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By:

Kaustubh Kale

10 September 2024 at 6:07:15 pm

Significance of Adhik Month

As Adhik Maas comes to a close, it is the right time to reflect on the deeper meaning of this sacred month. Adhik Maas, also known as Purushottam Maas, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is considered one of the most auspicious periods in the Hindu calendar. It is a month associated with prayer, discipline, reflection, charity and positive action. Why Adhik Maas Is Added Adhik Maas occurs roughly once every three years. The traditional Hindu calendar is lunisolar, which means it follows lunar...

Significance of Adhik Month

As Adhik Maas comes to a close, it is the right time to reflect on the deeper meaning of this sacred month. Adhik Maas, also known as Purushottam Maas, is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is considered one of the most auspicious periods in the Hindu calendar. It is a month associated with prayer, discipline, reflection, charity and positive action. Why Adhik Maas Is Added Adhik Maas occurs roughly once every three years. The traditional Hindu calendar is lunisolar, which means it follows lunar months while also staying connected with the solar year and the seasons. Since the lunar year is shorter than the solar year, a difference gradually develops between the two. To bring the calendar back into balance, an extra month is added after almost every three years to synchronise the lunar and solar cycles. In simple words, Adhik Maas is a month of adjustment, alignment and correction. A Lesson for Our Own Lives This idea has a beautiful message for our own lives. Just as the calendar needs realignment, our life also needs regular realignment. Our habits, priorities, relationships, health, career and finances cannot be left unattended forever. From time to time, we must pause and ask ourselves whether our actions are matching our goals. Realignment in Investments The same principle applies to investments. Many people begin investing with good intentions, but after that, they do not review their investments and financial goals regularly. A SIP may be started, but it may not be increased for years. Lumpsum investments may be delayed even when money is lying idle in the bank. Financial goals may change, income may increase, responsibilities may increase, but the investment plan remains the same. Increase SIPs and Do Something Extra For long-term goals beyond three years, money should be invested in growth-oriented assets such as stocks, equity mutual funds, hybrid mutual funds and gold. If your income has increased in the last one year, your SIP should also increase. Ideally, one should try to invest at least 30% of monthly income through SIPs. This sacred month also teaches us the importance of doing something extra. In investments, that extra effort can be in the form of lumpsum investing. Whenever you receive additional money such as bonus, incentive, business profit, gift or surplus cash, it should be put to productive use. Correction Is Necessary for Growth Adhik Maas reminds us that correction is not a negative thing. In fact, correction is necessary for growth. The market also corrects to adjust itself and build a stronger foundation for newer highs in the future. That is why markets remain volatile and uncertain in the short term, but over the long term, they reward patience, discipline and consistency. Questions to Ask Before Adhik Maas Ends The end of Adhik Maas should not be seen only as the end of a religious period. It should be seen as an opportunity to take stock of life and money. Are your SIPs aligned with your current income? Have you invested your surplus cash? Are your investments sufficient for your future goals? Are you taking action, or only waiting? Reflection Must Become Action As Adhik Maas ends on 15 June, let us carry its message forward. Realign where needed. Correct what has been ignored. Add the extra effort required. A sacred month becomes truly meaningful when reflection turns into action. (The author is a Chartered Accountant and CFA (USA). Financial Advisor. Views personal. He could be reached on 9833133605.)

People praise Army for protecting

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah interacts with displaced border residents at a shelter camp.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah interacts with displaced border residents at a shelter camp.

Garkhal (J&K): Men and machines of the armed forces worked meticulously to ensure the interception of Kamikaze drones and missiles fired by Pakistani troops targeting Jammu, drawing widespread appreciation from people.


India on Thursday night swiftly thwarted Pakistan's fresh attempts to strike military sites with drones and missiles, including in Jammu and Pathankot, after foiling similar bids at 15 locations across the country's northern and western regions, amid a military conflict between the two neighbours.


Looking after the operational area of Jammu under the command of the 9 Corps, the 26 Infantry Division, nicknamed the "Tiger Division", had put in place a robust air-defence system, virtually carving out an Israel-type Iron Dome to protect Jammu from a Hamas-style attack by Pakistan.


An official who was privy to the developments said it was a meticulous combination of men and machines in defence that thwarted such a massive Pakistani attack.


In the dead of night, Pakistan unleashed its most audacious assault on Jammu since the 1971 war, deploying a swarm of more than a hundred Kamikaze drones and missiles in a sinister attempt to devastate the city. But what followed was a show of unmatched precision, courage and resilience.


"We are indebted to our armed forces who have saved Jammu from a major attack by Pakistan. We appreciate them for their missionary work. We never thought these bombs could be neutralised in the air," Garkhal resident Sikender Singh said.


Singh, whose family, along with more than 500 villagers, has shifted to safer camps set up by the government in Mishriwala on the Jammu outskirts, said had the bombs not been intercepted, they could have caused massive deaths and destruction.


Finest system

The Army, backed by one of the world's finest air-defence systems, intercepted the aerial barrage with astonishing accuracy -- virtually every hostile object was destroyed mid-air. Not a single vital installation was touched. Not a single civilian life was lost.


"Eight missiles from Pakistan were directed at Satwari, Samba, R S Pura and Arnia. All were intercepted and blocked by air-defence units. Visuals over Jammu reminded exactly of a Hamas-style attack on Israel, like multiple cheap rockets," an Army official said.


He said the Pakistan Army is operating and behaving like Hamas. "Drones were sighted at multiple places along the western front -- confirmed to be hostile. They are being effectively engaged by our air-defence systems. Pakistani drone attacks have been reported at various locations along the western borders and are being effectively countered by the Indian armed forces," he added.


The multi-tier air-defence system, with a twin technological security architecture of Russian and Israeli surface-to-air missile setups and the indigenous Akash, was a game changer against such attacks.


Former Jammu and Kashmir director general of police S P Vaid appreciated the armed forces and their technological security systems for effectively dealing with the Pakistani attacks.


He said 50 to 60 air attacks by Pakistan over Jammu and other places were neutralised on Thursday night by the impregnable air-defence system of the country.


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