Diwali a Festival of Lights and Sweets.

This is a festival which is celebrated by Hindus in India and worldwide.

Diwali or Deepavali popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a five day festival which starts on Dhanteras and ends on Bhai Dooj.

For Hindus, Diwali is the most important festival of the year and is celebrated in families by performing traditional activities together in their homes.

For Jains, Diwali marks the attainment of nirvana by Lord Mahavira.

The name "Diwali" is a contraction of "Deepavali", which means "row of lamps".

During Diwali small clay lamps filled with oil are lit to signify the triumph of good over evil.

Nowadays there are huge Electric Bulb lit Lanterns or Kandils which are hung outside the homes.

These lamps are kept on during the night and one's house is cleaned, both done in order to make the goddess Lakshmi feel welcome. The Goddess Lakshmi signifies wealth and people aspire to become wealthy.

Firecrackers are burst in order to drive away evil spirits.

During Diwali as it is a joyous occasion, people wear new clothes and share sweets and snacks with family members and friends.

Day 1 Dhanteras:

 The festival starts with Dhanteras on which most Indian business communities begin their financial year.

People buy gold and silver ornaments on this day.

Day 2 Naraka Chaturdasi:

This marks the vanquishing of the demon Narakasura by Lord Krishna.

Day 3: Amavasya:

On this day people worship Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.

This day tells the story of Lord Vishnu, who in his dwarfs incarnation, vanquished the Bali, and banished him to Patala.

Day 4: It is on the fourth day of Diwali, Kartika Shudda Padyami that Bali went to patala and took the reins of his new kingdom in there.

Day 5 Bhai Dooj:

 This day is referred to as Yama Dvitiya (also called Bhai Dooj), where sisters invite their brothers to their homes. This signifies the bonding between brothers & sisters and also strengthens family ties.

While the story behind Diwali and the manner of celebration varies from region to region, the essence is the same – to rejoice the triumph of good over evil.

Barfi …………… Don’t miss it.

Movies are made in Bollywood but most of them are generally mediocre and staid.

The themes are routine, one gets bored by the loud music and prancing around trees by the Heroes & heroines.

Once in a while a good movie comes to the theatres and it catches your attention.

Barfi is one of them.

Anurag Basu has done a great job and made the movie what it is.

Ranbir Kapoor has outperformed along with Priyanka Chopra.

The movie is about a Deaf & Mute individual, who is not bothered by his handicap but exudes mirth and excitement in life.

He falls in love with a young girl played by Ileana d’ Cruz and unfortunately her parents marry her off to another man.

Ranbir is heartbroken but manages to continue with his life and befriends his childhood friend Priyanka who is an autistic.

Her portrayal of the autistic individual is excellent and her mannerisms are near perfection.

She cannot have eye contact and is not so verbose in her communication.

Barfi -Ranbir is also not able to communicate easily with her because of his own impairment but they live on.

Priyanka undergoes problems with her family and Ranbir saves her and both go to Kolkatta.

It is very interesting to see Barfi employed in a shop and fends for Priyanka.

Then Ileana suddenly comes into his life so Priyanka is upset and goes back to her special care home for the handicapped.

Barfi is not aware of her whereabouts and tries to locate her.

He goes through lots of hardships, sufferings and ultimately reaches the home where Priyanka lives.

Barfi manages to rescue her and they live together thereafter.

The movie is woven around a plot of kidnapping where Priyanka is missing and ransom notes are sent to her parent’s home. This adds to the mystery and keeps us guessing about the existence of Priyanka.

The movie oscillates from the present to the past and well directed to keep the audience glued to their seats and unravel the suspense.

Both Ranbir & Priyanka have acted well and deserve all the accolades.

A great movie and worth the visit to the cinema hall.

Don’t miss it.  

You can be waylaid anywhere!!!!

I live in Mumbai India, and being a crowded city one would expect that you can be robbed.

Well poverty is the key thing that drives people to rob.

That was the notion we all carry, isn’t it.

India is a large country with a huge population next to china and people are poor, job opportunities are less, people are illiterate so thefts are inevitable.

We are extremely careful in Mumbai while commuting on trains and buses and I am sure many of us would have lost our wallets in this public transport system in Mumbai.

We had always thought if these things happen here in Mumbai then it was considered as a normal occurrence.

But what happened to me in a foreign country was both surprising and hard to believe.

I was travelling from Interlaken to Zurich Airport by early morning train.

I had to change train at Berne.

When I got down at Zurich Airport Station, I managed to unload my bags and as I took the escalator I lost my wallet from my back pocket.

I noticed that I had lost my wallet but could not do anything as the escalator was going upwards.

I contacted the police personnel there in the station and was directed to a police station in the station premises.

I reported the theft and rang up my banks to block my cards.

I was aghast that I could lose my wallet in Switzerland.

The Trains were not crowded, there were less people on the station yet my pocket got picked.

I wonder how the thief did it, as generally in Mumbai the pick pockets usually operate in crowded locals but here in Switzerland the thief was so good that despite the fat there were very less people he managed to con me.

I wonder what makes one rob others in a place like Switzerland.

It is a country with less population and everything is so disciplined that I could not believe that I was robbed.

The police at the Zurich Airport station confirmed that thieves are very active in this area and they were alerting the general public about it.

Can we really believe that thefts occur only in places where there are crowds?

Can it occur where there are more people?

With my experience it is no, it can occur anywhere, so guard your things carefully when you travel.