I’d like to share something very special- details of the Lakshmi Puja we do at home on Diwali.

My family migrated from Punjab during Partition. We lost much- property, livelihood, family, even our sense of identity. But one thing stayed unchanged: our Lakshmi Puja Vidhi. (1/12) Every male in my family until my great-grandfather wore the sacred thread. Not anymore.
Many customs faded with time.
But this Puja- every mantra, every step- has remained exactly the same for generations. It’s our living link to who we were. (2/12)

देवि सुरेश्वरि भगवति गङ्गे त्रिभुवनतारिणि तरलतरङ्गे।
शङ्करमौलिविहारिणि विमले मम मतिरास्तां तव पदकमले॥
Salutations Devi Ganga! Goddess of Devas. Your waves liberate the 3 worlds. O Pure One! who resides in the head of Shankar, may my devotion remain firm at Your Lotus Feet (1/n)
मुरारिकायकालिमाललामवारिधारिणी
तृणीकृतत्रिविष्टपा त्रिलोकशोकहारिणी।
मनोऽनुकूलकूलकुञ्जपुञ्जधूतदुर्मदा
धुनोतु मे मनोमलं कलिन्दनन्दिनी सदा॥

Salutations to Devi Yamuna whose water is as beautiful & dark as Murari. Your touch makes Heaven as insignificant as a blade of grass (2/n)

Let’s talk about your baseless assumption that literature on the Himalayas is a Sino-Pak monopoly or that such literature is merely rhetoric.

Those not born in the cradle of the Himalayas obviously fail to grasp that the Himalayas represent the soul of a nation.

[THREAD] 1/n

https://twitter.com/MichaelKugelman/status/1279017456611274752

The Himalayas are not tools for political rhetoric. They encompass a profound sentiment of devotion.

Innumerable ancient Sanskrit texts beautifully expound the magnificence of the Himalayas, but I'm choosing excerpts from one of the masterpieces, Kalidasa’s Kumarasambhavam. 2/n

While I believe that we should celebrate women everyday, it’s always special to have one whole day dedicated to recognize their profound impact on our lives.

Before #InternationalWomensDay2020 ends, I’d like to pay my respects to 4 remarkable women. #SheInspiresUs Thread: Ahilyabai Holkar (1725-1775)

Maratha Queen. Mother of Hindu Renaissance. Fearless Warrior. Skilled Administrator. Profound Dharmic.

She single-handedly led armies into battle, regained lost territory, rebuilt temples plundered, desecrated, & destroyed by Islamic invaders (1/n)