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India is a country with a rich history of diverse people, culture and language that is over a thousand years old. In traditional Indian joint families, it is tradition to feed kids earlier in the evening, then send them to their grandparents (Nana, Nani, Dada, Dadi) to hear stories while their mothers cooked food for the family. I am a grandfather and have two grandchildren. We live within a 20 minute driving distance of our grandchildren and this gives us an opportunity to see them frequently. Whenever we eat together, my granddaughter asks me to tell her a story. She loves to hear the life stories of Ram, Krishna or even stories about me. This gave me the inspiration to start a podcast to tell stories about India, it’s history, culture and religion. I thought there would be no better time to start it than during Navratri. I plan to tell stories that will be amusing, recreational and also help the listener learn about India. My granddaughter Adhya will join me in the podcast and ask questions while listening to the stories. I hope other children will enjoy these stories as my granddaughter does.
Episodes
Tuesday Sep 28, 2021
Tuesday Sep 28, 2021
Rakshabandhan is a celebration of relations between brother-sister, sister-sister or anyone can tie a rakshasutra to anyone with an intention of affection, love, care, good wishes, and request for protection. The festival is celebrated on Poornima (full moon day) of Shravana month of Hindu calendar (usually in the month of August). The story of rakshabandhan originated thousands of years ago when Devi Lakshmi tied a rakshasutra to demon king Bali’s wrist.
Sunday Jun 27, 2021
Sunday Jun 27, 2021
Hindus believe that the trinity of gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiv manages this universe. Sri Vishnu is the nurturer and protector of the universe. He is born as an animal or a human (incarnation) to make sure that a balance is maintained between good and bad. He also makes sure that life on earth continues. Dashavatars are the ten incarnations of Sri Vishnu that saved the life of earth and living beings, promoted truth and good, and defeated evil. Matsyavatar is the first incarnation of Sri Vishnu. He appeared as a fish (matsya) that, with the help of King Satyavrat, saved the life of earth and all the living beings when the earth was submerged underwater.
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Tuesday Mar 30, 2021
Holi is the festival of colors that Hindus celebrate on Falgun poornima, the last day of the last month of the year according to Hindu calendar. Holi is a two day festival, the day when people play with colors and the day before when people make a bonfire or Holika The lighting of the bonfire represents Holika and the burning of wood represents the purification of evil. The festival of colors shows us that irrespective of religion, race, skin color or other differences, we all are humans. Holi is not just a festival of colors or a celebration of the victory of good against evil, it is the beginning of a new year and spring.
Monday Mar 22, 2021
Monday Mar 22, 2021
In this episode we tell the story of the thirsty crow or pyasa kauwa from Panchatantra. The story is of a crow that is trying to find water on a hot summer day. It uses presence of mind and available resources to drink water from the bottom of a pitcher.
Saturday Feb 27, 2021
Saturday Feb 27, 2021
The story of the dove, the mouse and the crow is from the section Winning of Friends in Panchtantra. The story is unique because it tells the story of a friendship between a crow named Laghupatanka and a mouse named Hiranyaka, a natural predator and its prey. Laghupatanka is inspired by the friendship between the dove king Chitragreeve and Hiranyaka. Laghupatanka tries to befriend Hiranyaka until he succeeds. The story teaches that a friendship between a predator and it's prey is possible if there is mutual trust between them.
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
Tuesday Jan 12, 2021
The story of the Hares and the Elephants is a story from the section Crows and Owls of Panchatantra. Panchatantra is s collection of stories from ancient India. Panchatantra is divided into five sections- conflict amongst friends, winning of friends, crows and owls, the forfeit of profits and action without due considerations. Stories of Panchatantra teach strategies to deal with common day issues.
Tuesday Dec 01, 2020
Tuesday Dec 01, 2020
Jatak tales and Panchatantra are the two ancient Indian sources for fables. These fables were written two thousand five hundred years ago and have been adopted and retold in many cultures and countries. In this episode I tell the story of the Monkey and the Crocodile, a Jatak tale.
Saturday Nov 14, 2020
Saturday Nov 14, 2020
Diwali is a festival that Indians celebrate all over the world. People decorate their houses with lamps and rangoli. Diwali is celebrated on the day Ram, Sita and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile.
Thursday Nov 05, 2020
Thursday Nov 05, 2020
Durga Ji was born as the daughter of Himvan and Mainavati. She was named Parvati, which means daughter of a mountain. She transformed into one of the forms of Durga Ji, Shailputri.
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
Sunday Oct 25, 2020
In this episode I tell the story of Durga Ji, how she appeared on the earth and celebration of Navaratri.