You all have always amazed me with your stories You are the founders of our future and the light of hope for the betterment of our world So continue to share experiences and inspiration with your writing
Shakha is the art and science to living a happy lifeYou all will agree with me, we come to shakha to have fun But there is something different in the happiness you get here The happiness or joy does not go away or deplete as it depletes after having too much of your favorite food item A Feel good activity provides only a short burst of delight Hedonia is another word for pursuit of pleasure or state of pleasure Apparently Hedonia is a happiness trap For example, let's suppose you like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, you will be very happy to eat the first cookie and then you may have four more and then you feel like you are done with it What if someone asks you to have two more? Then you will feel like throwing up Why is it so? The sense of happiness and well-being from hedonic delights are immediate, but it evaporates so soon Sensual pleasure gratifies your senses temporarily, but it does not last forever It is like running on a treadmill, you run for hours and still remain in the same place
Then what is the way to joy and bliss that never ends? Eudaimonia is a state of well being associated with pursuing meaningful goals that provides a sense of fulfillment Meaningful goals include striving for excellence and higher purpose in life For example, using your talent in the service of others, focusing on becoming the best version of yourself without comparing yourself with others, sacrificing time, effort, and money to volunteer for a noble cause etc Shakha is a place or a platform where we continuously strive to make ourselves a better human being by chiseling away undesired and unhelpful traits of our personality, and cultivating desired ones through different shakha activities
Writing is one such skill or quality that can serve humanity Writing is a great way to communicate with others and express your thoughts and ideas, you can advocate and protect a good cause. You can write positive narratives and inspire or stimulate positive thoughts and actions from others. Writing helps us to reflect on our experiences and learn from them. In short, words have energy, words have power to construct or destruct. Our goal is the well being of humanity. So continue to spread joy in the world and keep inspiring with your meaningful writings. East or West Balas are the Best!!
THE STORY OF GANESH
Once upon a time the rishi Ved Vyasa ji was meditating in the Himalayas when Lord Brahma ji asked him to write the Mahabharata. As Ved Vyasa ji had witnessed the entire battle he was the best person to write the Mahabharata.
Ved Vyasa knew the Mahabharata was no ordinary story and was very complex and long, and Ved Vyasa needed someone very competent to help him Ved Vyasa searched and searched and finally he found the right person, Lord Ganesha.
Sage Ved Vyasa came to Ganesha with the offer and Lord Ganesha accepted the offer but on one condition. Lord Ganesha said that he would only write the Mahabharata if Ved Vyasa would recite the story non-stop without a pause. Ved Vyasa agreed to his condition but he had a condition too. Ved Vyasa said that Lord Ganesha would only write the story if he understands each sentence and the plot and Lord Ganesha agreed.
Lord Ganesha was extremely fast at writing and wrote it without a break But Ved Vyasa intentionally added complex and difficult sentences, and Lord Ganesha got tired and the heat in his body was rising as he was writing continuously and when he finished he was very exhausted So Ved Vyasa invited Lord Ganesha to his ashram and applied wet mud to get him relief and treated him as a dear guest, and offered him food, sweets and water for ten days and then washed the mud off him Our legendary freedom fighter Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak revived that spirit and started a public ganesh festival , since then we are celebrating Ganesh festival every year
RAKHI
Hello, my name is Advika and today I am going to talk about Raksha Bandhan.it is about brother and sister cooperating about each other. It is also about the brother promise to protect the sister ,The festival usually falls in August and its celebrated with great joy and love by families across the out country(India).Rakhi is special thread for tie on the day of Rakshanda Bandhan, family usually gather to celebrate , sister often wakeup early and prepare a special plate called a thali with Rakhi , rice and Diya , they put on mark called tilak on there brother forehead and pray for his happiness and success, and the day is filled with happiness and laughter .
Rakshanda Bandhan is an awesome festival this is the Hindu festival, don’t forget Raksha Bandhan is fun. We love Rakshan Bandhan
TANAJI SHAKHA
SUGARLAND
VARALAKSHMI POOJA
Varalakshmi pooja is a significant Hindu festival mainly celebrated in South India. Every year, we celebrate Varalakshmi vratham (or pooja) in Shravana masam. This festival is celebrated on the second Friday of Shravana masam. We celebrate by doing pooja and offering auspicious things to GOD!!!
In the morning, me and my mom drew rangoli at the front entrance door to welcome goddess Lakshmi. We wake up early and do pooja to maa Thulasi with my mom. My mom on this auspicious day, wake up early and observe the fast and perform Varalakshmi pooja. We offer special prasad/naivedyam to the goddess Lakshmi. We pray to goddess maa Lakshmi to bless our family with good health, longevity and prosperity.
We start the pooja with Kalasam and welcome goddess Lakshmi. During the pooja my mom offers sacred thread and pray to the god and she ties it to her hand after the pooja.
So, this is how me and my family celebrate Varalakshmi Pooja/Vratam
GANESH CHATURTHI
Ganesh Chaturthi is one of my favorite festivals which is as per Hindu calendar, on Chaturthi of Bhadrapada month (usually comes in September). On this day we bring Ganesh idol at home, we do sthapana for 10 days, then pooja and aarti, bhog (prasad) every day in the morning and evening.
KESHAV SHAKHA HOUSTON ANAY
SAMDANI
This year I made a Ganesh idol in camp and it was an awesome experience for me. For making the idol I used colored clay and it turned out to be great and I enjoyed it. First I made legs, then body and face/it was so simple just making 2 balls and then I added plenty of details and it was great. Finally, I made Ganapati Bappa’s beautiful idol. When you bring Ganapati bappa at home, we do special seating arrangements and decoration.
For Ganapati decoration, I always try to think of something new and creative, this time I chose a Lego theme ! In Lego I picked some of my best models and arranged them in a particular way I made a sturdy platform for Ganesh
During Ganesh sthapana, with musical instruments, my dad and I welcomed Ganesh Then we did pooja and aarti My mom made ladoo and modak for prasad which is Ganapati’s favorite food The visitors who came to our place enjoyed pooja and prasad In prasadam we also give fruits to Ganapati and other sweets to visitors that come
I like this Ganapati festival time very much I am awaiting Ganesh ji to visit our home next year
KESHAV
MY SUMMER IN BHARAT
Hi, my name is Vedanshi and I am going to tell you about my 2024 summer. First I went to the airport, then I boarded my plane and enjoyed the 20 hours in the plane. Then we landed in Mumbai, Maharashtra safely.
After that we went to my uncle's house, we ate, slept, and the next morning we went to the airport to go to Kashmir. We boarded the plane and landed safely. On the first day we went to Dal lake and experienced the Shikara ride. There were people selling souvenirs on the boats. The 2nd day we went to Sonmarg and rode horses, the people there even made a heart out of ice and went to Shree Kheer Bhawani temple situated at TullaMulla, up next was the Mughal garden. Then on the 3rd day, we rode horses to go to the Doodhpathri where the water looked like milk due to its fast speed. It is a known spot for shooting films. On the 4th day we had a blast because we went to the Shankaracharya temple and to the Nigeen lake where we stayed in the boat house for 1 night. Then on the 5th day we went to Gulmarg for the Gondola ride and I made a little snowman with the snow . The 6th day we went to another temple that was built in the 8th BCE named Surya Marthanda temple near Anantnag
We started our journey to Katra on the seventh day and ate Rajma rice and stayed in a hotel We went to the Vaishno Devi on the eighth day I climbed 12 kilometers while my Grandparents came in the palki It took us about 8 hours to climb up, we ate and I vomited about 5 times at midnight as I was dehydrated On the 9th day we went to the Vaishno devi Attaka aarti darshan at 6am then after that we went to the Bhairav Kal mandir and started to climb down This time I went in the palki because I was very tired and when we reached the bottom of the mountain it was pouring rain, so me, my mom, and my grandma headed off to the hotel where we ate there and we slept
On the 10th day we started for the Jammu airport and landed safely in Mumbai then began our journey towards Tamil nadu We went to Madurai first and then a few days later we went to Courtallam - Water falls city, where we bathed in Five falls, Old falls, Pabanasaam Shivan temple where we bathed in the river, and then we went to Old falls and then we traveled to Kerala to go to Palaruvi falls and then we returned in our tempo safely Then we went to Mumbai and arrived in Texas, America again
TANAJI SHAKHA
SUGARLAND
KRISHNA JANMASHTAMI
Janmashtami is a Hindu Festival that celebrates the birth of lord Krishna also the eighth avatar of Lord Vishnu. It is also known as Krisna Janmashtami, it is celebrated on Astami or the eight days of the Krisna Paksha in Bhadrapada it usually comes in the month of August. Krisna was born in midnight in Mathura, so many people fast till midnight then image of Krishna bathed in water and milk, dressed new clothes and worshipped.
The story of Krishna Janmashtami around the birth of Lord Krishna. His Parents, Devki and Vasudeva were imprisoned by the evil king Kansa. Kansa Killed seven of their sons. Lord Krishna was eighth son of Devaki and Vasudeva. When Krishna was born, all the security guard of prison went into deep sleep, the heavy chain binding Vasudeva unlocked, and the prison doors opened. His father Vasudeva carried him across the river Yamuna and gave him his friend Nand Ji to save him from Kansa. He was raised in Gokul by Nand Ji and Mata Yashoda.
Sri Krishna was very fond of eating Makhan He always used to steal Makhan from Gopi’s and from his house Krishna has a distinctive look which Includes a flute on his lips, a crown on his head with a peacock feather, and dressed in yellow attire
To show up this Distinct look of Krishna, Little kids also love to dress up as Krishna or Radha in bright and colorful clothes and participate in skits Children love to run around playing the flute and enjoying the prasad
ADITI
SAURABH
Next day, we celebrate Dahi Handi which generates excitement and symbolizes that the youth Krishna’s love for butter and curd Young men form human pyramids to break a high-hanging pot of curd representing Krishna’s playful habit of stealing butter And show ups the spirit of harmony, Friendship and team work that Krishna expressed This is often accompanied by enthusiastic cheers from spectators
GANESH CHATURTHI
Ganesh Chaturthi is a popular Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Ganesha, the god of wisdom, prosperity, and good fortune. This festival usually lasts for 10 days and is filled with joy, devotion, and colorful celebrations. Who is Lord Ganesha?
Lord Ganesha is one of the most loved gods in Hinduism. He is known as the remover of obstacles and the god of new beginnings. People pray to him before starting any new work, whether it's school, a job, or a new adventure. His head represents wisdom, and his belly symbolizes wealth and happiness.
How is Ganesh Chaturthi Celebrated?
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1. Puja and Offerings: Each day, families and communities perform special prayers (puja) and offer sweets, fruits, and flowers to Lord Ganesha. One of Ganesha’s favorite sweets is modak, a dumpling filled with coconut and jaggery
Bringing Home Idols: On the first day, people bring home beautifully decorated idols of Lord Ganesha. These idols are made from clay or eco-friendly materials.
2. Music and Dance: Devotees sing bhajans, and often perform dance to celebrate
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Visarjan : On the last day, the idols are taken to a river or sea for a ritual called visarjan, where they are gently immersed in water This symbolizes the belief that Lord Ganesha returns to his heavenly home, but his blessings remain with his devotees.
What is the Message of Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesh Chaturthi teaches us the values of wisdom, peace, and unity It is a time to pray for the removal of obstacles in our lives and to start new journeys with a positive attitude It also reminds us of the importance of taking care of nature, which is why many people now use eco-friendly idols to protect the environment
This festival brings families and communities together in celebration, with everyone sharing happiness, food, and devotion to Lord Ganesha!
