India's Honor

The Times of India
THE RIGHT VIEW
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2686526,prtpage-1.cms
Honour regained? 9 Jan 2008, 1611 hrs IST ,

Tarun Vijay

• 
  The whole nation stood as a rock and the media donned peoples' colour in slamming the unfair Aussies, thus recreating a solidarity we saw during Kargil when the Tricolour was unfurled atop the recaptured Batalik hills. Great news. Team India has won the media match and the emotional war against the rabidly racist west's prejudiced mindset - this time involving the best preserved game played by the former natives of the Queen's land - cricket. The source and the character of the game apart, it was a question of a fellow Indian being subjected to an unfair punishment by an umpire described as the one leading the pack of wild dogs by Australian commentators.
• This spirit underlines our identity as Indians defining our nationalism.
• But wasn't the glamour, the money involved and the suddenness of the decision more responsible for an eruption of this national euphoria? An elite class was hurt the most and it imposed its feelings through a media that reports about and caters to the rich and affluent classes.
• After all in an India where the majority lives in villages and indigenous games are more popular even now and the struggle to cross the poverty line is a matter of greater honour, how many Indians understand what cricket is all about and appreciate its nuances? Some time back it was Shilpa Shetty who represented the honour of the Tricolour when she was the target of racist abuse in Britain.
• But the controversy actually helped her get more assignments. So what exactly constitutes a point of honour that we should fight for with all our might in Shilpa and Bhajji's case?'
• The same honourable minister who waxed eloquent on Bhajji's plight as BCCI president is responsible for importing wheat at an astronomical and scandalous price from foreign farmers but refuses the same price to Indian toilers, resulting in a number of suicides in India.
• The statistics released by the government show that "the number of suicides by farmers were 17,060 in2006 as against 17,131 in 2005. While Maharashtra topped the list of farmers' suicides with 4,453 cases, Andhra Pradesh came second with 2,607, followed by Karnataka (1,720), Chhattisgarh (1,483) and Madhya Pradesh (1,375). West Bengal (1,189) and Kerala (1,124) were placed sixth and seventh". Of the 17,060 farmers who committed suicide, 14,664 were men.
• I have never seen any channel or newspaper taking up the issue of farmers' suicides and their misery or for that matter any issue affecting rural India with the same verve and firmness as shown in Harbhajan Singh's case.
• In a nation where punishment to one sportsman becomes a matter of honour for a thousand million people, 17,060 farmers committing suicide does not become a matter of honour for any one.
• And these farmers commit suicide not because of any firang but solely because of faulty government policies and the government's single-minded focus on the rich and the corporate world. No one screams out in the press - it's a matter of shame. Until we create a situation where farmers are happy, we shall boycott dirty politicians' programmes.
• No one will ever say so because neither do the farmers have a voice in Parliament nor do they entertain the ruling elite as do the cricketing "heroes" and poster boys.
• So what makes a matter of honour and who decides it?
• More than twenty five thousand Reangs were forced to flee from Mizoram because they refused to convert. Finally, they had to take shelter in Tripura. No one reported this or held special discussions on this. Kashmiri Hindus have been living without hope and have been virtually de-listed from every forum deciding the fate of their homeland.
• The secular red haven of West Bengal has the most women ( 6.605) committing suicide, yet the debate is on the ideological confusion among senior communists.
• Our honourable Prime Minister is going to China next week with hopes of strengthening our friendship. But China is busy preparing to win more gold medals in the coming Beijing Olympics. In the 2004 Athens Olympics, China won 63 medals, including 32 golds and 17 silver. India finished 66th among 71 countries, with a lone bronze.
• A matter of honour and celebration of Indian might and talent? Why did the mothers of the valiant soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending Parliament feel so insulted that they returned the gallantry awards presented to their sons. Honour for whom? Lakhs of people gather in the capital to protest the destruction of the greatest heritage site mankind can proclaim - an Adam's bridge or Ram Setu - and it shakes up no one.
• 
  A matter of democratic honour? A nation which feels honoured to dishonour it own wealth of heritage and culture and treats its own people with contempt and eulogises colonial values can't gain respect even in a tiny banana republic.

• The entire world's wealth is like a useless sand dune if self pride and core values defining national continuity of civilization are missing.

A Pravasi Bharatiya's inspiring story... And here is a true story of a great Pravasi Bharatiya, Bob Harilela, which should be gifted to everyone participating in the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in the capital. Bob told me this in his posh Mumbai flat, recounting the time when his mother sent him on a two month tour of India to familiarise him with his ancestral country. Bob came, toured Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai, and returned disgusted. How was the tour Bob, his mother asked in their palatial home known as the Buckingham Palace of Hong Kong.

• Bob replied, "Mom, please never send me again to that country. I belong to China, that's my passport, What do I have to do with India? Its dirty, too crowded, people don't know English, please, I don't want..." Before he could finish, his mother said: "Ok Bob I shall do what you wish but for a second go to the other side of the wall and tell me what you see there." Bob was perplexed. He went to the other corner, saw his face in the huge wall mirror, and came back. "Mom, have you gone crazy?" he asked. His mother queried: "Bob, what did you see there?" He gave up and said: "It was me. I saw my image, don't you know." "I know Bob. Your face has Hindustan written in large which none can erase.
• Whatever your passport, or your nationality, you will always be known by you face, by your Indian origins. Remember this." That was the day Bob was turned towards his Punya Bhumi Bharat, and since then he comes India every year contributing to the growth and well being of its people in his own humble way.
• His house has a temple and every child is taught the Hindu values of love, compassion and universality. The moral of the story is that unless we make our home great and the grand Indian dream is realised and until we stand firmly on our feet with military might and prosperous society honouring her roots and heritage, the nation would not have regained the honour it deserves in real terms.
  Start the year off right. Easy ways to stay in shape in the new

NRI points out Flaw In National Emblem

NRI points out flaw in National Emblem

rediff.comVicky Nanjappa in New Delhi January 10, 2008 02:40 IST

According to norms, the words Satyameva Jayate are supposed to be written below the National Emblem. However, on most occasions the words are missing. And it needed an NRI to point out this flaw.Ramesh Chandra, a retired design engineer who has been in the US since 1980, is in New Delhi to attend the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2008. His main interest in coming to India has been to point out this flaw, which he says is evident at several important places.
Video: Ramesh Chandra Speaks!

Chandra says this flaw is evident at several embassies. He adds says that letter heads of various persons holding important portfolios in the government have the emblem minus Satyameva Jayate. He also pointed out that the Ministry for Overseas Indians too does not have Satyameva Jayate written below the National Emblem. "I can point out 400 such instances," he said.

This NRI from the US says his main intention of pointing this out to every person and adds that he will continue to fight till the flaw is rectified.

• Recently, he had come down to India and managed to get an appointment with the President. After giving him a patient hearing, the President is said to have exclaimed, "How could this be possible." Chandra said the President had assured to look into the matter.

Chandra first noticed this flaw around five years back. The government is just not bothered about this issue, he says, adding that he had raised the issue during the first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas.
He spent a considerable amount of time doing research on the subject and wanted to be well-versed with the laws of the land before carrying forward his fight. Chandra says he will visit India at any given opportunity to take this fight forward. He wishes to create awareness among the Indians both in the US as well as India regarding this issue. He says that he is surprised to find that none in India have noticed this.

The State Emblem of India (Prohibition of improper Use) Act of 1950 states that if the emblem is not accompanied by the words Satyameva Jayate it amounts to an offence under the act. An offence under this act attracts a punishment of 2 years imprisonment and also a fine of Rs 5000.

• 
  Ramesh Chandra says, "In this case, it is the government, which is the main culprit. Whom will you punish in such a case?"
  
  
  Note: Ramesh Chandra Gathoria is the Director (Research) of Indian American Intellectuals Forum, a New York-based organization. It works to strengthen Indo-American relationship and creates awareness in the community about the menace of terrorism.
  

Goa Then and NOW

Christian historian, Dr. T. R. de Souza

At least from 1540 onwards, and in the island of Goa before that year, all the Hindu idols had been annihilated or had disappeared, all the temples had been destroyed and their sites and building material was in most cases utilized to erect new Christian Churches and chapels. Various viceregal and Church council decrees banished the Hindu priests from the Portuguese territories;

the public practices of Hindu rites including marriage rites, were banned; the state took upon itself the task of bringing up Hindu orphan children; the Hindus were denied certain employments, while the Christians were preferred; it was ensured that the Hindus would not harass those who became Christians, and on the contrary, the Hindus were obliged to assemble periodically in Churches to listen to preaching or to the refutation of their religion." "A particularly grave abuse was practiced in Goa in the form of 'mass baptism' and what went before it.

The practice was begun by the Jesuits and was alter initiated by the Franciscans also. The Jesuits staged an annual mass baptism on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25), and in order to secure as many neophytes as possible, a few days before the ceremony the Jesuits would go through the streets of the Hindu quarter in pairs, accompanied by their Negro slaves, whom they would urge to seize the Hindus. When the blacks caught up a fugitive, they would smear his lips with a piece of beef, making him an 'untouchable' among his people.

Conversion to Christianity was then his only option." The Goan inquisition is regarded by all contemporary portrayals as the most violent inquisition ever executed by the Portuguese Catholic Church.

It lasted from 1560 to 1812. The inquisition was set as a tribunal, headed by a judge, sent to Goa from Portugal and was assisted by two judicial henchmen. The judge was answerable to no one except to Lisbon and handed down punishments as he saw fit. The Inquisition Laws filled 230 pages and the palace where the Inquisition was conducted was known as the Big House and the Inquisition proceedings were always conducted behind closed shutters and closed doors.

The screams of agony of the culprits (men, women, and children) could be heard in the streets, in the stillness of the night, as they were brutally interrogated, flogged, and slowly dismembered in front of their relatives. Eyelids were sliced off and extremities were amputated carefully, a person could remain conscious even though the only thing that remained was his torso and a head.

Diago de Boarda, a priest and his advisor Vicar General, Miguel Vazz had made a 41 point plan for torturing Hindus. Under this plan Viceroy Antano de Noronha issued in 1566, an order applicable to the\nentire area under Portuguese rule "I hereby order that in any area owned by my master, the king,\nnobody should construct a Hindu temple and such temples already\nconstructed should not be repaired without my permission.

If this order\nis transgressed, such temples shall be, destroyed and the goods in them\nshall be used to meet expenses of holy deeds, as punishment of such\ntransgression."In 1567 the campaign of destroying temples in Bardez met with\nsuccess. At the end of it 300 Hindu temples were destroyed. Enacting\nlaws, prohibition was laid from December 4, 1567 on rituals of Hindu\nmarriages, sacred thread wearing and cremation. All the persons above\n15 years of age were compelled to listen to Christian preaching,\nfailing which they were punished.A religious fatva was issued on the basis of the findings of Goa\nInquiry Commission. It stated,"...Hereby we declare the decision that\nthe conventions mentioned in the preamble of the fatva as stated below\nare permanently declared as useless, and therefore prohibited"Prohibitions Regarding MarriagesThe instruments for Hindu songs shall not be played.While giving dowry the relatives of the bride and groom must not be invited.At the time of marriage, betel leaf packages (pan) must not be\ndistributed either publicly or in private to the persons present.\n\u003cbr\>-Flowers, or fried puris, betel nuts and leaves must not be sent to the heads of the houses of the bride or groom.>-Gotraj ceremony of family God must not be performed.\n\u003cbr\>-On the day prior to a wedding, rice must not be husked, spices\nmust not be pounded, grains must not be ground and other recipes for\nmarriage feast must not be cooked.\n\u003cbr\>-Pandals and festoons must not be used.\n\u003cbr\>-Pithi should not be applied.\n\u003cbr\>-The bride must not be accorded ceremonial welcome. The bride and\ngroom must not -be made to sit under pandal to convey blessings and\nbest wishes to them.\n",1]
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Diago de Boarda, a priest and his advisor Vicar General, Miguel Vazz had made a 41 point plan for torturing Hindus. Under this plan Viceroy Antano de Noronha issued in 1566, an order applicable to the entire area under Portuguese rule : "I hereby order that in any area owned by my master, the king, nobody should construct a Hindu temple and such temples already constructed should not be repaired without my permission. If this order is transgressed, such temples shall be, destroyed and the goods in them shall be used to meet expenses of holy deeds, as punishment of such transgression." In 1567 the campaign of destroying temples in Bardez met with success. At the end of it 300 Hindu temples were destroyed. Enacting laws, prohibition was laid from December 4, 1567 on rituals of Hindu marriages, sacred thread wearing and cremation. All the persons above 15 years of age were compelled to listen to Christian preaching, failing which they were punished. A religious fatva was issued on the basis of the findings of Goa Inquiry Commission. It stated,"...Hereby we declare the decision that the conventions mentioned in the preamble of the fatva as stated below are permanently declared as useless, and therefore prohibited". Prohibitions Regarding Marriages -The instruments for Hindu songs shall not be played. -While giving dowry the relatives of the bride and groom must not be invited. -At the time of marriage, betel leaf packages (pan) must not be distributed either publicly or in private to the persons present. -Flowers, or fried puris, betel nuts and leaves must not be sent to the heads of the houses of the bride or groom. -Gotraj ceremony of family God must not be performed. -On the day prior to a wedding, rice must not be husked, spices must not be pounded, grains must not be ground and other recipes for marriage feast must not be cooked. -Pandals and festoons must not be used. -Pithi should not be applied. -The bride must not be accorded ceremonial welcome. The bride and groom must not -be made to sit under pandal to convey blessings and best wishes to them.
\u003cbr\>Prohibitions Regarding Fasts, Post-death Rituals\>-The poor must not be fed or ceremonial meals must not be served for the peace of the souls of the dead.\n\u003cbr\>-There should be no fasting on ekadashi day.\n\u003cbr\>-Fasting can be done according to the Christian principles.No rituals should be performed on the twelfth day after death, on moonless and full moon dates.\No fasting should be done during lunar eclipse.>Conventions\\Hindu men should not wear dhoti either in public or in their houses. Women should not wear cholis .They should not plant Tulsi in their houses, compounds, gardens or any other place.Following the law of 1567, orphans were kidnapped for converting them to Christianity.On September 22, 1570 an order was issued that :\n\u003cbr\>-The Hindus embracing Christianity will be exempted from land taxes for a period of 15 years.\Nobody shall bear Hindu names or surnames.\>In 1583 Hindu temples at Esolna and Kankolim were destroyed through army action.\n\u003cbr\>"The fathers of the Church forbade the Hindus under terrible\npenalties the use of their own sacred books, and prevented them from\nall exercise of their religion. They destroyed their temples, and so\nharassed and interfered with the people that they abandoned the city in\nlarge numbers, refusing to remain any longer in a place where they had no liberty, and were liable to imprisonment, torture and death if they\nworshipped after their own fashion the gods of their fathers." wrote\nSasetti, who was in India from 1578 to 1588.An order was issued in June 1684 eliminating Konkani language and\nmaking it compulsory to speak Portuguese language. The law provided for\ndealing toughly with anyone using the local language. Following that\nlaw all the symbols of non-Christian sects were destroyed and the books\nwritten in local languages were burnt.\>The Archbishop living on the banks of the Ethora had said during\none of his lecture series, "The post of Inquiry Commission in Goa is\nregarded as holy." The women who opposed the assistants of the\ncommission were put behind the bars and were used by them to satisfy\ntheir animal instincts. Then they were burnt alive as opponents of the\nestablished tenets of the Catholic church.\n",1]
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Prohibitions Regarding Fasts, Post-death Rituals -The poor must not be fed or ceremonial meals must not be served for the peace of the souls of the dead. -There should be no fasting on ekadashi day. -Fasting can be done according to the Christian principles. -No rituals should be performed on the twelfth day after death, on moonless and full moon dates. -No fasting should be done during lunar eclipse. Conventions -Hindu men should not wear dhoti either in public or in their houses. Women should not wear cholis . -They should not plant Tulsi in their houses, compounds, gardens or any other place. -Following the law of 1567, orphans were kidnapped for converting them to Christianity. On September 22, 1570 an order was issued that : -The Hindus embracing Christianity will be exempted from land taxes for a period of 15 years. -Nobody shall bear Hindu names or surnames. In 1583 Hindu temples at Esolna and Kankolim were destroyed through army action. "The fathers of the Church forbade the Hindus under terrible penalties the use of their own sacred books, and prevented them from all exercise of their religion. They destroyed their temples, and so harassed and interfered with the people that they abandoned the city in large numbers, refusing to remain any longer in a place where they had no liberty, and were liable to imprisonment, torture and death if they worshipped after their own fashion the gods of their fathers." wrote Sasetti, who was in India from 1578 to 1588. An order was issued in June 1684 eliminating Konkani language and making it compulsory to speak Portuguese language. The law provided for dealing toughly with anyone using the local language. Following that law all the symbols of non-Christian sects were destroyed and the books written in local languages were burnt. The Archbishop living on the banks of the Ethora had said during one of his lecture series, "The post of Inquiry Commission in Goa is regarded as holy." The women who opposed the assistants of the commission were put behind the bars and were used by them to satisfy their animal instincts. Then they were burnt alive as opponents of the established tenets of the Catholic church.
The victims of such inhuman laws of the Inquiry Commission\nincluded a French traveller named Delone. He was an eye witness to the\natrocities, cruelty and reign of terror unleashed by priests. He\npublished a book in 1687 describing the lot of helpless victims. While\nhe was in jail he had heard the cries of tortured people beaten with\ninstruments having sharp teeth. All these details are noted in Delone's\nbook.\n\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>So harsh and notorious was the inquisition in Goa, that word of its\nbrutality and horrors reached Lisbon but nothing was done to stop this\nnotoriety and escalating barbarity and it continued for two hundred\nmore years. No body knows the exact number of Goans subjected to these\ndiabolical tortures, but perhaps it runs into hundreds of thousands,\nmay be even more. The abominations of inquisitions continued until a\nbrief respite was given in 1774 but four years later, the inquisition\nwas introduced again and it continued un-interruptedly until 1812. At\nthat point in time, in the year of 1812, the British put pressure on\nthe Portuguese to put an end to the terror of Inquisition and the\npresence of British troops in Goa enforced the British desire. Also the\nPortuguese power at this time was declining and they could not fight\nthe British. The palace of the Grand Inquisitor, the Big House, was\ndemolished and no trace of it remains today, which might remind someone\nof inquisitions and the\n\u003cbr\>horrors inside this Big House that their great saint Francis Xavier had commenced.\n\u003cbr\>\u003cbr\>\u003cspan style\u003d\"font-style:italic;font-weight:bold\"\>Dr. Trasta Breganka Kunha, a Catholic citizen of Goa writes,\n"Inspite of all the mutilations and concealment of history, it remains\nan undoubted fact that religious conversion of Goans is due to methods\nof force adopted by the Portuguese to establish their rule. As a result\nof this violence the character of our people was destroyed. The\npropagation of Christian sect in Goa came about not by religious\npreaching but through the methods of violence and pressure. If any\nevidence is needed for this fact, we can obtain it through law books,\norders and reports of the local rulers of that time and also from the\nmost dependable documents of the Christian sect",1]
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The victims of such inhuman laws of the Inquiry Commission included a French traveller named Delone. He was an eye witness to the atrocities, cruelty and reign of terror unleashed by priests. He published a book in 1687 describing the lot of helpless victims. While he was in jail he had heard the cries of tortured people beaten with instruments having sharp teeth. All these details are noted in Delone's book. So harsh and notorious was the inquisition in Goa, that word of its brutality and horrors reached Lisbon but nothing was done to stop this notoriety and escalating barbarity and it continued for two hundred more years. No body knows the exact number of Goans subjected to these diabolical tortures, but perhaps it runs into hundreds of thousands, may be even more. The abominations of inquisitions continued until a brief respite was given in 1774 but four years later, the inquisition was introduced again and it continued un-interruptedly until 1812. At that point in time, in the year of 1812, the British put pressure on the Portuguese to put an end to the terror of Inquisition and the presence of British troops in Goa enforced the British desire. Also the Portuguese power at this time was declining and they could not fight the British. The palace of the Grand Inquisitor, the Big House, was demolished and no trace of it remains today, which might remind someone of inquisitions and the horrors inside this Big House that their great saint Francis Xavier had commenced. Dr. Trasta Breganka Kunha, a Catholic citizen of Goa writes, "Inspite of all the mutilations and concealment of history, it remains an undoubted fact that religious conversion of Goans is due to methods of force adopted by the Portuguese to establish their rule. As a result of this violence the character of our people was destroyed. The propagation of Christian sect in Goa came about not by religious preaching but through the methods of violence and pressure. If any evidence is needed for this fact, we can obtain it through law books, orders and reports of the local rulers of that time and also from the most dependable documents of the Christian sect
\u003c/font\>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n \u003cpre\>-- \n Pastor\n \u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:unitedchurch@eml.cc\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>unitedchurch@eml.cc\u003c/a\>\n\n-- \n\u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.fastmail.fm\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>http://www.fastmail.fm\u003c/a\> - One of many happy users:\n \u003ca href\u003d\"http://www.fastmail.fm/docs/quotes.html\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>http://www.fastmail.fm/docs\u003cWBR\>/quotes.html\u003c/a\>\n\u003c/pre\>\n\u003cbr\>\n--~--~---------~--~----~------\u003cWBR\>------~-------~--~----~\u003cbr\>\nHelp save the Indian Tribals and Dalits from Evangelists,\n \u003cbr\> who Degrade the Tribal and Dalit Culture & tradition with a View to "Harvesting our Souls"\n \u003cbr\> \u003cp\>\u003ca href\u003d\"http://burningcross.net/\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>http://burningcross.net/\u003c/a\>\n \u003cbr\> \u003cp\>Message from The Google Group "Dalit Freedom Network".\n \u003cbr\> To post to or unsubscribe from this group, send email to \u003ca href\u003d\"mailto:unitedchurch@eml.cc\" target\u003d\"_blank\" onclick\u003d\"return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)\"\>unitedchurch@eml.cc\u003c/a\> \u003cbr\> -~----------~----~----~----~--\u003cWBR\>----~----~------~--~---\u003cbr\>\n\u003c/p\>\u003c/p\>\u003c/div\>\n\n\u003cbr\>\n",0]
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Local factors led to Kandhamal violence Ram Madhav January 08, 2008http://www.rediff.com/news/2008/jan/08guest.htm

For days, one TV Channel ran visuals of how Christians have been targeted for violence in Orissa's Kandhamal district. Several other so-called national channels too joined the chorus sufficient enough for Mombattiwalas (candlelight activists) to plunge into the ring and declare that 'entire Orissa', if not 'entire India', is in the grip of violence unleashed against 'innocent minorities' by 'Hindu nationalists'.


As a senior leader pointed out to me after a heated TV debate, we have created a funny nomenclature in our country: if you are a Hindu and defend your faith, you are a 'Hindu nationalist' a pejorative reminiscent of Nazi Nationalism.

But if you are a Hindu and use your lung power to loudly attack Hinduism and Hindus for crimes they never committed, then you are a great 'secularist'.

Both these stereotypes are a creation of our perverted political discourse. Thus every incident of the nature of the Kandhamal one will immediately be dragged into this Hindu Nationalist Secularist arena and the endless blame-game continues.

We don't realise that in the process we are not only destroying the image of our nation but actually perpetrating such violence by not looking dispassionately into the real reasons behind each and every single incident.

Violence in the name of religion in any form should be opposed by all. It is unfortunate that we had to end 2007 with one such violent situation in a district of Orissa. But we must not ignore the fact that Kandhamal is for that matter many such incidents have been a localised incident; not a phenomenon as the Candlelight-walas would want us to believe.

It is neither pan-Orissa nor pan-Indian. 'Many feel conversion is not the church's business'The trouble in Kandhamal started on December 23 when some Christians at Brahmanigoan village wanted to erect a Christmas gate in front of a Hindu place of worship.

This was resented by the local Hindus who questioned the motive of the Christians in insisting on building a second gate near a Hindu place of worship while one gate was already erected at a place where it is done every year on the eve of Christmas. This led to the initial clashes. Since Christians were more in number in the said village the Hindus were at the receiving end. As the news of clashes reached Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, a selfless Hindu seer working for the socio-economic development of the local people for over four decades -- he set out for Brahmanigoan on December 24. His car was attacked by a violent Christian mob in which the seer himself and two of his followers sustained serious injuries. Swamiji, 82 years old, has been relentlessly working for the uplift of the people in the district -- more than 75 per cent of whom are below the poverty line and illiterate -- since 1967. He has opened schools and hostels, hospitals and temples to serve mainly the tribals and the down-trodden.

It was this attack that led to further clashes in the district, as the seer is highly respected and has innumerable supporters in the district. Four days of clashes resulted in both sides suffering in various ways -- many houses were burnt, properties destroyed and physical attacks taking place.

What made things worse in Kandhamal was the open collaboration between the Christian groups and Naxals. Among those arrested in connection with the burning down of villages inhabited by Hindus (Brahmanigaon, Jhinjiriguda, Katingia, and Godapur) were 47 Maoists.

Some 20 guns have been recovered by the security forces from them. The Kandhamal violence is essentially a localised one, as many such incidents in the country have been. It is the local factors that play a predominant role. Animosities were brewing no doubt. But again the reasons were immediate. There has been a feud between the Kondh tribals and largely Christian Pana Scheduled Caste people. The Panas, under the leadership of the local Congress Rajya Sabha member Radhakanta Naik, who is said to be a convert, have been demanding inclusion of their caste in the Scheduled Tribe category as they too speak the same Kui language that the ST Kondhs speak. Christian group demands CBI probe into violenceThis argument was rejected by the state government as well as by the courts. But the agitation in favour of the demand continues under Naik's leadership, fuelling resentment among the Kondhs who remained largely unaffected by conversion activity of the Christian missionaries. However, if there is any one aspect that is pan-Indian in all the incidents related to Hindu-Christian clashes it is religious conversions. Even in Kandhamal district, one of the major factors fuelling tensions is the conversion campaign of the evangelical groups. It is noteworthy that in a state like Orissa which enacted anti-conversion laws as back as in 1967, the Christian population in Kandhamal district alone has grown from 6 per cent in 1970 to 27 per cent in 2001.

The 'aggression' shown by the new age evangelical groups mostly in predominantly tribal areas in states like Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat etc has become a major contributor of religious strife. We can't overlook the fact that in the entire country Christmas was celebrated with a lot of gaiety with millions -- a lot of Hindus included -- thronging churches. Hindus, at the core of their belief, are 'omnitheists'.

For a Christian or a Muslim there is 'one god', but for a Hindu there is 'only god'. For him god is omnipresent, the entire creation is divine manifestation only. Religious conversion is an anti-thesis to this belief.

There was a time when at the end of the British Raj the mainstream missionaries in India had decided to focus more on humanitarian and developmental activity than conversions. Many still adhere to that concept, confining themselves to running schools, hospitals etc and serving humanity at the time of need. However, for the growing breed of 'aggressive' evangelicals, numbers are very important. 'Harvesting souls' is god's work for them. Means don't matter. In a very interesting article in Christian Science Monitor (April 1, 2005) Ajai Sahni, executive director of the Institute of Conflict Management in New Delhi and a renowned intellectual was quoted as saying: 'Aggressive and unprincipled missionary work that exploits the distress and ignorance of marginalised groups ... can constitute a catalyst to localised violence, particularly when they are brought into confrontation with other creeds'. External link: A new breed of missionaryThese 'aggressive' activities of their fellow pastors and fathers have aggrieved many Christian leaders too. This is what the Christian Science Monitor article says on those activities:After the tsunami, the US National Council of Churches issued a statement warning against the practice by "New Missionaries" of mixing evangelism and aid. "Often lacking sophistication about the lure of gifts and money, and wanting to be generous with their resources, they easily fall prey to the charge of using unethical means to evangelize.

This creates a backlash," the February statement read. "You get this guy out of Texas who has no idea of the local culture, he is out to win souls, and he comes with a lot of money," says Bob Alter, former Presbyterian pastor born and raised in the Indian mountain town of Mussoorie, and former superintendent of a missionary institution, the Woodstock School. The problem with these newer churches, Mr. Alter says, is the tone of their message. "You have Baptists using the Diwali festival [the Hindu festival of lights], but they come to 'spread the light to those in darkness.' That is mighty offensive stuff, when you're out to tear down another religion." It even quoted one Bishop Chacko, head of the Roman Catholic diocese in Meghnagar in Jhabua district in Madhya Pradesh who said, 'Even the older Protestant churches are unhappy with the evangelicals. It is said that they are irresponsible. Consequences don't matter to them. They put the fire and then they leave it to burn.' Whether it is Kandhamal in Orissa or Jhabua in Madhya Pradesh or Dangs in Gujarat, the only pan-Indian question is the evangelical activities of 'aggressive conversion campaign'. If we argue that conversion is a right, then re-conversion too is a right. In this melee of conversions and re-conversions violence and strife will become the order of the day.Let every religion enjoy complete religious freedom to preach, practice and propagate. But as our apex court categorically stated, 'Propagate' does not and should not include 'Conversion'. Let us put an end to the institutionalised activity of conversions by church agents and instead allow citizens freedom of personal choice without fear or favour.

Ram Madhav is a former spokesperson for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Big Pay Hike for President VP and Governors

Big pay hike for President, VP and Governors10 Jan 2008, 1602 hrs IST , PTISMS NEWS to 58888 for latest updatesNEW DELHI:

The President has got a big raise with the monthly pay packet doubled from Rs 50,000 to Rs one lakh, under a proposal cleared by the Union Cabinet on Thursday.

And Pratibha Patil is not alone to get such a hike. The Vice-President would get Rs 85,000 per month against the present Rs 40,000, Information and Broadcasting Minister P R Dasmunsi told reporters.

After a meeting of the Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Dasmunsi told reporters. Likewise, Dasmunsi said, the salary of Governors has been raised from Rs 36,000 a month to Rs 75,000.

The increase in emoluments would come into effect from January 1 last year. The hike was necessitated as Members of Parliament have a Rs 68,000 pay packet while the presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha drew less than them, Dasmunsi said. Former Presidents' emoluments have also been doubled to Rs six lakh a year, while more facilities have been sanctioned for the spouses of late Presidents and Vice Presidents. Dasmunsi said the decision to increase the salary had been taken last year itself, but since the then President and Vice President were retiring, it was deferred.

Real Bhutto Hates India

Subject: interesting note on BhuttoBy Francois Gautier

Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, described Benzair Bhutto as 'one Of the outstanding leaders of our sub-continent, who always looked for reconciliation between India and Pakistan'. Most magazines are doing cover stories on her. Bhutto is on the verge of becoming a'martyr of democracy'. It is a sad thata mother of three children was so brutally killed and we all mourn her terrible death.

Nevertheless, truth must be told.

For, as usual, what the press says is not exactly what happened.

Firstly, under Bhutto, anti-Indian terrorism in the Kashmir region was fostered and increased. Benazir was also directly responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Hindus in Kashmir.

'She was instrumental in sponsoring jihad, openly inciting militants to intensify terrorism in India,' says Ajai Sahni, the executive director of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management. 'I find it very difficult to discover a single element with her relationship to India that is positive and for the bette rmentof her country or the region,' he adds.

Remember how she was shouting her slogans of aazadi, and exhorting the people of Kashmir to cut Jagmohan, thengovernor of the state, into pieces, as in 'jag-jag, mo-mo, han-han'.
She would say this while making chopping motions with her right hand as itmoved from her left wrist to the elbow, leaving nobody in any doubt as to what she meant.

Secondly, under Bhutto, the Taliban formed and, helped by Pakistan's intelligence service, swept across Afghanistan and later hosted Osama bin Laden.

It is a bit of an irony that she may have been killed by the very people she helped foster if at all she was murdered. Thirdly, she deliberately increased tension levels and then threatened India with a pre-emptive nuclear strike.

The tension peaked when Bhutto repeated her late father's immortal boast of waging a 1,000-year war against India. Even Rajiv Gandhi was forced to mock her in Parliament, asking if those who talked of a 1,000-year war could last even a 1,000 hours.

And fourthly, in her last speech before she died, she alluded to India as one of the threats Pakistan had to face, implying that if she was elected she would deal firmly with it.

Then why is it that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh calls her a friend of India and that Indians mount candle light vigils in the Gateway of India for her?

I interviewed Benazir Bhutto twice, the second time as she was campaigning to be re-elected for a second term
. The first question I asked, was about Kashmir, as she was the one who had called for Azad Kashmir, a Kashmir free from India, which had triggered the ethnic cleansing of most of the Hindus of the Valley of Kashmir -- 400,000 of them had to flee their ancestral land.

'You know,' she answered, 'You have to understand the Pakistani point of view on Kashmir. If one goes by the logic of Partition, then at least the Kashmir valley, which is in great majority Muslim -- and it should be emphasized that for long the Hindus Pundits in Kashmir exploited and dominated the Muslims, who are getting back at them today – should have reverted to Pakistan.

But let us say that officially we want to help grant Kashmiris their right to self-determination.' 'That's the only reason?' I continued.

'No,' answered Benazir.'It should be clear also that Pakistan never forgot the humiliating loss of Bangladesh at the hands of India, although India claims it only helped Bangladesh to gain its freedom in the face of what the Bangladeshis say was Pakistani genocide. Zia's emergence was a result of that humiliation.'

'But Zia hanged your father?' I interrupted. 'Yes and I hate him and god the almighty already punished him for that,' said Benazir, alluding to Zia's death in a plane crash.

'But Zia did one thing right, he started the whole policy of proxy war by supporting the separatist movements in Punjab and Kashmir, as a way of getting back at India.' 'And what about Pakistan's nuclear bomb?' I asked. 'That's my father's work,' she said proudly. 'He realized, after having lost the 1965 and 1971 wars with India, that both numerically and strategically, we can never beat India in a conventional conflict.

Thus he initiated the program by saying that 'We will get the nuclear bomb, even if we have to eat grass'.' 'But is it not a dangerous weapon if it falls in the hands of the fundamentalists of your country?' I asked. 'No such danger,' Benazir answered. 'Anyway, it is not only a deterrent against India's military conventional superiority and an answer to India's own nuclear capability, but also the ultimate weapon to re-assert Islam's moral superiority.'

'We in Europe are going to unite in a Common Market, why don't Pakistan and India forget their differences and form some kind of confederation with other South Asian countries, instead ofkilling each other?' I asked.

'Pakistan and India were never one country,' answered the imperious lady.'They were only kept together by force, whether by Mauryan, Moghul or Britishrule. Hindus have recognized the reality of Islam, and we needed our own country to feelfree.' I was flabbergasted: here was a lady educated in Oxford and Harvard, who mouthed such irrational statements. She spoke good English, was pretty, articulate and pleased the press.

But when in power, she had to resort to anti-Indianism to please her voters. Her husband was known as Mr. 10 Per Cent. She was hounded out of power twice for incompetence and corruption.

Is she, then, a martyr of democracy? History will tell.

Who are You, Chritian,Muslim or..H......

Am I a Hindu?
Four years ago, I was flying from JFK NY Airport to SFO to attend a meeting at Monterey, CA.An American girl was sitting on the right side, near window seat.It indeed was a long journey - it would take nearly seven hours!

I was surprised to see the young girl reading a Bible - unusual of young Americans! (Later I came to know that September 11 has changed mind-set of lot of US citizens. They suddenly turned religious, it seemed.)After some time she smiled and we had few acquaintances talk. I told her that I am from India.

Then suddenly the girl asked: “What’s your faith?”“What?” I didn’t understand the question.“I mean, what’s your religion? Are you a Christian? Or a Muslim?”“No!” I replied, “I am neither Christian nor Muslim”.Apparently she appeared shocked to listen to that.“Then who are you…?”“I am a Hindu”, I said.She looked at me as if she is seeing a caged animal.She could not understand what I was talking about.

A common man in Europe or US know about Christianity and Islam, as they are the leading religions of the world today.

But a Hindu, what?I explained to her - I am born to a Hindu father and Hindu mother. Therefore, I am a Hindu by birth.

“Who is your prophet?” she asked.“We don’t have a prophet,” I replied.“What’s your Holy Book?”“We don’t have a single Holy Book, but we have hundreds and thousands of philosophical and sacred scriptures,” I replied.“Oh, come on…at least tell me who is your God?”“What do you mean by that?”

“Like we have Yahweh and Muslims have Allah - don’t you have a God?”

I thought for a moment. Muslims and Christians believe one God (Male God) who created the world and takes an interest in the humans who inhabit it. Her mind is conditioned with that kind of belief.

According to her (or anybody who doesn’t know about Hinduism), a religion need to have one Prophet, one Holy book and one God.

The mind is so conditioned and rigidly narrowed down to such a notion that anything else is not acceptable. I understood her perception and concept about faith. You can’t compare Hinduism with any of the present leading religions where you have to believe in one concept of god.

I tried to explain to her: “You can believe in one god and he can be a Hindu. You may believe in multiple deities and still you can be a Hindu. What’s more - you may not believe in god at all, still you can be a Hindu. An atheist can also be a Hindu.”This sounded very crazy to her.

She couldn’t imagine a religion so unorganized, still surviving for thousands of years, even after onslaught from foreign forces.

“I don’t understand…but it seems very interesting. Are you religious?”What can I tell to this American girl?
I said: “I do not go to temple regularly. I do not make any regular rituals. I have learned some of the rituals in my younger days. I still enjoy doing it sometimes.”“Enjoy? Are you not afraid of God?”
“God is a friend. No- I am not afraid of God. Nobody has made any compulsions on me to perform these rituals regularly.”

She thought for a while and then asked: “Have you ever thought of converting to any other religion?”

“Why should I? Even if I challenge some of the rituals and faith in Hinduism, nobody can convert me from Hinduism. Because, being a Hindu allows me to think independently and objectively, without conditioning… I remain as a Hindu never by force, but choice.” I told her that Hinduism is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. It is not a religion like Christianity or Islam because it is not founded by any one person or does not have an organized controlling body like the Church or the Order, I added. There is no institution or authority.


“So, you don’t believe in God?” she wanted everything in black and white.
“I didn’t say that. I do not discard the divine reality. Our scripture, or Sruthis or Smrithis - Vedas and Upanishads or the Gita - say God might be there or he might not be there. But we pray to that supreme abstract authority (Para Brahma) that is the creator of this universe.”

“Why can’t you believe in one personal God?”

“We have a concept - abstract - not a personal god. The concept or notion of a personal God, hiding behind the clouds of secrecy, telling us irrational stories through few men whom he sends as messengers, demanding us to worship him or punish us, does not make sense.

I don’t think that God is as silly as an autocratic emperor who wants others to respect him or fear him.” I told her that such notions are just fancies of less educated human imagination and fallacies, adding that generally ethnic religious practitioners in Hinduism believe in personal gods. The entry level Hinduism has over-whelming superstitions too. The philosophical side of Hinduism negates all superstitions.

“Good that you agree God might exist. You told that you pray. What is your prayer then?”“Loka Samastha Sukino Bhavantu. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti,”“Funny,” she laughed, “What does it mean?”

“May all the beings in all the worlds be happy. Om Peace, Peace, Peace.”

“Hmm…very interesting. I want to learn more about this religion. It is so democratic, broad-minded and free…” she exclaimed.

“The fact is Hinduism is a religion of the individual, for the individual and by the individual with its roots in the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita.

It is all about an individual approaching a personal God in an individual way according to his temperament and inner evolution - it is as simple as that.”

“How does anybody convert to Hinduism?”

“Nobody can convert you to Hinduism, because it is not a religion, but a set of beliefs and practices. Everything is acceptable in Hinduism because there is no single authority or organization either to accept it or to reject it or to oppose it on behalf of Hinduism.”
``
I told her - if you look for meaning in life, don’t look for it in religions; don’t go from one cult to another or from one guru to the next.

For a real seeker, I told her, Bible itself gives guidelines when it says “Kingdom of God is within you.” I reminded her of Christ’s teaching about the love that we have for each other. That is where you can find the meaning of life.

Loving each and every creation of the God is absolute and real. ‘Isavasyam idam sarvam’ Isam (the God) is present (inhabits) here everywhere - nothing exists separate from the God, because God is present everywhere. Respect every living being and non-living things as God. That’s what Hinduism teaches you.

Hinduism is referred to as Sanathana Dharma, the eternal faith. It is based on the practice of Dharma, the code of life. The most important aspect of Hinduism is being truthful to oneself. Hinduism has no monopoly on ideas. It is open to all. Hindus believe in one God (not a personal one) expressed in different forms. For them, God is timeless and formless entity.
Ancestors of today’s Hindus believe in eternal truths and cosmic laws and these truths are opened to anyone who seeks them. But there is a section of Hindus who are either superstitious or turned fanatic to make this an organized religion like others. The British coin the word “Hindu” and considered it as a religion.

I said: “Religions have become an MLM (multi-level-marketing) industry that has been trying to expand the market share by conversion. The biggest business in today’s world is Spirituality. Hinduism is no exception…”

I am a Hindu primarily because it professes Non-violence - “Ahimsa Paramo Dharma” - Non violence is the highest duty. I am a Hindu because it doesn’t conditions my mind with any faith system.

Uday
uday@udaypai.in

http://www.udaypai.in/?tag=hinduism