Namaskar World!

Let us enjoy the glorious spring season (albeit a brief one) which is now in full swing, a delightful phase before the hot weather, lasting nearly six months, sets in…

This year too, the month of March is virtually crammed with a lot of festivities. The list starts off with Mahashivaratri which falls on 6th March. The latter part of this month will witness many festivals overlapping each other. On March 20^th Muslims celebrate Eid-e-Milad-ul-Nabi / Mouloud(Birth of Prophet Mohammed) which happens to be a rather low-key affair and marked by solemnity and prayers. The very next day, on 21^st March, the Parsi community will usher in their New Year with Navruz (a.k.a Nowrooz).Almost at the same time, the diminutive Indian Jewish community will observe the festival of Purim, from 20^th to 22^nd.of March. The same day, 22^nd of March is Holi, the riotous spring festival played with colours. This festival is eagerly looked forward to, by the old and the young alike.

Did you know that the full moon on Holi (Phalgun Purnima=full moon of the month of Phalguna of the Hindu calendar) happens to be one of the loveliest full moons in a year? The evening of Holi presents an enchanting spectacle─the full-orbed moon shining in a dark cloudless sky, with a balmy breeze that sets many a young heart beating fast, and bringing on a wistful, romantic mood. It has been an eternally favourite theme of poets, novelists and dramatists, down the centuries…