Mahalaya – Religious & Spiritual significance

“Mahishasura Mardhini” means one who killed the Asura Mahishasura and refers to Goddess Durga. The demon was in the form of a buffalo and hence the name “Mahish Asura”. She was created by the Gods to eradicate evil and many Asuras were killed by her.

Mahalaya ( Matripaksha) :

The last day of offering tribute to our departed forefathers, i.e pitripaksha and the beginning of the devipaksha is called mahalaya.

Mahalaya is at the crossroads between the opposite side and the goddess side .

It is celebrated in the states of Karnataka, Odisha, Tripura, and West Bengal.

It is believed in the Hindu Mythology that Goddess Durga was created on this day by Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswar to defeat the demon king Mahishasura.

“Mahishasura Mardhini” means one who killed the Asura Mahishasura and refers to Goddess Durga. The demon was in the form of a buffalo and hence the name “Mahish Asura”. She was created by the Gods to eradicate evil and many Asuras were killed by her.

Therefore, devotees mark this day as the arrival of Goddess Durga to Earth from Kailash Parvat with her divine powers.

On the day of Mahalaya, the sculptors only make Goddess Durga’s eyes and fill colours in them. They also perform a special puja before this.

All over Bengal, Mahalaya begins with the recitation of the Chandipath.In India, Mahalaya is a public holiday in several states.
Mahalaya is celebrated on the last day of ‘Krishnapaksha’, the dark fortnight of Ashwin month. The next day marks the beginning of Sharad, heralding the 10-day Durga Puja festival.

Traditions of Mahalaya :

Mahalaya marks the start of the Durga Puja festival. On this day, the goddess Durga is believed to have descended to Earth. This marks the end of ‘Pitri Paksha’, a 16-day period when Hindus pay homage to their ancestors. Hindus mark the last day of ‘Pitri Paksha’ with ‘tarpan’, a ritualistic offering to their departed kin or ancestors. The ritual is performed by taking a holy dip in the Ganges or other water bodies and sending up prayers in memory of their forefathers.
Mahalaya is marked by large, elaborately crafted statutes of Durga which are set up in homes and on decorated podiums called Pandals. On this day, sculptors who have shaped the goddess Durga from lumps of clay, start painting her eyes. In Bengal, it is a ritual called ‘Chakkhudaan’. With ‘Chakkhudaan’, the Goddess, true to rituals, is invoked and aroused with a prayer to open her eyes.
A few days later, the idols set off on trucks from the studios to their eventual moorings at gilded and exquisitely crafted Puja pandals.Durga Puja
Durga Puja celebrates the ten-armed mother goddess and her victory over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.
While celebrated across India, In West Bengal, Assam and Tripura, it is the biggest festival of the year and the most significant cultural event in Bengali Hindu society.
The rituals of Durga Puja last ten days with the start and the last five days being special festivals that are reflected in public holidays in some states in India.

Significance of Mahalaya :

It is said that on Mahalaya Amavasya morning, first ancestors are given farewell and then in the evening Maa Durga comes to earth and stays here to bless people.

During this time, in the Indian subcontinent, new crops would have just begun to bear yield. So their first produce is offered to the ancestors as a mark of respect and thankfulness, by way of pinda.

The rituals and rites on Mahalaya day are performed early morning on riverbanks or on seashore.

Many people remember their ancestors on this day and offer Tarpan or Shraddha to make their souls happy.

The main offering made on Mahalaya Paksha to ancestors is food.

The offerings generally consists of til (sesame seeds), water and pinda (cooked rice balls). Other food is also offered according to local custom. The pindas offered are later given to crows.

There is a belief that the souls of ancestors attain peace and moksha after the ritual.

The Hindus do not see any dichotomy between the visible and the the invisible worlds, between the living and the dead. Hinduism brings the invisible worlds into continual contact with the visible. The dead are not regarded as dead by merely as living elsewhere.

Mahalaya holds a religious and spiritual significance.

it also reminds us of the power of truth, of courage and of the universal fact that in the end, good will always triumph over evil.

How To Perform Mahalaya :-

Men performing the ceremony sit facing south and women sit facing east. Darbha grass is spread on the ground with the tips facing south. The devotee kneels on the ground with the left knee touching the ground. Cooked rice made into balls with ghee and gingelly seeds and holy water are offered to the ancestors who are invoked. Those wearing the sacred thread perform the ceremony by reversing the sacred thread from the left shoulder to the right. Relations who congregate for sraddha are known as sapinda (sharers of the pinda) or samanodaka (sharers of water).

The ritual of Mahalaya is mentioned in the Hindu scriptures like Agni Purana, Kurma Purana, Padma Purana, Vishnu Purana, Grihya Sutras, Smritis of Manu and Yajnavalkya.

Mahalaya 2023 Date And Time :

Mahalaya is observed on the Amavasya day in the Hindu month of Ashwin or Ashwayuja . Mahalaya 2023 is Saturday, date is October 14. Time is 9:29 AM on October 13 to

10:54 PM on October 14.

💙 Mahishasuramarddini :-

Mahishasura Mardhini Shlokas(stotra) cover 3 aspects of the Devi – As Durga, Lakshmi & Saraswathi.

The author of these verses is not clearly known but according to some sources it is said to be Kavi Ramakrishna (Tenali Ram of Krishnadeva Raya fame – Vijayanagar Empire), while others attribute it to Adi Shankara.

Mahishasuramarddini is a widely popular early Bengali special dawn radio programme that has been broadcasting since 1931 on All India Radio (AIR) in Indian state West Bengal.

All India Radio , Govt of India

It is a one-and-a-half-hour audio monitage of Chaṇḍipāaṭh (chanting from Chaṇḍi) recitation from the scriptural verses of Śrī Śrī Chaṇḍi or Durga Saptashati , Bengali devotional songs, classical music and a dash of acoustic melodrama.

The program has been translated into Hindi set to similar orchestration and is broadcast at the same time for a pan-Indian audience. This programme is aired every year at day-break on Mahalaya.

The programme, which started off as a live-performance, has been broadcast in its pre-recorded format since 1966. However, its great popularity remains undiminished even today

over 90 years later.

🔺 Birendra Krishna Bhadra who will always be remembered for making Mahalaya memorable to one and all, is the voice behind the “Mahisasura Mardini.” He recites the holy verses and tells the story of the descent of Durga to earth.

Birendra krishna Bhadra

In 1931, Mahalaya was first broadcast over the radio in Akashvani, Calcutta.

The programme was organised by Pankaj Kumar Mallik, Premankur Aatorthi, Birendra Krishna Bhadra, Nripendra Krishna Mukhopadhyay and Raichand Boral.

FAQs : Mahalaya 2023

1. What is the time of Mahalaya 2023?

Ans- The date for Mahalaya 2023 is Saturday, October 14. On October 14, the time will be 9:29 PM on October 13 to 10:54 PM. Mahalaya also announces Goddess Durga’s arrival on Earth. The beginning of ‘Devipaksha’ and the countdown to Durga Puja is marked by Mahalaya.

2. When Durga Puja started in 2023?

Ans- This year’s Durgostav begins on October 20 and ends on October 24. During this week, celebrations, prayers, and rituals are performed to honor Maa Durga every day.

3. Is Mahalaya auspicious or not?

Ans- If you’re wondering how Mahalaya Amavasya relates to Sharadh, it is the last day of the 16-day Shradh ritual period. It is considered the most auspicious day, and family members can perform the deceased person’s shradh on Amavasya irrespective of the Hindu Calendar tithi.

4. Is Mahalaya a good day?

Ans- The festival of Mahalaya Amavasya has a lot of significance attached to it. During this day, people perform rituals to pray for peace, happiness, and salvation for their ancestors. According to a legend, it is believed that around the time of the festival, the souls of our ancestors are closest to Earth.

5. Why Do We Celebrate Mahalaya?

Ans- On this auspicious occasion, Maa Durga defeated the evil Mahishasura, and to celebrate her victory, we Bengalis have this day, a week before Durga Puja. This day shows us how ‘good triumphs over evil’! Mahalaya comes with a lot of religious and spiritual significance as well.

6. Why Mahalaya is happy?

Ans- Hindus consider Pitri Paksha to be inauspicious, because shradhh or death rites are performed during this period. It is a 16-day lunar period during which people remember and pay homage to their ancestors using food and water offerings. But Mahalaya is a happy occasion.

7. Is Mahalaya a sad day?

Ans- But Mahalaya is a happy occasion. While there are many stories and/or folklore associated with the day, largely, people believe that on this day, Goddess Durga officially begins her journey from Mount Kailash — where she resides with her husband Lord Shiva — to her maternal home on Earth.

8. Is Mahalaya a happy day?

Ans- So, Mahalaya is believed to be a very happy day, especially for the Bengalis, as the festive spirit begins from this day.

9. What is the story behind Mahalaya?

Ans- The day in which Goddess Durga vanquished the monster Mahishasura, is commemorated and celebrated by the Hindus as Mahalaya. For the Bengali people, it marks the conclusion of Pitru Paksha Shradh or the start of Durga Puja.

10. What is the real meaning of Mahalaya?

Ans- “Mahalaya / महालय” is a composite of “Maha / महा / means great or very big” & “Aalay / आलय / means house or building”. As a whole “Mahalaya” means a very big house or a palace. Sometimes, the temple is also called “Mahalaya” being the house of the master of the universe.

11. What is the meaning of Mahalaya Puja?

Ans- Mahalaya is all about the festivities leading up to Durga Puja. In general, people hold that Goddess Durga’s journey from Mount Kailash, where she lives with her spouse Lord Shiva, to her maternal home on Earth officially starts on this day.

🌹 PUJA SONG : JOTSNA JARI 🩷

New Music Videos : Khatunia Jotsna 🌹

LOVE SONG : I don’t know

2. MORNING RAINBOW

3. LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT

A DAY WITH HIV 🔼

September 2023 💚

HIV :

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. It is spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during unprotected sex (sex without a condom or HIV medicine to prevent or treat HIV), or through sharing injection drug equipment.

If left untreated, HIV can lead to the disease AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome).

The human body can’t get rid of HIV and no effective HIV cure exists. So, once you have HIV, you have it for life.

Luckily, however, effective treatment with HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) is available. If taken as prescribed, HIV medicine can reduce the amount of HIV in the blood (also called the viral load) to a very low level. This is called viral suppression. If a person’s viral load is so low that a standard lab can’t detect it, this is called having an undetectable viral load. People with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex.

In addition, there are effective methods to prevent getting HIV through sex or drug use, including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use, and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), HIV medicine taken within 72 hours after a possible exposure to prevent the virus from taking hold. Learn about other ways to prevent getting or transmitting HIV.

AIDS :

AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus.

In the U.S., most people with HIV do not develop AIDS because taking HIV medicine as prescribed stops the progression of the disease.

A person with HIV is considered to have progressed to AIDS when:

the number of their CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimeter of blood (200 cells/mm3). (In someone with a healthy immune system, CD4 counts are between 500 and 1,600 cells/mm3.) OR

they develop one or more opportunistic infections regardless of their CD4 count.

Without HIV medicine, people with AIDS typically survive about 3 years. Once someone has a dangerous opportunistic illness, life expectancy without treatment falls to about 1 year. HIV medicine can still help people at this stage of HIV infection, and it can even be lifesaving. But people who start HIV medicine soon after they get HIV experience more benefits—that’s why HIV testing is so important.

HIV TEST :

The only way to know for sure if you have HIV is to get tested. Testing is relatively simple. You can ask your health care provider for an HIV test. Many medical clinics, substance abuse programs, community health centers, and hospitals offer them too. If you test positive, you can be connected to HIV care to start treatment as soon as possible. If you test negative, you have the information you need to take steps to prevent getting HIV in the future.

To find an HIV testing location near you, use the HIV Services Locator.

Transmit HIV :

You can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV who has a detectable viral load. These fluids are:

Blood

Semen (cum) and pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum)

Rectal fluids

Vaginal fluids

Breast milk

For transmission to occur, the HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person through a mucous membrane (found in the rectum, vagina, mouth, or tip of the penis), through open cuts or sores, or by direct injection (from a needle or syringe).

People with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex.

HIV Spread from Person to Person :

HIV can only be spread through specific activities. In the United States, the most common ways are:

🔹 Having vaginal or anal sex with someone who has HIV without using a condom the right way every time or taking medicines to prevent or treat HIV. Anal sex is riskier than vaginal sex for HIV transmission. Learn more about the HIV risk associated with specific sexual activities.

🔹 Sharing injection drug equipment, such as needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment (“works”) with someone who has HIV because these items may have blood in them, and blood can carry HIV. People who inject hormones, silicone, or steroids can also get or transmit HIV by sharing needles, syringes, or other injection equipment. Learn more about HIV and injection drug use.

Less common ways.:

🔹 An HIV-positive person transmitting HIV to their baby during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding. However, the use of HIV medicines and other strategies have helped lower the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV to less than 1% in the United States.

🔹 Being exposed to HIV through a needlestick or sharps injury. This is a risk mainly for health care workers. The risk is very low.

HIV spreads only in rare cases :

🔹 Having oral sex. Oral sex carries little to no risk for getting or transmitting HIV. Theoretically, it is possible if an HIV-positive man ejaculates in his partner’s mouth during oral sex. Factors that may increase the risk of transmitting HIV through oral sex are oral ulcers, bleeding gums, genital sores, and the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which may or may not be visible. However, the risk is still extremely low, and much lower than with anal or vaginal sex.

🔹 Receiving blood transfusions, blood products, or organ/tissue transplants that are contaminated with HIV. The risk is extremely small these days because of rigorous testing of the U.S. blood supply and donated organs and tissues. (And you can’t get HIV from donating blood. Blood collection procedures are highly regular and very safe.)

🔹 Being bitten by a person with HIV. Each of the very small number of documented cases has involved severe trauma with extensive tissue damage and the presence of blood. This rare transmission can occur through contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucous membranes and blood or body fluids from a person who has HIV. There is no risk of transmission if the skin is not broken. There are no documented cases of HIV being transmitted through spitting as HIV is not transmitted through saliva.

🔹 Deep, open-mouth kissing if both partners have sores or bleeding gums and blood from the HIV-positive partner gets into the bloodstream of the HIV-negative partner. HIV is not spread through saliva.

🔹 Eating food that has been pre-chewed by a person with HIV. The only known cases are among infants. HIV transmission can occur when the blood from an HIV-positive caregiver’s mouth mixes with food while chewing and an infant eats it. However, you can’t get HIV by consuming food handled by someone with HIV.

HIV is not spread by :

🔹 Air or water

🔹 Mosquitoes, ticks, or other insects

🔹 Saliva, tears, sweat, feces, or urine that is not mixed with the blood of a person with HIV

🔹 Shaking hands; hugging; sharing toilets; sharing dishes, silverware, or drinking glasses; or engaging in closed-mouth or “social” kissing with a person with HIV

🔹 Drinking fountains

🔹 Other sexual activities that don’t involve the exchange of body fluids (for example, touching).

🔹 Donating blood

HIV can’t be passed through healthy, unbroken skin.

Risk of HIV Different for Different Groups :

HIV can affect anyone regardless of sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, gender, age, or where they live. However, certain groups of people in the United States are more likely to get HIV than others because of particular factors, including the communities in which they live, what subpopulations they belong to, and their risk behaviors.

Communities. When you live in a community where many people have HIV, the chance of being exposed to the virus by having sex or sharing needles or other injection equipment with someone who has HIV is higher. You can use CDC’s HIV, STD, hepatitis, and tuberculosis Atlas Plus to see the percentage of people with HIV (“prevalence”) in different U.S. counties and states, as well as other data. Within any community, the prevalence of HIV can vary among different subpopulations.

Subpopulations. In the United States, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are the population most affected by HIV. According to CDC, of the 30,635 new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. in 2020, 68% (20,758) were among gay and bisexual men.a By race/ethnicity, Blacks/African Americans and Hispanics/Latinos are disproportionately affected by HIV compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Also, transgender women who have sex with men are among the groups at highest risk for HIV infection. People who inject drugs remain at significant risk for getting HIV as well.

Risk behaviors. In the United States, HIV is spread mainly through having anal or vaginal sex or sharing needles or syringes with an HIV-positive partner. Anal sex is the highest-risk behavior. Fortunately, there are more HIV prevention tools available today than ever before. These include using condoms correctly, every time you have sex; pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), medicine people at risk for HIV take to prevent getting HIV from sex or injection drug use; and treatment as prevention, a method in which people with HIV take HIV medicine as prescribed to achieve and maintain an undetectable viral load, a level of HIV in the blood so low that it can’t be detected in a standard blood test. People with HIV who take HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex.

Acute HIV Infection & Symptoms :

Within 2 to 4 weeks after infection with HIV, about two-thirds of people will have a flu-like illness. This is the body’s natural response to HIV infection.

Flu-like symptoms can include :

🔹 Fever

🔹 Chills

🔹 Rash

🔹 Night sweats

🔹 Muscle aches

🔹 Sore throat

🔹 Fatigue

🔹 Swollen lymph nodes

🔹 Mouth ulcers

These symptoms can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks. But some people do not have any symptoms at all during this early stage of HIV.

💙

National HIV/AIDS

and Aging Awareness Day

September 18

With advances in effective HIV treatment, people with HIV are living longer, healthier lives. National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day (NHAAD) was launched on September 18, 2008, by The AIDS Institute. This day raises awareness about the complex issues related to HIV prevention, care, and treatment for adults aged 50 or older. NHAAD emphasizes the need for prevention, research, and data focused on the aging community and increased medical understanding of the aging process and its effects on older people with and affected by HIV.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than half of people with HIV in the United States are aged 50 or older. Approximately 16 percent of new HIV diagnoses occurred in this age group in 2021. People aging with HIV can face treatment-related challenges, such as drug interactions between HIV medicines and medicines used for other conditions. Also, the risk for comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease, some cancers, bone fractures/osteoporosis, liver disease, kidney disease, neurocognitive decline, and aging-related frailty is higher among people with HIV than among those without HIV.

Research to identify and address the long-term health needs of people aging with HIV across the care continuum is critical to support this growing population and their care providers. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) supports basic, translational, and clinical research across NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices (ICOs) to increase understanding of HIV-associated comorbidities and their prevention and management, as well as their relationship to aging and HIV. The NIH Office of AIDS Research (OAR) launched the HIV and Aging Signature Program in 2022 to meet increasing public health needs of people aging with HIV and to catalyze interdisciplinary research and training at the intersection of HIV and aging. OAR has convened a working group co-led by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) that endeavors to link NIH, people aging with HIV, researchers, and relevant U.S. government partners in discussions to foster collaboration, identify research gaps and opportunities, facilitate integrative research and training, and promote faster implementation of research results.

Check out these HIVinfo resources to learn more :

🔹bHIV and Older People (Fact sheet)

🔹 Living with HIV and AIDS (HIV Source)

🔹 Older Adults (HIV Source)

Social Media :

Use the hashtags #NHAAD and #HIVandAging to follow the conversation on social media. Check out the “Use Digital Communication” resources on the HIV.gov National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day webpage for tips on how to amplify the conversation and spread awareness on social media. Download graphics and find sample social media posts to help raise awareness of HIV, address stigma and other barriers to care, and encourage older adults to get tested and know their status on CDC’s National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day webpage. Find additional downloadable social media graphics on the National HIV/AIDS and Aging Awareness Day webpage from The AIDS Institute.

The path that ends AIDS :

UNAIDS Global AIDS Update 2023 🟩

This report makes clear that there is a path to end AIDS. Taking that path will help ensure preparedness to address other pandemic challenges, and advance progress across the Sustainable Development Goals. The data and real-world examples in the report make it very clear what that path is. It is not a mystery. It is a choice. Some leaders are already following the path—and succeeding. It is inspiring to note that Botswana, Eswatini, Rwanda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zimbabwe have already achieved the 95–95–95 targets, and at least 16 other countries (including eight in sub-Saharan Africa) are close to doing so.

FAQs : AIDS Awareness, September 2023

1. Why do we celebrate World AIDS Vaccine Day?

Ans:- World AIDS Vaccine Day is a chance to thank the volunteers, community members, health professionals, scientists who are working together to find a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine

. Moreover, it is also a time to educate communities about the importance of preventive HIV vaccine research.

2. What is the theme of World AIDS Vaccine Day?

Ans:- However, there is no specific theme

to observe World AIDS Vaccine Day.

3. Is HIV vaccine available?

Ans:- No.There is currently no vaccine available that will prevent HIV infection or treat those who have it

. However, scientists are working to develop one. NIH is investing in multiple approaches to prevent HIV, including a safe and effective preventive HIV vaccine.

4. Is HIV injection available in India?

Ans:- HYDERABAD: Aurobindo Pharma Limited has inked a voluntary sub-licensing agreement with the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP), a UN backed public health organization, for developing and marketing a generic version of Cabotegravir tablets & long acting injectables, which was originally developed by ViiV Healthcare.

5. How many injections for HIV?

Ans:- Every other month, and you’re. good to go. CABENUVA is given every other month or monthly by a healthcare provider as 2 injections

, initially 1 month apart for 2 months.

6. What is the name of the HIV vaccine ?

Ans:- HIV vaccine

is a therapeutic vaccine designed to stimulate an immune response against a variety of HIV antigens in patients with HIV. It consists of a suspension of killed HIV-1 virus particles. Remune is not currently FDA approved. HIV vaccine is available under the following different brand names: Remune.

7. What is the name of HIV vaccine in India?

Ans:- The first candidate vaccine to be tested in India will be modified vaccinia Ankara

, a live attenuated vaccine that will target HIV-1 subtype C. “This subtype is predominant in India, accounting for nearly 91% of cases,” said Dr Jean-Louis Excler, medical director of the initiative in India.

8. What is the new HIV vaccine?

Ans:- The new and unique vaccine design, described in a paper in Nature Communications on April 9, 2023, uses tiny protein “nanoparticles” to display multiple copies of HIV’s surface protein Env

, thus presenting itself to the immune system much as real HIV particles would without causing HIV infection.

9. What is HIV vaccine used for?

Ans:- A preventive HIV vaccine is given to people who do not have HIV, with the goal of preventing HIV infection in the future

. The vaccine teaches the person’s immune system to recognize and effectively fight HIV in case the person is ever exposed to HIV.

10. Who made HIV vaccine?

Ans:- On January 17, 2022 IAVI and Moderna…

launched a phase I trial of a HIV vaccine with mRNA technology.

11. Is there a vaccine for a HIV?

Ans:- There are no vaccines to prevent or treat HIV

, but people with HIV can benefit from vaccines against other diseases.

WORLD TEACHER’S DAY 🔼

writer – jotsna jari

World Teachers’ Day, also referred to as International Teachers’ Day, is observed annually on October 5th . It is a day that celebrates the incredible role that teachers all over the world play and their important contribution to society. World Teachers’ Day is a United Nations observance and not a public holiday. As such, schools and businesses operate as normal. World Teachers’ Day is a global celebration and should not be confused with Teachers’ Day, which is celebrated on the first Tuesday of May and forms part of Teacher Appreciation Week.

Importance :

World Teachers’ Day is a United Nations (UN) observance that was first recognized in 1994 by UNESCO.

It is celebrated on October 5 to commemorate the signing of the 1966 UNESCO/ILO Recommendations.

It ensures the standards, rights, and responsibilities for teachers across the globe, concerning matters such as employment, working conditions, initial training, and continuous education for teachers.

The commemoration is a collaboration between UNICEF, the International Labor Organization, and Education International.

The Role of Teachers in Shaping the Future

Teachers educate people of all ages in various subjects and require proper standards to safeguard and support them in making a positive impact both inside and outside the classroom and within their communities.

By raising awareness of the importance of teaching and the current issues affecting teachers, the hope is that it will in turn improve the quality of education.

UNESCO :

World Teachers’ Day is held annually on 5 October to celebrate all teachers around the globe. It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning conditions. The Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher-Education Teaching Personnel was adopted in 1997 to complement the 1966 Recommendation by covering teaching personnel in higher education. World Teachers’ Day has been celebrated since 1994.

It is a day to celebrate how teachers are transforming education but also to reflect on the support they need to fully deploy their talent and vocation, and to rethink the way ahead for the profession globally

World Teachers’ Day is co-convened in partnership with the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNICEF and Education International (EI).

Celebrations :

Being a teacher provides the unique opportunity to make a transformative and lasting impact on the lives of others, contributing to shaping sustainable futures and offering personal fulfilment. However, the world faces an unprecedented global teacher shortage exacerbated by a decline in their working conditions and status.

With the theme “The teachers we need for the education we want: The global imperative to reverse the teacher shortage”, the 2023 celebrations will aim to put the importance of stopping the decline in the number of teachers and then starting to increase that number at the top of the global agenda. Through various activities, it will advocate for a dignified and valued teaching profession, analyse their challenges, and showcase inspiring practices to attract, retain and motivate teachers and educators. It will also examine the ways in which education systems, societies, communities, and families recognise, appreciate, and actively support teachers.

🔹 Why is there a worldwide deficit of 69 million teachers?

There are several factors causing the shortage of teachers, chief of which is the huge demand for education from a growing school-age population. The shortage of teachers is most acute in Africa and Southern Asia, where enrolment numbers are soaring as a result of demographic change and the efforts to promote greater equality, which means that more girls and women are pursuing an education and, increasingly so, at a higher level. In addition, the profession has difficulty attracting, recruiting and retaining new talent as it suffers from a rather low status and a social standing which does not correspond with the importance attached to the profession. In short, teachers are too few, classrooms are too crowded, and teachers are overworked, demotivated and unsupported.

🔹 How does UNESCO work to address this problem?

UNESCO works with countries by helping them strengthen their capacities to assess teaching needs and develop strong, evidence-based policies in relation to teacher recruitment, deployment, management, and professional development. It applies international normative instruments: the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers (1966) and the UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Higher Education Teaching Personnel (1997) with a committee of experts (CEART) who meet every three years to monitor them.

UNESCO also supports Member States by providing policy advice and technical assistance, including the development of tools and guidelines, and opportunities for knowledge exchange and policy learning in the 9 domains of its Teacher Policy Development Guide. It enables teacher mobility through six regional conventions on the recognition of higher education qualifications and study credits. An example of successful support for the development and implementation of national teacher policies in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Malawi and Uganda was the multi-stakeholder Norwegian Teacher Initiative, funded by Norad and jointly implemented by UNESCO together with seven partner organizations. In addition to supporting national education authorities to enhance teacher policies and practices, the project promoted social dialogue and teacher participation in the policy formulation. The initiative also aimed at reinforcing the coordination among key international organizations and national actors working on teacher policies, providing valuable lessons at multi-stakeholder policy processes.

UNESCO also works with teacher education institutions, with which it partners to make professional development opportunities available to the most underserved teachers and education personnel. As part of the COVID-19 response, UNESCO launched the Global Teacher Campus to provide teacher training in emerging fields like social and emotional learning, digital skills and the pedagogical use of technologies.

One important area of support regards the participation of teachers in educational decision-making, from the classroom to the policy level. It enhances the capacity of teacher organizations to participate effectively in social dialogue with national governments and provides guidance on teachers’ career structure through its International Institute for Educational Planning, and capacity-building for teachers in Africa through its International Institute for Capacity building in Africa.

🔹 What is the International Teacher Task Force for Education 2030?

UNESCO hosts and serves as Head of the Secretariat of the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030 (TTF). Created in 2008, as part of the Oslo Declaration and hosted by UNESCO at its Paris Headquarters, the TTF is a unique global independent alliance of over 150 members working to narrow the gap in terms of the quantity of teachers and the quality of teaching practice. UNESCO and the TTF advocate for teaching to remain on the top of the education agenda, advocating for adequate policies and increased financing. The TTF supports teachers through knowledge production and dissemination, advocacy and national and regional policy learning. Its flagship Knowledge Platform is a curated one-stop shop on teacher policy-making and development which showcases quality resources, blogs and initiatives, and is a venue for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

🔹 How does UNESCO support building the capacity of teachers?

UNESCO works with Member States and international partners to implement dedicated programmes supporting the capacity development of existing teacher education and training institutions, drawing on the use of technology-supported solutions such as open and distance learning and teaching innovations. These projects include:

“Enhancing Teacher Education for Bridging the Education Quality Gap in Africa” supported by the Chinese Funds-in-Trust;

“Capacity Building of Teacher Trainers and Teachers in Support of Curriculum” with the support of the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance of the United Arab Emirates;

“Improving Teacher Support and Participation in Local Education Groups,” a project supported by the Global Partnership for Education and implemented jointly by UNESCO and Education International.

UNESCO, Members States and international partners meet every two years at the international Teacher Policy Dialogue Forum, hosted by the International Task Force on Teachers for Education 2030, to review progress made and exchange good practices in capacity development.

BRIEF HISTORY :

Political and educational leaders began discussions for a day to honor teachers in 1944. In 1953, Eleanor Roosevelt persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim National Teachers’ Day. Congress declared March 7, 1980, as National Teacher Day. The National Education Association continued to observe National Teacher Day on the first Tuesday in March until 1985. The National PTA established Teacher Appreciation Week as the first full week of May when the NEA Representative Assembly voted to make the Tuesday of that week National Teacher Day.

NATIONAL TEACHER APPRECIATION DAY :

National Teacher Appreciation Day is on the Tuesday during first full week in May as a reminder to show appreciation for teachers everywhere. We are using this National Day to say thank you to all teachers for their time and dedication to educate our children.

#TEACHERAPPRECIATIONDAY

National Teacher Appreciation Day is also known as National Teacher Day. The National Education Association describes National Teacher Day “as a day for honoring teachers and recognizing the lasting contributions they make to our lives.”

Teachers play a critical role in educating and shaping our children into the future leaders of our country. These kind, patient, hard-working, dedicated, and understanding professionals help mold our children and guide them in positive directions. We entrust our children with teachers during the school year and they play a pivotal role in their lives daily.

No matter where we are in life, a teacher influenced us. They continue to impact our lives every day, too! When we meet new employees with a wealth of skills and abilities, know a teacher helped shaped them. Every new business owner, doctor, engineer, or nurse can name a teacher who inspired them. Every one of us has at least one teacher in mind who encouraged and motivated us during our education. Take the time today to say “Thank You” to the exceptional teachers you know. Take a moment and reflect on the teachers in your life.

SHOW A TEACHER GRATITUDE :

Refill classroom supplies. Many teachers stock their classrooms with the supplies they need to effectively teach. However, many teacher buy supplies out of their own pockets. Replenishing crayons, pencils, or construction paper is a small token of appreciation for a teacher.

Write a letter showing your support for your child’s favorite teacher. Kind words are a small way to encourage a teacher by reminding them the impact they are making in the lives of students.

Volunteering at your school is a way to give teachers a much needed break. Every day, schools rely on parent support for many programs to succeed. For instance, volunteering to be a cross-walker before and after school or a playground monitor relieves a teacher from those duties.

Use #TeacherAppreciationDay or #NationalTeachersDay to post on social media.

Happy Teachers Day Messages for 2023 :

“Each and everything you taught us has helped us in many ways to live life and to be successful in life…. I am thankful to you for all your teachings and I wish you a Happy Teacher’s Day.”

“The best teacher is the one who knows how to bring out the best in his student and I must say that I am very fortunate to have you as my teacher…. Best wishes on Teacher’s Day.”

“To the teacher who made difficult chapters so easy to learn, boring lectures so interesting to hear…. Wishing you a very Happy Teacher’s Day!!!”

“All the success that I have earned today is because of you…. Thanks for all your teachings and guidance, faith and support…. Happy Teacher’s Day sir.”

“It is true that the fate of the student depends a lot on the kind of teacher he gets in life and I must say that I have been very lucky…. Happy Teacher’s Day.”

“It is kind of strange for a student to say this but each day I used to look forward for your lectures because they were so full of knowledge and hope…. Best wishes on Teacher’s Day.”

“On the occasion of Teacher’s Day¸ I want to thank you for seeing the spark in me and supporting me through the most difficult times of my life…. Happy Teacher’s Day to you.”

“When I think of a teacher, you are the only one I think of you….. Whatever you have taught me for all these years has made me successful…. Warm wishes on Teacher’s Day.”

“Whatever I know today is all because of you….. you know how to put forward knowledge to students so that they absorb it with utmost ease…. Happy Teacher’s Day.”

“To the teacher who is very special…. I wish a very warm and Happy Teacher’s Day…. You are truly the biggest source of inspiration for me.”

“When I was aimless in life, you connected me with my goals and directed me to work hard to achieve them…. Best wishes on Teacher’s Day to the best teacher.”

“You are the most selfless and patient teacher I have ever come across and these qualities make you the most special teacher…. Happy Teacher’s Day to you.”

Thank You Messages for Teachers Day

“With all my heart, I thank the teacher who saw the potential in me and supported me to become what I am today…. Happy Teacher’s Day.”

“You are the only teacher I have ever looked up to…. I thank you for understanding me and guiding me towards my goals…. Best wishes on Teacher’s Day.”

“There is so much more to life when you have a good teacher by your side and I realized that when I found you…. Thanks for everything and Happy Teacher’s Day.”

“I thank you with all my heart for being my biggest mentor and support…. Best wishes on Teacher’s Day to you for being a guru I really needed to move ahead in life.”

Teacher’s Day Whatsapp Status

“You put in all the efforts to shape my future when I was not even aware of it….. Happy Teacher’s Day!!!”

“If you have a committed and promising teacher with you then no one can stop you from being successful in life…. Happy Teacher’s Day.”

“Finding a good teacher is fate but working hard with that teacher is your choice…. Happy Teacher’s Day.”

“God send teachers to our lives to help us make something good out of our talent and life…. Cheers to all the inspiring teachers!!!”

FAQs : World Teacher’s Day 2023

1. Why is World Teachers Day celebrated on 5th October?

Ans:- UNESCO proclaimed 5 October to be World Teachers’ Day in 1994, celebrating the great step made for teachers on 5 October 1966, when a special intergovernmental conference convened by UNESCO in Paris adopted the UNESCO/ILO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, in cooperation with the ILO.

2. Why is World Teachers Day celebrated?

Ans:- It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption of the 1966 ILO/UNESCO Recommendation concerning the Status of Teachers, which sets benchmarks regarding the rights and responsibilities of teachers, and standards for their initial preparation and further education, recruitment, employment, and teaching and learning …

3. Which day is celebrated as World Teacher’s Day?

Ans:- Putting all of this together, UNESCO (The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) proclaimed that the first World Teachers’ Day would be celebrated on October 5, 1994.

4. What is the theme for World Teachers Day 2023?

Ans:- The World Teachers Day 2023 will be observed on Thursday, October 5, 2023 with the theme ‘The Transformation of Education Begins with Teachers’.

5. Who is the first teacher in the world?

Ans:- Confucius is thought to have been the world’s first teacher. He was a private tutor who taught history. Previously, only the royal or noble classes had access to education. Confucius, on the other hand, changed this perception and taught anyone who was willing to learn.

6. What is the history of teachers Day ?

Ans:- 1962: Institution of Teacher’s Day in India, yearly celebrated at 5 September, Radhakrishnan’s birthday, in honour of Radhakrishnan’s belief that “teachers should be the best minds in the country”.

7. What is the importance of the World Teachers Day?

Ans:- World Teachers Day is hugely important to show teachers that they are appreciated, encourage more individuals to become teachers and raise awareness about the problems within the field. Change may be initiated because of the discussions and support that teachers receive on this day of celebration.

8. World Teachers’ Day: Theme for 2023

Ans:- COVID-19 has caused unprecedented disruption to education across the world, posing many challenges to the teaching community. Keeping this in view, the United Nations has decided to celebrate World Teachers’ Day on the theme “Teachers at the heart of education recovery”.

9. What day of the week will World teacher Appreciation Day be on next year 2023 )?

Ans:- In 2023, Teachers’ Day will be celebrated on Friday, October 27th. Is it World Teachers Day? World Teachers’ Day (International Teachers Day) is celebrated on 5 October each year. This year: Thursday 5 October 2023.

10. How to celebrate the Teachers’ Day in 2023

Say ‘Thank You’ to Your Teacher. …

Interact With Them Personally. …

Throw a Party for Them. …

Express Love and Respect to Them. …

Express Gratitude Through Social Media. …

Plan a Role Reversal Activity. …

Ask Teachers if They Need Your Help. …

Classroom Decorations.

11. What is your definition of teacher?

Ans:- A teacher is a person, who provides education for people; one who teaches or instructs. The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education.

12. Who is a teacher and his role?

Ans:- What defines a teacher is his/her ability to teach students and a positive influence on them. Generally, the role of a teacher in education goes beyond teaching. In today’s world, teaching has different faces, and a teacher has to carry out the part of being an external parent, counselor, mentor, role model, and so on.

13. Who is a teacher in life?

Ans:- A teacher is the one who will help you become a better person and an informed one. Moreover, they see the potential of their students when no one else can. Teachers also decide the fate of a nation as the youth is in their hands.

14. What is the full form of teacher?

Ans:- TEACHER: Talented- Educated-Adorable-Charming-Helpful-Encouraging-Responsible.

RAKSHA BANDHAN

or 💚

RAKHI BANDHAN

Rakhibandhan festival or Rakhipurnima is a festival in South Asia. This festival is a festival of love between brother and sister. Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Buddhists and Sikhs celebrate this festival. On this day didi or sisters tie a sacred thread called Rakhi on the hand of their brother or grandfather. This rakhi is a symbol of sister’s or sister’s love for brother or grandfather and brother’s good wishes and brother’s or grandfather’s vow to protect sister or sister forever.

Rajendra Prasad, first president of the Republic of India, celebrating Raksha Bandhan at the presidential palace, Rashtrapati Bhawan, 24 August 1953

According to the Hindu calendar, this festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Shravan. Rakhi festival at the end of this month. This festival will be celebrated on 30th and 31st August.

It is a special day for brother-sister relationship. On this day, sisters tie rakhi on brother’s hand to wish him well. Similarly, the brothers promise to protect the sister from all difficult situations throughout her life. Sweet faces and gifts are exchanged. It is necessary to tie rakhi to wish the well-being of the brother.

This year Rakhi Bandhan festival will be celebrated on 30th and 31st. Actually the bhadra will last for two days during Rakhi Bandhan. So the rakhi bandhan also fell for two days. Bhadrakal will start on the morning of 30th August with Purnima Tithi and will last till 9:20 PM. However, the multiple auspicious yogas created during the Rakhi Bandhan will add to the importance of this festival.

Raksha Bandhan is a popular and traditionally Hindu annual rite or ceremony that is central to a festival of the same name celebrated in South Asia. It is also celebrated in other parts of the world significantly influenced by Hindu culture. On this day, sisters of all ages tie a talisman or amulet called the rakhi around the wrists of their brothers. They symbolically protect them, receive a gift in return, and traditionally invest the brothers with a share of the responsibility of their potential care.

Etymology :

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Third Edition, 2008, the Hindi word, rākhī derives from the Sanskrit rakṣikā, a join: rakṣā protection, amulet ( < rakṣ- to protect + -ikā, diminutive suffix.)

1829 The first attested use in the English language dates to 1829, in James Tod’s, Ann. & Antiq. Rajasthan I. p. 312, “The festival of the bracelet (Rakhi) is in Spring … The Rajpoot dame bestows with the Rakhi the title of adopted brother; and while its acceptance secures to her all the protection of a ‘cavaliere servente’, scandal itself never suggests any other tie to his devotion.”

1857, Forbes: Dictionary of Hindustani and English Saluno: the full moon in Sawan at which time the ornament called rakhi is tied around the wrist.

1884, Platts: Dictionary of Urdu, Classical Hindi, and English راکهي राखी rākhī (p. 582) H راکهي राखी rākhī [S. रक्षिका], s.f. A piece of thread or silk bound round the wrist on the festival of Salūno or the full moon of Sāvan, either as an amulet and preservative against misfortune, or as a symbol of mutual dependence, or as a mark of respect; the festival on which such a thread is tied—rākhī-bandhan, s.f. The festival called rākhī.

1899 Monier-Williams: A Sanskrit–English dictionary Rakshā: “a sort of bracelet or amulet, any mysterious token used as a charm, … a piece of thread or silk bound round the wrist on partic occasions (esp. on the full moon of Śrāvaņa, either as an amulet and preservative against misfortune, or as a symbol of mutual dependence, or as a mark of respect”.

1990, Jack Goody: “The ceremony itself involves the visit of women to their brothers … on a specific day of the year when they tie a gaudy decoration on the right wrists of their brothers, which is at once “a defence against misfortune, a symbol of dependence, and a mark of respect.”

1965–1975, Hindi Sabd Sagara “राखी १— संज्ञा स्त्री० [सं० रक्षा] वह मंगलसूत्र जो कुछ विशिष्ट अवसरों पर, विशेपतः श्रावणी पूर्णिमा के दिन ब्राह्मण या और लोग अपने यजमानों अथवा आत्मीयों के दाहिने हाथ की कलाई पर बाँधते हैं। (That Mangalsutra (lucky or auspicious thread) which on special occasions, especially the full moon day of the month of Shravani, Brahmins or others tie around the right wrist of their patrons or intimates.) .

1976, Adarsh Hindi Shabdkosh रक्षा (संज्ञा स्त्रीलिंग): कष्ट, नाश, या आपत्ति से अनिष्ट निवारण के लिए हाथ में बंधा हुआ एक सूत्र; -बंधन (पुलिंग) श्रावण शुक्ला पूर्णिमा को होनेवाला हिंदुओं का एक त्यौहार जिसमे हाथ की कलाई पर एक रक्षा सूत्र बाँधा जाता है. (transl. raksha (feminine noun): A thread worn around the wrist for the prevention of distress, destruction, tribulation, or misfortune; -bandhan (masculine): “a Hindu festival held on the day of the full moon in the month of Shravana in which a raksha thread is tied around the wrist.)

1993, Oxford Hindi–English Dictionary रक्षा बंधन: m. Hindi, the festival of Rakshabandhan held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arms of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them.

2000, Samsad Bengali–English Dictionary রাখি rākhi: a piece of thread which one ties round the wrist of another in order to safeguard the latter from all evils. ̃পূর্ণিমা n. the full moon day of the month of Shravan (শ্রাবণ) when a rakhi is tied round the wrist of another. ̃বন্ধন n. act or the festival of tying a rakhi (রাখি) round the wrist of another.

2013, Oxford Urdu–English Dictionary راکھے ra:khi: 1. (Hinduism) (i) rakhi, bracelet of red or yellow strings tied by a woman round the wrist of a man on a Hindu festival to set up brotherly relations. بندھن- – bandhan: festival of rakhi.

Evolution of Raksha Bandhan :

Nazeer Akbarabadi (1735–1830) wrote one of the first nazms (poems) in Hindustani on Rakhi. This is the last “band” (stanza); the poet fantasizes that he (a Muslim) would like to dress up as a “Bamhan” (Brahmin priest), with sacred thread and mark on forehead, so that he too can tie the threads on the wrists of all the beautiful people around him.

🙏”August 26, ’44 My dear Lachi-Raja, After all your letter has come, and I feel greatly relieved. … The Raksha and Janeoo mentioned in your present communication of 17th which you had sent on the occasion of Rakshabandhan got stranded somewhere, and have not yet arrived. There is little chance of their being recovered now. “

From a letter written by Indian nationalist Govind Ballabh Pant, to his children Laxmi Pant (nickname Lachi) and K. C. Pant (Raja), from Ahmednagar Fort prison on 26 August 1944.

— Govind Ballabh Pant, from Selected Works of Govind Ballabh Pant, Oxford University Press, 1998. 🙏

Sociologist Yogendra Singh has noted the contribution of American anthropologist McKim Marriott to an understanding of the origins of the Raksha Bandhan festival. In rural society, according to Marriott, there is steady interplay between two cultural traditions, the elite or “great” tradition based in texts, such as the Vedas in Indian society, and the local or “little”, based in folk art and literature. According to Singh, Marriott has shown that the Raksha Bandhan festival has its “origin in the ‘little tradition'”. Anthropologist Onkar Prasad has further suggested that Marriott was the first to consider the limitations within which each village tradition “operates to retain its essence”.

In his village study, Marriott described two concurrently observed traditions on the full moon day of Shravana: a “little tradition” festival called “Saluno”, and a “great tradition” festival, Raksha Bandhan, but which Marriott calls, “Charm Tying”:

On Saluno day, many husbands arrive at their wives’ villages, ready to carry them off again to their villages of marriage. But, before going off with their husbands, the wives as well as their unmarried village sisters express their concern for and devotion to their brothers by placing young shoots of barley, the locally sacred grain, on the heads and ears of their brothers. (The brothers) reciprocate with small coins. On the same day, along with the ceremonies of Saluno, and according to the literary precedent of the Bhavisyottara Purana, … the ceremonies of Charm Tying (Rakhi Bandhan or Raksha Bandhan) are also held. The Brahman domestic priests of Kishan Garhi go to each patron and tie upon his wrist a charm in the form of a polychrome thread, bearing tassel “plums.” Each priest utters a vernacular blessing and is rewarded by his patron with cash, … The ceremonies of both now exist side by side, as if they were two ends of a process of primary transformation.

Norwegian anthropologist Øyvind Jaer, who did his fieldwork in eastern Uttar Pradesh in the 1990s, noted that the “great tradition” festival was in retreat and the “little tradition” one, involving sisters and brothers, now more important.

From Hindu Texts :

Important in the Great Tradition is chapter 137 of the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purana, in which the Hindu god Krishna describes to Yudhishthira the ritual of having a raksha (protection) tied to his right wrist by the royal priest (the rajpurohit) on the purnima (full moon day) of the Hindu lunar calendar month of Shravana. In the crucial passage, Krishna says,

“Parth (applied to any of the three sons of Kunti (also, Pritha), in particular, Yudhishthira): When the sky is covered with clouds, and the earth dark with new, tender, grass, in that very Shravana month’s full moon day, at the time of sunrise, according to remembered convention, a Brahmin should take a bath with perfectly pure water. He should also according to his ability, offer libations of water to the gods, to the paternal ancestors, as prescribed by the Vedas for the task required to be accomplished before the study of the Vedas, to the sages, and as directed by the gods carry out and bring to a satisfactory conclusion the shradh ceremony to honor the deceased. It is commended that a Shudra should also make a charitable offering, and take a bath accompanied by the mantras. That very day, in the early afternoon (between noon and 3 PM) it is commended that a small parcel (bundle or packet) be prepared from a new cotton or silk cloth and adorned with whole grains of rice or barley, small mustard seeds, and red ocher powder, and made exceedingly wondrous, be placed in a suitable dish or receptacle. … the purohit should bind this packet on the king’s wrist with the words,’I am binding raksha (protection) to you with the same true words with which I bound Mahabali King of the Asuras. Always stay firm in resolve.’ In the same manner as the king, after offering prayers to the Brahmins, the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras should conclude their Raksha Bandhan ceremony.”

Urbanization :

More recently, after enactment of more gender-neutral inheritance laws in India, it has been suggested that in some communities the festival has seen a resurgence of celebration, which is serving to indirectly pressure women to abstain from fully claiming their inheritance. According to author Prem Chowdhry,

Rural patriarchal forces have been anxiously devising means to stem the progressive fallout of this Act through a variety of means. One way has been to oppose the inheritance rights of a daughter or a sister to those of the brother. Except in cases where there are no brothers, the sisters either sign away their in favour of their brother or sell it to him at a nominal price. This code of conduct is observed knowingly by both the natal and conjugal families. Brother-sister bonds of love have also been greatly encouraged, visible in the noticeable revival of the Raksha Bandhan festival and the renewed sanctity it has claimed in north India.

Movies and popular History :-

The religious myths claimed as the basis of Raksha Bandhan are disputed, and some historians consider the historical stories associated with it to be apocryphal.

Jai Santoshi Maa (1975 film) :

The 1975 film Jai Santoshi Maa tells a story in which Ganesha had two sons, Shubha and Labha. The two boys became frustrated that they had no sister to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with. They asked their father Ganesha for a sister, but to no avail. Finally, the sage Narada appeared, who persuaded Ganesha that a daughter would enrich him as well as his sons. Ganesha agreed, and created a daughter named Santoshi Maa by divine flames that emerged from Ganesh’s wives, Riddhi (Amazing) and Siddhi (Perfection). Thereafter, Shubha Labha (literally “Holy Profit”) had a sister named Santoshi Maa (literally “Goddess of Satisfaction”), to tie rakhi on Raksha Bandhan. According to author Lawrence Cohen

In Varanasi the paired figures were usually called Ṛddhi and Siddhi, Gaṇeśa’s relationship to them was often vague. He was their mālik, their owner; they were more often dasīs than patnīs (wives). Yet Gaṇeśa was married to them, albeit within a marriage different from other divine matches in the lack of a clear familial context. Such a context has recently emerged in the popular film Jai Santoshī Mā. The film builds upon a text, also of recent vintage, in which Gaṇeśa has a daughter, the neophyte goddess of satisfaction, Santoshī Mā. In the film, the role of Gaṇeśa as family man is developed significantly. Santoshī Mā’s genesis occurs on Rāksa bandan. Gaṇeśa’s sister is visiting for the tying of the rākhī. He calls her bahenmansa—his “mind-born” sister. Gaṇeśa’s wives, Ṛddhi and Siddhi, are also present, with their sons Śubha and Lābha. The boys are jealous, as they, unlike their father, have no sister with whom to tie the rākhī. They and the other women plead with their father, but to no avail; but then Narada appears and convinces Ganesha that the creation of an illustrious daughter will reflect much credit back onto himself. Ganesha assents and from Ṛddhi and Siddhi emerges a flame that engenders Santoshī Mā.

Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun :

Bound by a sacred gift, in happier hours,

To prove a brother’s undecaying faith;

Now when the star of Kurnivati lowers,

He rushes on to danger or to death.

He came to the beleaguered walls too late,

Vain was the splendid sacrifice to save;

Famine and death were sitting at the gate,

The flower of Rajasthan had found a grave.

— From poem, “The Rakhi,” in Oriental scenes, dramatic sketches, and tales (1832), by Emma Roberts, p. 125

Another controversial historical account is that of Rani Karnavati of Chittor and Mughal Emperor Humayun, which dates to 1535 CE. When Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of the king of Chittor, realised that she could not defend against the invasion by the Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, she sent a rakhi to Emperor Humayun. The Emperor, according to one version of the story, set off with his troops to defend Chittor. He arrived too late, and Bahadur Shah had already captured the Rani’s fortress. Alternative accounts from the period, including those by historians in Humayun’s Mughal court, do not mention the rakhi episode and some historians have expressed skepticism whether it ever happened. Historian Satish Chandra wrote,

… According to a mid-seventeenth century Rajasthani account, Rani Karnavati, the Rana’s mother, sent a bracelet as rakhi to Humayun, who gallantly responded and helped. Since none of the contemporary sources mention this, little credit can be given to this story …

Humayun’s own memoirs never mention this, and give different reasons for his war with Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1535.

Rakhi Bandhan Poetry :

Poetry : Rakhi Bandhan

Poet : Jotsna Jari

We are Rakhi

we come at right time

Actually we love

everyone so much.

Oh my children, in your little hands

when you hold and shake Rakhi

that’s when…

love grows deeper.

If Rakhi is tied

brawls rest in vacation land

Then all people find

the home of peace & happiness.

Ah baby, listen to me…

take us with you

Make bond with everyone

by Rakhibandhan.

💚

{ N.B- Bengali Rhyme (English Translation- above) of the Video (below) is –

কবিতা – রাখি বন্ধন 🔼

কবি – জ্যোৎস্না জরি

আমরা হলাম রাখি

সময় হলে আসি

আসল কথা সকলকে তো

আমরা ভালোবাসি ।

ছোট্ট ছোট্ট হাতে যখন

একটু নাড়ো চাড়ো

ঠিক তখনি ভালোবাসা

হয় বেশি যে গাঢ় ।

বাঁধলে রাখি ঝগড়াঝাটি

ছুটির দেশে যায়

শান্তি সুখের ঘরটা তখন

সব মানুষে পায় ।

বলছি শোনো খোকা খুকু

আমাদের যাও নিয়ে

সবার সাথে ভাব করে নাও

রাখি বন্ধন দিয়ে ।

💕 }

شاعری – خوشی کی تلاش میں

شاعر – جوتسنا جری

آج زندگی میں بس رنگ ہے۔

عطار کا کوئی لمس نہیں ہے۔

خوشی آپ کے ساتھ چلی گئی ہے۔

ہماری آوازیں اکیلی رہ گئی ہیں۔

آہ… وہ دھنیں ختم ہو چکی ہیں۔

ذہن میں مزید خوشی کا شور نہیں۔

اور خوش ہونے کی کوئی جلدی نہیں ہے۔

آہ… دن آتے ہیں اور دن جاتے ہیں۔

پرندے سستی اور جڑت چھوڑ دیتے ہیں۔

اوہ… خوشیاں ختم ہوگئیں۔

پورچ میں ٹب کے درخت کی قطاریں ہیں۔

ہاں، کچھ پھول کھلتے ہیں اور کچھ نہیں کھلتے

امن کی تلاش میں…

میں کئی بار وقت پر سفر کرتا ہوں۔

تاہم وقت کچھ نہیں بتاتا

میں ابھی بھی مصروف ہوں… مجھے مصروف رہنا ہے۔

آہ، میں خوشی کی تلاش میں ہوں… میں خوشی چاہتا ہوں…

💚

शायरी – ख़ुशी की तलाश में 🔼

कवि- जोत्सना जरी

.
आज जिंदगी में सिर्फ रंग है
अत्तर का कोई स्पर्श नहीं है
सारी खुशियाँ तुम्हारे साथ चली गईं
हमारी आवाजें अकेली रह गई हैं
आह… वे धुनें बहुत पुरानी हो चुकी हैं

.
मन में अब कोई ख़ुशी का शोर नहीं
और खुश होने की कोई जल्दी नहीं है
आह… दिन आते हैं और दिन जाते हैं
पक्षी आलस्य और जड़ता छोड़ देते हैं
ओह… ख़ुशी तो कब की चली गयी

.
बरामदे के पार टब के पेड़ों की कतारें हैं
हाँ, कुछ फूल खिलते हैं और कुछ नहीं
शांति की तलाश में…
मैं कई बार समय की यात्रा करता हूं
हालाँकि समय कुछ नहीं बताता
अभी भी मैं व्यस्त हूं…मुझे व्यस्त रहना है
आह, मैं ख़ुशी चाहता हूँ… मैं ख़ुशी चाहता हूँ…

💚

[एन.बी.:-

अत्तर – अत्तर एक प्राकृतिक सुगंधित तेल है जो पौधों के स्रोतों जैसे जड़ी-बूटियों, खिले हुए फूलों, मसालों, छालों और ऐसे अन्य कार्बनिक स्रोतों से प्राप्त होता है।

अत्तार, जिसे इत्र के नाम से भी जाना जाता है, वनस्पति या अन्य प्राकृतिक स्रोतों से प्राप्त एक आवश्यक तेल है। आमतौर पर ये तेल हाइड्रोडिस्टिलेशन या भाप आसवन के माध्यम से निकाले जाते हैं। फ़ारसी चिकित्सक इब्न सीना ने सबसे पहले आसवन से फूलों का इत्र प्राप्त किया था। इत्र को रासायनिक तरीकों से भी व्यक्त किया जा सकता है लेकिन आम तौर पर प्राकृतिक इत्र जो इत्र के रूप में योग्य होते हैं, पानी से आसवित होते हैं। तेलों को आम तौर पर चंदन जैसे लकड़ी के आधार में आसुत किया जाता है और फिर वृद्ध किया जाता है। इस्तेमाल की गई वनस्पति और वांछित परिणामों के आधार पर उम्र बढ़ने की अवधि एक से दस साल तक रह सकती है। तकनीकी रूप से इत्र फूलों, जड़ी-बूटियों, मसालों और अन्य प्राकृतिक सामग्रियों का आसवन है, जैसे कि चंदन के तेल/तरल पैराफिन पर पकी हुई मिट्टी, हाइड्रोडिस्टिलेशन तकनीक का उपयोग करके स्टिल (डिग्री) और प्राप्त करने वाले बर्तन (भापका) का उपयोग किया जाता है। ये तकनीकें आज भी भारत के कन्नौज में उपयोग में हैं।

माना जाता है कि ‘अत्तर’, ‘इत्तर’ या ‘इत्र’ शब्द फ़ारसी शब्द इतिर से लिया गया है, जो अरबी शब्द ‘इत्र’ (عطر) से लिया गया है, जिसका अर्थ है ‘इत्र’।

कन्नौज से ऊँट की खाल की इत्र की बोतलें। बोतलें इत्र को पुराना करने के लिए हैं (त्वचा सांस लेती है, पानी को सुगंध और तेल में बनाए रखते हुए वाष्पित होने देती है, इत्र या इत्र बन जाती है।)

माना जाता है कि आवश्यक तेलों का उत्पादन करने के लिए उपयोग की जाने वाली तकनीकों और विधियों का सबसे पहला उल्लेख इब्न अल-बैतर (1188-1248), एक अल-अंडालूसियन (मुस्लिम इबेरिया) चिकित्सक, फार्मासिस्ट और रसायनज्ञ का है।

प्राचीन विश्व भर में मिस्रवासी इत्र बनाने के लिए प्रसिद्ध थे। इन्हें अन्य तेलों में मिलाए जाने से पहले पौधों और फूलों से तैयार किया गया था। इसे बाद में एक प्रसिद्ध चिकित्सक अल-शेख अल-रईस द्वारा परिष्कृत और विकसित किया गया, जिन्होंने एक विशिष्ट प्रकार का सुगंधित उत्पाद बनाया था। उन्हें अबू अली सीना कहा जाता था। वह गुलाब और अन्य पौधों की सुगंध के आसवन की तकनीक के साथ आने वाले पहले लोगों में से थे। उनकी खोज तक तरल इत्र तेल और कुचली हुई जड़ी-बूटियों का मिश्रण हुआ करता था, जहां उन्होंने पहली बार गुलाब के साथ प्रयोग किया था।

यमन में, यमनी रानी अरवा अल-सुलैही द्वारा इत्र की एक विशेष किस्म पेश की गई थी। इस प्रकार का इत्र पहाड़ी फूलों से तैयार किया जाता था और अरब के राजाओं को उपहार के रूप में दिया जाता था।

अबुल फ़ज़ल फ़ैज़ी एक और फैसला देते हैं कि कैसे अत्तार का उपयोग मबखरा-धूप जलाने के लिए किया जाता था। फ़ैज़ी के अनुसार, अकबर के समय में जो छालें इस्तेमाल की जाती थीं, वे मुसब्बर, चंदन और दालचीनी थीं। लोहबान, कस्तूरी और अनबर जैसे पशु पदार्थों का उपयोग विशेष पेड़ों की जड़ों और कुछ अन्य मसालों के साथ किया जाता था। अवध के शासक गाजी-उद-दीन हैदर शाह अपने शयनकक्ष के चारों ओर इत्र के फव्वारे तैयार करते थे। ये फव्वारे लगातार काम करते हुए बेहद सुखद सुगंधित और रोमांटिक माहौल तैयार करेंगे। ]

কবিতা – সুখের খোঁজে 🔼

কবি – জ্যোৎস্না জরি

.
আজ জীবনের রঙটুকু আছে
শুধু নেই আতরের ছোঁয়া
তোমার সাথে সব গেছে চলে
স্বর গুলো পড়ে আছে একা
সুর গুলো উড়ে গেছে কবে ।

.
মনে আর কোলাহল নেই
তাড়া নেই কিছু
দিন আসে দিন যায়
আড়মোড়া ভাঙ্গে পাখি
সুখ কবে গেছে চলে

বারান্দা জুড়ে টবের সারি
ফুল কিছু ফোটে কিছু ফোটে না
সময়ের কাছে কতবার করে যাই
শান্তির খোঁজ
কিছুতে বলে না সে
তবুও ব্যস্ত থাকি
সুখ খুঁজি আমি…

💚

BENGALI RHYME VIDEO

Khatunia Jotsna

Rhyme, also spelled rime, the correspondence of two or more words with similar-sounding final syllables placed so as to echo one another. Rhyme is used by poets and occasionally by prose writers to produce sounds appealing to the reader’s senses and to unify and establish a poem’s stanzaic form. End rhyme (i.e., rhyme used at the end of a line to echo the end of another line) is most common, but internal, interior, or leonine rhyme is frequently used as an occasional embellishment in a poem—e.g., William Shakespeare’s “Hark; hark! the lark at heaven’s gate sings,” or as part of the regular rhyme scheme:

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating:
“Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.”
(Edgar Allan Poe, “The Raven”)

There are three rhymes recognized by purists as “true rhymes”: masculine rhyme, in which the two words end with the same vowel–consonant combination (stand / land), feminine rhyme (sometimes called double rhyme), in which two syllables rhyme (profession / discretion), and trisyllabic rhyme, in which three syllables rhyme (patinate / latinate). The too-regular effect of masculine rhyme is sometimes softened by using trailing rhyme, or semirhyme, in which one of the two words trails an additional unstressed syllable behind it (trail / failure). Other types of rhyme include eye rhyme, in which syllables are identical in spelling but are pronounced differently (cough / slough), and pararhyme, first used systematically by the 20th-century poet Wilfred Owen, in which two syllables have different vowel sounds but identical penultimate and final consonantal groupings (grand / grind). Feminine pararhyme has two forms, one in which both vowel sounds differ, and one in which only one does (ran in / run on; blindness / blandness). Weakened, or unaccented, rhyme occurs when the relevant syllable of the rhyming word is unstressed (bend / frightened). Because of the way in which lack of stress affects the sound, a rhyme of this kind may often be regarded as consonance, which occurs when the two words are similar only in having identical final consonants (best / least).

Another form of near rhyme is assonance, in which only the vowel sounds are identical (grow / home). Assonance was regularly used in French poetry until the 13th century, when end rhyme overtook it in importance. It continues to be significant in the poetic technique of Romance languages but performs only a subsidiary function in English verse.

Many traditional poetic forms utilize set rhyme patterns—for example, the sonnet, villanelle, rondeau, ballade, chant royal, triolet, canzone, and sestina. Rhyme seems to have developed in Western poetry as a combination of earlier techniques of end consonance, end assonance, and alliteration. It is found only occasionally in classical Greek and Latin poetry but more frequently in medieval religious Latin verse and in songs, especially those of the Roman Catholic liturgy, from the 4th century. Although it has been periodically opposed by devotees of classical verse, it has never fallen into complete disuse. Shakespeare interspersed rhymed couplets into the blank verse of his dramas; Milton disapproved of rhyme, but Samuel Johnson favoured it. In the 20th century, although many advocates of free verse ignored rhyme, other poets continued to introduce new and complicated rhyme schemes.

Bengali rhyme is enough lucid. Our great poets enriched the rhymes in different forms & styles.

💚

💙

🧡

💛

Poetry – Loneliness 🔼

Poet – Jotsna Jari

.
In the dream air
I have never lifted the sail of a boat
Mind is burned because of Loo
How many times I have lost
to faces and masks

Who are always shedding human
Again they try to cover it
by sprinkling salt
Whatever else the pleasent sound
of nice fountain can never flow
as melody to them

Believe me… the word faith
is the Fanus of being now
All is end…
before anyone understands anything.

The human mind is lost today
in the cover of small feelings
I am alone… you are alone
in the mindless civilization
All are being alone…
each loneliness has merged into one.

.
[ N.B –

Loo Wind – This is also called hot wave.
This Loo is a strong, dusty, hot and dry summer wind from the west which blows over the Indo-Gangetic Plain region of North India and Pakistan.
Fanus(Phanus)- This is called paper-balloon or air balloon or lantern.
The paper made balloon that is carried out in the sky with the help of hot smoke or gas. ]

🤎