Indian festival of chhath winds up

The four day long hindu festival of Chhath was celebrated all over India from 10th to 13th November this year. It is a festival dedicated to the divine form of Sun. Chhath is celebrated every year to express gratitude to Sun for sustaining life on earth. It is mostly celebrated by the people of Bihar in north India.

The rituals

The rituals are rigorous, strict and continue for four days. Day 1: On the first day, the devotees take bath in the river and prepare sweets at home for offering. They cook in new utensils and use cow dung cakes for fire. The whole house is cleaned and decorated.
Day 2: The devotees observe fast for whole day which is broken in the evening with a feast of rice pudding, puris (wheat flour puffs), fruits and sweets.

Day 3: On the third day the devotees go on strict fast for more than 36 hours during which they don’t even drink water. Whole day at home, they prepare food and sweets for offering. In the evening, they go to the river where they take bath and stand in the water with half body in water for a long time offering prayers to the setting Sun.
Day 4: This is the final and grand festival day. The devotees again go to the river bank to pray and make offerings to the rising sun, this time. Chhath is celebrated at the crack of dawn on the river bank. It is a mesmerising and magical scene. Thousands of devotees with their families and friends gather on the banks of the river. They play folk music and burst crackers on this occasion. The devotees break their fast at the end of the celebration and sweets and offerings are given away to friends and family.

The atmosphere during chhath seems like a carnival full of joy and colour. Loud folk music is played everywhere. Everyone wears new colourful cloths on this occasion. Huge crowds of dancing and singing people together go to the banks of the river. The banks are cleaned and decorated for the festival. The streets are decorated with lights and flowers. All kinds of socio- economin differences and barriers are forgotten during this time and people from every strata of society come together to celebrate Chhath.

Vitayu Ukraine!!!

Travelling is one of the most exiting aspects of life. Life is a journey which has all sorts of ups and downs. But within this journey we make lots of little journeys by travelling from one place to another and going on holidays. Life stuck at one place can be boring and depressing and that is why we all travel. We need to keep moving to keep our lives fresh and energetic. We meet new people, encounter new cultures, see beautiful places, and absorb the beauty of life. As long as one is alive, one should not stop moving.


I love travelling watching travelogues and writing about them. Recently, I watched a travelogue about Ukraine which inspired me to write about it for my readers. Ukraine is a beautiful country in Eastern Europe. It is a very colorful country, rich in culture and history. There is much to offer tourists, many lovely sights, beaches, historical places, castles, dance, music and nightlife. A wide variety of attractions in Ukraine capture the interest of tourists from the world over.

Feodosia and Crimea are one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Ukraine.

Located on the sea, this place is very popular among young adventurous tourists, fun loving and who want to enjoy and indulge in life. It offers a wide range of adventure sports like sky diving, paragliding, rafting, water sports, rock climbing.

The nightlife in Feodosia with dance, trance music, alcohol and dreamy situations give the feel of hippie culture. Ukraine also has a rich history, which dates back to several millennia, and the remains can be seen in its old castles at several archaeological sites. All in all it is can be a great place to chill out for young people. And don’t forget to learn few Ukranian phrases before heading out. Vitayu stands for hello in Ukrainian.

How relevant are the commonwealth games?

The 19th commonwealth games have been so far surrounded by controversies.
A lot of ace athletes like the Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt pulled out of the commonwealth games giving reasons like security, sudden injury and also reasons like to prepare for other important events. The games seem to have turned into a mere platform for amateur or struggling athletes from around the world. The commonwealth games is an international event in which athletes from commonwealth of nations take part and compete for sports that are mainly played in these countries. Most of these countries were once colonies of the British Empire. It is an event where all the countries which were once under the British rule get together. An important question that arises is, “why are we still celebrating the hideous past of being a British colony when there are other major and important game events already in existence?” Every year most of the athletes pull out of the commonwealth games. Countries hosting these games end up spending billions on its organisation. Most of these countries are developing or underdeveloped where poverty is widespread. There are problems which need emergency attention.


After a series of setbacks that plagued the games this year, empty stadiums is another problem for the organisers. Thousands of tickets to the games still remain unsold. The organisers are giving away free tickets to fill the stadiums. Amid such problems the relevance of the games has become questionable. But, the game goes on.

Spectacular start to one of the greatest sports event

The commonwealth games opening ceremony turned out to be a grand celebration showcasing the diverse and vibrant cultural diversity of India.
It was a mesmerising display of Indian hospitality and cultural flamboyance. A breath taking performance of traditional craftsmanship, various folk dance forms and music from twenty eight different states of India was presented in front of the huge audience at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi. Performers from all over India took part in this ceremony. These were the ordinary Indians who worked hard and practised for several months to perform.


It definitely helped India gain some positive review around the world but, the games have cost more than £ 3 billion which is far more than the estimated cost. It is a huge sum for a country where 42% population is still below poverty line and survives on less than $2 per day. Thousands of such people had been forced to evict land at various sites for the construction of games venues. India’s decision to host the games has not been a happy experience for all. The government hopes that such events can help India build a positive image and attract tourism which is a major source of income for the Indian economy.

The opening ceremony ended with the breath taking musical performance by Oscar winning musician AR Rehman. He sang the self composed inspirational theme song ‘jiyo utho badho jeeto’ and also the song ‘jai ho’ which got India its Oscar. After all the controversy surrounding the games in the past few weeks, this seems like a good start and hopefully it will end also on a good note. The 12 day long games event has now officially started. The games will take place in stadiums spread all over the capital. There is a sense of energy and excitement all over the city.

London goes through the second day of tube strikes

Commuters are facing problems all over London as the tube strikes continue on the second day. Nearly three million Londoners use the tube every day and a 24 hr tube strike has caused a lot of disruptions.

The members of RMT and TSSA are on strike over the government’s plan to cut 800 ticket office jobs. Transport for London said, “The strike is pointless because assurances have been given to union leaders that staffing changes come with no compulsory redundancies or loss of earnings.” It also said that they are doing their best to reduce disruptions.

Special service is provided on all the lines but, there are severe delays. There are over 100 replacement buses in service and heavy traffic can be seen on the roads since people are travelling in cars and cabs. Enough information about the strike had not been sent out and most people said, they were not aware about it. A student said, “People don’t have time in the morning to check whether the tubes are running or not. They should make prior announcements about such disruptions”. Another commuter said, “There are disruptions but, I am in favour of strikes because this is the only way to make your voice heard. The government should change its policy. People are striking because they are unhappy and it’s the government’s responsibility to keep every citizen happy.”

This is the time of the year when lots of new students from all over Britain and abroad come to London and they are not used to the underground services. Having no one at the stations and ticket counters for guidance is causing difficulties for people in that situation.
The strike will continue until 7 o’clock this evening.

Games all set to take off

It is the commonwealth games opening ceremony today.
Prince Charles has arrived in Delhi for the games and to represent the Queen and after all the chaos about making Delhi fit for the games, the biggest concern now is security which is understandable since the verdict on the Ayodhya issue has also just come out. There are chances that it may trigger communal riots in the country.

The scene in Delhi is that of a warzone. More than 1.15 lakhs police personnel are guarding the capital, a number higher than the entire police force of the United Kingdom. Being constantly in news for terrorist attacks on it, security is a major concern in this country during an event like this. The city is on high alert. The number of guards on the roads, stations and airports seem equal to the number of people around. The commuters are being frisked and searched at every tube and railway station. The city is buzzing with activity and people are hopeful for successful and memorable games.

The opening ceremony may become one of the most memorable events for most of the guests and athletes since it is going to be a grand show of India’s cultural diversity. Artists from all over the country are participating in the event. The event will be covered by all the major news networks from around the world and will be broadcast live.

India has been in news for the past few weeks for all the wrong reasons and especially due to last week’s reports about the game’s village being not suitable for human habitation. The government is hopeful that the opening ceremony will be remarkable and it can save India’s damaged reputation.

Commonwealth Games 2010: Can it save India’s Image?

The government got seven years to prepare for the games but could not avoid last minute tragedies.

Preparing for the commonwealth games has been a chaotic affair for India. Only 12 days before the games a footbridge near the main event’s stadium collapsed. Though the bridge has been reconstructed now with the help of the Indian army, this story made headlines all over the world and the Indian government received a lot of criticism. The BBC News reported about Delhi as “filthy, unsafe, unfit and uninhabitable” for commonwealth and the athletes. There were videos of dirty bathrooms and stray dogs laying on the beds meant for atheletes. This news rolled for more than 24 hours and I am sure each Indian must have felt a jolt of shame in their nerves. The situation had become so bad that at last the PM Manmohan Singh had to step up and make apologies for such last minute tragedies.


But, New Delhi is now all geared up to save the crisis hit games and their reputation. The scene is of a battle ground with all the action all over the city. Every nook and corner of the city is being cleaned and decorated. Roads have been broadened and painted everywhere with separate commonwealth special lanes for game’s use only. A charge of Rs. 2000 has been set for anyone driving in those lanes. The historic city centre ‘Connaught Place’ has been finally completely refurbished which took more than 7 years. The metro rail is now able to connect almost all parts of the city now. All the old junkyard buses have been replaced by London style double-decker red and green ones. The illegal migrants strolling around and living on the streets of Delhi have been locked up for at least few days to avoid chaos.

The city and its preparations for the commonwealth are really looking much better now. It would have been so much better if these steps had been taken earlier. India could have escaped such shameful criticism at least. But, it’s better late than never.