Culture Connect- Get the world to taste India

We wanted Artikrti’s Culture Connect Blog to become that India lover’s ‘go-to’ page for some quality soul time on India.
From today, we would like to flag off a key initiative:
This community of #cultureconnectors will only thrive when all of us exchange our experiences about India and things Indian. So, we would like to welcome blog contributions from around the world on their perspectives about India. Please write to gigi@artikrti.com with a link to your already published post on India or send a copy of what you want published on Artikrti's Culture Connect Blog and we will publish it, with of course, your author profile and links as well.

Today, the 21st of June is the 5th International Yoga Day, celebrated across the world. Artikrti joins the #yogacommunity and the rest of the Artikrti family of friends and fans to further the cause of peace, harmony, well-being and culture-connect through yoga.

In marking this day as International Yoga Day, someone observed that for India and its Prime Minister Modi [who initiated this day], this "served as a perfect vehicle to create a shared national consciousness". Artikrti would like to table the thought that the International Yoga Day "serves as a perfect vehicle to create a shared culture-connect consciousness across our world". Today there is no bigger movement than Yoga that brings the world and varied cultures together as one unified race.

Today is Holi- a festival of colours that is celebrated in India and the world over by people from varied cultures & countries. This is one festival from India that has been adopted & celebrated by people of all races because of it's spirit of oneness, and the celebration of good over evil- which is at the core of the Holi Festival- are starting to resonate with folks throughout the globe. And for the very same reason, the festival resonates with the Culture Connect spirit of Artikrti.

Artikrti wishes you a really eventful 2017 filled with meaningful relationships that enrich you. Relationships that connect with cultures and people across the world. 

It is during tough times, that the tough get going. And we are going through some very divisive, testing times as a community on this planet. As a specie that is evolving, we owe it to our future generations to be far more welcoming of the differences that exist amongst us a race. Not just recognize and welcome the differences but to respect and embrace them as fascinating aspects that distinguish one group from another. That is  really promoting the concept of FriendsWithoutBorders and Aritkrti's mission of CultureConnect. #friendswithoutborders #cultureconnect

Today is Gandhi's birth anniversary- the 147th. Known as "Mahatma" or "The Great Soul", he is a national hero & leader for India like no other. His life, his writings and above all, his actions stood for certain principles that are timeless and valuable to all of us across the world: 

Holding onto Truth [satyagraha] & non-violence.

Equality, simplicity & compassion

Village craft & dignity of labor

Building character through communal life & work.

It is at the meeting point of village craft, communal life, simplicity & work that one finds "khadi" which means handspun or handwoven.

Artikrti celebrates Yoga: The second International Yoga Day is just around the corner- June 21st, 2016 will mark the second time cultures from around the world will unite to commemorate Yoga as the way to rejuvenate our body, mind & soul. Collectively yoga practitioners spread over 100 countries will dedicate themselves to the spirit of what yoga stands for- to join or to unite, symbolizing the union of body and consciousness.

To us at Artikrti, there can be no other unifying symbol of the mingling of our different cultures, as this global event that celebrates yoga. 

India and India lovers from all around the world celebrate Holi, India's Festival of Colors today. And fittingly, Google's logo changes its look and colors to commemorate Holi. In today's digital world, there is no other global connector like Google and it is heartening to see Google taking the Festival of Colors to people all over the world. That is real CultureConnect.

......At a time when our differences seem to divide us and lead us to violence in different parts of the world, let us celebrate our diversity just like the diverse colors of Holi but unified by the spirit of love & togetherness of Holi.

India celebrates Navratri from Oct 13-22. Yes a nine-day festival. We don’t believe in going easy on our festivities☺

Jokes aside, the essence of this festival has great meaning to all our lives, especially NOW:

"Navratri represents how the negativity can be conquered by the inherent positive qualities in an individual so that one emerges as a Divine being."- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Navratri is a dedication to Shakthi or "Power", the feminine form of the Divine, known as Goddess Durga.

Interesting, isn't it, as to how in our search for the meaning of our lives, we discover such unforeseen twists, which take us on to totally new paths. Maharaja-ji or the Guru only professed "love all, feed all, serve all" and it is said even today, if anyone turned up hungry at any of Baba's 108 ashrams across the world, he would get food.

Nainital, nature's gift to India at the foothills of the Himalayas, is a place that evokes quite meditation and contemplation. Naini means "Cool Air" and Taal is the word for "Lake". Like many hill stations from the time of the British Raj, Nainital is also a bustling tourist centre but it has those picturesque, tranquil vistas that just humble us humans, to wonder about the beauty of creation and nature.

A few kilometres away from Nainital is the temple and the ashram that has been hitting the headlines in Silicon Valley:

Have you seen the movie "Fiddler on the roof"? My favourite part in the movie is when Tevye, the Milkman, sings the song "Tradition", a fascinating account of his life, his times and the Jewish culture he upholds. When we get to know people and their culture in that manner, you feel connected...you sort of feel you know him or her just a shade more.....personally.........

........have that yearning to discover, to know more. We’d like Artikrti’s Culture Connect Blog to become that India lover’s ‘go-to’ page for some quality soul time on India.