Festival Stories by NutSpace

Holi Story | Narrator: Dr Shivani Kanodia

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE HOLI? Holi is a Hindu festival that is celebrated over two days. Day 1 is dedicated to religious offerings to the Holy fire also called "Holika Dehan" and the second day brings together people to throw away their inhibitions and feel united and is celebrated all over the world. In this episode listen in to the legends and myths around the origin of Holika Dahan which represents win of good over evil and a cute little story of mischievous Krishna and how playing with different colours came to be. ABOUT THE STORYTELLER, DR SHIVANI KANODIA: Dr Shivani Kanodia believes that stories exist all around us, from deep inside an ocean to high in the sky. With a PhD in biotechnology , storyline demanded that she pursues a career in science but what fun is a story without a twist? To give wings to her dreams and follow her passion she founded Aryah Inspires LLP in 2017 - an organization which aims to nurture the story-lovers within individuals and is on a mission to “Storify the Nation”. As a Professional storyteller, Applied theatre practitioner, consultant and trainer Shivani is committed to empower people to harness the power of storytelling and applied theatre tools to initiate dialogues, create conversations and make classrooms engaging and joyful. She has conducted over 300 sessions with more than 20,000 participants in range of sessions and workshops. Shivani has worked with various organizations like Pratham books, Katha India, Oxford University Press India, Jaipur literature Festival for outreach programme and The Hindu group to facilitate STEP summer programme. She has done story narration in collaboration with BookyBoo and and UNICEF Maharashtra to raise awareness regarding Virus during the Pandemic. She is also part of various international projects with ASST (USA) and Storytelling choir (UK). She is currently working with teachers from about 200 schools in Delhi and Haryana to train them in “Integrating Storytelling with Curriculum”.  ABOUT NUTSPACE NutSpace builds life skills and 21st-century skills in children using stories for kids. We deliver our lesson plans via live classes, online classes, self-paced courses www.nutspace.in [http://www.nutspace.in] Follow NutSpace on: Youtube [https://youtube.com/c/nutspacein] | Facebook [https://facebook.com/nutspace] | Instagram [https://instagram.com/nutspacestories]

Navratri Story Day 9: Maa Siddhidatri | Narrator: Rohini Vij

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE NAVRATRI? THE STORY OF THE 9 GODDESSES OF NAVRATRI DAY 9: NAVRATRI STORY: MAA SIDDHIDATRI On the ninth day of the nine-day long Hindu festival of Navratri, we worship the ninth form of Devi Durga. The ninth form of Devi Durga is Maa Siddhidatri. It is said that at the beginning of time when there was nothing in the universe there was only darkness then Maa Kushmanda created the universe using her radiant smile. Maa Kushmanda also created the holy trinity. She created Lord Shiva, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu and each one of these gods was given a job to do. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Once all these gods were created, Shiva went and prayed to Maa Kushmanda and asked her more perfection. He asked Maa Kushmanda to bestow him with lots and lots of blessings, to bestow him with more perfection. And that’s when Maa Kushmanda created another goddess. She created Maa Siddhidatri. Maa Siddhidatri blessed Shiva not just with eight or ‘ashtasiddhis’ but with 18 siddhis or 18 perfections. These 18 comprised not just the ‘ashtasiddhis’ or the eight perfections but also ten more siddhis which are the secondary perfections as defined by Lord Krishna. And then something amazing happened, half of Lord Shiva’s body became one with Maa Siddhidatri. She became half of Shiva and that form of Shiva where he is half female and half male is called Ardhanareshwar. Maa Siddhidatri also blessed Brahma and Vishnu with eight perfections or the ‘ashtasiddhis’ and these eight Siddhis (perfections) are: * Anima: The ability to become as small as an atom * Mahima: The ability to become infinitely large * Garima: The ability to become infinitely heavy * Laghima: The ability to become infinitely light * Prati: The ability to become omnipresent * Prakhambya: The ability to make all that you desire come true * Ishitva: Lordship * Vashitva: The power to conquer all. And that is why Maa Siddhidatri is worshipped on the ninth day of the Navratri which is also called Ram Navmi or Naumi. Maa Siddhidatri sits on a lotus and her ride is a lion. She has four hands. In one hand she carries a Gada, in one a chakra, in one a lotus, and in one a Shunk. Maa Siddhidatri is not just worshipped by humans she is worshipped by the devas, by the Gandharvas, by the asuras, by the yakshas, and by the Siddhas. ABOUT THE STORYTELLER, ROHINI VIJ: Rohini Vij is an early-years educator, professional storyteller, teacher trainer, curriculum developer, drama coach, voice artist, author, and Founder of NutSpace Edtech Pvt. Ltd. She has recorded audiobooks for various renowned publishers. Follow Rohini on: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohinivij/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/storyteller.rohinivij/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rohini.vij/] ABOUT NUTSPACE NutSpace builds life skills and 21st-century skills in children using stories for kids. We deliver our lesson plans via live classes, online classes, self-paced courses www.nutspace.in [http://www.nutspace.in] Follow NutSpace on: Youtube [https://youtube.com/c/nutspacein] | Facebook [https://facebook.com/nutspace] | Instagram [https://instagram.com/nutspacestories]

Navratri Story Day 8: Maa Mahagauri | Narrator: Rohini Vij

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE NAVRATRI? THE STORY OF THE 9 GODDESSES OF NAVRATRI DAY 8: NAVRATRI STORY: MAA MAHAGAURI On the eighth day of the nine day-long festival of Navratri, we celebrate and we pray to Maa Mahagauri. ‘Maha’ means extremely and ‘Gauri’ means fair. This is a story of Parvati-ji and once when Parvatiji in the form of Kaalratri was fighting all the demons and when she came back her skin had turned absolutely dark and try as she may she just couldn’t get rid of that dark skin. Her husband Lord Shiva made a little fun of her. He teased her and called her ‘kali’. However, this really really infuriated her and she went to Lord Brahma. She prayed and prayed to him and she told him that, ‘I want to get rid of this dark skin. Make me fair once again.’ After a severe penance, Lord Brahma was pleased and he blessed Parvati. He told her that she should go and take a dip in The Mansarovar Lake in the Himalayas. The moment Parvati stepped into The Mansarovar Lake in the Himalayas, her dark skin separated from her and magically took the form of a female. This female was called Kaushiki. Kaushiki went on to destroy two terrible demons Shumbha and Nishumbha. Shumbha and Nishumbha had got a boon from Lord Bhrama that they could not be killed by any man, god, demon or deity. And that’s how Kaushiki killed them. Once Parvati had bathed in the river she emerged absolutely stunning. Her skin was now fair and radiant and once again she became the fair-skinned one and came to be known as Maa Mahagauri. Maa Mahagauri has four arms. She carries a trident in one hand and a damaru in the other. She rides a white bull. She is a symbol of kindness and morality. That was a wonderful story, wasn’t it? But then, it makes me think about something. Tell me, is fair skin really a symbol of beauty? Is it important to have fair skin or a fair heart? I think Maa Mahagauri had an enormously courageous and beautiful heart and no matter what the colour of her skin was, she was the one who destroyed demons before and after. ABOUT THE STORYTELLER, ROHINI VIJ: Rohini Vij is an early-years educator, professional storyteller, teacher trainer, curriculum developer, drama coach, voice artist, author, and Founder of NutSpace Edtech Pvt. Ltd. She has recorded audiobooks for various renowned publishers. Follow Rohini on: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohinivij/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/storyteller.rohinivij/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rohini.vij/] ABOUT NUTSPACE NutSpace builds life skills and 21st-century skills in children using stories for kids. We deliver our lesson plans via live classes, online classes, self-paced courses www.nutspace.in [http://www.nutspace.in] Follow NutSpace on: Youtube [https://youtube.com/c/nutspacein] | Facebook [https://facebook.com/nutspace] | Instagram [https://instagram.com/nutspacestories]

Navratri Story Day 6: Maa Katyayani | Narrator: Rohini Vij

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE NAVRATRI? THE STORY OF THE 9 GODDESSES OF NAVRATRI DAY 6: NAVRATRI STORY: MAA KATYAYANI Maa Katyayani is worshipped on the sixth day of the nine-day long Hindu festival of Navratri. Maa Katyayani is one of the most popular forms of Durga who is prayed to during Navratri. It is believed that Maa Katyayani was born to kill and bring an end to Mahishasura. The story goes like this – There was once a sage named Katyayan and he was childless. And he prayed with all his heart to the Trinity Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. He was blessed that one day he will have a wonderful child – a child will make him very very proud. In the meantime, Mahishasurah the demon was really really becoming powerful so much so that the Gods the devas also feared him and they all went to the trinity and begged them to find a solution. Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma combined their energies and created a female form. This female form was extremely radiant – as radiant as a thousand suns and she had 18 arms, she had fierce eyes, she rode a lion and was given the blessings to defeat Mahishasura in battle. Just before going into battle, all the gods blessed her with many gifts – Shiva gave her a mighty Trident, Vishnu gave her a Sudarshan Chakra, Brahma gave her a water-pot and a rosary, Varuna gave her a Conch / Shunk, Agni gave her a Dart, Surya gave her a Quiver, Vaayu gave her a Bow, Indra gave her a Thunderbolt, Kuber gave her a Mace, Kaal gave her a sword and a shield and Vishwa Karma gave her a Battle-Axe. She rides a lion and she is fierce. It is said that she went into a mighty battle with Maheshasura. The battle between Katyayani and Maheshasura went on for days and finally, she defeated him by chopping off his head. Katyayani is also known as Mahishasura Mardani the one who killed and defeated Maheshasura. And her celebration, her victory is celebrated in India. A day when a woman took a form that was fierce and she went down on earth and she defeated a demon who was as terrible as Maheshasura. Maa Katyayani has four hands – in one she holds a sword, in the other, she holds a lotus, with the third hand she blesses her devotees, and with the fourth hand, she protects them. ABOUT THE STORYTELLER, ROHINI VIJ: Rohini Vij is an early-years educator, professional storyteller, teacher trainer, curriculum developer, drama coach, voice artist, author, and Founder of NutSpace Edtech Pvt. Ltd. She has recorded audiobooks for various renowned publishers. Follow Rohini on: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohinivij/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/storyteller.rohinivij/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rohini.vij/] ABOUT NUTSPACE NutSpace builds life skills and 21st-century skills in children using stories for kids. We deliver our lesson plans via live classes, online classes, self-paced courses www.nutspace.in [http://www.nutspace.in] Follow NutSpace on: Youtube [https://youtube.com/c/nutspacein] | Facebook [https://facebook.com/nutspace] | Instagram [https://instagram.com/nutspacestories]

Navratri Story Day 5: Maa Skandamata | Narrator: Rohini Vij

WHY DO WE CELEBRATE NAVRATRI? THE STORY OF THE 9 GODDESSES OF NAVRATRI NAVRATRI DAY 5: MAA SKANDAMATA Maa Skandamata is worshipped on the fifth day of the nine day-long festival of Navratri. ‘Skanda’ means Kartikeya who was the firstborn child of Shiva and Parvati and ‘mata’ means mother so Skandamata essentially is the story of goddess Parvati. We all know that after Sati immolated herself, Shiva became completely disconnected from the world he lived away from everybody deep in tapasya and he did not care at all about what was happening. He lived as an ascetic. Around that time there were two demons Surahpadman and Tarakasura and they had got a boon that they could not be destroyed. In fact, the only person who could kill them was the offspring of Shiva and Parvati. However when Shiva completely disconnected himself from the world, all the gods and goddesses got really worried, ‘What if they’ll never manage getting rid of the two demons Tarakasura and Surahpadman? And that’s when they all went to Lord Vishnu and begged him to find a solution. Lord Vishnu told them that it was absolutely their mistake. Had they not gone to Daksha Prajapati’s Yajna without Shiva and Sati being a part of it, this would have never happened. Sati would have never immolated herself and Shiva would have never been disconnected from everybody. So Vishnu had no solution. That’s when Narad Muniji went and told Parvati, who had taken birth again, she was another incarnation of Sati, and this time she was born to the god of the mountains. Narad Muniji visited Parvati and told her that in this life too – she could get married to the love of her life, which is Shiva, however that would require severe penance, severe tapasya. Parvati really wanted to get married to Shiva and she went through thousands and thousands of years of tapasya – severe penance, after which Shiva was finally pleased he relented. And they both got married. When their union happened a blinding seed – a powerful seed – took birth. This seed was so radiant that Lord Agni himself was given the job of taking care of the seed because from its radiance the child of Shiva and Parvati would be born. However, Agni could not bear the radiance of the seed and he took help from Ganga. Ganga looked after the seed and then Parvati herself took the form of water because she knew that only she could carry the seed that was born of her union with Shiva. And then Kartikeya was born. He had six faces and he was looked after by six mothers also called ‘Krittikas’ which is how he got the name of Kartikeya. In south India, Kartikeya is also known as Lord Murugan. He’s the commander-in-chief of the Army of Gods. He is ever so powerful and he’s blessed by all gods and goddesses not just with powerful weapons but also immense knowledge. It is said that when he grew up a little bit he went to Brahma himself to gain knowledge. And on the first day, he asked Brahma a question. He asked him the meaning of ‘Om’ and Brahma took 12,000 verses to explain him the meaning of but Kartikeya was not satisfied so he went to his own father Lord Shiva and asked him. Shiva explained the meaning of ‘Om’ in 12 lakh verses this but Kartikeya was not satisfied. But by now he had figured out the meaning of ‘Om’ and he explained it to everybody in 12 crore verses. That was Kartikeya – ever so powerful – which is why it is believed that if you pray to Skandamata you automatically end up praying to Kartikeya. Skandamata has four hands. In one hand she carries Kartikeya as a baby, in her second and third hand she carries a lotus, and with her fourth hand, she blesses her devotees. Skandamata rides a lion and she sits on a lotus. Skandamata is believed to be the powerful mother of a powerful god and so she’s worshipped on the fifth day of Navratri. ABOUT THE STORYTELLER, ROHINI VIJ: Rohini Vij is an early-years educator, professional storyteller, teacher trainer, curriculum developer, drama coach, voice artist, author, and Founder of NutSpace Edtech Pvt. Ltd. She has recorded audiobooks for various renowned publishers. Follow Rohini on: LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/rohinivij/] | Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/storyteller.rohinivij/] | Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/rohini.vij/] ABOUT NUTSPACE NutSpace builds life skills and 21st-century skills in children using stories for kids. We deliver our lesson plans via live classes, online classes, self-paced courses www.nutspace.in [http://www.nutspace.in] Follow NutSpace on: Youtube [https://youtube.com/c/nutspacein] | Facebook [https://facebook.com/nutspace] | Instagram [https://instagram.com/nutspacestories]