The Jai Jais Blog
Hindu Stories Imagery, Death and Destruction…What Should We Expose Our Children Too?
by Sunita Shah
Many Hindu stories from the scriptures are brimming with demons and Asuras, who are strong, powerful and evil, full of darkness and despair to gain power and destroy the world. They seem to always want the boon of immortality, but the gods being one step ahead they never win. They are not the best to look at, some of the descriptions from the scriptures of how the demons, looked and behaved are horrific, and quite violent. I would love to hear your views on what we should expose our children too, here are my thoughts
Why Do we Worship Tulsi?
by Sunita Shah
Tulsi symbolises purity. The humble Tulsi also has its own festival. This is called Tulsi Vivah, (Tulsi is the plant and Vivah means marriage) and this year is celebrated on the 26th November 2020. It has been interesting writing this blog, as I have never grown up celebrating Tulsi Vivah. A few years ago when I lived in London, I had gone to the temple and its was super busy. Ladies were dressed in their finest sarees the temple was full of music and laughter. It seemed a wedding was happening…I thought I had gate crashed a wedding!, when I asked someone what was happening they said “Today is Tulsi Vivah”. So why is Tulsi Vivah celebrated?
Dusshera
by Sunita Shah
With the Diwali upon us, let your child connect to super heroes in true festive spirit, with ‘The Jai Jais’. The Indian tradition understands the power of storytelling to ignite the curiosity of young minds in exploring the hidden depths of our religion, culture and roots. Who doesn’t love super heroes? For a child or a teenager… even as an adult, I am learning so much with this journey with ‘The Jai Jais’. Super-heroes are awesome! and festive occasions offer parents a unique opportunity to sit down and just enjoy the good times with their little ones. Now, what about festivals like Dussehra and Diwali? Well, these festivals too have ‘super-heroes’, in a way that children may not know…. The Jai Jais certainly have a whole host of super heroes. Come and join our adventures.
The Story of the Tortoise: The Second Avatar of Vishnu.
by Sunita ShahBelieve it or not our little Tortoise also has roots and symbolism in Hinduism. Kurma (Sanskrit: कूर्म; Kūrma, 'turtle', 'tortoise'), also known as 'KurmaRaja' ('Tortoise King') is the second avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, the preserver god in the Hindu Trimurthi (trinity). He appeared in the Satya Yuga as a giant tortoise to save the earth from destruction. His enormous back was said to have provided a foundation for the mythical Mount Mandara, which was used by the gods (and demons) as a churning rod to stir the milk-ocean thereby obtaining the purported nectar of immortality.