• Need for spiritual movemnet: Kalam
• Young Indian weaves yoga magic in China
• Global effort to promote peace
• 'Time to seek Indian solution to global conflict resolution'

• Baba Ramdev seeks to spread yoga in Middle East
• His Holiness and former President Kalam launch initative for conflict avoidance
• To transform all religious into a spritual movement: Dr Kalam
• Dalai Lama, Kalam part of global peace initiative

Baba Ramdev, the yoga guru, is conducting a camp here for the first time in which hundreds of people are expected to participate. Organised at the Airport Expo, Dubai from January 25 to 27, the camp is attracting hundreds of enthusiasts. The renowned yoga exponent has come here after successful workshops in the US, Britain, East Africa and Canada. "More than 8,000 people from across the Middle East are expected to attend the workshop that will focus on yogic postures with the breathing techniques called 'Pranayama', and meditation," organisers said. "My target is to create awareness in the Middle East on yoga and teach people of its benefits. I have a vision to make man healthy through his inner powers. Breathing techniques awaken the inner power and the requirement of chemical, salt and hormone in the body reduces", he was quoted as saying by the local media. "I have helped cure more than 1,000 people of cancer through yoga and pranayama (breathing techniques) over a period of time and have scientific documentation to prove it", Ramdev claimed. The Baba also claimed that people participating in his three-day yoga camp here would "definitely lose 2-4 kilos of weight". "I do not do any magic or miracle. Neither do I give any false hopes to people. But everyone can see that people who participate in the camp will lose 2-4 kilos in three days", he said. The camp is organised as a part of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF), which kicked off on January 24.

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, January25, 2008

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His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the former Indian President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam were chief guests yesterday at the formal launch of the Global Foundation for Civilisational Harmony, India (GFCH) at the Chinmaya Mission Hall, in Delhi. GFCH India is a global initiative for conflict avoidance with Indian and Eastern perspective. His Holiness the Dalai Lama successfully completed his 23-days visit to Mungod, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Delhi and returned yesterday to Dharamsala.

His Holiness left Dharamsala on 31 December 2007.

The first leg of His Holiness' journey took him to the Tibetan settlement in Mungod, South India where His Holiness gave teachings from 3 to 13 January 2008. On 14 January His Holiness conferred long life empowerment to the devotees followed by long life offering ceremony for His Holiness. The Central Tibetan Administration presented auspicious offering to His Holiness the Dalai Lama to express its gratitude to the great service, His Holiness has rendered to the Tibetan people in particular and world in general on 7 January. His Holiness left Mungod on 16 January and arrived Bangalore where His Holiness visited Sera Je Monastery's temple and later attended 77 birthday celebrations for Indian leader George Frenandes. His Holiness then left for Ahmedabad on 18 January to launch the Tibet Festival jointly organised by the Department of Information and International Relations of the Central Tibetan Administration, Kanoria Centre for Arts, Darpana Academy and Alliance France d'Ahmedabad. His Holiness the Dalai Lama addressed the students and faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad on business and ethics on 18 January. On 19 January His Holiness spoke on Globalisation and World Peace at the Gujurat Vidyapeeth University. His Holiness also addressed the Tibetan community living in Gujurat and Rajasthan on 19 January. His Holiness the Dalai Lama left Ahmedabad on 20 January for Delhi and on 21 January His Holiness gave a public talk on Ethics and Human Values at the Delhi University Convocation Hall. His Holiness was the chief guest of the formal launch of the Global Foundation for Civilisational Harmony, India on the 22 January. After successfully completing his visits, His Holiness returned back to Dharamsala yesterday afternoon.

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He is popularly known as "Kabbi Laoshi", or Kapil the teacher. At just 27 years, Kapil Gautam is spreading yoga in China where many people believe it is the best way to stay slim. Having mastered Japanese and Spanish in Delhi University, Gautam came to China two years ago to study a new language. He ended up in Shenyang town, about 700 km northeast of Beijing where temperatures dip in winter to a bone chilling 37 degrees. Even as he taught Putong Hua, the dominant Chinese language, Gautam started teaching yoga to a people hungry to know the ancient Indian science. In the process he became a celebrity of sorts as the town's magazines and television channels vied with one another to interview him. Gautam is only one of an estimated 400 yoga teachers from India who have made China their home and are making a mark. But his success came the hard way. When he flew into Beijing in March 2006, Gautam spoke no Chinese and the only person he knew in China was a woman teacher from Shenyang who had persuaded his brother to send Gautam over to learn Putong Hua. He had no idea how to take a flight to Shenyang. A crisis hit him when his plane got diverted to another city due to bad weather and the battery in his mobile phone, the only link to the world, went dead. "How I reached Shenyang and how I managed the initial months without understanding a word of what was taught, I can't forget," Gautam said. "One or two (South) Korean students knew a little English and tried to help me. "I thought I had reached a different planet. It was a different society, a different culture, different customs and different cuisine. I became desperate to get back to Delhi."

But he was urged by people to stay on. His determination to prove himself also helped. Gautam slowly gained confidence. He was soon teaching English to a professor's son, and learning Putong Hua from the young lad too. In just four months, the Indian surprised everyone by becoming a better language student than even most South Koreans who flock to Shenyang. Yoga he had learnt in New Delhi and Haridwar came to Gautam's rescue when someone opened a yoga class. He was taken as a teacher, and quickly became a hit. Soon a bigger school hired him at 5,000 yuan a month. His students were all women, from 20 to 50 years in age, eager to be in good shape. "I teach Hatha yoga, Power yoga and Hot yoga," he explained. "The last two are American varieties which I learnt in China. I am now a familiar face on the streets of Shenyang. "The Chinese are crazy about yoga. Many feel that it is the best way to stay slim all through life." His popularity means that residents of Shenyang pester him constantly about India. "Many think that India is a Buddhist country. When I say I am a Hindu, they are surprised." Gautam quickly added: "But I never talk about religion while teaching yoga. I draw no connection between yoga and Hindu culture. Religion is a sensitive issue here, and I respect that." The humble Gautam, who said it took time for him to make peace with Chinese food, admits there are many better-qualified Indian teachers of yoga in China.

Yoga, he insists, has a great future in this country.

How long will he live in China?

"I am not sure," said Gautam, who now speaks with the locals effortlessly. "If I get better opportunities, I would like to stay on. Otherwise, I am not sure. I have not planned."

Courtesy: www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com, January 22, 2008

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Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam today advocated a three-pronged strategy to promote harmony and peace in the world. He was launching an Eastern initiative, the Global Foundation for Civilisational Harmony (India) here. Kalam, while addressing the gathering of top religious leaders at the Chinmaya Mission Hall, said apart from spreading education with value system, all religions should transform themselves into a spiritual force while removing poverty to create a better society. Children up to the age of 17 years are the right candidates for value-based education to be imparted by mothers, fathers and the primary teachers, he said. The former President said it was not difficult to transform all religions into a spiritual movement if their leaders sit together regularly and find ways to promote harmony and brotherhood. The pace of economic development in the country is likely to alleviate poverty by 2020, he added. The Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, said in order to make the 21st century, an era of peace, values of truth, justice and compassion should be promoted. Though the 20th century was marked by violent incidents, humanity faced serious challenges such as population explosion, depleting natural resources and degrading ecology. Dalai Lama said love, good karmas and secular ethics could help promote compassion among the people. "Anger, hatred, prejudice and fear are eating away into the vitals of the society," he said, adding that the feelings of "I and me" create ego, which is responsible for self-centred attitude, narrowness, hatred and violence.

Earlier, Subhash Chandra, a trustee of the foundation and chairman of the Essel Group, said Asian cultures, particularly Indian civilisation, could contribute towards promoting dialogue to create harmony as it has the tradition of absorbing all cultures and civilisations of its conquerors. The vision of the foundation is to shift from the present civilisational paradigm centered on conflicts to the one of mutual understanding and harmony. In his address, Akal Takht's Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti also sought close and fraternal links among various religions. Mumbai's Archbishop Cardinal Oswal Gracias said the inter-religious dialogue should permeate to the grassroots level to promote understanding among the people of different faiths. Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, head of the Jewish community in Delhi, said India had been a safe sanctuary for the displaced Jews for the past 2,000 years. "While Israel is in our heart, India is in our blood," the Rabbi said, adding that "we all are Indians first, then something else". In his concluding remarks, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of Art of Living asked people to pledge to plant a tree, stop female foeticide and bring back the Naxal youth back to the national mainstream. He said differences were part of the nature but there was need to globalise the spiritual and secular wisdom to ensure a better living. Yoga exponent Swami Ramdev, Chief of Deoband Islamic School Mahmood Ali Madani and Paramahamsa Nityananda also addressed the gathering which included people from all walks of life. Former Delhi Lieut-Governor Vijai Kapoor and former IB Director Ajit Doval were among the attendees.

Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama speaks with guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar during the launch ceremony of the Global Foundation for Civilisational Harmony (India) in New Delhi on Tuesday. - Reuters

Courtesy: www.tribuneindia.com, January 22, 2008

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Former President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam today advocated a three-pronged strategy to promote harmony and peace in the world while launching an Eastern initiative, the Global Foundation for Civilisational Harmony (India), at a glittering ceremony graced by top religious leaders at the Chinmaya Mission Hall in New Delhi. Addressing the function, Dr Kalam said that apart from spreading education with value system, all religions should transform themselves into a spiritual force while removing poverty to create a better society. Children upto the age of 17 years are the right candidates for value-based education to be imparted by mothers, fathers and the primary teachers, he said. The former President said it was not difficult to transform all religions into a spiritual movement if their leaders sit together regularly and find ways to promote harmony and brotherhood. The pace of economic development in the country is likely to alleviate poverty by 2020, he added. Tibetan spiritual leader, Dalai Lama, said in order to make the 21st century, an era of peace, values of truth, justice and compassion should be promoted. Though 20th century was marked by violent incidents, humanity faced serious challenges such as population explosion, depleting natural resources and degrading ecology.

Dalai Lama said love, good karmas and secular ethics could help promote compassion among the people. "Anger, hatred, prejudice and fear are eating away into the vitals of the society," he said, adding that the feelings of "I and me" create ego, which is responsible for self-centred attitude, narrowness, hatred and violence. Earlier, Subhash Chandra, a Trustee of the GFCH and Chairman of the Essel Group , said that Asian cultures, particularly Indian civilization, could contribute towards promoting dialogue to create harmony as it has the tradition of absorbing all the cultures and civilizations of its conquerors. Western society, which is in disarray, is promoting globalisation to create exclusiveness with narrowness while pursuing egoistic tendencies, Chandra said, adding that the GFCH would have multi-pronged strategies to promote harmony in the conflicting areas of the world. While Swami Dayanand Saraswathi emphasized that "dialogue not arguments" was the only way to conflict resolution, Mumbai's Archbishop Cardinal Oswal Gracias said the inter-religious dialogue should permeate to the grassroots level to promote understanding among the people of different faiths. Dialogue at the apex level among the top religious leaders should have theological discussions to share spiritual experiences as well as to identify common beliefs and differences among the religious, the Archbishop said. Rabbi Ezekiel Isaac Malekar, head of the Jewish community in Delhi, said India has been a safe sanctuary for the displaced Jews for the past 2,000 years. "While Israel is in our heart, India is in our blood," the Rabbi said, adding that "we all are Indians first, then something else". In his concluding remarks, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, founder of Art of Living asked people to pledge to plant a tree, stop female foeticide and bring back naxal youths back to the national mainstream. He said differences were part of the nature but there was need to globalise the spiritual and secular wisdom to ensure a better living. Yoga exponent Swami Ramdev, Akal Takht Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti, Chief of Deoband Islamic School Mahmood Ali Madani and Paramahamsa Nityananda also addressed the august gathering which included eminent dignitaries such as former Delhi Lt Governor Vijai Kapoor and former IB Director Ajit Doval. The vision of GFCH (India) is to shift from the present civilisational paradigm centred on conflicts to one of mutual understanding and harmony. The mission of GFCH (India) is to network the eastern and Indian civilisational elements in the West and elsewhere that resonate with the idea of harmony.

Courtesy: www.jansamachar.net, January 22, 2008

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The Dalai Lama and former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will be the chief guests at the launch of the Global Foundation for Civilisational Harmony (India), a global initiative for conflict avoidance with Indian and Eastern perspective. The launch ceremony will be held this coming Tuesday at the Chinmaya Mission Hall here. The GFCH idea is founded on the basic assumption that the Indian and Eastern faiths and civilisations, with their long tradition of peaceful coexistence with diverse faiths and gods, have the propensity and potential to avoid conflicts among faiths, the faithful and gods. The GFCH has been conceived and designed to evolve as a platform to network diverse religious and civilisational forces in India and in the East and other ancient faiths and civilisations in the world. The principle aim of the GFCH in undertaking this exercise is to enhance the initiative and participation of ancient faiths and civilisations in a comprehensive and honest global dialogue to promote the conflict avoidance potential and propensities of different faiths.

Courtesy: www.hindu.com, January 20, 2008

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Several religious leaders, intellectuals, academics, businessmen and activists have pledged to join a global peace initiative working for avoidance of conflicts in various parts of the world. 'Dalai Lama, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Sri Sri Ravishankar, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Mahmood Ali Madani (head of Deoband Islamic School) and several heads of religious institutions will join us Jan 22 to launch the new Global Initiative for Conflict Avoidance,' said Subhas Chandra, head of Zee television network here Wednesday. Chandra, former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vijay Kapoor and former Intelligence Bureau chief Ajit Doval are participants in the Global Foundation for Civilization Harmony (GFCH), the NGO organising the program. Explaining the idea behind the launch of GFCH, Kapoor said, 'In today's world, it is not wise to see conflicts as a clash of civilizations. These conflicts can be solved through management of pluralities. And qualitative changes will come when there is a discourse.' GFCH is another attempt at Track-II diplomacy among nations. Its aim, according to the organisers, is to facilitate exchange of ideas and open dialogue with different social, cultural, spiritual and religious institutions in different parts of the world. 'States have their own limitations and compulsions. GFCH aims at creating a larger orbit cutting beyond the state to deal with the conflicts,' Doval said. 'In this age where terrorism is growing, the enemy is invisible. Here civil society is the biggest sufferer,' he added.

Courtesy: www.indiaenews.com, January 16, 2008

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Terming the ''clash of civilisations'' as a Western construct and monologue, and their prevailing conflict resolution mode, based on use of military hegemony, as unable to ensure lasting peace, a trio of prominent personalities have launched a new global initiative to propagate the Indian method of conflict avoidance. Announcing the launch of Global Foundation for Civilisational Harmony (India), media moghul Subhash Chandra, Intelligence Bureau's ex-director Ajit Doval and Delhi's former Lt Governor Vijai Kapoor said the initiative was to enhance the hitherto meagre Indian/Eastern contribution in the global debate on civilisational issues. ''The West, or rather if we use the word developed world, is partly responsible for the current situation of the world. It is time to seek an Indian/Eastern perspective to the solution,'' Mr Chandra said, citing prominent historians Will Durant and Arnold Toynbee to support his contention. Mr Kapoor also stressed that the Western 'hegemonic' way was not the solution, and the GFCH would endeavour to promote a 'new way of thinking.' In his comments, Mr Doval held that two current trends had made such initiatives necessary. ''Military superiority is no longer a guarantee of social and economic security, as in asymmetric warfare, it is longer certain that the powerful side can achieve its political goals, and science and technology have led to the development of human destruction to the capacity, that it can be beyond state control,'' he said. The GFCH is concerned at the West-centric response to emerging conflicts, which sees it a clash between modernity and traditions, the three said, terming it an ''over-simplification of a complex issue.'' The Foundation will be formally launched on January 22 by former President A P J Abdul Kalam and Nobel Peace prize laureate and Tibetan leader Dalai Lama. Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha Swami Dayananda Saraswati will preside over the function, while other prominent religious and spiritual leaders including Art of Life founder Sri Sri Ravishankar, yoga proponent Swami Ramdev, head of Deoband seminary Dr Mahmood Ali Madani, Mumbai Archbishop Cardinal Oswald Gracias, Akal Takht's Chief Jathedar Joginder Singh Vedanti and from the Jain and Jewish communities will also be present. A book titled 'Transcending Conflicts -- the Indian and Eastern Way,' edited by a board of eminent scholars headed by Dr Kireet Joshi, will be released on the occasion. The book contains 20 articles by distinguished scholars, thinkers and activists.

Courtesy: www.webindia123.com, January 16, 2007

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