A total solar eclipse occured today. It is supposed to have a longer duration than any other solar eclipse of the 21st Century because the moon will be near perigee (the point in the orbit of the moon at which it is nearest to the earth).
Normally, we in India arrange the dots for rangOlis using either the white rangOli powder or the wet rice flour. There is one more way of doing this. One can use the medium of sand and the dots can be arranged on the sand with fingers. Try this at home or when you go the beach. This is the method followed by some tribes in Angola. Angola, a former Portuguese colony, is in western Africa. They use their index and ring fingers to arrange the dots (see figure). After a certain number of rows are arranged, they continue this process to obtain the desired number of rows and columns.
Have a fun-filled day! 
Though I had seen from distance leaders like Nehruji and Rajaji, even though I was born a few years before Gandhiji passed away, I never saw him in person. I very vaguely remember the day he was killed. It is only from books and from people like my father who saw him that I know about Gandhiji. Later I was mesmerised by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. whose voice beckoned millions on his peaceful marches. What a great orator, writer and human being he was!
(July 13-14;Bear-Orientation was good!)
Looking forward to the exclusive pre-release showing of Harry Potter and the half blood prince tonight, but I don't feel like standing in the queue for two hours for decent seats
Line:
As the moon revolves around the Earth
and as the Earth revolves around the Sun
I revolve around you
countless times and in countless ways -
up and down and in and out
north and south and east and west
straight and cross
over and under
and round and round ...
Dot:
Unless you are present
and unless you go around me
my existence does not count
Line:
i talked about the roost in the plantain,and here are some snaps of it,where the chief architect sparrow constructed it's roost.Darwin's thoery applies to all beings,especially to these small chiry sparrows!
Subhadra is Krishna's sister, Arjuna's wife and child warrior Abhimanyu's mother and related by marriage to the mighty Pandava clan. In her outer as well as her inner self, she always worshipped Krishna. She felt, if she worshipped Krishna no other form of worship is really necessary. I am reminded of the purandaradAsa kriti "kR^ishNA eMdare kashTavu baMdite kR^ishNA enabArade". You may be wondering what all this introduction has to do with rangOli as these blogs are always rangOli related in some way.
Tomorrow is America's Independence Day - more than two centuries of life as a nation. Much has changed during that time. But the basic tenet of USA remains still the same - life, liberty and pursuit of happiness! Long life is quite important and that is why the traditional blessings are always for a long life (dIrghAyushmAn bhava). Freedom and happiness certainly increases the life span. Whatever may be the deficiencies of this country and however much one may criticise it for its stance, there is no doubt that freedom is valued very much here.
