Buddhism For Beginners

I wanted to let everyone know that I have published another book on Buddhism. It's a very simple book which means that it's smaller than my previous one (Buddhism Made Easy). The book is now available on all Amazon stores. For the time being, I have decided to keep the price cheap at $0.99. The paperback of this book is also out here. So grab a copy now.

BUDDHISM: Buddhist Teachings, Beliefs, Finding Enlightenment and Practicing Buddhism: Buddhism For Beginners

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Jaisalmer Desert Festival: Rajasthan unplugged

It gives us great pleasure to inform you this February, The Jaisalmer Desert Festival is your definitive one-stop to take a deep dive into the colours, the sounds, the smells, the sights, the glory and that unadulterated bliss that is Rajasthan. The Jaisalmer Desert Festival returns with a melange of eclectic renditions and soulful melodies in a resplendent celebration of awe-inspiring Rajasthani art and culture.  Romantic, remote and unspoiled, the festival is set to the backdrop of the majestic city’s forts, the Gadisar Lake and then the beautiful dunes of the Thar Desert. 

The Festival, spread across three days, is a colourful extravaganza of the art, music and culture of Rajasthan with a strong message of revival of local arts and folk music together with women empowerment. True to its legacy this year to the Jaisalmer Desert Festival coincides with the Magh Pournima (full moon day of the Hindu month of Magh that essentially falls in February), as it runs between the 20th to the 22nd of February, 2016.

February, the Jaisalmer Desert Festival is your definitive one-stop to take a deep dive into the colours, the sounds, the smells, the sights, the glory and that unadulterated bliss that is Rajasthan. The Jaisalmer Desert Festival returns with a melange of eclectic renditions and soulful melodies in a resplendent celebration of awe-inspiring Rajasthani art and culture.  Romantic, remote and unspoiled, the festival is set to the backdrop of the majestic city’s forts, the Gadisar Lake and then the beautiful dunes of the Thar Desert.

The Festival, spread across three days, is a colourful extravaganza of the art, music and culture of Rajasthan with a strong message of revival of local arts and folk music together with women empowerment. True to its legacy this year too the Jaisalmer Desert Festival coincides with the Magh Pournima (full moon day of the Hindu month of Magh that essentially falls in February), as it runs between the 20^th to the 22^nd of February, 2016.

“Jaisalmer Desert Festival presents Jaisalmer in its true glory. Not only is it the pulse of the locals but it also appeals to the well-traveled Indian together with international tourists. The Festival is a medley of culture, folklore, music, dance, traditional competitions and more, and attracts people across age-groups with a growing community every year. For every participant of this three-day fiesta the promise is an undiluted taste of Rajasthan and Jaisalmer,” said Shailendra Agarwal, Principal Secretary, the Department of Tourism and Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Rajasthan 

Celebrated as one of the “must do” things in Rajasthan this season, the entire  city, including the stretch of Sam sand dunes (42 km from Jaisalmer), will turn into a montage of vibrant colours, festivities and enthrallment. The celebrations of this festival make the desert come alive with color, enthusiasm and happiness. Even as it focusses on wholesome entertainment and engagement; at its core the Festival focuses on reviving the local arts, the local crafts and the sounds that are so Rajasthan.

“Jaisalmer Desert Festival is not an implant but a homegrown coming together of Jaisalmer’s people in festivity and tradition. It is Rajasthan as Rajasthan is: pure, undiluted; a sensory overload. As partners and consultants, Percept One has endeavoured to present Jaisalmer and its historic Desert Festival at its pristine best. A work in progress we endeavour to elevate the experience year on year,” explained Nupur Mahajan, CEO Percept One.

The festival begins with a ceremonial procession known as Shobha Yatra where local Rajputs and other clans dress in their traditional attire. Men carrying swords atop horses, camels, and elephants are cheered on as they enter the Dedansar Stadium, one of the main venues of the desert festival. The locals dress in traditional and bright costumes. They sing and dance depicting the tragedies and accomplishments of the desert. The Gair and the fire dance are highlights of the festival among other Indian dance forms like Lavani and Kalaripayattu. The Kalabaz or the Nats are a group of local nomads who are popular for their gymnastic acts. The Bhopa’s Langhas and Manganiars create an enchanting environment with their poignant folk music recitals and ballads.

Be a spectator of rare competitions like camel polo. Cheer for camel races. Gymnastic stunts on camel back and camel formation dancing are the crowning jewels of the festival. The Border Security Force Camel Tattoo follows these competitions. Tug-of-war, turban tying, Maru-Shri (Mr. Desert competition) and the longest moustache competition are other allures seepd both in a rich legacy and equally a contemporary setting.

Folk music is at the very core of the festival and this year performers include the mellifluous Swaroop Khan and the celebrated folk singer Manganiyar Ghazi Khan. Kutle Khan - the voice of Jaisalmer, would make the desert come alive during the grand finale...an evening set at the majestic Sam sand Dunes.

The festival also takes a plunge into rendition of old folklore Moomal Mahendra wherein Princess Moomal set herself on fire (Sati) to prove her love for Prince Mahendra. This year the highlights include “Jaisalmer’s Got Talent” – a talent hunt and felicitation of local artistes & performers from the fields of art and music. Ecelectic food, interesting stalls displaying artifacts, handicrafts and other souvenirs will also be a Festival highlight. Desert safari and camping can be also enjoyed at the eve of the festival.

The festival is a sensory overload of all things Rajasthani, which is extensively popular with tourists from across the globe. The festival ends in the Sam dunes with the “Sonar Qila” Jaisalmer Fort in the background creating a fairy-tale ambiance with a promise to come back with even more fun and entertainment next year.

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For more details please contact:

Delhi – Mushrat Perveen: +91 9999422763

Mumbai – Aanchal Tripathi: +91  9987553870

Hinduism for Kids and Beginners

I excited to say that I have published another ebook and its called "A Pictographic Journey into Hinduism and the Hindu Culture: Hinduism for Kids and Beginners". I always wanted to publish a book with lots of pictures in it and here it is. Good thing is that these pictures are my own personal images which I have taken over a period of time. This book is about Hinduism and Hindu culture particularly - what we pray, how we pray, what we eat, what we do etc. Kids will particularly like this book as it has lots of pictures along with brief explanation of each of the pictures. There is no better way to explain something than to use images. Anyone wanting to learn about Hinduism and Hindu culture will definitely like this book. Its available as an ebook and also as paperback. Click here to go to the ebook version (best value only $0.99) and the paperback version.

Gratitude journal ideas

We live in a very materialistic society. We are constantly bombarded with advertisements for us to buy things - like or not, we want it! We would go to the ends of the earth to obtain it. Children are constantly asking for us to buy them things. Be is shoes, clothes, bags, toys, you name it, they want it. We as adults too want things, a better job, a better house and more money than our friend. No matter what we persuaded by the pressures of society to compete and get all the materialistic stuff that we can get our hands on. One way to express gratitude in our lives is to write a gratitude journal.

In all spheres of life it seems as if are expected to get, strive and obtain – this is the mantra that we have been and now we feed it to our children. But we forget that we are human beings, we can only do our best and at the same time, we must be content of what we have otherwise things really get out of hand. If one is in a job, we are asked to compete and do our best which is fine but sometimes we must are pushed to the limit. At school, children are asked to do their utmost best in every walks of their education which is perfectly fine, but again they seem to be pushed to the limit. We are constantly seen as successful if we have bigger houses, bigger cars, better mobile phones, go on holidays, spend money on birthday parties etc and even then we are not happy. Why do we have to do it? It’s because we live in a very materialistic world! The only way to become free from all this is to express gratitude every day. It only takes a few minutes to say a few words and sentences of gratitude and you will realise that you will feel better.

Gratitude Journal

Gratitude Journal: Keep a Gratitude Journal and Turn Pain to Joy

Alternatively you can write only a few lines of gratitude in a gratitude journal. It should not take more than 5 to 10 minutes of your time and you will feel a lot better. You will realise the importance of life and you will be more content about yourself and all the things you have. You don’t have to write assays or paragraphs of gratitude, just a few lines of thankfulness. This will help you become happier and more content about who you are and become from free from the ridiculous rat race of life we are in.

Here are some gratitude journal ideas for personal gratitude journaling

express gratitude that you have enough to eat

express gratitude that you are healthy
express gratitude that you did not have an accident today
express gratitude that you are still have a job
express gratitude that you safe

So you see that it only takes a few minutes of your time to express some of these very basic gratitudes and you will find that you are more content with yourself.

There are many ways to express gratitude. You can buy a readymade gratitude journal, you can use a gratitude app on your mobile or you can use a piece of paper- you just have come up with something. But my opinion is that you get a gratitude journal and write your thoughts down. Here’s a free gratitude app I found.

Here’s my own personal gratitude journal I created and is available on Amazon. I have been keeping a gratitude journal for some time and it has helped me a lot.

http://www.amazon.com/Gratitude-Journal-Keep-Turn-Pain/dp/1517638089/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gratitude-Journal-Keep-Turn-Pain/dp/1517638089/

Hinduism for Beginners

My new ebook is now out. You can download them for free right now. The book is called "HINDUISM: Hinduism for Beginners: Guide to Understanding Hinduism and the Hindu Religion, Beliefs, Customs, Rituals, Gods, Mantras and Converting to Hinduism" and is now available on all Amazon stores. Paperback version of the book will be out soon.

Here are the links to the ebook:

USA: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01AOELQDG

UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01AOELQDG

India: http://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B01AOELQDG

India to USA converter plug

If you are travelling to India then you would need a India to USA converter plug otherwise you won't be able to charge your mobile phones, cameras etc. You can buy these "India to USA converter plugs" in India or you can buy them while in India. I suggest you get them before coming.

Here are some of the popular India to USA converter plugs in the market:

2 Packs of High Performance Universal UK/EU/ AU to US Adapter Travel Power Adapter Convert By iRulu

India to USA IOU-2F Plug Adapter Non Grounded - (ACUCRAFT® USA Plug Lifetime Warranty)

Ceptics Grounded Universal Plug Adapter for US (Type B) - 3 Pack

Tmvel Universal UK/EU/ AU to US Adapter Travel Power Adapter - Black

eForCity Universal World Wide Travel Charger Adapter Plug, White

Try this out of body experience

You can float your soul out of your body. But do this at your own risk as I do not take any responsibility. Yes, you can actually float out of your body and look down upon yourself. Next time you go to sleep - Try it. Here’s how to do it!

• Put the light off.
• To do this, you’ll need to sleep with one hand on your chest.
• And go to sleep.
• If you keep thinking about it, it’s not going to work. Just go to sleep.
• Eventually you’ll float out of your body.
• First you will see yourself down at your sleeping body from the ceiling of your room.
• You can then float out of the house from the roof and see everyone else.
• You will be able fly to any destination you want and then come back into your body again.
• You can fly at incredible speed over towns, cities, oceans and countries.
• You think of a place, you will fly at it.
• You will soon get fed up and want to go back to your body.
• The joining of the body and the soul will wake you up with a jolt.
• When your soul is joining, you will find yourself being crashed into the body as if you are falling.

I have tried this experiment and to my amazement, it works. If you have any issues or want to share your experience then leave a comment below. It’s an amazing experience.