Indian Holocaust My Father`s Life and Time- Two Hundred NINETY Six
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Dr Manmohan Singh said the economy has the capacity to absorb the increase without triggering inflationary pressure.
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United colors of India show up as country celebrates Holi
Northern India marked the arrival of spring with the festival of colours on Saturday. Across the country, Holi was celebrated with much fervour and fanfare. It is a popular Hindu spring festival observed in India at the end of winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month.
Indian sadhus, Hindu holy men, smear coloured 'gullal' powder on each other's faces as they celebrate Holi in Allahabad on Sunday. Photo Courtesy: AFP
Swami Ramdev - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ramkishan Yadav popularly known as Swami Ramdev (Hindi: स्वामी रामदेव), also known as Baba Ramdev, is an Indian Hindu swami. ...
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Big B blogs about NDTV Indian of the YearNDTV.com - Feb 24, 2010 Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan says he feels humbled after receiving the NDTV Indian of the Year award on Wednesday night. This year, to coincide with ...  Email this storyNDTV Imagine become Imagine TVOneindia - Feb 24, 2010 NDTV Imagine, which is known for its famous shows like Ramayan, Bandini, Pati Patni Aur Woh, and Jyoti, will no more be called the same as it has been taken ... NDTV Imagine now owned by Turner Asia Pacific MediaMughals Turner completes acquisition, NDTV Imagine becomes Imagine TV Indiantelevision.com Budget circus plays out on the idiot boxBusiness Standard - - Feb 27, 2010 From the fuming tirades from members of the Opposition party to the glitzy, slightly ludicrous Bollywood-like sets of the NDTV debate, you get the feeling ... Service tax on films hurts entertainment sector Hindu Business Line Customs duty move in budget to help media, gaming firms Moneycontrol.com General Motors launches Chevrolet Cruze AutomaticEconomic Times - Feb 27, 2010 The Cruze has already won awards including, NDTV Car and Bike Viewers Choice Car of the Year; Autocar Bloomberg UTV Best Saloon Car of the Year; ... Shaleen and Daljit to perform in RDLJ!Oneindia - Feb 27, 2010 NDTV Imagine's 'Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega' is striving hard to find a perfect bride for Rahul Mahajan and the channel is making it more colorful by adding ... Mrinmai Kolwalkar out of 'Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega' BreakingNewsOnline. Rahul buys solitaire for would-be bride IBNLive.com Email this story'I am not sick'Hindustan Times - Feb 27, 2010 ... absolutely fine... rocking,†the Bollywood beauty was seen saying loud and repeatedly at an award function hosted by NDTV in the Capital on Wednesday. ... Railway Budget 2010 – Watch Indian rail budget 2010 live from NDTV AajtakFyoq News - Feb 23, 2010 You can watch live Budget from Lok Sabha at NDTV here and you can also watch live analysis and highlights at Aajtak here. Slick politics, crude economicsIndian Express - 19 hours ago A few days earlier I heard Yashwant Sinha tell NDTV that even though the BJP/NDA had dismantled the administrative price mechanism (APM) for petroleum ... Jyoti is a sauteli beti - Jyoti on NDTV Imagine, every Monday to Friday at 7.30pmIndia PRwire (press release) - Feb 28, 2010 ... changes with Jyoti after knowing the fact? To know more about Poonam's reaction watch your favorite Jyoti on NDTV Imagine, every Monday to Friday at 7.30pm. NDTV (INDIA) Taliban Sikh beheading to figure in Indo-Pak talksTehran Times - Feb 23, 2010 India on Monday condemned the beheading of Sikh youths by the Pakistani Taliban, and External Affairs Minister SM Krishna has said the incident will figure ... Stay up to date on these results: |
Realignment of Zionist Brahaminical Forces with Resurgence of Hindutva!Ramdev Baba, RAVISHANKAR, Shankaracharya and Media Lead the Way for the Political Leaders as Pranay Roy CREDITS Montek Singh Ahluwalia the Free market Neo Liberal Democracy and development in India as NDTV celebrates 21st Anniversary on Holi!
RAVISHANKAR and Ramdev Baba Celebrated Holi in Haridwar today while NDTV Icons Pranya Roy and Brakha Dutta Mobilised all Hindutva Icons and Economic Reform Ethnic Cleansing Machinery simultaneously. It heralds reverse as Lalu Yadav, Mulayam and the Marxists stood by RSS face Sushama Swaraj on Petro Price Hike Issue while none of them Opposed the Budget Speech of the Brahmin Hegemony Head PRANAB Mukherjee, which is more Dangerous than the RSS Hindurashtra Agenda. It is calear that the Ruling hegemony may Change the Political faces at its will anytime as India Incs and MNC are ENDOWED with the Governance, Policy making, Survey, Unique Identity Mechanism, Legislation, Administration and ethnic Cleansing in the US Promoted Free Market Democracy!
Ramdev Baba Manipulated The Mandate India in Last loksabha Elections assited by Brahamin sabha, Sant Samagam, Shankaracharay, India Incs and Media heads to ensuer continuity of Economic ethnic Cleasning to sustain Manusmriti Rule. While, he is on speaking Tour of India to mobilse support for Hindu Rashtra. He gets the Company of Top Brass Hindutva leaders an RSS Head and other Brahamin leaders but he was instrumental to Polarise Hindutva in Favour of Dr. Manmohan Singh. It is the Real Chemistry of Imperialist Fascist Zionist Brahaminical manusmriti hegemony. Pranab quoting Indra and Kautilya in Union Budget highlights the Survival Strategy of Foreigner Zionst Brahamins Ruling India. The Marxists, Socialists and Ambedkarites are the other Vital Elements of the manusmriti apartheid rule!
Dear Readers! My best Friends, I have worked as a Profession Journalist in UP Towns Meerut and Bareilly. I was amidst the Fire of the Suicidal RIOTS all over North India before and after Babri demolition. I belong to a Partition Victim Bengali SC Non Recognised Family Settled in the Terai of Nainital. I have to study and understand the Communal Equations first as a member of Linguistic Minority and then, as a Professional SCRIBE. I have written Two short Story Collections and dozens of short Stories with Marxist Aesthetics dealing with both Fascism and Imperialism. I have written a short Novel on the Geopolitics of Commercialisation named UNKA Mission in Hindi and TAHADER Mission in Bengali. My First Book deals with commercialisation. ANDE SENTE LOG, Egg Hatching People. neoliberalism compelled me to WITHDRAW from Creative Writing despite Mahashweta devi writing an Oped Piece on my Niovel AMERICA Se SAVDHAN, Be Aware of America. Editors and Critics try their best to persuade me to focus on Creativity once again while I am ENGAGED in defence of my Persecuted Black Untouchable communities worldwide who have been selected for Social Economic Political Exclusion and Ethnic Cleansing! As a writer has every right to express, at the same time he has every RIGHT not to write.Communication, Connectivity and Interactions are my Priorities socially relevant for which I have no Space either in Media or Literature in the Post Modern Manusmriti Apartheid Age! I have discussed the issue with the likes of Madan kashyap, Giriraj Kishore, Ravi Bhushan and Gautam Sanyal!
I am not dealing with my Creative Dilemma but am trying to convince you the results of my Pro Activism and studies as a Writer, social Activist! I may SMELL Criminalisation very quickly. I have alerted my friends countrywide of Resurgence of Hindutva, Realignment of Zionist Hindu Forces and changing equations in Free Market Democracy Inflicted with most Volatile Ethnonationalism! Specially in Bengal, Scientific Manusmriti hegemony has always Opted for Demographic Readjustment. Chandal Movement was the First turning point while the Brahamins of Bengal decided the Methodology and Strategy of the Task to sustain Manusmriti Rule on the face of solid Dalit Muslim Unity translated in THREE Pre Partition Interim Governments headed by muslims with representations from the SC Communities as leaders like Jogendra Nath Mandal and Kumud Bihari Mallick inspired by the Heritage of Harichand and Guruchand Thakur, succeeded to ELECT Dr. BR Ambdekar to the Constitution Assmebly of India!
The Marxist Brahaminical Hegemony is losing its bases since a series of aboriginal Indigenous Insurrections by Black Untouchable communities HIJACKED by the Brahamin Kanya Mamata Matua Banerjee! The BRAHMIN Front was Never in such a Crisis for last Three Decades, mind you. The Marxist Brahamins have CONCEDED Defeat and now bank on Only Demographic Readjustment to ensure Return to the Power after the Transitional Mamata Regime. They have openly ALIGNED with RSS and sangh Parivar. The Muscle Flexing of RSS in Kolkata as well as Bengal should be taken as RED ALERT.OBC Resrevation of Muslims has NOTHING to do with OBC or Muslim communities. Employment and Jobs are not being Created anywhere in Neo liberal Regime. Privatisation has mad RESERVATION and Quota IRRELEVANT. The OBC communities Never got Reservation in Bengal despite Seven Percent Reservation since Buddha came to power as caste Certificates are not Issued, and provided you get one, the Brahaminical Interview board would simply prove ypu UNWORTHY , Inefficient. Ten Percent OBC quota is meant for Muslim OBC communities exclusively but only 2.3 out of 27 percent Muslims in Bengal are known as OBC and they lag behind in Education so much so, that would Never be able to avail reservation or quota.Sachhar Committee report has exposed that only 1.2 percent Muslims got any Govt. job during last Thirty Three years of Marxist tenure.
The Muslims do not believe the Marxists.They Just want Change. The Apple Cart must be UPSET whoever comes in, irrespective of Merit or Demerit, it is the WIND of Change. PDS led by Sidicullah Chowdhuri has been disintegrited since Sidicullah welcomed the Marxist Move. The Muslims smell a Deal and reatced sharply. The Executive President of PDS Quaji Saifuddin, High Court advocate has resigned and Kurmi Intellectual Pashu Pati Mahato has joined Mamata Train!
The Marxist Brahmins are not Fools as they may appear. They are just trying to polarise the Hindutva Forces in reaction so that Mamata as a Chief Minister should face Communally Volatile Bengal vertically Divided. RSS is banking on this and the Marxists and RSS have always been working together with Excellent Understanding as ADWANI BUDDHA, ATAL Basu relationship, VP singh Govt., citizenship amendment Act Precedents would Prove!
If Bengal is divide Vertically Communal, it would Destablise India all over once again! Be Aware. I have been warning since Nandigram Genocide!
RAMDEV Baba chose Bengal to declare his Plan to launch Hindu government as he would himself select the Right candidates. This RamdevBaba, an OBC Yoga Wizard played Vital Role to help DR. Manmohan singh and his UPA return to power with thumping support only in the Last loksabha elections. The Sant Samagam in Mumbai, The Brahmin Sabha Meeting in Pune and Media, corporate Hindutva Summit in Haridwar and the Jago India campaign and the Likes Polarised Hindutva Forces in Favour of Economic Reforms. Despite Pulling support from UPA after its four years Tenure was Complete on Nuclear deal Issue, the Brahmin Marxists played as the Best Alchemists for Communalisation and Polaristion of Hindu Zionism as they Projected Dalit Queen Mayawati as the next prime Minister face which helped most to Unite Cast Hindu Vote Bank in support of Hindu Rashtra in Free Market Democracy!
It was a railway budget that not only left Bengal better connected to the rest of the country, but also touched a chord with the literary-minded people of the state. Sticking to her "ma-maati-manush" approach, the railway minister left the masses pleased as well with 16 trains connecting Howrah to pilgrimage destinations around the country.
Leaning heavily on Rabindranath Tagore, Mamata announced a slew of projects to mark the Bard's 150th birth anniversary next year. A trans-border train, a couple of museums and 16 pairs of trains connecting Howrah to various destinations across the country were announced all bearing the poet's memory.
In what promises to be a nostalgic trip for many in West Bengal, a cross-border train to Bangladesh was announced. It will be called the "Amar Sonar Bangla Express", after the famous song penned by Tagore which also happens to be the national anthem of Bangladesh. Though the route for this train was not declared, there are indications that it could connect Howrah to Dhaka.
Howrah and Santiniketan will now have a Tagore museum each. While the one at Howrah will be called Rabindra Museum, the Santiniketan one has been named Geetanjali. Both are expected to be packed with Tagore memorabilia and will be housed in buildings modelled after the Bard's houses in Santiniketan. The railway minister, however, didn't disclose if the museums will come up on railway property.
Kolkatans can now go on a holy trip around the country without having to hop trains. As many as sixteen trains named Bharat Tirtha will now take them around pilgrimages across the length and breadth of India. The trains will go on a round trip originating from Howrah and terminating at the same station. These will include a Howrah-Gaya-Agra- Mathura-Vrindavan-New Delhi-Haridwar-Varanasi-Howrah train. Another will run from Howrah and cover Chennai- Puducherry Madurai Rameshwaram-Kanyakumari-Bangalore Mysore and Chennai before turning back to Howrah. Yet another will journey from Howrah through Varanasi- Jammu Tawi-Amritsar-Haridwar-Mathura-Vrindavan and Allahabad.
Tagore scholars in Santiniketan hailed the projects but were wary of the planned museums. "I am not sure if we need another museum in Santiniketan," said Tagore scholar Supriyo Tagore.
PM rules out rollback of fuel prices
"Any increase in prices does hurt some people, but we have to take a long-term view," he told reporters accompanying him on his way back home from Saudi Arabia.
Singh made it clear that following populist fiscal policies for a long term harms the economy.
"We cannot save people from inflation if we follow all populist fiscal policies. Sooner or later these populist policies if persisted for a long time to come will lead to the erosion of the investment climate," he said.
The Prime Minister was asked about growing concerns over the recent hike in oil prices and the ripple it may have.
Baba Ramdev to field candidates for next Lok Sabha polls
AGARTALA: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev Sunday said he would field candidates in the next Lok Sabha elections if the central government does not take sincere steps to curb corruption, which he termed as the main reason behind the spread of Naxalism and Maoism.
"If the incumbent union government does not change its policy to initiate sincere steps to curb corruption, I would field candidates in the next parliamentary elections and I believe that the common people would elect the appropriate person," Ramdev said at a press conference here.
Emphasising that problems like Naxalism and Maoism can never be erased by dialogue or force, the yoga guru said these are derivatives of economic inequality and corruption at the grassroots level.
"Corruption is the key reason behind all the complicacies of the country. Poverty, political chaos and financial inconsistencies are the by-products of corruption," said Ramdev, who reached the Tripura capital on Saturday on a two-day trip.
Calling for mass participation in his 'Bharat Swabhimaan' campaign, Ramdev said that the initiative has been started to make a complete change in the country's governance.
He asked people to launch a 'crusade' against corruption and political nepotism while also starting the practice of Yoga to 'restore morality'.
"I believe death sentence is the only answer to contain corruption and other social evils. Most of the politicians themselves indulge in social crimes for vote-bank politics. It is high time for common people to raise their voices against the corruption," Ramdev said.
Claiming that "Rs.150,000 crore has been siphoned-off by the politicians and bureaucrats, and deposited in their personal accounts outside the country so far," he said "if the entire money was pulled back, India's GDP would be at least four times higher than the existing GDP".
"Agar sarkar hai imandar to kyon hain bhrastachar? (If the government is honest, why is there corruption in the society?)," he asked.
| Big B blogs about NDTV Indian of the Year NDTV Correspondent Thursday, February 25, 2010 (New Delhi) | |||
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Pics:Bollywood dazzles at NDTV Indian of the Year awards Winners:NDTV Indian of the Year awards Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan says he feels humbled after receiving the NDTV Indian of the Year award on Wednesday night. This year, to coincide with its 21st anniversary, NDTV also honoured Indian icons of the last 21 years - among them, Amitabh Bachchan. On his blog, Bachchan wrote about the ceremony, which he attended with his wife, Jaya, and his daughter-in-law, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. "NDTV Indian of the Year acknowledging 21 years of the existence of the channel and simultaneously acknowledging Indians that have been an inspiration for the country in these 21 years!!" "Young Rukhsana, the teenaged girl from Kashmir who when attacked by a terrorist, snatched his own weapon and killed him. Aradhna, the brave Mother of her daughter who after being molested by a police officer committed suicide and is fighting for 19 years now to get justice when she discovered that the officer had been let off with a warning and nothing more. Executives and bureaucrats and finance wizards that have helped in forming the modern image of progressive India. "Ministers, politicians that have shaped well. Filmmakers and twitter artists - Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan, Aishwarya, Priyanka, Ranbir, proud parents Rishi and Neetu, AR Rahman. Sportsmen - Sachin, Dhoni, Saina Nehwal. LK Advani and Chidambaram. LK Advani presents me mine, and admits on stage that he has not missed a single film of mine from the very first Saat Hidustani, for which he had been dragged to by my Mother - Advani having had a very close relationship with our family since very early years - right down to Paa !! I am so humbled. So many luminaries in the audience." "The most powerful in the country in politics and the services. The three Army chiefs, and the people that matter in India's presence, all mingling in a vast multitude of acknowledgment to those deserving candidates in the last 21 years of the country." And in the middle of all this - Sachin playing the one-dayer with South Africa in Gwalior creates history by being the first human in the universe to have scored 200 runs in an ODI and India beats So Africa by a huge margin to retain their world position. Dhoni on teleconference from the cricket venue, including me as one of his inspirations in life aaahhhh !! Just so much praise humbling humbling." "I send Sachin a congratulatory sms and he responds back with his customary thanks and love ......." NDTV Indian of the Year PervaizAlamgir Watching NDTV Indian of the year awards, repeat telecast about 1 hour ago reply  nkumbhat On NDTV's Indian of the year award function Nitish says - If Bihar can change, India can surpass China about 1 hour ago reply  SupreetSays The way @iamsrk represented how he deals with the situation when he is compared with big b was awesome. At #ndtv indian of the year about 1 hour ago reply  divyakala watching the indian of the year telecast on @ndtv about 1 hour ago reply  vikramwagh @anandmahindra Helloooo sir, congrats on winning indian business man of the year.. watching u on ndtv right now... we're truly proud of u about 1 hour ago reply  varun_jilla ndtv - Indian of the year function - they called Biz stone(twitter founder) - Live video - he spoke to SRk, Kjahar and Amahindra about 1 hour ago reply  prassey @BDUTT eager to c u as an intermediary b/w govt and maoists as PC said :-) just kidding... u did a good job in the indian of the year event. about 1 hour ago reply  sankar_a @BDUTT Missed to watch Indian of the year -2009. When can we expect the re-telecast ? 56 minutes ago reply  ProjectDharma Maybe @ndtv should do the Indian of the year song & dance more regularly, it would be taken more seriously @bdutt as an entertainmentChannel 44 minutes ago reply Watch NDTV's Indian of the Year Saturday at 9:30 PM on NDTV 24X7. |
| 'Fake' Shankaracharyas issue rages at Kumbh | |
| Lucknow, Feb 28, DH News Service | |
A controversy over the presence of alleged ''fake'' Shankaracharyas has been raging at the ongoing Mahakumbh in Haridwar as a section of saints, including at least one Shankaracharya, has threatened to boycott the Mahakumbh, while some others have threatened to commit suicide if the matter was not resolved. | |
 The controversy erupted when the alleged self-proclaimed Shankaracharya of the Sumeru Kashi Peeth Swami Narendrananda sought allotment of land from the mela (fair) administration at the Kumbh.Claiming that there were only four Shankaracharyas in the country, one of the Shankaracharyas said no land should be allotted to Swami Narendrananda as he was a "fake" Shankaracharya. Disciples of Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati have threatened that they would leave the Mahakumbh if the "fake" Shankaracharyas were not asked to leave the mela area. Disciples of one of the alleged "fake" Shankaracharyas have also threatened to commit suicide if they were forced to leave the Mahakumbh midway. The "akharas" also seemed to be divided and are unable to a reach a decision over the controversy. President of the All India Akhara Parishad Mahant Gyan Das said the issue should be amicably resolved in the light of religious scriptures. Taking a note of the anger of the saint community, the "mela" administration on Friday removed the banners, name plates and hoardings of the "fake" Shankaracharyas from the mela area. "Only four Shankaracharyas have been included in the official list," a Kumbh official said. With the second "shahi snan" (royal bath) barely a fortnight away, the controversy could have an adverse impact, the saints fear. The controversy is quite old and it erupts during the Kumbh fair when many "fake" Shankaracharyas reach the mela and pitch their tents. The Adi Shankaracharya, according to the Hindu scriptures, had established only four peeths of Shankaracharya in the four regions of the country. They included Joshimath, Govardhan Math in Puri, Srinderi Sharda Peetham and Dwarkia Peeth. | |
Sri Ravi Shankar ready to mediate between Maoists-West Bengal govtDaily News & Analysis - Feb 19, 2010 Itanagar: Art of Living (AOL) guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar today said he was ready to mediate between the Maoists and West Bengal government provided both ... Email this storySri Sri Ravi Shankar spits venom at ThackeraysOneindia - Feb 5, 2010 New Delhi, Feb 5: Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) have found another critic in Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as the spiritual leader has lashed out at ... Art of Living founder to clean up Yamuna Times of India Drive to cleanse Yamuna mooted Asian Age Sri Sri school opens doors in KolkataTimes of India - Feb 21, 2010 On Sunday when Sri Sri Ravi Shankar inaugurated the Sri Sri Academy — a co-educational English medium school — on Alipore Road there were smile everywhere. ... Sri Sri addresses masses at the trouble striken area of lower Assam India PRwire (press release) Email this storyA way to de-stress for Commonwealth Games volunteersSify - Feb 28, 2010 Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's organisation, the Art of Living Foundation, teaches meditation and yoga with a basic aim of de-stressing. ... 'Pilgrimage is a journey into oneself '- Sri Ravishankar Tells PriestsDaijiworld.com - - Feb 12, 2010 VELANKANNI, Tamil Nadu, Feb 12: "It's a joy to talk to the lovers of God," said Sri Sri Ravishankar, founder of the Art of Living ... Email this storyNaveen rules out talks with armed' MaoistsTimes of India - - Feb 2, 2010 BHUBANESWAR: Following Art of Living guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's offer to mediate between the government and Maoists, chief minister Naveen Patnaik on ... Email this storyMeeting Sri Sri Ravishankar was a turning point in my life: Rhea PillaiDaily News & Analysis - - Feb 9, 2010 Mumbai: There have been several turning points in my life but meeting my guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji numbers amongst the biggest of them. ... Ravi Shankar arriving in State on Feb 17Assam Tribune - Feb 13, 2010 GUWAHATI, Feb 13 – Spiritual leader and founder of Art of Living, Sri Ravi Shankar, will embark on a two-day visit to Assam from February 17. ... Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on cleanliness drive in Kolkata South Asia Mail The Art of Living is no joke Indian NewsLink Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on a Clean Kolkata Drive PR-USA.net (press release) Introducing Bt Brinjal in India a sin: Sri Sri RavishankarZee News - Feb 5, 2010 New Delhi: Taking a tough stand at Government's bid to introduce genetically modified Bt Brinjal in India, spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar on Thursday ... Chennai miss gave me time to prepare for Australian Open: PaesTimes of India - Feb 3, 2010 ... well-deserved rest, relaxation and meditation was on the menu for Paes at the Art of Living Foundation under Sri Sri Sri Ravishankar. ... Paes eyes Davis Cup success after Oz Open title IBNLive.com Email this storyStay up to date on these results: |
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The Way of Grace
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Tamil: ஸ்ரீஸ்ரீ ரவிஶங்கர் ; Hindi: श्रीश्री रविशङ्कर), born Shankar Ratnam on May 13, 1956 in Tamil ...
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Yoga, meditation, breathing, pranayamas and knowledge by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar are taught at the Art of Living Centres worldwide. The courses release stress ...
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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: The Way of Grace
Atanu Dey on India's Development » Is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar a Con Man?
My brother is a follower of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Around May 2000, he wrote to me and asked me to check out the Art of Living website. ...
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An article on Sri Sri Ravishankar, his work and his Art of Living course.
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Sri Sri Ravishankar Vidya Mandir (SSRVM) Trust was founded by world renowned spiritual leader His Holiness Sri Sri Ravishankar as a not for profit, ...
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Here is a brief biography and life history of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Read more about Sri Sri Ravishankar and Ravishankar Foundation.
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Here is given the biography of Shri Shri Ravishankar. Check out the life history of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.
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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on CNN 's Quest for ...
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Baba Ramdev to check corruption
The Yoga Guru said that the system of governance in the country should be Indianized. He said that his outfit was committed to the cause of checking black money and corruption, besides emphasising on Bhartiyakaran (Indianization).
Ramdev, however, said that he would himself play the role of Chanakya and not be directly involved in politics. I shall not be a contender to power personally, said the Yoga Guru.
Baba Ramdev on Sunday said that the country achieved freedom on August 15, 1947, whereas in reality that day the power was just transferred from the hand of Britishers to their "manas putras".
He demanded that there should be provision of awarding capital punishment to those who are corrupt as it affected adversely the progress and development of the country and deprived its common people of their due. Baba Ramdev said that mines of the country are being sold at Kauri ke mol (throw away price) by the Central government.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/-Baba-Ramdev-to-check-corruption/articleshow/5600397.cms
Economic deprivation breeds extremists: Ramdev
February 18th, 2010 - 8:45 pm ICT by IANSKolkata, Feb 18 (IANS) Yoga exponent Swami Ramdev Thursday said economic deprivation is the root cause for the rise of the Maoists.
"Money is extremely important in life…It brings happiness and containment…where there is dearth of money we see problematic elements like Maoists and Naxalites," he said while addressing 28th National Conference of National Institute of Personnel Management.
Dwelling on the country's economy, Swami Ramdev said corruption in the system has to be erased to make India the world's largest economy.
He said by 2011 his yoga school would have 1.1 million classrooms across the country.
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- Himachal to introduce yoga in schools - Aug 30, 2009
- Yoga can eradicate corruption, says Baba Ramdev - Dec 31, 2009
- Swami Ramdev promotes yoga at Deoband gathering - Nov 03, 2009
- Focus on corruption, Ramdev tells Rahul Gandhi - Feb 05, 2010
- Baba Ramdev criticises govt. for failure on terrorism and illegal migrants - Feb 02, 2009
- SRK, Sena fighting for own interests: Baba Ramdev - Feb 11, 2010
- Chidambaram, Swami Ramdev should apologise: Vinay Katiyar - Nov 07, 2009
- Amity University honours Yoga guru Baba Ramdev - Jan 17, 2010
- Swami Ramdev's Scottish yoga retreat to be made into a worldwide destination - Sep 28, 2009
Ram Dev hints at new outfit |
| Category » Bhopal Posted On Tuesday, February 23, 2010 |
By Our Staff Reporter Swami Ramdev visits Roshanpura |
Ramdev to field candidates in 2014 polls
"The process of making good politicians has already begun. We are creating vote banks," Ramdev said making it clear that he does not have any "political aspirations". "Prime minister and chief ministers respect me. Why should I be one among them," he said. However, the yoga guru avoided queries on launching a political outfit.
Speaking to the media here, Ramdev said "Each village in India will have a yoga centre to educate poeple about health, nutrition and lessons on politics under the Yoga and Bharat Swabhiman campaign. People of India are completely ignorant about nutrition as well as politics for which they are cheated by corrupt politicians."
He said, Orissa has about 13,000 yoga teachers and 19,000 Bharat Swabhiman members. "We aim to create 500 teachers in each village and they will create two new teachers a day. Our target is to create at least seven lakh members in each district in the next two years."
"My main aim is to eradicate corruption from India, indianization of the systems and to make India a Super Power in the next five years," he said.
Terming corruption as the main reason for growing Maoist violence in India, Ramdev said, "Some people are joining the Maoists for lack of development initiatives in the interior areas. They want to change the system so do I. But they are trying to do it through violence, which is not right." He said, if proposed he is ready to mediate between the government and the Red rebels.
The yoga guru also said the state governments should get 50 per cent of the royalties from natural resources. "Only 14 per cent royalty to the state on mineral resources is like British rule. Ironically, despite huge mineral resources the rich states are poverty-stricken. The amount should be spent on the development of the state."
He also pointed out that industries should not be given farmland or land at lower cost. "Industrial houses are not charitable trusts that they will be given land at a lower price or on lease. Everything should be done in an impartial manner."
Ramdev emphasized on recovering over Rs 100 lakh crore deposited in different foreign banks, including Swiss bank and invest it for the development of the country. "Though the government had promised to recover the huge amount deposited in foreign banks nothing has been done. It raised the suspicion that whether the money belongs to those in power."
- Actor Thilakan suspended from Malayalam film forum
Thiruvananthapuram: Veteran Malayalam actor Thilakan was Monday suspended from the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) for "indiscipline" after his tirade against the association and other senior actors.
Stars and icons resort to ugly street fights in Kerala A ban imposed on a legendary actor, megastars accused of wicked manipulations, trade unions politicising the issue, cultural icons pointing fingers at the stars; the state of affairs could not have been worse for the much celebrated Malayalam film industry.
- Investigating team rushed to Kabul, NSA to visit on March 5
New Delhi: In the wake of the Friday's Kabul attack, a team of Indian investigators has been rushed to the Afghan capital and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon will pay a visit there on March 5 to discuss security of Indians in Afghanistan.
- Sonia celebrates Holi with schoolchildren
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi Monday celebrated Holi, the festival of colours, at her residence with a group of schoolchildren.
- No Holi celebrations for Nitish, Lalu
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad did not celebrate Holi Monday to express solidarity with the family of Janata Dal-United (JD-U) legislator Abhay Singh who shot dead his wife and daughter before killing himself.
- IIT student in police remand for murder
Shimla: A student of the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee was sent to police remand till March 6 for allegedly murdering a female IIT-Delhi student at a hotel here, police said Monday.
- Two months after suicide, Wipro admits financial fraud
Wipro has been quiet about the embezzlement case, but recently announced a rehaul of the finance division. A Wipro official admitted that amounts ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1 crore were transferred to personal accounts by Anup Agarwal who committed suicide when the fraud was detected.
- Afghanistan just felt like battlefield, recalls Bachchan
Mumbai: Appreciating the hospitality extended to him by the Afghan people, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan relived the memories of his visit to the country, where his movie 'Khuda Gawah' was extensively shot in the early 90s.
- Bad weather closes Jammu-Srinagar highway
Srinagar: The strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed for traffic Monday morning due to shooting stones in the Panthal area of Ramban district.
- Hyderabad gears up for India Aviation 2010
Hyderabad: India's international exhibition and conference on civil aviation, India Aviation 2010, begins here Wednesday.
- Himachal temples on terror alert ahead of Navratras
Shimla: Security has been stepped up in leading temples in Himachal Pradesh following warnings of possible strikes by a Punjab terrorist group, police said Monday.
- 1,200 paramilitary personnel rushed to Punjab, Haryana
The Centre rushed about 1,200 paramilitary personnel to Punjab and Haryana, hit by violence following filing of a fresh murder case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
- Comment: Why Husain should return to 'culturally exuberant' India
A quarter century ago sitting amid designer chaos of paintings and sketches in various stages of completion in his Cuffe Parade apartment in then more-tolerant Bombay, painter Maqbool Fida Husain had a telling response to a question about being Indian.
- Privacy high on Nandan Nilekani's UID agenda
Nilekani swears by privacy as the first batch of UIDs are scheduled to arrive as early as Aug this year
- IAF firepower demo not aimed at any country: Antony
Pokhran (Rajasthan): Even as he expressed concern over Pakistan not dismantling the 42 terror camps operating on its territory, Defence Minister A.K. Antony said the massive air power demonstration the Indian Air Force (IAF) staged here was "not aimed at any country".
- Dikshit Government turns builder to give Delhi a new look
New Delhi: In the next couple of years, India's capital will sport a new look with Shiela Dikshit government taking its role as builder seriously.
- BJP wants Manmohan to explain Tharoor's 'interlocutor' comment
Riyas, New Delhi: Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor on Sunday clarified that he did not mean that Saudi Arabia should be a mediator between India and Pakistan. Earlier in the day, Tharoor reportedly said that Saudi Arabia could be a 'valuable interlocutor' between India and Pakistan.
- Extradition treaty among series of Indo-Saudi pacts signed
Riyadh: A pathbreaking extradition treaty was among five agreements signed between India and Saudi Arabia in the presence of visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz here late Sunday night.
- Man eats street dog's heart after being bitten
Ranchi: A labourer in Jharkhand, who was bitten by a street dog, killed the animal, cut out its heart and ate it to protect himself from rabies.
- 6.38 lakh jobs created in Oct-Dec Quarter
New Delhi: In a clear indication of the revival of the economy, the Government has revealed that 6.38 lakh jobs were created in the October-December quarter last year.
- Manufacturing growth hits 20-month high in Feb
Mumbai: India's manufacturing industry in February grew at its fastest pace in 20 months, expanding for the third month thanks to expanding output and new orders, a survey showed.
- Ernst & Young aboard UID project
Bangalore: Professional services firm Ernst & Young has bagged the contract from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) to become a consulting partner for the project.
- Just one employee involved in fraud: Wipro
Bangalore: Soaps-to-software major Wipro says its internal investigation has revealed the involvement of just one employee in the 'fraud' incident that it discovered in December last year.
- Adani gets bail from Gujarat High Court
Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court granted interim bail to Rajesh Adani, MD of Adani Enterprise, who was arrested by CBI in an alleged customs duty evasion case.
- BSNL rolls out India's first urban mobile WiMAX service
Kochi: BSNL commercially launched the country's first mobile broadband fourth generation Internet access network--Mobile WiMAX in Kerala, making it the first state in urban India to have the facility.
- Suspense over 3G ends; 3 pvt players allowed in most circles
New Delhi: Ending suspense over the number of 3G operators in a circle, the government today said three private players in most of the circles while four in five states, including Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, will be allowed to offer third generation services.
- TCS, Infosys, Wipro to execute core govt schemes
Mumbai: The central and state governments are expected to call bids for three major IT projects this year. These are the home ministry's police mission mode, the agriculture ministry's pilot projects and the ones under the Jawahar- lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mis- sion, said additional secretary, ministry of communicationsandIT,SRRao.
- Auction of 3G telecom spectrum scheduled for April
New Delhi: India Wednesday announced the schedule for auctioning radio frequency spectrum to private players for third generation (3G) telephony, with the process due to begin Thursday by issuing a general notice to interested players.
- Satyam challenges Upaid on taxes, files fresh suit
Hyderabad: May face tax liability of up to Rs 140 crore on the $70-million settlement agreed out of court two months ago.
Some of world's best business jetsEver fantasized a workplace in the sky or may be traveling across time zones while sleeping on a cushy a queen sized bed? If yes, then it is time to wake up to the reality. You can make it all come true in a corporate jet. It will not only give you all the luxuries you are used to on ground but will also make sure that you save every precious minute of your busy schedule. Here are some of the best business jet companies and series talking about what each one of them have to offer to you:
- Anil Ambani Group launches hostile bid for Fame India
New Delhi: A takeover battle for Fame India looks imminent with Reliance MediaWorks, part of the Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG), on Monday announcing a counterbid for 52.48 per cent in the movie threatre chain at Rs 83.40 per share (for Rs 180.14 crore) through an open offer.
- Rajeev Maheshwari appointed Wall Street Finance CEO
Mumbai: Forex services provider Wall Street Finance Ltd today said Rajeev Maheshwari has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company.
- Sensex surges 230 points in early trade on Asian cues
Mumbai: The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark Sensex flared up by a whopping 230 points or 1.42 per cent in early trade on Monday, driven by rallies on the Asian bourses. The 30-share index, which had lost over 237 points in the past two sessions, recovered by 229.75 points or 1.42 per cent to 16,421.38 points with metals, IT and stocks leading the rally.
- Column: Why market doesn't like Mittal's interest in Zain
New Delhi: It's always foolhardy to bet against Sunil Mittal, considering he's always come up trumps and built a powerhouse in just 15 years. At a time when the industry was up in arms against Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) being allowed a backdoor entry into the mobile phone market, Mittal used the ensuing disarray to snap up licences and ramp up his empire; at a time when people were finding it tough to handle one foreign partner, Mittal kept rotating partners. So, when Mittal plans to buy up Zain's Africa business for $10.7 billion, there must be something to it even though his stock continues to tank. There are good reasons for why the market doesn't like the deal, though the severity of the fall makes you wonder if there's more to it:
The UPA's allies, DMK and TMC, have joined the Opposition in demanding a rollback of Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's decision to hike the excise duty on petrol and diesel in Budget 2010-11. Speaking to P Vaidyanathan Iyer and Gunjan Pradhan Sinha, Mukherjee says he hopes to sort out the issue.
- Direct Tax proposals Budget 2010-11: Manna for individual taxpayers
The budget has sprung an unexpected but wholly pleasant surprise on individual tax payers.
- Tax sops for investment in infrastructure bonds
Mumbai: Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in his budget speech on Friday said the government would allow a deduction of up to Rs 20,000 for investments in long-term infrastructure bonds.
Home in on the right loanBuying a house requires a large outlay of capital, but equally important is some serious thinking on the home loan borrower's part. Banks and housing finance companies (HFC) do help out borrowers by providing counselling.
- No loans if your close relative is a defaulter
Banks base credit card, loan decisions on residential address rather than only borrower's income profile.
- Commercial rentals to jump 10% with service tax
New Delhi: Rentals of commercial properties are expected to rise by 10 per cent after the Budget today proposed to bring all lease agreement of shopping complexes, malls and vacant lands under the ambit of service tax.
- Realty index up over 4% post Budget proposals
Mumbai: The BSE Realty, index zoomed over 4% with most of the stocks from sector appreciating 2% - 6%, after the Finance Minister allowed pending projects to be completed within a period of five years instead of four years for claiming a deduction of their profits. Norms for built-up area of shops and other commercial establishments in housing projects is also proposed to be relaxed to enable basic facilities for their residents.
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| Home > 2010 Issues > February 21, 2010 |
Over 1200 workers representing 600 service organisations of the country attend Sewa Sangam in Bengaluru "SERVICE needs to be done without expecting anything in exchange. The God gives us everything we need in our life but He never expects anything from us. We too should serve the society in the similar way without expecting anything from those who are being served," said Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Guruji while inaugurating the Sewa Sangam at Nitte Meenakshi College, Yelahanka in Bengaluru on February 6. |
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Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra AN 18-member delegation including yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, many other senior saints and Shankaracharyas, religious leaders from Islam and Christianity, cow scientists, experts, organic farmers and leaders belonging to various organisations of the country met the President of India Smt Pratibha Patil on January 31 and handed her over 8.36 crore signatures collected from all over the country during the 108-day Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra. |
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God and the gospel of globalisation March 2010
By: Meera Nandahttp://www.himalmag.com/God-and-the-gospel-of-globalisation_nw4314.html
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| Art by Asha Ratna Dangol |
The story about how the markets defeated the BJP goes as follows. Hindutva appealed to the middle classes and youth back in the bad-old-days of the 1980s and 1990s, when these groups were feeling beleaguered and angry due to the failures of Nehruvian socialism and 'pseudo-secularism', which, in their view, gave undue preference to Muslim and Christian minorities. But in the nearly two decades of economic liberalisation and foreign investments that began in the early 1990s, India has witnessed a great burst of economic growth. As a result, the Hindu middle classes are angry no more. Far from feeling beleaguered and discriminated against, they have become more cosmopolitan, more self-confident, and more willing to take on global challenges and seek out global opportunities. Indeed, so confident is the Great Indian Middle Class that it has claimed the 21st century as India's Century. And so the critics ask: What use can such forward-looking people possibly have for the past glories of Hinduism, about which the stodgy old men in khaki shorts keep harping? This story has found great favour among the self-proclaimed Friends of the BJP, who want the party to drop Hindutva altogether, or at least to make it sound less communal, and emerge as a 'normal' pro-market, pro-defence, anti-'minority-appeasement', right-of-centre party.
A similar story is being told from the opposite end of the political spectrum, made up of Dalit intellectuals, most of whom are no friends of the BJP. Influential members of this circle, notably the journalist-activist Chandra Bhan Prasad and the economist and Planning Commission member Narendra Jadhav, have claimed that economic liberalisation, fostered by globalisation, is improving the living standards of Dalits, liberating them from the caste norms that consigned them to degrading work for generations. They derive their evidence exclusively from two districts of Uttar Pradesh that have access to labour markets for semi-skilled work in Delhi, Lucknow and other cities, while ignoring significant evidence that the incorporation of Dalits in the unorganised sector is taking place only on extremely exploitative terms, without any legal protection to speak of. Yet such thinkers remain convinced of the powers of the market, and are pushing to bring affirmative-action policies into the private sector, which they say will open the doors for Dalits to enter the modern, hi-tech economy. The markets' blow against caste norms in employment is naturally seen as a victory for secularism, because by destroying the material conditions of caste hierarchy the markets are seen as loosening the hold of Brahminical justifications for caste. Thus, at least some friends of Dalits, like the friends of the BJP, have come to embrace the gospel of globalised markets in the name of upward mobility for Dalits.
India is not the only country where markets are supposed to be exorcising the demons of religiously inspired fanaticism, patriarchy and other sources of oppression. Parts of the Islamic world – Dubai, Turkey, Malaysia, and even Egypt and Iran – are cited to support the proposition that "global capitalism is the single best hope for combating Islamic extremism," as the American-Iranian author Vali Nasar put it in his new book, The Forces of Fortune. Nasr and others refer warmly to Turkey, where the deeply pious and deeply capitalist-minded middle-class entrepreneurs from small towns have been able to moderate the Islamist instincts of the ruling Justice and Development Party. In a reversal of the idea that 'McWorld' breeds jihad, as put forth by the US journalist Benjamin Barber in his well-known 1995 book Jihad vs McWorld, the charms of 'McWorld' are now being hailed for aborting jihad by seducing the actual and potential jihadis into shopping malls.
Those who believe in the moderating powers of markets assure us, as the political scientist Alan Wolfe did in a 2008 essay, that "religion's priority of belief and secularism's commitment to individual rights are not in opposition," as most religions are adapting to the capitalist world by becoming "prosperity religions". The aim of these prosperity religions is not to question the morality of acquiring wealth, but rather to bless the believers into thinking that they can become rich as well by the grace of god. Thus, Wolfe assures us, the rising religious fervour in many parts of the world is nothing to worry about, as this safely feeds into fervour for making money and getting rich. Thus, the new evangelists of prosperity religions cheer the fact that, from China to Russia to Turkey, 'God is back', as the title of a recent book by the British journalists John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge would have it. They suggest that if the entire world were to erect a US-style wall of separation between state and religion, there would be no reason to worry about jihad or fundamentalist religious extremism, because then all religions would learn to embrace both democracy and capitalism and thus metamorphose into prosperity religions, as they apparently have in the United States. Such a celebration of American secularism, of course, fails to account for the fact that this country has an active and very influential Christian-fundamentalist movement.
Others, such as Richard Wright, the author of The Evolution of God (2009), go even further, proclaiming that globalisation is carrying out the expansion of moral imagination that was kick-started by the Abrahamic God. Just as Christianity and Islam learned to see other tribes as brothers under the God of Abraham, global economy is setting up 'non-zero-sum games' that allow people to include distant strangers in faraway lands in their circle of moral concern. So, according to this line of thought, when the whole world becomes interlinked through trade, we will all learn to become more tolerant, and a great concord of civilisations will ensue – just as the Abrahamic God intended. Globalisation, in other words, is doing God's work. Again, however, this celebration of global tolerance fails to account for the fact that globalisation is not a non-zero-sum game: it produces very clear winners and losers.
Worship the nation
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Any overt violence is not good for business, and no one knows that better than those who make a living through business. Thus, those upwardly mobile Indians who are benefiting from off-shored information-technology jobs and the expanded consumer choices made possible by foreign investment and trade definitely do not want to create an impression of religious bigotry and political volatility in India. As such, there should be little wonder that the largely Hindu middle classes deserted the BJP in the last election: they do not want to risk bloody riots in Bombay, Ahmadabad, Delhi and other centres of commerce by flogging the dead horse of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, or by getting exercised over a dargah in Karnataka or Christian-versus-Hindu issues elsewhere. That is the reason that even those who admire Gujarat's chief minister, Narendra Modi – which includes captains of Indian industry, well-known journalists and Amitabh Bachchan – advise him to showcase his state's economic development but tone down his anti-Muslim invective. That is also the reason why the business press cheered when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition won in 2009.
If we look at religious nationalism through a wider-angle lens, however, without reducing it to mere communalism, the picture changes entirely. Suddenly, globalisation and its parallel neoliberal economic policies appear as allies, not enemies, of religious nationalism. Indeed, globalisation is turning out to be good for the gods everywhere. This is nowhere more so than in India, where, aided by what can be thought of as the 'state-temple-corporate complex', a new Hindu religiosity is getting more deeply embedded in everyday life, in both the private and public spheres. At least for now, growing economic prosperity seems to have weaned the Indian middle classes from the extremist elements of the Hindu right, who incite animosity against Muslims, Christians and the pub-going Westernised elite. But the rising prosperity has definitely not turned Indians against the more subtle ways in which Hinduism is becoming the de-facto religion of the 'secular' Indian state.
In India, Hinduism, the religion of the majority, is becoming more, not less, entrenched in the routine, everyday conduct of statecraft. Meanwhile, it is also being celebrated in the public sphere as the real fount of spiritual-cum-'scientific' values that are supposed to turn India into the 21st-century superpower. There is a widespread belief, for example, that India's success in information technology comes from the 'Hindu mind', which thinks in abstractions and is good at breaking codes, and that India can be trusted with nuclear weapons because of its culture of non-violence that has Hindu roots. If India were a homogenous Hindu society, such blending of faith and modernity would be problematic only for the tiny (and much neglected) minority of diehard nonbelievers and principled secularists, who want to create a new culture that does not need to invoke supernatural powers and who want the state to have nothing whatsoever to do with any religion. But considering that India is a multi-religious society, home to the second-largest Muslim population in the world and to a considerable number of Christians and Sikhs, the constant conflation of Indian culture with Hindu gods, goddesses and rituals is obviously problematic.
Since there has been an endless debate in India about who really is a Hindu, and what exactly secularism means, it is useful to indicate how these terms are being used in this essay. For all practical purposes, this essay assumes that a Hindu is as a Hindu does. That is, all those people around the world who say they are Hindus – including (but not solely) all the men and women who offer pujas to Hindu gods and goddesses in their homes, and/or line up outside temples, and/or undertake pilgrimages on days considered auspicious on the Hindu calendar, and all those who observe Hindu rituals at the time of birth, marriage and death – are counted as Hindus. Their rituals, gods and goddesses, and ways of worship do differ along caste, class, gender, age and regional lines, but they are nevertheless unified by a set of metaphysical beliefs about god, nature and human beings that are distinctively Hindu. Insofar as secularism has any meaning in India, it means equal distance between the state and all the various religions of Indian people, just as there is an equal distance between the hub and rim of a wheel. So, in this essay, when the Indian state is held accountable for betraying its secular principles, it means the state has betrayed this principle of equal distance by being partial to the religion of the majority – ie, Hinduism – over and against the religion of the minorities.
Around the world, the deep embedding of religious faith into the pores of the state and the civil society is what religious nationalism is all about. Communalism is a terrible but still largely accidental feature of religious nationalism, and can wax and wane depending upon the political context. Yet religious nationalism has two far more enduring purposes that go beyond communalism: one, to make the majority religion the basis of the nation's collective identity and the source of its ultimate values and purposes; and two, to allow the institutional space of the majority religion – the networks of temples, ashrams, religious schools or gurukuls, charitable hospitals, etc – to take on the welfare functions of the state, while retaining their distinctive religious nature. The idea is to erase the line between the ritual and political spaces, or to remove any distinction between the worship of gods and the worship of the nation. These features of religious nationalism depend upon the institutional arrangements between the state, religions and other dominant institutions of the society, including of course the amorphous domain of the market. These institutional arrangements are not etched in stone, but rather evolve and change with the changing political and economic context.
In this deeper, more fundamental sense, religious nationalism is able not only to survive but actually to thrive under the current regime of neoliberal globalisation. It would be foolish to try to lay down universal laws of cause and effect for something as history- and culture-dependent as religion and nationalism. But certain trends can be seen to be favourable to a wider role for religion in the public sphere under neo-liberalism, fostered by globalisation. As nation states open up those social functions that used to be performed by public-sector enterprises to so-called public-private partnerships, it becomes easier for religious institutions, often aided by public funds and supported by corporate donations, to establish a greater presence in the public sphere. Indeed, in the US this is exactly how 'faith-based initiatives' were able to punch holes through the much-celebrated 'wall of separation' between the church and the state under the neoliberal presidencies of both Bill Clinton and George W Bush. As US-style capitalism spreads around the world, it is not entirely unreasonable to look at how the changing equation between the state and businesses is affecting the fortunes of religious enterprises.
In a recent book called The God Market, I reported on precisely such institutional arrangements between the Indian state, the loose assortment of Hindu temples, ashrams, gurukuls, pilgrimage centres, etc, and the business sector. Using evidence culled from reliable media reports, budgetary data from government documents, reports of state-level temple-management agencies and the websites of prominent temples and ashrams, the book looks at how neoliberal economic policies are affecting the fortunes of Hinduism. It concentrates largely on two domains most relevant to religious affairs: the establishment of 'deemed universities', which specialise in 'Vedic sciences', and religious tourism.
My main theses in that book can be summed up in three simple propositions. First, the demand for religious services in India is currently growing, especially among the urban, educated and largely Hindu middle classes who are benefitting the most from globalisation. Second, the supply of these religious services, which cater to the majority community, is being facilitated by the neoliberal policies of the state. And third, the net result of this is the mindset of Hindu majoritarianism, which accepts the ever-deeper but often invisible (because it is taken for granted) identification of the national culture of India with the religion of the Hindu majority.
This is not to say that neoliberal reforms and globalisation are creating these circuits of demand and supply where none existed before – the process of domesticating and 'Hinduising' modernity did not start with the current phase of globalisation. After all, the very idea of neo-Hinduism has more than 150 years of history. Further, the middle-class religiosity that revels in ritualism, idol-worship, fasting, pilgrimage and other routines of popular theistic Hinduism was not entirely absent from the cultural milieu of the educated middle-upper classes that came of age in the more 'socialist' or secular era.
As such, the new market economy did not create the religious market, as India always had plenty of choices when it came to gods, faiths and modes of worship. Instead, what the new economy has opened up is more spaces in the public sphere into which religion can penetrate. Contemporary Hinduism, both in its more spiritualist and more devotional forms, can thus be seen to have adapted quite well to the new consumer lifestyles, exploiting the new institutional spaces opened up by the public-private partnerships made possible by privatisation drives in higher education.
Four secular myths
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India is no exception to this worldwide trend, with the population that is prospering simultaneously becoming the most religious. Anyone familiar with India can attest to the growth of popular Hindu devotionalism of murti-pujas (idol worship), temples and pilgrimages, and the time-honoured passion for miracle-working god-men and -women, all combined with the growing craze (and market) for yagnas, astrology, palmistry and other occult arts. Visible signs of growing religiosity can be found everywhere in modern metropolises, where the statues of popular gods are getting taller, temples are becoming grander, and the lines of well-heeled devotees outside temples and ashrams in posh suburbs are increasing in length.
The rising religiosity in India is demolishing four of the most cherished myth of secularisation theory. Let us look at these myths in the light of Indian evidence: First, the myth of the prosperous non-believer. Classic secularisation theory was based on the assumption that growing prosperity and existential security would make people less concerned with god and otherworldly matters. On a macro level, when different countries with different levels of economic prosperity and social welfare are compared, the relationship still holds true. A well-known 2004 study by two Harvard sociologists, Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart, of 19 countries covering most of Europe, North America, Brazil and Japan showed clearly that the level of religiosity declined in those societies, which provided greater 'existential security' through better welfare measures (though some of even these countries, like Brazil and parts of Europe, have also showed resurgence of religiosity in recent years). Within each society, those in higher income levels were found to pray less frequently than those in lower-income brackets. Overall, the poor were found to be twice as religious as the rich, when measured by how often they prayed.
The data from India, as provided by the National Election Survey in 2004 and 2009, turns this picture on its head. In contrast to other countries, the rich, the upper castes and the educated in India are significantly more religious than the poor, the lower castes and those who are less educated. When in 2004 the National Election Survey asked a representative sample of the Indian population how often they prayed, 60 percent of the rich and middle-class Hindus said they offered puja everyday in temples or in family shrines, while only 34 percent of the very poor and 42 percent of the poor did so. This trend held up across caste and educational level. The 'twice-born' castes were the most religious, with 58 percent doing puja daily, while Dalits and Adivasis were found to be the least religious, with only 35 percent of each category reporting the habit of daily pujas. When the data is mapped on educational levels, those with college degrees are more given to daily pujas (at 53 percent) than those who are illiterate (38 percent) or with only a primary education (46 percent).
When measured again after a gap of five years – five years of market growth and 'India Shining' – the trends held up. The rich, the upper castes and the more educated continued to pray more often than other social groups. But there was one surprising result: Dalits and Adivasis seem to be praying more than they used to do. In the 2009 NES survey, 40 percent of Dalits and 43 percent of Adivasis said they offered daily pujas, a significant jump from the 2004 survey. (These trends can be compared since the two surveys followed the same methodology and were carried out by the same team of researchers from Lokniti, a research programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies in Delhi.)
It is not entirely clear how this rise in religiosity of the 'subaltern' classes came about. It could be related to rising living standards: there are reports that Dalits who are trying to break out of their caste ghettos and improve their standards of living are beginning to undertake ostentatious religious rituals such as kathas and jagratas in order to 'pass' as upper castes in their neighbourhoods. If true, this recourse to showy Hindu rituals would be a sad commentary on the prevalence of casteist attitudes in the larger society. Yet however one explains the rising religiosity among Dalits, it belies the expectations that rising economic prosperity of those at the bottom of the heap will break the hold of caste-ism and secularise the Indian society. Even if there is some economic trickledown in places, as the advocates of 'Dalit capitalism' have been claiming, economic betterment is accompanied by a growth of religiosity – rather than a decline, as predicted by secularisation theory.
Second, then, is the myth of privatisation of faith. Those who believe in secularisation theory expect that as societies become modern, religion will recede from the public sphere into private lives. But the reality has belied this expectation. In fact, religions all over the world are becoming less private, more visible in the public sphere and more influential on policies on everything from medical research, women's reproductive choices and sexuality to the environment, terrorism and armed conflicts. In India, too, there is sufficient evidence of the growing presence of religion in the public sphere. Many of the rituals and pujas that used to be simpler domestic affairs are now becoming more public and more ostentatious. Indeed, many of these public rituals are becoming full-blown political events, where holy men and political figures join forces. It is common for campaigning politicians to organise 'political darshans', using public money, and representatives of all parties seem to think nothing of using the state machinery for organising large-scale Hindu rituals for political gain. The Congress party's Digvijay Singh's order to hold public prayers and yagnas for his victory in the 2003 elections in Madhya Pradesh was more than a match for the BJP chief minister of Karnataka, B S Yediyurappa, who used up INR 1.1 million in just five months for his pilgrimages to temples. Even the communist government in West Bengal thought nothing of doing a bhoomi puja for the land it wanted to gift to the Tatas for the Nano car factory.
Participation in public rituals like kathas, kirtans and satsangs is also growing among ordinary people – or, rather, these events and rituals are moving out of the family and into the public square, while also becoming more ostentatious and expensive affairs. The trends for engagement in public religious activities, again as measured by the National Election Surveys in 2004 and 2009, are following the trends for private pujas, with the wealthy, the upper castes and the educated leading the way. Close to 30 percent of upper-caste and wealthy respondents were found to have a high level of participation in public rituals, with Dalits and Adivasis generally falling around 16 percent. In recent years, both the upper castes and Dalits have shown an increase in public religious events, with 18 percent of Dalits reporting higher participation in 2009, as compared to 16 percent in 2004.
Third is the myth of 'de-ritualisation'. The classical theorists of secularisation, from Karl Marx to Max Weber, believed that modernity would "melt all that is solid" (in Marx's words), including belief in supernatural powers. The basic idea is that, as the general sense of human powers increase, the scope of 'god's will', or fate, will diminish. To some extent this has happened, with people around the world increasingly accepting naturalistic explanations for natural disasters. But this process seems to have hit its limits already, and religions are learning to use the tools of technology and markets to celebrate god's powers.
India provides a treasure trove of examples of this phenomenon, from the growing trend of 'e-pujas', remote darshans and computer-generated horoscopes, to Disney-like theme parks cropping up inside temples. But even at a more basic level, which may or may not deploy modern technology, the belief in the efficacy of prayer and ritual (like yagna) to change the course of events in the natural world is growing. This belies the hopes of 19th-century neo-Hindu reformers from Ram Mohan Roy of the Brahmo Samaj, Dayananda Saraswati of Arya Samaj to Swami Vivekananda, who stressed the textual and spiritual elements of the Vedas and Vedanta over the more ritualistic practices.
And fourth, the myth of rationalism and 'scientific temper'. The expectation that religions will learn to scale down their claims about the 'truth' in the face of the growth of scientific knowledge has been belied. In fact, the language of science is now used to justify religious beliefs. Modern Hindu gurus have finessed the art of justifying the spirit-centred metaphysics of Brahminical Hinduism in modern, scientific terms. This 'scientistic' Hinduism sells better among those urban sophisticates who make a living in scientific and technological fields.
This growing religiosity of the well-heeled is often dismissed by intellectuals as somehow not authentic enough, as mere 'consumerism' or just one more experience the rich can spend their disposable income on and feel good doing it. But this disdain is unwarranted. Consuming religion is not like, say, consuming a new brand of beer or buying a new pair of shoes. Rather, consuming religion means participating in its rituals, living by divinely ordained prescriptions and generally sharing the sacredness of the experience – activities that shape people's fundamental orientation of the world, and which give definition both to their view of themselves and that of those who are 'different'. This does not mean that all religious activities lead to narrow-minded identities, or that all those who are more religious end up becoming intolerant – there are obviously many deeply religious Hindus who are not communal and many terribly communal people who are not religious at all. Rather, all this means is that religious activities shape identities, which in certain political contexts can become partisan.
 |
There is actually an even more direct connection between religiosity and political choices. Up until 2004, there was a clear correlation between religiosity and voting behaviour: those Hindus who participated in public religious activities more frequently tended to vote for the BJP (38 percent) over the Congress (25 percent). In the 2009 elections, this relationship broke down, and this category of the highly religious showed the greatest decline (11 percent) in support for the BJP. According to Sanjay Kumar of Lokniti, who is involved with NES surveys, part of the reason why the more-religious Hindus deserted the BJP was because the party failed to assert strong Hindutva positions. Even more troublesome is the fact that those who are more strongly and more openly religious also are more majoritarian in their thinking. Such individuals believe that Hinduism is not just a religion, but rather a 'way of life' for all Indians – a position that clearly overlaps with that propagated by the Sangh Parivar. It appears that the more ardent Hindus, such as those who pray more often and who participate in religious rituals more often, are twice as likely as others to hold the belief that India is a Hindu country.
Thus, even though Hindu nationalist parties are not always able to win the Hindu vote – or "harvest the Hindu souls", as one commentator put it after the 2009 elections – a shared ground of understanding does exist between Hindu religiosity and Hindutva politics. Intellectuals and all-purpose commentators such the Delhi political scientist Ashis Nandy, who confidently proclaim that Hinduism has nothing to do with Hindutva, are simply ignoring the available evidence. Popular religiosity is the soil in which religious nationalism strikes its roots. It is for this reason that secularist forces have to pay attention not just to violence in the name of religion, but to popular religiosity itself.
Most observers of social trends will grant that popular religiosity is on the rise in societies undergoing rapid economic change under the current conditions of globalisation. But there is very little agreement on what globalisation per se has to do with it. The most common connection with globalisation and religiosity is drawn at the social-psychological level. Globalisation and the growing reign of labour flexibility involve layoffs and outsourcing to outside contractors, thus heightening the uncertainties and insecurities of middle classes. The insecurities are percolating into family relations and often challenging the old mores that valued simplicity and frugality as virtues. The nouveau riche are seeking a way to balance their newfound wealth with the 'spirituality' and 'simplicity' they think they are losing by getting caught up in the mayajaal, or illusion, of consumerism. This is a socio-psychological explanation for the Indian trends that this author has offered in her previous work. In this, India resembles the dynamic described by the authors of God Is Back in the Christian context of the US and Britain, where "many religious people see religion not so much as the enemy of capitalism but as a necessary counterbalance to it … Religion provides a way to enjoy the fruits of capitalism while protecting from the thorns."
At the same time, there is a more direct political-economic link between god and globalisation. As globalisation forces the nation state to privatise more of its social functions, it creates more opportunities for faith-based institutions to take over these functions. This link cannot be generalised, as the state-market-religion relations vary in different societies. But there is ample evidence of faith-based institutions benefiting from the cut-the-government-to-size drives in the US, especially under the presidency of George W Bush.
In India, too, the Hindu establishment is benefiting from the recent de-regulatory changes that favour private enterprise, especially in the area of higher education. (Both the 'secular' Congress-led UPA and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance support these measures for disinvestment and privatisation of education, health and other social services.) The same privatisation drive that has allowed for-profit 'deemed universities' to crop up all over the county has also opened the door for Hindu gurus and temple endowments to set up their own universities, which either specialise in 'Vedic sciences' such as astrology, vastu and karmakanda, or offer secular education, mostly in management and engineering, with a traditionalist slant. Once such institutions come into existence – with full credentials to confer degrees, and often with hefty land grants from the state governments – they attract donations and patronage from business houses. Almost all the stars of the guru business in India, from the late Mahesh Yogi to Sri Sri Ravishankar and Swami Ramdev, have enjoyed state largesse in setting up their own universities, as have numerous gurukuls that have cropped up to train young boys to become Hindu priests.
The other sector into which the Indian government is pouring money is the promotion of pilgrimage to countless Hindu holy spots – a cosy relationship within the state-temple-corporate complex. 'Soft' Hindutva, which unabashedly celebrates Hinduism as the national culture of India, is not a monopoly of the BJP and Sangh Parivar; indeed, all the great anti-communal forces routinely indulge in public celebrations of Hinduism for political gains. But more than just public celebrations, they are known to bend state policies to suit Hindu interests, as happened in the construction of the Akshardham temple complex in New Delhi on the banks of the Yamuna, which critics allege is environmentally unsound; and in the dispute over the land grab for the Amarnath yatra in Kashmir recently.
Any purported 'ambivalence' the corporate sector might have toward the BJP extends only to its 'hard' Hindutva politics, which has the potential for unleashing communal violence. But there is not much ambivalence when it comes to the promotion of explicitly religious aspects of Hindu culture as 'Indian culture' more generally. 'Soft' Hindutva has thus become de-facto state policy, regardless of which party is in power, and has the support of the corporate sector as well. Moreover, the concept of the state-temple-corporate complex is not meant to suggest a permanent power grab that has foreclosed all sites of struggle for secularism, but rather to suggest a loose, informal nexus that is using the new enthusiasm for the markets to tilt the balance toward the majority faith in India.
So, what is the answer to the question we started from – namely, can secularists trust globalisation and free markets? It is true that markets might be able to save us from violent religious extremism, and that is part of the reason for why the middle classes deserted the BJP and its allies in 2009. But the markets also deepen the reach of religion into the institutional spaces of society. The only real response to religious nationalism is to actively cultivate a secular culture that can displace the majority faith as the national culture. This would require a purposeful demolition of the truth claims of all faith-based ways of thinking – including the faith in the gospel of globalisation and 'free' markets.
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Swami Ramdev
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 | This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2008) |
| Swami Ramdev | |
|---|---|
 Swami Ramdev | |
| Born | Ramkishan Yadav Haryana, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation | Yogi |
| Known for | proliferation of Pranayama, Yoga and Ayurveda. Leading the Bharat Swabhiman Andolan (Mission) to eradicate corruption from India and restore prosperity in the country. |
Ramkishan Yadav popularly known as Swami Ramdev (Hindi: स्वामी रामदेव), also known as Baba Ramdev, is an Indian Hindu swami. He is particularly well-known for his efforts in popularizing Yoga as it is enunciated in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. He is also one of the founders of the Divya Yog Mandir Trust that aims to popularize Yoga and offer Ayurvedic treatments.
His camps are attended by a large number of people. Over 85 million people[1] follow his yoga camps via TV channels, and video. His yoga teaching sessions are for the masses and free for all. His stated principle in life is to be of help to all.
[edit] Early life
Ramdev in Said Alipur in the Mahendragarh district of Indian state of Haryana[citation needed]. As a child he suffered from paralysis. He has stated on air[citation needed] that it was through yoga that he was able to regain the full functionality of his body again.
He attended school till the eighth standard(class) in Shahbajpur. He then joined an aarsh gurukul in Khanpur village to study Sanskrit and Yoga. Eventually, he assumed Sanyas (or monastic living), taking his present name. He then moved to Jind district and joined the aarsh gurukul Kalba and started offering free Yoga training to villagers across Haryana.
[edit] Work
In 1995, Swami Ramdev established the Divya Yog Mandir Trust with Acharya Karamveer and Acharya Balkrishna. Acharya Karmaveer is well-versed in Yog and Veda while Acharya Balkrishna is a physician with a degree in Ayurveda[2]. (However now Acharya Karamveer has left the Divya Yog Mandir Trust and is practising his mission individually and separately at Mumbai.)
Swamis Ramdev's TV program "Om Yog Sadhana" on zee Jagran with the help of Mr. Mrituenjay Sharma ( producer and director) make him very much populer with the people, His TV programs and Yog camps have proved to be immensely popular. Attendance at his yog camps has been quoted as being up to 20,000 people.[3] Among the many locations, Swamiji was invited and has conducted a yog camp at the Rashtrapati Bhavan - the residence of the President of India also.[3]
His TV program is broadcast in several continents including Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe and America. Executives at the TV channel carrying Swami Ramdev's program have reported immense demand for the show.[3] Viewership is quoted as being 20 million regular viewers.[3]
Followers of these programs have claimed relief from a variety of ailments such as blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, spondylitis, hepatitis and obesity.[3]
One of the factors that differentiates Swami Ramdev is his emphasis on teaching and making available the practice of Pranayama for the masses.[3] This is different from other yoga teachers who place more emphasis on asanas (yog postures).[3] Comprehensive video demonstration of Pranayam The practice of 'praanaayaama' and 'pratyaahaara' (specific diet) for providing health, which Baba Ramdev demonstrates, is well-established in Indian traditions.[4]
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a world-renowned spiritual leader is quoted as saying "If an individual can be credited with reviving yog in this country (India), it is solely Swami Ramdev. Yoga can cure even fatal diseases and Swami Ramdev has definitely proved it time and again. Swami Ramdev has spread yog to such an extent that sooner or later, one has to embrace it."[3]
[edit] Patanjali Yog Peeth
Swami Ramdev's flagship project, the Patanjali Yogpeeth (PYP) Trust, was inaugurated on August 6, 2006. Its aim is to build the world's largest center for Ayurveda and Yoga that includes facilities for treatment, research and a teaching university[3][5]. The trust, most notably, offers free treatment to those who cannot afford. For all other, the treatment is at lesser costs than hospitals elsewhere.
Through PYP, Swami Ramdev continues to work with various institutions and medical organizations in an effort to study and improve yoga's effectiveness in working against diseases like diabetes, hypertension, obesity, etc.
[edit] National Issues Raised
Swami Ramdev has raised a number of national issues through his yog camps (yog shivirs). Most of the issues raised by him demand change in governance policies of India and the life style of common people. Some of the most emphasized issues are :
[edit] Malpractices in the agricultural sector
Swami Ramdev says that the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides has led to increased profits for those in trade, but it poses a big threat to the health of the common man since fruits and vegetables are increasingly becoming contaminated with disease causing chemical compounds.
[edit] Consumption of fast food and soft drinks
At most of his yog shivirs (yog camps) Swami Ramdev has raised the issue of increased consumption of fast foods, packed foods and soft drinks by common people. He says that these products are disease causing junk and are far from anything to be eaten. He says that soft drinks like Coke and Pepsi are no better than pesticides or toilet cleaners and this is enough to explain what effect it has on the human body.
[edit] Exploitation of farmers
Baba Ramdev blames the corrupt governance practices for the miserable conditions of the farmers and other backward parts of the society. He says that agriculture is the biggest contributor to India's economy and yet the farmers are the most poverty stricken class of people. He says that for the economic prosperity of the country it is an issue of utmost importance to bring welfare to the farmers.
[edit] Poor condition of indigenous industries
Baba Ramdev blames failure of government policies for the state of the Indian industries with the Indian market being flooded with foreign made or foreign brand goods. Baba Ramdev says that indigenous industries must be supported and promoted to reduce the dependency on foreign made goods and for this both the government and the consumers have to be aware.
[edit] Indian black money in Swiss banks
Baba Ramdev has publicly raised the issue of Indian money stashed away illegaly in Swiss bank which is estimated to be between 1-1.5 trillion USD. He says that the government must take concrete action and bring back the money as it belongs to the people of India and has been taken out of the country illegally [1]
[edit] 84 Crore (840 Million) People living on Rs. 20 a day
Official surveys indicate that at least 84 Crore (840 Million) people (nearly 75% of the population) are living with a capacity to spend Rs.20 or less in a day. Baba Ramdev has started the Bharat Swabhiman Andolan the first aim of which is to bring prosperity to these 840 million people.
[edit] Bharat Swabhiman Andolan
5 Goals of Bharat Swabhiman Andolan:
1.100% voting 2.100% nationalist thought 3.100% boycott of foreign companies, adoption of 'swadeshi' 4.100% unification of the people of the nation 5.100% yoga-oriented nation
5 Vows of Bharat Swabhiman Andolan:
1.We will only vote for patriotic, honest, valiant, farsighted, and skillful people. We ourselves will vote 100% and also make others vote. 2.We will unite all patriotic, sincere, aware, sensitive, intelligent and honest people together 100% and uniting the powers of the nation will bring about a new freedom, new system and new change. We will make India the biggest superpower in the world. 3.We will 100% boycott foreign goods made with zero technology and adopt indigenous goods. 4.We will adopt nationalist thought 100%, and while in our personal lives we observe Hindu, Islam, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, etc. religious traditions, in our public lives we will live like a true Indian – a true Hindustani. 5.We will make the entire country 100% yoga-oriented and make the citizens inward-focused by making them healthy and arouse the feeling of self-pride in each one by removing the cheating, corruption, hopelessness, disbelief and self-languor arising because of self-confusion, and awaken India's sleeping self-respect by building national character
Bharat Swabhiman Andolan is a mass movement campaign launched by Baba Ramdev to eradicate corruption from India. The Andolan promotes protest against corruption in every government sector, and claims that the nature of this corruption is that Indian officials illegally broker deals to allow foreign companies to enter every Indian social sector and hamper the indigenous system in every sphere. Government estimations show that nearly 84 crore (840 million) people in India, which is nearly 75% of the total population, are living with a capacity to spend only Rs. 20 (1 dollar ~ Rs. 45) in a day, and the Bharat Swavhiman Andolan claims that fighting government corruption is the first step to changing this state of poverty.
The organization aims to accomplish its goal by reviving forgotten parts of Indian culture among all Indians, and Baba Ramdev says this would be the first step towards making India a superpower. Swadeshi Shiksha (education system based on Indian principles) and Swadeshi Chikitsa (medical system based on Indian principles) are two of the most important aims of this mission. Establishment of Hindi and all regional (Bhartiya-Indian) languages as the primary language in government-sponsored activities like education and the judiciary is part of the agenda of this movement. Baba Ramdev draws attention to the fact that in terms of population Hindi is the second most spoken native language after the Chinese language and yet in its own country it gets secondary status to English. He also sees a problem in the fact that no modernized country in the world uses a foreign language for official purposes except India
[edit] Controversies and criticisms
Over the years Swami Ramdev's name has been a part of several controversies.
[edit] Minimum wage
In March 2005, about 113 employees of the Divya Yoga Mandir Trust started an agitation for minimum wages, coverage under the Provident Fund and Employees' State Insurance schemes. At a tripartite meeting, an agreement was reached between the workers, management and the district administration. However, some agitating workers were dismissed by the Trust after being charged for alleged sabotage. Their case was taken up by a trade union controlled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist). They are yet to be reinstated.[6][7]
[edit] Allegations of unlawful manufacturing practices
In January 2006, the Indian Member of Parliament Brinda Karat accused the Divya Yog Mandir Trust Pharmacy, owned by Ramdev, of using human and animal bones in their medicines. Samples of the medicines Kuliya Bhasm and Yauvanamrit Bati purchased from Brahmakalp Chikitsalay, the Trust's hospital at Haridwar, were allegedly tested at government labs which later confirmed the presence of animal materials in the sample. She exhibited the prescription and cash receipt obtained from the medicine counter in support of her claim.[7][8].
Later, four samples were sent to the government-recognized Shriram Institute of Industrial Research in Delhi. The report from this institution declared that the samples did not contain objectionable ingredients and were purely herbal. Swami Ramdev was subsequently cleared of the charges[9]. Notably people's response was so huge that subsequent to these allegations, sales of the Trust's ayurvedic medicines have soared[3].
[edit] Opposition to Homosexuality
In July 2009, in the wake of the Delhi High Court decriminalizing homosexuality in India, Ramdev told the press "The verdict will encourage criminality and sick mentality. This kind of thing is shameful and insulting. We are blindly following the West in everything. This is breaking the family system in India. Homosexuals are sick people, they should be sent to hospitals for treatment. If the government brings this law, I will take to the streets of Delhi in protest."[10]
[edit] Claims of curing AIDS
In December 2006, press reports claimed that Swami Ramdevji had made claims of being able to use Yoga to cure AIDS. A website promoting his products states that the CD4 cell count in some AIDS patients has improved after practising Yoga[11]. This statement was translated by certain journalists as claiming a cure for AIDS[12]. As a consequence of these press reports he was sent a cease and desist order by the Indian Union Health Ministry and threatened legal action from medical NGOs[13]. Ramdev responded by saying that he had been misquoted[14]. His position was that Yoga and Ayurveda together can alleviate the suffering from AIDS, not cure it[15].
[edit] Claims of curing cancer
Other press reports quoted[citation needed] him as claiming to have a cure for cancer of the breast, liver, prostate, uterus, pituitary gland, brain tumors and leukemia by practicing the seven breathing exercises.
In a residential camp held in Yog Gram, Haridwar during 19–25 June 2008, several cancer patients stepped forward to recount first-hand stories of their successful bouts with blood, prostate and breast cancer using Pranayam or breathing exercises[16].
Swami Ramdev has claimed having documented proof of his successes.
[edit] Awards and recognitions
- January 2007 - Honorary Doctorate, KIIT University (Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar, Orissa) in recognition of his efforts at popularizing the Vedic science of Yoga.[17]
[edit] References
- ^ "Ramdev's yog brand launched in America". http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1107155.
- ^ "Swami Ramdev". knowyoga.org. http://knowyoga.org/tiki-index.php?page=Swami%20Ramdev. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Life Positive". http://www.lifepositive.com/Spirit/Swami_Ram_Dev/The_Messiah_of_Yoga72006.asp.
- ^ Shankaracharya's "Bhajagovindam Stotra".
- ^ "Patanjali Yog Peeth - Introduction". http://www.divyayoga.com/introduction.htm.
- ^ Frontline "In the name of Ayurveda". The Hindu. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/thscrip/print.pl?file=20060210002604200.htm&date=fl2302/&prd=fline& Frontline.
- ^ a b "How Karat-Ramdev War began". ExpressIndia.com. http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=61019.
- ^ "Guru accused of 'human bone' drug". bbc.co.uk. 4 January 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4580846.stm. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ "Yogi cleared of animal parts row". BBC News. 8 March 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4786114.stm. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ "Gay is bad, chorus maulanas, saffron brigade & Church". DNA. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_gay-is-bad-chorus-maulanas-saffron-brigade-and-church_1270429.
- ^ "Ayurvedic Herbs for control of HIV, AIDS & any Sexually Transmitted Diseases". yogapranayama.com. http://www.yogapranayama.com/hiv_medicine.htm. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ "Baba Ramdev's website claims AIDS is curable". dnaindia.com. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1071418. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ "Yoga effect on AIDS? Baba has 'proof'". moneycontrol.com. http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/newsarticle/stocksnews.php?cid=1&autono=30049&source=ibnlive.com. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ "I made no claims of curing AIDS: Ramdev". expressindia.com. http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=78569. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ "I never claimed I can cure AIDS: Ramdev". dnaindia.com. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1071141. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ "I'll stay away from politics: Ramdev". ibnlive.com. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/ill-stay-away-from-politics-ramdev/top/30024-3.html. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
- ^ "Doctorate degree for Yoga Guru Ramdev". punjabnewsline.com. http://www.punjabnewsline.com/content/view/2664/39/. Retrieved 21 March 2007.
[edit] External links
- Divya Yoga Mandir Trust
- Patanjali Yog Peeth UK Trust
- Patanjali Yogpeeth USA Trust
- Baba Ramdev Biography
- Baba Ramdev Facebook fan page
- Bharat Swabhiman Andolan
- Baba Ramdev Ji Yoga Videos on www.totalbhakti.com
- Swami Ramdev Yoga Camp in Houston, Texas
- BBC Audio Interview with Swami Ramdev in Hindi
- The republic and the wayward rationalist - Essay by P. Sainath
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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Sri Sri Ravi Shankar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 13, 1956 (1956-05-13) Papanasam, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Hinduism - Advaita vedanta |
| Website www.srisri.org | |
Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (Tamil: ஸ்ரீஸ்ரீ ரவிஶங்கர் ; Hindi: श्रीश्री रविशङ्कर), born Shankar Ratnam on May 13, 1956 in Tamil Nadu, India, is an exponent of Advaita Vedanta and the spiritual leader of the Art of Living Foundation (founded 1982), which aims to relieve both individual stress and societal disease and violence and which has UNESCO consultative status. Referred to by followers with the double-honorific "Sri Sri", Guruji or Gurudeva,[1] he also established in 1997 a UK-based charity, the International Association for Human Values, an NGO aimed at fostering shared global values.
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[edit] Life
Born to Venkat Ratnam, a businessman in the automobile industry, and his wife Vishalakshi,[2][3] he was given the name Shankar after the 8th century CE Hindu saint, Adi Shankara.[1] According to his biographies, at the age of four he could recite a few verses from the Bhagavad Gita[4] and received a baccalaureate in science at 17 from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore University.[5][6]
A disciple of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi,[7] Shankar joined Maharishi's entourage after graduation, being taught by Vedic pundits at Maharishi's charities. In the early 1990s, Shankar himself added the Sri Sri prefix (usually an honorific bestowed by others) to his own name Ravi Shankar after the renowned sitarist Ravi Shankar objected that the guru was capitalizing on the latter's fame.[1]
Shankar claims that his rhythmic breathing exercise क्दर्शनरिया (sudarśana-kriyā) came to him in 1982 "like a poem, an inspiration", after a ten-day vow of silence on the banks of the Bhadra River in Shimoga in Karnataka, India, adding: "I learned it and started teaching it."[2][8] Shankar says that every emotion has a corresponding rhythm in the breath and that regulating breath could help relieve personal suffering.[9]
[edit] Philosophy
Shankar emphasizes breath as the link between body and mind and, therefore, as a tool to relax the mind, emphasizing both meditation and service to others. According to him, science and spirituality are linked and consistent. His stated vision, through jñâna-yoga, is to create a world free of stress and violence, and his programs claim to offer practical tools to accomplish wisdom. In his view, "Truth is spherical rather than linear; so it has to be contradictory." "Anything that is spherical is always contradictory."[10]
After the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center towers in New York City, the Art of Living Foundation offered free courses in stress reduction to New Yorkers.[9] The group also ran a relief program in Kosovo for the war-ravaged population and for public health, university and UN personnel. The organization also started an operation in occupied Iraq in 2003 aimed at relieving the stress of the Iraqi population.[11] A similar program was implemented in Afghanistan from 2003 to 2006 teaching war victims as well as UN and NGO personnel. In 2007, Shankar visited Iraq at the invitation of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and also met with Sunni, Shia and Kurdish leaders.[12] He visited Pakistan in 2004 and met with some political and religious leaders there as a part of his efforts to promote global peace.[13] Many volunteers have assisted the 2004 tsunami victims and Hurricane Katrina victims. There is a prison stress management and rehabilitation techniques program, known as SMART, which assists many prisoners and prison staffs worldwide.
[edit] Sudarśana-kriyā
Sudarśana-kriyā is the core component of the Art of Living courses. Persons enrolling for the courses are required to sign non-disclosure agreements promising not to reveal specifics of Shankar's breathing technique. [14]. However, some of the "asanas" and exercises have been disclosed in a newspaper article [15]. Atanu Dey describes Shankar's technique as a commercial repackaging of Patanjali's traditional pranayama techniques from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika[16] and later declared that Shankar's talks are incoherent.[17]
[edit] Selected Works
Shankar's disciples have compiled numerous books transcribed from his various discourses, and a few have been translated into Russian and Spanish.
- An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker (volumes 1-7)
- Buddha: manifestation of silence ISBN 8189291912
- 1995 - Bang on the Door: A Collection of Talks, 101 pp. ISBN 1-885289-31-6
- 1999 - Be A Witness: The Wisdom of the Upanishads, 106 pp. ISBN 8176210633
- 2000 - God Loves Fun, 138 pp. ISBN 1-885289-05-7
- 2001 - Celebrating Silence: Excerpts from Five Years of Weekly Knowledge 1995-2000, 206 pp. ISBN 1-885289-39-1
- 2005 - Narada Bhakti Sutra, 129 pp. ISBN 8178110296
[edit] References
- ^ a b c A. Salkin, Emperor of Air, Yoga Journal, 2002.
- ^ a b Mahadevan, Ashok (February 2007). "Face to face". Reader's Digest. http://www.rd-india.com/newsite/other/facetoface_feb07.asp. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Prabhu, Nagesh (2003-01-17). "Vice-President to open 'Vishalakshi Mantap'". http://www.hindu.com/2003/01/18/stories/2003011803310400.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ WebIndia Biography
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.artofliving.org/intl/Founder/tabid/57/Default.aspx
- ^ Frankenberg, Ruth (2004). Living spirit, living practice: poetics, politics, epistemology. Durham, N.C: Duke University Press. pp. 58. ISBN 0-8223-3295-7.
- ^ Verughese, S., Lessons in Living Life Positive
- ^ a b MacGregor, Hillary E (2004-10-31). "Breathe deeply to relieve stress, depression". The Seattle Times. http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2002075460_healthbreathing31.html. Retrieved 2009-06-05.
- ^ Washington Post interview
- ^ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/3393327.stm BBC News | Indian stress-busters target Iraq
- ^ Art of Living guru in Iraq to talk peace
- ^ 'There's dignity of religion in Pakistan', The Times of India
- ^ Art Of Living course details
- ^ Sudarshan Kriya Asanas, Tehelka.com
- ^ Atanu Dey, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar a Con Man?, May 2000. Retrieved 2010-02-26.
- ^ Atanu Dey, His Most Exalted Holiness Sri Maha Param Pujaniya Gurudevji Bhagwanji Sriman Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji Mahadevji, I presume 17 April 2008. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
[edit] Secondary Sources
- Gautier, François, The Guru of Joy. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar & the Art of Living, Carlsbad, California, Hay House, Inc., 2008. ISBN 978-1-4019-1761-6 (First edition: India, Books Today, 2002. ISBN 8-187-47842-X)
[edit] External links
Meera Nanda is 100 % correct. She rightly says" The only real response to religious nationalism is to actively cultivate a secular culture that can displace the majority faith as the national culture." Religious nationalism (read Hindutava) is nothing but the Indian version of fascism. It's the opium of the masses in a market economy dominated by an alliance of local, international and upper caste elite.Melbourne
2010-03-01 01:03:51
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