A British portrait artist during July 2017 while staying at 365 Haridwar , the international artist residency programme at AZIMVTH Ashram, on the banks of Ganges and foothills of Himalayas, India made and gifted the following portrait. Frederic Shoberl, another British writer and illustrator, had the following illustration of Kanwar pilgrimage in his book titled … Continue reading A River on Shoulders: Circa 1823, 1858, and 2017 AD in Haridwar
“It is at this point of emergence from the hills that persons journeying from a great distance are anxious to fill their jars with water, that their homes may be hallowed by a portion of the sacred element. Rich and pious Hindoos, who inhabit the provinces remote from this spot, spend large sums of money … Continue reading The Art in Kanwar – 1858 and 2017, Stanford University
Impairment in the human ability isn’t and shouldn’t be a limitation to creativity. On the contrary, the Savant syndrome may actually augment talents. The first Braille press of India has been operational about 30 km from the AZIMVTH Ashram. Himalayas are the highest mountains of the world. And the Ashram is in its foothills about … Continue reading Decemberists!: Margharita, With A Straw
Saint Namdev (1270 AD) made devotional compositions on Lord Vishnu. His creations are also included in the Guru Granth Sahib, the bible for the Sikh. Saint Namdev has a big following in Maharshtra state of which Mumbai is the capital. Hundreds of members of the community of traditional weavers and block-printers from all over India … Continue reading Wahe Movember!: Scribe’s Block Impressions
The United Nations has the most number of observations in the 2nd half of its calendar in the month of October. The Hindi / Sanskrit term for the Milky Way galaxy (pictured above) is Akash Ganga or the Celestial Ganges alluding to the story of the heavenly Ganges landing on Earth near Haridwar. The prefix … Continue reading Celebrations +++: Oktoberfest: Aachman of Celestial Ganges
Shraadh is the annual fortnight during which ceremonies are held for the souls of the deceased/ ancestors on the relevant days. Naarayani Shila is a unique place in India for that. During Shraadh 2015, a Hollywood family visited to perform ceremonies for their departed son. The geneology records of families of north India are maintained … Continue reading Death Enables Birth : The Drama of Earth
India has 22 recognised languages. And 36 states and union territories. It is only the state of Uttarakhand (in which AZIMVTH Ashram is situated) whose official language is Sanskrit, the mother of all Indian languages. Only Hindi language is written in the same script as Sanskrit. Like AZIMVTH, an old Hindi society is part of … Continue reading Sanskrit & Babylon: Inspirations from languages, art, culture
10 million+ participate in this annual pilgrimage that happens only in Haridwar India. Devotees from across central and northern India begin their journeys the day after sighting of the full moon (09 July) of Saawan, the 5th month of the Indian calendar. Arriving at the banks of holy Ganga (Ganges) river in Haridwar, they pray, … Continue reading A River on Shoulders: Kanwar Pilgrimage
