Gods and Goddesses of Nainital

This photo shows the lake and the hills around the Naini Lake of nainital

The district of Nainital has been in the forefront of spiritual evolution in India. However, the contributions of Nainital are not limited to spirituality. It has also contributed in other significant areas. One of these is technical education. The seeds of technical education in modern India were sown by the Indian Industrial Commission at its Nainital Conference in 1907. It proposed two institutions -- one at Roorkee for engineering and the other at Kanpur. As a result of this conference the first two institutions offering technical education began in India. The one at Kanpur is presently known as the Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI) and the one at Roorkee evolved from the Thompson College to Roorkee University and eventually the Indian Institute of Technology at Roorkee. However in recent decades Nainital has lagged behind in the area. Until a few years ago, there were only two institutions offering university level degree programs in engineering in Nainital Di...

Just this morning I found a nice review of my novel ‘Nude besides the Lake’ at amazon .com. I would like to share it with visitors to this blog. Me (in Jacket) and others beside a lake of Nainital District - Sattal A Satisfying Read July 22, 2012 Nude besides the Lake is a delightful tale of discovery (and rediscovery), friendship, and cooperation and the great things that can be achieved by acts of generosity and respect. There are no bad guys here. It is not a world of conflict and despair. The world that author Ashok Malhotra paints of life in the beautiful mountains & lakes country in northern India is both mesmerizing and alluring. His story introduces details of Indian life, philosophy, spirituality, and culture from the homespun perspective of those who call Nainital home. There is even sensitive tribute to Indian history and British influences. And through it all one can almost smell the dust kicked up by the monsoons and the fragrant roses, magnolias, ...

Photo shows roof of Naini Mata temple in Nainital A face book friend and cousin - Pardeep - posted something this morning about a Mantra on his wall: Mantra Dhaarnaa Yon Kar, Vidhi Se Le Kar Naam Japiye Nishchaya Achal Se, Shakti-Dhaam Sri Ram These verses in Hindi may be translated as: From right Teacher learn right technique of repetition of right name Then mediate with greatest faith, Upon the Lord’s most vital name I fully agree with my dear cousin that the chanting of Mantras done correctly is a powerful technique, even magical. That is the reason one has magicians chanting spells in fairy tales to perform magic. Recently a college classmate and dear friend got into serious legal difficulties. His name is Rajat Gupta. Until recently he was one of the most senior corporate executives on our planet well known to Prime Ministers and Presidents including Obama and Clinton. He can be found in Wikepedia. However, amongst some of his friends were also some...

On Babas and Mystics This Blog and a recent book ( The Babaji Affair ) has a lot of matter on Babas and Mystics especially of the Nainital region. The following FAQs about it are therefore in order. Recently while on the topic of Mystics a very dear friend of mine commented, “Since childhood I have had no use for Babas, swamis or of any kind of mystic. I saw them as parasites taking advantages of well meaning but duped followers. I have always put them in one of two categories - they are either charlatans or they are self-delusional. Nothing in between. In other words, they either knowingly deceive people, or they believe in the bunk they spread. (Sorry, couldn't control this diatribe - Tourette syndrome)” My response at the time was a brief one that I agreed with him partly. The response was brief at the time because we were really engaged in a conversation on some other matter. But, the comment does need a more detailed response and I am attempting that now in a...

A novel with Nainital as its backdrop – Nude besides the lake – was released earlier this year. This is what H.S. Gill a 1971 Mechanical Engineering graduate of IIT Delhi had to say about it in a recent communication to the author, Ashok, I have read your book from cover to cover, and some parts twice. The storyline flows well, it is pleasant to read, and I enjoyed the experience. I spent my childhood summers in Naini Tal or Simla, and have very fond memories of those times. Neel Tal, where the story takes place, took me back there and the descriptions were reminiscent of Naini Tal before it experienced its own version of urban sprawl. The backdrop is wonderfully idyllic. All the characters are nice people, out to help each other, and the community as a whole. (The only exception is one Mr. Harbinder Gill, who abandoned his pregnant wife in India, emigrated to Canada and started a new family!) I don't want to reveal too many details lest they spoil the fun of others who ha...

A few months ago I wrote and published a small booklet with the title: Naini Mata - Goddess of Nainital. The booklet was merely a small expression of my love for the mother goddess. However, a few days ago when I entered “Naini Mata” in the google search engine and clicked I was surprised that this modest effort has lead to the spread of the fame and loving message of the goddess across the world through numerous websites. I am delighted that I have been an instrument of the mother in this task. It is the very least I could do in return for the immense love and blessings I have received from the mother goddess since the time I was an infant.