JANMASHTAMI

Janmashtami is the joyful celebration of Lord Krishna's birth which is also known as Sri Krishna Astami. Janma’ means birth and ‘ashtami’ means the eighth. It is said that Lord Krishna was born on Astami. Janmashtami takes place on the eighth day of the second fortnight in the month of Sravana.

Janmashtami is one of the most widely celebrated Hindu festivals and it is celebrated with devotion and pomp in homes.

From the time, Devki conceived Sri Krishna, she began to glow and exude divine light. The prison walls glowed with the aura of the new born infant. Atmosphere of peace and happiness prevailed all over, forests were all green and full of trees with all kinds of beautiful flowers, rivers were all swollen due to joy, peacocks began to dance in sheer joy and people in all villages started being happy.



The ritual is to fast the previous day (Saptami, seventh day), which is followed by a night-long vigil commemorating the birth of Krishna at night, and his immediate removal by his father Vasudeva to a foster-home for safe-keeping.

At midnight, the deity of the infant Krishna is bathed placed in a cradle and worshipped. The fast is completed after aarti, a special prayer.

Major celebrations of Krishna Janmashtami takes place at midnight as Krishna is said to have made his divine appearance in that hour. Fasting, bhajans, pujas and many other rituals mark Janmashtami celebrations in India.



In the early morning, ladies draw patterns of little children's feet outside the house with rice-flour paste, walking towards the house. This symbolizes the entry of the infant Krishna into his foster-home.

Janmashtami is celebrated with fervor in India. Euphoria for the festival is not just restricted to Mathura - the birth city Mathura but pervades in rest of India too. The birth of Lord Krishna is one of the most popular festivals of Hindus and they celebrate the occasion with great joy and delight.

The festivities include various rituals being followed religiously. Temples all over India engage in various ceremonies and prayers in honour of Lord Krishna. Chanting of shlokas, readings from religious texts, singing devotional songs and dance performances are a common sight.

Important and common customs observed in different states include performance of rasleelas by professional artistes. The festival is thus celebrated with great joy and communal togetherness by one and all.

While it is the festival that is celebrated in North India as Janmashtami, in the South, the festival is celebrated as Srijayanthi or Krisnajayanthi or also as Sri Krishnajanmashtami.

Janmaashtami, popularly known in Mumbai and Pune as Dahi Handi is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm। The ceremony of 'Dahi Handi' wherein enthusiastic young men break an earthen pot filled with curd, depiction of 'Jhankis' and other decorative items to show important events of Lord Krishna's childhood. The handi is positioned at a convenient height prior to the event; the topmost person on the human pyramid tries to break the handi by hitting it with a blunt object, and when that happens, the curd is spilled over the entire group, symbolizing their achievement through unity.

Various Handis are set up locally in several parts of the city, and groups of youngsters, called Govinda, travel around in trucks trying to break as many handis as possible during the day.


Many of the more affluent homes of Hindus have a separate ‘puja’ or prayer room. Where this is the case, the Janmashtami rituals are carried out in the puja room. Otherwise a separate space in the home is earmarked for the celebrations.

The puja room or earmarked space is first thoroughly scrubbed clean.After all, a divine birth will be enacted there. The room or area has to be brightly lit. A string of small flashing electric bulbs is often used for festive effect. The puja room is filled with fragrance using ‘agarbattis’ or fresh flowers.

Many families that celebrate Janmashtami with fervor have Radha Krishna as the main deities in the puja room. The idols of Radha and Krishna are bathed with scented water and the ritual sandalwood paste is applied. Then the idols are dressed in a new set of apparel. They are adorned with suitable jewellery.


Usually the Janmashtami cradle is a miniature cradle made of silver. Cradles made from sandalwood or other material are also used. On a soft mattress inside the cradle a reclining idol of Krishna is laid out. In some cases, worshipers use small toy dolls. The infant is tucked in a silken sheet.

During the old times, the cradles had long ropes tied to them. The mother kept the other end of the rope near at hand and while busy in the household chores tugged the ropes to rock the cradle from afar. The Janmashtami cradle has a similar chain attached to it so that devotees can rock the cradle while Krishna sleeps.





Another popular jhanki is that of Bal Gopal. Gopal is another name of Krishna. In this jhanki the centerpiece is an idol of Krishna on his hands and knees in a crawling position. Next to the idol are placed small silver or earthen containers with freshly made butter in them. This recreates Krishna’s habit of crawling to the butter pots and stealing butter. For this reason he is also known as ‘makhan chor’ or butter thief. The butter is sweetened and colored with saffron.

Gopal translates as 'cow herd.' When Krishna grew older herding the cows was the task assigned to him. This jhanki depicts an idol of Krishna standing with his legs crossed and playing a flute amidst statues of cows. The more creative devotees add grass and mango trees and the River Yamuna in the jhanki.

The rituals end with the Janmashtami prasad of sweetened butter being distributed.

RAKSHABANDHAN

India is a country rich of festivals. Its culture is so rich that it celebrates a festival almost every month. In fact, India is globally known for its colourful festivals and ever-green tradition. Moreover, people of India are so lively that they celebrate each and every festival with lot of enthusiasm. One of such festival is Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan, which strengthens and celebrates the precious bond shared between a brother and a sister. Like any other festival, rakhi has its unique significance.

Raksha Bandhan - the bond of protection is a Hindu festival, which celebrates the relationship between brothers and sisters.Raksha Bandhan is celebrated every year on 'Shravan Purnima' (Full Moon Day of the Hindu month of Shravan), which generally falls in the month of August.

Rakhi is basically a sacred thread of protection embellished with the love and affection of a sister for her brother. Raksha Bandhan is a festival which On the auspicious day of Rakhi, sisters wake up in the morning, take bath, offer prayers to the Almighty and visit their brothers to perform the rituals of Rakhi. The ritual of Raksha Bandhan essentially includes tying of sacred thread (which is called 'Rakhi' or 'Raksha Sutra') by the sisters, on their brothers' wrist.


Before tying Rakhi, the sisters would perform an aarti, apply tilak (by mixing rice grains and roli) on their brother's forehead. The brother and sister traditionally feed sweets to each other. Sisters bestow their brothers with gifts and blessings. Brothers also wish them a good life and pledge to take care of them. After the ritual of tying Rakhi is over, the brothers would give their sisters some gift or money and promise them to help them when ever they need and protect them throughout their lifetime. In fact, offering gifts to sisters is a tradition of Raksha Bandhan. Year by year, the enthusiasm amongst the brothers and their sisters, to celebrate the festival, is increasing.

It is clearly visible from the wide variety of Rakhi, Raksha Bandhan gifts and sweets flocking the shelves of the stores, during the holiday.

Rakshabandhan bears social significance, because it symbolizes the importance of relationship between siblings.

Though brothers and sisters share and enjoy the bond of love between them throughout the year, but Rakhi is the day when they get an opportunity to express their tender love and feelings for each other. Rakhi also makes them commemorate their loving memories, loyalty, closeness, trust and friendship that is ever lasting and pure.



The day of Raksha Bandhan has over a period of time gained tremendous importance in India. On this occasion, people cut across manmade barriers like religion, caste, and color, and reach out to each other. This display of oneness is what makes Raksha Bandhan special and one of the most important festivals of India.

The day is all about raksha or protection, not just for self but for the dear ones, for peaceful existence of the human race. Each ritual that is followed has significance. The sisters seek love from their brothers; the brothers seek courage and endurance. Rakshabandhan is a festival that dictates the values of brotherhood and self-perseverance.

FRIENDSHIP DAY

The United States Congress, in 1935, proclaimed first Sunday of August as the National Friendship Day.Since then, celebration of National Friendship Day became an annual event. The noble idea of honoring the beautiful relationship of friendship caught on with the people and soon Friendship Day became a hugely popular festival.

Human beings are social creatures and have always valued the importance of friends in their lives.To celebrate this noble feeling it was deemed fit to have a day dedicated to friends and friendship. In the subsequent decades, Friendship Day spread world wide. Friends exchange friendship bands as a sign of an unbreakable bond.

Friendship Day is celebrated in a big way in India. The noble idea of honoring friends and friendship has really caught on with the youth in India and one can see the festival being enthusiastically celebrated by the youth especially, students. At gift stores, customers are willing to spend on items ranging from the traditional friendship bands to friendship packages of stuffed animals, mugs and cards.

This beautiful idea of celebrating Friendship Day was joyfully accepted by several other countries across the world. And today, many countries including India, celebrate the first Sunday of August as Friendship Day every year. Celebrating Friendship Day in a traditional manner, people meet their friends and exchange cards and flowers to honor their friends. Many social and cultural organizations too celebrate the occasion and mark Friendship Day by hosting programs and get-together. Everywhere, people express love for their friends and cherish their presence in life.

There is not much literature on Friendship Day history as we celebrate today.However, there are numerous folktales and several instance in mythological legends that shows that friends and friendship have been valued since the beginning of civilized world.

Following the popularity and success of Friendship Day in US, several other countries adopted the tradition of dedicating a day to friends. Today, Friendship Day is enthusiastically celebrated by several countries across the world including India.

In 1997, the United Nations named Winnie - the Pooh as the world's Ambassador of Friendship. The Bible, the primary text of the western civilization, reflects upon friendship as the bond that forms the foundation to human faith, trust and companionship In tune with the spirit of the occasion, people dedicate Friendship Day festival to their best friends. Most choose to celebrate the entire day in the loving company of their dearest friends, recollecting sweet memories of the time spent together and catching up with their lives over a cup of coffee is the idea of ideal Friendship Day celebration for many.

Friends separated by geographical distances, call up their friends to express love and warmth for each other and to wish a "Happy Friendship Day". With more and more people getting hooked to the net, many people also choose to chat with their friends with the help of Internet. Sending SMS and Friendship Day e-cards is another popular way of greetings friends.

Friendship Day celebrations are particularly marked in schools and colleges in India। Euphoria of the day sets in days before the festival as everybody gets excited to wish their best friends in their own special way. Children make Friendship Day Cards or other special gift to thank their friends for their wonderful presence in their life. Exchange of Friendship Bands is the other most prominent feature of Friendship Day celebrations. Friends vie with each other as to who gets the most stylish band or who gets the maximum number of bands.

In several colleges, special programs are also organized to mark the occasion.Most of these programs and events intend to give youth an opportunity to dance and sing with friends and have a good time.

Following their counterparts in the west, youth in India too mark Friendship Day by participating in Friendship Day parties or organizing bashes for their friends. Major crowd for Friendship Day can be seen in discotheques and pubs where people dance with friends on fast pace music and cherish the loving company of their pals. Such parties also give youth a chance to make new friends and widen their friendship circle. At present such bashes are more popular in metros and other big cities, however, youth in small towns too are warming up to the idea of partying on Friendship Day.

Just as in US and several other countries, Friendship Day has been commercialized to a great extent in India. Days before the festival, gift marketers run an extensive campaign to lure the people to buy cards and gifts for their friends.

True friends will not have any reason for their friendship. So it can never be broken when they don't find that reason. A single candle can illuminate an entire room. A true friend lights up an entire lifetime. Friendship is the blend of all relations. A good friend is like a computer; I 'enter' your life, 'save' you in my heart, 'format' your problems, 'shift' you to opportunities and never 'delete' you from my memory. Friendship is like a golden chain which links two hearts.

REEF HQ

The Reef HQ Aquarium, Townsville is only a few minutes walk from the heart of the city. Reef HQ, in Townsville, is the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium and home to 130 species of coral, 120 species of fish and many hundred sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, worm sponges and countless other coral reef creatures.

Reef HQ is the only living coral reef aquarium in Australia and one of the primary tools for educating the public about the management of the Great Barrier Reef.

The coral reef tank is a closed ecosystem that closely replicates a natural coral reef with sunlight, waves, water movement and the same biodiversity found in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

It is an amazing experience to stand centimeters away from reef sharks whizzing past my nose, look into the mouth of a stingray, or the eyes of a turtle, as I wander through the 20metre long acrylic walk-through tunnel that acts as a window to the reef.

Townsville is well known for its combination of tropical warmth and magnetism of city. The city enjoys 320 days of sunshine and therefore the Reef HQ Aquarium, Townsville is one which combines a balanced source of flora and fauna. Around 50 swimming pools will get into The Reef HQ Aquarium.

Corals are very susceptible to changes in weather.The temperature changes are felt naturally. The living beings experience the fell of rain, thunder storms and everything. As the corals are very sensitive, the water in the reef is maintained regularly. The water is extremely fresh and clear. It is also the place for predators, turtles and various other kinds of fishes.

The Reef HQ Aquarium, Townsville is very technically built which helps in the survival of all kinds of animals and plants. It could be called a manmade ecosystem. A healthy growth of algae and greenery helps the animals and fishes to feed on them. There are a lot of fishes who feed on the invertebrates and worms which are there in the underground sand.

A large number of students and teachers visit the Reef HQ Aquarium which helps in live demonstration and educational knowledge for the students. Students, visitors and tourists get a healthy environmental knowledge from the Reef HQ Aquarium, Townsville.

Reef HQ is one of my favourite place in Townsville and I enjoy to watch the fish, turtle and the corals.

CAIRNS

Cairns is a regional city in Far North Queensland, Australia. The city itself was named after William Wellington Cairns, former Governor of Queensland. It was formed to serve miners heading for the Hodgkinson River goldfield. It later developed into a railhead and major port for exporting sugar cane, gold, metals, minerals and agricultural products from surrounding coastal areas.

Cairns was founded in 1876, hastened by the need to export gold discovered on the tablelands to the west of the inlet. The site was predominantly mangrove swamps and sand ridges. The swamps were gradually cleared by labourers, and the sand ridges were filled in with dried mud, sawdust from local sawmills, and ballast from a quarry at Edge Hill.



Cairns is located about 350Km from Townsville, on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula on a coastal strip between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range. It is a popular travel destination because of its tropical climate and proximity to many attractions. The northern part of the city is located on Trinity Bay and the city centre is located on Trinity Inlet. Some of the city's suburbs are located on flood plains. The Mulgrave River and Barron River flow within the city's boundary but not through the city itself. The city centre's foreshore is located on a mud flat.

The city is now rapidly expanding, with a population of 1,60,000. Tourism is the largest income producer for the region, followed closely by the sugar industry. Cairns region is the fourth-most popular destination for international tourists in Australia after Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.





I went to Cairns during Christmas and the whole city was decorated beautifully with dazzling lights and the cake shops were crowded with hundreds of people. The city has used its natural surroundings to its advantage, with the construction of several small theme parks for tourists. With a diverse mix of vibrant shops, famous markets and local artists, approximately 90 stalls provide an original range of handmade local arts and crafts plus Australian opals, gemstones, crocodile and kangaroo leather goods.

Cairns is an ideal place for relaxing and to enjoy the tropical delights at one of the local restaurants and cafes. A notable feature of the Cairns esplanade is a swimming lagoon with adjoining barbecue areas. Several shopping centres of various sizes are located throughout Cairns. The largest of these are Cairns Central shopping centre, located in the central business district, and Stockland Cairns, located in the suburb of Earlville.
Cairns is a provincial city, with a linear urban layout that runs from the south, at Edmonton, to the north, at Ellis Beach. The city is approximately 52 km from north to south. The Northern Beaches consist of a number of beach communities extending north along the coast.

The city centre of Cairns is adjacent to the suburbs of Cairns North, and Parramatta Park, Bungalow, Portsmith, and in close proximity to Westcourt, Manunda, Manoora, Edge Hill, Whitfield, Kanimbla, Mooroobool, Earlville, Woree and Bayview Heights. The small suburb of Aeroglen is pressed between Mount Whitfield and the airport, on the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns North and Stratford. The success of local agriculture helped Cairns to establish itself as a port, and the creation of a harbour board in 1906 helped to support its economic future.


During World War II, Cairns was used by the Allied Forces as a staging base for operations in the Pacific. After World War II, Cairns slowly reinvented itself as a centre for tourism.



The opening of the Cairns International Airport in 1984, and the building of the Cairns Convention Centre established the city's overseas reputation as a desirable destination for the tourism and business conference markets.
Cairns experience a warm tropical climate.A wet season with tropical monsoons runs from December to April, with a relatively dry season from May to November, though showers are frequent for most of this period.


Cairns is an important transport hub in the Far North Queensland region. Located at the base of Cape York Peninsula, it provides important transport links between the Peninsula and Gulf of Carpentaria regions, and the areas to the south of the state. Cairns International Airport is essential to the viability of the area's tourism industry.
Cairns trip was a marvellous and enjoyable trip which I will always remember.

UNDARA – LAVA TUBES

Undara is located 512 kms from Townsville. Undara Experience lies on the eastern edge of the ruggedly beautiful Gulf Savannah.

Undara means a long way in Aboriginal language. One of the lava flows from Undara extends more than 160kms making it the longest lava flow on planet Earth from a single volcanic crater in modern geological time. One tube formed by the flow extended about 100kms.

One hundred and ninety thousand years ago the earth trembled, the sky darkened and flaming fountains of lava bathed the land in a fiery glow. Undara had awoken. Wave after wave of molten lava spewed from the crater and flowed across the land incinerating everything in the path. Toes of lava, searching out for easy ways to flow, found their way into the low contours of the land, forming rivers of molten rock which wound their way across the now blackened landscape.

The air began to cool the surface changing it from scarlet to a sullen crimson and finally to a solid black crust. Underneath the lava continued to flow. Now insulated from the surrounding cooler environment, the lava continued to flow beneath the surface in the lava tube carrying it further and further from the crater, flooding more and more land as it went.

The eruption slowed then stopped. The lava flowed out the far end of the tubes, leaving hollow tunnels, hidden below the devastated land.

The once green forest was now a vast black sheet of twisted rock.Nothing stirred except for small pockets of life which survived rose above the sea of rock on the tops of the granite hills.

About 6 months before I went to Undara to see the lava tubes. These tubes are formed when lava flows from a volcanic eruption. The air cools the outside of the lava, which solidifies, but the lava inside continues to flow. When the eruption stops, the lava flows out of the end of the tube leaving behind a long tunnel. One of the lava flows at Undara extends for more than 100kms making it the longest known single lava flow on Earth.

The vegetation around the tubes is completely different to the surrounding area and it's quite striking in aerial photographs. Thousands of years ago, the area was covered in closed-canopy rainforest. The climate became drier, which the rainforest plants could cope with. What they couldn't cope with is fire. So the open canopy eucalypt forest took over except where the risk of fire is low, such as around the lava tubes. The rocky tubes don't allow much grass to grow and this stops the fires.

The guide handed me a torch and we walked down some wooden steps spying a couple of rock wallabies on the way. The tubes were wide. We walked about 50 yards inside one before we came to what looked like the end. In actual fact, the tube continued on but downwards. The lava probably flowed over an old waterfall and the bottom of the cave has now filled out with mud.

I saw the lava circles looked like stalactites but weren't formed by water action. Instead they occurred when the roof or an overhang dripped lava as it cooled. I also observed on the walls a kind of candle wax effect.

Every year the area experiences a lot of rain in the wet season, so there is also a build up of mineral salts on the roof. These formations are known as “cave coral” because of their structure.

After the first cave, I wandered along to another one which was nearby and spent another 20 minutes or so inside that one.

It is a place where everybody can explore natural geological wonders, enjoy the comforts and hospitality of a unique outback setting and where the local wildlife are as abundant as they are at home in their surroundings.

I stayed at railway carriages, beautifully restored turn of the century Railway Carriages was the most unique style of accommodation. The carriages were set along the original Cobb and Co. coach road and were shaded by tall trees and surrounded by Australian native wildlife.

Undara Experience included evening wildlife spotlighting walks, campfire evenings and delicious dining featuring the region’s best produce as the outback sunset fades into the clearest starlit night.

Undara was one of my best trips till date.

WALLAMAN FALLS

Wallaman Falls is situated 150km north of Townsville. Wallaman Falls is Australia's largest single drop waterfall at 268 metres. With the addition of additional related minor drops the overall height of the falls is approximately 540 metres. The pool at the end of the waterfall is 20 metres deep.

The waterfall is formed by a tributary of the Herbert River, Stony Creek, which plunges over an escarpment in the Sea view Range. The geological history of the formation may be traced back some 50 million years, when the uplift of the continental margin in this region resulted in the ancestral Herbert River to change its course from westwards to eastwards. As a result it began to cut through the raised igneous substrata en-route to its outflow in the Coral Sea. The gorge produced by this erosive action gradually retreated inland along the Herbert River's course, and in the process eventually causing tributaries such as Stony Creek to be suspended, forming the waterfall.

The drive to Wallaman was very scenic and steep.I went there with my husband about five months before and we enjoyed the charismatic beauty of the falls as it was rainy season. The drive to Wallaman Falls was an adventure in itself. We ran into a huge heard of cows that were taking up the road. They were all just laying in the middle of the road, and had no desire to move. Eventually after a lot of honking they got out of the way. These were the ugliest cows I have ever seen. They had big saggy necks and smelt really bad. The road up to the waterfall was really rough. It was a very twisty road with lots of sharp turns. Halfway up the road we ran into another animal. We came out of the car to take pictures by the road sign warning drivers to look out for Cassowary, when sure enough in the middle of the road, there was Cassowary. I was saying to my husband a moment before and it was great excitement to see Cassowary which made our day.

By the time we actually got to the top of the falls some clouds had rolled in and it looked like it was about to rain. Sure enough, plenty of clouds were already gathered at the mouth of the waterfall and we couldn't see anything. I walked up to the look out and all I could see was white, but we could hear the roar of the water. We waited for a few minutes and the fog started to part, but only for a few minutes. Fortunately we were able to see the falls. The drop was about 1000 feet, but we could only see about half of the drop. After we all got some decent pictures the clouds and fog moved in again.

Wallaman Falls National Park is part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, boasting the highest, permanent, single-drop waterfall in Australia.Open forest dominates the ridge tops. Rainforest lines the gullies and creeks. The area is home to endangered cassowaries and musky rat-kangaroos. We strolled 800 metres along the banks of Stony Creek on the Banggurru walk and it was good to learn about the rainforest. It was fantastic to look for platypus in the creek below the falls. To enjoy a closer look at the falls, we took the 3.2 kilometre walk into the gorge. Experienced bushwalkers choose from one of three overnight hikes that are part of the Wet Tropics which is absolutely great walk.

It was a lovely experience. We had wonderful time at Wallaman Falls and thinking of visiting again during holidays.