Release of Burmese Leader Suu Kyi   Daw (Aung Sun) Suu Kyi, the iron lady of Myanmar (Burma) was born on June 19, 1946. She is the daughter of General Aung San, Burma’s independence hero and founding father. She was educated in Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. Later, she went to Oxford for further studies. She has a charismatic personality. She is endowed with all the qualities of head and...

World Trade Organization   The World Trade Organization (WTO) came into being on January 1, 1995. The new body has replaced GATT and will prove more powerful than it. It will settle disputes among the 85 member nations. World Bank, International Monetary Fund and WTO have now become the three economic pillars of the world wide dimensions. The WTO will cover more areas than the GATT. The WTO authorities in Geneva...

Revolution in Communication The concept of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam (the whole world as one family) is becoming a reality due to advancement in technology. Now, distant places are being brought closer day-by-day by modern means of communications. They have succeeded in removing a sense of alienation among people living in different and distant parts of the globe. With free exchange of news, views and feelings, today, the whole humanity shares happiness and...

Varsha Pirappu Vishu is the first day in the first Malayalam month of Medam (March-April) and Varsha Pirappu is the Tamil New Year. Vishu is celebrated in Kerala with much fanfare. The traditional rituals followed in the festival is believed to usher in another year of P for the Keralites. On the previous night of Vishu, fresh agricultural produce such as rice, paddy, cucumber, jack-fruit, coconut and ripe plantains are decorated...

Vishwakarma Day Vishwakarma, the god of architecture and engineering, is offered puja in the month of September by most of the industrial houses, artists and weavers. According to mythology, the whole universe including earth and heaven are created by Vishwakarma. The credit for inventing Vajra and other weapons of early civilization goes to Vishwakarma. Vishwakarma is regarded as the supreme worker, the very essence of excellence and quality in craftsmanship. Vishwakarma...

Vanamahotsava Vanamahotsava’s literal meaning is the festival of forest. Its celebration in this modern and industrial era means a lot for the lives on this unique earth. Vanamahotsava is an annual festival of planting trees on a nation-wide scale. It was initiated in 1950. The theme of celebration of Vanamahotsva is to focus attention on the virtues of tree planting. The celebration of Vanamahotsva starts at the beginning of the rainy...

Urs Urs is a Muslim festival celebrated to commemorate the death anniversary of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. However, very often the celebration of Urs is attended by people of other religions too. Urs is observed during the first six days of the Islamic month of Rajah and thousands of Muslims from India as well as from foreign countries come to the graves to pay homage to the great saints. According to the...

Ugadi The New Year festival Ugadi comes close on the heels of Holi. While the strong colours of Holi start fading away, the freshness of spring lingers on with sprightliness all around. Ugadi is celebrated with festive fervour in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Ugadi marks the beginning of a new Hindu Lunar calendar with a change in the moon’s orbit. It is a day when mantras are chanted and predictions...