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We attended the Gilroy Garlic festival last weekend (July 26).

My parents were religious; my father used to pUjA quite regularly, offer sandhyAvandana, and recite a lot of stOtras and explain their meanings too. My mother was very religious observing all vratas and fasting on EkAdaSi and other days. My parents-in-law too were very religious. Have you heard the expression of a ganjA (incidentally ganjA is a Sanskrit word) plant growing in a garden full of tulasI plants? I am that pot plant in the holy garden! I am not a great follower of religious practices. At the same time I respect religion, all religions.

VARALAKSHMI VRATHAM

Varalakshmi Vratam is an important pooja performed by many women in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka . The Hindu festival going by the name 'Vara Lakshmi Vrata' is celebrated on the last Friday of the bright fortnight in the month of Ashadha, also called Adi, which corresponds to the English months of July-August.

iKolam Cafe is now open.

This blog has reference to the star of David drawn by latAjI (http://ikolam.com/node/297?p=5851) and my response to it. The star of David is the centre piece of the Israeli flag. I mentioned this in a different context while explaining the hexagonal yantras (http://ikolam.com/node/5387?p=1930). Before trying to draw the interpenetrating star of David, we must learn how to construct a Mobius strip (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Möbius_strip ). Mobius strip is a ribbon with only one surface. Normally a strip of paper or a ribbon has two surfaces, But Mobius strip has only one surface.

Please write the descriptions in English in your Rangoli submissions. If your description contains words in other languages, please provide the translation in English. Thank you.

Drawing on the beach; who can resist mOhanaji? I think we have all tried to draw different things during our visits to beaches. I'll be honest here, I've also used sticks mostly (and let my kids use only sticks on beaches), only because it sort of stinks (you know; marine life).

I am narrating a story that may be taking place everyday in many houses. The mother gets up in the morning and goes out to decorate the front yard with a beautiful rangOli. The child follows her and wants to help the mother His (her) help consists of coming in the way of the mother’s efforts, stepping on the rangOli dots or wiping them with his (her) tender hands. Finally, the mother has had enough of this. She takes the child and ties the child with a loose string to the nearby pillar.

a collage of real plant and flower inspired by JKM uncle's golden lotus rangoli.

You now have the option to notify us if you would like us to announce your birthday in the ikolam site. Please navigate to "My account" from the menu options (at right) and go to the "Personal" section. You'll find a checkbox next to the "Allow ikolam to announce your birthday in the site" option. If you would like me to announce your birth day, click the box, otherwise just leave it blank. If you choose to let ikolam announce your b'day in the site, we'll only announce the birth day and month, and not the year (not unless you insist).