31st December wasn’t just the end of 2025, it also quietly marked the end of the first quarter of this century.

31st December wasn’t just the end of 2025, it also quietly marked the end of the first quarter of this century. And what a 25 years it’s been!!! Some of us built solid careers… some even semi-retired. Our children grew up, finished studies, got jobs, got married… and upgraded us to in-law status. Some became grandparents as well. As kids moved on, we rediscovered our spouses and realised both of us had changed. So we started dating again… at home. Many of us went from feeling like Bahubali to negotiating daily with dawa ki goli. The good news? We also mellowed, evolved, and surprisingly, became better human beings. We shifted from accumulating things to decluttering — homes, minds and grudges. We became more open-minded than what we were. Along the way, the elders left us quietly and before we knew it, we became the “uncle-aunty” generation. From growing up without a TV to living with iPhones, Amazon, Google, Uber, WhatsApp and instant everything — what a leap!!! We made new friends, lost some and learned that at this stage, friendships matter more than ever. So here’s to gratitude, humour and kindness — for the years gone by and the ones ahead. Wishing everyone a blessed Year and a fantastic next quarter century which we hope to celebrate together. 👍

How many children does Lord Shiva have? Lord Shiva has 7 children -

How many children does Lord Shiva have? Lord Shiva has 7 children - Lord Kartikeya - He was the eldest son of Shiva and Parvati. He was born with the union of their cosmic energies, with the purpose of killing Tarkasura, which he fulfilled. He was appointed as God Of War. He was married to Indra (or Brahma)’s daughter Devasena, and Valli. Lord Ganesha - Lord Ganesha was created by Goddess Parvati herself, from the mud of Kailash. After he was beheaded by his own father Shiva, he was given the head of elephant. He became the God Of Wisdom and Knowledge. He was married to Siddhi and Riddhi. His sons were Shubha, and Labha. Andhaka - Andhaka was born through Shiva and Parvati’s sweat. He was given into adoption to Hiranyaksha. Andhaka lusted on Parvati and faced Shiva, getting killed by him, and Parvati also (in Mahakali form). Later, Andhaka’s son Adi also receives similar treatment, and Andhaka’s other son Bakasur was killed by Krishna. Ayyappa - A demoness Mahishi had the boon that she could only be killed by an offspring of Shiva and Vishnu. Hence, Vishnu took the form of Mohini and united with Shiva, resulting in the birth of Ayyappa, who was adopted by Southern king Pandalam. Ayyappa later killed Mahishi, and has remained a lifelong celibate till date. Ashokasundari - Ashokasundari was born from the Kalpavruksha, when Parvati wished for her, and imagined her stature. Ashokasundari was soon married to Chandravanshi king Nahusha, and their son was Yayati, the progenitor of various clans. Manasa Manasa, the Naga goddess, was the daughter of Shiva as per Shiva Purana. She was born from the seed of Shiva. Manasa’s son Astika was the one who urged to stop Janamejaya’s Sarpa Satra. Jalandhar Jalandhar was the son of Shiva born when the energy of Shiva’s third eye combined with the ocean. Jalandhar was very mighty as when he invaded Kailash, he defeated everyone including Indra, Nandi, Kartikeya, Ganesha etc. However, he was later killed by Shiva after Vrinda immolated herself.

How many children does Lord Shiva have? Lord Shiva has 7 children -

How many children does Lord Shiva have? Lord Shiva has 7 children - Lord Kartikeya - He was the eldest son of Shiva and Parvati. He was born with the union of their cosmic energies, with the purpose of killing Tarkasura, which he fulfilled. He was appointed as God Of War. He was married to Indra (or Brahma)’s daughter Devasena, and Valli. Lord Ganesha - Lord Ganesha was created by Goddess Parvati herself, from the mud of Kailash. After he was beheaded by his own father Shiva, he was given the head of elephant. He became the God Of Wisdom and Knowledge. He was married to Siddhi and Riddhi. His sons were Shubha, and Labha. Andhaka - Andhaka was born through Shiva and Parvati’s sweat. He was given into adoption to Hiranyaksha. Andhaka lusted on Parvati and faced Shiva, getting killed by him, and Parvati also (in Mahakali form). Later, Andhaka’s son Adi also receives similar treatment, and Andhaka’s other son Bakasur was killed by Krishna. Ayyappa - A demoness Mahishi had the boon that she could only be killed by an offspring of Shiva and Vishnu. Hence, Vishnu took the form of Mohini and united with Shiva, resulting in the birth of Ayyappa, who was adopted by Southern king Pandalam. Ayyappa later killed Mahishi, and has remained a lifelong celibate till date. Ashokasundari - Ashokasundari was born from the Kalpavruksha, when Parvati wished for her, and imagined her stature. Ashokasundari was soon married to Chandravanshi king Nahusha, and their son was Yayati, the progenitor of various clans. Manasa Manasa, the Naga goddess, was the daughter of Shiva as per Shiva Purana. She was born from the seed of Shiva. Manasa’s son Astika was the one who urged to stop Janamejaya’s Sarpa Satra. Jalandhar Jalandhar was the son of Shiva born when the energy of Shiva’s third eye combined with the ocean. Jalandhar was very mighty as when he invaded Kailash, he defeated everyone including Indra, Nandi, Kartikeya, Ganesha etc. However, he was later killed by Shiva after Vrinda immolated herself.

For India in 1983 World Cup

For India in 1983 World Cup Most Runs - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (303) Most 4s - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (24) Most 6s - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (7) Highest Score - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (175*) Highest Avg - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (60.60) Highest SR - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (108.99) Most Maidens - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (13) Best Fig - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (5/43) 3rd Most Wickets - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (12) Best Eco.rate - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (2.91) Most Catches - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (7) [By Fielders] Most Wins as Cap - 𝗞𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗹 (7) [Joint Overall] Part of Highest Partnership (126*) Happy Birthday

5 secrets.- Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Q:Where is the Jeeva and the Atma before birth? What is the difference between Jeeva and Atma? How is a Jeeva born, and where does it come from? Guru Dev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Ji : Both are same. Life comes into the body at the time of conception, and sometimes at the time of birth also. The soul enters the body at the time of conception or the time of birth. Sometimes one soul stays up to birth and another soul comes at birth. Usually, it is the same soul that stays throughout. It is one of the 5 secrets. The secret of death, the secret of birth, and the royal secret. These are some of the 5 secrets. I’ve spoken about it in the knowledge books. Just read those books. I know many of you have not read the seven volumes of An Intimate Note To The Sincere Seeker. Read these seven volumes. For seven years, every week I used to give one knowledge sheet. It was on Wednesdays, we used to sit and write something new. And it was all compiled as An Intimate Note To The Sincere Seeker. Another book that you must all read is the Yoga Vasistha (a discourse of sage Vasistha to Prince Rama, during a period when the latter is in a dejected state). You may not understand it by reading it once. Read it again and again and again. Whatever you understand, just take that. And whatever you don’t understand, just leave it. One day you’ll say, 'Oh, this is it!' There is a doctor in USA, he’s a brain surgeon. He went into coma for seven days and people thought he’s dead, and that he will not come back to life. But suddenly something happened and he came back. He wrote a book called The Proof Of Heaven. He’s a Christian, and had no idea about the eastern philosophy. He has never read anything about it. But when he came back to life, what he wrote is startling. He wrote what is usually taught in the Bhagavad Gita (an ancient Indian scripture). He said when he left the body, all that he felt was the big presence, and the name of the presence is Om. He called it Om. He also talks about the golden egg, and the core. Core means the self, the atma. And he says the roots are above, and the shoots below. That is what the Bhagavad Gita said. There is a tree with its roots above, in the sky. He said, when he left the body, he moved through the roots to the other side. It was a muddy, murky space through which he had to go. This is absolutely what the puranas (Hindu religious text) speak about. It is simply the ancient puranas in the modern language; in the language of science. It says the same thing: Communication without language. And an angel comes, a guide comes to take you through from one place to another. This is what is said. Why do you have to have a Guru in life? Because after you die, the first person that you meet will be the Guru. The Guru will take you from that place; like a guide. It is like when you arrive at an airport and you have someone there to receive you, to take you to the car. That is why a Guru is important. All those ancient ideas, is what this doctor experienced. It is very interesting. And many people who have had near-death experiences (NDEs), have all experienced similar things, like seeing a tunnel with a very loving light on the other side. Not going to hell or something like that. Reading these experiences makes you understand life. So forget about the fear of hell or the temptation of heaven. In India also, there is a gentleman who comes to the Ashram regularly. He also said that he had a very similar experience. He died for seven minutes before he was revived. When he was revived, he explained his journey, how a few people came and took him to another place. He said there were people dressed in white, with beards, like some rishis (sages). They said to the people who brought him, 'Why did you bring him? It the wrong person, he still has to be on the planet'. The people who brought him said, 'No, this is the right person', and so they were having an argument. He was narrating his experience, and then he said that he was brought back and left just near the nostrils of his corpse. He said, 'I saw myself on the operation table. I saw myself and I saw people crying. The doctor was trying to revive me but I was gone. I was connected with a thin thread. And then they attached me to the thin thread and left me near the nostrils. I breathed in gently and came back to life'. Many people who have come back to life had similar experiences. So life is much more than what we think it is. I wrote a poem in Kannada when I was 17 years old. In the poem, I had written that I was everywhere and then suddenly I came like a lightning back onto this Earth. And this is exactly what this doctor has also written!

Why Rukmini left Krishna?

Why Rukmini left Krishna? Krishna struck his foot against the ground causing a spring of the Ganga river to appear. Observing her quench her thirst without seeking his permission, the infuriated Durvasa cursed her to be separated from her beloved Krishna.

Divided by a Common Language: The Indian Edition

Divided by a Common Language: The Indian Edition By Mohan Murti As Indians schooled in the Queen’s English but raised in the Republic’s reality, we’ve turned the language of Shakespeare into something gloriously, unapologetically our own. We bend it, twist it, stretch it—and occasionally, reinvent it altogether. The result is Indian English, a tongue so inventive that it confuses the Brit, bewilders the American, and delights us endlessly. Consider our national treasure: the dicky. In India, we load our luggage into the dicky of the car. In America, that’s scandalous—something that might get you reported to HR. In Kerala, we don’t just speak English — we Malayalify it. “Open the light,” we say confidently, and it works just fine. In Tamil Nadu, grammar bends like a Bharatanatyam pose. “I’m coming, da!” means “I’m going.” “Your good name, please?” is both inquiry and affection. And the word only travels freely: “He told me only!” can mean he told me, only he told me, or nobody else told me. Move up north and English starts wearing a turban. Punjabis add rocket fuel to the language. “Why fear when I am here?” they roar. A sentence is not complete until it has volume, rhythm, and possibly a bhangra beat. Then comes Amchi Mumbai English — half Hindi, half movie dialogue, all attitude. “Full tight party scene, boss!” or “Timepass only, re!” It’s the city’s linguistic chutney — spicy, loud, addictive. Oh, even our accents tell their own stories. The Mallu one flows like coconut oil; the Tamil one clips its vowels like jasmine buds; the Punjabi one bounces with joy; the Mumbai one swaggers like a film dialogue. Together, they make English sound like India — musical, chaotic, alive. Then there’s the tiffin box—that humble stainless-steel companion of every schoolchild and office-goer. Tell an American you forgot your tiffin, and they might recommend a vaccine. We don’t graduate; we pass out. It’s a phrase that makes Americans dial 911 in concern, unaware that in India, it’s a proud declaration of academic triumph. When we want something done, we politely conclude our emails with “Kindly do the needful.” Nobody outside India understands what the “needful” is, but every Indian instinctively does it. That’s the way we pass the buck on! And of course, we never postpone. We prepone. It’s perhaps our most brilliant contribution to English—a linguistic juggernaut born from our deep impatience with delay. The Oxford Dictionary has finally bowed in respect. Our family relationships add another dimension of drama. “Meet my cousin-brother,” we say proudly, and watch Western eyebrows shoot up. To them, cousins are just cousins. To us, bloodlines deserve subcategories. If you visit an Indian hotel, you might not find a room at all—only steaming idlis and filter coffee. Try ordering a dosa at the front desk of a Hilton in London, and you’ll quickly understand how English travels but meanings don’t. And that classic Indian opener—“Do one thing…” It never stops at one. It’s our way of gently drawing someone into an entire project, starting with one thing and ending with twelve. Ask for a rubber in an Indian classroom, and you’ll get an eraser. Ask for one in an American classroom, and you might get detention. When our boss is traveling, we inform callers with dignity that “Sir is out of station.” To the uninitiated, this sounds like a railways announcement, but in India it merely means he’s not in town. We don’t procrastinate—we simply say, “We’ll adjust.” Adjustment is our national art form: it applies equally to cramped seats, impossible deadlines, and joint families. Then there’s our godown—the majestic Indian synonym for a warehouse. Tell an American all your goods are in the godown, and they’ll assume a tragedy. Even our notion of leisure is linguistic genius. Where others waste time, we call it timepass. It’s a philosophical acceptance of existence itself—why lament unproductive hours when you can elevate them to the status of a pastime? So yes, we may live in a world where chips are fries, crisps are chips, and cookies are devouring biscuits. But no one can deny that the Indian variant of English is not merely a dialect—it’s a declaration of cultural independence. It’s English spoken in 1.4 billion accents, spiced with Hindi, marinated in nostalgia, and served with grammatical improvisation. The rest of the world may have invented the language, but India has turned it into a carnival. And to that, my dear reader, all I can say is—Do one thing: kindly do the needful, and share this piece for some timepass!