Himanshu Tyagi, an Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer from the 2020 batch, is known for his mentorship and guidance to UPSC and JEE aspirants through social media platforms and educational seminars. In his recent Twitter update, Tyagi discussed five longstanding Indian traditions, debunking misconceptions around them with logical explanations.
1. Touching the elder’s feet
As per the IFS officer, this tradition makes us feel humble and grounded. As per popular beliefs, when a person bows down to touch the feet of the elders, their ego gets suppressed because this gesture respects the age, experience and wisdom of elders. The elder person, in return, blesses the individual touching his or her feet.
2. Wake up early
Himanshu asks the followers to wake up early and utilise the morning hours to witness a change in their lives. Waking up early also helps in the regulation of the body’s biological clock and also establishes a proper sleep cycle. A sleep time of 6-8 hours is necessary for good physical and mental health.
3. Offering water to the sun in the early morning
According to Himanshu, people should perform this activity to express gratitude for nature as many gifts endowed by nature are taken for granted. This is an important practice in Hinduism and Vedic astrology aimed at strengthening the influence of the Sun in one’s astrological chart.
4. Books = Vidhya Mata
The IFS officer equates books to Vidhya Mata and said that we should issue an apology to the fallen books by touching them as it is pertinent to respect the sources of knowledge. Stepping on the books has also been described as a disrespectful act.
5. Praying food before eating
Himanshu also asks the followers to thank the almighty before eating food as expressing gratitude is the key to happiness. According to him, such small acts of gesture have been practised for a humble, grounded, and upright character. Food consumed before a prayer is not any less blessed by a God.
