Yubee-Lakpee literally means ‘coconut-snatching’, which is a high-energy Manipuri game. In Manipur, able-bodied young men clutch a large coconut, its husk oiled thoroughly, and dodge other players to reach the goal. Yubee-Lakpee is almost like rugby in its roughness but definitely more difficult. Even the bodies of the players are greased! Each team has seven […]
By Jayshree Misra Tripathi In the month of Karthika of the Hindu Lunar Calendar, that falls mid-October to mid-November, the night of the full moon is called Karthika Purnima. A festival is celebrated in Odisha to honour ancient mariners and traders, called Sadhabas. On this night, they would set sail for the distant shores of […]
India is full of unique festivals and celebrations, which differ from region to region. One such interesting and important festival is Dree, which is celebrated in the months of June and July in Arunachal Pradesh. This is an agricultural festival, aimed at pleasing the gods and praying for a bountiful harvest. According to the legend, […]
In the month of Chaitra, falling between March and April, parts of North and Central India celebrate the festival of Gangaur. The word Gangaur comes from ‘gana’ referring to Shiva and ‘gaur’ which refers to Gauri, another name for Parvati. This festival is dedicated to Parvati, the goddess of marriage and fertility, and is celebrated […]
Every year, in the month of November, people celebrate Amla Navami, a day dedicated to the worship of Amla or the Gooseberry tree. Also known as Akshaya Navami, this festival falls in the month of Kartik, as per the Hindu calendar. According the various legends in the Skanda Purana, Padma Purana and Vishnu Purana, the […]
By Zaara D’Souza Arati Saha was a swimming legend, who created history when she became the first Asian woman to swim across the English Channel, at the young age of 19. Read on to know more about her life. Childhood Arati Saha was born in 1940 in Kolkata, West Bengal to a middle class family. […]
By Shakthi Bharathi and Himasweeta Sarma According to Ayurveda, there are six tastes known as the ‘rasas’. Each rasa plays its own role in boosting health and influencing the taster’s mood. Thus, the perfect meal has to contain all six rasas: salty, sweet, pungent, sour, bitter, and astringent. Astringents, the last of these, are peculiar. […]
He was from a respectable family, well-educated and a lawyer, yet many Indians thought of him as ‘untouchable’. It was up to BR Ambedkar to teach his ‘depressed’ community to fight the injustices that it faced each day. Hard working and wise, he became the icon of the underprivileged. History, however, will remember him as the architect of India’s Constitution.