Veteran South Indian playback singer S Janaki rejects Padma Bhushan

Veteran south Indian playback singer Sishtla Sreeramamurthy Janaki, popularly known as S. Janaki  has declined to accept the Padma Bhushan award as she feels that the honour has come late in her five-and-half-decade long career. “I refuse the Padma award… I have been singing for the last 55 years. I consider the recognition of my fans in various languages as the highest award,” she told reporters at Ottappalam near Palakkad.

However, 75-year old Janaki, who has over 20,000 songs in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi to her credit, said she had no grouse against the government. “I have been singing for the last 55 years. I have sung a variety of songs in many languages. They all appreciated my songs. Even you Malayalees often say that my pronunciation is correct. So what else I require than the recognition from the people,” she said. “I have no complaint towards the government. I don’t think the government has done anything wrong. But I have decided to refuse Padma award,” Janaki, who was at Ottappalam to attend a marriage, said.

Janaki, who had won four national awards, was chosen in the art category among the 24 Padma Bhushan awardees in different fields announced on the eve of the Republic Day.

Her son Murali Krishna, talking to PTI over phone, said the honour to his mother came too late.

“It has come too late. She should have got it long long time ago. She has refused to accept the award with due respect,” he said.

He also said they were not informed about the award being given to her and they learnt about it only through “some body else”.

PTI

5 Famous Hindu Temples in America

Temples have been built since ages and many new ones open their doors every year. The number of temples in U.S. has been rising over the past few years. Here is a list of five prominent Hindu temples in the U.S.

Ganesha Temple

Ganesha Temple located in Flushing, Queens is run by the Hindu Temple Society of North America. It is one of the most renowned and biggest Hindu temples in America and has a member count of around 20,000. Apart from the daily services offered, an active community centre is also run by the temple authorities which conduct formal classes, lectures and programmes, focusing on the practice of religion, philosophy, culture, arts and music. The temple was opened before the general public in the 1970’s and traditional events and religious events hosted here attract people from all over the country. A major part of this magnificent and impressive construction was built in India and then imported to America for reconstruction. Dozens of stone icon of Hindu deities made manually adds to the beauty of the monument.

Shiva Vishnu Temple

Shiva Vishnu Temple is a south Indian style temple situated in Broward County, South Florida. Dr. Ganapati Sthapati, an eminent temple builder and architect from Chennai gave guidelines for the construction of this Dravidian style temple. The construction began in the year 1999 with the help of 12 architects from Mahabalipuram. Two new buildings are there in the temple complex and the front building has two Raja Gopurams (entrance towers) and two Vimana Gopurams (towers) above each of the main Shiva and Vishnu Garbagrahas (Shrines).

The temple is spread across a vast area of 6200 Sq Feet and the architectural style of the shrine belongs to Chola, and Pallava dynasty period (10th century) for Shiva and Parivar shrines, and Vijayanagara dynasty period (12th century) for Venkateshwara and Parivar shrines.

The other deities include Lord Ayyappa, Goddess Saraswathim, Lord Muruga, Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Krishna, Lord Ram, Lord Ganapathi and Lord Anjenya.

Sri Venkateswara Swami (Balaji) temple in Aurora

Sri Venkateswara Swami ( Balaji) Temple situated in Aurora is one of the first Hindu temples to be built in the United States. The temple is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, a representation of Vishnu and it is constructed on 20 acres of land, which was donated by Indian American families. Lord Balaji, Lord Ganesh, Lord Shiv & Godess Parvathi are the other deities in this temple. Mutaiaistapathy, a famous specialist on Hindu temples worked with an architect from Chicago, Subash Nadkarni for several months for the construction of this beautiful shrine.

“The design of this temple is an excellent blend of ancient shilpa shastras and modern architectural technology,” says Sudhir Ghanta, who has been involved with the shrine right from the beginning, reports Rediff. “It also serves as a model for many temples that have come up in recent years and are being built now.”

Sri Lakshmi Temple in Ashland

Sri Lakshmi Temple located in Ashland is spread over an area of 12 acres and it was built in the 1980’s.  Rajagopuram of the temple at a height of 50 feet from the ground is an attractive feature of the temple and the construction took two years; with the guidance of Muthiah Sthapathi. Various daily poojas, festivals, shloka classes, culture/Indian-languages classes, etc are conducted by the temple authorities. . Temple includes deities of Sri Maha Ganapati, Sri Mahalakshmi, Sri Venkateswara, SriNataraja ,Sri Subrahmanya, Sri Hariharaputra, Garuda and Navagraha.

Malibu Hindu Temple

Malibu Hindu Temple is located in the city of Calabasas in California and is dedicated to Lord Venkateswara. The temple which was built in the year 1981 is owned and operated by the Hindu Temple Society of Southern California. The construction of the shrine is inspired by traditional south Indian style.

 

 

 

Top 5 Health Resorts in India

Are you looking for an ideal place to refresh and rejuvenate your mind, soul and body? Then it is worth a visit to some good health resorts, where you will get the awakening therapies, revitalizing treatments and exclusive spa experience to rejuvenate your body and soul. Here are some best health
resorts you can pick up.

Soukya Resort

Located in Bangalore, this holistic Ayurveda health resort spread over 30 acres of scenic orchards, attracts people from all over the world with its strategic location and good facilities. The resort includes health centers, which offers detailed treatment in Ayurveda, Homeopathy, Naturopathy and complementary therapies like yoga, acupuncture, reflexology, acupressure, etc. And the resort also offers facilities like indoor games, table tennis court, snooker, yoga and meditation hall, badminton internet surfing, cycling, common T.V room, jogging tracks, swimming pool, library, beauty parlor, gift shop and city sightseeing.

Somatheeram Ayurveda Resort

Situated on the picturesque Malabar Coast in the southern Indian state of Kerala, Somatheeram is a unique Ayurvedic resort in terms of Tradition, Culture, History, Ayurveda, Yoga, Beach and Nature. Located by the sea shore here you can enjoy the serene beauty of nature while getting cured of external and internal health problem. Built with Eco-friendly materials, the resort is properly ventilated to allow natural air flow. Kerala Sadya (feast) which comprises rice and a large number of side dishes and curries all specially prepared in Kerala style and served in plantain leaves.

The Oberoi Wildflower Hall Shimla

Located in the tranquil foothills of Shimla, Wildflower Hall is a luxury resort set in 22 acres of virgin woods of pine and cedar. Here you should not miss their exclusive spa called ‘Himalayan Mysteries’, includes chakra head, shoulder massage, a wild lavender scrub, cleansing facial and a fragrant jasmine bath. You can also go for a pressure point therapy, delicious body wraps like germanium cream, honey citrus and Himalayan spice and contemporary Hawaiian massage. The resort also offers the resort offers white river rafting, trekking, mountain biking, archery, billiards, ice skating and golf.

Ayurvedagram Health Resort and Spa

Located in Bangalore, this venture of Kerala Ayurveda Pharmacy Ltd is a holistic ayurveda healthcare village that is regarded as one of India?s top five spas and ayurveda resorts. It has got an experience of 85 years and recreated from traditional Kerala homes. Ayurvedagram offers self-healing therapies practiced under ayurveda with its own team of resident doctors, therapists, and staffs. Beside all these you can regain your true form, beauty, and vitality through natural and authentic rejuvenation and beauty enhancement therapies, yoga, meditation, gym, steam, sauna, and beauty salon.

Ananda Resorts in Himalayas

Located in the tranquil Himalayan foothills, Ananda is the spiritual pathway to the ultimate, discovered through the union of body, mind and soul. Here you will experience a lifestyle includes Ayurveda, Yoga and Vedanta combined with best of International Wellness Experiences to bring about the union of mind, body and soul. The spa offers an extensive menu of over 79 body and beauty treatments. You can get a mix match experience of Indian systems of Ayurveda with the more contemporary Western spa approach.