A Valentines’ Special

Valentines day celebration now had become an obligation or ritual. I think it had become mechanical or artificial. Let me say that, it is the least romantic day in an year!!! On this day people ran about buying and collecting gifts to exchange between because that is what everyone else is doing. I’m sad to say that this celebration had lost its heart.

Actually valentines day celebration is the celebration of love. All those who love and all those who have love can celebrate it and that’s its beauty. But one of the drawbacks I find in this celebration is, couples and grown up people are not so interested in valentines day. They feel Valentines day celebration is only for teenage and youth. But I don’t agree with this. Last day I happened to read how a lady celebrated valentines day with her kids and husband.

When her husband came home from an extended business trip, the first thing he saw, when he came through the door, was I LOVE YOU spelled out with the kids big plastic blocks on the floor just inside the front door. When he went to take a shower there was another message on the wall, I MISSED YOU, spelled out with foam letters that stick to the wall when damp. And on the refrigerator was another message made with the magnetic words. I think this is something great. So please don’t miss your chance to celebrate this valentines day with your husband, wife and kids.

A christmas message

“Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. All else is outward display-so much tinsel and decorations. For it isn’t the holly, it isn’t the snow. It isn’t the tree not the firelight’s glow. It’s the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again.” This is all what I feel of Christmas.

It was December 25, 1914, only 5 months into World War I. German, British, and French soldiers, already sick and tired of the senseless killing, disobeyed their superiors and fraternized with “the enemy” along two-thirds of the Western Front (a crime punishable by death in times of war). German troops held Christmas trees up out of the trenches with signs, “Merry Christmas.”

“You no shoot, we no shoot.” Thousands of troops streamed across a no-man’s land strewn with rotting corpses. They sang Christmas carols, exchanged photographs of loved ones back home, shared rations, played football and even roasted some pigs. Soldiers embraced men they had been trying to kill a few short hours before. They agreed to warn each other if the top brass forced them to fire their weapons, and to aim high.

The high command on either side was shuddered. Here was disaster in the making: soldiers declaring their brotherhood with each other and refusing to fight. Generals on both sides declared this spontaneous peacemaking to be treasonous and subject to court martial. By March 1915 the fraternization movement had been eradicated and the killing machine put back in full operation. By the time of the armistice in 1918, fifteen million were cruelly killed.

This is not just a moral story or a myth, but the real incident happened during a Christmas. I hope, no, pray to the Almighty that this spirit may spread to all the troops, no, to the whole world, eager to kill each other.

Valentine’s Day

Saint Valentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day is a celebrated on February 14, it is the traditional day of lovers. Beautify your love life with this Valentine’s Day.

If You have fallen in love the angel whom you love is the most wonderful person you have ever met and the most precious blessing of the Supreme Power, which was preserved just for you. You want to thank your angel for coming in your life and for taking you on the mesmerizing trip to the love world but are not sure of the ways in which you would be able to do so. Worry not, as the romantic valentine ideas are there to help you, which can enable you to show your heartfelt gratitude and your undying love for the person who has gained the reputation of being the heartbeat of your heart.

It is a fact that every person who has existed on this earth has fallen in love at one point or the other and every one of us has employed some or the other romantic idea for strengthening the bond of love in our lives. It is often said that love needs no boasting or showing off but how many of us can deny the excitement and happiness felt by us when our cherished lovers express their love feelings for us in beautiful and elegant ways. No matter how much we try to hide our real feelings but the truth remains that at one point or the other we expect our lovers to employ nice and graceful romantic ideas for announcing their love for us.

Proposals are necessary to woo your ladylove for marriage or wedding. No doubt, you are good friends and gel with each other well, yet there is a need for you to put forward your true love and deep affection formally in the way of proposals. While you propose, do not forget to carry your engagement ring with you.

Valentine Gift, exchanging, usually from a man to a woman.Such gifts typically include roses and chocolates packed in a red satin, heart-shaped box. In the 1980s, the diamond industry began to promote Valentine’s Day as an occasion for giving jewelry. The day has come to be associated with a generic platonic greeting of “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

The rise of Internet popularity at the turn of the millennium is creating new traditions. Millions of people use, every year, digital means of creating and sending Valentine’s Day greeting messages such as e-cards, love coupons or printable greeting cards. You can log on http://www.binbrain.info/ @ Binbrain.com to download valentine greetings and send e-cards absolutely free.

“Helplessly in love with chocolates” , this is what most of us would like to describe our chocolate habits. moreover, chocolate has been widely proclaimed by scientists and doctors as to be the food that increases the feeling of love, by releasing the required chemicals. It also helps you live longer. Hmmm! That gives some food for thought. We are hereby presenting you with selectedchocolate recipes, and most of them are darn easy to prepare. So happy cooking (or cocoaing, for that matter) , and do not forget to refer these to your friends!

TAJ MAHAL- “The Symbol of Love”

TAJ MAHAL is one of the seven wonders of the world. Any one who knows India is familiar with the name Taj Mahal . The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum located in Agra, India, that was built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture, a style that combines elements from Persian, Turkish, Indian, and Islamic architectural styles. In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was cited as “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage.”

While the white domed marble and tile mausoleum is most familiar, Taj Mahal is an integrated symmetric complex of structures that was completed around 1648. Ustad Ahmad Lahauri is generally considered as the principal designer of Taj Mahal.

History of Taj Mahal

It is a symbol of the eternal andeverlasting love that Shah Jehan showed for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Mumtaz Mahal married Shah Jehan in 1612 . This was his second marriage, and the couple loved each other greatly. Mumtaz Mahal had fourteen children while with Shah Jehan, and died in child birth in 1630 while away on a battle with Shah Jehan . Legend has it that Shah Jehan was so devastated by her death that in the course of only a few months, his beard and hair had turned completely white. Mumtaz Mahal’s body was buried for six months, then was returned to Agra, later to be permanently buried in the Taj Mahamumtaz1.

The Taj Mahal, designed by two Persian architects, was built by Shah Jehan to create a memorial for Mumtaz Mahal. This monument was constructed as a display of Shah Jehan’s eternal love for his wife . The building of the Taj began in 1632. An army of 20,000 workers labored on this structure . The Taj Mahal is often referred to as “the greatest single work of Safavid art ever constructed”. In 1648, on the exact anniversary of Mumtaz’s death, this wonderful monument was completed . The Taj Mahal is located on the river Yamuna in Agra

The garden

The complex is set around a large 300 meters square charbagh, a Mughal garden. The garden uses raised pathways that divide each of the four quarters of the garden into 16 sunken parterres or flowerbeds. A raised marble water tank at the center of the garden, halfway between the tomb and gateway, with a reflecting pool on North-South axis reflect the image of Taj Mahal. Elsewhere, the garden is laid out with avenues of trees and fountains. The charbagh garden, a design inspired by Persian gardens, was introduced to India by the first Mughal emperor Babur. It symbolizes four flowing rivers of Paradise and reflects the gardens of Paradise and derived from the Persian paridaeza, meaning ‘a walled garden’.

Tourism

The Taj Mahal attracts 2 to 3 million visitors every year with more than 200,000 from overseas. Most tourists visit during the cooler months of October, November and February. Polluting traffic is not allowed near the complex and tourist must either walk from the carparks or catch an electric bus. Lists of recommended travel destinations often feature Taj Mahal, which also appears in several listings of seven wonders of the modern world, including the recently announced New Seven Wonders of the World, a recent poll with 100 million votes.

For security reasons , only five items – water in transparent bottles, small video cameras, still cameras, mobile phones and small ladies-purse – are allowed inside the Taj Mahal.