Malaysia’s Putrajaya to get first Hindu temple

Putrajaya, the seat of Malaysia government, will have its first Hindu temple in the near future.

Reports suggest that the required approval has been granted and after
groundbreaking ceremonies in March, construction of the about 17,000 square feet two-storey structure of this about RM 12 million Sri Lalithambikai Alayam Temple on a one-acre plot will start in September.

Hoped to be completed in 2015, this unique one-of-a-kind first Lalithambikai temple in the country, inspired by the elements of South and North India temples, will serve about 10,000 area Hindus. Project leaders plan to include 10-20 special pillars in the complex which will ring when tapped, reports add.

Source:
http://bikyanews.com/84176/malaysias-putrajaya-to-get-first-hindu-temple/

Biopiracy at our doorstep : When will we wake up?

My fellow Indians, foreign conglomerates are queuing up in line for patents at an alarming rate which originally belong to Indians and have been used by us since thousands of years.One of the these giants argues "prior art about the product had never been published in a scientific journal”. A list of Indian treasures which are under serious threat are: Neem, Yoga, Turmeric, Ayurveda, Eggplant(Brinjal) – GM Brinjal, Wheat. These are only some that have been brought under public domain. Many countries are constantly pursuing several kinds of research. Monsanto is one of the biggest offenders for bio-piracy. It’s the company’s culture to unscrupulously exploit the fruits of others’ labor. By patenting wheat, the Indian food industry will be controlled by them and not by Indian food processors and producers. Other nations which have become victims of agricultural corruption by this foreign devil are Hungary and Peru.

Under normal circumstances, a patent application should always be rejected if there is prior existing knowledge about the product. But in the United States, "prior existing knowledge" is only recognized if it is published in a journal - not if it has been passed down through generations of oral and folk traditions. However, there have been both favorable and unfavorable results for the above and some trials are underway. “These cases not only create a global awareness but also raised issues on biopiracy, need for documentation of traditional knowledge, equitable sharing of gains from traditional knowledge and harmonization of patent rule.” But, all these incidents are a clarion call to one and all. If we are heading in the same direction – very soon the air we breathe will be patented and we will have to pay royalty to live.