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Sri Harmandir Sahib is a divine pilgrimage endowed with the blessings of great Sikh gurus and is a very important and sacred pilgrim center. It has universal appeal across all religions and people from around the world come to worship.

Also known as the Golden Temple, the place is extremely holy to Sikhs. It is remembered by every Sikh in his prayers when he begs the Lord almighty to bless him with a dip in the holy sarovar.

The temple was built over a long period. Guru Ram Das, the fourth Sikh guru laid the foundation of Sarovar of Golden Temple in 1577. The foundation of the temple was laid by a Muslim saint Sain Mian Meer on Jan 13, 1589. During the reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in Punjab, a sum of INR 64,11,000 was spent on gold work in the shrine. It is because of this gold work that the temple is known as Golden temple.

Sri Harmandir Sahib has always had a exalted status because of its religious importance but the shrine also houses rich art heritage. Beautifully executed in different materials and techniques, the intricate art on the body of the temple convey philosophical significance besides showing the skill of the craftsmen. these decorative art forms within and outside the main shrine have been classified as jaratkari (inlaid stone), moharakashi (frescos with natural pigments), gach (engraved patterns), tukri (fixing of mirror using mercury) and gold embossing.

Sikh devotees for whom the temple is a symbol of freedom and spiritual intelligence arrive from all over the world to offer prayers.

Raksha Bandhan
16 August (Sat)- In 2008
Cause - Festival of bond between Brother and Sister

The legendary pledge of security between a brother and a sister against all odds and misfortunes that may be in store for them is taken on Raksha Bandhan day that is celebrated on Purnima, i.e., the day of the full moon in the month of Sawan in Hindu calender. As per English calendar, it falls in July or August.

On this day sister ties “Rakhi” on the right hand of her brother. The delicate thread of a Rakhi signifies the toughest bond of them all - that of a brother and a sister. The simple unassuming act of tying a Rakhi on one’s wrist isn’t just a festive occasion. It evokes strong and intense emotions and symbolize that the brother will safeguard her from all kinds of difficulties throughout her life.

Raksha Bandhan is a very old Indian festival celebrated all over India. The unspoken pledge between the siblings to reinforce a protective bond transgresses even religions and borders instances of which can be easily found in ancient Indian literature as also in modern history books. It isn’t without surprise that Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs as well as Parsis are known to partake in the occasion that signifies sibling love irrespective of religion, race or community.

Another festival called “Narli Pournima”( festival of coconut) is also celebrated on the same day. On this day the fisherman & other persons whose business is related with sea, worship sea by offering it coconut so that the sea should remain calm throughout the year for their safety.

Google, IBM, Yahoo….all are expanding their offerings for the 21.1 million Internet users in India, the world’s fastest- growing group of Internet subscribers, according to a March study by research group ComScore Inc. The country’s subscription numbers jumped 33 percent in 2006, beating Russia’s 21 percent increase and China’s 20 percent growth.

No wonder all these multinational companies are working on technologies that will make access to the Internet and computers easier for people in India who are more at ease with local languages.

Yahoo Inc. launched earlier this year portals in seven Indian languages. It has introduced plug-in modules to its instant messenger, that allow users to chat in nine different regional languages and scripts. Later this year, the company is also introducing Indian languages versions of its e-mail service.

IBM Corp. announced earlier this month that it has developed speech recognition software that will allow people speaking Hindi to create e-mail and documents on computers and also to operate ATMs (automated teller machines) and IVR (interactive voice response) systems.

Google has launched an Indian version of its Google Local Search to enable Indian users to find information on local businesses like restaurants, shops and hotels on the web.
It also launched an Indian version of Google Local Business Center. Any business will be able to load its information on the site, at - http://local.google.co.in . These products use English, and do not support Indian languages.

Also, Google has put up two technologies for testing by users on the Google Labs Web site:

• an Indic On-Screen Keyboard iGoogle Gadget, and
• Google Indic Transliteration.

The Indic On-Screen Keyboard iGoogle Gadget allows users to type search queries in 14 Indian languages by choosing letters from an on-screen keyboard using a mouse. Users can add the gadget of their chosen language to their personalized iGoogle home page and use it to search for content in their language.

Google Indic Transliteration allows the user to type in Hindi, a key language in India, using phonetically equivalent English text entered through an English keyboard. The content created can be used in e-mail, word processors and other applications from both Google and its competitors. This technology will help increase the amount of content available online in Hindi.

If you want to expand your online business, this untapped consumer base needs to be attended to, and what could be better than talk to them in their own Hindi language.

It’s definitely a cool idea to get ready in advance and learn Hindi a bit. A lot of learning material is readily available (don’t worry, it’s not a sales page) at www.hindilearner.com

It is a breath-taking site. It’s incredible in terms of locale and the longevity of occupation. The rock shelters have paintings of later period as well. There are multiple histories immortalised here. - Prof Nayanjot Lahiri, Historian

Bhimbetka was where man expressed his artistic yearnings some 10,000 years ago. It is believed to have had continuous habitation from the early Stone age. UNESCO added it to its World Heritage list in year 2003.

The Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka are in the foothills of the Vindhya Mountains on the southern edge of the central Indian plateau. Within massive sandstone outcrops, above comparatively dense forest, are five clusters of natural rock shelters, displaying paintings that appear to date from the Mesolithic Period right through to the historical period.

The rock shelters located about 45 Kms from Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh (India) have hundreds of paintings that depict pre-historic way of life here.

Of about 700 caves in the region, more than 400 have paintings that depict animals such as elephant, bison, deer, tiger, lion, lizard, and crocodile. Everyday activities like hunting, dancing and drinking are also depicted. While most of these have been done on the walls, some can also be seen on the ceilings.

The paintings have been done mainly in red and white with the occasional use of green and yellow. The colors were probably prepared by combining manganese, hematite, soft red stone and wooden charcoal, mixed with animal fat and extracts of leaves.

The works have been dated from the upper Paleolithic, Mesolithic Age right through to the historical period.

The cultural traditions of the inhabitants of the twenty-one villages adjacent to the site bear a strong resemblance to those represented in the rock paintings.

“A worthy companion to Attenborough’s Oscar Epic..” - The Times, London

“Great film..I was moved to tears.” - Thabo Tabeki, President of South Africa

“Poignant…Emotionally charged, compelling film..” - Newsweek

“If you do not see this film, you’ve missed something in life…” - Dr. Suresh Dalal, Chitralekha

“History that shocks you, cinema that seduces you.” - Pratim D. Gupta, The Telegraph

“A must see..” - BBC

Gandhi has always been compelling, complex and strangely contemporary. Mahatma Gandhi could transform the soul of a nation but could not save the soul of his own son.

Somewhere in the shadows of this great man lived his son, roaming the streets of India like a beggar. Converting to Islam as a rebellion, reconverting to Hinduism as a penance and finally drinking himself to death.

Gandhi My Father is the story of Gandhi’s son Harilal.

Harilal Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi’s eldest son carried his Gandhi identity as a curse around his neck.

The film is produced by Anil Kapoor and will mark the directorial debut of Feroz Abbas Khan. The starcast of the film includes Akshaye Khanna, Bhumika Chawla, Shefali Shah, Darshan Jariwala and Daniel Janks.