Tag: 2011

Categories
Festivals

Cheti Chand: New Year eve for the Sindhi Community

lord jhulelal
Image Credit

All About Cheti Chand

Cheti Chand is the Sindhi New Year Day celebrated on the second day of Cheti month (Chaitra month). This year  Cheti Chand falls on April 5, 2011. This festival is similar to other Hindu New Year festivals. Cheti Chand is celebrated as a commemoration of birthday of Sindhi patron saint Jhulelal. This festival is to give honor the birth of Water God (Varun Devta) popularly known as Jhulelal. The Sindhi community is seen wishing each other in the native Sindhi Language “Cheti Chand jyon Lakh Lakh Wadayun Athav”, which means lacs of wishes for Happy Cheti Chand. Historically Cheti Chand is the birthday of Lal Sain Amarlal hence this is the most important day for the sindhi community and celebrated with that high spirit and emotions.

How we celeberate it

As a tradition, followers of Jhulelal observe Chaliho Sahab. It suggests that for forty long days and nights they underwent ritual on the bank of Sindhu. They did not shave, nor did they wear new clothes or shoes. They did not use soap or oil or any opulent thing. They just washed their clothes, dried them and wore them again. In the evening, they worshipped Lord Varuna, sang songs in his praise and prayed for their solace and salvation. After 40 days of Chaaliho, the followers of Jhulelal celebrate the occasion with festivity as ‘Thanks Giving Day’ even till today.

On this day, many Sindhis take Baharana Sahib to a nearby river or lake. Baharana Sahib consists of Jyot (Oil Lamp), Misiri (Crystal Sugar), Phota (Cardamom), Fal (Fruits), and Akha. Behind is Kalsh (Water jar) and a Nariyal (Coconut) in it, covered with cloth, phool (flowers) and patta (leaves). There is also a Murti (Idol) of Pujya Jhulelal Devta.

Sindhis keep their shops and activities closed on this day even food is not cooked at the home  and  they gathered at community building (at Jhulelal Temple, where after a session of singing, worship of Jhulelal is made and procession of Bahrano is taken out. Cities Like Ulhasnagar, Ajmer, Indore, Kolhapur, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Surat etc are famous for unique style of Cheti Chand celebration and huge gathering of sindhi people.In City of Lakes at Shakti  nagar  there is a temple of Jhulelal sahib where a fair is organized by the community peoples  on ” Sindhi New Year Day”. Various types of treats are also available for common community peoples.

There  are various places in Lakecity where this holy festival is celebrated with great spirit one of which is located at :-

  • Pratap nagar –in the shiv temple
  • Jawaher nagar Sindhu bhavan
  • Hiran magri sector 5

In UDAIPUR the main temple of Jhulelal sahib (Sanathan Mandir) is situated at Shakti Nagar. Its main feature is a JYOT which is brought by the Ancestors of Sindhi Community after separation of HINDUSTAN (India) & PAKISTAN (1947).

In Udaipur in 2011 its celebration started two days before the “CHETI CHAND” as under

  • 3rd April 2011:- Blood donation camp
  • 4th April 2011:- Cultural night at Shukhadia rangmanch
  • 5th April 2011:- Main event (“CHETI CHAND”) at various temples of Jhulelal Sahib

The usual tradition is that on this day Sindhis bring out procession of water God Lord Jhulelal, In the form of Bahrano Sahib from Sindhudham (Jawaher nagar) to Sanatan temple in Shakti nagar where the holy MAHA ARTI takes place . During the procession of Bahrano Sahib traditional sindhi folk dance “Chhej” is performed by all age group Sindhis. After that talented Sindhi students are awarded for their excellence in academics. On this eve of NEW YEAR a Sindhi Fair is also organized by the community people, followed by an arrangement of refreshment is made for all Sindhi Community people.

Lastly, at night there is Visarjan ceremony of Bahrano Sahib.

Here are few of the glimpses of the past years’ celebrations

Structure made by straws in year 2008 in Udaipur
Structure made by straws in year 2008 in Udaipur
Statueof Jhulelal sahib by balloons in 2009
Statueof Jhulelal sahib by balloons in 2009
Statueof Jhulelal sahib by balloons in 2009
Statueof Jhulelal sahib by balloons in 2009
Sturuture of Jhulelal sahib made by lamps in year 2010
Sturuture of Jhulelal sahib made by lamps in year 2010

ACHIEVMENTS BY THE SINDHI COMMUNITY PEOPLE:-

The people and community (“APNA SANGHATAN”) involved in making the different images of Jhulelal with the help of marbles without using adhesive  were even mentioned in the Limca book of records in 2006-07 namely Mr. Surendra Arora, and Mr. Virendra Khabrani

Team UdaipurBlog greets everyone with best wishes on Chetichand

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A post by- Madhuri Tharani

Categories
Festivals Photos

A Holi Close to Our Roots

Heartiest greetings on the colourful occasion of Holi. We all know the importance of Holi as well as the story behind celebrating Holi as well as Holika Dehen. It dates back to very ancient history and mythology when king Hiranyakashayp ordered his son Prahlad to be burnt who was a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap’s sister Holika consented to accompany Prahlad in the fire as she had a blessing that no fire could ever burn her so as to ensure his demise.  Holika sat on pyre with Prahalad. Holika burnt alive while Prahalad was saved by the Lord.

But now-a-days we are going far away from our roots, our culture. The traditions have either become a formality, or a commercial venture, or rather an extinct or endangered culture. In deep thoughts about the same, I visited a small village/rural area to find out if the culture still alive, and to my surprise, yes it was.

The place I visited was a developing rural area in the interiors of the village Shobhagpura in Udaipur. This remote area witnessed the concrete roads for the first time just before few months. Here all the villagers and other people live in true harmony. I was welcomed by Mr. Gopal Prasad, an independent journalist, who has settled here in search of peace.

It was about 7.15 in the evening; small girls were seen making rangolis near the location. Village ladies and housewives were seen worshipping the structure. Slowly the crowd started to gather, and as happens every year, the worship and rituals were performed by the eldest person living in the village, who fired up the Holika.

Holi in a village

In next few minutes the entire area was filled with light and heat of the huge fire. Mr. Gopal informed that the villagers offer a share of the new harvest of wheat to the fire, and the roasted wheat grains so obtained is distributed to all as the Prasad. Any newborn baby is also made to revolve around the holy fire. It is believed that all the evil forces are burnt away with the fire and the spirit becomes pure and clean.

Eldest member of the Village performing the Rituals
Eldest member of the Village performing the Rituals

Eldest member of the Village performing the Rituals

Holika Dehen Rituals being performed
Holika Dehen Rituals being performed

Holi in a villageHoli in a villageHoli in a village

offering the first harvest of wheat to the fire
Offering the first harvest of wheat to the fire

Finally I was happy on my way back home. All i was taking along with me was not only the roasted wheat grains, but were memories, a warm, friendly welcome at the village, more knowledge about our cultures, and an entirely different Holi to remember for the lifetime.

Wishing everyone a very Happy, Colourful and Safe Holi. Enjoy a lot but remember to Save Water 🙂

Categories
People

[Women’s Day Special] Salute to a Legend: Mrs Meera Ranawat

A fine morning at Techno NJR knowledge campus, buses bringing students to the college and you see a tall lady welcoming every student with a sweet smile. The ones who have guessed it, yes they are right. She is none other than the sweet, caring, down-to-earth and ever smiling chairperson of the Techno India NJR Institute of Technology, Mrs. Meera Ranawat.

Meera Ranawat
Mrs. Meera Ranawat

Meera Ranawat was born on 17.4.1952 at Merta city (Home town of Meera Bai). She did her schooling at MGD School, Jaipur. In addition to being a good student she was a good sports person and represented her school and college in Basketball. She did her graduation in Arts (B.A.) from Maharani College, Jaipur.

Her husband, Shri J.S. Ranawat, a management graduate, was a corporate executive and worked for Birla group in India and Indonesia, Sigapore and Malaysia. He was GM of a carpet company in Abu Dhabi when he left for heavenly abode on 5.6.2003.

Navdeep, her son, a bright student completed his schooling from St. Columba’s School, Delhi and international school, Jakarta,Indonesia and  did his undergraduate degree in  Telecommunication Engineering from Polytechnic University, NewYork. He subsequently did his M.S. from the same university. He was working with Reuter when he met an accident and left the world in 2001.

It was in memory of her husband and her son, Meera Ranawat established Navdeep Jitendra  Ranawat (NJR) Foundation on 12.6.2003 along with Shri R.S.Vyas, a very close family friend with an objective of setting up a world class engineering college at Udaipur, her husband’s hometown.

Mrs Meera Ranawat in discussion with Lakshya Raj Singh Mewar
Mrs Meera Ranawat in discussion with Mr. Lakshya Raj Singh Mewar

It is her sheer determination and perseverance that has resulted in establishment of Techno India NJR Institute of Technology. Her dream is to take this Institute to further heights and make it among top engineering colleges of India. She treats every student of the college as her own child and helps them or guides them in any of their doubts or problems. Student welfare is her topmost priority, also, she does not withdraws any salary from the college or the foundation.

She is a living example of how you can put your personal pains behind for a larger purpose in life. She is a role model for Women of India. Team Udaipurblog and the entire Udaipur salutes her on International Women’s day.

Categories
Festivals

Feminine Era: Celebrating the Women’s day

International Women’s Day celebrated each year on March 8 remains as a vibrant day in the women’s calendar. In the words of Late Pt Jawaharlal Nehru: “You can’t tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women“.

As we will be celebrating women’s day on 8th March, I feel that it is my duty to express my gratitude to all women in my life, as a mother, sister, friend, and peer to all known and unknown women.

International Women’s Day (8 March) is an occasion marked by women’s groups around the world. This date is also commemorated at the United Nations and is designated in many countries as a national holiday. When women on all continents, often divided by national boundaries and by ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic and political differences, come together to celebrate their Day.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, and fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of 20th century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

International Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, and fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage.

The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of 20th century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

Forbes magazine has made a list of the 100 most powerful women in the world. Magazine looked for women who run countries, big firms or influential nonprofits organization for compiling the list. Their rankings are a combination of two scores: visibility in press and media and the size of the organization or country these women lead.

Top ten ladies selected for year 2010 are

1. Michelle Obama (First Lady Michelle Obama,U.S.)

'Operation Gratitude' at Rfk Stadium in Washington, D.C., America - 19 Jan 2009

2. Irene Rosenfeld (Chief Executive, Kraft Foods)

3. Oprah Winfrey (Talk show host and media mogul)

oprah

4. Angela Merkel (Chancellor, Germany)

5. Hillary Rodham Clinton (Secretary of State, U.S.)

6. Indra Nooyi (Chief Executive, Pepsico, India)

7. Lady Gaga (Singer and performance artist)

8. Gail Kelly (Chief Executive, Westpac)

9. Beyoncé Knowles (Singer and fashion designer)

10. Ellen DeGeneres (Talk show host)

The list of dedicated dynamic women personalities of Udaipur are

  • Ms.Girija vyas( Chairperson of National Women Commission)

  • Rajni Dangi (Sabhapati of Muncipal corporation)

  • Mrs.Padmaja Kumari (Jt. Managing Director, HRH Group of Hotels)

  • Mrs. Anshu Kothari (Secretary General of Udaipur Chambers Of Commerce and Indust)

  • Mrs.Shradha Gattani( Managing Director, Oriental Palace Resorts)

  • Dr. Sweety Chhabra(Managing Director, NICC)

  • Mrs. Alka Sharma (Founder, Central Public School (CPS)),

  • Mrs.Meera Ranawat (Chairperson of Techno India NJR Inst. of Technology)
  • DR. Sudha Kothari (Gynecologist)

and many more like them working in their respective field with hats off confidence and grace.

Women are often not thanked or shown gratitude. I doubt if a man can ever do what a woman does and manage both the career and family with the patience and zeal of a woman. A man too takes care of both but there are many aspects that a woman is capable of doing but a man is not. It’s not to put down the men, but we have all witnessed this at our place and elsewhere, so I take the liberty in saying these powerful statements.

Honouring Gratitude from Team UdaipurBlog to all Women across the globe.

You May Also Check : It’s our day – It’s Women’s Day

– By Chetna Purohit

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About the author – Chetna Purohit is a young Udaipurite pursuing her Engineering in Computer Science (2nd Year).

Categories
Photos Places to Visit

Gandhi Shilp Mela: Art and Craft Fair in Udaipur

Gandhi Shilp Mela

The National Crafts Fair, also known as the GANDHI SHILP MELA started in Udaipur from 4th March and will continue till 13th March 2011 at Town Hall. The craftsmen and artisans from all over India have gathered in our city to show their extraordinary masterpieces as well as talent. This event is organised by Rural Non Farm Development Agency (RUDA). According to an estimate, this year the trade till date has exceeded Rs. 10.5 Lakhs. A huge overwhelming crowd is seen enjoying the fair.many items such as furniture, wooden items, show pieces, garments, accessories, etc can be seen at display and for sale.

Here are few glimpses of the Gandhi Shilp Mela.

Gandhi Shilp Mela

Gandhi Shilp Mela

Gandhi Shilp Mela

Gandhi Shilp Mela

Gandhi Shilp Mela

Gandhi Shilp Mela

Gandhi Shilp Mela

Gandhi Shilp Mela

Categories
News

January 2011: Quick Flashback

Yeah it is indeed the 1st of Feb, lots of new plans for the upcoming month, for the near approaching exams, the season of marriages, Basant Panchmi, of course not to forget the Valentine’s Day, and lots more. After all, “khush hai zamaana aaj pehli taareekh hai”

But not to forget the previous month, the beginner of the New Year, which filled the welcome of 2011 with many reasons of happiness and pride, as well as many mixed feelings for the entire Udaipur, and the Udaipies as well.l Lets have a quick flashback of the month we left behind yesterday.

Parties and celebrations were at their extreme. With many mixed feelings and memories of 2010, Udaipur welcomed 2011 with a great vigour. Also, the Year 2011 began with great news to rejoice. Rajasthan won the national level kick- boxing tournament held in Udaipur. Almost all of the Udaipur was excited to host a series of events to be held in the next few weeks of global repute.

  • It began with the hosting of the International Kites Festival 2011, in the first week of January.It was a three day festival which was held at the Maharana Bhupal Stadium (Gandhi Ground) from 5th to 7th Jan 2011. Every eye was on the sky, which was full with vivid colours and cultures from as many as 10 countries across the world, in Udaipur.

  • In the next few days after its completion, the entire Udaipur was engaged into the preparation for the 16th National Youth Festival 2011. Every roads, every nook and corner of the city was shining like a newly built palace.

  • Finally the day came. 12th of January and the entire India came into life at the opening ceremony of the 16th National Youth Festival in the Gandhi ground.There were many cultural events, competitions, evening shows, heart throbbing stunts by the Army, and lots more.There was a spectacular performance by the Indian Air Force and the Indian Army on the closing ceremony.

  • A remarkable news that can never be forgotten here is the struggle between life and death by Narayan Tomar, a worker at the Devas Tunnel Project who was struck at his workplace for many days. Every Udaipie prayed for him, and finally every prayer was heard. Narayan was successfully taken out of the tunnel by several hours of continuous rescue operation.
  • The Mohan Kumar Mangalam football tournament 2011 was held at Zawar Mines this year from 23rd to 31st January. This is a National Level football championship, held every year. Team Dehradun won over the Mumbai team in the finals after a very interesting match, and was the champion for the MKM 2011

  • Udaipur also hosted the Inter-University boxing championship, in both men’s and women’s categories.
  • We all remembered Ganhiji, his principles and all the sacrifices by freedom fighters, and despite of the cable TVs’ or the DTH installed in our homes, all switched on to the DoorDarshan on the 26th Jan, our 62nd Republic day, with a patriotic feeling in our minds, and to salute the Great Indian Flag. A huge crowd too gathered at the Gandhi ground, where the Flag was hoisted by renowned dignitaries.

This was beginning of 2011 only. For more Photographs on the above news, do visit our Facebook  fanpage. And there are lot more stuffs yet to enter Udaipur and our lives as well. That was all for the moment. Team UdaipurBlog will be back with more news and surprises in the upcoming times. Keep liking, sharing and supporting. 🙂