Vasant Panchami

Vasant Panchami (वसन्त पञ्चमी) is a Hindu festival celebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge, music and art. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day (Panchami) of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words and most educational institutions organise special prayer for Saraswati. The color yellow also plays an important role in this festival, in that people usually wear yellow garments, Saraswati is worshipped dressed in yellow, and yellow sweets are consumed within the families.

Every one pray goddess Sarswati to increase the knowledge of their particular area of work .this is the festival which is celebrated by everyone. Students get the statue of goddess Sarswati in school and they make a special pooja which last for two day.

It is believe that by worshiping goddess Sarswati people gain intellectual power and wisdom. And special kind of prsad is offered to goddess. This is also the beginning of spring

In Varanasi Holika is kept at a place which will be burnt by social community just before the day of  Holi. from this day people get palnts and wood to this place and make it big until the day of burning so this is the a starting part of the Holi.

Goddess Saraswati

Her expression is so serene and calm even as She is majestic. She is seated on a white lotus in Padmasana, adorned by a pure white silk sari, has a book in Her lower left hand, Her lower right hand showing the chinmudra, Aksharamala in Her right upper hand, and Amrithakalasam in Her left upper hand. Both eyes are full of compassion. The vehicle assigned to each of the three goddesses also symbolically represent their special powers.

Goddess Saraswathi is the consort of Lord Brahma (Lord of Creation) and is the Goddess of wisdom and learning. Saraswati is the one who gives the essence (sara) of our own self (swa). She is considered as the personification of all knowledge – arts, sciences, crafts and other skills. She has a beautiful and elegant presence, is pure white in colour, clad in a white sari, seated on a white lotus, representing purity and brilliance. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning; mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She has the sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus (a symbol of true knowledge) in the second. With her other two hands she plays the music of love and life on the veena.

She is dressed in white (sign of purity) and rides on a white goose (swan). The swan is known for its peculiar characteristic of being capable of separating water from milk, indicating that we should possess discrimination in separating the bad from the good. The seat being a lotus or peacock implies that the teacher is well-established in the subjective experience of truth. When sitting on a peacock she reminds us that wisdom suppresses ego.

Hindi Classs

Anna Nies  is a German  student and  friend who has been coming to Varanasi for past three years to just study Hindi.

Every year she does intensive Hindi course three hours of instructions every day. This time I arranged accommodation for her in hotel Haifa however she was very much interested in staying in hotel Ganges view but they were sold out of that particular date.

As it is my outside Hindi instruction to watch Hindi film together with student and student try to give the summary what is going on in the film.

She did this outside Hindi instruction course and she learnt Hindi for two weeks.

My visit to Sarnath

Two weeks ago I went to visit Sarnath with one of my friend to see jeevan dip school.It is a social organization working for blind girls for their uplift in the society.

I did not know about this school however I have been several times to sarnath. but one of my elder brother and friend Dr.Alok took me there. I was very much excited to see the girls how they study!

Actually when I was under my high school i studied about the script of Blind they learn but I really did not understand how did  it used to work? when one of employee  took on the tour of the school.we visited from class nursery to 6th.Girls stood up to welcome us and they recited some poems and reading of the lesson and what ever they have been taught on that particular day.

I was so surprised to see them how nicely they can study and learn the things through this script.

After that he took us to computer room where students learn how to operate computer without seeing .Computer Instructor sowed us using computer through voice.It’s make sound what ever command they press.

I am so happy to visit this school who soever go to visit Sarnath must try to get chance to visit this project.

HINDI LESSON

Dariya is a french student working in varanasi as her Dissertation on women in jail.she came in contact with me through the internet.She was also learning kathak with a teacher from Banaras Hindu University.

She started with one hour of lesson everyday but later on she began to do two hour everyday from Monday through Friday.we were doing very intensively from my own mae teaching stuff and we were reviewing through Teach Yourself by Rupert Snell.

Once she was able to read Hindi books I used to give her child

Hindi Lesson

Darrin Commerford is a photographer from U.S.A currently taking picture around varanasi and also he likes to visit untapped place surrounding Varanasi.

He has started learning Hindi two or three weeks ago .he works basically on dally conversation and phrase .and also he likes to try to have the test of Indian chart (a very spicy with different kind of ingredients) he wanted to learn how to say i want one more sweet one as he likes to eat pani puri.

These days he is travelling to Rajasthan so in the last class he wrote couple of phrase which he can use during his travel in Rajasthan.such as how to say is this vegetable clean before it was made. and so on

He will be back after one week then he will continue his learning.

Centro Risorse India

Centro Risorse India is an organization working with collaboration with ca foscari university Venice,Italy.this organization facilitate by providing Hindi learning opportunity for Italians in varanasi.

This time I am teaching few students from this organization.some of the students are taking 18 hrs a week and some are five to six hrs.

Alberto a Hindi student started with me and he was really very hard working and dedicated for learning Hindi also he was having patience of learning Hindi.

I finished two book with him teach your self by snell and one of mine book which was advance level of Hindi.we also did exercise with practice book.

with the help of this book he came across with different kinds of proverb and saying in Hindi such as “”ANDHA KYA CHAHE ,DO ANKHE”” It means what a blind is needed two eyes.

This way he improved his Hindi speaking and different expressions.

Waste Management In Varanasi

This year I am working with Eliza Smith a student of University of Wisconsin in Varanasi as Research assistant.Her topic of research is waste management of Varanasi.for this we interviewed some employee of municipal corporation of Varanasi.

First day we went to Nagar Nigam that is called municipal corporation and there we talked with some officer and they showed us the facilities and the cart which is provided to the sweepers.we also came across with a project called “J.L.N.U.W.M.S.”.This is central Government project and it is to be started very sooner or later.We talked for while and learnt about the waste management.

She asked the question with officer how garbage cause death of the animal .the officer answered that people put metal such as blade or dangerous item in the plastic with leftover food.and animal eat it and get sick that cause the death of animal.One of officer said the municipal corporation is coming with iron hand for free moving of Animal on the road.I asked personally if there is any law and order for moving animal.he said if animal will be caught moving free on the road then they will be caught and owner of animal will be fined some amount but so far I have not seen any time catching moving animal.and It not only cause the getting sick of animal as well as they make traffic jam in Varanasi.

We had to interview the doctor of veterinary hospital near by kabir chura.I had been many time in that area but i was not aware about this hospital.so I had to ask many time with local people to find exact location.Even local people was not aware with this veterinary hospital.One of the guy told us are you looking for “ghora hospital” that means it is the hospital of horse.Finally we reached there and had some conversation with doctor regarding how animal got sick due to garbage.

One day she called me and said that she wanted to interview the present mayor of Varanasi regarding the same.and she had already made appointment with her.we reached to jal sanstah which is called water supply place for the city and having reached there I called him that we have arrived here.and after few minute he came to his chamber where we were waiting for him.she had few question with him regarding the responsibility of cleaning and waste management of the city being mayor.and he responded for the same .it was my first time that I had chance to ask some question for the city cleanness.he said that recently municipal corporation has started public awareness programs to keep the city clean.

Watson Fellow

Brian Dolphin is a pitzer college student and watson fellow from united state of America.He is travelling many countries and study about the nature of music.He came to India from Nepal and started learning Hindi with me as he could speak a mix language of Nepali with Bhojpuri.

I asked him how many hours in a day you want your lesson he said that he wants three to fours hour a day.we started with two hrs a day .one hour he was meeting with me and for another hour he was meeting my wife as he was very much interested in folk music and devotional bhajan.they used to sing and they were translating the bhajan.he never studied with book as he said that he had never learnt with reading the book and other learning materials.

When ever I was giving the language construction and expression and I was saying him to write  down he used to say in sweet Hindi language “”LIKHNA NAHI PARTA HAI””that means I do not need to write .he used keep in his mind.He promised me if forget then give me the punishment.

Here I would like to say every student and researchers if you have opportunity to interact with locals and other street worker who are not related with tourism activities ,It is really going to work.Brian always in touch with such kind of people.many times I had seen him talking with such people like eggs sellers,Rickshaw repairing man.and other people abstain talking with these people.

Brian adapted indian culture in very lees of time and he practiced Indian way of living like eating habit,greeting in varanasi way saying “mahadev”,chewing world famous beetle of Varanasi.He hardly used to go to eat American food as he became habitual eating indian food.

One day he asked why i have three rings in finger and it was just astrologer advice .I have faith in these kinds of things so he also insisted me to take at astrologer.we went there and greeted him in indian way by touching his feet.by that astrologer got socked as it is not common when a western greets touching the feet of elder.Astrologer told him about his past ,present and future in Hindi mostly he could understand what astrologer and where ever he could not then I was translating for him.

Hindi class

Anna is from Germany and she came in contact with me through my blog, as she was very much interested in Indian bollywood movies and  She said that she could understand the recent ones better than the old ones.as new bollywood movie are having conversation in English.

She was interested for intensive course as she had a very less time in Varanasi she was just here for three weeks.she was doing four hours of intensive Hindi class.since she is old so i told that i can come to your hotel for having the class.She decided to meet for two hrs with me and another two hours with my wife so that she gets the opportunity too talk with Indian women at my place and she was trying to have conversation with my neighbor.

One day she told me that she wanted to have her class on boat therefore I called my boatman we had boat ride on river Ganges with my wife ,son and my sister.it was festive mood at the assi ghat as one of the celebration of den kashi mahotsav and she wanted to see the one of most famous singer of bhojpuri language Manoj Tiwary ,hotels staff has told her about him.we went to gathering it was over crowded and we were there untill he came.I translated for her as the song was in bhojpuri .

At the weekend we all together went to see the movie kurban as it was the part of Hindi course she tried to give the summary of movie .what was movie all about and what was the story.

In the three weeks she improved a lot and I really appreciate her learning skill.in the beginning did a crash course and later on we were just reviewing .it was great experience with her.

Intensive Hindi Class

Hi Everyone It is my first opportunity that I am teaching a Hungarian student.his name is Adom wesp from the capitol city of Budapest.The day when he called me I was so busy therefore I could not meet him and we decided to meet next following day.as he is new comer in varanasi so he could not come directly at my place .

Our first meeting was in vatika cafe near assi ghat and we decided to have class .as his stay was not for longer period in Varanasi.so he asked me if i have time three to four hrs in a day Monday through Saturday. he is doing pretty well and he is very much interested in leaning writing and reading the Hindi.

I recommended teach your self Hindi book of Rupert Snell for reading and writing.now he can read Hindi well but he is slow in writing.he is just here for two and half week.tomorrow he is going to khajuraho.