Diwali is one of the biggest festival of Hindus, celebrated with great enthusiasm and happiness in India. The festival is celebrated for five continuous days, where the third days is celebrated as the main Diwali festival or ‘Festival of lights’. Different colorful varieties of fireworks are always associated with this festival. On this auspicious day, people light up diyas and candles all around their house. They perform Laxmi Puja in the evening and seek divine blessings of Goddess of Wealth. The festival od Diwali is never complete without exchange of gifts. People present diwali gifts to all near and dear ones.

The exact day of the festival is decided by the position of the moon. According to the Hindu calendar, Amavasya or ‘no moon day’ is considered as the perfect day to celebrate Diwali. This dark night comes after every fortnight and in the month of Kartik, it marks this festival of lights and diyas. As per the English calendar, the festival generally comes in the month of November and December. For all Hindu people, the festival holds an imperative meaning since the festival is reckoned with Lord Rama’s victory as the King of Ayodhya after his return to the kingdom from 14 years of exile along with his wife Sita & brother Laxman after killing the demon, King Ravana. The festival is celebrated by lighting diyas and candles to drive away the darkness of Amavasya.

I was surprised when today I’d found these excellent photos sent in by one of our readers from New Delhi India. These pictures features Mother’s day in a local school. Students wearing all kind of fancy dresses and participting in the event. Mothers of students are promenent and proud of their kids. This is a great way to follow up our Mother’s day post.

FYI New Delhi is the capital city of India and the country’s third largest city by area. With a total area of 42.7 km2, New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi and serves as the seat of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT).

Planned by Edwin Lutyens, a leading 20th century British architect, New Delhi is known for its wide, tree-lined boulevards and houses numerous national institutions and landmarks.

Its 2nd Sunday of May, a special day, a very special day. Its Mother’s Day.
The modern Mother’s Day holiday was created by Anna Jarvis as a day for each family to honor its mother, and it’s now celebrated on various days in many places around the world.

Happy Mother’s to all our readers and specially the Mother’s who are reading this.

A sweet poem as a tribute.

A mother casts her dreams into the sea;
We, the words sent bobbing towards the sun,
The eggs of stone, the shards of prophesy.

Because she must conclude her melody
And fall back to the sweet dark hush of One,
A mother casts her dreams into the sea,

Hoping to cross that wild infinity
And on some infant shore again to run,
The eggs of stone, the shards of prophesy

Outside the fiery circle of memory,
The howling surf, the incessant years undone …
A mother casts her dreams into the sea

And then dissolves into a tapestry,
Her rolling, helpless drift again begun,
The eggs of stone, the shards of prophesy

Afloat once more upon eternity,
Once more the alien fury, never done …
Again, again, her dreams into the sea,
The eggs of stone, the shards of prophesy!

Dear friends today we are going dedicate this post to “Mukhtar Mai” a pakistani gang rape victim women. Mukhtar Mai was raped allegedly ordered by a village council as a punishment for a misdemeanour blamed on her brother. She got married with a policeman Nasir Abbas Gabol belong to Muzaffargarh. Some people say that Ms Mai said that she would not marry, but she tells I said only that relationships are in the hands of Allah and if I got a good man I will absolutely get marry. Mukhtar Mai is one of two wives of constable Nasir Abbas. The marriage was solemnised at a simple ceremony in her village, Mirwala. She first met Nasir Abbas when he was posted at the police station in the village after her gang rape in 2002. About two years ago cnstable Nasir Abbas proposed Ms Mai but declined as she knew that he is already married and she did not want to ruin his first wife’s life.

But after Mukhtar Mai rejection Naisr Abbas told her that if she will not marry with him, he will threatened to divorce his first wife. He also tried to commit suicide. His sisters are married into his first wife’s family – and in a tit-for-tat move they were threatened with divorce too if Nasir Abbas divorced his first wife. Nasir Abbas’s first wife and his two sisters approached Mukhtar Mai and pleaded with her to marry Nasir Abbas. So she got married because she did not want to break up three families. Mukhtar Mai was honoured as Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine in a ceremony in Washington in 2005.T he award praised Ms Mai for “her incredible courage and optimism in the face of terrible violence”.

Naima Naeem a student of 3rd year from Rawalpindi is standing in a girl�s school garden in Sawat. The photo was taken last week when she went Sawat to meet her best friend. Naima wants to share her feelings and views about current circumstances of Sawat. She tells that Sawat is one of beautiful places in Pakistan. The lush-green valley of Swat, with its rushing torrents, icy-cold lakes, fruit-laden orchards and flower-decked slopes is an ideal place for holiday-makers who intent to relax and enjoy the fruits of nature.

But now what�s going on in Sawat Valley and who will stop this all? Despite the curfew every day we hear that one or more school been destroyed in Sawat area. And girls are especially told not to go to school or they can lose their lives. Teachers are scared to teach. And security men are threatened and lose their lives. Then question comes to mind, who will protect their right to get educated? And open up their minds so they will raise people who will not be easy prey to extremist and violent groups. We all know that how vital it is to educate women for development process. Things gradually changed regarding women education and rights in rest of the Pakistan, but this reverse trend in Sawat is a drastic down fall. Well Naima thank you very much for sending photo and sharing your beautiful thoughts, we want to say just one thing to you that whole Nation feels for people of Sawat and hate to see heavenly beauty brutally destroyed.