Thought Lantern

  Today we are sharing special poem on Navaratri colors by Amol Barai.  Title -  NAVARATRI - CELEBRATION OF COLOURS Crystal White from the first day's grace... I’m lost in the goddess's divine embrace! Misty Grey as the second night stays... This season brings hope in beautiful, faithful ways. Golden Orange from the third night's sun... With Devi's blessings, every good deed will be done! Saffrony Yellow of the fourth day's light... We all are dancing Garba through the blessed night! Lushy Green from the fifth day's trees... Specially the ladies shine in lovely festive sarees! Ravishing Navy from the sixth day's blue... We all came together, Devi Maa, just for you! Lovely Red from the seventh night's heart... Let the sacred prayers and celebrations start! Beautiful Pink from the eighth day's bliss... May peace and joy be what we never miss! Deep Purple of the ninth night's moon... Shower your blessings upon us soon! This bunch of colors gives lif...

  We organized a poetry competition on the topic 'Worshipping the Goddess, Hurting the Woman.' And we received some of the best entries from our winners so here we are going  to share these poetries with you.  1st Place Winner -  Munvi Bhandari  Title - The Goddess You Forgot  They crown me Durga in temples, then chain my voice at home, Ten arms to battle Mahishasura—yet two to bear what’s known. They summon Kali when the darkness dares to rise, Yet teach a woman to swallow her scream beneath a thousand eyes. They place a trident in the goddess’s hand, Then tell a trembling woman, “You have to adjust…Just understand.” They call me Shakti—the pulse that makes creation start, Yet measure a woman’s worth by how much pain she bears in her heart. They fear Raktbeeja, Shumbha, Nishumbha—the demons of ancient lore, But excuse the demon who wears a familiar face and walks through her door. The goddess roars—and every temple echoes her name; The woman cries—and they...

  About the Author -  Writa Bhattacharjee is an accomplished fiction author, poet, and editor who crafts immersive stories bridging everyday emotional truths and the world of imagination. Her short stories and poetry feature in multiple prestigious Indian and international magazines and anthologies. Writing as Amiya Roy, she has authored the acclaimed urban fantasy novel Ageless Feud: City of Kaali Book One. Driven by a fascination with human quirks and cultural heritage, Writa seeks inspiration in both the strange and the mundane to turn ordinary scenes into something memorable. While she brings a wealth of professional experience as a trainer and ghostwriter to the literary world, her focus remains on building worlds that feel profoundly real and characters that drive the story forward with their unique complexities. An insatiable reader, she devours classical and Victorian cozy mysteries, fantasy, adventure, and mytho-fiction—genres that heavily inspire her writing. Based i...

 Title - The Red Dupatta  Written by - Shikha Gupta  "Maa Durga is not outside, she lives in you."  The city had forgotten how to be afraid of the darkness not because darkness had disappeared, because people had learnt to live with it. Every evening Meera walked home from work, clutching her bag close to her chest the streets were crowded then also she felt alone. She was tired of hearing "girls should be careful,"  why was the burden of safety only handed over to women? One night a group of men followed her she quickened her steps her heart pounded there stood a temple of Goddess Durga in front of her the doors of the temples were closed but a red dupatta fluttered from the entrance she stopped. "Her roar silences fear, her love empowers soul," on the temple wall there was an image of Maa Durga with ten arms, a lion as her carrier, and that picture of Maa Durga had a calm fearless face Meera looked at the Goddess and whispered 'Maa Durga give me cour...

  Today's story is a special offering written by Dr. Deepikha Barathan it is a small story but it is filled with emotions and on the day 2 of Navratri we present this story in front of all so that you can also dive into the devotional stream.  Ria is a girl child of four years old. She is going to L.K.G. She is very excited to go to school. She came home and slept. Her mom put make up on for her and took her to Navratri. Function. She was excited to see the idols of God and Goddess. She was curious in knowing the names of the. And she sat quietly and sang the songs. She finally got the  Prasad and started eating. While seeing the child I was reminded of my inner child wherein my mom used to take me to Golu function. All the nine days we would be dressed up and  go to temple. My dad also would join us. The deities would be glorified in a beautiful way. My parents used to sponsor the  food. At a very young age I understood the kindness in them. This small child br...

                                          Book Link -    https://www.bribooks.com/bookstore/dian-and-durga/ Book Name: Dian and Durga  Author: Jeevasini Patnana Rating: 5/5 A little sneak peak into the story -  What if a lost baby dinosaur had Maa Durga herself as his guide and protector? Well that is the catch of this book although it starts with a fall and Dian the dinosaur slips into the lake and crash lands well not in water but in a Durga Puja Pandal where everyone runs away in fear except the Goddess herself.  Maa Durga comes alive for him she speaks to him in his own language, in a voice that sounded exactly like his mother's one line that touched me "I am the mother of all beings. That's why you see your mother in me."  From this point, Dian new that he was not alone he had Maa Durga by his side all the time but he wanted to go home and he was re...