Feature stories and articles for kids on unusual and interesting things in the world we live in. Articles for children on different customs, ways of life, about cinema, sport, champions, rare feats and artists. Cool reading for kids.
29 items in this section. Displaying page 2 of 3
Mahavir Jayanti
You must have often wondered about the monks with shaven heads, a white robe and a fine muslin cloth covering their mouths and noses. They are monks who follow the Jain religion. They cover their mouths and noses to avoid any involuntary killing – even of germs. Sometimes they also carry small brooms to remove any small creature out of their way so that they do not unknowingly tread on it. Their lifelong attempt is to live by the principle of ahimsa or non violence....
Raksha Bandhan
Excerpts from the book “Festivals of India” Sravani, the sacred thread changing ceremony, and Raksha Bandhan are celebrated on the full moon day of the month of shravan (June-July) and are often regarded as two names for the same festival. This is not strictly true because Sravani is specifically a Brahmin festival referred to in the sacred Sanskrit texts as Rishi Tarpan or Upa Karma. It is a very ancient Vedic festival and even today is regarded as important in Bengal, Orissa, southern India, Gujarat and some other states....
Deepavali: Festival of Lights
Deepavali – or Diwali – as is commonly uttered – literally means rows of lamps. These lamps light up houses all over the country, but for different reasons. In West Bengal, it is time to worship Kali, the goddess with the fearsome strength, and in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh it is time to remember Dhanvantari, the divine physician. To some, the lights are a reminder of the return of Rama to his home after 16 years of exile....
Rediscovering a Smoke-less Diwali
Think of Diwali and firecrackers start exploding in the mind – that is how strong the association of crackers is with the festival of lights. Legend has it that on Diwali, the sound of firecrackers resounds through the universe, announcing the homecoming of Lord Rama after a long period of exile. Another legend says that people began exploding crackers to convey to the gods, their joy at being alive and well on earth. Rediscovering a Smoke-less Diwali [Illustration by Sudheer Nath] Now come back to the present when the uncontrolled celebration of the victory of good over evil itself seems to have become a source of pollution....
The Making of the Goddess
On an ordinary day, the names Kumartuli and Krishnanagar would not make much of a difference to a Bengali. But come Durga Puja, and these two ordinary towns near Calcutta, become the focus of great attention. For it is here that the clay idols of Durga are made. This age-old tradition of clay sculpture has been preserved by the community of Pals. Months before the Puja, clay artisans start to breathe life into the images of Durga....
Fun'tastic Ramlila, Dandiya, Jatra
Whether it is a pesky 11-year-old Dashrath struggling to maintain his flowing beard during the enactment of the Ramayana in a street Ramlila, or handsome young artistes enacting Rama and Sita on a professional stage, the feeling is the same for the viewers. They know the story of Sita and Ram by heart, but every year they wait with bated breath for yet another performance of the Ramayana in performances across the country, and specially in northern India....
Eid in Yusufpur
Guess what guys?? My dad is taking me to his village for Eid this year. I am so excited that my tummy is all tied up in knots and I can hardly wait to get there. I haven’t yet enjoyed Eid the way papa says he used to when he was small. Well, I am hoping to do so this time. Let me start with the village first, the way my dad describes it. Yusufpur is a sleepy village in Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh....
Where Holi is the Talk of the Town
Think of Holi and you think of two places in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh where the festival has a special status. First, the area known as Brajbhoomi comprising Mathura, Vrindavan, Govardhan, Gokul (all connected to Lord Krishna’s birth, childhood and early youth) and Barsana (Radha’s village). Here Holi is a robust enactment of the legends of Radha and Krishna. Then there is the Holi of Banaras. The way it is celebrated is the talk of the town and the famous kavi sammelan or poets’ gathering at Banaras is one reason for this....
Holi – The Colour of Fun is Red, Blue, Green
Holi or the festival of colours, is celebrated with great enthusiasm in India, and by the Indian communities settled abroad. It is a time when the young and old alike, are in a mood to make merry. The most important aspect of this festival is its informal nature. Though a Hindu festival, it is played by Indians from all communities – especially in the metropolitan cities of India, where people from all over the country have come and settled....
Janamashtmi – The Day Krishna was Born
Janamashtmi, or the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna — the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu — is celebrated with traditional gaiety and fervour all over India. It falls on the eighth day of the waning moon in the month of Shravan in August/ September. Lord Krishna is believed to have been born at midnight on this day. The day is marked by fasting, feasting, dancing and singing hymns and prayers. Lord Vishnu is invoked in his human incarnation as Krishna on his birth anniversary....