My Malice and Bias

Lamp of Diwali  Diwali, the festival of lights is today. The time of the year when Indians dress up in fine clothes and light up their homes with diyas (traditiona clay lamps) or candles. But did you know that there is more than one reason why Indians celebrate Diwali? Here are some amazing facts that you might not have known before. 1. Festival of Prosperity Indian businesses worked around the lunar calendar and Diwali was the end of finanicial year. The businesses tallied thir fianances at the end of the fiscal year and they had a reason to ceebrate the gains of the past year amd look up to the coming year with hope. Ganesh and Laxmi Puja The "Bania" or the businessman of Indian society worship two deities during Diwali: Laxmi or the Goddess of Prosperity is worshipped for celebrating the financial gains made in the fiscal year. Ganesha is worshipped as the “Lord of Beginnings” to mark the start of the new fiscal year and for the removal of all obstacles. Diversity of Diwal

Afghans awoke on last week to a country with absent U.S. forces. The future of the country is uncertain with Taliban 's harsh ideology — one that restricts women from education and employment, and metes out swift justice to anyone who breaches the group's harsh interpretation of Islamic law. ISIS-Khorasan Rise of ISIS-K But trust me, Talibans look moderate compared to the new menace in this accursed land of anarchy, the ISIS-K . This menance has reared its ugly backside with a loud fart as the terrorist attack on Kabul airport that took lives for over a dozen US marines, tens of Taliban fighters, and dozens of innocent Afghan citizens.  Afghanistan has long been a base for radical Islamist movements from Mujaheideens to Taliban. Isis-K was formed by members of A l-Qaeda ’s Pakistan branch as well as defectors from the Taliban and the Haqqani network, an ultra radicalgroup. The K refers to Khorasan , an area encompassing NW Pakistan, Afghanistan, central Asia, Southern Iran an

Sardar Mihan Singh, Kumedan of Sikh Empire Last week, the SGPC authorized volunteers doing Kar Seva at Golden temple complex for a new building, excavated an archeologial site. Some Sikh organization stopped the excavation accusing the volunteers of digging a deep pit without taking care of the heritage structure beneath. Are these sites related to Sikh Gurus, Sikh Misl period, or Maharaja Ranjit Singh? Excavated Building in Amritsar Dr. Sukhpreet Singh Udhoke has done some research on these buldings and he mentions this building as part of networks of "Bunga" built by various Sikh Misl leaders and Sardars of the Sikh empire. One name he mentioned was the Bunga of Kumedan Mihan Singh . So who was Kumedan Mihan Singh? My Personal Connection Kumedan Mihan Singh was a commander of a Sikh infantry battallion of Maharaja Ranjit Singh . He joined the Sukarchakia Misl and rose to the rank of Commander ( Kumedan in Punjabi ) in the Sikh army. He established his jagir in Gujranwala a

Why would I write a blog on butter etiquette ? Well, I am incensed by the breakfast eating habits of my family member. Why do I care? Well, I am experiencing this feeling every morning when I go to the kitchen to start my day with a breakfast.  My morning breakfast includes a cup of invigorating tea brewed typical Punjabi style and couple of toasts with butter. This is where I encounter the ghastly spectacle of messy ugly crumbs in the butter. Someone obviously dipped the knife in the butter multiple times contaminating the butter with crumbs from his/her toast. Contaminated Butter with Breadcrumbs So, I clean the butter by meticulously removing the breadcrumbs and the butter is looking succulently delicious again. I can tell you how therapeutic it is to slash beautifully laid butter with a clean knife, carving a succulent slice of creamy butter, and then spreading it over a dry piece of toast. I feel like I am doing nature a favor by moisturizing the dry arid surface of a pale white

Ever wonder why Inder  is the most common name in Punjab? It is represented mostly as a suffux, for example - Amarinder, Rajinder. Narinder, Dharminder, Gurinder, or simply as Inder. Lets take a few moments to understand the term, its meaning, historical perspective, and how it became the most common name among the Punjabis. So, who was Indra who left such an impression on the Punjabis that we continue to name our next generations after him ... afte 4,000 yars? Indra, the Conqurerer Mythological Indra Indra (Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is an ancient Vedic deity in Hinduism. He is the king of Devas (gods) and associated with lightning, thunder, and war. Indra's iconography shows him wielding a lightning thunderbolt weapon known as Vajra , riding on a white elephant known as Airavata .Indra's mythology is similar to Indo-European deities such as Jupiter , Zeus , and Thor , suggesting a common origin in Proto-Indo-European mythology.  Mythological Indra on Airavat Vedic Indra Indra is the m