Raksha Bandhan - A sacred bondage of safety!

                        India is known for its various festivals celebrated across the length and breadth of it throughout the year. And these festivals have a sublime agenda of improving the bonding between family members and also between the families in the communities. Irrespective of the festival, the festivities are enjoyed by all the family members and it's all about spreading the joy and happiness. The festivals or at the least the names of the festivals are all free spirited and one is free to enjoy the way they want to, barring one festival which talks about bondage and not freedom - Raksha Bandhan. 

                    But, the true sense of freedom lies in being bonded with the loved ones I suppose, and the festival of Raksha Bandhan helps enhance such bonding between a brother and sister. There are many theories around how and why the festival evolved, however the significance of the festival is simply to make brothers and sisters accountable for each other's happiness and well being. I remember my mother talking about how I should safeguard my sister and to be with her for eternity. I used to think that the bonding that a brother and sister share since childhood is strong enough and lasts for infinite time, though it might not show the strength from the beginning, it would surface when the need arises. However, with changing times and aspirations of brothers and sisters making them relocate and prioritise their life-goals I think the role of festivals like Raksha Bandhan becomes more significant to rekindle the magical bonding of a brother and sister. 

                                                                    The way Raksha Bandhan is celebrated across the country might vary depending upon the historical theory of the festival in that region, but the essence of it remains same and it is to enhance and strengthen the bonding between a brother and sister. Applying of Tilak on the forehead for the brother's safety and tying the sacred Rakhi on the wrist and feeding a sweet and sisters anticipating a return gift (usually monetary) appear to be the common celebration across most of the communities which celebrate Raksha Bandhan. With many references in the Bollywood movies and special Raksha Bandhan songs and the creative colourful Rakhis and the super delicious sweets, Raksha Bandhan is becoming more joyful each year. Near or far, I wish brothers and sisters unite in the best way possible to celebrate this festival of bond which never breaks. Happy Raksha Bandhan!

P.S: I miss my sister (lives in USA) around this year for Raksha Bandhan, but my love and bonding for her resonates louder than ever, across the seas.

Growing by throwing : Neeraj Chopra is a true champion!

                         With winning a gold at the latest world athletes championship at Budapest, Neeraj Chopra has won the hearts all across India. While the ISRO scientists made India proud in the week that has gone by, it is Neeraj this week who made India proud again. While ISRO reached the moon, Neeraj also appeared to have aspired to reach the moon with his javelin, and he certainly has grown beyond the expectations with his spectacular throw. Having won the Olympic gold medal in 2021, Neeraj seems to have become even more consistent with his performances in various events that followed. 

       In a country like India, where medal tally in world championships was always under the expectations, it is untiring athletes like Neeraj who are changing it. Soon after his triumph at the Olympics the story of Neeraj has surfaced and it is very inspiring to know his journey towards success. Learning by watching his idol Jan Zelezny's videos on YouTube and spending hours practicing consistently has put him where he is now. His consistency speaks volumes in terms of the medals and his achievements which have made India proud. Above all, his words at the ceremony at Budapest marking the win as the nation's and not just his, reveals his character of a true sporting champion. I would like to quote a part of his speech - "You know throwers have no finish line". This tells us his undying spirit to aspire for more and more by being consistent. Neeraj says that he would keep trying to hit the 90m mark and even after achieving so much, he is still hungry for more. Such high spirits help draw inspiration and strength to overcome the hurdles that we are facing, there is no finish line and we should keep striving hard to move ahead. 

                                Battling so many hardships, Neeraj with a spear in his hand and no fear in his eyes will continue to inspire the young athletes who are in the making. His hard work and consistent effort has paid and no doubt that these qualities make him a true champion. Glad to see him grow with each throw! 

OMG India - Over the Moon Goes India!

The lunar fascination of humans dates a long way back and ever since humankind has always tried various innovative ways to get closer to the moon. With many countries spending a significant amount of money for the research and development of space engineering, expedition to the moon has always been a key aspect in the research programmes. With nations competing, there will always be an element of pride associated with greater accomplishments in this area. It has always been a dream for the human beings to reach the moon and references can be seen in many areas of creativity like stories, songs, movies etc. The distant dream started to be less distant with the advent of technology and thanks to the victory hungry scientists across the globe.     

                                        23-08-23 will be special in the history of ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) as Chandrayaan-3 makes a soft landing on the moon. There has been so much of hard work put in by the scientists and staff at ISRO to make this landing of Chandrayaan-3 a soft one, especially after the failure of Chandrayaan-2 in 2019. The learnings from the failure of Chandrayaan-2 seems to have been applied in a stupendous way and it is evident in the result of Chandrayaan-3. There has been so much of anticipation around the result of Chandrayaan-3 mission and every Indian now beams with pride for this accomplishment of India in the lunar space. This is new beginning to support to numerous moon missions involving human travel to moon as these kind of landers on the lunar space will help in the study and research required. India being only the fourth member in the club of countries exploring the lunar space, there certainly will be more competition coming up around this. However what makes India stand apart is the innovative minds at work that can pull these kind of missions at about a fraction of cost of what the other countries spend on missions like these. And hence these achievements become even more significant. The planning, dedication and perseverance of the ISRO team is commendable and this sure will inspire the young minds from the generations to come. Will it now make sense to say - "Dream of the moon and you can have it". Maybe it would make sense as time and again human brains have proven that anything is possible. 

    With great sense of gratitude, I thank the entire team behind Chandrayaan-3 and Congratulations India! Over the moon goes India, what next?