Sanskar
is a commonly used variant of the Sanskrit word 'Samskara'
and signifies cultural heritage and upbringing in modern Hindi. In other
words it signifies Family Values. Family Values are universal, built upon common
principles found in nearly every culture in the world. Every culture has
a way of passing on, family values through celebrations, festivals, traditions and rituals. In India
these values are enhanced through the myriad of festivals, pujas,
rituals and get togethers.
CuisineCuisine.com
launches
Adopt-A-Sanskaar
on Makar Sankranti Day
2008
What
does this all mean?
Well it is simple ! We
urge all of you to take this concept and adopt a sanskaar.......
It
could be a
-
Festival
-
Recipe
-
A Piece of Art
-
Traditional
clothing
-
Ritual
-
Puja
-
Tradition
Something that your
parents did, something that interests you or some festival that was your
favorite growing up, something that represents you and your background,
some tradition you have grown up with that you love !...and make it part of
your life. Part of your yearly tradition.
Just like you have the annual neighborhood
picnic, we ask you to adopt any of
the above and make it part of YOUR TRADITION to pass on.
As NRI's we live
away from the traditions in India. We have to reproduce the festivities
and conscientiously make an effort to bring back the memories as we
remember them. But just imagine what our kids will remember if we don't
make the effort to practice....
Sometimes...many times we don't even know when festivals
come and go and what we need to do for those. Or we just get lazy to
really make the effort and celebrate...well especially when no one else
is celebrating anyway.
It is therefore imperative
that you grab a piece of our RICH CULTURAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE
and...the next part is VERY IMPORTANT...
MAKE
IT YOUR OWN....
It is through our
parents that we learn values, practices and traditions. These values form an important basis for
our moral and social character.
According to Medini
Pradhan : "I have been blessed to have a mother who believed in
family values and celebrating festivals, cooking special foods and
passing on traditions and values. It is my goal to help my daughters understand and appreciate our wonderful heritage.
I hope you
participate in this campaign"
As the year
progresses, we will have fun ideas to help you help yourself with this
campaign.
Festival
Of Lights : DIWALI
I hope some of you have adopted this festival and are thinking of making this a tradition in your family. In ours we all dress up for Lakshmi pujan and do the puja on the main Diwali day. We put each and every light (not caring so much about the light bill) in the house every evening of the 5 days of Diwali. I also do a beautiful rangoli in front of the house, my kids love participating in that. I also make something sweet for Diwali although not a lot of it ! :)
Sparklers are a great way to bring back old memories and create new ones for our kids. In this fast western lifestyle where not everyone is celebrating Diwali it is only up to you to make new traditions from those you have seen and learnt over the years. Therefore it is important that you choose one or two festivals close to your heart, memory or life and be consistent with the tradition that you set.
