Hindu Festivals 2009 - Indian calendar, panchang

2010 Indian calendar and Hindu Holidays can be found here.

Access 2009 Indian calendar, and panchang in all (Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi) Indian languages here. Below is the list of all major Indian, Nepal Hindu festival dates (major holidays) for the year 2009. Save them for later use.

Hindu Festivals 2009	Day of the week	Date on English calendar
Makar Sankranti	Wednesday	14-01-2009
Vasant Panchami	Saturday	31-01-2009
Maha Shivaratri	Monday	23-02-2009
Holi	Wednesday	11-03-2009
Hindi New Year	Friday	27-03-2009
Ramanavami	Friday	03-04-2009
Hanuman Jayanti	Thursday	09-04-2009
Raksha Bandhan	Wednesday	05-08-2009
Krishna Janmashthami	Friday	14-08-2009
Ganesh Chaturthi	Sunday	23-08-2009
Pitr-paksha	Saturday	05-09-2009
Navaratri	Saturday	19-09-2009
Saraswati Puja (Forms part of Navaratri)	Friday Saturday	25-09-2009 26-09-2009
Vijay Dashami (Dasera)	Monday	28-09-2009
Deepavali (Diwali)	Saturday	17-10-2009

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Using a BlurbBit

Note: This post explains how to use the features of a BlurbBit. Visit getting started for an overview of BlurbBits and utilities.

BlurbBits for this Entry w/Location

The menu on the top right corner of the window contains all the features available in the current BlurbBit. When a button is clicked, the selected feature will appear in the main display window. The menu can be also hidden by selecting the Hide menu button to the far right.

The Map:

In certain instances the map will appear automatically as the primary selection. If (Click to Zoom) appears in the map title, clicking the map will toggle to the other view. The developer has the option to initialize the map either zoom-in or zoom-out modes, so it may appear in either state.

Photos:

If Photos, Photo Albums or Photo Blogs are available, the Photo Strip and Slide Show buttons will appear. Clicking on either button will load the photos. If geotagged photos exist, a Geo-Photos map button will appear next to the Photo Strip in the Top Menu after the photos have been loaded. In both photo viewing modes, a menu will appear with additional options to the right of the photo. The buttons toggle the selected feature:

• Show Title: Shows the Photo Caption or Photo Blog Title.
• Location Map: Shows Map if Photo or Blog is geotagged.
• Notes: Includes details/links about the photo and author. In the case of a Blog, a summary will appear.
  
• Open Link/Album: Opens the link to the source Photo, Album or Blog. In the case of an Album, a popup will appear with the selected album in a new BlurbBit.
  

Photo Strip Mode

This mode allows the photos to be previewed as thumbnails below the main photo. Selecting the photo or arrow button changes the selected photo. If either the map or the notes panel is enabled, the location maps or the photo description/blog summary will be updated, both options must be disabled to see the photo. The Photo Strip can also be hidden by clicking the button on the lower right of the photo strip (under the forward/back buttons).

SlideShow Mode

The slideshow will automatically load and sequence through the photos. Click or Move the mouse over the photo to pause. Selecting either the Location Map or Notes option will also pause the map. To re-start click the photo after disabling any options (or under the notes window). Both the slide show and the photo strip access the same images.

Info

Gives the option to Share this specific BlurbBit. Click on the share button to obtain a list of available sharing options.

The BlurbBit can also be used in a design mode by specifying &design=true in the Url Parameters. In this mode, Selecting the info button will give this various Blogger, embed or link options.

More Coming

More features are in the works, so keep your eyes peeled.

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BlurbBits History

The idea of BlurbBits started during our 5 year Sailing Trip around the world. We rarely had access to the internet and if we did it was usually slow AND expensive. We started adding Blogs through email (using Mail-To-Blogger) during our second year. We could update our friends and family from anywhere, literally from the middle of the ocean.

We always reported our position at the top of each Blog which I'm sure was treated as gibberish to most non-sailors who saw it. At this same time, we started using Google Earth and Satellite photos to help us find anchorages in remote poorly charted places while saving our GPS tracks for each leg. I was getting into mapping in a big way.

A couple years later, I wanted to create a web page that would allow me to upload a small blurb about our day at sea while building a historical track of our positions. We were heading into the "pirate" areas of the world and I thought a small photo and a quick note might ease some fears with our friends and family (something like "hey look we're still OK and here's a photo to prove it").

The problem with most people is that they think an update to friends has to be HUGE. Now that is impossible via email from sea but we found a little blurb here and there really helped everyone. It even helped us remember things when we went to add more details and photos, it was our base to build on. In fact once we got to port we wished our friends and family members had been keeping little blurbs about their lives.

When we finally had a little down time I investigated hundreds of options to help make this available to friends.

Key Features:

• Easy to use with common software (i.e. support groups, help etc)
  
• Must support Email posting including optional photos
• Extensible to existing websites and blogs
• Must be able to add and update Photos, Text and geotag Locations
• Must use common photo management web services (Picasa/Flickr). i.e. No special uploads of photos to custom blog/website.
• Should support non-Web based management of Photos
  
• Must support multiple data entry options. i.e. Web based GUI and text file or spreadsheet entry
• Auto generation of maps with different views
• Easy to share through embedded gadgets, links, and email/IM
• Should use common web standards if available
• Should be available to users viewing through Feeds
  
• Must be Free (hey my friends are cheap)

What I found was that although bits and pieces were available, not everything could be had in one spot. So I wrote BlurbBits. It was really written as a bribe to get people to take the time to enter Location data specific to their Blog Post, Web pages, Photo Album or Photos. Wouldn't it be cool if you could combine your maps, photos and journals in one easy to use place?

Welcome to BlurbBits.. and this is just the beginning!!

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Free Hindi movie online - Karzzz - Himesh, Urmila, Denzongpa

Cast: Himesh Reshammiya, Urmila Matondkar, Danny Denzongpa, Gulshan Grover, Raj Babbar, Shweta Kumar, Rohini Hattangadi
Director: Satish Kaushik
Music: Himesh Reshammiya

Composer-singer-actor Himesh Reshammiya, who plays the lead role in the remake of the 1980s superhit Karz, admits Ranbir Kapoor would have been a better choice for the role and would have ensured the film’s box office success.

Watch "free full movie Karzzzz" here

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Tulasi Pooja - songs, slokas for Tulsi festival

Tulasi Pooja is celebrated a fortnight after Deepavali. It signifies the day Tulasi married Lord Vishnu. On this day, Tulasi katte is decorated like a bride. Amla trees are planted along with the tulsi plant. Here is the significance of Tulasi pooja in India (Karnataka & Andhra).

Tulasi festival usually occurs two weeks after the Deepavali festival, and all the remaining fireworks from Diwali is enjoyed on Tulsi pooja day. A very good collection of Tulasi pooja slokas and ashtottara appears in a blog by Meera Subbarao here.

Worshipping tulasi is explained in a simple by ISKCON website here. Some people also celebrate this festival as "Tulasi Vivaha" . The ceremony of Tulsi Vivaha takes place in the late evening. Aarti is performed in the end of the puja and prasad is distributed to devotees.

The sacred plant, Tulsi is regarded as the incarnation of the goddess Mahalakshmi. Tulsi represents duty, dedication, love, virtue and sorrow of all women. That is why this herb is usually worshipped by Indian women of all age groups.

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Kannada Rajyotsava - Holiday for Bangalore IT & Bio Tech companies

Bangalore, Oct. 30: Employees in the Information Technology (IT) and Bio-Technology (BT) sectors too will enjoy a paid holiday on Nov. 1, the Rajyotsava Day from this year. This was announced by Labour Minister B.N. Bachchegowda here this morning.

More on "Kannada Rajyotsava in Karnataka - IT, BT Company news" here.

"Pingara Rajyotsava Award this year goes to Grace Pinto" in recognition of her contribution to the education arena

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Classical Status for Kannada - Happy Rajyotsava

The much awaited "Classical Status for Kannada Language was awarded during this Karnataka Rajyotsava day" . "It has been done on the recommendation of the experts committee," Cultaral Minister Ambika Soni said in New Delhi.

The Centre has decided to confer classical status on Kannada and Telugu languages.
It has now been decided by the government that on the occasion of Karnataka's Rajyotsava day and Andhra Pradesh's formation day both falling on November 1.

A tribute to the activists of KRV indeed!

Happy Rajyotsava news for Kannada and Telugu people!!

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Kannada Rajyotsava Wallpapers, Greeting cards, songs

Kannada and Telugu are now Classical languages of India.
Celebrate this happy occasion by sending greeting cards to your friends, setting Karnataka Rajyotsava wallpapers and play the rajyotsava kannada songs. Unleash the Kannadiga in you !!!

Here are some links to help you:

Kannada Rajyotsava Greeting cards in Kannada

Kannada Rajyotsava Wallpaper

Rajyotsava Kannada Songs from Kannadaaudio.com

Karnataka Rajyotsava video songs - oldies but goodies

Karnataka Flag, Kannada Flags Pictures

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Intelligence Gathering in the First World War

Many of the former BSA students helped to gather intelligence during the First World War (see Harry Pirie-Gordon). But other archaeological institutes were involved in similar activities.

In late November 1916 the directors of the German and Austrian archaeological institutes were required to leave Athens as they were alleged to have been involved with espionage and 'other hostile acts against the Entente Powers'.

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2008 Elections - www.maps.google.com/vote

All the info you need to know for this year election can be easily found at:

www.maps.google.com/vote

If you have not registered, go do it..

Even celebrities like, Forest Whitaker, Leonardo DiCaprio and Dustin Hoffman concentrated on directing viewers to www.maps.google.com/vote for geographically-tailored information about voting and voter registration.

Voters can fill out registration forms, find - and get directions to - their polling places and request absentee ballots over the Internet by typing in their home address. Google links to the secretary of state’s site where the information is maintained.

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