We Shy But Not Mongolia and Bolivia

Any country will prosper only if its citizen actively participate in the nation building process. Now, what actually triggers citizen to actively involve oneself in this? Our most common answer would be love for the nation. Love, for sure gets people to do great things but like everything, love has its limits. Correspondingly, our acts or work inspired by that love also has limits.

Is there something else which extends this limit (of love)and inspires us to do something great for our nation and its people? In our opinion, the only other thing is P.R.I.D.E. Yes, pride definitely helps us expand our horizon by a large extent (definitely, even this has limits). If Swami Vivekananda was able to take the West by storm and enlighten them on Hindu dharma, it is not just out of love for our nation but also his pride in the achievements of our ancestors.

This pride is possible if each nation is taught of the gigantic achievements of its ancestors. Bharat has no shortage of such greatness but there is definitely a huge shortage in educating the people on our glorious accomplishments. How many of us know about Baudhayana, Kanada, Sushruta, etc? The core reason for not teaching these is that it will be "non-secular". However, it has been forgotten that unless this pride factor is felt in each Indian, our achievements and drive will be limited. On the other hand, when we realize that our ancestors scaled such peaks, we their sons and daughters can achieve the same, if not greater.

Bolivia's population of 8.5 millions is entirely Christian. In December 2005, Joan Eva Morales was elected as its President with 54% votes. The past European proselytizing colonisers reduced all faiths and cultures of Bolivia into archaeological ruins. Morales’ tribe Aymra’s are only 25 per cent of Bolivians. Obviously he got more votes from other tribes. Not this, but what happened after Morales won is more important. He wore the traditional dress of the priests of his ancestral faith and commenced a pilgrimage. Where?

To the sacred site where the archaeological remains of the Tawanku civilisation that flourished around 500 BC to about the 13th century. That is where his ancestral temple, ‘Kalasasaya’, stands in ruins. He was ‘showered’ with flowers, ‘blessed by the priests’ all the way.

Morales addressed thousands in front of the temple, thanked ‘Mother Earth’ and ‘God’ for his victory and promised to do away with the vestiges of the colonial past. By showing reverence to the ruins of the 13th century temple, Morales was recalling the hidden, suppressed spirit of Bolivia. His pilgrimage to Kalasasaya temple is national programme to rebuild the confidence of Bolivians in themselves and their economy.

Now coming to what is happening in Mongolia. Buddha dharma, the practice, suppressed for decades by the Communist Party, is being reclaimed by Mongolians as an integral part of their national identity. In 1578, Genghis Khan's descendent Altan Khan made Buddha dharma the official religion, installing the Tibetan Sonam Gyatso as Dalai Lama and conscripting males to monasteries instead of into the army.

In 1937, the Soviet-allied Mongolian Communist Party banned Buddhism and persecuted its 100,000-strong priestly class. The government executed nearly 20,000 lamas, and at least 10,000 educated monks. Another 10,000 were sent to Siberian labor camps. Most of the country's 2,000 monasteries were destroyed. But now, the Mongolians are reviving their past glory and culture by reviving Buddha dharma. They are doing what India has been shy to do.

See in contrast the way secular India handled the revered symbols of Indian spirit after freedom. The Indian Cabinet presided by Jawaharlal Nehru decided, as proposed by Sardar Patel, to rebuild at Government’s cost and as a symbol of recalling the spirit of India, the Somnath temple, that was repeatedly devastated by religious intolerance. This was something similar to what Eva Morales is doing now. But Mahatma Gandhi advised Sardar Patel that the people, not the government, should fund the construction.

Dr. Rajendra Prasad, the then President of India, was invited for the consecration. But Nehru objected to the President of ‘secular’ India attending a temple consecration. It turned Somnath temple, a symbol of India’s struggle against religious fanaticism, into an objectionable icon. But Rajendra Prasad defied Nehru and attended the consecration. Not just Somnath. Identical is the Ayodhya issue. The Hindus wanted a temple to be constructed on the spot where they believed Rama was born. Rama was always and is still the greatest symbol of Indian values.

Gandhiji died uttering ‘Hey Ram’. A structure, a mosque, unused from 1936 stood on the spot. Suddenly that unused structure became the symbol of secularism. Secular polity set upon Hindus. The courts and laws were moved against them. Eva Morales goes to the ruins of an ancient civilisation in a cent percent Christian nation. Here Somnath temple becomes an objectionable symbol and Ayodhya temple becomes a target of ‘secular’ India. The contrast is obvious. We do need an Eva Morales to detoxify ‘secular’ India, make them understand that geo-politics is becoming geo-civilisational politics.

Source: LA Times
Gurumurthy.net

Look at Your Plate First If You....

...bother about violence. Below is an article by Ramdas Lamb, a professor at the University of Hawaii. If you are one of those puzzled, worried and angry about the violence in any form be it terrorism or others, this gives us a solution which we can implement instantly but needs our honest efforts:

In the U.S. alone, we are responsible for the torture and slaughter of more than 25 million animals EVERY SINGLE DAY. While many may be astounded by the numbers and not believe them, others will simply say, "So what?" "Why should we care?" "They are only animals?" The reasons to care are many, and I will try to address a few.

Most followers of the Abrahamic religious traditions do not believe that animals have souls. These religious traditions, as well as most cultures, promote the belief that animals are simply here for human benefit. Their followers have been taught and like to believe that humans are the superior species on earth, and all of nature is simply for our use. We can pretty much do what we want with animals: own them, play with them, kill them, eat them, wear their body parts, destroy their homes and environment, etc. This would not be as easy to do if people actually stopped to consider if animals have souls.

Actually, when most Americans eat meat, they don't stop to think about its source, how the animal whose body parts they are consuming was raised, treated, and killed. They don't stop to think if animals have souls. Meat eaters who otherwise care about the consequences of their actions or who argue for the rights of minorities or oppressed groups tend to create a psychological distance between what they eat and the fact that it came from the body of an animal that was imprisoned most or all of its life, usually suffered tortuous treatment, and was then killed, all to satisfy human taste buds and an addiction to flesh consumption. Meat is just food.

Those who want a more peaceful and non-violent world or who support the rights of the oppressed should consider visiting a slaughterhouse for a day. Many people have been fooled by the meat industry into thinking they must consume flesh in order to survive or that vegetarians cannot be healthy. However, there is increasing medical evidence that not only is meat eating unnecessary for health, but that it actually causes many of the health problems Americans faces, especially diseases like heart attacks, obesity, cancer, etc.

Not only have many sick people turned to vegetarianism for a cure but a significant number of professional athletes have become vegetarian because they find that it helps them to become stronger in a more healthy way. There have been and continue to be many more athletes who are vegetarian, as well as millions of regular people all over the world, especially in India.

The indigenous religions of India (Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism) promote a kinship with all life forms that is unique among the world's major religions. Although not all their adherents follow it, these traditions as a whole take non-violence seriously, and one of the central reasons that most do is the belief that animals have souls. Clearly, when it comes to the treatment of animals, these religions stand out and lead the way.

Many of us come to the realization that animals are conscious beings, with desires and fears, aspirations and frustrations. They experience happiness and sadness, comfort and pain. We see this in the pets who live with us and we would be extremely pained if anyone even thought about treating them the way millions of animals are treated every day in America. Yet, most of us pretend that all the other animals we don't know personally are somehow different. Their lives don't really matter, the torture they experience does not really matter, their slaughter does not really matter. I understand and acknowledge that in some climates and places, meat eating, or at least fishing, is necessary for survival, but these places are in the minority, and America is not one of them (except maybe in portions of Alaska).

I realize that the views I have expressed will likely upset some. I do so with the hope of inspiring a bit more awareness about the non-human beings and other forms of life that are such beautiful and important parts of the natural world. Vegetarianism is great for health, and that is why I first became a vegetarian. However, I remain a vegetarian for ethical reasons. Meat eating and the resulting wholesale slaughter of animals causes more destruction to our environment, our health, and our relationships with the world than any other single cause. More than that, it promotes a careless attitude toward life and a mind set that makes violence more acceptable. I have countless friends and family members who are not vegetarian, and this does not prevent me from having deep respect for many of them. At the same time, I do feel a great sense of sadness for all the suffering that is caused by meat eaters' food choices. For all those people who consider themselves to be pro-peace or pro-life and who are bothered by all the violence in the world, I would only ask them to look at their dinner plate and reflect for a moment on how much hard work fighting injustice and violence will be offset by the torture, suffering, and rights abuses that occur simply so they can consume a piece of meat.

PS:It does require a great amount of patience to read through the whole of a seemingly uncomfortable topic. If you do not agree with the above, post your comments and if we do agree, it is clearly not enough. Do we have the will to execute what we agree? No amount of lip sympathy or theoretical agreement will help if we do not practice them. Even if not immediately, can we slowly reduce our consumption? We are totally free to act. More on the same soon....

Source: Washington Post

900 Yogasanas to be Patented (Protected) by India

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has prepared patent formats of nearly 900 yoga asanas (postures), to prevent European and American companies involved in fitness-related activities from claiming them as their own.

These asanas will all be included in the digitalised Traditional Knowledge Library (TKDL), set up by the council to collect and record traditional treatment therapy knowledge. Medicines and yoga asanas registered with it enjoy the status of being patented.

"Video recordings of the asanas are also being made and recorded to prevent them from being stolen," said TKDL director Dr VK Gupta.

The CSIR began the project in 2006. These 900 asanas have been collected from Patanjali's classic work on yoga, as well as other ancient classics like the Bhagwat Gita.

Gupta said a number of countries had already laid claim to around 250 of these postures. Some foreign companies have even patented some of them. Foreign companies have been selling some of the yoga postures as therapies to relieve stress or backaches.

"How can someone else patent these asanas which are a part of our traditional treatment therapy knowledge? They should not be allowed to use them for commercial purposes," Dr Gupta said.

The CSIR's next step will be to move against the yoga patents already registered abroad. The United States patent office alone has issued around 3000 patents on yoga postures and their variations.

Source: Hindustan Times

The Problem called "Highly Progressive Hindus"

The below article clearly elucidates the highly "Progressive" attitudes of some Hindus abroad. Hindus, Progression does not mean ridiculing our past and criticising our ancestors. It is more to do with carrying the gems of your great past and adapting it to the present. The words of Swami Vivekanada look directed at this "Progressive" section of Hindus. He says "A nation that has no history of its own has nothing in this world. Out of the past is built the future. Look back, therefore, as far as you can, drink deep of the eternal fountains that are behind, and after that, look forward, march forward and make India brighter, greater, much higher than she ever was. Our ancestors were great. We must first recall that." Time for some true progression? Enjoy the article...

Once you live in a country driven by highly democratic, laissez-faire principles, these principles become a part of your everyday life... That is why we will hear the average person speak words such as “This is a democratic country”, “I have rights, and I will stand up for them”, and so on.

A Hindu is not exclusive to such words. They also take pride in these principles that they have accustomed to and made their own. However, they fail to stand up to make use of these rights when it comes to defending their religion—because many are unaware of what their religion is all about.

Today, many Hindus have become so progressive and adaptive that they are forgetting to uphold their true Hindu identity. This is not to say that progressive thinkers are to be looked upon negatively. Rather, I am suggesting that people should be both progressive thinkers yet, upholders of their history, values and traditions which may have played a crucial role in who they have now become. We must not forget that the teachings of our parents, on how to live were driven by Hindu principles. Even if parents did not directly affiliate their teachings to Hinduism, due to its modesty as a religion, one must realize the truth and connect who they are, back to their roots. The issue I would like to address is that many Hindu’s tend to not only forget about their roots and religion, but instead they tend to look at other Hindus who are trying to uphold the religion as fanatical, backwards-thinking, outcasts.

If I go around greeting other Hindus with a “Namaste”, they frown upon me or look at me awkwardly with surprise, pausing before saying a “Hello” or a silent “Namaste” back. It is okay that saying Namaste may be awkward for them because it is not what they see every day, but to frown upon one who says “Namaste” is very insulting.

Another issue I have recently had to deal with was when I asked people if they celebrated Christmas and Diwali. Most would say yes to Christmas but many said no to Diwali. I wondered why especially because they labelled themselves as Hindus. Their answers usually were “I am forward thinking and like to adapt to my surroundings so that my children will have a better life here with others”, etc. That is true. I agree that children need to feel at home even at school, but if we just focus on adapting our children then what identity will they have as people when they grow up? Who will they label themselves as? If they label themselves as Hindu’s, how will they defend that they are in actuality Hindus who follow the religion, when they know nothing of it? These are some things that parents are forgetting to think about and, young adults face an identity crisis because they do not know who they are.

So we must stop judging others because they choose to be more Hindu. It is not all about adaptability and accommodations to western society. Our children should also be made to uphold and take pride in their roots. As an advocate for Hinduism, I have chosen to not celebrate western holidays—not because I disregard them or see them as null but only because surprisingly that is the only way I get questioned, “Why do you refrain from celebrating Christmas?” and thus I get an opportunity to make my point—that just as a “Hindu” has chosen to celebrate only Christmas and not Diwali, I as a Hindu have also chosen to celebrate only Diwali—It’s a free rein society. We all have individual rights to freedom.

Source: Chakra News

UK Kids Chant Veda Mantras

The following is the recitation of veda mantras by school children in London during the visit of Pratibha Patil to receive the Commonwealth baton.

Scottish Island to Spread Indian Values

A island in Scotland will now serve as Baba Ramdev's base overseas. The island was bought by a Scottish couple of Indian origin, Sam and Sunita Poddar, who saw recession and the resultant fall in property prices as an opportunity to expand the base of Patanjali Yogpeeth — the institution founded by Baba Ramdev for scientific research and treatment in yog, spiritualism and ayurveda.

"The island base is not about property as much as it is about spreading Indian values. My aim is to turn this island into a peace haven” Baba Ramdev said.

The conch-shaped island, spread over 1.25 sq km and home to a 13th century castle, was put on the block, according to a source familiar with the deal, by its previous owner due to developments related to the credit crunch.

About 1,000 people, mostly disciples of Ramdev and media persons, descended on the island for its inauguration today. Over the next 18 months, Patanjali Yogpeeth (UK) Trust plans to create a world-class health and wellness facility on the Little Cumbrae, island that derives its name from the Gaelic word for shelter or refuge.

Source: Business Standard

Our "White Masters" dump Aryan Invasion Theory

Now that our "white masters" have also dumped the Aryan Invasion theory in trash, will the Government of India or more particularly the NCERT change the lies being taught in schools? Read what a study by Indian and Harvard professors says:

The great Indian divide along north-south lines now stands blurred. A pathbreaking study by Harvard and indigenous researchers on ancestral Indian populations says there is a genetic relationship between all Indians and more importantly, the hitherto believed ``fact'' that Aryans and Dravidians signify the ancestry of north and south Indians might after all, be a myth.

``This paper rewrites history... there is no north-south divide,'' Lalji Singh, former director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and a co-author of the study, said.

The study analysed 500,000 genetic markers across the genomes of 132 individuals from 25 diverse groups from 13 states. All the individuals were from six-language families and traditionally ``upper'' and ``lower'' castes and tribal groups. ``The genetics proves that castes grew directly out of tribe-like organizations during the formation of the Indian society,'' the study said.

Source: TOI

Thailand Returns Ancient Treasures to Cambodia

Thailand returned seven 12th-century treasures to its neighbor as both countries pledged to prevent further smuggling of antiquities। The Angkor-era statues, which included six heads of the Hindu god Shiva, were handed to Cambodian officials during an official one-day visit by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva। Widespread looting of Cambodia’s ancient temples has occurred in recent decades, with many items smuggled into Thailand for sale on international antiques markets or to private collectors. The Thai authorities seized the antiquities from smugglers in 1999. Eang Sophalleth, a spokesman for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, said the two sides had agreed to cooperate in stamping out the smuggling of national antiquities. Hun Sen is urging Thailand to return 36 other Cambodian artifacts.

"Let (US) All Say Aum"

Lisa Miller wrote an article in the Newsweek titled "We are all Hindus now". The article talks about the change in mindset among the Americans regarding religion. Looks like its time for US.... I mean United States to say Aum. Excerpts from the article are below:

America is not a Christian nation. We are, it is true, a nation founded by Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify as Christian (still, that's the lowest percentage in American history). A million-plus Hindus live in the United States, a fraction of the billion who live on Earth.

A Hindu believes there are many paths to God.The most traditional, conservative Christians have not been taught to think like this. They learn in Sunday school that their religion is true, and others are false. According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65 percent of us believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life"-including 37 percent of white evangelicals, the group most likely to believe that salvation is theirs alone!

Thirty percent of Americans call themselves "spiritual, not religious," according to a 2009 NEWSWEEK Poll, up from 24 percent in 2005. Says Stephen Prothero, religion professor at Boston University "It isn't about orthodoxy. It's about whatever works. If going to yoga works, great-and if going to Catholic mass works, great. And if going to Catholic mass plus the yoga plus the Buddhist retreat works, that's great, too."

24 percent of Americans say they believe in reincarnation, according to a 2008 Harris poll. So agnostic are we about the ultimate fates of our bodies that we're burning them-like Hindus-after death. More than a third of Americans now choose cremation, according to the Cremation Association of North America, up from 6
percent in 1975.

So let us all say "Om."

Source: Newsweek

Fete de Ganesh in Paris

Taking place on August 30th, Fete de Ganesh is Paris' version of the Notting Hill Carnival and is a colourful and entertaining celebration of the arts. The event centres around the Sri Manicka Vinayakar Alayam Temple, in the Little India district of the city.

Spectators can expect to hear Indian music and see costumed dancers and street entertainers, who traditionally carry an arch made of peacock feathers and flowers above their heads. Dancers also carry terracotta pots filled with burning camphor.

Thousands of coconuts are smashed on the streets during the procession, which, according to festival organisers, is an offering to the gods and symbolises the world and human egos. Sweets, cold drinks and blessed gifts are distributed to spectators as the statue of Ganesha is carried through the city.

Source: www.pr-inside.com

Its Ganesha all the way!

SAN DIEGO, CA.- Ganeshmobile — A 2008 Prius decorated with the design of a nineteenth century Indian paisley shawl, enhanced by images of the Remover of All Obstacles, Ganesha, India’s elephant-headed god. The hood ornament is a bronze sculpture of Ganesha dancing at the front of the car to remove obstacles from its path.

The owner is Stephen Huyler, Ph.D. cultural anthropologist, art historian, photographer and author, who has spent much of the past 33 years traveling in Indian villages documenting craftsmanship and contemporary traditions. Dr. Huyler is the Curator of SONABAI – Another Way of Seeing, an exhibition opening at Mingei International in Balboa Park on July 26.

Venture Advertising of Rockport, Maine created a vinyl wrap for the car using as a design a nineteenth century Indian shawl owned by Huyler’s grandmother, then superimposed Ganesha on the passenger doors.

Source: artdaily.org

"Namaste India, says New Zealand"

Indian students might prefer New Zealand for higher studies and immigration after they were being targeted in Australia. Though New Zealand is close to Australia, there is marked difference in the country’s attitude towards multi-ethnic society and tolerant towards Asian race. "Namaste India, says New Zealand"

There are five main reasons why New Zealand serves as better overseas choice for Indians to study and immigrate.

1)New Zealand is an egalitarian society which accepts no difference in social structure. It also means that there is no prejudice on any race, ethnicity or religion.

2)Though New Zealand is predominately populated by the white population known as Paheka, there is an overhauling Maori population of 16%. Maori are the tribal inhabitants who are modern in their thinking but still have retained their traditional culture. Maori enjoys political rights in New Zealand and have 7 separate electorates in the 122 seats parliament.

3)Indians and Indian origin population enjoy better political influence in New Zealand than in Australia.

4) New Zealand has always been a favorite destination for migrants. It is believed that the Maoris who came 800 years ago from Pacific Islands through a canoe (boat) were the first migrants and they still have their culture and Marai (temple) intact. Even the whites (Pahekas ) who came from Dutch, Scotland, Ireland and British Isles were migrants. Therefore they have a passive approach to life.

5) The chance for immigrants to get Permanent Residency (PR) and then citizenship is more in New Zealand than in Australia. As per the latest trend, students who come to New Zealand on a one-year student visa can have their graduate open work visa for one-year which allows them to opt for any job. After one-year they can avail a two –year work visa on their respective fields. Meanwhile, they can apply for a PR and can get one if they get maximum points the skilled migrant category.

Source: internationalreporter.com

New Temple all set for grand opening at Fiji

NADI, FIJI, May 27, 2009: Nadi is fast becoming the spiritual hub for Hindus in Fiji following the construction of a second magnificent temple in the district. The one million dollar Gayatri Shaktipith Temple built by the Gayatri Pariwar of Nadi is all set to open its doors for devotees and visitors with a colourful three day inauguration ceremony due to start on Saturday June 13.

The new temple which has been constructed in a two story structure will also help boost the preaching of Hinduism in the tourist town of Nadi which already houses the Sri Siva Subrahmanya Swami Temple built in 1994 by the Devasthanam Board and believed to be the biggest Hindu shrine in the southern hemisphere. Participating devotees will start the opening program with a march procession leading up to a colourful three days of worshipping and other activities.

Source: fijidailypost.com

Grammy Awards for Kirtans?

Hindus have called for the introduction of "kirtan" as a new field of awards at the famed Grammys to be held at the Los Angeles' Staples Center on January 31 next year. Last Grammys were awarded in 110 music categories, covering 32 fields, including Pop, Rock, Rap, Country, New Age, Gospel, Jazz, Folk, World Music, Latin, Reggae, Blues, etc., for outstanding achievements.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that outside India, kirtan was attracting large audiences in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, and many other countries of the world, resulting in various new albums and creation of the star kirtan artists.

Rajan Zed points out that Kirtan is rapidly and continually growing in the West and becoming a vogue and bringing increasing number of Americans to its events. According to Kirtan participants, the powerful healing and transformational energies of these ancient chants in a living room style music experience help calming and focusing the mind, uplift, provide a soothing melody, inspire, bring peace and connectedness, etc. Its sacred and spiritual experience takes one to the state of deep meditation. Moreover, Kirtan is highly accessible and does not require training.

Kirtan (also referred to as call-and-response chanting session, ecstatic chanting, participatory music experience, devotional singing, sacred chant) is one of the oldest sacred music genres of the world, which originated in India many centuries ago. Mostly a Sanskrit chant with audience usually clapping and swaying and repeating the words after the singer with some dancing, its lyrics are usually something like "Om Nama Shivaya", "Jai Govinda Jai Gopala", "Shri Ram Jai Ram", "Om Shanti Om", etc.

Kirtan has produced lot of star performers in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Australia, etc., like Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, David Newman, Wah!, Shantala, Dave Stringer, Sean Johnson, Shyamdas, Snatam Kaur, etc., and has reached the mainstream venues.

With ticket/donation rates usually less than $25, Kirtan is a blessing in these difficult economic times as it offers means to connect to the heart, to the divinity that lies within, Rajan Zed adds.

Source: Newsblaze

Evangelists want to "save" Obama's Grandma From Eternal Damnation!

NAIROBI, KENYA: A row is simmering between Christians and Muslims in Kenya over reported attempts to convert President Obama’s grandmother, Sarah Obama, to Christianity.”We had invited her to grace our meeting in Kisumu,” Lewis Ondiek, an official with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kenya, told Ecumenical News International. “Mama Sarah had assured us that she was converting, and we were ready to baptize her today,” Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Tom Obuya claimed.

Some family members stopped Sarah Obama from attending the service, which was led by an Australian evangelist, John Jeremic. Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa, secretary of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, said “Mama Sarah should not be forced by anybody to join Christianity since she is a Muslim. Conversion must take place in a voluntary manner.” He said, “Muslims will not sit and watch one of their own being coerced by some religious leaders to convert to Christianity.”

The 87-year-old Obama captured the media spotlight in the remote, mainly Christian village of Kogelo, in western Kenya, soon after Barack Obama was elected president in November. She is widely sought after to preside over occasions because of her new status.

Source: RNS

"O Goddess Earth, Please Forgive Us As We Walk On You This Day"

Twentieth annual Nevada Earth Day Celebration opened with prayers from ancient Hindu Sanskrit scriptures on a biofuel-powered stage in Idlewild Park in Reno (Nevada, USA) on April 20, 2009.

Starting with Shanti Mantra in Sanskrit, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed read “Prithvi Sukta” (hymn to earth) from Atharva-Veda, invoking the Goddess Earth, after sprinkling holy water of river Ganga from India around the stage.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, also prayed from another ancient scripture Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), where Lord Krishna is quoted as saying, “The brightness of the sun, which lights up the world, the brightness of the moon and of fire—these are my glory. With a drop of my energy I enter the earth and support all creatures. Through the moon, the vessel of life-giving fluid, I nourish all plants.”

We may believe in different religions, yet we share the same home—our Earth. We must learn to happily progress or miserably perish together. For man can live individually but can only survive collectively, Rajan Zed said quoting ancient Hindu scriptures. O Goddess Earth, please forgive us as we walk on you this day, Zed added.

According to Travis Owen Souza, one of the Directors of Nevada Econet, which organized this Celebration, the Earth Day participants, many of them came as families, took a very positive message home. Nevada Econet supported informed action on the important environmental issues impacting the region and quality of life.

Nevada, strewn with limitless tracts of desert and more mountain ranges than any other state, is the largest gold producing state in the nation and second in the world behind South Africa.

Source: http://www.webnewswire.com/node/451593

Bali celebrates Nyepi, a Hindu Festival

Isn’t it extraordinary that the country with the largest Hindu population is unaware of the most remarkable holiday in Hinduism? The largest
Muslim country in the world, Indonesia, declares a national holiday each year — this year, on March 26 — to mark Hindu-majority Bali’s day of silence, Hari Raya Nyepi Tahun Baru. This beautiful concept has been absorbed into the syncretic Muslim-Hindu culture of that unique nation.

We Indians are not averse to holidays, so we must be averse to silence. Since Hinduism went from India to Indonesia, the concept of Nyepi travelled the same route. Silence has been mislaid in the land of its origin.

The father of modern India, who could never resist the temptation of turning a virtue into a discipline, gave his voice a day off every week. Mahatma Gandhi would keep maun every Monday. If he had a meeting he could not avoid, say with a toff like a Viceroy, on a Monday, he would write down his answers on chits of paper and pass them on.

Source: Times of India

Nevada Assembly Session Opens With Samskritam Mantras

SAMSKRITAM MANTRAS from ancient Hindu scriptures opened the Nevada State Assembly session in capital Carson City on April 6.

After sprinkling Gangajal (holy water brought from river Ganga in India) around the podium, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed started and ended the prayer with 'Om', the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.

Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, recited from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita, both ancient Hindu scriptures.

Legislators and others, including many teenagers, who filled the visitors gallery, stood respectfully in prayer mode with heads bowed down during the prayer. Adina and Kurt Karst, who came from Minden to listen to the prayer, described it as 'wonderful'.

After Samskritam delivery, Zed read the English translation of the prayer. Samskritam is considered sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages. Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zed said, “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya,”, which he then translated as - “Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, and from death to immortality.”

Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he urged legislators to keep the welfare of others always in mind. Concluding lines were 'Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti', which he translated as 'Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all'

Source: Merinews

Pakistani Hindus Flee to India

In May 2008, Pakistan's tribal province of Orakzai was in the news. The majority Muslims did not allow the Hindus to cremate their dead at the place that had been the designated crematorium for over a century.

The next month, the Pakistan government signed a peace treaty with the Taliban. It was among many other such treaties and not much was made of it, especially since the latter agreed that it would recognise the writ of the government. But in the next couple of months, the few Hindu families began facing the heat.

"It was like the smoke before the fire. The Taliban's presence was not very evident in the following two months. But things were becoming obvious. A group of locals who supported the Taliban gave us the distinct feeling that we were not wanted there," says Jagdish Lal Sharma, who says he is a Pandit from the region.

Though there were no direct threats, the Hindu families were never left in any doubt about their minority status. Sometimes it would be a warning not to stare at Muslim women for long, at other times, it would be the subtle coercion of the local administrators to sell their land when the situation was still normal. The families were weighing their options until October when they were asked to wear a red patch in their pagadis (turban).

"We were told Hindus are not supposed to wish a Muslim even inadvertently and that is why, in order to make it obvious for a passing Muslim that we were Hindus, we ought to have some element of red in our headgear," Hardwari Lal, who is now in Amritsar with his family of 13, says.

In Amrtisar, they found Surinder Kumar Billa, a local religious leader at the Durgaina temple in Amritsar, who has promised to help them get Indian citizenship.

Source: http://specials.rediff.com/news/2009/mar/18sld1-hindu-families-face-the-heat.htm

O Indian Hindus, Learn from your Bali brethren

ENPASAR, Indonesia — A weeklong international festival celebrating the pan-religious practice of yoga here on the island of Bali is wrapping up peacefully despite a recent religious ruling condemning the practice from the top Muslim authority in Indonesia. .

It is the second time in recent months that Bali, a predominantly Hindu island in the world’s most populous Muslim country, has openly opposed rulings by the Ulema Council, the quasi-governmental body that issued the yoga edict.

In October, after the Indonesia Parliament passed broad antipornography legislation, which was first championed by the Ulema Council and included limits on dancing and dress, Balinese erupted in anger, fearing many of their traditional rituals would be considered illegal. Thousands marched through the streets and Bali’s governor, Made Mangku Pastika, declared that he would not enforce the law.

Though about 90 percent of Indonesians are Muslim, the country is made up of hundreds of distinct ethnic and cultural groups. Islam itself comes in many different forms here. The religious and governmental authorities in Jakarta, on the island of Java, Indonesia’s most populous island and the country’s center of power, are often accused of being insensitive to these differing cultures.

When the Balinese, along with people in Sulawesi and Papua, protested the pornography bill last year, they held signs calling for increased autonomy from the central government in Jakarta.

The Muslim Council’s yoga ruling came in a package of fatwas issued in January. The council deemed the ancient Indian poses and exercises incorporating Hindu chanting or rituals a sin for Muslims. Similar fatwas have been issued in Egypt and Malaysia. In all three countries, the religious leaders said they were concerned that practicing yoga could cause Muslims to deviate from Islamic teachings.

The festival was originally organized as a means of promoting spiritual tourism on Bali, before the fatwa was released. But the organizers said it provided an opportunity to respond publicly to the council’s edict. More than 600 people, including Bali’s governor, attended the festival’s opening ceremony. Several Islamic scholars participated during the week.

The festival’s sponsor, the Bali-India Foundation, has about 350 students, many of them Muslim, said its director, Somvir. Across Indonesia, the group estimates, some 10 million people practice yoga in one form or another. “Yoga is a strong concept, we are not afraid or concerned about the fatwa,” Mr. Somvir said in an interview at the festival, which ends Tuesday. “Yoga’s very meaning is ‘unity’ and it is open to all faiths.”

Still, he said he was encouraging his Muslim students to hum when meditating instead of the more traditional “om,” which has Hindu origins and could run counter to the Ulema Council’s edict.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/10/world/asia/10bali.html?_r=1