Stephen Hawking, a great scientist.

Stephen William Hawking ,a brilliant scientist ,a discoverer,a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, author and one who unearths many mysteries of the universe  passed away, in the early hours of Wednesday, at the age of 76.
             Hawking was born in Oxford, England on 8 Jan 1942.He did his schooling from St. Albans school ,Hertfordshire and university education from university college, Oxford. He earned his master's and PhD at Cambridge university.
          At the age of 21 he was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease and was told that he had just a year to two to live but he lived for longer period. But the disease left him in a wheelchair and unable to speak .The disease made him fully dependent on others. With the help of speech synthesizer he used to speak in a computerized voice.
         

He was mainly associated with theoretical physics that explains and predict natural phenomena using mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects. He was author of many books related to universe and our existence. Some of his popular books are ,A Brief History of Time, The grand Design, The universe in a Nutshell, My Brief History, The theory of Everything and many more.
      He was famous for his work with blackholes and relativity. He discovered that blackholes  were not black and emit radiations and gradually evaporate and disappear. He used the word ' Hawking radiation' in 1974.He had at least 12 honorary degrees and was awarded Presidential  Medal of Freedom, Copley Medal, Albert Einstein Medal, Wolf Prize in physics and many more.

A tribute to Sridevi.

Sometimes an unbelievable thing happens to which the mind tries to understand but the heart doesn't. The sudden and untimely death of Sridevi in Dubai is one such example. The legendery actress who ruled the hearts in 80's and 90's shocked and saddened the fans and admirers all over the world.
     The beauty who started her career at the age of just four made her debut in Tamil film 'Kandan karunai'.In 1967, she worked with the top actress of that era 'Jaylalita'.In 1972 she worked as a child artist in Hindi movie 'Rani Mera Naam' and the turning point in her career came with the Hindi film'Solva Sawan'.In 1975,she also worked in the Hindi film 'Juli'.
     She worked with many superstars like Rajnikant,Amitabh Bachchan,Kamal Hasan.She has done 27 films with Kamal Hasan.Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi have jointly worked in 6 movies. Some of them are Bombay Talkies, English Vinglish,Khuda Gawah,Aakhree Raasta,Inquilaab etc.The movies she has done  with Rajnikant is  22.They are Farishtay, Chaalbaaz, Bhagwan Dada and many Telugu and Tamil films.With Jitendra she jointly did 16 films of which Himmatwala, Ghar Sansar, Tohfa,Jaani Dost are more popular.Rishi kapoor and Sridevi also gave popular films but very few in number ,only five ,they are Kaun Sachcha Kaun Jhootha,Gurudev,Banjaran, Chandni(1989), Nagina(1986).The film Chandni was one of the biggest hits at that time.Her superhit films are Mr.India,Judai,Chandni,Chalbaaz and Khuda Gawah.She was one of the biggest female superstars who ruled countless hearts .
  She won five Filmfare Awards and in the year 2013 she was also awarded with Padma Shri.She also bagged 'Order of Afghanistan ' in 1991 for the movie Khuda Gawah.
True,she is no more but her work always reminiscences of her extraordinary qualities that none possesses.

Lord Shiva 

How Shivratri is connected?

Mahashivratri simply means 'the Great Night of Lord Shiva' . But who is Lord Shiva ?

 In Hindu religion the Lord Shiva is considered the God of destroyer ,but He is one who protects and runs this universe. He is everything. The entire creation begins and ends with the Lord Shiva .So, He is also called the God of the Gods or Mahadev.

 Lord Shiva also means life and life is present everywhere .That means He is Omnipresent.

Lord Shiva also refers to energy. Shiva is also a mantra. And chanting the name Shiva gives immense energy.
 Lord Shiva is also called 'swaimbhu' means none has created Him. He is self made.

 The great festival of Mahashivratri has a significant place in the Hindu religion. There are a number of stories connected to Mahashivratri. One such story is during the churning of sea or the samudra manthan, a pot containing poison emerged. Incapable of consuming  ,the Gods and the demons all rushed to Lord Shiva .Shiva drank the poison and held it in His throat that turned the color of His throat  bluish and so got another name Nilkanth.This event is also celebrated in the form of Mahashivratri.

 To please this supreme being, devotees offer holy water, milk, bel leaf,datura and many more and get His blessings.

A trip to Omkareshwar.

True,I have a consuming passion for travelling and when the destination is a holy place I never miss it.I am someone who usually soak in the culture and scenic beauty of a new destination.
      After Mahakaleshwar temple my next destination was Omkareshwar Jyotirling in Khandwah district ,some 138 Kilometres from the temple city Ujjain. This holy site is a great choice for Hindu pilgrims. Every Hindu want to visit this holy shrine atleast once-in-a-lifetime.Omkareshwar is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
    Early the next fine morning my rental car arrived on time and I head out to Omkareshwar. It was a special ride.The driver ,also my tour guide was very friendly and funny. Outside the road was not crowded .Except a few no more traffic was on the road.So,I easily left the Ujjain city and moved towards my destination.
  Every few kilometres of my drive introduced me to a inspiring and motivating beauty.The view was spectacular. The never ending mountains and green scenery was very attracting.After an hour drive I reached 'Sani' temple where devotees were found offering mustard oil to the Almighty. Then, a two -hour hassle free drive took me to the picturesque spot 'Omkareshwar'.
      The temple 'Omkareshwar' is located on the river Narmada. This temple belongs to Hindu religion and is dedicated to Lord Shiva.Omkareshwar looks like a part of island with water surrounding it on all sides and is connected to the main land by a bridge. Devotees also cross the river by boat .Since the island shape is like 'OM' the Hindu sacred symbol so, it is also known by name 'Omkareshwar' .To reach the temple certain number of steps has to be climbed .Here,it is also believed that the stones present in the Narmada river are also' Shiva Linga' and could be worshiped.
    On the other side of the river Mamleshwar temple is present which is also  dedicated to Lord Shiva. Hordes of tourists flock to Omkareshwar and Mamleshwar temple every year.No doubt, some moments that I have experienced while travelling would stay with me forever.

Republic Day, 2018

       26 January is celebrated as Republic Day in our country, India. On the same day in the year 1950 India celebrated its first Republic Day as the constitution came into effect.But why 26 January ?
 Because on the same day, in the year 1930 Indian National Congress proclaimed the declaration of Indian independence or purna swaraj.
       Every year foreign head of state is invited by the government of India as the chief guest to grace the occasion. The main aim that remains is to display the Indian culture ,military power and technological developments that is also the strength and backbone of any country.Different regiments of the Indian soldiers also do march-past on this occasion.
 This year Republic Day celebration is different from the previous years .Generally every year one guest is invited on Republic Day but this year Indian government is inviting two guests .At the same time ten heads of ASEAN countries have also been invited. One more important event that is taking place this year is that for the first time women power is given much significance. Women from BSF will display their stunts and acrobatics.

How 'Vasant Panchami' and the Goddess              'Saraswati'  related ?

                                          

It might surprise some but the fact remains that Indian festivals and festive seasons have their own colour, flavour and taste.Lots of changes could be seen around and excitement also attains its peak.Indeed, these festivals have got people hooked despite their busy schedule.

No doubt' Vasant Panchami ' or 'Sri Panchami' has a significant place in the long list of Hindu festivals. In Hindu mythology 'Vasant' is said to be the son of 'Kamadeva' the god of love.The word 'Vasant' marks the beginning of spring season when the climate is lovely neither hot nor cold and very touchy to body and soul.'Vasant' is also the king of seasons. Its arrival rejuvenates each and every cell and fill them with positive energy.

During this period the beauty is very captivating and captures the attention of all living creatures. On the very same day,the Hindu deity ,the goddess 'Saraswati' is worshipped all over India as well as in some countries like Nepal,Indonesia etc.The preparations for Holi also begin the same day.

 The Goddess 'Saraswati' is believed to be the goddess of learning, intelligence and knowledge. The idol of 'Saraswati' is seen seating on swan holding Veena, a musical instrument. She holds books in one hand and Veena in another.That signifies that like music we should make the reading also interesting.

 There is a belief that at the time of formation of universe there was no sound, everywhere silence persisted .Even all creatures were soundless .On 'Vasant  Panchami' the birth of sound took place by the Veena of goddess Saraswati.

It is believed that higher aspirations or wishes relating to  learning ,intelligence, art,music could not be fulfilled without the blessings of goddess' Saraswati'.
       

Martin Luther King Jr., Day (15 January)

In the world of uncertainities,no one knows who would create a history and one such example is Martin Luther King Jr.,a civil rights activist.

Born on Jan 15,1929 in Atlanta, Georgia was the second of the three children .At the early years, his parents used to call him by name Michael. Inspired by the leader Martin Luther his father named him Martin Luther king Jr.On his 89th anniversary people all over the world remembered him for his extraordinary work.
  In the United States Jan 15, is also observed as Martin Luther Day or MLK Day or King Day and is also a federal holiday .In America federal holiday means all the non-essential federal government offices are closed and at the same time federal employee also enjoy as paid holiday.
 In the real sense ,on this auspicious day people celebrates the life and achievements of Martin Luther king Jr.,
Many educational institutions arrange different types of programmes on this day.His struggle against racism proves that he was brave enough.Many a time he had mentioned about racial equality in his speeches.He had a strong desire to bring the blacks and the whites under one roof.He was also a civil rights activist who bagged a Nobel peace prize in young age in the year 1964.But this great and brave leader was assassinated at the age of just 39 years in Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.