🧨 Inherited Edition 02
🎊 Samvat 2079 is coming - the Hindu new year arrives on Oct 24.
Let the celebrations begin.
🔅 Diwali done right: 5 Diwali tithis you should know
🗺 Maratha naval fleet: A symbol of India’s rich maritime heritage.
🔅Ati Sundar! Inherited's lifestyle pick of the week.
🧨 Down the memory lane with fireworks nostalgia.
🔅A roundup of cultural tidbits to pair with your plate of treats.
and a whole lot more.
THE BIG FEATURE
How India really celebrates Diwali
To foreigners and people outside of India, Diwali is a one-day food and fireworks extravaganza.
But that's not all!
🗓 Visit any traditional Indian household - from Anantnag to Amravati - and you will see a Panchanga (the Hindu lunisolar calendar) occupying pride of place on the wall.
✔️Flick to the month of October (Ashvina/Kartika) and you will spot a series of five successive events or tithis (lunar phases) - collectively observed as the festival of Deepavali, or 'row of lights' from Sanskrit.
The five tithis of Diwali
The five tithis, or lunar phases, of Diwali won't always occur on the same solar days every year. Further, two tithis can even occur on the same day.
Here's the science : since the motions of the sun and the moon are always varying in speed, the length of a tithi constantly alters between 19 and 26 hours.
Thankfully they do always occur in the same order.
And the clue is kinda in their names...
🙏 सुप्रभात Sorted
Roundup of the remarkable.
😖 Happy Holi. That's what the chief minister of Sindh province in Pakistan hilariously tweeted for Diwali. Mixing up the festival of lights and colours, janaab?
💥 India's festival spending booms despite inflation worries and global slowdown. And we're loving it.
⛴ World's oldest dock is finally set to get India's National Maritime Complex! Built in 2,200 BC, Lothal port city was a thriving centre in ancient times with trade reaching West Asia and Africa.
🏆 It's coming home: 307 Stolen antiques worth a staggering $4 mn are being repatriated from US to India - including the magnificent 12th century Arch Parikara carved entirely out of marble.
🧐 HOLD MY CHAI
A re-take on cultural narratives
📈 The world is definitely taking notice of India's remarkable growth trajectory amidst a sea of worldwide economic gloom.
🐍 But this caricature depicting an outdated oriental fantasy has triggered the internet.
Do you see a problem with it?
Submit your thoughts here.
👌 ATI SUNDAR !
That which caught the eye.
Two Brothers Organic Farms
We came across this amazing farm-to-table company run by super-savvy 4th gen farmers from Maharashtra who are inspired by ancient wisdom and sustainability.
😪 If you're far away from home and craving for traditional festive snacks made out of the healthiest farm ingredients, this should be your pick. Ghar jaisi Diwali!
|| द्वितीय अध्याय ||
Maratha Navy: A symbol of India's rich maritime heritage
👀 Take a look at India's coastline.
Massive, right? At nearly 7,600 kms long and 11th longest in the world, we are ahead of the USA and just behind China.
🧜♂️ Not surprising then that India's naval traditions have been continuous right from the time of Chandragupta Maurya, 300 BC.
In fact, the Chola dynasty from southern India actually went as far as Malay Archipelago - which explains the heavy influence of Indian art and religions over most of South-east Asia.
Among naval empires, the Maratha Navy's role and impact of India's defence strategies is arguably the most profound.
🚩 While the Portuguese and the British were playing out their European ambitions on the western coast of India, Chattrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a son of the soil, a born soldier and visionary emerged and forged a naval defence empire out of the political mess of his times...
DOWN THE MEMORY LANE 🙃
Light a cracker. Close your eyes and ears. Run in the opposite direction.
...and 💥 Boom goes the sutli bomb.
For the light-hearted among us, there was always phuljhadi, anar, tikli, rocket...and the absurdly fun Saap goli 🐍.
🙋♀️ Enjoyed making trips to the pop-up cracker shops with all that fancy packaging?
And kept a secret stash for emergencies 🆘
We did.
🧘♂️THE MENTAL WORKOUT
Take a deep breath and reflect upon the greatness of our rishis.
This week's shloka:
📿 Shri Mahalakshmi Ashtakam is the prayer dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi Devi. Taken from Padma Purana, this devotional prayer was chanted by Lord Indra in praise of Goddess Mahalakshmi.
The prayer has eight verses, and begins with:
शंख चक्र गदा हस्ते महालक्ष्मी नमोस्तूते ॥ १ ॥
Meaning:
Salutations to you O Great Maya, One who resides in Sri Chakra and is adored by the Gods, One who holds the Conch-shell, the Discus and the Mace, I worship to thee, Sri Maha Lakshmi.
🌈 IN YOUR OWN TIME
And that's a wrap!
⏭ Next edition out in a fortnight.
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