VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAK AM - ‘Th e w h o l e w o r l d i s b u t o n e f a m i l y ’

Mount Everest, Tibet, 2007

Photo: David Breashears

Courtesy GRIP

7.5 November 2009

World Peace

International Students’ Day

T he 17th of November is the International Students’ Day, an international observance of student activism. The date commemorates the

anniversary of the 1939 Nazi storming of the University of Prague after demonstrations against the killing of Jan Opletal and the occupation of Czechoslovakia, and the execution of nine student leaders, over 1200 students sent to concentration camps, and the closing of all Czech universities and colleges.

The day was first marked in 1941 in London by the International Students’ Council (which had many refugee members) in accord with the Allies, and the tradition has been kept up by the successor International Union of Students, which has been pressing with National Unions of Students in Europe and other groups to make the day an official United Nations observance.

The Athens Polytechnic uprising against the Greek military junta of 1973 came to a climax on November 17, with a violent crackdown and a tank crushing the gates of the university. The Day of the Greek Students is today among the official student holidays in Greece. The 1989 Prague demonstrations for International Students Day helped spark the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia. Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day is today marked among both the official holidays in the Czech Republic (since 2000, thanks to the efforts of the Czech Student Chamber of the Council of Higher Education Institutions) and the holidays in Slovakia.

BackgroundDuring late 1939 the Nazi occupants of the Czechoslovakia (at that time it was called the protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia), in Prague, suppressed a demonstration held by students of the Medical Faculty of the Charles University. The demonstration was held to commemorate the creation of an independent Czechoslovak Republic.

This demonstration resulted in Jan Opletal’s death. 15th November is the date when he was meant to be transported from Prague back to his home in Moravia. His funeral procession consisted of thousands of students, who turned this event to yet another anti-Nazi demonstration. This however resulted in drastic measures being taken by the Nazi’s. All Czech higher education institutions were closed down; more then 1200 students were taken and sent to concentration camps; and the most hideous crime of all: nine students / professors were executed without trial on the 17th of

November. Due to this the date of 17th November has been chosen to be the International Students’ Day.

Another Bloody 17th of November—GreeceIn November 1973 students of the Athens Polytechnic went on strike. They were protesting against the Regime of Colonels that was in power at the time. Their struggle began on the 14th of November. After barricading themselves and constructing a radio station from the equipment that they found in the laboratories they started broadcasting to the entire city of Athens. Their broadcasts were pro-democratic, against the junta that was in power. They were soon joined by thousands of their compatriots. However they did not achieve their objectives. In the early hours of 17th November an AMX 30 tank crashed through the blocked gate of the Polytechnic. What followed after was captured on a film by a hidden Dutch journalist: passing of a tank through the main entrance of the polytechnic as well as the transmission of a student, coming from the radio, pleading the attackers not to fight the protesters. According to the contested official investigation, no students were killed at the Polytechnic, however several were injured severely, and their injuries left a permanent mark on them. The records of the trials held after the fall of the junta do document the civilian deaths. It is possible that the official numbers are inaccurate. But this issue has not been brought to a conclusion, yet.

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The Velvet Revolution—PragueIn 1989 independent student leaders together with the Socialist Union of Youth (SSM/SZM) organised a mass demonstration to commemorate the International Students Day. This 50th Anniversary event gave students an opportunity to voice their displeasures with the communist party of Czechoslovakia. What began as a peaceful commemorative event turned into a violent one, by the nightfall, with many participants being brutally beaten by riot police, red barrettes and other members of the law enforcement agencies. There were about 15 000 people taking part in this demonstration. The only person to be left lying down where the beatings took place was an alleged body of a student who in actual fact was an undercover agent. The rumour of a fellow student who passed away due to the police brutality triggered events that most probably the secret police were not envisaging. That same night, students together with actors from theatres agreed to go on strike. The following events that took place brought about the downfall of the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.

As it can be seen, students have always been on the forefront of the movement of change. Always when

the country was in crisis students took the opportunity to demonstrate their opinions, even the one that went against the current regime’s values and beliefs. Unfortunately these actions took place only when there was crisis, or unbearable suppression of human rights. What about today? Students need to have their voices and opinions heard! They have an obligation if not towards themselves, towards the others who will follow them, to teach them what the previous generations have left us.

Source: www.17november.eu

Mahatma Gandhi and StudentsIn one of the motivational essays written by Gandhi Ji, he says though expansion, self assertion and competition are the hallmark of our system, yet our quality of life doesn’t figure in these value systems. His message to the students conveys the need to seek education with a basic intention of uplifting oneself as an individual who will later be an instrument for social change. His contributions to the modern civilization emphasizes on releasing oneself from the feeling of “unworthiness and oppression” and thereby realizing one’s power to undertake a bold and abiding action by adopting Satyagraha. Additionally, Gandhi Ji tells all young and energetic individuals to maintain their dignity and become fully developed members of the society. At the end, he says:

“What shall I avail a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul”

Compiled by: Pooja Kohli, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and information taken from J.S. Mathur, Ailing World: Gandhian Alternatives, Bhavan’s Book University

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Editorial PagePublisher & General Editor:

Gambhir Wattspresident@bhavanaustralia.org

Editorial Committee:J Rao Palagummi

Parveen Dahiyaeditors@bhavanaustralia.org

Designing Team:Utkarsh Doshi

J Rao Palagummi

Advertising:info@bhavanaustralia.org

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan AustraliaSuite 100 / 515 Kent Street,

Sydney NSW 2000

* The views of contributors to Bhavan Australia are not necessarily the views of

Bhavan Australia or the Editor.

*Bhavan Australia reserves the right to edit any contributed articles and

letters submitted for publication.

Copyright: all advertisements and original editorial material appearing

remain the property of Bhavan Australia and may not be reproduced

except with the written consent of the owner of the copyright.

Bhavan Australia: - ISSN 1449 – 3551

Board of Directors of

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Office Bearers:President Gambhir Watts

Chairman Emeritus Surendralal Mehta President, Bhavan Worldwide

Company Secretary Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi

Other Directors: Abbas Raza Alvi,

Catherine Knox,

Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi,

Moksha Watts,

Homi Navroji Dastur, Executive Secretary and Director General

Jagannathan Veeraraghavan, Executive Director, Delhi

Mathoor Krishnamurti, Executive Director, Bangaluru

Palladam Narayana Sathanagopal, Joint Director, Mumbai

Patron: Her Excellency Mrs Sujatha Singh High Commissioner of India in Australia

Honorary Life Patron: His Excellency M Ganapathi, Currently Ambassador to Mauritius (Founder Member/Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia)

Articles & Focus ThemesFrom Kyoto to Copenhagen 6 Vedanta in the West 37

Samsø Energy Island (Denmark) 9 Art and Architecture in the Hindu Vision 39

Guru Nanak: A True World Teacher 17 Why America will lead the “Asian Century” 43

Call of the Himalayas 20 Hindi and Urdu The Twin Sisters 45

International Day of People with Disability 24 Melbourne Cup Day 2009 47

Science, Spirituality and Religion 25 Science and Literature 48

White Ribbon Day 29 Celebrating Children’s Day 50

The Enigma of Bayon 34

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President’s Page

Gambhir WattsPresident, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

From Kyoto to Copenhagen: Confronting Global Warming and Achieving Energy SecurityI attended the Global Editors’ Forum co-sponsored by the Government of Denmark and Project Syndicate held in Copenhagen 9–11 October 2009. The theme of the high profile conference was most appropriately and timely chosen by the Project Syndicate to be Confronting Global Warming and Achieving Energy Security. This was a harbinger to the countdown for Copenhagen negotiations in an affirmative and big way. I have written a brief report on the conference which appears in this issue.

After the conference I joined a group of a few selected conference participants to visit Samso Energy Island, courtesy of the Danish Government. It was a long trip of 5 hours one way by bus and ferry. The whole trip experience was exhilarating, a wonderful experience in the arms of the Mother Nature. The Samso Island itself reminded me of Mahatma Gandhi and his thoughts on the environment and natural way of lifestyle.

I had earlier in the conference during the plenary session on The Science and Ethics of Global Warming had suggested that in addition to the Macro level measures being discussed at a micro level the adoption of lifestyle based on Gandhian thoughts and philosophy in relation to the environment and Mother Nature should also be promoted as it is every person’s individual and collective responsibility to contribute towards reduction of carbon emission by cutting down wasteful consumption of energy.

The people at the Samso Island have demonstrated, whether consciously or not, how Gandhian philosophy and thoughts can be put to practice in a western society with respect for the Mother Nature. A separate article on the Samso Island appears in this issue.

International StudentsNovember is one of the most important months with respect to the human rights issues and charities. In this issue we have included information on some of the significant events taking place in November. 14 November is observed as the Children’s Day in India, being the birth anniversary of Jawaharlal Nehru. As recommended by the United Nations General Assembly 20 November (since 1954) is observed as the Universal Children’s Day to be observed as a day of world wide fraternity and understanding between children. 17 November is remembered as the International Students’ Day, an international observance of student activism. The date commemorates the anniversary of the 1939 Nazi storming of the University of Prague after demonstrations against the killing of Jan Opletal and the occupation of Czechoslovakia, and the execution of nine student leaders, over 1200 students sent to concentration camps, and the closing of all Czech universities and colleges. We have dedicated our regular page on World Peace to this event.

This day has assumed much greater significance in Australia, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne where tens of thousands International students throw themselves without knowing what they are getting into and ready to be exploited in the hands of unscrupulous private education providers, ethnic small business people and others facilitated by the unwary, unprepared State and Local Governments and the hapless Federal Government.

I would like to appeal all the students to come out on 17 November and express their protest against the appalling condition of the vulnerable and helpless international students and pressurise the governments to look after the international students, like a special disadvantaged and underprivileged community.

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From Kyoto to Copenhagen: Confronting Global Warming and Achieving Energy Security

I attended the Global Editors’ Forum co-sponsored by the Government of Denmark and Project Syndicate held in Copenhagen 9–11 October 2009. The conference was no doubt a great success. The theme of the

conference was most appropriate and timely for which I must congratulate the Project Syndicate leadership and the team. The countdown for Copenhagen negotiations have begun in an affirmative and big way with this conference.

Some of the highlights included:

• Friday night’s reception at the Royal Opera House, where former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, and Danish Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who hosted the dinner, addressed the gathering;

• Indian Minister of State for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh’s opening remarks on Saturday morning at the Falconer Conference

Center at which he affirmed India’s position with regard to target for reduction of carbon emission and India’s plans for tackling the climate change issues.

• Plenary session on The Science and Ethics of Global Warming, chaired by Jeffrey Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of Earth Institute, Columbia University, and Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General. The eminent panellists included: Jean Pascal van Yperseele, Vice Chair of the International Panel on Climate Change; Stefan Rahmstorf, Professor, Postdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany; Katherine Richardson, Professor, University of Copenhagen, Chair of the Scientific Steering Committee of 2009 Copenhagen Scientific Congress on Climate Change; Peter Singer, Professor of Bioethics, Princeton University and Honorary (Laureate) Professor, University of Melbourne; Nicolas Stern, Chairman,

Lars Lokke Rasmussen, Prime Minster Of Denmark

Ernesto Zedillo, Director, Yale Center For The Study Of Globalization, Former President Of Mexico

Confronting Global Warming And Achieving Energy Security Editor’s Conference Put On By Project Syndicate

Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister For Climate And Energy

Kofi Annan, Former Secretary General Of The United Nations

Jose Manuel Barroso, President Of The European Commision

Jairam Ramesh, Minister Of State For Environment And Forests,

Government Of India

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Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment and IG Patel Professor, London School of Economics and Political Science.

• Some of the other notable speakers and presenters on Saturday and Sunday included: Nobel Laureate Joseph Stiglitz, Professor of Economics, Columbia University; Former President of Mexico, Ernest Zedillo, Director Yale Center for the Study of Globalization; Peter Sutherland, Chairman of British petroleum, former Director General of GATT and the WTO, former EU Commissioner; Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy; Shlomo Ben-Ami, former Israeli foreign Minister; Prof. Keneth Rogoff, Harvard, former Chief Economist IMF; Jules Kortenhorst, CEO, European Climate Foundation; David Yarnold, Executive Vice President, Environment Defense Fund; Joscka Fischer, former German Foreign Minister and leader of Green party.

• George Soros’ momentous pledge on Saturday evening reception hosted by the Lord Mayor Ritt Bjerregaard at the Copenhagen Town Hall to invest $1 billion in alternative energy and donate $100 million to establish the Climate Policy Initiative;

• Project Syndicate Editors’ Breakfast on Sunday chaired by Andrez Rapacyznski, Director and Editor, Project Syndicate who along with Nicolas Chatara-Morse, CEO, project Syndicate discussed the various issues with the editors from all over the world. Guest Speaker Ulrik Haagerup, Editor in Chief, DR News presented an interesting concept CONSTRUCTIVE NEWS.

• More than 300 editors of Project Syndicate member newspapers from 119 countries travelled to Copenhagen.

A brief report prepared by my younger colleague Pooja Kohli follows. We will publish more articles emanating from the conference in this and the next issues.- Gambhir Watts, President Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

The discussion on climate change has already started taking place and knowledgeable representatives from different parts of the world have started collecting information on this matter.

Embracing and closely discussing the alarming issues were 300 media representatives from over 119 different countries in Copenhagen from 9th to 11th October, 2009. The conference was indeed a global gathering of people addressing the science, the business and the politics of Climate Change.

The Global Editors’ Forum in association with Project Syndicate was attended by elite ministers and editors and news correspondents who mainly focusing on constructing Post Kyoto agreement which is not just the responsibility of the politicians but also holds equal accountability for the common man. Many influential speeches were delivered by ace national leaders and top notch government officials.

The three day conference was distinctly divided into different sessions with the first day being the Reception at the Copenhagen Opera House. While the 10th October session was at the Copenhagen Town Hall which mainly had panel discussions on topics relating to Science and Ethics of Global Warming. The Panel was chaired by Jeffrey Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development and Director of Earth Institute, Colombia University and Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary General. During the second day program, a key note speech was delivered by Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment and Forests, Government of India. While the last day of the conference, raised discussions on Politics

Pan Jiahua, Executive Director Cass (Chinese Academy Of Social Sciences) Research Center On Sustainable Development, Member Of China’s Expert Panel On Climate Change

Kenneth S. Rogoff, Harvard, Former Chief Economist,

International Monetary Fund

Niels Thygesen, Chair, Danish Organizing Committee, and Chair For Panel One, Jeffrey Sachs, Professor Of Sustainable Development And Director Of Earth Institute, Columbia University, And Special Advisor To The United Nations Secretary General

Itlev Engel, Ceo, Vestas Energy Systems, Denmark

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of Climate Change and Energy Security followed by closing remarks by Andrzej Rapaczynski, Director and Editor Project Syndicate.

Among many distinct speeches, the one by Kofi Annan ignited spark of trust among those present. His take on the issue of climate change started by commenting on livelihoods of people getting lost with the most vulnerable paying the highest price. Mr. Annan doesn’t deny the enormous outcomes of climate change on countries but feels pity for the poorest countries and small nations who have least resources to protect themselves. Furthermore, the forum gave enough liberty to come forward and express views on the issue of climate change. For this purpose, citizens of every country have the autonomy to pressurise their political leaders to address the summit in Copenhagen in December. The negotiators preparing for the climate change deal were advised to work in close connection with their communities.

To this President Obama says, “The science if beyond dispute and facts are clear and that delay is no longer an option”. Undoubtedly, United States has a huge responsibility at the forthcoming Copenhagen Conference as it can lead the world to a new era of global cooperation on climate change.

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission starts with the importance of the upcoming Copenhagen conference due in December. He emphasized the need to base climate change negotiations on facts of science which limits the average Global Warming to no less than 2 degrees Celsius. Additionally, he expressed his deepest concerns over collapsing ice bergs or deforestation. Mr. Barroso also acknowledged the recent efforts taken in New York, Pittsburg and Bangkok but remains worried about the prospects at the stage of the negotiations. Also, he wished to give a new perspective to the issue of climate change. So far the only people who report the case of climate change are the environment correspondents. However, this issue can even be reported by business correspondents and political reporters who too have an equal responsibility in tackling the issue of climate change.

The clear message which José Manuel wanted to convey was that the green growth is not a pipe dream but a reality. We can do it, and in concrete terms we are doing it, now, in Europe. Our emissions per capita are now less than half those of the US at the same level of output. This means our economy is already moving to a new paradigm. Further on, Denmark Prime Minister

Lars Lokke Rasmussen addressed the conference by encouraging worldwide representatives about the right direction on which we are moving. He says, “The world has reached a long way and by now many countries have developed far reaching national emission reduction policies. They are implementing low carbon development plans and realize that the green agenda is vital to combat global warming and can be considered as a solution to the current economic crisis”.

Mr. Gambhir Watts, President Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan felt privileged to be a part this conference as it discussed about the impending dangers of climate change which have now been widely recognized in our societies. The meeting was a reminder for all of us to understand that the Copenhagen agreement is more of people’s opinion rather than imposition of acts and policies. Additionally, Editors and Opinion Editors from Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian were present at the 3 day international summit.

Lastly, it will be fruitful to focus on individual behavior rather than play the blame game. Becoming mindful of our own actions towards the environment can lead to a big change in the world. As Kofi Annan says, “The countdown for Copenhagen negotiations have begun and it is not the end but a necessary beginning of the changes we need to see”.

Yuriko Koike, Member Of The Japanese Parliament For The Lhp-Party, Former Minister For The Environment And Minister Of Defense

Ndrzej Rapaczynski, Director And Editor And Roman Frydman, Director And Editor At Project Syndicate,

Joschka Fischer, Former German Foreign Minister And Leader Of The Green Party

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Samsø Energy Island (Denmark): Going the Gandhian Way

Samsø Island in Denmark, is now an example for the world for becoming self-sufficient in Renewable Energy Resources by using local nature based resources. Gambhir Watts, President, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia visited the Samsø Energy Island in Denmark and was very impressed by their Energy Project using local resources. The most fascinating fact was that the principles followed by people of the island in becoming a Renewable Energy Island reflected the thoughts and ideas preached by Mahatma Gandhi. They followed the ideal thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi that we must take care of nature and preserve it to the maximum and give it to our coming generations in most protected way. The nature’s offerings are loans on us and we must maintain, preserve and save these for our Children.

I n today’s world, environmental challenge is a growing concern,

leading to a global crisis. Mahatma Gandhi’s thoughts are becoming increasingly relevant in the area of ecology. In a way Gandhi was the modern world’s early environmentalist—in vision and in practice. Mahatma Gandhi said “The earth, the air, the land and the water are not an inheritance from our fore fathers but on loan from our children. So we have to handover to them at least as it was handed over to us.”

A small island in Denmark is following the noble thoughts of Gandhiji. They are determined to hand over a better environment to their children. They started with producing their own energy and now they are exporting it. They started an experiment a decade ago and now are reaping the benefits of the successful experiment. The energy in Samsø is ‘truly local’ ie, ‘Swadeshi’.

Samsø is a 114 square kilometer windswept island. It is about 26 km long and about 7 km wide at its maximum width with a population of around 4000 people. For years the island’s inhabitants and their ancestors have benefitted from the sea’s moist breezes and the rich soil, which provides some of the best cultivation conditions in Denmark. Ten years ago a competition altered the course of the Island and today Samsø has a very different story to tell.

With the natural resources like wind turbines, wood, straw and rapeseed oil, the residents of Samsø have created history. They have successfully carried out and lived an experiment of using renewable energy for a self-sufficient lifestyle.

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The Starting PointIn 1997, the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy arranged a competition for the most realistic and realizable plan for 100% transition to self-sufficiency with renewable energy. The Danish Energy Authority made some funds available to elaborate the quite detailed plans for these transitions. Four islands and a peninsula participated in the competition: Læsø, Samsø, Ærø, Møn and Thyholm.

The reason for the ministry’s initiative was a report called Energy 21, which recommended a Renewable Energy (RE) percent coverage of 35% in the year 2030 for the country as a whole. With the described competition, the objective was to highlight RE and study how high a percentage of RE in a well-defined area could be achieved using available technology, and (almost) without extraordinary grants. The Ministry of Environment and Energy wanted to speed up a number of local initiatives towards improving the ideas on Renewable Energy.

The competing master plans were to describe the available resources and how the transition could be made, with both technical and organisational explanations and descriptions. An essential criterion in the ministry’s competition was high priority for reduced energy consumption in all sectors, ie, heating, electricity and transportation. Another top priority for the project was the degree of local participation. The technical solutions in the master plan were to draw primarily on available technology, but the master plan was expected to envisage new ways of

organizing, financing and owning the proposed RE projects. Finally, the master plan was to describe how the winner project would address the status as a demonstration and ‘display window’ for Danish RE technology for the rest of the world.

Samsø won the competition in October 1997. The Samsø master plan was the best and the plan most likely to succeed according to the Danish Energy Authority. PlanEnergi, a small local consultancy firm, prepared a proposal for Samsø, based on the island’s resources of wind, sun, straw and wood chips. The aim was to make Samsø self-sufficient with renewable energy and reduce CO2 emissions to zero over a period of just ten years.

How they did What they didSamsø has lead way for an unlikely social movement. Most people in Samsø heated their houses with oil, which was brought in on tankers. They used electricity imported from the mainland via cable, much of which was generated by burning coal. As a result, every household put nearly 11 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, annually.

When the islanders first learned that Samsø had been selected to be Denmark’s “renewable energy island” many were skeptical. A change this big wouldn’t have been possible without the combined efforts of the government and the community. The proposal to build a centralized district heating plant that would provide heat and hot water to hundreds of homes was approved after several meetings. As the years passed,

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the islanders embraced renewable energy and made it into a business opportunity, a brand, something like a sport.

They formed energy cooperatives and organized seminars on wind power. They removed their furnaces and replaced them with heat pumps. By 2001, fossil-fuel use on Samsø had been cut in half. By 2003, instead of importing electricity, the island was exporting it, and by 2005 it was producing from renewable sources more energy than it was using. Pensioners insulated their homes. Teachers installed solar systems.

Søren Hermansen, director of the Samsø Energy Academy and leader of the 10-year effort to achieve carbon neutrality, visits many countries and shares the story of this successful venture. “We wanted to develop an energy democracy. We wanted people to participate, and have a say in decision-making,” said Hermansen.

Initially, 11 wind turbines were to be installed on the island. They would collectively cover the island’s electricity needs. At the same time, four thermal plants powered by straw, wood chips and solar panels were planned. The investments had to be raised locally, so it was imperative that Samsø’s inhabitants supported the plans.

The Islanders gained a strong sense of ownership by financing much of the clean energy installations on the island over the 10-year project. Of the $75 million spent to build wind turbines and heating district systems, island residents paid for $65 million, tapping European Union and Danish government grants for the remaining $10 million.

Today there are 300 private heating plants powered by solar panels and energy-saving wood-burning stoves. Together with the island’s four heating plants, they ensure that 70 per cent of all heating on Samsø is CO2 neutral.

Learning from Samsø

Samsø is a tourist island. There are about 500,000 overnight bookings and this figure is increasing. Everyday tourism is based on summer cottage rentals, camping sites, pleasure craft, and hotels/bed and breakfast, etc. Tourists mention Samsø’s nature and island culture as the main reason for their visit. Since becoming the “Renewable Energy Island,” Samsø has increasingly found itself an object of study. More recently, a new trend is developing: an educational or vocational tourism. Many island guests come to visit the Renewable Energy Island project.

Researchers often travel great distances to get there. The project has attracted great overseas interest: ambassadors representing foreign countries in Denmark, students, political visitors and contacts would like to understand how the Danish energy policies have been implemented in a local context.

The RE-island project is a socioeconomic development project construed as an exhibit window for the use of renewable energy in a local community. As a direct consequence of these functions, the general objective to establish a central home for the energy island project took hold. The Energy Academy is a community hall for energy concerns, a meeting place for energy and local development.

Going the Gandhian Way—Nature Based Lifestyle

The initiators have truly followed the Gandhian concept of simple nature based lifestyle. They have really shown a natural way to protect their natural resources and using the most efficient ways to produce energy using renewable resources. They used to their maximum the offerings of the nature which can be recycled and used without minimum damage to the nature and environment. They have followed cooperative ways and working, helping each other in the community to serve the purpose of all. They have

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talked, discussed with each other with single idea, the benefit of all community person and maximum regard for the nature. Necessity and cooperation have been taken due care of against the individual needs. This truly reflects the Gandhian philosophy that nature is for all. For the last 150 years they have built a number of cooperative companies for farm products, milk, cheese, butter and foodstock and also cooperative grocery shops and so on. The ideology is based on

poor people who together will make a strong union and be able to compete on the market against the private companies.

Samsø Island has several cooperatives for windmills and district heating plants. It is one key to success for Samsø. They have tried to incorporate new meeting form like holistic thinking and process work where they try to lead people by their own will and wishes but in a way that will lead them to a deeper understanding of why they should go that way ie truly Gandhian way.

ConclusionThe project started by Samsø is an eye opener to the entire world. The primary objective of 100% self-sufficiency with renewable energies attained using local resources, at the same time totally removing the emission of the greenhouse gas CO2 and other air pollutants has been achieved in a span of 10 years. One of the main reasons for this success is the local people of Samsø and their adoption of the project.

The island succeeded in transforming its energy systems within a decade, showing the rest of the world an effective way to deal with the carbon problem. They have proved that with cooperation and efforts in the right direction one can ever achieve what was once considered impractical.

Gandhiji’s way of rural self-sufficiency, village republic, economic growth based on sustainable agricultural practices and agro-based industrialization, basic education system, recycling-based rural sanitation have been marginalized but looking at the current crisis they would prove to be very useful in saving what we are losing slowly. Gandhi showed how it could be done. His option has been rejected

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consciously despite the fact that Gandhi is relevant even today, in a globalized world, as his model of development is sustainable. Gandhij had said, “The earth has enough resources for our need, but not for our greed.” This is such a meaningful message which, if put to use can save this earth from the environmental disaster? Samsø Island has successfully demonstrated to the Western world how the Gandhian concept and philosophy on environment and climate based on the respect and reverence for the nature can lead us to save our climate, natural resources and simple our own earth. We hope the message spreads to many.

References:

1. Samsø – a Renewable Energy-Island – 10 years of development & Evaluation – A report

2. Official Website of Denmark – http://www.denmark.dk

3. Samsø Energy Academy – http://www.

energiakademiet.dk

4. Travel Blog – for pictures – http://www.travelblog.org

5. High Country News – Article by Randy Udall – http://www.hcn.org

6. Reuters – http://www.reuters.com

7. Clean energy Economy – An article by Søren Hermansen – http://www.cleanenergyeconomy.net

8. Blog by Edgar on Alternative Energies – http://waterforoil.blogspot.com

9. Gandhiji’s Thoughts – www.gandhifoundation.net

This report has been prepared by Veena Sashikumar* in consultation with Gambhir Watts, President, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia.

*Veena Sashikumar is a migrant from India. She has a background in Events, Journalism and Public Relations.

Mahatma Gandhi and Swaraj (Self Rule)

Interpreting Gandhi Ji’s analysis of Swaraj prominently speaks out its relevance in today’s world. In a letter to Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, he firm-ly says that without truth and non-violence, there will be nothing but destruction of humanity. It is therefore, crucial to protect India since through India the entire world can be saved from such a doom. Also, his view on the spinning wheel is closely linked to this contemporary world. In an interview with Andrew Freeman, an Ameri-can correspondent he clearly gave the message for the whole world, “The world is spinning in the wrong direction and it must reverse itself and spin its own thread and yarn to produce handi-crafts at home and thereby repudiate the machine by which mankind can destroy itself”. The Charkha (or Spinning Wheel) is truly a symbol of technology and conveys a message of simplicity, faith and service to mankind. Swaraj is all about finding peace from within but mistakenly today we find peace by organizing big conferences, but now it is time that peace comes from the People.

Source: J.S Mathur, Ailing World: Gandhian Alternatives, Bhavan’s Book University, pp. 9–14

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Pictures from the Photo Exhibitionat the Global Editors Forum at Copenhagen, Denmark

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Box Detail Shown below

Photo: David Breashears

Courtesy of GRIP

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7.5 November 2009

Guru Nanak: A True World Teacher-Kulbir Singh Malhotra*

I ndia is a land of spiritual Avatars, Saints, Gurus who arrived on this land at the crucial time when religious leaders and rulers were misusing

religion for their own interests. It is not only the land of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama, but also of the Saints, Gurus and spiritual leaders like Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, Mahavira Jain, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Guru Nanak, Sant Tukaram, Meera Bai and the list continues.

In Bhagwat Gita, Bhagwan ji says; “Yada Yada Hee Dharmasya Glanir Bhavati Bharata Abhyutthanam Adharmasya Tadatmanam Srjamy Aha”—meaning—Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, and a predominant rise of irreligion—O descendants of Bharata (Indians), at that time I descend Myself in the form of a Saint, Guru or Awtar.

Probably, this line of Bhagwat Geeta explains why India is the cradle of half the world’s major faiths. Guru Nanak, with whom the Sikh religion originated, was born in 1469 (full moon night of Kartik month which falls on 2 Nov 09) at Talwandi, Western Punjab, now in Pakistan. That was the time when religious leaders in connivance with the rulers were in full control of the personal lives of the general public, treating them like slaves. The poor and downtrodden had no voice at all.

Reforms and Teachings of Guru NanakGuru Nanak was a mystic, spiritual guide, social reformer, poet and much much more. He was also a family man, (he was married and had two sons), who rejected the idea of renouncing the world or leading an ascetic life. Guru Nanak mastered Punjabi, Sanskrit and Persian at an early

age. In childhood, he revolted against ritualism, caste system, prejudices, hypocrisy and rejected idol worship. He was a true world teacher who reformed the teachers. His grand mission was clear from His very infancy. He had started preaching the mystic knowledge and the universal truths as an infant. He had incarnated to reform the teachers, the spiritual giants. He had come to dispel clouds of darkness, clouds of ignorance, and clouds of superstition.

His aim of true education and knowledge was character building. It was to raise a person from animal instinct to a fine human being, from a human being to a fine spiritual being, and from a true spiritual being to ultimate divinity.

Three Golden Rules for Truthful Living1. He gave three golden principles to the people for

truthful living:2. Kirt Karna (Earn your livelihood through honest

labour),3. Wand Chhakna (Share earnings with needy and

sick),4. Naam Japna (Meditate on the Name of God).

Guru Nanak Dev Ji Maharaj With Bahi Bala And Mardana Ji

As the sunrise dispels the darkness and stars disappear, Satguru Nanak’s emergence cleared the mist of ignorance and falsehood

Guru Nanak – A true world teacher

India is a land of spiritual Avatars, Saints, Gurus who arrived on this land at the crucial time when religious leaders and rulers were misusing religion for their own interests. It is not only the land of Lord Krishna and Lord Rama, but also of the Saints, Gurus and spiritual leaders like Siddhartha Gautama Buddha, Mahavira Jain, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Guru Nanak, Sant Tukaram, Meera Bai and the list continues.

In Bhagwat Gita, Bhagwan ji says; “Yada Yada Hee Dharmasya Glanir Bhavati Bharata Abhyutthanam Adharmasya Tadatmanam Srjamy Aha” – meaning - Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, and a predominant rise of irreligion - O descendants of Bharata (Indians), at that time I descend Myself in the form of a Saint, Guru or Awtar.

Probably, this line of Bhagwat Geeta explains why India is the cradle of half the world's major faiths.

Guru Nanak, with whom the Sikh religion originated, was born in 1469 (full moon night of Kartik month which falls on 2 Nov 09) at Talwandi, Western Punjab, now in Pakistan. That was the time when religious leaders in connivance with the rulers were

यदा यदा िह धमर्ःय ग्लािनभर्वित भारत

अिभउथानमधमर्ःय तदात्मानम ्ॐजाम्यहम ्

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7.5 November 2009

Message of EqualityGuru Nanak was ahead of his times in preaching equality of all people. He challenged inequalities and any form of hierarchy within the society; especially that based on, gender, social status, caste, class and religion. He regarded Hindus and Muslims as equals and referred to himself as neither a Hindu nor a Muslim but as a brother to all those who believed in God and truth.

The society in which he lived divided people into high and low castes. He challenged this system by saying all people are equal; none are high or low.

Women were considered inferior and not allowed to be educated or even to worship publicly in those days. Guru Nanak taught that women were equal to men, and that they and their abilities should be respected. In the India of Guru Nanak’s time, the followers of different religions often battled each other. Guru Nanak taught his followers that they should respect other religions, just as they would want theirs to be respected. Guru Nanak institutionalized the common kitchen called “Guru Ka Langar” in Sikhism. Here, all can sit together and share a common meal, whether they were kings or beggars. It is a sheer spectacle to see eminent people eating with the street hawkers and even serving food to them.

Nanak as Spokesperson of Working ClassAs Nanak travelled through Punjab and north India, he rapidly began to acquire disciples or shishya, from which the word ‘Sikh’ was ultimately derived. Nanak spoke of the dignity of labour, and one of the first stories that began to circulate about him concerned his interaction with Malik Bhago, the zamindar of Saidpur village. Nanak refused the hospitality of his opulent home, and when asked to explain his conduct, it is said that he took out a dry crust of bread from his pocket that he had brought from the lowly Lalo’s home. When he squeezed the sweets that Bhago had placed before him, it is said that drops of blood fell from the sweets; but when he squeezed the piece of dry bread, drops of milk fell forth. From this event we can view Guru Nanak as an early spokesperson of working class people, and to view the revolt he lead not only as a form of dissent against the oppressions of caste and religion, but as a form of class awakening.

Odyssey (Udassies) of Guru NanakFor over twenty years beginning about 1497, Guru Nanak journeyed on foot throughout India and many other parts of Asia. He travelled as far East as Assam and Burma. To the South he went as far as Sri Lanka (Ceylon). To the North, he ventured even to places outside India like Tibet and China. He also went towards the West into Arabia and Persia; visiting

Mecca, Medina and Baghdad.

At Mecca, Guru Nanak was found sleeping with his feet towards the Kaaba. Qazi Rukan-ud-din, who observed this, angrily objected. Guru Nanak replied with a request to turn his feet in a direction in which God or the House of God is not. The Qazi understood the meaning of what the Guru was saying; “God is everywhere”. The Qazi was struck with wonder. He then recognised the glory of Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak visited Karnataka during his second odyssey and stayed outside the town of Bidar. There used to be acute shortage of drinking water in Bidar. All efforts of the people to dig wells were of no avail. Even when wells produced water that was found to be unfit for drinking. The Guru was greatly moved by the miserable condition of the people. With divine name on his lips and the mercy in his heart, he touched the hillside with his toe and removed some rubble from the place. To the utter surprise of all, a fountain of sweet, cool water gushed out of the hillside. The place soon came to be known as ‘Nanak-Jhira’. ..

Guru Nanak and the Bhakti MovementGuru Nanak’s teachings are best understood against the backdrop of Bhakti, the devotional movement that was then sweeping north and western India, and in the context of the ossification of both Hinduism and Islam into religious faiths, which inculcated blind beliefs in their followers. The Bhakti movement was an anti-establishment shift in the psyche of the native Indian people, mirrored by the Sufi movement amongst the Muslim population. Far from being an ideology, the tone was set by a number of remarkable religious personalities from all manner of backgrounds and religious dispositions whose teachings became known far and wide. The emphasis was on devotion over and above philosophy, and God over and above thought and circumstances. Guru Nanak is understood outside of Sikhism mainly in this framework. His near

Nanak Jhira

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contemporaries in northern India were personalities like Kabir, Ravidas, and Naamdev. Yet one way in which Nanak stands out is his extensive travels throughout India and beyond. However, Sikhs do not view Nanak as a Bhagat. To them, he is a manifestation of God; hence, he is revered as a “Guru”. This explains his odyssey as stated in the previous paragraph. He moved from place to place in order to seek out the devoted, in answer to their religious yearning. In order to spread his message, Nanak actively involved himself in the culture and religious tradition of the various territories he visited - amongst the Shivaites in the south he became like a Shivaite, amongst the Muslims in the west he seemed like a Muslim holy man. In this way, he was able to offer new perspectives on their ancient traditions and insights into religious and theological truths, which had previously eluded them.

Relevance of Nanak’s Concepts in 21st CenturyGuru Nanak’s message was that of love—of unconditional love for the Creator and for all his Creation. The modern 21st century concepts of ‘universal brotherhood of man’, ‘global village’, ‘conservation of environment’ were all espoused by Nanak, back in the 15th century, demonstrated by shabads like “Na ko baeri, nahi begana” (there are no enemies or strange people in this world, since we are all one) and “Pawan guru paani pita, mata dhart mahat” (the wind is the guru, water is the father and the earth is our mother—so, we should respect it).

Last Years of Guru NanakAs his end approached, Guru Nanak would frequently test the devotion of his sons, nearest followers, and in doing so demonstrate their state of mind to one another. There were numerous such occasions and one particular devotee, Lehna, rose to eminence because

he never faltered in his faith in Guru Nanak. Guru Nanak proclaimed Lehna as the successor Guru, renaming him Angad, meaning ‘limb’ or ‘part of oneself’. This successorhood was not a mere gesture. Via a transformation, compared in Sikh tradition as the passing of a flame from one candle to another, the Guru-aspect of Nanak descended upon Angad. Angad became Nanak. In the Guru Granth Sahib, this is described as having even a physical manifestation whereby Angad in person suddenly appeared to look like Nanak. (To Sikhs, although there were ten separate Gurus in physical form, there was actually only one single Guru whose metamorphosised light moved from one successor or vessel to the next, granting a kind of rebirth to those personalities on their initiation. Hence, they all held the original name of Nanak.) Shortly after proclaiming Lehna as the next Guru, Nanak announced that his death had arrived, and retreated to a tree whereby he sat in the lotus position and the praan (life-force) was guided upwards and outwards from his body.

Baba Nanak—Hindu’s Guru and Muslim’s PeerThere is another story related to the end of Guru Nanak. Feeling his end was near, the Hindus said we will cremate you, the Muslims said we will bury you. Guru Nanak said; “You place flowers on either side, Hindus on my right, Muslims on my left. Those whose flowers remain fresh tomorrow will have their way.” He then asked them to pray and lay down covering himself with a sheet. Next morning, when the followers lifted the sheet they found nothing except the flowers which were all fresh. The Hindus took theirs and cremated them, while the Muslims took their flowers and buried them. Thus on September 22, 1539 in the early hours of the morning, Guru Nanak merged with the eternal light of the Creator. Thus having spread the words of reform throughout his lifetime, Guru Nanak successfully challenged and questioned the existing religious tenants and laid the foundations of Sikhism.

* This article has been written by Kulbir Singh Malhotra, Sikh Kirtanprachar Mission Australia assisted by his wife Manjeet and daughter Jasmeen Kaur inspired by Manpreet Singh, Executive Producer SBS Punjabi Radio Programme.

References:1. Sikh Council on Religion and Education; 27 Oct 2009; www.sikhcouncilusa.org2. Sikh Missionary Society U.K.; http://gurmat.info/sms3. Manas; India and its Neighbourhood; http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/southasia/index.html4. About Sikhism; www.aboutsikhism.org5. Eternal Glory of Sri Guru Nanak Sahib; www.srigurunanaksahib.org

Guru Angad being bestowned by Guru Nanak ji

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7.5 November 2009

Call of the Himalayas-Mandip Singh Soin*

Serene and peaceful, the mountain ranges in the north of the country, provide wonderful opportunities for trekkers, experienced or otherwise. A lover of peaks and an expert trekker, Mandip Singh Soin believes that one can begin by going on a ‘baby trek’.

“...Because it is there”, said George Mallory when he was asked why he wanted to climb the Mount Everest in 1924. These four words became the most famous ever in the history of mountaineering.

Ranging up to a height of about 29,000 feet and home to Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, the Himalayas, have the most challenging terrain that excites mountaineers, climbers and trekkers. Being the tallest among mountains, an area which has a completely unique culture or sometimes so remote that one believes that they must be the first to have travelled there along with the beautiful flora and fauna, all these combine to make the Himalayas full of grandeur and magic. And who would not want to explore such a place?

The variety of terrain that exists through the Himalayan ranges provides a chance to all to make attempts

and experience trekking and more serious climbing. Trekking essentially does not require professional training and thus involves lighter climbing, less technical knowledge and could stretch across many days as climbing expeditions do. One can choose from beginners or ‘baby treks’ in the lower Himalayas or the treks in the upper mountains.

The Himalayan range is classically divided into two regions: the western Himalayas and the eastern Himalayas. The mountain range in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand belong to the western ranges while those in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh fall in the eastern range.

Home to the unique landscape comprising Ladakh and the Zanskar and the beautiful Kashmir Valleys, Jammu and Kashmir remains one of the most fascinating destinations for trekkers. There are several treks in the

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Ladakh-Zanskar Valley region that beginners can take and more difficult ones that climbers often attempt.

The Frozen River trek in the Zanskar Valley in the winters is the most famous that takes trekkers on a trek across the frozen Zanskar river. It is one of the most challenging and exciting experiences ever. One of the ways to travel through the mountains is to take a jeep safari from Manali to Leh, which helps in acclimatisation and prepares the trekker to deal better with the changing altitude and climate. The area that is most preferred by trekkers is the Kishtawar and Phalagam sector in the Kashmir Valley but is not conducive for treks currently. The Markha Valley trek is one the most popular treks which is a ten-day circular trek beginning and ending in Leh. There are also short treks for two to three days that are less taxing.

The Kashmir Valley is becoming more accessible because of increasing air connectivity from the gateway of Delhi. There are also various eco tourism initiatives in the area for conservation and protection by the World Wildlife Fund, the Snow Leopard Conservancy and the State Tourism Board.

One of the major reasons why doing the Himalayas is an ultimate experience is simply the variety of the

terrain that trekkers can experience during short, long, simple and difficult treks.

Any trek allows a whole variety: the lower mountains, higher passes, straight treks, very high altitude passes—virtually offers everything that challenges a trekker.

Among the other western mountain ranges in Himachal Pradesh are the Kullu Valley, Kinnaur and Spiti and Lahaul. These areas offer lush alpine forests, rugged terrain; high passes with treks to Chandratal Lake, Pin Parvati and the Kinner Kailash circuit. The home-stay scheme involving local people is doing well, and is an encouraging factor for anyone interested in visiting the area.

Housing the maximum number of open peaks in the Himalayan ranges (those not in any national park or similar outfits), Uttarakhand has the Garhwal Valley which has a few high peaks, flower-filled and thick green forest area. The terrain is a huge pull for trekkers with the treks to the Stopanth and Trishul peaks being the most popular.

The area beyond Ranikhet and Munsiyari are best for treks along with the well-known one to the mouth of the River Ganges. Meru, the mountain (according to Hindu mythology, the Meru mountain is considered

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to be the centre of the Universe) and Shivling attract about 10 to 12 expeditions in a year. The Kumaon region has treks of the famous Nanda Devi mountain and Panchuli ranges. The famous treks, the Lord Curzon Trek, the Shiton Tillman Trek and others take you from lower to the upper mountains offering a staggering view of the highest ranges. The state

government is working to improve and build essential infrastructure. It has made the process of obtaining a permit easier by shortening the time taken from three months to about three weeks. Efforts to usher in eco tourism, building infrastructure, protection of the forests, opening up newer trails are the current initiatives for the state. The state tourism authority

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has declared adventure tourism as the current focus and is working towards it. Offering a sense of remoteness and walks through the dense rain forests describes the treks of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh in the north-east of the country. The gateway city to the eastern ranges is Kolkata in West Bengal. Sikkim is fascinating and, famous for the Goechala Trek that takes trekkers quite close to the base of the world’s highest mountain, Kanchenjunga. Arunachal Pradesh offers short treks through its dense rain forests with a variety of flora and fauna. The forests also house tribes who now have started to welcome trekkers.

To undertake treks one needs to devote time. It is not a quick job. To understand and cherish the experience, a trekker needs to commit his time and most importantly explore the areas in an organized fashion. With a

continuous increase in the number of trekkers coming into India, the Ministry of Tourism, the State Tourism bodies, tour operators in the organized sector and the unorganized sector have started to work together to ensure easy access to these areas while maintaining the highest standards in service. As all these areas are ecologically sensitive, it is essential to follow conservation guidelines and best practices.

*The writer is a mountaineer, an explorer, eco tourism and adventure tourism specialist and has been awarded the Ness Award by the Royal Geographical Society, UK, for mountaineering and polar expeditions and encouragement of youth exploration.

Source: India Perspectives, April–June 2009, Pictures: Ashok Dilwali

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7.5 November 2009

International Day of People with Disability

I nternational Day of People with Disability (IDPwD) is a United Nations sanctioned day that aims to promote an understanding of people with

disability and encourage support for their dignity, rights and well-being. IDPwD also seeks to increase awareness of the benefits of the integration of people with disability in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

IDPwD brings together people with disability, community organisations, businesses, individuals and all levels of government. IDPwD unites people around the world in celebrating and acknowledging the contributions, skills and achievements of people with disability.

In 1992, at the conclusion of the United Nations Decade of Disabled Persons (1983–1992), the General Assembly proclaimed 3 December as the International Day of Disabled Persons. Governments of nations across the world provide funds to promote and raise awareness of IDPwD.

Around 10 per cent of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with disabilities. We need to promote and protect the human rights of persons with disabilities in civil, cultural, economic, political, and social life. However, all over the world, persons with disabilities continue to face barriers to their participation in society and are often forced to live on the margins of society. They are routinely denied basic rights such as to equal recognition before the law and legal capacity, freedom of expression and opinion, and the right to participate in political and public life, such as voting. Many persons with disabilities are forced into institutions, a direct breach of the rights to freedom of movement and to live in the community.

Eighty per cent of persons with disabilities—more than 400 million people—live in poor countries and there is a strong link between disability and poverty. For example, the statistics on employment for persons with disabilities are staggering. In developing countries, 80 per cent to 90 per cent of persons with disabilities of working age are unemployed and in industrialized countries it is estimated to be between 50 per cent and 70 per cent. The rights to education and health are also routinely denied. Ninety per cent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school, says United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

Approximately 20 million women acquire disabilities as a result of complications during pregnancy or childbirth. This continued marginalization against persons with disabilities highlights the need for all nations to come together and take immediate steps.

How the Day may be ObservedInvolve: Observance of the Day provides opportunities for participation by all interested communities—governmental, non-governmental and the private sector—to focus upon catalytic and innovative measures to further implement international norms and standards related to persons with disabilities. Schools, universities and similar institutions can make particular contributions with regard to promoting greater interest and awareness among interested parties of the social, cultural, economic, civil and political rights of persons with disabilities.

Organize: Hold forums, public discussions and information campaigns in support of the Day focusing on disability issues and trends and ways and means by which persons with disabilities and their families are pursuing independent life styles, sustainable livelihoods and

financial security.

Celebrate: Plan and organize performances everywhere to showcase—and celebrate—the contributions by persons with disabilities to the societies in which they live and convene exchanges and dialogues focusing on the rich and varied skills, interests and aspirations of persons with disabilities.

Take Action: A major focus of the Day is practical action to further implement international norms and standards concerning persons with disabilities and to further their participation in social life and development on the basis of equality. The media have especially important contributions to make in support of the observance of the Day—and throughout the year—regarding appropriate presentation of progress and obstacles implementing disability-sensitive policies, programmes and projects and to promote public awareness of the contributions by persons with disabilities.

Let’s ensure that all our activities include persons with disabilities.

Source: www.idpwd.com.au, www.un.org

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7.5 November 2009

Science, Spirituality and Religion: A Vedantic Point of View

-Raju Chidambaram*

Spirituality has been associated with religion since the dawn of civilisation; it is still customary to speak of the two as though they are one and the same. In fact, it is possible to make the case that spirituality is a science in its own right and should be taught as a science in schools to youth everywhere irrespective of gender, nationality and religious background.

That is one of the objectives for placing spirituality between science and religion and this will clearly define the role each of these three traditions has to play in human affairs, using often Vedanta as the basis.

Science Vs. Religion Much has been said about the constrained relationship between our scientific and religious institutions. Both are great, vital institutions that have served mankind well. Science has been generally a constructive force bringing with it many blessings to the modern man. But it has also been misused quite frequently as a destructive power.

Similarly, there is no doubt that the great religions of the world have succeeded in providing peace and comfort to their faithful followers from the stress and strain of worldly life; but they have also been misused to incite intense animosities between groups of people resulting in much suffering. Well documented too are the many instances where science and religion have clashed. Both science and religion seek to be on the side of truth. Confrontation occurs when what religion holds as true is not acceptable to science, or vice versa.

The approach taken by science to seek and assert truth is quite different from that used by religions. Science accepts as truth only that which can be verified by any observer at anytime by appropriate objective observations. Consistent with this view, science generally preoccupies itself with questions that can be verified through human observation.

Religions, on the other hand, deal with many questions which, by their very nature, are beyond the capability of direct observation. They rely on scriptural authority to assert their views on these questions. To the extent the issues of respective interest to science and religion are not overlapping, confrontation between the two can be avoided.

There is some overlap, however, and clashes do occur. For example, religions do have views on the origin of universe and the genesis of human beings which also

happen to be areas of great interest to modern science. Here the traditional religious views tend to be at odds with the results of scientific observations.

Similarly, some personal and social customs mandated by religions (dietary restrictions, for example) may be contraindicated by scientific principles. Religious dogmatism is often blamed by scientists for the continuation of the controversy in the face of what they consider as objective evidence. But science itself has been blamed as being dogmatic for its view that basic questions of concern to religion, such as God or life after death, are not worthy of discussion since anything we say regarding these cannot be verified by direct observation. One may rightly despair whether this stand-off between science and religion can ever get resolved. The resolution, I believe, is possible provided we have a right understanding of science and religion and also of the mediating role of spirituality.

Spirituality vs. Religion Spirituality does not conflict with religion; on the other hand, as mentioned earlier, it is often considered inseparable from religion. This does not mean that the two are the same. It is true that for a religion to be effective, it must include core spiritual truths.

The spiritual nature and spiritual development are the same in all human beings regardless of time, space, gender, race, nationality, etc. Therefore, the various religions that have come into vogue at different epochs in different cultures, even though looking very different, must necessarily incorporate many similar, if not identical, core beliefs about spirituality. Thus, all major religions:

1. Place great emphasis on controlling the mind and living a disciplined, virtuous life;

2. Believe in the existence of a higher power whose Will dictates the events of the world and experiences of the individuals;

3. Preach love and selfless service and require surrender of personal will to the higher Will;

4. Discount the importance of the perishable body in deference to the imperishable indwelling “soul” within each individual;

5. Hold that spiritual practices bring peace and happiness to daily life; and,

6. Recognise the potential of all souls to reach

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Perfection, though some religions suggest that this potential is realised only for believers.

But religions do not stop with just acknowledging and promoting these spiritual truths. They have found it necessary and useful to surround the core truths with several layers of additional theories and practices. The relevance of these additional layers is not universal since they are the product of the particular time, space, and culture in which they are created. As such, they do not have the same absolute validity as the core spiritual truths do.

The anatomy of a religion can be represented as rings surrounding a central core of spiritual truths The outmost ring consists of the institutions, the temples and churches, the clergy officiating in various positions, the social customs, dress and dietary habits, religious festivals etc. This is the external face the religion presents to the world.

In the next layer inside are the various rituals and sacraments that the followers are expected to observe. Usually, this facet of a religion is not open to everyone, but only to its adherents. The third layer is perhaps the most significant of all. It includes the legends and mythologies associated with the various prophets, saints, and deities of the religion. The personalities, ideals and beliefs introduced in this layer often are the factors determining the character of the religion.

In the next inner layer immediately surrounding the core, is theology dealing with its beliefs regarding God, origin of the world, soul, death, life after death etc. Typically, theology involves abstract concepts and theories which the average follower may not totally relate to, but is expected to accept on faith. In Figure, Vedanta has been identified with the core spiritual truths. This is because it is the core spiritual truths that are of primary concern in Vedanta. Vedanta has had many admirers around the world at all times. Mr. Paul Hourihan, who was one such admirer, put it very effectively when he said, “Vedanta is the essence

of religion, the truth embedded in the heart of every religion. Vedanta is the Godhead that makes every religion Divine.”

This Vedanta, as taught in the Upanishads and lived by the Hindu Sages, is simple, honest, and devoid of any worldly embellishments. It recognises no institutions, no rituals, stipulates no personality other than own Self, as absolutely necessary for salvation.

The outer layers that distinguish one religion from others are the products of the cultural milieu in which that religion was founded. But the spiritual truths at the core of every religion are invariant over time and space and have no cultural or historic connotations. In this respect they are similar to scientific truths which also must be invariant over time, space and culture.

Religion vs. ReligionConflict among religions is an unfortunate fact of history, a fact that has repeated itself far too many times. What is the source of this conflict? At some risk of over simplification, we may say it is just plain “competition”.

Religions do subscribe to the same core truths but frame them in the context of the theology, personalities, institutions, etc that set them apart from other competing religions. In this process, the universal nature of the core truths is often significantly de-emphasised. What is common and unifying is sacrificed in the interest of promoting the brand image of own religion. Some religions are more aggressive than others in pursuing this competitive path.

There can be no denial of the comfort and support religion provides in one’s day to day life. It is something to which many believers in every religion can bear testimony based on direct personal experience. Social scientists and psychologists also agree on the role of religion in facing the problems of life.

The positive effect of religion and spirituality on health, and on ability to cope with life, has been documented in scientific studies in recent years. However, as far as this author knows, there has been no “head-to-head” unbiased, scientific study in literature whose results could support a claim of uniform superior efficacy of any one religion over another. As long as the “key active ingredient” in all major religions is the same set of spiritual truths, such evidence is not likely to emerge from future studies either. The conclusion to be drawn here is that the scientifically demonstrable successes of religion are attributable to their common spiritual content and not to the different packaging.

Science vs. SpiritualityA good deal of spirituality is concerned with practices to ensure happiness here and now in this world rather than in some distant heaven after death. Yoga and

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meditation, to name two of these practices, have gained acceptance by scientists as having demonstrable salutary benefits on the physical and mental well-being of the practitioners.

Scientists do not refute the existence of mind or the importance of inner happiness, even if they do not have a consensus among themselves as to what mind really is.

Modern science has come to accept uncertainty as an inescapable and insurmountable feature of the universe, affecting the very fundamental particles of which matter and energy are constituted. Science may not talk of God, but it does accept that there is a “something else” that affects the affairs of things and beings of the universe. Similarly, while science does not talk of “soul”, there are many scientists who believe that not everything about a human being can be explained in terms of its material body. Of particular relevance to this discussion are the advances being made in neurosciences and artificial intelligence. It is true that modern brain imaging techniques are revolutionising our understanding of the structure and processes of the brain and how they relate to our mental and physical functions. However, science is not anywhere close to answering a fundamental question: A human being experiences the world and is aware of its experiences. How do all the neuronal activities and processes inside the brain add up to a knowledge and vivid experience of a world outside? Neuroscientists have no answer.

Computer scientists making great strides in artificial intelligence have no insight to offer regarding this question. Computers play games and music, predict weather, and solve mathematical problems with great speed and versatility. But when playing chess, does the computer know it is playing chess? When solving a mathematical problem does it know what problem it is solving or its significance? It does not. No computer scientist can categorically assert that computers “know” or experience anything they are doing.

Robots built by future computer scientists may look and behave so very much like human beings that it may be difficult to distinguish one from the other. But even then, the hardware and software of which robots are made, cannot vest them with the quality of knowing and experiencing. This is because knowing and experiencing are not attributes of physical matter, but of “something else”.

As Adi Sankara, the great Advaita Vedanta philosopher of the 8th Century AD, says: “asti kascit swayam nityam aham pratyayalambana:, avasthaa traya saakshi san panca kosa vilakshana:”

Something there is, which is the Absolute Entity, the Eternal Substratum for the very awareness of the Ego. It is the witness of the three states and it is distinct

from all the five sheaths. (Translation by Swami Chinmayanandaji)

The three states refer to the awake, dream and sleep states; the five sheaths to the physical, physiological, mental, intellectual, and sub-conscious components of the personality. That “eternal something”, asserts Sankara, is the knower of all three states yet not part of any of the five sheaths. Vedanta holds that it is the conscious mind which experiences and knows the world and that consciousness is an entity distinct from the brain or any other part of the physical or mental body. This experiencer, called jeeva, dwells in the body but does not die when the physical body dies. It is the jeeva, or “soul”, which can possess knowledge and not the physical body.

The basic “natural sciences”, such as physics, chemistry and biology, deal with matter and energy and they seek to explain all natural phenomena in terms of the known laws affecting matter and energy. But matter and energy is not all there is to this universe. There is also knowledge.

While science is focused on matter and energy, spirituality is concerned with knowledge. One may ask, “Knowledge of what?” The spiritual aspirant does gain knowledge of how mind interacts with the world to produce experiences and how that mind could be disciplined and made pure enough to acquire the most sublime knowledge.

Vedanta makes one of the highest statements in metaphysics when it says that the spiritual aspirant finally seeks not knowledge of anything, but knowledge itself. That is, spirituality is ultimately concerned with knowing the “knower” and “experiencer”, the source of all Knowledge, now parading as jeevas. While science acknowledges the world and the myriad of experiences it offers, it cannot comprehend the purpose behind any of these. One must turn to spirituality to find the purpose of life. It is by learning the intelligent way to meet all worldly experiences, that a jeeva gradually gains knowledge, just as it is by observation that scientists slowly build the edifice of science.

The knowledge of importance in spirituality is not any knowledge relating to matter and energy, but the knowledge of the knower that possesses all knowledge—in other words, Knowledge of the Self. Attainment of this “Supreme Knowledge” is what is called in spiritual traditions variously as “Salvation” or “Nirvaana” or “Enlightenment”.

Echoing this spiritual principle, all religions give less importance to what we experience in life, pointing out that how we meet those experiences is the key to a successful spiritual life leading to salvation.

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Spirituality as a Science Science and spirituality deal with two different aspects of reality and, therefore, there is no room for conflict between the two. Spirituality is itself a science. The same techniques used in science, including controlled experiments and mathematical analysis, can be and have been used in understanding spirituality also. Spirituality can be studied as a distinct scientific discipline. It should be possible to teach spirituality as a science to young adults regardless of their cultural or religious background.

Religion: Spiritual Food Cooked to Cultural Taste

One does not need the support of a religion to practise spirituality and enjoy all its benefits.

Religions do have a very practical value. Spirituality without religion is too abstract or “cerebral” for many of us. Consequently, it is a hard path to follow. In Bhagavad Gita, the Lord explains it thus:

kleso adhikataras tesam avyaktasaktacetasam;

avyakta hi gatir duhkham dehavadbhir avapyate

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter XII

“Greater is their trouble whose minds are set on the Unmanifested; for the goal, the Unmanifested, is very hard for the embodied to reach.” (Translation by Swami Chinmayananda)

The Lord suggests that, for most of us, devotion to a concrete representation of that Reality is the easier path to follow. This in fact is what religions do. Religion, in this respect, is not unlike the food we eat. To stay healthy one must partake the necessary nutrients, the proteins, carbohydrate, vitamins etc. Now, it is certainly possible to provide these nutrients through a daily regimen of raw vegetables, grains, fruits and nuts, etc. and supplemented by a handful of vitamin pills. Indeed a few well-disciplined souls may actually stick to such a spartan diet and manage to stay healthy and happy.

Future space travellers may learn to survive on pre-packaged food designed to provide just the right amount of nutrients, but very little by way of variety and taste. But it is far easier for most of us if the nutrients are made available in the form of an appetising meal. Good cooking adds flavour and appeal to the food while preserving the nutrients the body needs. Good cooks also are careful not to lose nutritional value by overcooking or by adding too much fat and sugar to make the food taste better.

Each religion has its own style of adding sugar and spices and serving spiritual truths in an appetizing way to satisfy the spiritual hunger that is in all of us. Just as many different culinary styles have evolved around the world, each capable of providing the

nutrition necessary for the human body, so too many religions have developed to cater to the nutrition the spiritual body needs.

The choice of food we eat is a matter of personal preference, largely determined by what we are accustomed to since childhood. As long as the method of cooking does not diminish the nutritional value of the ingredients, one cuisine is as good as another.

Similarly, as long as religions preserve the basic spiritual values while dressing them up with the outer layers of their theology, rituals etc, they will be equally efficient in providing the necessary spiritual nourishment. Religion, like food, is thus also a matter of choice largely determined by the culture in which we grow up.

In the modern “global village”, especially in cities, we see young people enjoying “ethnic” food from different parts of the world. It is dinner in a Chinese restaurant one day, lunch from an Italian carry-out stand the next day and snacking on falafel at a Middle East cafe yet another day. Their bodies tolerate all food equally well and are nourished equally well too.

How wonderful it will be if our understanding and tolerance of religions grows to the extent that we can attend service in a church one day, pray in a mosque on the next, and worship at a temple on the following day!

The Indian mystic, Sri Ramakrishna, proved that this can be done with all due sincerity and respect towards all religions. The distinctions made today between religions are mostly superficial and not meaningful from a spiritual point of view. Like the infamous Berlin Wall, the barriers that exist between religions are artificial and unjustly divide people from people. Spirituality, on the contrary, unites us all.

Conclusion

Science, spirituality and religion have each a complementary role to play in our lives and are by no means intrinsically incompatible. The material science, with its focus on matter and energy, blesses us by making our material life more comfortable.

Spirituality, the science of life and knowledge, blesses us individually with inner happiness and collectively with communal harmony. Religions, at their best, serve the mankind by rendering spirituality more readily comprehensible and accessible to the average person.

*Trustee, Chinmaya Mission, Washington Regional Centre, Washington DC

Source: Bhavan’s Journal, September 30 2009

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7.5 November 2009

White Ribbon DayInternational Day for the Elimination of

Violence Against Women —25 November

T he White Ribbon Day is celebrated with an aim to eliminate violence against women by promoting culture-change around the issue. The major strategies to achieve this are a national media campaign as well as education & male leadership programmes aimed at men and boys around many nations.

White Ribbon Day was created by a handful of Canadian men in 1991 on the second anniversary of one man’s massacre of fourteen women in Montreal. They began the White Ribbon Campaign to urge men to speak out against violence against women.

This 2009 onwards, men at Massachusetts White Ribbon Day pledge to be a part of the solution in ending violence against women. If this remains the worldwide approach among all people then the elimination of violence will gain a better momentum.

In 1999, the United Nations General Assembly declared November 25 the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and the White Ribbon has become the symbol for the day.

From 2000, the Commonwealth Government Office for Women ran awareness activities on the International Day, and, in 2003, the Australian branch of the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM, began a partnership with men and men’s organisations to make this a national campaign. Hundreds of thousands white ribbons are distributed to mark the day.

Today hundreds of thousands of white ribbons are worn by men and women across nations—men at work; men and women in all forces; men in national and local sporting matches and organisations; men in the media; men and women in politics; men in the defence forces; men and women in capital cities and in rural and regional areas.

The campaign continues to go from strength to strength and now boasts more than thousands of White Ribbon Ambassadors across the world. More and more events are held across the world. The number of the organisations and individuals participating year upon year is continuously increasing.

The White Ribbon Day in recent times has become more of a challenge since it requires individuals, groups and communities to take collective actions against any kind of injustices among women. The real change in the society is yet to be discovered and it will lead to be brighter tomorrow only when people today raise their voices against injustices of women. The organizations that are working towards eliminating violence against women encourage all men to never commit, excuse or, remain silent about, violence against women.

This year too this day will add respect and reverence towards the women of the society who have today contributed significantly in various dimensions of life. But will it lead towards bringing about any real change in the hearts of those who commit violence against women?

Source: http://www.whiteribbonday.org.au

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Albert Einstein

German theoretical physicist; 1921 Nobel Laureate in Physics

Sir C.V. Raman

Indian physicist; 1930 Nobel Laureate in Physics

Linus Pauling

American quantum chemist and biochemist; 1954 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and 1962 Nobel Laureate in Peace for his campaign against above-ground nuclear testing

George Wald

American biochemist; 1967 Nobel Laureate in Medicine

Isaac Bashevis Singer

Polish-born American Jewish writer of short stories and novels; 1978 Nobel Laureate in Literature

Chandrashekar Subrahmanyam

Indian-born American astrophysicist; 1983 Nobel Laureate in Physics

Sir Isaac Newton

British physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, inventor, and natural philosopher; father of physics

John Ray

British naturalist; father of English natural history

Leonardo Da Vinci

Italian Renaissance polymath: architect, anatomist, sculptor, engineer, inventor, geometer, musician, and painter

Benjamin Franklin

American author, journalist, scientist, inventor and statesman

Vegetarians & Vegan Elite of the WorldScientist Architects & Engineers

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Thomas Edison

American inventor and businessman

Nikola Tesla

Serbian-American inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer

Kalpana Chawla

Indian-born American astronaut and space shuttle mission specialist

Charles Darwin

British naturalist, geologist and originator of the evolution theory

Diogenes

Greek philosopher and cosmologist

Henry David Thoreau

American author, naturalist, pacifist, and philosopher

Pythagoras

Greek mathematician and philosopher

Dr APJ Abdul Kalam

Former President of India (July 25, 2002–July 25, 2007); notable scientist and engineer

Sir Isaac Pitman

British inventor of Pitman Shorthand

Sir Barnes Neville Wallis

British scientist, engineer and inventor

Emanuel Swedenborg

Swedish scientist, philosopher and mystic

Albert SzentgyÖrgyi

Hungarian physiologist, 1937 Nobel Laureate in Medicine for discovering vitamin C

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Alexander von Humboldt

German naturalist and explorer

Giorgio Celli

Italian entomologist, professor and poet

Margherita Hack

Italian astronomer, author and politician

Mario Tozzi

Italian geologist and climatologist

Umberto Veronesi

Italian oncologist and former Minister of Health

Rupert Sheldrake

British biologist and author

Douglas R. Hofstadter

American physicist and computer scientist

Jau-Fei Chen

Chinese pioneer of Nutritional Immunology

Humanitarian and Environmentalists

Marian Hailey-Moss

Acclaimed American actress, writer and humanitarian

Mahatma Gandhi

Indian political leader and humanitarian

Daryl Hannah

American actress & environmental activist

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Christie Brinkley

American supermodel, actress and environmental activist

Woody Harrelson

American actor and environmental activist

Richard St Barbe Baker

British world-famous environmentalist

General William Booth

British founder and 1st General of Salvation Army

Clara Barton

American founder of the American Red Cross

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

Indian spiritual leader and founder of the international Art of Living Foundation, a volunteer-based educational and humanitarian organization

Teresa Hsu

Singaporean charity worker who became known as “Singapore’s Mother Teresa”

Danny Seo

Korean-American environmentalist, eco-living consultant, and founder of “Earth 2000”

Jim Mason

American author, lecturer and environmentalist

Judy Carman

American writer and activist for animal rights and environmental protection

Heather Mills McCartney

American charity campaigner

Contributed by Govinda Watts

Source: http://al.godsdirectcontact.org.tw

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7.5 November 2009

The Enigma of Bayon-Vimala Sarma*

The monuments of Angkor in Cambodia hide many secrets, but none which have exercised the minds of so many scholars as the secret

of the tower faces of Bayon, right in the dead centre of the capital city, Angkor Thom, of the vast Khmer empire. Approaching the monument of Bayon from any direction, one realises with the shock of recognition that the grey stone towers stretching high above are in fact carved with massive faces, on all sides, looking serenely across the landscape. Such a structure, with faces as part of the architecture, exists nowhere else. Many aspects of Bayon, including its purpose, are even now hotly debated—is it a temple or it a royal victory memorial? And if it is a temple, was it Buddhist or Hindu? But most intriguing of all are the 200 or so massive stone faces on its towers that gaze serenely in all four cardinal directions. Whose face is depicted in these towers?

Bayon is the regnal monument of King Jayavarman VII who ruled the vast Khmer empire from 1182–

1218. In the 12th century when the Bayon monument was built the Khmer empire covered much of Thailand as well as all of Funan as Indo-China was then called. By the 14th century, the Khmer empire was in terminal decline. Jayavarman VII is identified with the Khmer empire at its height. He liberated Angkor by force, after it had been taken by the Champa King Jaya-Indravarman, in a naval battle on Lake Tonle Sap. This scene is depicted in bas reliefs of two galleries—inner and outer gallery—encircling this monument. The monument is laid out in a cruciform shape surrounding a circular mass of shrines in the centre. The galleries transform this basic cross shape into a square.Although scholars use the terms Hindu or Buddhist as exclusive concepts to describe various Khmer temples, in the period of the Khmer empire (9–12 centuries) the concepts “Buddhist” and “Hindu” did not exist in the sense that we understand them to-day. Hindu is a word coined by the British rulers of India to identify religious beliefs in India which were not

Bayon Movement, Angkor Thom

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Christian, Muslim, Jain, Jewish, or any other religion. It is a modern term which includes a multiplicity of cults.

India exported its culture to many countries though the trade routes, and Indian myths and cosmology were assimilated into a number of South East Asian cultures including the Khmer civilisation. Indian religious concepts and cosmology were exported from India by sea to Cambodia from the 5th century CE (Common Era) onwards. The Indianisation of South-East Asia during the first century CE developed after a long period of trade between South East Asian countries and India. Both Brahmanical concepts and Buddhist concepts and ideas were assimilated into Khmer culture without one set of ideas and beliefs excluding the other.

Indian deities represented in Khmer sculpture have been assimilated and are depicted as distinctly and uniquely Khmer. For example, statues of the God Vishnu depict Him with a simple headdress and wearing sampot, not as copies of Indian statues of the same God, with their elaborate decorations. Conversely Khmer deities were also Indianised and adopted Sanskritic names. As a result, there was a syncretisation of Hindu, Buddhist and Khmer cults in Cambodia which persisted harmoniously to the time in the Angkor civilization. By the time of Jayadeva VII, Shiva was the dominant God, often worshipped along with the Buddha, in the same temples. The epithet applied to the Khmer rulers was Devarāja, the God-King. Buddha was simply added to the Hindu trinity of Siva, Vishnu and Brahma as the fourth emanation of the absolute.

Some of the temples of the Angkor complex are Saivite and some Buddhist and some with both Buddhist and Hindu deities. In the main temple of Angkor Wat, is a magnificent bas relief spanning whole wall of a gallery depicting the churning of the ocean by the Gods (devas) and demons (asuras), and this theme recurs on the entrance causeways onto Angkor Thom. Bayon is generally referred to as a Buddhist temple because a broken image of massive Buddha seated on a snake (nāga) was found at the bottom of the central well of the monument. This statue was found broken in the deep shaft below the main sanctum of Bayon. However the two tiers of bas reliefs which wrap around the central structure show Hindu mythology or historical events—particularly the victory of the Khmers over the Champa tribes from Southern China. As well, groups of three dancing heavenly nymphs (apsaras) are depicted beside every doorway.

It appears that Jayavarman VII was a Buddhist or was converted to Buddhism later in life. The Khmer empire, however was largely Shaivite and Jayavarman appears to be its first Buddhist King. His successor Jayavarman VIII was a Hindu and an iconoclast of

Buddhist images. Numerous images of the Buddha were broken by Jayavarman VIII. If the faces of Bayon were in fact Buddhist, how did they survive intact when so many Buddhist statues were destroyed all over Angkor by his successor?

The 200 tower faces, of which about 161 are extant, are more or less identical, with minor variations. All are decorated with earrings, a headdress over which the hair is piled and finished with an opened lotus flower on the crown. A third eye, either in relief or scratched on the forehead, is evident. The eyes are open, and a necklace can be seen. The faces have thick lips which turn up at the corners, characteristic of the Khmer style. The various hypotheses put forward for the identity of the faces, at various times, include: it is the face Buddha, Avalokitesvara, Brahma, Jayavarman VII himself, and Vrajasattva (a Buddhist tantric deity).

The faces are unlikely to be that of the Buddha as they do not have the characteristics of the iconography of the Buddha such as elongated ears, hair with tight curls or the raised crown. It is also unlikely to be the face of a Bodhisattva such as Avalokitesvara because the eyes are not cast downward and there is no small image of the Amitabha Buddha on the top of the heads. The

Tower Face, Bayon

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‘Brahma’ theory is simply based on the fact that there are four heads on each tower facing different directions and this is how the Hindu God Brahma of the Puranas is depicted in iconography. At the time of the first Europeans to visit Bayon in the nineteenth century the locals referred to the faces as “Prohm” or Brahma. However this is now discredited as the central deity was a Buddha, and thus the towers were unlikely to depict a Hindu God. The third eye on the forehead is not easily explained away. In India Shaivites are identified by the three horizontal lines on their foreheads made with ash and a vermillion vertical mark representing the third eye. The existence of the third eye has led many a scholar to propose that the faces are of Shiva. Fifty years After Jayavarman’s reign, a Shaivite image was again re-installed at Bayon and other Khmer temples by his successors. If the faces were of Shiva, it would be difficult to explain why Jayavarman who was clearly a Buddhist, had them carved. Peter Sharrock believes the faces are of the Mahayanist tantric bodhisattva, Vajrasattva, and that Jayavarman had them carved in the final years of his reign, when he was thought to embrace Tantric Buddhism, and the Bayon itself is constructed in the plan of a huge ‘mandala’ for the King to meditate upon.

My own theory is that the face is that of the God-King (devarāja) Jayavarman himself—symbolising his sovereignty over the empire in all directions from its very heart, the most central point. This explanation seems to fit the ‘Occam’s razor’ test. The simplest hypothesis, is that the face is that of the King, as Bayon is surely his own regnal monument situated as it is in the exact centre of his heavily fortified city. It is in this building that Jayavarman was ritually consecrated as King after taking Angkor by force. He may well have wanted his face on the towers to proclaim his sovereignty and as an assurance to his people of his protection, in the dominions of his weal. The main reasons for dismissing this simple hypothesis are:

It does not look like the face Jayavarman VII as seen in his statue at the Khmer temple at PhiMai in Thailand.

There is third eye depicted on the forehead of the faces.

It could be argued that the face is an idealised and stylised face of the King, in the same way as the Buddha’s face is also stylised in iconography. It is an abstraction in the Khmer style of art. It is shown to be perennially young and idealised. The bas reliefs in Bayon also show faces in a stylised way, including

that of the King. The conventions followed by the bas reliefs are similar to the reliefs seen in the temples of Egypt—the bigger the figure the more important and the higher the status. Keeping this idea in mind, would not the King be the most important person in the empire, and thus would not his face be carved with immense proportions? Could this not explain the size of the faces and also why the faces are also above all the cardinal gateways into Angkor Thom? The third eye might have been carved or scratched later after the death of Jayavarman VII in order to Shiva-ize the faces and turn them into Hindu faces again and the composite Shiva-Vishnu icon, Harihara was thought to be installed in the central sanctum after the Buddha image was destroyed. This was deduced from the fact that the Goddesses Parvathi (wife of Shiva) and Bhudedevi, wife of Vishnu were found in shrines on either side of the central sanctum.

Whatever the true explanation for these giant faces, the tower-faces still confront the casual tourist and their enigmatic smiles hold the secret of Bayon forever.

References: Bayon: A New Perspective, Editor Joyce Clark, River Books,

2007. Contributors include Peter Sharrock, “The Mystery of the Face Towers” pp. 232–280; T.S. Maxwell, “Religion at the time

of Jayavarman VII”, pp. 74–121.

*Vimala Sarma, Nayika Indian Dance,

www.nayika.org

Bass Relief of Jayavarman seated on elephant

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Vedanta in the West-Russel l Frank Atkinson*

T he impact of Vedanta upon Western culture is usually considered a relatively recent one—since its beginnings about 1800 until the

advent of great teachers and gurus who have taught in America and Europe since 1894. The influence of Hindu culture on the West goes back much further than that. The first published translation of Indian texts known as the Vedas or Upanishads was in Dutch in the early seventeenth century. A translation of the Upanishads from the Persian was published in France by Francois Bernier in 1671. Voltaire translated this text into German in 1794, starting the interest in Vedanta for German academics. Yet the influence of

Vedanta on Western thought goes back prior to the attempted invasion of India by Alexander the Great in 327–326 BC. How far back is a subject for academic speculation, but it is most surely evidenced by Pythagorus (c. 569–582 BC). Some leading academics have traced the teachings and geometrical theories of Pythagorus to Vedanta and Hindu science. In fact, his name is a derivation of the sanscrit Pithagorus, ‘Father-teacher’. This may be surprising to the average Westerner who believes that all our knowledge was a product of Greek culture. Only a few scholars of antiquity know that India was more developed than other ancient cultures. Qadi Sa’id (1029–1070) an Arab scientist of Cordova, Spain, wrote:

The first nation to cultivate the sciences is the people of India who form a nation vast in numbers, powerful, with great dominions. All former Kings and past generations have acknowledged their wisdom and admitted their pre-eminence in the various branches of knowledge. Among all nations, during the course of the centuries and throughout the passage of time, India was known as the mine of wisdom and the fountainhead of justice and good government, and the Indians were credited with excellent intellect, exalted ideas, universal maxims, rare inventions and wonderful talents…

Socrates debated with at least one Indian as recorded in Eusebius:

Aristoxenus the musician tells the following story about the Indians. One of these men met Socrates in Athens and asked him what was the scope of his philosophy. ‘An inquiry into human phenomena,’ replied Socrates. At this the Indian said, ‘How can a man inquire into human phenomena, when he is ignorant of divine ones?’”

The study of Vedanta is an interest that can shed truth-revealing light on all aspects of existence. It can provide subject matter for a lifetime of discovery in such diverse subjects as archaeology, anthropology, theology, psychology, health, occult anatomy, cosmology, and metaphysics.

Because it is so ancient, one can trace the development of the human mind in its struggles to understand the mystery of life. It contains the antidote to the challenges and errors of modern life and can resolve the conflicts produced by the Jewish/Christian traditions and the Descartian/Newtonian ideas of Western philosophy.

The German philosopher Schopenhauer (1788–1860) said Vedanta had been the consolation of his life and would be the consolation of his death. In fact, almost every European philosopher from Kant (1712–1804)

Russel Frank Atkinson

The influence of Vedanta on Western countries goes back prior to the attempted invasion of India by Alexander the Great in 327-326 B.C

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to Nietzsche (1844–1900) have been deeply influenced by contact with Indian philosophy.

Nietzsche studied Professor Deussen’s ‘Systems of the Vedanta’ and other Sanskrit works. Of the ‘Code Book of Manu’ he wrote:

“It is an incomparable intellectual and superior work. It is replete with noble values, it is filled with a feeling of perfection, with a saying of yea to life,…the sun shines upon the whole book…”

Schopenhauer was prophetic when he wrote:

“In India our religions will never take root. The ancient wisdom of the human race will not be displaced by what happened in Galilee. On the contrary, Indian philosophy streams back to Europe and will produce a fundamental change in our knowledge and thought.”

The discovery of Sanscrit literature in the 19th century has become a significant influence in the evolution of Western culture—perhaps the most important of all, for as the scientist Julian Huxley wrote in ‘Evolution after Darwin’ in 1959:

“Man’s evolution is not biological but psychosocial: it operates by the mechanism of cultural tradition…Accordingly, major steps in the human phase of evolution are achieved by break-throughs to new dominant patterns of mental organization, of knowledge, ideas, and beliefs…”

Vedantic ideas have certainly provided great stimulus to this end, while Western ideas have had a similar effect upon the culture of India. The subtle effects of Vedanta in the West have been through its influence upon many famous Western philosophers, writers and poets. The list is impressive—Tolstoy, Emerson, Whitman, Goethe, Hesse, Edison, Voltaire, Yeats, Huxley, Maeterlink and Tesla; European academics such as Prof Muller, Duessler and Zimmerman and physicists such as Bohr, Bhome, Einstein, Schrodinger, and Heisenberg. The overt effects have been through

the work of the Theosophical Society and the influence of the great teachers and Gurus that have taught in the West since Swami Vivekananda burst into American society in 1893.

Professor Max Muller has written:

“Vedanta is the most sublime of all philosophies and the most comforting of all religions. It has room for almost every religion. It embraces them all”.

Vedanta is the Golden Thread that has run through all true spiritual traditions throughout the world. The American philosopher and historian, Will Durant, in his book ‘The Story of Civilisation’ wrote:

“…India has sent to us such gifts as grammar and logic, philosophy and fables, hypnotism and chess, and above all, our numerals and decimal system.

But these are not the essence of her spirit; they are trifles compared to what we may learn from her in the future.

…Perhaps in return for conquest, arrogance and spoliation, India will teach us the tolerance and gentleness of the mature mind, the quiet content of the unacquisitive soul, the calm of an understanding spirit, and a unifying, pacifying love for all living things.”

In the 21st century, scientific theories are tending to confirm many of the ideas found in the Eternal Religion, giving birth to a marvellous fusion of cultural traditions. This phenomenon has profound significance, not only for this age but for all time to come.

Source: From ‘A Spirituality for the 21st Century’ by Russell Frank Atkinson, Zeus Publications

*Russell Frank Atkinson was probably the first person to teach Yoga in Australia. He travelled to India in 1952 to attend the School of the Wisdom at the Theosophical headquarters in what was then Madras and then travelled extensively in the Himalayas on foot. His first book, ‘Yoga Pocket Teacher’ was published in London in 1968. Seven books have followed. His recent book, ‘A Spirituality for the 21st Century’, Published by Zeus Publications is a comprehensive study of all the schools of Vedanta.

The study of Vedanta is an interest that can shed truth-revealing light on all aspects of existence.

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Meenakshi Temple, Madurai

Art and Architecture in the Hindu Vision-Satish K. Kapur*

T he Hindu vision of the universal being in His manifold forms and aspects finds adequate expression in its temple art and architecture

which combine beauty and grace with ennobling motifs. To build a temple or to contribute to its making in some form as patron, to create a piece of art or to appreciate it, to worship in holy precincts or to visit a shrine as a spectator (drastr), are all regarded as sacred acts because each engages the body and the mind with matters of the spirit, and provides a diversion from the mundane activities. Sublime art draws divinity in the human art. Aesthetic experience of beauty fills one with joy. Even an illiterate is overawed by the majesty of architecture, the beauty of miniatures and sculptures, can sing and dance his way to God. Symbolism, serenity of environment, geometrical form in tune with astronomical beliefs, sculptural exquisitiveness marked by themes from the epics and Puranas, ornamentation and imagery, with motifs of lotus flowers, creepers, trees, animals and birds, characterise prominent Hindu temples which may ignite Godly thoughts in a person.

The enclosure and gateway (gopuram), pyramidal tower (vimana), huge courtyard and pillared hall (mandapa) with decorative motifs and gorgeous carvings, as in the case of south Indian temples; cruciform ground-plan, rhythmic accentuation of shrine, ornate pillars and ceilings, and the sanctum (garbhagriha) covered by curvilinear spire (sikhara) further surmounted by Amalakauila (like Indian gooseberry fruit) and the pot finial (kalasa), as in the case of Nagara style of temples bespeak of the lofty vision and religious conviction of architects and builders (sthapatis), craft of sculptors (silpi) and painters (chitrakaras) and the feeling (bhava) and generosity of patrons (karayyitr). Even the erotic sculptures of Khajuraho and Konark which may appear as vulgar have an esoteric meaning, Kama being one of the four aims (pursartha) of human life.

Generations of artists who created the Khajuraho group of temples (Madhya Pradesh) from granite Vindhyan sandstone, Avantipura temples (Kashmir) from argillaceous and fossiliferrous limestone, and Jagsvara temples (Uttar Pradesh) from gneisses, or those who hewed out the Kailasanatha temple at Ellora (Maharashtra) from a hill of amygdaloidal basalt, the monolithic rathas at Mamallapuram (Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu) from the hillocks of charnockite and granite, or the Siva temple from a rock at the Elephanta island (Maharashtra), could have accomplished the gigantic work having been inspired by a deep religious feeling.

Such was the devotion of craftsmen that they did not even mention their names on the gorgeous structures they had created out of rocks, caves or ground material.

The grandeur of the Muktsvara temple and the Jagannatha temple (Orissa), the sun temples at Modhera (Gujarat) and Konark (Orissa), the Lingaraja temple at Bhuvanesvar (Orissa), the thousand-pillared temple at Hanamkonda (Andhra Pradesh), the Chennakesava temple at Belur (Karnataka), the Hoysalesvara temple at Halebid (Karnataka), the Meenakshi temple at Madurai (Tamil Nadu), and of many such shrines dotted all over India fill a spectator with wonder. The Hindu temple is not a structure of bricks or stones but a living organism which vibrates with spirituality as a result of consecration (pratisthavidhi), regular prayer (puja), ritualistic sacrifice (yajna) and acts of devotion to the deity like hearing religious stories (sravanam), remembering Him (smarnam), serving at His feet (padasevanam), adoring Him (arcanam), paying obeisance to Him (vandanam) showing servility (dasyam), considering Him an intimate friend (sakhyam) and surrendering before Him in all respects (atmanivedanam). The temple is the abode of the Divine (devalaya) and provides an ambience for the spiritual unfoldment of a person. It is like the runway of an airport from where the devotee takes off to meet his God face to face. However, bereft

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of intense feeling (bhava), and a genuine desire to surrender (prapatti) before the Divine one gains little like a student who gets admission in an educational institution, but is refused a degree on account of his poor performance. The infinite energy pouring out of religious motifs and symbols is experienced by the faithful in moments of total absorption.

There is a deep metaphysical meaning in the form and structure of a Hindu temple, which is believed to symbolise the universal man who envelopes all existence. It has a subtle body to it starting from the foundation stone (adhara sila) to the seat (peedam) of the deity. The Hindu temple is like a human organism with various limbs set apart from head to foot, not excluding such vital organs as the heart, lungs or the kidneys. Vastu purusa or the presiding deity of the enclosed ground area (mandala) is traditionally believed to lie with his head placed towards north-east, his feet towards south-west and his knees towards north-west and south-west directions. The structure of temple is raised as per sectarian, regional or geographical requirements after the performance of elaborate rituals and ceremonies including the propitiation of Vastu purusa, in accordance with canons of the arts, Vastu (shilpa shastras), Visvakarmaprakasa, Manasara, Bhuvanapradipa, Silparatnam, Mayamata, Rajaballabha, Silpasangraha, Bodhayana Grhyasutra, Puranas, and the Agamic texts (Vaisnava, Sakta and Saiva). After the gross body (sthula sarira) of the temple is complete the sanctum is rendered alive with the installation of the idol with prescribed rituals which infuse life (prana-pratistha) into it. The consecration is usually done from mid-January to mid-July during the Uttarayana, an auspicious period of six months.

Hindu symbols which are both abstract and material, mental and verbal, pervade all aspects of life from rituals and ceremonies to feasts and festivities, from metaphysics to mysticism. A Hindu symbol is art, science, philosophy, spirituality and religion, all rolled into one. The mystic syllable Om (AUM), for example, is written in manifold ways (art); it is a cosmophonic sound (science); it contains the philosophy of existence, being the representation of the Absolute (philosophy) and its chanting connects one to the cosmic rhythm (religion and spirituality). Hindu symbols are like codes which conceal the Reality from unscrupulous elements and reveal it to the inquisitive and the deserving persons (adhikari-purusa) who intend to tread the path of virtue.

Among the most common symbols which are employed in Hindu temple art are those of the sacred lotus (kamala; Nelumbium nucifera)—the first product of the creative principle—which remains untouched by water even though it blossoms in it; of the water-pot topped with mango leaves and a coconut (purna kumbha

or kalasa) representing the deity; of various kinds of vigraha or representation of deities meant for external worship before the spiritual aspirant (sadhaka) can look within his own self and realise that he is no other than Him; of yantras or the diagrammatic form of deities (devatas) both for worship and the fulfillment of desired objectives, of mandalas or circular yantras for ornamentation and contemplation on the Supreme Being, and of Swastika, a propitious representation of the world-wheel which dilutes negative forces in the invisible world around. The symbol of two interlaced triangles—one pointing upwards representing the triple aspects of God, namely, Truth, Consciousness and Bliss (sat-cita-ananda) and the other pointing downwards representing the three qualities (gunas) namely, purity (sattva), action (rajas) and inertia (tamas), inherent in nature (prakrti), has been frequently used in temples since ancient times. The point in the centre of interlaced triangles stands for the one Supreme Reality.

Iconographic representations of Hindu deities (murtis) whether standing (sthanaka), sitting (asana), dancing (nartanam) or reclining (sayana), betray variations in different regions and sects in terms of head-covering (kiritas), gestures (mudras), weapons (ayudha) or other embellishments throughout the course of history but the spirit of them all has remained unchanged. The crown (jatamukuta) of Siva, for example, differs from place to place but the symbol of His third eye is a ubiquitous feature. Different forms of Visnu and Siva have different attributes with corresponding functions, saktis, mantras, symbolic representations and modes of worship. Yet, they are not mutually contradictory or antithetical to each other. The daksinamurti form of Siva in which He is depicted as a universal spiritual preceptor is quite akin to the Yogesvara form of Visnu. Siva who normally holds a damru carries the lute in some South Indian sculptures (Vinadhara-daksina-murti) and in his representation as Vinadhara-Natesa, ‘Lord of dance with the lute’, in Bengal. He appears without his essential adornments—snakes (sarpa) and the trident (trisula) in some of His forms in the

Somnath Temple, Saurashtra

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Sun Temple, Konark

Deccan. The stone sculpture of Sri Krsna in standing posture at Wadwal (Solapur district, Maharashtra) emerges out of a Sivalinga and has the embellishments of Siva like rudraksa beads, snake-bangles, and coiled serpents as head-dress descending to his toes. Harihara icons (Haryardhamurti) in which Visnu and Siva are entwined rest on the principle that the ultimate reality is one.

Kirtana, satsanga (holy congregation), Katha or pravachana (religious discourse) by professionals or saintly men of all lineages are attended by the Hindus with religious feeling irrespective of their sectarian background. Om, the symbol of the Absolute Reality and Swastika, the symbol of auspiciousness and good fortune, are common to the followers of all traditions. Most Hindu homes have a specially designed niche in which is kept a handy shrine or just a wooden stool to place the sivalinga, mark of Siva or the saligrama, mark of Visnu, as the case may be, images of Gods and Goddesses with related objects of worship, yantras, photographs of saints, or of one’s parents or ancestors. No one can raise objection which idol or holy representation to keep and which to discard. Adoration is made not to the images but to the Supreme Being. Sarupa dhyana or contemplation of God with form leads to arupa-dhyana when one transcends the image. The sublimity of Hindu art lies in faith, philosophy and divine inspiration. Neither aimed at beauty for beauty’s sake nor at providing pleasurable sensation, nor propelled by materialistic desire (artha-bhavana) it posits emancipation (moksa) as the ultimate goal of life. Hindu art centres around the Immense Being (Virata-purusha), the all-pervading life-force (prana) from which one derives one’s origin and sustenance and into which one dissolves after fulfilling one’s assigned task in the material world. An artist’s journey is from the temporal to the spiritual and back. The higher the consciousness of an artist, the greater his receptivity to the cosmic field of creativity which has a magnetic resonance to it. The closer he is to the Supreme Self, the finer are his ideas and thoughts. The nobler are his emotions, the better is his reach to the macrocosmic levels of beauty and bliss and the greater is his ability to bring it to the microcosmic level of being. Hinduism believes that the intangible becomes tangible when deep feeling blends with professional expertise; the visible art-form radiates charm when an artist is in dialogue with the Divine. That explains why the higher powers are invoked before an art performance, why a silpi undergoes elaborate rituals so as to be able to complete his task well, why the tools of an artist from chisel and hammer to a pen and brush are considered sacred, or why art-forms and presentations not conforming to classical standards are not abhorred, or why the seemingly puerile, mythological lore continues to impact millions, goading them to move ‘from truth to untruth, from darkness to light and from

death to immortality’ as per the Vedic prayer on the Brhadaranyaka Upanisad (I.3.28).

The representation of Bala Gopala, or the Child Krsna in art as ‘makhana-chora’ (‘one who steals butter’) or as one who fascinates the cowherdesses (gopis) of Vrindavana is metaphysical, and is understood as such by the Vaisnavas though the cynic and the skeptic perceive it in negative terms. Understandably, no religion would depict his God as a thief or seducer. When Sri Krisna is shown in paintings and sculptures, or in Rasa-lila as taking away the clothes of gopis bathing in the Yamuna river he was a child of seven years with an unsullied mind. The gopis, who were madly in love with Him were either married or older to Him in age. Besides, they knew that Sri Krisna was not a person but the Person. The relationship is symbolic of the yearning of the human soul for the Supreme Soul whose physical embodiment the Lord of Yogis (Yogesvara-Sri Krisna) was. Likewise, the Divine Love of Sri Krisna and Radha was not carnal but spiritual, a reaffirmation of the Cosmic Unity on the human plane. When the human mind is attuned to the creative principle the hand that chisels, writes or draws an image becomes the divine instrument of expression; the face glows with charm and confidence, the feet which are in direct touch with the Mother earth, dance in harmony, the eyes regarded as windows of the mind, become lustrous and, the voice in songs or chants comes not from lips but from the deep recesses of the human heart.To a Hindu, art is beauty, beauty is divinity and divinity summum bonum of life.

*Former British Council Scholar, now part of Dayanand Institutions, Solapur, India

Source: Bhavan’s Journal, September 30 2009

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MovemberM ovember is an annual, month-long celebration of the moustache,

highlighting men’s health issues, specifically prostate cancer and depression in men.

Mo Bros, supported by their Mo Sistas, start Movember (November 1st) clean shaven and then have the remainder of the month to grow and groom their moustache. During Movember, each Mo Bro effectively becomes a walking billboard for men’s health and, via their Mo, raises essential funds and awareness for Movember’s men’s health partners—The Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue—the national depression initiative. At the end of Movember, a series of Gala Partés are held to thank Mo Bros and Sistas for their support and fund raising efforts.

The idea for Movember came about in 2003 when a few mates were having a beer in a small bar in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Inspired by the women’s health movement, it was recognized that men were lacking a way to engage and actively involve themselves in their own health. During a conversation about fashion and past trends, the idea came up to bring the moustache back for one month, and in doing so, have some fun, raise a small amount of money and hopefully encourage men to talk about their health with each other.

Since this time, Movember has continued to grow each year, both in terms of participation numbers and funds raised. In its first year, 30 Mo Bros took part in Movember and last year, in Australia alone, 125,000 Mo Bro & Sistas got on board, raising more than $8 million for each of Movember’s men’s health partners.

Today, in its sixth consecutive year, Movember takes place around the world. Motivated by what was happening in Australia, a further five countries now embrace the Mo each November—New Zealand, US, Canada, UK and Ireland are all helping Movember to achieve its ultimate goal—to change the face of men’s health globally.

To date, Movember has raised AUS$60 million globally for the fight against prostate cancer and depression in men. And, more importantly, as a direct result, male awareness of health issues has improved with Movember helping to spread health messages directly to millions of Mo Bros & Sistas around the world.

Going forward, Movember will continue to work towards helping to change established habits and attitudes and make men aware of the risks they face, thereby increasing early detection, diagnosis and effective treatment.

Source: http://au.movember.com

High Commissioner of India hosts meeting with the Indian Community members from all over Australia at Hyatt, Canberra and evening reception with Australian Parliamentarians at the Embassy.Members of the Indian community and ethnic media from all over Australia gathered at High Commission of India Canberra on 28 October 2009. It was a good occasion as people shared views and discussed issues relating to the Indian community. There were the afternoon session and the evening reception with the Australian Parliamentarians. The event was worth remembering both in terms of gathering and the relevant issues so discussed. Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner of India took active interest in the issues related to the Indian community.

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Why America will lead the “Asian Century”

-John Lee*

Singapore—Not a week passes, it seems, without a big-picture thinker releasing a big-picture book or giving a big-picture sermon describing the gradual eclipse of American hegemony in Asia. True, American power will inevitably decline in relative terms as Asian giants such as China and India rise. But, at least as far as Asia is concerned, arguments about the end of American hegemony ring hollow.

For one thing, the United States was never a hegemon in Asia. Only some American post-Cold War triumphalists thought it was. The nature of US power and the exercise of its influence was always much more clever and subtle than most assume. In fact, as India and China rise, the US could actually find itself in a stronger position.

How can this be? After all, power and influence are built on the back of economic success. The Chinese economy has been doubling in size every ten years since 1978. The Indian economy has been doing the same since 1991. In contrast, it takes about two decades for the US economy to double in size. Doesn’t this surely mean that Asia is rushing toward a state of multi-polarity—a configuration of roughly equal great powers balancing against each other—while American influence is on the wane?

The seemingly obvious conclusion would be true but for the fact that Asia has a unique kind of hierarchical security system that came about partly by accident and partly by design.

No power can be preeminent if it cannot maintain its military advantage over rivals. Yet, despite the fact that America spends more on defense than the next ten powers combined, it has never been a regional hegemon because it actually relies on the cooperation of other states to remain predominant. Without cooperation from allies such as Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and the Philippines, the US could not retain its forward military positions in the West Pacific. Likewise, the US needs the cooperation of

Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand to host its critical radar infrastructure.

Moreover, in remaining preeminent, America requires other key states and regional groupings, such as ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), to acquiesce in its security relationships. Thus, there is broad-based regional approval of US alliances with Japan, South Korea, and Australia, as well as with partners such as the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and India. The key to the effectiveness of these bilateral relationships is that they enjoy widespread support (and thus legitimacy) in the region as stabilizing arrangements. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Combined with the raw military capacity that the US brings to the table, this means that America is powerful enough to enforce the peace and provide stability for commerce to thrive. America’s presence and bilateral partnerships are complementary to Asian states’ obsession with counter-dominance and non-interference in the region.

This dynamic “liberal order”—largely fair, flexible, and open enough to welcome new entrants as they rise—will continue to serve Asia well. For example, even China has been a major beneficiary of the public goods provided by the US-led hierarchical system.

John Lee

The interdependent relationship means that the US is not so powerful that it can readily ignore the wishes of key states and it is here that its apparent weakness is actually strength.

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This interdependent relationship means that the US is not so powerful, that it can readily ignore the wishes of key states, and it is here that its apparent weakness is actually strength. America is not a Hobbesian Leviathan with absolute authority and power. Indeed, China’s strategists are frequently puzzled by the lack of “balancing” that takes place against the US in the region. But it is puzzling only if we characterize Asia as being multi-polar rather than hierarchical.

In fact, any balancing tends to take place in order to preserve the hierarchy, not to replace or supersede it. Other states tend to resist bids by any Asian power—be it Japan, China or India—to rise to the top of the pyramid. As a foreign-based power, the US needs the cooperation of Asian partners. This keeps the top dog in check. Were an Asian country like China to rise to

the top, it would not need the same level of regional cooperation and acquiescence to maintain its position and military footholds.

As China and India rise, and Japan becomes more “normal,” they will balance each other within the US-led hierarchy to ensure that the US remains on top and one or the other doesn’t dominate. If China makes a bid for regional hegemony, it will find it difficult to resist the structural constraints placed on it within this hierarchy.

US power is in relative decline, but that is no bad thing. False triumphalism breeds poor discipline. But a sense of strategic vulnerability breeds interdependency, which has always been the key to successful US leadership in Asia.

*John Lee is a foreign policy fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney and a visiting fellow

at the Hudson Institute in Washington. His most recent book is “Will China Fail?”

Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2009Source: www.project-syndicate.org

As China and India rise and Japan becomes more “normal”, they will balance each other within the US-led hierarchy to ensure that the US remains on top and one or the other doesn’t dominate. .

Barack Obama’s Peace ?Nobel Prize committee voted Barack Obama’s promise for the world’s future. But the global marketplace held a very different vote on America’s future. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the US President the peace prize for 2009 for having “created a new climate in international politics”.

The world’s foreign exchanges have been busy reassessing the climate in international realpolitik. The US dollar is falling sharply against currencies around the world. The divergence between Obama’s Nobel honour and the marketplace repricing of his country’s future would appear to be a stark lesson in the difference between hope and reality. Hope for Obama’s plans may soar, but his ability to meet those hopes is shrivelling with the value of the currency.

The US recession is a problem today, as it pales into insignificance next to the danger of America’s vast government debt. The “dismal deficit outlook poses a huge longer-term threat”. It implies a savage sell-off of the US dollar. The consequences “could jeopardise the entire recovery” of the American economy. The world increasingly doubts that the US Government can repay its debts. A combination of prior tax cuts, years of high spending and a brutal recession have produced the worst budget conditions in 75 years.” US must cut its spending and that implies a shrunken US ability to deliver on just about all of Obama’s ambitions.

The US deficit is a bipartisan disaster. It demands a bipartisan solution. The Nation should be extremely careful with forecasting the decline and fall of America. Its future will not be secured by complacency or boosterism. Its future success, or failure, lies in the wisdom of its policy choices.

But America has the ability, as it has shown repeatedly, to regenerate itself, as long as it is ruled wisely. America is not predestined to rule the world, nor is it fated to collapse. Its future is in its own hands.

Contributor: Peter Hartcher, International Editor, Sydney Morning Herald

Source: http://www.smh.com.au

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7.5 November 2009

Hindi and Urdu: The Twin Sisters

-Gambhir Watts*

Urdu/Hindi, the lingua franca of Indo-Pakistani people written in Arabic Persian Script is a combination of two separate scripts and names Hindi in Deva Nagari and Urdu in Arabic. Urdu’s history is enmeshed with religious terms like Indira, Mitra, Siva, Allah, Rab. These are shared by Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Christians. Urdu is amalgamated with Mesopotamia’s rich vocabulary and grammar shared among Arabic, Sanskrit, Dravidian and Persian.

The languages have divided men into Hindus, Muslims etc but can even reunite them into a common heritage of cultures, religious ideas, sciences and languages. Both Urdu and Hindi have been the assimilation of thousands of Arabic/Persian terms created from

Sanskrit. They are the common linguistic melting pot with the source of a single shared script in Mesopotamia, centered at Iraq. These are inclusive of Western India and Egypt/Greece range of influence. Early literature from Pali integrates with Sufi literature of 9–16th centuries to form one language, the Hindi. It is only after the period 1800–1900 that it diverges into a Hindi and an Urdu stream.

The similarities in Islam and Hinduism make this bond Urdu/Hindi impeccable as Urdu emerged from Hindi which in turn has its origin in Sanskrit. Languages are an earthly creation free from religion as Hindi created for Hindus is now turning holy for Indian Muslims. Urdu/Hindi may be viewed as neither Aryan nor Hindu nor Muslim, but as a purely Indian, South Asian, a hybrid of five known linguistic groups, Munda, Dravidian, Sanskrit, Persian and Arabic. Urdu/Hindi has the capability to heal religious, racial divisions and focuses on inclusiveness and healing through its scientific history. It helps one to rise above one’s personal bias, provide modern outlook with a global and scientific perspective and an aptitude for self-criticism, reorientation.

Hindustani is the linguistic super family uniting all in the subcontinent and can even help the famous peace process between India and Pakistan. In fact, Urdu/Hindi and Hindustani are three names for one speech language, the lingua franca of the Indian subcontinent or undivided British India (prior to 1947). Urdu and/or Hindustani, as a successor of Persian, was adopted by the British in 1835 as the administrative language and a medium of education because of the national and global status of Persian script. The synthesis of a new Hindi was achieved by purging of Arabic/Persian words and the demand and struggle of Hindu nationalists to remove Urdu. The British, who created Hindi and instigated the development of Hindi nationalism, never removed Urdu and the struggle continued until partition.

The secular leaders like Gandhi, Jinnah, Nehru and others were in favour of continuation of Hindi and Urdu. In fact Mahatma Gandhi, who favoured Urdu’s continuation even after partition, was perceived as pro-Muslim. In India Urdu lost its status as the primary language to its twin Hindi in 1949, but it remained important. It is still commonly utilized as the second language in many states. In Pakistan it has retained its prime position.

From a deeper perspective recognizing the global substrates in its genesis and true to its heritage, Urdu/Hindi has grown to be a truly global language including its variants making Urdu/Hindi as world’s most widely used language by around 20–30 million people. In fact, 700 million people claim it as their mother language and/or second language. The cultural unity of South Asia is robustly maintained as Pakistani media retaining Hindi and Urdu retaining its hold in Indian streets. Urdu/Hindi has its old quality, neither Hindu nor Muslim, but non-parochial and secular.

To comprehend the history and linguistic base of Urdu/Hindi, one has to look at the Indian subcontinent or South Asia as a geopolitical and linguistic entity, like Europe, with language-based regional sub-nations and a shared vision of history and culture. Linguistically as many as four families are identifiable: the largest Indo-Aryan (IA) branch of the worldwide Indo-European family; Tibeto-Burmese (TBR) of China; Dravidian (DR) and the large Austro-Asiatic (AA)

The similarities in Islam and Hinduism make this bond Urdu/Hindi impeccable as Urdu emerged from Hindi which in

turn has its origin in Sanskrit

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family of Pacific South East Asia. TBR occupies the extreme northeast bordering China-Burma and Indian state of Assam, and Bangladesh. The DR family with its four popular languages, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, dominates the south. The IA family dominates the rest in about three-fourths of undivided India. The AA family, through its dialects Munda, Santali, Kol etc overlaps all others but is concentrated in the central eastern highlands in the state of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand and Bihar. Its role is more basic in Urdu and other languages such as Sindhi, Punjabi, Kashmiri, Gujarati, Marathi, Bengali, Assami, Oriya and Nepali which are currently grouped as IA dialects of IE Sanskrit.

Urdu/Hindi, the largest amongst these, is well comprehended in all IA dialectional tract; all share a common genesis, grammar, syntax and about 90% of their vocabulary. These dialects can be appropriately

called Para-Hindi or Para-Urdu despite their own regional scripts and political culture. In addition Hindi/Urdu is not infrequently spoken in these areas as a second language, and its films are equally popular. In fact, Urdu and Hindi are one and the same like two sides of a coin. Hindi/Urdu may be the world’s most widely used language, if one includes Para-Urdu/Para-Hindi or regional dialects.

Poetry has to be one of the more challenging forms of art, not only to create but to interpret and understand. For anyone who loves poetry (whether it be by great poets of bygone eras or their contemporary counterparts) it is forever present to be recited or referenced with much enthusiasm and passion. Sometimes with an element of snobbery, the culturally aware drop poetic references into routine conversations in artsy circles to look down upon their middle class acquaintances

and remind us that poetry is inaccessible to those without a certain pedigree or education.

Unfortunately, I am one of those middle class types who cannot recite a poetry or even quote poetic verses amid conversation to support a polemic argument about the state of the world today. I sometimes do feel rather belittled when others who are admittedly more brilliant than me are able to do what I only wish I had the ability to do. To look someone squarely in the eyes, focus and let loose my verbal assault through Ghalib’s or Neeraj’s—ah, what a dream I dream!

*President

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Urdu/Hindi has grown to be a truly global language

Annual Sir Syed Day Dinner 2009 Celebrated in AustraliaAMU Alumni Association of Australia takes great pride in its asociation with the prestigious Aligarh University and continously honours its Alma Mater by following its traditions, and celeberate the birth anniversy of it’s founder, Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. This Celebration is called “Sir Syed Day”. All AMU students, old and new, their families, employees, and associates, and friends are invited to share this great day with us. Traditionally the program starts with the recitation of the AMU Tarana, and includes speeches by the Guest speaker, Chief guest, Alumni Executive, Alumni Scholarship, award ceremony, cultural program/mushaira, and followed by a grand dinner. All funds generated are for used for scholarship to poor students.

The Sir Syed Day Function and Dinner was held at 6:30 PM, on 31st Oct 2009, at Parramatta Town Hall, 132 Church Street, Sydney NSW, Australia.

15th Annual Mushaira 2009 by Urdu Society of AustraliaUrdu Society of Australia held the Annual Mushaira on Friday 23 October 2009 at Himalaya Restaurant, Granville. The event also included international urdu poets Mr Khalid Sharif (Pakistan) and Mohtarma Sajid Zaidi among other local poets.

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7.5 November 2009

Melbourne Cup Day 2009 A Day when the Nation comes to a Standsti l l…….

T he first held Melbourne Cup in 1861 marked an impeccable history in Australia and its states and has never stopped since then. This

famous day observes world’s most prestigious horse races with spectators’ eyes glued to the TV sets and

radio commentaries.

On the day of the Cup, Melbourne city is full of life with people flocking from different backgrounds to be a part of this legendary horse race. Also curious people from Sydney, Canberra etc fly down to Melbourne to add more flavor to this annual Cup Day. The hallmark event is also famous for its urban fashion parade and other racetrack fashions which steal the horse racing business. There are some who feel that the spirit of the sport is lost in the fashion fiesta that takes place during the event. Nonetheless people enjoy the day thoroughly.

Horse Racing analysis and betting has always been quite prominent among many overtly passionate lovers while others try their luck by entering into lotteries or some small gambles. The Carnival attracts a different mood among thousands of people who enjoy with champagne, canapés and their attractive race day costumes. What might seem so striking about this day is its worldwide frenzy despite its gradual modifications. The biggest change in this race has been the arrival of many foreign horses to contest the race. Yet this Cup is an eye candy for the overseas media and the other obsessive horse race lovers.

Each year, since 1861 there has been a significant upsurge in the number of people coming to cheer

at the Cup Day with minimum counts of 110,000 spectators being there to hoot for their personal favorites. The current distance of the racing track is 3200 meters and Kingston Rule, winner 1990 took 3 minutes 16.3 seconds to complete this distance. However, the first Melbourne Cup in 1861 gave a gold watch and 170 pounds cash prize to the Winner Archer.

The Australian sporting and socializing calendar takes an entire new twist on the first Tuesday of every November when the irresistible Melbourne Cup Carnival starts. Since 1861, at 3.00 pm AEST at the Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, this extravagant game of race begins with all high spirits. 2009 Cup was no exception to this. The 2009 Cup Carnival had been a great tourist attraction among the people. It was really a joy for the horse racing lovers. Fashion and celebrity added glitter to the show. From now on, the focus on equality amongst the sexes at the Melbourne Cup should be there with the need of more female jockey participating in the race, competing on equal footing against men.

Melbourne Cup has become synonymous to Australia’s way of celebration and festivity. At the end of the celebrations there are people who are overjoyed and people who are light on their pocket but the enthusiasm of The Melbourne Cup never dies. This day brings people of all communities to raise a toast and share the grand carnival. Next year again too, the excitement for this day will gain its momentum as 2009 hangover settles down. But till then, let’s gallop with the 2009 winning horse SHOCKING.

- Compiled by Pooja Kohli

Source: www.theroar.com.au

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Science and Literature-Dharam Pal*

S cience and literature are the two most important disciplines that have revolutionized human society. These major disciplines are

the two steps towards a gradual evolution of human society. It can be conclusively pointed out that these evolutionary forces never come to a dead end. On the other hand their constant endeavour is to experiment, explore and make tremendous advancements in terms of human prosperity and understanding. Evolution is defined as a journey from uniformity to deformity and from deformity to uniformity. It is applicable to any

evolutionary force manifesting in human society. That is why there are periods of decadence and stopping in science and literature. But it is not a historical process. It is a temporary arrangement in the process of evolution. Science and literature present before us two visions or points of view of human life and the world. Science deals with a world of objective realities and empirical truths distanced away from personal prejudices and personal interpretations of the universe. The scientist, in his scientific explorations, takes the shelter of objective, cold conclusions. He does not allow his personal vision to colour his scientific conclusion. His language is personal and cold. It is in no way emotive. It is imbued in

rationality and logic. It evades personal and emotive shades of personal whims. Scientific reason has its own limitation. It is that scientific outlook is creative also but it is confined to the initial stages of scientific investigations.

It is limited to the establishment of a hypothesis. But once the initial hypothesis is over, the intuitional application of human mind is also over. Then the scientist comes to cold experimentations with a margin of error. Unlike the man of religion he gives a fare scope to error in judgment and experimentation. This language is not normative but objective and proof-ridden.

The scientist starts his investigations where the previous scientists have left. He must take into account the previous inventions and discoveries of his fellow scientists. On the other hand, the creative man in literature has to start afresh. He, of course, learns from other writers but he is not supposed to imitate them. He must take his own imaginative flights and probes into the nature’s reality that he intends to explore. He must create his own imaginative world that is complete in itself yet a part of the world beyond his immediate existence. The world of poem or a novel or any other creative world is synthetic. It is imaginative and an amalgam of divergent forces. Unlike scientific

investigations, it is not analytical. It is born out of the intensity of imagination. This intensity is able to bring a harmony in discordant feelings and ideas. According to T.S. Eliot new wholes are created in the poet’s mind. These creative, imaginative wholes are self-sufficient and do not require any outside testimony to support them. Poetic truth is supported by emotive language. It sets out to explore the inner and psychological dimensions of human psyche. It is a curious combination of the outer and inner pulsating with a life of its own. Poetic truth and Scientific truth are different from each other. Both are essential to the growth of man. One is mainly concerned with the physical advancement and the other is concerned

Science and literature have their own specific limitations beyond which they can not operate. But they are complementary to each other. They help us to have comprehensive view of human nature and society.

Poetic truth and Scientific truth are different from each other. Both are essential to the growth of man. One is mainly concerned with the physical advancement and the other is concerned with the emotive and intuitional aspects of man’s life

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with the emotive and intuitional aspects of man’s life. Poetic truth perceives beauty in creation. It acquaints us with the most beautiful and ugly aspects of human life. It is a direct confrontation with life and is imaginative reflection of life. On the other hand the scientist is a keen observer of life and the physical

realities of nature. His mind is open to the laws of intricacies of nature.

Both the scientist and the poet or any other creative artist are essential for the growth of mankind. Their absence from the society will create a kind of stagnation and or leading to death and decay. Science and literature have their own specific limitations beyond which they can not operate. But they are complementary to each other. They help us to have comprehensive view of human nature and society. A writer can totally absent himself from his works in order to provide a glimpse in the objective reality. Truth must be shorn off from all personal attachments and coloring of vision. It can be achieved by a creative writer or an artist if he gets into the habit of thinking in a detached manner.

The scientist as well as the creative artist—both are to be respected and given full recognition by the people around them. It is the combined view of the scientist and the writer that helps human personality in the fullest sense, we must help in the growth of both the disciplines.

As such there is no intrinsic clash between the poetic and scientific truths. A scientist may be as imaginative and emotive as an artist. There are certain glaring examples that show that a scientist can be artistic in temperament. For example Dr Einstein, the greatest scientist of the present century, was a man of artistic temperament. He often played on his violin sitting on the sea shore. He was very much attracted by the awe and mystery of nature that manifested through the sprawling vastness of the sea. Despite being a man of scientific outlook, he displayed his aesthetic sensibilities. Similarly a man of artistic out-look can be scientific in his attitude to the nature of reality. He can be rational and objective in the exploration of truth. Among such writers we can cite the example of

Aldous Huxuly, who in his novels follows a method of objective exploration of reality. Despite his being a visionary he exposes the nature of reality in the most analytical manner. Some of the conclusions he arrives at are scientifically highly elevating and beneficial. As a matter of fact, the vision, exuberance and emotion of artistic creation is to follow a medium that is objective and impersonal. It is through medium that an artist achieves a sense of universality in his creative manifestations. As such vision and emotion are raw material to be given a pattern. The pattern has a semblance of life. It may be the medium of a poem, novel or a drama. The treatment must be scientific and must represent reality as far as possible. It is through structure that the writer displays his creative dexterity. Passion, emotion must cohere in a form, otherwise everything in creativity will be blurring and overlapping. Life as such is chaotic. Human emotions also do not follow a particular channel.

Our sub-conscious mind is also an arena of confusing thoughts and emotions. Human life, traditions and its history can be put in imaginative discipline only through form. And the form is given to human life only through structure. According to a writer, it is only literature that gives meaning to our existence. It imparts meaning to human emotions and trends in the society. Moreover literature brings to us the past, present and the future. In the conclusion we can sum up that science and literature have their distinct domains yet they embrace each other at many vital points.

*Dharam Pal is a Retd. Professor in English Literature. His published works includes six novels

and two collections of short stories in Hindi and two unpublished novels in English.

A scientist may be as imaginative and emotive as an artist. There are certain glaring examples that show that a scientist can be artistic in temperament.

Science and literature have their distinct domains yet they embrace each other at many vital points

49

Bhavan’s Children Section7.5 November 2009

Celebrating Children’s Day:Despite of Social Prejudices

-Pooja Kohl i*

14 November, a day which marks the birthday of India’s first iconic Prime Minister, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, whose unconditional love and affection for the children held no bounds. From educating them to lovingly fostering them, Nehru Ji did it all with utmost dedication and sincerity. It was his unabated fondness for the young children that universally symbolizes this day as “Children’s Day”.

Even today the much awaited children’s day celebration takes place with great fervor all over the world with India celebrating this day on November 14 while the world celebrates on November 20.

With this, the message of Jawaharlal Nehru fondly remembered as Chacha Nehru reverberates in my mind.

“Children of the country should be provided with proper foundation so that they can uplift the nation to greater heights and prosperity. However, failure to feed and educate the children buries all expectations of the nation”

Excitement and enthusiasm forms the strong foundation of this day among both children and adults. But to a considerable extent, it feels that the interpretation of this day has completely changed. Today this has been modified as a day of freedom among the young generation who have unlimited demands and high knitted hopes. Their soaring aspirations and ambitions are definitely creating a new path for the future development. In close scrutiny, when I sit down to think about Children’s Day, for some reason many indifferent thoughts keep pouring into my mind.

It somehow vents my imagination to think that apart from 14 November, all other days of the year, we read cases of female foeticide, child abuse and other cases of vandalism which the young children are subjected to. At one hand, laws of corporal punishments have been strictly enforced in schools, yet some schools secretly smack the toddlers and heartlessly beat the kids. Does this mean that November 14 has lost its significance or does it mean that this day is observed as one when children will not be ill-treated? Though Reality bites hard and reporting such brutal incidents makes my heart weep.

Ironically, this facet of life makes one reminisce the unusual progress of the world. On the other hand, another picture of today’s modern youth clearly highlights the commendable positions they have attained in all spheres of life. With top-notch jobs and an extraordinary spark to lead life, they have shown everybody the true zest to live life.

However, both these contrasting experiences clearly depict the wide aspects of life which are exhibited by our youths today. Nevertheless, what makes this generation very special is the mere fact that they have a bold heart to confront issues which are a part of social prejudices. Young and daring youths are submitting themselves to fight against such social injustices which have been ruling many nations since decades.

The social taboos which have been inflicted in

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7.5 November 2009

our society since ages needs to be revised in many dimensions. The efficacy of today’s youth lies in making a phenomenal change in the world since they have the driving force which sets them out from the others. May this Children’s Day be a complete day of self realization among the youths, the children and the adults. Last but not the least, the celebrations of Children Day are not only limited to developing countries. Rather other developed countries like United States, Japan, New Zealand etc give high regard to this day.

Even Australia celebrates this day with great pomp and show with Indian and the Non-Indian communities taking immense pride in observing the

Universal Children’s Day on November 20. Also, every state and territory within Australia effectively extends support to the Government for the purpose of UNICEF. Annual cultural activities also take place at various locations to raise funds for the disadvantaged children all throughout Australia by means of selling Children’s Day cards.

The Universal Children’s Day as observed on 20 November reminds the young people aged 10-19 about their rights ad privileges in the country. For this purpose, the UN General Assembly on 14 December 1954 made a prominent recommendation to all governments to celebrate Children’s day as a day of brotherhood and understanding among the children. The well accepted and appreciated response from across the nations helped in implementing the Declaration of the Rights if the Child in 1959. The Convention on the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1989 ratified countries to safeguard the interests of the children and the young people whose basic demands have been put at stake. Their basic right to education, heath, recreation and justice cannot be neglected rather it has to be effectively dealt with. Only once the voices of these young children will be heard can the developed and developing nations collectively move towards dealing with other social challenges like AIDS, feticide, smoking and drinking.

Source: www.festivalsofindia.in

*Pooja Kohli, an international student pursuing Masters in Community Development in Australia got her association with Gandhian values and beliefs during her graduation years in Delhi when she was made the President of Gandhi Study Circle.

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7.5 November 2009

Homage to Two Legends of MusicAugust 15, 1947. The entire Madras Province comprising the whole of the present Tamil Nadu, and substantial parts of the present Kerala and Karnataka, woke up to the strains of Subramania Bharatis Aaduvome, pallu paaduvome on All India Radio.

The singer was D.K. Pattammal, musical legend, concert pioneer, doughty patriot and a lot more. That immortal voice was stilled in July, 2009, though her music survives her, thanks to technology and a host of disciples spanning three generations.

Coincidentally, within days of Pattammal’s death, another incomparable musical voice too fell silent, with the death of Gangubai Hangal, doyenne of the

famed Kirana Gharana. Both these ladies lived to their nineties, both were recipients of Padma Vibhushan, the nation’s second highest civilian award and, by widespread views of countless music lovers deserved the highest honour of Bharat Ratna. Both Gangubai and Pattamal were beyond the awards and honours they were flooded with in their long life in music. Pattammal thought little of her invariable inclusion in the musical trinity consisting of herself, M.S. Subbulakshmi and M.L. Vasanthakumari.

Both were synonymous with shraddha or reverence to the greatness of music itself. Enough has been written elsewhere about their musical excellence that it would be quite inadequate to express the debt we Indian music lovers collectively owe them in terms of verbal praise and thanksgiving.

If Gangubai did not leave a legacy by way of disciples, Pattammal lives on through her granddaughter, Nithyashree Mahadevan, besides present-day top draws such as Vijay Siva and others. Perhaps the greatest attribute of (and tribute to) Pattammal’s rich contribution to Carnatic music was her openness to challenges. Challenging the mores of the times that did not approve of ladies from Brahmin households performing concerts, she successfully broke the male monopoly of the times that precluded women singers from exhibiting their skills on concert platforms. She was among the first to include Tamil compositions in the first half of a concert in an era that mandated that this segment be devoted to compositions in Sanskrit or Telugu. She sang freely for the Tamil cinema of the time, popularising compositions such as Aaduvome Pallu Paduvome and Vettri Ettu Dhikkum, adding her resonant voice to the call for freedom. Gangubai too was a free-spirited musician, whose life is a story of dedication to music against formidable odds. Her contribution to the propagation of Indian classical music is something that will be remembered for a long time to come. Gangubai was the most acclaimed exponents of the gharana founded by Ustad Abdul Karim Khan and Ustad Abdul Waheed. The other important exponents of this gharana are Suresh Babu Mane, Hirabai Barodekar, Pt Sawai Gandharva, Pt Bhimsen Joshi, Pt Basavaraj Rajguru, Begum Parween Sultana and Pt Firoz Dastur. Gangubai mastered the Kirana gharana style and spread the sweetness of her music all over India, through several prestigious festivals, radio broadcasts and recordings, carving a niche for herself in the music world, otherwise dominated by males.

Source: Bhavan’s Journal, August 31 2009

Both these ladies lived to their nineties, both were recipients of Padma Vibhushan, the nation’s second highest civilian award and, by widespread views of countless music lovers deserved the highest honour of Bharat Ratna

D.K. Pattammal and Gangubai Hangal

53

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7.5 November 2009

Charter of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Bhavan) is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political Non Government Organisation (NGO). Bhavan has been playing a crucial role in educational and cultural interactions in the world, holding aloft the best of Indian traditions and at the same time meeting the needs of modernity and multiculturalism. Bhavan’s ideal ‘is the whole world is but one family’ and its motto: ‘let noble thoughts come to us from all sides’.

Like Bhavan’s other centres around the world, Bhavan Australia facilitates intercultural activities and provides a forum for true understanding of Indian culture, multiculturalism and foster closer cultural ties among individuals, Governments and cultural institutions in Australia. Bhavan Australia Charter derived from its constitution is:

To advance the education of the public in:a) the cultures (both spiritual and temporal) of the world,b) literature, music, the dance, c) the arts, d) languages of the world,e) philosophies of the world.

To foster awareness of the contribution of a diversity of cultures to the continuing development of multicultural society of Australia.To foster understanding and acceptance of the cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity of the Australian people of widely diverse heritages.To edit, publish and issue books, journals and periodicals, documentaries in Sanskrit, English and other languages, to promote the objects of the Bhavan or to impart or further education as authorized.To foster and undertake research studies in the areas of interest to Bhavan and to print and publish the results of any research which is undertaken.

www.bhavanaustralia.org

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From Bhavan’s Journal July 26 1959. Reprinted in Bhavan’s Journal July 31 2009

Arise, Awake! Swami Vivekananda

Materialism and all its miseries can never be conquered by materialism. Armies, when they attempt to conquer, only multiply and make brutes of humanity. Spirituality must conquer the West. Slowly they are finding out that what they want is spirituality to preserve them as nations. Where are the men ready to go out to every country in the world with the messages of the great sages of India? Where are the men who are ready to sacrifice everything, so that this message shall reach every corner of the world? The world wants it; without it, the world will be destroyed. The whole of the Western world is on a volcano which may burst tomorrow, go to pieces tomorrow.

True Worship Srimad Bhagvata Extracts

The characteristic of pure devotion to the Supreme Being is that it has no motive and is incessant. That devotion is described as absolute by which one transcends the three dispositions (purity, passion, and darkness) and renders himself fit to become one with Me. Therefore, with charity and honour and with friendship toward all and non-differentiating outlook, one should worship Me, the Soul of all beings, as enshrined in all beings.

Cooperation is What is Needed Vinoba Bhave

Those who have a clear grasp of Sarvodaya philosophy speak of it highly, meaning that it is good, and nobody has any doubt about it. Nowadays the word ‘co-existence’ has got going but it is too inadequate to serve the purpose. It is co-operation that is now needed. Today we cannot afford to live separately. Science would perforce unite the world. If it was not so, mankind would be wiped out of existence. Now a citizen of any State in India is a citizen of India. Similarly we have to see that a citizen of any country would be a citizen of the world. Thus, all boundaries will disappear. There will be no visa, no passport, nothing. Man will be free to go to any part of the world and shall have the opportunity to work and live lovingly. Only when the world is thus reshaped will its problems be solved. We welcome science and want to utilise scientific knowledge for the happiness of man.

But the best use of science is possible only when non-violence and the plan for decentralisation are added to it. Racialism, religion and languages which are inseparable from humanity should be put to good use. We should put it to good use. We should utilise them as tools and not become tools in their hands.

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan: The Man and His Works Dr. P. Nagaraja Rao

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan is the finest product of the contemporary Indian renaissance, which is the result of the impact of Western and Eastern ideals. He stands for all that is universal and of permanent value in Hindu thought. He has assimilated the best of the West. Radhakrishnan’s genius has shown itself in his rare ability as an interpreter of philosophy and as constructive metaphysician. Radhakrishnan laid the foundation for a universal religion that satisfied the demands of reason and the needs of humanity. Next to religion, education has been the field of his activity. To him students are near-divine. He has always been able to touch their hearts and hold their loyalties.

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7.5 November 2009

Holy & WiseEkam Sdvipra Bahudha Vadanti - That is one whom the learned call differently - Vedanta

The Test of Bhavan’s Right to ExistThe test of Bhavan’s right to exist is whether those who work for it in different spheres and in different places and those who study in its many institutions can develop a sense of mission as would enable them to translate the fundamental values, even in a small measure, into their individual life.

Creative vitality of a culture consists in this: whether the ‘best’ among those who belong to it, however small their number, find self-fulfilment by living up to the fundamental values of our ageless culture.

It must be realised that the history of the world is a story of men who had faith in themselves and in their mission. When an age does not produce men of such faith, its culture is on its way to extinction. The real strength of the Bhavan, therefore, would lie not so much in the number of its buildings or institutions it conducts, nor in the volume of its assets and budgets, nor even in its growing publication, cultural and educational activities. It would lie in the character, humility, selflessness and dedicated work of its devoted workers, honorary and stipendiary. They alone can release the regenerative influences, bringing into play the invisible pressure which alone can transform human nature

Kulapativani Self-RealisationAt the root of this elaborate structure is the faith that man is not a struggling worm who lives and dies and is no more. He is a divine essence with a supra-physical destiny, which he can only realise through truth, consecration and self-discipline.

When he attains self-realisation, he rises above the lures of sense-experience and his personality becomes integrated.

This process implies two inter-dependent processes; by the first, the ego is surrendered and by the second, the individual self is broadened into a universal self.

This consummation is variously named self-realisation (Sam-siddhi), emancipation (Mukti or Moksha), freedom (Nirvana), enlightenment (Jnana), bliss (Ananda), or the absolute integration of human personality (Kaivalya).

The attempt to lead a life in conformity with the Cosmic Order to attain self-realisation may be termed the Highest Good.

There is no doubt in this matter that, the more a man directs his mind to auspicious activities, the more so all his desires are fulfilled - Vidooraneeti

A wise man will desire no more that he may get justly, use soberly, get justly, use sobrely, distribute cheerfully and leave contentedly. - Burtan

It is wise to get knowledge and learning from every source - from a sot, a pot, a fool, a winter-mitten, or an old slipper. - Rabelais

59

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