#475 Significance of Vat Savitri

 Significance of Vat Savitri Puja

                                                Image Courtesy:Google 

Vat Savitri Puja is one of the most auspicious festivals celebrated in Odisha, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh by Hindu married women. It is observed on the Amavasya, which is the no-moon day, in the Hindu month of Jyeshtha, which typically falls in May or June. It is also known as Savitri Vrat or Savitri Amavasya. This year it was celebrated on 19th May. This was my first Vat Savitri after marriage. So, I am going to share my experience of this puja here.

 

I am always fascinated by the Hindu culture. It’s indeed very vast and incredible. Every festival has a story associated with it and a lot of lessons to learn from it. That’s the beauty of our culture. I have seen my mother following this puja's rituals so dedicatedly for years. I have seen her keeping fast for my father throughout the day by eating only fruits. As a child, I could not feel the intensity then until I followed those rituals for my spouse.

 

The story of Savitri and Satyavan exemplifies the power of love, dedication, and the strength of a wife's prayers. Vat Savitri Puja is observed to honor this legend and celebrate the eternal bond between husband and wife. Savitri (daughter of the king of Madra kingdom, Ashvapati) went fell in love with a prince named Satyavan. Later she got to know that the lifespan of Satyavan was short. His husband would die when she turned 13 years which was just one year away. The Father of Savitri told him to not marry him but she was determined to marry her love. Despite this, she married Satyavan and devoted to him. When she was nearing 13 years, the very thought of the death of his husband would haunt her day and night. She started performing rituals and worshipping gods for well-being of her husband. One day, while Satyavan was cutting wood in the forest, he suddenly collapsed due to the effects of his destined fate. At that moment, Yama Raj, the Lord of Death, arrived to claim Satyavan's soul. Savitri, followed Yama Raj as he carried Satyavan's soul away. Impressed by her unwavering dedication, purity, and love for her husband, Yama Raj offered her boons. Savitri asked for three boons. First, she wanted the restoration of the eyesight of her father-in-law. Second, she asked for the kingdom which her father-in-law had lost in a war. Third, she requested to be a mother of hundred sons. Thus, through her devotion, determination, and intelligence, Savitri succeeded in changing the course of fate and saving his beloved husband’s life.

My day started with waking up early in the morning and taking a head shower. I started my ritual by visiting the temple to seek the blessings of the almighty. I wore a new saree and put on all the accessories. I have a particular affinity for bangles. As a married woman, it’s an auspicious accessory to put on with a saree.  Then I moved forward to take the blessing of my husband. I kept fast throughout the day. I consumed only fruits and juice. As its scorching summer here, I felt less hungry throughout the day.  Altogether, it was a unique experience for me. I prayed to god to bless him with good health, wealth, and happiness throughout his life. May he get all the things he desires for.

SWETA SARANGI

23.05.203

#474 X-Mas 2022 - #BlogChatterA2Z

 X-Mas 2022

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.

Recalling memories of Christmas,

That were once part of life,

In year 2022, witnessed white snow

As light as feathers, as if

Descending from heaven,

To make the earth glow,

On silent dark winter nights,

When the snow shone so brightly,

Due to the faint like that moon spread,

We marched out of our house,

To celebrate Christmas amidst the crowd,

In the heart of the city Helsinki,

The tram dropped us at Cathedral,

I remember my mobile showed a temperature

As low as -9 degrees Celsius,

Wrapped up in fur coats and snow boots,

We explored the flea market,

Christmas tree, fairy lights, sound of bells,

Aroma from sweet delicacies all

Filled up the space, it was

Really a vacation to enjoy and

Shortly welcome a brand new year.

 

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Swati Sarangi

29.04.2023

#473 Zealous not jealous - #BlogChatterA2Z

 Zealous not jealous

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.

Be zealous in life not,

Jealous about other’s life,

Or achievement or deeds,

You have one life, a life

To whether be zealous

About your ambition or

Identify the sole passion,

Or get swayed away by

Prevalent numerous distractions,

It’s your life; just one life,

Whether to focus on things,

Or Emotions that you want to grow,

Or let negativity cloud your perception,

You have a life to make some wise choices,

Choices that would decide your fate,

Being zealous drives you closer

To the completion zone,

While jealousy is a negative emotion,

Clouding your creative vision,

So, be zealous about your passions,

Not jealous of other’s achievements.

 

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Swati Sarangi

02.05.2023

#472 Love - #BlogChatterA2Z

 Love

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.

Is your love unconditional and unbiased?

Would you love me the same way,

If I change myself or the

Destiny brings a different fate?

Why did you love me in the first place?

Is it the look you fell for

Or the qualities that dragged you closer?

Could you describe the exact moment

When you felt I could be

Or the one for you?

Could you recreate the moment of

Experience this feeling called ‘love’?

What’s love for you?

Is it conditioned on something or

Is it unconditional for me?

 

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Swati Sarangi

12.04.2022

 

 

#471 Espoo - #BlogChatterA2Z

 Espoo

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.

Before taking you into the content of this post, I would like to make a little confession. I collected this post from the draft folder which was supposed to be published on 5^th April and started writing it from where I had left off. Since Easter was around the corner then, you would come across the word “Easter” in my post.

I was confused between choosing ‘Espoo’ and ‘Easter’ for the letter ‘E’ and ended up choosing Espoo over Easter[Coincidentally Easter Holidays were some days away from the day I had decided to write on ‘E’.] for sharing my personal experiences. What could be a better way to cherish memories of moving to a new place and slowly making it your home until the next move, who knows!

It has been close to 11 months since we moved to Finland and there has been a lot to explore in this country. Initially, we lived in Helsinki, a few tram stations away from the city center but later moved to the Espoo region. Unlike the hustle and bustle of Helsinki, Espoo is a quiet place. I would often miss the sound of the tram which would pass in front of the apartment where we lived in Helsinki, after shifting to Espoo. Every place has some pros and cons and it’s always a matter of time before adjusting to the new place. The view that the living room of our apartment provides is simply phenomenal. It feels like living in a fairyland and I am always so grateful for that.

Ever since we moved to Espoo, I have been exploring this place. We live about 700 meters away from the metro station and that makes it easy to catch the metro and move easily.  The following are the places in Espoo. that I’ve visited so far:

 

1) Iso Omena

It’s a mall in Matinkylä metro station. It is a 3-storeyed tall building with all kinds of stores ranging from grocery, fashion accessories, cosmetics, and pharmacy, Home and sports accessories, to Cafes, restaurants, etc. The 3^rd floor has a library, health center, pathology lab, government offices like kela office, etc. I like window shopping when not shopping in general and can be found spending time in the library.

 

2) Iso Omena Library

I have a membership card for Iso Omena Library. I have visited there many times and issued a lot of books. It has books in various languages like English, Finnish, Swedish, Russian, etc. There’s an automatic issue and return system. Helmet is the website covering the libraries of Espoo, Vanta and Helsinki. Various events take place in the library. Every year, a Helmet Reading Challenge is released to encourage readers to read books of different genres.

 

3) Aalto University

Aalto University is 3 metro stations, about 5 km away from where we live. It’s an international institute having different branches like Aalto School of Engineering, Aalto School of Business, and Aalto School of Arts. It’s connected to the metro station. Recently, I completed an open university course at Aalto University and got the chance to study a course from the course professor. It was great to get connected to the good old days of my student life and I felt it as a privilege for which I am so grateful. The result of the course is pending, and I hope it comes out well (fingers crossed).

 

4) Aalto University Library

Aalto University library is close to the metro station. I have visited the library many times and I like the couches on the first floor which make the sitting too comfortable. I also have got a membership card and as an open university student, I have access to all e-books, magazines, and journals.

 

5) Technopolis, Innopoli 2

It’s close to Aalto University, I think one or two bus stops away. I have attended some events of the Career Club or Espoo City related to self and career development. The advantage of joining such events is to get to meet so many like-minded people. I made a lot of connections through such events.

 

6) Tapiola

It’s an important place in Espoo where one can get enough connecting buses. It’s 2 metro stations away from where we live. Each metro station has a shopping mall connected to it. Similarly, Ainoa is the mall associated with Tapiola metro Station. It also has a health center, around 1 km away from the metro station.

 

 

7) Leppavara

Leppavara is a prime location in Espoo as it has a train station as well as a bus stop. There are many connecting trains to Helsinki or faraway places. I’ve seen tram tracks being laid out, close to the station, which may be operational soon.

 

8) Sello Mall

It’s a shopping mall in Leppavara. It has a lot of stores in different categories. It takes around 40 minutes from my home to reach there. There are a lot of Indian and middle east grocery stores nearby.

 

9) Sello Library

It’s not a part of the Sello Mall but a completely different building. I have visited this library many times and attended some of the events like job fairs, Helsinki Toastmaster’s meetings, etc.

 

10) Sai Baba Temple

It’s about 1 kilometer away from Sello Mall. I have visited there once as it is open during evening hours only on Thursdays and Saturdays. I’ve shared my experience of visiting the Sai Temple in this post. Please have a read.

 

What I find interesting here, in Finland, is the level of safety. It’s very safe here to travel. I mostly travel alone, and I enjoy it. People are very honest and I have recovered lost things back either in the mall or on the train. Finland has been topping the list of the Happiest Country in the world consecutively for the last 6 years and the reason is the collective awareness to focus on work, society and make it a better place to live.

 

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Swati Sarangi

05.05.2023

#470 Gift of life - #BlogChatterA2Z

 Gift of life

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.

Gift of life is everything around,

Just pause for a second and observe,

Look at the beauty surrounding us,

The firm ground over which you’re standing,

Adorned with a green carpet of grass,

With little flowers swaying with the wind,

Insects inhabiting the spread of grass,

While the white clouds float in the

Vast stretch of limitless blue sky,

Butterflies flying from one flower to another,

Birds hum a familiar tune,

Thank the eyes which can witness these all,

And ears absorbing all sounds,

The day draws to the evening and

Finally darkness of night sets in,

Time to be back home,

And reflect on everything before

Retiring for the next morning.

 

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Swati Sarangi

04.05.2022

#469 Cooking: A survival skill - #BlogChatterA2Z

Cooking: A survival skill

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.

Cooking is, definitely, a survival skill. I realized it in quite recent years of my life. I have always been interested in cooking, but I didn’t like cooking basic meals until my marriage. Before my marriage, I would cook fancy dishes whose recipes would be taken from YouTube. I would note down the steps in a copy and ask for my mother to arrange every ingredient of the recipe, then upon blindly following the steps from my copy, the dish would come out well, without any fail.

It's said that the easiest way to reach someone’s heart is through someone’s stomach which, in simple words, means that one must satisfy the taste bud of someone if he really wants to make him happy. I found its relevance. My husband and I, both of us love food, thus cooking. We keep experimenting with ingredients to come up with new dishes, every now and then.  This skill of cooking proved to be a boon for us especially when we moved abroad. I am always attracted to Indian Cuisine for its variety of tastes. The kind of satisfaction that I get after having any Indian food is inexplicable. It’s always not so easy to look for Indian dishes abroad, either they are too expensive, or they don’t give the authentic taste that we crave, or the serving time is too much. We cook fairly well, so we are always satisfied with whatever is cooked in our kitchen. So, when we look for Indian dishes outside of India, we generally expect their taste to be better than what our kitchen can produce. If those dishes don’t taste better than what we can cook, we really get disappointed.

Cooking is not only a survival skill but also a stress buster. The aroma of spices, generated from mixing different ingredients in the pot, relieves all stress and makes it mouth-watering. Homemade food is always in high demand, especially in situations where other food options are negligible. That multiplies the joy of sharing food with others, and it makes our day.

 

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Swati Sarangi

03.05.2023

 

P.S: These cupcakes were baked by my husband, on my birthday. Those were too delicious. 

Before Baking

After Baked

#468 You matter - #BlogChatterA2Z

 You matter

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.

You matter, your voice matters

Your choices matter even though

Circumstances make your

Dreams shattered hopes tattered,

Your dreams matter so is your

Existence and each action

Of yours speak a thousand words,

Why do you even care for their

Hollow words devoid of any

Sense or Impact?

Let your integrity protect you

From all devil eyes,

All rewards shall cover your path

Which were once full of thorns,

Now converted into flowers,

Whose petals caress your feet,

Because your feed once bled,

Bled for running over those pebbles,

But you didn’t care and

Kept tracing the path leading

To the destination that you’ve

Been assigned, the check post

Isn’t so far and be grateful of

Taking care of the choices

That matter.

 

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Swati Sarangi

02.05.2023

#467 Vappu - #BlogChatterA2Z

 Vappu

 

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023.

Happy May / International Worker’s Day to everyone! It’s Maharashtra’s Foundation Day. It’s also an important day in the history of Finland as it is celebrated to commemorate Catholic Saint Walpurgis. It is also celebrated as one of the biggest student events in Finland. Students are seen wearing high school/college caps, overall, and picnicking all around the parks. This day marks the beginning of Summer as spring approaches its end. This time, I didn’t attend the Vappu event in Helsinki as I had some other plans but yesterday, I could get the vibes of the festivity when I was traveling towards Helsinki. The metro, which would be relatively empty on other days, was crowded. I have never faced the problem of not getting a seat in the metro but yesterday I did not get a seat. I saw students in their overalls and caps and holding balloons while traveling in the metro.

It was a holiday and a special day for me as grew a year older and wiser with my twin sister. I received a lot of wishes from my friends, family, and acquaintances over calls and messages. It felt great to receive wishes from school and college friends. My husband baked delicious chocolate cupcakes for me which I enjoyed relaxing at home. The birthday lunch was also prepared by him which absolutely satisfied my taste buds. On the occasion of Maharashtra Day, I recorded and uploaded a famous MarathiSong on Youtube [100^th video on my YouTube Channel] which I learned during my school days. It brought a lot of memories of my school days for which I felt so grateful. I had a lot of writing tasks to complete for #BlogChatterA2Z Challenge, but I couldn’t control how this day passed and I didn’t let regret take over a beautiful day. After hectic working days, I always look forward to weekends for running errands and pending household tasks like laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc.

Most importantly, I connected with many people today with whom I had not talked for some time and that simply made my day! Talking my heart out, made my day! It literally did! It's the best gift I received today.

All Rights Reserved!

Swati Sarangi

01.05.2023

 

 

#466 Joy of giving - #BlogChatterA2Z

 Joy of giving

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023. 

There’s a joy in giving

Anything to others,

It need not have to be

Anything material,

It could be knowledge, skills,

Guidance, Love or laughter,

Lessons or series of experiences,

Solution or approaches to problems,

 There’s always a hidden joy,

That joy that comes after

The satisfaction of receiver,

Giver sleeps well because

He’s content for the

Deeds he did for others,

Without expecting anything in return,

He gives others unconditionally,

What a life which can’t be

Useful to others?

 

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Swati Sarangi

30.04.2023

#465 Onset of Spring - #BlogChatterA2Z

 Onset of spring

This post is a part of #BlogchatterA2Z Challenge 2023. 

After a chilly winter,

There comes the spring,

Once snow-laden trees now

Appear to be alive,

Snow has melted under

The warmth of sunray,

Dull and dry cold days,

Have left their old ways.

Days are now much longer,

Unlike for last few months,

When we eagerly waited to

Have a glance at the sun.

There’s greenery all around,

A sight to absorb and cherish,

When the flowers spread colors,

Like hues from a color palette,

Under a bright blue sky,

All things appear like painting

Being painted on a canvas

With a divine brush.

 

Spring is here with

All blooms everywhere,

Some time to spend with nature

And be grateful for all creatures,

Which constitute this nature.

All Rights Reserved!

Swati Sarangi

28.04.2022