Reenita's Wisdom

Diwali, India’s Festival Of Light, is the largest and most important holiday for the global Indian community. Considered to be the Indian new year, it is a time when the entire family gets together to participate in wellness traditions and festivities that hark back to the days of ancient India.

Today we celebrate Laxmi Devi, the Goddess of Wealth. Legend tells us that she visits all homes that offer a prayer to her before dusk. But before the prayer can take place, the whole family prepares by spring cleaning the home and indulging themselves in an elaborate Ayurvedic oil routine. An excuse for a spa ritual? Sure, it’s what will bring prosperity into you home. After that, it’s all about the diyas or clay lamps and the sparklers to light night and the new year.

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Diwali, or Dipawali, is India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (or deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects us from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.

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Story excerpted from Kids.NationalGeographic.Com

Image Credit: www.trekearth.com

Every year on October 2nd, I am take back to my comfort zone of being a child of India. It is a very personal thing but those of you who grew up with a constant reminder of Gandhi-ji as the Father of the Indian Nation, will know what I am talking about.

Gandhi-ji symbolizes more than peace, non violence or an Independent India. Gandhi-ji symbolizes hope, sustainability and economic progress. Every October, and certainly in times as troubled as these, the thought of the loin-clothed man spinning for hours upon a wheel in perfect silence, provides meditation in itself.

Jennifer Lance of Ecochildsplay, put together some beautiful quotes of Gandhi-ji last year. Click here to read them.

And If economic progress and sustainability was truly his objective, then I think we all have cause to celebrate. Click here to read about how Gandhi’s charkha or spinning wheel has inspired a way to power villages across India.

Happy Gandhi-ji’s birthday to you all

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Happy Late Birthday Gandhi

Photo credit: Finickypenguin.com

As an Indian, I have to say that I have a big soft spot for fashion that is inspired by or connected to South Asia. One thing I definitely missed about living in India when my kids were younger, was the opportunity to shop for them in the bazaars of New Delhi and Calcutta like my mom did for me.

So, I was absolutely thrilled to receive an email the other day from Sonia Gupta, a mom entrepreneur in Massachusetts, who has recently launched My Little Pakora, a website with Organic Baby Clothing and information on green living.

Her motivation?

“As parents, we all want to raise our children in the healthiest way we can,” says Gupta. “By combining the traditions of no-Western cultures with the latest information about organic living, My Little Pakora gives parents unique ideas, education and practical support to help them live healthier for their own families and the larger environment.”

Gupta left a high powered career in startup technology companies around the Greater Boston area to form this online organic baby clothing retailer and multicultural resource center that blends the latest information about sustainable lifestyles with the cultural traditions of South Asia. I say more people should leave their autopilot careers to do interesting things like Gupta. We certainly have a need for it.

A pakora is an Indian snack, similar to a fritter. Like many other South Asian parents, Gupta has used the word as an endearing term for her child. Hence the name of her clothing line. Gupta’s collection is too cute to express in words. Alas…my kids are growing out of their too cute to express in words phase but I am sure that plenty of moms out there South Asian or not can benefit from Gupta’s unique organic baby line!

Check it out at www.mylittlepakora.com.

India’s new biofuels policy has been the talk of the town.

Biofuels Policy

First the Indian government releases its new biofuels policy setting a target of 20% ethanol and 20% biodiesel blending by 2017. The policy is questionable because as we all know, India is already suffering an inflation in food prices. While the new policy requires fuel crops are to be grown only on “waste lands”, we all know that Indian farmers work in their own economic interest. If they get more money from oilseeds, then that’s what they will look to cultivate.

Companies Milk the Biofuels Policy

Then companies like Bharat Petroleum and the Khaitan Group decide to get in on the act. Although jatropha has been recognized as a ‘toxic’ plant for years, it is suddenly in vogue and every big renewable energy player wants to invest in jatropha plantations. Now you tell me…which way are those farmers going to turn?

Tata To Make Sweet Sorghum Ethanol

The Tata group is taking a different approach by investing in sweet sorghum for ethanol. According to International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), based in Hyderabad, said that sweet sorghum is ideal as a “food and fuel” crop for India, based on the plant providing 8 units of energy for every unit of fossil-fuel energy invested. Unlike jatropha which is grown on contentious wastelands, sorghum is grown in hilly and semi-arid areas where food crops have low yields that are not commercially viable.

Investing in biofuels is fast becoming a new fashion statement for renewable energy players? Who will come walking down the ramp next?

Related Article:

Does India’s New Biofuels Policy Spell Sustainability?