• Gahdhi Peace Prize for Shabana
• Friend or Freud
• Om and the World
• INDIA COMES of Age at Cambridge
• Cambridge 'made' me, Says Manmohan
• Kiran Desai Wins Booker Prize
• Dalai Lama Against 'Clash of Civilisations'
• 2 lakh Devotees Throng Srisailam
• Gandhi Still Popular

• Heritage Award for Maharaja Gaj Singh Singh II of Jodhpur
• Europe's Largest Temple in Britain
• Yoga and Meditation to Battle Chikungunya
• Bachchan Gets French Gift on b'day
• Manmohan Dazzles Cambridge
• Manmohan to Get Doctorate from Cambridge
• Hidden History
• Tangore's Paintings, Suclptures to be Available Online

Actress and social activist Shabana Azmi will receive the prestigious International Gandhi Peace Prize at a special function in Britain's House of Commons today, for her work for disadvantaged women in India, particularly in the Mumbai slums. British actress Vanessa Redgrave will present the award to Azmi in the presence of a distinguished gathering which shall include Professor Lord Bhikhu Parekh, Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics and Indian High Commissioner Kamalesh Sharma. Azmi, who was described by Satyajit Ray as the finest dramatic actress of India, said: "I am honoured at being chosen for such an outstanding award, whose previous recipients include the Dalai Lama." She said she was happy her work for the rehabilitation of slum dwellers had borne fruit. At least 13,000 slum dwellers have been rehabilitated due to her effort.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, October 26, 2006

Back to Index

A non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving endangered architectural sites worldwide has decided to honour Maharaja Gaj Singh II of Jodhpur for his contribution to preserving cultural heritage. The World Monuments Fund (WMF) has decided to award the Maharaja with the prestigious Hadrian Award. The award is given annually for foremost contribution to preservation of cultural and architectural heritage. The award will be presented at a special ceremony to honour him. WMF works with local organisations to identify the endangered sites and publishes the list of 100 most endangered sites every two years.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, October 25, 2006

Back to Index

In the globalised world, the Guru needs no miracles......s/he allows for the lateral thinking our society needs

Spiritualism in the post-liberalisation era could be described cynically as hypocrisy packaged aggressively. Or one could talk of faith and belief and show what kinds of new needs and communities the Guru caters to today. The spiritualism we talk about might be seen as a marketing miracle. But we need to realise that markets are only indexical of communities. They carry their own anthropology of questions, and it is these that we must examine. We have to ask: what does the spirituality and the spiritualism of Baba Ramdev, Asaramji Bapu, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Mata Amritanandamayi or Murari Bapu consist of?

Spiritualism in the age of globalisation is not just a pop theory of the occult or sociology.

It needs no miracles to sustain it. If modernity cut the world into painful oppositions, spiritualism and spirituality produced the hybrid, the weave, knitting dualisms together. In doing so, they made oppositions and contradictions playful, by creating Lego sets of meaning and vocabularies of life that each individual could work with. They helped Indian lives reach beyond unlivable oppositions like science vs religion, science vs politics and religious vs secular.

Spiritualism needs a guru. A guru is more than an ideologist. An ideologist propounds a doctrine, a guru a way of life. A guru is more than a management consultant. Remember, we call our Prahlads and Jagdish Sheths management gurus. We don't call our gurus spiritual managers. But managers they are. The guru and his ashram create not just a community of meaning and a society of doing. They have created a service ethic that can match an army.

Out of this have emerged educational institutions, water projects that rival any technology mission, disaster managers and adoption of cutting-edge IT innovations. Gurus understand media and multimedia without being objectified by them. They allow for the lateral thinking our society needs.

The journalist Mahesh Llanga told me this lovely story of Murari Bapu. It seems pregnant shark whales would beach on the Gujarat coast, especially between Somnath and Dwarka. This patch has one of the largest concentrations of fishermen, and they used to beat the whales to death. Whale meat commands huge prices in the export market. Witnessing this, wildlife activists appealed to Murari Bapu, who agreed to talk to the fishermen. Murari Bapu had a simple message. He asked the fishermen: how can you beat the shark whale? She is your daughter who's come home to rest. The fishermen then virtually adopted the whale as a totem. No secular environmentalist, no Greenpeace movement could have spoken such a language or had such a profound impact.

In gurus like Murari Bapu or Ramdev, there is no Hamletian pathos about modernity. In fact, the gurus, through the discourse of spiritualism, have woven a meaningful everydayness around health, food, hygiene and meaning. Culturally, I think this is important in a society where neither the confessional nor psychiatry play a major role. One should also emphasise that gurus have been part of family life. Even now people fix images of gurus on their car windows. It is a simple statement of belief. Families in crisis, people facing dilemmas, or in search of meaning, visit the guru. Sometimes they find a solution, at other times they find themselves.

I think of India as a collection of texts and temples and discourses. It is the discourses of these gurus-Mata Amritanandamayi, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Sai Baba, Baba Ramdev-that keep India together. If temples provide a sacred geography, gurus provide a spiritualist one. I am a secularist, yet I realise that secularism can never create equivalent acts of community without the help of the state. I'm not saying in a Kantian way that I don't need God but my charwoman does.I follow no guru but I realise they have invented creative texts and contexts for our society.

There is a lot one can be cynical about. There are regular reports of sexual excess, financial irregularity. Gurus, while not political, are intimate with power. As a wag once put it, IAS officers should be classified not by state cadres but the guru they are affiliated to. Regardless, I think the gurus have generally discarded Orientalism and met modernity head on, while being sceptical about westernisation. Our ashrams are better problem-solving agencies than our universities.

Courtesy: OutLook India, October 16, 2006

Back to Index

Europe's largest Hindu temple has opened in Britain with elaborate rituals carried out by priests who travelled from India especially for the occasion. It took close to four million pounds to construct the temple in Birmingham. The sum was paid by the Millennium Fund. The huge temple stands on over 13 acres of what was previously waste and derelict ground, and the whole project has been in gestation since 1987. The Black Country Development Corporation made the site available for this unique project. More than 10,000 people have attended the five-day long opening ceremony which has culminated in the sanctification of the highly impressive temple. It is, in fact, built in the same style as the famous Tirupati Temple in India. The latter is, incidentally, the second richest religious institution in the world after Vatican. VP Narayan Rao, chairman of the temple trustees said, "this is the fulfilment of a long cherished dream, the end of a long road and the beginning of a new era for every Hindu in the world." Indian sculptors have constructed the temple, merging ancient and modern techniques and using some specific materials - such as imported granite.

Corutesy: www. dailypioneer.com, October 23, 2006

Back to Index

Like every year the White House hosted a Diwali party earlier this week. But as on earlier Diwali celebrations, President George Bush skipped the event. The president, however, has made it a point to personally host Iftar dinners every year. The ostensible reason for this discrimination is that Diwali is a festival of a 'country-specific religion'. The Nasdaq building was this week lit up in the colours of the Indian flag. Nasdaq also chose to describe Diwali as an exclusively Indian festival. This in fact does a disservice to Diwali and Hinduism, which are not confined to the borders of India. Indeed Diwali is a major festival wherever the Indian diaspora is present. It is celebrated with fanfare in all corners of the world-from Natal to New York, from Singapore to Surinam. The popularity of Diwali is, however, not just linked to the scattered Indian diaspora. It has something to do with the nature of the festival which resonates across cultures and geography. Festivals such as Diwali, Holi or Dussehra cannot be classified as merely Hindu festivals. They are celebrations where people belonging to different religions participate with enthusiasm. One reason for the ecumenical nature of these festivals is that they represent universal themes such as triumph of good over evil or ushering in of a new season. The universality of these celebrations is also linked to the nature of Hinduism.

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan had once famously described Hinduism as a 'way of life' and not a religion. What he meant was that Hinduism was an umbrella where everybody, including atheists and agnostics, could take shelter. This inclusive version of Hinduism was also one that Mahatma Gandhi believed in. He held that Hinduism allowed everyone to worship God according to his own faith or dharma, and this enabled it to live at peace with all other religions. This understanding of Hinduism permits a degree of plurality which is not available in other major world religions. It is this pluralism-where Hinduism is a collection of several little faiths and traditions-that has been undermined by Hindutva forces. Their version of Hinduism is a monolithic one which is founded on a singular text, culture and tradition. The US government, by classifying Diwali as country specific, unwittingly subscribes to an exclusivist understanding of Hinduism. Before Bush quits office he could make amends by attending next year's Diwali celebrations. He could even burst a few crackers to drive away the spirits that are pulling down his ratings.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October 21, 2006

Back to Index

Take to yoga, pranayama and meditation besides controlled breathing techniques to take on chikungunya. This is the advice from the Art of Living Foundation. Encouraged by the efficacy of its techniques in treating people with symptoms of Chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease that can prove fatal, the group has decided to start special camps all over India to cater to people suffering from the disease. The camp will offer yoga, pranayama and meditation apart from the Sudarshan Kriya, the unique breathing technique taught in the Art of Living workshop. "We have been studying the effects of our techniques on people with symptoms of Chikungunya for a few weeks. It has been observed that people who regularly practise Sudarshan Kriya, pranayama and meditation are not only less prone to the disease but also recover faster if they get an attack," Swami Sadyojatah of Art of Living said in Bangalore. Said Renuka Dugani, a physician from Hubli, one of the worst effected areas in Karnataka: "Many of my patients showed remarkable recovery soon after they underwent the Art of Living workshop. The improvements are so apparent that now I prescribe the workshop to every patient that comes to me with symptoms of Chikungunya." Explaining how yoga, pranayama, meditation and Sudarshan Kriya help cure the disease, yogacharya Dinesh Kashikar said: "Pranayama is a very effective antidote for fever as it cools down the body and restores balance. Yoga asanas loosen up joints and provide relief from body pain, which are the dominant symptoms of Chikungunya." "The Sudarshan Kriya and accompanying meditations strengthen the immune system and allow the body to fight back," he added. The unique rhythmic breathing technique designed by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has helped millions successfully manage stress, get rid of many problems including serious ailments such as depression, panic attacks, diabetes, heart problems, cancer and AIDS, besides leading happier lives.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, October 17, 2006

Back to Index

Kings College is meant to impress. Its vast, rolling green acres, rising peaty walls and the towering architecture of the Chapel, bring home the force of tradition stretching back 800 years when a group of students from the University of Paris set it up. If Kings reflects the weight of tradition and ecclesiastical scholarship, on Wednesday there was evidence of how this ancient university was changing too. When Chancellor Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, walked into the Senate House to offer an honorary degree to PM Manmohan Singh, his trail was carried by Karan Keswani, a young Indian student from Mumbai. Keswani is studying at St Johns, the college where Singh received admission to an economic tripos in the mid-50s. He is studying manufacturing engineering and says: "A student from the college, from where the recipient of a degree is, is chosen to carry the robe of the chancellor." The grandeur of the ceremony is meant to emphasise Cambridge's hoary history of Latin learning, and the black, red, pink, beige robes, the resplendent gold bands and glinting silver staffs and swords, were all an exercise in portentous gravity. But like Keswani, the Indian faces sprinkling the assembled students and business persons, like Sunil Mittal and Swaraj Paul, indicated a new Indian presence.

PM, who emphasised the need for "inclusive globalisation" as the centrepiece of his acceptance speech, did point out that Indians at Cambridge were not a new arrival. The line stretches, at least, 150 years back. But, what seems to be evident was the easy confidence of Indian students as universities like Cambridge look to attract increasing numbers of students of Indian origin. PM told the Indian students to study well and return home. Present in the audience was Ajit Singh, a former student of PM, who was greeted by Gursharan Kaur. Not all took the ceremony in all its gravity. Dons, like most other humans, are not above chatting. Some spoke of whether the security was high enough, given the presence of the Chancellor and the Indian PM. Prince Phillip remarked: "The Indian PM, yes, I suppose so, but who do you think would target the Chancellor?" PM made out a case for developed economies allowing agricultural imports. Never, he said, had the interests of "so few" held up the progress of "so many". He argued that if the world's poor were to be convinced of the rationale of globalisation, their lot must receive due attention. He said widespread poverty put world peace at risk and affected rich economies as much as it did the poor ones. While his distinguished, grey-haired audience politely applauded him, the real levers of change were evident in young teachers like Avinash Banerjee, also from St Johns, and the students he taught. It appeared that they were rather more telling evidence that Indian seems to have come of age.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October 13, 2006

Back to Index

He couldn't have asked for a better birthday gift. Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, who turned 64 on Wednesday, has been bestowed with the Officier de la Legion d'Honneur (Officer of the Legion of Honour) by the Republic of France. Created to reward eminent military and civil merits in the service of France, Legion d'Honneur is the highest distinction that can be conferred in France on a French citizen or foreigner. Among the noted Indian film personalities to have received the honour are Satyajit Ray in 1987, and later Lata Mangeshkar, who was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. French president Jacques Chirac, by a decree dated September 15, 2006, bestowed the honour on Bachchan as a tribute to his exceptional career in the world of cinema and beyond. The French embassy in New Delhi confirmed the news that the Government of France had decided to pay tribute to Bachchan for his efforts to bring together Indian and international cultural life. "According to protocol, Dominique Gerard, the French ambassador to India, will speak to Amitabh Bachchan and seek a date from him for the official ceremony during which he will be given the honour personally," Mohamed Bendjebbour, the audio-visual attache of the French embassy who carried the official letter to Bachchan, told TOI. "The ceremony could either be held in Mumbai or New Delhi." There is also a mention about his gesture of lending his voice for the Oscar-winning documentary The March Of the Penguins (2005) directed by Frenchman Luc Jacquet.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October 12, 2006

Back to Index

It was a trip down memory lane as a former student of economics at St John's College returned to the campus as the prime minister of the largest democracy and recalled his days in Cambridge which "made" him. Singh recalled that he was the third Indian prime minister to have studied at Cambridge, Jawaharlal Nehru and grandson Rajiv Gandhi were the first two. Wearing a red robe, Singh humbly acknowledged the honour. "I am deeply conscious of the honour that you have bestowed upon me," he said after receiving the doctorate from Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburg and Chancellor of the university. The citation described him as a scholar and a public servant of great distinction. "He is in the words of the Greek poet Simonides cool, calm, well aware of justice that serves the State and a man of healing virtue," the citation read. The citation noted: "it is very rare indeed for the position of prime minister to be entrusted to one who is not a professional politician. Manmohan Singh is a scholar and public servant of great distinction". Singh obtained a first class honours degree in economics from the university in 1957. He was only in his first year when he was awarded the Adam Smith prize. He went to Oxford University later. Last year, he was awarded the honorary degree of doctor of law. "The colour light blue is one of my favourites and is often seen on my head," he said, referring to his turban. The significance of light blue was highlighted by Singh as it is the colour of the university. He added that his memories of Cambridge were, however, "deep". Singh also recalled his association at Cambridge with economists Pierro Srafa, Amartya Sen, Jagdish Bhagwati, Mehbub-ul-Haq and Rehman Shobhan. "All are renowned economists from South Asia who became and remained life-long friends," he said at the last engagement before he wrapped up his UK trip to move on to Helsinki, Finland to attend the EU-India Business Summit.

Courtesy: www.hindustantimes.com, October 12, 2006

Back to Index

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the man who presides over the destiny of a billion people on Wednesday assumed the form of an obedient pupil as he returned to his alma mater five decades after his graduation to receive an honorary degree with a stirring speech outlining his vision for a more egalitarian world. And there was no doubt that the scholar-politician conquered every single heart in the historic Senate Hall of the university where the clapping that followed after Manmohan Singh was formally introduced to the audience went on and on, bringing smiles on the faces of his wife Gursharan and daughter Amrit Kaur who, like everyone else, watched him in sheer admiration. "It was one of the most generous receptions anyone has received in Cambridge," Neil Hudson, the university vice marshal, said after the hour-long ceremony where Manmohan Singh got from Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and also the chancellor, a honorary doctorate in law. Manmohan Singh's stirring speech, calling for a world economy that does not sacrifice the interests of the poor, brought another round of prolonged and thunderous applause that continued even after he occupied his chair, embarrassing him to a point where he stood up and bowed twice to the gathering in a bid to stop the well deserved ovation. Throughout the sombre function, conducted entirely in Latin except for Manmohan Singh's speech which was in English, the man who passed out of St. John's College in Cambridge in 1957, the prime minister was as obedient and quiet as a good student could be, sitting quietly on the chair, not even once looking at his wife or daughter seated barely 15 feet away diagonally to his right.

He had a deadpan expression throughout, smiling only once when he badly wanted the applause to stop. The Duke of Edinburgh paid fulsome tributes to Manmohan Singh, who in his own speech described himself as a "simple young Indian". Prince Philip said, "it is very rare indeed for position of prime minister to be entrusted to one who is not a professional politician. Manmohan Singh is a scholar and public servant of great distinction." "Millions look to this man," Prince Philip said in his concluding remarks before conferring the degree. "They see in him someone of conspicuous integrity; he is, in the world of the Greek poet Simonides, cool and calm, well aware of the justice that serves the state, and a man of healing virtue." As the Duke spoke, also in Latin, Manmohan Singh stood before him very silently, almost like a statue. And earlier and later, when he sat on a cushioned wooden chair, he was looking towards the floor, his palms clasped. The ceremony was very business like, and a large number of students gathered outside the Senate Hall eager to catch a glimpse of the man who is determined to make India an economic giant in the world. He entered the hall almost at the tail of the chancellor's procession, followed by the university constables and pro-protectors. After the start of the proceedings and instrumental music, the orator presented Manmohan Singh to the chancellor as honorary fellow of St John's College. The famous lines from Rabindranath Tagore's "Gitanjali" ("Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high...") followed in choral music, rendered by a group of young students in Latin and set to music by Jonathan Willcocks. In the end came the British national anthem, "God save the Queen!" As Manmohan Singh was ceremonially led out, again following Prince Philip, Chris Hesketh, another university official who was in the Senate Hall, said, "The prime minister's speech was tremendous. It was a memorable function."

Courtesy:www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October 12, 2006

Back to Index

Indian-origin writer Kiran Desai has been awarded this year's prestigious Man Booker Prize for her novel The Inheritance of Loss. Desai, the youngest ever female recipient of the prize beat five other authors, including favourite Sarah Waters to win the 50,000-pound award. The award was announced by the Booker prize committee last night. Desai's book, a cross-continental saga set in New York and India with a teenage girl as the protagonist, explores contemporary issues like multiculturalism, fundamentalism and terrorist violence. The other five books which had made it to the shortlist were Kate Grenville's The Secret River , M J Hyland's Carry Me Down , Hisham Matar's In the Country of Men , Edward St Aubyn's Mother's Milk and Sarah Waters's The Night Watch. Kiran Desai is the daughter of noted writer Anita Desai, who has been shortlisted for the prize three times in the 1980s. It is set in the north-eastern Himalayas and New York, and is about an embittered old judge who wants to retire in peace. It interweaves his story with that of his orphaned teenage granddaughter, his cook and his dog. The Booker Prize is one of the most prestigious prizes in literature which aims to reward the best writing published in Britain, Ireland and the Commonwealth. It has a prize of 50,000 pounds as well as the 2,500 pounds awarded to each of the six short listed authors. The Booker Prize was founded in 1969 and was renamed when the financial services company Man Group PLC began sponsoring.

The bookmakers had initially dismissed the younger Desai as the 7/1 outsider. The judges - the poet and novelist Simon Armitage, the novelist Candia McWilliam, the critic Anthony Quinn and the actress Fiona Shaw - felt differently. After a session that lasted two hours, the panel chose Desai's novel over: In the Country of Men by Hisham Matar, The Secret River by Kate Grenville, Carry Me Down by M J Hyland, Mother's Milk by Edward St Aubyn and The Night Watch by Sarah Waters. Hermione Lee, chairwoman of the judges and Goldsmiths' Professor of English Literature at Oxford, said: "This is a magnificent novel of humane breadth and wisdom, comic tenderness and powerful political acuteness." She emphasized that the judges felt strongly about all six books, and that Desai's novel was not a "compromise" choice. "We so much admired all these novels," she said. The achievement was all the more extraordinary considering that Peter Carey, the Australian best-selling novelist, had initially been tipped to break records by winning for a third time. Desai also eclipsed the veteran South African Nadine Gordimer, who had won 32 years ago, and established British writers such as David Mitchell. Instead, from a total of 112 entries, the judges went for six authors who are yet to become household names. Rodney Troubridge, of Waterstone's, leading book store, said that the prize-winning book 'continues the fine tradition of Booker winners set in India, such as Heat and Dust , Staying On , The God of Small things , and Midnight's children . "Kiran Desai's wonderful novel will be snapped up by Waterstone's customers - it's a great winner." "The Booker does not often reward debut or not-yet established writers, so Desai can be particularly proud to have beaten bigger names, or indeed the favourites who did not make the shortlist," Rodney said. Kes Nielsen, of Amazon.co.uk , said: "This well-deserved recognition just confirms Desai's talent." Others had mixed feelings. John Sutherland, chairman of last year's Booker judges, said: "It is a really good novel, but it needs to be given a good going-over by a good editor." Last year the award went to The Sea , by John Banville, whose sales have now topped a quarter of a million. Three novels of Anita Desai, who did not attend last night's event, have reached the Booker shortlist, though she has yet to win the prize. She was shortlisted in 1980, 1984 and 1999.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October 11, 2006

Back to Index

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh receives an honorary doctorate in law from Cambridge University on Wednesday, a wrap up to a hectic three-day visit of Britain during which he pledged to step up bilateral cooperation in anti-terror measures and further open up the country's economy. At a ceremonial ceremony at Cambridge, one of the world's top universities, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh who is also the chancellor, will confer the degree on the Indian Prime Minister who on Tuesday described his trip to this country as a sentimental journey. Manmohan Singh will leave by road for Cambridge, walk up to the Old Library where he will have a private meeting with the Duke of Edinburgh and then, attired in a ceremonial gown and robes, attend a function at the Senate where he will get the honorary degree. He will later attend a reception at St John's College, have lunch at the university and take off for Helsinki where he will spend the next two days meeting leaders of Finland and attending the India-European Union business summit. Manmohan Singh's speech at Cambridge will be eagerly awaited by many because his revisionist remarks about British rule in India during a similar ceremony in Oxford in July last year sparked a row. He was then conferred a doctorate in economics. His engagements in Helsinki will include a meeting with his Finnish counterpart Matti Vanhanen. According to Indian officials, the Indian Prime Minister will review steps to enhance trade and investment ties between India and the European Union, which is not only New Delhi's largest trading partner but an importance source of FDI and high technology.

A strategic partnership was finalised with the European Union during the Hague summit in 2004 in recognition of India's growing stature. Manmohan Singh is expected to convey the message that India is a secure and profitable trade and investment destination. The North Korean nuclear test and terrorism in India will also figure in talks to be held at Helsinki. Indian officials say the European Union has not done enough to block transfer of money linked to suspected terrorist groups. After attending a reception of the Indian Diaspora on Monday night soon after his arrival, Manmohan Singh spent a busy Tuesday holding talks with Blair and meeting Indian and British business leaders. The two leaders conducted a review of issues of global importance and concern as well as shared perspectives on developments in their regions. The chemistry between the two leaders was visible at all venues, with Blair asserting at their joint press conference at 10 Downing Street that India can never be compared with a rogue North Korea. To the glee of British CEOs, Manmohan Singh announced that the booming Indian economy could absorb $320 billion in investments in infrastructure alone in the next five years. Indian and British business leaders brought to the notice of the two prime ministers problems affecting bilateral economic cooperation, particularly those making British firms hesitant to pump money into India due to procedural and bureaucratic delays. Addressing the UK-India Investment Summit, he promised further liberalisation in trade and services including financial and legal services. Manmohan Singh and Blair said that India and Britain would step up cooperation in counter-terrorism measures. "Relations between India and Britain have strengthened in recent years," Blair said at the business summit. "We want to strengthen this further. This is seen by me not just in the economic context but in the political also."

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October 11, 2006

Back to Index

The Dalai Lama, Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, has warned against portraying Islam as a religion of violence, saying Muslims have been wrongly demonised in the West since the September 11 attacks. Promoting religious tolerance, the world's most influential Buddhist leader said on Sunday that talk of "a clash of civilisations between the West and Muslim world is wrong and dangerous." Muslim terrorist attacks have distorted people's views of Islam, making them believe it is an extremist faith rather than one based on compassion, the Dalai Lama told a press conference in New Delhi. Muslims are being unfairly stigmatised as a result of violence by "some mischievous people," said the Dalai Lama, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his work to bring democracy and freedom to his people. All religions have extremists and "it is wrong to generalise (about Muslims)," the 71-year-old spiritual leader said. "They (terrorists) cannot represent the whole system," he said. The Dalai Lama, who has lived in Dharamsala since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959, said he had cast himself in the role of defender of Islam because he wanted to reshape people's views of the religion. Asked about the uproar last month when Pope Benedict XVI quoted a 14th-century Christian emperor to portray Islam as a religion tainted by violence, the Dalai Lama said "if you return to past history there are a lot of complications." "It is better to forget ... and to deal with today's reality," he said. "Past history is (full of) uncivilised events," he said. Benedict had quoted statements by Emperor Manuel II -- ruling from what is now Istanbul -- that everything the Prophet Mohammed had brought, was evil and that he spread Islam by violence. The pontiff later apologised for the comments which triggered angry reactions around the world from Muslims who said the pope's statements harked back to the medieval Christian crusades against Islam. The Dalai Lama noted the "conflict and divisions caused in the name of religion," referring to violence in such places as Ireland, Pakistan and Iraq. But despite that "religion has great potential to help humanity on the basis of mutual respect," he said.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October 09, 2006

Back to Index

Ajita Jabal Shah

The carvings on the caves depict the Buddhist ways of life. They also have some beautifully carved pillars with flower and wheel motifs.

Away from the hustle and bustle of the city,located some 10-12 kms from Kamshet Railway Station on the Pune-Lonavala road are Bedse caves,which are an ideal getaway. Driving on the Kamshet-Pavnanagar ( Kale Colony ) route, you come to a road towards Rautavdi which leads you to Bedse caves. While their sister caves Karla and Bhaja are quite popular with tourists,Bedse caves are not too well-known. At just 20-25 minutes walk from Bedse village,these caves date back to 1st century BC and are built around the same time as Ellora and Karla caves.The details and minute carvings were well-managed till around 1861 and the primary reason for their upkeep was that these caves were a favourite with the British officers who often visited them.Efforts are now being made, for their preservation,by the Archeological department of India. The caves, Buddhist in origin, have two primary caves, out of which one is the main cave and houses the prayer hall, also called Chaitya. The Chaitya also has an ancient Stupa. Bedse caves belong to the Hinayana Dynasty and seem to be carved in the same style as the Karla caves. The carvings on the caves depict the Buddhist ways of life. They also have some beautifully carved pillars with flower and wheel motifs. There are no hotels and shops in the vicinity, but one can get homecooked food on request from locals. But don't bet on this and the best solution is to carry food from home or have them packed from hotels on the Kamshet-Bedse route. How to reach: You can take a local train to Kamshet from Pune Railway Station. It takes hardly one hour to reach. This is the best option you can go with.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, October 09,2006

Back to Index

Two lakh devotees thronged Srisailam on Tuesday on the occasion of Mahasivaratri as the pilgrim centre which was not equipped to accommodate more than 1.5 lakh devotees found it difficult to manage the heavy rush. According to the authorities, devotees of Sivadeeksha (Sivaswamis) outnumbered the general public which was a new phenomenon this year. Volunteers had a tough time controlling the surging crowds at Pathalanganga bathing ghat. Buses madee free sorties to Lingalagattu bathing ghat while showers were arranged on the Pathalanganga route. Heavy rush was reported at `prasadam' counters. Around three lakh laddus were prepared and if the stock was exhausted, sale of laddus would be rationed on Wednesday.

Security concern
The Collector, Vikas Raj, camped at Srisailam and monitored the arrangements. Security problem arose at several points as policemen were reluctant to conduct duties at isolated bathing ghats and other places following the tense situation caused by the encounter in Nizamabad district yesterday. There was pressure for accommodation at the temple town because of the heavy flow of pilgrims. The authorities said the makeshift sheds could accommodate 60,000 people while the rooms in choultries and guest houses could accommodate 6,000 people and dormitories another 10,000 people. Minor incidents of stampede occurred at prasadam counters and in the queues.

SRIKALAHASTI: The major Saivite shrine revered as `Dakshina Kashi' reverberated with chantings by devotees who thronged the town from across south India for the festival. Spiritual ecstasy was all pervasive at the temple. Heavy crowd was witnessed right from dawn as devotees took the holy dip in the Swarnamukhi before visiting the temple. The authorities made elaborate arrangements in and around the temple to meet the rush.

Courtesy: www.hindu.com October 07, 2006

Back to Index

Rabindranath Tagore's classics, paintings, sculptures and songs [in compact discs] are soon to be made available for sale at the click of the mouse. Also on offer through an e-commerce portal will be the premier publications of Visva Bharati University, founded by the poet in Santiniketan in 1921. The authorities are set to launch what they claim ``one of most ambitious e-commerce initiatives undertaken by any Central University.'' The portal, developed by a reputed information technology company and hosted at its website www.brainware-india.com will be linked to the university's official website www.visva-bharati.ac.in to facilitate access. The project aims at providing easy access to the university's wide range of products and publications to national and international buyers. Initially books published by Visva Bharati - nearly 700 titles and about 500 titles of Tagore alone - will be available through the on-line store, university sources told The Hindu. Subsequently the product catalogue, complete with a price-list, will be upgraded to include Tagore's other works of art like songs, sculptures and nearly 2000 of his paintings. Also to be made available are personalised gift items specially designed by the university selected from a range of its private collections as well as those gifted to it. They include the Nobel laureate's letters, paintings and cassettes containing recordings of his voice.

Buyers will be able to select products of their choice from the online catalogue and add them to a virtual shopping cart. After checking out they will be required to make online payments through the payment gateway integrated with the portal that accepts both credit cards and net banking payments. They added that they were yet to be informed when the replicas of the stolen Nobel medallion which had been handed over by the Swedish Government to the Union Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi last December would finally be delivered.

Courtesy: www.hindu.com October 07, 2006

Back to Index

What better way to judge the relevance of Gandhian beliefs than asking the law-breakers themselves? A study among 102 inmates serving life terms at the Yerwada central prison has revealed almost equally divided opinions on Mahatma Gandhi's principle of ahimsa, with 53 per cent believing that there are non-violent solutions to problems. As many as 94 per cent respondents said they respect the Mahatma. The survey, conducted over the past week by the city-based Sahyog Trust, shows that 47 per cent of the respondents are firm that in certain circumstances, crime is the solution. The survey findings were released at a news conference at the Yerawada jail on Saturday. It was addressed by Balasaheb Sarode, noted Gandhian and founder of Sahyog, Madhav Karve, deputy inspector general (DIG) of police of the western region, Rajendra Dhamne, Yerawada central prison superintendent, and Asim Sarode, human rights activist. The Sahyog Trust, which has been working among the prisoners for many years, conducts an annual exam for them on Gandhian principles on Gandhi Jayanti, October 2. The survey took a random sample of 102 convicts, including four female prisoners, all serving life terms. The survey was done without prior notice to get the "most frank assessment" from the respondents. There was a 58 per cent rate of concurrence among prisoners when asked if they repented for their crime. The rest 42 per cent showed no signs of repentance. Regarding change of heart or selfpurification, 70 per cent accepted having experienced such feelings to some extent, while 30 per cent did not. Almost all the respondents - 94 per cent - expressed personal respect for the Mahatma, with only 5 per cent holding a negative opinion about him, and the remaining 1 per cent holding no opinion.

Courtesy: economictimes.indiatimes.com, October 04, 2006

Back to Index