Mumbai: As a string of harvest festivals began, Maharashtrains celebrated Gudi Padwa (New Year) with religious fervour and enthusiasm on Thursday. Many families across Maharashtra welcomed the New Year with traditional prayers around the gudi (banner). As a part of the tradition, most families ate a paste of neem leaves prepared with jaggery and tamarind, believed to purify blood and strengthen the body's immune system. People dressed in their finest traditional clothes.
Celebrated on the first day of the Hindu month of Chaitra, people clean their houses and decorate the entrance with intricate rangoli designs, mango leaves and marigold flowers on Gudi Padwa. A gudi with a swastika-marked pot and silk cloth is raised at prominent places in front of each house to mark the day.
Rallies, parades and shobha yatras were taken out by political parties and social organisations in Mumbai. "I have cooked a sumptuous meal to bring in the New Year. Our entire family will spend the day together. We have also arranged a special pooja for the day and hope that the New Year celebrations never end," said Padma Sawant, a resident of Dadar in central Mumbai.
Clay pots and garlands dotted the flower markets as people use flowers for the morning puja and also for decorations. Mahadeo, a flower vendor in Dadar's flower market said: "We had ordered over 300 kg of flowers in the last two days and most of them were sold out by morning."...
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The IBNLive calendar for 2013 brings on to one A4 sheet, not only all the dates of 2013 but also highlights all the major Indian festivals and holidays of the year. ...
04:03 PM, Dec 27, 2012
On Face the Nation, CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose asks a panel of experts - should festivals be exempted from noise pollution rules? Here is the full transcript of the show: Sagarika Ghose: Hi there, yes today is Maha Navami, the Navratri festival ends today and it is a day of festivity and celebration. But for many the loudspeakers, the music, the drums are nothing but torture and a health...
11:37 AM, Oct 24, 2012
There are in fact strict rules on noise pollution in India and there are legally prescribed decibel levels for residential areas. But these rules are usually ignored at festival time. ...
11:58 PM, Oct 23, 2012
New Delhi: Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi is a festival celebrated in India, which involves a sister tying an embroidered thread around her brother's wrist. It is also called Rakhi Purnima in the south of India as it is generally held on full moon. The festival is mainly observed by Hindus and Sikhs though some other communities have also indigenised the celebrations. In 2012, Rakhi will be celebrated on August 2....
09:18 AM, Jul 25, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala High Court has pulled up the state government and the Temple Devasom board over the use of elephants during temple festivals. The court issued a notice and sought an explanation for violating norms. CNN-IBN had earlier reported on numerous instances of violation and cases of elephants going on a rampage. A toddler was killed and 25 others injured in a stampede when a tusker ran amok in...
09:00 AM, May 31, 2012
This spring, there is music in the air. Here are some music festivals that will leave you whistling a tune. Sulafest 2012 Location: Sula Vineyards, Nashik When: February 4-5 Artists: Nitin Sawhney, Blackstratblues, Papon & East India Company Damage: Rs. 1,800. The highlight this year is undoubtedly Nitin Sawhney. He is a huge favourite of Rajeev Samant, founder and CEO of Sula Vineyards. Area79 Music and Arts Festival Location: The...
12:43 PM, Feb 10, 2012
The IBNLive calendar for 2012 brings on to one A4 sheet, not only all the dates of 2012 but also all the major Indian festivals and holidays of the year. You can download and take a print of the calendar in any of the formats below:(Right click and choose 'Save Link As' on Firefox/Chrome or 'Save Target As' on Internet Explorer) PDF | PNG | GIF | JPG This calendar...
02:06 PM, Jan 02, 2012
New Delhi: President Pratibha Patil and Vice-President Hamid Ansari have greeted the people on the occasion of Guru Nanak Jayanti, which is being celebrated on Thursday. "On the auspicious occasion of the birthday of Guru Nanak Devji, I extend my greetings and good wishes to all my fellow citizens," Patil said in her message. "May all of us strive to practice the revered Guru's noble teachings in our daily lives...
08:18 AM, Nov 10, 2011
Panaji: The World Gaming Festival (WGF) has begun on India's biggest off shore gaming facility - Casino Royale - here with more than 100 people participating in five different games. "This is happening for the first time in the world that five games are part of such a high profile tournament," Narinder Punj, Managing Director, Highstreet Cruises and Entertainment Pvt Ltd told reporters ahead of the tournament, which kicked off...
01:30 PM, Sep 24, 2011
New Delhi: For the first time, leading producers of South Asian countries have decided to join hands and put in their money to make a feature film on a major issue afflicting them all human trafficking. An agreement for making the film, to be directed by young Rakesh Mehta whose debut film 'Khudakhushi' wowed critics at several international festivals last year, was signed on the concluding day of the South...
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Mumbai: India's benchmark gold futures continued their gaining streak on Tuesday morning and hit a fresh peak of Rs 28,265, buoyed by a rally in the world market. At 10:02 am, the October contract on the Multi Commodity Exchange rose 0.5 per cent to Rs 28,235. It has risen over 20 per cent in August. International spot gold soared to an all-time high above $ 1,910 on Tuesday, scoring a...
11:11 AM, Aug 23, 2011
Panaji: Legendary actor Shammi Kapoor will be honoured with a tribute at the South Asia Film Festival (SAFF), which opens in Goa on September 15, the organisers said on Thursday. "As a tribute to the legendary actor Shammi Kapoor, a special screening of his film 'Brahmachari' would be showcased during the festival," Rahul Barua secretary general of the South Asia Foundation (SAF), which organises the festival in Goa annually told...
02:33 AM, Aug 19, 2011
Chicago: Filmmaker Ketan Mehta's controversial film "Rang Rasiya" has been selected to open the Chicago South Asian Film Festival, which is starting on September 30th. "Rang Rasiya" is the story of artist Raja Ravi Varma's passions, obsessions and his fierce struggle for creative freedom. He hurt the religious sentiments of the people by painting nudes of Indian mythological characters. Later on, his muse Sugandha inspired him to create exquisite paintings...
06:14 PM, Aug 18, 2011
Locarno (Switzerland): French film critic Jean-Michel Frodon introduced Indian filmmaker Guru Dutt's 1957 classic "Pyaasa" to the audience at the 64th Locarno International Film Festival as a dark film that helped the West discover the auteur theory - reflecting the director's personal creative vision - in Bollywood. "Pyaasa", a cinematic masterpiece by the master craftsman, was a satire on the social system. Directed by Guru Dutt, the film that boasts...
11:37 AM, Aug 08, 2011
Mumbai: The Naya Cinema Festival that was supposed to begin Friday has been postponed following the triple blasts that rocked India's financial and entertainment hub Wednesday. The festival will now begin July 22. Bengali director Qaushiq Mukherjee's film "Gandu" will open the festival, organised by the Taj Enlighten Film Society. The festival will go on till Aug 6. The festival will also be paying tribute to late filmmaker Mani Kaul...
09:39 PM, Jul 15, 2011
New Delhi: Taj Enlighten Film Society's Naya Cinema Festival has decided to pay tribute to late filmmaker Mani Kaul by screening two of his movies - "Uski Roti" and "Duvidha". Kaul died on Wednesday morning at his residence here, following prolonged illness. He was 66. The event will be held in Mumbai from July 15-31 and Kaul's film will be screened July 29. "The whole idea of the festival is...
03:28 PM, Jul 07, 2011
New Delhi: Veteran actress Hema Malini has written to Minister of Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh on behalf of PETA urging him to ban Tamil Nadu's popular bull taming sport Jallikattu. Hema, who is from the state, says the bulls are kicked, punched, jumped on, and dragged to the ground, which is a violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960. "Bulls in Jallikattu are terrorised for entertainment....
05:59 PM, Jul 01, 2011
New Delhi: Director Onir's "I Am" has been selected for the feature film line-up at the Kandy International Film Festival starting Wednesday in Sri Lanka. "Congratulations to all of US #I AM selected at the KANDY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, SRI LANKA @Purab_Kohli @mathurarjun(sic)," Onir posted on his micro-blogging site twitter. The director delved into multiple topics and wove four different stories about the plight of Kashmiri pandits, gay issues, paedophelia...
02:28 PM, Jun 19, 2011
