tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13187731962014238442025-09-10T21:40:22.598-07:00Musings under the MoonUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-35433425114417681112023-05-13T15:30:00.004-07:002023-05-14T21:32:40.436-07:00

April 30, 2023See the other parts of this journey - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6. From our native village we went to Kausani. Kausani is a small hill station with a good view of Himalayas - trishul and Nanda Devi peaks, tea plantations and hilly spices. Kausani is half split across Almora and Bageshwar districts. Those who are familiar with Hindi poet and writer Sh.

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-90142172346521455512023-05-08T14:30:00.008-07:002023-05-14T21:29:24.253-07:00

April 30, 2023See other parts of this journey - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5. From Katarmal Sun Temple, our plan was to go straight to Someshwara and then to our native village, Nakot which is 10 km from Someshwara. We arrived at Someshwara around 11:20am. After making a quick stop at the market we started for our native temple of Goljyu at Chaura. The

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-45194732816445713892023-05-07T23:29:00.007-07:002023-05-14T21:28:09.949-07:00

April 30, 2023This is in continuation of the Kumaon experience. See other parts of this journey - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4.We had covered Dol Ashram, Jageshwar, Chitai and Almora so far. Our next destination was the Katarmal Sun temple 17km north of Almora. We had planned to stop at the Kosi river first and eat breakfast as it would be late by the time we reach the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-47555854728711096112023-05-07T06:00:00.004-07:002023-05-14T21:27:12.087-07:00

April 30, 2023This is in continuation of the Kumaon experience with Chitai being our last stop for the first day. See other parts of this journey - part 1, part 2, part 3.We stayed at hotel Shikhar which is one of the oldest hotel in the town of Almora. The hotel is a 6 floor building on a mountain slant. Hotel lobby on the Mall road is on 6th floor while everything else is on

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-41046089652728078882023-05-06T07:30:00.006-07:002023-05-14T21:23:16.883-07:00

April 29, 2023 This is in continuation of the Kumaon experience. See other parts of this journey - part 1, part 2.After visiting the Jageshwar Dham we started for Chitai Golu dev temple. Golu devta also known as Goljyu in Kumaon is the God of the Kumaon community in Uttarakhand. Also known as the God of justice, Golu devta has many temples in Uttarakhand, the major ones being

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-28131048491573667462023-05-01T20:00:00.004-07:002023-05-14T21:22:32.498-07:00

April 29, 2023This is in continuation of the Kumaon experience. See other parts of this journey - part 1.After spending some time in the Dol Ashram, we started towards Jageshwar. The road from Dol ashram to Jageshwar via Chalnichina and Dhaspar was quite winding. A village on the way to JageshwarWe were able to get some fresh Kaphal being sold by small local girls. Kaphal is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-49356550584199936582023-05-01T17:58:00.011-07:002023-05-14T07:09:14.498-07:00

April 29, 2023Kumaon is one of the regions of Uttarakhand, the northern state of India, also known as devabhūmi - the land of Gods. The name is appropriate and one can experience the same by traveling through the state. Given I have a deep connection with this place, it always excites and gives me peace that is hard to describe while being there in the nature and its simplicity. This journey

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-14266169901345580662023-04-09T07:05:00.030-07:002023-05-14T18:44:45.544-07:00

April 8, 2023Garjiya Devi Temple is an old devi temple close to Ramnagar in Uttarakhand. Another close destination is Jim Corbett National Park. The temple is by the side of Kosi River and is built on an isolated hill. It is around 60 km from our home now. This temple has a special place in my heart as it was a frequent destination for us while growing up. Our maternal uncle lived 15km from the

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-22266247040359945552023-04-01T08:55:00.006-07:002023-05-14T21:19:06.140-07:00

April 1, 2023Kashi, the oldest living city in the world has been on my mind since long. The beautiful verse by Adi Shankaracharya in his 5 verse composition of kāśī pancakam describes self, the self shining awareness as kashi in which shines everything - सा काशिकाहं निजबोधरूपा. Its a beautiful verse comparing the tranquility of the mind to the manikarnika ghat which is also the cremation ghat

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-49787162510674583152020-12-23T21:54:00.004-08:002021-01-03T20:12:03.494-08:00

December 23, 2020Writing after a long time or let's just say I was going through the writer’s block. An alert that this post contains many Hindi/Sanskrit words and some may be unfamiliar but that's fine, probably if you read till the end they won't be strange anymore. The inspiration for this post comes from a chat with my nephew, niece. The word ‘कर्तनम्’ came as we were listening to a Sanskrit

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-7434159547912866952020-11-13T14:39:00.000-08:002020-11-13T14:39:52.557-08:00

नवम्बर १२, २०२० कुछ वर्ष पूर्व दीपावली की स्मृतियों पर लिखा था, हर वर्ष का यही क्रम है, दीपावली आते ही बचपन की अनमोल यादें सतह पर आ जाती हैं -  आज वो बचपन के दीपावली के दिन याद आ रहे हैं....... अम्मा और उनका ऐपण देने के लिए बुलाते रहना,वो दीयों को पानी में भिगोना,और पटाखों को दिन भर धूप में सुखाना,लक्ष्मी जी की मूर्ति बनाने को मम्मी का साथ देना, नए कपड़ों को पहनने के लिए

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-82028511379813410082020-10-29T17:40:00.007-07:002020-10-31T07:15:04.452-07:00

 October 29, 2020Belmont Teahouse, PortlandMy dear ‘Adrak vali chai’,I am leaving this letter for you on the kitchen countertop so that you read this before we see each other today. I hope by now you know that we share a bond that is known only to us. When I met you the first time, you moved me beyond my limited world to a place of bliss. Soon your dark complexion became something I could

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-39462364591906721262020-09-30T21:35:00.028-07:002021-08-05T07:37:06.077-07:00

सितम्बर ३०, २०२० Home लगातार लिखते न रहो तो लिखने वाली कलम की स्याही भी सूख जाती है. आजकल बस उस किनारे रखी कलम जैसी स्थिति हो रही है - बार-बार मंथन करने के बाद ही लिखने को विचार आते हैं. डायरी के पन्नो को पलटा तो जैसे बीच में मोड़ के सहेज के रखा कोई पुराना कागज का टुकड़ा मिल गया. काफी समय पहले लिखा था कुछ और उस कागज की तरह किसी किताब के बीच में रख दिया था.लिखना एक कला ही है, बाकी कलाओं की

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-13452250283509088732020-08-30T21:30:00.000-07:002020-10-01T20:14:44.171-07:00

Aug 30, 2020At RishikeshWe all know the story of Pandavas exile and then their incognito stay. When Pandavas lost everything in the game of gambling with the Kauravas, the last game of dice forced the Pandavas to accept the condition of spending twelve years in exile and one year incognito such that if they are found during that time, they will need to spend another twelve years in exile. This is

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-28909349923938171462020-07-30T19:45:00.001-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.847-07:00

जुलाई ३०, २०२० कभी कभी एक सूखा पत्ता भी लिखने की प्रेरणा दे देता है। अपनी चाय के कप के साथ धूप सेकने बाहर बैठी थी कि नीचे कुछ चमकता हुआ दिखा। देखा तो ये बूंदें चमक रहीं थीं। पत्ता तो अपने रंग के कारण पहले स्पष्ट नहीं दिखा। सूखे पत्तों को वैसे भी कहाँ देखते हैं लोग। उसका फोटो लेने के लिए थोड़ा हिलाया और उसी में कुछ बूंदें नीचे गिर गयीं।  इस पत्ते को देख के लगा जैसे कुछ बोल

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-56543391944877884132020-07-14T19:37:00.002-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.848-07:00

जुलाई १४,  २०२० PC: freepik.comबुरा जो देखन मैं चला, बुरा न मिलिया कोय।जो मन खोजा अपना, तो मुझसे बुरा न कोय।।वैसे तो यहीं लिखना रोक सकती हूँ क्योंकि जो लिखने जा रही हूँ वो संत कबीर दास जी ने इस दोहे में दो पंक्तियों में लिख दिया। आज संस्कृत में लिखी एक रचना के बारे में लिख रही हूँ। श्री श्रीधर अय्यावल (तमिल नाडु के एक भक्त कवि) द्वारा विरचित ‘दोषपरिहाराष्टकम्’ नामक अष्टकम्। जैसा

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-11130323942066784052020-06-25T19:22:00.003-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.847-07:00

जून २५, २०२० Image from freepik.com आखिर दशकों बाद अब अमेरिका में हुए जातीय भेदभाव की घटनाओं और ‘Black Lives Matter’ आंदोलन के चलते हिंदुस्तान यूनिलीवर को ये समझ आ गया कि गोरापन सुंदरता का मानक नहीं होता। 'Fair', 'Whitening', 'Lightening' क्रीम जैसे उत्पादों ने भारत में चुपचाप रह कर रंगभेद की आग सालों से सुलगाई है। अब जाकर यूनिलीवर ने ‘Fair & Lovely’ से ‘Fair’ हटाने का

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-53987766123150413402020-06-20T13:00:00.002-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.848-07:00

 Vrikshasana and Gomukhasana at Sunol Regional WildernessTomorrow is International Day of Yoga. The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated annually on June, 21 since 2015. The proposal was introduced by India’s current Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I thought of writing a post today by taking a few excerpts from my dissertation for yoga teachers training. Someone at work used this

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-69616549649626370282020-05-20T17:45:00.000-07:002024-01-04T04:47:31.288-08:00

मई २०, २०२० क्या लिखूँ? शीर्षक पढ़ के या तो आप इसकी पृष्ठभूमि के बारे में समझ गए होंगे या नहीं समझे तो पहले शीर्षक से ही परिचय कराते हैं - ‘क्या लिखूँ’ हिन्दी के एक प्रसिद्ध निबंधकार श्री पदुमलाल पुन्नालाल बख्शी जी द्वारा लिखे एक निबंध का शीर्षक है। हमारे हिन्दी के पाठ्यक्रम में हुआ करता था और तभी से उनका और उनके निबंध का नाम स्मृति में अंकित है। प्रश्न यह है कि उनके निबंध के नाम पर

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-7725565482461781052020-05-07T18:42:00.006-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.847-07:00

मई ७, २०२०आज फिर हिंदी में लिखने का मन कर रहा है। स्कूल के समय हिंदी में लिखने में जो आनंद आता था उसकी आज कोई प्रतिस्पर्धा नहीं कर सकता। आज के लेख की प्रेरणा हिंदी की प्रसिद्ध लेखिका ‘शिवानी’ (गौरा पंत जी) से आ रही है। लिखते समय न जाने क्यों उनका विचार आया। मेरी बहनों और माँ ने उनके खूब उपन्यास पढ़े हैं पर मैं थोड़ा पीछे रही। ‘कालिंदी’, ‘चौदह फेरे’ जैसी एकाध कृतियाँ जो भी पढ़ी वो मन को छू लेने वालीं

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-74437171565645064792020-04-29T20:06:00.001-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.849-07:00

अप्रैल २९, २०२० आज का लेख हिंदी में लिख रही हूँ। अपनी बचपन की एक मित्र से हुए वार्तालाप से प्रेरणा प्राप्त हुई। लेख का विषय वस्तुतः एक पहाड़ी व्यंजन है, पर लिखने की प्रेरणा उनसे वार्तालाप से मिली। यूं तो हम केवल ३ साल साथ पढ़े थे पर उतने ही समय में एक दूसरे को ऐसे जान गए जैसे बचपन से साथ हों। स्कूल में घुटने से घुटना मिला कर दरी पर बैठते थे, कभी उनका घुटना ऊपर तो कभी हमारा। ये मित्र

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-71881053522901216902020-04-19T18:02:00.001-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.849-07:00

April 19, 2020 This is in continuation of my last post on this topic: Breath - Science and Scriptures where I wrote about the importance of understanding and paying attention to our breath, its connection with our mind, physiological functions and some subtle mechanics of our breathing. In this post I am writing about different breathing techniques, their mechanics and benefits.&

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-351217103937434412020-04-10T18:22:00.002-07:002020-08-02T14:51:14.503-07:00

April 10, 2020 Flower lungs Many of you know that a significant portion of my year 2019 was spent towards my yoga teachers training. I still haven't got the certification but that doesn't stop me from practicing or writing about Yoga. I now see a pattern of obstacles in every formal degree/certificate that I got so far :) Human intelligence has done all sorts of discoveries in Science to

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-44368131923784730152020-04-02T20:37:00.005-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.847-07:00

April 2, 2020 Hazaar Rama Temple, Hampi, India Happy Rama Navami! Happy Harela! Today is the end of Chaitra Navaratri. I assume for most it had been an interesting Navaratri! Folks in India were fortunate to get a telecast of Ramayana twice a day. What more can one ask in the lockdown?  Harela is one of our festivals that is celebrated along with the Navratri. On the first

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318773196201423844.post-60500795118832961152020-03-25T19:09:00.001-07:002020-08-02T14:50:31.848-07:00

March 25, 2020 This post had been a draft, pending formatting since last year. For this post, I am turning into the Narada muni (नारद मुनि) and tell the story of the monster face, Keertimukha (कीर्तिमुख) - the face of glory. Keertimukha is used as a design motif extensively in the Gopurams in Hindu temple architecture. I mostly saw it in temples built in South Indian architecture, but

Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0