Swastik Rangoli Kalakar Group is a Vadodara (Gujarat) based group formed in 1985 by rangoli enthusiasts who decided to work collectively and promote this almost forgotten traditional Indian art. The group holds various exhibitions in Vadodara and around. Their most popular exhibition is the annual Diwali exhibition. Since 1993, the group has been showcasing the rangolis at Kirti Mandir, which is a cenotaph of the royal family of Gaekkwads. Ranjitsinh Pratapsinh Gaekwad, the then titular king of Vadodara provided permission to the group to host the annual Diwali exhibition. In 2013, the exhibition was held at Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda since Kirti Mandir was undergoing repair works. [1] That year, the group created the scene of Lanka Dahan from the epic Ramayana , with real fire. [2] In 2020, due to COVID-19 pandemic, the annual exhibition was held online where artists drew the rangolis in their own homes. [3]
Diwali is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions. It symbolises the spiritual "victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance". Diwali is celebrated during the Hindu lunisolar months of Ashvin and Kartika—between around mid-September and mid-November. The celebrations generally last five or six days.
Porbandar is a city and the headquarters of Porbandar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama. It was the former capital of the Porbandar princely state. Porbandar and Chhaya are the twin cities of each other and both cities are jointly governed by Porbandar–Chhaya Municipal Corporation.
Indo-Caribbean Americans or Indian-Caribbean Americans, are Americans who trace their ancestry ultimately to India, though whose recent ancestors lived in the Caribbean, where they migrated beginning in 1838 as indentured laborers. There are large populations of Indo–Trinidadians and Tobagonians and Indo-Guyanese along with a smaller population of Indo-Surinamese, Indo-Jamaicans and other Indo-Caribbean people in the United States, especially in the New York metropolitan area and Florida. The Washington metropolitan area, Texas, and Minnesota also have small numbers of Indo-Guyanese and Indo-Trinidadians. Indo-Caribbean Americans are a subgroup of Caribbean Americans as well as Indian Americans, which are a subgroup of South Asian Americans, which itself is a subgroup of Asian Americans.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Houston, Texas is a traditional Hindu temple built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. It is in unincorporated Fort Bend County, Texas, within the extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) of Stafford and with a Stafford mailing address.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir of Chicago, Illinois is a traditional Hindu place of worship built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which is headed by Mahant Swami Maharaj, is a denomination of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya within Hinduism. The mandir is located in the Chicago suburb of Bartlett and opened on August 7, 2004. It was built of hand-carved Italian marble and Turkish limestone. The mandir is the largest of its kind in Illinois and was constructed in accordance to the Shilpa shastras. The mandir complex spreads over 27 acres and includes the mandir and the haveli.
Tapas Paul was an Indian actor and politician. One of the most celebrated actors of Bengali cinema, Paul is best known for his on-screen roles opposite Mahua Roy Choudhury and Debashree Roy. He received a Filmfare Award.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta, Georgia is a traditional Hindu mandir, or place of worship, inaugurated on August 26, 2007, by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, a denomination of the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism headed by Mahant Swami Maharaj. The mandir is located in the Lilburn suburb of Atlanta and was constructed in accordance with the Shilpa shastras, which are ancient Hindu architectural scriptures. It was the largest mandir of its kind outside of India. The mandir is made of 34,450 pieces of hand-carved Italian marble, Turkish Limestone and Indian pink sandstone, and are all situated on over 30 acres of landscaped grounds. The mandir complex also includes a large assembly hall, family activity center, classrooms, and an exhibition on the key tenets of Hinduism. Baps Atlanta Mandir is a remarkable place of joy and internal peace.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Etobicoke, Toronto, Ontario, Canada is a traditional Hindu place of worship that was built by the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, which is headed by Mahant Swami Maharaj, is a global spiritual organization within the Swaminarayan branch of Hinduism. The mandir was built in 18 months and consists of 24,000 pieces of hand-carved Italian carrara marble, Turkish limestone and Indian pink stone. The mandir is the largest of its kind in Canada and was constructed according to guidelines outlined in ancient Hindu scriptures. The grounds spread over 7.3 hectares and in addition to the mandir, include a haveli and the Heritage Museum. The mandir is open daily to visitors and for worship. On June 26, 2023, the temple celebrated its 16-year anniversary.
Kirti Mandir, , is the cenotaph of the Gaekwads, located in the city of Vadodara.
Rudranil Ghosh is an Indian actor who works primarily in Bengali films.
Govardhan Puja, also known as Annakut or Annakoot, is a Hindu festival celebrated on the first lunar day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika, on the fourth day of Diwali. Devotees worship Govardhan Hill and prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to Krishna as a mark of gratitude. For Vaishnavas, this day commemorates the incident in the Bhagavata Purana when Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from torrential rains. This incident symbolizes God offering protection to devotees who take singular refuge in him. Devotees offer a mountain of food, metaphorically representing the Govardhan Hill, to God as a ritual remembrance and to renew their faith in taking refuge in God. The festival is observed by most Hindu denominations all over India and abroad.
Sherlyn Chopra is an Indian actress and model known for her work in Hindi, Telugu and Tamil films. She made her debut in 2007 with Red Swastik. In July 2012, Chopra gained media attention after appearing cover for American Playboy magazine, being the first Indian to do so, she was described as a "Bollywood legend'. She was then selected to host the sixth season of the show MTV Splitsvilla. In December 2013, she released her music single titled "Bad Girl". She was a contestant in the reality show Bigg Boss in 2009.
Kirti Mandir is a small museum at the birthplace of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi in the city of Porbandar, Gujarat, India, memorializing him and his wife, Kasturba Gandhi.
Locket Chatterjee is an Indian actress, politician and former Member of Parliament for Hooghly, from West Bengal, India. She is also a classical dancer. She completed her training in Bharat Natyam, Kathakali, Manipuri and Creative, but is better known as an actress, in Tollywood. Previously, she was the state president of BJP Mahila Morcha, the women's wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal. Now she is a General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party, West Bengal.
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is a Hindu temple complex located in Chino Hills, in southwestern San Bernardino County in southern California. The temple belongs to the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha denomination of Hinduism. However, the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir is open to visitors of all faiths.
Rangoli is a type of Indian folk art.
VadFest, organized by Art and Culture Foundation Vadodara under the aegis of Vadodara International Art and Culture Festival Authority, Government of Gujarat and Gujarat Tourism, is an initiative to promote and restore Vadodara as a cultural capital of India. It is one of India's biggest art and cultural festivals. Vadodara is famous for its rich heritage, fine arts, performing arts, iconic architecture, industrious nature and academic infrastructure. The first such festival was on 23–26 January 2015.
LGBT Pride marches have been held in the Indian state of Gujarat in various cities since 2013. The first LGBT pride march was held in Surat on 6 October 2013. Since then, pride march in the state has been held in Ahmedabad and Vadodara.
Byrraju Sandhya Raju is an Indian Kuchipudi dancer and actress. She is recipient of a National Film Award.
Jeram Patel born in Sojitra, Gujarat, was an Indian artist. He was known for using blowtorches on woodwork medium in a method that he learned in Japan and then pioneered in India. Jeram was part of a group of an artists called Group 1890. Patel was known as an abstractionist.