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VASUDHAIVA KUTUMBAKAM The whole world is but one family’ www.bhavanaustralia.org

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Page 1: ZZZ EKDYDQDXVWUDOLD RUJ · Connecting Australia to India Register on web site for Daily Forex Rates state bank of india - sydney branch level 12, 234 george street, sydney nsw 2000

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 ’

w w w. b h a v a n a u s t r a l i a . o r g

Page 2: ZZZ EKDYDQDXVWUDOLD RUJ · Connecting Australia to India Register on web site for Daily Forex Rates state bank of india - sydney branch level 12, 234 george street, sydney nsw 2000

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same day crediT To oVer 35000 oTher bank branches bank wiTh 84 offices in

32 coUnTries spanning all Time zones, markeT maker for indian rUpee exchange raTe,he world’s largesT core banking sysTem ToTal asseTs of aUd 374 bn, india’s gobal bank wiTh 89 offices in 32 coUnTries spanning all Time zones, commands nearly one-foUrTh of banking in an economy larger Than aUsTralia, markeT maker for indian rUpee exchange raTe, a bank UnToUched by global sUbprime crisis, bUsiness increased by aUd 77.69 bn, prime beneficiary of “flighT To qUaliTy, groUp profiT Up 68.11% in an enVironmenT of collapsing global banking, comforT of goVernmenT of india ownership, highly capiTalized bank, capiTal raTio aT 14.12%, Toxic asseTs aT a negligible 1.76% as on 31.3.2009, connecTing aUsTralia To

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The International Atomic Energy Agency (IA EA) is “Atoms for Peace” Agency.

Overview of IAEAThe IAEA is a unique organization that stands for “Atoms for Peace” and fosters the cooperation in the nuclear field since 1957 within the United Nations family. The Agency works with its Member States (Countries around the world) and multiple partners worldwide to promote safe, secure and peaceful nuclear technologies. The IAEA was created in 1957 in response to the deep fears and expectations resulting from the discovery of nuclear energy. Its fortunes are uniquely geared to this controversial technology that can be used either as a weapon or as a practical and useful tool. The Statute outlines the three pillars of the Agency´s work - nuclear verification and security, safety and technology transfer.

As more countries mastered nuclear technology, the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) was formulated in 1968. The NPT essentially freezes the number of declared nuclear weapon States at five (USA, Russia, UK, France and China). Other States are required to forswear the nuclear weapons option and to conclude comprehensive safeguards agreements with the IAEA on their nuclear materials. In 1995, the NPT was made permanent and in 1996 the UN General Assembly approved and opened for signature a comprehensive test ban treaty. While military nuclear activities were beyond the IAEA´s statutory scope, it was now accepted that the Agency might properly deal with some of the problems bequeathed by the nuclear arms race. In recent years, the Agency’s work has taken on some urgent added dimensions. Among them are countermeasures against the threat of nuclear terrorism, the focus of a new multi-faceted Agency action plan.

Organizational ProfileThe IAEA Secretariat is headquartered at the Vienna International Centre in Vienna, Austria. Operational liaison and regional offices are located in Geneva, New York, Toronto, and Tokyo. The IAEA Secretariat is a team of 2200 multi-disciplinary professional and support staff from more than 90 countries. The Agency is led by Director General Yukiya Amano and six Deputy Directors General who head the 6 major IAEA departments: management, nuclear sciences and applications, nuclear energy, nuclear safety and

security, technical cooperation, and safeguards and verification. IAEA policy making is formulated by 35-member Board of Governors and the General Conference of all Member States.

Relationship with United NationsIAEA´s relationship with the UN is regulated by special agreement . In terms of its Statute, the IAEA reports annually to the UN General Assembly and, when appropriate, to the Security Council regarding non-compliance by States with their safeguards obligations as well as on matters relating to international peace and security. The IAEA´s mission is guided by the interests and needs of Member States, strategic plans and the vision embodied in the IAEA Statute. Three main pillars - or areas of work - underpin the IAEA´s mission: Safety and Security; Science and Technology; and Safeguards and Verification. The IAEA is the world’s nuclear inspectorate, with more than four decades of verification experience. Inspectors work to verify that safeguarded nuclear material and activities are not used for military purposes. The Agency is additionally responsible for the nuclear file in Iraq as mandated by the UN Security Council. The IAEA helps countries to upgrade nuclear safety and security, and to prepare for and respond to emergencies. Work is keyed to international conventions, standards and expert guidance. The main aim is to protect people and the environment from harmful radiation exposure. The IAEA helps countries mobilize peaceful applications of nuclear science and technology.

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Atoms for Peace 2 Evolution of Cave Temples 39

Backyard Innovations 6 Id-E-Milad 42

World Health Day 8 Mahadevi Verma 44

Kasturba Gandhi 11 Scholar Who discovered Arthashastra 46

Bhim Rao Ambedkar 12Gandhigiri: Satyagraha after Hundred Years

48

Festivals of the Month 14 Indo Aussie Links 51

Cultural Heritage Concept 18 Jaydrath Vadh 52

International Women’s Day 22Mahatma Gandhi: The Sole Hope and Alternative

54

Holi Mahotsav 2010: A Report 24

Editorial PagePublisher & General Editor:

Gambhir [email protected]

Editorial Committee:J Rao Palagummi

Parveen [email protected]

Designing Team:Utkarsh Doshi

J Rao Palagummi

Advertising:[email protected]

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 High Commissioner of India in Mauritius (Founder Member/Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia)

Articles & Focus ThemesCover: Global Harmony

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Presidents Page

Gambhir WattsPresident, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Sport: Catalyst of Harmony & Peace Sport, like music, is sans frontier; it has no religion, no caste, and no language. Or we may say that sport has its unique universal identity like water, fire, air…

The role of sport in society has been debated for many decades. Sport is a part of society as both an educational fixture and an entertainment enterprise. Sport forms part of human and social development; it can contribute to social cohesion, tolerance and integration and is an effective channel for physical and socio-economic development. As a universal language, sport can be a powerful medium for social and economic change: it can be utilized to bridge cultural gaps, resolve conflict and educate people in ways that very few activities can.

Sport can be a powerful agent for change that should be leveraged by individuals, businesses, governments and elite athletes to drive significant positive development and progress in a social, economic and political context.

Value of sport: Sport is a means of exchange and understanding among people of various backgrounds, nationalities or beliefs, and promotes expression beyond traditional barriers. The rules of the game transcend differences and inequality and help redefine success and performance. Through sport, people identify new role models in society.

Sport demographics and health: Physical activity has a crucial social impact on society’s health and well-being as well as healthcare costs. A connection also exists between being physically active and living a healthy lifestyle. But as the Western world grows older, sport must reinvent itself to deal with this demographic shift.

Sport and education: Sport provides not only health benefits for young participants but also instils qualities such as team work, discipline and a competitive spirit that prove valuable in adulthood. It therefore warrants a prominent place in the educational system.

Sport and politics: Sport and politics often go hand-in-hand. Events such as football matches and the Olympic Games can be vehicles for improving understanding between countries.

Sport and economic development: Sport can contribute to economic development by creating additional sources of income including the manufacture of sporting goods, the development of sportrelated services and infrastructure or the hosting of sports events. Is government policy needed to elevate the importance of sport? How much investment can developing countries justify to promote sport, compared to other urgent social programmes?

International trade in sporting goods: Of concern in the past decade have been the relocation of production in developing countries, their specialization in the production of low cost sporting products or poor working conditions in the sporting goods industry – particularly the issue of child labour.

Sport and social entrepreneurship: An opportunity to build sport social entrepreneurship that fuels both social change and job creation exists. This can be driven primarily through the emerging hybrid of entrepreneurship and the NGO movement.

Dark side of sport: The increasing monetary and partisan nature of sport means that it can potentially give rise to violent and illegal activity or transactions that may not be in a community’s interest. Examples

include violence between athletes or spectators, the use of performance enhancing drugs, or the bribery and ownership of clubs by individuals who are motivated by non-sporting factors.

Inspired by: The World Economic Forum – Summit on the Global Agenda

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

T hree Idiots, the immensely entertaining Bollywood movie, was a super-hit. Though certain sections were impractical, on the whole

the film was enjoyable --- and it also made a very valid point: the Indian education system encourages rote learning and puts little premium on actual learning. The film, directed by Rajkumar Hirani, also stressed on the significance of low-cost, backyard innovations like the ones that were developed and marketed by the protagonist of the movie, Rancchoddas ‘Rancho’ Shyamaldas Chanchad aka Phunsukh Wangdu.

To drive home the point about innovations, the film used low-cost gadgets made by backyard innovators. The brains behind the innovations in Three Idiots were Remya Jose, a student from Kerala, who created the exercise-bicycle-cum-washing-machine, Mohammad Idris, a barber from Meerut district in Uttar Pradesh, who invented a bicycle-powered horse clipper, and Jahangir Painter, a painter from Maharashtra, who made the scooter-powered flour mill.

Even though India’s education system does not encourage innovators, the country has a thriving network of backyard innovators. Unfortunately they get very little support from the government and the private sector. “In 2000, the total fund available for the National Innovation Foundation was Rs 1.6 crore. Ten years down the line, it’s still the same,” says Prof Anil K Gupta, Executive Vice Chair, National Innovation Foundation (NIF). The Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, set up the Foundation in 2000 for “scouting, spawning, sustaining and scaling up grassroots green innovations and helping their transition to self-supporting activities”. Even though NIF funds have not increased, the number of innovations has gone up considerably in the last 10 years. In 2000, NIF had a database of 10,000 innovations; today it has 1,40,000.

But do we need these innovations? Do they serve any purpose? Prof Gupta, who also the runs the Honeybee network of innovators, says: “These backyard i n n o v a t i o n s are important for inclusive d e v e l o p m e n t , a f f o r d a b l e technologies and easy-to-repair products”.

Backyard innovators face myriad problems: first, there is no research and development support for testing their products; second, the technology testing fees are same for individual innovators and private companies; and third, there is no support for demonstration and advertisements. “Why can’t public channels like Doordarshan and All India Radio, both run by the government, advertise these products,” asks Gupta.

The other problems innovators face are: designing and product development and capital investment to scale up their production.

“Under the member of Parliament Local Area

Backyard Innovations- KumKum Dasgupta*

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Development Scheme [MPLADS], at least 20 per cent funds should be dedicated to support the local innovations for increasing livelihood, generating entrepreneurship,” added Gupta.

To encourage new innovators, the NIF undertakes Shodh Yatra’, a journey for the search of knowledge, creativity and innovations at grassroots. “The Yatra aims at unearthing traditional knowledge and grassroots innovations that have not only simplified the lives of men, women and farm labourers but have also significantly contributed towards the conservation of bio-diversity,” explains Gupta. The Yatra also seeks to compile and disseminate the knowledge, which is fast disappearing, and

establish a dialogue between the old and new generations. During the Yatra, certain activities like night meetings, bio-diversity competition, recipe competition for the women and felicitation of creative villagers are taken up.

All these efforts have not been in vain: the NIF has received a large number of requests from around the world for various products, either for technology transfer, non-exclusive marketing/manufacturing rights or for purchase of the products. The demand has been overwhelming for products like Exercising Swing, Milking Machine, Coconut Tree Climber, Motek Treadle Press and Garlic peeling Machine.

“The challenge is to get more and more products developed in modular manner so that the same product can meet needs of different client segments with minor modifications,” says Gupta. Till June 2009, NIF received more than 581 product enquiries, including 126 queries from abroad. The NIF has succeeded in commercialising various products in five continents and it has filed 219 patent applications in India and seven patent applications in the US. Out of these, 33 patents have been granted in India and five in the US. Other than these, 15 trademark applications have been filed, out of which three have been granted in India.

Gupta says that his mission is to “demonstrate the potential of knowledge rich, economically poor people in taking developing societies out of the morass of mediocrity and lead these onto a path of sustainable progress”.

A path India would do well to follow.

* KumKum Dasgupta is a Senior Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, New Delhi. She is keenly

interested in environment and development issues.

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

World Health DayE ach year on April 7th, the world

celebrates World Health Day. On this day around the globe,

thousands of events mark the importance of health for productive and happy lives.

What is World Health Day?In 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) held the First World Health Assembly. The Assembly decided to celebrate 7 April of each year, with effect from 1950, as the World Health Day. The World Health Day is celebrated to create “awareness of a specific health theme to highlight a priority area of concern for the World Health Organization (WHO)”. Over the past 50 years this has brought to light important health issues such as mental health, maternal & child care, and climate change. The celebration is marked by activities which extend beyond the day itself and serve as an opportunity to focus worldwide attention on these important aspects of global health.

World Health Day 2010 Theme: Urban Health MattersThis year, World Health Day focuses on urbanization and health, in recognition of the effect urbanization has on our collective health globally and for us all individually.

Urbanization: A Challenge for Public Health

Virtually all population growth over the next 30 years will be in urban areas, signalling that urbanization is here to stay. It is associated with many health challenges related to water, environment, violence and injury, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) and their risk factors like tobacco use, unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol as well as the risks associated with disease outbreaks. Urbanization is a challenge for several reasons. Of the six WHO Regions, the Western Pacific experiences the biggest number of natural hazards, and rapid urbanization increase human vulnerability to disaster. In many cases, especially in the developing world, the speed of urbanization has outpaced the ability of Governments to build essential infrastructure. Unplanned urbanization can intensify an existing humanitarian crisis and has consequences for the health security and safety of all citizens in cities.

• The urban poor suffer disproportionately from a wide range of diseases and other health problems, and include an increased risk for violence, chronic disease, and for some communicable diseases

such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS.

• The major drivers, or social determinants, of health in urban settings are beyond the health sector, including physical infrastructure, access to social and health services, local governance, and the distribution of income and educational opportunities.

• It is estimated that half a billion people live in informal settlements and slums in Asia. Five out of six newly poor are in cities. While overall, the highest densities of urban slums are found in Africa, the biggest proportion are in the Asia Pacific.

World Health Day 2010 Campaign: 1000 Cities, 1000 LivesWith the campaign 1000 cities, 1000 lives, events will be organized worldwide. The global goals of the campaign are:

1000 Cities: to open up public spaces to health, whether it be activities in parks, town hall meetings, clean-up campaigns, or closing off portions of streets to motorized vehicles.

1000 Lives: to collect 1000 stories of urban health champions who have taken action and had a significant impact on health in their cities.

In the Western Pacific Region, “Environmentally Sustainable and Healthy Urban Transport” (ESHUT) as one of the approaches to achieve healthy urbanization is being highlighted. The policy, design and operation of urban transport systems impact the health and safety of people through air and noise pollution, greenhouse gas emissions generated by motor vehicles, road traffic injuries, exposure to second-hand smoke in confined public transport systems, and the lack of accessibility for older people and those with disabilities. Our overall objective is to promote a win-win strategy for urban transport system to achieve good urban mobility that impacts positively on health.

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Vijay goes to Vienna as a Consultant at IA EA.

Vijay has undertaken an assignment as Consultant with IAEA for 6 months under Special Services Agreement under United Nations banner with diplomatic status. He will be reporting to the Head of the Nuclear Medicine Section, the Division of Human Health and provide technical advice and support for activities relating to strengthening global nuclear medicine practices. He will also be working at the Department of Nuclear Sciences and Applications and will be responsible for implementing activities within the IAEA’s program on nuclear energy production, radiation technology and implement Research & Development (R&D) projects.

Vijay was head-hunted internationally amongst the elite group of scientists in this field and will be expected to establish and maintain effective working relations with IAEA staff at all levels, with representatives of the Member States and with external counterparts and will be expected to demonstrate ability to interact effectively as part of an international team to achieve collaboratively organizational goals.

He will be working in a team of 6 professional and 3 administrative staff with key roles include:(1) as programme developer and implementer, assisting in planning and developing the IAEA’s programme in a specific area of Nuclear Medicine to enable broad international consensus on the specific issues (eg.

Uranium). Organize and provide scientific supervision for technical and consultants meetings aimed at supporting international research and the exchange of information. (2) as technical expert, planning and conducting basic technical review missions aimed at upgrading capabilities and research in developing countries to help improve the availability and quality of radioisotope products for medical applications, as well as to provide effective technical advice and assistance to Member States. (3) as technical and project officer, assisting in the evaluation and implementation of technical cooperation (TC) projects, and promoting, coordinating and evaluating complex coordinated research projects (CRPs). He will co-ordinate with

Actions and SolutionsUrban planning can promote healthy behaviours and safety through investment in active transport, designing areas to promote physical activity and passing regulatory controls on tobacco and food safety. Improving urban living conditions in the areas of housing, water and sanitation will go a long way to mitigating health risks. Building inclusive cities that are accessible and age-friendly will benefit all urban residents. Such actions do not necessarily require additional funding, but commitment to redirect resources to priority interventions, thereby achieving greater efficiency.

Health is a human right for all citizens. It is the role and responsibility of individuals, civil society, and

Governments to uphold this principle. Platforms where municipalities, civil society and individuals come together must be encouraged to protect the right to health of current and future generations of urban dwellers. By bringing multiple sectors of society together to actively engage in developing policies, more sustainable health outcomes will be achieved. We are at a clear turning point in which we are moving towards an increasingly urbanized world and with it, the need to embrace the consequences this can have for health—both the benefits and the challenges. Rather than look back fifty years from now at what could have been done, we can take action now to ensure that growing cities are healthy cities.

Source: www.who.int, www.wpro.who.int, www.un.org

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

scientific and technical counterparts in Member States to discuss CRPs and TC projects and assesses the requirements of Member States. In the process he will be required to establish and maintain collaborative relationships with Member State institutions, relevant sections in WHO (World Health Organization) and technical/professional societies, e.g. EANM (European Association of Nuclear Medicine), SRS (Society of Radiopharmaceutical Sciences), in order to increase awareness of the IAEA’s program in nuclear medicine.

Vijay’s career highlights: foundation for this top job.

Vijay is one of a few scientists in Australia who has been able to combine medical & Scientific research with Administration. He was instrumental in establishing Radiopharmaceutical research in Nuclear Medicine at Westmead Hospital and The Children’s hospital at Westmead and currently the head of Radiopharmaceutical research. He has made a significant contribution to the development of Basic Science course and successfully implemented for the medical curriculum of Association of Physicians in Nuclear Medicine. He has been given Clinical Professorial appointments at Sydney Medical School, Sydney University. He has been actively involved in the scientific affairs of the Australian & New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine and has been Chairman of Special interest group in Radiopharmacy (2001-03). Since 2009Vijay has undertaken the responsibility of serving as Secretary for IRC (International relationship committee) for WFNMB (World Federation of Nuclear Medicine & Bilogy) bid committee. He is a member of Editorial Board of World Journal of Nuclear Medicine & Biology. Vijay has been invited to write 2 Chapters in the leading text book: Nuclear Medicine: In Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment. Edited by Gambhir & Ell (3rd Ed). Churchill Livingstone, Edinburgh, 2004. Elsevier Science, Martin Mellor Publishing Services, UK.

Vijay had a humble beginning with IAEA in 1998 as part of the team conducting the “Regional Training Course on the assessment of myocardial viability” for nuclear cardiologists. In the following few years he has developed 8 different modules to IAEA- DAT (Distance Assisted Training) Programme in Nuclear Medicine under Regional cooperative agreement. In 2004 he was invited by IAEA for the first time in his career to give a Plenary lecture at International Nuclear Oncology conference in Brazil. He was then invited by IAEA as a Consultant in May 2005 to write “International Radiopharmacopeal Monographs”, which is now being released as “General monograph for Radiopharmaceuticals”. It is now a working document on Quality Assurance and Safety: Medicines Policy and Standards for World Health Organization,

Geneva, Switzerland. He was invited by IAEA as part of National Consultant mission in 2006 “to design, formulate and work out details of a Regional project on Implementation of good manufacturing practices and good hospital radiopharmacy practices in the region”.

Vijay was the winner of Nuclear Scientist Award [ANSTO award (Aust Nucl Sci Org)] in 2007 for his proven strong track record of successfully undertaking challenging projects and translating laboratory research into clinically useful products. His work on nuclear imaging of arthritis (with radiolabelled glucosamine) has attracted the attention of British Society of Nuclear Medicine, and got invitation to deliver the prestigious guest lecture at their annual convention in Manchester, 2009. He developed a new agent for Nuclear Imaging of Infection, which attracted attention from European Nuclear medicine Society last year in Barcelona and subsequently got invited to present at the World Federation of Nuclear Medicine Conference in Cape Town, South Africa later this year. His significant contribution at international level and the recognition is evident from invitations to deliver 14 Plenary guest lectures in the past 4 years from the leading Nuclear Medicine Society Forums around the world [eg. British & European Nuclear Med Societies; World Federation of Nuclear Medicine] culminating in the current position with IAEA.

Vijay confessed that his time is focused on Scientific and administrative aspects leaving little time for Singing, although his heart is throbbing with passion for music as ever. At the age of 61 he is happy to announce that he is going to become a grandpa soon. He always believes the fundamental strength is his family, the never-failing support from his wife Shan, which is instrumental to all his success in his professional career.

- Dr Vijay Kumar, award winning scientist - Australian Nuclear Scientist for the year 2007.

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Kasturba GandhiI n the transformation of Mohandas Gandhi

into Mahatma Gandhi, there was one person who played a very prominent but silent role.

Needless to say, but it was his wife, Kasturba Gandhi (1869–1944), on whose death after more than sixty years of life together, Gandhi mourned—“I can’t imagine a life without Ba. She went away to freedom, imprinting on the heart to work or to die.” Gandhi, the apostle of Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satyagraha (non-violent resistance) had admitted more than once that he learned the art and science of Satyagraha from Kasturba. He felt that her life was an extremely sacred one. In discharging her duty as a wife she had even sacrificed her conscience. She never stood in between him and his sacrifices. Everyone called her Ba in great respect. “She had assisted me properly in my observance of celibacy”, Mahatma Gandhi certified in ‘My Experiments with Truth’, his autobiography.

Early LifeKasturba Gandhi, wife of Mahatma Gandhi, the great leader of Indian Freedom Movement, was born to a prosperous businessman Gokuladas Makharji of Porbandar on April 11, 1869. She got married to Mohandas Gandhi, when she was just thirteen years old. At the time of her marriage, Kasturba was illiterate. She had not been given formal education, as was the custom in conservative families of the period. The husband taught the wife to read and write in their mother tongue, Gujarati and she picked up enough language to go through the daily newspapers. During the early period of their married life, the husband insisted that the wife obeyed strictly what all was told by him to which the wife was not willing to oblige and this resulted in occasional wrangles between the two.

The FamilyWhen her husband left for London for pursuing further studies, she remained in India for upbringing their newly born son Harilal. The couple had three more sons. Kasturba gave birth to a male child in 1885, but it died soon. They had four more sons—Hiralal (1896), Manilal (1897), Ramdas (1898), and Devadas (1900). When Gandhi went to South Africa, Ba accompanied him with the two kids. They lived in Durban, South Africa for more than 19 years.

The Ideal WifeLike a good wife, Kasturba always stood by the side of her husband, even if she didn’t approve of some of his ideas. She went along with her husband to South Africa in the year 1897. From the period between 1904 and 1914, she was actively involved in the Phoenix Settlement near Durban. In the year 1913, she raised

her voice against the inhuman working conditions of Indians in South Africa. Infact, she was imprisoned for three months and that too in the jail, where the prisoners were made to do hard labour. In 1915, she accompanied her husband and supported the Indigo planters. There, she taught women and children about basic concepts like personal hygiene, discipline etc.

Ideal CompanionIn 1915 they returned to India. When Gandhi set up the Satyagrahashram in Sabarmati, Ba was his chief assistant in running the Ashram. When Gandhi started the Khadi (handspun cloth) movement, Ba organized its propaganda. Whenever Gandhi went into a fast against what he thought was unjust, Ba was with him. The husband’s goal was the wife’s motto. The wife was the husband’s shadow, especially when the husband had been sacrificing his life for the country. She gave leadership to the women in the Satyagraha movement and had been jailed many times. The frequent fastings that Gandhi undertook ate into her health also and her own internment in prisons added fuel to this malady. Kasturba Gandhi suffered from the problem of chronic Bronchitis. To top it, the stress level caused during the Quit India Movement’s arrests aggravated her illness. Her health began to decline. The situation got worse, when she got victimized by pneumonia. Her husband disagreed with her idea to go in for penicillin. Medical attention was there but to no avail; and on 22 February 1944, this great lady who was the shadow of her husband who became the Father of the Nation and one of the greatest men of all times, breathed her last, lying on the lap of her beloved.

Source: www.iloveindia.com, www.indiavideo.org

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Bharat Ratna Baba Saheb Bhim Rao Ambedkar

Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, popularly known as Baba Saheb Ambedkar, was one of the architects of the Indian Constitution. He was a well-known politician and an eminent Jurist. Dr Ambedkar, messiah of dalits and downtrodden in India was born on April 14, 1891 in Mhow (now Madhya Pradesh). He was the fourteenth child of Ramji and Bhimabai Sakpal. Bhim Rao Ambedkar belonged to the untouchable Mahar Caste. His father and grandfather served in the British Army. In those days, the Government ensured that all the army personnel and their children were educated and ran special schools for this purpose. This ensured good education for Bhim Rao Ambedkar, which would have otherwise been denied to him by the virtue of his caste. The life of Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar was marked by struggles but he proved that every hurdle in life can be surmounted with talent and firm determination. The biggest barrier in his life was the caste system adopted by the Hindu society according to which the family he was born in was considered ‘untouchable’. While Bhim Rao was an ardent patriot on one hand, he was the saviour of the oppressed, women and poor on the other. He fought for them throughout his life. He was devoted to spreading education and culture amongst the downtrodden, improving the economic status and raising matters concerning their problems in the proper forums to focus attention on them and finding solutions to the same.

His Life and Caste DiscriminationThe problems of the downtrodden were centuries old and difficult to overcome. Their entry into temples was forbidden. They could not draw water from public wells and ponds. Their admission in schools was prohibited. Bhim Rao Ambedkar experienced caste discrimination right from the childhood. After retirement, Bhimrao’s father settled in Maharashtra. Bhim Rao was enrolled in the local school. Here, he had to sit on the floor in one corner in the classroom and teachers would not touch his notebooks. In spite of these hardships, Bhim Rao continued his studies and passed his Matriculation examination from Bombay University with flying colours in 1908. Bhim Rao Ambedkar joined the Elphinstone College for further education. In 1912, he graduated in Political Science and Economics from Bombay University and got a job in Baroda. In 1913, Bhim Rao Ambedkar lost his father. In the same year Maharaja of Baroda awarded scholarship to Bhim Rao Ambedkar and sent him to America for further studies. Bhim Rao reached

New York in July 1913. For the first time in his life, Bhim Rao was not demeaned for being a Mahar. He immersed himself in the studies and attained a degree in Master of Arts and a Doctorate in Philosophy from Columbia University in 1916 for his thesis “National Dividend for India: A Historical and Analytical Study.” From America, Dr Ambedkar proceeded to London to study Economics and Political Science. But the Baroda Government terminated his scholarship and recalled him back. The Maharaja of Baroda appointed Dr Ambedkar as his Political Secretary, but no one would take orders from him because he was a Mahar. Bhim Rao returned to Bombay in November 1917. With the help of Shahu Maharaj of Kolhapur, a sympathizer of the cause for the upliftment of the depressed classes, he started a fortnightly newspaper, the “Mooknayak” (Dumb Hero) on January 31, 1920. The Maharaja also convened many meetings and conferences of the “untouchables” which Bhim Rao addressed. In September 1920, after accumulating sufficient funds, Ambedkar went back to London to complete his studies. He became a Barrister and got a Doctorate in Science. After completing his studies in London, Ambedkar returned to India.

Works for the DalitsIn July 1924, he founded the Bahishkrit Hitkaraini Sabha (Outcastes Welfare Association). The aim of

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the Sabha was to uplift the downtrodden socially and politically and bring them to the level of the others in the Indian society. In 1927, he led the Mahad March at the Chowdar Tank at Colaba, near Mumbai, to give the untouchables the right to draw water from the public tank where he burnt copies of the ‘Manusmriti’ publicly. In 1929, Ambedkar made the controversial decision to co-operate with the all-British Simon Commission which was to look into setting up a responsible Indian Government in India. The Congress decided to boycott the Commission and drafted its own version of a constitution for free India. The Congress version had no provisions for the depressed classes. Ambedkar became more skeptical of the Congress’s commitment to safeguard the rights of the depressed classes. When a separate electorate was announced for the depressed classes under Ramsay McDonald ‘Communal Award’, Gandhiji went on a fast unto death against this decision. Leaders rushed to Dr Ambedkar to drop his demand. On September 24, 1932, Dr Ambedkar and Gandhiji reached an understanding, which became the famous Poona Pact. According to the pact the separate electorate demand was replaced with special concessions like reserved seats in the regional legislative assemblies and Central Council of States. Dr Ambedkar attended all the three Round Table Conferences in London and forcefully argued for the welfare of the “untouchables”. He exhorted the downtrodden sections to raise their living standards and to acquire as much political power as possible. He was of the view that there was no future for untouchables in the Hindu religion and they should change their religion if need be. In 1935, he publicly proclaimed, “I was born a Hindu because I had no control over this but I shall not die a Hindu”. In 1937, Dr Ambedkar introduced a Bill to abolish the “Khoti” system of land tenure in the Konkan region, the serfdom of agricultural tenants and the Mahar “watan” system of working for the Government as slaves.

Architect of Indian ConstitutionIn 1947, when India became independent, the first Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, invited Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar, who had been elected as a Member of the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, to join his Cabinet as a Law Minister. The Constituent Assembly entrusted the job of drafting the Constitution to a Committee and Dr Ambedkar was elected as Chairman of this Drafting Committee. While he was busy with drafting the Constitution, India faced several crises. The country saw Partition and Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. In the beginning of 1948, Dr Ambedkar completed the draft of the Constitution and presented it in the Constituent Assembly. In November 1949, this draft was adopted with very few amendments. Many provisions had been made in the Constitution to

ensure social justice for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and backward classes. Dr Ambedkar was of the opinion that traditional religious values should be given up and new ideas adopted. He laid special emphasis on dignity, unity, freedom and rights for all citizens as enshrined in the Constitution. Ambedkar advocated democracy in every field: social, economic and political. For him Social Justice meant maximum happiness to the maximum number of people.

Bharat RatnaDr Ambedkar’s patriotism started with the upliftment of the downtrodden and the poor. He fought for their equality and rights. His ideas about patriotism were not only confined to the abolition of colonialism, but he also wanted freedom for every individual. For him freedom without equality, democracy and equality without freedom could lead to absolute dictatorship. In 1990, Dr Ambedkar, the Chief Architect of Indian Constitution, was bestowed with Bharat Ratna. The same year Dr Ambedkar’s life size portrait was also unveiled in the Central Hall of Parliament. The period from 14th April 1990–14th April 1991 was observed as ‘Year of Social Justice’ in the memory of Babasaheb, the Champion of the poor and the downtrodden.

Conversion to BuddhismIn 1950, Ambedkar travelled to Sri Lanka to attend a convention of Buddhist scholars and monks. After his return he decided to write a book on Buddhism and soon, converted himself to Buddhism. In his speeches, Ambedkar lambasted the Hindu rituals and caste division. Ambedkar founded the Bharatiya Bauddha Mahasabha. His book “The Buddha and His Dhamma” was published posthumously. On October 14, 1956 Ambedkar organized a public ceremony to convert around five lakh of his supporters into Buddhism. Ambedkar travelled to Kathmandu to attend the Fourth World Buddhist Conference. He completed his final manuscript, “The Buddha or Karl Marx” on December 2, 1956.

Final DaysDr Ambedkar was suffering from serious health problems including diabetes and weak eyesight. On December 6, 1956, Baba Saheb Dr B.R. Ambedkar died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Delhi. Ambedkar had adopted Buddhism as his religion so a Buddhist-style cremation was organized for him. The ceremony was attended by hundreds of thousands of supporters, activists and admirers.

Source: www.iloveindia.com, http://ambedkarfoundation.nic.in, www.4to40.com, www.culturalindia.net

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Festivals of the Month*Parveen

Ram Navami

The birth anniversary of Lord Rama is known as Ram Navami. It is celebrated in the month of Chaitra, which usually falls in March or April according to the Hindu calendar. This year Ram Navami falls on 3rd April. Ramnavami is dedicated to the memory of Lord Rama. It occurs on the ninth day (Navami). The festival commemorates the birth of Rama who is remembered for his prosperous and righteous reign. Ramrajya (the reign of Rama) has become synonymous with a period of peace and prosperity.

CelebrationsIt is celebrated with great devotion across the nation and every region has its own regional significance behind the celebration. The public worship starts with morning ablutions, chanting Vedic Mantras dedicated to Vishnu, and offering flowers and fruit to the God. People keep a fast throughout the day, breaking it only at midnight with fruits. In some parts of India, especially Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, public gatherings called Satsangs are organised to commemorate the birth of Rama. The pilgrims flock the temples of Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, where Rama was born and participate in Ramnavami festivities. Excerpts from the Ramacharitamanas are recited on the occasion. Ram Leela (the play depicting the major life events of Rama) are organized in different parts of the country. The highlights of the festival are these Ram Leela and colourful processions with brilliant floats of Rama. His consort Sita, brother Lakshmana and the

great devotee Hanuman are taken out in the streets of different states. People visit sacred places associated with Lord Ram during this holy time. Places like Ayodhya, Ujjain and Rameshwaram, attract thousands of devotees across the country.

Hanuman JayantiIn Hindu Mythology, Hanuman is regarded as the God of power, strength and knowledge. He is known as the ‘Param Bhakt’ of Lord Rama and is the incarnation of Lord Shiva. He was born to Kesari and Anjani on the Chaitra Shukla Purnima (Chaitra Shukla Purnima is the Full Moon Day on the Hindu Calendar Month of Chaitra) that is why, he is known as ‘Kesari Nandan’ and ‘Anjaneya’. The philosophy of epic Ramayana is incomplete without the understanding of the unfathomable devotion of Lord Hanuman for Shri Rama. Hindu Mythology says, He is the incarnation of Lord Shiva the God of Destruction, the Third God of Hindu trinity. Lord Hanuman is regarded as the son of Hindu Deity ‘Vayu’ (the wind). He was taken by ‘Vayu’ to Lord Sun to gain Vedic, Shastra’s and moral knowledge. He gained His whole knowledge from Lord Sun, as He was considered as omniscient on the planet earth. As per the mythology, Hanuman is invincible and blessed to be immortal. The supremacy possessed by Him is very beautifully described in Ramayana, during the Ramayana war of Lord Rama against the mighty Ravana. The Sundara Kanda, the fifth book in the Ramayana, focuses mainly on the adventures of Hanuman.

CelebrationsThis holy day starts with rituals mainly performed in Hanuman Temples. This year Hanuman Jayanti falls on 9th April. People visit temples to perform rituals and there they attend Bhajans, Satsangas and read out aloud ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. They also spend the entire day reciting certain ‘Japa’ of Ram, Hanuman. Hanuman’s birth is an auspicious day for the entire Hindu community as they mark their gratitude for

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Lord Hanuman and regard Him as the God of strength and numerous people along with their families visit temples to mark homage to Lord Hanuman on this very festival. The celebrations are held at the world famous Salasar and Mehndipur Temples in Rajasthan. Lakhs of devotees come from all over to offer their prayers to Lord Hanuman. A specially prepared Bhoga or Prasad which is known as Churma is offered to Lord Hanuman on this day. At many places specially made chariots are taken out in procession by Bhajans chanting groups.

Hanuman ChalisaIn Hindu mythology the described bravery and prowess of Lord Hanuman is trusted and worshipped by the Hindus with the recitation of the couplets of Hanuman Chalisa. It is considered to be one of the top most couplets ever written to scare away the evil.

Baisakhi

Baisakhi is a seasonal festival with a special accent. It is celebrated on the first of Baisakh. This is the time when harvest is gathered in and the farmer exults in the fulfillment of his year’s hard work. He joins the merry-making with full gusto and does not mind walking for miles to be able to do so. Since this fair is also an expression of prosperity, singing and dancing constitute its most enchanting features. Punjab’s famous Bhangra and Giddha are inextricably linked with this festival. Many fairs in Punjab are held near the tombs and shrines of Pirs. These fairs must have originated in a spirit of devotion to those saints and sages. The most famous among such fairs are the Chhapar fair, the Jarag fair, and the Roshni fair of Jagranyan. Baisakhi marks the beginning of New Year, particularly in the northern part of India. It is among the few Indian festivals that have a fixed date. Baisakhi is always on April 13th. In Kerala, Baisakhi is called as “Vishu” and in Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as “Puthandu”. Considered a holy day, the devout celebrate Baisakhi with a dip in the holy rivers just

around the break of dawn. It is on this day that Sun enters Aries, the first sign of Zodiac. This signifies ushering of the New Year. In Punjab (the land of Green Revolution) particularly and in the northern belt of India in general, farmers perform their own prayers and rejoice. On this day, they commence cutting their harvest. The fields can be seen full of nature’s bounty.

CelebrationsDressed in their typical folk attire, both men and women, celebrate the day with Bhangra and Gidda. Sweets are distributed, old enmities are forgiven and life is full of joy, merriment and everyone seems to enjoy. These are the main reasons for celebrating Baisakhi. Baisakhi, however, has had a new dimension added to it by Guru Gobind Singh. For it was on the day of Baisakhi in 1669, that he established the Khalsa Panth and gave a final impetus to the course of the earlier nine Gurus of Sikhism. For the Sikhs the day is a collective celebration of New Year along with the commemoration of the founding of the Khalsa Panth (Sikh brotherhood) by Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. It also signifies the end of harvest of the main crop. During Baisakhi the farmers give ‘thanks’ to the Lord Almighty for their fortune and pray for a better crop the next year. Baisakhi involves a lot of socialising where friends and relatives are invited and delicious meals are served. The holy book of the Sikhs, ‘Granth Sahib’ is taken in a procession, led by the ‘Panj Pyaras’ (five senior Sikhs) who are symbolic of the original leaders. The occasion is celebrated with great gusto at Talwandi Sabo, where Guru Gobind Singh stayed for nine months and completed the re-compilation of the Guru Granth Sahib and in the Golden temple in Amritsar. On Baisakhi day, water is drawn from all the sacred rivers of India and poured into the huge tank surrounding the golden temple.

Mahavir JayantiMahavir Jayanti is regarded as the main Jain festival of the year. The festival is celebrated in India to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Mahavira.

This year Mahavir Jayanti falls on 7th April. According to the Digambar School of Jainism, Lord Mahavira was born in the year 615 BC, but the Swetambaras believe that He was born in 599 BC. But both the sects believe that Mahavira was the son of Siddhartha and Trisala. According to the legend, Devananda, wife of a Brahmin named Rishabhdeva, conceived him. The Gods, ingeniously, transferred the embryo to the womb of Trisala. According to Swetambara sect the expectant mother was believed to have seen 14 auspicious dreams. And according to Digambara sect it was 16 dreams. The Astrologers interpreted these dreams, stated that the child would be either an Emperor or a Teerthankar.

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Celebrations

Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated during the Hindu lunar month of Chaitra and the festivities last for one day. Mahavir Jayanti occurs on the thirteenth day of Chaitra, right around the time of the full moon. Chaitra is equivalent to the months of March and April. The entire Jain community throughout the country celebrates Mahavir Jayanti. On this auspicious day, grand chariot processions with the images of Mahavira are taken out, rich ceremonies are held in the temples, fasts and charities are observed, The Jains observe religious events on this day. They visit the sacred sites and worship the Teerthankars on this day. The event holds special significance in Gujarat and Rajasthan due to the ancient shrines at Girnar and Palitana. In Kolkata too, this festival is celebrated with great fervour at the Parasnath temple. Even at Pawapuri in Bihar Mahavir Jayanti holds a special significance.

His TeachingsLord Mahavir was a great teacher. His philosophies and teachings taught mankind the true path of happiness. His teachings on complete non-violence and importance of austerity showed us the path to achieve salvation and spirituality. The religion of Jainism does not believe in God as a creator, survivor, and destroyer of the universe. Jainism explains that eight types of Vargana and five bodies exist in the universe. The spiritual power and moral grandeur of His teachings impressed the masses greatly. He made religion simple and natural, free from elaborate ritual complexities. His teachings reflected the popular impulse towards internal beauty and harmony of the soul. He did not believe in grandeur and elaborate rituals. According to Mahavir, attachment to material objects is the primary cause of bondage and is also

the cause for greed and jealousy. According to the Jain dharma, the goal of life is to attain liberation. The Jain scripture, Jain Agamas Siddhantas, preaches the doctrine of Ahimsa or non-violence. According to this doctrine, all objects have a soul, and should not be hurt or killed. His main teachings involve that it was the greatest sin to cause injury to creatures, and that it was the greatest virtue to renounce worldly possessions and practice strict asceticism. Orthodox Jains could not even take to farming, because it involved tilling which killed earthworms. His message of non-violence (Ahimsa), truth (Satya), non-stealing (Achaurya), celibacy (Brahmacharya), and non-possession (Aparigraha) is full of universal compassion.

Good Friday

Good Friday is the day on which Jesus Christ was crucified. Jesus Christ was born to Marry in Nezareth—a small town in Israel. He was the founder of Christianity, one of the world’s largest religions. Christ is believed to be an incarnation of God. It is believed that on Good Friday, Christ was arrested by clergymen. Some people believe that ‘Good’ in Good Friday is referred to as ‘God’ and it is also a common belief that ‘Good’ is referred to the gift brought by martyrdom. And according to one of the views, on this day, it is Jesus who went to heaven. It is also celebrated as a festival of life and spirit. Some believe the term “Good” evolved from “God” or God’s Friday. Good Friday this year is on 10th April.

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HistoryJesus Christ had certain kind of spark or glow on his face at the time of his birth. But many priests including Judas and Jewish community found him guilty as they thought that his teachings according to them were spreading revolutionary changes and riots in their people. Moreover, they built a conspiracy/plot against him in which they planned to hatch Christ. After plotting against him, they started putting up charges against him for motivating people not to pay taxes to their King and by claiming these charges in front of the Governor they arrested him and he was produced in front of the Roman Governor to prove his innocence. But as the luck was on his side, Roman Governor didn’t found anything wrong in his teachings and gave him a clean chit. But these people tried hard and finally proved that his teachings were wrong, motivating crime and were bringing revolutionary changes in the society. Eventually, Christ was handed over to Jewish and Judas communities. After Christ’s possession they took him for crucifixion. He was brutally killed by his opponents as they made him wear crown of thorns and on the huge wooden cross he was hanged and was addressed by the crowd as ‘King of Jews’ which were following him. With him there were two other criminals who died on the same day. After three hours of nailing down and suffering he died. But before death he prayed his last wish to God that; please God forgive the sinners who planned the conspiracy against me as they don’t know that by killing him what size of sin they have performed. Hence, till today on Good Friday a cross is unveiled in churches world over and Christians.

CelebrationsThe Good Friday celebration starts by kissing a plank of wood depicted on the cross of Christ. After this ritual people perform other practices where narratives read out four gospels from the holy book and later general communion service is performed at midnight after which a burial takes place. On Good Friday

particularly, the bells of the church remains silent (which rather on other days doesn’t) because this day is marked as a Sad Day for Christians.

EasterEaster is another important festival for Christians. On this day Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. Easter eggs and Easter bunnies are a major attraction during Easter, the festival of rejuvenation of life and living. Easter falls on 12th April. In the days of the early Christian church, only Easter Sunday was celebrated as a holy day. By the fourth century, each day of the week preceding Easter was established as holy days including Good Friday. To most Christians, Good Friday is really a misnomer in that it was a “bad” Friday—the crucifixion day of Jesus. Some believe the term “Good” evolved from “God” or God’s Friday. Others believe “Good” represents the good gift of salvation brought forth by the martyrdom. Regardless, it is a holy day throughout the Christian world. Ceremonial worship of the holiday follows closely to the events described in the scriptures. Some congregations still hold a three-hour service on Friday representing the three hours He hanged on the cross. A typical service includes seven distinct elements representative of Christ’s seven utterances while on the cross. Originally known as ‘God’s Friday’, the present expression is believed to have emerged in the 10th or 11th century. According to Christian legend, Jesus Christ was from Nazareth, a town in modern Israel. A well-loved and respected citizen, he was considered by many to be the Son of God.

CelebrationsPeople gather in churches to listen to mass and participate in the Way of the Cross. Priests narrate the sufferings that Jesus Christ took upon himself for the sake of humanity. After the mass, the crucifix, which until this time has been kept away from view, is now uncovered before the crowd for veneration. A very somber ceremony, “the Way of the Cross” is a re-enactment of the path Jesus took on Mount Calvary before the Crucifixion.

*Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Source: www.festivalsinindia.net, www.festivalsofindia.in

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Cultural Heritage Concept-J. Thuljaram Rao*

T he eminent Indian Jurist, Late N.A. Palkhivala says, ‘It has been my long standing conviction that India is like a donkey carrying a load of

gold. The donkey does not know what it is carrying; but it goes along with the load on its back. This is the situation in our country today. We do not realise the load of gold we have inherited—The Indian Culture’. This priceless heritage has been ours over the centuries. Yet very few people talk about it; few still are concerned with living their lives according to the great lessons imparted by our forefathers; few dwelve on it; people even seem to feel shy and embarrassed to talk about it since they feel shy to confess that they believe in Indian Culture and Spiritual and Moral Values. A statement of fact.

What is meant by Culture? The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sponsored Book “Traditional Cultures in South East Asia” gives the following definition: “Culture means the sum total accumulation of objects, ideas, symbols, beliefs, sentiments, values and social reforms which are passed on from one generation to another in any given society”. This appears to be an acceptable definition.

Culture differs from civilisation though sometimes they tend to overlap. The former is essentially spiritual while the latter is more materialistic. The basis of any religion—Christianity, Islam, Hinduism etc., forms the basis of culture. Hinduism gives Indian Culture its special characteristic. One culture may be more spiritual than another but it is the philosophies of religions that mould our lives. Both culture and civilisation are heritages. In both, the past unconsciously merges into the present and is carried into the future. Civilisation refers to the conditions dealing with the welfare of the community while culture relates to the ideas cherished in a society. A civilised state need not necessarily be a cultured state and vice versa.

A broader definition of culture today, includes the five arts; music, dancing, painting, sculpture and architecture. Thus culture also includes the love of arts and we find that right from ancient times, our forefathers were interested in all these aspects defining culture.

History tells us that the civilisation and culture of Egypt, Babylonia, Greece etc., flourished for many years and was finally lost. The study of Indian Culture is of special significance since it is a living factor of the lives of 1/7th of the human race. It has withstood the onslaught of invasions and is fascinating as a field

of study.

Any treatise on culture will have to deal with History and Geography as well. Mother India has been created by nature as a natural geographical unit bounded in the north by the mighty Himalayan ranges and on three sides by the seas—the Arabian Sea in the West, the Bay of Bengal in the East and the Indian Ocean in the South. The Vindhya mountains separates the northern plains from the Deccan Plateau, forming a natural boundary.

The Himalayan range covers a height of 3000 metres with lofty peaks of more than 7000 metres. There are passes in the mountains and Historians say that the Indo-Aryans came down from the Steppes of Central Asia through the passes, to settle in the northern plains and from there began the Indian Culture. From the point of rivers, India is perhaps the most gifted nation in the world. The three mighty rivers—the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra all arise from the Himalayas. The Indus pours itself into the Arabian Sea and the other two rivers into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges is the holy river held sacred by the Hindus. Yet it is the Indus river that is closely associated with Indian History, to begin with, since it is the mighty river one comes across on entry from the western side. The Punjab gets its name of “the land of five rivers” from the five tributaries of Indus—Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. It is suggested that India owes its name to the river Indus. The Vedic Aryans called the river Indus, Sindhu. Their Iranian cousins changed this to Hindu and the country came to be known as Hindustan. The Greeks changed the name to Indus. Indus has remained the name of the river and the country became India. Bharat is the name derived from the sage Bharatha Muni.

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The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has published in eleven bulky volumes “The History and Culture of Indian People” involving work by 60 Historians and Scholars, with Dr R.C. Majumdar as the Chief Editor. It took 32 years to complete the eleven volumes. The first volume deals with “The Vedic Age” and gives an idea of the evolution of common Indian Culture 5000 years ago. To quote from the book “We have the Nordic Aryan speaking group of India, who gave to India its Aryan speech and by their organisation, imagination and adaptability helped to bring about a great Cultural Synthesis leading to the foundation of the Hindu Civilisation of India. The antiquity of Indian History and Culture as gleaned from Vedic Literature is also not supposed to go beyond the second millennium before Christ. But the archaeological discoveries at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro and other localities in the Indus valley have pushed back this limit at a single stretch to 3000 BC, if not to a still remoter period and India can now claim the honour of being a pioneer of civilisation along with Sumer, Akkad, Babylon, Egypt and Assyria.”

The real visible culture started with the Indus Civilisation as seen from the excavations of MohenjoDaro and Harappa. Some of the tanks 5000 years old are still preserved. The culture of writing was invented by the Indus people. Agriculture had developed with evidence of specimens of wheat and barley. Female statues were common representing the Divine Mother similar to the Indian religious tradition. “Thus this prehistoric culture (3250–2750 BC) mainly as indigenous growth is the linear progenitor of the Indian Culture of today”.

The Indus culture preceded the Rig Vedic Culture and there are references in Rig Veda to the non Aryans. Opinion is gaining ground that this Indus culture and civilisation is the earliest in the world. This is suggested by scientific research in plant breeding in wheat. The Indian people had initiated growth of food crops through agriculture.

In the recent publication “The invasion that never

was” by Michel Danino, the Author has questioned whether there was any Aryan invasion at all or immigration. The Author contends that “the ancient Indian civilisation was in fact the Indus, Saraswathi civilisation of Aryavartha and it began as a pastoral civilisation around 6500 or 6000 BC and then entered a matured phase around 2600 to 1900 BC”. The occurrence of the word ‘Krishna has been wrongly used by the Aryan Race theorists to conjecturally advance the theory of, invading Aryans annihilating indigenous and earlier dark-skinned inhabitants of India; of the dark skinned people being forefathers of the so called non Aryan Dravidians who were pushed south from their earlier northern abodes, of the

so called invading Aryans burning the cities and villages of indigenous people and of the inhuman cruelty with which these so called invading Aryans treated the original inhabitants of India” Ladli Nath Renu ‘Aryan Cult : No Aryan Race’. Ladli Nath Renu (2000) was passionate about research into the Vedas with particular reference to Aryan origin. Based on intensive research on Rig Veda, Nath came to the conclusion that there is no Aryan race. There is only the Aryan Cult which originated in India with the sound of OM.

It spread all over the country and abroad. Its followers were called Aryans.

From 650 BC there is political history as separate from cultural history. Indian Culture seems to have got mixed up with political culture, through political history involving the Mauryas, Kushanas, Guptas etc. in the north and the Pallavas, Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras in the South. Later history tells us about the Muslim invasions and the British rule. It was only once in the cultural history of the country that the whole of India including the present Baluchistan and Afghanistan had a common history and culture under the control of a common Government, the Mauryan empire under Ashoka. In the sixth century, Buddhism and Jainism added a new dimension to Indian culture.

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

During the Muslim rule and the British regime, our culture sustained itself and though there have been peripheral adjustments, the core has withstood the onslaughts.

Since independence, there has been an erosion in culture in terms of moral values. Suffice to say that the country has been enveloped in cultural crisis in the garb of materialistic development of the country.

There is a misconception in the western world that Indian culture is other worldly and has nothing to contribute in this materialistic, scientific age. A deep analysis of this statement reveals that the people of India always had a healthy materialistic view of life with the ideal of a happy blending of Artha (wealth), Kama (love and affection) with Dharma as the guiding principle.

A materialistic culture marks the first appearance of Indians. The spirit of modern science is not different from our cultural heritage. Our heritage and modern science are quite compatible. Centuries before his birth, Pythagoras’ theorems were known to Indians. The two rules contained in the theorems are parts of Sulva Sutras of the 8th Century. It is to the credit of India that the world owes its decimal notation. The names Aryabhatta the Astronomer and the Mathematician Bhaskaracharya are well known. Aryabhatta was the first to discover the rotation of the earth on its own axis. All this go to prove that our ancients were scientific minded. Whenever they had leisure they spent the hours in the higher plane of man’s inner life, thus giving rise to the second aspect of culture namely, mental culture. To quote Swami Ranganathananda “Indian Culture in its long career has experimented with life in its diverse aspects and levels. It has not neglected any of the values of life, but has concentrated more on some than on others”.

The essential features of our culture are;

1) Spiritualism; 2) Divine Nature of Man; 3) Vasudaiva Kutumbakam;

4) Fearlessness; 5) Tolerance; 6) Truth;

7) Karma Yoga; 8) Bakthi Yoga; 9) Character (Values).

Never before in all history have the cultural values become a greater challenge than today.

A healthy cultural tradition and a make adjustable, Science can go together. A balanced adjustment of the twin aspects, materialism (Science and Technology) and the spiritual side is necessary.

Science and Technology are bound to affect profoundly, our culture and tradition. We must ensure that only the peripheral aspects are affected and the central core remains intact. Science must be combined with traditional spiritualism and cultural aspects. People should be encouraged to appreciate our national cultural heritage. The younger generation must be trained to appreciate values to enable them to live in peace and harmony, with each other and nature.

*Well known Agricultural Scientist, Dr J. Thuljaram Rao, was connected with the world renowned Sugarcane Breeding Institute, Coimbatore. With specialisation in Plant Breeding and Genetics, Dr Rao was responsible for evolving improved sugarcane varieties (Co) which are in cultivation in the country and abroad. He was associated with the United Nations as Advisor in Egypt for developing Sugarcane Breeding. He revolutionised the breeding work in Egypt.

He was associated with The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan at Coimbatore as Honorary Vice Chairman for a period of 22 years till 2003. During the 22 years, Dr Rao had the unique opportunity to read the Bhavan’s Journal from 1956 for the last 50 years (which is the store house of the History of Indian Culture) covering over 300 issues and books and understand the history’ of the culture of the country from Rig Vedic times to the present day with its ups and downs in relation to social conditions.

Source: Cultural Heritage of India, pp. 1–11, Impress, Coimbatore.

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International Women’s DayLegendInternational Women’s Day is the story of ordinary women as makers of history; it is rooted in the centuries-old struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. In ancient Greece, Lysistrata initiated a sexual strike against men in order to end war; during the French Revolution, Parisian women calling for “liberty, equality, fraternity” marched on Versailles to demand women’s suffrage. The idea of an International Women’s Day first arose at the turn of the century, which in the industrialized world was a period of expansion and turbulence, booming population growth and radical ideologies.

The OriginThe history of International Women’s Day is a history of taking action. The event originated in 1908 when women garment makers in New York demonstrated to demand better working conditions. They worked in appalling conditions, earned half of men’s wages, died prematurely from poor health and didn’t have the right to vote. 1909 was the year when in accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Women’s Day was observed across the United States on 28 February. Women continued to celebrate it on the last Sunday of that month through 1913.

The History In 1910, the Socialist International meeting in Copenhagen established a Women’s Day, international in character, to honour the movement for women’s rights and to assist in achieving universal suffrage for women. The proposal was greeted with unanimous approval by the conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, which included the first three women elected to the Finnish parliament. No fixed date was selected for the observance. Inspired by an American commemoration of working women, the German socialist Klara Zetkin organized International Women’s Day (IWD) in 1911. On March 19, socialists from Germany, Austria, Denmark and other European countries held strikes and marches. In addition to the right to vote and to hold public office, they demanded

the right to work, to vocational training and to an end to discrimination on the job. Less than a week later, on 25 March, the tragic Triangle Fire in New York City took the lives of more than 140 working girls, most of them Italian and Jewish immigrants. This event had a significant impact on labour legislation in the United States, and the working conditions leading up to the disasters were invoked during subsequent observances of International Women’s Day.

Women during World WarAs part of the peace movement brewing on the eve of World War I, Russian women observed their first International Women’s Day on the last Sunday in February 1913. Elsewhere in Europe, on or around 8 March of the following year, women held rallies either to protest the war or to express solidarity with their sisters. With 2 million Russian soldiers dead in the war, Russian women again chose the last Sunday in February to strike for “bread and peace”. Political leaders opposed the timing of the strike, but the women went on anyway. The rest is history: Four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. That historic Sunday fell on 23 February on the Julian calendar then in use in Russia, but on 8 March on the Gregorian calendar in use elsewhere.

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Since those early years, International Women’s Day has assumed a new global dimension for women in developed and developing countries alike. The growing international women’s movement, which has been strengthened by four global United Nations women’s conferences, has helped make the commemoration a rallying point for coordinated efforts to demand women’s rights and participation in the political and economic process. Increasingly, International Women’s Day is a time to reflect on progress made, to call for change and to celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of women’s rights.

The United Nations for Advancement of WomenInternational Women’s Day was created to inspire women throughout the world to work towards equality. The Day is commemorated at the United Nations and celebrated in nations around the globe. Few causes promoted by the United Nations have generated more intense and widespread support than the campaign to promote and protect the equal rights of women. The Charter of the United Nations, signed in San Francisco in 1945, was the first international agreement to proclaim gender equality as a fundamental human right. Since then, the Organization has helped create a historic legacy of internationally agreed strategies, standards, programmes and goals to advance the status of women worldwide. Over the years, United Nations action for the advancement of women has taken four clear directions: promotion of legal measures; mobilization of public opinion and international action; training and research, including the compilation of gender desegregated statistics; and direct assistance to disadvantaged groups. Today a central organizing principle of the work of the United

Nations is that no enduring solution to society’s most threatening social, economic and political problems can be found without the full participation, and the full empowerment, of the world’s women.

Women’s Day in IndiaIn a country like India where society is marred by heinous crimes against women, the International Women’s Day holds special significance. In India too therefore, Women’s Day is celebrated with great fervour. Several women’s organisations, NGO’s students and social activists participate actively by organising seminars, mass rallies, movie and documentary shows, staging of gender sensitive plays, theatre and so on. Several government and civil society initiatives like girl child education, reservation of seats in local Panchayats, etc have led to empowering the Indian woman today. However much more still needs to be addressed to make women equal citizens both in the public and private domain. The International Women’s Day thus serves as a reminder of how much we have achieved and how much more still needs to be done.

Source: www.internationalwomensday.com, www.festivalsofindia.in

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Holi Mahotsav 2010

H oli Mahotsav the grand festival of friendship and harmony is celebrated with culture, colours, folk and fun. This day is specially

chosen to forgive ‘foes’ and forget old differences to become friends again. People from all castes and religions come together to enjoy the spirit of Holi. It harbingers the arrival of spring and new harvest. In India during Holi days one can see colours of joy everywhere.

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia has been celebrating this festival of colours and culture in Sydney for the past 7 years. In the 8th year of this festival the celebration venue was shifted from Tumbalong Park and Chinese Garden Forecourts to Aquashell in Cockle Bay Wharf and Palm Grove and convention Centre Forecourts. Spread over three days the festival saw a wide range of cultural performances, delicious Indian vegetarian food stalls, Rath Yatra and colour sessions. More than 180,000 people were estimated to have passed through Darling Harbour over the period of Holi Mahotsav. The festivities of three days started on March 12, Friday evening with ‘Images of India’ portrayed through Kathak dance repertoire by Olga Chepelianskaia followed by the ever so lively Bhangra dances by Platinum Bhangra and two hours

of Indian DJ—Sydney’s Party Guru Raj Khanna presenting a foot tapping Bollywood extravaganza! The lively Bhangra and the Bollywood music raised the energy levels of the crowd.

Saturday, March 13 was the day of celebrating spirituality. The highlight being Rath Yatra—the Rath (Chariot) of Lord Jagannätha being hand-pulled by the ISKCON devotees and Sydneysiders through the busy streets of Sydney, culminating into Darling Harbour and staying at the Palm Grove. The devotees chanted prayers and praises of the Lord while pulling the Chariot. The Yatra was organised along with that of ISKCON Sydney. The event also witnessed the sacred Holika Dahan (Holi Fire). The sacred fire ceremony symbolises the emergence of good over evil. Unlike in India where it is done in an open space where devotees walk around the fire and chant prayers, in Sydney it was observed by lighting a symbolic bonfire.

Yoga in Daily Life and Camp organized Yoga demonstrations. The enthusiastic crowd readily took part in the demonstrations. The cultural performances did not take a break. The dances, fashion show and musical performances took place in full swing after the spiritual sessions.

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Sunday, March 14 was a long day of cultural extravaganza with all sorts of dances from India and other cultures, musical bands, fashion show. Nearly two hundred artists joined in presenting this marvel. And of course the special attraction was of playing with colours—for everyone who wished to participate. Boys and girls with colour smeared faces and clothes enthusiastically wished a Happy Holi to everyone and looked forward to a colourful and bright new year. With chaos, laughter and thrill, it was interesting to see everyone enjoying and throwing colours in the designated area, whilst the rest looked on with delight, and perhaps even envy. Over the weekend, the grand festival attracted tens of thousands of visitors who absorbed themselves in the colourful fusion of Indian music, dance, food and exhibitions. Some of the most respected dignitaries also joined on Sunday. The dignitaries were welcomed with the Aboriginal Smoke Ceremony performed by Marx Harrison, an Elder from the Aboriginal Community. The ceremony symbolizes purification and blessings.

Looking at the success of the festival for the 8th year, Gambhir Watts, President, Bhavan Australia, said, “we are indeed immensely grateful to all those who have travelled with us in past seven years in turning Holi Mahotsav, an Indian festival of harmony and friendship, into mainstream grand Australian festival of harmony today. Australian community has made

Holi part of our evolving cultural calendar. Our special thanks are due to Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, India Tourism Sydney, City of Sydney and ISKCON Sydney who agreed to and encouraged our plans for Holi Mahotsav in 2003 and have remained with us since then. The Premier of New South Wales has been supporting Holi Mahotsav since 2005 with grants from the Community Relations Commission for a Multicultural NSW. We are grateful to City of Sydney and City Central Command of NSW Police who have greatly supported our Street Procession / Rath Yatra every year since 2005. Our sincere thanks and gratitude are due to them.”

He continued, “This year Lebara Mobile have joined us a major sponsor. We express our heartfelt gratitude to Lebara Mobile and other sponsors: Incredible India, State Bank of India-Sydney, Vision Asia and The Indian Link. We are grateful to our media supporters The Indian, Indus Age, The Indian Down Under, Punjab Times, who joined us in making this 2010 festival even brighter and diverse.”

Holi Mahotsav 2010 VIP session was graced by: HE Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner of India; HH Bhakti Charu Maharaja, Governing Body Commissioner of ISKCON; Hon. Laurie Ferguson MP, Parliamentary Secretary, representing Prime Minister;

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Hon. John Hatzisterogos, Attorney General and Minister for Citizenship, New South Wales; Warren Mundine, Former President of National Labour Party & Chief Executive Officer, NTSCORP; Krishna Arya, Regional Director Australia, Government of India Tourism Office; Michael Azar, Lebara Mobile; Hon. Amit Das Gupta, Consul General of India; Vish Viswanathan, President, Federation of Australian Indian Associations Inc (FAIA); Dipen Rughani, President Australia India Business Council New South Wales; Varanayaka, President ISKCON Sydney; Hon. Amanda Fazio, MLC, President of the Legislative Council of NSW; Hon. Michael Richards MP, Liberal Party of NSW; Bhakti John, National President Australian Association of Yoga in Daily Life; Dr Phil Lambert, Director, Sydney Region, Department of Education and Training; John Huxley, Senior Associate Editor, Sydney Morning Herald; Philip Rolfe, Chief Executive Officer, Parramasala, NSW Government; Vijay Handoo, Director Doordarshan, India; Dr Nihal Agar, President, Hindu Council of Australia; Dr A Balasubramaniam, President, Sri Venkatesh Temple Helensburg and former President of Hindu Council of Australia; Mrs Aruna Chandrala, President, United India Association; Ted Quan, Chinese Community, former President of ECC of NSW; Padmanabhan Karamil, President, Kerala Association of NSW; Dr Yadu Singh, Secretary, Indian Australian Medical Association; Mrs Lucky Singh, President, GOPIO Sydney; Luigi De Luca, from Italian community and

Chopra, Councilor, Hornsby Shire Council.

ISKCON had set up a small temple of Lord Jagannath and arranged for an inspirational and motivational exhibition by the Temple. They had regular devotional prayer sessions providing spiritual insights. The stalls during the Holi Mahotsav pep up the festival by adding variety to the event. This year though the number of stalls were limited yet the variety of food and craft was unlimited. A huge variety of delectable Indian vegetarian favorites, beverages and sweets were on offer by renowned Indian restaurants such as Taza Tandoori, Taj Indian Sweets, Chandni Chowk Pty Ltd, Fine Event Indian Cuisine, Sri Annapoorna Restaurant & Catering and Connaught Place. Traditional Indian drinks such as the staple Holi beverage—Thandai, the ever popular—sugarcane juice and the refreshing and nutritious yoghurt drink—Lassi proved to be the perfect thirst quenchers. Stay Cool Tropical Sno brought the cooling and calming coconut water and fresh sweet corns. Meanwhile, merchandise stands offered great bargains on traditional dresses, tops, fashion accessories, fancy bangles and artistic Henna art tattoos from Saileen Fashions, latest DVDs and CDs from AXR Entertainment, Vision Asia and Konnect TV gave out discounted prices for their popular Indian channels package. There were other stalls such as India Tourism Sydney, UAE Exchange,

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The Indian Link. The event was full of activity and fun with five young masters of ceremonies Sophil Raja, Soiam Raja, Anchal Saxena, Dyasmin Sandu, Priya Rao providing with direction to the cultural shows.

The crowd passionately sang and tirelessly danced to a mix of recent Indian favourites and dances like classical performances and high-energy numbers by the Bhangra and folk songs by Platinum Bhangra and Folk & Fun, Nupur Dance School, Samvar Dance Class, Hola Mohalla, Priya Deewan Dance Academy, Ritika Satsangi & Group, IABBV Hindi School, Bollystar Dance School, Contemporary Dance Academy, Ghungaroo Academy of Music & Dance, Geetanjali School of Dance & Performing Arts. Adding glitz and Bollywood glamour to the event were performances by Mango Dance Studio artists choreographed by the famous Bollywood Choreographer Farah Shah. Little girls of Nital Desai’s group swayed the audience with traditional Gujarati Dances. Stunning Tribal Belly Dance performances by Ghaziya, Azif & Las

Hermanas Tribal Belly dancers left the audience spellbound. The Karen McPhillips Scottish Highland Dancers complimented the event with their dance spreading the Scottish cheer. The event also saw live band by Vishvaas Production, Tokyo Love-In and AXR Entertainment. AXR group also entertained the crowd with a colourful fashion show. Whilst all the professional performers kept the audience grooving; the real stars of the show were the talented little girls as young as four, giving their version of Bollywood hits. Holi Mahotsav 2010 was a successful show with vibrant performances of over 400 artists from a large number of Dance academies and cultural groups. The festival also saw some singing sensations like Gurjot Singh and Preet Singh who entertained the crowd with Bollywood & Punjabi songs. The crowd swayed to the music of the singers and then to the orchestra that played for the evening.

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Performances 12 March » Olga Chepelianskaia

Performance Details: Images of India portrays various colorful and dismaying aspects of India through Kathak dance repertoire, a classical and creative dance of Northern India. Three key aspects of Indian life - spirituality, love and festivity - are depicted

» Platinum BhangraGroup Coordinator: Harinder Kaur and Manu Singh

Performers: Manu Singh, Bulla Singh, Devinder Sandhu, Preet Singh

Performance Details: Bhangra Dances

» DJ by Raj KhannaDhol Players dressed in traditional outfits (Drums with traditional beats), Bollywood DJs

Performances 13 March » Yoga in Daily Life

Group Coordinator: Bhakti Johnson

Performance Details: Yoga Demonstrations

» Songs by Gurjot Singh

» Samvar Dance ClassGroup Coordinator: Samiksha

Performers: Aaryan Parmar, Deeti Jani, Jay Mehta, Kanishka Desai, Meet Vyas, Paritosh Sharma, Riya Patel, Samarth Shah, Varishi Shah.

Performance Details: Dances on songs Zoobie Doobie and Tararumpum

» GhaziyaGroup Coordinator: Kristie Wolf, Devi Mamak (teacher)

Performers: Victoria Walker, Sara Haidinger and Kirstie Wulf

Performance Details: Tribal Belly Dance Style performance. Performing “Hip Shaker”, “Spanish Galleon”, “Setrak”, “Beastie Bys’, “Joi”

» Camp Quality YogaGroup Coordinator: Heidi Bock

Laughter Yoga Demonstration

»

Olga Chepelianskaia

Platinum Bhangra

Gurjot Singh

Raj Khanna

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» Vishvaas production bandGroup Coordinator: Dinesh Ramanan

Performers: Chiranth Wodeyar Gana Aruneswaran, Pratamesh Datar, Prabanjan Datar, Aditya Prasad, Liam Holley

Performance Details: Musical Performance (1) Mahatma (Gandhi Title Track), (2) Akayla Asoka (Asoka Title Track)

» Isckon temple Kirtan Demonstration, Speeches and Discusions followed by Cultural Bon-Fire Ceremony.

» Hola MahollaGroup Coordinator: Preetraj Singh, Moninder singh

Performance Details: Gatka, An Ancient martial art used by the Sikh Gurus to help defend the ‘basic human right’ to live and let live not only for Sikhs but also for people from other faiths. Gatka is considered to be spiritual as well as a physical exercise.

» AXR Youth BandGroup Coordinator: Anchal Saxena

Performers:Gulnav Hora, Pranish Rai, Prashant Rai, Gagan Singh, Anchal Lal

» Mahmood Khan FunkGroup Coordinator: Mahmood Khan

Performers: Anthony Lee, grace coburn, isac hayward, joe manton, maharshi raval, mahmood khan, mike chin, naomi csoke, phil sander, ron manton, shaun tarring, tamasin howard

Performance Details: World

» Priya Deewan Dance AcadamyGroup Coordinator: Priya Deewan

Performers: Rhea, Kavisha, nikita , shivani, sonali, sohana, satchi, radikha, Priyanka

Performance Details: Dance on Just Do It (Chance Pe Dance) and a Bollywood Medly

» AXR entertainment Fashion Show by SareehavenGroup Coordinator: Anchal Saxena

Performers: Aahuti Dasour, Nikita Krishnan, Ruchi Arora

Saadia Miah, Vanita Balani, Linda

»

Samvar Dance Classes

Ghaziya

Mahmood Khan Funk

Priya Deewan Dance Acadamy

Hola Maholla

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» AXR Entertainment - Element Five bandGroup Coordinator: Anchal Saxena

Performers: Arjun Nidigallu, Mandeep Singh, Prathamesh Datar, Shankar Athreiya, Prabhanjan Datar

Performances 14 March » Dance Group Name: Gurjot singh

Group Coordinator: Gurjot singh

Performers: names: Gurjot Singh

Performance Details: Singing

» Ritika Satsangi and Group Group Coordinator: Ritika Satsangi

Performers: Sona Garg, Ritika Satsangi,Niyati Gajjar, Dipali Goel, Shivank Goel, Aditi Dala, Sanya Dalal

Performance Details: Bollywood Classical Dances

» IABBV Hindi SchoolGroup Coordinator: Mala Mehta

Performers: Shriya Kamboj, Thripura S. Hariharan, Pooja S. Hariharan, Shirali Garga, Khushboo Mahajan, Shagun Panwar, Deepti Virmani

Performance Details: medley of two short Song Remixes “Holi Re” & “Gunji Angana Mein Shehnai” and Bhangra

» Neetal Desai’s Gujarati Dance GroupGroup Coordinator: Neetal Desai

Performers: Isha Desai, Sonia Giga, Rajsi Vyas, Aalapi Shreekumar, Manasi Shelat, Niyati Desai, Pavitraa Hathi, Aashka Desai, Stuti Bhatt, Urja Bhatia, Dhanvi Dave, Neha Patel, Sonali Malhotra, Pavitraa Hathi, Divyansha Kumar, Michelle Khurana, Anushka, Nikita Jain, Dhatri Bellave, Divya Saxena, Ria Bhargava, Aananya Deshpande, Isha Baldeo, Mugdha Ghosh, Jannavi Rao, Aashna Khanna

Performance Details: Traditional Gujarati Garba and Duha

» Bollystar Dance SchoolGroup Coordinator: Neha Madaan

Performers: names: Neha Madaan, Monica Mookhy, Vidhi Keerthana, Divya, Amisha, Diya, Diantha.

Performance Details: Semi Classical Bollywood Dancing

»

IABBV Hindi School

Ritika Satsangi and Group

Neetal Desai’s Gujarati Dance Group

Fashion Show by Sareehaven

Element Five (V) Band

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» Azif and Las hermanas Tribal Belly DancingGroup Coordinator: Sandy BurrowPerformers: Sandy Burrow, Karen Kelly, Sharrie Hannan, Bec Slade, Sue Kennedy, Jodie , Stewart, Katie, Ruza Milkovic and Merilyn Hyde.

Performance Details: Tribal Belly Dances.

» Dance Group Name: Mango Dance StudioGroup Coordinator: Farah Shah

Performers:

Performance Details: A wide variety of Bollywood Dances from Performers of all ages.

» Aboriginal Smoke Ceremony Group Coordinator: Peta Strathan

Performance by Max Harrison

» VIP Session

» Aboriginal Performance Group Coordinator: Peta Strathan

Performance by Max Harrison

» Contemperary Dance Acedemy.Group Coordinator: Shwetambra Barar / Anita Barar

Performers: names: Aishani Mahabir, Alisha Behl, Angelina White, Anoushika Ginni, Anusha Kumar, Anushwa Ravalji, Harshini Vaghela, Inaya Vhora, Isabella White, Ishaita Katyal, Naomi, Navpreet kaur, Nikhita Kumar, Nikita Naidu, Nikita Nandoskar, Niyati Desai, Nolene Sharma,Paris Ali, Prisha Singh, Rachna Deshpande, Rhea Varandani, Rishika Mahabir, Rohini Kamath, Ruhee Dixit, Sanaa Vhora, Sandhya Menon, Sangeeta Menon, Sanjana Chand, Sanjana Nagesh, Saya Varandani, Sharmin Zaman, Shauna Abel, Shivani Raman, Simar Batra, Srishti Yadav, Tina Kumar, Uma Dawson, Yasmin Zaman

Performance Details: Mix of Semi-Classical Bollywood and Fusion Dances.

» Karen McPhillips School of highland dancingGroup Coordinator: Karen Macphilis

Performers: Lauren Caunter, Emily Carr, Emily McGuire, Madeline James, Michaela Ng

Performance Details: Traditional dances from Scotland

» Camp Quality YogaGroup Coordinator: Heidi Bock

Laughter Yoga Demonstration

»

Bollystar Dance School

Azif and Las hermanas

Mango Dance Studio

Aboriginal Performance

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» Nupur Dance GroupGroup Coordinator: Manjusha De & Jinnie De

Performers: Suhani, Arianna, Anisha, Parvati, Mahima, Mahika, Palak, Junita,Sanjana, Anika, Jenny, Megha, Jinnie, Parisa, Shilvana, Sharmila, Upasna, Aditi, Jyosthna, Junita, Jerestene, Sarah, Vani, Aarushi, Akshita, Soumya, Prashant, Rishab,Simi, Rani,Devika, Ritika, Sareena, Claudia

Performance Details: Fusion Bollywood with aspects of classical styles and the last dance item is Bollywood/Bhangra

» Ghungaroo academy of music and danceGroup Coordinator: Kanan J shah

Performers: Kanan J Shah, kanan shah, vinita, Kavita, richa pandey

Performance Details: Rajasthani Group Dance and Semi-Classical Folk

» Geetanjali School of Dance and Performing ArtsGroup Coordinator: Sharmila Maitra.

Performers: Esha Arora, Sonel Arora, Priya Basu, Sheekha Chalise, Arkita Chowdhury, Debi Chowdhury, Debolina Chowdhury, Ritika Chowdhury, Ria Danwer, Alisha DasGupta, Arya Goswami, Kavya Gupta, Shuchi Gupta, Medha Gupta, Trisha Paul, Emil Rayan, Erika Rayan, Erina Rayan, Anushuya Roy, Amy Shah, Diya Sharma, Shyrin Sharma, Vidhushi Sharma, Ragini Sood, Shruti Yardi

Performance Details: “Ocean of Love” - Semi Classical Fushion Dance, “Bhalo Koria” - Bangladesh Folk Songs, “Saiya re”- Semi-Classical Bollywood Dance, “Kashmiri Folk and a Dance Medly

» AXR entertainment Fashion Show by SareehavenGroup Coordinator: Anchal Saxena

Performers: Aahuti Dasour, Nikita Krishnan, Ruchi Arora, Saadia Miah, Vanita Balani, Linda

» Tokyo Love-InGroup Coordinator: Michael Chin

Performers: Yamha Sarshar, Sangeet Mishra and Michael Chin

Performance Details: Fusion between Indian Classical music, contemporary beats and world music.

»

Contemperary Dance Acedemy

Karen McPhillips School

Nupur Dance Group

Geetanjali School of Dance

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» Folk and FunGroup Coordinator: Raju Sarai

Performers:

Performance Details: Bhangra Dances

» Master of CeremoniesAnchal Saxena, Dyasmin Sandu, Priya Rao, Sophil and Soiam Raja

» Stage ManagersBhoji Watts, Manju Chand, Reena Doshi, Rajesh Katakdhond, Jimmy Talatia

» Staff and VolunteersUtkarsh Doshi, Jenny Ren, Sudhir Das, Zsolt Naggy, Bushra, Emilie, Anchal Saxena, Ryan D’Lima, Deepthi Pathak, Veena Sashikumar, Dinesh Raman, Gautam Sehgal, Rinul Pashankar, Hitashi Gohil, Saurabh Arora, Gagan Puri, Orsi Toth, Raghu, Sumedh, Anita Nath, Nitin Navale, Amit Dongre, Robin Dmello, Pratik Patel, Jishiv Patel, Ravi Pandya, Bhavesh Savaliya

» Photogrphers: Gred Dickens, Misa Okumura.

» Video graphers : Will Walquist, Zsolt Naggy, Arvind Shukla, Nitisha Tripathi

Food Stall HoldersChandni Chowk Pty Ltd Stay Cool Tropical SnoFine Event Indian Cuisine Taj Indian Sweets and RestaurantSri Annapoorna Restaurant & Catering Taza Tandoori Restaurant

Merchandise Stall HoldersAustralian Association of Yoga in Daily Life Konnectv Pty LtdAXR Entertainment UAE Exchange Australia Pty. Ltd.Gocool Sugar cane Juicery Vision Asia Pty. Ltd.Indian Link India Tourism Sydney

Marquee Stall HoldersLebara Mobile Saileen FashionsISKCON Temple Marquee Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

Masters of Ceremonies

Folk and Fun

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Messages for Holi Mahotsav 2010Her Exellency Sujatha Singh, High Commissioner of India in AustraliaI am glad to know that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, in keeping with its tradition of undertaking activities aimed at strengthening the Indian community’s traditional linkages with the mother country and promoting multiculturalism in Australia, is bringing out a special ‘Holi Mahotsav’ souvenir issue of its monthly magazine ‘Bhavan Australia’.

Holi, the joyous festival of colours of India heralds Spring. It is celebrated through the width and breadth of India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion. It is in this spirit that Indians in Australia as well as fellow Australians gather together on this day, to celebrate this festival in a spirit of fellow feeling and friendship.

I wish the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan continued success in its endeavours and convey my greetings to the readers of Bhavan Australia.

Hon Amit Dasgupta, Consul General of India in SydneyI take pleasure in extending felicitations to the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Australia) for, once again, organizing the Holi Festival in Sydney. It has come to be recognized, in Sydney, as a major programme, which brings together persons of different backgrounds in the universal spirit of brotherhood and friendship.

The initiative of the Bhawan in regularly organizing this programme is laudable and the manner in which the entire resident Indian community has joined hands in making it a success reflects the strong harmony that exists within the community.

I join all of you in extending peace, happiness and good will on this auspicious occasion to everyone. Happy Holi!

Honourable Kevin Rudd MP, Prime Minister of AustraliaThe Holi Mahotsav festival of friendship and harmony, now in its eighth Australian year, has become a mainstream Sydney festival celebrating Indian culture through dance and music performances, cultural workshops, meditation sessions, food and merchandise stalls.

Around 250,000 people of Indian heritage live in Australia, and we value their contribution to our society, our economy and our nation. These people-to-people ties are an integral part of the strong and growing relationship between Australia and India.

Congratulations to the organisers for their efforts in continuing this great event. I wish readers of of Bhavan Australia magazine and all those attending Holi Mahotsav an enjoyable and memorable day.

Swami Sridharnanda, President Vedata Centre SydneyWe are glad to learn that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is organizing the Holi Mahotsav on the 14th March 2010.

Holi is a celebration of the different colours denoting variety but yet reminding us of the unity behind it. Mythologically, it is the burning of evil in the all consuming fire like Holika (the demoness) did and protecting the purity of the virtuous (like Prahlada). Today’s world needs the message of Unity in Diversity and the victory of Virtue and other spiritual values very much.

May the inspiration of this great festival help us to achieve peace is our humble prayer

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Kristina Keneally, New South Wales PremierWe are glad to learn that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is organizing the Holi Mahotsav on the 14th March 2010.

Holi is a celebration of the different colours denoting variety but yet reminding us of the unity behind it. Mythologically, it is the burning of evil in the all consuming fire like Holika (the demoness) did and protecting the purity of the virtuous (like Prahlada). Today’s world needs the message of Unity in Diversity and the victory of Virtue and other spiritual values very much.

May the inspiration of this great festival help us to achieve peace is our

I send my best wishes to everyone involved in this year’s Holi Mahotsav celebrations.

Holi Mahotsav is one of the most vibrant and colourful events on Sydney’s cultural calendar.

This event is a celebration of Indian traditions where Australians of Indian and non-Indian background can experience Indian culture, music, dance, food, spirituality and philosophy.

Holi Mahotsav is an ancient festival celebrated across the streets of India and the Sydney celebrations have grown in popularity since they began eight years ago.

Once again, I wish everyone a happy and festive Holi Mahotsav.

Best wishes for the celebrations. Holi Mubarak Ho.

Message from Pravrajika Ajayaprana, President Ramakrishna Sarada Vedanta Society of NSWVery happy to know that the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan is organizing a celebration of the HOLI festival in a very fitting manner, with RATHA YATRA, a serious meeting of V.I.Ps and interesting entertainment programmes. The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has always been very much involved in presenting the cultural and spiritual lore of India. May your attempt be rewarded with great success.

Message from Vishwaguru Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda Founder of Yoga in Daily Life, the SystemBlessed Selves, Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The significance of Holi is that victory of good over evil is achieved through unshakable devotion for the Lord. That same unshakeable devotion is required today if humans are to live sustainably on this planet and achieve lasting world peace.

Spirituality is the only answer to the world’s problems and revival of humanity’s ethical and spiritual values is the only guiding force that will affect the necessary change we want for humanity and Mother Earth. To re-awaken and re-commit to maintaining these values is an obligation required by everyone if we are to achieve the ultimate victory of good over evil.

If we want peace in the world, we must first have peace within. There must be mutual respect, love, understanding and compassion, not only for other humans, but also for all of nature and the creatures that live therein. Such mutual recognition is not bought in the market place, it can only be cultivated within by treating others as we wish to be treated. Only this will awaken the sense of universal accountability.

A Yogi would say, “Renounce and limit your needs”. Renounce greed, renounce anger, renounce duality and narrow-thinking. Open the heart and give. Understand another’s feelings, understand another’s life situation and grant them their rights. Give them happiness and forgiveness. Never violate anyone physically, mentally or

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

emotionally. Never be the cause of another’s tears, since all beings are the embodiment of God.

The Vedas declare that one God has created this world. All creatures therefore are the children of one Creator and all living beings are part of the one universal family. That is why the aim of every individual should be to create a responsible and caring society so that all may experience the beauty of life and realise God. As Bhagwan Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji said, “Love each and every living being as least as much as you love yourself”.

Thank you Mr. Gambhir Watts, President of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia and all sponsors and participants, for organising and supporting this meaningful event of Holi Mahotsav 2010.

With Blessings of the Almighty

Message from Inder Singh, Chairman GOPIO InternationalI am glad to know that Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Australia, is organizing Holi Mahotsav

– the age old Indian festival of colors – at the well known Australian venue of Darling Harbor. It is heartening to know that the mainstream Australian communities will join the Indian Australian community in tens of thousands in this remarkable celebration. I congratulate you on your leadership role for the event and commend you for providing a forum for introduction of India’s culture to Australians.

Holi festival has an ancient origin and many legends & stories are associated with it. Holi celebration marks the triumph of ‘good’ over ‘bad’ and is celebrated with a lot of pomp and pageantry through the width and breadth of India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka irrespective of caste, creed or religion. Sikhs celebrate a similar festival known as Hola Mohalla.

Holi, heralds spring in India. It is also known as Phagwa after the name of the month Phalgun, which usually falls in the later part of February or March. Holi celebration has also become an important festival in many countries where Indian Diaspora had gone and settled, such as Suriname, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad, Mauritius, Fiji, some countries in Europe, Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and others.

I convey my greetings to the Indian Australian community and members of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan for celebrating the Holi festival in a spirit of fellow feeling and friendship. I also admire the commitment and dedication with which you and the Holi festival committee have been organizing the event, year after year, for the past 7 years.

Krishna Arya, Regional Director Australasia, India Tourism Sydney wished everyone a colourful and a happy Holi Celebrations.

Message from Hon Amanda Fazio MLC, President Legislative CouncilPlease accept my apologies for my non-attendance at the Holi Mahotsav Festival at Darling Harbour on 14 March 2010. I was not feeling well and was unable to attend.

The media coverage that the Festival received indicates that the wider community are supporting the festival in ever increasing numbers. Congratulations to the Bahvan for another very successful Holi Mahotsav Festival.

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Holi Mahotsav 2010—A View-Saurabh

‘Holi’ comes from the word ‘Hola’, meaning to offer oblation or prayer to the almighty as thanksgiving for good harvest. Holi is celebrated every year to remind people that those who love God shall be saved and they who torture the devotee of God shall be reduced to ashes a la the mythical character Holika.

Holi is also associated with the historical story of Holika, the sister of demon-king Hiranyakashipu. The demon-king punished his son, Prahlad in a variety of ways to denounce Lord Narayana. He failed in all his attempts. Finally, he asked his sister Holika to take Prahlad in her lap and enter a blazing fire. Holika had a boon to remain unburned even inside fire. Holika did her brother’s bidding. However, Holika’s boon ended by this act of supreme sin against the Lord’s devotee and was burnt to ashes. But Prahlad came out unharmed.

Holi Mahotsav, Indian Festival of colours, friendship and harmony, was celebrated for 3 days starting on 12 March at Palm Grove & Cockle Bay area. The event was presented by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia with the support of Lebara Mobiles and Incredible India. Although Bhavan Australia had been celebrating this festival for years but it was my first time to celebrate Holi festival on a foreign land and that made me more excited.

It was 12th March when we, group of 4 friends, fortunately met Gambhir Watts, President, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia near Cockle Bay area and we came to know about the huge event that was going on there. Meeting Mr Watts was so encouraging and marvellous that we could not control ourselves to offer our voluntary support to him. Next day ie on 13th March, we reached the venue at 10:30 in the morning and on looking around, we saw a beautiful stage on Aquashell and so many people gathering near the stage and enjoying the performances. Before beginning the work for the day, I walked to the Bhavan’s hut where the historical stories and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi were on display, seeing which could give goosebumps to any Indian and same applied to me. Foodstalls with Indian delicacies were mouthwatering and watching people from different nationalities enjoying samosa, naan and curry was wonderful.

During the festival, I was mostly inside the ‘performers check in’ room and hence I knew what was about to be the coming performance. The day began with Yoga lessons, laughter sessions, Belly dancing and singing. I could not see what was going on stage but with the gradual increase in the sound of claps, I could say that

whatever was going on was being liked by all and gradually more and more people were joining in the celebration. By noon there was an exponential increase in the number of people gathering there and then came the beautifully decorated and exotic ‘Rath Yatra’ (Chariot) presented by ISKCON, Sydney. Entire atmosphere was filled with chanting of ‘Hare Krishna’. All the devotees were nicely dressed in traditional Indian clothes and were very enthusiastic about the event, which was easily seen in the way they were chanting and dancing. Many people from all age groups followed the Chariot and actively participated in the event.

Towards the end of the day, weapon display and Bhangra performance by Sikh community in Sydney became the limelight and grabbed the attention of the audience and won loads of applauds from them. The entire celebration was not only celebrated by Indians but was also equally enjoyed by people of other nationalities. During the event, I got the privilege to talk to many people from different countries like Hungary, Indonesia, China, Korea and of course Australia. Every one was utterly curious and excited to know more about Holi festival and to see the ways it is celebrated with colours.

Next day, on 14 March, the day started with the preparation of Holi playing area. During the process, I could feel so much excitement among the people that they could not resist themselves from asking us about the timing of the colour throwing sessions and upon knowing that they looked very enthusiastic about it. 12:15 pm was the time when the first colour throwing session had to begin and people started gathering around

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

the Holi playing area even before that. Two middle aged ladies from Australia shared their experiences of Holi celebration in India last year and they seemed very enthusiastic to play Holi again but this time at Darling Harbour. A few minutes later another young lady approached me and asked significance of this festival to me. With my limited knowledge, I tried to answer her question by saying ‘Holi is the festival of colours and is played during spring season every year in India. The way it is celebrated is different in different parts of India but colour is used everywhere. The main idea behind using colours is that colours remove all differences prevailing in the society as you can not guess the caste, colour, creed, and religion behind the coloured face and everyone plays Holi with each other forgetting all such differences. Moreover, this festival is so much fun that even foes turn to friends and play Holi together.’

As soon as we opened the barrier for the crowd to enter the Holi playing area, people of all age groups and all nationalities just jumped in and started playing Holi with each other. Entire day, people had shown their enthusiasm in playing Holi and some people were coming again and again especially a 12 year old boy Jimmy. He looked so innocent and cute while he was colouring himself. Last colouring session was the wildest session, everyone started pushing others to

grab some colours and there were unexpectedly huge number of people in the playing area. It had become so difficult to manage the crowd for a while that we had to stand on the table for distributing colours. By the end of the colouring session, everyone was looking stunningly colourful, happy and funny as well. Some people were laughing at each other, some were comparing the colours of each other, kids running around and parents worried about the clothes and whether this colour would be washed off from their faces or not.

Last performance of the day, Bhangra and the beats of Dhol put dancing shoes on everyone backstage as well as frontstage. Celebration ended with dancing and thanksgiving to everyone who helped in organizing the event, to everyone who performed on stage, to everyone who had their stalls, to everyone who coloured themselves, to everyone who were capturing the event with their cameras and last but not the least there was a big thanks to the audience and spectators without them the event may not had been that huge success.

Holi Mahotsav 2010 - Event Statistics

Day / Date No of Performance Items No of Performers No of Staff / Volunteers

Friday - 12 March 2010 3 11 6

Saturday - 13 March 2010 15 120 43

Sunday - 14 March 2010 19 267 46

Total 37 398 47

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Evolution of Cave Temples-Rajeswari Raghu

T he presence of so many cave temples dedicated to Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism in Western Maharashtra point to the fact that

true religion is faith and living in the presence of God. These caves also tell us that all religions are equal in the sense that they try to meet the felt need of humans for spiritual progress.

The question that comes up in one’s mind is why there is concentration of so many cave temples in one area and how long has the evolution been going on. As all the three main prevailing religions of India co-existed, some of the striking similarities in terms of architecture as well as icons seem to suggest that all of them were tolerated, accepted or welcomed by all. What is it that has caused this religious tolerance and how did the architectural and iconic similarity permeate each other’s field? Before going into the details, it is necessary to walk through the evolutionary path that man took to reach the stage of carving a permanent shelter in existing rocks or hills.

Starting with the evolution of human beings, evolution of human dwelling also was taking place. As the human being evolved into a different social animal, he chose to protect himself and his family from the wild animals, the harsh climates and the blazing sun. This he did by erecting a roof over him. Over a period, this plain roof became a mud, mortar and wooden architecture. The improvement in the architectural design of mud and wooden/thatched homes also influenced the temple architecture, though made of the same material.

In the beginning, it was functional, just to provide a home. Later, the sunlight and ventilation were controlled and windows were added. Then a place of worship was added, at a higher level, as God should be at a higher level than the human being. Therefore, temples became more ornate and were placed on an elevation. Another reason for elevating the abode of God was, the notion that God lives in heaven, which is supposed to be high above. This was the religious zeal along with man’s need for aesthetic beauty in the house as well as outside his house, i.e., his relation with God.

What better place can there be than a hill or mountain to give that desired elevation for God’s abode to signify his superior existence? Also to indicate that one has to make an effort to get to God, all these cave temples were situated away from the town or city, neither too close nor too far.

Perhaps another reason was to maintain a distance

from the laymen. Or was it a test for the monks and the sanyasis who lived closer to the Hindu caves? Interestingly, some of the Hindu caves have Mithuna couples in the main temples, a self test whether the grahasthashrama period is over, or some worldly desires were still left. As the sculptors became more adept in ornated figures and structures, a permanent and secure place was needed to express the devotion or bhakti on a permanent basis. Granites, marbles and other soft stones were already in experimental use along with different wood.

Another happy situation was that India was going through a prosperous period. There was political stability, religious freedom, tolerance towards other religions and above all, there was royal patronage. A new type of artists and the guild system came up which wanted them to try their hands at different things.

The followers of all the three religions, i.e., Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism were rich in religious scriptures, and were also competing with each other in selecting and establishing or building places of worship. The prosperity also encouraged trade with far off places. These trades resulted in “trade routes”, which also connected the Buddhist cultural centres. There is a suggestion that the land trade routes covered Lumbini (present Nepal), Samarkand (present Afganisthan) and Dvarkavrata (present Dwarka). The Buddhist monks travelled to other centres so did the traders. Both needed each other. There were sea routes also through which business was carried out with Sri Lanka, and Arab countries.

Why Cave Temples?As India was becoming prosperous through trade, more people had to travel from place to place. These trade travels took a long time to complete and on the

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way people needed to rest and worship God. These traders came across many mountains on their way. They needed both shelters as well as shrines for their spiritual development.

In the Western India, the prominent trade route was between Jalgaon, Ajanta, Daulatabad or Verul, Ujjain, Pune, and Indore. The traders were sometimes forced to rest in the forests or the natural caves when they were tired. These naturally-formed caves prompted people to explore and take their artistic pursuance to a new height.

Nature of Rock for Carving The Western Ghat topography, with its flat-topped basalt hills, ravines and sharp cliffs, was suitable for rock cutting. While exploring the texture of the rock along the trade routes, the sculptors found that the rocks were neither hard nor soft, but porous in nature. The Buddhists’ ideology encouraged identification with trades; hence, merchandise and the prosperity associated with trade helped commissioning of these cave temples which served the dual purpose of providing shrines and shelters.

Stages of Rock ArchitectureFirst Stage: The first stage was scooping the rock to make a hollow/room. Example: Almost all cave temples have gone through this stage and there are remnants in practically all cave groups. Some of them are incomplete and abandoned.

Second Stage: In the second stage, light was controlled. Windows and ventilators were also scooped out at a particular place to facilitate making the caves get maximum daylight. Examples of the second stage are found in all cave groups.

Third Stage: In the third stage of rock architecture, light was allowed to enter from all three sides of the rock cave. This was again scooped in and the cave was part of the hill or mountain. Example: Elephanta or Gharapuri Caves across the Gateway of India and Pataleshwar Caves, near Pune.

Fourth Stage: In the fourth stage of rock architecture, an entire block of the hill was cut out and a cave temple scooped out. In this stage, the cave was no more part of the live hill or mountain. Example: Kailash Temple of Ellora. It is also the largest single monolithic structure.

Cave Temples in Western MaharashtraEllora Caves (1st, 2nd and 4th stage of Rock Architecture): Ellora Caves are the richest in terms of architecture and iconography. The excavation of the caves spanned from second century A.D. to 11th century. It boasts of the Buddhist (earliest), Jain and

Hindu caves. As there was a guild system, perhaps artists came from the same school, as we see a common iconography and style in all the three types of caves. The Buddhist Caves belong to both the Hinayana (lower vehicle) and Mahayana (higher vehicle) period. Salabhanjika, or the Saal tree under which Buddha got enlightenment is also depicted. A lot of importance is given to the Bodhisatva (previous birth of Buddha, before he attained Bodhisatva) in the Buddhist caves and ornamental plants, dwarapalikas, etc. The statues of Jain looks almost like the Buddha, but for the symbol of Srivatsa on the chest of the Tirthankaras. Adinath, Parswanath, Gomateeswara, Mahaveer, are the main figures. The Hindu caves have the Trinity, Saptamatrukas, stories from Siva Purana, Ravana, etc. Ellora Caves or Verul, as it is called by the local people, was excavated out of the vertical face of a hill 26 km north of Aurangabad. There are 34 caves which were chiselled between 5th and 11th century A.D. These caves never vanished and were known to the local people for two reasons. The presence of Grishneswar Temple, one of the Jyotirlingas. A lot of pilgrims were visiting the temple for worship. Another reason is the proximity to the village Verul. Daulatabad or the old Devgiri Fort which was built by many kings was also known to the people. The Archaeological Department of Western Maharashtra found an entire town of graveyard to prove that this place was inhabited. Many of the caves served as places of dwelling for the locals. Like the Ajanta Caves, these caves were also plastered and painted. However, due to the proximity to the village, the local grazers started living and cooking in these caves. Some of the walls still have soot and scribbling. Vandalism seems to be rampant in these caves.

These caves spanned from the 2nd Century A.D. to the 11th Century A.D. Several dynasties like the Vakatakas, Satavahanas, and Rashtrakutas were engaged in the excavation of the caves. The Kailasa Temple (last stage of rock architecture) took seven generations of Rashtrakuta kings to complete the cave temple.

Ajanta Caves (First and Second Stage): The other types of caves were Viharas which were places of meditation and living quarters for the monks with cells on either side of the hall. These cells were scooped out with a stone-carved bed and a pillow. The Viharas served both as a place of worship and living. Some of the Buddhist caves have raised platforms on both sides of the aisles, perhaps for the Buddhist pupils to keep their books, writing materials, or as dinning tables.

Chaityagraha: All the caves of Ajanta were plastered and painted. The plaster was made of mud, shell, grass and cowdung. After the plaster, a white coating was applied, on which the outlines were drawn. Most of

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scenes were from the lives of Buddha, Bodhisatvas, or royal families. Traders were also important, as shops with shutters were also seen.

The Ajanta caves are over 700 years old. Some of them belong to second Century B.C. There are 31 caves which can be divided into two periods. The first one from second Century B.C. to second Century A.D. The second period was from middle of third Century, A.D. to 6th Century A.D. The intervening period between the two is not known. Why the work stopped? Where did the artists go? Was there a political turmoil? There is no record for this gap of 600 to 700 years.

These caves are of two types: Chaityas and Viharas. Chaityas are purely for worshipping consisting of a dome, symbolising the mould after burial. On the top of the dome, there is a structure like a casket (perhaps for the ash?) The Chaityas also have a carved beam and rafters running across the roof. They have no function, since all wooden architecture was there to hold the structure together. The same was copied in the rock architecture also.

All Chaityas have circumambulatory path for pradakshina and were for the purpose of worship only for the monks who stayed there and for the laymen.

Karla Caves (1st and 2nd Stage): Karla is close to Lonavala, a hill station in the Western Ghats (Sahayadri Mountains). Karla has both Hinayana and Mahayana types of caves. It dates back to 1st Century B.C. to 7th Century A.D. Like the Ajanta Caves, the Karla Caves were also excavated in two periods. The splendour of the caves suggests that Buddhism was at its peak when these caves were excavated. This is also the largest group of Chaityas. As the caves are a detour from Malavli railway station, not many people visit them. One can leisurely study them and enjoy the ghat (valley) and the greenery surrounding the caves.

An architectural drawing of a Chaitya Karla cave is also the only Chaitya where the original wooden rafter and beams are intact inspite of more than a lapse of 2000 years. These wooden supports are absolutely non-functional in a rock architecture. These caves too were excavated to shelter the monks from the rains. Unlike Ajanta and Ellora, the Karla caves do not have the figure of Buddha. Later additions of a temple and a stone-carved Ashoka pillar greets the visitors after a steep climb of 550 steps.

Kanheri Caves (1st and 2nd Stage): Kanheri caves come from the word, Krishnagiri or the black hills. Like all groups of caves, the nature of the rock is basalt or lava rock. The caves have intricate carvings and inscriptions in Brahami script. Dating back to 1st Century A.D., this is a Buddhist group of caves with both Buddha and Bodhisatva carved. There are both Viharas as well as Chaityas. A flight of steps leads to the caves. On the way, there are several cisterns with water for the monks living there and also for the

visitors and the traders who passed that route.

Bhaje Caves (1st and 2nd Stage): The caves date back to the 2nd Century B.C. and falls in the second stage of rock architecture. The caves are Hinayana style. Architecturally, the caves are similar to the Karla caves, as a guild system existed during that period. It belonged to the Satavahana period, when they were ruling the Deccan region.

Bedsa Caves: Not very far from the Karla and Bhaje caves, the road, a narrow path passing through a village, leads to the caves. The numerous stupas stun the visitors with a question—why so many?

Dating back to 2nd Century B.C., the Bedsa caves are little different from the Karla and Bhaje caves. The facade of the Chaitya is shoe-shaped like the other caves, but with a difference and it is carved over the main door. In the other cave groups, the facade itself is the main entrance. Here, the facade seems to be split due to the presence of the doors at the bottom. The caves have beautiful pillars with carved animal and human figures. These Chaityas also originally had wooden rafters and beams, as there are sockets on both sides. From the top of the cave, one can have a magnificent view of the surroundings fields.

Aurangabad Caves (1st and 2nd stage): These caves are inside the Dr Ambedkar University campus. They are the most exposed to the human touch and visits, along with animals. These caves can be dated between 2nd to 6th Centuries A.D. The caves are overshadowed by the presence of Ajanta and Ellora caves, which are more famous world over. The Aurangabad caves are stunning and intricate in terms of carving. This is a group of 12 caves spread within a kilometre area. Most of them are Viharas and in Tannic style where iconography is concerned.

Elephanta/Gharapuri Caves (The only cave of 3rd stage of rock architecture intact): This is the only rock carved-temple of the 3rd stage which is intact. The other incomplete one is in Pataleshwar caves in Pune. Both these caves are dedicated to Lord Shiva.

Other cave groups in Maharashtra which are architecturally important are the Pithalkhora caves near Aurangabad.

The caves belong to the period between first Century B.C. to 2nd Century A.D. These are Buddhist caves belonging to the Thervadai style, and have both Chaityas and Viharas.

The Mahakali, and Jogeshwari Caves are within Mumbai city. The Lenadri near Pune and Pandava Leni are in Pune city.

Source: Bhavan’s Journal, November 15 2009

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Id-E-Milad

A ccording to the Islamic calendar, Id-E-Milad or Barah Wafat is celebrated on the twelfth day of the third month Rabi-ul-Awwal. It

is celebrated to commemorate the birth and death anniversary of the Prophet Muhammad, which falls on the same day. The word ‘barah’ signifies the twelve days of the Prophet’s sickness. During the twelve days, sermons and Koranic texts narrating the life and noble deeds of the Prophet are recited in mosques. At some places in India, a sandal rite is performed over the figurative footprints of the Prophet engraved in stone kept in an elaborately decorated casket, in which a representation of Buraq (Prophet’s horse) kept near the footprints, is anointed with sandal paste. The Prophet is believed to have ascended to heaven on Buraq. Elegies known as ‘Marsiyas’ are sung to commemorate Prophet’s last days while the twelfth day or the ‘Urs’ is observed quietly. During these days, learned men deliver sermons in mosques focussing on the life and noble deeds of the Prophet. In places like Mumbai, hundreds of people throng the colourfully decorated markets and pay obeisance at the mosques as children and young men take out a procession. In Muslim dominated places like Lucknow, the main feature is ‘Milad’ procession taken out by thousands of people. Youths and children singing devotional songs form part of the cavalcade, which includes exhibits depicting mosques of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Prophet Muhammad— The Prophet of IslamAccording to the Muslim Historians Muhammad was born in the desert of Arabia at a place called Mecca, present day Saudi Arabia, on 20th April 571 AD. Though there are certain controversies regarding the actual date but in most of the historical books this date is followed. He is depicted as the model for humanity in all walks of life to follow until the Last Hour. He is regarded as the messenger of Allah (God). Circa 610 AD, Prophet is said to have gained revelations from Allah through the Angel Gabriel that he was His Messenger. In 622 AD Muhammad along with his followers went to Medina. This flight from Mecca to Medina is known as Hijrah and marks the beginning of the Islamic era. By 630 AD, Islam came to be accepted as a religion and Muhammad as ruler by a large number of people. However, in 632 AD Muhammad led the pilgrimage to Mecca, preached his farewell sermon and died soon after. His name signifies ‘highly praised’. He is the greatest among all the sons of Arabia. He is more than all the

leaders, kings, poets and philosophers that preceded him in that impenetrable desert of red sand. When he appeared Arabia was a desert and nothing. Out of nothing a new world was fashioned by the mighty spirit of Muhammad. He gave birth to a new life, a new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom, which extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the thought and life of three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa.

The Life of MuhammadProphet Muhammad was one of the most influential religious and military leaders in history. His father died before he was born, and Muhammad was put under the care of his grandfather, head of the prestigious Hashim clan. His mother died when he was six, and his grandfather when he was eight, leaving him under the care of his uncle Abu Talib, the new head of the clan. When he was 25, Muhammad married a wealthy widow 15 years his senior. He lived the next 15 years as a merchant, and came into contact with many Jewish merchants and landowners in the largely Jewish Kingdom of Himyar in what is today Saudi

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Arabia and Yemen. The Prophet and his wife gave birth to six children: two sons, who died in childhood, and four daughters. From time to time, Muhammad spent nights in a cave in Mount Hira north of Mecca, ruminating on the social ills of the city. Around 610 AD, he had a vision in the cave in which he heard the voice of a majestic being, later identified as the Angel Gabriel, say to him, “You are the Messenger of God.” Thus began a lifetime of religious revelations, which he and others collected as the Qur’an, or Koran. Muhammad regarded himself as the last Prophet of the Judaic-Christian tradition, and he adopted aspects of these older religions’ theologies while introducing new doctrines. Teachings of Muhammad are included in what is called “Hadith.” The “Hadith” is a record of Muhammad’s words and deeds according to his wives, relatives, and companions. Next to the Quran, it is the most important part of Islamic law; its teachings are just as binding. It is recorded and interpreted in many books and in various forms by various people.

The Prophet and IslamThe birth of Islam is closely associated the Prophet, his life and work. Islam was created with high and noble spiritual aims, and has grown to be the inspiration of millions of worshippers worldwide. The basic interpretation of Islam is that it is a war

against greed, immorality, idolatry and the uniting the whole world. Khadija was the first disciple to profess faith in the Prophet. She became his disciple and the first follower of Islam. From that time onwards Muhammad delivered public sermons on his faith to a large number of people, proclaiming the unity of God and denouncing the evil of drunkenness and impurity. Though some ridiculed and turned away, others were converted by the power of his words. The Prophet of Islam did not hold any debates nor did he challenge anyone to controversies and discussions. He silently converted people to his faith through his strong personality, charming demeanor and force of divine virtues. His characteristics as well as the power of the verses of the Koran captivated the hearts of people. People accepted Muhammad’s faith readily because it was plain, simple and direct. He sent missionaries to other parts of Arabia in order to convert the entire peninsula to the new faith. It was the strength and power of his teachings with attracted numerous followers because they came from a simple and honest man who never posed as a world teacher. He often told his disciples that he was an ordinary man as they were, teaching them to believe in Allah and His revelations.

Source: www.manyzone.com, www.festivalsinindia.net, www.allindianfestivals.com, www.hindustanlink.com

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Mahadevi Verma

M ahadevi Verma, a famous Hindi poet and writer, was born on 26 March 1907, in Farrukhabad in a family of lawyers. She

was the eldest among her four siblings. She received her education at Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She went to Allahabad University for higher education and obtained her Master’s degree in Sanskrit from Allahabad University. She was a well-known Hindi poet of the Chhayavaad generation, the times when every poet used to incorporate romanticism in their poetry. She is more often called the modern Meera.

Life HistoryMahadevi Verma was married to Dr Swarup Narayan Verma at an early age. After marriage she continued to live with her family and receive education. She met her husband for some time in the princely state of Tamkoi somewhere around 1920. Thereafter, she moved to Allahabad to further her interest in poetry. Unfortunately, she and her husband mostly lived separately and were busy pursuing their individual interests. They used to meet occasionally. Her husband died in the year 1966. Then, she decided to permanently shift to Allahabad.

Writings and InterestsMahadevi Verma was one amongst the other major poets of the Chhayavaadi School of the Hindi literature. She was the epitome of child prodigy. Not only she wrote fabulous poetry, but also made sketches for her poetic works such as Deepshikha and Yatra. Deepshikha is one of the best works of Mahadevi Verma. She was also famous for her book of memoirs. She was highly influenced by the values preached by the Buddhist culture. She was so much inclined towards Buddhism that, she even attempted to become a Buddhist Bhikshuni.

Notable Works of Mahadevi VermaSome of her notable works included: Prose: Ateet ke Chalchitra, Kshanda, Mera Parivaar, Path ke Saathi, Sahityakaar ki Aastha, Sambhashan Sankalpita, Shrinkhla ki Kadiya, Smriti ki Rekhayen.

Poetry: Deepshikha, Himalaya, Neerja, Nihar, Rashmi, Sandhya Geet, Saptaparna.

Collection: Geetparva, Mahadevi Sahitya, Parikrama, Sandhini, Smarika, Smritichitra, Yama.

HonoursHer writings were well-acclaimed and earned her an important position in the world of Hindi literature.

Her amazing poetry collection Yama brought her the Gyanpeeth Award (1940), the highest Indian literary award. In the year 1956, the Government of India honoured her by conferring the title of Padma Bhushan upon her. She was the first Indian woman to become a Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi in the year 1979. Her most famous works include Atita ke Chalchitra (The Moving Frames of the Past) and Smriti ki Rekhayen (The Lines of Memory). Her famous poetic publications are Nihar, Rashmi, Neerja and Sandhya Geet. Her work Shrinkhala ki Kadiyan reflects the plight of Indian women.

As MirabaiMahadevi Verma was deeply aesthetic. Her poetry is marked by a constant pain, the pain of separation from her beloved, the Supreme Being. Due to this she is also sometimes compared to Mirabai. There is an element of mysticism in her poetry. Her poems are addressed to her distant lover, while her lover remains quiet and never speaks. With her work Deepshikha, which contains 51 poems, she ventured into new field of Hindi literature—Rahasyavaad. She also served as an Editor of the famous Hindi monthly Chand.

Social ReformerMahadevi Verma was also a social reformer. She strongly advocated the cause of women in India. Many of her prose works reflect her views on the plight of Indian women. She was appointed the first Principal

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of Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth, started to impart education to girls through Hindi medium. Later she became the Chancellor of the institute. She believed that, only by educating women, society becomes enlightened. She wanted women to be empowered and become self-dependent.

The Literary FigureMahadevi Verma was one of the top ranking figures in the world of Hindi literature. She was always remembered with reverence along with the pioneers of the “Chhayavad” movement, such as Jai Shankar Prasad, Surya Kant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ and Sumitra Nandan Pant. Her style was such that she could easily integrate mysticism of nature with the highest imagination of a human being where sorrow and happiness are interwoven. She not only enriched Hindi literature but also gave it a new direction, directing it towards newer objectives leading to a more enjoyable and rejoicing path. Her readers were not only impressed by her flowery language and beautiful expression but also in the deep aesthetic stream of philosophical realization of eternal truth emerging from a sense of union with the Supreme Reality, which enabled her readers to have a taste of eternal happiness or bliss. In most of her works the essence of spirituality can be seen. She was a lover of nature like Wordsworth. For her the beauty of nature was not only a thing of joy, but also an object of worship and adoration. Nature, for her was an eternal source of inspiration leading to self-realization. To her, prose was a subject of the intellect and poetry dealt with emotions. In prose, one needs subjects to ponder over and discuss, but poetry flows by itself. It does not need any sort of external support. She enriched Hindi literature by expressing herself beautifully both in prose and poetry. She was also deeply involved in fine arts, culture and self-expression through her poems, articles and other writings.

Disciple of Mahatma GandhiShe had no interest in politics but she was very much aware of the contemporary scenario. She was against the evils existing in the society in the form of corruption, bribe, treachery, untruth, falsehood and hypocrisy. She was a profounder of truth and was a faithful admirer and disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. She said, “At the time of Mahabharata only one untruth brought a lot of misfortune for both Pandavas and Kauravas, but now everyone is taking shelter under

untruth, falsehood and hypocrisy. Hence, we find everywhere in society deep distress, unhappiness and misery. Only God knows what will happen to the country.” In her Presidential Address at Hindi Sansthan, Lucknow, she expressed her anguish over the ways the politicians who were selfish and self-centered. They always gave importance for their well-being and ignored the common well-being of the people. According to her, politicians had become mere puppets in the hands of the dishonest tyrants and their only objective was to achieve the highest seat in the corridors of power. She said, “I can understand if someone dreams to serve the country and devote himself for the important task of nation building or to serve mankind at large, but I cannot understand how a person can dream to be at the helm of affairs by snatching the highest chair in the power-achieving game and still think that he is a great person.”

Mahadevi closely followed Mahatma Gandhi’s philosophy of life. She worked with towering personalities like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and Dr Rajendra Prasad. She realized that truth and happiness flows naturally from sacrifice, from reunion with the Supreme Reality. She practiced what she preached in her life so much so that each and every word in her poems became more or less a sermon, or a piece of scripture. This famous personality died on September 11, 1987.

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

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

R. ShamashastryScholar Who discovered Arthashastra

-B.M.N. Murthy

T ill about the dawn of the 20th century there was a misconception in the Western world that everything in ancient India was moved

by otherworldly considerations, the society ignorant of statecraft, social affairs and administration. The turning point which removed this misconception, was the discovery of Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’ in Sanskrit. Though written 2,400 years earlier, the classic work was discovered as late as the 20th century. The singular credit for this discovery goes to Dr Rudrapatnam Shamashastry of Mysore who not only discovered the manuscript but heralded a new era in Indian administration and statecraft.

The history of ancient India pertaining to the 4th century BC, shows that it was Kautilya, also known as Vishnugupta or Chanakya, who overthrew the ruling Nanda dynasty and annointed Chandragupta Maurya as the King. Kautilya was a student of the Taxila University (then called Takshashila and now in Pakistan), the very first university to be founded in the world as early as in 700 B.C. He later taught in the same university for about four years.

It was this Kautilya who wrote ‘Arthashastra’ which is a monumental treatise on administration and civic affairs. This comprehensive work, must have been written some time between 321–296 BC.

It is a practical guide not only on running governmental organisations but also a work that deals with duties of Kings, Ministers, local officials, methods of diplomacy etc including ways and means of defeating an enemy. Encyclopedic in its coverage many scholars have wondered how one head could carry such a vast knowledge.

Among the libraries and research institutions in the country which preserve rare palm leaf manuscripts, the Mysore Oriental Library (now called the Oriental Research Institute) is well-known.

In 1891 the then Maharaja of Mysore State wanted to celebrate the golden jubilee of Her Majesty the Queen Victoria’s accession to the British throne in a grand style and got a beautiful building built with a blend of classical architectural styles and named it Victoria Jubilee Institute. This is the same building in which the Oriental Library has been functioning for more than a century. It was here that the manuscript of Kautilya’s Arthashastra was first discovered.

This library had a librarian named Rudrapatnam Shamashastry during 1905. Shastry hailed from a place known as Rudrapatnam on the banks of river Kaveri and was born in a Sankethi Brahmin family and in a community known for Vedic learning.

Even at a young age, Shastry showed a remarkable skill in learning the Vedas, the Upanishads and other sacred lore. Before he was forty, he had mastered most of the Vedas, the Vedangas, Classical Sanskrit, German, French and a few more foreign languages. In addition, he had learnt how to decipher several Oriental scripts.

Shastry was a devoted and sincere librarian in the Oriental Library. Even though the job of dealing with ancient manuscripts, most of which in torn conditions and quite dusty, was difficult, risky and monotonous, he was dedicated to his job and took pleasure in his work. One day, sometime in 1905, he picked up some palm leaf manuscripts and on keen examination, was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was ‘Arthashastra’ of Kautilya. Examining it from several angles, Shastry was convinced that it was a genuine work of Kautilya.

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In his introduction to the book written in 1909, Shastry says that he was convinced beyond doubt that Kautilya’s genuine work was a literary classic of the ancient world. It did not take long for the discovery to get publicity. Rudrapatnam Shamashastry became a celebrity. Scholars and academicians the world over started congratulating him for having ushered in a new era in Indian administration and statecraft by discovering Kautilya’s masterpiece. Eminent educationists and historians of the day literally vied with each other in inviting Shamashastry to their universities, honouring him and getting the benefit of the new discovery.

Shamashastry met Mahatma Gandhi in 1927 when he was camping at the Nandi Hills and presented him with a copy of ‘Arthashastra’. Gandhiji was immensely pleased with his rare contribution to Indian polity and congratulated him. Rabindranath Tagore was all praise for the new discovery. The Washington University awarded a Doctorate to Shastry and the Royal Asiatic Society its Fellowship. The Government of India gave him the title ‘Mahamahopadhyaya’ , a rare and coveted honour to an Oriental scholar.

Dr Asutosh Mukherji, the renowned educationist of the 20th century and five times Vice Chancellor of the Calcutta University, invited Shamashastry to deliver a series of ten lectures in 1919 under the auspices of the Calcutta University.

These lectures under the title ‘Evolution of Indian Polity,’ were subsequently published in Mysore under the title, ‘Kautilya’s Arthashastra’, with an introduction by British Historian J.F. Fleet. Fleet says: “We are, and shall always remain, under a great obligation to Shamashastry for the most important addition to our means of studying the General History of ancient India”.

The Maharaja of Mysore once visited Germany for delivering a talk at the invitation of a German institution. After the lecture, a German gentleman approached His Highness and asked “Your Majesty, are you the Maharaja of Mysore where lives Dr Shamashastry, the discoverer of Arthashastra?” The Maharaja was pleasantly pleased that one of his own subjects was well-known in far off Germany.

On his return, he sent for Dr Shamashastry and said: “In Mysore State we are the Maharaja and you are the subject. But in Germany, you are the Master and people recognise us by Your name and fame”. The Maharaja awarded him with the title, “Arthashastra Visharada’ during the Dasara celebrations of 1926.

Shamashastry who passed away in 1944 was an extremely simple man with deep religious habits. Humility was his hallmark and he was always ready to help youngsters to come up in life. Western scholars had always argued that ancient India had learnt the art of administration from the Greeks ever since they came into contact with Greeks with the invasion of Alexander. But Shamashastry had proved them all wrong with his discovery of Arthashastra and showed how even the British had adopted some of the features contained in the treatise for their administration.

On the occasion of the Centenary Year (2009) of the publication of Kautilya’s Arthashastra, let us salute this discoverer of the 20th century, Dr Rudrapatnam Shamashastry!

Source: Bhavan’s Journal, December 31, 2009

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Gandhigiri: Satyagraha after Hundred Years-B.N. Ray*

I n a time ravaged by large scale violence and unending terror where nothing seems more promising and urgent than to be reminded of

another possibility: the path of non-violent struggle for justice exemplified by Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi continues to be the subject of enduring relevance and interest as it is evident in the interest and passion generated by popular movie, Lage Raho Munnabhai. Gandhigiri is gradually entering into popular imagination and academic discourses. His writings, running into more than one hundred volumes contains wide range of views on different issues. In the nearly six decades since his death a large and diverse range of writings—comparative, expository, biographical, hagiographical and dialogical—has appeared on Gandhi.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, described variously as the ‘father of the nation’, ‘Mahatma’, ‘apostle of non-violence”, and then disparagingly by his detractors as ‘the half-naked fakir”, Mr Gandhi as Jinnah insisted and later ‘Maulana Gandhi’ as the Hindu right sneeringly called him instead of Mahatma, was quite simply addressed as ‘Bapu’ by his followers. He devoted his life to truth, non-violence and the promotion of communal harmony. Ironically, he fell to the bullet of an assassin—a violent death at the hands of a Hindu Fundamentalist man who harboured hatred and malice.

The life of Mahatma Gandhi is abundantly documented; perhaps no life in any period has been more so. Certainly it was an extraordinary life, fusing, as it did, ancient Hindu religion and culture and modern revolutionary ideas about politics and society. There are at present about four hundred biographies of Gandhi, yet, as Jawaharlal Nehru once observed “no man can write a real life of Gandhi, unless he is as big as Gandhi.” In Nehru’s view, the best that anyone could hope to do was to conjure up some pictures of that life: “Many pictures rise in my mind of this man, whose eyes were often full of laughter and yet were pools of infinite sadness. But the picture that is dominant and most significant is as I saw him marching, staff in hand, to Dandi on the Salt March in 1930; here was the pilgrim on his quest of truth, quiet, peaceful, determined and fearless, who would continue the quest and pilgrimage, regardless of consequences.” Leaving aside the riddle of who but Gandhi could write his “real life,” the writer’s task would have to be to discover and truthfully portray the heroic but human pilgrim amid the myths that began proliferating around him when he started his quest and that have inevitably become more numerous because

the quest ended in martyrdom. In fact, the very core of Gandhi’s thought, presented and developed in tens of thousands of his writings and speeches—his search for God through celibacy and cleanliness, through mastery of all human needs and functions, mental and bodily, and through insistence on personal hygiene and public sanitation—has been obscured by mythologies fearful of debasing and sensationalizing their martyred hero. Perhaps because Indians rely for information more on the spoken than on the written word, and because they still live close to the soil.

There is need to explore the contemporary meaning of Gandhi’s life and work—both his stupendous contributions in terms of making and remaking the world he lived in and his own strong sense of tragedy and trauma where he found he had failed to live up to his own expectations on matters that were close to his heart and to his sense of purpose and meaning in life. These are to be seen not merely as events or encounters during his own lifetime but also in the context of today’s challenges and failures of the human enterprise, both building on what he has left behind and building a new edifice, struggling our way through the maze of ambivalences that seem to be out now and in the years and decades that lie ahead. For we do face, as individuals and peoples and the world at large, as a planet and a cosmos, now and in the years and decades to come beyond which it is difficult to prognosticate, a highly uncertain future, in many ways going downhill yet somehow trying to keep hope alive while knowing fully well the depth of the crisis facing humanity. For, it is only through a major act of imagination backed by sustained experimentation through which new stirrings of both conscience and consciousness take place that the proverbial candle of hope can be generated. As the French philosopher and ecologist, Jacques Ellul has said, it is only at a time of abandonment and anguish that the need for hope

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arises, indeed becomes imperative. In Gandhi’s life there were many moments of abandonment, both by his colleagues and compatriots but more by the high expectations that he had set out for himself and for those who cared to journey with him in search for truth and steadfastness. But while at some points he was full of remorse and a deep sense of failure, at no point did he give up putting up a valiant struggle for the values he stood for.

It was through this combination of transparency about one’s travails, trials, and tabulations as well as of interventions through ceaseless “experiments” and by sharing them with one’s fellow-beings through a unique style of communication that Gandhi was able to relate to the world he lived in and in the process seek to remake it that his singular contribution lay, and it is precisely in this respect that the world we are contemporaneously placed in is found to be deeply lacking. Hence the crisis of accountability on the one hand and a deep sense of alienation and anomie on the other. The world we live in is one characterized by an all-round decline in the democratic spirit and its moral basis—even while so many nations adopt an apparently democratic form of government—and one in which national and international elites are increasingly living in fear and insecurity, surrounding themselves with a massive apparatus of security, separating them from their own peoples, sharply reducing a sense of identity and community with them, not to speak of love for one’s fellow beings and service of them based on love on which Gandhi laid so much stress.

Gandhi was and remains a communicator par excellance, making his presence felt far and wide, in his own country and beyond, a kind of village bard writ large over the expanse of the whole of human civilization, utilizing an idiom and a language that he himself created, cutting across the divides of cultures, of tradition and modernity, reinterpreting both and producing a new cross-fertilization across them. And he has not ceased to do so almost half a century after he physically left us, and today also in a language and idiom that is unique and characteristically his own which many of us are still trying to decipher and deconstruct, especially of late when he seems to be looking once again at us with his uncanny, piercing eyes, from behind his daunting pair of spectacles.

Whereas Gandhi himself strove, both in his fundamental thinking and in his activist encounters with reality, to wrestle simultaneously with larger civilizational and cosmic challenges and the here-and-now issues that were crying out for response and resolution, I think it would be a mistake on our part to accept or dismiss him merely on the basis of the

immediate issues he faced, sought his best to deal with and, as with many other great men and women, ultimately failed to resolve. Perhaps the real task lies elsewhere: trying to grapple with the immediate both in the present and at same time by seeking to change the contours of the same at large, of the cultural and civilizational encounters engulfing its journey through time, through which alone, in the final analysis, the mundane and the immediate issues could be effectively dealt with. Without changing the former, the handling of the latter would remain too adhocism and unable to hold against the diverse currents sweeping humanity. Even if these latter temporarily produce “solutions,” these cannot last for long and will recur once again, perhaps in more vicious forms. This was the import of Gandhi’s holistic and unified approach. Towards the end, he felt he failed to carry through his mission in life. But, then, that is the whole charm and meaning of the great moulders of the modern world—as indeed was in the ages gone by and especially of those who do not accept the world as it existed and were seeking ways of refashioning it after a new yearning for both comprehension and change and a new vision and idea of the world as it should be. If in the process they “fail” to solve problems of an immediate kind, it only underscores tenacity of certain kinds of problems, reflecting the persisting paradoxes and traumas that inform the human enterprise even while struggling to keep hope alive straining one’s utmost to face up the many tests and trials that continue to beseech that enterprise—then, now, and in the times that lie ahead.

In the years to come, and may be right into the next millennium—as it unfolds this state of affairs is

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

likely to continue—a litany of unresolved problems because of the failure to deal with the deeper social and intellectual causes to many of which Gandhi tried to draw the attention of his fellowmen at home and in the world at large. His overall effort was at once as a thinker and as an activist and through that combination as one trying to change the world. Gandhi—and what he thought and taught and debated with his contemporaries—were at bottom intellectual and philosophical matters. He dwelt deep into the human enterprise and on that basis transcended categories of time, space, and various other divides. It is for this reason that he today once again is gaining in resonance after having been forgotten for so long. It is in the context of this timelessness of Gandhi that we have to understand his relevance for all times and ages. He himself suffered from a deep sense of guilt and anguish for having “failed” on matters he had identified himself with during his life’s journey for “truth”. While we too can and must pass judgements on this journey of his—which still continues in our own time and is still available like an open book to us all—and while we should chart our own path suited to the call of our own time, and the times that lie ahead, we could also, in so doing, benefit from the thoughts and lessons left behind from his journey in his own time. As in many ways those lessons have a bearing on the challenges emerging before us, we could think of joining him on his unfinished journey.

The portrait of Gandhi emerges slowly from the timid and somewhat cowardly Kathiawari childhood, the awkward years as a student in England, the growing confidence as a lawyer in South Africa, a self-assurance that ironically emerged from his humiliation, and his emergence as a leader in India. Gandhi is our only serving national icon, even though our reverence for him is confined mainly to the ritualistic celebration of the birth and death anniversaries. Many idolize Gandhi even today and consider him as one of the tallest men to have visited this earth. But it is a historical necessity to reappraise, reinterpret and reevaluate once in a while every great movement, every great leader, to assess their contemporary relevance. This portrayal of Gandhi’s ideas will be useful for those who would like to explore his tactics, experiment with them, perhaps adopt them as their own. It might also be valuable to those who want to compare Gandhi’s ideas with other forms of conflict resolution and social action. Perhaps it will also be useful to those who are determined to rebuke Gandhi and prove him wrong.

Gandhi would have approved of all of these purposes. For if one follows Gandhi’s own advice, nothing should go unchallenged—not even Gandhian concepts. In order to understand Gandhi’s way of fighting,

therefore, we will eventually have to fight a bit with him ourselves.

Gandhians, as well as non-Gandhians, are divided on what constitutes “the true Gandhi” and the true Gandhian approach to political reality. Both proponents and opponents often appeal to an essential decontextualized Gandhi, usually identified with a rather clear, static, and rigid political approach, and then disagree on whether this essential Gandhi is relevant or irrelevant to contemporary political development. Not only was Gandhi’s political thinking flexible, eclectic, and at times contradictory, but our attempts at relating Gandhi’s approach to contemporary political thinking always involve a dynamic process of contestation with the reinterpretation, reconstruction, and development of diverse Gandhian positions. Looking to the nature and vastness of the Gandhian crusade, it may seem inappropriate to describe it as a ‘failure’ despite all its shortcomings. Rabindranath Tagore may have been right in his comments that Gandhi will not succeed. Perhaps he will fail as the Buddha failed and as Christ failed to wean men from their inequities, but he will always be remembered as one who made his life a lesson for all ages to come.

Gandhi was not a preacher, but a doer. He engaged in political activity with the objective of achieving specific goals. He believed that every age has its yugadharma, and the dharma of his age was politics. His singular aim in life was to attain moksha, and he firmly believed that his moksha lay in the practice of politics. He did not attach any importance to his speeches and sermons, and said, ‘As a matter of fact my writings shall be cremated with my body. What I have done will endure, not what I have said or written.’ When he said, ‘My life is my message,’ he meant that he had delivered his message through his praxis.

The field of Gandhigiri is vast, and Gandhi’s life and ideas explored are so minute. Gandhi’s life was his message by collapsing the divide between the political and the religious. “Gandhi’s struggle is not merely political. It is religious and therefore quite pure.”

Every generation reexamines the past, trying to understand it anew. It may be a difference in perspective, or the knowledge of new facts which alter the picture—sometimes superficially, sometimes totally. India today is clearly reassessing the legacy of Gandhi, and his continuing relevance. That is as it should be.

*Ramjas College, University of Delhi

Source: Excerpts from Preface of his Book, Gandhigiri: Satyagraha after Hundred Years, Kaveri Books, New Delhi

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Why is India still neglected in Australian thinking, both at popular level as well as academic, when its rising industrial power and global clout are beginning to equal that of China which so dominates Australia’s future policy projections? And why is the vast majority of Indians so ignorant of the rapidly changing nature and increasingly sophisticated attitudes of cosmopolitan Australia? Misconceptions abound on both sides despite a very familiar cricket fraternity: a common English language and mutually inherited colonial institutions in law, education, health and federal parliamentary democracy are equally important links.

The imperial umbrella of the British Raj provided the two colonial cousins with a common approach from a distant Mother Country. The one being superiority in racial attitudes to India’s culture, the other social superiority to a convict society. Even earlier but a matter of academic controversy is the possible encounter between Aboriginal First Australians and those still lively tribal peoples such as the Gonds of eastern India and the Tamils of the south. Recent arrivals of illegal boat people on Australia’s northwest coastal reefs, floating in on strong Indian currents has again opened up that question. This research over a long period of time both in state library archives, on the spot interviews all over Australia with a variety of people who were linked in one way or another between the two countries; and to-ing and fro-ing between all three countries prompted the two authors to document not only an insightful relationship of their own ( having enjoyed homes in Britain, India and Australia) but those also of governmental, political, sporting, business connections that unfolded at times from undocumented material or long forgotten personal diaries and records. Surely then there is already a solid and lengthy foundation - indeed from 1788 onwards when food from Calcutta and exchange of letters between governors was essential for survival - for Australia and India to build even stronger natural ties, especially in today’s complex global world.

Economic imperatives have indeed forced Australia to accept its natural environment of influence and trade which did exist in the earliest relationship until Anglo/Celtic shutters slammed down on Asian neighbours in 1901 with Federation. The threat of ‘cheap Asian labor’ shouted from the political hustling had its effects. At last it is now taking note of its eastern neighborhood. Some scant knowledge remains of horses, the famous Walers being shipped out of Victoria and Western Australia for the Indian cavalry and polo-playing princely kingdoms; jarrah logs exported for the sudden

e x p a n s i o n of the Raj communication railway system after the 1857 Sepoy Rebellion (The Mutiny).

Many other links were created in the first decades

- the first export from the new colony to Calcutta was cedar logs from New South Wales. Exchange of governors, army contingents, large Victorian families off-loaded sons into the Indian Civil Service and as British Army soldiers and administrators and business people, while one other would be detailed to pioneer land in Australia or survive as a jackaroo. Governesses for princely families and who guarded fabulous treasure at flamboyant weddings to prevent theft.They also taught miserly nizams ballroom dancing. Then there were the British soldiers sweltering in Calcutta jails for their misdemeanors seeking permission from the authorities to be transferred to Sydney’s convict quarters — superior by far! Houghtons vineyards; servants turned into stone masons for some of our heritage buildings, shepherds in South Australia, cameleers - Pathans and Baluchis from British India’s North West Frontier provinces, their camels padding down the fragile pindan earth to become the future roads across the outback. All contributed to Australia’s uncommon history of Asian encounter.

There are even humorous records from Aboriginal mobs of initial impressions of the turbaned men in their midst. And what of Bengal Rum, a component of the Aussie love of grog right from the very beginning? And of Austral-India appearing on early maps?

*Peggy Holroyd AM lived in New Delhi soon after independence in 1947, and has returned to India inumerable times. She is the author of Indian Music, East Comes West: Social Change amongst Asian families in England and An ABC of Indian Culture.

Her latest book is Colonial Cousins: A surprising history of connections between India and Australia written jointly with Joyce Westrip.

Indo Aussie Links - Peggy Holroyd*

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Jaydrath Vadh, the epic poetry by the great Indian poet (Hindi) Maithili Sharan Gupt, narrating one of the most

significant episodes of Mahabharata

A Marvellous solo enactment by Chander Mohan Khanna in Australia (Melbourne and Sydney)

1½ hour enactment hosted by India Club at a Community Hall, West Pennant Hills

3 hour enactment hosted by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia and Voice of India (Monika Geet Mala) at the Webster Theatre University of Sydney on 13 April 2010

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His ProfileChander Mohan Khanna began working on stage on 15th August 1968.

In 1972, after completing his graduation in commerce, he joined the prestigious acting course in the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (FTII). In 1974, he completed his diploma in acting from the FTII and started working in Hindi feature films.

His list of films include:

Tere Pyaar Mein, Golmaal, Naram Garam, Achha Bura, Jhoothi, Hum Tere Aashiq Hain, Hum Bachche Hindustan Ke (Lead actor, Writer and Director), Vishnu Deva, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Neal n Nikki

His directorial debut film, Hum Bachche Hindustan Ke was India’s official entry to the Moscow Film Festival in the children’s film category.

He has written, produced and directed documentaries on HIV/AIDS, family planning and family welfare subjects. All his films have been approved by the Health Ministry of the Government of India.

He prominent TV serials include:

Paying Guest, Ujale Ki Oa, Parampara, Asha Ki Kiran, Hello Dollie, Doctor Se Pehle, Yaadein, He has also acted in over 60 ad films.

• He has acted in the following plays:

Paagal khaana, Trisanga, Help desk, Black With Equal, The Merchants of Bollywood (700 shows)

His 3 hours long solo enactment of the epic poetry Jaydrath Vadh - a historic piece by the great Indian poet Maithili Sharan Gupt, narrating an episode of the Mahabharata, is gaining rave reviews from theatre goers and critics all over India.

For the last 42 years, he has also been treating people with stomach problems and back problems with Acupressure Therapy, and also Magneto Therapy for almost 20 years now.

Queen’s Baton Relay in Australia 19 April - 21 April 2010

The Queen’s Baton Relay arrives in Parramatta (9:15am) on Monday 19 April and will be welcomed to the city with a special event in Harris Park before being carried by a number of sporting stars to its civic welcome at Parramatta Town Hall. Both sites will feature a program of exciting music and dance entertainment to entertain the anticipated crowds.

The Baton will depart Parramatta on a ferry to Arrive at Sydney Opera House (approx 1:15pm) The baton will be welcomed by a special event organised by the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

Baton will arrive in Melbourne on 20 April 2010 where it will be greeted by a special event at Federation Square by the City of Melbourne commencing at approx. 12:30pm. activities include a free public event for schools and athletes

Baton will arrive in Brisbane on 21 April 2010 where it will make school visits before proceeding to a function by the Lord Mayor of Brisbane. The Baton will also travel to Gold Coast where celebrations will be held at Southport Broadwater Parklands.

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

Mahatma Gandhi: The Sole Hope and Alternative

-C. Subramaniam

M ahatma Gandhi led us to freedom through a unique non-violent “weaponless war”—Satyagraha. Gandhiji consecrated his

whole life and work to the service of his people. His appeal was to the conscience of man. He never whipped up hatred in the name of caste, creed, region, religion, economic and social disparities, and even narrow nationalism. He was an angel of peace and harmony. He was inspired in all his activities by compassion and love. His focus was not merely confined to the negative virtue of non-violence; it encompassed service to the sick and the suffering, the poor and the downtrodden, the lowly and the lost—daridranaryanas. He considered all men and women the world over as his kinsfolk.

Gandhiji was a devoutly religious man. He had a deep understanding of the essentials of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Zorashtrianism, Buddhism and Jainism. These religions shaped his spiritual outlook. Thinkers like Ruskin, Tolstoy and Thoreau also greately influenced him. Like Swami Vivekananda, Gandhiji passionately believed in the essential unity of all religions. Like Paramahamsa Sri Ramakrishna, Gandhiji worked for and lived Sarva Dharma Maitri—Inter-Faith Harmony. Nay, he sacrificed his life for this ideal. Gandhiji is the Sage of the Scientific Age. He repeatedly warned against the indiscriminate use of science and technology in the name of progress. His warnings have come true in the degradation of our environment becoming a stronger enemy of mankind than even atomic weapons. The Global conference at Rio de Janeiro has demonstrated the relevance of Gandhiji more than ever. After practising law for a few years in India, Gandhiji went to South Africa on professional work. It was here he encountered the worst aspects of racialism—the inhuman, degrading and debasing features of apartheid. He pioneered a movement to resist and eradicate this evil and, in the process, evolved the technique of Satyagraha, which he later on used with miraculous effect in piloting India to the Promised Land of Freedom, and in levelling down age-old social and economic disparities. Mahatmaji’s personal example of simplicity and sacrifice had a great impact on all sections of Indian people—particularly the teeming masses. During the three decades of his unique leadership of our Pilgrimage to Freedom, he continued to interact with the outside world. He was not merely fighting for the freedom of the Indian people but also for the emancipation of the depressed and the oppressed the world over. Indeed

he was a Vishwa Manava, a Citizen of the world, and practised India’s Vedic ideal that the world is One Family, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

We are now s u r r o u n d e d by growing i n d i s c i p l i n e , violence and corruption in our individual, social, institutional and national life. It has assumed alarming proportions. All of us who love Bharat and Bharatiya Samskriti should deeply pause and betime evolve steps to effectively adopt the Gandhian approach to bring about probity in public life. Gandhiji is the authentic symbol of Indian Culture—Sanatana Dharma. His allegiance, uncompromising allegiance, was to the Majesty of the Moral Law. Gandhiii’s spirit is still alive. His life and teachings will be ever relevant. He continues to influence national politics and international relations. We are witness to the exhilarating unfoldment of this phenomenon in the crisis-and-violence-ridden South Africa, Israel, Middle East and Germany. The relevance of the Indian Way, as pointed out by Dr Arnold Toynbee, the great Historian, is becoming increasingly evident in the world today:

“It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not to end in the self-destruction of the human race ... At this supremely dangerous moment in human history, the only way of salvation for mankind is the Indian way—Em-peror Ashok’s and Mahatma Gandhi’s principle of non-violence and Sri Ramakrishna’s testimony to the harmony of religions. Here we have an attitude and spirit that can make it possible for the human race to grow together into a single family—and, in the Atomic age, this is the only alternative to destroying ourselves.”

Source: Foreword, Mahatma Gandhi: The Sole Hope and Alternative, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

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Bhavan’s Children Section

The Birth of ShivaBrahma listened carefully, as Lord Krishna concluded “I want to become the father of creation. But I live eternally in the spiritual realm and do not directly touch the material world. I will therefore soon appear in a new and different form. Please, remember all I have taught you.” Following Krishna’s advice, Brahma began his work. From his mind, he produced four identical boys. Happy to have these children, he said, “My dear sons, I shall soon create some beautiful maidens. Please marry them and have children, so that we can populate the universe.” However, the eldest boy replied, “No, father, we will not marry, for we wish to become monks,” Brahma was furious. “How dare they disobey me!”, he thought. He tried to control his rage, but it burst out from his forehead as a blazing fire. Brahma looked on in amazement as his anger took the form of a newborn baby. Brahma named the infant ‘Shiva’. Did you know? Lord Shiva is often shown sitting in meditation in the Himalayas. He holds a trident and a small two-headed drum. In his coiled hair, he wears the crescent moon and the sacred river Ganges, as it falls from heaven. Shiva’s carrier is Nandi the bull. His most famous sons are Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, and Skanda, the god of war.

Shiva Marries ShaktiAs Lord Shiva grew up, he began to consider, “How can I help the souls who have left the spiritual world? They will need various bodies to satisfy their unlimited desires. But how can such bodies be produced?” Just at that moment, Goddess Lakshmi came from Vaikuntha, and took the form of Shakti. She smiled at Shiva, and said, “I am Mother Nature, and you are the Father. Shiva gladly accepted Shakti as his wife, saying, “As Mother Nature, you will have many faces. In the form of Goddess Parvati, you will be caring and gentle. As Kali and Durga you will appear fearful and dangerous.” Lord Brahma himself performed the magnificent wedding of Shiva and Parvati. Did you know? The wedding of Shiva and Parvati is still celebrated to this day as a spring festival. ‘Durga’ name means ‘prison’, indicating that it is difficult to escape this world. Goddess Durga rides upon a ferocious lion and holds upraised weapons in her many hands. Goddess Kali wears a garland of skulls, showing that death is inevitable for all who enter the material world.

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

From Bhavan’s Journal Dec 15 1959. Reprinted in Bhavan’s Journal Dec 15 2009

Social Responsibility of Higher EducationGovind Ballabh Pant

Education is first and foremost a social process. Its aims and objectives are intimately bound up with the needs and ideals of the society it is to serve. An education out of tune with the needs of the society will be atrophied by its lack of purpose.

Education in relation to society has a dual role; it should help to provide the ideals of a new order and train the men and women who will bring the practices of the community nearer those ideals.

For an under-developed country, such as India, which is engaged in the reconstruction of its social order and in the development of a higher potential in its economic and human resources, education is of vital importance. Change, growth, progress-these are consequences of pioneership, and it is the function of education to give us the pioneers we need.

University education covers not only a crucial period in the life of the individual scholar but also transmits through key points into the economic and social organisation of the nation influences which can be of decisive importance.

It however needs to be affirmed by public opinion that a University is a place of learning, of social moral and spiritual development and that a member of the University community as a student derives his title to continue as such only by his participation in that function of the University.

If the University life is healthy, its libraries, lecture rooms, laboratories and playgrounds will be crowded and not places of power in the students’ union or the governing bodies.

There should be no room for intrigue. According to the age-old traditions of our country, there has to be, on the one side, complete dedication to the welfare of the student community and, on the other, faithful observance of the orders and precepts of the University Authority combined with respect for the teachers.

My MasterBhuvaneshwar Prasad Sinha

The passing away of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Shankaracharya Sri Bharati Krishna Tirth of Govardhan Pith, Puri, at a ripe old age of certainly above 80 years, has left a great void in the lives of so many of his personal disciples, amongst whom I count myself as one. The world at large has lost a great saint, a great philosopher, a great scholar, a great mathematician and, above all, a great ecclesiastical head of one of the four Pithas which had been established in the four corners of India by the Adi Shankaracharya, many centuries ago.

During the restful time of his life, Guruji applied himself to research work and as a result of intensive research for about eight years, he was able to solve the conundrums contained in the Appendices to the Atharva Veda, which, on account of their cryptic sentences, were not intelligible to translators.

As a result of his researches into the Atharva Veda, Guruji discovered the sixteen principal sutras, which he used to expound and on which he used to give lectures to learned bodies, like university teachers and students of mathematics on the topic which he called “The wonders of Vedic Mathematics”.

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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

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

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April 2010 Vol. 7 No. 10

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

The Sun is reddish at the time of rising so also at the time of setting. Those who are noble -great, are uniform in prosperity as well as in adversity - Mahabharata

Prosperity has this property, it puffs up narrow souls, makes them imagine themselves high and mighty, and looks down upon the world with contempt; but a truly noble and resolved spirit appears greatest in distress, and then becomes more bright and conspicuous - Plutarch

Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soul - Heber

The renew of one duty done is the power to fulfill another - George Eliot

Dr K.M. MunshiFounder Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

KulapativaniRamachandraIf there is one fascinating artist of life in history or mythology, he is Sri Ramachandra. His art was superb. It has illumined centuries, and if you read Vahniki’s story of his life again and again, you will catch glimpses of this art. In his relations with his father, mother, step-mother, tacher, brothers, wife, friends and enemies and subjects he brought a sweetness, grace and purity which have no parallel in biography or fiction. He was intensely human, and beautifully so.

Sri Ramachandra’s relations with Sita were wonderful, so human and so sublime; an ethereal bond which transmuted sex-relation into a thing of beauty, a beacon light to all who look to the sanctity of home as the pivot of a perfect life. The popular notion that he discarded her because a washerman criticised his conduct has no foundation in fact. First, the whole incident does not find a place in the original Ramayana. Secondly, when it does find a place in the later additions to the work, it is different. Sri Ramachandra put away Sita after a conflict of emotions in pursuit of an overriding duty as king to respect the wishes of his people. By this act he added the last great touch to his art of living.

A king who serves his people has no personal life of his own. The demands of public confidence are inexorable. Even modern Britain overruled her-king’s choice to marry the woman he loved, and removed him from the throne when he preferred private happiness to public duty.

In Sri Ramachandra life as Valmiki has given it, every moment was inspired by the permanent values of Culture. His was the Life Beautiful, which alone brings heaven on earth.

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India Tourism, Sydney

Level 5, Glass House

135, King Street, Sydney NSW 2000

Ph: 02 9221 9555; Fax: 02 9221 9777

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AU024_Student_Ad_A4.pdf 1 27/01/2010 16:54