Dasara Celebrations

In India we are celebrating the festival of Dasara or Dashera for the past nine days. Today is the tenth and final day known as Vijaya Dasami.
It is also known as Navaratri/Navaratra meaning nine divine nights. Actually this festival is celebrated for ten days. The important days are Panchami(5th day), Sashti(6th day), Saptami(7th day), Ashtami(8th day, Navami(9th day) and Dasami(10th day). Those who cannot celebrate or pray from the first day can at least do so the last three days. The tenth day is also known as Vijaya(winning or triumph) Dasami(tenth day) celebrating destruction of  the Demon Mahishasura by Goddess Durga. That is why she is also know as Mahishasura Mardhini (killer/destroyer). It is celebrated as triumph of good over bad or evil.

In Hinduism,women have been given importance in the religion and society. They are worshiped as Shakthi or power. There are different forms of power like physical mental, emotional,spiritual,financial and so on. No man can function properly with out these.

The Maha Maya ( great illusion) covers our faculties in this world, so that we cannot learn the eternal truth or the secret of this entire creation, unless we follow one of the paths to seek the truth. Maha Maya is also known as Maha Devi (great Goddess) also known as Mata Rani (the divine Mother) or Maha Shakthi (great energy/power). She is considered to be the creator of the Holy Trinity of Bramha (creator), Vishnu (preserver) and Shiva (destroyer) to create, perpetuate and ultimately destroy the universe or creations. That is why She is also known as Mother of Mothers too.

She herself manifested into three forms; as Goddess Saraswathi (personification of knowledge or wisdom) as the consort of Bramha, Goddess Lakshmi (personification of wealth)as consort of Vishnu and Goddess Shakthi (personification of power or energy) as consort of Shiva. Without their consorts the Holy Trinity cannot function at all.

This is but an indication that for a man to function properly and live happily in this society or world, we women are essential.

During this festival Maha Maya or Maha Shakthi is worshiped in nine different forms known as Nava (nine) Durga; some of them are Saraswathi-goddess of knowledge/wisdom, Lakshmi-goddess of wealth, Maha Kali-the goddess of time or change or destroyer and Maha Durga-the invincible.


The inference drawn here is that women, who are known for their gentle nature, love, compassion, beauty, and who as daughters, sisters, wives and mothers make this world a beautiful place and are the reason for very existence of this world, when needed can and do have the strength and will power to turn into Kali and destroy the evils or obstacles. One should not think that women are weak and helpless. Don't you all agree with me. Its a proven fact. How many times we women have boldly faced so many difficult situations in our lives and helped our men folk out to weather the storms? We are much stronger emotionally though may not be much physically.

This festival has its legend linked to both the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Ramayana

It is widely believed in North India, that as per the Ramayana, Lord Rama  fought with Ravana who abducted his consort Sita, and killed him. After this he returns back to his kingdom of Ayodhya along with his wife Sita and this is celebrated as Vijaya Dasami or Dashera-the tenth day. That is why Ram Leela or the story of Rama is dramatised and presented on the nine days in almost most of the cities, towns and even some villages of North India. On the tenth day his victory is celebrated by burning huge effigies of Ravana and his brother Kumbhakarna. There are also display of various local bands and fire works.

Mahabharata

As per Mahabharata, we believe that the great archer Arjuna (one of the Five Pandavas) removed his weapons from  the Jammi (Acasia?) tree on which he hid it when the Pandavas went into Agyatha Vasam (incognito) for an year. He fought against the evil Kauravas and won the battle.The story is given here.

http://archives.chennaionline.com/festivalsnreligion/Articles/epicstory23.asp

That is why the Jammi tree is worshiped and also all our tools which help us out in our daily life are cleaned and worshiped. It may include, pens, arms, weapons, ploughs, various machinery which help us in our daily life. So today being the Vijaya Dashami, we also cleaned all our tools and machinery-like fans, food processors, tool kit, my sewing machine and other such things.

All these nine days, all over India, one can see people, cleaning their houses, decorating, weeding out old things, worshiping Mother Goddess, making and offering various delicacies along with fruits and  flowers, meeting friends and relatives, visiting temples.Buying new things like clothes, utensils, gold, jewelry vehicles stc is considered auspicious till the festival of Diwali, which follows next. In general we have fun.

Due to the threat of Swine flu and other such diseases, this year most of us opted to stay put in our homes. I am sorry I could not get you any pictures of celebrations. Moreover, this year my family had a very low key celebrations as we lost some dear ones.Here are some of the pictures of the Goddess:

This the Bronze idol of Maha Kali. See how ferocious she is, wearing, garland of skulls, holding many weapons and with Lord Shiva under her feet.Though she is so ferocious, for her children       (her devotees) she is always the kind mother. She only manifested herself in this form to weed out the evil and help her children lead a happy life.

This is a poster of Kali.

This is the Goddess Durga also known as Mahishasura Mardhini and all her nine forms around her.

She is called Simha(lion) Vahini(rider).

She also rides Tiger.

In Bengal:

This the most important festival and  one can see the statues made of Goddess using different materials is placed in beautifully decorated stalls or pandals and worshiped. On the tenth day the Goddess is immersed in the available water bodies after a warm farewell. Go through this site they have got some beautiful pictures. I loved the Goddess made of sea shells. It is so very beautiful. My hats off to its creator.

http://durgawalls.com

http://durgawalls.com/2009/09/13/durga-puja-pandals-2/ 

In Gujarath:

The Goddess is worshiped here too, but the specialty is that the girls and women perform a traditional form of dance known as Garba. This is performed during the ceremony singing songs in praise of the goddess. After  the worshiping, men and women  perform a special traditional dance with sticks in their hands known as the Dandiya Raas. This is more of enjoyment and merry making kind of a dance. The beat of the drums, traditional songs, the traditional heavily embroidered ( with coloured threads and mirrors) costumes of the men and women make this dance one of the most beautiful one to watch.

http://www.hindu-blog.com/2008/09/navratras-navratri-in-gujarat.html

In Mysore:

Here the King in all his finery calls his Darbar and worships the local diety Goddess Chamundi.There is huge procession of the Goddess. You can read the details here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysore_Dasara

http://www.mysore.org.uk/mysore-dasara.html

Today is also the Birth day of great Guru Shri Shirdi Sai Baba. We offer special prayers. I am giving the link here. Please look at the temple and his statue. Here his mortal remains have been placed in a tomb.

http://www.shirdi-sai-baba.com/shirdi-sai-baba-temple-view/Sai-Baba-Samadhi-Mandir-view1.html

Wishing all a very Happy Dasara. May Maa Durga bless us all with health,  wealth, prosperity, happiness and peace...

My Garden

One of my passions is gardening. I love to grow a variety of plants and trees and keep on collecting some rare ones. But alas the size of my garden is small and does not allow many plants let alone trees. So I am into container gardening. Bonsai is one art which lets me to grow many a tree in its miniature form.


I have a mango tree, two pomegranate, one custard apple trees. I have five colours of Hibiscus, five varieties of Jasmine, three varieties of Sampenga or Magnolia, some roses, Chrysanthemums, Crossandra, and other croutons, ferns etc.


Apart from them I am growing pomegranate, wood apple, tamarind, gooseberry, candle fruit, citrus trees for Bonsai. I also have some bougainvilleas shaping up in growth pots. I need to straighten up my garden now as its all in shambles. Once that is done I will be posting more photographs.





These are the Sampenga (in Telugu) and Champka (in Sanskrit and Hindi) flowers. I have white green and golden yellow colours. The fragrance of these flowers is very beautiful and is different in all three varieties.





This one is my Jade Bonsai. Considered to be very auspicious by the Chinese and very easy to grow and maintain by novices. This was my second Bonsai as a beginner.








Here I have decorated the Bonsai with some ceramic huts and cattle. Doesn't it look like a Banyan tree and a typical scene from an Indian Village?





This is the red Hibiscus and used for worshiping our deities. I also have other colours like yellow, white and pink.





Here is Lord Ganesha or Elephant God just kept in the corner of my garden.





These are all Adeniums. They are very easy to grow and no maintenance. Another dream of a tree for novices.

Hope you have enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed in nurturing them and sharing them with you. I just love to potter around my garden early in the morning, talking and singing to my plants. Some times it takes a little bit of scolding them to flower or fruit. Whether you believe me or not, the Magnolia took a long time to flower after planting in my garden despite of my best efforts. Then One day I scolded it saying that I did my best for her and still it did not flower. Lo within a week I saw the young buds.


I am thinking of starting another blog with tips on Bonsais. Let me see, I don't have much time on my hands but then many of my friends are requesting me for tips on bonsais.

Tirupathi

Hi! I just wanted to share some of my moments when I recently visited the temple of Lord Venkateshwara in Tirupathi.

ABOUT THE TEMPLE

Tirupathi is the most famous temple town situated in Chittoor District in the State of Andhra Pradesh. The main deity here is Lord Venkateswara.

The chain of Seven Hills known as Saptha(seven) Giris(hills) consisits of Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudari, Anjanadri, Vrishbhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri. These are together known as Tirumala. The Lords temple is on the seventh hill-Venkatadri or Venkatachalam at an altitude of 840m (2,800 ft). That is why HE is also know as Venkatachalapathi, Edukonadalawada and Saptha Girishwara-meaning Lord of Seven Hills.

It is believed in Hindu Mythology that Lord Vishnu one of the Holy Trinities of- Brahma(The Creator), Vishnu( The Preserver ) and Shiva ( The Destroyer), has come down to earth in person (later turned into a stone or statue) to reside at this place for the entire period known as Kali Yuga. So by visiting HIM in the temple is visiting Lord Vishnu himself.

The exact origin or beginnings of the temple is not known. Some point out that this temple was referred to in the ancient Rigveda. It is a fact that by 5th century AD it was a well established center. But during the rule of the Vijayanagara Emperors this temple was improved and the rulers donated lots of gold, jewels lands and huge donations especially by the famous Emperor Sri Krishnadevaraya.

The temple itself was renovated and constructed by the Vijayanagara Rulers. Many other rulers like the Marathas and from Mysore and Gadwal also made donations and other offerings to the temple.

In 1843, with the coming of the East India Company, the administration of the Sri Venkateswara temple and a number of shrines was entrusted to Seva Dassji of the Hathiramji Mutt at Tirumala as Vicaranakarta for nearly a century until 1932, when Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams (TTD) as per the TTDAct 1932 was established.

The temple is the richest and the most visited place of worship in the world. The temple is visited by large number of piligrims.

OFFERINGS

One of the peculiar offerings made here to Lord by the devotees is offering their hair by tonsuring their heads. Especially in Hindus the tonsuring of hair of a male( even female) child within one year or in the third year is an important ceremony. Its considered as auspicious to get the first tonsure done here. Its a tradition observed in most South Indian families.Till then the hair of the child is not removed at all.

Many devotees have their head tonsured as an offer. When one is in difficulties or desires something, they promise the Lord that on fulfillment of their desires they will offer their hair to Him.The daily amount of hair collected is over a ton. The hair thus gathered is sold in public auction periodically to national and international buyers for use in wigs and other such cosmetic purposes, bringing over six million dollars to the temple's treasury.

Apart from this, devotees offer cash, gold, silver, jewels, gems according to their wishes.They put this into a box known as Hundi .The average income is around Rs 10 lakh per day and annual income is considered to be around 125 million dollars. Koluvu Srinivasa is brought daily in the morning and seated on a silver chair. He is the guardian Deity who is believed to supervise the temple affairs. The calendar of the day (Panchangam) and the accounts of the temple are read to him every day.

Pilgrims can also participate in various paid Sevas (various types of prayers or ritualsor offerings). All this money earned from the temple is used for supporting, various social, religious and charitable institutions across the country including University for Women, educational institutions, hospitals, institutions offering religious studies and upkeep of various ancient temples across India.

Since it is second only to Vatican in its earnings, the temple is also known as "Vatican of the East".

PRASADAM

Laddu Prasadam -that is a sweet dish offered to the Lord here is world famous Many other Prasadams are like Dhadhojanam (curd rice), Pulihora (tamarind rice), Vada, Pongali and Chakkera pongali(sweet) are also offered and are available to the devotees. Free meals are provided daily to the pilgrims.

One can either reach the temple at Tirumala by walk from Tirupathi or by cars or buses. However, I love to go by walk, along with friends and family. Its a route of 16Km and has 4000 steps, surrounded by beautiful jungles. Most of the route is covered by overhead shelters protecting the pilgrims from sun and rain. It takes around two to four hours to climb the hills. En route there are stalls offering refreshments. Its advisable to start early in the morning say 4 am to avoid the heat. Its an experience to go by this route by foot surrounded by the nature and chanting the name of the Lord. We come across people from various walks of lives. Newly married couples often visit this shrine in their wedding costumes. Many marriages are also held here in the premises of the Lord and it is considered to be auspicious to do so.

Groups of families, friends, youngsters, children, senior citizens from various cultures, speaking different languages can be found happily climbing the path. The most striking aspect I find is the rural folk with immense belief in the Lord, who come here in huge groups from all over India and climb the path singing and chanting in praise of the Lord.

This time though we went by car since my mom cannot walk all the way.

This is at the base of the seven hills in Tirupathi, from where we start our ascent to Tirumala by vehicles, after checking of our vehicles. Such beautiful and majestic mountains of the Lord. This is the route taken by the vehicles. there is a separate route for those who go by foot.

This is en route; a view of the mountains before us.

Both the routes up and down are with hair pin bends and with many curves. One may feel nauseous while climbing up or coming down so may have to go very slowly sometimes stopping in between. But the views from there are breath taking.

This is the building where the name of the Lord is chanted continuously. We had to stop here while my brother was getting his head tonsured as an offering to the Lord.Besides this is the place where free meals is served to the pilgrims.

Wind mills on the mountains. Harvesting the wind power.



On the way to the Lords Temple. These are shopping complexes, where one can buy bangles, vermilion, turmeric, statues and photos of various deities and various items made of copper and brass used in our daily rituals by Hindus, like oil lamps, bells etc, toys and dolls for children both traditional and modern, utensils used in a kitchen and many more. These are a regular feature near every temple in India.

There is a tank next to the temple called Swami Pushkarini.

The Vimana (dome), known as Ananda Nilayam (Abode of happiness), is above the Deity's main room. It is covered in solid gold. The Dwajasthamba (flag-pole ) is gold-plated, and the gates that guard the inner sanctum are also covered with gold. The entire visit inside the temple creates an awesome feeling as it is gold plated with intricate carvings. reflecting the lights from the crystal chandeliers. The pilgrims who reach inside forget everything and chant Lords names- Govinda, Govinda. They are just eager to have a glimpse of the Lord.

This is Lord Vekateshwara or Balaji

It is believed that Lord Venkateswara, is a Swayambhu (self-manifested), 2m (around 6 ft) high Deity made of a jet-black stone and is in a standing pose, standing on a lotus. His two upper arms hold a conch-shell (Shankha) and disk (Chakra). 

If you notice, palm of his lower right hand is turned outward which is known as varada hastha -offering blessings, or assuring all beings that the Lord is there to protect us . Whereas his lower left hand is turned inward which is known as katyavalambita hastha, meaning Lord knows everything, he is aware of everything, nothing takes place without his knowledge or it denotes Gyana or wisdom. 

The Lord's eyes are covered by a large Tilkam in the shape of "U" which is made of camphor. It is believed that Lord Venkateswara's lotus-like eyes are so beautiful that if they remained open and uncovered, the pilgrims who visit him may become enchanted by them and may not want to leave. It is also said that his eyes are covered because His gaze would scorch the entire world.

The Goddess Sri or Lakshmi-the Goddess of wealth and prosperity ,who is Vishnu's consort, resides on the chest of Lord Venkateswara, and that is why he is also known Srinivasa (the one in whom Sri resides). On the other chest Goddess Padmavathy ( believed to be Mother Earth) resides. He is considered as the Kali Yuga Varada, that is Lord of Kali Yuga (the fourth and final age of the Hindu cycle of ages or calender) who grants boons.

He is adorned with various jewels which consist of highly precious gem stones like Sapphires, Emeralds, Pearls, Corals, Diamonds and many others apart from gold and silver etc. His crown is very magnificent and considered to be the only costliest ornament in the world.

Lord Balaji and HIS consort Goddess Alamelu Manga.

Akasa Ganga - sacred waterfall, is five km to the south of the temple. Water is brought from here to the temple for Lord's Abhishekam (a ritual bath). There are also other areas to visit like the Tapovanam-where saints meditated, Srivari Padukalu-the feet of the Lord when he first placed his feet on the mountains, and geological wonders of the stone arch way etc.

All in all its a pleasant and spiritual experience which can only be felt and cannot be explained. When we have the glimpse of the Lord just for a few minutes, we feel all the peace and happiness in the world.

Tomato Rose

I love to learn new things, create new things using different media. This gives me a high. I keep on experimenting and flashes of creative thoughts strike me at odd moments. But I note them down and try them out, improvising and innovating. I have learnt many of the arts and crafts on my own, by reading and experimenting a lot.

I am fascinated by colours. That's why I enjoy going around a vegetable market, or flower and fruit market as equally enthusiastic as I wander around a fabric shop.

I love vegetable carving. I keep trying those little things for garnishing the delicacies I experiment; one of passions being cooking. It requires a lot of patience, an eye for detail and creativity. One can do wonders with all those vegetables and fruits, be it tomatoes, carrots, brinjals...the list is endless. One needs very sharp knives of different varieties. I for one use the kitchen knifes I have for the time being as I am still a beginner.

Today I am going to share with you the art of making a tomato rose. All we need is a firm tomato and a sharp knife with a pointed edge or a peeler and a few sprigs of coriander or mint leaves. I have used curry leaves . The colour of the tomato can be red or orange or even an yellow one. The red ones are the ripe ones and being soft, its a bit difficult to peel the skin.

Step I: Wash and wipe the tomato. With the knife put a small cut on the bottom of the tomato. The cut is only for peeling the skin and should not be very deep. Now with the knife or peeler start peeling from the cut. Peel the skin carefully, taking care to keep it as thin as possible, and with out a break as much as you can . But don't worry even if the peel gets cut in between. That can also be used.

Step II: Here I have peeled only three-fourths of the tomato and used it.

Step III: I could not cut longer peel at first. I had cut two small pieces before I got the hang of it and could make a longer one. So I used the first two small ones as base petals. Once you have the required length of peel curl into into a roll and place it on the sprig of leaves or just three leaves of mint or parsley.

I have used the rose to garnish my Biryani. You can use them to garnish or just keep it in a small plate on the dining table. You can make as many as you wish.

Now wasn't that easy? I hope my instructions and pictures were clear and you were able to follow. If not please let me know.So why don't you try and let me know? Your comments and suggestions are always welcome and boost my enthusiasm. I am going to share with you some more veg carvings shortly. So follow my blog.

Crochet

I have lost my maternal Grannie recently. She was quite a lady. She married my Grandpa when she was just seven years old. She had to care for a huge joint family of In-laws, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins and other relatives of my Grandpa. Apart from this friends and other distant relatives used to drop by regularly

My Grandpa's family were and are still highly regarded in the literary and musical circles in this part. He had a good knowledge of Carnatic and Hindustani Music. So when ever there were any concert in the town, the music stalwarts,used to stay in their home. It was a huge palatial home with a big garden. My mother, my aunts and uncles are all well trained in Carnatic or Hindustani music, either vocal or instrumental.

Any way my Grannie had a lot to do day and night. But in spite of that she learnt music, both singing and playing Veena all through raising the family of seven children. She wrote many songs on her own and composed them. She also collected and learned many traditional and folk songs from Sadhus, beggars and Musicians. She also passed BA in those days and was very good in English. Till she died she used to very proudly recall her student days in Girls school run by Christian missionaries. There she learned sewing, embroidery, crochet and many other such handicrafts. She was a very great cook and made the finest of delicacies, snacks, pickles, be it for one or hundred. She was also very well versed in Ayurveda and knew how to make many of the medicines.

Her enthusiasm for learning something new all the time, interacting with people from various regions, cultures and back grounds, learning about their culture, their cuisines, customs, traditions, art and crafts was boundless. This was what she taught me as a child.

Even when she was in bed, whenever someone used to visit her irrespective of the age of the visitor, she used to interact with them, knowing about latest fashions in clothes, jewelery, politics, movie stars, recipes...she was very lively and enthusiastic.
Any way coming to the point, when I was spring cleaning some old trunks, I landed upon some Crochet items she made. They are nearly 50 years old. Can they be called antique?Alas they have that yellowish tinge now and also have some rust marks. I could not remove them despite the best of my efforts or whiten them.

She had made lots of table covers, tray covers, bags, torans (used for decorating door ways), door curtains and many more. Her door curtains I remember were very beautiful. My mom also used to make many items. But again the door curtains were the in thing in those days. They used to depict mythological figures of Rama, Hanuman carrying the Sanjeevani mountain, Radha Krishna, Goddess Lakshmi standing/sitting in lotus, Goddess Saraswathi, floral motives like roses, lotuses, etc, birds like peacocks, swans, parrots and many other motives like deers, elephants etc. Alas I have only very few of my Gran's articles with me now.

I want to share some of the crochet my Grannie, my mom and my sis have made. I am trying to unearth more of my Gran's and mom's creations. Let me try my luck.

This is a circular tray cover. Such covers are used to cover trays when sweets, snacks or condiments are sent to our neighbors, relatives or friends kept in circular silver trays.

The center part of the cover.

This is the design on the edge.

Another circular tray cover

My Grannie used to put her initials in all her creations.

These are collar for blouses-unfinished

This is a square shaped table/tray cover made by Grannie.

See my Grannie's initials. BSM.

Meant to be bag for carrying lunch to school by kids; made by my Grannie.

Another one, note the design. But such an ugly spot. I could not remove it. Any suggestions for removing the ugly spot? Please let me know. I would be very grateful.

Other side of the bag.

Another piece of circular cover.

This is the cover for feeding bottle made by my Grannie or my mom. Later on it was used to carry flask. This looks a bit freash since I washed it with some stain remover hot water.

The Toran or curtain for door ways.
This is yet again a circular tray cover. but made by my sister.

Center of the cover.

This one is made by my sister, with scraps of wool. She is much more proficient in crochet than me. I somehow don't have much interest in this art, though I can create some pieces myself.

This one is again made by my sis. But this is the one which made by using the nails on a frame and knotting the yarn. I don't know what this art is called. Can any one please tell me?

Hope you have enjoyed this. Please do let me know. Your comments and suggestions are welcome and I would be very much interested in knowing please.

Strength of a Man and Beauty of a Woman

I read this somewhere I dont remember but I loved it. So thought I would share it with you too

Strength of a Man

The strength of a man isn't seen in the width of his shoulders.
It is seen in the width of his arms that encircle you.
The strength of a man isn't in the deep tone of his voice.
It is in the gentle words he whispers.
The strength of a man isn't how many buddies he has.
It is how good a buddy he is with his kids.
The strength of a man isn't in how respected he is at work.
It is in how respected he is at home.
The strength of a man isn't in how hard he hits..
It is in how tender he touches.
The strength of a man isn't how many women he's Loved by.
It is in can he be true to one woman.
The strength of a man isn't in the weight he can lift.
It is in the burdens he can understand and overcome.

Beauty of a Woman

The beauty of a woman
Is not in the clothes she wears,
The figure she carries,
Or the way she combs her hair.
The beauty of a woman
Must be seen from her eyes,
Because that is the doorway to her heart,
The place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman
Is not in a facial mole,
But true beauty in a woman
Is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives,
The passion that she shows,
The beauty of a woman
With passing years-only grows.

Lucky is the man who is the first love of a woman,
but luckier is the woman who is the last love of a man

I am back

Hi Friends..

I am back after a long time. This looks like a kind of hide and seek with me. Isn't it? LOL!. Sorry but cant help it. I have been very busy with my work, touring from one place to another and not having much time to be at home. My house in chaos, with me neglecting it for the past three and half months or so.

Added to that we are having some repair work going on. The workers have turned my little garden upside down. All my potted plants have been just piled in various corners. Some of my plants have been uprooted and dumped in some bucket or a can waiting to be replanted. My entire garden and my pots are covered with the rough soil.

Just a few months back I had the top soil removed and red soil put in its place along with manure. My plants were just beginning to gain the strength after a long and tough summer we had. Though rains in this monsoon season were not as plenty as it should be, the few spells have revived my plants. Roses, Hibiscus, various varieties of Jasmines were blooming. I had even bought some plants-like Wood Apple, Gooseberry, Pines and Junipers for training them into Bonsais. But could not pot them.

Now I need to clean my garden off all the cement, stones and rough soil, get the top soil changed and add manure apart from cleaning all my potted plants and Bonsais. Its going to be quiet a back breaking work reconstructing my garden from the beginning. I just hope none my plants die. That's so unbearable. Some of them are quite old ones.

I think it may take me at least a month or two of regular work to set my garden right. But with the festivals of Dushera and Diwali coming along I doubt how much work can be put in.

Oh by the way, some my friends wanted me to post on some Indian embroidery techniques. It was long overdue. I promised them I would do some posts but could not keep my promise due to my hectic work schedule. Now I would like to.....

Since I am back- hope with a vengeance, thinking of posting regularly, I have unearthed all my unfinished hobby projects-needle works, quilts (traditional Indian type), painting projects, crafts and many more. I just want to finish them one by one and share them with you all as I finish them.

Oh I am also involved in making some squares for a quilt, which is for charity. I am new to this form of quilting. So I am so excited. Though I am only required to do the top square by 31st October. Thank you Joan for giving this opportunity to us.

I am also involved in one of the Fall challenges- hand embroidery. I would like to thank Melissa for giving this opportunity. Without such challenges people like me who want to pursue their hobbies but unable to do so due to various reasons cant do much. Such challenges provide an opportunity, motivating us not only to complete the project(LOL) but also to do our best, in the process learning from other members of the group who are all very well talented.

I am eagerly awaiting the entries by other participants to see and learn from their creativity.

So friends just watch out my blog for various techniques, crafts and tutorials in the coming fortnight or so.