A review which appeared in the May 2000 issue of ‘The Indian’ magazine.
Have you ever wondered what the Gayatri Mantra means? About the significance of the thread ceremony? About why a new bride exchanges salt with the grooms family on the wedding day? About matters spiritual and religious in nature? About beliefs in the Sindhi culture? About Hinduism?
These were the very questions that bothered Shakun Narain. She set out to search for the answers, and when she began to discover them, she wanted to share the same with the world.
Thus was born “Dal Sabzi for the Aatma”. A weekly e-mail to many, around the world, with a sharing of this knowledge by various thoughts. Many people requested Shakun to have a media by which they could read all her mails, articles, books, etc which she had written. To comply with the wishes of spiritual seekers like herself, she created the web site http://www.dalsabzi.com
Now it is reborn as shakunkimatrai.com
The web site encompasses more than the e-mails sent by Shakun on spiritual matters and Hindu culture. It includes the books she has written, Mantras and Prayers for everyday use, articles, and a lot more. It is growing in matters spiritual to make it easy for us to learn about our culture, our religious roots, and giving us explanations for what we do.
The books which Shakun has written till date, have been penned ,keeping the lay person, not a scholar in mind. These are on the web site. They include: ‘Hindu Customs and Beliefs’, ‘Symbolisms in the Ramayana‘, ‘InTouch with Masters’, Wisdom of Sindh‘, Remembering Ma, and Dadi Nani ki Kahaani.
Shakun had done a translation of Nisaadhanta, series of discourses by Shri Morari Bapu. Shakun’s husband Narain has translated 2 Sindhi books into English: History of Hindus in Sind and ‘Origin of Sindhi Surnames’.
These books are an eye opener on many aspects of our life. ‘Hindu Customs and Beliefs’ details and explains all our rituals from childbirth, to marriage, and till death. ‘Symbolisms in the Ramayana’ tells us what we need to learn from the ‘Ramayana’ and how they can be applicable today. In ‘Touch with Masters’ introduces you to the Gurus that Shakun has met, their wisdom and their history. The Wisdom of Sindh explains various Sindhi proverbs.
The Mantras and Prayers section includes mantras on Ganesh, Ma, mantras for health and wealth, and a lot more.
Overall, a wonderful site to visit. As the site is growing, she promises to include “dohas”, or short poems by Tulsidas, Kabir and other poets on our gods. She will also include a section on old Sindhi home remedies, known as ‘tutkaas’ their recipes and how they work and a Prayer Section, inclusive of ‘Aartis’ and ‘Hanuman Chalisa’, etc.
Shakun is doing wonderful work in helping us understand our history and culture. She explains to us the meanings behind a lot of things we do automatically and take for granted. Do visit her web site at shakunkimatrai.com
and experience the magic for yourselves.
Reviewed by Suneel Utamchandani
Shakun Kimatrai 