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Posted on 2014/1/21 17:39:29 ( 156 reads
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DEHRADUN, INDIA, January 21, 2014 (Times Of India): Only a few months are
left for the Kailash Mansarovar yatra to begin. But Kumaon Mandal Vikas
Nigam (KMVN), the nodal agency for the ministry of external
affairs-organized yatra, is still undecided about the route that the
yatris will take through Uttarakhand this year. [HPI note: this is for
pilgrims going into Tibet from India, a different route than those going
there via Nepal.] The main route of the pilgrimage -- which is scheduled
to begin from June 8 this year -- was badly affected during the flash
floods last year leading to the yatra being called off. Repair work in this
area is progressing at a slow pace and it is unclear whether the route
would be ready before the yatra commences.
Shirish Kumar, general manager, KMVN, told TOI that they were hopeful
that the main route will open before the yatra begins but added they were
also exploring the possibility of using two alternative routes as a
backup plan this year. However, sources add that the alternative routes
being considered could be "risky and unsafe for pilgrims."
The yatra passes through Almora, Dania, Pithoragarh, Dharchula, Tawaghat
and Narayan Ashram on a motorable road. The stretch between Dharchula and
Narayan Ashram is presently being repaired. A 60-meter-long road bridge
at Kanchyoti village between Dharchula and Narayan Ashram and large
portions of road in the nearby Tawaghat area were washed away in the
flash-floods last year. The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and PWD are
handling the repair and construction work in the area along with the
Indo-Tibetan Border Police.
The recent announcement of the yatra dates by the ministry of external
affairs, though, has put the state government under pressure to expedite
the ongoing repair work. "We have now taken up construction of
Kanchyoti road bridge and damaged roads near Tawaghat as a "special
case." With the help of BRO and PWD, we hope to clear the entire
route by March end or April this year," says Neeraj Khairwal, DM,
Pithoragarh.
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Posted on 2014/1/21 17:39:24 ( 144 reads
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KERALA, INDIA, January 12, 2014 (New India Express): It is the beginning
of the year and Namboothiri families in Kerala are getting ready to
conduct Vettakkoru Makan Pattu (the song to worship Lord Vettakkoru
Makan) or pantheerayiram. It is a popular but challenging ritual in which
the chief priest has to break 12,000 coconuts continuously in one
sitting.
Manoj Kumar Kandamangalam is one of the few priests in the state who
excels in conducting pantheerayiram. Coming from a noted priest family in
north Kerala, Manoj has conducted this ritual at various temples and
households since 1996 and is probably the fastest at it. He holds the
Limca Book record of breaking 12,000 coconuts in 2 hours and 13 minutes.
Pantheerayiram is carried out as an offering to Lord Vettakkoru Makan and
Lord Ayyappan. "In Kerala it is conducted for Lord Vettakkoru Makan
while in other south Indian states, the ritual is conducted for Lord
Ayyappan," says Manoj. Vettakkoru Makan is regarded as the son of
Lord Siva. He was born to Siva and Parvathi while they were wandering
through a forest in guise of tribal warriors. Soon after his birth, the
infant was left in the forest and raised and trained in war strategies by
tribal leaders.
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Posted on 2014/1/21 17:39:18 ( 150 reads
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PENANG, MALAYSIA, January 6, 2014 (Penang Channel): This is a short video
of the annual Thai Pusam festival in Penang where devotees smash
thousands of coconuts in honor of Lord Murugan. Note the large number of
Chinese people taking part in the Hindu festival. It doesn't equal the
feat described above, but is more of a community affair.
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Posted on 2014/1/21 17:39:12 ( 116 reads
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The more we are conscious of God's presence in daily life, the more
intense is the fullness of the joy we experience. God means infinitely
more to our existence than the light of the sun means to the plants and
trees.
-- Swami Omkarananda, (1930-2000), founder of Omkarananda Ashram
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Posted on 2014/1/20 18:30:25 ( 187 reads
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MADURAI, INDIA, January 6, 2014 (The Hindu): One look at the sprawling
Mariamman Teppakulam, and it is the buzz of humanity inside the tank (a
line wate reservoir) that first catches your attention -- boys playing
cricket, people walking across the tank to go to the other side and few
wheeling bicycles through patches of the dry brown and grassy green tank
bed.
Many temple tanks in the city which were once brimming with water and
where beautiful float festivals were held are bone dry now. The tanks
found either inside or outside the temple premises are replete with rich
history and fine architecture.
A source of water is something of great importance to a temple. "For
most sprawling temples which bears the brunt of a hot sun, a tank ensures
that some parts of the temple are always kept cool," points out
Sridhar Bhattar from the Narasingam Perumal Temple. The presence of a
temple tank also results in groundwater table getting charged, says A.
Gurunathan, Head, Vayalagam Movement of the Dhan Foundation. It has
published a book on four prominent temple tanks in Madurai.
"Owing to scarce rainfall and channels that supplied water from a
main source going defunct, either a concrete floor or tiles are laid on
the tank bed to retain at least the little water that the tank manages to
get since it cannot support percolation and groundwater recharge,"
he explains.
While the channels need attention, sustained maintenance of the tank is
needed, say experts. Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department
officials say Mariamman Teppakulam is to be renovated at a cost of Rs. 40
lakh. It will ensure that the cracked walls are repaired. "People must
be aware of the history of old tanks so that they will understand the
importance of conserving them. A systematic approach in upkeep of these
ancient temple tanks will make a world of difference," says
official.
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Posted on 2014/1/20 18:30:20 ( 211 reads
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GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA, January 17, 2014 (The Malay Mail): Malaysian Hindu
devotee Karthi Gan grimaces while tapping his feet to the beat of ritual
drums as two men plunge dozens of sharp hooks into his chest and back.
The painful ritual is Karthi's way of giving thanks to the Hindu Deity
Muruga as part of the country's colorful annual Thaipusam festival, one
of the world's most extreme displays of religious devotion.
Celebrated also in India and other areas with significant Tamil
communities, the three-day festival that kicked off yesterday is marked
with particular zest among Malaysian Indians. Hordes of Hindus flock to
temples across the country with offerings, many showing their fervor via
extensive piercing or by bearing the elaborately decorated burdens called
kavadi that are carried to religious sites.
"I got what I asked from Lord Muruga," said Karthi, a
31-year-old engineer, who prayed during last year's festival for "a
good life". "I got a new-born baby. I got a new home," he
said late Thursday night, when he and thousands of others began the slow
and painful process of affixing their kavadi in the northern state of Penang.
In Penang, devotees then paraded barefoot for hours Friday through the
streets of the state capital Georgetown, carrying kavadi that can weigh
as much as 100 kilogrammes (220 pounds). Participants swayed trance-like
to drumbeats that had throbbed since Thursday.
View lots of colorful pictures in the 'In The Gallery" section at
source above.
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Posted on 2014/1/20 18:30:14 ( 219 reads
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CHENNAI, INDIA, January 16, 2014 (New Indian Express): Taiwan scholar and
poet Dr. Yu Hsi (Hung Ching Yu), who has translated Tirukkural and the
poems of Subramaniya Bharathi and poet Bharathidasan in Mandarin, was
conferred with the Thiruvalluvar Award instituted by the Tamil Nadu
government on Wednesday. The founder president of the Tamil Sangam of
Taiwan, Dr. Yu Hsi is the first foreign scholar to receive this award. At
a public function held here, Finance Minister O. Panneerselvam presented
the award to the scholar. The award carries a gold medal, a check for
US$1,625 and a citation.
Dr. Yu Hsi was born in Taiwan on March 16, 1951 and is a Doctor of
Letters. He has authored more than 60 books. The scholar was awarded
$8,775 by the State for translating Tirukkural. However, he had donated
the amount to Tamil University for setting up of an endowment to
propagate Tirukkural.
In his acceptance speech, the scholar said after learning Tirukkural, he
found that the teachings of Saint Tiruvallur and Chinese philosopher
Confucius were similar with regard to ethics, statecraft, etc.
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Posted on 2014/1/20 18:30:00 ( 160 reads
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True gurus are available in every religion. They may not be in the
ordinary world of strife, for such a world does not want them, nor have
they any use for it. Go, therefore, in search of a true master. He is
ever available and is only waiting for a symptom of real earnestness in
you. If you have true humility and earnestness to see God, he will solve
all your doubts and show you God in no time at all.
-- Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati (1912-1954), 34th pontiff
of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham
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Posted on 2014/1/19 17:38:39 ( 340 reads
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NORWAY, Janukary 17, 2014 (Aftenposten--translated from Norwegian): Happy
news from the Tamil diaspora community. It appears that the future is
bright for the Norwegian Tamils.
This long article quotes a government study of how immigrant kids
(elementary and middle school age) in Norway are doing. Pupils born in
Norway with parents from Iran, Poland, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka,
China and India do better in school than students with Norwegian parents.
Other immigrant groups do worse. The reporters headed out to the Tamil
Resource and Guidance Center Sunday tuition school to find out what was
the secret of the kids' success.
"Parental encouragement," said the kids. And the fact that,
besides Tamil language, their tuition (tutoring) school on Sundays
teaches subjects such as algebra before it is taught in their public
school.
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Posted on 2014/1/19 17:38:33 ( 339 reads
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BANGALORE, INDIA, January 5, 2014 (New Indian Express): Erosion in
people's beliefs in nature worship, religion and social values are posing
a threat to the sacred forests (Devara Kadu), that are conserved patches
of forests that lay undisturbed, according to experts.
"Religion played a very important role in traditional and informal
conservation. An elephant symbolises Ganesha while some types of trees
are considered sacred. Fear of Gods and social taboos prevented people
from harvesting resources from these sacred forests though there are no
physical borders. Change in social and religious values are now posing a
danger to these sacred forests," says Prof. C.G. Kushalappa of the
College of Forestry in Ponnampet, Kodagu district.
There are 1,214 sacred groves covering 2,550 hectares in Kodagu alone.
"People were afraid to go in, harvest resources, cut trees or live
in sacred forests because of their fear of forest deities and beliefs in
nature worship. This protected the plants, trees, small animals and
therefore, led to conservation of the ecosystem. Currently, due to
pressures on land and decrease in religious values, these forests are
being encroached or taken over. People in Kodagu are fighting to protect
the groves," Kushalappa adds.
India has the highest concentration of sacred forests in the world.
Estimates suggest that there might be between 100,000 to 150,000 sacred
forests around the country.
Ecologist Smitha Krishnan, who has worked on sacred groves in Kodagu, and
is with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Zurich, Switzerland,
says, "Sacred groves that are relatively undisturbed are a haven for
bees. In addition to the wild rock bees, we also find feral colonies of
honey bees (Apis cerana indica) and have recorded more than 70 species of
solitary bees. Sacred forests are also home to a wide diversity of trees,
some of which are endangered and endemic. Although sacred forests are
often very small fragments of forests, they play an important role in
conserving biodiversity."
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Posted on 2014/1/19 17:38:27 ( 245 reads
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In thinking "This is I" and "That is mine" one binds
himself with himself, as does a bird with a snare.
-- Krishna Yajur Veda, Maitreya Upanishad 3.2
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Posted on 2014/1/18 17:41:27 ( 371 reads
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BANGLADESH, January 13, 2014 (Anirudh Sethi Report): They came at 9.30am
on December 13, about 60 or 70 of them, to sack his family home in the
village of Jagannathpur and terrorise the occupants. "When anything
happens, Hindus are attacked," says Subhash Ghosh, his eyes filling
with tears as he stands outside the burnt shell of his house in the
Bangladeshi countryside near the Indian border. "Everything is
lost." He and another 21 members of his extended family have sought
refuge in a nearby town and dare not stay the night on the farm their
family has owned for more than a century.
The attack by militants of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), an Islamist party allied
to the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, was one of thousands of
violent incidents in the run-up to the general election of January 5. It
occurred the day after the execution of Abdul Quader Mollah, a JI leader
convicted of war crimes.
Local Hindus had nothing to do with the execution. But here in the
southwest near the Ganges delta, members of the Hindu minority are
particular targets of JI because of their religion and because they
almost all support the Awami League, the nominally secular party which
has run Muslim-dominated Bangladesh for the past five years and which won
the election after a BNP boycott.
Some of his Hindu neighbors have fled across the border to India, but at
the age of 63 Mr Ghosh has no desire to abandon his home or his shrimp
farming business, even if he does sometimes wonder about claiming asylum
in the UK or Australia. "I cannot leave the country like a coward
and I cannot be a rickshaw-puller in India because I have land and
property here," he says. "What would I do in India?" Mr.
Ghosh says 55 to 60 Hindu homes and businesses in the area have been
attacked.
The latest round of violence began in the Satkhira district nearly a year
ago, but worsened sharply in December, when JI took control of several
villages, cutting down trees and building embankments to stop the
security forces from entering. Some locals call the area "Pakistan
in Bangladesh".
The police chief has restored an uneasy peace to most of Satkhira, but
residents are in a sombre mood as they contemplate the polarisation of
national politics between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's repressive Awami
League government and the opposition BNP, supported by its increasingly
violent Jamaat-e-Islami allies.
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Posted on 2014/1/18 17:41:21 ( 271 reads
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, January 14, 2014 (New Indian Express): Orange-robed
monks of the Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, in Fiji
provide healthcare, education and spiritual guidance not just to those of
Indian origin but anybody in need in the South Pacific archipelago
nation. The Fiji branch of the Ramakrishna Mission, set up in 1937, was
conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman at the just-concluded diaspora
meet.
The mission was honoured with the PBD Samman for community service and
philanthropic activities and enhancing India's prestige abroad. It has
actively participated in relief and rehabilitation efforts during floods
and natural calamities in Fiji. Swami Tadananda, secretary of the
Ramakrishna Mission at Nadi in Fiji, was in the capital to receive the
award from President Pranab Mukherjee last week. "The award is in
recognition for the services we have done," Swami Tadananda said.
The Ramakrishna Mission in Nadi, a major tourist town, is the
headquarters of the nonprofit service organization in Fiji. It also runs
a Swami Vivekananda College in Nadi, a Vivekananda Technical Centre in
Nadi and a Ramakrishna Mission Primary School in Tailevu, one of the
provinces of Fiji.
Around 38 percent of Fiji's population comprises people of Indian origin
- those who are descendants of indentured labour who came to the country
in the 19th century to work in the sugarcane fields or of immigrants who
arrived in the 1920s and 1930s.
(HPI Adds: The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (Overseas Indian Award) is an
award constituted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs, Government
of India in conjunction with the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non-resident
Indian Day), to honor exceptional and meritorious contribution in their
chosen field/profession. The award is given by the President of India.)
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Posted on 2014/1/18 17:41:15 ( 280 reads
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UNITED KINGDOM, January 15, 2014 (BBC): The US has returned to India
three ancient sculptures that had been smuggled into the US by art
dealers and accomplices. The 11th-12th Century sandstone sculptures had
been stolen from temples in India and offered for sale in the US.
India's consul general in New York, Dnyaneshwar Mulay, expressed
gratitude to US.
"I'd really like to express very heartfelt gratitude to US
authorities for having invested so much time, energy and resources in
obtaining, securing and now helping us repatriate these [statues] to the
place where they belong," Mr. Mulay was quoted as saying by The
Hindu newspaper.
James Dinkins, executive associate director of Homeland Security
Investigations, said "excellent cooperation" between the two
countries had "led to the recovery and return of these priceless
antiquities". "The pilfering of a nation's cultural patrimony
cannot and will not be tolerated," he said.
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Posted on 2014/1/18 17:41:09 ( 271 reads
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Go beyond science, into the region of metaphysics. Real religion is
beyond argument. It can only be lived, both inwardly and outwardly.
-- Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society
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