Nams_Thefreesoul

13 Fragrances that will take you down the memory lane

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sun, 22 Aug 2021 15:41:00 +0000

Fragrances that take you down the memory lane

Has it ever happened to you that you smell a particular fragrance and it reminds you of memories?

Yes, it happens. Perfumes and fragrances play an important role in our life. The sense of smell is the first sense that is developed in a baby before it is born.

It is said that when a baby breathes in its mother's womb it can smell amniotic fluid. This makes a baby familiar with the mother's scent. You may have seen a newborn stop crying when put in their mother's arms. It's because they are used to the touch and the scent of their mothers.

In our day-to-day life, there are various fragrances that we smell but ignore. Some of the fragrances that are still fresh from my childhood memories are as follows.

The smell of petrol and Kerosine- Some of my friends liked smelling the burned fule and some in the liquid form. lol
The smell of Wet Paint and Nail polish Remover. - It may sound strange but many people like it
The smell of lotions- Boroplus, Boroline, Ponds, Nevia, Vicco Turmeric, Yardley, Nycil & Ponds talcum powder, vaseline petroleum jelly, fair and lovely. I can still recall the fragrance.
The smell of bathing essentials- Dettol, Lifebuoy, Lux, pears, dove, clinic plus, Medicare, Vatika. Not sure if I missed any.
The smell of new Stationaries and Schoolbags- I use to smell New books and notebooks. The smell on the Camelin inkpot was so distinct. We use to have colorful erasers of different shapes and sizes with great fragrances. Lemon-shaped erasers use to have lime fragrance and similarly others. There were perfumed pens. If you will write with that pen the paper used to smell great. Usually, teenage couples use to write letters with those pens.
The smell of food- Sometimes during an ongoing class, some of the notorious kids use to start eating their lunch. The smell of the food used to quickly spread through the class making the teacher aware that someone is having food during class time. Especially if it was an orange The citrusy scent of the orange spreads rapidly. Also, the smell of eating pickles during a train or Bus journey. :-)

For now, I am only able to recall these but let me know in the comments if you remember any fragrance that reminds you of your memories.

As we grow up our sense of smell also becomes sensible. Some of the smells that I can put in this category are as follows.

The scent of the soil- The best things you can ever get are from Nature and one of those things is the smell of soil especially when it rains. You can very well smell the fragrance of soil in summer.

The Religious fragrance- Whenever there is any havan done in a temple or home you can tell it from the fragrance even from a distance. It has a special fragrance of various herbs and woods. Before we start worshipping we light up an incense stick. Just to declutter our mind, relax and bring our thoughts together. People light up Camphor (Kapoor)and guggul (a kind of fragrant gum) during worshipping. It's said that it brings positivity to the house and also removes any insects.

Your Boyfriend's/Girlfriend's Cologne - I know this is quite self-explanatory and many of you may have already started recalling it.

Old Perfumes/Colognes - Try using the perfume that you wore in your school, college, or maybe when you started working. As soon as you will apply it. It will bring a flashback of memories. A couple of years back I went on a trip and bought a deodorant. It reminds me of that amazing place and journey every time I use it.
The smell of Food - If you close your nose and then eat something it may taste different. Without smell, foods tend to taste blend and with no flavor. You may have experienced this when you are suffering from the COVID or flu. Food tends to taste flavorless.
The smell of Wine It is believed that the older an alcohol is the better it is. The reason you smell the wine before drinking it is that it prepares your brain for the wine you are about to taste. Our sense of smell has a great impact on the way we taste things. For eg. Close the nasal passage by holding your nose then put a strawberry in your mouth and start chewing. Halfway chewing release your nose and you will notice the difference in the taste.
Fragrance to lift the Mood- Nowadays various Spas have started using the fragrances as per your request. So the next time you visit any spa do consider looking at this list of the ailments and the Scent that may help:

Anxiety - jasmine, lavender
Brain Stimulant - rosemary, juniper, sage
Bruises - lavender, chamomile
Burns - lavender, geranium
Cold or Flu - eucalyptus, pine fir
Depression - rose, basil, geranium
Insomnia - tangerine, basil, lavender
Migraine - peppermint, basil
Muscular Pain - rosemary, lavender, nutmeg
Sedative - juniper, bergamot
Stress - fir, spruce, pine, clary, rose - jasmine, lavender
Brain Stimulant - rosemary, juniper, sage
Bruises - lavender, chamomile
Burns - lavender, geranium
Cold or Flu - eucalyptus, pine fir
Depression - rose, basil, geranium
Insomnia - tangerine, basil, lavender
Migraine - peppermint, basil
Muscular Pain - rosemary, lavender, nutmeg
Sedative - juniper, bergamot
Stress - fir, spruce, pine, clary, rose

Even if you don't go to the spa you can buy these essential oils online and get benefitted from them and this is my personal experience. I have been making my own oils and getting benefits from them. If you suffering from insomnia or just completed a stressful day all you need to do is take two drops of Jasmine oil mix it with coconut oil or any other carrier oil and apply it to the bottom of your feet. You will sleep on time and wake up with full-on energy.

Nowadays we all are so occupied with our work that we barely get time to be present at the moment and feel or sense things around us. During our childhood days, we didn't have phones to play therefore noticed even the smallest of the things around us and enjoyed the moment. Just take a deep breath, close your eyes and sense the environment you are currently in.

"Khait Parvat" the abode of fairies in Uttarakhand

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sun, 15 Aug 2021 15:24:00 +0000

Khait Parvat -The abode of fairies

Did you ever wish to see a real-life fairy? If your answer is yes then you should know about this wonderful place.

Uttarakhand a state of India is also known as the "Devbhoomi" land of Gods. The reason behind this name is that there are some of the significant temples and pilgrimage of Hindus. People of Uttarakhand believe in Hindu methodologies. Many people who have traveled to a higher altitude, experienced miracles and encountered high-level energies, especially people who live in the villages that are in the Himalayan foothills.

The place where people still believe that fairies exist is Khait Parvat. It is believed that the goddess fought with two demons "Madu" and 'Kaitab" in this area. The name Khait is derived due to the same incidence and "Parvat" is a Hindi word of Mountain. That is how the name of the place is Khait Parvat. It is located in Tehri Gharwal. One has to trek 14km to reach the Khet Parvat.

There are two stories associated with this place.

The first story tells about King Aasha Rawat. One of his wives gave berth to 9 girls. All the girls were very beautiful and grew up faster than their age. They started walking and talking fluently at the age of 2 years. When they turned 12 years old they went up the hill (Khet Khal) and never returned. It's believed that Sem Nagaraja an avatar of Lord Krishna was attracted by their beauty and then they became fairies locally known as Ancharis.

In the second story, it is believed that Mandodari wife of Ravana (the king of Sri Lanka) had 9 daughters however when Ravana came to know that these girls are inauspicious and will be the reason for his death he threw them in this jungle. Since all the girls were divine they became fairies.

There is a temple of Goddess. It is believed that these 9 fairies visit every day to worship in this temple. There is no light on the hill and still, people see glimpses of lights on a hill. There is also a separate field entirely for fairies. The villagers sow seeds in that field. When the crop yields it gets magically harvested. The villagers say that the field belongs to the fairies. They take away the wheat from the field to the Kait Parvat.

In the villages of Uttarakhand, people have mortals build on the ground and use the wooden pestles to grind spices just, as shown in the picture however in Khait Parvat this mortar, is wall mounted. People tell that the fairies take the harvested wheat from the fields to the mountain and grind the wheat to prepare dishes for the goddess. If you visit there you may see wheat fallen on the ground.

There is a very famous story about Jeetu Bagdwal who was one of the villagers. He was a good-looking and attractive man who was a nature lover. He uses to play the flute.

Jitu's sister was wedded in a faraway village. Jitu's mother told the family that Jitu's sister had to come back home to do some rituals.

Jitu was in love with his sister-in-law. His sister-in-law was in the same village where his sister was wedded so Jitu asked his mother if he can go to pick his sister. Since Jitu's mother was aware of this fact she was reluctant to send Jitu. Knowing this Jitu was upset about this and requested his mother to let him go. Eventually, after a lot of requests, his mother agreed to it. Jeetu got ready in his best clothes and started walking towards his sister's village. After walking few miles he sat beneath a tree and started playing the flute. The sound of his flute was so melodious that even the fairies were drawn towards it. Once he stopped playing he saw the 9 fairies standing in front of him. The fairies told Jitu to come along with them. He got petrified and started praying to God. Jitu then denied going with them and told them that he is going to pick his sister. Fairies left him with a promise to take him back on the day he will start plowing in his field to which he agreed.

The day Jitu started ploying his field became his last day. People say that he was buried in the ground along with the pair of bullocks.

Don't do this if you visit Khait Parvat.

1- Don't wear too bright clothes. Especially Red and yellow color.

2- Don't wear perfume.

3- Don't play any instrument or loud music.

4- Don't pick up or take away the beaten wheat of the fairies along with you

It is believed that the fairies get attracted and drawn towards the people who do this. Therefore do this only if you want yourself to be taken away by the fairies :-)

Investigation

Several investigations have been performed by the local paranormal societies, news agencies, and international investigations to see if there is any such energy in this place. One of them was the scientists of the Massachusetts University of America. The scientists were surprised to feel strange powers and supernatural energies in the area. Some of the Indian investigators have felt strange experiences while investigating.

This is the picture of the white light spots captured by the paranormal society at a height of 10000ft. at Khet Parvat.

If you are adventure-seeking and want to visit this mysterious place then you may visit this euttaranchal.com or can book it by any travel & tours co.

"Head" in the Jar !

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 14:35:00 +0000

The preserved head of Diogo Alve

Yes, you read it correctly. We have usually heard candies in the jar or cookies in the jar but this is a fact that there are some Human heads well preserved in the Jar.

This is the story of Diogo Alves, a Portuguese first serial killer who killed 70 people. Since most of his crimes were committed in the Aguas Livres Aquaduct area therefore he was also known as "Aqueduct Murderer". His target was poor peasants who come back after selling their produce in the city by pushing them to death and make it look like suicide. After being caught the jury sentenced him to be hanged till death.

During those times the heads of famous people were mysteriously getting stolen from the graves and sold in the hidden market for high prices therefore it was decided that his head will be given to the "phrenologists" to be preserved in a jar for scientific experiments.

Phrenology - Phrenology is the study of personality traits, talents, and mental abilities as a consequence of skull curvature. The phrenologists studied the common facial structures of people with distinct personality trades for posterity, so the source of their criminal urges could be studied in depth. An Italian psychologist and criminologist Cesare Lombroso argued that a criminal can be identified by prominent arches and mandible but his study came untrue in this case. As this feature was not matching with the features of Diogo. The person that fits in that description was Mother Teresa, who was one of the kindest people in the world. Due to the unclear results and lack of scientific support for its claims, phrenology is considered pseudoscience.

Although, Diogo Alves scull was not proven of much help so now it's preserved in a museum however we still have an organization known as Alcor Life Extension Foundation that has been preserving the heads of people in today's world in the hope of resurrecting them in the future.

In this process, they cryopreserve the brain and head of the people using nitrogen. The scientists believe that in the coming future we may benefit from nanotechnology to resurrect a dead person. Apart from humans, the company has also preserved animals. They believe that the cryopreserve does not let the people die. It keeps them in a state of limbo. They call these frozen containers "patients".

There was a 14-year-old girl who died due to cancer and wished for her body to get preserved via cryonics. The cost of this was £37,000 which was raised by a funding organization. Similarly, a 2-year-old child has become the youngest to be cryogenically preserved.

If you are intrigued by the idea do watch this video given below from VICE Asia. This video will give you a close view of the whole cryonics process and information about the company Alcor.

Although the idea of resurrecting the people is good but still unpredictable. Please share your thought on this?

If you want to know what I believe in then kindly watch my video.

"9" Good things that happened during Lockdown.

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sun, 01 Aug 2021 14:00:00 +0000

Good things happened during Lockdown.

Two years back when everything was normal and there was no trace of the deadly virus the only lockdown we were aware of was the one where the prisoners were confined to their cells, typically to regain control during a riot. "Lockdown" is a state of isolation or restricted access instituted as a security measure.

While corona and lockdown brought a lot of despair and grief into society, some good things happened in this catastrophe. Just like there are two faces of the coins in the same way there are two prospects of the incidence.

1- Family Reunion - Due to Covid as many people were working from home they choose to come back to their hometown and live with their parents. Usually, in today's fast-paced world people don't have enough time to spend with their loved ones but as no one was allowed to go out people stayed at home with their family members and spend more quality time than before. This created a strong bond and made them realise the importance of family. Many who stayed in metropolitan cities and left Uttarakhand due to their job came back home and started their own small business. Due to this, some of the deserted villages are lively again. Initially, the elders were able to see their kids and grandkids only after a couple of years or on specific festivals but as everyone came back home they got to spend some time with the kids. For old people, it was just like a treat to spend time with grandkids.

2- Physical and Mental Health - When the severity of covid was not known people started taking their mental and physical health for granted as they had an excuse of not working out because the fitness centers were closed due to the lockdown however when there was uncertainty as to when this all will be over people started working out at home with minimal to no equipment and it worked. Some who never worked out and gave an excuse for less time also started working out :-). People started doing Yoga, cycling, running, etc to keep their bodies healthy and fit

Mental Health was the most important topic of discussion in the world. Many NGOs came forward and helped people with mental health issues.

3- Inquiring, Who am I? What do I want:- This isolation helped many people introspecting on their thoughts the real purpose of their being on this planet. People started meditating. Persuing their hobbies which they left a long time back. People started doing more creative things, especially in today's world when most of the things are mechanized and automated. According to a report by CNBC and Anthony Klotz, an associate professor of management in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M University more people have preferred to resign than joining back their jobs in the United States. :-)

4- Spent wisely & choose carefully - Due to poor economic conditions, some companies gave fewer raises to their employees, and this led people to take extra care of their finances.

The stores were getting fewer items and most of the time these stores were closed therefore people got a sense to choose products wisely and buy only those products that essentially require this put a control on the excessive stocking of useless items.

Especially as a girl, I can say that I spent a lot lesser than what I use to do in online shopping for clothes. Still, I did buy some stuff on "SALE" lol.

5- Unity in Diversity- Irrespective of caste, religion, color, or nationality, people united to serve their countries. People of one community were donating, food, money, plasma, Oxygen concentrators, oxygen cylinders, masks, sanitizer, and other necessities to the people of other communities. Just like they say not all Heros wear capes during the peak in corona people came forward to help people who were sick of corona and were home quarantined by providing them home deliveries and food packages.

6- Nature Flourished - "When Nature speaks everyone listens". This lockdown is one of the best things you can offer to mother nature. Due to less tourism, the amount of garbage collected by hill stations was comparatively low. One of the biggest issues that the world is concerned about is Global warming, excessive pollution, and day by day depletion of the ozone layer. This lockdown has shown some improvement but there is still much to be done.

7- Importance of staying Connected:- This catastrophe gave a sense and value of this ever-changing life. Due to the pandemic, people were more concerned about their friends' and families' health than ever. Many groups were made on social media to raise funds and help the needy.

8- Work from home- Keeping their employes safety in mind most of the organizations switched to work from home. This saved the employee's travel time and expenditure. Most of the employees invested their time by doing something they love and it gave them the flexibility of completing their personal work along with official work. Looking at the review some companies have found that the productivity is the employess working from home is much more than from the office. For more information please go through this article by Apolo Technical.

9- Hygiene:- People are maintaining hygiene. They are more concerned about their health than before. During this pandemic, I saw that many families didn't even have the basic meditations and tools like a thermometer but now most of them have it.

In the end, someone rightly said. "Bad things happen in life to teach us how to look at good things in a whole new light". I know during this pandemic many of us have lost someone or the other in our friends and family but now the time is to acknowledge the reality, be grateful for spending some time with them, and move on with what life has given us. Because Picture abhi Baki hai. There is more to unfold.....

"Guru" A Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sun, 25 Jul 2021 09:44:00 +0000

Who is a "Guru"?

A Guru is someone who has knowledge or wisdom in a certain field. In India, the term Guru is pretty famous. Some relate this term with spirituality and for some, it is someone who has expertise in their subject. You can call them subject matter experts. For eg. A Guru can be an experienced car mechanic, a bus or truck driver, a gym or yoga instructor, a kindergarten teacher, or a college professor, for their pupils. It's not the designation that matters but their level of expertise.

India, a land of spirituality has witnessed many realised saints and Gurus. Because of their knowledge and experience in spirituality, many people form different part of the world came here to learn about spirituality and religion. There is a slight difference between spirituality and Religion. A religious person has certain beliefs that are practiced to attain God however spirituality is a way of life. It's knowing your mind, body, and soul by connecting with self, others, and further with the divine entities

Some people came to learn how to broaden up their mindset and physique by learning yoga and for some, the religion of Hinduism was fascinating enough to study the religion and its practices.

In Hindu culture, the status of Guru is considered to be much more than God. Kabir Das, a famous Indian poet has referred to the importance of guru in many of his sayings. Some of his sayings are as follows:-

"गुरु गोविंद दोनों खड़े, काके लागूं पाँय

बलिहारी गुरु आपनो, गोविंद दियो मिलाय"

गुरू और गोबिंद (भगवान) एक साथ खड़े हों तो किसे प्रणाम करना चाहिए – गुरू को अथवा गोबिन्द को? ऐसी स्थिति में गुरू के श्रीचरणों में शीश झुकाना उत्तम है जिनके कृपा रूपी प्रसाद से गोविन्द का दर्शन करने का सौभाग्य प्राप्त हुआ।

Hear the poet Kabir Das asks in the first line,

गुरु गोविंद दोनों खड़े, काके लागूं पाँय

If Guru and God both are standing together then whose feet shall I touch first (it's a form of gesture to show respect)

बलिहारी गुरु आपनो, गोविंद दियो मिलाय

He then says that it's because of the spiritual knowledge given by the Guru that I have been able to attain God.

This is how Kabir Das shows the importance of a Guru.

In another saying he says:-

"गुरू बिन ज्ञान न उपजै, गुरू बिन मिलै न मोष

गुरू बिन लखै न सत्य को गुरू बिन मिटै न दोष"

कबीर दास कहते हैं – हे सांसरिक प्राणियों। बिना गुरू के ज्ञान का मिलना असम्भव है। तब तक मनुष्य अज्ञान रूपी अंधकार में भटकता हुआ मायारूपी सांसारिक बन्धनों मे जकड़ा रहता है जब तक कि गुरू की कृपा प्राप्त नहीं होती। मोक्ष रूपी मार्ग दिखलाने वाले गुरू हैं। बिना गुरू के सत्य एवं असत्य का ज्ञान नहीं होता। उचित और अनुचित के भेद का ज्ञान नहीं होता फिर मोक्ष कैसे प्राप्त होगा? अतः गुरू की शरण में जाओ। गुरू ही सच्ची राह दिखाएंगे।

In this saying the poet Kabir Das says

गुरू बिन ज्ञान न उपजै, गुरू बिन मिलै न मोष।

You can not attain salvation until you have a Guru to guide you and give you spiritual knowledge.

गुरू बिन लखै न सत्य को गुरू बिन मिटै न दोष

Unless you don't have a Guru you will be unable to find a difference between right a wrong. Then how will you attain salvation?

In order to celebrate the importance of a Guru in our life, we celebrate a festival known as "Guru Purnima". This video is from the Guru Paduka Pooja ceremony in the Divine life society Rishikesh.

On this day people show reverence to their beloved gurus and thank them for giving the wisdom that helped them grow financially, mentally, physically, or spiritually. This festival is celebrated every year on the day of the full moon (Purnamasi) of Ashadha month, usually falls in June or July. This day is also celebrated as the Birthday of Ved Vyasha who was the writer of a famous Indian epic Mahabharata

On this day we do a ceremony at my home. In this ceremony, we keep the picture of our Guru or their Padukas as an emblem of the Guru. Usually, the saints wear wooden sleepers that are known as Padukas.

The Guru’s sandal is an expression of the devotion to the Truth that Guru symbolized. A Guru stands on his sandals (Padukas) and also on the strength of his wisdom. So traditionally the worship of Guru-Paduka has been an adoration of spiritual wisdom. Paduka pooja is done to purify our mind, body, and soul via various physical actions like offering flowers, milk, honey, water, ringing the bell, listening to the shankh nad (sound), and singing the hymns in makes us feel the presence of divine power.

Such integration and surrender create an atmosphere of love and reverence, enabling the nobler potentials within us to blossom.

Then using various mantras we start the Paduka Pooja.

Here I have share another video of Hymns that the devotees sing while doing the Paduka pooja ceremony.

Since a child is born he/she meets many gurus in there life time but there are few who always stay close to your heart. For some it's there mother, father, any relative friend or teacher or you yourself. Please comment and let me know if you have anyone in your life who gave you wisdom and is your Guru?

"Harela"- The green festival of Uttarakhand -India

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sun, 18 Jul 2021 17:47:00 +0000

The green festival of Uttarakhand

I think our ancestors will be aware that there will be an immense need for a livable environment for their descendants to stay connected to their roots, therefore, they had planned this festival for us that is known as "Harela"

This is a festival of greenery, saving the environment by growing more trees, staying close to nature, praying to God for good crops, and is also associated with Indian God "Shiva". This festival is commonly celebrated in the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand.

This festival was mainly celebrated by the farmers. Although many people have quit farming they still celebrate this festival for happiness prosperity and peace in their homes.

To symbolize this festival a small figure of crops is grown in a wooden basket or clay pot. In the soil, we sow 5 or 7 varieties of cereal seeds. This mixture of seeds contains some locally grown cereals like "Ghahat", "Bhat", "Urad" (Black gram). This pot is kept in shadow away from sunlight and watered every day to germinate. It takes 9-10 days to fully grow into green/yellow color grass know as "Harela".

On the tenth day, these leaves are chopped and offered to God and then to the other family members of the house. The family members usually bless by singing this regional hymn while offering the "Harela" to the family members.

जी रये, जागि रये, तिष्टिये, पनपिये,
दुब जस हरी जड़ हो, ब्यर जस फइये,
हिमाल में ह्यूं छन तक,
गंग ज्यू में पांणि छन तक,
यो दिन और यो मास भेटनैं रये,
अगासाक चार उकाव, धरती चार चकाव है जये,
स्याव कस बुद्धि हो, स्यू जस पराण हो

In these blessings, one wishes for there loved once long, healthy, and progressive life. Further, it says, may you be fruitful like the Indian Jujube. Keep meeting us till the time there will be snow in Himalayas and water in the Ganges. Keep meeting us every time this day this month. May you rise high like Sky. May you be wide like Earth. May your mind be clever as a fox and soul as strong as a lion.

After completing the rituals the family members sit together and enjoy the delicious Pahadi food.

This festival is celebrated in the month of "Shrawan" which is associated with Lord Siva. A day before the festival of "Harela" people make the statue of Lord Shiva with clay. In the local language these mini clay structures are known as "Dikare". Once the festival is over people immerse the "Dikare" in nearby water sources like any pond or river.

Looking at the amount of deforestation and the effects of global warming, some organizations in the state conduct tree plantation campaigns. It is believed that the saplings flourish if planted on this day.

So let's plant and celebrate!!

Places to avoid Travel after lockdown.

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Thu, 08 Jul 2021 16:59:00 +0000

Why avoid Travel after lockdown

As the number of Covid-19 cases is dipping down, states have started easing the covid restrictions following the tourist have started flocking to nearby hill stations. During the corona period everyone was in a stressful environment and to combat it people have started traveling. Due to the relaxation in the lockdown policies by the government people from various States have started traveling to hill stations in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.

If you don't want to get stuck in long traffic jams and crowded places then the places to be avoided in Uttarakhand, are Nainital, Mussoorie, Dehradun, Rishikesh, and Haridwar.

In Himanchal avoid going to Manali, Shimla, Kullu, Dalhousie, and Dharamshala. Overcrowding can result in the revival of covid 19 cases. If there is a slight possibility that any of the tourists are the carriers of Delta, then there is no wait to witness the next catastrophe of Covid-19 (wave-3)

With tourism there comes major issues like traffic jams and pollution. These small hill stations are under severe stress. As per one of the reports lockdown helped Himachal avoided 3000 tonnes of tourist trash last year making Himanchal Pradesh a much cleaner paradise but now pictures of tourists littering the hills have started floating on social media.

Looking at the population of our country a government should have created phases of unlocking. Looking at the high numbers of tourists the Uttarakhand high court has expressed concerns over massive crowds entering hill stations of Nainital and Mussoorie and bringing the “dreaded” Delta plus variant along with them and asked the state to review its decision to ease lockdown restrictions during the weekend. As per the reports, at least 25000 people had visited Nainital within a week and barely a fraction of the tourists was wearing masks or following social distancing norms. Many tourists were entering without RT-PCR test reports and in several instances, the reports were found to be fake.

So who do you think will be responsible if the third wave of covid hits India. Is it the government, the people, or both?

Are the forts and palaces of Rajasthan still alive?

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sun, 04 Jul 2021 09:16:00 +0000

Palaces of Rajasthan still alive

So what do you think?

This question is for every individual who has ever visited a monument, a fort, a tomb, or a palace. Did you ever felt the energy of people who lived there once?

Well, I did!

This is back in 2019 when I went on a family trip. Whenever I had leaves I use to travel with my friends but this time I wanted to bring that charm back of traveling with the family. Just like the good old childhood days.

Usually, when I go on travel I am the one who does all the planning but this time I had a controller 😊 "My father" with whom I had to share every intricate detail of the trip. Sometimes it was fun and at times exhausting. Hope you know what I mean!!

So Rajasthan here I come! It was my first time visiting someplace that was so magnificent with an amazing history. The itinerary had places like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Merta, Pushkar, and Ajmer.

The first place was Jaipur and the first monument that I saw was Amber/Amer Fort.

Here I was welcomed by a herd of elephants. The Mahavats were taking the tourists on an elephant ride to the fort. The elephants were beautifully decorated and all dressed up to take the rides.

As soon as I stepped into the Amer fort there was a feeling of vastness. The view from the top of the hill was good. Due to the harsh effect of nature and time, the fort was not in that good shape as I imagined it would be back in the days but I still felt magical.

In my mind, my imagination was creating a perfect story of how queens would sneak peek at their King through these beautiful jharokhas while he enters the fort. The sunlight through the jharokhas was making kaleidoscopic designs on the floor

Every room had these small windows with wooden doors still intact. The best part was the temperature of the fort. It was scorching summers outside but cold inside. Hats off to the architecture.

After this, we went to all the other famous tourist spots. In the evening we visited the Galta Ji temple. My visit to the temple was refreshing. Galta Ji temple is also known as the monkey temple.

I think the people of Rajasthan love animals. You can easily spot elephants, camels, or peacocks there. Just like in my visit to the Ajmer fort, I was welcomed by a herd of elephants, in the same manner, this time there were troops of monkeys. The guard asked us to keep our belongings safe from monkeys especially mobile phones, cameras, and spectacles. They are found of it :-)

The temple is said to have been constructed in the 18th century by Sawai Jai Singh second courtier Kriparam Diwan Rao. It is believed that Sage Galava did atonement here therefore the name is Galtaji temple. These monkeys were friendly as they were taking Prashad from the hands of the devotees but I maintain my distance. Moving ahead we saw some temples and a beautiful pond. This pond is considered pious. Devotees take a dip in this holy pond. The Temple is surrounded by big rocks. This place is away from the hustle-bustle of the city of Jaipur. If you want to visit someplace quite yet beautiful then it’s a must-see. When we were moving toward the top of the temple there were small droplets of water dropping on us and it was nothing more than a blessing in the heated weather of Jaipur.

There are many other tourist spots where I visited but here as the topic says I am only sharing those moments where I felt as if there is life in these monuments. My next stop was Jodhpur.

In Jodhpur, my first place of visit was Jaswant Thada. I was accompanied by a friend who was a local and knew which place to put on priority based on my travel schedule :-) This place has brilliant architecture. It was constructed in the year 1899 and was decorated with precious white marble. This is a cenotaph that was built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in memory of his father. It serves as the cremation ground for the Royal Rajput family of Marwar. The white color of this place gave me a sense of peace and calmness. This place is on the top of a hill. When I visited this place I saw a man playing "padharo mahare desh" a very famous song in Ravanhatha, a Rajasthani folk instrument. The place gave me a sense that either you are a king or a poor person one day you have to leave this mortal corpse in the ground. So always stay grounded :-)

After this, we went to Mehrangarh. It was built by Rao Jodha and is one of the biggest forts in India. This fort has several rooms and gates. Some of the rooms have floral designs and golden roofs and some are covered with glasses. There is a room where beautiful wooden cradles are kept. These cradles belong to all the Royal princes of that era. The cradles are beautifully carved and decorated with images of fairies, gods, and goddesses. Looking at them I could only imagine how pleased the queens must be seeing their kids playing in those amazing cradles.

There was a special room for King and senators where they can enjoy, have discussions with a few drinks. I was captivated to see the room. A part of the room had a hand-operated ceiling fan, decorated walls, and a wooden roof decked with crystal balls and various colored glass windows which certainly had a psychedelic element to it.

Moving on I saw some secret escape routes. Although these were beneath the earth but still had a charm to them. There were several arc-shaped doors. Today these routes had a special lighting facility but just imagine how dark will it be when the only way of lighting a room was candles, lanterns, dia's, or fire torches.

When I was coming out from one of the gates I saw these hand imprints. These are the Hand imprints of wives of Rajputs who die or are married during a war. In ancient times the widows practiced Sati Pratha. Before sacrificing herself in the pyre of her husband. This was a ceremony that the women had to perform irrespective of their age. If you look closely you will see different sizes of the hands of the Rajput ladies who became Sati. Fortunately, later this practice was banned. If you ask me what was going in my mind then I will say the last episode of the movie Padmavat

Just when I was leaving Mehrangarh with a heavy heart I see a lady dancing in ecstasy on a divine song. Some people told that she is possessed by a goddess spirit. Few local singers were performing and she started dancing. Due to the dome-shaped huge gates, the sound of the dhols and singers was echoing, created a memorable ambiance. I was feeling as if the Mehrangarh fort is asking me to check out this performance before leaving!!!

Please enjoy this and use earphones for better sound quality.

So what do you think?

The holy attire of Uttarakhandi Women of India! "Pichora"

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 07:45:00 +0000

The holy attire of Uttarakhandi Women

"Pichhaura" is a notable traditional attire of Kumaoni women generally worn for "religious" occasions, marriage, and other rituals. Traditionally handmade, using vegetable dyes, Pichhauras are usually in red and saffron color. Local designs made in Almora, Haldwani, and other parts of Kumaon use silk fabric and accessories made of pearl. Pichhaura is not just a piece of cloth but is considered sanctified, in Kumaoni Hindu traditions. There are images of God and other pious religious symbols.

As time is passing by the traditional attire is changing in the name of fashion. Some business companies have started producing products such as masks, purses/potlies, thali covers, and daily wear stoles. In the future, you may see people wearing Pichhaura style, trousers, sarees, suits, and skirts. How much do you think this is reasonable?

When asked with the company the reason for producing such products the answer was. It is meant for youngsters. Do we think by changing the form of traditional attire and not wearing it as it is meant to be we are encouraging the youngsters to follow the traditions?

Will the youngsters feel more modernized by wearing a Pichhaura stole (polka dot like the company says) instead of traditional Pichhaura in any rituals or for the matter of fact carrying a Pichhaura matching mask and Potli?

Please share your opinion!

"Aipan"- A ritualistic folk art of Uttarakhand

noreply@blogger.com (Nams_thefreesoul) — Sun, 27 Jun 2021 06:30:00 +0000

Are you feeling bored of this quarantine ??

Try the "Aipan" folk art of Uttarakhand (India)

Aipan, as I call it the art of prosperity was something I use to make before the Diwali festival. Since I was on extended leaves and there was nowhere to go due to the pandemic, I thought of spending some time with me and my wandering thoughts. I looked at my "Deheli "(Dehliz) with Aipan stickers which reflected the fast pace of our pre-covid life.

I then picked up my brush 🖌️ and started painting and it was a complete therapy. Nowadays people try mandala art for relaxation. I believe in past this process would've been great therapy for the ladies as it requires a lot of patience, concentration and creativity. Although this is something we all are striving for nowadays still we don't do it because of our busy schedule.

A piece of advice:- If you are free but have s busy mind just try to do something which you loved doing in childhood or was a part of your traditions. Relive those memories. Trust me you'll enjoy it

To see more follow me @ Nams_thefreesoul