- Rangoli
Click Here For More Rangoli Patterns
Diwali Rangoli | Rngoli Patterns on Diwali
Diwali Recipes
Here are some yummy recipes for savouries to be prepared on Diwali:
BESAN LADDU
Ingredients:
500 gm besan, sifted
500 gm ground sugar
200 gm ghee
1 tsp green cardamom or elaichi , powdered
Preparation :
Heat the ghee until it smokes, then lower the heat. Add the besan and fry on a medium heat until it is of golden colour. Take it off the fire for two or three minutes and add the sugar.
When it is cooled to a comfortable temperature, grease your palms with ghee and form the mixture into balls.
Set aside to cool and harden. Store in air-tight containers.
MALPUA
Ingredients :
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups wheat flour
4 tbsp yogurt or curd
10-15 whole peppercorns
Milk
Water
Preparation :
Make a batter of all of these dry ingredients and the dahi, using 1/2 milk and 1/2 water till it is thick and of pouring consistency, similar to pancake or dosa batter. Whip till smooth. Add the 10 peppercorns. Keep aside and allow it to rise for about two hours.
Heat oil on medium flame. Drop large ladlefuls into the oil to form circles of 6-8 inches. Typically the dough will sink and line the bottom of the karhai and rise up in the shape of a disc. Fry till golden. Drain and pat off the oil. Serve with cream or garnished with pista. Serves five.
Mini Samosa
Here is the recipe of Mini Samosa that can add a salty flavour to your Diwali Sweets.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of all purpose flour (maida)
- 1 cup of vegetable oil
- Salt (depending upon the taste)
- moong daal (soak 6-8 hrs in Plenty of water with baking soda)
- 1 tbs red chili powder
- 1 tbs garam masala
- 1 tbs coriender powder
- 1 tbs salt
- tbs amchur
- 3-4 pinches asafoetida powder
- tbs cumin seeds
- Vegetable oil for frying
Method
- Grind the moong daal with minimum quantity of water.
- Add oil in heavy pan.
- Add cumin seeds, asafoetida powder and daal paste in it.
- Stir it properly. Add salt,garam masala,coriender powder,chili powder and amchur powder.
- Stir it until the mixture dried very well.
Preparation for cover
- Sieve all-purpose flour, add salt.
- Add vegetable oil (so that you can make bowls) and mix it very well.
- Then add small quantity of water and make smooth dough.
- Make small round rolls with dough.
- Roll it like chapatti (chapatti should be around 4-5 inches in diameter).
- Cut it into 2 equal halves along the diameter.
- Put small water along the diameter.
- Join and press together to make a cone.
- Place a tbsp. of filling in the cone and seal third side as above.
- Make five to six. Put in hot oil, deep fry on low to medium till light brown.
- Do not fry on high, or the mini samosas will turn out oily and soggy.
- Drain on rack or kitchen paper
- Serve hot with green chutneys.
Diwali and the five days of celebrations
Diwali is one of the biggest festivals of Hindus, celebrated with great enthusiasm and happiness in India. The festival is celebrated for five continuous days, where the third day is celebrated as the main Diwali festival or ‘Festival of lights’. Diwali is celebrated 20 days after Dussehra, on the 13th day of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashwin (October / November).
The First day of Diwali : Dhanteras
The five day long celebrations kick off with the 1st Day being celebrated as Dhanteras. Dhanteras or Dhantryaodashi, which falls on the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin, is day of shopping for steel utensils and is considered very auspicious.
The Second day of Diwali: Narak Chaturdasi
It is the 14th lunar day (thithi) of the dark fortnight of the month of Kartik and the eve of Diwali. On this day Lord Krishna destroyed the demon Narakasur and made the world free from fear.
The Third day: Diwali – The Festival of Lights
On the dark new moon night, the entrances to all homes are lit up and decorated with rangoli patterns to welcome Lakshmi, the radiant consort of Vishnu and the goddess of wealth and lustre. Also Lakshmi Puja is performed on this day.
Diwali is the last day of financial year in traditional Hindu business and businessmen perform Chopda Pujan on this day on the new books of accounts. Diwali is the festival when the new business year begins.
The fourth day: New Year day or Bestavarsh or Govardhan Puja
The Fourth day is called Padwa or VarshaPratipada that marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya and Vikaram-Samvat was started from this Padwa day.
The day after the Laxmi Puja, people celebrate the coming of the New Year by dressing in new clothes, wearing jewellery and visiting family members.
On this day, Govardhan Puja is also performed. As per Vishnu-Puran, the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in honour of Lord Indra and worshipped him at the end of the monsoon. But Lord Krishna stopped them from offering prayers to Lord Indra, who in anger sent a deluge to submerge Gokul. Then, Krishna saved Gokul by lifting up the Govardhan Mountain and holding it over the people as an umbrella.
Also, this day is observed as Annakoot and prayers are offered in the temples. In Mathura and Nathadwara temples the deities are given milk bath and dressed in shining attires with ornaments.
The Fifth day of Diwali: Bhai Dhooj
The second day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksh) of Kartik is called “Bhaiya-Duj”. It comes once a year – after Diwali. The name itself is an explanation of the festival. Diwali falls on the dark night of Amdvasya or the new moon and Bhaiya Dooj comes just two days after Diwali.
There is an old story which tells us why Bhai Dhuj is celebrated. Yamraj, the Lord of death visited his sister Yami one day. To welcome her brother, Yami put the auspicious tilak on his forehead, they ate, talked and enjoyed together and exchanged gifts as a token of their love for each other. Yamraj was very happy and hence announced that anyone who receives tilak from his sister on this day will never be thrown in hell.
Since then it became imperative for the brother to go to his sister’s house to celebrate Bhaiyaduj. On Bhai Dooj, the teeka is applied on the brother’s forehead. It is a day dedicated to brothers and sisters.
Diwali Significance and Origin
Deepawali symbolizes the victory of truth over evil. Fireworks are one of the things always associated with this festival, which kids and adults both, can’t do without! On this auspicious day, people light up diyas and candles all around their house. They perform Laxmi Puja in the evening and seek divine blessings of Goddess of Wealth. The festival of Diwali is never complete without exchange of gifts. People present Deepawali gifts to all near and dear ones. Generally Goddess Laxmi and Lord Ganesh are gifted on the occasion as Goddess Laxmi is known as the Goddess of Wealth and the puja is performed to appease her and to seek her blessings throughout the year.
According to Hindu Mythology, Lord Rama was a great warrior King who was exiled by his father Dashratha, the King of Ayodhya, along with his wife Sita and his younger brother Lakshman, on his wife’s insistence. Lord Rama returned to Ayodhaya after 14 years of exile after killing demon King Ravana of Lanka, who was a great Pundit, highly learned, but still evil dominated his mind. On this auspicious occasion to honour Lord Rama’s victory over Ravana, the people of Ayodhya, welcomed King Ram, Laxman and Sita by lighting rows (avali) of clay lamps (dĭpa). Since then, this day is came to be known as “Deepawali”. Over the years, this word transformed into Diwali in Hindi and Deepawali in Nepali, but still retained its original form in South and East Indian Languages.
CBSE conducts National Informatic Olympiad 2009-10
The CBSE will be conducting the National Informatic Olympiad in cooperation with IARCS (Indian Association for Research in Computing Science), Mumbai across the country and abroad. All students studying in class VIII to XII can participate in the competition.
The examination will consist of 2 stages.
STAGE 1:
The first stage examination consisting of the Zonal Informatics Olympiad will be held on 28-11- 2009 between 10.00 am – 1.00 pm. The examination will be a written examination to test their aptitude, their logical competence, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking.
STAGE 2:
The candidates who qualify in the first stage examination will appear in the second stage examinations to be held on January 24, 2010 which will be based on programming skills.
Selected candidates will be called for intensive training for the final round of selection for the International Olympiad 2009-10.
For More information please check out this link
http://www.cbse.nic.in/circulars/cir20-2009_leaflet.pdf
http://www.iarcs.org.in/inoi/
Karnataka ITI Results
ITI Results have been announced. The results can be checked from the official site of the Karnataka Government:
Provisional Results of All India Trade Test July 2009 can be checked at the below site:
http://indiabuzz.ne8.in/browser.php?turl=http%3A%2F%2Fstg1.kar.nic.in%2Ftcts%2F&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Findiabuzz.ne8.in
To view the results of ITI-ATS May 2009, click the following link:
http://164.100.80.122/atsmay09/
The results can be checked via your roll number. So keep your roll number handy in case you are logging in to the site. Best of Luck to all the students!!
University of Madras Examination Results
University of Madras Examination Results 2009
The University of Madras has declared the results for the year 2009 for different courses. For the University of Madras Results 2009, click the below link:
http://chennaionline.com/results/madrasuniversity/index.aspx
http://www.unom.ac.in/result.php
Best of Luck to all the aspiring students!!
Stratford University Opens Up in India
There is good news for all – Stratford University will establish one campus and two learning sites in India. On Oct 1, Stratford University and K. K. Modi Group signed a joint venture agreement on the university’s main campus in Falls Church, Virginia. The opening of the Stratford University will offer Indian students the opportunity to get quality American education with their local price. While it takes roughly $20,000 to finish a Master’s degree on Stratford’s campus in the U.S., it would take only one-fifth that amount for a student studying in India.
The university offers undergraduate and graduate programs in high demand fields such as IT, hospitality, business administration and culinary arts. It aims to attract both domestic and international students. K. K. Modi, the chairman of K. K. Modi Investment and Financial Services, hopes to create an education system that will benefit India. At par with Harvard University, Stratford University studies the needs of the industry and the needs of customers and tailors their program according to them, so that a student comes out of with an ability to perform well. Around 700-800 students are expected to enroll on the New Delhi campus in the first year and 10,000 students at the end of five years.
CBSE holds first teachers training workshop on Grade System
CBSE holds first teachers training workshop on Grade System
Recently Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) put together a training workshop for putting in place the system of continuous and comprehensive evaluation (CCE) at the Laxman Public School in Hauz Khas. Around 100 teachers & principals of CBSE schools attended the workshop from across the country. The workshop was first of its kind and the teachers were given training on how to evaluate students under the new system that will replace marks with grades and carry out formative and summative assessments.
These master teachers will in turn train and prepare other teachers for CCE in their respective states. The training programme is based on the cascade model wherein teachers of all CBSE schools will get training by 31st December 2009. Also, apartfrom this, CBSE is organizing special training programmes for teachers of government schools, Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti. According to CBSE, the new system is being implemented after consultation with eminent educationists and experts from IITs, IIMs, NCERT and Indian Statistical Institute.
Aiming to reduce exam-related stress among students, CBSE will now focus on broad-based learning as well as behavioral skills of students. The scholastic performance of students will be assessed by two formative (diagnostic and remedial assessment done by the teacher throughout the year formally and informally) and one summative (end of the year exam) assessments in each of the two terms. While the formative assessment will be done through class work, homework, oral questions, quizzes, projects, assignments and tests summative assessment will be made through a written exam. This will definitely put less stress on the students now. Under this new system, no child can be declared failed or get a compartment now.
Spanking Lowers Kids IQ
Scientists world over have concluded now, that spanking a kid in his preschool years, lowers the child’s IQ. Researchers from the University of New Hampshire have found that kids who have been spanked have lower IQs by 2.8 points to 5 points. World over, spanking has been adopted by most parents as an effective measure to discipline their kids and to make them obey. And the practice is so common, that parents don’t even see anything wrong in it. But now this research will definitely change the mindset of most parents around the globe.
Researchers have concluded that more the spanking, slower the development of the mental ability. Even small amounts of spanking make a difference on the child’s emotional well being. The stress caused in a young ones mind creates post-traumatic stress symptoms, which is linked to lower IQ. Scientists concluded that spanking is among the many factors that influence a child’s IQ, adding that the traumatic experience causes kids to have more stressful responses in difficult situations and not to perform well cognitively.
This is the reason that most schools these days have adopted an anti-spanking stance and abide by these norms in the strictest of manners. Teachers are given special training as to how to handle a kid under tiring circumstances. Parents are also gradually adopting this as a more effective measure now. Shemrock Schools suggest many techniques as an alternative to spanking, when they do something wrong. Could visit the below link for further information on how to handle unacceptable behavior in kids.
http://www.shemrock.com/handle-unacceptable-behavior.htm
.button1 {background-color: orange;border-radius: 2px;box-shadow: 0 8px 16px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.2), 0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.19);color: #ffffff;font-size: 17px;text-align: center;padding: 12px;font-weight: bold;}
a:hover {
text-decoration: none;
}
a{
text-decoration: none;
}
