'Herath' – This is how Kashmiris celebrate Shivratri in all grandeur

The celebrations of Shivratri is called Herath in Kashmir. Kashmiri Pandits celebrate "Shiv-Parvati" marriage in very different manner. The customs and rituals of Herath is very different from other cultures. Shivratri literally means the great “night of Shiva,” also the day when Lord Shiva married Goddess Parvati. It's called 'Herath' in Kashmiri, a word derived from the Sanskrit 'Hararatri' the 'night of Hara' (another name of Shiva).

Here we have split the Shivaratri rituals in three parts:-

1. Vatuk Puja
2. Shivaratri Feast
3. Herath Kharch

Vatuk Puja

The Shivaratri puja is popularly known as 'Vatuk Puja'. The name can be traced to the term 'Vatuk Dev', or Lord Shiva's celibate form. Before the start of the puja, two large vessels representing Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are embellished with flower garlands, and filled with walnuts to the top. A red thread is also tied around the mouths of these utensils. A symbol of 'Om' is also drawn on them. Along with this, several small pots representing other deities are covered with a super-fine sheet of silver (varak), to give them a festive look.

The worship begins with invocation of Lord Ganesha, along with purifying vessels of other deities. During the puja, a red thread (kalawa) is tied around the wrists of every member of the family. The ritual concludes with blowing conches, as the entire family joins in for an aarti.

Shivaratri (Herath) feast

The dinner is definitely the highlight on this particular day, which serves as the second best opportunity (after Kashmiri weddings) to enjoy delectable Kashmiri dishes.

In most households, multiple vegetarian dishes are prepared as part of a grand dinner spread. However, in some houses, the lavish dinner comprises of typical non-vegetarian delicacies such as 'rogan josh' and 'matczha' or meat balls as well.
Shivaratri rituals last for three to four days. On the 15th day, Dunya Mavas (walnut) is observed. The day is marked by performing puja near the banks of a river, where emptied vessels are brought for immersion. The soaked walnuts are taken back home and distributed in the family as prasad.  The main prasad consists of walnuts and tumul czhut (rice chapati). The process of prasad distribution continues for another week. The celebrations come to a close on the eighth day of the bright half of Phalguna. The women of the house, as a custom, visit their parents' house and return with money to their in-laws.

Herath Kharch

It is another much-awaited and fun-loving custom of Herath. Just a day after the puja, the head of the family offers money to children, younger ones in the family. The excitement around this traditional practice is immense, where children sometimes wake up early to wish everyone 'Herath mubarak', and ask them for their 'Shivaratri earning'. In the good old days, this money was used to buy new clothes and candies from the market.  The newlyweds are also gifted cash by the elderly.

Kashmiri Food

We are talking about Kashmiri culture, so how come we will not talk about Kashmiri food. In India, we have diversity, different culture, and different lifestyle that's what makes India beautiful. In Kashmir, they have variety of foods but one of them, the tourist's pride, is additionally famous for its distinctive cuisine – the Wazwan – the unique food preparations served during marriages and special occasions to special invitees. Wazwan – may be a traditional sort of cooking and consists of mostly non – vegetarian dishes. A typical Wazwan meal consists of less than one or two vegetarian dishes especially spinach or cauliflower. Kashmiris hardly taste sweets, but after Wazwan meal, Halwa, Phirenee or Kashmir Kahva or tea, is served to scrub down the meal. Traditionally, the meals are eaten by hands and spoons; forks or knives are seldom used

How to Make Kashmiri Wazwan Recipes

Kashmiri Wazwan cuisine is a course of over 14 dishes, mostly non-vegetarian. Dishes like Kababs, Tabakmaaz, Rista, Rogan josh, Abbgosh, Marchiwangan Korma, Dhaniwal Korma, Goshtaba and more are prepared out of a particular positona of sheep/goat meat. Vegetarian dishes in Wazwan include Allu Bukhara (apricot), Dum Allo (potatoes), Kashmiri Sag (green leafy vegetables), spinach Nadru and much more. Besides, chicken and fresh fish preparations are served in Wazwan. Special "chutney" is served during meals prepared out of onions, dhania, dry fruits and curd. Pickle is also one of the important parts of the chutney tray. Curd is served in earthen pots and is nowadays replaced by packed containers.

Forgetting is easy, and remembering difficult. And while one expects it to snow on Shivratri, there is also hope that the weather will turn and the walnut trees will start blossoming soon. Hope is the essence of Spring season and here is something which can drive nostalgia in all the Kashmiris. In advance Happy Shivratri to all!

Architectural marvel Motera stadium is cynosure of all eyes these days

 The Sardar Patel Stadium or popularly known as Motera Stadium is waiting to host an international match after a long time. India and England are set to become the first team to play in the world’s largest stadium. The seating capacity has been increased significantly at the stadium.

The stadium is located near the bank of Sabarmati river in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. It is now the largest cricket stadium in the world and the second-largest stadium overall. Motera has a seating capacity of 1.10 lakh.

History

The stadium was constructed in 1983 and renovated in 2006. It was the regular venue for international matches. In 2015, the stadium was closed and completely rebuilt with an estimate of Rs 800 crore in February 2020.

Not only cricket matches, but the stadium also hosted several events organized by the Gujarat government. Also, it has hosted famous international matches during 1987, 1996 and 2011 cricket world cups. Motera had also hosted an iconic event “Namaste Trump” to welcome the then President of the US, Donald Trump on February 24, 2020.

The stadium occupies 63 acres of land with three entry points. It contains 76 corporate boxes which contain 25 people each. The stadium has facilities of a 55 room clubhouse, Olympic size swimming pool, and 4 dressing rooms. Instead of floodlights at a cricket ground, it has installed LED lights on the roof. The stadium has a capacity of 3,000 cars and 10,000 two-wheeler parking.

The stadium has also several other features, have a look:

• Olympic sized swimming pool
• Indoor cricket academy
• Badminton & Tennis court
• Squash arena
• Table Tennis
• 3D Projector Theatre
• Club House with 3 practice ground
• 50 rooms

On this ground, Kapil Dev also made the best bowling record in a match – 9/83 during India vs West Indies Test match on November 12, 1983. Sunil Gavaskar also completed his 10,000 runs in a Test Matches against Pakistan in 1986-87. In 1999, Sachin Tendulkar also scored his first Test double-hundred against New Zealand at this venue.

On February 24, the third Test match will be played between India Vs England. The Day-Night Test match will be played using a pink ball. The players are excited to play at the world's largest cricket ground.

In a Tweet, Hardik Pandya wrote “It feels surreal to be out here at the world’s largest cricket stadium, Motera. Absolutely magnificent.”

 

It's garbage everywhere on streets in Dwarka

 

The only thing the streets of Dwarka see more than cars these days is garbage. After lockdown, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) seems to have failed in carrying forward the "Swachh Bharat Abhiyan" prompted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Dustbins are seldom cleared and garbage is seldom disposed properly. Market areas in sectors 6, 10 and residential areas are the worst affected, with overflowing garbage bins and trash scattered on the roads.

Residents in these areas are distraught at the unhygienic conditions they are forced to live in.

The conditions here are appalling and it is difficult to walk on the streets. Large garbage bins have been replaced with smaller bins. They do not have the capacity to collect all the waste the area generates.

It is happening when the Covid situation is still not under control and we need to avoid these trash scattered on the roads to avoid more diseases.

Amit Kumar Harish, former Secretary of Saral Apartments in Sector 10 said, “Earlier they used to collect garbage every day. These days, however, they are not cleaned till the end of the day.”

People who stay nearby are suffering from the smell and lots of garbage in front of the societies they live in. 

Kuldeep Yadav, an official from SDMC said that the subject is taken into concern and needful will be done.

Shops should display cost of carry bags at premises: Consumer Commission

 

Eliminating the ambiguities surrounding it, the District Consumer Redressal Commission, Hyderabad has recently observed that a consumer has a right to know about additional cost incurred on carry bags prior to the purchase decision at shopping outlets.

“As a matter of Consumer rights, the consumer has the right to know that there will be an additional cost for carry bags and also to know the silent specifications and price of the carry bags, before he exercises his choice of patronizing a particular retail outlet before he makes his selection of goods for purchase from the said retail outlet,” the Commission stated in its order.

The Commission categorically stated that disclosure of price of carry bags at the payment counter will amount to unfair trade practice under the Consumer Protection Act of 1986 and 2019.

Moreover, the Commission said that selling of plastic bags, with company logos printed on it, is an unfair trade practice because it can act as using the customers for advertisements. It said that if there is a company logo printed on the carry bags then it should be provided free to the consumers.

On February 19, the Commision passed the significant observations while dealing with a complaint filed by Baglekar Akash Kumar under Section 12 of the Consumer Protection Act.

As per the order, the shopping outlets could charge the customers if they are providing plain carry bags without the company's logo but prior information should be given by displaying the price of carry bags inside the business premises. 

Delhi Police launches 'Jan Sampark Vahan' to boost relations with public

 

On the occasion of Raising Day, Delhi Police on Sunday launched Jan Sampark Vahan to strengthen police-public relations and to make people aware about various online services, mobile applications, helpline numbers, and other facilities.

The Delhi Police organised self defence training program, medical camp for senior citizens, program to educate children on working of police and cycle rally.

The Jan Sampark Vahan also has a LED screen which demonstrates defence techniques for girls to safeguard themselves in the need of the hour.

Health check up camp was organised at PS Bindapur in collaboration with the medical staff of Ansari Hospital, Sagarpur. The medical staff conducted preliminary medical tests like BP, Hb and weight etc of senior citizens and also provided medicines to them.

Children were educated about the working of police at PS Bindapur. The building and area of the police station were also shown to the children. Gifts were distributed to them as well.

Under the Delhi Police flagship program 'SASHAKTI', girl students belonging to slums and rural areas were trained on self-defence techniques.

As an event of community policing, a cycle rally was organised by Dwarka District. DCP Dwarka Santosh Kumar Meena also motivated Divyang Cricket Players at Rao Convent Secondary School in Delhi. 

Petrol, diesel prices hiked again in Delhi

 

Petrol and diesel prices were hiked by 25 paise and 35 paise respectively in the national capital on Tuesday. The petrol and diesel prices now stands at Rs 90.83 and Rs 81.32 in Delhi.

So far this month, the pump prices of petrol and diesel have increased by about Rs 4.36 per litre and Rs 4.84 per litre respectively.

Seeing the exorbitant rates, four states had introduced tax relaxation on petrol and diesel prices on Monday. These states are West Bengal, Rajasthan, Assam and Meghalaya.

As per the benchmark international price and foreign exchange rates, the pump prices of petrol and diesel are revised on a daily basis as per benchmark international price and foreign exchange rates.

The central and state taxes make up for over 61 per cent of pump petrol price while they constitute more than 56 per cent of diesel rates.

Talking about the recent upsurge, Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Sunday said that there are two main reasons behind the fuel price hike. He said that the international market has cut fuel production and manufacturing countries were producing less fuel to gain more profit. This is making the consumer countries suffer.

128 new coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate 0.30%

 

Delhi on Monday recorded 128 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,38,028. The number of new cases reported came out of 42,242 tests conducted on the previous day.

At least 31,234 RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 11,008 rapid antigen tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate was at 0.30 per cent.

One death was reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,901. A total of 157 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,26,086 in the national capital.

The recovery rate was 98.12 per cent. Currently, 442 patients are hospitalised in coronavirus hospitals. A total of 471 patients are in home isolation.

Ecstatic over singing talents, Mahindra tweets videos of garbage collectors

 

Social media has reached a stage where anyone can rise to fame overnight. One just needs to showcase his/her talent and it can go viral with a blink of an eye. It has metamorphosed into a great platform for wannabe stars.

In one such instance, two garbage collectors have become a cynosure of all eyes on Twitter. They are siblings and they both are great singers.

Overwhelmed by their singing talents, Mahindra group chairman Anand Mahindra shared a short video featuring Hafiz and Habibur on his Twitter account on Saturday. He requested netizens to share the video and recommended a teacher or music trainer for them.

Mahindra shared two videos. In his first tweet, Mahindra wrote, “Incredible India. My friend Rohit Khattar shared these posts which he received on social media. Two brothers Hafiz and Habibur, are hardworking garbage collectors in New Friends colony in delhi. Clearly there are no limits to where talent can spring from. (sic)”

 

145 new coronavirus cases in Delhi; positivity rate 0.23%

 

Delhi on Sunday recorded 145 new coronavirus cases, taking the cumulative tally to 6,37,900. The number of new cases reported came out of 63,813 tests conducted on the previous day.

At least 44,673 RTPCR/CBNAAT/TrueNat tests and 19,140 rapid antigen tests were conducted in the last 24 hours. The positivity rate was at 0.23 per cent. The cumulative positivity rate declined to 5.33 per cent.

Two deaths were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 10,900. A total of 97 patients recovered from the deadly disease, taking the total recovery figure to 6,25,929 in the national capital.

The recovery rate was 98.12 per cent. Currently, there are 1,071 active cases in the city. Out of the total 5,751 beds in coronavirus hospitals, 5,329 are vacant. A total of 467 patients are in home isolation. 

Local train services resume in Delhi-NCR after gap of 11 months, check details

 The local train services started in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday morning. It was started after a long gap of eleven months. The train services were suspended due to coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands of commuters were relieved as they could now avail the local train services from Dadri, Noida, Pilkhuwa, Faridabad, Gurugram, Sonepat, Panipat, Meerut, Hapur, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Khurja and Modinagar.

The people of Ghaziabad will take the benefits of the resumption of local train services as most of these trains will stop at Ghaziabad station. This would be first occasion when passenger and EMU special trains will stop at Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Palwal.

14 passenger trains, five electrical multiple units (EMUs), 10 mainline electrical multiple units (MEMUs) and six diesel multiple units (DMUs) will be operating in the Delhi-NCR. The passengers would be able to avail the train services with unreserved tickets but they will have to pay the fare of an express train.

The adherence to Covid-19 guidelines will be mandatory for the people travelling in the trains. They will have to wear masks and maintain social distancing inside the trains.

Here’s the complete list of local trains which will be operating in Delhi-NCR:

Meet French Diva – A new yoga teacher in town

 What if I say that your pet can be a yoga teacher and a fitness expert? Still wondering? Then get out of your bed, lay down your yoga mat on the floor, and follow Kelly's yoga training session.

This French Bulldog has proven what we still can't digest. Kelly is a three years old black-coloured French Bulldog living in Noida, who tries to imitate her master, Tushar Chandra, who is a fitness trainer and does yoga on a daily basis.

Kelly has been observing Chandra for long. She tries to imitate Chandra while he does yoga. When we asked Chandra for the reasons behind copying him, he said, “She thrives for attention, and is a very even-tempered house dog who loves chicken rice.”

Like normal dogs, Kelly doesn't bark a lot but only when she finds a real cause of excitement. Apart from yoga, Kelly loves to skate, she plays with her toy bone and prefers to stay in the house with lots of attention.

Kelly started yoga at the age of 2. In December last year, she was diagnosed with pyometra due to which her uterus was removed through surgery but she recovered soon. Last year, she also got a broken bone which induced fear of heights in her. She has the bat-ear which occurs naturally.

She is a muscular dog and very friendly with every guest who visits her home. Lizards and frogs are not welcome; she kills them. If you are lazy and don't do yoga then Kelly can be the best trainer for you. If you wish to withdraw her from yoga, you can offer her some chicken leg pieces and she is all yours.

Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput honoured with Dadasaheb Phalke Award

 

Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput was given Dadasaheb Phalke award for Critic's Best Actor posthumously on Saturday. The Dadasaheb Phalke award is a prestigious award ceremony which is held to celebrate the world of entertainment.

The official Instagram account of Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival announced the award on Saturday and wrote, “Celebrating the dedication you've shown on the way to this achievement. Congratulations to Late @sushantsinghrajput for winning the Critic's Best Actor award at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2021. We miss you! (sic)”

The late actor died in June last year. He made his debut in Hindi film industry with movie 'Kai Po Che' in 2013. He was a prominent television actor by then. He had started acting for daily soaps in 2008. His first TV show was 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil'.

Iqbal Farooqui, Azhar Hashmi 'Sabqat; mesmerise audience at Café Karvaan

 

Café Karvaan is a new emerging place for lively performances with the view of banks of Yamuna river. At the café, Ghazal singers Iqbal Farooqui and Poet Azhar Hashmi 'Sabqat' enthralled the audiences with their performance during the weekend on Saturday.

Karvaan-e-Adab is an initiative by Café Karvaan to promote art and culture in its vibrant small and cosy space. This event would be a series of events, thus will be reorganized and the dates will be announced soon via their social media page.

The initiative aims to give such people a platform to create and collaborate on art and literature. The idea was to revive that old tradition of a casual gathering of a group and enjoy the Mughal style charm of gatherings at the newly opened café in New Delhi's Jamia Nagar.

The musical event started with thoughtful ghazals by Azhar Hashmi 'Sabqat'. His ghazals are full of love, brotherhood, unity, solitude, relationships, friendship, and represents a progressive social outlook. Hailing from Munger, Bihar, he is an engineer by profession and has recited at various 'Mushaira' across the country.

Azhar Hashmi's 'Sabqat' set the tone for the evening by reciting his beautiful ghazals, and there on passing the mike to Iqbal Farooqui who mesmerized the audience with a soulful rendition of ghazals which were originally sung by Jagjit Singh.

With his uncanny way of holding the guitar back to front and tapping to create beats, Iqbal Farooqui sang various ghazals and drew wide applause from the audience. His rendition of ghazals like Zindagi Tune Lahoo Leke Diya Kuch Bhi Nahin, Yaad Nahin Kya Kya Dekha, Main Nashe Mein Hoon left the audience wanting for more.

Asad Ashraf, founder of the café said, “The idea was to create a cultural space; where artists, writers, intellectuals, and everyone else can meet, discuss, and create. He said the aesthetics of the place was created by his wife Asma Rafat, who is also the founder of the café.”

The scenic view of the Yamuna from its terrace and the aesthetic appeal of the café along with an immense collection of books on various genres and portraits of artists are soul-soothing for people having literary interests.