Here’s what NOT to do at a Gujarati Gathering… This video will help you prepare for some of the likely scenarios. Gujarati No-no’s Want more videos? Here’s another one with some fun tongue twisters. Ready to freshen up on Gujarati or learn the basics? Find more about learning Gujarati online here. #gujjunono #dont #advice #funny #laugh #comedy

Ramooji Toochakaa – Jokes If you are Gujarati and you had a privilege of growing up in India then you have heard the “Haathi ane Kiddi” (Elephant and an ant) jokes. Here is one that my 5-year-old niece recently told me, In Gujarati: Ek Divas ek Haathi ane ek Keedi santaakookadi ramataa hataa. Haathi e keedi ne kidhoo tu santai ja. Keedi jayi ne ek mandir ma santaayi gayi. Haathi e tene pakadi paadi. Kevi rite Haathi ne Khabar padi ke keedi kya chhe? ………? Karan ke Haathi e mandir ni bahaar keedi na champal joyi lidhaa…..:) In English: One day an elephant and an ant were playing hide and seek (yes this is an unrealistic part but that is part of the joke) Elephant asked Ant to go hide. Ant decided to hide in a temple. Elephant came to seek and found the ant. how did the elephant know where the ant was? ………? Because he saw the ant’s sandals outside the temple…….:) What is your favorite Haathi ane keedi joke? Subscribe to our Gujarati eclub at www.sanskarteaching.com and share with us. #gujjufunnies #jokes #kids #RamoojiToochakaa #laughs #comedy

Winters in Gujarat – Shiyaado When there is a wood burning stove on in the middle of the living room known as “Sagadi” and everyone gathers around it to warm their bodies early mornings and late evenings, you know winter has arrived in Gujarat. There are mainly three different seasons in India and in Gujarat they are known as Shiyaado- winter, Unaado—Summer and Chomasoo—Monsoon. My earliest memory of the winters is waking up and showering quickly and then sitting by the “choolo” to warm my body along with my cousins. Whereas my Dada- grandpa would sit with his Gujarati newspaper reading and smiling under his nose. Choolo is a makeshift stove made with three bricks and having sticks burn in the middle so that the light can warm a pot resting on top of the bricks. One of the staple winter foods in our house was “Methipaak.” This is also known as “Adadiyaa.” This is mainly a sweet cake made with gram flour, lentil flour and with extra fenugreek powder in it to add some bitterness to it. Gujarati diet normally has all tastes beneficial to the body. Salt, sour, sweet, bitter and Neutral. Mom packed us some “Koparu”(dry coconut), khajoor (dates) and gaud (Jaggery) for snacks. I simply enjoyed those warming foods in those cold days and nights however as I got older I learned the benefits of eating that specific food during that time of the year. Dates, coconut and fenugreek are warm in nature and are highly recommended in the winter months. Not only are they a good source of fiber, iron, magnesium, calcium and vitamins (C and B3), they are also a good source of energy. Here is an excellent recipe for Methipaak for the winter. Need a Gujarati refresher? Or are you starting from scratch? Find out more about learning the basics of Gujarati Online here. #SHIYAADO #winter #wintersingujarat #methipaak

Have you ever wondered what does our school name mean? Although we teach Gujarati language and culture why did we choose this as our school name? Does this mean we teach you to be “sanskari”(Civilized and proper)? Sanskar is defined many different ways in google search. According to hindujagruti.org, Sanskar is multiplication of virtues and division of personality defects. ‘Multiplication of virtues’ means enhancing virtues in self and ‘division of personality defects’ means reduction of personality defects in self. Sanskar also means ‘making good or purifying.’ In this process we are supposed to remove our shortcomings. Which in simple term means Sanskar means inculcating good habits and removing the bad ones. All work that we do reflects our sanskars. For example, throwing the skin of a banana after eating it is an ‘action’ , throwing it in a dustbin is a ‘character or nature’ , whereas throwing it on the ground is ‘perversion’. Picking up the skin thrown on the ground by someone else and putting it in the dustbin is ‘culture’.. That is according to forum.spritiualindia.org For devdutt.com, sanskaar refers to upbringing in India. It is the Key Performance Indicator of parenting to most Indians. It is an indicator of family values. It shows how civilized and cultured we are. By far this last explanation is close to our mission and beliefs. The word sanskaar is a wordplay typical of Sanskrit. It is a combination of three roots: First: saras, which is means fluid. Second: sama, which means cyclical or closed loop. Third: ka, which means questioning, an indicator of humanity as well as divinity in the Vedas. Sanskara is then how the human mind makes sense of this cyclical world of birth and death, which we all inhabit. It is an indicator of the value placed on human existence by the family one belongs to. Every organization needs sanskaar to show the world whether it is connected to society at large and to the environment as a whole. Simply put our reason for choosing Sanskarteaching is to teach and learn and make sense of our Gujarati culture together, we are by no means an authority to decide what is right and what is wrong. As this culture has guided and created many Gurus, teachers and successful human beings, we hope to become like them. Stay updated on all things Sanskar Teaching! #sanskar #whysanskar #name

Sump tya jump — Strength in Unity Whenever we children fought, my dada – grandpa – would put his Gujarati Newspaper down and have us all come near him. He would say, “Poke me with one finger.” And then ask, “Do you think that hurt?” I would say no and he would move to my brother and say, “Use my other finger and poke yourself, does that hurt?” My brother would reply no. Then he would say, “Now use all of my fingers and thumb and make a fist and now punch, does that hurt?” Our answer would be yes. Then he would say, “Now use all of my fingers and thumb and make a fist and now punch, does that hurt?” Our answer would be yes. Dada was trying to teach us that, one at a time, fingers are not that strong, but when they come together, they can create a pretty powerful punch. They work together to be more impactful. He would end this story by saying “sump tya jump”- meaning, in Unity there is strength. Here is a story of a farmer and his boys. Sign up for my email list for more stories! #KEHVAT #proverbs #proverb #gujaratiproverbs #story #sumptya ump #storytelling #fox

Uttarayan, Makar Sankranti, Kite Festival are different names for this festivals we celebrate on January 14th every year. It marks the end of the winter solace according to the Vedic calendar. If you grew up in Gujarat, here are the few things you associate Uttarayan with: 1. Flying patang(kites), on roof top terrace of your home called “agaasi.” People prepare for this day’s event in advance. As you purchase the “patangs”(kites) and the “doro”(thread the kites are attached to, it is treated with very fine broken glasses so it helps it when you try to “cut” someone else’s patang out of your way). This is exactly what the term “Kaypo che” means ( to cut someone else’s patang/kite). 2. Catching Patang: this was one of my favorite things to do growing up since I couldn’t fly a kite very well, catching patang that was cut was the best part of my day. 3. Flying Gubbaras: lanterns people fly in the air at night. 4. Loud music: There is always hindi music blasting from different roof tops. 5. Papdi no lot, Undhiyu, Chikki, mammra na ladoo, tal na ladoo:Gujarati people associate different foods with different festivals and Chikki(different types of brittles) are mainly eaten during this time. Happy Makarsankranti to you all! Let's stay connected! #festivals #kitefestival #uttrayan #celebrate #kites #makarsakranti #uttarayan

In this blog series we will be exploring different rituals and traditions of Gujarati culture and we shall begin with Gujarati Wedding. There are so many traditions associated with Gujarati weddings as normally it is a 3-4 day affair. Let’s begin with the pre-wedding rituals. Gujarati Wedding Rituals: Engagement Many Gujarati marriages are still arranged. However nowadays couples fall in love or find each other first before they disclose their intention of marrying each other to their families. Some call them arranged/love marriage and this could mean, they fell in love prior to the wedding or they fell in love after the engagement during their courting time. Regardless of how their union comes to be, there are certain pre-wedding rituals that most Gujarati couples follow. This vidhi(ritual) has different names in different parts of Gujarat. Gujarati people believe that marriage is a union of two families as well as the bride and the groom. These traditions prior to the wedding allows everyone to get to know each other and show their acceptance of the new family members. It is filled with lots of blessings and when I say blessings it can simply mean a verbal blessing or as it is most of the time in form of cash in an envelope to help the new couple start their beginnings. Here are few familiar names for Gujarati engagement: 1. Chaa Paani: Many families in Surat call this ceremony Chaa Paani which literally means tea and water. It is a little more than that though as most bride’s families go all out with a Gujarati feast and inviting guests for this occasion. In the old male dominant times, the men in the family made major decisions and so during this ceremony 5-7 older male members of the groom’s family visit the bride’s family with a promise and intention of allowing their son to marry the bride. They arrive with gifts of food, jewelry and “blessings”. The bride’s family also showers them gifts and food. 2. Mehmaan/Parona: This ceremony is exactly the same as “Chaa Paani” but with a different name. Mehmaan/Parona means guests. Again the intention is to get to know each other and work on planning of the wedding. In the old days most brides did not get to plan their own wedding the elders in the family planned it for them including the guest list, budget, food, clothing, jewelry and other details. 3. Chaandlo/Chaandlaa vidhi: This is also very similar to the other two mentioned. When the five male members from the groom’s family visit including the father of the groom, he puts a red dot (from the red vermilion powder) on the bride’s head welcoming her into his family this symbolizes the new promise and union. Gifts are exchanged as a form of “Shagun”(good luck). 4. God Dhana/Gor Dhana: Gol Dhana literally translates into Coriander seeds and Jaggery. Some families perform this ritual a couple of days before the wedding and some perform it few months prior to. The bride’s family visits the groom’s family and presents them with gifts of sweets and savories in traditional pot known as “Matli”. The bride and the groom exchange rings. Five married women, each from the bride’s and groom’s family, take turns and bless the couple-to-be for a happy married life. No matter what name is used for the pre-wedding ritual, the intention is to honor the promise of the marriage, welcome new family members and bless the couple on their new journey as one! ______ Are you marrying into a Gujarati family? Would you like learn the basics of the language? Click here to find out more about learning Gujarati Online from the comforts of your home and sign up for my email list! #weddingrituals #weddings #gujaratiweddings #weddings101 #rituals #traditions #culture

Shivratri Want to calm your days and bring more laughter? Then music is your key. Learning these simple mantras and songs is a great way to bring peace to your normally chaotic days. This Tuesday the 13th is Maha Shivratri – Hindu festival celebrating Lord Shiva. Here are some of our favorite Shiva mantras and songs for you to enjoy. Sing these mantras to celebrate Shivratri and honor Shiva! Want to learn more Gujarati Songs?? Come join our Gujarati e-club where you’ll have access to freebies like prayers, mantras, and more to help you learn Gujarati online. Sign up below! #festivals #shivratri #celebrate #traditions #mahashivratri #mantras

Holi is More than a Color Festival The day after the last full moon of phalgun, the last month of the Hindu calendar is celebrated as Holi in India. This falls normally around beginning the month of March in the English calendar. The origin of the Holi festival dates back to the time of Krishna, reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. Krishna in his childhood used to tease the gopis (the young ladies) in his town of Gokul by putting colored water or color powder on them. It became a sort of play between them all and they all would dance and laugh doing this together. Holi celebrated as Krishna and Gopi is epic. The other origin story is that of Holika and Prahalad. This is a story of victory of good over evil and in which Holika burns in the fire and Prahalad- devotee of Lord Vishnu is unharmed. Watch the full story here: Traditionally, in Gujarat it’s a two-day celebration. The first day is Holi , when the bonfire is lit as people go around the fire to pray and thank God for the victory of good over evil. Many folks throw in a coconut in the fire to roast and eat it later as “Prasad”. The second day is known as Dhuleti in the state of Gujarat and this is the day of the colors. There is playful celebration between friends, sister in laws (Bhabhi) and devars, brother in law (jijaji) and Sali. People use color powder, water guns known as Pitchkaari. There is lots of dancing and shouting and loud music along with delicious foods. Beware of the kind of colors you use as many are filled with harmful chemicals. Scientific reason behind all of this is: Lighting the fire – Holi destroys many unwanted creatures, bacterias and other impurities lingering around from dark winter days. As this festival falls between winter and spring. Originally the colors used were made of turmeric, saffron, sandalwood, rose, beets and other medicinal herbs and flowers. These have many Ayurvedic properties and antibacterial, antiseptic benefits. The Western world has embraced this festival as well. Many places nowadays have color runs which allows everyone to enjoy the dancing, running and getting messy with colors. Coldplay’s hymn for the weekend in 2016 also depicts the festival of Holi. Want to know more of what to wear, what to eat, what to do and why we do it? Also how to host a Holi Party of your own? Click this link to get your free PDF of  “Its’ all about Holi.” Get our festival calendars every year by signing up for email list! #holi #festivals #celebrations #celebrate #holi101

Gujarati Parenting: in alignment with our roots Want a calmer morning? There are no right or wrong ways of parenting. No matter what part of the world or what culture you are from we all do the best we know how from our own conditioning, programming and the way we were raised. Having said that, we are who we are because of our parents. Our value system is instilled in us by their parenting. Many of us that live outside of India fear that we will assimilate into our new environment so much that we will lose touch with our roots and our culture. This may be true for we all want a sense of belonging. The key is to welcome the new and value the old. Our roots and traditions are what make us unique in this large melting pot of we call world. For our fast-paced life today it is hard to be mindful of teaching our children the importance of our rich culture as it can seem like one more thing on your already full to do list. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can introduce ideas gently and be flexible with their implementation. By no means, I have this parenting thing figured out however I know what has worked and what seems to work for many families around me. 1. Quick morning affirmation: This begins with the first thought we put in our head. Many Gujarati families do “pratah prarthana” (morning prayers) We all may not have time for this so how about a quick thank you to the Universe for all you have and guiding you throughout the day. Here is a link to a sholaka I use first thing in the morning, if you wish to learn. 2. Greeting and acknowledging: Greet all family members with a smile and saying gods’ name or other spiritual greetings used in your family. For example many say Jay Shree Krishna and some choose to bow and touch the older family members’ feet to get the blessings for the day to come and also to acknowledge the God that lives in every single one of us. 3. Morning Prayers: Bowing down at the altar takes less than 30 seconds but it sets your day and the tone for your day. If you don’t have time to do that then do what many Gujarati parents do they play prayers, bhajans and sing with their children in the car on their way to school. 4. Mindful morning/Doing a quick Mada This is the kind of meditation practice that I learned at a very early age. I was given a set of beads and I was asked to follow a mantra and close my eyes. It only took less than a minute however this grounded me and calm my thoughts down before the day started. 5. Warm Nasto: The rule in our family is as much as we can, to sit down and eat all meals together and this begins with breakfast. There is something about starting your digestion process with warm food. It is not necessarily Indian breakfast every day but it feels so good to have something warm in your belly and I like to plan out all of my meals Sunday night for the upcoming week to make things go easier. Once again these are just suggestions and there is no perfect way of starting your morning. We can however strive to have calmer mornings. What are some of your morning routines that have worked for your family? Let's keep in touch! #morningroutine #calmermornings #calm #kids #parenting #routines #routine #gujaratilviing

What happens when kids visit India? There is a saying in Gujarati that, “Jena ghar nu paani pive, tena jeva ja thayi javaay” which literally means you become like those whose water you are drinking. Your environment has a major influence on your life. You are a reflection of five people you spend the most time with. Especially young ones adopt very quickly to their environment and the best way to learn a language or culture is to immerse yourself in the day to day living, the way the natives do. If finances and your schedules allow it, take your children to India once every few years and allow them to be there long enough and be amongst the local children. When young children see Gujarati language used on day to day basis or Gujarati music and songs being played in the shops and market places they pick up on it. They stay long enough to spend time with the kids in their neighborhood in Gujarat and learn the language first hand. They also appreciate the life they have. There is so much value in this experience. Recently I was visiting my brother and I saw his two little kiddos singing and playing along this song. They had just come back from their trip of spending a month in India. This is a recent popular song about audi cars and a sister singing to his brother. The symbol for the car has four circles resembling “bangadi”(bangles) and four is “chaar” in Gujarati, thus the song “chaar chaar bangadi vaadi gaadi…” Here is a link to the original song by Kinjal Dave #travel #indiatravel #kids #kidstravel #kidsinindia #visitindia

7 Things you are bound to hear from Gujju grandparents Having grandparents is a blessing and especially if you are able to see them often or live with them. Many Gujarati families, not just in India but globally live in extended families with Dada(grandpa), Ba(grandma), Kaka(paternal uncle), Kaki(Kaka’s wife) and other relatives. When you live in an extended family you are loved by many and you are surrounded by many opinions and beliefs. You learn from their experience and expertise and form your own belief system. When you visit your extended family if you don’t live with them then you hear some of these things. Some Gujarati translation is literal and some is not. Some silly and some important things Gujju grandparents say: 1. Are…tu to bahoo moto thayi gayo? Chhele joyo tyare saav aatlo hato.. Oh you grew up so fast when I saw you last you were so little. This is a typical thing to say for many relatives in different cultures. It is like an ice breaker since they haven’t seen you in a long time they have nothing to talk about. 2. Mara jamaanaa maa to… In my days. My Dada always said this to us as he read his Gujarati News. As many of our grandparents grew up with less and they learned to make do with things they love reminding us of this. However they forget there were good things to learn from those hard times but times are different now and things are done differently. In the end their intentions are good. 3. Sanghrelo saap sona no…. Kyare kaam laage Khabar nahi You never know when saved things may come in handy. Literal Gujarati translation is ‘a saved snake can fetch you gold’. This hoarding mentality of many Gujju grandparents and parents comes from the place of not having enough and learning to be resourceful with what they had. They simply can not throw things away! and sometimes thats a good thing. 4. Ooth Savaar padi gayi, …saav aadsoo… Wake up its morning you lazy bum. The concept of sleeping in and relaxing is a little foreign to them. Their belief is that to be productive and smart in life one must get up early and go to bed early. However most of them nap in the afternoon to recharge:) They mean well but Gujarati language can be harsh sometimes. 5. Paisa nu zaad chhe taaraa vaadaa maa?…. You got a money tree in your yard? When you want to spend money on things that are not deemed worthy or necessary in their minds this is what they say. One of the best value you learn as a Gujarati child is to be careful what you spend on and how to save money. However no one likes hearing this from their parents:) 6. Aa le..Khaane…tu to ekdam sukayi gayo chhe… Eat, you are so skinny. This is typical of grandparents in many cultures but so good in the Gujju families. “Aaagrah”- Insisting that you eat and eat and eat till you are ready to explode is how you are normally fed by a grandparent. Don’t say you like a certain type of food unless you really do like it because the next time you visit it will be “ ene to bahu bhaave, ene khavadaaviye”( oh he loves that lets feed him that all the time)! 7. Bhagwan nu naam le ne…. When was the last time you prayed? Gujju Grandparents see it as their responsibility to teach you about God and if you are one of the blessed ones you actually get to experience this and other valuable lessons from them! If you have experienced any of the above, know that you are one of the few lucky ones blessed to have a Gujarati grandparent! Gujarati families traditionally were extended families. My grandmother grew up in a large house with her seven sisters and a brother along with her parents, her dad’s two brothers, their wives, grandparents and eleven cousin brothers and sisters. Now if she called out to her “aunty” it would be confusing to them especially if her mom’s sister was visiting. It was also considered disrespectful if she used their first names. This was the case in many large families where more than 20-30 people lived under the same roof. The Gujarati language has different names for different relationships not only to make things simpler but also to signify the unique bond of each relationship. There are songs and nursery rhymes to show these special bond. For example, “Mama(maternal uncle) nu ghar ketle, divo bade etle” ( How far is Mama’s house? oh almost there see where that light is that’s where). For more language and inter-generational connection, sign up for my email list! #grandparents #gujarati #family #advice