Navratri, Roots, and Renewal

As leaves turn and lamps glow, Navratri unfolds as nine nights of color and spirit. Each a call to live with balance, courage, and joy. To rediscover the quiet magic of togetherness, like chai shared in the soft light of evening 🪔

U.S.: Erika Kirk steps in at Turning Point USA after Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Trump signed a “Tech Prosperity Deal” with UK PM Starmer, set a Sept 25 sit-down with Erdoğan, and floated a $100K H-1B visa fee. The CDC’s vaccine panel dropped its universal COVID-shot recommendation, shifting it to an individual choice, while also reviewing guidance on hepatitis B and MMRV. HHS, meanwhile, nudged Tyson to cut corn syrup from school lunches.

South Asia: Modi’s 75th birthday brought service drives at home and tributes abroad, with world leaders, Trump included, sending congratulations. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia sealed a defense pact promising joint response to outside threats. In India, police chiefs dismissed Maoist calls for dialogue, insisting the only path forward is surrender, arrest, or defeat.

Global: UN sanctions on Iran snap back Sept 27 after a failed Security Council vote. Poland and Ukraine will train together on drone defense after Russian incursions, while Estonia protested its own airspace violation by Moscow. Trump, meanwhile, called his talk with Xi “productive,” covering trade, fentanyl, Ukraine, and TikTok ahead of an APEC meeting.

The Scene: The Vatican lit up with a 3,000-drone show over St. Peter’s Square, sketching the Pietà and Creation of Adam in light. In the UK, Donald Trump’s state visit mixed royal pomp, billion-dollar deals, and castle-wall protests. Jimmy Kimmel was pulled off air while Vir Das made history at Lincoln Center, comedy turning into a battleground for power and identity. And from Mukesh Ambani’s Tribeca buy to California’s Diwali bill and Gorillaz’ India-infused album, South Asian presence kept reshaping America’s skyline, calendar, and soundtrack.

The Fed cut rates 25 bps to 4.0%-4.25%, its first move since early 2024, with Powell calling it “risk management” while Trump-appointee Miran pushed for deeper cuts. Inflation rose to 2.9% in August, complicating the policy outlook. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to remove Fed Governor Lisa Cook, an unprecedented challenge to central bank independence. U.S. stocks rallied on the cut, while globally the rupee slipped past ₹88/USD, Rolls-Royce expanded in India, and gold briefly hit record highs before easing.

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Every fall, the air changes and so do we. Leaves burn bright before letting go, orchards call us back to the land, and porches glow with faces carved from gourds. These rituals may look like weekend fun today, but their roots are deeper; practices of survival, symbols of light against darkness, and journeys that connect us to cycles older than memory. Here’s how each tradition began, and why it still whispers to us. Read More

Navratri begins Monday, Sept 22, 2025, nine nights honoring Durga, the goddess of shakti, who embodies courage, creativity, justice, and grace. Each day carries a color, a form of the goddess, and a virtue to practice. Aligned with autumn’s balance of light and dark, Navratri invites us to pause, reset, and honor the sacred in daily life. Read More

This week closes karmic loops (Sept 21 eclipse, Pitru Paksha) and opens fresh cycles with the Equinox + Navratri (Sept 22). Guidance: release what drains you, step into devotion, and let balance be your anchor. Full Horoscopes

Assembly members Ash Kalra and Darshana Patel, Senator Ben Allen, and a chorus of co-sponsors guided this measure through the Legislature with unanimous support. Backed by voices from the Hindu American Foundation, CoHNA, Valley Indian Seniors Association, Nepali Association of Northern California, and countless community groups, AB 268 now awaits the governor’s signature. When signed, Diwali will join California’s civic calendar, not only as a festival of lamps, but as a shared holiday of light. A reminder that when heritage is honored, it becomes everyone’s rhythm 🪔.