I Love Varanasi

30/08/2022

नेशनल जी आई (GI, Geographical Indication) फेयर में काशी का दबदबा
बनारसी जी आई क्राफ्ट की धूम

ग्रेटर नोएडा में 26 से 28 अगस्त तक हुए राष्ट्रीय जी आई फेयर में बनारस के शिल्पी औऱ बुनकर छाए रहे क्योकि सर्वाधिक भागीदारी वाराणसी और आसपास के जनपदों से रही जिसमें महिला शिल्पी अमृता सिंह और मुमताज जहाँ भी रही और इसी राष्ट्रीय जी आई (GI) फेयर में ही पद्मश्री सम्मानित डॉ रजनी कांत को एक्सपोर्ट प्रमोशन कौंसिल फ़ॉर हैंडीक्राफ्ट, EPCH द्वारा लाइफ टाइम अचीवमेंट अवार्ड से एडिशनल सेक्रेटरी, DPIIT, वाणिज्य मंत्रालय, भारत सरकार श्री अनिल अग्रवाल द्वारा सम्मानित किया गया।

पहली बार राष्ट्रीय स्तर का कोई फेयर हुआ जिसमें किसी भी तरह के कोई भी उत्पाद किसी अन्य देश के नही थे, सिर्फ भारतीय जी आई उत्पाद रहे।

बनारस के खिलौनों, गुलाबी मीनाकारी, स्टोन जाली क्राफ्ट, वुड कर्वीग , मेटल रेपोसी, जरदोजी, हैंडब्लॉक प्रिंट, दरी, कालीन, वाल हैंगिंग, बनारसी साड़ी , चुनार गलेस्ड पॉटरी .

इस जी आई प्रदर्शनी में काशी के प्रशिद्ध आर्टिसन, गुलाबी मीनाकारी के श्री अमरनाथ वर्मा 65, वर्ष, निवासी भैरव गली, और सबसे युवा शिल्पी वुड कार्विंग संदीप विश्वकर्मा 25 वर्ष सहित नेशनल अवार्डी रामेश्वरम, सोहित, स्टेट अवार्डी बच्चा लाल, प्यारेलाल, कैसर जहाँ, धर्मराज, बृजराज निषाद, अवधेश पटेल, जमालुदीन, कल्लू राम , श्री कांत मिश्रा, दुर्गा पटेल, सहित कई शिल्पियों , बुनकरों ने भागीदारी किया ।।

बनारस के जी आई शिल्पिओ और बुनकरों द्वारा लगभग 4 से 5 लाख की सीधी बिक्री की गई और 15 से 20 लाख का आर्डर प्राप्त हुआ तथा कई अंतरराष्ट्रीय बायर से सीधा संपर्क हुआ। ऑनलाइन बाजार से भी जुड़ने का अवसर प्राप्त हुआ इन लोगो को और अब ये लोग EPCH से सीधे संपर्क में आ गए ।।

इस राष्ट्रीय आयोजन में डॉ रजनी कांत द्वारा बिहार के 2 और आसाम के 2 उत्पादों तथा वाराणसी परिक्षेत्र के 145 जी आई यूजर (GI) के जी आई पंजीकरण हेतु आवेदन अधिकृत अधिकारी प्रशांत कुमार, अस्सिस्टेंट रजिस्ट्रार और अभिषेक पांडेय को दिया गया है।।

अभय कुमार
मीडिया कोऑर्डिनेटर
ह्यूमन वेलफेयर एसोसिएशन

30/08/2022

22 year old Abhinav Yadav uses Instagram to Help 50 Artisans Earn Rs 2 Lakh From Their Unique Craft

In 2020, Varanasi-native Abhinav Yadav was disappointed as he couldn’t visit Europe for his Master’s degree due to the COVID-19-induced travel restrictions.

To distract himself, he started an Instagram page called ‘Create Your Taste’. Up here, he shared home decor ideas, gardening videos and simple do-it-yourself (DIY) tips. People loved his content and within a month, Abhinav got a fan following of 10,000.
..

Abhinav is now able to help 50 artisans to earn a decent income from their skills.

The products are available on the same brand name over Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho and Instagram. They receive a revenue of Rs 2 lakh per month.

“We started by selling bamboo-based products and eventually included terracotta, jute and recycled cloth-based products as well,” said the entrepreneur. He is all set to expand his customer base and his product inventory too.

https://www.thebetterindia.com/296004/varanasi-content-creator-helps-local-women-artisans-earn-from-instagram-video/

https://www.facebook.com/thebetterindia/posts/pfbid031Vck8fdaT7YNjU2SRajTzNNm6LQNCAiVYy6Ddzh9dJ29HidNG2xTcGu1bQsrcydel

Varanasi-based content creator Abhinav Yadav created the Instagram page 'Create Your Taste' to help local women artisans earn from their craft.

12/07/2022

Meet lawyer Acharya Shyam Upadhyay, who for the past 38 years has done all his work in the Sanskrit language.

Varanasi lawyer Shyam Upadhyay not only writes the affidavit in Sanskrit, but he also examines the court in Sanskrit.

Shyam Upadhyay is Acharya and BA LLB in Sanskrit.

From 1978 till today, he does the work of the court completely in Sanskrit.

The reason behind this attachment of Acharya Shyam Upadhyay to Sanskrit is told by his father.

He says that the work of the court is not done in Sanskrit, that he was troubled since childhood.

In class 7th, Shyam had decided that he would become a lawyer and use the Sanskrit language in the court.

That's why he started work in court after doing BA LLB.

All the work was done in Sanskrit.

Not only this, people bring their case to themselves and explain it very easily in Sanskrit.

Then he also writes letters in Sanskrit.

https://english.newstracklive.com/news/advocate-acharya-shyam-upadhyay-doing-all-his-court-work-in-sanskrit-language-mc23-nu-1067717-1.html

06/07/2022

Tanay Mandowara's meeting with 125 yr old Padma Shri Swami Sivanand from Varanasi:

Recently, I was on the Delhi airport for my early morning flight to Udaipur.

Suddenly, I saw an old man with a small frame doing his morning walk.

I really got excited to see him as I recognized him from a viral video I watched on Instagram.

The man was Padma Shri Swami Sivanand from Varanasi.

He is the world's oldest man alive.

He was born on 8th August 1896 and is 125 years old. Can you believe this?!

He is not only fit, but also practices his yoga and does his puja every day.

What truly inspired me about him was how he was born into poverty but lived a life of simplicity and eventually was awarded the 4th highest civilian award for his contribution to Yoga and society.

Here is his life story in brief:

1. A beggar's son by birth.

2. His mother and father lived by asking alms.

3. Was handed over to a monk (Omkarnanda Goswami Babaji) at the age of 4.

4. His sister died without food.

5. His mother died before sunrise & his father died after sunrise on the same day when he was just 6 years old.

6. He burnt their dead bodies on the same funeral pyre.

7. After performing their funeral ceremony, he started living in a hermitage with Guruji.

8. His life is dedicated for the service of the poor people.

9. He has been awarded the Yoga Ratna award, Basundhara Ratan award and the Padma Shri in 2022.

Swami ji says that the secret to his long life is that he doesn't have any desires.

P.S. This was a total fanboy moment for me.



Source: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tmandowara_people-yoga-swamisivanand-activity-6950045673417244672-0qqH

03/04/2022

River Ganges & Boats!

29/03/2022

Live @ Vishwnath Gali!

Photo shared by Rohit Dhingra

26/01/2022

Who is lt Shivani Singh?

Flight Lieutenant Shivangi Singh is from Varanasi city in Uttar Pradesh state and joined the IAF in 2017. Before flying Rafale, Shivangi flew MiG-21 Bison aircraft.

Shivangi Singh joined the Indian Air Force in 2017 and was commissioned in the IAF's second batch of women fighter pilots.

Flg Lt Shivangi Singh is part of the IAF's Golden Arrows squadron based in Ambala in Punjab state.

The country’s first woman Rafale fighter jet pilot Shivangi Singh was part of the Indian Air Force tableau at the Republic Day parade on Wednesday.

She is only the second woman fighter jet pilot to be part of the IAF tableau.

See Video: https://twitter.com/PIB_India/status/1486223203974660097

Last year, Flight Lieutenant Bhawna Kanth became the first female fighter jet pilot to be part of the IAF tableau.

New Delhi: The country’s first woman Rafale fighter jet pilot Shivangi Singh was part of the Indian Air Force tableau at the Republic Day parade on Wednesday. She is only the second woman fighter jet pilot to be part of the IAF tableau.

Last year, Flight Lieutenant Bhawna Kanth became the first female fighter jet pilot to be part of the IAF tableau.

As the defence forces showcased their strength during the Republic Day celebrations, the Indian Air Force(IAF) tableau displayed the theme "Indian Air Force Transforming for the future".'' The theme of this year's IAF tableau was Indian Air Force, transforming for the future. Following the march past in 12 rows and 8 columns, the tableau came on Rajpath showing scaled down models of Rafale fighter jet, indigenously developed light combat helicopter (LCH) and 3D surveillance radar Aslesha MK-1. It also featured a scaled-down model of MiG-21 aircraft that played a major role in the 1971 war.

The first batch of Rafale fighter jets arrived on July 29, 2020, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 aircraft at a cost of Rs. 59,000 crore. So far, 32 Rafale jets have been delivered to the IAF and four are expected by April this year.

#2022

https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/watch-video-who-is-lt-shivani-singh-the-first-woman-fighter-pilot-on-rafale-combat-aircraft

Shivangi Singh joined the Indian Air Force in 2017 and was commissioned in the IAF's second batch of women fighter pilots.

09/12/2021

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate his flagship Kashi Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi on December 13.

The project is touted to change the landscape of ancient Varanasi city.

The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, which is 50-feet-wide, will connect the ancient jyotirlinga temple to the famed ghats of Varanasi.

https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/travel-tourism/fe-exclusive-first-images-of-newly-renovated-kashi-vishwanath-corridor-set-to-be-inaugurated-by-pm-modi/2383998/

02/12/2021

She was confined to bed for 17 years with near-total paralysis caused by severe spine fracture after being pushed down the third floor of a building by her husband and in-laws on February 3, 1997.

Doctors had given up hope that she would ever be able to stand on her feet.

Not only did she prove them wrong by walking again, she went on to set two enviable records in painting, besides motivating girls of nondescript villages to turn into international champion Taekwondo players.

Today, Punam Rai, 47, is a role model for painters, Taekwondo players and dancers across Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

A Banaras Hindu University (BHU) graduate in Painting Honours, Punam has been emancipating hundreds of children through painting and taekwondo. While she has hired taekwondo trainers for her NGO, she teaches painting herself.



Sources:

https://www.thebetterindia.com/265856/punam-rai-varanasi-learn-taekwondo-ngo-empowering-girls-inspiring/

https://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2021/nov/14/from-adversity-to-inspiration-the-journey-of-varanasis-punam-rai-2383269.html

24/11/2021

Claim: Ratneshwar temple leans at an angle higher than the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Fact Check: The claim is true. The Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple is situated at Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi.

The temple has developed a nine-degree slant.

It is also referred to as Kashi Karvat (Kashi is the ancient name for Varanasi and karvat means leaning in Hindi).

A Times Now report said that one of the beliefs held regarding the temple is that the 'ghat' had collapsed and leaned backwards after not being able to withstand its weight.

The temple supposedly stood straight before the 1860s.

An Indian Travel Photography Blog, Kevin Standage, stated that the temple is famous for having a tilt of about nine degrees.

https://thelogicalindian.com/fact-check/ratneshwar-temple-leaning-tower-pisa-varanasi-lean-22847

25/01/2021

Brahma once weighed the heavens against Kashi. And Kashi, being heavier, sank while the skies, despite all the gods who lived there, rose upwards. – Adi Shankara, Manikarnikastotram

https://www.taleof2backpackers.com/banaras-varanasi-quotes/