Follow us on:

ISSUE 30 SETH M.R. JAIPURIA SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

FESTIVALS, THE GLITTER AND

SPARKLE IN OUR LIVES….
The ticks of clocks guide our lives today. Every If we reflect in solitude, we will see that most of
minute and second is full of responsibility. Each day these festivals have a common thread running
is a saga of liabilities. Life is burdensome…. amongst them….the victory of good over evil. These
festivals are like reminders that no matter how much
Festivals add glitter and sparkle to our so-called
evil prevails in this world, peace and happiness will
'mundane lives'. It is a beautiful way to celebrate our
rule in the end! No matter how much suffering we all
glorious heritage, culture and traditions. We live and
have, these festivals bring the message of hope and
enjoy special moments and emotions in our lives
peace!
with our loved ones during festivals. They actually
play an important role in connecting us with our
families and friends, our culture and traditions. They
also have far reaching consequences on our
economy when people buy clothes, food, gifts etc.
This year has slowly melted and is approaching the
happy phase of festivals the time to savor sweets
and delicacies, wear new clothes, meet our loved
ones, light up our homes and of course worship.
October is the month of Diwali, Navratri, Durga Puja,
Dussehra and Halloween.

VICTORY OF GOOD OVER EVIL

October is a very special month. This is because it is full of festivals which speak volumes about the
various virtues and specially reminds us that the good always overpowers the evil!
Durga Puja and Navratri are the two major festivals which are celebrated in nearly all parts of our
country with a lot of grandeur during this month. Interestingly, both the festivals celebrate the power
of women or 'Shakti'. Both signify that women can protect themselves as well as their children and
their people from evil powers in all times.
Durga Puja is celebrated especially in Bengal. It is celebrated across four days and ends on
Vijayadashami. Similarly, Navratri which is celebrated twice a year in the central and eastern parts of
our country, spreads over nine days which are dedicated solely to Goddess Durga and her nine
avatars. The story of Navratri is associated with the victory of
Goddess Durga over the buffalo-headed demon
Mahishasura.
Dussehra, which is celebrated on the tenth day of
Navratri is also known as Vijayadashami. It is a
Hindu festival, which marks the triumph of Lord
Rama, the avatar of Vishnu, over the demon King
Ravana.
The name Dussehra is derived from the Sanskrit
words dasha meaning 'ten' and hara meaning, 'defeat',
symbolizing the victory of good over evil.This extraordinary
festival reminds us of the virtues of Lord Rama, his
dutifulness, his goodness towards his people, his sense of
sacrifice and his complete obedience to his elders.
This season also marks the occurrence of the one of the most celebrated
festivals - Diwali or Deepawali. It celebrates the return of Lord Ram and his wife
Sita to Ayodhya after Ram defeated the demon King Ravana.
The essence of Diwali, the festival of lights, signifies the victory of good over evil,
light over darkness, and knowledge over ignorance. Diwali, kindles the light of
wisdom in every heart.

GANDHI JAYANTI
October 2 is celebrated as Gandhi Jayanti. The Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi was
born on this day. It is one of the three national holidays of India. This day has been declared
as the International Day of Non-Violence by the United Nations.

The day is celebrated with cultural programs that are held all over the country in remembrance of
the great man who led India's struggle for freedom and awakened us to the concept of ahimsa or non-
violence.Gandhi ji's birthday comes as a wake up call to maintain his values of cleanliness, non-violence and
self-reliance. He is and will remain an inspiration for us and his thoughts and words keep ringing through the
years untarnished, unforgotten!

HALLOWEEN
Each year, Halloween is celebrated on October 31 in the United States.
However, this festival has its roots in European traditions. During Halloween,
people light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. It marks a pivotal
time of the year when seasons change, but more importantly it is believed that
the boundary between this world and the next world became especially thin at
this time, enabling them to connect with the dead.

DID YOU KNOW?

Kharif and Rabi are the two Kharif season is generally from June
cropping patterns which are to September. Rice, maize, bajra,
adopted in many Asian countries ragi, soybean, groundnut, cotton are
including India. The month of all Kharif crops.
October marks the The word Rabi means
change in this cropping spring in Arabic. The Rabi
season. We stop growing season usually starts in
Kharif crops and start growing November and lasts up to
Rabi crops. March or April. The seeds are
The word Kharif is Arabic for sown at the beginning of
autumn since the season autumn, which results in a spring
coincides with the beginning of harvest. Wheat, barley, mustard and
autumn or winter. Kharif crops also green peas are some of the major
are called monsoon crops as they Rabi types of crops grown in India.
are cultivated in monsoon. The

FLAVOURS OF FESTIVALS
(BHOG KHICHDI)
Ingredients
• 1 cup basmati rice or govind bhog rice 1 cup split and husked moong dal • 1 inch Ginger grated• 2 small
tomatoes • 1 green chili • ½ tsp turmeric powder • ½ tsp red chili powder • 2 cup small to medium potatoes and ½
green peas or 1 to 1.5 cups of chopped mix vegetables like cauliflower peas, potatoes. • A pinch of asafoetida • 1
inch cinnamon • 2 green cardamom 3 Cloves • 1 Bay leaf • 1 tsp cumin seeds/jeera or cumin powder • 2 tbsp
ghee or oil • ½ tsp sugar or as required optional • 5 cups Water

Method
1. Rinse and soak rice in water for 30 mins.
2. In a pan slow roast the moong dal till some of the lentils turn light golden and aromatic.
3. Keep on stirring to get uniform roasting and browning.
4. When the lentils cool, rinse them in water. sprinkle some water on them and keep aside.
5. Just before you begin tempering, drain both the moong dal as well as rice and keep aside.
6. Heat ghee or oil in the pressure cooker.
7. First fry the whole spices till they become aromatic - cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, bay leaf and cumin.
8. The cumin should also crackle when frying the spices.
9. Now add the grated ginger and saute for a 5-6 seconds or till the raw aroma of the ginger goes away.
10. Add turmeric, red chili powder and asafoetida and saute for 2-3 seconds.
11. Then add the tomatoes and green chilies and saute till the tomatoes become soft.
12. Add the chopped veggies - potato and peas.
13. Stir and saute for a minute.
14. Add the roasted moong dal and saute for 2 minutes.
15. Add the drained rice and stir well.
16. Pour 5 cups water and add salt & sugar.
17. Stir and then pressure cook for 4-5 whistles on medium to high flame.
18. Once the pressure settles down on its own, open the lid of the cooker.
19. Serve the bhog khichdi with roasted papads by the side.

HEAR THE
EXPERT SPEAK…
Parents should make an effort to teach their children about the several festivals that India
celebrates. Celebrating festivals is a great way to teach your child about the Indian and the global
culture. Knowing more about why a festival is celebrated, what its significance is, and why we
started celebrating it in the first place, can help a child understand the importance and
significance of each festival, and it can be a great way to impart values to the child as well. It also
fosters life-long bonding with friends and family.
During the festival season, families visit each other, go for holidays together, or even simply drop
in to greet each other. It is a great time for the child to meet his cousins, grandparents and other
family relatives, who otherwise may live far away. Meeting like this, will help your child bond better
with the family over the long run as they grow up. Explaining the importance of each ritual and
how it welcomes good fortune for the entire family, may not register with him/her just yet, but
over time, once the child becomes an adult, these are the very same rituals he/she will follow.
And thank you for taking the time out to explain the significance of each festival to your child!
Mr. Anirban
Bhattacharya
General Manager Operations
Seth. M.R. Jaipuria Schools