Nine out of ten parents believe there is a “father absence crisis” in America, according to two national surveys by the National Fatherhood Initiative. To inspire fathers to become more involved in the lives of their children, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families, Office of Family Assistance, the National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse (NRFC) and The Advertising Council are launching a new series of public service advertisements (PSAs).
To view Multimedia News Release, go to http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/adcouncil/46540/
Raavan is an original film work presented by the cinematic tour de force that is director Mani Ratnam (Dil Se, Bombay), Academy Award Winner and music maestro A.R Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire), and Indian cinema royalty and off-screen couple Aishwarya Rai and Abhishek Bachchan who reunite following the critically acclaimed Guru. Mani Ratnam's milestone adaptation of the ancient Sanskrit epic, The Ramayana, is equally relevant to contemporary society. A thought-provoking film which is sure to leave audiences questioning the core values of the human condition, Raavan; will stay with you long after the film's credits roll. You surely wouldn't want to miss this action packed movie of the year. So stay tuned & get latest updates & behind the scene action of your favourite movie.
The Music Video for the rising club hit, DEM BIG GIRLS by MWALIM *7). Directed by Phillip Aaron and filmed at Biff's Lounge and the William E. Reed Auditorium in Dorchester, MA during the West Indian Festival.
Kalpavasi experience
The kalpavãsi experiences are the most unique that a human can undergo in this mortal world. A kapavãsi basically transcends the linear space-time barrier by submitting himself / herself to a day in the Brahmaloka, Which is equivalent to 4.32 billion earth days. We invite you find out how this magic (time-travel) unfolds
We are the pioneers of an ongoing research on the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela and other Indian Traditional Knowledge Systems from the last 10 years and the packages presented through this Kalpavãsi program have been designed with complete assimilation and understanding of both the sensitivities of the participating religious organization and the sensibilities of the modern traveller
We present to you the best possible experiences of the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela in an effort to introduce you to the essence of the Indian Tradition, Heritage, Culture, Spirituality and Religion with the least possible expenditure of time, effort and money. The Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is not just a Religious/Spiritual event and there is a popular misconception that it is all about naked Indian Sadhus (Ascetics), snake charmers and cheap magicians
The Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is a conglomeration of religion, trade and amusement. The ground is dotted with makeshift shrines, temples, thatched Mantapams, and Ashramas of innumerable sects, saints, the lay folks, etc. In the evenings and early mornings one may hear the sound of Bhajans, Kirtans, the telling of Kathas, chanting of hymns, jingling of bells, and blowing of conchs and observe the scenes of millions of people taking a dip in the holy rivers with offerings of flowers, lamps, Etc. watch the colourful ceremonial processions of various Akhadas and Sampradayas. The most distinctive and attractive feature of the Kumbha Mela is the ceremonial bathing of Nagas Sadhus who are traditionally given priority in the bath for being the initiator of this festival. The joy of being a part of this conglomeration is truly unique and there are no words to explain the experience
kalpavasi.com
Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is a mass pilgrimage centered on the ritual of riverside bathing, it is variously called the the Great Indian Bathing Festival, the Urn Festival, the Pitcher Festival and so forth. It occurs four times every twelve years rotating between Allahabad/Prayaga at the confluence of the rivers Ganga (Ganges), Jamuna (Yamuna) and the concealed Saraswati, Haridwar (Hara Dwar) on the river Ganga (Ganges), Ujjain on the river Kshipra (Shipra), and Nasik on the river Godavari (Gomati)
Bathing in these rivers during the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is considered an endeavour of great merit, cleansing both body and spirit. The Allahabad and Haridwar (Hara Dwar) festivals are routinely attended by five million or more pilgrims; the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world. It may also be the oldest
Two traditions are in circulation regarding the origin and timing of the festival: one that stems from ancient texts known as the Puranas, and the other that connects it with astrological considerations. According to the Puranic epic, the gods and demons had churned the milky ocean at the beginning of time in order to gather various divine treasures including a jar containing a potion of immortality - Ambrosia. As the jar emerged from the ocean the gods and demons began a terrific battle for its possession. During the battle, which according to one legend the gods won by trickery, four drops of the precious potion fell to earth, when Jayantha (Jayanth) the son of the chief deity Indra carried the jar (Kumbha/kumbh) that held the ambrosia in the form of a giant bird - these places became the sites of the four Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela festivals, according to another legend he ran away with the jar and hid them on twelve locations on earth where few drops of ambrosia fell, four of these places are known and identified as the four sites for the Kumbh (Kumbh) Mela, the other eight locations are being researched by our team
The astrological tradition (ascribed to a lost Puranic text and not traceable in extant editions) seems to stem from a very ancient festival called the Kumbha Parva, which occurred at Hardwar every twelfth year when Jupiter was in Aquarius (the Indian name being Kumbha/Kumbh) and the sun entered Aries
At some later time the term 'Kumbha (Kumbh)' was prefixed to the Melas held at Prayaga, Ujjain, and Nasik and these four sites became identified with the four mythical locations of the immortality potion - Ambrosia. In theory the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela festivals are supposed to occur every three years, rotating between the four cities. In practice the four-city cycle may actually take eleven or thirteen years and this because of the difficulties and controversies in calculating the astrological conjunctions. Furthermore the interval between the Kumbha Mela at Nasik and that at Ujjain is not of three years; they are celebrated the same year or only a year apart. This deviation in practice is intriguing and cannot be fully explained by either astrological or mythological means.
kalpavasi.com
The main reason many people come to India is the quest for spiritual knowledge, A Large number of visitors reach the ancient centers of learning like Kashi, Bodh Gaya , Prayag, Kanchi, Puri , Dwarika, Haridwar , Gorakpur , Rishikesh etc to satisfy their thirst for spiritual knowledge
India from time immemorial has been considered the Jagat Guru of all spiritual, Religious, Intellectual and Philosophical concepts and ideas. The same Sanathana-Dharma or the Hindu Dharma forms the basis of Buddhism or the Buddha Dharma, Jainism or the Jaina Dharma, Sikhism or the Sikh Dharma, the Bhakti Dharma, Sufism or Tavasouf etc
This core generally called Dharma can may only be seen through the Jnana Chakshu and experienced through the Philosophies known as Darshana. There are two Categories of Dharsanas the first category collectively called the Asthika Darshanas derives their source from the Vedas and is collectively called the Saddarshanas, Sad meaning the six and Darshana meaning to see. The second category are silent about the authority of the Vedas and are called Nastika Darshana, they are the Bauddha, Jaina and Charvaka Darshanas
The Darshanas both Astika and Nastika, have spawned many schools of organized monks. The training grounds for these monks are called Ashramas or Mutts (Maths). These Mutts are aligned to a single Sampradaya and propagate their philosophies through discourses, worship, song & dances, festivals, etc. The principle dirty of each Sampradaya may be either Shiva, Vishnu, Ganapathi, Dattatreya, Devi, Surya, Skanda, etc (depending on the Darshana they belong to)
The Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela has representation from every school of Dharma and Sampradaya, it is the great school for the spiritually inclined to experience all the Indian philosophical schools at one place at the same time
There are several Shastrartas, Tarka, Upanyasa, Ughabhoga, Parayana, Pravachanas which are organized specially during the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela. These are various types of debates, lectures, talks and seminars pertaining to various philosophies which churn out several new interpretations to the ancient texts and treatises, sometimes they introduce new dimensions to their respective schools, sometimes deleting, sometimes adding to the pool of spiritual knowledge
kalpavasi.com
Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is a mass pilgrimage centered on the ritual of riverside bathing, it is variously called the ‘the Great Indian Bathing Festival’, ‘the Urn Festival’, ‘the
Pitcher Festival’ and so forth. It occurs four times every twelve years rotating between
Allahabad/Prayaga at the confluence of the rivers Ganga (Ganges), Jamuna (Yamuna) and the
concealed Saraswati, Haridwar (Hara Dwar) on the river Ganga (Ganges), Ujjain on the
river Kshipra (Shipra), and Nasik on the river Godavari (Gomati)
Bathing in these rivers during the Kumbha (Kumbh) Mela is considered an endeavour of
great merit, cleansing both body and spirit. The Allahabad and Haridwar (Hara Dwar)
festivals are routinely attended by five million or more pilgrims; the Kumbha (Kumbh)
Mela is the largest religious gathering in the world. It may also be the oldest
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) players, Kumar Sangakkara, Brett Lee and Sreesanth together with Bollywood actress and club co-owner, Preity Zinta, will connect with fans from around the world via a new service launched by mig33, the leading global mobile community. The new service, mig33s Cricket FanZone, enables KXIP fans to connect via their mobile phones with other fans and to cheer on their favorite team and players during the Indian Premier League in South Africa. At the launch event, which will be held in Nyanga Cricket Stadium in Cape Town, over forty local school children from an after schools cricket development programme will get the chance to meet and receive coaching and cricketing tips from the players, Celebrity chat and launch event to take place on Wednesday 15 April, 2009 16h30 in Nyanga Cricket Stadium, Cape Town
