Communal Harmony · 2015. 3. 16. · Communal Harmony Communal harmony is the need of the hour and...

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam“The whole world is but one family”

Feb 2011 | Vol 8 No.8 | ISSN 1449 - 3551

www.bhavanaustralia.org

Life | Literature | Culture

Let noble thoughts come to us from every side - Rigv Veda, 1-89-i

CommunalHarmony

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World Day of

Social Justice

Feb 2011 | Bhavan Australia | 3

At its sixty-second session, in November 2007, theGeneral Assembly of the United Nations proclaimed20 February as World Day of Social Justice. The daywas observed for the first time in 2009.

The United Nations’ (UN) World Day of SocialJustice is yearly celebrated on February 20 to cheerpeople to note that how social justice have aneffect on poverty eradication. Social justice hasbeen at the hub of communal safety expansions formore than a century. Social security systemsdefend people against the dangers of life, thusstrengthening social unity, constancy and harmony.The World Day distinguishes that civilization mustbe supported by social justice, a high opinion forhuman rights and essential freedoms—and on theright to communal guard for all. It also centres onthe objective of attaining full employment andsupport for communal incorporation.

Member states were invited to devote this specialday to the promotion of concrete national activitiesin accordance with the objectives and goals of theWorld Summit for Social Development and thetwenty-fourth session of the General Assembly,entitled “World Summit for Social Development andbeyond: achieving social development for all in aglobalizing world”.

Social Development

Social development aims at social justice, solidarity,harmony and equality within and among countriesand social justice, equality and equity constitute thefundamental values of all societies. To achieve “asociety for all” governments made a commitment tothe creation of a framework for action to promotesocial justice at national, regional and internationallevels. They also pledged to promote the equitabledistribution of income and greater access to

resources through equity and equality andopportunity for all. The governments recognized aswell that economic growth should promote equityand social justice and that “a society for all” mustbe based on social justice and respect for all humanrights and fundamental freedoms.

The observance of the day should contribute to thefurther consolidation of the efforts of theinternational community in poverty eradication,promotion of full employment and decent work,gender equity and access to social well-being andjustice for all.

Events and Activities

Many associations, the UN and the InternationalLabour Office, make declarations on thesignificance of social justice for populace. Manyunions furthermore present plans for better socialjustice by dealing with poverty, social andeconomic elimination and joblessness. Tradeunions and movement groups are requested to callon their members and followers to mark the day.The Russian General Confederation of TradeUnions affirmed that the widespread motto wouldbe “Social Justice and Decent Life for All!”

Schools, colleges and universities arrange singularactivities for the day or sketch out a week of eventsand activities revolving around a subject connectedto poverty, social and economic omission orunemployment. Diverse media, together with radioand television stations, newspapers and Internetsites, emphasize the need of social justice acrossthe globe.

Source: www.un.org, www.timeanddate.com,www.altiusdirectory.com

4 | Bhavan Australia | Feb 2011

Contents

BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN AUSTRALIA

Office Bearers:Chairman Gambhir WattsPresident Surendralal MehtaExecutive Secretary and Director General Homi Navroji Dastur

Other Directors:Abbas Raza Alvi, Shanker Dhar, Catherine Knox, MathoorKrishnamurti, Rozene Kulkarni, Palladam Narayana Sathanagopal,Kalpana Shriram, Jagannathan Veeraraghavan, Moksha Watts

Patron: Her Excellency Mrs Sujatha SinghHigh Commissioner of India in Australia

Honorary Life Patron: His Excellency M Ganapathi, Currently High Commissioner of India in Mauritius (Founder Member/Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia)

Publisher & General Editor:Gambhir [email protected]

Editorial Committee:Shanker Dhar, Parveen Dahiya, Sridhar Kumar [email protected]

Design:The Aqua Agency - 02 9810 5831www.aquaagency.com.au

Advertising:[email protected] Vidya Bhavan AustraliaSuite 100 / 515 Kent Street,Sydney NSW 2000

The views of contributors to Bhavan Australia arenot necessarily the views of Bhavan Australia orthe Editor. Bhavan Australia reserves the right toedit any contributed articles and letters submittedfor publication. Copyright: all advertisements andoriginal editorial material appearing remain theproperty of Bhavan Australia and may not bereproduced except with the written consent of theowner of the copyright.Bhavan Australia: - ISSN 1449 – 3551

684822Bhavan’s Yoga Bharati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Festivals of the Month . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

A Case for a National Mission on Museums . . . . .20

Australia Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Debapriya Adhikary & Samanwaya Sarkar . . . . . .33

Kolkata Memorial Inaugurated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Nandini Krishna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

India Awards Highest Honors toAshook Ramsaran and Prof Veena Sahajwalla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Is India really World-Class? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

Life and the Environment:A Buddhist Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48

Our Lady of Lourdes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

National Institute of Naturopathy Pune . . . . . . . . .54

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Swar Bharati . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Artists at Sangeet Samaroh:6-8 November, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

The Arabs and the Democratic Choice . . . . . . . . . .74

aqua

.268

3


For this MonthEverywhere in the world, individuals and groups are divided because offear, suspicion and hatred. Hatred, disharmony, violence and intoleranceare spreading at an alarming rate and moral values are on a decline. Itdepends on local conditions whether the division expresses itself alongreligious, economic, political, caste or colour lines. Insecurity is perhapsthe major cause of individual and social dissensions. A person who isintegrated and sure of himself fears none and consequently provokes nofear. We have occasional examples of such heroic individuals, but we havenot till now had instances, of societies or communities that are fullyintegrated and therefore fearless.

The individual must rise above fear, jealousy and hate. When such individualscombine themselves into a community, the problem of communal jealousyand discord will disappear. Harmony in a nation refers to the peace andbrotherhood among its citizens. For developing a soulful music it is necessarythat all the music instruments work in a coordinated manner. Similarly, forworking of a nation it is necessary that its entire citizen live in harmony andbrotherhood. Harmony can also be described as a reaction which producesseveral noble byproducts such as unity, humanity, love and affection.

Gandhian principles spread the message of fraternity. It is greatly satisfying whena feeling of brotherhood is seen among people. The communal harmony not onlyleads people prosper on the social and economical fronts but also help themrealize true happiness and satisfaction. Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolence,truth, communal harmony, peace and brotherhood is more relevant than ever.

Religion

Every religion gives the message to people to follow noble ideas so thattheir birth on this Earth doesn’t go waste. Every religion propagates themoral of fraternity, peace and harmony. Let us come forward and break thewalls of religion and caste and try to give birth to a new age where we allmove hand in hand, work as a single unit and pave the path of peace,harmony and development. Mahatma Gandhi always stressed uponuniversal peace, brotherhood, and reverence for all life. He preached thatwe must eradicate from our midst the secret pride that our religion is truerthan the other religions. Our attitude towards all other religions must beabsolutely clear and sincere. “The essence of true religious teaching is thatone should serve and befriend all,” so says Mahatma Gandhi.

Communal Harmony

Communal harmony is the need of the hour and we must believe inourselves that we can work towards its realistic achievement. Everyone hasa soft heart inside us and we should use it to help the society get rid off allproblems and issues like untouchability, caste system, communal riots etc.

God has created all of us from the same dust, no one should exalt himself overthe other. We should all learn from this that we all are equal and no one isabove another so we must all live in peace and harmony. Only therealization of “oneness of Mankind” can achieve this goal of communalharmony and peace across the world.

Gambhir WattsChairman, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia


In the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh, beyondKiber (the highest motorable village) and thebarren splendour of Spiti and its majesticmonasteries, lies the rugged and pristine Lahaulvalley, where the landscape itself is celestial.

It’s a magical journey through two high Himalayanpasses and the verdant Lahaul valley. Starting fromKaza, the district town of Spiti and the tourist townof Manali in Kullu valley, the journey comprises 185km of almost uninhabited yet mesmerisingHimalayan terrain. But then, if you are fond ofdriving, have your own wheels, two, four or evenhired ones, and love the mountains, then this highaltitude terrain is a gift for the senses and the spirit.

We reach Kaza, the district headquarters of Spiti,from New Delhi after a gratifying four day journey.The mountains have already cast their spell but thebest is yet to come. Kunzum La (4590 m) to the eastand Rohtang (3978 m) to the west, these passescontrol the access to Lahaul valley and remainclosed for around six months of the year in thewinter due to snow. We have one day to traversethrough two high altitude passes and theforbidding terrain of Lahaul valley. As whilewalking, so while driving, the journey is bestenjoyed at your own pace. Yet the daunting 185 kmahead pushes us for an early start.

We leave behind the Ki Gompa, the jewel of the Spitivalley. Bathed in the morning light, it looks majestic,almost as a preamble of what waits to unfold.

Even as the first morning rays kiss the roads, tinyrivulets of the morning melt make the drivetreacherous as they fill little pools in the potholesand make the almost frozen roads slippery. As wehead for the Kunzum La pass we leave behind theriver Spiti that originates near the pass.

Crossing over the Spiti River, we begin the first legof our day’s journey, the 76 km climb to Kunzum La,Tibetan for ‘Meeting Point of the Ibex, the mountaingoat’ and the eastern entry point into thepicturesque Lahaul valley.

The magic begins even before you reach themountain pass. Having just left behind alpinemeadows, flat green table lands and barren brownpeaks, we take that treacherous turn on the roadand chance on snow in the crevices. Theexcitement for a person used to the plains andescaping the 45°C dusty Delhi summer is tangible.

A couple of hours go by driving through widevalleys dotted with grazing yaks and small villages.Several villages have small boards mentioning thepopulation of the village in simple hundreds andsometimes with even less than a hundred. Theaverage population density of Lahaul and Spitidistrict is 2 persons per km.

We touch Losar, a small township, the last in Spiti.It’s ten in the morning. The glassful of coffee andaloo paranthas, hot, served in the only shack by theroadside are immensely satisfying.

A Driving Holiday

through Lahaul


The village is small and we are in the middle of asmall traffic jam at a rather imposing police checkpoint. Some men lounge on a porch in the morningsun. The women are busy with household work.Hardly anyone wears the customary Tibetan skirtand apron. The ubiquitous salwar kameez hasmade deep inroads. The town, perhaps an ancientcrossroad on the silk route, has cheap products ofthe modern plastic culture in shop fronts. Yet, theserenity of the mountains overshadows it all.

We drive on. The serpentine, now climbing, nowdipping road is flush with the morning melt andperilous. At this point we did not know that wewould soon be driving through gushing streams ofglacial melt.

Soon the landscape is turning more white thanbrown. We experience intermittent breathlessness.Is it the altitude or the breathtaking view?

The white is pristine. Pure. All around us. Theclimb to Kunzum La is nearly 11 kms. A milestoneshows up alongside a chorten (a monument to adistinguished Buddhist, esp. a lama) of stones.‘Kunzum La 2 km’!

We slow down to absorb the grandeur. The sun isbright. The sky as blue as can be, we touch KunzumLa. They say the pass is best crossed in the forenoon.We reach there a little after noon. At this Himalayanpass both ascent and descent are fairly gentle andthe panoramic views from the crest—phenomenal!

The crest of the pass is marked by a mani wall,made of rounded flat stones on which the TibetanBuddhist mantra ‘Om mani padme hum’ isengraved. The wall surrounds the shrine and iscovered in snow. The colourful Buddhist flags atthe shrine dedicated to Geypan, the presiding deity,are the only things that break the white snowyexpanse. According to legend, cash offerings madeby true believers stick to the stone image of thedeity signifying the acceptance of the offering.

It is considered auspicious to circumambulate theshrine before proceeding. We take a round of theshrine and pause for a few moments at this roof ofthe world.

The high altitude road makes a slow descenttowards Lahaul valley. A subdivision of the trans-Himalayan Lahaul-Spiti district, the valley unfoldsamid a row of high mountains in resplendentcolours of purple and green. The melting glaciersleaving a debris of crushed rock with the white ofthe glaciers playing with shiny mountain slopes andturning the river in the deep gorge emerald green.

It’s a 60 km drive through Lahaul to the Rohtangpass. The name of the valley, they say, derives fromTibetan ‘Loh Yul’ (southern country of Ladakh) or‘Lhahi Yul’ (Country of the gods). Bound on theNorth-South axis to Ladakh to the north and the PirPanjal range to the South on the Indo-Tibet border,Lahaul is one subdivision of the trans HimalayanLahaul-Spiti district, the other being Spiti.

Lahaul in Summer

The Chandra river flows from the west of theKunzum La pass. A 6 km trek from the roadheadconnects you to Chandratal, the lake of the Moon,the source of the Chandra River that cuts throughthe Lahaul valley.

Strange, exciting, primitive, the mountainscape ofthis valley on the Indo-Tibetan border isunsurpassed in the rugged beauty of its rockyescapements and the splendor of its snow coveredpeaks that form the theatre for the graceful danceof the Chandra.

The perennial snow peaks of the Great Himalayas,the highest of the three Himalyan ranges cradle thismesmerizing valley formed by the Chandra andBhaga rivers.

The sheer scale of the nature’s artful landscape,bathed in and enhanced by the distilled light makesone realize how miniscule one is in the largerscheme. Its raw beauty, on the other hand, makesyou feel a part of a grand, larger design.

Lahaul is marked by a central mass of uniformlyhigh mountains and massive glaciers that were in afierce melt in the summer. We drive through severalof these glaciers where the Border RoadsOrganisations maintains a constant vigil and carriesout maintenance work.

Car tracks through the stony bed of the valley,through the shallows of the rivers and throughglaciers that are turning into ebullient mountainstreams and waterfalls, makes the journeyexhilarating and tantalizing at the same time.

The tracks in snow and through river beds, theonly road, with sheep herds as the only traffic. TheGaddi shepherds herding their herds of mountainsheep and carrying their homes on their backs aremasters of survival in this harsh thoughmagnificent terrain.

Batal, almost midway between Kunzum La andRohtang, is the only pit stop. Its pristine beauty israther deceptive. Extreme chill winds sweep thisplace, which is also the base point for short treks inthe valley. Batal offers inspiring views of a slendertriangular peak to the south and the Bara ShigriGlacier. Chhota Shigri Glacier and Gramphu arenext as one proceeds towards Rohtang La.

The road climbs up again gradually. Waterfalls dotthe crevices in the mountainous walls of the valley aswe leave the Chandra below and head for Gramphuwhere the road bifurcates for Ladakh via Keylong,the district headquarters of Lahaul and towardsManali through Rohtang. It’s the latter that we take.

Rohtang pass, though lower than Kunzum La ismore rugged for its steep rise, hairpin bends andbad weather. In Tibetan Rohtang literally translatesas ‘pile of corpses’. As we head towards peakspiercing through the cloudline, a thick fog envelops

the top of the pass. It allows us only glimpses of themajesty of the Pir Panjal mountains.

On the other side of Rohtang, a 51 km drive downthe verdant hills of Manali, with its pine forests andnumerous waterfalls, we head for the humid, greenand congested town, our last stop on the way home.

Yet the grandeur of Lahaul sustains. Drivingthrough the mountainous ramparts with anebullient river by your side, the isolated beauty andtranquil silence of this valley, remains an elementalexperience. Being face to face with all that is pure,pristine, raw and rarefied as reflected in thosewhite mountains I felt so one with myself.

Aparna Srivastava Reddy is a noted documentaryfilm maker, media consultant and journalist.Source: India Perspectives Vol 24, No. 4/2010, p 2-15


Above from top: Towards Rohtang La; Theshrine at the crest of Kunzum La; The Gaddi’s

(shepherds) with their herds of mountain sheep


Why a day with name ‘Wet Lands Day’, is to beremembered by us? Is it because these are alsodisappearing? Yes, definitely that is the reason why2nd Feb is declared as ‘Wet Lands Day’.

We speak of Life Natural, Importance of HealthyLifestyle for a disease free life and concentratemainly on personal health principles and practices.Today, we lead such an unnatural lifestyle, that thewhole humanity is suffering from multiple diseases.But, even if we decide to live natural, there shouldbe a ‘Nature’ left out to live. If we destroy the nature,there will be no use of deciding to live natural.

Protection of nature, environment, keeping oursurroundings hygienic and leaving this worldsuitable for sustaining life is also important.Whereas, we do not know the importance ofprotecting the nature, what are the things to betaken care of, to protect the nature and to whatextent we are damaging it. As far as wet lands areconsidered, the main problem is filling of the wetlands and constructing multi-storeyed buildingsand other facilities for our comfort.

Filling of the land is equal to killing ourselves. Firstof all, the equilibrium of the existing nature ishampered. The temperature control, loss of trees ofthe wet land, diminution of water level and manysuch dangers are involved in it. When you fill in oneplace, the water source/level will shift from thereand flow where it is not intended. Small incursionsby the sea, increasing year by year in differentparts of the world, are a result of that.

When wet land is filled, it is evident that the waterlevel of that area goes down due to problem ofmaintaining the temperature, as well as, lack ofwater storing facility. This leads to lowering of waterlevels in the water resources, like wells andagricultural lands. We are experiencing the evil effectof scarcity of water from the traditional resources,even bore wells and public supply systems. Also,there is loss of crops due to drying of land. This isnothing but paving the way to kill ourselves.

Global warming also is the result of wrong deedslike filling the wet lands. The dangers of the sameare very visibly suffered by the whole world today.The change in climate is the result of this. Brazilhad rain one day equivalent to one month’s rain,whereas another side of the earth will be crying ofdraught and yet another part shivering with chill.In India and elsewhere, we are experiencing thatsummer, winter and rainy seasons have becomeerratic and the period of seasons is growinguncontrollable. Still the lust of human beings hasnot stopped growing to Adarsh’s and otherupcoming new cities. Virgin mountains are attackedfor extra residences. Wet lands are attacked forextra residences. Water resources are attacked forboating and water theme parks. In reality, most ofthe new residences are simply booked as anadditional house to what one already has. We donot understand that these Lake Views and HillViews are shortly going to be Mumbai’s andKolkata’s. The actual buyers not even stay there.Many of the new residences are kept closed. Forwhat? Even the nature will not allow you to livethere for want of water, over heat, excess cold,earthquakes and tsunamis.

The wet land trees (Mangroves or Mangals) are wellendorsed as resistance walls against cyclones, evenTsunami. But, we are in hurry to cut them, fill theland, make buildings and finally when Tsunamicomes, everything will be lost. Therefore, we needto awake, arise and look forward to Lifesustainability.

Babu Joseph, Chief EditorNisargopachar Varta

Source: NisargopacharVarta, Vol. 3, Issue 1,January 2011

The Wet

Lands Day2nd February


Good health is the fundamental requirement forascertaining the purpose of life to perform duties,carry on livelihood and seek pleasure, Salvationand Realization.

Unfortunately from the dawn of creation and timeimmemorial, humanity has been suffering from‘Adhi’ and ‘Vyadhi’ (Psychophysical sufferings).

For the purpose of prevention, care and cure ofPsychophysical suffering, ancient Indian sages andyogis have developed the knowledge of Hath Yoga,Raj Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Geeta Yoga, Kriya Yoga…

The ideology, technology and philosophy of yogahave been developed on the basis of several yearsof experience and research on its educational,therapeutic and spiritual aspects.

Bhavan’s Yoga Bharati runs various yoga coursesfor the benefit of the society at Yoga Kutir on theBhavan’s Campus in Mumbai, the place whichoffers a serene atmosphere for yoga.

Under the able guidance of Yogacharya Dr. HansrajYadav, Yoga Vachaspati Anil Kavish, and with activeco-operation of able Yoga Shastris and YogacharyasBhavan’s Yoga Bharati is organizing and conductingdifferent yoga courses for the different strata ofSociety.

Modern man suffers from strains, stresses andtension, physical diseases, erratic climatic changesand allergens.

Keeping this in mind, a comprehensive practicalsystem of self-culture has been formulated whichthrough changeable psychic potencies ultimatelyleads to physical well being, mental harmony,moral elevation and habituation to spiritualconsciousness.

Source: www.bhavansyogabharati.com

Bhavan’s Yoga Bharati Yoga Academy & Research Institute


Body Awareness - Does Hathayoga Begin with it?

Our awareness of our bodies and minds is not assharply developed as it is about the instrumentsand equipment we use in our daily lives. Forexample, we do not devote much thought to howwe sit or stand, how we breathe, how our heartsbeat, how our minds function. The demands of theexternal world preoccupy us and our actions aregenerally a direct and automatic response to thesedemands. It is only when the system fails, when weexperience some disharmony in the working of ourmind and body that we recognise the need toattend to ourselves. It is only then that we analyseour reactions and search for an understanding ofthe working of our bodies and minds. Thisaware¬ness and understanding, in turn, leads usfurther into devising ways and means by which ouractions can be refined.

Different Ways to Train the Body

Physical education is a conscious result of bodyawareness. As Shri Yogendraji rightly said, inprimitive societies, physical education was limitedto the acquisition of physical fitness, strength andvigour by individuals. This primal objectiveacquired an added significance among the ancientcivilisations of the east and the west which appliedthe various factors of physical education to meetmilitary, social, aesthetic and even recreationalpurposes. In time, organised physical educationbecame a need and in the wake of social, politicalscientific and other changes it evolved into theconscious and purposeful system that is generallypractised as physical education today.

An understanding of one’s body, its sensations andits functioning requires some learning. We have tolearn to direct our attention within and gain controlover ourselves. We have to learn to use our body insuch a manner so as to achieve greater controlover the whole organism—-physical, mental andspiritual.

Different Ways to Reach upto the Mind and the Spirit

The first people to correlate physical education tohealth, hygiene, ethics, meditation and even ahigher purpose of life, were the ancient Yogis ofIndia. Three thousand years ago, the Atharvavedareferred to this concept of body awareness. In 1965a Bulgarian physiologist commented that, “Theconscious and artificially designed purposefulnessof the positions in the system of the Yoga containthe elements of a certain creative intuition andgeneralisation of accumulated human experiences.”In fact, a study of one’s movements can become asource of higher awareness. As Goraksanatha thegreat Yogi, asks, “How can one who does not knowhis own body hope to acquire success in life?”

Yoga does not perceive man as having only aphysical body. On the contrary, it lays greateremphasis on the value of the mind and soul whichcharacterises a man’s personality. It must,therefore, be remembered that whenever Yogarefers to good health it always includes, in additionto physical fitness, the mental and moralsoundness of the person as well. Hence, in dealingwith the primary perspective of physical educationfor good health, Yoga has consistently regardedman as a whole being with body, mind and soul.

This principle is not unique to Yoga but was alsoaccepted by ancient philosophers and progressivescientists both in the east and in the west. Forexample, Aristotle in the Dialogues (B.C. 350),observed that, “The results of a good physicaleducation are not limited to the body alone, butthey extend even to the soul itself.” In theseventeenth century, Michel de Montaigne in “TheEducation of Children” recognised the full import ofthe organismic unity of man—the sum andsubstance of Hatha Yoga—when he passed on thewatchword to the advocates of physical educationthat it is not a soul, it is not a body that we aretraining, “it is a Man and we must not divide him”.The human body is made of a physical body, amind and a spirit, and the three parts are sodependent on each other that any disturbance inone part affects the whole system.

to be continued...

Source: Cyclopaedia Yoga Vol. 1, pp 9-11, TheYoga Institute, Santacruz, Mumbai, India

AllaboutAsanas


The dualist thinks you cannot be moral unless youhave a God with a rod in His hand, ready to punishyou. How is that? Suppose a horse had to give us alecture on morality, one of those very wretchedcab-horses, who moves only with the whip, towhich he has become accustomed; he begins tospeak about human beings and says that they mustbe very immoral. Why? “Because I know they arenot whipped regularly.” The fear of the whip onlymakes one more immoral.

You all say there is a God and that He is anOmni¬present Being. Close your eyes and thinkwhat He is. What do you find? Either you arethinking, in bringing the idea of Omnipresence inyour mind, of the sea, or the blue sky, or an expanseof meadow, or such things as you have seen in yourlife. If that is so, you do not mean anything byOmnipresent God; it has no meaning at all to you.So with every other attribute of God. What ideahave we of omnipotence or omniscience? We havenone. Religion is realising, and I shall call you aworshipper of God when you have become able torealise the Idea. Before that it is the spelling ofwords and no more. It is this power of realisationthat makes religion; no amount of doctrines orphilosophies or ethical books, that you may havestuffed into your brain, will matter much—onlywhat you are and what you have realised.

The Personal God is the same Absolute looked atthrough the haze of Maya. When we approach Himwith the five senses, we can see Him only as thePersonal God. The idea is that the Self cannot beobjectified. How can the Knower know Itself? But Itcan cast a shadow, as it were, if that can be calledobjectification. So the highest form of that shadow,that attempt at objectifying Itself, is the PersonalGod. The Self is the eternal subject, and we are

struggling all the time to objectify that Self. And outof that struggle has come this phenomenal universeand what we call matter, and so on. But these arevery weak attempts, and the highest objectificationof the Self possible to us is the Personal God. Thisobjectification is an attempt to reveal our ownnature. According to the Sankhya, Nature isshowing all these experiences to the soul, andwhen it has got real experience it will know its ownnature. According to the Advaita Vedantist, the soulis struggling to reveal itself. After long struggle, itfinds that the subject must always remain thesubject and then begins non-attachment, and itbecomes free.

When a man has reached that perfect state, he is ofthe same nature as the Personal God. “I and myFather are one.” He knows that he is one withBrahman, the Absolute, and projects himself as thePersonal God does. He plays—as even themightiest of kings may sometimes play with dolls.

Some imaginations help to break the bondage ofthe rest. The whole universe is imagination, but oneset of imaginations will cure another set. Thosethat tell us that there is sin and sorrow and death

Bhakti - Yoga

“Life on the plane

of the Spirit is the only

life, life on any other

plane is mere death”


in the world are terrible. But-the other set—thouart holy, there is God, there is no pain—these aregood, and help to break the bondage of the others.The highest imagination that can break all the linksof the chain is that of the Personal God.

To go and say, “Lord, take care of this thing andgive me that; Lord, I give you my little prayer andyou give me this thing of daily necessity; Lord, curemy headache, and all that”—these are not Bhakti.They are the “lowest states of religion. They are thelowest form of Karma. If a man uses all his mentalenergy in seeking to satisfy his body and its wants,show me the difference between him and ananimal. Bhakti is a higher thing, higher than evendesiring heaven. The idea of heaven is of a place ofintensified enjoyment. How can that be God?

Only the fools rush after sense enjoyments. It is easyto live in the senses. It is easier to run in the oldgroove, eating and drinking; but what these modernphilosophers want to tell you is to take thesecomfortable ideas and put the stamp of religion onthem. Such a doctrine is dangerous. Death lies in thesenses. Life on the plane of the Spirit is the only life,life on any other plane is mere death; the whole ofthis life can be only described as a gym¬nasium. Wemust go beyond it to enjoy real life.

As long as Touch-me-not-ism is your creed and thekitchen-pot your deity, you cannot rise spiritually. Allthe petty differences between religion and religionare mere word-struggles, nonsense. Everyone thinks,“This is my original idea,” and wants to have thingshis own way. That is how struggles come.

In criticising another, we always ‘foolishly take oneespecially brilliant point as the whole of our life andcompare that with the dark ones in the life of another.Thus we make mistakes in judging individuals.

Through fanaticism and bigotry a religion can bepropagated very quickly, no doubt, but thepreaching of that religion is firm-based on solidground, which gives everyone liberty to hisopinions and thus uplifts him to a higher path,though this process is slow.

First deluge the land (India) with spiritual ideas,then other ideas will follow. The gift of spiritualityand spiritual knowledge is the highest, for it savesfrom many and many a birth; the next gift is secularknowledge as it opens the eyes of human beingstowards that spiritual knowledge; the next is thesaving of life, and the fourth is the gift of food.

Even if the body goes in practising Sadhanas(auster¬ities for realisation), let it go; what of that?Realisation will come in the fullness of time, byliving constantly in the company of Sadhus. A timecomes when one understands that to serve a maneven by preparing a chhilam of tobacco is fargreater than millions of meditations. He who canproperly prepare a chhilam of tobacco can alsoproperly meditate.

Gods are nothing but highly developed dead men.We can get help from them. Anyone and everyonecannot be an Acharya (teacher of mankind), butmany may become Mukta (liberated). The wholeworld seems like a dream to the liberated but theAcharya has to take up his stand between the twostates. He must have the knowledge that the worldis true, or else why should he teach? Again, if hehas not realised the world as a dream, then he is nobetter than an ordinary man, and what could heteach? The Guru has to bear the disciple’s burdenof sin; and that is the reason why diseases andother ailment appear even in the bodies ofpowerful Acharyas. But if he be imperfect, theyattack his mind also, and he falls. So it is a difficultthing to be an Acharya.

It is easier to become a Jivanmukta (free in this verylife) than to be an Acharya. For the former knowsthe world as a dream and has no concern with it;but an Acharya knows it as a dream and yet has toremain in it and work. It is not possible for everyoneto be an Acharya. He is an Acharya through whomthe Divine Power acts. The body in which onebecomes an Acharya is very different from that ofany other man. There is a science for keeping thatbody in a perfect state. His is the most delicateorganism, very susceptible, capable of feelingintense joy and intense suffering. He is abnormal.

In every sphere of life we find that it is the personwithin that triumphs, and that personality is thesecret of all success. Nowhere is seen such sublimeunfoldment of feeling as in Bhagavan Sri KrishnaChaitanya, the Prophet of Nadia. Sri Ramakrishna is aforce. You should not think that his doctrine is this orthat. But he is a power, living even now in hisdisciples and working in the world. I saw himgrowing in his ideas. He is still growing. SriRamakrishna was both a Jivanmukta and an Acharya.

Swami VivekanandaSource: Swami Vivekananda’s Works, p. 192–196

“Personal God is the

same Absolute looked

at through the haze

of Maya”


Vasant Panchami

Hinduism is a way of life rather than a religion. Thepeople practicing Hinduism have firm faith on Godsand Goddesses whom they worshipped on variousoccasions by performing Puja and rituals. VasantPanchami is a festival that worships GoddessSaraswati as well as it signifies the beginning ofVasant Ritu (spring season). Magh Sud 5 (5th day ofthe bright fortnight of the lunar month of Magh,falls usually in the month of January or February) isthe day of Vasant Panchami and is also celebratedas Shree Panchami or Saraswati Puja in WestBengal and few other parts of Orissa. In 2011,Vasant Panchami falls on February 8.

On this day Goddess Saraswati is worshipped invarious names and fames—the Goddess ofLearning, the Deity of Gayatri, the fountain of finearts and science, and the symbol of supremevedantic knowledge.

The image of Goddess Saraswati depicts her sittingon a vehicle that symbolizes her supreme power.The white swan of Saraswati symbolizes Satwa Guna(purity and discrimination), the lotus of Lakshmi theRajas Guna and the tiger of Durga the Tamas Guna.Saraswati is shown possessing four hands and plays“Veena”, an Indian string musical instrument.

Vasant Panchami or Saraswati Puja is celebratedwith great enthusiasm and Hindu temples andhouseholds are full of activity on this day. This isalso a special day for school children as theyobserve it with great reverence.

Legends

In the Vedas, Saraswati was a water deity and wasrevered for purifying, fertilizing and enrichingpowers. The next stage in Saraswati’s mythologicalhistory was her identification with the holy ritualsperformed on the banks of river Saraswati. She issaid to have invented Sanskrit, known as themother of all languages, of scriptures andscholarship. It is also believed that it was she whodiscovered soma or amrita.

Celebrations

Goddess Saraswati is worshipped for spiritualenlightenment, the greatest wealth to man. Thegoddess is a favourite of religious and spiritualleaders. She encompasses Learning, Wisdom andthe Fine Arts. Hindu folklore puts the Learned on ahigher pedestal than even the king.

On Vasant Pachami day all get up early in themorning, take bath and worship the Sun, MotherGanga, the Deity of the sacred river Ganges, and

Festivals of

the MonthVasant Panchami


the earth. Men, women and girls wear yellowclothes. The yellow colour is a sign ofauspiciousness and spirituality. It represents theripening of the spring crops. Even the food iscoloured yellow by using saffron. All the folks gettogether and sing songs connected with spring.Indeed, yellow colour is given special importanceon this day. The goddess Saraswati is dressed inyellow garments and worshipped by men andwomen attired in yellow.

In some traditional homes sweetmeats of yellowishhues are exchanged with relatives and friends.Kesari halwa and Kesari sweet rice are the favoritesin North India. A dash of saffron is added to thesweetmeats to get a yellow tinge. Many people visittemple to offer halwa or sweet rice to the Gods.Some people feed Brahmanas on this day. Pitri-Tarpan (ancestor worship) is performed on thisday and some worship Kamdev, the God of Loveand Saraswati, the Goddess of Learning.

Ratha Saptami

Ratha Saptami is an important Hindu festivalassociated with Lord Surya (Sun God). Lord Suryariding a chariot driven by seven horses isworshipped on this day. It is also known as MaghSaptami or Magha Saptami, Jayanti or Jaya Saptami,Surya Jayanti and Maha Saptami. In 2011, RathaSaptami is on February 10.

The Gayatri Mantra

From ancient times men have attributed divinity tothe sun. For the “munj” (thread) ceremony the boyis made to stand facing the sun, and the priestmakes the following prayer, “Oh Sun, this is yourstudent. Protect him, and give him a long life.” Afterthe “munj” ceremony every day in the evening theGayatri mantra must be recited. This mantra isgiven great importance:

“God is the mover of this world. The shining brillianceof God is the most exalted and the most difficult todescribe. This brilliance is liked by everybody. Wemeditate upon such brilliance. We bring it to our mind.May this God, who is the sun, inspire our intellect andour devotional meditation and may the recitation of thisGayatri illumine our intellect.”

Celebrations

It is considered to be the most important Saptamiin a year. It is believed that in the Mahabharata,Bhishma chose this day to leave his body andattain ‘moksha’. It is also said that the earth’sinclination towards the sun is steepest on theRatha Saptami day. Ratha Saptami is observeddifferently in different parts of India. The day is ofgreat significance in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtraand Tamil Nadu. An important ritual takes place onthis day at the Tirupati Balaji Temple.

Jaya Ekadasi Vrat

Jaya Ekadashi falls in the month of Magh accordingto the traditional Hindu lunar calendar. It occurs onthe 11th day during Shukla Paksha, that is, duringthe waxing phase of the moon. While the NorthIndians observe this ritual as Jaya Ekadashi, in SouthIndia, it is observed as Bhisma Ekadashi or BheesmaEkadashi, particularly in Andhra Pradesh andKarnataka. Devotees of Lord Vishnu observe vrat onJaya Ekadashi as they consider it to be highlybeneficial. This vrat in 2011 falls on 14th February.

Above from top: Ratha Saptami; Jaya Ekadasi Vrat


The Vrat

Lord Vishnu is worshipped in Ekadashi fast. But inJaya Ekadashi, Lord Vishnu is also worshipped withLord Krishna. Person observing this fast shouldmentally prepare himself a day before fast. Aftertaking meal in evening on 10th day (one day beforeEkadasi) the resolution of fast should be taken in themorning of Ekadashi. Then, Lord Krishna should beworshipped with incense stick, lamp, and fruits. Now,Lord Vishnu should be worshipped with Panchamrit.

Fast is observed the whole day and Jagran isperformed at night. Reading Vishnu Sahastranaamand doing Jagran for the whole night is consideredauspicious. If it is not possible to observe the fast atnight, in such a case one can have fruits. In themorning of Dvadashi, after bathing, Brahmans aregifted food and alms as per the capacity of anindividual. By this, a person gets free from all his sins.

Nirvana Day

Nirvana Day is observed primarily by MahayanaBuddhists, on February 15th. The daycommemorates the death of the historical Buddhaand his entry into Nirvana.

Nirvana Day is a time for contemplation of theBuddha’s teachings. Some monasteries and templeshold Parinirvana meditation retreats. Others opentheir doors to laypeople who bring gifts of moneyand household goods to support monks and nuns.

Nirvana

The word Nirvana means “to extinguish,” such asextinguishing the flame of a candle. Some schools

of Buddhism explain Nirvana as a state of bliss orpeace, and this state may be experienced in life, orit may be entered into at death. The Buddha taughtthat Nirvana was beyond human imagination.

It celebrates the day when the Buddha is said tohave achieved Parinirvana, or complete Nirvana,upon the death of his physical body. Buddhistscelebrate the death of the Buddha because theybelieve that since he was Enlightened, he was freefrom the pain of physical existence.

The Day

Passages from the Nirvana Sutra describing theBuddha’s last days of life are often read on ParinirvanaDay. Other observances include meditation and visitsto Buddhist temples and monasteries. Also, the day isa time to think about one’s own future death and onthe deaths of loved ones. This thought processreflects the Buddhist teachings on transience.

Ganesh Chaturthi Vrat

Ganesh Chaturthi is the festival of ‘Lord Ganesh’. Itis one of most auspicious fast (vrat) for thedevotees of lord Ganesh. People believe that thevrat of Ganesh Chaturthi can give them wisdom,mind power and success. Lord Ganesh is known asson of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Ganesh ChaturthiVrat 2011 falls on February 8.

Above from left: Ratha Saptami; Nirvana Day.Below Right: Surajkund Crafts Mela


Observation

Many people observe the fast (vrat) on GaneshChaturthi. Ladies prepare good food, sweets andspecial Laddoo at their homes and offer to LordGanesh before they eat. At some temples of lordGanesha devotee celebrate it with idols of LordGanesha. People go to temples and pray forwisdom, health and wealth.

Surajkund Crafts Mela

The Surajkund Crafts Mela is organized annually bythe Haryana Tourism Department in the month ofFebruary. This delightful handloom and handicraftsfair is planned every year to promote the traditionalIndian Handicrafts in rural ambience at Surajkund inthe vicinity of New Delhi. The fair was first timeorganized in 1981 and since then the fair continues tobe a strong platform for Indian artists and craftsmento display their skilled crafts and art work. SurajkundMela 2011 spans from February 1–15.

The Mela

At this annual week long fair skilled artists from allover the country display the rich crafts tradition ofIndia in the typical rural setting and bring alive theage-old living crafts tradition. Surajkund crafts melaoffers to its visitors the exquisite and skilfulpaintings, textiles, wood stock, ivory work, pottery,terracotta, stonework, lac work and cane and grasswork. Visitors can shop here for some of theworld’s most treasured wares.

The fair is not only limited to exhibitions of artworkbut also presents the visual delight to its visitors inthe form of special Natyashala folk dances andmusical evenings at the open-air theatre. Theseprograms are also accompanied by rural cuisine,adding colours to this popular crafts fair.

Every year, the Surajkund Crafts Mela is planned byselecting a particular Indian state as a theme andentire ambience for the fair is designed accordingly.

Many states have showcased its finest handlooms,handicrafts and cuisines in past fairs.

Milad-un-Nabi

Milad-un-Nabi also known as Barawafat or Mawlidmarks the birth of the Prophet Muhammad.According to Islamic calendar the birthday of theIslamic prophet Muhammad occurs in the thirdmonth, Rabi’ al-awwal. The celebration of Milad-un-Nabi origin is said to be have been since 11thcentury in the Fatimid dynasty. The same daymarks the death anniversary of the Holy Prophet.The word ‘barah’ stands for the twelve days of theProphet’s sickness. Some Muslims celebrate Milad-un-Nabi on 15th and some celebrate 5 days later ieon 20th of February.

Celebrations

People gather, remember, discuss and celebrate theadvent of the Prophet Muhammad’s birth and histeachings. Many carry green flags or banners orwear green ribbons or items of clothing whentaking part in these events. The green colourrepresents Islam and paradise. Many KashmiriMuslims gather at the Hazratbal shrine in Srinagar,India. It houses a hair that is believed to have comefrom the Prophet Mohammad. Thousands of peopleattend prayers at the shrine on the night beforeMilad-un-Nabi. The relic is displayed in the mosqueafter the morning prayers.

Mawlid, or Milad, is celebrated with large streetparades in some countries. Homes and mosquesare also decorated. Some people donate food andother goods for charity on or around this day.Others listen to their children read out poemsabout events that occurred in the ProphetMuhammed’s life. Mawlid is celebrated in this wayin many communities across the globe.

Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year starts with the New Moon on thefirst day of the New Year and ends on the full moon15 days later. The 15th day of the New Year is calledthe Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night


with lantern displays and children carryinglanterns in a parade. The Chinese calendar is basedon a combination of lunar and solar movements.The lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to“catch up” with the solar calendar the Chineseinsert an extra month once every few years (sevenyears out of a 19-yearcycle). This is the same asadding an extra day on leap year. This is why,according to the solar calendar, the Chinese NewYear falls on a different date each year. New Year’sEve and New Year’s Day are celebrated as a familyaffair, a time of reunion and thanksgiving. Thecelebration was traditionally highlighted with areligious ceremony given in honor of Heaven andEarth, the gods of the household and the familyancestors. The sacrifice to the ancestors, the mostvital of all the rituals, united the living memberswith those who had passed away. Departedrelatives are remembered with great respectbecause they were responsible for laying thefoundations for the fortune and glory of the family.Year 2011 is the Year of the Rabbit by the Chinesecalendar and starts from February 3.

History

The Chinese New Year has a great history. In past,people lived in an agricultural society and worked

all year long. They only took a break after theharvest and before the planting of seeds. Thishappens to coincide with the beginning of the lunarNew Year. The Chinese New Year is very similar tothe Western one, rich in traditions, folklores andrituals. It has been said that it is a combination ofthe Western Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year.The origin of the Chinese New Year itself iscenturies old. It is popularly recognized as theSpring Festival and celebrations last 15 days.

Celebrations

Preparations tend to begin a month before the dateof the Chinese New Year. During this time peoplestart buying presents, decoration materials, foodand clothing. A huge clean-up gets underway daysbefore the New Year, when Chinese houses arecleaned from top to bottom. This ritual is supposedto sweep away all traces of bad luck. Doors andwindowpanes are often given a new coat of paint,usually red, then decorated with paper cuts andcouplets with themes such as happiness, wealthand longevity printed on them.

The Day

On the day itself, an ancient custom called HongBao, meaning Red Packet, takes place. Thisinvolves married couples giving children andunmarried adults money in red envelopes. Then thefamily begins to say greetings from door to door,first to their relatives and then to their neighbours.Like the Western saying “let bygones be bygones,”at Chinese New Year, grudges are very easily castaside.

Tributes are made to ancestors by burning incenseand the symbolic offering of foods. As firecrackersburst in the air, evil spirits are scared away by thesound of the explosions. The end of the New Year ismarked by the Festival of Lanterns, which is acelebration with singing, dancing and lantern shows.

At the Festival, all traditions are honoured. Thepredominant colours are red and gold. “Good Wish”banners are hung from the ceilings and walls. The“God of Fortune” is there to give Hong Baos. Liondancers perform on stage continuously. Visitorstake home plants and flowers symbolizing goodluck. An array of New Years specialty food isavailable in the Food Market. Visitors purchase newclothing, shoes and pottery at the Market Fair.

Parveen

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Source: www.festivalsofindia.in, www.4to40.com,www.surfindia.com, www.iloveindia.com,www.pilgrimage-india.com, www.aryabhatt.com,www.hindu-blog.com, www.timeanddate.com,www.indiaparenting.com,www.theholidayspot.com


The capacity to be creative is inherent in humanbeings, but the utilisation of that capacity calls forhard work.

Creativity is work that goes somewhere, it issustained effort towards an ideal.

We may not be endowed to build a dam likeVisweswarayya or write verses like RabindranathTagore or make a scientific contribution likeRamanujam, but if we would live our lives deeplyand creatively we must work and go on working toshow our own view of what it means to be alive.

The work itself may be modest, but if it calls forthdelight, curiosity, inventiveness, we are using thesame forces that genius uses.

For, creativity is not so much an aptitude as anattitude, and therefore applicable anywhere frommaking a bowl of soup to building a rocket that canland on the moon. Those people we call talentedknow this by instinct. The rest of us have to learn it.

Perhaps, most often creativity begins in responseto things greater than us.

It has to be triggered and stirred into acting by a sightor by a word that we hear or read or sense by touch.

Beyond such stirring comes reflection, anawareness taking note of our own thoughts.

On the heels of awareness is the impulse to dosomething with what we feel and know.

This is the stage where most of us begin to falterand stall. Making and doing turn out to be sodifficult that we abandon the attempt.

Simply because an idea or plan does not takeshape, we conclude that it is no good, that we arenot creative anyway—when, in fact, it takes anenlightened stubbornness to produce anything.

Some people insist that they have no ideas at all,when what they mean is that they do not have bigor original ideas. But good ideas stream throughour consciousness every day when we meetpeople, travel, read and observe others in action.

Anyone can have more ideas by being hospitable tothose he has—using them, trying them out, and notdiscarding them before he has given them a chance.

Other people sproutideas like mushroomsbut let the vision driftaway because they areimpatient with smallbeginnings.

If they cannot startimpressively, they choosenot to start at all.

This is deadly to creativity.Beyond the longing to do or makesomething to give our feeling form andsubstance comes the rough work ofdiscipline. It is more truly in the small, dailymoment-by-moment discipline that creativity canbe seen than in the crowning triumph.

Creativity, in order to emerge and blossom-forthmeans choosing from the multitude of possibilitiesa certain goal and then working patiently toward it,even when we are tired, puzzled or afraid.

It means loving what we do, not just its high pointsbut its day-in-day-out effort. It means sticking toone’s own purpose through a thousand storms andfires, from within as well as from without andexperimenting, failing, trying again until both thepurpose and one’s own self are refined and ready.

The great and transforming truth is that beingcreative is a discovery of ourselves, of our own wayof responding to life.

“When we let a resolution or a fine emotiondissipates without results, it means more than lostopportunity; it actually retards the fulfillment of futurepurposes” - Helen Keller

Surendralal G MehtaPresident, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Creativity?It is in Each One of Us!


It may be time for a planned five-year approach torenew the thousands of museums across India.Over the last decade, I have had the opportunity tovisit over 50 museums across India. Whether it isChennai or Chandigarh, Mumbai or Guwahati, Ihave seen priceless collections ranging from theChola period bronzes, in Chennai, to miniaturepaintings, in New Delhi, which would be the envy ofthe world. These collections have given me aperspective on India’s journey to become theworld’s largest democracy and serve as a bridgebetween historic and modern India. However, theircurrent status and the whole experience of visitingthese museums seem to leave me with a feeling ofunfulfilled potential which is what has promptedme to write this. I have thought this many times: ifonly they could change the atrium to be friendlier,if only they could make the exhibition storylineunderstandable, or if only I could locate aparticular object in the basement storage. I havealso constantly wondered what the busloads ofvisitors from far away villages take back from theirhurried visits to the Government Museum inChennai or the Indian Museum in Kolkata.

Three Aspects

With India poised to become the world’s thirdlargest GDP by 2035 and the general populationgetting an increased sense of national identity andconfidence as a world power, it may be time for aplanned five-year approach to renew the thousandsof museums across this great country. Havingpondered many times on how one may approachthis, I think there are three key aspects that need tobe considered simultaneously if one needs to besuccessful. These include development of skilledhuman resource, the renewal of physicalinfrastructure and the rethinking of managementstructure.

In all levels within the museum industry, whether it

is technical conservation, exhibition preparation ormanagement, there seems to be a shortage ofskilled human resource. There are very fewdiploma and graduate programmes in this area, andthe ones that exist need strengthening. The goal for2020 could be to generate a pool of skilledprofessionals as well as retrain museum staff.Maybe, it is also time for a new centre at one of theIITs to further research this multidisciplinary areato produce outcomes especially applicable toIndian situations. Any museum redevelopmentneeds skilled local staff to keep the momentumgoing and creativity flowing, and will beunsustainable with just contracted internationalexpertise.

In China, Australia

China is an example for the second aspect, and it iscurrently developing 100 new museums a year. Vastresources are being spent on developing state-of-the-art exhibitions, storage and conservationspaces. Likewise, Australia, with a population ofjust over 20 million people, has over 2,000collecting institutions. India has already started amuseum renewal programme and probably needsto accelerate both building new museums andrenewing the existing ones with contemporarythinking that connects to today’s generation. Thereare many valuable lessons to learn from history.Whether it is through displays or educationprogrammes, museums are probably the only wayfuture generations would connect with our past.Since many of our prominent museums are locatedin historic buildings, any renewal needs to besympathetic with the building and not at itsexpense. A positive case study is how theChhatrapathi Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya(Prince of Wales Museum) in Mumbai hasapproached museum redevelopment with a masterplan of the original building as a basis forredevelopment.

A Case for a National

Mission on Museums

Now for the third aspect. Museums in India oftenseem to be burdened with many levels ofbureaucracy which tends to stifle their mission tobe safe places for broad and innovative ideas. Manymajor western museums are based on a modelwhere they have an administration led by aprofessional reporting either through a board or toa reasonably high level within the government.Maybe, for a start, this new model is somethingthat can be tried with a few major nationalinstitutions. The flexibility in decision making andcreative leadership will have a flow-on effect acrossthe institution and place it as a neutral and trustedplatform for informing and debating in the publicarena on issues both traditional and contemporary.As somebody once put it, museums should be “safeplaces for unsafe ideas” or “trusted neutralplatforms for public debate.”

The time may be right for a five-year nationalmission on museums for India to accelerate this.This may provide a stronger connection betweenthe museums and the Indian public and ademonstration of its soft power on theinternational stage. Maybe, there will be a day nottoo far away when the cricket tragic finally seesTendulkar’s bat which he used to score his firstcentury in one of our national museums and thescience fanatic is at the natural history museumdebating on climate change.


Vinod Daniel

Vinod Daniel is Chairmanof AusHeritage (Australia’sInternational CulturalHeritage Network) andVisiting Fellow at the LowyInstitute for InternationalPolicy, Sydney.

Cultural

Reintegration

The process of Cultural reintegration is likethe process of nutrition which regenerates

the living tissues from day to day. A studentof culture first studies it and becomes a

reception centre. He then absorbs its finestelements, if the culture is not alien. This

makes him true to himself, his country andhis culture. He, in the next stage, tries to liveup to them under the conditions of age. Assoon as he does this, he becomes an active

centre of reintegration. He radiated thepermanent values of his culture; andproduces a healthy renaissance by

establishing contact with alien influences.

He then grows rich in personality anddynamic effectiveness. And the culture

passing through the crucible of thestudent’s individual nature, will be an

organic creation fresh with new life andtenacious and powerful with its ancient

strength.

This is reintegration.Kulpati Dr. K.M. Munshi


On commemoration of Australia Day, BharatiyaVidya Bhavan joined with a special “Indian boat”which participated in the Parade of Vessels inCockle Bay as part of the 2011 celebrations.

The Indian community was invited to board theboat at Wharf 8/9 and celebrate the Australia’sdiverse society. Very good acceptance was receivedby the community; approximately 150 peopleattended this event. The only requirement was towear Indian traditional clothes. Men could wearpants and shirts. However, women preferred towear the beautiful and colourful Sarees. Even non-Indian women took advantage to wear for the firsttime a Saree. They learnt the technique of wearing

this kind of dress which was a fun and interestedexperience. Everybody was delightful to enjoy theparade and show gratitude for this nation.

Parade of Vessels

The Parade of Vessels features a variety of culturalcommunities that make up Australia’s diversesociety, ferried around Cockle Bay on beautiful,grand and interesting boats as a part of harbour lifeon Sydney waterways. A couple of hours before thefireworks, this spectacular array of boatsgraciously synchronized to put on the parade. Thedifferent vessels, each representing a country orculture, were floating together harmoniously,symbolizing the respect that is shared amongstcultures here in Australia. One vessel after theother was singing anthems, playing drums, dancingand waving to the public. All of them navigated infrom of a flooding stage where music and dancegroups performed. The show was reallyappreciated, especially amongst the kids who couldnot stop waving back.

The Indian Boat

At 7pm the Indian boat left Cockle Bay to join theParade of Vessels. Around 150 people presentedthemselves to celebrate this national day togetheron our Bhavan boat. Many were dressed in typicalcolourful Indian dresses, Sarees. To illustrate this

Australia Day


Indian atmosphere to the public, the boat wasdecorated with beautiful posters about India, flagsof Australia, of Bhavan and of India. And tointensify this wonderful feeling, women dressed inthe traditional Indian clothes took off their scarfsand tightened them around the many openwindows of the boat. During the parade, Indiansongs resounded on the boat such as the famoussong ‘Jai Ho’ from the movie ‘Slumdog Millionaire’which everybody was singing along. We could alsoenjoy the beautiful violin play of an Indian boy. Heplayed the Australian and the Indian nationalanthem, while all the presents were singing lustily.

Australia Day was a beautiful day for the Indiancommunity and Bhavan Australia, in which wecould represent our Indian homeland among thevariety of Australia’s diverse society.

Karen Brabant, Priscila Molina, Mirnal Rambhojun


Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me at the outset take this opportunity to wisheach one of you a Happy New Year.

I feel deeply honoured to have been invited toparticipate in this awards ceremony whichrecognizes several of the distinguished personswho have contributed towards welfare of thepeople. I warmly extend my heartiestcongratulations to this year’s recipients.

I am happy that Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Foundationhas instituted this award to honour illustriouspersonalities several of whom are present here.

To name this award after Sardar Vallabhbhai Patelshows our respect for this legendary son of Indiawhose name has become synonymous with nationalintegration and unity, determination and pride.

I thus record my appreciation to the men andwomen who were instrumental in establishing thisFoundation to perpetuate the memory of the personwho is rightly hailed as the Iron man of India.

It gives me tremendous hope and confidence thatwe have in our society groups of individuals whoare working tirelessly towards creative endeavoursand nation building. The importance of today’sfunction has to be understood in this context. Thepersonalities we are honouring today are rolemodels for younger generation in the task of nationbuilding. By recognizing their efforts we aresending a clear and loud message that whatever bethe challenges coming our way, our society wouldbe up to the task.

I am in no doubt that you all—both winners and therest of nominees—have worked hard withmissionary zeal to make contribution in yourchosen fields. I believe that your work has beenselfless without any expectation of reward orrecognition. While awards and appreciation cannever fully compensate your hard work and

determination, yet it is important for the society torecognize your constructive efforts and to imploreyou to continue your good work.

The life and deeds of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel areinstructive for the youth, the public servants aswell as the concerned citizens.

Born on 31st October, 1875 in Gujarat, Vallabhbhaigrew up shaping his own and his country’s destiny.

Vallabhbhai was a brilliant student of his time.Despite economic hardships, he took to studyinglaw and through hard work and dedication he wasable to pass the law exam within two years tobecome a practicing lawyer. He harbored ambitionto become a Barrister at Law in England bystudying at the Middle Temple Inn. He worked hardto go to England to realize this goal. He did thatcompleting the 36 months course just in 30 monthsand by topping the class.

Vallabhbhai Patel returned to India in 1913 andbegan legal practice at Ahmedabad. Two years laterGandhiji returned to India from South Africa andset up his Ashram in Ahmedabad. FollowingGandhiji’s footsteps, Vallabhbhai gave up hislucrative legal practice and joined the freedomstruggle movement.

During the Quit India Movement of 1942, Sardar’spassionate and fiery speech at Mumbai electrifiedthe masses to join their leaders in support ofGandhiji’s civil disobedience campaign. It is indeed alandmark speech in the history of freedom struggle.

Sardar Patel was also a person of enormoushumility. He always attributed his victories toBapu’s leadership. He said: “It was Mahatma Gandhiwho gave me the herb of Satyagraha and all that I didwas to administer the medicine”.

Sardar Patel was a statesman of great standing,vision and integrity. He has left behind indeliblefoot prints in our country’s history from which we

Address of His Excellency Shri Balmiki Prasad Singh Governor of Sikkim (India)

On the Occasion of 5th International Sardar Patel Awards & Sardar Ratna-2010

Held at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, New Delhion Monday, the 17th January, 2011


can draw huge inspiration. It is Sardar Patelji, morethan anybody else, who built the modern Indianstate in the twentieth century, particularly throughhis stewardship of the Home Ministry during thosemomentous times of 1947–50.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had clear ideas aboutquestions that are at the heart of the India thatconcern today. What are the distributions of powerbetween the Central Government and thecomponent States of a federal Union? How can aneffective national bureaucracy emerge from asystem of State cadres? Under what circumstancesshould the armed forces be deployed internally?What is the correct balance between institutionalpower and political power? What systems can bestrelease the economic genius of the Indian people?Sardar Patel saw these issues as practical concernsand provided answers keeping the nation’s unityand people’s welfare in view.

We are facing several challenges. Jammu & Kashmirand some States of the north-east are testing theresilience of our national integration and unity. Inthe hinterland, Maoists have emerged as a majorthreat to our democratic institutions.Fundamentalist elements are vitiating the socialharmony of our country. Coordinated efforts onpart of the Government and civil society areneeded to overcome these challenges.

An extraordinary feature of Sardar was his ability tocombine roles that are usually filled by differentindividuals having deferent training andcontrasting sensibilities. He was an outstandingfreedom fighter, a rare person who built andmanaged the Congress Party, and an ableadministrator who unified India at a time of greatuncertainty within the country.

Rare is the statesman, who has the ability to blendboth the experience of action and the mind. SardarPatel put up with deprivations in his long years injail fighting for independence. While doing so healso shaped in his mind the manner in which he

would build India when freedom came. And he didso admirably in the mould of Kautilya andChandragupta Maurya, Ashok and Akbar.

It is my belief that at some point of time in ourfuture history, there will be poets and authors whowould write about various dimensions of India’sfreedom struggle in the same manner that thesubject of the Ramayana and the Mahabharatahave been treated by Valmiki, Vyas, Tultidas andKamban. In such an epic, Sardar Patel wouldemerge as a statesman of great standing, vision andintegrity. In fact his contribution in building a newIndia is a legend that is inspiring to students ofIndian history. It is rightly believed that SardarPatel required barely six days to conclude thePolice Action in Hyderabad and took another sixhours to conclude agreements with each of theremaining 561 princes of India.

Missing Sardar Patel dearly also meansremembering him fondly and imploring ourselvesto be agents in service of India.

Let me conclude, ladies and gentlemen, withhomage to the memory of Sardar. On his 75thbirthday, Sardar told his friends, admirers andfollowers: “I have reached an age when it is my rightto take rest, but the heart is yearning to utilize thetime that is still left to me in the service of mycountry, in these critical days. It is my earnest wish tosee India stable, strong prosperous and free fromdanger, and I wish to dedicate the rest of my life tothat sacred task”. Sardar worked till the last day ofhis life towards this task. In reflecting about hiswork, I am reminded of Ravindranath Tagore’sfamous poem ‘God honours me when I work’. Godand the people of India have really honouredSardar while he was alive and it is my belief thatthey continue to do so. We have joined thisevening, in our own humble way, in that enduringact of honouring Sardar.

Jai Hind


Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti (GSDS) wasformed in September 1984 by the merger of GandhiDarshan at Rajghat and Gandhi Smriti, at 5, TeesJanuary Marg as an autonomous body, and isfunctioning under the constructive advice andfinancial support from the Ministry of Culture,Government of India. The Prime Minister of India isits Chairperson and it has a nominated body ofsenior Gandhians and representatives of variousgovernment departments to guide it in its activities.The basic aim and objective of the Samiti is topropagate the life, mission and thought of MahatmaGandhi through various socio-educational andcultural programmes. It has two campuses:

A. Gandhi Smriti

Gandhi Smriti, housed in the Old Birla House on 5,Tees January Marg, New Delhi, is the sacred place

where Mahatma Gandhi’s epic life ended on 30January, 1948. Mahatma Gandhi had lived in thishouse from 9 September 1947 to 30 January, 1948.Thus, the hallowed house treasures manymemories of the last 144 days of his life. The OldBirla House was acquired by the Government ofIndia in 1971 and was converted into a NationalMemorial of the Father of the Nation and wasopened to the public on August 15, 1973.

The preserves include the Room where Gandhijilived and the prayer ground where masscongregation used to be held and where Gandhijiwas felled by the assassin’s bullets. The buildingand the landscape have been preserved as theywere in those days.

The Memorial consists of:a. Visual Aspects to perpetuate the memory of

A Profile

Gandhi Smriti and

Darshan Samiti


Mahatma Gandhi and the noble ideals theyrepresented,

b. Educative Aspects to focus concentratedattention on certain values of life that madeGandhi a Mahatma and

c. Service Aspects to introduce activities in orderto subserve certain felt needs.

On display in the Museum are photographs,sculptures, paintings, frescos, inscriptions on rocksand relics pertaining to the years Gandhiji spenthere. The meagre personal effects of Gandhiji tooare carefully preserved.

The entrance gate itself is of great historicalsignificance as it was from the top of this Gate,Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru announced to theWorld about the passing away of Mahatma Gandhi,“... the light has gone out of our lives and there isdarkness everywhere”.

A larger than life statue of Mahatma Gandhi, with aboy and a girl holding a dove in their handsstanding on either side, emerging out of the globe,symbolising his universal concern for the poor andthe deprived, welcomes the visitor at the main

entrance of the Gandhi Smriti. It is the work of therenowned sculptor Sri Ram Sutar. The legend at thebase of the sculpture says, “My Life is My Message”.

A Martyr’s Column stands at the spot where theFather of the Nation was assassinated,commemorating the Martyrdom of MahatmaGandhi as the embodiment of all the sufferings andsacrifices that characterised the long struggle forIndia’s Freedom. A broad stone pavement is laidround the Column for devotees to take a reverentialParikrama (walk around). The wide space in frontof the Column is made for devotees to offerhomage. Close to the Martyr’s Column on the lowerlawns are the words of Gurudev Tagore, “Hestopped at the threshold of every hut... .”

In the Centre of the Prayer Ground is a Pavilionwith frescos on the walls, depicting the continuityof India’s cultural voyage, her interaction acrossthe globe and the emergence of Mahatma Gandhi asa universal Man embodying in his person all that issublime in human life as he said, ‘for my materialneeds my village is my world but for my spiritualneeds the whole world is my village’.

Outside the Pavilion there is a bench, made of redsand stone on which Mahatma Gandhi used to sitduring the prayer or in conversation with the vastmass of humanity who would assemble on thelawns of the Old Birla House seeking his counseland solace in those troubled days.

The green lawns are the main feature of the PrayerGround with peripheral decorations with whiterose beds laid round the lawn. Near the entrance ofthe memorial on its right lawn is inscribed “India ofGandhi’s Dream”. At the roundabout close to theprayer ground are the words of Albert Einstein,“Generations to come will scarce believe...” In thecentre of the roundabout is a creation of therenowned artist Sankho Chowdhury in bronze,symbolising the Eternal Flame lit by Gandhi withhis Martyrdom.

“Gandhiji’s Room” at Gandhi Smriti has been keptexactly as it was on the day of his assassination. Allhis possessions are on display: his glasses, walkingstick, a knife, fork and spoon, the rough stone heused instead of soap. His bed was a mattress on thefloor, plain white, with a low, wooden desk by its side.There is also an old and well-used copy of the Gita.

The entire building is now divided into differentsections. On either side of the main entrance of thebuilding a Prayer composed by the Mahatma ‘ASavants Prayer’ and his eternal message, His‘Talisman’ are on display. In the room adjoining thefoyer are kept two sculptures of Ba and Bapu. Madein fibreglass, they are the creations of a couple, Mr.Decha Saisomboon and Mrs. Wipa Saisomboonfrom Thailand.

The photo exhibition at Gandhi Smriti gives thedetails of the evolution of Mohandas Karamchand

A view of the entrance of Gandhi Smriti, theNational Memoria l of Mahatma Gandhi.


Gandhi to Mahatma Gandhi. This is depicted in thesouth wing through 35 panels of black and whitephotographs accompanied by a simple narrative.The south wing also houses an auditorium and acommittee room.

Besides, the exhibition has been so aligned that thesouth wing gives a simple narration of the journeyand evolution of a boy called MohandasKaramchand Gandhi and how through his‘experiments with truth’, he leads India andhumanity to its emancipation.

The northern wing has five different sections. Thefirst section, the gallery leading towards the roomwhere Gandhiji spent the last 144 days of his life isdevoted to his Peace Pilgrimage and Martyrdom.Next to this is the second section, another roomwith special focus on the last 48 hours of his life,which culminates with his martyrdom. This sectionhas also an auditorium with facilities to screenfilms on Mahatma Gandhi.

The third section of the north wing projects the‘India of Gandhi’s Dream’ and the formulae he hasleft behind for posterity to realise this dream: theEighteen Point Constructive Programme. Gandhiwanted to present India as a model of developmentbefore the world with scientific precision. The epicjourney ends - Father of the Nation is gone. But hislegacy lives on. Above all, an unfulfilled dreamremains as a challenge before us to build the ‘India’of his ‘dreams’.

The fourth section Sumana has twenty-sevenenclosures in all. The three dimensional projectionsdepict twenty-seven important events in the life ofMahatma Gandhi from his boyhood to his martyrdom.

In the fifth section Sanmati, the Gandhi Smritiliterature centre, there is a vast collection ofGandhiana and other related and relevant booksavailable under one roof.

A special section is devoted to explain how theworld reveres Mahatma Gandhi. First, through theeyes of the artistes reflecting on the magnificent lifeof the Mahatma, and secondly, Gandhi on himself.

In the centre, people are led to assimilate, absorband feel the presence of the Mahatma through athree minute multi-media animation, depicting thelast journey of the Father of the Nation towards hisMartyrdom.

In the last five years an attempt has been made tobring Bapuji’s Room back into the Centre-Stage ofactivities in Gandhi Smriti. All activities now takeplace around this room. The visitors are firstguided to the sacred spot of Bapu’s Martyrdom orthe Martyr’s column to pay homage to the Father ofthe Nation and then they return through thePergola which has now been turned into anexhibition gallery.

As per the Draft Plan a Comprehensive Exhibitioncovering 1857-1947 has been installed here. Theexhibition was inaugurated by the President ofIndia Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil on 11September 2007 in the presence of Smt. AmbikaSoni, the then Hon’ble Minister of Culture andTourism. During rainy seasons the Pergola alsoprovides shelter to the visitors and during the longtorturous summer it helps them to rest for a while.Stone benches and fans have been installed toprovide respite from heat.

The entire Pergola is now a walking exhibitiongallery, which provides an opportunity to thevisitors from all segments of our society and allparts of the world to witness India’s March toFreedom and have an interface with the visitingmass of humanity as they walk towards the roomwhere Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days ofhis life. Children from weaker sections are givenspecial opportunity and encouragement by GandhiSmriti and Darshan Samiti.


From here the visitors are guided into the roomwhere Bapuji spent the last 144 days of his life. Asthey come out of this room they are acquaintedwith history of these 144 days through the PhotoExhibition accompanied by narratives culled outfrom the accounts of the eye witnesses.

Swaraj at Gandhi Smriti showcases Gandhianemphasis on khadi, cottage industries and ruraldevelopment.

There is also a Souvenir Shop, which showcasessculptures and other relevant artifacts.

The Kirti Mandap pandal, christened by theeminent Sarod Player Ustad Amjad Ali Khan, nearthe Martyr’s Column at Gandhi Smriti has thecapacity to accommodate 500 participants formajor programmes. Regular prayers are held in thismandap on every Friday.

In an endeavour to provide the underprivilegedsection of the society skills in computer, stitchingand embroidery, early childhood care andeducation, community health, pottery, spinningand weaving, puppetry, mime, music andstorytelling, Srijan—the Gandhi Smriti EducationalCentre—has been set up at Gandhi Smriti. Srijanaims to help them learn these vocational courses inorder to instill in them appreciation for self-help,confidence and bread-labour. Some of the abovecourses have been accredited by National Instituteof Open Schooling (NIOS).

The museum also has a Multimedia Exhibitionentitled Eternal Gandhi, which is housed on theentire first floor of the building. It has used state-of-the-art electronic hardware and new media to bringGandhiji’s life and vision alive. The approach hasbeen both historical and interpretative. Thisexhibition using 21st century technology highlightsthe core of Gandhian thought—the commitment ofa Satyagrahi to the principles of truth.

It is these components that together make GandhiSmriti a Composite Museum.

B. Gandhi Darshan

The second campus is situated adjacent to theMahatma Gandhi Samadhi at Rajghat. AnInternational Gandhi Darshan Exhibition washoused to commemorate the occasion.

It was twenty-one years after the Mahatma’smartyrdom that the whole world decided toobserve his centenary in 1969 in a way worthy ofthe Pilgrim of Peace. It was then the sprawlingthirty-six acre campus came into existence to markthe centenary of Mahatma Gandhi. Thirteen Indianstates and seven foreign countries had joinedhands in creating the magic called the GandhiDarshan International Exhibition with specialemphasis on presenting “in a subdued and dignifiedmanner” the concepts of Gandhian philosophy,rather than have a spectacular or grand show.Divided into six huge pavilions, spread across the

Far left: Her Royal Highness Maha Chakri Siridhorn, Princess of Thailand in her

photographic gallery in Gandhi Smriti Museum;The engraved pillars with inscriptions from The

Gita at the main entrance to the Museum;Mahatma Gandhi with a boy and a girl holding a

dove emerging out of the globe; MahatmaGandhi's room in Gandhi Smriti.


campus, it sought to bring alive the eternalmessage of the Mahatma “My Life is My Message”.The main objective of the exhibition was theinterpretation of Gandhi’s message and gospel oftruth and non-violence against the background ofthe modern world and the way it has permeatedand affected the nation’s life and influenced theother countries of the modern world.

At the Gandhi Darshan Museum, hundreds ofarchival photographs have been arranged on thewalls, along with brief textual narratives. Some ofthese images of Gandhiji as a child and young manare rarely seen. There is also a model of the housein which he was born, as well as the actual armyvehicle in which his body was transported forcremation to the grounds, now known as Rajghat.

In addition, visitors can see Gandhiji’s school reportcards, newspaper clippings and cartoons that showcontemporary reports and reviews of his activities,the letters exchanged between Gandhiji and LeoTolstoy, portraits of his wife and parents and muchother fascinating material. One display showcasesthe many commemorative stamps issued bycountries around the world in the years thatfollowed Gandhiji’s assassination; and anotherdisplays the letters that were sent to him. These,especially, reveal how widespread was the fame thata simple Gujarati lawyer acquired in his lifetime. Forexample, one is addressed to ‘Gandhiji: WhereverHe May Be’; another (posted in New York) simplyhas a sketch of Gandhiji on the envelope.

Over the years as the public interest started towane in the exhibition four out of the six pavilionswere remodelled to suit the requirements of aCentre of Gandhian and Peace Studies. The origin ofthe Centre can be traced to 1949 when only a yearafter the Martyrdom of the Father of the NationMahatma Gandhi, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehruhad convened a global convention of Gandhians in1949. They were presented with the task ofpreparing a blue-print of The Gandhi Institute withthe mandate “to seek to study, extend and fulfil themoral philosophy and the institutions of civilisationevolved by Mahatma Gandhi.... The institute mustcarry the flaming message not only to the thresholdof a Chinese home, the bitter-sweet Gobi oasis andthe enchanting French studios, but also to every doorstep of the humble homes of millions of the poor andthe oppressed of the world....”

Amongst the vast number of luminaries who sharedtheir vision to the preparation of the blue-print wereSri Aurobindo Ghosh, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Dr.Albert Schweitzer, Professor Einstein, M. Jean PaulSartre, Aldous Huxley, Pearl S. Buck.

Twenty years later in 1969 another milestone in thejourney of setting up the Gandhi Institute wasreached when Prime Minister Smt Indira Gandhifounded the Gandhi Darshan at Rajghat with theobjective of translating the blue-print of the Gandhi

Institute prepared under the guidance of Pt.Jawaharlal Nehru into a reality.

Next in 1994, during the 125th Birth Anniversary ofGandhiji, while addressing the nation PrimeMinister Shri PV Narasimha Rao formallyannounced the setting up of International Centre ofGandhian Studies at Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat. On30 January 2000, President KR Narayanan unveileda Column declaring the entire Campus as theCentre in the presence of Prime Minister Shri AtalBihari Vajpayee and several other dignitaries. Asignificant step towards realising the dream wastaken on 9 August 2003 when an MOU was signedbetween GSDS and IGNOU to initiate the Gandhianand Peace Studies. Subsequently, IGNOU regionalcentre was set up in the Campus, which offers wideranging courses of contemporary significance. Thecentre attracts nearly 30,000 students annually. TheGSDS-IGNOU project on Gandhian, Peace andConflict Resolution Studies has been launched inJuly 2009. This has brought together more thanhundred eminent professors from nearly 90universities on a common platform for a commonobjective: holding aloft the flame lit by MahatmaGandhi whose life is his message to humanity.

Infrastructural FacilitiesFacilities available Gandhi Darshan, Rajghat• A library and documentation centre with over

15000 books by and on Gandhi, and relatedsubjects. The Centre subscribes to about 50journals.

• Comprehensive walk in exhibition entitled ‘MyLife is My Message’.

• Conference, seminar and lecture halls with allfacilities.

• International Hostel for scholars-in-residence for36 persons.

• Permanent and mobile exhibitions ofphotographs and books related to MahatmaGandhi.

• Youth Hostel (4—four dormitories with facilitiesto accommodate 100 persons).

• Publications Division. Apart from books, itpublishes a Journal, a News Magazine and aChildren’s Newspaper.

• Photo unit.• Camping facility for major national and

international meets.• Open space for contact programmes.

Activities at a Glance

In more than three decades of its existence, theSamiti, with a vision of the 21st century, has beenformulating, designing and reorienting severalactivities and programmes for different sections ofthe population. However, the major focus of theprogrammes is on women, children and youth.

Chief among them are Taking Gandhi to Schools,child participation programmes, volunteerpromotion programmes for youth, youth camps,


dialogues and conferences, women empowermentprogrammes, initiatives for communal harmony,rendering of Gandhi bhajans and songs, regularcharkha spinning classes, film shows on Gandhi,Freedom Movement and National leaders,commemorative programmes, Gandhi Memoriallectures, academic programmes with universitiesand educational institutions.

In the last few years the nature and scope of theSamiti’s work has assumed a more national andinternational dimension. The programmes havebecome more focused and issue-centric, picking upfrom the current issues of significance. The Samitihas spread out to different parts of India,particularly in the North-East, Champaran, WestBengal, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir andHimachal Pradesh. The endeavour is to prepare

today’s children and youngsters towards the goalof total development as envisioned by theMahatma, using innovative approaches.

Among the highlights of the new ventures arecloser association of children and youth both inschools and colleges and outside with the activitiesof Samiti as volunteers and trainees. They havenow become an integral part of the Samiti.

Source: Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti,Annual Report

From top: International Guest House at GandhiDarshan; Visitors at the photographic gallery on'The Journey of Mahandas Karamchand Gandhi

to Mahatma Gandhi' in Gandhi Smriti.


Candlemas is one of the oldest Christian feasts andis celebrated the 2nd of February. It is in memorialof the “Presentation of the Lord” and the“Purification of the Blessed Virgin”, 40 days afterthe birth of the child and is the last holidayconnected to Christmas. Candlemas is an ancientcelebration and its name refers to the revelation ofChrist as “the Light that shines for all people”. TheChurch at Jerusalem was observing the feast asearly as the first half of the fourth century, andlikely earlier.

According to the Jewish law, the firstborn malechild belonged to God, and the parents had to “buyhim back” on the 40th day after his birth, byoffering a sacrifice of a young lamb or two youngpigeons in the temple (thus the “presentation” ofthe child). On that same day, the mother would beritually purified. The Jewish law says that a womanwho gave birth is impure, since she was in contactwith blood. St. Mary and St. Joseph kept this law,even though, since St. Mary remained a virgin afterthe birth of Christ, she would not have had to gothrough ritual purification.

When Christ was presented in the temple, there wasa man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this manwas just and devout, waiting for the consolation ofIsrael. In a revelation of God, Simeon was promisedhe would see the Messiah before he died. When St.Mary and St. Joseph brought Christ to the temple,Simeon embraced the Child and prayed the Canticleof Simeon in the song “Nunc dimittis”:

Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord,according to thy word in peace;because my eyes have seen thy salvation,which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:a light to the revelation of the Gentiles,and the glory of thy people Israel.

Because of the words of the canticle (“a light to therevelation of the Gentiles”), by the 11th century,the custom had developed in the West of blessingcandles on the Feast of the Presentation.Traditionally, the mass starts with the blessing of

candles. The candles were then lit, and aprocession took place through the darkenedchurch while the Canticle of Simeon the NuncDimittis, was sung. This light symbolizes the entryof Christ, the light of the world, in the Temple ofJerusalem. Because of this, the feast with theoriginal name “Presentation of the Lord” or the“Purification of the Blessed Virgin”, also becameknown as Candlemas. Candlemas is still animportant feast in many European countries.

Originally, the feast of the “Presentation of the Lord”was celebrated on February 14, the 40th day afterEpiphany (January 6). Because Christmas wasn’tyet celebrated as its own feast, the Nativity,Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, and the feastcelebrating Christ’s first miracle at the wedding inCana were all celebrated on the same day. By thelast quarter of the fourth century, however, theChurch at Rome had begun to celebrate the Nativityon December 25, so the Feast of the Presentationwas moved to February 2, 40 days later.

Candlemas is also seen as the feast of the emergentsunlight during the day. It is the last feast of light,after a period of two times 40 days. The first feastof light is on the 11th of November, 40 days beforeChristmas. Candlemas as the second feast of lightis 40 days after Christmas. For centuries, peopleworshiped Mother Nature on this day. It is a tributeto the new emerging light created by Mother Natureherself. It is about our Earth, which provides usfood, which gives us life, which protects us andguides us during our life. Through centuries andcultures, people honored this process byworshiping a female character.

Compiled by Karen Brabant

Source: www.katholieknederland.nl,http://catholicism.about.com

Candlemas


Debapriya Adhikary (Vocal) and Samanwaya Sarkar(Sitar) are amongst the most excellent youngmusicians of India. Debapriya and Samanwayablend beauty and brilliance in Indian Vocal andInstrumental music through their performance ofDuet or Jugalbandi. Debapriya with mellifluous,pliant and easy moving voice over the threeoctaves and Samanwaya with his scintillating andhoney dripped fingers enthralling, enchanting andenlivening the world with the power of music.

Debapriya and Samanwaya are both currentlydisciples of the legendary of benaras Gharana,Padmabhushan Girija Deviji.

Some of their celebrated performances worldwide are:Sawai Gandharva Sangeet Mahotsav, IndiaGanga Mahotsav, IndiaSamrat Sangget Sammelan, IndiaPt. Mallikarjun Music Festival, IndiaLearnquest Music Festival, USANational Multicultural Festival, AustraliaMananan International Festival for Music and Arts,Isle of Man, British Isles Milap Festival for South Asian Arts, UK

National Theatre of Operas and Ballet, Tirana, Albania Festival Les Orientales, Saint-Florent le Vieil, FranceFestival Autres Rivages, Uzes, FranceFestival in Evora, PortugalVoix d'été en Creuse, FranceDeia International Festival of Music, SpainFestival International de Musique d'Uzerche, France.

Samanwaya initially received training from Pt.Sashanka Banerjee then from the legendarymaestro Pt. Manilal Nag of Bishnupur gharana, thenfrom Pt. Shyamal Chatterjee of Senia gharana andlater from the stalwart of Agra Atrauli gharana, Pt.Kumar Prasad Mukherjee.

Debapriya is also under Pt. Vijay Kichlu of AgraGharana. He has received initial training from hismother Smt. Anita Adhikary and then from thestalwart of Senia gharana, Pt. SamareshChawdhury. He got lessons from Pt. Kumar PrasadMukherjee of Agra gharana.

Debapriya Adhikary and Samanwaya Sarkar willperform live at Holi Mahotsav festival (18–20March, 2011) organized by Bharatiya VidyaBhavan Australia at Darling Harbour, Sydney.

Debapriya Adhikary & Samanwaya Sarkar


“Versatile”, “a philosopher in action”, “a man ofgreat ideas and great courage”, “a multi-facetedgenius” are the ways in which friends and admirersdescribed Dr. Kanhaiyalal Maneklal Munshi, thefounder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. The versatilityof Munshiji is seen in his roles as lawyer, creativewriter, constitution-maker, freedom fighter,administrator, organization-builder and championof Indian culture. Dr. Munshi looked upon himselfas a “sea shell thrown up by the mighty flood ofIndian renaissance.”

Early Life

Born in Broach on December 30, 1887, Munshijicame under the influence of Sri Aurobindo whilestudying at Baroda College. A prize winner at theBA and LLB examinations, he enrolled himselfinitially as a Pleader and later as an Advocate in theBombay Bar. He first joined Dr. Besant’s All IndiaHome Rule League in 1916 and later the IndianNational Congress. He married Lilavati Sheth in1926 (who was one of his literary critics) after thedeath of his first wife, Atilakshmi Pathak, whom hemarried when he was just 13.

Political Life

He was elected to the Bombay Legislative Councilin 1927. He took part in the Salt Satyagraha in 1930and was imprisoned for 6 months. In 1932 he wassentenced to two years’ rigorous imprisonment. Hewas elected to the Bombay Legislative Assembly in1937 and appointed the Home Minister in the firstCongress Government. He served as India’s Agent-General in Hyderabad when the Nizam was tryingto keep his State independent of the Indian Union.He became a Member of the Constituent Assemblyin 1948. He was Food and Agriculture Minister ofthe Government of India in 1950 and Governor ofUttar Pradesh during 1952-57. He resigned from theCongress and became the Vice President of thenewly formed Swatantra Party.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Kulapati K.M. Munshi founded Bharatiya VidyaBhavan in 1938 with the blessings of MahatmaGandhi. The Bhavan was established around the

time when freedom was not in doubt; the questionwas how soon. With freedom round the corner,people were concerned about the New India thatwould emerge soon. Munshiji not only dreamed of aresurgent India he also felt the need to worktowards it. This resulted in the founding ofBharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

The Bhavan has its roots firmly embedded in theIndian soil but its spreading branches reach out toencompass the best of the modern world in thefields of science, technology, economics andmanagement. The Bhavan is a unique institutionwhere Sanskrit classes are found side-by-side withengineering colleges; Gita classes function alongwith the institute of management; traditionalteaching of fine arts as well as the teaching ofmodern science, arts and commerce is found in itsschools and colleges.

The Bhavan reaches out to the world through itsvalue-based publications members over 1800 underthe banner, Bhavan’s Book University. This includesthe publication of its fortnightly journal, Bhavan’sJournal, and other periodicals.

He said, “We, the Bhavan’s family, whether it is thesmaller one or the larger one, must make everyeffort in restoring an awareness of these values—Satyam, Shivam and Sundaram—Truth, Love andBeauty—in personal and collective life.”

Final Days

Kulapati K.M. Munshiji passed away on 8thFebruary 1971. Smt. Lilavati Munshi was then

Kulapati

K.M. Munshi


elected President. Dr. Munshi is reckoned as one ofthe luminaries of the Gujarati literature andestablished his reputation as an outstandingnovelist. Till his death in 1971 he devoted all hisenergies to the building up of the Bhavan as thepremier cultural organization of the country. TheBhavan, in the words of Dr. Radhakrishnan, is thegreatest monument of Munshi’s life.

Sundaram Ramakrishnan

Padamshri, Padma Bhushan Sri Ramakrishnan wasthe person behind the present day Bharatiya VidyaBhavan along with Kulapati K.M. Munshi.

Early Life

Sri Ramakrishnan was born on July 22, 1922, toBrhamasri Sundaram Iyer in Pushpagiri, Trichur. Hecompleted his education and arrived in Mumbai in1938 and stayed with his uncle in Matunga.

The Incident and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Sri Ramakrishnan, as a seven year old, witnessed ahorrific scene of a poor nayadi (lowest in the rigidKerala caste ladder) being chased and beaten like adog by fellow villagers screaming “nayadi, nayadi”.This incident left a lasting impression on his tendermind that he carried with him throughout his life.And this shaped his illustrious life and career, andhe, along with another Brahmin intellectual giantfrom Gujarat, Kanhaiyalal Munshi, went on to plantand nurture the huge banyan tree of ancient Hindulearning and wisdom, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. TheGujarati Brahmin, Kanhayilal Munshi would dreamand his Pattar Brahmin buddy, Sri Ramakrishnanwould convert into reality.

Mahatma Gandhi

Even while in school, he had come under the spellof Mahatma Gandhi and Kanchi Paramacharyal. Sohow could Sri Ramakrishnan, then a young lad of17, with the fierce passion of freedom burning inhis heart keep away from, the fiery cauldron of thefreedom movement, of which Mumbai was theepicenter. He joined the Indian National Congressand plunged into Mahatma Gandhi’s Satyagraha.Ramarishnan started a Khadi club and a Charkhaclub. After buying Khadi on credit he and his groupwould go from house to house selling it.Enthusiasts under his leadership would convene atthe Charkha club each weekend and spin khadi for72 hours. ‘On Gandhiji’s 72nd birthday he and hisfriends spun worked non-stop for 72 hours,produced 72 yards of khadi and gifted it to theMahatma. For quite some time, Sri Ramakrishnanwas secretary to the Iron Man Sardar VallabhaiPatel and later joined Kanhaiyalal Munshi.

Quit India Movement

Sri Ramarishnan participated in the Quit IndiaMovement in 1942 and was jailed in Pune’s Yerwada

Jail under the most inhuman conditions. It was inthe Yervada jail that Gandhiji had started hismagazine ‘The Hairjan’. When Gandhiji wasreleased from jail, Sri Ramakrishnan offered Bapuhis services.

The Bhavan Tree

When freedom dawned in 1947, Sri Ramakrishnan,who was very close to Congress stalwarts likeSardar Vallabhai Patel, Vithalbhai Patel, MahatmaGandhi, was offered several powerful governmentpositions. But being a true Gandhian, he refused allof them. Instead, with Sardar Patel’s blessings, heteamed up with Kanhaiyalal Munshi and createdthe world’s largest institution of Hindu learning,Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. While K.M. Munshiconceptualized the Bhavan and laid its foundation,the Bhavan grew in stature and magnitude into aninternational, secular, apolitical, culturalorganization by the dedication, resolve, foresightand acumen of Sri Ramakrishnan.

Under Sri Ramakrishnan’s able stewardship of halfa century, the Bhavan bloomed into a worldwidecultural and educational organisation. He was thefounder-editor of Bhavan’s Journal and the generaleditor of Bhavan’s Book University, which has over1,600 titles to its credit.

Apart from being Editor in Chief of the Bhavan’sGroup of publications, Sri Ramakrishnan alsoauthored several books on various subjects. It isbelieved that he ghost wrote Kanhaiylal Munshi’smagnum opus, Krishnaavataara, running intoseveral volumes.

The Sarva Dharma Maitri Pratishthan or the Inter-Faith Harmony Foundation was the brainchild ofhis passion for national integration and communalharmony. Sri Ramakrishnan had been a constantpresence since the inception of the Bhavan.Munshiji conceived and

Sri Ramakrishnan implemented. He worked longhours. He was remarkably humble and hisimpeccable manners and politeness warmedpeople’s hearts.

‘‘I’m only the Bhavan’s servant, “Sri Ramakrishnanoften claimed endorsing the Bhavan’s motto of ‘Aano bhadraah kratavo yantu vishwatah’—‘‘Let noblethoughts come to us from every side”.

Final Days

For his outstanding work, Sri Ramakrishnanreceived the Padma Shri in 1991 and the PadmaBhushan in 2001. Ramakishnan passed away onFebruary 14, 2003.

Source: http://www.bhavans.info,www.liveindia.com, http://groups.yahoo.com


In Kautilya’s Arthashastra, there are a number ofeconomic concepts and ideas which have parallelsin the modern theory of economics. OftenKautilya’s economic theories are implicit ratherthan explicit, which is understandable because hedid not write a book on economics as we know it tobe today. The economic ideas expressed in theArthashastra are not new to the modern economist,but what is amazing is that Kautilya had developedthese thoughts some 2,400 years ago. Many of thesame ideas have been rediscovered and restatedsince his time.

Perhaps one could call Kautilya the ‘Father ofEconomics in India’! If one were to read histhoughts on domestic commercial policies, oneknows that he understood well the relationshipbetween demand and supply in the determinationof price. He even wrote about the estimation ofdemand and control of supply. According to him, aking should not arbitrarily fix the price of a productwithout regard to its supply and demand. Even today,largely for social considerations, prices of certainproducts are arbitrarily fixed, which have theireffects on other areas, usually fiscal. For example,kerosene is subsidised for social reasons, as it is acheap fuel. This subsidy is borne by the State, andState-owned oil companies. However, it is alsomisused as a substitute for diesel, which harms theenvironment.

Kautilya advocated the concept of ‘just price’. The‘just price’ was designed to maintain the incentivefor business people by allowing them five to tenper cent profit in their operations. As State-ownedbusinesses competed with private businesses, theconflict of interest was clear. Kautilya suggestedsome parity in price be maintained such that theprivate sector was not choked off. He indicated that

an arbitrary price cannot be dictated from abovewithout regard to the cost of production, the ratioof supply to demand, a reasonable level of profit,etc. When there was a glut of any commodity, theState (designated state official Panyadhyaska) wasexpected to intervene and centralise the sale ofthat commodity so that the price did not slump.Apparently, the entire supply was purchased andits sale carried out through the agency of the stateat a fixed price.

All in all the text reveals a definite attempt to strikea reasonable balance between the interests of thestate, the traders and the consumers. Oftenhowever, the interests of the consumers areregarded as supreme. The Panyadhyaksa wasexpected to be an expert in determining the valuesof various commodities and always be updatedwith the demand and supply situations of thecommodities involved. Any kind of price collusionby the groups and associations of merchants wasdiscouraged by heavy fines.

Foreign Trade

Well before the World Trade Organisation, Kautilyaclearly understood the advantages of foreign tradeand strongly encouraged it. In fact, herecommended that experts be sent to study foreignmarkets and determine which commodities couldbe imported and exported profitably. Heencouraged imports but understood that it couldnot be a one-way trade; hence, for the long term, hesuggested a balance between import and export bemaintained.

He does not display any of the fears of foreign tradethat the mercantilists after him had displayed. Hestated that before a successful trade contract can be

Kautilya as

an Economist


established, it must be beneficial to all countriesinvolved, surely a principle that would underliemodern day trade agreements between countries.There must be a price advantage and a profit to bemade. Hence, the possibility of increasedconsumption and a profit motive seem to be thedominant factors in encouraging foreign trade.Foreign trade, however, was regulated—noteverything could be imported or exported. Kautilyalaid down general and specific policies regarding allaspects of trade, which seem too complex andstrangely modern.

Trade Policy

There was a clear-cut role for the State in seekingand analysing ‘market access’. In some ways therole envisaged by Kautilya for the State in seekingforeign markets, i.e., analysis of price and demand,tariff and transportation costs and marketinformation, is very similar to the brief of modernTrade Policy Departments in various countries.

“Having ascertained the value of local produce ascompared with that of foreign produce that can beobtained in barter, the superintendent will find out(by calculation) whether there is any margin left forprofit after meeting the payments (to the foreignKing) such as the toll (sulka), road-cess (vartani),conveyance-cess (ativahika), tax payable at militarystations (gulmadeya) ferry charges (taradeya),subsistence to the merchant and his followers(bhakta) and the portion of merchandise payable tothe foreign King (bhaga).”

For Kautilya, information gathering and lobbying wasa prerequisite for trade activities, “having gatheredinformation as to transactions in commercial townsalong the banks of rivers, he (the officer) shalltransport his merchandise to profitable marketsand avoid unprofitable ones”.

Risk and Uncertainty

Kautilya related the levels of risk and uncertaintyto levels of profits and interests. He opined thathigher levels of risk and uncertainty need to becompensated by the chance of receiving higherprofits or interest. For example, he recommendedthe allowable profit on imports to be twice as highas on domestic goods. The associated risk wasconsidered to be an important reason for allowing10% of profits on imports and only 5% on domesticproducts. This was because not only did importsrequire a lock-in of large amounts of capital, butalso because of the danger of goods being stolen intransit.

Showing an early understanding of risk and reward,Kautilya provides a very detailed analysis ofinterest rate structures and the importance ofhaving correct structures of interest rates and debtrecovery mechanisms. Kautilya provides fordifferent interest rate structures for differentsectors of the economy. He states, “Five panas per

month per hundred is commercial interest(vyavahariki); ten panas per month per hundredprevails among forests; twenty panas per monthper hundred prevails among sea-traders(samudranam),” clearly showing that the riskier theventure, the greater the interest should be takinginto account the higher risk. Kautilya believed thatthe State should have some watch over commercialactivities that affect the general welfare of the State,i.e., “The nature of the transactions betweencreditors and debtors, on which the welfare of thekingdom depends, shall always be scrutinized”.This idea is similar to present day systems of‘watchdogs’ that supervise commercial activities(Central Banks, Securities and Exchanges Boards,etc.) and provide legitimacy and security to themto make the business environment robust.

Unlike Aristotle, who considered charging intereston loans as unjust, Kautilya outlined a structure ofrates based upon the type of loans, factors affectinginterest rate, methods of calculating interest and thecircumstances when interest may not be collected bythe lenders. Interest rates in his time varied from1.25-2% per month, primarily, depending upon twofactors—the risk involved and the potentialproductivity of the money borrowed. The interestrate on secured loan for personal needs such as tomeet marriage expense was at the lower end of thespectrum, at 1.25% per month. The rate was higherfor trade. In the case of ordinary local trade therate was five per cent per month, but the ratedoubled for those trading in forest products. Thetraders who travelled to forest areas weresubjected to greater risk from animals and robbers;further, the business in forest products was moreprofitable. The highest rate of 20% per month wascharged to those who engaged in overseas trade,considered to be the most risky but also the mostprofitable of businesses. Commercial bankers todaywould salivate at the thought of such rates!

The rate of interest was also high on loans taken bya group of people, rather than that taken by anindividual. It was felt that since the group wouldshare the burden of interest, it would not fallheavily on any one individual. Moreover, the groupwas generally in a better position to pay highinterest because it was involved in larger projectswith greater profit potential such as foreign trade.Creditors could not charge an interest notapproved by the State.

Further, certain groups of people, due to theirinability to pay (sickness, bankruptcy), or due to

“Kautilya’s economic

theories are implicit

rather than explicit”


the nature of their work (student) were exemptfrom paying interest—the privilege, however, hadto be earned by the person by the process of law.Five different kinds of interest were distinguishedby Kautilya: compound interest, periodical interest,stipulated interest, daily interest, and the use of apledged article. Indeed the idea of expressinginterest as a percentage originated in India. Thus,overall, the Kautilyan system of interest seemsquite elaborate, complex and even modern.

Wages

Kautilya used three criteria in prescribing wagesfor state employees. He indicated that the wageshould be high enough to maintain the loyalty ofhigh ranking officials, to evoke the neededefficiency and effort, and to reflect the relativestanding of their occupation. He recommended thatthe aggregate wage bill of the State should not exceedone-fourth of its revenue. The Finance Commissionwould do well to study the chapter on wages!

In determining wages in private industries, Kautilyaused a variety of factors such as the quality andquantity of work, market value of the final product,the market value of the inputs, etc. The wagediffered between the industries based upon skilland technology required, and within the industrybased upon the quality and quantity of work done.Higher wages were paid for overtime work doneduring holidays. The labour market was quitecompetitive. Those who could not compete, joinedthe ranks of the unemployed and the unskilledlabour force with their wages appreciably reduced.The concept of contractual wages also existed. Thequality and the quantity of work to be performedwere specified for a certain sum of wages. A generalreview of the industries, described by Kautilyaindicates a trend toward specialisation and use ofmechanical devices to improve the quality andquantity of output.

In Arthashastra, there is a definite effort toformulate a wage policy based on the realisticunderstanding of the economic, social, and politicalfactors. The emerging policy must be just, andmust be consistent with the interest of the state asa capitalist. For Kautilya, the State is a party to anylabour or wage legislation together with farmers,merchants and industrialists. The policy suggestedin Arthashastra attempts to strike a balance

between the delicate interests of the partiesinvolved. Kautilya indicates that although the Stateholds a privileged position of a monopolist, it shouldco-operate with the private sector for properutilisation of resources. Further, a strong privatesector is a source of strength to the State.

Money and Banking

In Kautilya’s economy, there is no restriction on thesupply of money. The supply and demand formoney seem to take care of themselves without anyinterference from the State. It seems the restrictionon the supply of money comes from the availabilityof gold and silver—the two important metals usedin the manufacture of coins. In manufacturingcoins, both gold (for gold coins) and silver (forsilver coins) had to be mixed with definiteproportions of other alloys. Any individual couldhave his gold or silver converted into coins at theState mint for a fee. Different denominations ofcoins were used for transactions. It seems thesupply of money was not used for controllingeconomic activities.

Kautliya also envisaged the idea of a rudimentarybanking system that kept the wealth of guilds andartisans in safekeeping. He recommends that thebanker should have a good understanding of theworkings of the artisans, should be reliable, and bea person of good standing. Modern day banksindeed serve all these functions, i.e., they have tobuild trust and stature within their community toconduct their business and have to have a goodunderstanding of markets to be successful. InKautliya’s words, “those who can be expected torelieve misery, who can give instructions toartisans, who can be trusted with deposits, whocan plan artistic work after their own design, andwho can be relied upon by guilds of artisans, mayreceive the deposits of the guilds. The guilds(sreni) shall receive their deposits back in times ofdistress”.

One must marvel at the depth of Kautilya’spragmatic philosophy underlying his work inArthashastra. Although he did not write a book oneconomics per se, he has expressed andhighlighted many economic ideas when it comes tomanaging the affairs of the State as early as in the3rd century BC. Since then, many of his economicthoughts have been rediscovered and restated bymany prominent economists and philosophers.Kautilya should earn his rightful place among thestalwarts of economic ideas.

Source: Kautilya’s Arthashastra, The Way ofFinancial Management and EconomicGovernance, p. 12-20, Ch 2, JAICO PublishingHouse, Mumbai, India

(To be continued…)

“Kautilya related the

levels of risk and

uncertainty to levels of

profits and interests”


Swami Dayanand was the founder of the Hindureform organization Arya Samaj, which heestablished on April 7th 1875, in Bombay, India.Arya Samaj or the ‘Society of Nobles’ is a Hindureform movement which condemns animalsacrifices, caste system, child marriages,discrimination against women, untouchability.Throughout his life, Swami Dayanand preachedagainst many Hindu traditions which he felt weredogmatic and oppressive. These included traditionssuch as caste by birth, and the exclusion of femalesfrom the study of the Vedas. One of his mainmessages for Hindus was to go back to the roots oftheir religion, which are the Vedas. By doing this, hefelt that Hindus would be able to improve thedepressive religious, social, political, and economicconditions prevailing in India in his times.

Early Life

Swami Dayanand was born on February 12th, 1824in a town called Tankara in the state of Gujurat,India. Swami Dayanand Saraswati was born as‘Moolashankar’ in Gujarat, in the year 1824. Evenwhen he was a child, Swami Dayanand Saraswatihad a keen and inquisitive mind. Once MoolShankar was keeping a fast on the Shivratri festivalday along with his entire family. They had to beawake throughout the night. At night, he saw amouse dancing on the Shivalinga. Surprised at thisincident, he asked his elders why this “GodAlmighty” could not defend himself against themenace of a petty mouse, for which he wasrebuked! The sudden death of a favourite uncle,and his beloved sister caused much turmoil inMool Shankar. He became quite detached from theworld, and one day left home in search of a guru.

Virajananda Saraswati

The search was long and arduous. Finally, at theage of thirty-six he found his mentor in VirajanandaSaraswati, who was blind, but was a master of theancient lore. The training was rigorous, and the

guru was ruthless. But here was a disciple of alifetime. As his Gurudakshina he wanted hisdisciple to devote his life for the revival ofHinduism. The guru called him Dayananda.

The Vedas

One of Swami Dayanand’s major arguments forgoing back to the Vedas was that, in his own words“the four Vedas, the repositories of knowledge andreligious truth, are the Words of God. They areabsolutely free of error and are the Supreme &independent authority”. The four Vedas are; RigVeda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. Tospread awareness of his movement and to revitalizeVedic knowledge, Swami Dayanand published manyreligious books. These include; Satyartha Prakash(The Light of Truth), the Rig-Vedaadi, Bhasyya-Bhoomika, and Sanskar Vidhi.

Swami Dayanand preached many messages toHindus during his lifetime. He preached that Hindusshould worship just one, formless, God. He foughtagainst polytheism by telling people the truemeaning of the names of God and established howall of them pointed at one and the same God—Paramathama, the Supreme Self. Swamiji was “avoice against superstition, against unrighteousness,which reigned supreme in the garb of true religion”.

Final Days

Swami Dayanand challenged many of the Hinduorthodoxy if they could justify their belief in thesepractices. This induced the anger and wrath ofmany orthodox Hindus, which subsequently led to14 attempts at poisoning Dayanand. Miraculously,he was able to use his Yogic abilities to curehimself from the first 13 attempts. However, the14th time proved fatal. Swami Dayanand died in1883 and left the world with his legacy, Arya Samaj.

Source: www.vedicculturalcentre.com,www.answers.com, www.iloveindia.com

Maharishi Swami

Dayanand Saraswati


The Kolkata Memorial was inaugurated on January11, 2011 at Kidderpore Depot along the Hooghly Riverin Kolkata by Hon Vayalar Ravi, Minister of India’sOverseas Indian Affairs (MOIA). Also in attendanceand participating were: Hon Mamta Banerjee, Ministerof Railways. Also in attendance and participatingwere MOIA Secretary Dr A Didar Singh; Shri MLMeena, Chairman of Kolkata Port Trust; Shri MukulRoy, Hon Minister of State for Shipping.

It was attended by hundreds from severalcountries including Guyana, Trinidad, Surname,Guadeloupe, USA, Canada, UK, Netherlands,Switzerland, South Africa, Kenya, Fiji, Mauritius,Re-Union Islands, New Zealand, Australia and othermany others countries where Indians and Personsof Indian Origin (PIOs) reside.

The Kolkata Memorial is inscribed with a memorialplaque (in English and Hindi) that pays tribute tothose who left India as indentured Indian laborersfrom 1834 thru’ 1920. It is meant as “recognitionand remembrance of their journeys and as Indianindentured laborers to far away lands seekingbetter livelihoods for themselves and theirdescendants; for their pioneering spirit,determination, resilience, endurance andperseverance amidst the extremely harsh anddemeaning conditions they encountered; for theirpreservation of sense of origin, traditions, cultureand religion, and their promotion of the Indianculture; for their achievements and successesdespite insurmountable odds”.

The plaque is based on a proposal by Guyaneseborn Ashook Ramsaran, in his capacity as ExecutiveVice President of Global Organization of People ofIndian Origin (GOPIO International), who workedclosely and continuously with the Ministry ofOverseas Indian Affairs to draft the inscription andthe design of the plaque. The Government of Indiaaccepted the proposal and proceeded to erect thememorial monument with the inscription plaquecontained within. The inscription on the plaque wastaken from the draft provided by Ashook Ramsaran

who captured the shared sentiments of thedescendants of those indentured laborers.

Personal Perspectives by Ashook Ramsaran

Our ancestors who left those shores truly deservetheir place in the annals of Indian history and thejourneys of people of Indian origin. We should allbe very proud of our ancestors who made the firstjourney that has become an integral part of ourhistory as well. We certainly owe them a lastingtribute, recognition of their sacrifices and a trulyworthy remembrance.

My personal quest for my own connection to Indiawas always a yearning long before I met withMinister Jagdish Tytler of the then newly formedMinistry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) inBrussels, Belgium in October 2004.

My continuing search and inquiries led me throughmany pathways but nothing definitive that wouldallow me to pursue a direct link to the ancestralvillage of my great grandfather Pooriya who arrivedin Guyana (then British Guiana) as an Indianindentured laborer in 1853 aboard the shipAdelaide. That information was shown in the singleline entry in the birth record of my grandfatherRamlochannd born March 10, 1867 in Guyana. Thatsingle line entry also listed my great grandmotherRadhah having arrived in Guyana in 1860 aboardship Colgrain. With no ship records of 1853 or 1860available in the archives in Guyana, my searchmoved beyond Guyana to other possible sourcessuch as India and the United Kingdom where I washopeful that secondary records were kept.

From both my vantage point as Secretary Generalof GOPIO and my regular interaction with otherPIOs and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) on a globalscale, I was able to view the entire global landscapeof PIOs and the history of emigration from Indiaduring the 19th and 20th centuries. In particular, Iacquired historical details, more in-depthknowledge and valuable information on Indianindentured laborers from 1834 through 1920. This

Kolkata Memorial

Inaugurated


appealed to me since I was interested in knowingmore about my great grandfather and his journeyto Guyana, with the intent that perhaps someday Iwould be able to find his ancestral village.

After review of my proposal and subsequentdiscussions, Minister Tytler of MOIA was convincedthat my request to initiate and chair a session atPBD2005 was a worthwhile one: I chaired the first“Tracing the Roots” session at Pravasi BharatiyaDivas (PBD) 2005 in Mumbai, India. That sessionspawned renewed intensity among PIOs andencouraged MOIA to establish “Tracing the Roots”initiatives within MOIA and those were qualified todo actual searches for families in Indian based onemigration information obtained in the countries ofdestination. A few Indian states, including Bihar,also initiated programs to assist PIOs to trace theirrespective families and their ancestral villages.

I considered this a welcome trend that contributedto more interest among descendants of Indianindentured laborers and their quest to connect totheir ancestral villages and, in effect, to India itself.It was a very successful session that drew on theexperiences of many in PIO countries, historians,academicians and custodians of records of Indianemigration, in particular Indian indentured laborersfrom 1834 through 1920.

Thereafter, I was emboldened and encouraged toseek more and to do more to fulfill that personaldesire to find and connect with the land (even thevillage) of my ancestors.

Since that time and previous as well, it has been ajourney into the unknown, seeking those I have notknown but wanting to know. Yet somehow it feltthat I may have known them all along but have

been missing the connection that could fulfill a longdesire that exists as a vacuum. For lack of successin my own quest, that personal quest was quicklytransformed to a universal one, representative ofthe descendants of those who left India from theports of Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras) andMumbai (Bombay). In so many ways, it wasfulfillment of another kind, for the larger good—andhow fascinating this journey has been at everysingle point for me.

While I was standing with Leela Sarup and MOIAofficials on the Kidderpore Depot docks on July 7,2010, that realization came to fruition when theagreement was made with Dr A Didar Singh,Secretary of MOIA, to embark on a two-phase effortto pay tribute to Indian indentured laborers of 19thand 20th centuries (in particular, from 1834 through1920): Installation of a memorial plaque atKidderpore Depot (to be unveiled on January 11,2011) to be followed by a memorial museum andresource center in a suitably significant site inKolkata. In that respect, the July 7, 2010 meetingwas quite historic indeed.

At 3:30 pm on 11th January, 2011 at the KidderporeDepot, 14, Garden Reach in Kolkata, the memorialplaque was unveiled. It is a long overdue tribute tothose who took the risks on barely a promise, totheir individual and shared sacrifices and theirendurance that made it possible for theirdescendants to flourish with the spirit of Indiannessthat transcends time, and to their courage whichbecome a living testament in our lives.

It was truly be a historic moment with enormoussignificance to millions of descendants of thosewho left India as indentured Indian laborers duringthe 19th and 20th centuries. While the unveiling ofthis memorial plaque was witnessed by many inperson and broadcast live electronically for the PIOworld to view, I am convinced that we were not bealone: Also viewing that ceremony were the soulsof those who left those depots, smiling in gratitudeand silently shouting “thank you” for rememberingand recognizing.

Decades later, we are expressing our gratitude tothem and honoring them in visible and significantways that transcend time.

Ashook Ramsaran

Ashook Ramsaran, an awardee of India’sprestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD), 2011,is a fourth generation of Indian greatgrandparents who came to Guyana during 1853–1860. He got his BSEE and MSEE degrees at thePolytechnic University in New York. He is anelectronics engineer and owns a company,Ramex. As Executive Vice President of the GlobalOrganization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO),he has helped to build closer links between Indiaand the entire Indian Diaspora.


Nandini Krishna is the senior disciple of LateKalaimamani Guru Sri T.K. Mahalingam Pillai,former Director of the reputed Sri RajarajeswariBharata Natya Kala Mandir, Mumbai. A recipient ofthe Government of India’s Department of Culturescholarship in Bharata Natyam, Nandini haspresented her performances in major nationalcentres across the country. Nandini has a versatilebackground in teaching, performing, as artsadministrator and freelance journalist.

She is an empanelled artiste of the Indian Councilfor Cultural Relations (ICCR). In 2004, she wasdeputed to Bali, Indonesia, through the ICCR, as thefirst dancer-teacher in Bharata Natyam, for thenewly opened Indian Cultural Centre there. Shetrained and presented Balinese students in BharataNatyam performances, and for the InternationalBali Arts Festival.

While in Bali, Nandini was invited to join atheatrical work with diverse Balinese performing

NandiniKrishna


artistes in ‘Tempest’, directed by Ron Jenkins ofWesleyan University, USA. She also presented othercollaborative works with students of the Universityof Arts, Bali (ISI); ‘Gruha Naadhanjali’ with atraditional performing group, hosted by thenewspaper Bali Post, which was later alsopresented at the International Ubud Writers andReaders festival. She was invited by Americanchoreographer, Curtis Speck, to join him and twojazz ballet artists for an arts-in-residency programin Germany, in 2000, which culminated in the mutli-cultural work—‘The Dance of Hope’ that included atwenty member German symphonic orchestra. InCanada, in 2009, she collaborated with local multi-media artistes, to present ‘Stir’ for University ofMississauga, Toronto. Nandini collaborated withOdissi, for ‘Prakriti Nartan’, scored by therenowned Pt. Vijay Raghav Rao. The Japanesefeature film, ‘Fukai Kawa’, has her Bharata Natyamsequence.

She has performed in India at the major nationalcentres such as the NCPA, Mumbai, IndiaInternational Centre, Delhi, Nehru Centre, Mumbaiamong others. She has also been telecast a fewtimes for the Mumbai Doordarshan in its culturalprogramme series.

Dance Education

Nandini has a varied experience in teaching dance.She has been a dance educator for the DhirubhaiAmbani International School for two years. Prior tothis she was the Head of Dance Department for alocal performing arts institution and presented a

number of students for local programmes inBharata Natyam.

She was invited to Singapore, for a project of theSingapore Arts Council, for three years to presentlecture-demonstrations, workshops andperformances for schools in Singapore.

Freelance Journalist

Nandini’s articles on music and dance have beenpublished in major newspapers—The Times ofIndia, Bombay Times, The Independent, The Daily.Magazines: AV Max and Sruti, a classical music anddance magazine, the first of its kind published fromChennai. She was the magazine’s Mumbaicorrespondent for three years.

Screen Performances

Nandini’s Bharata Natyam sequence has beenfeatured in the award winning and Cannes entry,Japanese feature film ‘Fukai Kawa’ and for theUnesco world heritage sites series of Elephanta,Ellora. Nandini played the lead role in adocumentary ‘Sai Shivalaya’, aired on Nationaldoordarshan.

Nandini was conferred the Title, ‘Singar Mani’ bythe Sur Singar Samsad, Mumbai.

Nandini Krishna will perform live at HoliMahotsav festival (18–20 March, 2011) organizedby Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia at DarlingHarbour, Sydney.


India has conferred the prestigious PravasiBharatiya Divas (PBD) Samman Award to Guyaneseborn Ashook Ramsaran on January 9, 2011 in NewDelhi, India at the conclusion of the PBD2011events culminating in the PBD Samman Awards.There were a total of 14 awardees selected from allregions of the world.

India’s President Pratibha Patil of India conferredthe prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD)Samman Award on the awardees at a widely viewedaudience globally as well as delegates in attendancefrom all over the world at the annual event.

This year’s honorees include Governor General SirAnand Satyanand of New Zealand who was the ChiefGuest. Sir Satyanand delivered the feature addressto this year’s ninth annual Indian DiasporaConference and spoke of his ancestors who left Indiaseeking better lives in Fiji and then moved to NewZealand where he rose to become Governor General.

The Pravasi Samman Award is the highestGovernment of India award given to a foreign basedPerson of Indian Origin (PIO) and it has been givenannually over the last nine years. The award is

given to outstanding overseas-based Indians whodistinguish themselves to enhance India’s imageand prestige while helping their community.

Ramsaran joins a small group of honorees fromGuyana to receive the award—President BharratJagdeo, industrialist Yesu Persaud and formerCommonwealth Secretary General ShridathRamphal. A few others from the Caribbean region(Suriname and Trinidad) have also received thisrare honour.

Ramsaran is a fourth generation of Indian greatgrandparents who came to Guyana as indenturedlaborers (1853 and 1860). His grandfather andfather were “drivers” on the sugar plantations.Ramsaran worked as a teacher in Black BushPolder and in the New Amsterdam magistrate’scourts before he emigrated in 1968 to New York topursue tertiary education. He earned BSEE andMSEE degrees at the Polytechnic University in NewYork. He was an electronics engineer andprogressed rapidly to position of Vice President ofEngineering in an international communicationscompany before establishing Ramex, his ownelectronics manufacturing enterprise in New York.

India Awards Highest Honors to

Ashook Ramsaran

and Prof Veena Sahajwalla


Ramex is named among the Top 100 Indian OwnedBusinesses in USA for 10 consecutive years.Ramsaran is married to Camille Ramgadoo ofBloomfield and the father of two sons, Arnold andGerald, both residing the in the USA. He is also thegrandfather of Jaden (6) and Gavin (3).

Ramsaran has extensive interests in connecting theglobal Indian diaspora and is very active inphilanthropic and charitable work in the UnitedStates and globally. He has a long record of serviceto the global Indian community. As Executive VicePresident of the Global Organization of People ofIndian Origin, he has helped to build closer linksbetween India and the entire Indian diaspora. Atthe same time as an integral part of GOPIO, he hashelped to promote to India’s causes and concernsin a tangible way in the United States while seekingredress on issues and concerns of Indians (Personsof Indian Origin (PIOs) and Non-Resident Indians(NRIs) living outside of India.

Ramsaran worked hard and long to bring aboutrecognition by the Government of India for thosewho left India from 1834–1920 as indenturedlaborers. He is spearheading the Kolkota Memorialproject which was inaugurated on January 11, 2011in Kolkata. He is also Chair of Tracing Our RootsCommittee which collaborates with others inseeking to trace the ancestral families and villagesof those who left India generations ago.

When asked how it feels to be accorded such aprestigious award by the Government of India forhis efforts, Ramsaran remarked that, “it is indeed aspecial honor to be recognized as such. It isbecause of the strength, resilience, perseveranceand sacrifices of our ancestors that we all standtall. I feel gratified that I have been able to bringabout recognition and remembrance of ourancestors who left India as indentured laborersfrom 1834–1920 by making the Kolkata Memorial areality (on January 11, 2011) in Kolkata”.

Prof Veena Sahajwalla

Prof Veena Harbhagwan Sahajwalla, Director ofCentre for Sustainable Materials Research &Technology (SMaRT), UNSW, Australia also receivedthe coveted Pravasi Bharatiya Samman. She ispioneer in metallurgical engineering having won the2004 Fresh Innovators award for inventing a way ofusing plastic as carbon source for steel making.

Prof Veena Sahajwalla’s most significantcontributions are in the field of Waste Plastics insteelmaking. She invented an environmentallyfriendly technology for recycling plastics andrubber tyres in steelmaking, enabling their use as apartial replacement of coal and coke in Electric ArcFurnace (EAF) steelmaking. She has been invited todeliver talks worldwide. She has deliveredkeynote/invited papers in many internationalconferences and has lectured in Argentina, Canada,

China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, SouthAfrica, Sweden, UK and USA.

Veena Sahajwalla is Fellow of the AustralianAcademy of Technological Sciences andEngineering, the premier national institution forthe advancement of engineering and technology,for ‘achievements as an exceptional, innovativeengineer with an established record of successfulconversions of research to high-value products’and Fellow of the Institution of EngineersAustralia. She has published more than 170refereed papers in leading journals andconference proceedings in her field and herresearch has been recognised internationallyleading to her winning numerous Honours,Awards and Prizes. Source:www.materials.unsw.edu.au


Indians desist from spitting in streets abroad butdo so back home…from ugly buildings to lack ofclean waterfronts, what’s stopping us from being aworld-class tourist destination. Indrani Rajkhowaasks some people who matter.

Did you know that Indians travelling abroad everyyear heavily outnumber foreign tourists coming toIndia? That makes one wonder—Is India actually asgood as it appears at economic summits, onpostcards and in romantic fiction? Times Life askeda cross-section of eminent people if they thoughtIndia could become a world-class destination in thecoming decade. While all of them believe thechange must come from within, they alsoreinforced the fact that laws should be stricter anda sense of pride must be instilled by those at thehelm of power.

Look within: YuvrajSingh, Cricketer

Surf ‘n’ sand: India is apeninsula, yet we haveonly scratched thesurface of our coastlinefor tourism. In the nextdecade, we could focuson developing world-class beaches, cleanwaterfronts, marinas,cafes and restaurants.

We could develop world-class water sportsfacilities and theme parks as well.

Feel proud: India’s image took a battering in 2010.We had a phenomenal year in sport but had to facethe embarrassment of the CWG scam. The nextdecade can be dedicated to an India free of scamsand corruption, one that does business ethicallyand openly.

Sporting giant: I have been privileged to see manycricket stadiums in the world. In India, it can be anightmare to take your family out to watch cricket.I hope that, in the future, Indian sports venuesboast state-of-art spectator facilities, which willthen provide impetus to India as a major sportstourism destination.

The loo factor! AnujaChauhan, AdvertisingProfessional & Author

Dignity of privacy:“We’ve differentstandards of hygiene!”Now, whoever said it,with one broad stroke,diminished all the prideand glory of India as thesuperpower. The mirrorcracked! India woke up

to the fact that the toilet is not about humour, it’scorrelated to education, awareness and dignity.

Protect women: For all the reservations andempowerment, women are still ill-treated anddiscriminated against. The crimegraph againstwomen is getting higher. Why look to thegovernment to educate and sensitise people? Letparents take a proactive role in teaching their sonsthat the daughter of the house is as good as him.

Drive out filth: Agreed we are a billion-plus people,but we are also the land of the Indus ValleyCivilisation. We taught the world cleanliness,superior drainage and sanitation. How aboutgetting our act together once again?

On the Fast Track: AmanNath, Heritage Hotelier

Look within: India can’tbe termed a ‘city’! It’s asea, a civilisation. Ourmeasures must comefrom within. But the civicsense, even of our elitesociety, needs a fast-track education.

Showcase the beauty:Flaunt the real diversity of India, rather than fakingluxuries that make for an ugly contrast with theclose to 50 per cent of our underprivilegedpopulation. Empower and fund the private sectorto showcase India. The Government of India officesabroad are an apology for the India they are meantto showcase.

Is India really

World-Class?


Be the change: Our weakness lies in lack of visionand myopic planning. When the future arrives eachday at our doorstep, we are unprepared. All thathas to change now.

The True Picture:Anusha Rizvi, FilmDirector

Reality test: It’s time toshow the world the trueIndia. We can’t hoodwinkthe world by hiding thefact that we havepoverty, illiteracy andcorruption. Whileshooting for Peepli Live,I’ve seen real poverty.

The intention for filming the movie was to shockpeople out of their comfort zones.

Wake-up call: There can only be change when westart recognising the fact that India is a third-worldcountry. A false sense of being has made uscomplacent. Changes take place only when there’sturbulence.

The great divide: The gap between the wealthy andpoor is huge. About 70 per cent of the population isilliterate and starving. Giving alms is not thesolution. Educate and empower theunderprivileged.

Inclusive India: PriyaDutt, Politician

Stop being delusional:To be a true superpower,there has to be equaldistribution of wealth.There are two Indias—one section talks abouteconomic growth,another sectionscrounges trough trashbins to feed itself. It’s a

dichotomy. Unless the divide is bridged, it’s afallacy on our part to be delusional of being a firstworld country. The answer is to empower the poor.Someone rightly said, “Give a man a fish and he hasfood for a day; teach him how to fish and you canfeed him for a lifetime.”

Smart laws: We are modern, yet our laws are soarchaic! Isn’t it funny that we are using the lawsformulated by the British to keep us muted?Anyone having a brush with the law becomesuntouchable. This shows that the judiciary isinaccessible and doesn’t work for the commonman.

Build that pride: We have our 5,000-year-oldculture, heritage, awe-inspiring traditions andbreathtaking landscapes to offer the world. Whatmore can a nation ask for? I completely believe that

India can become a world-class country if thepeople are given a sense of pride, a sense ofnationalism.

An Uphill Task: PrasoonJoshi, AdvertisingProfessional &BollywoodScriptwriter/Lyricist

A sense of aesthetics: Iwent to Kyoto recentlyand was mesmerised bythe look of the city. It hasretained the mysticalpast of Japan. Therewere no high-rises, no

modernity. Then I look at satellite cities likeGurgaon, so new, yet so haphazard. We’ve pluckedthe romance out of Lucknow and Benaras,destroyed cities like Agra, the host to one of theSeven Wonders of the World. A holistic approach toaesthetics has been missing in our country. Whyare ugly buildings allowed to spring near heritagesites, and in the hills? Isn’t it ironical that an Indianrestrains himself from spitting on the streets inSingapore, but doesn’t mind spitting in his owncities?

Atithi Devo Bhaba: It’s very difficult to explain thegoodness of a country to a tourist who was robbedor molested. To become a world-class country, weneed to see our country from the tourist’s eye.

Tough laws: How can a country be productivewhen half its population is not properly fed? Well,India is a vast democracy and we cannot have aone-stroke solution for our problems. But a fear ofthe law, combined with education and awarenesscan hopefully take us to the next level. India has along way to go to call itself a world-class country.

Indrani Rajkhowa

Source: Times News Network, A Supplement ofSunday Times of India, January 16, 2011


The Buddhist doctrine of the oneness of life and itsenvironment (Jpn. esho-funi) focuses on the humanbeing as part of the vast physical universe.Mutually interrelated, the subjective life entity andits environment operate together in a creative way.They are one, or as the original Chinese charactersindicate, they are two without being two.

The vast space-time continuum of the internalspiritual life of the individual corresponds to theouter universe of the phenomenal world. It pulsateswith limitless energy manifest in many differentforms—compassion, love, wisdom, reason,emotion, desire, impulse and so on. Each instant,this energy bursts forth to interact with theexternal universe, creating a new self and a newworld. When the inner universe exists in dynamicharmony, life energy is transformed creatively intocompassion, love, wisdom and reason. But whenthe inner universe has lost its essential rhythm,that energy takes negative, aggressive, domineeringforms like greed and destructive impulses, whichconvert the inner life into a desolate wasteland.

External desertification of the planet correspondsprecisely with spiritual desertification of the innerlife of human beings. Human relations with natureare part of the complex nexus of relationshipsbetween human beings and between the self and itsinner life. The egoism of human beings whoseinternal environments are polluted and desolateinevitably manifests itself in domination,

deprivation and destruction in the externalenvironment. To complete the cycle, animpoverished, desolate external environmentupsets the rhythm of the internal universe, thusgiving further rein to egoism and greed.

But since the ecological system of the planet, humansocial relations and the individual inner life are allmutually connected, the harmonizing powers ofcompassion and wisdom can effect a transformationthat becomes a basis for solving the complex ofglobal problems. Humanity and nature, humansociety and the inner universe are all intimatelyinterrelated, and the life force of human beings isalways the main axis of reform for all three.

The 13th-century Buddhist teacher Nichiren says,“The ten directions are the ‘environment,’ andliving beings are ‘life.’ To illustrate, environment islike the shadow, and life, the body.”

Humanity’s Purpose

One theory of evolution holds that humanityenables the universal life force to be aware of itself.Humanity stands at the pinnacle of the process ofmaterial, chemical and biological evolution that hasbeen taking place for more than 10 billion yearssince the Big Bang, which contemporary thoughtholds to have been the origin of the universe. Thecourse of spatiotemporal phenomenal developmentinitiated by the Big Bang produced our Earth, and

Life and the Environment:

A Buddhist Perspective


the evolution of humanity gradually enabled theuniverse to be aware of itself.

Human life enables the universe to be aware ofitself, as human beings are the life form capable ofperceiving the rhythmical laws operative in thenatural ecological system—specifically the law ofcause and effect—and of being aware of theultimate nature of life itself. Therefore humanbeings have the task of contributing to the creationof value in the evolution of life through theirunderstanding of the dynamics of the universe andthe interrelationship of life and its environment.

We might say that the universe itself has impartedto humanity the mission of protecting the complexecological system of the Earth and of contributingto the creation of value within the biosphere.Consequently, if a sense of this lofty mission orientsall of our scientific technology, social systems,politics and economics, we will discover the mosttruly human—in the best sense of the word—approach to solving our environmental problems.

A Contributive Life

Human beings live in diverse ways based on differenttypes of values. We can allow egoism and greed todrive us into actions that harm others and destroy theecological balance. At the same time, we are capableof leading altruistic, compassionate and wise lives.

In Buddhist terminology, the way human beingsought to live and act in order to fulfill this missionentrusted to us by the universe is called thecompassionate way of the bodhisattva.

People in the bodhisattva state confront theproblems of life and society for the sake of the

happiness of others as well as themselves. Theirlives are grounded in a profound sense of purpose.From the enlightened perspective of Buddhahood,life’s most fully realized spiritual potential, theyperceive the dignity of the lives of all beings as theygrow and develop in the vastness of the phenomenalworld unfolding in space and time, and they react inan ethical and sympathetic way not merely withhuman beings, but also with the whole ecology oflife. Controlling egoism and delusion, they aremotivated by the desire to create value in the livesof others and in the global biosphere, regarding thisas the supreme way of living. Revolutionizing ourown lives and society along the lines of thebodhisattva way of life promises hope for the future.People of the bodhisattva frame of mind are aware ofthe world and therefore feel deep concern foreverything in this biosphere—even beingsconcealed from them by distance in time or space.

Bodhisattvas live for the sake of the future, whichthey strive to anticipate through compassion andwisdom. They work to amplify the creative vitality oflife and to ensure that science, technology and oursocial systems are shaped and utilized for the well-being of future generations—the as yet unbornemissaries of the abundant life energy of the universe.

A mass movement of wise, compassionate peoplewho keep posterity always in mind could build asociety that respects human dignity and prizescreativity in our scientific, economic and legalsystems. The birth of such a society would signalthe dawn of a brilliant century of life.

“External desertification of the planet correspondsprecisely with spiritual desertification of the innerlife of human beings.”

Daisaku Ikeda

Daisaku Ikeda is thePresident of the SokaGakkai Internationaland Founder of theSoka School System (anondenominationalschool systemincluding universitiesin the USA and Japan)and a number ofcultural and academicinstitutions promotingpeace

(www.daisakuikeda.org). This article is an editedexcerpt of a longer article entitled TheEnvironmental Problem and Buddhism,published by the Institute of Oriental Philosophy,which was founded by Ikeda in 1962.

Source: www.sgiquarterly.org, Photo credit:[Daisaku Ikeda, © Seikyo Shimbun]. Publishedwith permission.


The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated onFebruary 11 which commemorates the first Marianapparition of eighteen ones around Lourdes,France. The Shrine in southern France is the mostvisited pilgrimage site in the world - principallybecause of the apparent healing properties of thewaters of the spring that appeared during theapparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary to a poor,fourteen-year-old girl, Bernadette Soubiroux.

The “Message of Lourdes” is the words and actionsthat were exchanged between the Virgin Mary andBernadette at the Grotto of Massabielle during the18 Apparitions from 11th February 1858 to 16th.July 1858. To understand the events which tookplace and the “Message of Lourdes” it is necessaryto know the context of the Apparitions thatBernadette experienced.

Lourdes in the 19th Century was one of the mainplaces in the district with more than 4,000inhabitants including nobles, notaries, advocates,doctors, officers as well as manual workers,tradesmen, slate workers, small artisans such asmillers. Mills were plentiful; many were dottedaround outside the town, along one of the streamsthat flowed into the Gave - the Lapacca. BernadetteSoubirous was born in one of these, the Boly Mill,on 7th January 1844.

Apparitions

On 11th February 1858 Bernadette, her sisterToinette and a friend of theirs, Jeanne, went lookingfor wood on the meadows and led towards “theplace where the canal rejoins the River Gave”. They

were in front of the Grotto of Massabielle. Toinetteand Jeanne crossed the icy water, crying out withthe cold; Bernadette hesitated to do this because ofher chronic asthma. She heard “a noise like a gustof wind”, but “none of the trees were moving”.“Raising her head, she saw, in a hollow of the rock asmall young lady, who looked at her and whosmiled at her. This was the first Apparition of theVirgin Mary.

At the time of Bernadette, the Grotto was a dirty,hidden, damp and cold place. The Grotto wascalled the “pigs’ shelter” because that was wherethe pigs feeding in the area usually took shelter. Itwas there that the Virgin Mary, dressed in white, asign of total purity, the sign of the Love of God, inother words, the sign of what God wishes toaccomplish in each of us, deigned to appear.

The Grotto is not only a place where somethinghappened - a geographical place - it is also a placewhere God gives us a sign by revealing his heart andour heart. It is a place where God leaves us amessage, a message that is nothing other than that ofthe Gospel. God comes to tell us that he loves us, -this is the heart of the Message of Lourdes, and heloves us as we are with all our successes but also withall our wounds, our weaknesses and our limitations.

During the third Apparition on 18th. February, TheVirgin Mary spoke for the first time. Bernadetteheld out a sheet of paper and a pencil so that shemight write down her name, but the Lady replied:“what I have to say to you does not have to bewritten down”. This was an extraordinarystatement. It meant that the Virgin Mary wanted to

Our Lady

of Lourdes


enter into a relationship which is of the order oflove, at the level of the heart.

At the second statement of the Virgin Mary: “Wouldyou do me the kindness of coming here for 15days?” Bernadette was overwhelmed. It was thefirst time that anyone had addressed her in aformal way. Bernadette describes these words bysaying that the Virgin looked at her ‘as one personlooks at another person’. Human beings, created inthe image and likeness of God, are persons.Bernadette felt that she was also respected andloved; she also had the experience of being aperson. We are all worthy of our dignity in the eyesof God. Because each of us is loved by God.

The third statement of the Virgin was: “I do notpromise to make you happy in this world but in theother.” We know a world of violence, lies, sensuality,profit, and war. But we know also a world of charity,solidarity, and justice. These two worlds exist onour earth. When Jesus, in the Gospel, invites us todiscover the Kingdom of Heaven, he invites us todiscover in our world, as it is, “another world”.Wherever love exists, God is present.

Thus, at the ninth Apparition, “the Lady” askedBernadette to scrape the ground, at the back of this“pigs’ shelter”, saying to her: “Go to the spring,drink of it and wash yourself there”. There is only alittle muddy water to begin with, enough forBernadette to drink. At first this water is muddyand dirty then, little by little, it becomes clear.

Bernadette was asked: ‘Did the Lady say somethingto you?’ She replied: ‘yes, now and again she wouldsay: “Penance, penance, penance, pray for sinners”.By penance we understand conversion. Conversionin the Church, as we learn from Christ, involvesturning our heart towards God and towards others.“Pray for sinners”. Praying brings us to the Spirit ofGod. Thus we understand that sin does not makeus happy. We must understand that sin issomething that is contrary to the love of God thatis revealed to us through the Gospel.

During the thirteenth Apparition Our Lady said toBernadette: “Go, tell the priests to come here inprocession and build a chapel here.” “Come here inprocession” means always moving, in this life,towards others. “Build a chapel here.” In Lourdes,chapels were built to receive the crowds that camehere. But these chapels are only the signs of thecommunion based on the love to which we arecalled. The chapel is the “Church” that we want tobuild where we are, in our family, at our place ofwork, in our parish, in our diocese. All Christiansspend their lives building the Church, living incommunion with others.

On 25th March 1858, the day of the sixteenthApparition, Bernadette went to the Grotto, and onthe instigation of the Parish Priest, Abbé‚Peyramale, asked the Lady for her name. Three

times Bernadette asked the question. On the fourthrequest, the Lady responds in dialect “Que soy eraImmaculada Conception”. (“I am the ImmaculateConception”). Bernadette does not understandimmediately the meaning of these words. TheImmaculate Conception is, as the Church teaches,“Mary, conceived without sin, thanks to the meritsof the Cross of Christ”. (The definition of theDogma of the Immaculate Conception 1854) Shegoes to the Parish Priest to tell him the Lady’sname. He understands that it is the Mother of Godwho has appeared at the Grotto of Massabielle.Later the Bishop of Tarbes, Monseigneur Laurence,confirms this.

During the Seventeenth Apparition Bernadette hadnever failed to bring a lighted candle to the Grottosince the first time she had been instructed to doso by the Beautiful Lady. During this apparition, sheunconsciously placed one of her hands over theflame of the candle. People witnessed the flameburning through her fingers. Bernadette did noteven hear the cries of horror which arose from thecrowd. She continued to pray for at least fifteenminutes while the flame burned through her hand.She emerged quietly from prayer unscathed. ThenDr. Dozous took another candle and, withoutwarning, touched the flame to her hand. Bernadetteimmediately cried out in pain. Shortly after thisapparition, the Prefect took matters into his ownhands and ordered the Grotto closed, and therustic altar was dismantled.

During the Eighteenth and last ApparitionBernadette seemed relieved that she was becomingless of a public figure. Several months had passed,and after receiving communion on the feast of OurLady of Mt. Carmel, Bernadette felt an irresistibleurge to return to the Grotto. Since the barricadewas still in place, she and her aunt could not get asclose to the sacred spot as they wanted, so theyknelt in the grass, and the Beautiful Lady appearedto her one last time.

After the apparitions

At the age of 22, Bernadette joined the order of theSisters of Charity becoming a nun and devoted herlife to Mary, to praying for the conversion ofsinners and to the service of God. Bernadette diedon April 16, 1879.

In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticityof the apparitions and authorized the cult of Our Ladyof Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady ofLourdes became worldwide in 1907.

Compiled by Priscila Molina M

Sources: http://www.lourdes-france.org,www.catholicnewsagency.com


The Fenugreek plant is the seeds of Trigonellafoenum-graecum. Fenugreek belongs to the familyof Fabaceae. This tall annual herb is native to theMediterranean, Ukraine, India and China. The plantbears pods filled with numerous light brown,diamond-shaped seeds which possess a sweetmaple aroma, and are commonly used in cookingand flavouring.

Both leaves and seeds of fenugreek are used forseveral purposes. Fenugreek seeds are usuallyyellow to amber coloured and are mainly used asspice. They can also be used to prepare fenugreektea or herbal tea, which is known to have immensehealth benefits. In ancient times, the medicinalproperties of the fenugreek seeds were explored inmany parts of world like Asia, Greece, Egypt andItaly. In ancient Egypt, a paste made by soakingfenugreek seeds in water, was used to treat feversand stomach problems.

Diabetes

Fenugreek, which has comparable antidiabeticpotency to cinnamon, is one of the most valuablespices for the control of glucose metabolism and thusthe prevention and treatment of Type II diabetes.Owing to its many properties it helps in theprevention and treatment of diabetes in several ways.

Working in a similar way to the common

antidiabetic drug glibenclamide, fenugreek lowerscellular insulin resistance and controls bloodglucose homeostasis. It has been shown to lowerblood glucose levels of Type II diabetics by asmuch as 46 percent.

It also increases the levels of several importantantioxidants and reduces the damaging oxidationof lipids associated with diabetes.

As an added bonus, fenugreek seeds are very richin a type of dietary fibre that modulates post¬-prandial blood glucose levels by delaying theabsorption of sugar in the intestines. Thismucilaginous fiber also reduces the absorption offat and cholesterol from the intestines thusproviding additional protection against heartdisease and obesity.

“fenugreek lowers

cellular insulin resistance

and controls blood

glucose homeostasis”

Medicinal Properties

of Fenugreek


Cataracts

Fenugreek is also effective against diabetes-relatedcataracts which occur commonly in diabetics. Theenzymes that control glucose intake into the lens ofthe eye do not function normally in diabetics and, asa result, glucose and its metabolites, fructose andsorbitol, accumulate in the lens tissues. The lensesof diabetic patients are also prone to damage byenzymes that would normally protect againstdestructive free radicals, and a combination of thesefactors leads to the gradual opacification of the lensknown as cataract. As fenugreek has been shown topartially reverse both the metabolic changes in thelens and to reduce the density of the cataract, it islikely to be even more effective as a prophylacticagent against cataract formation in diabetics.

Research

Today, modern science has revealed that fenugreekhelps to control cholesterol and regulate bloodglucose. Fenugreek seed lowers overall serumcholesterol, and reduces triglycerides.

Clinical and experimental studies find fenugreekseeds effective in treating Type 2 diabetes,providing significant improvements in insulinsensitivity while reducing LDL cholesterol.

In a double-blind, placebo-controlled study, anextract of fenugreek seeds improved glycemiccontrol in patients.

Type 2 diabetes while decreasing insulin resistance.Fenugreek is also surprisingly versatile in all theadvantages it has to offer... and these are not solelyrestricted to maintain your blood glucose at aneven keel.

Research on Fenugreek and Type 1 Diabetes

In a clinical study to investigate Fenugreek’s effecton type I diabetes, patients were given Fenugreekseed powder with both lunch and dinner for aperiod of ten days. These patients showedsignificantly reduced fasting blood sugar levels andimproved glucose tolerance, with a 54% reductionin 24 hour urinary glucose excretion. Serum totalcholesterol, LDL and VLDL cholesterol andtriglycerides were also significantly reduced.Research on Fenugreek and Type 2 Diabetes

To evaluate the effects of Fenugreek seeds onglycemic control and insulin resistance in mild tomoderate type 2 diabetes mellitus, a clinical trialwas conducted with 25 newly-diagnosed patientswith type 2 diabetes. The study group of patientsreceived one gram per day of an alcoholic extract ofFenugreek seeds for a period of two months. At theend of the study period, patients who had receivedFenugreek showed significant improvements ininsulin resistance. The study researchers concludedthat Fenugreek seeds are effective as an adjunct toconventional treatment for type 2 diabetes,improving glycemic control and decreasing insulinresistance in mild type 2 diabetic patients.

Fenugreek also benefits:

• Contains Choline which helps you think clearerand brighter than ever before.

• Proved its ability at balancing hormone levels tomake PMS and menopause a lot easier for womento deal with.

• Used in the treatment of cancer!

Here are a few more reasons to include Fenugreekin your diet!

The amino-acid that fenugreek is abundant in, namely4-hydroxyisoleucine helps to augment your body’sproduction of insulin when your blood glucosethreatens to shoot skywards. The stellar qualities offenugreek don’t quite end here... in fact there aremore than a handful of ways in which this plant cantransform your health and life, imbibing you with allthe goodness of nature at her most nurturing.

Dr. N. Senthil Kumar

Yoga & Naturopathy Consultant, CharalNaturopathy & Yoga Hospital, Tamilnadu, India

Source: Nisargopachar Varta, National Institute of Naturopathy, Vol. 2, Issue 12, December 2010,pp 14-15

“Fenugreek is also

effective against diabetes-

related cataracts which

occur commonly in

diabetics”


National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN) is located athistorical place called “Bapu Bhavan” in Pune,India. “Bapu Bhavan” is named after MahatmaGandhi, Father of the Nation, who had made thisInstitution his home and used to stay herewhenever he was in Pune from the year 1934.

Formerly this place was known as “Nature CureClinic and Sanatorium” which was run by Late Dr.Dinshaw K. Mehta. All India Nature Cure FoundationTrust was established in this Centre and MahatmaGandhi became its life long Chairman.

Gandhiji conducted many National andInternational activities from this place. Gandhiji’slife is a source of guidance and a sacred heritage tous. The National Institute of Naturopathy, Punecame into existence 22 December 1986.

Mission & Vision

To conduct, facilitate & encourage researchactivities in all aspects concerning Human Health.

To develop Naturopathy as a “System of Medicine”and as a “Way of Life”.

To impart, provide facilities and encourage trainingin Naturopathy.

To provide and encourage facilities for all kinds oftreatment in Naturopathy.

To provide and encourage facilities for standardizationand propagation of the existing knowledge and itsapplication through research in Naturopathy.

To establish a living Memorial of Mahatma Gandhi,in the Bapu Bhavan, Pune.

Source: http://punenin.orgClockwise from top left: Acupressure; Yoga classes;

Mud bath; Colour Therapy; Head massage; Diet .

National Institute

of Naturopathy

Pune


Genesis

In the Gandhian vision of “Gram Swaraj”, self-reliantvillages constitute the basic building blocks ofsustainable economy and a humane civilization. Insuch a model, “Gramodyog” or village industriesare expected to be the main engine of economicdevelopment. However, inspite of past 60 years ofplanned development and phenomenal growth inScience and Technology (S&T) institutions, andNational Laboratories in the country, there is asyet, no tangible mechanism to support RuralIndustrialization through adequate and appropriateinputs of Science, Technology, Management etc.The need for such a mechanism is being felt evenmore acutely in view of the growing globalizationand liberalization of economies. The thrust onpromoting Rural Industrialization has also becomeimperative for providing large scale employment inthe rural sector.

To make this possible, it is essential that qualityinputs of science, technology and managerial skillsbe integrated with the traditional skills andknowledge base to develop efficient means ofdecentralized production of quality goods.Centralized Energy-intensive industries haveresulted in widespread ecological degradation andrapid resource depletion. This has led to globalinterest in sustainable development throughdecentralized production systems involving thecommunity. For ushering in such a scenario it isessential to evolve a strategy for S&T interventionto make the community scale products & servicesglobally competitive.

Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Rural Industrialization(MGIRI) is a national institute under the ministry ofmicro, small and medium enterprises. The presentinitiative in the form of setting up an autonomousNational Institute named Mahatma Gandhi Instituteof Rural Industrialization (MGIRI) at Wardha,

together with a number of ‘technical interfaces’ inthe major S&T institutions in different regions ofthe country is a significant step in the direction ofcreating such a mechanism. Through this network,it is expected to harness the available R&Dexpertise as well as facilities in the country toprovide a strong backup of Science, Technology &Management to the Rural Industry sector.

The nodal Institute at Wardha has been developedduring the past 7 years by the collaborative effortsof Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC)and (Indian Institute of Technology) IIT Delhi. Itwas decided to set up this National Institute at thehistorical premises of Maganwadi, Wardha whereMahatma Gandhi initiated the All India VillageIndustries Association (AIVIA) way back in 1934,involving prominent scientists and technologistslike Sir CV Raman, Dr JC Bose to contributetowards Rural Industrialization. Great Gandhianstalwarts such as Dr JC Kumarappa, Dr DevendraKumar, Dr G Ramachandran and others hadsubstantially contributed in this direction duringthe initial phase. The Jamnalal Bajaj CentralResearch Institute (JBCRI) was established in 1956under the KVIC to promote Rural Industrializationthrough innovative S&T inputs. It was needed torevamp this historical Institute to cope with thechanges and challenges of the nineties and MGIRI isan outcome of this revamping process. MGIRI hasbeen developed through a project sponsored byKVIC to IIT Delhi in 2001 resulting in thedevelopment of appropriate vision, methodology,and adequate infrastructure facilities as well asmodel R&D projects.

Vision

To accelerate the process of Rural Industrializationin the country along the lines of Gandhian vision ofsustainable and self reliant village economy and toprovide S&T support to upgrade the products ofrural industry so that they gain wide acceptabilityin the local and global markets. It has Chemical,Khadi & Textile, Bioprocessing & Herbal, RuralInfrastructure & Energy, Rural Craft & Engineeringbased industries under its profile.

Source: www.mgiri.org

Mahatma Gandhi

Institute of Rural

Industrialization


Kulapati K.M. Munshi, freedom fighter, scholar,lawyer, Union Minister, Governor and a lot else,commands an exalted place in the pantheon ofbuilders of modern India. If independent Indiaremembers his name with gratitude and reverencetoday it is not for all those qualities and offices herepresented but for the institution he founded nineyears before Independence. He not only foundedBharatiya Vidya Bhavan as an institution tosafeguard, preserve and promote India’s culture,heritage and traditions but also to produce “a newIndian youth” who would be motivated to conserve“the eternal truths inherited from the past, to adjustthem to the demands of the present and weave outof both a fabric which would be an apparel of utilityfor the body and adornment to the soul”.

Munshiji was distinctly dismayed by the impactBritish education and cultural values had on theeducated middle class all over India. He wasworried that this pervasive malady would dominatepost-Independence India and blight our ancienttraditions and cultures of different regions. The‘fatal taste’ of everything western among theeducated classes of Bharat deeply disturbed him.As early as in the 1920s, Dr Ananda K.Coomaraswamy’s writings on Indian culture andarts made an impact on him. Munshiji particularlytook note of Dr Coomaraswamy’s warning in one ofhis “Essays in National Idealism”. The passage thatfollows described the exact fear that hauntedMunshji’s mind.

“Speak to the ordinary graduate of an IndianUniversity of the ideals of Mahabharata, he willhasten to display his knowledge of Shakespeare;talk to him of religious philosophy, you would findthat he is an atheist of the crude type common inEurope a generation ago; talk to him of Indianmusic—he will produce a gramophone or aharmonium and inflict upon you one or both; askhim to translate for you a letter written in his ownmother-tongue—he does not know. He has becomea stranger in his own land”.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan was started to prevent theabove verbal caricature of independent India’suniversity products. In its initial years, the accentwas on literature and education. The Bhavan’sBook University brought out India’s scriptural andliterary classics of the ancient times. A coursecorrection in culture and history, along with an

insistence on moral values as emphasized in theVedas, Puranas and Itihasas. He left a treasurehouse behind.

Bhavan realized that the new Republic of India wasnot fast enough to educate itself on the lines thatMunshiji visualized. Bhavan’s schools and collegesand special education centres made their mark inthe public mind as a different, and eminentlyIndian, institutions. And Munshiji thought of theother uniting factor of Indian society—music. MajorKendras in different parts of India started coursesin Classical and Hindustani music with regionalvariations in styles and traditions. The BhavanKendra in every city became a centre for academic,intellectual and cultural activity round the year.Quite a number of vocalists and instrumentalistswho made a name for themselves as great artistes,were products of the Bhavan mill. Above all,Bhavan has played the role of a prolific sponsor oftalent in fine arts. Budding artistes look up toBhavan as a passport to their eventual stardom.

The Delhi Kendra’s recent foray into celebratingIndian music in all its myriad facets and colourswith an annual music festival is a heart-warmingdevelopment. The idea to provide a different themefor every year is path-breaking. This year’s theme isthe role of instruments in Indian music. As could berelied upon, the acknowledged experts in the fieldare contributing to the accretion in one’s knowledgeof India’s hoary musical traditions. This volumepromises to be a collector’s item even as the festivalpromises to be an unforgettable experience.

It is an initiative that reflects all that KulapatiMunshi stood for and strived to achieve. Bhavanhas successfully synthesized the bewilderingdiversities, contradictions and complexities of life inIndia, without the taint of corruption, competitionand commercialism that marks every public andprivate institutions in the country. Although rootedin the ageless heritage of India, it has not alloweditself to be chained to the past. Bharatiya VidyaBhavan, with over a hundred Kendras in India and afew abroad, is carrying on its work of educating theyounger generations and elevating the minds of allIndians by gently stressing on values andhighlighting all that is best in India’s history,tradition, culture, arts andliterature.

V.N. Narayanan

V.N. Narayanan, an eminentjournalist, is former Editor ofThe Tribune and TheHindustan Times. He iscurrently Editor, Bhavan’sJournal.

Source: Swar Bharati 2010,Programme Division of Bharatiya VidyaBhavan, Delhi.

Musical ways to

change hearts &

minds


His name is Sat, Ever True

A name is always given to something that exists,never to that which does not exist. And here thename itself is Sat, which means ‘the Eternal,Changeless Existence’.

But let us not be satisfied with just the literalmeaning. Rather, in our inquiry let us try tounderstand what Sat really is, and in our meditationdiscover that which is indicated as Sat.

Everything in this world of naama, roopa andguna—this world of name, form and quality—isever-changing. It therefore cannot be Sat. So what isthe Reality supporting the world?

It is observed that the seer of the change issomething other than the change. If you have seenall the cars that have passed by whilst you were onthe road, certainly you were not in any of the movingcars. In other words, you, the observer or seer of thechange, are not part of or inside the change, butoutside of it at a changeless vantage-point.

None of the experiences in the three states, waking,dream and deep sleep, can be the Sat. Neither thewaker, nor the dreamer nor deep sleeper. So what isthe Reality supporting the world, and what is theTruth about myself?

We consider ourselves to be the body and think ofourselves as handsome or beautiful, tall or short,fat or lean, etc. But this body does not exist in ourdream or deep sleep. Then how can we say that weare the body? Yet, in spite of the body not beingavailable to us in the other two states, we still exist.Therefore by identifying with the body, I amidentifying with the unreal.

The waker is not present in the dream or in deepsleep, nor are the dreamer or sleeper present in thewaking state, and still, I, the witness, the Saakshi,am aware of all the experiences in the three states.This Awareness or Consciousness, the AtmaChaitanya who is the witness of the three states andtherefore of the entire world of experiences, who isthe witness of the ever-changing body, mind and

intellect, is the Eternal, Changeless Existence, whichin philosophy we call ‘Truth’ and in religion ‘God’.

This is the real I, the Atma Chaitanya, who is theone Changeless in all the changes, which is Om andnamed as Sat. He who knows this has recognizedthe Truth. Therefore from the many names of GodShri Guru Nanakji has chosen Sat Naam.

The appellation Sat Naam can also be understoodin several other ways: One, as already explained, Itsname is Sat because It is the Eternal, ImmutableExistence.

Two, Sat Naam also means ‘His name is true’, or,put another way, ‘He is true to His name’. Ournames are not as per what we are. A man may benamed Ram but his actions might be like Ravana’s!The name could be Balbeer, meaning ‘strong andcourageous’, but the man might be such a weaklinghe could be blown away like a feather! Ishwara orthe Lord is truly Sat, therefore He is called byexactly what He is, Sat.

Three, His name is ‘Truth’ because it leads us toHim and reveals the Truth.

Four, when we said earlier that the One Lord Om isSat, that is, It is Eternal, the reader who did notinquire deeply enough could have come to theconclusion that there is no such thing as Sat, foreverything in this world is changing. So thecompassionate Guru Nanakji says that the Lorddoes have a name... which means that He doesexist, for one does not give a name to somethingthat does not exist.

Five, as a name also connotes status, this impliesthat He, the Lord, has great name and fame. He isthe one with the greatest position or status. And itis certainly so, for He is...

Swami Swaroopananda

Source: Meditations on The One Indivisible Truth,Central Chinmaya Mission Trust, p. 11-19

to be continued…

Sat

Naam


Nisargopachar Kendra (Nature Cure Centre), Gotri,is located in the western part of Vadodara, thecultural city of Gujarat. The Centre is spread acrossthree acres of land, amidst lush green foliage,adorned by aromatic plants and herbs and thepleasant call of a multitude of birds. The serenesurroundings and the pure air and water in theAshram make it especially conducive for the kind oftreatment it offers for rejuvenating health.

The Centre was established in 1978 by VadodaraJilla Sarvodaya Mandal, a registered charitabletrust. The activities of the trust are inspired by thecommon ideology of Mahatma Gandhi, VinobaBhave and Jayprakash Narayan. The Centre is runwith the mission to provide nature cure andalternate therapies with scientific and holisticapproach and to develop awareness towardshealthy life style in the society.

Physical, psychological and even spiritual elementscan all contribute to positive health and diseasetreatment. The treatment program includes bodydetoxification by various treatments including diet,stress management techniques, counseling andyoga. The Centre has treated thousands of health-seekers from all over the country and abroad andhas contributed significantly in promoting ahealthy life-style. Many events are held here toincrease awareness about Naturopathy, so thatpeople can make healthier choices in the future.

What is Naturopathy?

The principle of natural cure is founded on thetheory of Panchamahabhuta, that the body is madeof five universal elements— space (akash), air(vayu), fire (agni), water (jal) and earth (prithvi)and that diseases are caused by an imbalance inthe state of these elements. Natural therapiesremove the imbalances (vikruti) of the elements byremoving the causative factors and bring theelements back to their natural state (prakruti).Therefore, it is not only a treatment system but away of living in line with the laws of nature so that

people can enjoy a disease free and healthy life.

Many diseases of the body are born due to theaccumulation of toxins produced during theprocess of digestion. Normally, these toxins areexcreted as the body’s waste, but due to anincorrect diet and lifestyle, negative mental attitude,stress and a lack of proper exercise, vital force isdiminished and these toxins start accumulating inthe body and eventually cause the disease.

The basis of all treatments in nature care is to assistthe body in removing these accumulated toxinsthrough normal channels. Nature has given wonderfulpowers to the body to heal itself and regain health. Byusing this inherent strength, the body can get rid ofall sicknesses and health be restored. Many diseasesof a chronic nature such as asthma, diabetes,hypertension, arthritis, spondylosis, obesity, eczema,psoriasis and other skin conditions, indigestion,constipation etc have been treated at the Centre withvarying degrees of success.

Acute diseases like fever, cold, diarrhea and edemaare caused as a result of the body’s efforts toremove these toxins. Normally, these diseases getcured on their own. If the symptoms are notserious, by letting these bodily cleansing processesdo their job patiently, we can help the body healitself. A continued accumulation of toxins in thebody over a long period of time eventually leads toconditions such as asthma, kidney problems,rheumatism and diabetes.

Therefore, by developing a healthy lifestyleinvolving a natural and balanced diet, a proper dailyroutine, maintaining physical and mental hygiene,regular exercise, cultivating positive thinking andproper relaxation, we can keep the elements inbalance, and restore and rejuvenate our health.

Nisargopchar Ashram, Uruli Kanchan

It was pre-independence period, when Gandhijiaccompanied Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to Pune for

Nisargopachar

KendraFirst Naturopathy Centre in Indiasetup by Mahatma Gandhi


his treatment at Dr. Dinshaw Mehta’s Nature curecenter near Pune railway station. Gandhiji founded“Society of Servants of Gods” along with DinshawMehta. While in Pune Gandhiji was deeplyimpressed by simple ways of Natural Cure. Hethought cities like Pune have all medical facilitiesbut villages do not have access to medical facility.He wrote an article in Harijan, “I made a mistake, Ishould have gone to the village to popularize simpleways of Nature Cure, therefore I want to shift.”

Nature Cure

There are different medical approaches for variousdiseases all over the world like conventionalModern Medicine, Ayurveda, Yoga, Chinese system,Unani, Tibetan, Acupuncture & Acupressure. Thesemedical systems are based on some philosophyand importance in prevention and management ofhealth problems.

Modern medicine is mainly aimed at symptomatictreatment and removal of the causative organism ortoxin by some medicine. Other traditional ancientsystems correct the imbalance of different humorsor energy principles in the human body.Suppression of the symptoms leads to manifestionand recurrence of the same symptom or diseasewhich is the cause of chronic diseases. All suchacute or chronic diseases manifest because of ourfaulty way of eating, living habits and negativethinking. Repeated negative impact on the bodylowers the body resistance or immunity which isknown as “Vital Force “.

Main aim of the nature cure treatment is to educatethe people and create awareness about health andhygeine. Natural hygeinist educate a person aboutthe right way of living and managament of healthproblems by simple ways. People experience theeffect of living in accordance with the laws of Nature.By following the laws of Nature, vitality returnswhich helps elimination of toxins from the body.

Natural food such as fruits, vegetables in the formof juices, salads, sprouts, boiled vegetables, bakedpotatoes, Sweet potatoes are used as a medicine.All natural food stuffs are rich in natural water,vitamins, minerals and roughage. It helps ineliminating toxins through increased quantity ofurine, proper bowel movements through breath &proper metabolism. Natural food correctsimbalance in metabolism blood sugar, blood urea,uric acid, cholesterol, lipids etc; which is achievedwithout drugs.

The treatment is based on five natural elements i.e.Ether (Aakash), Sunlight (Tej), Air (Vayu), Water(Jal) and Earth (Prithvi).

Ether (Aakash) - Fasting, low caloric food likemillets, papaya, oranges, leafy vegetables, lowerthe earth element (heaviness) in the body. Lot ofopen Space for individuals, society is also essentialfor health.

Sunlight (Tej) - Sunlight is essential for plants &animals for proper growth and is a source of energyfor universe. Sunbath, proper combination of foodis necessary for proper digestion and metabolism.

Air (Vayu) - Fresh air, exercises, Yoga, pranayamimproves the function of respiratory andcirculatory system. Proper functioning of Prana isnecessary for vitality.

Water (Jal) - All plants and animals have lot ofwater. Any imbalance leads to disease. Water isused internally and externally for varioustreatments and body purification.

Earth (Prithvi) - Plants, Vegetables are necessary forsustainance of animals. Earth imparts differentqualities to food stuffs along with other elements. Soilis used for external application and for mud packs.

Source: www.naturecureashram.org,www.nisargopcharashram.org


Ramakrishna was one of the greatest religious leadersever born in India. He believed that every individualmust have only one aim in life i.e., the realization ofthe Ultimate Reality. To achieve this aim, one of thepreconditions is the purity of mind. He also played asignificant role in the Bengal Renaissance of the 19thcentury. His disciple, Swami Vivekananda, foundedthe Rama Krishna Mission after his demise, topropagate his teachings throughout the world.

Early Life

The original name of Ramakrishna Paramhansa wasGadadhar Chattopadhyay. He was born into a poorand orthodox Brahmin family on 18 February, 1836in Kamarpukur, Hooghly district of West Bengal. Hisparents were Khudiram Chattopadhyaya andChandramani Devi.

Though Gadadhar was very reluctant going toschool, he had a God-gifted ability of painting andcreating clay models. He was also good at learningthings. He easily mastered the tales, based uponthe religion. Young Gadadhar loved the nature somuch that he used to spend much of his time inorchards and on the river-banks.

After the death of his father in 1843, theresponsibilities of the family were handled by hiselder brother Ramkumar. Ramkumar left home forCalcutta and started teaching Sanskrit in a local

school. Ramkumar also served as a priest atdifferent socio-religious functions. Young Gadadhar,back in his village started performing regularworshipping of their family-deity.

Dakshineswar

Few months later, Ramkumar was invited toDakshineswar temple by Rani Rasmoni, the founderof the temple. Ramkumar was appointed as thechief-priest of the temple. In 1852, Ramakrishnawent to Calcutta and started assisting his brotherat the same temple.

In 1856, after the death of Ramkumar, Ramakrishnatook his place as the chief-priest of the Kali temple.It is believed that the name Ramakrishna was givento Gadadhar by the son-in-law of Rani Rasmoni.

After being given more responsibilities, Ramkrishnabegan to spend much time in the “Thakur-Ghar”(home of the Deity). He considered Goddess Kali asthe mother of all. He wanted to see the glimpse ofthe God. At times, he would go into the jungle andspend the entire night worshipping Goddess Kali.The activities of Ramakrishna were viewed by manyas gimmick. Many believed that Ramakrishna hadlost his sensibilities. With an effort to bringRamakrishna back into the normal life, her motherbegan to search for a bride. In 1959, Ramakrishnawas married to five year old Sarada.

Ramakrishna

Paramhansa


Sri Ramakrishna was the most ‘rational mystic’.With scientific precision he put forward in mostsimple terms, as parables and stories, the eternaltruth regarding God and God realization. He talkedabout God only after directly experiencing thereality of God. To get rid of the thought that hebelonged to a higher brahmanical caste, he beganto eat food cooked by the shudras or lower-caste.

Advaita Vedanta

A wandering monk, known as Totapuri, initiatedRamakrishna in the Advaita Vedanta. The initiationtook place in the city of Dakshineswar. It is saidthat after being initiated by Totapuri, Rama Krishnaremained in a state of absolute meditation, for aperiod of approximately six months.

Sarada Devi

At the age of eighteen, Sarada, the bride of theRamakrishna, was sent to Dakshineshwar to joinher husband. It was believed that the Ramakrishnaregarded Sarada as the holy mother. Sarada Devi isconsidered as the first disciple of Ramakrishna.Even after Ramakrishna’s death in 1886, SaradaDevi led the movement and worked hard to make ita success.

Vivekananda

Ramakrishna met Vivekananda for the first time inNovember 1881 when Vivekananda visitedDakshineswar to know if the God really exists. Inhis reply Ramakrishna said, “Yes, I see God, just as Isee you here, only in a much intense sense. Godcan be realized.”

At first Vivekananda did not believe Ramakrishna.He felt, how such a simple man could see the God.But, gradually he started developing faith inRamkrishna. Few days later, Vivekananda realizedthat Ramakrishna’s words were honest and utteredfrom a deep experience. Vivekananda startedvisiting Dakshineswar frequently and a relationshipof “Master and disciple” developed between the two.

Final Days

In 1885 Ramakrishna suffered from throat cancer. Inorder to consult the best physicians of Calcutta,Ramakrishna was shifted to Shyampukur by hisdisciples. But with the time, his health starteddeteriorating and he was taken to a large house atCossipore. His condition worsened and on 16August, 1886, he expired at the Cossipore gardenhouse. After the passing away of Ramakrishna,Sarada became a religious leader in her own right.With time, Ramakrishna came to be known asRamakrishna Paramahansa. The monastic disciplesformed a fellowship at a half-ruined house atBaranagar, headed by Vivekananda. This was theinitial stage of Ramakrishna Mission.

Ramakrishna Mission

Swami Vivekananda, the foremost disciple ofRamakrishna Paramahansa, founded the RamaKrishna Mission to promote the teachings of hisGuru. Headquartered at the Ramakrishna Ashramof Belur, the mission aims at helping people inattaining salvation.

Teachings of Ramakrishna

Ramakrishna believed and taught that… All living beings are divine. Human beings are equal and there is oneness ofexistence. The main obstructions in the attainment of salvationare lust and greed. There is only one God. The main aim of each and every human being is tobecome one with God.

Source: www.culturalindia.net,www.iloveindia.com

“He had a God-gifted

ability of painting and

creating clay models”

“With scientific precision

he put forward in most

simple terms, as parables

and stories, the eternal

truth regarding God and

God realization”


Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was born on February 2, 1889in Lucknow to a princely family of Kapurthala, apart of undivided India. She was the first Indianwoman to hold the position of Cabinet Minister.Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, the freedom fighter was aneminent Gandhian and a great social reformer.

Amrit Kaur gave away all the worldly pleasures andfocused her attention on serving the society.Throughout the freedom struggle of India, sheworked in close association with other freedomfighters. After independence, she became theHealth Minister of India. She was actively involvedin activities undertaken for the welfare of society.

Early life

She came from a royal family background. She wasthe only daughter of her parents, Raja HarnamSingh and Rani Harnam Singh. She had sevenbrothers. She did her schooling from England at theschool at Sherborne, Dorsetshire and graduatedfrom Oxford University. She was a very good tennisplayer. She even won a number of prizes for herexcellent performances.

Coming from such a noble family, she could haveled a very luxurious life. But, when she came toIndia, she left all her comforts and got involved inthe social welfare activities. She was instrumentalin India’s Independence Movement and played avital role as a social reformer.

Mahatma Gandhi

Raja Harnam Singh was a very pious and purehearted person, who was frequently visited byprominent leaders of the Indian National Congressparty like Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Amrit Kaur

“Amrit Kaur gave away

all the worldly pleasures

and focused her attention

on serving the society”

Rajkumari

Amrit Kaur


started developing interest in the freedom struggleand also became more aware about the activitiesthat were being undertaken by the freedom fighters.She was highly inspired by Mahatma Gandhi.

The ruthless killings that took place in theJallianwala Bagh Massacre of 1919 motivated her tojoin the freedom struggle. Eventually, she workedtogether with Mahatma Gandhi. She went far awayfrom materialistic life and began leading the life ofan ascetic. She came to live in Mahatma Gandhi’sAshram in the year 1934. She also raised her voiceagainst inhuman acts like ill treatment of Harijans.

As a Gandhian

She became an active member of Indian NationalCongress. She was involved in almost all theactivities and movements that were launched byGandhiji for the wellbeing of people. She becameone of the most dedicated disciples of MahatmaGandhi. She sincerely followed the teachings andprinciples of Bapu. She was a true Gandhian.During the Dandi March, she was along withGandhiji. It is during this movement that, she wasimprisoned by the British Raj authorities.

Salt Satyagraha

Her active participation in Salt Satyagraha landedher in Bombay jail. In 1937, to advocate the causeof the Congress she went to Bannu in NorthwestFrontier Province, and again she was arrested onthe charges of sedition.

In public life her interest lay as much in social welfareas in politics. During 1931-33 she was the president ofthe women’s association. She testified before theLothian Committee of Parliament (1932) on Indianfranchise and constitutional reforms. The year 1938saw her as the president of All India Women’sConference. She was also the first woman member ofHindustani Talimi Sangh. In 1945 (London) and 1946(Paris), she participated in the UNESCO’s conferencesas a member of Indian delegation.

Post-Independence

After the Independence of India, Rajkumari AmritKaur joined the Jawaharlal Nehru’s first Cabinet.She was the first woman to hold a cabinet position.She was made the incharge of Ministry of Health.She was the only Christian in the cabinet of India.In the year 1950, she was elected for the post ofPresident of the World Health Assembly.

She played a pivotal role in the task ofconceptualizing and laying the foundation for theestablishment of the All India Institute of MedicalSciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi. For this, she securedaid from different countries like New Zealand, WestGermany etc. She also provided assistance to arehabilitation centre. She and her brother evendonated their ancestral property that was made theholiday home for the staff of the institute.

Rajkumari was even more active in social work thanin politics. She spent most of her time for the upliftof women and the eradication of social evils. Shewas a strong champion of female education and wasequally concerned with the upliftment of Harijans.

She served as the Chairperson of the Indian RedCross society for a long period of fourteen years.She made an immense contribution towards thedevelopment of the tribal groups of India.

Final Days

She held the position of health minister till 1957.Thereafter, she took retirement from the ministerialactivities, but still remained a part of the RajyaSabha. Till she was alive, she held the presidencyposition of AIIMS and the Tuberculosis Association.She also served as the chairperson of St. John’sAmbulance Corps. This great soul departed forheaven on the 2nd October in the year 1964. Forher contribution to the upliftment of women anderadication of social evils, she will be an ideal forgenerations to come.

Source: www.iloveindia.com, www.rrtd.nic.in,www.amaltas.org, www.maxabout.com

“Jallianwala Bagh

Massacre of 1919

motivated her to join the

freedom struggle”


Sarojini Naidu was a distinguished poet, renownedfreedom fighter and one of the great orators of hertime. She was famously known as Bharatiya Kokila(The Nightingale of India). Sarojini Naidu was thefirst Indian woman to become the President of theIndian National Congress.

Early Life

Sarojini Naidu was born on February 13, 1879. Herfather Aghoranath Chattopadhyaya was a scientistand philosopher. He was the founder of the NizamCollege, Hyderabad. Sarojini Naidu’s mother BaradaSundari Devi was a poetess and used to writepoetry in Bengali. Sarojini Naidu was the eldestamong the eight siblings.

Her father was the first member of the IndiaNational Congress in Hyderabad. He was removedfrom his position as a penalty for his activeparticipation in Indian Independence movement.

Virendranath Chattopadhyaya, Sarojini’s brother,was a political activist who played a key role inestablishing the Berlin Committee and wasinfluenced by Communism. He was allegedly killedby the Russian troops in 1937. Sarojini’s secondbrother Harindranath Chattopadhyaya was a notedpoet and playwright.

The Poetess

Sarojini Naidu was a brilliant student. She wasproficient in Urdu, Telugu, English, Bengali, andPersian. At the age of twelve, Sarojini Naiduattained national fame when she topped the

matriculation examination at Madras University.Her father wanted her to become a mathematicianor scientist but Sarojini Naidu was interested inpoetry.

She started writing poems in English. Impressed byher poetry, Nizam of Hyderabad gave herscholarship to study abroad. At the age of 16, shetravelled to England to study first at King’s CollegeLondon and later at Girton College, Cambridge.There she met famous laureates of her time such asArthur Simon and Edmond Gausse.

It was Gausse who convinced Sarojini to stick toIndian themes, India’s great mountains, rivers,temples, social milieu to express her poetry. Shedepicted contemporary Indian life and events. Hercollections “The golden threshold (1905)”, “Thebird of time (1912)”, and “The broken wing (1912)”attracted huge Indian and English readership. In1961, she published a collection of poems entitled‘The Feather of the Dawn’.

The Poetess

In 1916, she authored and published a biography ofMuhammad Ali Jinnah entitled as The Ambassadorof Hindu-Muslim Unity. Other acclaimed poems thatcame following are The Wizard Mask and ATreasury of Poems. Other selected works writtenby her include The Magic Tree and The Gift ofIndia. She was given the name Bharat Kokila onaccount of the beautiful and rhythmic words of herpoems that could be sung as well.

Marriage

At the age of 15, she met Dr. Govindarajulu Naiduand fell in love with him, a non-brahmin, and adoctor by profession. After finishing her studies atthe age of 19, she married him during the timewhen inter-caste marriages were not allowed. It wasa revolutionary step but Sarojini’s father fullysupported her in her endeavour. Sarojini Naidu hada happy married life and had four children:

SarojiniNaidu

“She was proficient in

Urdu, Telugu, English,

Bengali, and Persian”


Jayasurya, Padmaj, Randheer, and Leilamani. Herdaughter Padmaja followed in to her footprints andbecame the Governor of West Bengal.

The Indian National Movement

Sarojini Naidu joined the Indian National Movementin the wake of partition of Bengal in 1905. She cameinto contact with Gopal Krishna Gokhale,Rabindranath Tagore, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, AnnieBesant, C.P. Rama Swami Iyer, Gandhiji andJawaharlal Nehru. She awakened the women ofIndia. She brought them out of the kitchen. Shetravelled from state to state, city after city andasked for the rights of the women. She re-established self-esteem within the women of India.

The Social Worker

During 1915-1918, she travelled across the Indialecturing on social welfare, womenempowerment, emancipation and nationalism.Inspired by Jawaharlal Nehru, she embarked onproviding help and support for the indigoworkers in Champaran who were being subjectedto violence and oppression.

Mahatma Gandhi

With the introduction of the Rowlett Act in 1919,Sarojini joined the Non-Cooperation Movementorganized and led by Mahatma Gandhi. In the sameyear, she was appointed the Home Rule League’sAmbassador to England. In 1924, she became adelegate to the East African Indian Congress. In1925, Naidu was appointed the President of theNational Congress thus making her the first Indianwomen to hold the post.

In 1925, Sarojini Naidu presided over theannual session of Indian NationalCongress at Kanpur. Sarojini Naiduplayed a leading role during theCivil Disobedience Movementand was jailed along withGandhiji and other leaders. In1942, Sarojini Naidu wasarrested during the “QuitIndia” movement and wasjailed for 21 months withGandhiji. She shared a verywarm relationship withGandhiji. An activeparticipant of the Indian

Independence movement, Naidu joined the nationalmovement taking Gandhi’s call and joined him inthe popular Salt March to Dandi.

Final Days

In her last years, Sarojini actively participated inthe freedom movement and was a part of theRound Table summit held in 1931. With theindependence of India in 1947, Sarojini Naidu wasmade the Governor of the Uttar Pradesh in thewake of her contribution to the movement. She wasthe first woman to become the Governor of a state.She died of a heart attack while working in heroffice on 2 March 1949.

Source: www.thefamouspeople.com,www.iloveindia.com, www.mapsofindia.com

“She travelled from state

to state, city after city

and asked for the rights

of the women”


Shivaji JayantiBirthday of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj iscelebrated in Maharasthra as Shivaji Jayanti.Shivaji Jayanti is celebrated on 19th February.Shivaji was born on 19th February, 1627, in ShivneriFort, 60 kms north of Pune. He was named after thelocal Goddess Shivai, to whom his mother prayedfor a son. His father Shahaji Bhosle was the chief ofthe kingdom of Bijapur. He was however, notallowed to take charge of any fort. His mother had agreat influence on him as he was introduced toIndian epics of Mahabharata, Ramayana and otherholy books by her. Shivaji also gained a lot ofknowledge from his father’s unsuccessful attemptsto gain power. He was inspired by his fathermilitary tactics, peacetime diplomacy and alsopossessed knowledge of Sanskrit and Hinduscriptures.

The Administrator

Shivaji grew into a fearless military leader withtrainings from commanders like Gomaji Naik andBaji Pasalkar. Young Shivaji was motivated,enthusiastic and energetic. In his early days he wassuccessful in inspiring local youths to follow hisidealistic pursuits. At the age of 17, he attacked andcaptured Torna Fort of Bijapur and by 1647 he tookcontrol of Kondana and Raigad Forts. The WesternGhats along the Konkan Coast were also under hiscontrol by 1654.

The Achievements

In order to sabotage Shivaji’s rise to power,Adilshah arrested Shahji, his father by deceitfulmeans and had armies sent against Shivaji and hiselder brother Sambaji. To suppress Shivaji’s controlof the Bijapur kingdom, Afzal Khan was sent todestroy Shivaji. However, with his cunning means,Shivaji successfully stabbed Afzal Khan. EventuallyBijapur’s armies were routed in the famous Battleof Pratapgarh in 1659 and Shivaji turned into a heroof the Marathas. Now, under the confidentleadership of Shivaji, the Marthas successfullypushed back the Mughals and the Sultanatekingdoms from his homeland.

The Mughals also fought against Shivaji led byShaista Khan under Aurangazeb. However, Shivajilost many men against a well trained and

disciplined Mughal army. Shivaji felt the need offinance to maintain an army and decided to loot theMughal city of Surat. The Mughal emperor thensent Jai Singh to defeat Shivaji. After a fewskirmishes, he thought it wise to accept theemperor’s sovereignty. But he was soon placedunder house arrest in Agra. Using tact andintelligence, Shivaji successfully escaped from Agraand hid in his homeland and kept a low profile forsome time. Shivaji gradually rebuilt his empire andwithin six months was able to recover much of hislost ground.

Shivaji extended his empire further south to TamilNadu and Karnataka. In order to regain one of hisforts, Kondana, he appointed his most trustedgeneral Tanaji Malusare. The battle that followedbetween the Marathas and the Mughals came to beknown as the Maratha war of Independence wherethe Marathas were successful in regaining thecontrol of the fort.

As Chatrapati

Shivaji was formally coronated Chatrapati in 1674in Raigad fort and henceforth came to be known asChatrapati Shivaji. Shivaji died in 1680 but notbefore leaving an indelible mark on the historypages. He laid the foundation of a Hindu empirewhich lasted for over two centuries. Shivaji hasbeen a source of inspiration and pride forgenerations for his courage and military acumen.Chatrapati Shivaji Jayanti is the celebrations ofbirth anniversary of the great king and leader SriChatrapati Shivaji.

Celebrations

Maharastra state observes the day a grand way.Several processions are taken out. People dress uplike Shivaji and his associates take part in skits anddramas. This colourful procession is taken aroundthe city and terminates at Kranti Chowk wherethere is bronze statue of Shivaji Maharaj. Politicalleaders take part and various programs arearranged for the day.

Source: www.festivalsofindia.in,http://in.ygoy.com


Bharathanatyam in which Shobana excels is one ofour proudest art heritages of thousands of yearsold. It can be said that it is the oldest form oftraditional south Indian dance. In this mode ofartistic expression mental feelings and emotionalupheavals are expressed in an aesthetic form. Likemusic dance is a universal language of Gods.

Shobana excels in Bharathanatyam with no frailtiesin its presentation. Imagine a flower bud, eyecatching as it is, later blossoming into a flowerrevealing a spectrum of radiant petals glowing inmyriad colours, crafted by nature, and spreadingits alluring fragrance far and wide. This analogy willsuit marvellously if one was to describe Shobanaand her dance. Bharathanatyam remained sameover its long chequered life while some minorchanges made along the way made it moreappealing in aesthetic appeal. Shobana dances withextreme elegance and is an exponent of rigorousclassical paceydancing. She approaches the artwith a missionary zeal, dedication and maintainsthe cores of discipline to its utmost limit. Manydance experts say that great artists never goseeking knowledge and skills; rather it comesseeking the skilled.

She was born in a family of great dancers andactors. She started learning dancing at the tenderage of three. By the time she was in her teens shehad graced in many great dance venues all over theworld. She toured around India and overseasperforming to packed prestigious venues, andreceived accolades. She received a uniquedistinction of performing in Queens, New York toraise money for constructing the Raja Gopuram ofthe local Ganesha shrine. In 1988, she danced at theWold Malayalee convention at Chicago. She hasalso performed for the Malaysian Royalty in 1991.

Another fact about Shobana is that she is also anaccomplished actress in south Indian films and haswon countless awards and became a householdname. She is a star pupil of the famous danceexponent Chitra Visveswaran.

She is a great dancer, a versatile artist, a greatAmbassador for India and the art of Dance.

ShobanaA Dancing Apsara


Introduction

The term ‘Sangeetam’, in our tradition, denotes anintegrated concept, including in its fold, the threecomponents of ‘geetam’/vocal,‘vadyam’/instrumental and ‘nrityam’/dance.Instruments have been occupying a very significantposition in Indian music.

The antiquity of many instruments is as old as themusic tradition. They are more than mere tools andmedium for musical expression. Certaininstruments like the Damaru, the Veena, the Flute,have divine association.

The variety of instruments of melody andpercussion, in use in the Indian music system, folk,devotional, classical, light classical and the like, isamazing.

The tradition can boast of every type,monophonous and polyphonous, except perhapsthe key board type like the Piano and Organ, whichdoes not suit the melody/‘raga’ and nuance basedsystem of ours. It may also be pointed out that thewind instruments in our system like Flute, Shehnaiand Nagaswaram, have no keys; the fingers havegot to be in direct contact with the finger holes ofthe instruments.

(However, since the advent of the British and someother European countries, some instruments havebeen adapted with suitable modifications as in thecase of the Violin, the Clarinet, the Harmonium, theGuitar, the Mandolin and the Saxophone.)

The musical instruments include:

i) those inspired by Nature (like the bamboo flute,some of the string types developing on theprinciple of the bow and arrow, the resonanceprinciple etc.);

ii) those developed and manufactured through thehuman inventive genius.

There has been continuous evolution causing aproblem of nomenclature. The abundance ofmusical instruments is spread throughout though itis remarkably prolific in certain regions. There iswide range with distinct shapes, tonal

characteristics and other features, covering thesimple types in the tribal and folk forms to thehighly complex in the classical music. Many ofthem are indigenous with long antiquity, made ofavailable local materials. Innovations reflectinghuman ingenuity, have been necessitated and trieddue to many factors like the scarcity of the rawmaterials, changing requirements of the end use,the urge for improvements, practical conveniencefor transporting, (portable versions in the case ofbig size instruments, minimizing the scope fordamage) and extended applications (eg.‘jugalbandi’, fusion etc.).

The art of making the musical instruments is anintegral part of the history in this regard.

References to musical instruments are plenty inliterary sources like Natya Sastra, Mahabharata, theTamil epic, Cilappatikaram, Sangeeta Ratnakara andthe like; they are also represented in sculptures andmural paintings in many temples.

Several types of classification are made, based onthe material components, manner of playing andother related factors. The four-fold classificationmentioned in the Natya Sastra of Bharata (2000years old) and generally referred to, is as follows:

1. Stringed, both bowed and plucked, (Chordophone/’tata vadya’); string vibrator; plectra;

2. Wind (Aerophone/‘sushira vadya’); 3. Percussion, skin covered (Membranaphone/

‘avanaddha vadya’), drums; and4. those of solid metal (idio/autophone/‘ghana

vadya’); self vibrator; cymbal-s;

(In recent times, the electronic category has alsobecome part of the ever expanding music scene.)

The broad classification is further split intosub¬categories, to describe the specific types.

The term ‘Percussion’ needs to be understood in alarger perspective. It is not limited just to keepingtime or ‘talam’; it would be more appropriate torefer to it, as providing melodic rhythm andrhythmical harmony.

The Thamizh adage says: ‘Kural illaiyel Viral’. (If thevoice is not suited for singing, there is the finger toplay the instrument.)

A degree of autonomy, in a relative sense, forinstrumental music has resulted withcorresponding expansion of the vocabulary andrepertoire.

This has enlarged the scope for solo instrumentalconcerts, ensemble type interactions, and fororchestral experimentations.

The process has added dimensions to musicalappreciation and aesthetic experience. There isenough information available on the various

SwarBharati

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC


aspects like the origin of many importantinstruments featuring in concerts, thedevelopments through different stages, thematerials used for the manufacture, theiraccessories, the techniques of playing, learningprocess, significant contribution of some pioneersand great masters and many related details.

‘Manna’ N Srinivasan

‘Natarajan Srinivasan, (aka ‘Manna’) has served inthe Planning Commission, Government of India,at New Delhi, for more than three decades, indifferent capacities. He has been activelyinvolved in organising programmes, festivals andseminars through All India Fine Arts and CraftsSociety (AIFACS), India International Centre,Murugappa Corporate Group of Chennai, DelhiTamil Sangam etc.

He has been interacting with Sangeet NatakAkademi, Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts,

Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, inresearch and documentation work etc.

He functioned as the music and dance critic,initially for The Democratic World and later forthe New Delhi edition of The Hindu, for severalyears. He has been closely associated with Sruti, apremier music and dance magazine, publishedfrom Chennai, as a regular contributor, the Chiefof Delhi Bureau and presently as the RovingEditor. He has been engaged continuously, instudies and research on topics related to musicand dance traditions.

Source: Swar Bharati 2010,Programme Division ofBharatiya Vidya Bhavan,Delhi

Swar Bharati

India’s great heritage in classical music anddance is amongst the richest treasures of themankind. Great musicians from all parts of thecountry have nurtured this heritage andtraditions associated with it over centuriesthrough Guru Shishya Parampara. Nothing couldperhaps equal this heritage in its capacity toelevate the mind and soul to the enjoyment ofthe highest levels of beauty and truth.

The Founder of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, KulpatiDr. K.M. Munshi laid particular emphasis on thepromotion of all classical arts, especially musicand dance. It is in this context that the DelhiKendra has organised ‘Bhavan’s SangeetSmaraoh - 2010’ and presented some of the bestartists as a tribute to this great heritage for thebenefit of the discerning public. This souvenir ispublished to commemorate this occasion.

Source: Swar Bharati 2010, ProgrammeDivision of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Delhi

Sangeet Natak Akademi’sRepublic Day Tableau, 2010


Shovana Narayan(Kathak Dance)

• A maestro of Kathak dance, whose facialexpressions complements her dance and makesher performance simply outstanding.

• Shovana started learning Kathak from therenowned dancer Sadhana Bose. Later she learntKathak from Pandit Birju Maharaj.

• She has worked in close association withdancers from Western classical ballet andAmerican tap dancer. She has given variousdance performances with dancers of otherIndian classical dance forms. Her notable worksinclude “Moonlight Impressionism” and “TheDawn After”. Her repertoire encompassesmovies like Akbar’s Bridge (Hindi) “DasGeheimnis des Indisches Tanz” (German) andoperas such as “Ghalib ki Dilli” and ‘WiccharePani’.

• Awards: Padma Shri, Sangeet Natak AkademiAward & Rajiv Gandhi Puraskar, among manyothers.

Ulhas Kashalkar(Hindustani Vocal)

• He received his first lessons in music from hisfather N.D. Kashalkar, Later he trained underRajabhau Kogje and P.N. Khardenavis.

• Kashalkar studied principally under Pandit RamMarathe, Pandit Gajananrao Joshi and RamMarathe in the Gwalior tradition.

• Ulhas Kashalkar became a Guru at the ITCSangeet Research Academy, where he remainstoday.

• Kashalkar possesses the rare ability to switchbetween three distinct styles (namely Gwalior,Jaipur and Agra), at times even in the course of asingle performance.

• Awards: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award & PadmaShri in 2010, among many others.

Accompanying Artists:

• Shri Suresh Talwalkar – Tabla• Shri Vijay Mishra – Harmonium

Ustad Amjad Ali Khan(Sarod Vadan)

• Khan is the sixth generation of the Bangashlineage and his family claims to have inventedthe Sarod.

• Khan first performed in the United States in 1963and continued into the 2000s, with his sons.

• Khan played with the Hong Kong PhilharmonicOrchestra and was a visiting professor at theUniversity of New Mexico.

• Awards: Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, PadmaShri, Padma Bhushan & Padma Vibhushan,among many others.


• Rashid Mustafa – Tabla • Fateh Singh Gangani – Pakhawaj

Artists at Sangeet Samaroh6-8 November, 2010

BHAVAN’S SANGEET SAMAROH, 2010


Alarmel Valli(Bharatnatyam)

• Alarmel Valli is a foremost exponent of thePandanallur tradition in Bharatanatyam, whobrings depth, intensity and naturalness to herwork.

• Alarmel Valli was trained by renowned gurus ShriSubbaraya Pillai, Shri Chokkalingam Pillai, Smt. T.Muktha, Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra and GuruRamani Ranjan Jena.

• Awards: Nrithya Choodamani, Padmasri, PadmaBhushan, Grande Medaille de la Ville de Paris &Sangeet Natak Akademi, among many others.


BHAVAN’S SANGEET SAMAROH, 2010

Sudha Raghunathan(Carnatic Vocal)

• A noteworthy Indian classical vocalist who hasreceived tutelage under the celebratedPadmabhushan, Sangeet Kalanidhi, Dr. M.L.Vasantha Kumari.

• Top Ranking artist of All India Radio, Chennai,and Doordarshan, has also released commercialcassettes & compact discs of Classical andDevotional music.

• Awarded Padmashri in 2004 and several otherawards for her excellent singing talent inCarnatic Vocal Music.

Dhruba Ghosh(Sarangi Vadan)

• Dhruba Ghosh has transformed the traditionalclassical Sarangi of North India into a multi¬-dimensional expression. At the Sarangi festival atBhopal held in 1989, he was unanimously acclaimedas the revivalist of the Sarangi by the nearly 100Sarangi players who had assembled there.

• Dhruba Ghosh is known in India and abroad byhis performances. His brilliance of technique,composition of performance and mastery ofRagas on Sarangi has labelled him as one of theleading exponents of this complicatedinstrument. He has significantly contributed tobringing the Sarangi to the fully instrumentalsolo status.

• Dhruba is the inheritor of the tradition of hismasters, his father Pandit Nikhil Ghosh, thefamed percussionist and pedagogue, the veteranvocalist-composer Pandit Dinkar Kaikini, and therenowned sarangi maestro Ustad SagiruddinKhan of the legendary Bundu Khan style of Delhiand Sarod Maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan.

• Presently Principal of Bhavan’s Sangeet & NartanShikshapeeth in Mumbai with more than 350students studying the performing arts.

Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia(Flute Recital)

• Hari Prasad Chaurasia has made a consciouseffort to reach out and expand the audience forclassical music.

• Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia learnt music fromPandit Rajaram, Bholanath Prasanna andAnnapurna Devi.

• He is considered a rare combination of innovatorand traditionalist and has expanded theexpressive possibilities of the bansuri throughhis masterful blowing technique.

• He has also made a mark as a Hindi language filmmusic director along with Pt. Shivkumar Sharma.

• Awards: Sangeet Natak Academi, PadmaBhushan, Padma Vibhushan among many others.


• Shri Samir Rao – Flute• Shri Vijay Ghate – Tabla• Shri Bhavani Shankar – Pakhawaj

Source: Swar Bharati 2010, Programme Divisionof Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Delhi. From MarchIssue we are starting a series on Indian MusicalInstruments.


The birthday of Guru Ravidas on February 16 iscelebrated by the name of Shri Guru RavidasJayanti every year. It is the annual focal point forRavidasis. On the day there is an Akhand Path read,the Nishan Sahib is changed ceremonially, andthere is a special Aarti and a Nagar Kirtanprocession bearing his portrait taken out to theaccompaniment of music through the streets of thetemple locality.

Early Life

Sri Guru Ravidasji was born in the 14th century,1377 at Kanshi (Vanaras), Uttar Pradesh in India, ina humble family of Baba Santokh Dassji being asfather and Mata Kalsa Deviji as mother.

Since early childhood, Guru Ravidasji was verymuch inclined toward spirituality. Guruji used to goto attend holy discourses and showed greatrespect and devotion to holy men. This worriedguruji’s parents and they tried to divert hisattention by engaging him in their family professionof shoe making and repairing.

Guruji learned the profession, yet his love anddevotion for God continued undiminished. With aview to make him more interested in worldlyaffairs, his father got him married to Mata LonaDeviji at an early age. But even then it didn’tchange his attitude or his behaviour. Nowthoroughly disgusted, his father separated himfrom the family and asked them to manage theirown affairs without taking him to partake of thelegitimate share of the family property. He wasmade to stay in the backyard of his house. GuruRavidasji had a son named Vijaydass.

The Cruel Social System

At the time of Guru Ravidasji the social system wasvery cruel and the low caste people were notallowed to go the temples for prayer, to schools forstudy, to enter into villages in daylight and wereforced to live in huts far away rather than in housesin village. Since childhood Guruji had a spiritualmind, spiritual thinking and complete devotion tosearch the real God from the cruel world, who gavehim only obstacles to achieve his goals ofspreading the Gods message of being everybodyequal in all respects, irrespective of caste, color or

a belief in any form of God and to spread a messagethat ‘God created man and not man created God’.Guru Ravidasji gave teachings on the lessons ofuniversal brotherhood and tolerance.

Influenced by Guru Ravidasji’s teachings, theMaharaja and the Rani of Chittor became disciplesof Guru Ravidasji. The famous saint poetess,Mirabai, also became a disciple of Guru Ravidasji.

The Guru

In spite of his low caste, Guru Ravidas rose to aposition of great honour through a life of simplicityand piety. He never felt ashamed of his pedigree andfaced fearlessly the pandits, who were proud of theirhigh caste. He told them the spiritual greatness isachieved through a loving devotion to the Lord.

He was such a faithful Guru that once he gave afarthing (Damri) to some sadhus, who were goingto Haridwar, requesting them to offer it to GangaMai on his behalf. They say that when the sadhupresented the damri sent by Guru Ravidas, Gangastretched out her hands to receive it. He wasgreatly respected during his life time to the extentthat even veteran pandits of Kanshi bowed beforehim. Tradition has it that Queen Jhalan of Mewarbecame a follower of Guru Ravidas. But despiteclose contacts with an affluent section of thesociety, he chose to live austerely.

They say that someone once offered him a paras(the stone that turns a metal into Gold) andassured him he could get any amount of wealth bymaking use of it. Guru Ravidasji asked him to placeit in a corner. When he came to Guru Ravidas againafter some months, he found the saint still lurkingin poverty. He asked the Guru why he had notutilized the paras. Guru Ravidas remarked that forhim, “God’s Name alone was the paras, that was the“kamdhenu” and “chintamani”.

Final Days

Guru Ravidasji disappeared from the earth, leavingbehind only his footprints in 1527.

Source: www.4to40.com,www.guruRavidassabha.com,www.gururavidasssabha.org

Guru Ravidas

Jayanti


New Delhi: Egypt’s fate has had the world rivetedin recent days to newspapers and televisions, asthe unfolding consequences of Tunisia’s “JasmineRevolution” seem to portend a wave like the liberalrevolutions of 1848 for the Arab world. Amateurhistorians ask breathlessly whether this could bethe year of decisive change in the Middle East, theyear when regime after regime falls prey to risingdiscontent with authoritarian rulers who havefailed to deliver decent lives to their people. Whocould be next: Yemen? Libya? Sudan? Even Jordan?

Watching these events from afar, I find it difficult toescape the conclusion that it is not authoritarianrule per se that is being challenged in the streets,much as we democrats would like to believeotherwise; rather, authoritarian rule has simplyfailed to deliver the goods. Dictatorial rule has beenaccepted in each of these countries for decades.What the protestors were shouting for was not justfreedom but dignity—the dignity that comes fromhaving a job worth doing, enough food to eat, andthe hope of a better life for their children.

The biggest failures of Hosni Mubarak in Egypt andZine Al Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia may not have beentheir repressive politics but their failed economics. Ifyoung men had not been unemployed and strugglingto make ends meet, feed themselves, and be able tooffer a home to the young women they desire, theywould not be risking their lives and freedom callingfor the overthrow of their governments.

And yet one is tempted to ask the question: woulda different political approach have avoided regimecollapse? In other words, could democracy haveprovided a sufficient outlet for the grievances ofjobless and frustrated youth?

The Indian experience offers an instructive model.Unlike most developing countries—including everycountry in the Arab world—India, upon attainingits independence from colonial rule, did not chooseto adopt an authoritarian system in the name ofnation-building and economic development.Instead, it chose democracy.

British rule left India impoverished, diseased, andundeveloped, with an appalling 18% literacy rate.The British-determined partition with Pakistanadded communal violence, the trauma ofdestruction and displacement, and 13 millionrefugees to this list of woes. India’s nationalistleaders would have been forgiven for arguing thatthey needed dictatorial authority to cope with suchimmense problems, especially in the most diversesociety on earth, riddled with religious, linguistic,and caste divisions. But they did not.

They decided, instead, that democracy, for all itsimperfections, was the best way to overcome theseproblems, because it gave everyone a stake insolving them. Democracy reflected India’s diversity,since Indians are accustomed to the idea ofdifference. The Indian idea is that a nation maycontain different castes, creeds, colors,convictions, cuisines, costumes, and customs, yetstill rally around a consensus. And that consensusis the simple idea that in a democracy you don’treally need to agree—except on the ground rulesfor how you will disagree.

Indian nationalism has therefore always been thenationalism of an idea—the idea of one landembracing many, a land emerging from an ancientcivilization, united by a shared history andsustained by a pluralist political system.

The Arabs and the Democratic Choice


India’s democracy imposes no narrow conformitieson its citizens. The whole point of Indian pluralismis that you can be many things and one thing: youcan be a good Muslim, a good Keralite, and a goodIndian all at once. The Indian idea is the opposite ofwhat Freudians call “the narcissism of minordifferences.” In India, we celebrate thecommonality of major differences.

If America is famously a “melting pot,” then to meIndia is a thali, a selection of sumptuous dishes indifferent bowls. Each tastes different, and does notnecessarily mix with the next, but they belongtogether on the same plate, and they complementeach other in making the meal satisfying.

Amid India’s myriad problems, it is democracy thathas given Indians of every imaginable variety thechance to break free of their lot. There is socialoppression and caste tyranny, particularly in ruralIndia, but Indian democracy offers the victims ameans of escape, and often—thanks to thedetermination with which the poor and oppressedexercise their franchise—of triumph. Thesignificant changes since independence in thesocial composition of India’s ruling class, both inpolitics and in the bureaucracy—with leaders fromthe formerly “untouchable” and backward casteselected to high office—have vindicated democracyin practice.

The result is that, though economic difficulties—rising food and fuel prices, corruption, andunemployment—persist, they have not led todemonstrations calling for regime change. Indiansknow that they can use other means—debates inParliament, political alliance-making, andeventually the ballot box—to bring about thechanges they desire. Democratic accountability

also guarantees responsive government. Indiangovernments act today for fear of electoralretribution tomorrow. That is an incentive thatMubarak and Ben Ali never had.

India has always been reluctant to preach democracyto others. Its own history of colonial rule makes itwary of preaching its ways to foreign civilizations,and underscores its conviction that each countrymust determine its own political destiny.

Democracy, in any case, is rather like love: it mustcome from within, and cannot be taught.Nevertheless, for Arab rulers looking uneasily atthe lessons of events in Tunisia and Egypt, theexample of India might be well worth heeding.

Shashi Tharoor

Shashi Tharoor, a formerIndian Minister of State forExternal Affairs and UNUnder-Secretary General,is a member of India’sParliament and theAuthor of several books,including, most recently,Nehru: the Invention ofIndia (in German).

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2010Source: www.project-syndicate.org


An artist wanted to draw a portrait reflecting theattributes of God. He found them on the face of ashepherd boy tending the flock of sheep. Theportrait brought him great approbation. On growingold, he decided to draw the caricature of a personthat could express the prevailing evils and crueltyof a degenerating society. He went around mentalasylums, dens of criminals and police stations, butfailed to find a suitable model for his job.

Incidentally, one fine morning, he read about acriminal who was to be hanged for a series of heinouscrimes like booze, murder, rape, extortion and dacoity.

Having obtained the permission, he sat to portraythe criminal. No sooner had he completed thepicture than he was asked by the prisoner. “Are younot the same guy who portrayed a shepherd boythirty five years earlier?”

“Oh! Yes. How do you know that?” asked the artist.

“Don’t you recognise me? I am the same boy whomyou had drawn earlier,” spoke the criminal.

The artist was taken aback. But it’s not at allsurprising. Life is another name of probabilities.Like a multi-colour glass, it has severalperspectives.

It depends on you whether to develop divinity orprofanity in your persona.

An ordinary man is generally so confused,disorganised and insecure in himself that he simplygoes on adding years to his life, not life to years.

When George Bernard Shaw was breathing his last,he was asked by one of his friends: “what wouldyou do if you could live your life over again?”

“I would like to be the person I could have been,but never was”, said the playwright.

Occasionally, such questions do crop up in everyintelligent mind.

The head asks, “what to do?” ; the heart “why todo?” and the hand “how to do?” Head is concernedwith reason, heart with emotion and hand withaction. Since synchronisation in Gyan (Knowledge),Karma (action) and Moha (desire, attachment) isnot always coming forward, the head makesmistakes due to pride, hand due to greed and heartdue to envy. Life loses its joy and purpose, whenvalues are ignored. It becomes mechanical, prosaic,archaic and accidental, lacking sense of directionand bliss.

If you make up your mind for a joyful living, youcan easily prepare your own roadmap by glancingover some of the following strategies adopted bymen of wisdom and yogis in this country, in thepast several decades.

Discern Your True Identity and Keep Fit

First, treat your body as a temple of God, the onlyvehicle given to you for the ride, called life. It is notonly physical but causal and ethereal. The physicalwhole is made of matter, and the causal acomposition of mind, intellect, tendencies inheritedfrom past lives, and habits acquired by association,education and cultural setting in this birth.

The ethereal body, on the other hand, is like built-insoftware or motherboard of our system thatanimates the above two bodies, but remainsunaffected by them. It is the witness faculty of thedoings of both, physical and causal, and is referredto as ‘Jeevatma’ or soul, this is the real you in you,your Self which is eternal and not subject to birth ordeath, and is supposed to be a spark of the divinecosmic energy, Paramatma or God, who knows andcontrols anything and everything of the universe.

The physical body is like a fort fighting againstsuch enemies as toxins, germs, parasites, accidentsand pollution by smoke and diesel fumes. Itsdefenses are seriously weakened by not enough ofthe right kind of food, rest and exercise.

The Art of

Joyful Living


Ayurveda says this world is a unique proportion ofthree doshas (infirmities)—Vata, Pitta and Kapha.Vata type is generally slim, impatient, eats by fitsand starts, has difficulty in concentration and ispre¬disposed to rheumatism and joints pain. TheKapha type is corpulent, slow, thoughtful, enjoyseating but is an easy victim to hypertension, liver,kidney and thyroid disorders. The Pitta type,though well built and active is short tempered andirregular in his dietary habits. He easily suffersfrom acidity, jaundice and typhoid.

Vata is stimulated by pungent, bitter and acid andweakened by sweet, sour and salty. Kapha isstimulated by sweet, sour and salty, but weakened bypungent, bitter and acid. Pitta is stimulated bypungent, sour and salty, and weakened by sweet,bitter and acid. Keeping these characteristics in mindone can chose the right kind of food for oneself.

Seasonal and territorial realities should be part ofyour consideration. A few eatables which are usefulin one season may be harmful in another. Curd andbuttermilk are useful in summer, but not duringmonsoon. Leafy vegetables are useful, but not inmonsoon owing to possibility of water-contamination. Similarly, people living on coastalareas are prone to bronchitis and cold, while thosein arid zones to sunstroke and epitasis. Dry fruitsmay help the former but not the latter. Watermelonswill be favourable to latter, but not to former.

Eat right and exercise regularly. Anycomprehensive or modern physical exercise—gym,cycling, dancing, stretching or yoga is safe for yourage and level of fitness, will help you to maintainyour normal health.

Pranayam is the best antidote to Murphy-syndrome. It is the oldest known body-mindrelaxation technique; a major component of yoga,the ancient Indian self-help technique of healthcare and all round development.

There are six forms of Pranayam—Anuloma-Viloma,Bhastrika, Kapala Bhati, Brahmari, Ujjaji and Sitali-Sitkari. Consult a physiotherapist or any yogateacher to suggest the suitable one. Pranayam isvery effective, inducing equilibrium in the physicalsystem, and quick and easy to practice anywhereand anytime on an empty stomach.

Lord Buddha rightly said, “If the body is notmastered the mind cannot be mastered. If the bodyis mastered, mind is mastered.”

Take Charge of the Mind—II

The mind is like a monkey drunk with desires,stung by the scorpion of jealousy and possessed bythe devil of pride. Greed, lust, anger, grudge,depression and gloom are its resultant attributes.What we see, feel, do achieve is the direct result ofwhat we perceive through the senses controlled byour mind. Milton has rightly said that it can “makea heaven of hell” or “a hell of heaven”.

On several occasions, like choosing a career,marriage, dealing with friends, relatives andneighbours or setting our priorities, we fail to makethe right decision, and regret later. If wedispassionately analyse, we find that it’s eitherdrawn into the vortex of past events or engaged inthe labyrinths of future possibilities. Living joyfullyrequires not only balancing the above two, but thethree time frames—past, present and future. Wehave to learn from the past, plan for the future, andlive with the present, past is history that cannot berepeated, future is mystery hidden in obscurity,difficult to be predicted. The present has no accessto any data. It is a bridge between past and future.

So wisdom lies in becoming childlike and accepting thepresent rather than crying over spilt milk or chasingthe whimsical effervescent butterflies. A mind that hasthe tendency to forget the past and stop senselessworrying about the future is awake to the now, to thepresent. It exposes the highest concentration ofintelligence. It is alert, watchful and inspired. Hence, toengross oneself totally in the present is to be in a stateof perfection, which is happiness.

It doesn’t mean that you should stop pursuing yourdreams. It means that chase those dreams that areworthwhile and possible. Meet the presentchallenges in a constructive way to unlock theprize of the future. But control the habit ofworrying. Worrying depletes the energy anddampens the joy of living. Take chances, pursueyour dreams, but do keep in mind the message ofBhagavad Gita that “All actions are performedmerely by the qualities in Nature. He whose mind isdeluded by egoism thinks ‘I am the doer”.

There is enough wisdom in the Hindu aphorismthat “Thou art the doer” or in the Bible’s “Thy willbe done” or in “Inshah Allah” of Islam. Just as apiece of art is unaware of the purpose of its artist,the human mind with all its might cannot pre-conceive the will of the Almighty.

A person can remain happy all the time, if hebelieves that “Whatever God does is for the best”.That which has happened in the past has happenedfor the good, and whatsoever will happen in futurewill happen for the good.

“It depends on you

whether to develop

divinity or profanity in

your persona”


While hunting, Emperor Akbar accidentally lost hislittle finger in the jungle. Birbal, who was with him,instinctively murmured that “Whatever God does isfor the best.”

Akbar felt slighted. He commanded his men todeposit Birbal into a nearby dry well. When theEmperor rode over his charger and bent over thewell’s rim, before leaving, Birbal shouted at Him,“Why have you done this?” Akbar shouted back tohim, “Birbal whatever God does is for the best”.

Akbar then road off alone to a different part of thejungle thinking, “Let us see what good God can dofor him there!”

He had hardly gone a mile or two when he foundhimself surrounded by a band of savages who werebusy in offering a living human sacrifice to pleasetheir God. On finding the king alone they firstdivested him of his belongings and then put him onthe altar of sacrifice.

Suddenly, Akbar’s missing finger came to the noticeof their priest. Since an incomplete man wassupposed to be unacceptable to God, the Emperorwas set free. As he dressed, he thought to himselfthat “Birbal was right. Had I not lost my little finger,I would have been dead today”. He mounted hishorse and road directly back to the dry well andordered the waiting men to rescue Birbal. Havingtold the incident, he furrowed his brow and askedBirbal, “If whatever God does is for the best thenwhat good came of your being in the well?”

“Sir, had you not put me in the well, I, in allprobability! would have accompanied you in thejungle. Since all my body parts are intact. I wouldhave been sacrificed,” replied the minister.

Many a time it happens that the thing we have beenbusy in kicking or events we have been protestingagainst prove real blessings in later part of ourlives! Happiness, thus! depends on our willingnessto face smilingly all that happens to us. Themoment one resolves to remain happy in allsituations change in life begins.

Guard Your Associations

None of us can escape an encounter with malice oranimosity at some stage in our lives. It spoils ourrelationships—making our experiences bitter withrelatives and hostile with friends andacquaintances. Veiled animosity is worse than openenmity. It can percolate to our feelings and colourour reactions to outside events. It springs frommutual suspicion and distrust, and manifests itselfin socio-psychosomatic problems.

The better interpersonal relations, the better a manis to live life gracefully. But relationships do notdevelop in a vacuum. They are cultivated andnurtured. Maintaining relations require efforts, andat times, when they appear to lose warmth, theyneed to be recharged and repaired.

Relationships are spoiled by our proclivity to judge,analyse and change others. When we start findingfault in others, a blame game begins. Healthyrelationships are not possible by addressing to reason.

People are basically emotional and more or less likecomputers that have been programmed throughtheir individual birth-trauma, childhood experiencesand education. One person trying to change anotheris like one programme trying to write another or likewatching a movie repeatedly, hoping there will be anew ending someday to his liking.

We must, therefore, accept people as they are,without judging or criticising. We should recogniseanger of our spouses, irritation of our children anddeep-seated sense of insecurity in our friends andacquaintances. Unless involved with an abusive ormodified character, we should try to stick to arelationship. It is easier to mentally drift away froma person, but sometimes the space remainsunoccupied. Indifference, isolation,unresponsiveness and apathy destroy the bondand take away the joy which only being with themcan bring.

If you have worked on things and they keep gettingworse, time will reveal whether to quit or try harder.Be patient, Patience unfolds the will of God. It helpsyou to live uncomplainingly and accept ungrudginglythat which you know cannot be changed.

Secondly, relationships need communication. Learnto laugh, change the topic, agree or just keep quiet.Talk about topics that interest others, not to you.Avoid huge discussion on trivial matters as it mayend up in bitter exchanges. Talk openly. Don’t evergossip or talk about your plans to others. Problems

“The physical body

is like a fort fighting

against such enemies as

toxins, germs, parasites,

accidents and pollution

by smoke and diesel

fumes. Its defenses are

seriously weakened by

not enough of the right

kind of food, rest

and exercise”


in relationships occur chiefly for two reasons:

a. mentally and emotionally building up a trivialityinto a big thing, instead of maintaining areasonable perspective; and,

b. allowing minor irritations to accumulate untilthey become an unbearable burden.

We need to recognise that our relationships aremirrors of our inner self, reflecting what we need tolearn. Relationships need space to bloom. If welove someone, we must give him space. If we clingto someone like a vine or chain to him, not to leavehim free to go out of our sight, our relationshipwith that person is bound to suffer.

Colin Reeve, an international consultant on thesubject, says, “If you want your children to stayclose to you, let them go. If you want yourmanagers to be in your control, give themresponsibility. Discipline yourself not to over¬reactin any situation”.

Lastly, in serious matters, one should always enterinto a mutual, written agreement in the company ofwitnesses from both sides, even in dealing withbrothers and sisters, when young, many peoplesubscribe to the value “all for one and one for all”.Later, after a few thankless experiences theyregrettably switch over to “everyman for himself.”

The master formula is “to get and keep friendship, befriendly but deal cautiously.” If you want to remainhappy, don’t ever try to please everyone around.

The Art of Joyful Living—III

Forget and Forgive

Forget the mistakes and failures you haveexperienced. Quit living in the past, for “Do you not

know that your yesterdays never return”. Why letyourself get emotionally stirred by someinsignificant happening which you will not evenremember a week from now, a month from now or ayear from now.

Forgive those who have done wrong to you. Wemay not be saintly like Jesus Christ and MahatmaGandhi to love our enemies, but for our moral andintellectual growth and better interpersonalrelations, we need to forgive and check thetendency to get even with our enemies. Forgivenessis a sort of creativity. It sets you free from the self-inflicted torture. It brings peace and newpossibilities in life. It is the best way to elevate thequality of our lives.

Almost every religion preaches the virtue offorgiveness. “Forgive them father, for they know notwhat they do” prayed Jesus Christ for histormenters while being crucified and left to die apainful death. Buddha regarded forgiveness as away of enlightenment.

It is said that when Chinese soldiers prepared toexecute monks in a Tibetan monastery, the monksstarted chanting prayers. “See! They are begging fortheir lives”, exclaimed a soldier. “No”, said a localresident. “They are prying for your souls, askingGod to forgive you, because you are only obeyingorders.”

We may never recover humiliation, injury andinsult until we learn to forget and forgive. “Forgiveseventy times seven”, said Jesus. Because we allneed so much forgiveness.

Plan to Work and Work to Plan

Work brings man to life, gets him in motion. Workcreates the world we live in. Work done at a higherstandard is a gateway to bigger things in life. Doyour work so well that it may open the door fornew opportunities. Work, if you are lonely. Work, ifworried and scared. Work is the key to happiness.“Work is life and good work is good life.”

Don’t be a perfectionist. Perfection is negation ofaction. Also, put your hurry-sickness aside. Dropout the idea that you are Atlas carrying the worldon your shoulders. The world would go on evenwithout you. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Learnto relax at your work. Overwork makes a killing atthe workplace. Overwork increases the risk ofpsychological disorders, impaired immunefunctions and cardiovascular diseases.

Just try harder. Make it a life slogan. Try harder,then try harder, and then try harder so that you areable to pyramid your efforts and pyramid yourgains. If fate hands you a lemon, make lemonade.So, the surest three word way to have a sense offulfillment is ‘Just Try Harder’. Still in doubt? Ask awoman who has just become a mother.

“Eat right and

exercise regularly. Any

comprehensive or modern

physical exercise—gym,

cycling, dancing,

stretching or yoga is safe

for your age and level of

fitness, will help you

to maintain your

normal health”


But in spite of your best efforts if you do notsucceed, it is no fault of yours.

“Thy right is only to work never to the fruits” (Gita)“Everything is determined by forces over which wehave no control, and that we all dance to amysterious tune intoned in the distance by aninvisible piper (Albert Einstein)”. So try also toMobilise the mystic force to lend you a helpinghand in your work for a joyful living.

Mobilise the Mystic Force

True peace begins when we experience the realityof our Self (soul) and its mystic force. The materialcannot truly satisfy the soul, because it is a divinespark of the eternal spirit. It is the cognitive facultyof individual that transcends time and space andseeks harmony of inner as well as outer world. It isa state of being where one sees his happiness in thehappiness of others (the whole world is a family).Reaching out to other people, therefore, is anotherimportant requisite of a joyful living.

“Whatever there is in this ephemeral world isenveloped by the Lord. By this renunciationsupport yourself. Do not covet the wealth of otherssays Isa Upanishad’s famous Sloka.

Mahatma Gandhi interpreted the above verse justinto two words—Renounce and Enjoy. It can bereduced to a simple equation of J = R/D— where Jstands for joyful living; R for resources at yourdisposal and D for your desires. As the quantum ofyour desires start decreasing the ‘J’ quotient keepsincreasing. If you are able to bring down the ‘D’factor, ‘J’ quotient keeps increasing. If you are ableto bring down the ‘D’ factor to zero, T will reach toinfinity. Minimise desires to maximise joy. A happymind knows that it is better to need less than todesire or grab more. Happiness is relativelyinternal. It has little to do with externals likemoney, fame and power.

Give Your Best, God Will Do the Balance

Open your eyes and see how much you have beengiven by Nature. Sunlight, air, water, rain showers, itsbounteous gifts given to us, are absolutely free. Butthe ignorant runs after his own personal profits andpleasures neglecting the interests of others. He tries toget more and more for his less and less. He seems tohave forgotten the age-old Indian saying that “Bytaking and not paying for that, you become Thug(swindler); but by giving you become a Thakur (Lord).Give more than you receive. “Collect from hundredhands, give by thousand,” says the Atharvaveda.

We are like an ocean, if we give, we will never dryup. We must give even if it is a little thing. Dosomething for others. Something for which we getno return, but only the privilege of doing it. Thewidest possibility of happiness and spiritual growthlies in it. The more you give, the more you willreceive. Anything that is valuable for our lives,

multiplies when given to others. It is the law ofnature. If you want love, give love to others. If youwant respect, learn to respect others. If you wanthappiness, make others happy.

Pray with Devotion

Prayer is a proven method of attaining the desiredpeaceful living. It is being used as a meditative tool,the world over, for many thousand years in nearlyevery religious tradition. “What things so ever yedesire, when you pray, believe that ye receivethem, and ye shall have them,” says the Holy Bible(Mark 11:24).

Prayer is a stimulant for creative ideas. Insight,direction and illumination are given to people whohabitually resort to prayers. They feel better, dobetter, sleep better and become better.

Prayers help in harmonious functioning of their body,mind and soul, chanting of mantras, hymns, worshipin temples, mosques and churches, and repeating thename of God or Goddess reverentially through thebeads of a rosary are all forms of prayers.

Do keep a few minutes reserved everyday to bealone and quiet at a given time and place to feelnearness with God. Though the premise, reason,language, form and content of prayers differ widelyfrom religion to religion, yet the aim in all of them isthe same—to entreat the Lord to redress thedevotees grievances of forgiveness for sins.

Do not think that only stereotyped Sanskrit, Latinor Arabic phrases are fit for prayers to beresponded. Pray in your words. God understandsall the languages.

Pray with total faith and devotion. Make yourprayers short and simple. Sincere, short and directprayers are more effective and rewarding. Whilepraying, first do thank God for the countlessblessings bestowed on you. This will put you in apositive frame of reference. Then ask him the wish-fulfillment. People generally pray to obtain wealthor worldly possessions, freedom from disease orsuccess in their outwardly endeavours.

Instead of asking him to rig the race or to beatsomeone or to make you number one, ask to giveyou the strength to face adversity and the courageto get through the struggle.

Pray with a positive mind for yourself as well as forothers you do not like or who have mistreated you.

The more you pray for others the more positiveresults of your endeavours will accrue to makeyour life happy and peaceful.

V.K. Arora

Source: Bhavan’s Journal November 30,December 15 & 30, 2010


Caring for the Creation

Some souls wish to stay in this temporary worldand try to enjoy it while others, out of frustration,look for a way to escape. Devotees of Lord Krishnahowever, simply want to serve the Lord in anycondition of life. This is a great science and beginsby following the instructions of a genuine spiritualteacher or guru. In this age the guru teaches firstand foremost that the holy names of Lord Krishnashould be glorified especially with drums, cymbals,and heart-felt prayers. Pure vegetarian foodsshould be offered to the Lord with love anddevotion and His words and activities rememberedand relished.

Lord Krishna personally explained the absolutenecessity of understanding that we are not thesetemporary material bodies whether they beChristian, Hindu, black, white, male or female. Weare eternal spiritual beings and as such are partsand parcel of his creation. From this spiritualunderstanding we will naturally serve and loveother living beings as brothers and sisters. We willprotect the animals, birds, fish and plants, notexploit them for selfish purposes. Mother naturewill be pleased and the world will become peacefulagain. By faithfully following the guidance of LordKrishna we can be happy in this life and in the nextreturn home to the spiritual world.

Source: ISKCON Educational Services

Extract from Creation: A Story from Ancient India

Bhavan’sChildren


New Delhi: This is a tipping point for Pakistan. Willit survive the current maelstrom of challenges—exemplified by the recent assassination ofGovernor Salmaan Taseer of Punjab by one of hisbodyguards, an Islamic zealot—or will it capsize?For the world, Pakistan’s fate is an urgent, perhapseven an existential, question. After all, Pakistan is anuclear-armed, terrorist-spawning regional power.

The roots of Pakistan’s instability run deep.Following World Wars I and II, the European powersand the United States sat around distant tables andfabricated frontiers, giving birth to Iraq, Israel,Kuwait, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia—and thus to mostof the of the Middle East’s current ills. The region’snew map was based on the assumption that thefundamentals of “Muslim Asia” could betransformed by introducing the Western nation-state system. Instead, what formed was a region ofentities that have largely failed to cohere as nations.

In 1947, the Indian sub-continent, too, wasvivisected in much the same way, with a religion-based entity carved out of it: Pakistan. Of course, itis pointless at this stage to re-examine that tragicfolly. The consequences of partition, however,remain: Pakistan has not yet been able to evolve anadministratively credible government. Indeed, ifMuhammad Ali Jinnah, Pakistan’s founding father,had been right that Muslims are a separate nation,Bangladesh would not have broken away from it,and the country’s relations with its neighborAfghanistan would be free of intrigue and violence.

This brings us to the heart of the matter: thequestion of Islam and statehood. In his book Islamand the Destiny of Man, Gai Eaton put the matterwith elegant precision: “Islamic society istheocentric…not theocratic.” This is an importantdistinction, for it calls into question the “validity of(the) concept of (an) Islamic state as distinct from

THE NEW POWER GAME

The Death of Pakistan?


a Muslim state.” The first, Eaton writes, is an“ideological proposition” that has “nevermaterialized in Muslim history because no Muslimstate has even been theocratic.”

Whereas the centrality of the state in human affairsis a modern, European development, traditionalsocieties like India or Pakistan have alwaysregarded the state as no more than a necessaryevil, since large societies cannot be managed onthe old tribal basis. For Muslims, all sovereigntyvests in God; indeed, nothing whatever exists orcan exist outside of Him. As Eaton puts it, theKoran’s insistence that “there is no god but God”can also be interpreted to mean that “there is nolegislator but the Legislator.” That is why in Islamicjurisprudence, laws must be derived from theKoran and the Sunnah of the Prophet, not handeddown from British or classical philosophy.

So the central issue in Islam has not been whetherthe state can be separated from religion, butwhether society can be so separated. It cannot,which is why no Muslim state can be fully secular.Indeed, the issue that now lies at Pakistan’s core iswhether it can become a theocratic state.

Which brings us back to the horror of Taseer’sassassination and the strange and divided reactionto it in Pakistani civil society. Taseer’sassassination, unlike that of Indian Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi by her bodyguards in 1984, was not aretaliatory revenge attack. Instead, the roots ofTaseer’s assassination lay in the dark delusions offanatical belief, his killing supposedly undertakento protect the faith.

Worse, many citizens, if not most, have reacted bysupporting the assassin (some showering him withflower petals), while hundreds of Ulemas (religiousleaders) welcomed his killing and calledparticipation in his funeral “un-Islamic.” Accordingto the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami movement, “thekilled is himself responsible for his killing.”

This aggressive, fundamentalist path is inexorablyleading Pakistan back centuries in time. Of course,Pakistan alone is responsible for the path itchooses, but it would not have so readily adoptedits current course but for the tacit (and explicit)support that the US has given it, beginning in the1980’s to counter the Soviet occupation ofAfghanistan. Once again, we see how misplacedWestern national priorities can bring ruin on a non-Western nation.

In any contest of ideas, the extreme will usuallytriumph over the moderate. In Pakistan, theextremist now wears Islamic garb, and stands forthe Creator, for faith, and for a theocratic order.What, by contrast, might a Pakistani liberal standfor? Indeed, who in Pakistan is calling for a liberal,democratic country?

In the dark, congested alleys of Lahore, Karachi,Peshawar, or Quetta, the yearning is not fordemocratic liberalism, but for the believers to unitebehind the one true faith. Here, in this desire, iswhere Pakistan’s ultimate reckoning is to be found,not in the corridors of Washington, and certainlynot on the broad avenues of Islamabad.

Jaswant Singh, a former Foreign Minister,Finance Minister, and Defense Minister of India, isa member of the opposition in India’s Parliament.He is the Author of Jinnah: India – Partition –Independence.

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2010 Source: www.project-syndicate.org

Paris: Has the uprising in Tunisia sparked a newdemocratic wave that will conquer Egypt andeventually sweep away the authoritarian “Arabexception”? After southern Europe in the 1970’s,Latin America in the late 1980’s, and Central andEastern Europe in the 1990’s, it seems that now itis the Mediterranean region’s turn. For Europe,democratization immediately to its south is avital interest.

Zine El Abidine Ben Ali’s ouster in Tunisia signalledthe collapse of the Arab “stability” model, praisedby many Western leaders, consisting ofauthoritarianism and overrated economicperformance. The surge of anger and revolt inEgypt, whatever its final outcome, marks thebeginning of the end for authoritarian nationalistArab regimes.

In contrast to Tunisia, the military is a pillar of theEgyptian regime. But it is unlikely that Egypt’s huge(mostly conscript) army will engage in massive,violent repression, which would beunprecedented in that country.

Even if President HosniMubarak hangs on tocomplete the remainder ofhis term, the ruling NationalDemocratic Party’s regime, itslegitimacy irreparably shaken,will not survive for long. OmarSuleiman’s appointment as Vice-President (and heir-apparent)indicates that the army hasaccepted that Mubarak must leavesooner or later. Nor, it seems clear,will Mubarak secure the successionof his son, Gamel, before he goes.

The regime’s international legitimacy is equally in ashambles. The United States, Egypt’s main ally,while stopping short of siding with the protesters,is holding the regime to Mubarak’s promise of a“better democracy,” and demanding swift action tomeet the people’s legitimate demands. By hintingstrongly that its $1.5 billion in largely military aidwould be withheld in the event of unacceptablelevels of repression, the US revealed that the post-Mubarak era is already being contemplated.

The US—and Europe—are keen to avoid a suddencollapse of the Egyptian regime. But a protracted andincremental process of small steps towards economicand then political reform—the sequence contemplatedby the European Union—is no longer an option. Theregime is past reforming, and must give way to a newdemocratic republic, with a new constitution.

Ideally, this should come about in a manner similarto democratic transitions in Latin America in the1980’s, when authoritarian, army-backed rulers

EUROPE AT HOME AND ABROAD

The Roar of the

Democratic Wave

yielded to popular demands for radical, democraticregime change. Resorting to thugs to carry outwidespread intimidation, and blaming violence onthe largely peaceful protests of hundreds ofthousands of ordinary Egyptians, as theirgovernment has done, is not a good omen.

Unlike in Tunisia, Europeans and Americans shouldincrease the pressure on Egypt’s leaders—primarilythe military at this stage—to start fulfilling theregime’s promises of political reform. This will lackcredibility under Mubarak, whose refusal to standdown is a recipe for chaos. It is necessary that theinternational community:

• Withdraw support for Mubarak;• Support the formation of a transitional authority,

supported by the military and the “street,” andincluding independent political figures untaintedby the regime, to prepare free and fair elections;

• Call for an amnesty for all political prisoners.

Many of the conditions needed for a democratictransformation—a vibrant and organized civilsociety, a relatively free press, and well-respectedopposition figures, as well as a variety of batteredbut breathing political parties of differentpersuasions—are already present.

Fear of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is onlymarginally involved in an uprising that it did notinitiate and has no hope of controlling, is no excusefor trying to save a failing regime. The tragicconsequences of eleventh-hour attempts to savethe Shah in Iran should not be forgotten. There isalso no reason to believe (contrary to the regime’sinsistence) that the Brotherhood would emergevictorious from a democratic transition.

Of course, there are concerns about the future ofEgypt’s foreign policy, especially toward Israel. Butthere is no indication that a non-authoritarianEgyptian regime would call into question thebilateral peace treaty, though a definite end to theGaza blockade and a shift in attitude towardsHamas—in the sense of a more serious attempt atforging Palestinian unity—are to be expected.

For Europe, the best option is to support the massmovement calling for regime change led byMohammed ElBaradei, the Nobel laureate and formerhead of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The joint declaration by German Chancellor AngelaMerkel, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, andBritish Prime Minister David Cameron, calling for a“broad-based government” and “free and fairelections” in Egypt stands in stark contrast to theembarrassed silence that was heard at the outset ofTunisia’s democratic uprising. It is still too soon,however, to conclude that Europeans have finallyovercome their fear of Arab democracy and will notbe tempted to accept milder forms of “liberalauthoritarianism” should the crisis drag on or amilitary takeover occur.

That would be a grave mistake, for such an outcomewould most likely pave the way for extremealternatives. Europe and the US must be assupportive of democracy in the Mediterraneanregion as they are within Europe itself. When tidesare turning, people will remember who stood withthem and who did not. As it did during Ukraine’sOrange Revolution in 2004, Europe needs to showthat it stands for democracy, not merely for stability.

Álvaro de VasconcelosÁlvaro de Vasconcelos is theDirector of the EuropeanUnion Institute for SecurityStudies in Paris.

Copyright: ProjectSyndicate, 2011Source: www.project-syndicate.org


Chicago: At the height of the financial crisis, theQueen of England asked my friends at the LondonSchool of Economics a simple question, but one forwhich there is no easy answer: Why did academiceconomists fail to foresee the crisis?

Several responses to that query exist. One is thateconomists lacked models that could account forthe behavior that led to the crisis. Another is thateconomists were blinkered by an ideologyaccording to which a free and unfettered marketcould do no wrong. Finally, an answer that isgaining ground is that the system bribedeconomists to stay silent.

In my view, the truth lies elsewhere.

It is not true that we academics did not have usefulmodels to explain what happened. If you believethat the crisis was caused by a shortage ofliquidity, we had plenty of models analyzingliquidity shortages and their effects on financialinstitutions. If you believe that the blame lies withgreedy bankers and unthinking investors, lulled bythe promise of a government bailout, or with amarket driven crazy by irrational exuberance, wehad studied all this too, in great detail.

Economists even analyzed the political economy ofregulation and deregulation, so we could haveunderstood why some US politicians pushed theprivate sector into financing affordable housing,while others deregulated private finance. Yet,somehow, we did not bring all this understandingto bear and collectively shout our warnings.

Perhaps the reason was ideology: we were toowedded to the idea that markets are efficient,market participants are rational, and high pricesare justified by economic fundamentals. But someof this criticism of “market fundamentalism”reflects a misunderstanding. The dominant“efficient markets theory” says only that markets

reflect what is publicly known, and that it is hard tomake money off markets consistently—somethingverified by the hit that most investor portfoliostook in the crisis. The theory does not say thatmarkets cannot plummet if the news is bad, or ifinvestors become risk-averse.

Critics argue that the fundamentals weredeteriorating in plain sight, and that the market (andeconomists) ignored it. But hindsight distortsanalysis. We cannot point to a lonely Cassandra likeRobert Shiller of Yale University, who regularly arguedthat house prices were unsustainable, as proof thatthe truth was ignored. There are always naysayers,and they are often wrong. There were many moreeconomists who believed that house prices, thoughhigh, were unlikely to fall across the board.

Of course, these expectations could have beendistorted by ideology—it is hard to get into thepast minds of economists. But there is a betterreason to be skeptical of explanations relying onideology. As a group, neither behavioraleconomists, who think that market efficiency is ajoke, nor progressive economists, who distrust freemarkets, predicted the crisis.

Could it be corruption? Some academic economistsconsult for banks or rating agencies, give speechesto investor conferences, serve as expert witnesses,and carry out sponsored research. It would benatural to suspect us of bias. The bias could beimplicit: our worldview is shaped by what ourfriends in industry believe. Or it may be an explicitbias: an economist might write a report that isinfluenced by what a sponsor wants to hear, or givetestimony that is purely mercenary.

There are enough instances of possible bias that theissue cannot be ignored. One remedy would be toban all interaction between economists and thecorporate world. But if economists were confined tothe ivory tower, we might be unbiased, but we would

IN SEARCH OF DYNAMISM

RECESSION

FORECAST

Why Did Economists

Not Foresee the Crisis?


also be ignorant of practicalities—and thus even lesscapable of predicting problems. One way to restoretrust may be disclosure—for economists to declarea monetary interest in a particular analysis and,more generally, to explain who pays us. A number ofuniversities are moving in this direction.

But I believe that corruption is not the main reasonthat the profession missed the crisis. Mosteconomists have very little interaction with thecorporate world, and these “unbiased” economistswere no better at forecasting the crisis.

I would argue that three factors largely explain ourcollective failure: specialization, the difficulty offorecasting, and the disengagement of much of theprofession from the real world.

Like medicine, economics has become highlycompartmentalized—macroeconomists typically donot pay attention to what financial economists orreal-estate economists study, and vice versa. Yet, tosee the crisis coming would have required someonewho knew about each of these areas—just as ittakes a good general practitioner to recognize anexotic disease. Because the profession rewards onlycareful, well-supported, but necessarily narrowanalysis, few economists try to span sub-fields.

Even if they did, they would shy away fromforecasting. The main advantage that academiceconomists have over professional forecasters maybe their greater awareness of establishedrelationships between factors. What is hardest toforecast, though, are turning points—when the oldrelationships break down. While there may be somefactors that signal turning points—a run-up inshort-term leverage and asset prices, for example,often presages a bust—they are not infalliblepredictors of trouble to come.

The meager professional rewards for breadth,coupled with the inaccuracy and reputational risk

associated with forecasting, leads todisengagement for most academics. And it may wellbe that academic economists have little to sayabout short-term economic movements, so thatforecasting, with all its errors, is best left toprofessional forecasters.

The danger is that disengagement from short-termdevelopments leads academic economists to ignoremedium-term trends that they can address. If so,the true reason why academics missed the crisiscould be far more mundane than inadequatemodels, ideological blindness, or corruption, andthus far more worrisome; many simply were notpaying attention!

Raghuram Rajan

Raghuram Rajan, a former Chief Economist of theIMF, is Professor of Finance at the University ofChicago and the Author of Fault Lines: HowHidden Fractures Still Threaten the WorldEconomy.


GLOBAL FINANCIAL

CRISIS


Geneva: Switzerland’s direct democracy allowscitizens who have gathered enough petitionsignatures to challenge government policies andlaws in nationwide referenda. After a spate of AIDSdeaths during the 1980’s, the Swiss came face toface with a problem that has destroyed millions oflives in the United States, Russia, Latin America,the European Union, southern Asia, and otherregions. Intravenous drug users—especially heroinaddicts—had turned public spaces in Zurich andother Swiss cities and towns into needle parks.AIDS proved itself to be blind to affluence.

The Swiss did not respond with the kind of neglectthat Russia’s government has shown so far towardits heroin and HIV epidemics—more than twomillion drug users and an estimated one millionpeople living with HIV, over 60% of them infectedwhile sharing contaminated needles. Nor did theSwiss react with a “war on drugs” and massivefunding for more policing, more jails, andmandatory prison sentences.

That war is well and truly lost. The US nowincarcerates more people than any other country,largely as a result of soaring drug convictions, witha disproportionate number of African-American andHispanic prisoners. The war on drugs has enableddrug cartels to reap higher profits than ever andtransform entire communities in Latin America intofiefdoms. Drug money is corrupting democratic

governments and law-enforcement institutionsaround the world. Drug-related violence hasconsumed untold numbers of victims inAfghanistan, Burma, Colombia, the US, and Mexico.

The Swiss re-examined their government’s drugpolicies with a pragmatic eye. Health professionalstook the lead in a campaign to press thegovernment—through the mechanisms of directdemocracy—to shift its focus from arresting andpunishing drug users toward public-health policiesthat are based on scientific evidence of what works.

The Swiss implemented methadone programs. and,in order to prevent the spread of HIV, they createdneedle exchanges, including in prisons, andestablished safe injection rooms on a large scale.The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health alsooversaw an experiment in prescribing heroin topeople who had lived with opiate dependency forsignificant periods.

The Swiss government’s careful evaluation of thisapproach demonstrated that heroin-assistedtherapy is both feasible and cost-effective, and thatit can bring patients significant healthimprovements. Moreover, it contributed to astartling drop in drug-related crime. The Swisspublic was so convinced of the benefits of heroin-assisted therapy that, in two nationwide votes,voters endorsed the policy, despite domestic

Withdrawing from

the War on Drugs


political opposition and criticism from theInternational Narcotics Control Board.

Switzerland is a conservative country. Trafficking inillicit narcotics remains illegal. In November 2008,the Swiss rejected a proposal for Dutch-styledecriminalization of cannabis. And somepolicymakers question whether the Swiss approachhas focused drug policy too much on public healthand too little on dealing with the poverty and socialexclusion faced by drug users.

Switzerland’s pragmatic approach to drug abusehas nonetheless yielded significant lessons that areapplicable to the US, Russia, and the many otherdrug- and HIV/AIDS-ravaged countries over whichthey wield significant influence. So have similarapproaches in Portugal, which only a decade agoled the EU in drug-related HIV/AIDS cases.Portugal’s decision in 2001 to decriminalizepossession of illegal drugs led not only to moredrug users in treatment (rather than in prison), butalso a significant decrease in the number of drugusers newly infected with HIV.

One lesson is the crucial importance of usingscientifically rigorous investigation of newprograms—rather than populist rhetoric, religiousmoralizing, and urban myth—to guidepolicymaking. This requires coordinating policingand health programs within a coherent policy

framework, investing in research and publiceducation on drug policy, opening new programs toindependent review, and standing up to ideologicalcriticism, both domestic and international, withevidence and pragmatism.

To convey these and other significant lessons, andto advocate worldwide for effective harm-reductionpolicies—and for broader public debate aboutmore efficient and humane drug policies—we andother world leaders have initiated the GlobalCommission on Drug Policy, which held itsinaugural meeting in Geneva in January. Our aim isto show that the war on drugs is lost. Switzerland,Portugal, and other countries have demonstratedthat there is a better way forward, combiningpragmatism and cost effectiveness withcompassion and respect for human rights.

Fernando Henrique Cardoso and Michel D.Kazatchkine

Fernando Henrique Cardoso was the President ofBrazil from 1995-2003 and is Chair of the GlobalCommission on Drug Policy. Michel D.Kazatchkine is Executive Director of the GlobalFund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.



World Cancer Day is a global observance thathelps raise people’s awareness of cancer and howto prevent, detect or treat it. This event is held onFebruary 4 each year.

Cancer

Cancer is a leading cause of death around theworld, according to WHO, which estimates that 84million people will die of cancer between 2005 and2015 without intervention. Low-income andmedium-income countries are harder hit by cancerthan the high-resource countries. It is essential toaddress the world’s growing cancer burden and towork on effective control measures.

In the world of rush and hush people frantically runneglecting their most treasured position health.Cancer is termed after the species crab of the Latintext which means the unseen hidden undergroundenemy. It causes abnormal and uncontrolledmultiplication of cells, which mostly goes painlessinitially. So the diagnosis becomes quite crucialbecause of its hidden symptoms.

Five common cancers prevalent in today’s worldare stomach, lung, breast, colorectal and cervix.Early detecting, education diagnosis and screeningare the assuring key weapons to wrestle and winover this life-threatening disease. Some early signsof cancer include lumps, lesions that prolong toheal, abnormal bleeding, consistent indigestion,and chronic hoarseness.

Causes

Causes for cancer are usually idiopathic whichmeans causes unknown. Other common causeswhich predispose the disease are improper eatinghabits, no physical activity, exposure to carcinogens,

radiation, certain viruses like the papilloma virus,smoking or alcohol addiction and so on.

Prevention of cancer which is the focus of theWorld Cancer Day reinforces the abolishment of thecarcinogenic agent, tobacco which has caused oral,lung and various other cancers in humans.

WHO

After the World Cancer Day initiative by the WorldHealth Organisation (WHO), numerous awarenessmessages and awakenings are pitched in the mindsof the public to fight against the killer disease. Allhave become more cautious and all detectingmeasures are taken when initial changes are visiblewhich draws suspicion.

National Cancer Control Association, WHO CancerPrevention and Control are all initiatives of theWHO to fight against the cancer threat.

WHO has framed a six module scheme and hasdeployed managers and policy-makers who cancombat the severity of the disease by effectivecancer control measures in the low and middleincome countries.

Each year on 4 February, WHO supportsInternational Union against Cancer to promoteways to ease the global burden of cancer.

WorldCancer Day


Preventing cancer and raising quality of life forcancer patients are recurring themes.

World Cancer Day is also solicited to bring aboutthe resilience and hope in the minds of the cancersurvivors, who have faced enormous trauma andmental conflict in their war against the question oflife and death. Only in the year of 2005, 7.5 millionvictims were slayed mercilessly by the real slayer“the cancer”.

Prevention and Control

Prevention and control is the keyword of emphasison the day of February 4 to completely vanish offthe disease from tormenting mankind. Preventionincludes proper screening techniques andeducating the lay-person about the ways to detectthe cancerous symptom. From the cancerous sitecalled the lesion, the cells spread in millionsdestructing the normal and viable human tissuesand also reaches to all distant sites causingmetastasis. If detected early cancer could betreated by surgery, chemotherapy and radiationtechniques. Cancerous lesion can affect any site,like the cervix, breast, bone, mouth, brain or anyhuman tissue.

Symbols

There are different symbols that are used to helppromote the fight against different types of cancers.Pink ribbon is a global symbol of breast cancerawareness, while the orange ribbon is associatedwith child cancer awareness. Another example is thedaffodil, which the American Cancer Society sees asa symbol of hope that people share for a futurewhere cancer is no longer a life-threatening disease.

Observance

People, businesses, governments and non-profitorganizations work together on World Cancer Dayto help the general public learn more about thedifferent types of cancer, how to watch for it,treatments and preventative measures. Variousactivities and events include:

• Television, radio, online and newspaperadvertisements and articles that focus on thefight against cancer.

• Nationwide campaigns targeted at parents tohelp them minimize the risk of cancer withintheir families.

• Breakfasts, luncheons or dinners aimed atraising funds for cancer research or projects thathelp to fight cancer. Many of these events featurekeynote speakers or video presentations.

• Public information booths featuring informationkits, fact sheets, booklets, posters and otheritems that promote the cancer awareness,prevention, risk reduction, and treatment.

Some countries use World Cancer Day to promotecampaigns on various cancer issues, such as breastcancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, and cancer inchildren. Much focus goes towards awareness andrisk reduction.

The World Health Organization (WHO) works withorganizations such as the International UnionAgainst Cancer or Union for International CancerControl (UICC) on this day to promote ways to easethe global burden of cancer. Recurring themes overthe years focus on preventing cancer and raisingthe quality of life for cancer patients.

Source: www.who.int, www.timeanddate.com,www.altiusdirectory.com


January 2010 marked a memorable trip as studentsfrom all around Australia began a journey of alifetime. After a year of fundraising, 30 universitystudents led by the Fraternas Community, packedtheir suitcases for a trip to Peru, ready to face themost amazing challenges. The adventure missionwould last a month in the most remote places ofSouth America.

The students were between the ages of 18 and 30,each of them coming from different disciplinessuch as engineering, journalism, law andcommerce. Most of them were from Sydney butsome were from Brisbane, Canberra andMelbourne. Despite being strangers in thebeginning, they became really good friends becauseall of them shared in the desire to make a differenceand serve others.

The mission trip focused on culture in Peru,spirituality, and solidarity with the most needy.Volunteers had the opportunity to live solidarity inaction. They experienced working hard alongsidethe locals in the shantytowns of Lima, capital ofPeru. The main contribution was the constructionof a chapel for 250 people in Llupa (Huaraz), a littletown in the Andes. The group worked tirelessly inthe construction of the chapel, the whole timeworking alongside the locals. It was a greatopportunity to interchange, share and understandone another.

The Experience in Llupa

Llupa is a little town 420 km north of Lima at analtitude of 3,052 meters (10,013 ft). The largestpopulation is centered in the agriculture with 80families and approximately 250 kids. Themissionaries spent 3 weeks building a chapel forthe community and giving catechesis to the kids.

The majority of the population speaks Quechua—an Incan dialect that has remained as part of theirculture—but the new generations speak Spanish aswell. This was a challenge for the missionaries fromAustralia because only a few spoke Spanish.

The day the Australian group arrived, theinhabitants of Llupa prepared one of the mostfamous dishes in the Andes: Pachamanca(earthoven). Pachamanca has been part of theculture in Peru for centuries now, dating back topre-Hispanic times

A Day in the Life of the Missionaries

Every day the missionaries woke up at 6 am toprepare porridge for the kids. They came one byone from their little houses with a cup and a spoonto receive the nutritious breakfast, full ofexpectation for a morning jam-packed with gamesand fun. There were around 40 kids everyday andthe number grew daily as more kids from closervillages learnt of the missionaries.

MISSION TRIP TO PERU 2010

An Adventure

of a Lifetime


Ten of the missionaries stayed all morning to playwith the kids, with activities varying from teachingthem how to brush their teeth to simply projectinga movie for them. Some of the kids struck with aweas they gazed at the screen; they had never been toa cinema before and their reaction was of totalamazement! However the emotion was not one-sided as the missionaries were very touched by thesimplicity of the kids. They made them somepopcorn and the kids taught them some words inQuechua, laughing as the missionaries mistakenpronunciation.

In the meantime the other 20 missionaries wereworking hard side by side with the locals. Somehelped with the roof, others scratching walls,carrying bricks or mixing cement. Most of themwere new to this type of job so they had to learnfrom the locals – yet another experience whichincreased the solidarity and sense of communityamong them.

The traditional dress worn by Quechua womentoday is a mixture of styles from Pre-Spanish daysand Spanish Colonial peasant dress

The donkeys provided a key role in theconstruction of the chapel. Big trucks brought thematerials to the town’s closest road. From there thedonkeys, lead by the missionaries, did a great jobcarrying all the cement to the chapel. TheAustralians found the experience fascinating,growing fond of them to the extent of giving namesto the previously unnamed co-workers.

Learning from the Locals

Although the majority of the Australian volunteerswere university students who had not turned theirhand to building before, they were not left to theirown skills and knowledge. “Local builders,architects and engineers volunteered their time toteach us and tell us what to do,” says BethMcNamara 23, who was a member of the Australianteam.

The trip was a great opportunity not only for thePeruvians but also for the Australian delegation.There was a profound exchange of generosity andthe Aussies received as much as they gave, learningfrom the deep generosity of the South Americanpeople.

The people in Llupa were moved by the generosityof the Australians. They never thought that youngpeople could work so tirelessly in the constructionof the chapel. “They speak another language, theylook different than us and they live so far away,nevertheless they have treated us like family,” saidAndres, the mayor of the town, with a hint ofsadness on his face, “we hope they come back oneday soon.”

At the same time Australians were inspired by thelocals’ courage, perseverance, hospitality and

simplicity. “The mission trip to Peru helped mefully realise that someone can be truly happy incomplete poverty. Love is the key to happiness. Abig house, internet, comfortable bed and televisiononly bring a small amount of temporaryhappiness”, says Patrick Pelletier, an Arts studentfrom Sydney University.

A Life Changing Experience

Australian youth are barely exposed to situations ofsuch severe poverty in their own country.Nevertheless one of the most interestingexperiences this mission trip showed was theeagerness and resolution of thirty young people,who were aware of their own privileged conditionsand decided to share with those who were at agreater disadvantage.

This experience not only brought the satisfaction ofsharing some material things with the communityin Peru, but also the experience of being enrichedby people from different backgrounds.

Many of the students came back with a clearresolution to get more involved in social projectsand also to maintain the friendships forged on themission for a lifetime.

For more information on future mission tripscontact Lorena Portocarrero:[email protected]

Adriel Moniz

Adriel Moniz is an Indian student who justfinished her masters in EnvironmentalManagement and Social Development at theUNSW. She had a really enriching experiencegoing to the mission trip.

Kulapati K.M. Munshi

Today the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, with its manyCentres, Branches and allied institutions, the SanskritVishava Parishad, the Anand Institute of Agriculture,the Hansraj Morarji Public School, the Kabibai Trustand the Kanji Khetsey Trust and the scores of othereducational, cultural and charitable institutionswhich he directs are eloquent monuments to hisvision, energy and faith. In his 74th year, Munshiji willhave the gratification of seeing two more of hisdreams—a composite Engineering college at a cost ofRs. 70 lakhs to enshrine the memory of SardarVallabhbhai Patel and a College of Journalism,Advertising, Sales Promotion and Printing beingfulfilled. Sanskrit, the mother of all languages, isslowly regaining its rightful place. There is a welcomeethico-spiritual and cultural resurgence in thecountry. Munshiji’s indefatigable efforts in this behalfneed no special mention.

Many rightly hail Munshiji as the pioneeringcrusader in the cause of India’s renaissance. To fewit is given to see the fruition of their labours in theirlifetime. Happily, God has vouchsafed to Munshijithat great good fortune. Fewer still are blessed withpartners in life, who share in full measure theirideas and ideals, trials and tribulations, failures andtriumphs. Shri and Smt Munshi are a rare andhappy couple serving as a model and source ofinspiration to others.

The Parable of the Road C. Rajagopalachari

Enjoy what God has given you. Do not cast eyes ofgreed on what others enjoy.

Kurvanneveha karmaaniJijeevishet satam samaahEvam tvayi naanyathetostiNa karma lipyate nave

Work, work, thus alone may you live here on earth.Work but let not the fruits thereof contaminateyour soul with greed or anger, work withdetachment: thus may you live, if you will, ahundred years and more, worthily and well. This isthe rule of life’s road. Keep the light burning. Do

not let the light go out, for then the road will be alldark, and will be enveloped in confusion and error:

Asurya nama te lokaaAndhena tamasaavritaahtamaste pretyaabhigachchantiye ke chaatmahano janaah

Do not put out the light by denying the soul. Thosewho deny the soul kill it and they will wander indense darkness, not knowing right from wrong,making a hell of this very life by converting theworld into a sunless place. Deny God, deny thesoul, and you will be like vehicles without lights onthe road in a dark night.

Jesus Christ Rev. J.W. Airan

The first words of Jesus ever to be recorded aresignificant of the Work and mission of Jesus. Attwelve, Jesus had gone to Jerusalem with hisparents to observe a religious Feast. When theywere about to return, the parents found Jesusmissing. They found him in the temple engaged indiscussion with the great religious leaders of theday. Asked by his mother why he acted that way, hequickly asked, “Know ye not that I must be aboutmy father’s business?” These were the firstrecorded words of Jesus. It was this “Father’sbusiness” which engaged his attention even fromthe age of twelve and from that time to the age of 30he prepared himself for his Ministry and as one ofhis biographers had stated “he increased in wisdomand in stature and in favour with God and man”.

< < < Flash back

From Bhavan’s Journal December 25, 1960Reprinted in Bhavan’s Journal December 31, 2010



Charter of Bharatiya Vidya

Bhavan Australia

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Bhavan) is a non-profit, non-religious, non-

political Non Government Organisation (NGO). Bhavan has been playing a

crucial role in educational and cultural interactions in the world, holding

aloft the best of Indian traditions and at the same time meeting the needs of

modernity and multiculturalism. Bhavan’s ideal ‘is the whole world is but

one family’ and its motto: ‘let noble thoughts come to us from all sides’.

Like Bhavan’s other centres around the world, Bhavan Australia facilitates

intercultural activities and provides a forum for true understanding of

Indian culture, multiculturalism and foster closer cultural ties among

individuals, Governments and cultural institutions in Australia.

Bhavan Australia Charter derived from its constitution is:

• To advance the education of the public in:

a) the cultures (both spiritual and temporal) of the world,

b) literature, music, the dance,

c) the arts,

d) languages of the world,

e) philosophies of the world.

• To foster awareness of the contribution of a diversity of cultures to the

continuing development of multicultural society of Australia.

• To foster understanding and acceptance of the cultural, linguistic and

ethnic diversity of the Australian people of widely diverse heritages.

• To edit, publish and issue books, journals and periodicals,

documentaries in Sanskrit, English and other languages, to promote the

objects of the Bhavan or to impart or further education as authorized.

• To foster and undertake research studies in the areas of interest to

Bhavan and to print and publish the results of any research which is

undertaken.


The Test of Bhavan’s Right to Exist

The test of Bhavan’s right to exist is whether those who work for it in different spheres and in different placesand those who study in its many institutions can develop a sense of mission as would enable them to translatethe fundamental values, even in a small measure, into their individual life.

Creative vitality of a culture consists in this: whether the ‘best’ among those who belong to it, however smalltheir number, find self-fulfilment by living up to the fundamental values of our ageless culture.

It must be realised that the history of the world is a story of men who had faith in themselves and in theirmission. When an age does not produce men of such faith, its culture is on its way to extinction. The realstrength of the Bhavan, therefore, would lie not so much in the number of its buildings or institutions itconducts, nor in the volume of its assets and budgets, nor even in its growing publication, cultural andeducational activities. It would lie in the character, humility, selflessness and dedicated work of its devotedworkers, honorary and stipendiary. They alone can release the regenerative influences, bringing into play theinvisible pressure which alone can transform human nature.


Advertising in Bhavan Australia offers the bestopportunity to brand your company and showcaseyour products and/or services in a cultural andethical editorial environment.

Bhavan Australia is the platform to hold aloft thebest of Indian traditions and at the same timeencouraging the multiculturalism integration.

Reader.comNote: We invite frank opinion from our readers.

Advertise with us!


Signet of EternityThe day was when I did not keep myself in readiness for thee;and entering my heart unbidden even as one of the common crowd,unknown to me, my king, thou didst press the signet of eternity uponmany a fleeting moment of my life.And today when by chance I light upon them and see thy signature,I find they have lain scattered in the dust mixed with the memory ofjoys and sorrows of my trivial days forgotten.Thou didst not turn in contempt from my childish play among dust,and the steps that I heard in my playroomare the same that are echoing from star to star.

Where Shadow Chases LightThis is my delight,thus to wait and watch at the waysidewhere shadow chases lightand the rain comes in the wake of the summer.Messengers, with tidings from unknown skies,greet me and speed along the road.My heart is glad within,and the breath of the passing breeze is sweet.From dawn till dusk I sit here before my door,and I know that of a suddenthe happy moment will arrive when I shall see.In the meanwhile I smile and I sing all alone.In the meanwhile the air is filling with the perfume of promise.

Silent StepsHave you not heard his silent steps?He comes, comes, ever comes.Every moment and every age,every day and every night he comes, comes, ever comes.Many a song have I sung in many a mood of mind,but all their notes have always proclaimed,‘He comes, comes, ever comes.’In the fragrant days of sunny April through the forest path he comes,comes, ever comes.In the rainy gloom of July nights on the thundering chariot of cloudshe comes, comes, ever comes.In sorrow after sorrow it is his steps that press upon my heart,and it is the golden touch of his feet that makes my joy to shine.

Distant TimeI know not from what distant timethou art ever coming nearer to meet me.Thy sun and stars can never keep thee hidden from me for aye.In many a morning and eve thy footsteps have been heardand thy messenger has come within my heart and called me in secret.I know not only why today my life is all astir,and a feeling of tremulous joy is passing through my heart.It is as if the time were come to wind up my work,and I feel in the air a faint smell of thy sweet presence.

Rabindranath Tagore’s

Geetanjali


Holy & Wise

“For, undertakings succeed by industry and not by

mere wishes; animals do not themselves enter the

mouth of a sleeping lion. (Even a lion in order to

obtain his prey is required to make efforts).”

Hitopadesa

“Unless our hands go hand in hand with

our heads, we would be able to do

nothing whatsoever.”

Mahatma Gandhi

“Progress is the activity of todayand the assurance of tomorrow.”

Emerson

Kulapativani

Attentiveness and Concentration

Dhyana, concentration, is the most essential part ofYoga. It is the first step in the attainment ofdynamic unity. No accomplishment whatsoever, inbrick-laying, bridge-playing or in Yoga, is possiblewithout the training of the attention.

The training that we receive in school and collegeis only intended to give the mind greater power offocusing the attention on the thing in hand. Therewe train our attention in order to secure passesand prizes. In life we do the same to gain success ormoney. But this training is unconscious in form,and impelled by the fruits of the action. Dhyana is apurposive training of attention yielding betterresult. If the attention is highly trained by thismethod, achievement will follow almost in amoment creative concentration. A child’s minddiscloses attention in its fitful, wavering,elementary stage. It flits from one thing to another,from play to flower, to food, to lesson, from lessonto putting his tongue out at his companion. Theadult mind has learnt a few lessons in training theattention, and can concentrate, though weakly. I amwriting; I hear the bell for breakfast; my mind goesto my watch; it is 9 a.m. Yes, the servant will comewith hot water; I write on; but yes, I have to writeletters too. I go back to my writing again. This ishow my mind worked in the last minute.

Dr K.M. MunshiFounder Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Friday 18 March - 6:30pm - 10pm> Media Launch - Orchestra and Bhangra Dances

Saturday 19 March - 11am - 8pm> Cultural Performances, Prayers, Meditation, Yoga and

Ayurveda demonstrations

> 12:30pm - Rath Yatra departs from Hyde Park (North)

> Food and Craft Stalls

Sunday 20 March - 11am - 7pm> Cultural Performances

> Colour Throwing Sessions

at regular intervals

> Food and Craft Stalls

18 - 20 March 2011Darling Harbour, Sydney

www.holimahotsav.com.au1300 BHAVAN (1300 242 826)

[email protected]

presented by


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> Exhibition of paintings on Moksha and

Samsara and the philosophy and spirituality

of South Asia,by Matt Anzak, Canada .

> Naturopathy workshops by Dr Babu Joseph,

Director, National Institute of Naturopathy,

Health Ministry, Government of India

> Guest artists from India: Padamshri

Bharatnatyam dancer Nandini Krishna ,

courtesy Priyadarshini Academy and

internationally renowned Debapriya and

Samanavaya and others to confirm.

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