Learning about India’s independence

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Bhanu Misra Marya

On Aug 15 1947, India claimed independence from the United Kingdom. It actually happened during WW1, where Mahatma Ghandi advocated (and possibly unintentionally) led for peaceful end to British rule (love the juxtaposition in that!)

We as a family took it upon ourselves to learn a little more about the Indian flag. Given all of the social education happening in our world – I found it fitting to learn and teach our girls about their background and heritage.

Sharing a few of the quick facts about the Indian Flag that I found intriguing!

The flag is tricolor and each colour means something different. Saffron/Orange represents courage and strength, White indicates peace and truth, Green is for auspiciousness and growth.
The Chakra depicts the wheel of duty/law and that there is life in movement. There are 24 spokes in the chakra represents a few different things: Indians working tirelessly for 24 hours, 24 different paths for humans and lead any country on the path to progress. Also! The original spinning wheel was replaced by the chakra :O

We kept it light by creating these cute renditions of the flag, perfect for little hands and grown up creatives alike.

Quick & Easy DIY Diwali Gift Wrapping

Posted on November 7, 2018 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Today is Diwali (the Festival of Lights celebrated by Indians!)

I figured today would be a good day to post about this QUICK & EASY DIY gift wrapping idea that I planned for my parents. It’s honestly something you can whip together before any evening festivities you may have today. Or prep in advance for a weekend celebration.

Exchanging mitahi (boxes of very rich flavoured Indian sweets) is customary at Diwali. My family is pretty liberal in our sweets exchange as most of my family doesn’t really eat the typical Indian sweets all that much. The siblings usually give each other chocolates and to the parents we’ll give a mix of dry fruits and nuts.

I loved this wrapping for Diwali but of course this could be used at Christmas or for a hostess gift!

Here’s a quick tutorial on how to recreate this wrapping for your family and friends:

What you’ll need:

Assorted nuts (I went with cashews and almonds, both dry roasted and unsalted because they are the best!)

Wide mouth mason jars with caps

Tissue wrapping in festive colours (2)

Ribbon

Tape

Scissors

Optional: dry fruit, indivially wrapped chocolate, diyas, name tag

What you’ll need to do:

First fill the jar with the goodies you have and close the lid.

On a flat surface, place the tissue papers (different colours) one on top of each other. Start by folding the layered issue paper 1-inch on to itself, continue folding over in the same direction by 1-inch, until you get to the end of the paper.

You can then fold the other end of the layered tissue paper and tape that folded end to make a clean end.

Take the folded tissue paper and cut a diagonal line approximately 3 inches from the top (if you do a curved line it will make the top look like plant leaves). Open the tissue paper and lay flat again.

Take your mason jar and roll the paper around the jar. You should keep about 2 inches near the end closest to the bottom of the jar (cut of excess paper if need be) and the leaves of tissue paper should be near the mouth of the jar. Make sure to tape the paper to the jar before you start rolling and the folded over end of tissue paper back to the paper on the jar.

Wrap the ends of paper to the bottom of the jar and feel free to make deep cuts on the “leaves” to open them up more.

Use the ribbon to tie a bow around the paper that is covering the lid of the jar. Plump up the tissue paper leaves, tape a diya to the lid or add a name tag. And voila!

Why I still celebrate Karva Chauth after all these years?

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Another year of fasting for Karva Chauth is over.

I always have to psych myself up for this day. All the traditions to remember, what goes where in my thali, trying to remember to not use a knife/scissors/nail clippers/sewing needle all day and then trying to recall the Hindi/Sanskrit poems I should know by now, it all makes me nervous because I feel like I’ll fail miserably.

On top of all that, the idea of not eating food for the entire day makes me very anxious because 1) I usually eat quite often in the day and 2) I hate being hungry.

The truth is I usually forget something in my thali, I always touch a knife or scissors (multiples before I make a conscious effort to not), I can’t even pronounce some of the words (thanks to my thick Canadian accent 😂) – but you know what? That’s ok! And even the fasting part – it’s more mind over matter. And when it’s all over and done with – it’s like “huh – that wasn’t so bad!”.

Although this year, I actually felt something different. It almost felt like resentfulness towards the idea of participating in Karva Chauth or questioning the whole thing…

Why am I still doing this?

I really wondered if the occasion was getting to be too conservative for me. If I was doing it more for the elders than for myself/the mister. Was it really a good use of my time? Was I diverging with my own personal opinions on the unfair treatment of women against the patriarchy. Was I showing my girls that I believed in archaic ideas and historic gender norms?

Aside from all of these thoughts, I continued on with my fast. But honestly, going through these questions in my mind gave me a refreshed my reasoning on participating in the fast.

I remembered why I started fasting on this day. It was because for years and years I watch my mom get up before the sunrise to do her small puja and eat the sargi she prepared for herself. When I was younger I knew I wanted to do the same.

I believe in being married and I am grateful for the relationship the Mister and I share (granted it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, but I am thankful to be on this journey with him). So it gives him and I a scheduled day (yes – I said scheduled) to show our appreciation to each other.

I also realized that, having the girls see me participate in this particular cultural event is more so to teach them about who they are and the culture they are descendants. How beautiful is it to think that as a second generation Indian Canadian they may grow up to continue this tradition because they found inspiration from me! They also get to see how I make these traditions my own, how I take what works for me and keep things light and fun – so as to not get bogged down with conservative details but to smile and be thankful for what I cherish.

Most importantly, it gives me an opportunity to pay attention to my body, the time of day, how much activity I’m partaking in. A moment to pause, reflect and be mindful during the course of the day.

Lastly and definitely not least… who doesn’t log getting decked out in their most ornate clothes, complete with accessories galore and letting your husband and in laws paper you – definitely a perk!

Karva Chauth 2011 – What I Wore

Posted on October 16, 2011 by thrulesyeux

The outfit I chose for my Karva Chauth fast was a Red Sari, Red Churiyan and my Kundan Set (gifted to me by my in laws).

I love wearing Indian clothes. I feel beautiful and exotic EVERY time I’m in them – a feeling that doesn’t come that easily with ’western clothing’. Indian clothes are timeless (I mean which other 5 yards of fabric could be worn for decades and decades with minimal changes!!), sexy and extravagant! I think everyone should wear Indian clothes at least once in their lifetime. To an Indian wedding or just because – definitely a must have fashionista experience.

Karva Chauth 2011

Posted on October 16, 2011 by thrulesyeux

It is a fact of life that Indian, especially Hindu culture gives the utmost importance to matrimony. (Apr 1, 2001 – M. Subramaniam)

Pictured above are the traditional activities we took part in before breaking my fast.
Karva Chauth gives yet another opportunity to display a whole new dimension of the bond between husband and wife. It’s a rite of passage for a married Indian woman and a celebration of the life she has chosen with her husband and her family.