The Logic Behind Indian Festival Dates Vrat and Utsav India’s rituals (Vrat), individual and collective, as well as festivals (utsav), follow a mix of calendrical systems, regional customs, and religious rules. The words "Vrat" and "Utsav" are used in Vedic texts. Many scholars have written treatises to explain the evolution of these words. It is difficult to draw a strict line between vrat and utsav. What are called utsav also have an element of religious rites, and conversely, many vrat have some component of being a festival/ utsav. Dharmasindhu describes Vrat as a kind of religious rite/ pooja, with a resolve or a Sankalp. Utsav is more of a collective observance of Vrat. These vrat connect the practitioner to the divine through discipline and help in spiritual and physical purification. Annual change of dates of these festivals, with respect to the Gregorian calendar, creates confusion and gives an impression that there is something m...
Written in the stars... and the stars have moved. The Zodiac deception Prologue Anjali met her school friend, Meenakshi, at one of the school reunions. Anjali excitedly asked Meenakshi ‘How is Shekhar? I believe you are now married to him. How is he?..... Anjali let out a volley of questions. Meenakshi replied, her voice laced with a hint of apprehension, "Yes, everything seems fine on the surface, but there are moments when I can't shake the feeling that I’m being deceived." "Why do you feel that way?" Anjali inquired, her brow furrowing with concern. "You did conduct the zodiac compatibility check, didn’t you?" Meenakshi nodded, her mind drifting back to the astrological insights. "He was born on May 30, making him a Gemini. But honestly, he often behaves like a Taurus—stubborn and set in his ways. Aries and Gemini typically mesh so well together." Anjali raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued. "But you are a Libra, right?...