The annual Ice Festival is held in Harbin, northern China, and the capital of the Heilongjiang Province. Harbin is known for its very cold winters. The month-long festival starts on January 5. Harbin’s Ice Festival is one of the world’s four largest Ice and Snow Festivals, along with Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada’s Quebec City Winter Carnival and Norway’s Ski …

Probably the most important figure in modern Chinese history is Mao Tse-tung (1893-1976). Mao began organizing Communist groups in 1920. Fighting between Mao’s Communists and Chiang Kaishek’s Nationalists started in 1927 and continued until 1949 (though they did unite against the Japanese invaders in 1937). After the Nationalist forces had fled to Taiwan in 1949, the establishment of the People’s …

The Duanwu Festival, also often known, especially in the West, as the Dragon Boat Festival, is a traditional holiday originating in China, occurring near the summer solstice. It is also known as Zhongxiao Festival, commemorating fealty and filial piety. The festival now occurs on the 5th day of the 5th month of the traditional Chinese calendar, which is the source …

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, no matter what you call it, it is that time of the year which signifies celebration and merriment for millions of Chinese people all over the world. The Chinese calendar has a twelve year cycle and one of the most important characteristics of Chinese New Year calendar is that it names each of the …

The most important holiday for Chinese around the world is undoubtedly Chinese New Year – and it all started out of fear. The centuries-old legend on the origins of the New Year celebration varies from teller to teller, but they all include a story of a terrible mythical monster who preyed on villagers. The lion-like monster’s name was Nian which …

Born: Chandikadas Amritrao Deshmukh 11 October 1916 (Kadoli, Hingoli, Maharashtra, India) Died: 27 February 2010 (aged 93) Nationality: Indian Political party: Bharatiya Jana Sangh Alma mater: Birla College (BITS Pilani) Awards: Bharat Ratna (January 2019), Padma Vibhushan (1999) नानाजी देशमुख का जन्म 11 अक्टूबर सन 1916 को बुधवार के दिन महाराष्ट्र के हिंगोली जिले के एक छोटे से गांव कडोली …

Dr. Raj Kumar is a retired Indian professor of psychiatry. He is also a poet of an era bygone. I enjoyed hearing some of his poems in person. Here is a sample poem that exhorts those who left home in pursuit of riches, to return home. एक चिट्ठी, कुछ तस्वीरें लाया हूँ देखोगे? दिखलाऊँ? बूझोगे? बतलाऊँ? जानते हो क्या क्या …

Here is a great poem from which inspiration may be derived. Author is the well-known poet Kshem Chand Suman. उठो स्वदेश के लिये बने कराल काल तुम उठो स्वदेश के लिये बने विशाल ढाल तुम उठो हिमाद्रि श्रंग से तुम्हे प्रजा पुकारती उठो प्रशांत पंथ पर बढ़ो सुबुद्ध भारती जागो विराट देश के तरुण तुम्हें निहारते जागो अचल, मचल, विफल, …

It is one of the national holidays of India. The republic day of India is on January 26. the main center of celebration is New Delhi. A prominent ruler from a foreign country is invited for the ceremony as chief guest. A very nice procession along with military parade is the attraction of the day. Soldiers are awarded for their …

In the “Iron Curtain speech” Winston Churchill drew attention to the fundamental split in Europe between the Eastern Bloc and the West, though at that stage (March 1946) there were no formal alliances. He had a fear of another world war that involves fighting against the communist regime and that the so called iron curtain is blocking some of the …