Category: Stories

Imagine 15 days of bombasting celebrations, fervor & gaiety in the air, and appetizing dishes to relish. That’s Lunar New Year for you! 

The word lunar must ring a bell. The significance of the moon goes way beyond just its beauty, especially in Chinese culture. A whole festival is surmounted around it. The Lunar New Year is based on the moon’s phases, and it usually falls between the 20th of January to 20th of February. 

The festivities begin on the first new moon and the first full moon of the lunar calendar. It is one of the mainstream events in the Chinese calendar, commonly known as the ‘Spring Festival’ and often known as ‘Chinese New Year.’ Lunar New Year holds great importance in many parts of South Asia besides China. It is China’s Chunjie, Vietnam’s Tet, Koria’s Seollal, and Tibet’s Losar. Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, and Mongolia are a few other countries that observe and celebrate the Lunar New Year. 

Lunar New Year: The Origin

The Lunar New Year owes its origin to three legendary stories that will give an insight into the details of the 15-day celebrations. 

The famous Chinese New Year quote ‘guo nian’ translates into ‘celebrate the new year’ or ‘overcome Nian.’ Nian was a monster—a mythical creature—in ancient times that used to destroy crops and livestock and even go to the lengths of eating humans on new year’s eve. To save themselves from the destruction, people used to keep food at their steps for Nian. 

Red envelopes have an important place in the Chinese New Year’s celebration, and the credit goes to another demonic creature called ‘SUI’ who used to scare children when they were asleep. These red envelopes are known as Yasuiqian (suppressing sui money). The married and older members of the family gift these to the single children as this money is considered protection and luck from fairies. Loads of cash and protection from SUI- sound like a win-win for the kids. 

The spring couplets are a part of the decoration not just for aesthetic reasons but also because of traditional significance. Spring couplets go back at least a thousand years ago, but their story goes beyond that. In Chinese culture, it is believed that peach wood entails the spirit of 5 fairies that are known to scare away evil. In addition, there is a ghost world in which a peach tree stretches over 1,500 km over a mountain. Two guards in the northeast region of the tree guarding the Chinese ancestors against the ghost world.

The idea derived from there that hanging the inscription of the name of two guards with come peachwood would keep the evil away. With time, guards’ names were inscribed on the peachwood itself. Eventually, peachwood was replaced by red paper, which symbolizes luck and happiness—since then, pasting the spring couplets on the door has been a custom to welcome the Lunar New Year. 

Lunar New Year: Traditions & Customs 

The legends of the Lunar New Year have set the theme straight for all the traditions & customs. They are there to start the new year positively with happiness, luck, and protection from evil. 

It begins with intense cleaning of the house to sweep away bad luck and decorating it with red things to bring bliss, prosperity, and alacrity. 

It is followed by honoring the dead and paying homage to the ancestors by offering the sacrifices first to their graves and then serving at the dinner table. Keeping an extra glass of water on the table on the eve’s dinner is another way to acknowledge them. 

Lunar New Year’s eve is all about celebrating family, and big dinners are hosted for the family reunion. Different generations sit across the table, sharing the meal and cherishing each other. 

Firecrackers are given utmost importance in the celebrations since it is believed that loud sound & lighting scares away the monster Nian. Therefore, these festivities end with exchanging red envelopes and bursting firecrackers.

The celebratory atmosphere and enchanting festivities can sway away anyone. Yashi, a student at Shandong University, agrees as she states, “I never knew how big of an event Lunar New Year is until now. The decorations, the food, the music, the art, everything is at its finest display. I am enjoying and relishing every moment as I will be celebrating Lunar New Year for the first time now.”

Guo Nian!

Two glorious days of celebrating culture, and traditions, & honoring the history of Chambal- Chambal Literacy Festival was a huge success! Chambal, a region along the Chambal and Yamuna river valleys has an immaculate historical significance. As the renowned historian, Devendra Singh Chauhan rightly said, “Chambal is a land of rebellion and rebels”. But the river Chambal and its region are infamous for myths and factually incorrect information. Along with acknowledging the art and culture of the Chambal region, Chambal Literacy Festival was also an attempt to give a new perspective to view Chambal and understand its significance beyond the bits and pieces of information that have been popularly spoken about it. 

The event took place at the Commander Arjun Singh Bhadauria College, Uttar Pradesh, and was managed by THE ANTS along with Virbhan Singh Bhadauria (manager of the college). It was 2 days of ecstasy divided into 4 sessions. 

The event was inaugurated by Dr. Ramkant Rai. He also talked about the infamous myth associated with the Chambal river. There is a common misconception that the river is cursed as it originated from the blood of animals that were killed by King Rantideva. Because of this, it is also considered to be an unholy river. However, all of it is untrue and the rich wildlife that surmounts the river is evidence of that. Dr. Ramkant Rai tapped into that and explained that it is important to hear the history of the region from the people of Chambal itself instead of outsiders.

The event kickstarted with the first session where the history and culture of Chambal were recognized and appreciated. Historian Devendra Singh Chauhan elaborated on how during the years of colonialism Chambal region saw an upsurge of rebellions against British rule. The 1857 revolt notoriously called the ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ by British officials witnessed a great deal of rebellion from the soldiers in Chambal. Phoolan Devi is another example from the Chambal region who fought against casteism and women abuse. However, it has seldom been shown from a positive perspective. 

The second session of Chambal in poems listed everyone’s spirits when several famous poems were recited. Poet Vijay Pal Singh’s noted poem ‘Mere pir’ was the highlight of the session followed by Jitendra Biseria’s poems full of vigor and Gayatri Misra’s youthful poems.  The second session added charm and fun to the two-day Chambal Literacy Festival. The night ended late with the folk singer Saddiq Ali and Anjana Party’s enchanting performances. 

Session iii- Film & Folk arts was graced by the presence of renowned and experienced personnel from the industry. Filmmaker Devendra Singh highlighted how Chambal has only been shown as the land of revolution in movies. The audience has been served the same stance time and over again which has built a unilateral image of Chambal. He also announced that because of this he is also making a feature film on Chambal keeping the language, women, culture, and children in perspective. The Ants’ founder Khalid Naik who is also associated with the film industry stated that justice can only be done only by showcasing the beautiful heritage of the Chambal Valley in the films. The famous costume designer Sanjiv Raj Singh Parmar stated that Chambal is full of real and inspiring stories all one needs to do is make them engaging with the right dialect and perspective.

The renowned novelist Mahesh Katare gave a positive start to the last session of the literacy festival by telling that Chambal’s valor and intelligence are widely discussed. He revealed the geographical and cultural specialties of the Chambal valley by telling about its association with Satyaketu Jabali in the Upanishads. He stated that the Chambal division encourages hard and honest work. He also chuckled around the fact that the myth about the Chambal river being cursed proved to be a blessing in disguise since now it is one of the least polluted rivers in the country.

He elaborated on how literature is timeless by explaining that only the time period is different but everything in the literature is utterly true and relevant today as well as tomorrow. He delighted the audience by telling about his book on Chambal ‘Kaali Dhar’. He told that the book is an extensive document on Chambal with intricate details as he spent 5 years solely on his research. The session concerned the creator intended to throw light on the richness of the Chambal region in terms of literature and it was successful to do that. 

The event was followed by an exuberant exhibition that displayed books, photographs, and posters in an effort to bring the history, culture, and literature of Chambal place in front of everyone. The event also consisted of 3 competitions to ensure equal participation from the student community as well. Over 10 schools participated zealously in the competitions. Winners were given medals and everyone was awarded a certificate of participation to acknowledge their efforts. 

Dr. Ramakant Rai shared that they have been making consistent efforts for the last three years to showcase Chambal for what it is and break all the myths around it. The Chambal Literacy Festival was another successful attempt at it. The 2 days of festivities ended with giving the Chambal region a new identity.

If you are fond of watching Netflix shows like me, then I am confident you have seen them celebrating Thanksgiving by eating turkey with their family. It might shock you, but Thanksgiving goes beyond just eating turkey XD. Well, as the name suggests, Thanksgiving means conveying thanks to god. 

The Plymouth colonists (English puritans who were then known as pilgrims) and Wampanoag Americans used to celebrate together by sharing feasts to celebrate their bountiful harvest as a gesture to thank god. This day is celebrated today as Thanksgiving Day.

The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.

William Blake: English poet & painter

However, later the essence of Thanksgiving changed, and it was then celebrated to cherish military wins over native Americans. The Thanksgiving days were then determined by the governors and priests until one day George Washington, as the president, gave the day for thanksgiving celebrations in 1789. Thanksgiving lost its charm after that since most of the presidents following Washington ignored it. 

The holiday’s revival took place in 1863 when president Abraham Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November to be celebrated as Thanksgiving Day during the Civil War, making the holiday an American tradition. However, that did not last long either. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt moved the holiday up by one week during The Great Depression in order to encourage retail sales. But many Americans did not accept the change and even mocked it by calling it ‘Franksgiving.’ Due to this, the final Thursday of November was again officially declared as Thanksgiving Day by the passing of a joint resolution by the US congress in 1941. 

The history of Thanksgiving has had ups and downs and evolved in its meaning and significance as well, but today, the holiday is majorly celebrated as a way to get together with family, be thankful for everything around, and of course, enjoy the turkey. Turkey became synonymous with Thanksgiving Day because it was a crucial part of the menu of the first-ever Thanksgiving. 

According to the renowned book ‘Holiday Symbols and Customs’ by Sue Ellen Thompson, the Plymouths and Wampanoags hunted and ate large birds since they were readily available and easier to capture. As they became a major source of nutrition for early Americans, turkey made its way to the Thanksgiving dinner as well. As per the National Turkey Federation, approximately 46 million turkeys are served every Thanksgiving. Now that’s a big number to tell how important they are for the day. It’s not just the turkey, but pumpkin pies, nuts, mashed potatoes, corn, stuffing, and beans that are savored too on the day. 

Thanksgiving Day is a celebration for North America, and South America has yet to become familiar with it. Canada and Liberia have their own Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on October’s second Monday and the first Thursday in November respectively. 

All and all, Thanksgiving Day is about celebrating the blessing around you, showing gratitude, and appreciating your loved ones. So next time you see a turkey being roasted in a famous show, you’ll know why it is being relished so much! 

2 days back, I met a friend after 7 months. Before this, the last time we met, we talked about life, the future, and personal lives. I could sense a certain discomfort in her voice. I still remember her trembling voice, and the way she tried to divert my attention toward how tasty the food is instead of discussing her career plan made me sense something was wrong. I did not want to make the situation even more agonizing for her, so I posed the question indirectly about how she is doing in terms of both physical and mental health. The utter silence that came after that said a lot more than words. 2 days ago, when I met her again, I could see the difference. I could figure out she was at ease. This time she opened up about it and shared that she was having anxiety and panic attack issues since last year. It took her courage to open up about it without fearing judgment, and she was more comfortable with herself than ever, and for this, she is thankful to the support group she has been a part of for the last 3 months. 

“I am a UPSC aspirant and it hasn’t been easy for me. I started overthinking and that’s when I triggered anxiety. It was rough to deal with it all by myself. I still deal with it by myself but the difference is I have learned to talk about it and that has helped me a lot.” – Kanak Solanki 

She further adds, “It is very easy to succumb to the darkness, I was there myself. My people (support group) pulled me from there and I can safely say that I am in the grey area now, continuously walking towards the light.”

What are mental health support groups in India? 

In dictionary terms, it means a group of people gathering and discussing similar problems they go through. The talking and sharing of experiences make it easier to deal with them. But if we see it from a different perspective- it is a source of encouragement and motivation that most of us long for. You can relate to one another, you empathize with them instead of sympathizing, and most importantly, you let them know that you understand. This validation and support can do a lot for one’s mental health. 

Mental health support groups in India that can help you fight that feeling of low

Mental health red flags are easy to notice but hard to acknowledge. Feeling low is something that is considered normal. Yes, ups and downs are a part of life, but if the feeling of ‘low-liness’ is always there underneath, then something might not be right. Fret not, there are mental support help groups in India that can help you deal with this feeling.

Through Thick and Thin (TheMindClan)

As the name suggests, this mental health support group in India is a community that discusses and acknowledges day-to-day problems of one’s life before they become something big. The group focus on both prevention as well as healing. 

• Through Thick and Thin (TheMindClan) Facebook page
• Languages: English & Hindi 
• Meetings: Weekly 
• City: Delhi NCR

The Buddy Circle (Meetup)

Buddy circle is a mental health support group in India that narrows down its focus to three things. Positive growth, honest conversations, and socializing. The community can help you gain energy or provide you with a pep talk, whatever is needed. 

• Link to Join The Buddy Circle on Meetup
• City: Bangalore 

Conflict and Emotional Management Group (TheMindClan)

Healthy relationships take time, effort, and a lot of understanding. All of these can be daunting & might affect one’s mental health. This group understands that well. They help you foster healthy relationships without putting excruciating pressure on yourself. 

• Website link 
• Languages: English & Hindi 
• Meetings: Weekly 
• City: Gurugram and Delhi 

Stress Management Support group (Healing Studio)

Stress is the underlying cause of so many problems, both physical and mental. But it is also an essential component of human life. This group helps you in finding effective ways of dealing with stress and ensures that you do not exhaust yourself with all the stress. 

• Link to join
• Meetings: Weekly 
• City: Online 

Work-Life Balance Group (TheMindClan) 

An unbalanced life can make one feel incompetent, eventually making one feel low. This group helps you cope with daily life and also in finding balance in it. 

• Website link 
• Language: English & Hindi 
• Meetings: Weekly 
• City: Delhi and Gurugram 

Mental health is much more than just feeling low. One can be dealing with many other problems, and we understand that. So here are the links to a few websites that can help you find specific mental health support groups in India. 

• Meetup
• Healing Studio
• The Mind Clan

Hope these health groups help you find the support and community you need to reclaim your mental health and well-being and lead a happy and healthy life that you deserve so much!

The magnetic effervescence of friendship is what adds the thrill to our life. It is commonly heard that a friend in need is a friend indeed however, the term friends and friendship is subjective to every individual. In ‘Kuchh Kuchh Hota Hai,’ Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan described friendship as love. Let’s hear what millennials have to say about friendship. 

Stuti Choudhary

“True friendship is to be happy in the achievements of each other and surround yourself with such great people who’ll be happier than oneself to see the other one hustle. True friends are timeless, and the distance doesn’t matter at all. Friendships that feel the same each time you meet are friendships that last forever.”

Kanak Solanky

“For me, friendship is a constant comfort and the only thing helping me survive all the hardships of life. You can be yourself, and still they won’t judge or leave.”

Chinmay Kapoor

“Friendship is loyalty, honesty, and no filters. You have to be there, for someone who was there for you when you needed them, no matter what has gone wrong.”

Sakshi

“Friendship to me is someone believing the best in you at all times. It’s someone who pushes you to be the best version of yourself and is the first to stand and clap for you when you succeed. One thing which I like about friendship is that it’s our gift to pick and choose, and build the friendship by knowing the value of the bond you share with each other.”

Aman Balhra

“Actually, we can’t define friendship because it’s a bond we can’t define in words but still, I’ll try
So friendship for me is that when a person is sitting with his friends and he is happy, no matter what if they are sitting quietly, not talking to each other, but the presence of that particular person is actually making that guy happy. Yeah, that is what friendship is for me.”

Tanya Kashyap

“It’s that beautiful place that will always remind you that you’re not alone at any point in life and gives you those unforgettable memories that you will cherish for a lifetime. Friendship is not always fun and frolic but also the fights and tears that make you realize how blessed you are to have someone who will stick by your side no matter what. If you’ve found the right people, keep them forever.”

Prateek Tyagi

“Real friends stick by your side when you’re going through the process, even when you can’t meet them frequently. They just have faith in you. Real ones stay no matter what.”

Mayank Lumba

“Friendship, for me, is something that stands the test of time, unfortunate events, and misunderstandings. Friends are an extended family that always has your back and having good friends makes you feel blessed and grateful.”

Raghavendra Chauhan

“Friendship for me is a relationship we get into by our choice. The ones who are eternal regardless of the situation”.

These were some quite interesting takes on friendship! Clearly, the meaning of friendship is different for everyone. On this friendship day, tell your friends what their friendship means to you.

‘Eid Mubarak’ 

With festivals come history, stories, myths, lots of meals, and of course a platter full of love. Eid al-Adha is called the festival of sacrifice, celebrated by Muslims worldwide with great fervor and gaiety. The story of Eid al-Adha is about devotion, faith, and utmost belief in Allah. 

Prophet Ibrahim started having dreams where he was being instructed to sacrifice his son to Allah. The dreams disturbed him because how can he lose his beloved son? How can he sacrifice him? That’s when he divulged it to his son, without second thoughts his son asked him to follow the commands of their god. 

“Oh my father,” Ismail (as) told Ibrahim (as), “Do that which you have been commanded, Insha’Allah you shall find me among the patient ones.” (37:102)

Prophet finally took the step to follow what was being instructed, he blindfolded himself before sacrificing his son to ease the pain and stop him from getting swayed away by emotions while sacrificing his son. But ‘God is great’ and can never see its deity in pain. When Prophet opened his blindfold he saw his son sound and safe standing next to him and a lamb was sacrificed instead. 

Ever since then Eid-al-Adha is celebrated in the month of Dhul Hijjah and Muslims perform ‘Qurbani’ (sacrifice) of goat, sheep, and camel to commemorate the eminence of Allah and show their faith in Islam. The day starts with reading ‘Namaz’ (players) followed by Qurbani and then sharing the feast with friends and family. 

“And never give up hope of ALLAH’s Mercy. Certainly, no one despairs of ALLAH’s Mercy, except the people who disbelieve.”(Al-Qur’an 12:87)

Yoga has now become a common terminology worldwide, with approximately 300 million people practicing yoga on regular basis. The roots of this widely appreciated art of mind and body can be traced back to over 5000 years ago in the northern part of India. Yoga is a blend of body postures and movements, maintaining breathing patterns and connecting to your brain. 

If you thought of starting yoga, you have already taken the first step toward your journey. There must be a thousand questions in your mind about the same! How to get into Yoga? Will my body be able to adapt to Yoga? How to manage my breathing? And much more. It is understandable but fret not. The best way to learn yoga is by ‘practicing’ it. So do not shy away from taking some help in getting started with Yoga, just dive into it!

Calm your mind and don’t compare yourself

Yoga goes way beyond just exercising, it is a very distinctive experience and differs from person to person. The first thing you need to do is calm your mind and tell yourself that it is going to be absolutely fine. Secondly, do not compare your body and flexibility to others. Everyone was a beginner once. Just take a deep breath and start stretching. 

Be slow and steady

The key to a joyful journey is not keeping any impractical expectations. If you think “I should be able to put my legs behind my neck” on the first day itself then you will face nothing but utter disappointment. Yoga postures are renowned for looking easier in pictures and way harder when it comes to actually doing them. Do not get ahead of yourself or you might end up getting hurt or twisting your ribs. Slow and steady wins the race! 

Take a note of how you breathe

Yoga is connecting your mind and body and observing your breathing is a way of doing that. You need to be aware of the breathing pattern that you are following. For instance, if you are taking a deep breath and exhaling it gradually, you should feel this is relaxing your mind as well as body. Or while doing Anulom Vilom Pranayama, you should be able to connect your mind to aggressive and fast-paced breathing. 

Learn one posture at a time

Holding yoga poses can be a huge task for a beginner. So start with simple postures and eventually get into the complex ones. Furthermore, team your mind to get comfortable with stillness. You might be able to do a yoga pose in no time but holding it for a minute or two can be an excruciating task especially when you are not used to the calmness that yoga brings along. 

Just chill! 

Yoga is about relaxation. So end your yoga session with Shavasana; just don’t sleep ?! And enjoy the rest of the day with a mind filled with calmness and a body full of vigor.