Note this was written yesterday — I just forgot to post.

Today is my first Karva Chauth. Its an exciting day as its a special day for Hindu husbands and wives everywhere. This is the day that the wife fasts for the husband’s long life, prosperity, and well-being. I have always prayed for Neeraj’s well-being for so many years (I have even fasted previously on this day), but this was the first year that we would be together on this special day.

So I am fasting today and did the various things that I was told to do. I woke up before sunrise and ate some food prior to getting ready to go to the office. I have so far not doing anything related to sewing and or using scissors (there is a signficance of that but I didn’t ask my mother ). I will break my fast when we see the Almighty chanda (moon) tonight.

As you may know, Neeraj and I have moved recently to a different city in a different state. We have adjusted well to our new apartment, but we have had a hard time the past two nights trying to find where we would be able to see the moon. Unfortunately its not seen from our balcony, and we most likely will have to head outside tonight to get the glimpse.

Usually the husbands don’t keep the fasts with the wives, but my Papa has been doing it for some time. As for Neeraj, I am not sure if he is doing it or not — but its fine either way. I guess I will find out Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge style just like Simran (Kajol) found out after breaking her fast that Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) had also kept a fast for her.

My parents are also coming to be with us this evening, since it is my first time participating in this pooja (ceremony). It will be great to see them, and Mumma and I willl break our fasts and eat together.

To all husbands/wives and to-be husbands/wives enjoy this special day together and tell your special loved one how much you are care for him/her.

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.

Many Many Many Thanks to all that gave me birthday wishes on my special day! First I would like to thank my dear sweet Neeraj for being with me till midnight (even though I fell asleep ), and being the first one to wish me on my day:!: Then for giving me such a sweet post — wakai main Neeraj jaise kehte ho waise hi karte ho. Thank you very much my love — without you I am nothing. I am very happy to be able to see you every single day.

Next special thanks goes to Prasad, Ankur, Mona for taking time out on their blogs to give out me a special wish. Thanks so much — it meant a lot to me:!:

Now because I haven’t been able to reply to each of your comments individually, I am going to take the time to do it now.

Vidhi - thanks for the wishes! Saw your mail and replied back. Neeraj gift was the post and the second half is still pending.

Jaya - thanks for the wishes! Very well said!

Ankur - thanks alot!

Prasad - thanks so much! We were very happy to be together on this day!

Manpreet - thanks alot! It was a great day, and hoping for the best in the future!

Indu - thanks for the nice words and wishes! Everything went well that day (other than the fact that I had to go to work

Mannat - thanks so much dear! I was very happy to be with Neeraj. Hope to spend many more birthdays and holidays together!

Kaush - thanks so much! It was a great day!

Mona - thanks alot! I did get a great present this year! I really couldn’t have asked for anything else.

Shreyas - very sweet! thanks!

Ash - thanks dear! Belated is still good.

Urvish - thanks man!

Had to work on my birthday. I left early and got home around 5 pm. Then waited for Bhayia to return from work, opened my gifts, and then went to dinner with Bhayia and Neeraj to Olive Garden, an Italian restaurant. Then came home, tried to cut the cake but all of the relatives were calling, so kept getting interrupted. Finally was able to cut the cake and spent the rest of the evening relaxing with my love. Overall a wonderful birthday!! Thank you once again to you all for thinking of me on this day!

Christmas Shopping and Songs

Christmas shopping has been a bit tough this time trying to find gifts for my family, also Secret Santa (which we are doing with my cousins), for Neeraj, and for my two friends, Diane and Beth. Its taken me about two weeks to get everything done, but still I have part of Diane’s present left. Neeraj and I will finish that up tomorrow.

I really enjoy this time of the year because its just so cheerful. Along with that, I love listening to Christmas music like Silent Night, Carol of the Bells, Let it Snow, etc… But in fact many of these Christmas songs are offensive to some of my non-Christian friends because it refers to Jesus Chris being the Lord or their Savior. They sometimes wonder why I am not offended, should I be?

Are you offended as a non-Christian? I think Hinduism is quite open in the fact that Jesus Christ was an avatar. Bhagwan us roop main bhi aaye hain is dharti par — so there really isn’t a reason to take it seriously. But along with that, have you noticed that is the only time throughout the year where you will see signs such as “Peace on Earth” or “Seasons Greetings”? Interesting isn’t it? Does that mean that we wish this only during this time of the year? Sometimes it sure does seem like it (atleast in the US):!:

More news on the way and b’day wishes. Neeraj has a second round interview in St. Louis, MO (another state — about three hours from our home), so we will be traveling on Friday. I am going to be off from work starting Friday until January 3rd. So it will be nice to spend lots of time with Neeraj. Looking forward to it. Don’t forget to wish Neeraj all the best:!:

Look for an update very soon.

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.

Everytime I think about posting, something usually happens to me which causes a delay. For the past two days my laptop (the one I was given from work which I have been letting Neeraj use) has not been working. Yesterday, XP wouldn’t even boot. So tomorrow, Neeraj and I are heading up to Chicago so that I can take it in to Tech Support at my office, and then we shall just wander around downtown while its getting fixed and then go to Devon. Should be a fun time:!:

Hope Navratras are going well for everyone. I am excited to have Neeraj with me this year for Navratri but the disappointment is at our mandir. Since I have known, they have done 9 days of Garba/Raas, and this year is the first time where they only having it for two days - Friday and Saturday. Major disappointment. We haven’t had the chance to go to the mandir yet for the Navratri Pooja but Mata Rani knows that we are always thinking about Her. We shall go the next two nights for sure, and its going to be a blast:!:

Neeraj got his SSN on Monday. Exciting news as we start opening up a bank account for him as well as he is preparing to take the driver’s test. There is a written test and then the actual behind-the-wheel test. He wants to take it on Saturday, but I want to make sure that he is fully prepared. The driving facility that we are going to go to is about an hour and half drive from here. Bhayia and Mumma had also given their driving tests there, and its not the closest place, but its the easiest to get your license. No news on the Immigration papers front.

Weather is getting quite chilly. Its in the 50s Fahrenheit today. All week its been in the upper 80s which is very unusual for the end of September/early October. But then again this year’s weather has been totally odd.

Shall have more news to share — hopefully by this weekend. Be prepared for a full dhamaka at NP.com. That should keep you all on your toes.

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.

Mach gaya shor saari nagri main, aaya brij ka baanka sambhaal teri gagri re……ohhh aaya brij ka baanka sambhaal teri gagri re!!

Listen to this song on the right sidebar. —–>

NP.com would like to wish you all a very

Read more about our festival of Janmashtami, the birth of Lord Krishna, at this website. It provides some great information that is necessary to understand the real reason of why today is such a special day for Hindus.

The day after Janmashtami, which would be today, is the big matki breaking celebration. From what I remember when I was in Mumbai during this time a looooong time before is that during this time there are teams of men who compete by getting on top of each, as they stand together in a circle form, with one person being at the top, to break the matki (pot) that is hanging from a wire towering above them. Whichever team is successful and is able to break the dahi-filled (yogurt) matki gets the prize, which these days is money (Rs. 5 lakhs in one place in Mumbai ).

Why is this celebrated? Lord Krishna was known, when He was a child, to love maakan (butter), so he would break the pots so He could get to the butter, didn’t matter whose pot He had to break.

There isn’t much celebration where I live here, but someday I would like to be in India during this wonderful time, especially Mumbai. Being in India you really get the feeling of celebration that there is a festival. Here it becomes just another day.

So hope everyone enjoyed!

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.

Bhayia mere, rakhi ke bandhan ko nibhaana,
Bhayia mere, choti bahen ko naa rulaa naa, bhayia mere…

Is baar bhi Bhayia ne uski choti bahen, that would be me, ko rulaaya nahi. Raksha Bandhan is that special day that is unique to our country. A day to realize the importance of that relationship that we take for granted for most, the love between not only a brother and sister but between siblings in general.

Bhai ek bahen ki raksha karta hai, aur bahen apne hi bhai ke lambi umar ki duayein karti hai. Whenever this day comes by, my brother sits across me as I have my thali of goodies in front of him. As I tie my rakhi on his hand, I am also praying to Mata Rani to ensure that my brother receives all the very best things in life which he really deserves. He has a very long and happy life, and we have more cherishable moments as we go through the journey of life together.

Brothers are a pain, I will be the first to admit. Being a younger sister, my big bro takes total advantage of me, making me a target, or let’s say the butt of every joke. At many a times, he has told me that he wished that I was not a sister but a brother. Let me tell you he couldn’t ask for a more tomboyish sister ever.

But on this day, we as sisters, put everything aside, and only pray for the very good things for our brothers. I may tease him till he turns all different shades of blue and purple, but deep down he knows that I love him so much. His presence in my life is immense, and I really want to make many more lovable memories as we move forward. This is the spirit that Raksha Bandhan brings, and that’s why its one of my favourite festivals of the year.

Hoping that you all also had a very prosperous Rakhi day:!: Those who were unable to spend it with their brothers or sisters, I know how it can be to be away from them during this time, but the important thing is to remember them with good thoughts on this special day and you will surely feel their spirit with you.

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.

So its official. I am off to Austin, Texas on Monday morning for three weeks. I am waiting on a final call from the project manager so that I know the details (what time I need to be there, what hotel to choose, etc..). The excitement isn’t really there, but I just hope it goes by fast. There are many mandirs in that area, and I can’t wait to go check out @least one of them.

For those that missed it, I was on TV today:!::!::!: Yes, finally on the Community Roundup program they showed the Narendra Chanchal Mata Rani Jagran that Mumma and I went to on 17th June. There we were sitting and enjoying Chanchalji’s bhajans! We watched it with full stereo surround sound and with me, of course, dancing live. So for those who are in the US and have TV Asia, you can still have a chance to check it out tomorrow morning.

Saj dhaj kar baithi Maa, aur mund mund muskhaaye…

The parents and I are heading up to Devon Street (famous little India of Chicago) tomorrow during the day to do some shopping and have some great food. They also have one of the nicest beauty salons so shall also get a facial while I am there.

Neeraj will get his medical report back today but must keep it sealed till the day of the interview. He has got a busy day himself so hope all goes well for him.

London will be the place for the 2012 Summer Olympics. I saw the pics today on Zee News how they are going to modernize London, and by golly it looked cool:!: Neeraj and I are going to the Olympics that year, are you? Ok, I don’t know if we are or not, by then we will have kids and most likely settled in India. Wishful thinking for now.

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.

Friday was the big day that Mumma and I were headed to Hari Om Mandir in Chicago to enjoy the Mata Rani Jagran that would be featuring the bhents and bhajans of Narendra Chanchal.

JYOTA WALI DA, TERI SADAA HI JAI! BOL SANCHE DARBAR KI JAI!

The photos are up in the gallery, and you can check out the fun that we had there. We had left around 3.30 pm to ensure that we reach there ahead of time so we get a good place to sit as well as a good parking spot. We reached by 5.30 pm, but the road to the mandir was closed due to road construction. I am horrible with directions and really had no idea of an alternative route. So I called my GPS (Global Positioning System — otherwise known as Bhayia ), he was on his way home, and he said to find a street that is parallel to the mandir’s street, and I should be able to get there. Luckily, I stopped at a McDonalds’ at the correct intersection and then called the mandir to see if someone there can help me.

The four days of pooja has commenced yesterday. What an absolute amazing experience! Along with our own panditji, there were three other main panditjis that took on the responsibility of performing the pooja. The two main panditjis were from the St. Louis temple and the Dallas temple respectively. What a wonderful job they did by explaining all parts of the pooja, getting the devotees involved in the pooja, and making it a once-in-a-lifetime experience! The last panditji was almost 82 yrs old, a professor from the City University of New York. At the commencement of the pooja, he was recognized as a solid factor in the success of our mandir.

As he shared the immense wisdom that he has about Hinduism, volunteerism, and the next steps for the devotees, I was just so impressed at how much knowledge he passed to us in such a short time. Here are some of the things he said that I want to share.

Many people from other religions will ask you about our religion, such as “Why do you have so many Gods?” or “How can you worship an elephant-God?”

You should answer by saying that in Hinduism, we worship many forms of the ultimate Supreme Being. As a Hindu, you should always be open to other religions no matter what they say to you because as Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad-Gita that there are many different rivers that all flow into just one end. Explaining the fact that there are many religions that all flow into just one Ultimate Supreme Being.

In the English language, there is a saying, “Oh my God!”. Many of us say it without even thinking twice because its part of our daily lives. But in fact, we should not say such sayings.

The reason we should not say, “Oh my God”, is because there is no one God that we believe in. In Hinduism, we have many forms of God so in fact it is better to say the name of the God that you feel you should say such as, “Oh Ganesha!” or “Oh Ram!” Such a good point, and well noted in my part, because I say it quite often.

Yesterday in our local paper, there was an article about the four days of pooja. In the article it mentions that the panditjis had helped in the installation of idols ceremony in the temple. In fact this panditji from New York says that is the wrong way of saying.

Many religions denounce Hindus and our religion because they feel that we are idol worshippers. In fact that is wrong. We do not worship idols, we worship the many forms of that Ultimate Supreme Being.

He also talked about achieving vijay (victory) you must achieve three other Vs: vidya, vinaya, and vivek. Vidya means education. As you become educated, in the general sense, in a field such as engineering, computers, etc… In the religious sense, then you learn the fundamentals of Hinduism. Second is to attain vinaya, which in a religious sense would be to volunteer at the mandir or do any type of seva at any types of schools or nursing (aged) home. Third is vivek which means to attain buddhi. Attaining education is not enough, but you must be able to apply that as well, be able to understand why it happens. After achieving these three, then vijay just automatically happens, you won’t have to do anything for it.

He lastly talked about how the mandir is going to be different from now on. He says that are some things that shouldn’t take place such as gossip, money talks, and controversy of how the pooja was done. He says that you come to the mandir not to have social hour or to gossip but to be one with the many forms of God. He also said that you shouldn’t discuss how much money one has over the other at the mandir. Along with the same, the worst thing you could do is say that one person is more dharmic than the other, meaning that I believe more than that person. That should not happen, and it should be avoided. Lastly, there should be no question or doubt on how the pooja is conducted. No one pooja, even this one of Kumbhabhishekam, is not performed in one single way. Hinduism is quite an old religion, and many things were just passed down verbally from one generation to the next, so there is a chance of the conduction to be different, but it doesn’t mean that it is not right.

Well said. All is well said. I learned so much in just that ten minutes that it blew me away.

Alvida. Jai Mata Di.