ICOL - Indian Cultural Organisation of Lincolnshire

01/02/2025

24/01/2025

20/01/2025

20/01/2025

14/01/2025

🌞✨ Happy Makar Sankranti! ✨🌞

Let’s welcome the harvest season with joy, gratitude, and colourful celebrations! 🎉
From flying kites in the blue skies to savouring traditional sweets like tilgul, today is all about spreading happiness and positivity. 🌾🍬

Discover how this vibrant festival is celebrated across India, from South to North, in our blog:
👉 Celebrating Makar Sankranti Across India: A Journey from South to North
https://www.icol.org.uk/blog/icol-blogs-2/celebrating-makar-sankranti-across-india-a-journey-from-south-to-north-1

May this festival bring prosperity, warmth, and new beginnings to your life! 💛

💬 What’s your favourite Sankranti tradition? Share with us below!

13/01/2025

🌾✨ Happy Lohri! ✨🌾

Lohri is a vibrant festival celebrated mainly in Punjab, marking the end of winter and the beginning of the harvest season. It’s a time for families and communities to gather around bonfires, sing traditional songs, and enjoy treats like tilgul (sesame sweets) and gajak. The festival symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, and the harvest of rabi crops, particularly sugarcane. 🌿🔥

As we celebrate this joyous occasion, may the warmth of the bonfire bring happiness and prosperity into your life. 🌟
https://www.icol.org.uk/blog/icol-blogs-2/celebrating-makar-sankranti-across-india-a-journey-from-south-to-north-1

13/01/2025

🔥✨ Happy Bhogi! ✨🔥

Did you know? The first day of Makar Sankranti is celebrated as Bhogi in South India! 🎉

It’s a day to discard the old, embrace the new, and thank nature for its blessings. Bonfires (Bhogi Mantalu), vibrant Kolam (rangoli), and festive feasts mark this special occasion in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka. 🌾🌸

Let the warmth of Bhogi fill your life with positivity and joy. 💛

🌟 How are you celebrating Bhogi this year? Share in the comments!
https://www.icol.org.uk/blog/icol-blogs-2/celebrating-makar-sankranti-across-india-a-journey-from-south-to-north-1

10/01/2025

🎉🎊🥳 HALF WAY! 🥳🎊🎉
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What a MASSIVE moment in Ananya's amazing voyage; she now has LESS miles to row, than she's already rowed!! 🤯
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It can be such a daunting thing to row an ocean...rowers may question themselves, particularly soloists; "Can I actually do this?" 😯
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But all of a sudden there is a confidence; Ananya KNOWS she can do it - everything she has left to do, is LESS than she's done so far, she's now tackling this from the perspective of someone that knows what it feels like to row that far. 🥰
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Here we go! It's the downhill bit! LET'S GOOOOOO!!!! 💪💪💪
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Throughout this amazing adventure, Ananya is raising money for the Mental Health Foundation and the Deenabandhu Trust - if you are enjoying this adventure, please donate today at https://givestar.io/gs/7KNOUBJ
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A huge thank you to the sponsors that have made this possible:
C. Krishniah Chetty Jewellers - A CKC Group Company
Flute Incense

Shackleton
Burnham Yacht Harbour

Vicair
SNJ Charitable Trust
Rotary International
givestar
ICOL - Indian Cultural Organisation of Lincolnshire
dryrobe
Gr***de
Ombraz Sunglasses

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07/01/2025

Sunrises and sunsets out on the ocean, are absolutely next level. 🥰
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On land we may be lucky enough to not have a building or a mountain or a tree in the way of the setting sun, and it's nice to look at, but really only affects the view from the window. Out here, the setting sun transforms EVERYTHING. 😯
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The whole world seems to start turning golden; the sky, the ocean, the boat. Reds and purples streak the clouds, and it constantly changes. Every night, this kaleidoscopic sky puts on the most spectacular light display. 🌅
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And Ananya gets a front row seat! 🪑
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Once the sun has gone down her world is plunged quickly into darkness....but it doesn't take long for one display to be replaced by another, as the stars start to come out, the milky way comes into view, and the shooting stars start racing across the sky! 🌠
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It took a few days for Ananya's mind and body to settle in to this crossing, but now she's found her groove, this place is absolutely beautiful! 😍
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Throughout this amazing adventure, Ananya is raising money for the Mental Health Foundation and the Deenabandhu Trust - if you are enjoying this adventure, please donate today at https://givestar.io/gs/7KNOUBJ
•
A huge thank you to the sponsors that have made this possible:
C. Krishniah Chetty Jewellers - A CKC Group Company
Flute Incense

Shackleton
Burnham Yacht Harbour

Vicair
SNJ Charitable Trust
Rotary International
givestar
ICOL - Indian Cultural Organisation of Lincolnshire
dryrobe
Gr***de
Ombraz Sunglasses

•

03/01/2025

03/01/2025

Ananya has encountered an ENORMOUS killer whale! 🖤🤍
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Last night we received an excited/nervous phone call from Ananya - less than five minutes prior, an absolutely enormous killer whale came over and started paying far too much attention to her! 👀
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She said it was easily bigger than her boat (her boat is 24 foot long!!) and whilst an absolutely amazing thing to see, was also terrifying! 😱
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For it to be much bigger than her boat, this is likely to have been a bull orca, and it appeared to be on it's own. 😯
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Since the year 2000 there have been stories of orcas sinking yachts, and so people tend to be wary when they see them. However, these attacks are thought to have been from a pod of 39 endangered Iberian Orcas that are based in the Gibraltar Strait. These are a GENETICALLY DIFFERENT sub-species - and their attacks are almost always coastal, and around Portugal, Spain and in the Gibraltar strait. There was only one offshore attack, and that was around 500 miles away from Ananaya's position, up near Funchal. ↗️
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Importantly, the ONLY humans ever to be killed by an orca, were killed by orcas in captivity. 😳
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In short, the best advice for dealing with this giant of the ocean, was to keep rowing, and feel absolutely blessed that this incredible creature chose to check her out! 🥰
•
Throughout this amazing adventure, Ananya is raising money for the Mental Health Foundation and the Deenabandhu Trust - if you are enjoying this adventure, please donate today at https://givestar.io/gs/7KNOUBJ
•
A huge thank you to the sponsors that have made this possible:
C. Krishniah Chetty Jewellers - A CKC Group Company
Flute Incense

Shackleton
Burnham Yacht Harbour

Vicair
SNJ Charitable Trust
Rotary International
givestar
ICOL - Indian Cultural Organisation of Lincolnshire
dryrobe
Gr***de
Ombraz Sunglasses

•

01/01/2025

🎉✨ Happy New Year 2025! ✨🎉

As we step into a new year filled with opportunities, Team ICOL sends warm wishes for a year of growth, success, and happiness. 🌟

May 2025 bring prosperity, innovation, and stronger connections for everyone in our ICOL family and beyond. Let’s continue to inspire, create, and lead with purpose.

Here’s to achieving new milestones together! 🚀🎆

Cheers to an incredible year ahead! 🥂