the moon slightly goes on waning and then when it goes waning, there is a shift of some amount and that shift is what is measured. So, that shift is due to the relative position of the moon and the sun. When we put it into when we put it into degrees, it is a 12 degree movement, which is called as one tithi. So, a New Moon is a tithi, then it is pratipada, which is the first tithi, then dvitiya, tritiya, chaturthi, panchami, sashti, sapthami, ashtami, navami, dashami, and so on till the next event, which is the new moon and then again the count starts - pratipada and so on. Shalini: full moon? you started with new moon. So, I think you mean full moon and then again..Suraj: Either way works. So, but an important thing to consider here is that in the month can be started with the new moon. And if you start the month with the new moon, you will have first the waxing phase, which is the Shukla paksha. So, it is becoming brighter, that's when the full moon comes in. And once the full moon is crossed, it is the waning phase which is the Krishna paksha till the new moon occurs again. From the first new moon to the second new moon is one Indic month and between this whole cycle from one new moon to other new moon, you have two pakshas, which is Shukla paksha and Krishna paksha, each paksha is divided into 15 tithis. So, these tithis is what we are representing by numbers, and that is the 12 degree movement Shalini: Does a tithi correspond to a 24 hour day? Suraj: Correct. Tithi is similar to a day in duration, it is about 20 to 24 hours. And as I explained, it is the 12 degree movement. So when you measure it, it will come more or less in the duration of a day, but not exactly. It's a complicated calculation. That's why we have the website, you can go there and you can check it out, but I don't want to put too much concepts right now. Shalini: Sure sure. Interested listeners are free to explore Janmatithi.in for more information. Okay. So, going by whatever you have spoken of before, it looks like our calendar is rather complex, takes into account the Sun, the Moon and the Earth's position with respect to that.[23:11] Shalini: Is there a name for this calendar and are there different calendars across the world? Can you throw some light on this? Suraj: Yeah, this the Indian calendar is called the lunisolar calendar. So, this not just belongs to India, it is the whole Indian subcontinent, which is based on lunisolar calendar, which lunar when we say it has like the moon and the sun combined energy, while the West, so I'm putting it into two cultural aspects here - the West and the East. So, the West has even culturally, if you see they have a dominance of the male god, there is only one God, which is a male god, there is no female God there in their cultures right? While the Eastern cultures have a concept of female divinity as well, this is very representative of the culture, we have the female energy also considered in all aspects, including the calendar. So the male is generally represented by the sun. So there is the Sun which is Shiva and the moon which is Shakti. Now even Dr. Sanjay Rath, who is a famous astrologer has spoken about this. He says, if you are following the body as per only the sun then you're a fool. Your real birthday is when[24:30] Shalini: Why? Suraj: (laughs).. He says the real birthday is only when the male and the female energies come together. Otherwise you cannot be born. So on the day of your birth, the sun and the moon formed the relationship so there is the male and the female Shiva and Shakti which came together to form the relationship and you are born. Now every year when you have the same relationship of the sun and the moon, only then you can celebrate your birthday. So, that is your real birthday. That is when you're cosmically aligned and anything you do - any poojas you do or any auspicious any, you know, blessings which come to you are more connected to you through the cosmos only on your real birthday, your lunisolar birthday. So, this is a very beautifully put by him. [25:20] Shalini: Oh, it makes it makes eminent sense. You know, you cannot, you cannot take birth with just one energy. Right? You need both. So, are you saying that Western calendar follows only the path of the sun and not the moon at all? [25:42] Suraj: Exactly. And it's just the solar reference, which is considered there. And as we discussed, just lots of discrepancies in terms of how the days are aligned, but also this aspect of and also is referring to the way the Western culture has adopted a lot of Indian concepts, right, we were talking about now, they are talking about, you know, correcting the mistakes. So, they are talking a lot about feminism now, while India was already a lot feministic in their outlook. We gave voting rights much before the west gave, right? [26:21] Shalini: That is true. I think after your explanation, I think Indian parents would really want to take a serious re-look at how they're celebrating their own as well as their child's birthday. No? you can't be celebrating just one energy, you need both. So, if if your birthday according to the English calendar is taking into account only one energy, you are not born, you know. So, I think Indian parents after this very enlightening point that you've made, I think would really take a look at celebrating Janmatithi, you know instead of birthday.[27:10] Rekha: Something that I had read before regarding the Somnath temple in the Dvaraka and how it brings together the male and the female energies. Suraj ji, would you know anything about that - it has something to do with the same Shiva Shakti that you talked about. Correct?[27:30] Suraj: Correct. So, in fact, Krishna, Bhagwan Krishna was a very early feminist. And he built this Somnath temple at Dvaraka. So Soma, when you say Soma, right, it means the moon, and it's a Shiva temple. So, it brings together both the energy of the moon and the sun, the Shiva and Shakti both together there. And it serves as a reminder for us not to forget this concept. In fact, only now in the West, there is this movement of eco-feminism which is coming up and they are lately adopting, co adopting these things and ecofeminism places a lot of importance on the moon also. And they would actually agree with what we are putting how we are putting the calendar and they would say yes, we should be more towards the moon giving also importance to moon equally since they are very patriarchally driven, and as well give importance to nature, which is again, something which we bring a lot from the from the east. So ecology and feminism comes together. And it's a developing concept there while we have been having it so why not we celebrate and cherish that right?Shalini: Absolutely, without a doubt. [28:52] Rekha: So Suraj ji, you're a parent, a father yourself. Do you think it's possible to incorporate this way of thinking in the daily life of young family? What has been your experience trying to incorporate Janmatithi into your you know, birthdays and daily routine?[29:16] Suraj: Yeah, absolutely. It is.It is very much possible and we have experienced a lot of evolution. I am a father of two daughters and my elder daughter was actually born on Vara MahaLakshmi and it was a dwadashi. So, we make it a point to celebrate both these days, it we celebrate it on Dwadashi as well as on Vara Mahalakshmi and apart from this my - after developing and studying about this concept, I realised my wife was born on Mahavir Jayanti. So Mahavir Jayanti has also become special and we started - my wife started reading up about Mahavir, about his teachings. And my mother in law we realised was born on Vasant Panchami. That is a festival which we usually overlooked, but we started celebrating it. It's become a special day for us as well, now. Shalini: Lovely, lovely.[10:05] Suraj: Similarly, like even the concept, you know, these names of days that we have given.. my friend called Pragya, she is celebrating her birthday on Pragya Dashami, she was born on dashami. She never knew about this Indian calendar concept, but she has been celebrating it, looking forward to double celebrations. So (laughs)..we make it a point to meet together and celebrate. This has been across my family and my friends. And they have been beginning to understand also. My wife was not so much aware of the Indian calendar now understands when the month changes, when that's how similarly, the seasons, the rutus, how they are calculated, we are all beginning to start to look forward to Indian festivals and celebrate our birthdays with that. And we are more aware of…[30:57] Rekha: Great point! Being aware of Indic calendar makes you really well connected to nature and the cycles of nature. So that's another important reason to keep in touch with the Indic calendar. Suraj: That's right, that's right. Yeah, I would like to bring one more point here this not just the calendar dates, it is also how we celebrate has changed. As you said now, we have more festivals, we are more aware of it. So we started doing on the Indic birthday, we do not blow out the candles like - mostly what you see kids today at midnight, they are blowing out candles and they are causing darkness. So an Indic birthday can be celebrated by lighting lamps, you know, or doing an aarti, for the birthday girl or boy, we can do even daanam you know, donation for the underprivileged. So these aspects also can be brought in into the Indic birthday. And we don't, you know, kind of blow out candles, we celebrate in our own way, which is auspicious to the Indian culture. [32:12] Shalini: Yeah, this this business about the midnight celebration. I think I read somewhere about you know, why this midnight celebration started. But I'm not able to recollect completely. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Do you have any idea of that? Suraj: Yeah. So the midnight celebration is actually a borrowed concept, if you see the Midnight is based off the Greenwich Meridian right, the Greenwich meridian, which is around near to UK, that is about five and a half hours behind the Indian meridian, the original reference of our ancient India was the meridian which goes through Ujjain, which is the center of India. And that is where the Mahakaal Temple is. So this was actually the original reference of the whole world. And the concept was then borrowed. And they back-calculated, okay, five and a half hours before Ujjain is Greenwich, so it's about know, some sometime before sunrise, so many hours before sunrise. So when it's midnight at UK or Greenwich, it is actually sunrise time in India. So it's 5:30-6:00 ish in India, which makes more sense that the start of the day for Indic cultures, we always say sunrise is a time when the day starts. So it's a colonized way of looking at things when you if you see only midnight as a start of the day. [33:46] Shalini: So actually, a person celebrating their birthday in in London is actually celebrating the Indic way, right? If we reconsider Ujjain Meridian as our primary meridian, then the person celebrating at midnight is actually celebrating according to Ujjain meridian, and it's the break of day. So that's that's an Indic way of celebration for a Londoner, but I don't think it's correct for Indians to do that way. Right? We have been adopting their style of celebrating at midnight.Suraj: We should do it in the morning. So then it's correct as per our timezone. Shalini: That is correct. Yeah. Yeah. This is very interesting.[34:24] Rekha: I was thinking it would be very helpful if we started thinking about the tithi every day of the week rather than just on birthdays. So do you have products like maybe a desk calendar or a wall calendar that parents can use to keep track of time so that it becomes a habit in the family?[35:00] Suraj: Thanks for bringing this point. So one of the problem which we face today is although we are interested in this information, most parents may be interested but the kids do not get this knowledge visible and clearly available to them in a physical way, we don't want them to go online all the time right? So, we actually wanted to we are putting together a view of the calendar, which is from Indic months perspective, and that is also available on our website, if you go to the monthly calendar and that would provide a much clearer understanding of the Indian months and the Indic days, this can be put, we will come up with our printed calendars and that can be put we also coming up with an app for the same for a website, it is under development and there can be many concepts whether it can be toys, so this the thing is that if we bring it into the physical world and we celebrate on a daily basis, then it makes more sense. For example, recently there was this birthday of a famous Emperor Krishna Devaraya, it was on Pausha Krishna dvadashi so nobody noticed it because it is on the Indian calendar, but not on the English calendar. So we are losing that connect to what's happening. But if somebody goes and realizes that Oh, I was born on Sri Krishnadevaraya birthday, I was also born on the same Indic birthday it'll create a connect! Kids you know, they will always pay attention when you say it's a birthday. Ask them “is your birthday important or is Diwali important”, they'll say “My birthday is more important, it is more special.” And if you are born on a historic day, then you would want to know more about it. So the kid will go and read up about the cultural aspect - who was Shri Krishnadevaraya, what is his history, it completely connects us to ancient times..say even from Ramayana, Mahabharata, which is getting disconnected, and it makes the day even more special. [37:00] Rekha: I would also like to see Indic birthday cards that maybe children can share, you know, if you have things - like you just mentioned Suraj Shashti for example. And just imagine how it would be if a child receives a special birthday card on that day connecting her to the culture and to the special day. There are so many possibilities, let's hope that this becomes a movement and we inspire all the parents to go ahead and celebrate two birthdays. We can continue to do the calendar birthday, but let's also celebrate the Indic birthday and let's remember to make that an extra special birthday for the child so that it stays in his mind for a long time. And it connects him to his culture in a very deep way. So another idea you know - I'd like to have your input on this - is to have a game of quiz with kids to make a list or to have them make a list of tithis. So much is in common, I mean, we commonly know all these things already. Like we know Vinayaka Chaturthi, we know Basant Panchami, we know Ratha Sapthami, Ramanavami, Vijayadashami..so any tithi that you can name like right from Ekadasi to different tithis, we have some festival or the birthday of a god associated with it already. So this can become an exercise for kids to play some kind of a quiz game or for parents to help children collect this kind of information and make it really interesting for them so that maybe in a few years, we can see a lot of knowledge about these aspects in Indian children. That's my hope. Suraj: Yeah, as Rekha ji said, every tithi has a festival associated to it. So there is you know, Vivaha Panchami in fact which is the wedding anniversary of Rama and Sita. It is celebrated. We have Vivaha Panchami, so anniversaries also can be added! Shalini: That is so nice! Suraj: There is Skanda Sashti (six) for Lord Skanda, Ganesh Chaturthi is four so you can have this quiz. Till Dashami Ekadashi trayodashi and Naraka chaturdashi is Deepavali.Rekha: That's beautiful! Suraj ji, we have a question from a listener, Shreya. She's asking us, “Is Sankranthi celebrated according to Hindu calendar? If it is, then why does it fall on the same dates in the English calendar -like the 14th or 15th of January - every year?”[40:00] Suraj: Yes. So, the concept of Sankranti is based on the solar cycle. So we have 12 Rashis covering 360 degrees of the movement of the Sun in relation to the earth and this 360 degrees is divided into 12 rashis. When the sun moves from one rashi to another it is called a Sankranti. Since we complete one whole solar cycle in a year, it is somewhat similar in terms of the calculations of the modern Western calendars, I say again emphasize ‘modern' because Indian calculations go much more back from ancient times. But the modern calculations have come closer to the same accuracy. That's why Sankranti dates kind of match with the English calendar dates. [40:25] Rekha: Okay, so Sankranti is calculated according to the solar movement. And that's why it coincides with the English calendar dates every year. Suraj: That's right. Rekha: Thank you. That was great information. Shalini: So I think we've had a wonderful time. And this is definitely not going to be the last of our conversations. I'm sure we will be getting in a lot of questions from listeners also, because I think we've spoken enough for our listeners to be excited and curious about this subject. And I'm sure many have a lot of questions. So we will definitely have you another time on the podcast Suraj ji. But for now, I think we must come to the end of this episode. Suraj: I would like to add one final quote, which I read somewhere in Singapore in a zoo, it makes sense here. Well, it says that, in the end, we will preserve only what we love. And we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught. So when we teach our kids these concepts only then can we take this and inculcate it in our daily life.[41:39] Shalini: That's a fantastic quote. And I think we will end with that. Thank you. Thank you, Suraj ji, and Rekha, thank you so much as always for being a wonderful host and we will look forward to meeting our listeners in another fortnight from now. It is once again the turn of a festival in the coming fortnight and we will be discussing Shivaratri with a parent. So until then, namaste and be well.Namaste. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we discuss the festival of Sankranti which is celebrated by Hindus in various parts of Bharat with slightly different names and rituals. We present here, a conversation with a Hindu parent regarding the observance and celebration of this festival in the Telugu states of Andhra and Telengana. It is a conversation where the parent reminisces on the celebration of this festival in times gone by and how the celebrations have evolved over the decades. This should help Hindu parents and in this case, Hindu Telugu parents revive some of the modes of celebration of this important festival.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingFacebook: hinduparentingTranscript[0:03] Rekha: Namaste. Welcome to the Hindu parenting podcast. With Makara Sankranti around the corner, today's episode features a discussion on the festival. Makara Sankranti is celebrated, when the sun Surya enters the makara rashi known as the astrological sun sign of Capricorn in the English calendar. As with all Hindu festivals, Makara Sankranti, is celebrated all across India, parts of Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka and Nepal, but with specific regional variations in name and customs. The festival is called Pongal, Bihu, Lohri, Uttarayan, or simply Makar Sankranti, depending on where you live. To help us understand how Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the Telugu states of Andhra and Telangana, we have with us a special guest, a parent. namaskar Shashank garu, welcome to the podcast. [1:00] Shashank: Namaste. Thank you very much. [1:02] Rekha: So, let's start with your earliest memories of the festival. Where did you grow up? And what can you remember? What are your earliest recollections of Makara Sankranti.[1:14] Shashank: So I grew up in Hyderabad. And I was fortunate though to have part of my family from the coastal region of Andhra. So, you know, my mom's side is from the coastal 100 region. And Telugu people will understand why I'm making this distinction because within the Telugu states, there is quite a bit of variation. So I grew up in Hyderabad and you know, everybody, I think from Hyderabad, if you ask them what your memories were about Sankranti I think they would immediately mention kite flying. Right. And that was…My memories of Sankranti really are vivid around flying of kites. You know, my dad's side, they are third generation Hyderabadis. So in their family, kite flying, this is something that, you know, every generation participates in, and they get very passionate about it. We have lots of memories. [2:14] Rekha: Yeah, it is a simple introduction to a child, I think because kite flying is so inherently, you know, such an active thing to do, that it instantly hooks children onto the festival. So it's probably a good way to get a child interested in this festival, right? [2:35] Shashank: Absolutely, absolutely. So if you had asked me, you know, what is your favorite festival, it would be a very tough call between Diwali and Sankranti. That is how big Sankranti was for us. And exactly for the reason that you've mentioned! Because kids, you know, for us, it's it's very exciting. We have our winter holidays. And then soon after, you know, you have your Sankranti and the whole family comes together and does it so you're right. Yeah, for a kid I think even though you don't think of it, as really a religious thing that you're doing…you know, being in the outdoors and flying kites with your family and the whole neighborhood around you…and you're competing with the neighbors…It's a very exciting time of the year. [3:26] Rekha: That's That's wonderful. What was your typical Sankranti day like you woke up in the morning? Did you have a religious ritual that you had to follow? Because I think some of the rituals differ from place to place and even within the Telugu states, Coastal Andhra is different from Telangana. And each place has its own variations. Was there something that you had to do before you went kite flying, maybe like an oil bath. Very often. These are the things that are celebrated. Every festival in South India has an oil bath associated with it. So was that something?[4:06] Shashank: It was on the day of actually…I think you're.. thanks for reminding me of these things. So it was. But actually on the day before, on Bhogi, right. Sankranthi is not obviously just a one day affair, there is Bhogi and then there is Kanuma after. On Bhogi, the kids would all come together after you take a bath and do your puja and sit on a few chairs, in one corner of the room. And then what at least happened in my family is, you know, we called it Bhogi Pallu. So you would get berries of a certain kind and all the kids are basically showered with berries. Right? And I spoke to my mother recently and I asked her why do you think we do this? And she said that it's winter is a harsh period of time and because you know, you don't have central heating, you don't have things like that, and nighttime temperatures can fall and for various reasons, you know, maybe the viruses are also more potent during that time. So they, she said that it, maybe it's a celebration of you know, maybe warmer weather coming. And you start by celebrating all the kids who have who are healthy and who are there with you. So, but yeah, my really only religious thing that I really vividly remember is the Bhogi pallu part.[5:32] Rekha: This Bhogi pallu part also has an arti associated with that, if I remember right. My grandmother used to shower the children, the smallest children are often, you know, very excited by this…berries falling all over them. So they do that. And then there was an arti for the children. And that got them sufficiently excited to, you know, start the day off in this way. And then look forward to the rest of the festival. So typically, it's a three day festival, the first day being Bhogi, the second day, of course, the Sankranti, and the third day Kanuma. But let's just elaborate a little bit more on the kite flying, which I think happened on the second day, is that right? [6:22] Shashank: That's right. So it has happens on the second day, on the day of Sankranti. It would start really with sunrise, right? Like during sunrise, when you have twilight period, right? At that time, we would start flying what we called as light patang, right, so you will basically have a small candle that is attached to the string and you let the kite go further into the skies, and these lights, you know, basically light up the sky. So we started with that. And then by the time it's mid morning, I think it starts heating up. And the peak time is, I guess, you know, when the winds start picking up. And you know, and everybody's on the rooftops by mid afternoon, I would say. And late into the evening, you would keep flying kites. And it's obviously not just flying of kites, but you're competing with the others, right? So you're trying to cut the other guys right and at least the neighborhood that I was in, it was an older part of the city where you have multiple different communities living there side by side from, obviously, within the Hindu fold, you had like people from different cultures and different languages there. But we also had lots of, you know, people from other religions, right, we had a significant Muslim population living in the neighborhood, and we would all participate in this. And it was, in a way brought us all together. Right? So it was very, you know, I really have fond memories of that. And oftentimes, the funny thing is we, you know, people who could afford to buy better stuff would think that, look, I have better stuff here and I'm going to be dominating the skies. But then oftentimes you would see, kids from the nearby slum, flying kites from in between the buildings, and they would much better than us. So it was, was a way to be humbled by these people. Yeah. Yeah. Right. [8:31] Rekha: This is such a lesson for the kids. Because skill, they learn so many things, one of them being skill at doing a certain thing, you know, you get better and better at an activity, say, like, kite flying, and you see that your fancy equipment is not necessarily going to make you better. [8:47] Shashank: Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. And you know, your doing things by the book doesn't necessarily get you the results too, right. [8:54] Rekha: Yes, the interesting thing is the community participation, which is what is lacking these days. So it is not just a celebration, should not be restricted to family but if you can build a sense of community wherever you live, that creates a lasting memory for the child because of the social activity that it involves. So that's the takeaway from here I think for the parents.[9:23] Shashank: 100%! Because I think too often our tradition is reduced to a few things and sometimes from a very critical perspective people look at it. But just looking at Sankranti alone you can easily see that our tradition, our culture touches on literally every aspect of life. I mean, we've talked about kite flying but then there is all other traditions are also happening. While the kids are upstairs with maybe their dads and cousins, flying kites, usually the ladies in the house and your daughters, they are doing the rangolis, muggu, as we call it in Telugu. They are doing various other things that would keep them engaged. And, I'm sure they have fond memories of doing that stuff, too. And then, like you said, with the arti, it reminds me, people would sing their favorite songs. And on my mother's side, actually, it's almost like a talent show. After the lunch, we all sit together and, you know, someone who wants to read a poem will read a poem, another person might sing a song, another person might do a little dance, a kid might do that. So, you're right. I think it touches on many, many aspects. And that is, I think that that is to our advantage. We are fortunate to have the kind of culture where it's not very strictly religious, and it's not like one dimensional at all. [10:50] Rekha: Yes, it's beautiful integration of arts, of the tradition of drawing rangolis which happens on the day of Bhogi. So there's something in a Hindu festival for every taste, this is what I firmly believe. And whether it is food, now coming to food… Every festival has with it certain traditional foods. And with Sankranti, it does seem like jaggery and til or sesame seeds, nuvvulu, as we call in Telugu, are used. New rice, it's a time of the winter harvest. And we use til, jaggery and new rice to make many of the dishes. In neighboring Tamil Nadu it is also called pongal. So it's the new rice and foods,….sweets that are prepared with these warming foods Til also warms the body during during the cold season. So for whatever little bit of winter we have in India, this is a time that you know the body could use some warming up. And kite flying also ties into that so beautifully because you're forced to be outdoors, enjoying the morning sunshine, and let's not forget that this festival is alll about Surya Deva. So I think it comes together so beautifully. And did you get a chance to speak to your mother about the significance of this festival? I also know that there is a Haridasa tradition in Andhra where singers go from house to house or at least they used to, go from house to house singing songs about the epics I think. Is there anything more regarding this that you wish to share with us?[12:50] Shashank: My mother mentioned, I spoke with her just last night. And she mentioned that was big part of it, the haridasu or the haridasulu we would say. They would come every day during the month apparently, and on the last day, which I believe is Kanuma, they would show up to collect whatever, you know, people are willing to give them most likely would be, you know, if you're a farmer who's growing a certain kind of a crop, you would share some of that with him. If you're growing rice, then you would give a little bit of rice to them. So it was you know, it was a big part of the culture and then you also had what we call as Gangireddu. Right? So a bull would be decorated in a really beautiful way. And they they would teach a few tricks to the bull and they would take the bull from house to house. Yeddu in Telugu is bull of course. So there was that. And then she mentioned many other such things, which to me, the common theme there was… every class of people, every part of the society, in one way or another was celebrating through what is theirs. Right. So that is the good part of it too. Right? Everybody was not doing the same thing necessarily. Right? If you're a guy who is, good at, like singing and you know, Haridasu, right. So you would do that. And if you're, someone who's good with the cattle and whatnot, you would do that. But, the common theme is that this festival was so all encompassing that it touched on every profession, every class of people, and… she actually had a lot to say, and I'll just stop here because we want to keep it brief. [14:51] Rekha: Absolutely. So just to recap, there's the tradition of decorating a bull and taking it around. So just think about the child who loves animals. There's something for that child as well. There's something for the child who loves art, as usual with all our festivals. And another important part that you mentioned that I'd like to touch on, is the tradition of giving. You give whatever is in your capacity, to people who don't have as much or who don't get things all through the year as we do these days. So giving is a large part of our tradition that we have, unfortunately, forgotten. It's not just about celebration as a family or celebration with friends. But giving or daanam is tied into all the traditions. And that's something which will benefit us enormously. If we revive that and just think of somebody within our community who is much less fortunate. So that's, that's the thinking, a takeaway from this that needs to be encouraged in our children? So there's something for everybody. And I understand that you're right now not living in India [Shashank lives in Canada]. So as an NRI, as a person who doesn't live in India, do you find it hard to keep to the tradition of celebrating festivals, specifically with respect to Sankranti? Because I know you have such beautiful memories of the festival that I'm sure you'd like to pass on something to your children. So how do you handle that? And the weather also being very different from India, during this time of year, at least? How do you manage that?[16:48] Shashank: I think it definitely is more challenging when you're living abroad in a climate that is not conducive to kite flying this time of the year. And I think what I find, though, is if parents can be a little creative, they can still find that hook that will hook the child to your culture and your tradition. Like we touched on before, there is arts, there is music, there is food. And if you want to talk about the harvest, and the harvest seasons, there is the earth science aspects to it. So I find it a little difficult for sure. But then, if you can be a little creative, I think it's not difficult to get the child attached to the culture. What we do in our houses, is we try to do the Bhogi pallu part, we get the Telugu families together, and we do Bhogi pallu. And then, at least in our families, we also do the bommala koluvu, which is basically a display of all the toys in your house, and you have a certain theme and you try to use the toys and buy toys to show that theme in your house. We do that. And kids, I think, you know, even though they might have different interests, I think all kids; one thing they have in common is they love stories. And I do spend time telling them stories about you know, whether it's kite flying, whether it's the other stuff that we used to do as children. And I think, through those stories, they'll understand more through stories than through like a direct, like a lecture sort of thing, right? If you sit them down and say, Hey, this is what the tradition is, you need to follow, I don't think that is as effective as taking them with you along your journey of like reminiscing about about your childhood. And I find that to be much more effective. And last year, actually, during Sankranti, my son came running to me one day and he said, Hey, my teacher asked me to do a little art project and I said, okay, then what do you want to do? And he said, Hey, you were telling me a couple of days ago about kite flying, can you help me picture that scene? And I'll do a little sketch on that. And I helped him with that. And he did a little sketch of people standing on rooftops and flying kites, and he sent that to his teacher. And his teacher not only liked it, but she said, Look, I want to learn more about your festival. So, and he came back and we did a little bit of research. And he he went back and apparently she shared details of the festival with the whole classroom. So I think the point I'm trying to make is, it's an extra effort, but a bit of creativity is all it takes to get your child involved regardless of you know, what they like. [19:46] Rekha: This is a good point, even for people living in India, because very often when the child goes to school, they are expected…not so much expected, I think it's more self inflicted in Hindu families, that you don't take religion into school. And so we avoid all mention of our celebrations in the secular schooling that we have in India. But, you know, with so much encouragement abroad, I find that children abroad often don't hesitate because all the children bring in their traditions very proudly. And this is something that Indian parents also need to remember. And probably have the children share more freely outside the house, the little particulars. The little customs and rituals that we do at home, can be shared outside. That is a process of confidence building for the child. And people are much more open than you think. So, once you know about your identity, it's so much easier to talk about it and we should never shy away from it. [21:09] Shashank: Right. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That has been my experience, actually. Yes. [21:13] Rekha: Let's talk a little bit about the science for the child who is of a scientific bent. Let's talk a little bit about the science of this festival. It's also called Uttarayan in many places. Uttarayan is typically a time when the sun starts it's northward journey into the northern hemisphere. And apparently, many 1000s of years before, Uttarayan used to coincide with Sankranti and they no longer do because of the axial precession of the earth. It's something that children may want to investigate on their own. Uttarayan meaning - uttar is north and ayana. The Hindu year is divided into two ayanas; Uttarayana and Dakshinayana. So there is such a beautiful scientific term built into the names we give our festivals. Anything that you wish to share about this? [22:19] Shashank: Yeah, I think the science part is definitely helpful. Because you know, it's a stereotype but I think it's not a baseless stereotype that Indian kids are generally attracted to STEM, right. So they're, whether because of parents or whether because of the environment they grew up in, they inevitably end up, majority of them in the sciences, right. So, I think the scientific angle to this whole festival of Sankranti, I think is something that any kid will find very fascinating. Not only the astronomical aspect that you just mentioned, but also the the weather patterns and the harvest festival, that it is actually; the fact that India has two harvests, and how both harvests are critical to nourish and keep healthy a sixth of humanity in that piece of land. I think it's a fascinating story. And I think, again, going back to what I said a few minutes ago, if you're a little bit creative, and passionate, I think, I think you can talk about weather science, you can talk about agriculture, you can talk about astronomy, like you said, and, the Indian kids being, inclined to the sciences, I think it would be a great conversation to have.[23:38] Rekha: Speaking of food, is there any specific food item that you used to prepare at home and which you're also carrying on now the tradition of food specific to this festival?[23:57] Shashank: So the second part of the question, what we are still doing on the aspect of food, unfortunately, I don't have much to say. But on the first aspect of what we did as children, I think two things that come up in my mind 1) is because my family, I grew up in Hyderabad, but this is really a very rural festival, right? Because we're talking about the harvest, we're talking about cattle and all that stuff that we mentioned earlier. It's a very rural festival and if you look today at Hyderabad during these days, it would look deserted during these three days, because everybody would go back to their little village or town that they came from. Because of that, because you know, the action really happens in the villages. But what happened in my family though, is during these days, we would be in Hyderabad but somebody or the other from the villages would send us some special items from there, whether it is you know, Putharekhulu [sweet] or whether it is some kind of a laddu, to it would come from there and we would all share you know, and the elders in the family would share stories about who sent this stuff and what they did as children. So that I remember vividly. And the other thing I remember is they would make some special food, especially on Kanuma. They would make stuff with urad dal, we call in Telugu, minaga pappu. So they would make stuff with that, and apparently it is supposed to be, you know, again, maybe goes back to what you said earlier, where maybe it gives you, you know, a little bit of warmth in the body, perhaps. But I heard that, you know, the day after Sankranti, which is Kanuma is when different families have different traditions around food.[25:44] Rekha: Yes, speaking of warmth, there is also the tradition of a bonfire in different parts of India. I think even Bhogi is associated with a bonfire. Probably, it ties back into a feeling of warmth that you need, in this mildly cold season in India. [26:07] ShashankThat's right. Warmth and also what I remember is, my mum actually mentioned it too, last night when I spoke with her is, it was not a fire that people made in their own little frontyard, but it would be like a community fire that they would make. Many times like on your street, you would get all the families would huddle around the fire early in the morning on the day of Bhogi, and the fire would be obviously would have wood, mainly burning to make the fire. But then you also have apparently items that are not useful anymore. Say there is a chair or a bed that is broken from last year, you would use all of that to burn it. And to me, it sounded like it is a way to cast off your past and you know, you're starting fresh, right. It's like, because every festival, you would clean things up. And in the house, around the house. And particularly for this festival, it sounds like that is an opportunity people take to get rid of all the stuff that they have, that is not working anymore. And then because you also have the harvest, you know, people are flush with money, so they would go buy new stuff. Sounds like that has been the tradition.[27:19] Rekha: That's nice. So we do see again, how everything comes together. You know, whether it's nature, geography. It's so closely tied into the Indian seasons, that nature is an important part of every Hindu festival. And then there is this process of reinventing yourself which is a constant theme that appears in all our festivals, the cleansing internally, which is your movement towards a higher plane… we call it spiritual consciousness today. But then there is this process of reinvention as you just mentioned. So at different levels, our festivals can be interpreted and for the child, it is more fun with kite flying, with food, with decorating animals, or, you know, making rangolis in the front yard, or the Bhogi pallu, the berries showered on you. So it does sound like festivals have a hook that we can use to attract children. And as you progress, there are different layers that unfold, you know, as you age. So again, coming back to the all encompassing nature of Hindu festival. So everything, there's something for everybody, of every temperament.So the last thing I do want to address is…Do you see any change now among the relatives that you have in India? Any feedback from them? Because there's a lot of change that's happening and the whole Hindu community is struggling to keep up with change. So any ideas on the change you have observed? Any ideas on keeping up? What can we do to make sure that our tradition continues and that we don't lose everything with the changing times.[29:32] Shashank: Unfortunately, I think I have a bit of a disappointing news from my own experience here. I feel like with families now spread across the country in India and sometimes even across the world in many cases, especially for Telugu families, I think it has become a little difficult for kids to be, for them to have the same kind of experience that you know, even my generation had. From what I'm hearing, I think my parents tell me that the situation there is nothing like what it used to be even 20-30 years ago.Part of the problem I think is families not being close by. Part of the problem I think is the devices, smartphones and whatever and the media that people are hooked to. And part of the problem I think is also how we are thinking about these festivals. I think at least in some families, we think of these as just another opportunity to get together and that's it… especially in urban India. I think what I am saying probably applies more to urban places and I have a feeling that in non-urban places, in villages and towns, maybe its not this bad. And when it comes to over here, in North America, my experience is that its been a huge change. When I go to a prominent temple in Canada, even on a major day when there is a big celebration and a big puja, you see lot of participation only from people who are new immigrants. Or if its from families that have been here for a long time, then its only the parents who are there. But rarely do you see their kids participating in these celebrations and that has been consistent. Whether I go on the Ram Navami celebrations and they do kalyanam there and I go on that day, its either just newly immigrated families or even families that are first generation immigrants, but then, second generation is nowhere to be seen. I definitely think that it is a problem. We should not end this conversation on a sad note, but unfortunately that seems to be the case, I think we seem to be failing on that front. Therefore, podcasts like this I believe are extremely important for us to think about what small ways we can connect the kids back to our traditions and culture. Even if you are not religious, this is not about just the religion, right? This is about your culture, this is about your language, your food, your arts, your music. So, at the end of the day, its also about India. And you cannot separate the two. You cannot separate all the things that I mentioned, you cannot separate them from India. So, I think when you lose the second generation, you are losing connection not just with the religion even though you might be thinking it's just a religious connection that is being broken. I think the connection to everything that I mentioned; arts, music, the geography of India. Everything.[32:32] Rekha: So beautifully said. It's not just one aspect that we lose, and the losing starts with language. If you can hold on to your language for as long as possible, there is a fair chance that many other things will survive. To end on a positive note, there are so many ways in which kids can get attracted to our festivals. Just giving the example of art (rangolis), a child who's interested in art, just get them interested in rangoli. For a child who's interested in animals, talk about the kanuma festival, talk about livestock, cattle, get them to be hands-on in some way, maybe using kite-flying. A hands-on approach really works with kids. For those in STEM, we can, as we discussed before, talk about the axial precession, talk about the difference between Makara Sankranti and Uttarayan and how they are slightly astronomically different and then get them involved in helping. For a socially conscious child, helping poorer members of the community through daanam and make them understand that  as Hindus, this is one aspect that we do, but doesn't get much publicity. Temples do a great deal of annadanam, of giving food to the needy. So there is something for everybody and you can get your child interested in many many many different ways. So, that, I'd like to think, is the takeaway from this session.Thank you so much, Shashank garu, for your valuable time, and we hope to see you on future podcasts. Thank you again, and as always, please write to us with your questions, comments, suggestions.  The next time, we will have another special guest on our podcast. We will talk about the Hindu calendar because it's the start of 2023. We'd like to talk about the Hindu calendar and how it's different from the Gregorian calendar that we follow today. So that's for the next podcast and thank you so much for listening. Namaste. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we discuss further concepts related to Hinduism. We present some more fundamental concepts in addition to those covered in Episode-1 that are important to an understanding of Hinduism. A knowledge of the basic framework will help us raise confident young Hindus.Show Notes0:03 Recap of Episode 1 and notes2:36: Linear vs Cyclical Concept of Time5:44: Seekers vs Believers10:01: Ashramas of Life15:09: Oneness and Divine Presence in Everything21:13: The Hindu RitualsSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Transcript[0:03] Rekha: Namaste. Welcome to another edition of the Hindu parenting podcast. Today Shalini and I will outline for you part 2 of “What it means to be a Hindu”. Before we start that, let's just make a couple of clarifications. The first point is, we discussed that a Hindu temple is also called a mandira, or a devalaya, which translates to the home of the deity. So this is a very important concept for us to know. Because in most faiths, the place of worship is a place that people congregate in and perhaps hear a sermon and get together to pray. But in Hinduism, that temple is the home of the deity. This is something that kids need to know. The second point is about the purusharthas. It is to be understood that artha and kama are the primary purusharthas that we deal with in today's world; artha meaning the desire for power and wealth/money, kama being the desire for pleasure. Artha, and kama always go together, and they are to be bounded by the principle called dharma. So these are just a couple of things that I wanted to clarify. Shalini any more points?[1:27] Shalini: I think there are a couple more things that I wanted to say. One, that what we are discussing here are topics which are not in any order of importance, nor are they in any chronological order, we are just discussing them as they come to us. Okay, then the other point that I wanted to say was that it is important to discuss these concepts, because these form the philosophical basis for Hinduism, and we believe that starting with this is just like starting to construct a house. When you construct a house, you always build the foundations first, and then only you build the superstructure. So the foundation is what actually stays below the ground, is a bit unglamorous, but it's a stable base, without which you cannot build a superstructure. So what we are discussing here is akin to discussing the foundations of Hinduism, which will then lead us to topics of everyday concern and everyday value for all of us to help us navigate everyday life. So I think these two things, was something that I wanted to say. So Rekha, I think we can just start now and we will delve into the concepts one by one, the ones which we have lined up for today. [2:36] Rekha: Today, let's start with something that most kids will find very fascinating. This is the concept of time. Time, as we commonly understand today is linear in nature, I mean, time by itself has no specific principle. It's just the way that we look at it. So the way we understand it today is fully linear, which means it has a past, present and future which does not repeat over and over again. But looking back, it's very intuitive to know that what we observe in nature is cyclical all the time: the seasons repeat, the phases of Moon repeat, day and night repeats. So, this is something that was noticed in most or almost all ancient cultures, including in Hinduism. So the Hindu conception of time is cyclical, it is also known as the kala chakra, chakra meaning a wheel. So we often refer to it as the Wheel of Time. So it starts with the srishti which the Western mind understands as creation, but we refer to it as srishti. It starts with srishti, then there is sustenance of the srishti and it ends with something called the pralaya. And then this cycle of time repeats over and over again. And time is divided into large and small units, large units, like the kalpa, the manvantaras, and the yugas, the chatur yugas are something that you find a reference to…the yugas in almost all the literature of Hinduism, like the puranas and the itihasas; they all refer to this cyclic dimension of time. So this is something that is a fascinating study by itself and is definitely of great interest to everybody. So Shalini, anything more you'd like to add to this? [4:37] Shalini: Well, perhaps we can look at it as you know, best elaborated with an example. So if you look at the the cycle of a plant, it grows from the seed. So the seed carries all the lifeforce, it grows from the seed, it becomes a plant, it becomes a tree, it flowers, it fruits, and then it sort of decays and goes back into the ground in the seed form. So the lifeforce is then again, coming back through a new seed. Similarly for us, we conceptualize time also in the same fashion. So there is potent form in the form of a single unity, there is an expansion and then again there's a contraction and then starts the cycle all over again. So, I think, yeah, it summarizes what we think about how time operates. So, moving on, I think we should look at the concept of Hindus being seekers rather than believers. So how would we go about explaining that Rekha? [5:44] Rekha: Most faiths mandate some sort of a belief system. This is where Hinduism is quite different from everything else that we know. Here the importance… there's a lot of importance is given to seeking and finding your answers, which means that the dichotomy of religion versus science is not something that Hinduism is very concerned about, because there is a natural inclination to seeking here and this is actually beautifully brought out in the oldest scripture, which is called the Rig Veda. And there is the Nasadiya Sukta in the 10th Mandala of the Rig Veda, which discusses how srishti came to be, you know… from where… how has this srishti happened? What happened before that, what was life? When did life start and what happened at the earliest time of srishti. “So who can say what happened then; do the gods themselves know what happened; does the person, or the entity who created this srishti know what happened? Or how this whole beautiful universe came about? Does he know or maybe even he does not know!”This is the ending of the Nasadiya Sukta. So you can right away see from this, that there is no mandate, there is nothing that HAS to be believed. And if you do not believe that you cannot function as a Hindu. We are open to scientifically seeking answers. [7:17] Shalini: So this experience, I think is wonderful, yeah, that is correct. Because this, the Nasadiya Sukta is, I think, very, very profound, you know, and I think culture, which tells people to believe, will never write words like this, because they are all words of a seeker, you know, when you're even saying “even he knows, or maybe does not know” which means you are questioning even the divine as a creator. That can come only from a culture of seeking, not from a culture of believing. I think, also, there's another facet, which helps us understand that we are a culture of seekers. For the longest time, I think, until the 15th century, or something like that, somewhere in the middle, middle ages, it was believed by most of the West that the earth is flat. However, our oldest description of the Earth is as a spherical entity, not a flat entity. So we have always known that the earth or any of the planetary bodies are more or less spherical in shape, you know, and not flat. So this, I think, also comes from a lot of seeking, questioning and demanding answers and looking for them, which testifies to our culture being one of seeking rather than believing, don't you agree? [8:37] Rekha: Absolutely. And we all know what happened to Copernicus and Galileo; such stories of persecution for differences from the accepted viewpoint are almost not heard of at all in Hindu history or culture. We have a system of… we have had, which is sadly not so well known now, but we have had a system of open debates. And there are many famous debates that are examples of, you know, questioning, seeking, of this entire spirit that our culture is defined by. So yes, this is something I think we should all be proud of.[9:23] Shalini: …And our art of debating where scholars debated on practically every issue under the sun. So we have always been a culture of questioning and seeking answers rather than blind belief. Though, ironically, we are called as a culture that is, you know, into blind beliefs, superstition and the like, which I think is not at all warranted, given the long history of debate and discussion and, you know, seeking that has happened in this civilization. [10:01] Rekha: This is a great point. Absolutely and we all need to understand this and also make sure our kids understand it. So that anything that is thrown at them can be answered you know. Kids need to have an understanding of what our culture is, what it was all about, because a lot of it is not understood today. And many Hindus today like to describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. So we will examine this towards the end of the program when we come to rituals. But before that, let's talk about ashramas. The Hindu is familiar, most Hindus are familiar with the ashrama system, or at least the names that are given to the four stages of life. First being the Brahmacharya which covers student life. Brahmacharya just means seeking or proceeding in the direction of finding Brahman. So this refers to specifically the student part of life where young children and adolescents are encouraged to study and to build up skills that will then serve them well for the next phase of life, which is called Grihasta, gruha meaning home. So Grihasta refers to the phase of life that we all are in. It is the householder phase of life where you have kids, and you are responsible for the older generation, the younger generation, the responsibilities are high, and this is supposed to form the backbone of society. So this is considered the most important ashrama of the four ashramas in Hinduism.The third one is the Vanaprastha, which is common among older people whose children have grown up. They've handed over their responsibilities to their children, and they're slowly detaching themselves from the worldly life and moving into a secluded forest dwelling life where they then begin to focus on their own internal sadhana. The fourth ashrama is called sannyasa, which is of very little relevance today, I think, with hardly anybody reaching that stage. But what's interesting is that all the four ashramas that have been conceptualized so long ago, are pretty much unchanged. And, you know, this is what you see in the world around you today, the student life and then the householder, and then slowly detaching yourself from responsibilities, which, again, is a bit of a gray area today. Any comments on that Shalini? [12:43] Shalini: Yeah, I think, today, vanaprastha does not have the same significance as in older times. I think because the concept of Hindu seeking moksha, has somehow taken a backseat. Now, vanaprastha, I think, was designed because every Hindu in older times was expected to strive to attain moksha. So vanaprastha was supposed to be sort of the preparing ground for the seeking, seeking answers from within. And sannyasa was the stage where one actually reached or attempted to reach the divine. And this was true for everybody. But I think, over time, these two stages of life have become a little more diluted, and perhaps not possible for everybody. But we do think that, you know, if people are inclined to do this, we could do with some upping of the spiritual quotient of current society, you know, so, if there are people who are keen to pursue the path of moksha, they should actually follow the vanaprastha and sannyasa stages. It would be nice if some people started to adopt these two stages more seriously. [14:08] Rekha: Shalini I think here, perhaps, you know, in ancient times itself, people have thought about the friction between the older generation and the younger generation. And so when the older generation hands off responsibilities to the adult children, and you know, detaches from worldly life, it is a kind of green signal for the current grihastas to take over and that lessens conflict also, in many ways. [14:41] Shalini: That's absolutely true. Yeah, I think our our ancestors actually, you know, conceptualized things after a lot of deliberation, and there was nothing offhand or random about any of the things that Hinduism stands for. Yeah. So I think we shall move on.[15:04] Rekha: and talk about the divine presence in everything?[15:09] Shalini: Yes, yes, we shall do that. So Hindu thought, believes that everyone and everything is absolutely divine. So we consider that all of srishti is a manifestation of the One single, divine essence, you know, and this encompasses not just animate, but inanimate objects too. So, the difference being in the levels of consciousness that an inanimate object has, and that which a living being or an animate entity has. Also, even in the animate world, there is levels of consciousness from lower to higher, and at present man is the highest form that is there. However, Hinduism does not, does not say that evolution stops with man. We think that it is also possible to go higher, and that's why we have the concept of moksha. So that is, I think, where we conceptualize everything as divine. And we also understand that it's not easy to reach this, or transcend ourselves - that it's not an easy task. And therefore, we have multiplicity of paths to attain this. We believe that all paths essentially lead to the One divine, and this is often repeated, you know, the statement from our Upanishads, Ekam Sat Viprah Bahuda Vadanti, which means that multiple paths lead to the same goal. So, we do believe in that, but there might be something that we want to probably dissect over here and say that while all paths do ultimately lead to the One, it is also important that the paths have to be in consonance with dharma. Adharmic paths need not necessarily lead to the One goal. So any any further things that you'd like to add Rekha?[17:12] Rekha: No, I like the point that you mentioned, that adharmic paths and dharmic paths do have a difference. And in modern times, the average Hindu is quite confused about this. So, this is something that we will be addressing, especially while teaching kids because it's a beautiful concept in itself, but the way we apply it, you know, has to be very carefully thought out. When when we talk about the divine presence in everything, this is a good point of time to mention that the Hindu view of nature, no the way we respect every tattva or element in nature, rivers are given the form of river goddesses you know, there is there are many elements in nature that we treat as sacred. And it all boils down to this feeling of a divine presence in every one and everything, I think this is a principle that animates our existence and you know, it is carried down into everything that a Hindu does or thinks in daily life. So, yes, this is absolutely important principle to know. [18:34] Shalini: And perhaps, I think, making nature and it's tattvas all divine, prevents us from messing around with nature too much. We know that imbalance created in nature or of any element will mean that whole of srishti will have to bear consequences. So, this very, very tight bond between cause and effect, I think deters us from exploiting nature ruthlessly, no? Or at least until until recent times, this kept us from degrading nature, like we see happening elsewhere, Considering that probably the landmass that we call India has had the highest dense density of population for all times, we have been one of the least polluters, least rapacious in terms of exploiting the environment till recent times, and that could not have happened if we did not imbue the sacred element with nature. So, I think that's very important that associating sacredness with anything acts as a natural deterrent to exploitation.[20:07] Rekha: This is beautiful. And at some point, it gives kids a great deal of perspective, to know that this is not true of just Hinduism but of many original ancient cultures in the world. We are the only surviving ancient culture really, but this principle of finding the sacred in every element of nature, has been around for a long time. And if you look at many ancient cultures, you see this all across the board, and it's something that maybe I'm sure kids will find fascinating to explore on their own, to come up with examples. [20:53] Shalini: Yeah, sure, sure. So now let's move on to rituals, because all that we have discussed so far, are the concepts and now we'll see how they come into our life on a practical level. So, Rekha, please explain to us about rituals and their significance, [21:13] Rekha: The much maligned ritual of Hinduism! It's interesting that rituals have a very important place in Hinduism, and of late Hindus have become a little bit defensive about this, because we have lost a lot of the understanding of the basics behind rituals. Rituals are mainly performative. And of all the concepts that we have discussed, you know, some of the principles that of Hinduism that we have discussed so far, all of them flow down into our everyday life as the Hindu ritual. A Hindu ritual is very aesthetic, it's beautiful to look at, think of the Ganga Aarti you know, something, it engages all your senses, it has a special function of its own. A ritual in everyday life is gives you a sense of predictability, of discipline. And to that extent, small rituals keep children really grounded and on the right path, I would say, because, interestingly, recent studies in Harvard Business Review have referred to the power of ritual. Of course, they were not talking about the Hindu ritual, they were talking about a sense of ritual created, new rituals being created. And modern life has learned to think of Friday night popcorn and movie as the ritual too. But when we as a culture have so many rituals that are of specific significance of you know, which ties to our culture, and which bring out its essence, which have been going on for 1000s and 1000s of years, and which we know are also tied to seasons, and are good for us in so many ways, then we would really be foolish to throw that away and adopt something very new, because I think it's been proven that ritual is very good for the human brain right now. So I think this is the Hindu ritual that is so important for us to follow and not just throw it away. [23:31] Shalini: Yeah, that is absolutely true. So we have really come to almost close to despising any sort of ritual, especially when connected to Hinduism. It's all brushed off as being backward, being not at all in touch, in tune with the times. But it's really much maligned. I agree completely. So I think we have discussed some of the main concepts and there might be more and we might delve into other concepts in some future episodes if we feel the need. We hope that you have all liked to listen to us, have been able to get some takeaways from our conversation. Please do come back for another edition in about a fortnight's time. [24:30] Rekha: And I just a quick thing here. Yes, yes. I think while raising children, we need to keep all these principles, because a lot of things we will be talking about specifically, even current events. When you think about looking at them through a Hindu lens, these are the principles that we will be referring to again and again. So it really helps us as parents to keep these in the back of our minds. And when kids are on on the defensive as Hindu kids, you know very often in the world today, they don't know what they have to say, you know, what they can say in answer to some of the things thrown at them. So, a well conceived worldview exists. And just keeping this in your mind will help you to help children see what it means to be a Hindu and also to answer the questions that they are often faced with in today's world. So this is a small point I wanted to make. [25:40] Shalini: Yeah, so in the next episode, we will be covering the festival of Sankranti. So we look forward to having you all with us one more time in a fortnight, and there's nothing more currently. So, we will say Namaste and see you in a fortnight. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode, we discuss what it means to be a Hindu. We present some fundamental concepts that are important to an understanding of Hinduism. A knowledge of the basic framework will help us raise confident young Hindus.Show Notes1:26: Murti puja6:43: Ishta Devata10:39: The Divine Feminine14:00: Punarjanma19:00: Karma21:06: The PurusharthasSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting Notification emails for new podcasts/posts in your email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to your main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Transcript[0:04] Rekha: Namaste and welcome to the Hindu Parenting podcast episode One. I'm Rekha and today Shalini and I will be exploring the topic of what does it mean to be Hindu? Namaste Shalini![0:19] Shalini: Namaste Rekha, carrying on from our first podcast or our launch episode, we are going to delve into what it means to be a Hindu. Just to start with, why is it important that we underline this: what it means to be a Hindu? Why is that so important?[0.35] Rekha: I think it ties right back into where we left off last time, which is the concept of identity. So, what it means to be Hindu is something that parents need to know to form a clear identity in their children. And this is important, I think for two reasons. First is to give you a structure, so that it can be a framework for you to hang your thoughts and actions on. The second important reason for knowing what it means to be Hindu is that it gives us a lens with which we can view the world. So, clarity and perspective both become very important.[1:24] Shalini: So, where are we going to start?[1:26] Rekha: We should start with something that Hindus are so commonly laughed at… this concept of murti puja or idol worship as it is commonly but wrongly known. So what are your thoughts on murti puja, Shalini?[1:45] Shalini: We are always told that we are worshipping idols. But I think that's the wrong way to look at that form of worship. Hindus are used to worshipping the divine along with a form and name as a representative image. And what sort of representative image? It's one that we think reflects ourselves. So I think that's what murti puja is about, and for us, a murti or a framed picture of a deity or a vigraha, normally vigraha is also called idol but prefer to use the word vigraha…because we do associate a living, breathing form in a persona that we worship. Vigraha is also consecrated in a temple, and they do prana pratishta, which means that you actually invoke the life force into the deity before it is consecrated. And hence, it's probably not even right to call it idol worship. And I think we should all start to call it as murti puja.[3:07] Rekha: That's an excellent point. And don't you think when it is called idol worship so commonly outside, there's a tendency to confuse vigraha, the concept of vigraha, with an idol as in a pop idol or a cricketing star or a film star? These two are so widely different. Would you like to talk a little bit about that? And, tell us in what way we can view them differently?[03:40] Shalini: Yeah, okay. When we talk about, you know, for me, this person is an idol or that cricketer is an idol, it is an aspiration. This person is somebody who's far away from us, but we aspire to be like him or her. There is a sense of distance from this idol that you're worshiping…worshiping or whatever, because you're very much looking up to him, you're very much in adoration of this person. So it's akin to, let's say, worship, and you're very far away from this person. So there is the aspect of distance. Whereas in when we when we worship the divine in the form of a murti, it is somebody who is close to us. Of course, I'm not saying that there's no aspiration, even in murti puja, we are aspiring to reach the divine. But there is also the sense of that divine form as also our closest confidant. We often submit all our prayers, our wishes, our desires, etc, to this divine form that we are worshipping. I don't think we do that to our idols, right? With film stars, cricketers, we don't do that.[05:09] Rekha: There's another interesting thing that comes up here. The very act of performing a puja is to take care of this living entity (murti), as we would take care of another member of the family. And even in temples, the deity is bathed, clothed, and so on and all this feeds into the ritual that we performed in temples.[05:40] Shalini: What do we call a temple? We call a temple a devalaya. And what is the meaning of an aalaya? Aalaya is a home: so a temple is basically the home of the deity, and when we are going to the temple to worship the deity, whoever the pratishtha is in that temple, we are going to his or her home. So we have to observe whatever we observe, when we enter someone's house. That's pretty much the same, in a broad sense, what we do in a temple. So, actually, our murti puja mimics in one sense what we do in real life, but we do add the dimension of a higher power. So something aspirational at the same time personal. Therefore, I think murti puja can never be idol worship and for a Hindu I think we should stop calling it as idol worship and move towards using the word murti, murti puja.[06:43] Rekha: Yes, that's so important. I think using the right terms is very important. And that's something that we as parents can teach children, right from a very young age, so there's no more confusion about these terms as they grow up. That's a great point.Moving on to the concept of Ishta devata. So we have so many, millions or crores of devis and devatas. And then there is this concept of an ishta devata that a person can choose to worship. How does one choose an ishta devata? And, you know, what does this tie in to? I think, personally, I feel that the concept ishta devata is actually a showcase for the kind of respect for diversity that we have in Hinduism. Because when you do have so many devatas, you don't see followers of one devata fighting with another, or in a family, you don't see people who have different ishta devatas, insisting on the whole family worshipping the same ishta devata. I think there's a lot of respect for each other's concept of a deity that we personally resonate with; that is, something in us resonates deeply with a particular principle or a certain concept embodied by the deity that we so often choose as an ishta devata.[08:30] Shalini: So what you're saying, actually boils down to a personal God for every Hindu, right? We are accused of being polytheistic, worshipping many gods and that's not great.. and that's not good and whatever not. But ultimately, when you say ishta devata, what you're saying is, eventually everybody zeroes in on one devi or devata that you resonate with, right?[09:03] Rekha: And that best meets your aspirations, I think, because these are the different ways. All of us are different and I think this principle is so beautifully recognized by Hinduism. We are not all similar. And each of us resonates deeply with one core principle that can be used to transcend our natures, and to put us on the right path. So I think to that extent, it is really extremely diverse. There's a lot of respect for diversity, which is not something that is often taught to kids or something that we think about.[09:45] Shalini: So is it necessary that everyone then should have an ishta devata? Or can we if we choose to, worship any number that we want? Is there any injunction against worshiping more than one?[09:58] Rekha: Not at all! In fact, I think there are two forms of worship, right? There is saguna worship and then there is nirguna form of worship also, which is that you can worship a formless entity, but that is supposed to be much harder. And for a normal human being, I think, approaching the divine with nama and rupa is so much more easier. And for an average person, a deity with a name and a form, is an entity that can be worshipped, adored, treated as a friend.[10:39] Shalini: So while we talk of devis and devatas and all that, are our devis, as important as our devatas? Is there a concept of equal respect for the feminine form? Or is it masculine like in other faiths?[11:03] Rekha: It is interesting that you bring this up, because I think we are probably the only living, continuous culture with a known element of feminine, the divine feminine in it. Our devis are every bit as important as the devatas. Just take a few examples - Every child knows the importance of praying to  Devi Saraswathi before starting on a course of study, there is Annapurneshwari who is worshipped as a giver of food. And there is Devi Durga, who, of course, I mean, we all know Navaratri. And we know that we worship different forms of the Devi. And there is no business enterprise that is started without a prayer or puja to Lakshmi Devi. So these are some of the examples. And definitely I think our devis are as important in their own right, as any devata that we commonly worship. I think that kind of answers your question, right?[12:19] Shalini: Yeah. But given this, given what you've just said, we often find that an accusation is thrown at Hindus, that rituals in Hinduism, are mostly performed by males. And, that there is no role for the woman in ritual. Is that true even?[12:44] Rekha: I think that is a misconception. Because, every ritual, every puja that a married couple undertakes, mandates the presence of the wife next to the husband, without which the ritual is not valid at all. Take this case of Sri Rama performing the ashwamedha yajna…he had to also install by his side, a golden statue of Devi Sita, because without his ardhangini by his side, even a king as pious, as Sri Rama was not allowed to perform the yajna by himself. And this holds good in our daily lives. There are a lot of rituals that a man who has lost his wife, is not allowed to perform. This is not commonly known.Shalini: This is news!Rekha: Definitely, I think a man who is either unwed, single, or who has lost his wife, and who is a widower is not allowed to perform certain karyas in Hinduism.There's another one that I would like to mention here, because it's just so important and that is the concept of Punarjanma. A Hindu believes that this is not the only life that we live; that we have had multiple births, many crores of births before this current birth and that we will continue to have many, many births in the progress towards the ultimate moksha.[14:33] Shalini: But this will be called out as unscientific because people will tend to ask you on what basis you are saying that this is not about just one life… and multiple lives and things like that. So, there is an element of unscientific claims to this. So, how can we counter something like that?[15:01] Rekha: There are many universities today where the concept of Punarjanma or reincarnation as they call it, is being scientifically tested. How do you explain something like a child prodigy? Where is he or she getting this innate wisdom and knowledge from? It's almost like they have left off when their previous life ended and just started now with so much wisdom that they already carry… or knowledge. And then there are also many instances where children, especially up to the age of four, have recounted lucidly, and in great detail, a previous life episode that they have had.[15:51] Shalini: All this research happens abroad. And I remember watching a video sometime back, which was from I think it was…[16:04] Rekha: University of Virginia, I think Virginia Medical Center. Yes, they are carrying out research into this concept and how is it that so many children have reported accurate details about lives that they would have absolutely no access to? So, this is still being studied and we can await this with great curiosity, but Shalini, would you say that this validation is important to a Hindu either way?[16:37] Shalini: Also, while we talk about science and being scientific, having the scientific scientific temper and all that. I actually think that Punarjanma also is broadly scientific. I may be right or wrong in my assumptions, but I just do feel this. In physics, we have learned that nothing can be created and nothing can be destroyed. So, in that sense, if we say that  a man or  a dog or any living being is just about biology and chemicals, and just some material things put together I don't think that that explains completely what constitutes a living being. So, there is something beyond just the material and while you can say that, with the death of the physical body, the material being is lost, what then happens to the extra something that you say, makes you living? So, there is that extra something, and that extra something also is part of the universe. So, if nothing can be destroyed, and nothing can be created, then obviously…the material part is ashes to ashes, dust to dust, as they say, but what about the subtle part or the something that makes you a living being? What happens to that? In my view, punarjanma explains what happens to that subtle being, it takes another form, another body and is reborn. And hence, in my view, maybe a limited point, but I still think that this conception is no less scientific. In fact, it is probably more scientific than saying that you have only one life and with your death, everything's finished. That to me, sounds unscientific, actually.[18:40] Rekha: Interesting. And there's this concept, you mentioned that there is something subtle, that carries on from janma to janma. So, it is not necessary that all these multiple births are only human, right? We firmly believe that depending on your karma… now, that again, we will delve into that word, but the broad belief is that depending on your actions in this life, you will get a body in your next life, right? And if you are very good with your deeds and thoughts in this life, you will probably be blessed with another manava janma, which is a human birth.[19:31] Shalini: Interestingly, karma is often translated as fate. And with whatever we've discussed, it's actually an anti thesis to the word fate. There's nothing fateful about karma. It's all dependent only on you. Fate essentially means that you're not in control, whereas what we're saying is that your karma defines who you will be in your next birth. Karma basically is reaping the fruits of your own actions …and who is in charge of your own your own actions? Yourself! So frankly, it is absolutely wrong to equate karma with fate. It is the opposite of fate, it is actually something that keeps you on the road to getting a better birth in your next life.[20:27] Rekha: Yes, a couple of points here. Last time, we mentioned that Hinduism has an innate structure, whereby you can follow the moral path and it can bring about a course of self correction. So I think this karma ties very well with that, because it is in your hands, right? It can almost be thought of as a motivational theory for you to make sure that your actions conform to the right conduct today, so that you will have a good forward progression in your future janmas.[21:06] Shalini: And to help with that, to help with proceeding in a better direction, I think Hinduism has laid down sort of a broad map and we call that as purusharthas. So the goal of human life is to work towards certain purusharthas. Maybe you can come in and explain what they mean?[21:31] Rekha: Yes, the purusharthas are four in number and they are called dharma, artha, kama and moksha. These give us a framework for things to aspire to…what is most important for a human being, I think…achieving a certain status, wealth, power or enjoyment. This is explained by the two words artha and kama. And it is not wrong to aspire to lead a life of comfort, or to earn money. But both of these, should be governed by something called dharma, which is a certain order. Even if you take our day to day lives, nobody really likes to live in an environment of utter chaos, nobody is happy living in such an environment. So we do need some kind of order. And when kama and artha are bounded by the dharma, it is as simple as trying to understand a person who wants to move his elbow in a crowded room. You can move your elbow as long as it doesn't, you know, interfere with somebody else's ability to move their elbows or, or till you don't hurt somebody. I think that is a simple way to understand how unbounded artha and kama leads to chaos and problems. But the temporal bounding is done by this concept of dharma in our day to day lives. And that leaves moksha. Would you like to talk about Moksha?[23:12] Shalini: Moksha, I think, is the final pursuit of, of human birth. And it is something that is rarely achieved. But it is something that every hindu aspires to attain. So we might take multiple, by multiple I mean, probably births over millennia, but every hindu thinks that there will be some birth at which he or she will be released from this entire cycle itself of birth and death, and will sort of merge into the divine and become one with the Divine. In such a state, this person and Moksha can be attained not just after death, you know, as it is sometimes wrongly believed. It can be achieved even while a person is living, and we do have many exemplars, it doesn't mean that we stop living just because we have merged into the divine, we continue to live, we continue to do what we do, except that we are unattached in the state of moksha. The person who has attained it is unattached to material things, to family bonds to, to anything, it is a universal love. That is the motivating force for any action, you know, so and there is no expectation of returns, there's no expectation of fruits of the action. There's no expectation from another person. It's completely universal, and it's a very blissful state to be in, you know, so and that is the concept of moksha. And that's what all Hindus aspire to eventually at some point.[25:00] Rekha: At some point, yes. And so so we have discussed a few core concepts of what it means to be a Hindu here. And to know all this gives you a very clear lens to live your life by and also a certain moral compass. And we do know that maybe, in today's world, consequences may not be enforced immediately, or the consequences to children may not be apparent. But a Hindu child who knows the concept of Punarjanma would certainly know that there are karmic consequences to any of the actions that we perform today. And also, you know, it gives him or her a sense of agency - to better your life is in your hands. So I think on that note, we can probably end today's episode.[25:52] Shalini: We have a lot more to discuss. And I think there are a few more very important concepts that we should cover, but we shall do it in the next podcast. So we will join back in another fortnight and continue this conversation. So as always, we request our listeners to send in their comments, share their views, send their questions, and we will be seeing you in a fortnight. So thank you. Thank you for listening and thank you Rekha. So until the next time namaste. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe