Phalgun 5, 2065 Vik Samvat, Yugabda 5110, February 16, 2008

1. FESTIVALS: Vijaya Ekadashi, otherwise known as Vaikunta Ekadashi, falls on Magh / Phalgun Krishna 11, this year on February 20. Skandapurana reports Bhagwan SriKrishna explaining the importance of the fasting on this day to Yudhisthira, "Whoever observes it certainly achieves success and will always be victorious in this life and the next. All the sins of one who fasts and hears its sublime glories are eradicated". Also, Lord Prudhyuman alongwith his wife Dhi is prayed with Tulsi leaves and lemon. It is also the birthday of second Sarsanghchalak of RSS Golwalkar Guruji and programs are held at many shakhas to remember various anecdotes from Sri Guruji's inspiring life.
2. III INTERNATIONAL CONF OF ELDERS IN NAGPUR: organized by International Center for Cultural studies (ICCS) and World Council of Elders was held at Nagpur from Feb 1-4. With a participation of over 250 delegates including 100 from 32 nationalities like Maya, Inca, Druid etc., the conference saw a reunion of children of Mother Earth who share same beliefs and ideas despite being separated by race, religion and geography.
The inauguration ceremony was preceded by a colorful procession of delegates and various local troupes in their traditional costumes and bands. Prof. Samdong Rinpoche (Prime Minister, Tibet Govt. in Exile) was the chief Guest and Sushree Pramilatai Medhe (Pramukh Sanchalika, Rashtra Sevika Samiti) presided over the program.
On all 4 days, delegates demonstrated their ancestral practices of worship, prayers, rituals and other traditional preserves like music, dance, and short stories. The theme of the conference was 'Renaissance of Ancient Traditions - Challenges and Solutions' and over 50 papers were presented in various sessions on topics like, 'peace and conflict', 'environment' and poverty etc. A 'Nagpur Manifesto' was unanimously adopted which declared that "We have equal rights to follow our own traditions, rituals, philosophies …." and that "We shall work towards creating an atmosphere of mutual understanding amongst all peoples and all faiths, reviving ancient traditions and customs which are in tune with scientific and spiritual knowledge ...."
The concluding function was addressed by RSS Sarkaryavaha Mohan Bhagwat along with blessings by Poojya Swami Prasanna Chaturvedi. On Feb 5, visit of delegates in 17 schools and colleges of Nagpur exalted over 30,000 students about such ancient traditions.
The conference saw spread and consolidation of the movement with old and new faces coming together, proposed centers of research of ancient traditions around the globe and the promised reunion in Feb 2012.
3. SAVE THE LIVES OF TAMILS TRAPPED IN LANKA WAR: Shri R V S Marimuthu and DR M L Raja (the Presidents of South and North Tamil Nadu, RSS respectively) have expressed concern over the plight of over 2.5 lakh Tamils trapped in the war zone in Sri Lanka, through a press statement issued on Feb 10. While stating that terrorism in any form and under any disguise is not acceptable in the modern democratic world the statement cautions the SL govt. that while tackling terror it must be ensured that the human cost of the war is minimal.
The statement has further appealed the Sri Lankan Government that while delivering its sovereign responsibility of waging the war on terror, it must do its best to ensure that the life and limb of the civilian Tamil population is zealously protected. It also must do everything to safeguard the civil and political rights of the Tamils who are verily nationals of Sri Lanka and so must be treated as equal citizens.
The statement urges the Bharatiya Government to act proactively and do utmost to ensure that the lives and rights of the civilian and loyal Tamil population of the Northern Sri Lanka are protected.
4. SURYA NAMASKARS IN USA, KENYA, JAIPUR….: SuryaNamaskar Yadnya - a marathon of SuryaNamaskars, usually held from MakarSankranti to RathaSaptami is gaining ground worldwide with successful programs in US, Kenya, Singapore and various places in Bharat.
HSS-US successfully organized the event for third year in a row in which about 6500 participants performed over 696,663 salutations. The highlight was Nancy Maclaine, yoga trainer in a minimum security prison in Austin, Texas who initiated this yoga exercise in the prison cell for the inmates. HSS received proclamations in many cities who declared the day as SuryaNamaskar day.
Hindu Sevika Samiti, Kenya also orgasnized the Yadnya, for the first time on Feb 1, where 20 sevikas participated. In all the Kenya score was 91 participants with 7000 namaskars.
Rajasthan unit of Kreeda Bharati organised SNY at 415 places of the state on February 2. A total of 3,55,000 people including students of various schools performed 18 lakh Suryanamaskars. More than 31,000 students of 315 schools in Jaipur participated in the function at eight places. Reputed sportspersons, retired army officers and various distinguished persons of the state participated in the functions.
5. BHUTANESE REFUGEE EMPOWERMENT PROJECT: More than 110,000 Lhotshampas from Bhutan took refuge in Nepal due to a conflict with Drukpas during 1985-94. The United States has volunteered to resettle 60,000 of these refugees, with the remainder going to other developed nations in what is described as one of the world's largest resettlement efforts undertaken by UN.
These refugees are given only a few months of support and their most pressing needs are for financial assistance, employment, and basic materials.
Sewa International USA has taken up a nationwide project, in over 20 centers along with various local organizations, to fulfill the immediate and longer-term needs of these refugees by providing financial help, essential materials such as blankets, winter jackets, clothes, toys etc., vocational training and employment assistance and helping in transitioning to a new environment while preserving their culture. For more information please see www.sewausa.org.
6. BHARAT'S SECRET N-SUBMARINE PROJECT NEARING COMPLETION: In a boost to Bharat's long-standing aim to have "a nuclear weapon triad", defence minister A K Antony on Feb 11 said the secretive program to construct indigenous nuclear submarines was on the verge of completion now.
The Navy hopes to get the first such operational submarine by 2012 or so. Concurrently, DRDO is also working on the K-15 submarine-launched ballistic missile, which will later be integrated with the submarine. In all, five ATVs are planned under the program.
The entire aim behind the ATV program is to have nuclear-powered submarines, armed with nuclear-tipped cruise or ballistic missiles, to ensure 'credible' second-strike capabilities in consonance with Bharat's 'no-first use' nuclear doctrine.
7. MUSLIM POPULATION MULTIPLIED 10 TIMES FASTER IN UK: Immigration, higher birthrates and conversions to Islam are considered as major factors behind rise of the Muslim population in UK by more than 5 lakhs to 2.4 million in just four years.
Experts have also suggested a growing willingness among believers to describe themselves as Muslims because the western reaction to war and terrorism had strengthened their sense of identity.
The Muslim population multiplied 10 times faster than the rest of society, the research by the Office for National Statistics done during the period of 2004-2008 reveals. In the same period the number of Christians in the country fell by more than 2 million.
"The implications are very substantial. Some of the Muslim population, by no means all of them, are the least socially and economically integrated of any in the UK... and the one most associated with political dissatisfaction," David Coleman, Professor of Demography at Oxford University was quoted as saying by 'The Times'.
8. VIRAT SANT SAMMELAN IN MUMBAI: To counter increasing terrorism and terror activities in the country the seers have decided to organise public meetings across the country between February 20 and March 20. Decision to this effect was taken at a Sant Sammelan organised in Mumbai on January 30.
Addressing more than one lakh people Sant Asaram Bapu who presided over the sammelan said together we have to end terrorism from within and outside the country. For the uplift of the poor, those who are able should provide education, health care and employment to them.
Sadhvi Ritambhara exhorted the gathering saying that Bharat would not rest until the dream of united Bharat is achieved.
Others present at the Sammelan included VHP president Shri Ashok Singhal, Swami Hansraj, Jain Muni Vimal Sagar Maharaj with a galaxy of other seers and dharmacharyas.
9. BHARAT'S PER CAPITA INCOME DOUBLED IN LAST 7 YEARS: The average Bharatiya's income in 2007-08 has nearly doubled since the turn of the millennium and even adjusting for inflation, it has risen over 50% in this period.The quick estimates of per capita income for 2007-08, put out by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO), peg per capita income for that year at Rs 33,283 in current prices. In 2000-01, the per capita income was only Rs 16,688 or roughly half of the 2007-08 figures.
In inflation-adjusted or real terms, the growth in incomes has been much more modest, but by no means insignificant. In terms of constant (1999-2000) prices, the per capita income was Rs 16,173 in 2000-01 and rose to Rs 24,295 by 2007-08. That's a rise of just a little more than 50% over a seven-year period.
10. A CELEBRATION OF DEVOTION: Colorful, extravagantly decorated kavadis dance to the loud music coming from the gaily-coloured stalls where crowds gather for free lunch and drinks. In the background someone yells, “She’s in a trance!” others recite prayers chanting “vel vel!” and “haro-hara!” Everyone’s having a good time and with piety at that. It’s Thaipusam in Penang - Malaysia.
Thaipusam is all about kavadis. Legend has it that Idumban, an ardent follower of the Lord Muruga, once decided that he wanted to bathe the murthi of the Lord in milk. Murugan inhabits hillocks, in this case the hill of Palani. So Idumban slung two pots of milk on a piece of wood and carried them up the hill across his shoulders. Thus, the paal kavadi was born.
Idumban was given a place of honour in Murugan worship. He has his temple at the base of the hillock while Murugan rules the hilltop. For a kavadi bearer, the process begins long before Thaipusam with the fasting - or in most cases - the abstinence period.
11. GLOBAL VIPASSANA PAGODA INAUGURATED IN MUMBAI: Mumbai's newest landmark, the majestic 325-feet tall Global Vipassana Pagoda, the tallest pillar-less dome in the world, was dedicated as a world monument of peace and harmony by Rashtrapati Pratibha Patil on Feb 8.
Vipassana, an ancient Bharatiya meditation technique which is a rational process of mental purification through self-observation, is practiced in 140 countries, irrespective of caste, class, religion, race or sex.
The pagoda, a dream project of 85-year-old Satyanarain Goenka, the moving spirit of Vipassana, has been designed by architect Chandubhai Sompura on the lines of the She Dagon Pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar. It is a hollow structure, having a dome of 280 feet diameter- three times the size of the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, Karnataka. Below it is a massive 6,000-sq mt pillar-less meditation hall which can accommodate 8,000 people at a time. The original bone relics of Gautam Buddha, donated by the Sri Lankan government and the Mahabodhi Society of Bharat, have been enshrined in the central locking stone of the dome.
12. BHARAT LOGS OVER 2 LAKH TRADITIONAL FORMULATIONS: In what is the world's first Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) over 200 scientists and researchers from the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Union health ministry's department of Ayush, after eight years of toil, have scientifically converted information of over two lakh traditional Bharatiya medicine formulations from Hindi, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Tamil to five international languages - English, Japanese, French, German and Spanish.
The TKDL, 30 million pages of information, has been created to prevent those living abroad from claiming patent for existing formulations. Bharat, till now, has lost over 15,000 patents of medicinal plants to the West.
According to CSIR DG Prof Samir Brahmchari, on an average, it takes five to seven years to oppose a granted patent internationally and costs Rs 1-3 crore. "Therefore, the cost of protecting all ISM formulations in the absence of TKDL would be staggering and completely unaffordable" Brahmchari said. "If TKDL existed earlier, then international disputes regarding patenting of neem, turmeric and basmati would not have occurred" CSIR's Dr Gupta said.
13. CHANCELESS TON: The Bharatiya Moon shot, ISRO's Chandrayaan-I, has completed the first hundred days of its two-year mission after a flawless lift-off and successful injection into lunar orbit. Besides looking for water-ice in the permanently shadowed Polar Regions, it's designed, among other things, to conduct chemical and mineralogical mapping and to carry out radiation, magnetic and topographical field tests to determine the Moon's early history and evolution. To this end the scientific payload on board consists of a range of 11 specialized instruments of which five have been developed indigenously and the rest supplied by NASA, the European Space Agency and other countries. So far Chandrayaan-I has already detected the presence of iron-bearing minerals on the Moon, picked up X-ray signatures of aluminum, magnesium and silicon three of the six elements it has been designed to detect and taken over 100,000 high resolution photographs. The latter include a set of spectacular three-dimensional images of the Moon's very deep craters around the South Pole that have never been viewed till now. According to ISRO, the probe has surpassed all performance expectations and its instruments are functioning exceedingly well. They should be able to map out the composition of the Moon in much greater detail than has ever been done to settle a long-running debate about how the Earth's only natural satellite was formed. (Excerpts from Times of India - Editorail Feb 7, 2009)
14. SWAMI LAXMANANANDA'S MURDER- MAOISTS SPLIT ON COMMUNAL LINES: (By Debasis Tripathy in Bhubaneswar)
A new organisation is going to be formed by those Maoist ultras who oppose the murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. These Maoist members have declared themselves the supporters of deceased Swamiji who dedicated his entire life for the service of the poor Vanvasis. The ultras also disclose some bitter facts relating to rape committed by Christians of Hindu Vanvasis in Kandhamal. In some literature distributed in Raikia of Kandhamal, it has been alleged that Radhakant Nayak, Congress MP and Christian missionaries are responsible for riots in Kandhamal and Maoists had no enmity with Swamiji.
The Orissa Crime Branch charge sheet against seven Kandhamal-based Christians in the killing of revered Swami Laxamanananda Saraswati and four others including a woman sannyasin, has vidicated the Bajrang Dal stand that the murder was the handiwork of local Church zealots. The Maoists might have been hired to provide “logistic support” to the criminals behind the brutal murders, Orissa Crime Branch sources said.
15. RSS PATHSANCHALAN IN BHU: RSS Swayamsevaks took out a pathsanchalan in Benaras on the foundation day of Benaras Hindu University (BHU) on January 31. Following the rhythm of ghosh, the uniformed swayamsevaks were marching behind the vehicle carrying the huge pictures of RSS founder Dr Hedgewar, Shri Guruji and founder of BHU Madan Mohan Malaviya.
Talking about the close relations between RSS and Mahamana, Vibhag Bauddhik Pramukh Prof. Virendra Jaiswal said both Dr Hedgewar and Malviyaji were great organisers and they promoted, cooperated and inspired all the activities which aimed at strengthening the Hindu society. “Malaviyaji even got an RSS shakha started in BHU campus and also helped in constructing the Sangh Karyalaya, which was later demolished by anti-Hindu forces during the Emergency” he added.
16. BIHAR CABINET MEETS IN VILLAGE: At a historic two-hour-long cabinet meeting in a huge pandal at Birbighi village, 18 km from Begusarai and 140 km from Patna, the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government on Feb 10 decided to set up two state corporations - Bihar State Road Construction Corporation and Bihar State Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation.
The meeting assumes significance as it was perhaps the first of its kind in the hinterland. Almost all ministers and top babus along with an army of secretariat staff were present here. Earlier, Nitish and his ministers had their lunch sitting on the ground.
Curiosity and excitement were writ large on faces of the ministers and others. People at many places accorded them warm welcome with band parties and garlands lined up to greet them.
17. KASHMIR GETS RAIL LINK, INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS: Jammu and Kashmir got a twin boost with a rail link, the world's second highest train project, covering 100 km from Anantnag to Baramullah, criss-crossing five districts. The Srinagar airport has now obtained the international status and the first direct flight to Dubai took off on Feb 14.
Excitement is running high in the Valley. Ghulam Rasool Bhat, president of the Kashmir Fruit Growers' Association, said, "It is an opening that would go a long way in improving the situation in the Valley, as people would have a look at the world outside and how peace helps destinations like Dubai to prosper and improve the image of our Kashmir as well." Bhat, who was part of the 'Muzaffarabad Chalo' call in August, now says this is a "much better confidence-building measure than the road to Muzaffarabad."
18. FBI OFFICIALS TO BE WITNESSES IN KASAB'S TRIAL: Mumbai police has got the American Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials as witnesses in the trial of Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist caught alive in 26/11 attack. In a rare incident a foreign investigation agency is being made witness in a case in Bharat which will prove the veracity of the investigation.
FBI has helped in tracing the Pakistani ownership of Yamaha engine fitted on the sea vessel and the weapons and ammunition found with the terrorists and their conversation details on satellite phones and VoIP links. FBI has got a legal locus in the case because casualties included American nationals, requiring it to register an independent case.
19. TATA HIRES OVER 1,650 TEMPORARY WORKERS: Country's largest commercial vehicles maker Tata Motors is hiring over 1,650 temporary workers for its Jamshedpur plant as it looks to drive on the recovery path.The plant had last year disengaged over 700 temporary workers as production fell due to a severe sales slump.The hiring of temporary workers comes on the heels of Tata Motors recording healthy commercial vehicles sales in January at 17,373 units, its highest in three months.
20. BHARAT SIGNS PACT WITH FRENCH FIRM FOR 6 N-REACTORS: Bharat on Feb 4 signed its first commercial pact to build atomic power plants with French company Areva after a 34-year-old international embargo on nuclear trade was lifted.
Besides supplying two European Pressurized Reactors of 1650 MW each for nuclear plants at Jaitapur in Maharashtra, Areva has committed to supply fuel for the lifetime of the reactors, which is pegged at about 60 years. Though the MoU provides for supply of two nuclear reactors, the order may be stepped up to six at a later date.
21. APPEAL FROM SEWA OZ: The devastating bushfires in Victoria and NSW have resulted in extensive loss of lives, properties, flora and fauna on an unprecedented scale not seen in Australia before. SEWA Australia is planning to support the victims by donating to Victorian Fire Brigades fund. It has appealed the donors to support the cause by contacting at 1300 00 7392 or at info@sewainternational.org.au.
22. AERO EVENT KICKED OFF IN BANGLORE: South Asia's biggest airshow opened in Bangalore on Feb 11 with nearly 600 armament and aerospace companies from 25 countries showcasing their latest hardware in a chase for multi-billion dollar contracts with the Bharatiya military.
Bharat says it is "fast-tracking" all arm procurement negotiations amid the heightened tensions with Pakistan and plans to hand out contracts worth 30 billion dollars in the next three to four years. Besides the 126 fighter jets, transport aircraft and airborne early warning systems, military also plans to buy 700 helicopters worth 3.5 billion dollars and an array of air defence systems.
Bharat also hopes to find buyers for a supersonic cruise missile it has jointly built with Russia.
23. SHREE VISHWA NIKETAN: Visitors: Sh. Indravadan Gandhi & family UK, Smt Kokilaben & Sh. Ramesh Shah USA. Pravas: Sh Bheeshmachari is back in Australia after his Bharat visit.
24. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Those who see Truth and speak Truth, Their bodies and minds become truthful. Truth is their evidence, Truth is their instruction, True is the praise of the truthful. Those who have forgotten Truth cry in agony and weep while departing. - Adi Granth
JAI SHREE RAM

MAHATMA GANDHI WOULD HAVE RESORTED TO SATYAGRAHA AGAINST PUBS
Justice (Retd) Dr M Rama Jois
The recent physical and spoken assault on women going to pubs in Mangalore by those calling themselves Sri Ram Sainiks has been highly unjust and indecent and has very rightly come in for severe condemnations far and wide in the country. This is the evidence of sanctity attached to womanhood and the highest esteem in which the women are held in Bharatiya culture. As defined in Times of India (31-1-09), pub culture decoded the term stands for women drinking and socialising with men in public places, the desire behind this is obviously carnal between males and females who are not husband and wife. If Ram Sainiks honestly believed that going of boys and girls to pubs resulted in their moral and material abandonment, which is injurious to national interest, the method of opposing it should have been in conformity with the approved moral and civilised behaviour. Their indulging in indecent and violent attack against pub-goers including women is condemnable and constitutes an offence punishable. The Government of Karnataka has rightly arrested them and initiated criminal proceedings against them.
It is for this reason, Mahatma Gandhi declared that the means through which an end is to be achieved should be just and fair. It is on this principle, Mahatma Gandhi adopted the path of non-violence in the freedom struggle against unjust foreign rule. It is because he succeeded in this unique method adopted in human history, he became Mahatma and came to be respected by the whole world in view of the great faith Mahatma Gandhi had in non-violent methods. The firm belief of Mahatma Gandhi in morality and good character is evidenced by the firm stand he had taken against consumption of intoxicated liquors. In his book entitled My Picture of Free India written on the eve of achieving political independence, he unequivocally declared as follows:-
“I hold drinking spirituous liquors in India to be more criminal than the petty thefts which I see starving men and women committing and for which they are prosecuted and punished… I advocate the summary punishment of those who manufacture the fiery liquid and those even who persist in drinking it notwithstanding repeated warnings. I do not hesitate forcibly to prevent my children from rushing into fire or deep waters. Rushing to red water is far more dangerous than rushing to a raging furnace or flooded stream. The latter destroys only the body, the former destroys both body and soul.”
This view of Mahatma Gandhi indicates that he was very firm on preventing youths falling into the injurious habit of consumption of intoxicating liquors or drugs. By and large youths go to pubs to satisfy their sensual desires without realising that it is sure to result in moral and material abandonment and they will become unfit to bear the family or social responsibilities. Therefore, it is not correct to call it pub culture, as it is a vice and not a virtue. It is therefore clear that if Mahatma Gandhi were to be alive, he would have resorted to satyagraha in protest against youths going to pubs but in a peaceful and civilised manner as it is well known that as part of struggle for freedom, Mahatma Gandhi had directed Congressmen to boycott liquor shops and even resort to picketing liquor shops. In view of this forceful idea of Mahatma Gandhi, Article 47 was incorporated in the Constitution directing the Union and the States to make law prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors. Moreover, Article 39(c) mandates the Union and the States to take necessary steps to protect children and youth against their moral and material abandonment. In accordance with the views of Mahatma Gandhi and the directive of Article 47, law prohibiting manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquor was enacted in Karnataka after independence. It was in force till 1957.
The Congress Party which claims to be the followers of Mahatma Gandhi repealed the law prohibiting manufacture and sale of liquors in 1957 in Karnataka. Smt. Yashodharamma Dasappa, a true Gandhian and brave woman, resigned her ministership protesting against such a step. In spite of this, loyalty to liquor proved to be more powerful than to Mahatma Gandhi and the Constitution. Liquor shops are permitted to be opened in all commercial as well as residential localities like hotels and restaurants. It is significant and surprising that large number of liquor shops are allowed on Mahatma Gandhi Road and its vicinity. Pubs belong to the same category. Developing the habit of going to pubs by youth is sure to result in their moral and material abandonment. Under the Constitution, the State has been under a duty to ensure protection against such moral and material abandonment. I am certain that if Mahatma Gandhi were to be alive, he would have launched a powerful satyagraha and picketing against pubs. If Sri Ram Sainiks honestly felt so and wanted to protest it to protect youths in national interest, they should have resorted to non-violent satyagraha and picketing. But instead of doing so, the indecent attack made on women is most condemnable and onslaught on the most cherished value of womanhood in our culture. Such a situation is the direct result of failure to implement Articles 47 and 39 of the Constitution. The wide and expanding pub activities and the importance attached to sensual desires by large number of youths indicate what Swami Vivekananda stated a century ago, which has become true. He had said:
“Shall India die? Then from the world all spirituality will be extinct, all moral perfection will be extinct, all sweet-souled sympathy for religion will be extinct, all ideality will be extinct, and in its place will reign the duality of lust and luxury as the male and female deities, with money as its priest fraud, force and competition as its ceremonies, and the human soul as its sacrifice.”
The situation is alarming. Substantial number of youths are falling to bad and immoral carnal desires resulting in their moral and material abandonment, which is highly injurious to the future of our nation, because youths are inflammable material like petrol, if enlightened and regulated they constitute enormous source of energy for the nation, but if ignited, they would be disastrous like forest fire. This is a matter for serious consideration by all right-thinking persons.
(The author is a Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha), former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court and former Governor of Jharkhand and Bihar. ) Organiser Feb 15, 2009

YOGA BEYOND RELIGION
Firoz Bakht Ahmed
I follow all the Islamic tenets in the right interpretation and spirit and so, I can say that there is no such thing as yoga being haram (disallowed) in Islam. Rather, I have found that Islamic yoga is a reality. It is possible to employ the skills of yoga to worship Allah better and to be a better Muslim.
Issuing fatwa declaring yoga anti-Islamic by some Malaysian and Indonesian ulema is nothing but misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the fact that yoga and namaz are almost identical.
Having practiced yoga during my school days, I found that it can easily be integrated with the Islamic life; in fact the two assist one another. Not only is there no conflict, but Islam and yoga together make a mutually beneficial holistic synergy.
Both are agreed that, while the body is important as a vehicle on the way to spiritual realization and salvation, the human being's primary identity is not with the body but with the eternal spirit.
Maintaining a healthy and fit body is a requirement in Islam, which teaches a Muslim that his or her body is a gift from Allah. Yoga happens to be one of the most potential common grounds between Hindus and Muslims.
The purposes of yoga and Tariqat-e-Naqshbandi (Sufi lifestyle) are apparently similar since both aim at achieving mystical union with the ultimate reality namely Brahma or Allah. Islamic mysticism is undoubtedly impacted by the uncanny Vedic and Buddhist influences desiring to achieve mystical union with the Supreme Being or as one may also call nirvana or fana (a term used by the Sufis).
The Indian Muslims' love affair with yoga is a complex thing, born of many factors. There's the general disenchantment with strict, orthodox Islam of the myopic clerics and the accompanying pull to alternative forms of spirituality.
Yoga, according to Ashraf F Nizami's book 'Namaz, the Yoga of Islam' (published by D B Taraporevala, Mumbai 1977) is not a religion. Rather, it is a set of techniques and skills that enhance the practice of any religion. Nizami writes that in namaz, various constituents like sijdah is like half shirshasana while qayam is vajrasana in the same way as ruku is paschimothanasana.
Even Father M Dechanel wrote a book on Christian yoga recording that practicing yoga is encouraged because it is a way towards the realization of Christian teachings.
According to Badrul Islam, a yoga instructor at a government academy in Dehradun, one of the most obvious correspondences between Islam and yoga is the resemblance of salat (five-time prayer a day) to the physical exercises of yoga asanas. The root meaning of the word salat is 'to bend the lower back', as in yoga; the Persians translated this concept with the word namaz, from a verbal root meaning 'to bow', etymologically related to the Sanskrit word namaste.
Since the yogic metaphysic of Advaita Vedanta is in perfect accordance with the Islamic doctrine of tauhid (God's oneness), there is perfect compatibility between Islam and yoga on the highest level.
The 'Book of Sufi Healing' by Hakim G M Chishti clearly states that life, from its beginning till the end, is one continuous set of breathing practices. However, in Tariqat-e-Naqshabandiyah, the Sufi tradition of Islam, breathing practice has been there exactly as in yoga. The Quran, in addition to all else it may be, is a set of breathing practices.
The enigmatic and most revered Qari (one who melodiously recites Quran) Abdul Basit of Egypt, whose recitation of the Quran is considered the best till date, practiced breathing exercise exactly similar to pranayam and was able to recite a surah by holding his breath for such a long duration that even the medical experts were amazed. However, no one told the Qari that he did it with yoga.
Nowadays, yoga is commercially promoted for health and repel diseases. In fact, less exercise owing to long office hours on computers is one of diseases of modern world. Cars, motorcycles and computers are our main pulse beat of contemporary life. People no longer think about physical and spiritual exercises, which make a good excuse for Muslims to be offered yoga practice.
Besides, many western societies are materialistic and for limitless monetary gains people would fall prey to rat race and superiority whereas their spiritual sides remain void. Forms of yoga such as Patanjali, Tantra, Sankhya and Dhyana, among others, are non-religious as even the atheists can practice them. Yoga today is a way of life for the followers of all religions.
The place of yoga in the lives of most Muslims will not be shifted by the fatwas of Indonesian and Malayian ulemas. Those who practice will practice, the so-called super-pious will frown. Even in the Middle East and Iran, yoga is a pet with Muslims.
Most Muslims in India are dazed that the all-encompassing credentials of yoga need to be debated. Let's appreciate that at this time, the pro-yoga fatwa by the renowned Darul Uloom Deoband seminary has given it a clean chit and Swami Ramdev has also given the green signal that Muslims can substitute Allah for Ohm, but was it really required?
Quite interestingly, the word Ohm, according to Urdu or Arabic alphabet, is formed from three alphabets - Alif, Wao and Meem. If we consider the abbreviations of these, Alif means Allah, Wao or wa means 'and' while Meem means Mohammed. It shows that Ohm is a confluence of Allah and Mohammed. May be some super-pious will also frown upon me on this word play. (Firoz Bakht Ahmed is a commentator on social and educational issues.) Times of India, Feb 8, 2009.

Magh 19, 2065 Vik Samvat, Yugabda 5110, 1 February 2009

1. FESTIVALS: Mahashivaraatri "Great Night of Shiva" celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha of the month of Magh or Phalgun falls on 23rd February this year. The festival is celebrated by offerings of Bael (Bilva) leaves to the Lord Shiva, all day fasting and an all night vigil. There are many stories associated with Shivaraatri and its origins. It is believed that the Goddess Parvati worshiped her husband Shiva to save the earth from ‘Pralaya’ by praying through the long period of deluge. Her prayer was granted and the night for the worship of Ishwara by mortals is named Maha-Sivaraatri. Also, story tells Shiva once replied Parvati that the 13th night of the new moon, during the month of Magh, is his most favourite day.
2. IIIrd LAKSHMANRAO BHIDE MEMORIAL LECTURE IN MUMBAI: Vishwa Adhyayyan Kendra (VAK), Mumbai and Keshav Srushti jointly organized the 3rd Lakshmanrao Bhide Memorial Lecture on 16th January at the Kalina Campus, University of Mumbai. Shri Sanjay Kelapure, President of VAK, welcomed the gathering while Dr.Shankar Tatwawadi, Vishwa Vibhag Samyojak gave a brief life profile of Late Sh.Lakshmanrao Bhide.
The Keynote address was given by Shri Ram Madhav, member of the National Executive of RSS on the topic ‘From Chanakya to Chandrayaan – Our Global Vision’. He traced the ancient civilization of Bharat when Chanakya had put his thoughts on state craft in his book 'the Arthashashtra'. Shri Madhav mentioned that Bharat has come a long way from Chanakya to Chandrayaan and Bharatiya civilization is identified with great thinkers - Sri Aurobindo, Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi. Having just returned from China Sri Ram Madhav stressed the emergence of China as a Super Power. Communism, he said, is breaking down in China and slowly it is rising like capitalist America. The lecture was followed by question – answer session.
Dr. Shantilal K. Somaiya, veteran Industrialist and educationist was the Chief Guest and Shri Mahendra Kumar Kabra, Chairman Management Committee of Ram Ratna Vidya Mandir- Keshav Srushti, presided over the function. A goodwill message sent by the former Chief Justice of Bharat Shri P.N Bhagwati was also read out.
3. NEW BMS OFFICE IN NEW DELHI – DATTOPANT THENGDI BHAVAN: RSS Sarsanghchalak Shri K S Sudarshan inaugurated the new office of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) at Deendayal Upadhyay Marg in New Delhi on Jan 21. Speaking at the function Sh.sudarshan said, “Making the labourers aware of their rights, Thengdiji exhorted them to follow their duties too. He presented a new concept before the labourers about the world. He founded a nationalist labour organization which became number one in the country.”
“The new office has been constructed with the cost of Rs. 1.5 crore and the entire money has been contributed by BMS workers” informed BMS President Sh. Girish Awasthi. Sh. Madan Das, Sah-Sarkaryavah, RSS, Sh. Lakshma Reddy, BMS general Secretary were present at the function.
4. PARADE VETERANS MARCHING ON: Somewhere among the 5000-odd participants marching down Rajpath on Jan 26 were two soldiers tied by their patriotic threads.
While Lieutenant Colonel Jasram Singh, the oldest surviving Ashok Chakra awardee, is a veteran who hasn’t missed a parade since 1968, Major General KJS Oberoi commanded the marchpast, something he dreamt of as an NCC cadet in the 1968 R-day carnival.
An impressive parade, with armed forces in battle regalia proudly marching before their supreme commander, scintillating show of air power, and colourful tableaux depicting the culture was watched by Republic Day chief guest Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, President Smt.Pratibha Patil and other dignitaries.
Maharashtra Police ATS chief Hemant Karkare, Additional Commissioner Ashok Kamte and four others killed fighting Pakistani terrorists in Mumbai were among nine security personnel who received the Ashok Chakra, the country's highest peace-time gallantry medal. The Padma awards announced this year included Anil Kakodkar and G.Madhavan Nair from Scientific field and noted environmentalist Sundarlal Bahuguna for Padma Vibhushan.
5. COALITION FOR PEACE AT WHITE HOUSE: While more than one million people were jubilantly dancing and celebrating Barack Obama’s assuming office; Hindu groups from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Washington, D.C. and Virginia, in cooperation with Jewish, Christians and Sikh organizations, under the banner of Coalition for Peace, staged a successful demonstration in front of White House from 1.00 to 4:00 p.m. in the freezing temperatures. The organizers and activists, over 100 in number, were interviewed by professional media and private bloggers. In addition to that thousands of onlookers evinced keen interest in the demonstration and wanted to know more about radical Islamic movement in America.
6. FOURTH BHARATVANSHI GAURAV SAMMAN PRESENTED TO HST, MAURITIUS: “Bharatvasi (Bharatiya citizens) and Bharatvanshi (people of Bharatiya origin) together constitute a formidable global Bharatiya community which has excelled in diverse fields,” said former Deputy Prime Minister Shri LK Advani while presenting the fourth Bharatvanshi Gaurav Samman to the Human Service Trust (HST) of Mauritius in New Delhi on January 11. The function was organised by the Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad (ARSP) to celebrate its 30th anniversary.
The award, comprising a citation and rupees one lakh, is awarded every year to a PIO/NRI social activist or an institution for outstanding contribution in the filed of service to the society in Bharat or abroad. Apart from Shri Prem Boojhawon, popularly known as Munshiji, president of HST, Mauritius, who received the award, Shri Shashank, Shri J.C.Sharma, Shri Baleshwar Agrawal - ARSP spoke at the function.
7. MY FIRST ENCOUNTER WITH SANGH: My understanding of Shakha is, to improve ourselves first before rectifying others. Shakha is conducted to instill discipline in human beings, they play games to imbibe the sense of team building, and they conduct baithaks (meetings) to share views. By all these, they inculcate the quality of strong disposition in individuals as strong character individuals are the ingredients of the great society and that in turn constitutes the well-built nation.
My husband was the first person to introduce me with the RSS. He gave me a lot of insights regarding nation building, society formation etc. But I was not at all convinced with him that why in free Bharat we still have to join such an organisation. Then I started reading books on it still none satisfied me completely. On January 4, 2009, I got the opportunity to be a participant of IT and Management symposium in Mavalankar hall in which RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Mohanrao Bhagwat was the chief speaker. After listening to his views, all my wrong perceptions about the RSS got demystified.
According to me “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is bringing our country back to the same glory of Hindu psyche with unity, humanity, and patriotism… and “the building of character of individual which eventually leads to the building of nation is being done by the way of Shakha”..
There were over eleven hundred participants in the symposium and I guess more than half of them were naive like me who had heard about the existence of RSS and Shakha but were not well aware of their vision, mission and plans… I am writing this for all those who belong to my kind of category…
Many of us want to do something different that provides us the utmost satisfaction, apart from routine jobs. But failing to do so, we keep frustrating. We should feel proud that the RSS has provided us a platform to give vent to our smoldering frustration. I would not have quoted this had I not been a participant of the seminar. We could use RSS as a tool to share the correct information, to make analysis, and propose our opinions. It’s essential that the authenticated information reaches the mass and it could be done via the medium of IT Milan….
At the onset of our union let’s start with very small initiatives in the direction of making our nation proud of its citizens. As we do not have any formal project of symposium yet, we could commence with curbing wastage be it water, electricity, fuel, food, cloth, paper or for that matter time because they are our national resources and the responsibility lies on our shoulders to stop its dissipation to keep our motherland resourceful and also thinking of those who are deprived of these comforts.
It’s just the beginning but keep the flares burning, the path is not long enough when we would be relishing the pure grandeur of our motherland. -- (By Deepika, Organiser Weekly, 25 Jan 2009)
8. DR. SHIVA SUBRAMANYA PASSES AWAY: Dr. Shiva Subramanya, Nuclear Physicist, Space Scientist, Formerly one of US's top Strategic and Tactical C4I expert, recipient of numerous awards and citations passed away on Jan 8 at Cerritos CA, USA. He was National President of Indian Professional Forum, USA (an org. of scientists and engineers of Bharatiya origin). He was Vice-President of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) of America Inc., and a member of governing council of VHP.
9. YOGA CLASS AT BP RESEARCH CENTER: As part of the SNY 09 outreach, Naperville (Chicago) shakha's Yoga shikshika Anupamaji Buzruk conducted one hour YOGA lecture at British Petroleum's (BP) research center in Naperville, IL, USA attended by over 40 employees. Anupama covered basic information about yoga, pranayama, practice and philosophy and emphasized on the simple and easy to practice yoga practice in daily life with their benefits.
Chicago Vibhag also celebrated Makar Sankranti with Bhutanese Refugees. Around 100 Bhutanese and around 25 karyakarta attended the utsav.
Program started with Deep Prajawalan and three Bhajans, two by Bhutanese and one by Bharatiya. There was a short speech about SEWA International, information about SNY 09, etc.
10. CHRISTIAN PUBLISHED PAMPHLET ON HOW TO CONVERT HINDU COLLEGE STUDENTS: The International Student Ministry has published two documents on how to convert Hindu college students to Christianity The articles lament the difficulties in converting Hindus, and recommends a method known as “friendship evangelism” by which the Christian feigns friendship with the Hindu for the purpose of converting him or her. The same site has a document on how to approach Muslim students. We note the instructions for the Christians to “be a part of the Hindu student club on campus,” and encourage such organizations to examine their membership rolls for such missionaries.
11. AMERICAN STATE LEGISLATURES OPENING WITH HINDU MANTRAS: Four state legislatures of USA are opening their sessions with Hindu prayers containing ancient Sanskrit shlokas, including three reportedly for the first time.The State legislatures involved are: Oregon House of Representatives, Colorado General Assembly, Indiana State Senate, and Oregon State Senate.Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, is delivering these prayers from ancient Hindu scriptures. After first reciting in Sanskrit, he will then read the English translation of the prayer. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages. Rajan will start and end the prayer with "OM", the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.
12. YOGA EDUCATION TO BE MADE MANDATORY - MP CM: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the yoga education would be made mandatory in the schools of the state. This will help keep the children physically and mentally healthy. The CM actually performed Surya Namaskar and Pranayam along with 750 boys and girls students in the mass Surya Namaskar programme at the Excellence School, Morar, on Jan 21.
13. DECLARE EYES AS NATIONAL PROPERTY - 'SAKSHAM': National convention of ‘Saksham’, formerly known as Akhil Bharatiya Drishtihin Kalyan Sangh, attended by over 600 delegates, was held in Lucknow recently.RSS Sahsarkaryavahs Shri Bhaiyaji Johsi and Shri Madan Das guided the workers at the convention. Addressing the convention Swami Harshanand said physically-challenged persons should not be treated as a burden but efforts should be made to integrate them into mainstream.
Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi said Saksham now would work for all physically-challenged persons instead of working only for the visually challenged. Shri Madan Das said that the physically-challenged persons should get equal rights and respect in the society.
14. MEMORANDUM BY HINDU MUNNANI AGAINST ATROCITIES ON HINDUS IN MALAYSIA: Hindu Munnani, Tamil Nadu, urged the Malaysian Government to respect the rights of Hindus in the country and work towards dismantling the racial and religious apartheid that makes Malaysian Bharatiyas/Hindus the most neglected community in that country since the independence of the former British colony of Malaya in 1957.
In a memorandum presented to the Consulate at Malaysian Consulate’s Office in Chennai on January 8, Shri Ram Gopal, founder organiser of Hindu Munnani, said since Malaysia is home to approximately more than two million Hindus and having thousands of Hindu temples and shrines, many built on private or plantation land before the country gained independence in 1957, the destruction of temples by local councils and the deliberate provocative manner in which they carry out the demolitions, using hammers to smash shrines and burying Hindu deities, which has been going on for at least two decades must be brought to a permanent end and all these places of worship should be properly gazetted.
15. KHASI STUDENTS CLOSE DOWN BANGLADESHI MOSQUE IN JAINTIA HILLS: Continuing its drive against Bangladeshi infiltrators, the Khasi Students Union (KSU) on 12 January closed down a mosque in Jaintia Hlls district, believed to be a safe haven for illegal Bangladeshis. The mosque was constructed recently at Lumshnong (Umsahi), Jaintia Hills, bordering Assam's Silchar town and was providing shelter to illegal Bangladeshi nationals. KSU president Samuel Jyrwa confirming the closure said, "The mosque was being used as a safe haven for illegal Bangladeshis." The KSU, meanwhile, during its meeting with Home Minister Hoping Stone Lyngdoh recently requested for additional check gates at Byrnihat, Ri-Bhoi district and Umkiang, Jaintia Hills district.
16 NON-VIOLENCE CANNOT TACKLE TERRORISM: DALAI LAMA: The Dalai Lama, a lifelong champion of non-violence candidly stated that terrorism cannot be tackled by applying the principle of ahimsa because the minds of terrorists are closed.
"It is difficult to deal with terrorism through non-violence," the Tibetan spiritual leader said at New Delhi.
While delivering the Madhavrao Scindia Memorial Lecture at New Delhi he termed terrorism as the worst kind of violence which is not carried by a few mad people but by those who are very brilliant and educated. He said the only way to tackle terrorism is through prevention.
17. IITS WILL COME HOME, VIRTUALLY: If you cannot go to IIT, then IIT will come to you. In the new academic year, engineering students in Bharat and abroad will be able to sit in virtually on Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) lectures on their iPods. Already the IIT webcasts — broadcasts in real time over the internet — lectures for about 400 courses across five subjects.
Next month, the institute will allow students to post on a special website questions and doubts relating to these courses, which will be answered by their professors and students.
The seven older IITs and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore are involved in the programme, which will help them catch up with world-class institutions, which make lots of resources available online.
18. VHP ASKS CENTRE TO COME CLEAN ON TERROR: Describing the infiltration from Bangladesh as jehadi terrorism, the Governing Council and Board of Trustees of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanded the Government of Assam not to give citizenship rights to Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators and do not allow citizenship rights or issue them work permits under any circumstances. The VHP meeting that concluded in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, on January 6 demanded a White Paper on jehadi terrorism and put on hold all relations with Pakistan.
In another resolution regarding the killing of Swami Laxmananand Saraswati in Orissa, the VHP warned the missionaries to stop their illegal conversion activities.About the Malegaon case, the Board of Trustees warned the Government that it should eschew its mean vested interests and desist from its suicidal conspiracies of harming the glorious traditions of the Hindu saints, organisations, society and the Bharatiya defence forces.
19. SIDDIS DANCE TO OBAMA TUNE: As Barack Obama took oath as United States' first Black president Siddi Badshahs broke into "Dhamal" dance in their villages to mark the historic event taking place thousands of miles away from Gujarat.
Siddis, who belong to Sudan's Masai tribe, are mostly found in three villages on the outskirts of Gir forest, the only abode of Asiatic lions. They are settled in these villages since their arrival from Africa many centuries ago. Jambur, Sirvan and Rasulpara villages were seized by euphoria and the youths danced to the beats even as elders in Siddi tribe were glued to the television sets.
20. BHARAT TO HELP SET UP BHUTAN'S FIRST MEDICAL COLLEGE: To be attached to the 350-bed Jigme Dorji Wangchuk National Referral Hospital Complex, the college will have an intake capacity of 50 students for MBBS. The propsed college, at the cost of Rs.30 crores is expected to commence in 2011 and being modeled on the lines of AIIMS.At present, students from Bhutan travel to countries like Bharat, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to complete their medical education.
21. BHARAT BANS CHINESE TOYS FOR SIX MONTHS: Bharat on Friday slapped a ban on import of toys from China after cheap supplies from the neighbouring country upset the applecart of the domestic manufacturers.
The ban comes in the wake of concerns about rise in imports of toys as well as the safety of children playing with the Chinese toys, which were found to be toxic.
22. KNIT BHARAT TOUR BY SEIL: Sponsored by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the Knit Bharat Tour, organised under the Student Experience in Inter state Living (SEIL) project, concluded on January 12. Since its inception in 1966, SEIL has come a long way. Today apart from conduction of culture exchange tours, it also engages itself in various developmental programmes, seminars, symposia, etc. The tour was started on December 24, 2008. Altogether 24 delegates representing four states (Assam, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya) visited more than eight places of four states (Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal) and stayed with around 200 host families.
During this tour, special emphasis was given on the rich cultural heritage of north-eastern states along side creating about wider awareness about different burning issues of strategically significant North-Eastern border states. The tour programme included industrial and educational visits, meet with Vice Chancellors and renowned educational experts, socio- political leaders, to visit rural tribal as well as slum areas, to visit historically important places and also addressing press meets and interviews etc.
23. BHARAT HANDS OVER ZARANJ-DELARAM HIGHWAY TO AFGHANISTAN: Bharat handed over to Afghan authorities a crucial highway built by it in the face of stiff resistance from Taliban, vowing that the collaboration between the two countries in the field of development will not stop.
The 215-km long Delaram-Zaranj highway, a symbol of Bharat’s developmental work in the war-ravaged country, was handed over to Afghan authorities by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee in the presence of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta on Jan 22.
A total of six Bharatiyas, including a Border Roads Organisation driver and four ITBP soldiers, and 129 Afghans were killed in the attacks by Taliban during construction.
24. GOOD NEWS FROM TOP BANKS :Riding on the back of a robust growth in its savings bank and fixed deposit portfolio, State Bank of India (SBI), the country’s leading commercial bank, reported a 37 per cent rise in its third quarter net profit (quarter ended December 31, 2008) to Rs 2,478 crore. Total income rose 38.34 per cent to Rs 21,256 crore. These figures do not include those of its associate banks. SBI’s deposits increased 36 per cent in the third quarter, as depositors at banks considered ‘risky’ in the wake of the global credit squeeze switched their deposits to ‘safe’ banks. The bulk of SBI’s funds come from savings bank deposits that pay customers 3.5 per cent as interest, while the bank charges 12.5 per cent on its cheapest loans.
25. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Visitors: Sh. Somnath Parashar, Sh. Arjun Lal Sharma, UK. Pravaas: Dr.Yashwant Pathak, Sah-samyojak Vishwa Vibhag is in Bharat for ICCS World Council of Elders being held at Nagpur on 1-4 February 2009.
26. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Generally, when we restrain our conduct and appear calm, we do so with a motive. We want to give the impression that our thoughts and feelings correspond with appearance of our actions. This is insincerity and pretence and is assumed by one who is ignorant. It is the pretended calmness of an attached mind. This attitude is the greatest enemy of spiritual unfoldment, and creates more and more bondages. The wise one, however, is completely free from attachment. His actions are absolutely free from egoism and therefore motiveless. They transcend all limitations. -- Swami Nityaswarupananda.
JAI SHREE RAM

SANSKRIT BOULEVARD
Prem Narayan Chauhan pats his oxen, pushing them to go a little faster. Ziighrataram, ziighrataram chalanti, he urges them. The animals respond to their master’s call, picking up pace on the muddy path that leads to his 10-acre cornfield. Chauhan, 35, dropped out of school early, after Class II. He does not consider it remarkable that he speaks what is considered a dying language (or that his oxen respond to it). For him, Sanskrit is not a devabhasha, the language of the gods, but one rooted in the commonplace, in the ebb and flow of everyday life in Jhiri, the remote hamlet in Madhya Pradesh, where he lives. Mutterings under banyan trees, chit-chat in verandahs, pleasantries on village paths, disputes in the panchayat — in Jhiri, it's all in Sanskrit. And then, a cellphone rings. The moment of contemporary reality is fleeting. Anachronism and Amar Chitra Katha take over as the conversation begins: “Namo, namah. Tvam kutra asi?” (Greetings. Where are you?) A lost world rediscoveredJhiri is Bharat’s own Jurassic Park. A lost world that has been recreated carefully and painstakingly, but lives a precarious existence, cut off from the compelling realities of the world outside. The 1,000-odd residents of this hamlet, 150 km north of Indore, hardly speak the local dialect, Malwi, any longer. Ten years have been enough for the Sanskritisation of life here. Minus the Brahminical pride historically associated with the language — Jhiri has just one Brahmin family. The much-admired 24-year-old Vimla Panna who teaches Sanskrit in the local school belongs to the Oraon tribe, which is spread over Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. And the village is an eclectic mix of Kshatriyas, Thakurs, Sondhias, Sutars and the tribal Bhils. Panna has been key in popularising Sanskrit with the women of Jhiri. With mothers speaking the language, the children naturally follow. Take 16-year-old unlettered Seema Chauhan. She speaks Sanskrit as fluently as Panna, who studied the language for seven years for her Master’s degree. Chauhan is a livewire, humouring and abusing the village girls in Sanskrit. “I just listened to Vimla didi,” she says. “In fact, I'm often at a loss for words in Malwi.” Just married to a man from a neighbouring village, she says confidently, “My children will speak in Sanskrit because I will talk to them in it.” As eight-year-old Pinky Chauhan joins us, she greets me politely: “Namo namaha. Bhavaan kim karoti?” (What brings you here?) Her father Chander Singh Chauhan laughs and says, “My wife started speaking to me in this language, so I learnt it to figure out what she was saying behind my back.” Let’s get official Mukesh Jain, CEO, Janpad Panchayat, Sarangpur tehsil (which includes Jhiri), recalls, “I could not believe it when I first came here. It can get difficult during official interactions, but we encourage them.” All kinds of logistical problems crop up in Jhiri. This year, 250 students did their school-leaving exams in Sanskrit. “A Sanskrit teacher had to work along with all the examiners of other subjects,” says Jain.
But there are some positive offshoots too. Thanks to Sanskrit, Jhiri has re-discovered some lost technologies of irrigation, conservation and agriculture from the old scriptures. A siphon system of water recharing, for instance, resulted in uninterrupted water supplyg through the year in the fields. Small check-dams, wells and irrigation facilities followed. “It is matter of pride for us to retrieve these old techniques from the scriptures. With no help from the government and without using any artificial systems, we’ve reaped great benefits,” says Uday Singh Chauhan, president of the Vidya Gram Vikash Samity, which runs development programmes in the village. But Jhiri's pride stops at Sanskrit. The first doctor, engineer, economist, scientist or linguist is yet to walk out from it. After finishing school, most village youth join a political party. Electricity is a matter of luxury, so is sanitation. Even the school does not have a toilet, which is the single biggest reason for girls dropping out at the senior secondary level. The average age of marriage for women is 14. Even Panna, who was thinking of doing her PhD, had to give in to the wishes of the wise men of Jhiri who got her married to the other schoolteacher, Balaprasad Tiwari. There is no public transport; an Internet connection is unimaginable. Jhiri desperately needs to connect to the rest of the world, to explore its infinite possibilities, to grow. But Jhiri is still a success story, especially when you consider that a similar experiment started a couple of decades ago in Muttur village of Karnataka’s Shimoga district, failed, because of the caste factor — it remained caged with Brahmin patrons. “About 80 per cent people of the village are Brahmins who know Sanskrit but won’t speak it. This is because the carpenters and blacksmiths would not respond to it,” says Dr Mathur Krishnaswami, head of the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bangalore, who was involved with the movement. “No language in the world can survive until the common man starts speaking it,” he points out. Muttur failed. Jurassic Park destroyed itself. Jhiri must not. -Aditya Ghosh - Hindustan Times, New Delhi.

KASHMIRIS REALIZE THE WISDOM OF BEING WITH INDIAN UNION
M V KAMATH
Trickling reports from Kashmir go to suggest that the people are beginning to realise that between azaadi and economic development, the latter is wiser choice, and India is a better bet.
When some forty hectares of useless and inhabitable forest land was given for temporary use to people engaged in the centuries-old Amarnath Yatra in Kashmir, the reaction of the jihadi-inspired Kashmiris was vulgar, ungracious, unbelievable and downright sickening. There were huge demonstrations in Srinagar. Charges were made that Hindu pilgrims will stay put permanently in the temporary tents set up for them and thereby disturb the demographic character of the area. This and many such white lies were openly propagated.
The Kashmir Muslims chose to forget how thousands of Kashmir Pundit families had been deprived of their homes and driven out of Kashmir, their own homeland, to live in utter poverty in Jammu and far away places. It didn't matter to the Muslims if over 10,000 forest trees were ruthlessly chopped down to make way for the Mughal Road or vast acres of land were left fallow. But helping Hindu pilgrims was another matter. And the effete UPA Government could do nothing.. An anarchical agitation began in Srinagar with the Mufti, the Hurriyat and Omar Abdullah uniting to deprive Hindu pilgrims some basic necessities.
It is hard to imagine a more uncivilised and barbaric behaviour. That the concept of Kashmir as the land of Shiva was a fact of life, long before Islam was even formulated, did not matter to the Sunni & Wahabi Muslims in the Valley. Hating Hindus was all. The point was further stressed that Kashmir was being treated unfairly by the Union Government, another major lie that stands exposed as the truth becomes known. The plain fact is that Jammu & Kashmir is being treated like a spoilt child, getting from the Union Government much more what than it deserves. As Prof. R. Vaidhyanathan, a distinguished economist recently exposed (External India, Oct.08) socio-economic and financial indicators reveal that J & K is one of the leading states in India belonging to top ten percentiles among them.
Forget the fact that Hindus constitute 32 percent of the State's population but have never had a Chief Minister. In many fields the Union Government has been more than fair to J & K which the Muslim population of the state has never had the decency to acknowledge.
In any indicator, J & K stands either in the top rung states in India where social development is concerned, or is in the middle. Thus, per capita consumption of electricity at 759 Kw (2006-2007) is much higher than in U.P.., Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and West Bengal.
Per capita central assistance at Rs 2860 (in 2000) is much higher than in all states whereas Kashmir's own contribution to central revenues is abysmally low. Statewise per capita availability of milk (2005-2006) at 353 gms per day is much higher in Kashmir than in most of the other states with an allIndia average of 241 gms per day.
The distribution of households in terms of ownership at 94 per cent is one of the highest in India. Some 75 percent of households have drinking water close by and what is more important 53 per cent of houses have water taps a luxury. How many homes elsewhere in India can boast of such amenities? Among the 1.6 million households in J & K 37 per cent avail of banking services,65 percent have radios and transistors and 41 per cent have television sets. The rest of Indians cannot own land in J & K, but everybody is silent as regards properties owned in the rest of India by Kashmiri politicians like Omar Abdullah, Mufti Saeed, Mehboob Begum, Mirwaiz, Geelani apart from professed terrorists. Nobody is supposed to raise such inconvenient questions. But is it possible at this moment in time that Kashmiris are beginning to see the light?
Terrorists had long warned Kashmiris not to participate in the elections that took place in November-December 2008. But this year the Kashmiris seem to have decided to vote anyway, despite terrorist threats. The voter turn out has been, to say the least, much higher than what it was in 2002.
To cite examples, of voting patterns in six districts: In Ganderbal district in 2002 the voting was 35.21%; this year it is 60.02. In Kangan the last time the percentage was 52.03 but this year it is 60.02. In 2002 hardly 27.01% turned out in Rajauri to vote. This year the voter turn-out has been an impressive 67%. Six years ago, 57.86% came out to vote in Nowshera. This year the percentage has risen to 70. Much the same kind of change is noticeable in Barhal and Kalakote, current voting figures rising to 70 plus whereas in 2002 the percentage figures varied between 48 and 57.
What has happened to Kashmiris since the Amarnath Yatra imbroglio? Why have voters decided to go against the dictates of the terrorists to boycott the elections? Have they realised that their behaviour in the past only brought them disgrace? Is Kashmiriyat coming back into its own? Have Kashmiris realised that compared to the socio-economic conditions prevailing in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK), they are much better off? Even more importantly have they at last realised that no matter how much Pakistan tries to destroy India through a thousand cuts, India will remain unbeatable and will rise like the phoenix. Just as likely have Kashmiris come to realise that Pakistani patronage, overt and covert, may slowly decline considering what heavy pressure Islamabad and the ISI are now under following the jihadi terrorists' attack on Mumbai.
If that pressure is sustained as it is likely to, Pakistan will truly be in dire straits. The United States, for example, has told Pakistan that if it does not stop terrorist activities with a firmer hand, it will have to forego aid. And without aid Pakistan faces a total collapse and even a break-up. And then of what earthly use will Pakistan be to Kashmir? For that matter, Kashmiris may even find that azaadi is a chimera that would demand a heavy price from Kashmiris themselves from outside forces. Trickling reports from Kashmir go to suggest that the people are beginning to realise that between azaadi and economic development, the latter is wiser choice, and India is a better bet. It may be too early at this point to come to any definite conclusions about Kashmiri intentions, but the voting pattern in the just-concluded elections must be seen as carrying a message. All that one can do at this stage is to keep ones fingers crossed. Wisdom dictates that optimism must be carefully calibrated to changing patterns of political behaviour. -- Free Press Journal, January 22, 2009.