BUDDHISM TEACHINGS

Right meditation is not escapism; it is not meant to provide hiding-places for temporary oblivion. Realistic meditation has the purpose of training the mind to face, to understand and to conquer this very world in which we live.

-Nyanaponika Thera, "Power of Minfulness"

WHAT'S YOUR GOAL IN LIFE, nature has none.

Nature has no particular goal in view, and final causes are mere human figments.

- Spinoza, "Ethics"

TIME FOR SOME GUDGUDI - or another laugh from inside

I Am Napoleon

Late one night at an insane asylum, one inmate shouted, "I am Napoleon!"

Another patient asked, "How do you know?"

The first inmate said, "Because God told me!"

Just then, a voice from another room shouted, "I did NOT!"

HAPPY GANESH CHATURTHI

LION OR A SHEEP

It is better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.

NOT SO MANY VEGETARIANS IN INDIA ANY LONGER

3. Recent Poll Indicates that Vegetarians are not Faring That Well in India

www.ibnlive.com

NEW DELHI, INDIA, August 13, 2006: A survey conducted by CNN-IBN and The Hindu has found many Indians are not vegetarians. The food habits varied on the basis of region and religion. The survey says while just two per cent of Keralites are vegetarian, less than four per cent survive on greens in Andhra Pradesh and eight per cent in Orissa and Tamil Nadu. The percentage of vegetarian families are higher in northern India, with Rajasthan accounting for 63 per cent vegetarian people, Haryana 62 per cent, Punjab 48 per cent, Gujarat 45 per cent, Madhya Pradesh 35 per cent and Uttar Pradesh 33 per cent. There are nine per cent others who are vegetarians but they eat eggs. Overall, only 31 per cent individuals prefer vegetarian food and 60 per cent others have shown a definite preference for non-vegetarian food. In the overall count, 21 per cent Indian families are pure vegetarians while 44 per cent families prefer having non-vegetarian food. And 32 per cent families have people who eat both vegetarian as well as nonvegetarian foods (ie, have both vegetaraian and nonvegetarian members). The poll lists other habits such as the most consumed beverage, whether a household has smokers, the consumption of alcohol, and how much hunger is prevalent in the country. Check the URL listed above for all the interesting statistics.

BUDDHIST WISDOM

Overcoming attachment does not mean becoming cold and indifferent.

On the contrary, it means learning to have relaxed control over our mind through understanding the real causes of happiness and fulfillment, and this enables us to enjoy life more and suffer less.

first and second

Today's Quote

Yearn to understand first and to be understood second.

ZULF, SAANS and SWEET

Zulf
Kale Kale wo gaisu shikan der shikan Wo Tabassum ka aalam chaman der chaman Khench li Unki tasveer dil ne meray Ab Wo Daman Bachaker kidher jaengay? ...


Yeh saans tut gayi toh aur baat hai!

Aapko bhul jaon umar guzarne ki baat hai… Aapko na ho yakeen yeh aur baat hai… Jab tak rahegi saans tab tak rahoge yaad… Yeh saans tut gayi toh aur baat hai! ...

How special you are to me...
Butterflies don’t know in what color their wings are but humans eyes know how beautiful that is. Likewise u don’t know how sweet you are, but I know how Special you are to me… ...

KAA..SH...

Kash Dil ki Aawaz me...

Kash Dil ki Awaz me

itna Asar ho jaye,

Aapko yaad kare aur

aapko khabar ho jaye.

Aaj Rabse itni hi Dua hai,

Aap joh bhi chahe

woh Haqeeqat ho jaye… ...

chumban

chumban
jAb tha mera bachpan.

tab chocolate chahtha tha mera man.

ab nehi raha bachpan.

ab to chahta he mera man

srif apki chumban

TANHAIYAN AUR DOST

Tanhaiyo me...
Tanhaiyo me waqt barbaad kiya karte hai,

har pal Jiten ko yaad kiya karte hai,

Hum nahin jaante, par gharwale batate hai

ki hum neend me bhi uska naam liya karte hain. ...


dost
teri palko pe khwab rakh jae koi,

teri saanson pe naam likh jaye koi,

chalo wada raha tumse bhul jana hamein,

agar humse achha 'dost' mil jaye koi... ...

LOKI PUCHDE NE

loki puchde ne


loki puchde ne
saadi mohabbat baare

asi apni kahani kyo dasiye,

kahania ta banangia

saadi maut picho

asi apni zubani kyo dasiye. ...

JAATI HUI DUNIYA KA....

JAATI HUI DUNIYA KA EK AUR NAJARA KAR LOON;

SAJDA KARO LOON, KI EK AUR GUNAH KAR LUN.

A STORY FROM OLDEN DAYS GONE BY NOW

A Letter to A Crazy Father
===========================

I thought you were crazy when you would spank me with an
extension cord.

I thought you were crazy when you would put me on punishment.

I thought you were crazy when I could not do or say certain
things.

I thought you were crazy when I could not go certain places with
certain people.

I really thought you were crazy when I could not talk to girls
at a certain age.

Because of your craziness
I have not be in a jail cell.

Because of your craziness
I don't have five kids by four different women.

Because of your craziness
I am in college and I am making a positive name for myself.

Because of your craziness
I have not been shot by gang members or been shot at by being in
the wrong place at the wrong time.

The only crazy thing would have been,
not doing what you have done.

Thank you for being my crazy father.

Love,
Cullen

TOO MANY CHURCHY STORIES - BUT AREN'T THEY GOOD ONES

The Church Cake
================

Alice was to bake a cake for the church ladies' group bake sale,
but she forgot to do it until the last minute. She baked an
angel food cake and when she took it from the oven, the center
had dropped flat.

She said, "Oh dear, there's no time to bake another cake."
So, she looked around the house for something to build up the
center of the cake.

Alice found it in the bathroom... a roll of toilet paper.
She plunked it in and covered it with icing. The finished
product looked beautiful, so she rushed it to the church.

Before she left the house, Alice had given her daughter some
money and specific instructions to be at the bake sale the
minute it opened, and to buy that cake and bring it home.
When the daughter arrived at the sale, the attractive cake had
already been sold.

Alice was beside herself.

The next day, Alice was invited to a friend's home where two
tables of bridge were to be played that afternoon.

After the game, a fancy lunch was served, and to top it off, the
cake in question was presented for dessert.

Alice saw the cake, she started to get out of her chair to rush
into the kitchen to tell her hostess all about it, but before
she could get to her feet, one of the other ladies said,
"What a beautiful cake!"

Alice sat back in her chair when she heard the hostess
(who was a prominent church member) say:

"Thank you, I baked it myself."

DO YOU NOTICE OR COMMENT WHEN THINGS GO RIGHT

Upside Down Cake
=================

I was walking down the stairs when my cake dropped and fell on
the ground.

I sighed and said, "Why does that always happen to me?"

I went into my room, sat down on my bed, and thought,
"Every time something bad happens, someone notices, but when
something good happens, it's like no one knows."

We always complain when for example, our cake falls on the
ground. But when we go down the stairs and the cake doesn't
fall and we don't fall, do we jump with excitement?

Think!

Do you appreciate and notice the good things that happen to you,

...or just the bad?

BE HAPPY TODAY, 'CAUSE TOMORROW WILL BRING ITS OWN WORRIES

Don't Worry About Tomorrow
===========================

So don't worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will bring its own worries.

Today's trouble is enough for today.

~Matthew Chapter 6 Verse 34 NLT~

ANSWER TO ALL OF LIFE'S MISERIES - UNTO THEE I GRANT

Lord Krishna concludes in Bhagavad Gita "Abandon all varieties of
religions and surrender unto me, I shall relieve you from all sinful
reactions, do not fear." This is akarma, a universal principle.
Surrendering to God means surrendering to His will out of love and
affection.


God has appeared within His name and in any situation of life, whether
it be prosperity or misery, we can connect our consciousness to
perfection by simply calling out with sincere feeling his holy names
and according to my experience he does come to help you.

JAP: HARE RAMA HARE RAMA RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA KRISHNA KRSIHNA HARE HARE

HE KNOWS HE KNOWS HE KNOWS

He knows his former lives.
He sees heavens and states of woe,
has attained the ending of birth,
is a sage who has mastered full-knowing,
his mastery totally mastered:
he's what I call
a brahmin.

-Dhammapada 423, translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu

TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT INDIA

August 14, 2006


When I wrote about the 10 things I hate about India, I did not at all realise that my article would trigger such an avalanche of comments. In fact, as I mentioned, it was for me a psychological exercise to express some of the frustrations one faces in daily material life in India.

First, let me be clear, it is because I love this country that I wrote about the 10 things I hate. But as this was misinterpreted by some, I would like to give 10 good reasons why 32 years ago I took the never regretted decision to settle in India.

In the 1970s, the desire for a foreigner to settle in India appeared strange: the general trend was opposite. Whoever had a chance to get a plane ticket to the West, was prompt to try his/her luck and dreamt of a green card or the equivalent.

I must mention a strange reasoning: How one can be accused of being an 'India hater' when one is simply pointing out certain flaws which are obviously wrong. Why should criticism of the Indian government's functioning signify that one is against India?

1. Why I came to India: 'What is India?' Sri Aurobindo the great Indian rishi wrote in 1905: 'For what is a nation? What is our mother-country? It is not a piece of earth, nor a figure of speech, nor a fiction of the mind. It is a mighty shakti, composed of the shaktis of all the millions of units that make up the nation.'

This India: 'that is Bharat,' was what I wanted to discover when I settled in the south in 1974. It was my first and main reason to leave my family, my career (I was a dentist) and my country (I was not so attached!).

Before departing from France on a long overland journey through Europe, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, I had seen touching movies shot by a French television director Arnaud Desjardins who in the 1960s spent several months on Indian roads to encounter sages, yogis and saints.

The images of Ma Anandamayi in her Varanasi ashram or of Swami Ramdas had deeply marked me. Desjardins also spent months in the Himalayas guided by the Dalai Lama's interpreter. He recorded images of Tibet's last great Lamas, many of whom had meditated for decades in remote caves of the Land of Snows and had acquired some very special powers.

My decision was taken, I would come and live in India.

Then I read Sri Aurobindo's books and came to Pondicherry (instead of a monastery in Dharamsala). The Bengali sage who had been the first to advocate Purna Swaraj in the early years of the 20th century, did not reject life. According to him, everything had to be transformed by the power of the spirit.

This Indian philosophy of life, whether it is called Sanatan Dharma or by any other name is my first love. Other reasons ensue from it.

2. The mountains: I love the beautiful mountains of India. But are they really mountains? Many believe they are the abode of the gods. And India has so many gods! A friend recently told me there are 330 million gods. I am not sure how the inventory was made, but it must be true.

Is it not better to have such a rich choice? Personally, I always found the single god religions less 'creative.' Even Buddhism, if it had not incorporated thousands of deities in its Mahayanic form, would be rather dry.

It is this divine presence which makes the Himalayas so majestic and imposing. One of the best moments in my life is undoubtedly my trek to Gaumukh, the source of the mighty Ganga. My visit (and bath) to Hemkund Sahib in Uttaranchal will also remain a cherished souvenir.

3. A quality of being: A French journalist recently asked me: 'What was your first impression of India when you reached Pondicherry in 1974?'

I told him that it was probably the kindness and the smile of the villagers around. They were poor but they had such dignity; a quality of being which made them a hundred times richer than wealthy Europeans or Americans.

Countless times, I was told 'India is a poor country,' each time I answered: 'No, India is rich because her people have this special quality. Hefty bank accounts do not make people rich.'

In recent years, Indians have become wealthier (A PIO [Lakshmi Mittal] has even purchased the flagship of French industry), it is good but I hope that people will not lose their inner qualities in the process.

4. Hospitality: The first thing a tourist or a visitor in India discovers is the warmth and hospitality of the Indian people. Just board a train, you will hardly be seated, that the family on the next berth will open their tiffin, with rotis, sabzi and pickles and generously offer to share their food with you. (The biscuit gangs operate on this principle: food has to be offered and can't be refused.)

I was told by a friend teaching in IIT, Mumbai, the story of an American professor. He was on a one-year sabbatical and had found a teaching assignment at the IIT. From the airport, he took a taxi to the campus.

Unfortunately for him, it was the day of the July 26, 2005 floods in the city. Soon his taxi was stuck in the traffic and the water level began mounting. Seeing his gloomy situation, an Indian family passing by, offered to take him and his luggage to their nearby home.

They eventually offered him their bed while they slept on the floor. The American professor was so deeply moved. He had touched one of the core qualities of the Indian people. Everyone in India knows hundreds of such incidents.

5. The economic renaissance: Sri Aurobindo, in the article already cited, had written that at the beginning of the 20th century, Mother India, the Great Shakti was 'inactive, imprisoned in the magic circle of Tamas, the self-indulgent inertia and ignorance of her sons...'

Nothing pleases more that to see that since the beginning of the 1990s, India had taken an upbeat turn in the economic field. Prime Minister Narasimha Rao and his Finance Minister Manmohan Singh will be remembered in history as those who dared to abandon the old Soviet path of a planned economy.

It is significant that these changes came after the Non Resident Indians began doing extremely well in the West. One could ask, why were Indians doing so well outside India and not in India?

It is probably because in India, creativity, an engrained Indian quality has been too stifled by bureaucratic rules and babus of all types. The Indian government is unfortunately a serial killer of creativity.

6. Creativity: In India, I have always found remarkable the individuals' creative genius.

To quote Sri Aurobindo (1905) again: 'For three thousand years at least -- it is indeed much longer -- she (India) has been creating abundantly and incessantly, lavishly, with an inexhaustible many sidedness, republics and kingdoms and empires, philosophies and cosmogonies and sciences and creeds and arts and poems and all kinds of monuments, palaces and temples and public works, communities and societies and religious orders, laws and codes and rituals, physical sciences, psychic sciences, systems of Yoga, systems of politics and administration, arts spiritual, arts worldly, trades, industries, fine crafts, -- the list is endless.'

It is only now, nearly 60 years after Independence that this Indian creativity starts expressing itself whether it is in India or abroad.

7. Political hospitality: I have often criticised Jawaharlal Nehru for his numerous blunders in foreign policy, but I must acknowledge that he had the courage and the wisdom to give asylum to the Dalai Lama and his followers in 1959 and this despite his friendship with Zhou Enlai and the Chinese leadership.

The Dalai Lama told me once that during his first meeting with Nehru in September 1959, the Indian prime minister told him, 'I will not support you politically, but I will educate your children.'

Thanks to the political kindness of the Indian people, Tibetan Buddhism and its rich tradition have been able to survive, when they were erased in their own land. This personally touches me deeply.

8. Human babus: I often criticise the babus, 'a native clerk who knows English', according to the Hobson Jobson dictionary, but I must admit that despite all his failings, the Indian babu is a human being with whom one can always discuss and who is susceptible to understand the human side of personal predicaments.

This is not the case with 'the Administration' in the West.

9. The Indian Army: Something has always amazed me: the untamable courage and abnegation of Indian jawans and officers. During the Kargil conflict for example, is it not incredible that despite a terrain entirely in their disfavour, the Indian troops managed to recapture all the peaks occupied by Pakistan?

American Marines would never have succeeded in doing what the Gorkha regiments or the Ladakh Scouts achieved. Hundreds of similar examples could be given. One still remembers how Major Somnath Sharma (the first Param Vir Chakra awardee) saved Srinagar airport (and Kashmir) from the raiders in November 1947 at the cost of his life and his men's lives.

10. The grace: One day an Indian friend of mine was visiting Israel. His guest asked him: 'How does India work?' My friend was a bit surprised by the question, but before he could answer, his Israeli colleague told him: 'Here we work with our guts.'

My friend's answer came at once: 'In India, it is the Grace which sustains us.' This exchange has come back to my mind in innumerable circumstances. I think it is very true.

One more reason to love India!

If one balances the 'hate-able' and 'lovable', the irritating aspects are just superficial prickly heat; the deeper one goes, the more one sees the inner qualities of Bharat. No doubt, this will make India a truly great nation in the years to come.

EUROPE'S LARGEST HINDU TEMPLE IN UK

2. Europe's Largest Hindu Temple Opened

sify.com

LONDON, ENGLAND, August 25, 2006: Dedicated to Lord Venkateswara, Europe's largest Hindu temple opened in London Wednesday with week-long consecration ceremonies. Fifteen priests from India performed the rituals culminating in the installation of the 3.6 meter statue of Lord Krishna. The temple is located in the west central English town of Tividale, near Birmingham and is based on the Tirupati-Tirumala temple complex.

WITH SONIA AT THE HELM, BRITISH RAJ IS BACK

http://www.organiser.org/dynamic/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=145&page=25
The mess the UPA is creating
By M.V. Kamath
An earnest prayer to the UPA is: Kindly stop dividing people. It is unbecoming of you. The British in their time did it and we know with what consequences. Let it not be said that like the Bourbons, the Congress has learnt nothing and forgotten nothing.
It is painful to say so, but it has to be said before it is too late. The Congress-led UPA government is leading the country into a mess from which, if immediate action is not taken, it may become very hard to extricate ourselves. This is stated more in sadness than in anger. To the ordinary citizen it is not which party is in power but which party is exerting to keep the people together in the pursuit of peace, prosperity and national unity above all.

In this regard the Congress failure is writ all over its face. And the reaction is, to state it in plain terms, frightening. National unity is not achieved through dividing society into castes, forward, backward or scheduled. It is not achieved by insisting on reservations to particular castes or communities not only in educational institutions but even in private enterprises. That is not government. That is plain dictatorship. It only spurs deep resentment and discontent among people to no one’s advantage. To openly talk about increased appointment of Muslims in the Armed Forces is to make Muslims more conscious of their religious attachments and create a sense of unwantedness in their minds.

Alienation among Muslims is growing to the point that in Uttar Pradesh, a group of Muslim outfits have launched their own Islamic political party misleadingly called Peoples Democratic Front. Their charge is that all these years Muslims have been treated as a vote bank by various political parties and they will not stand it any longer. Muslim separatism is raising its ugly head all over again.

It may be worth remembering that the last time the Leftists were in power in Kerala they helped redraw district boundaries so that within the State there will be at least one district which has a Muslim majority. Now a section of Muslims in Andhra Pradesh is demanding that should the State be further divided with the creation of Telangana, then Hyderabad city must be given the status of a ‘City State’, presumably with a Muslim majority. People have stopped thinking of themselves as Indians. They are coming to think of themselves as Muslims or members of this or that community.

Even as the proposed Peoples’ Democratic Front(PDF) was getting organised, its self-appointed chairman, Maulana Kalbe Jawwad, a prominent Shia cleric was talking of how the Uttar Pradesh government of Mulayam Singh Yadav was biased. As Jawwad saw the situation, in recent times as many as 1,800 constables were recruited by the State of whom nearly 1,000 were Yadavs and only 30 (thirty) Muslims. Jawwad is reported as saying: “If the seven per cent Yadavs in the State and 12 per cent Dalits can occupy power in Uttar Pradesh, why can’t the 22 per cent Muslims do so?” This exclusiveness is spreading and is getting the support of important Muslim leaders like the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, Ahmed Bukhari who has been named as the PDF’s patron. At this rate we will soon have parties not based on economic ideologies, but on caste, creed and religion.

The move to form a separate Islamic political party should not be treated lightly. The message will spread fast. Attending the meeting held to establish the PDF were some important Muslim leaders like the Imam of Masjid Teela Shah, president of the Jamat-e-Islami, President of the Majlis-e-Mashawarat, President of the All-India Muslim Forum, President of Parcham Party and President of the Indian National Muslim League.

The original Muslim League led by M.A.Jinnah went about systematically to destroy the unity of India that was eventually to lead to Partition, wholesale bloodshed and ethnic cleansing in what became Pakistan and that decades-old hatred has still not died out. What the PDF will do is anybody’s guess. But the nation is warned.

The Muslim League did poorly in the 1937 elections to the Legislative Assemblies. It is also true that in the late thirties and early forties it was the British raj that was in power and which encouraged Islamic separatism. But when Muslims continue to think of themselves as a neglected minority and apply themselves to the task of demanding all sorts of benefits, rightly or wrongly, the nation will be forced to pay a heavy price.

Minoritism is an evil that should under no circumstances be tolerated. Caste or religion-based political parties should be immediately banned. They are a menace to the unity of India.

The UPA government has stooped to such a low level of politicising religion that the Union Minister for Minority Affairs, Shri A.R.Antulay seems determined to impart—or impose—minority status on Jains, who have not even asked for it.

As recently as August 2005, a Supreme Court Bench, comprising of then Chief Justice, Shri R.C.Lahoti and Justices D.M.Dharmadhikari and P.K.Balasubrahmanyam had directed the national and State-level Minority Commissions to find ways of first reducing and ultimately ending the listing of notified minorities, rather than increasing them. In India there are no minorities. There are only Indians. And any political party based on religious grounds must be immediately banned, no matter under what misleading title it is formed.

The trouble is that the Congress appears to have lost all sense of direction. Knowing what led to Partition, the Congress should have been the first to discourage minoritism under any guise. Even to have a Minority Ministry is itself symbolic of a mindset out to divide people.

The PDF wants to know how come so few Muslims were chosen as constables in Uttar Pradesh. It should have first checked out how many Muslims did, in fact, apply for the jobs in the constabulary and of them how many were eligible. It is sixty years since India became free. In these sixty years what did the Muslim leadership do to create jobs for Muslims? Was it necessary to set up madrasas in every town and village when the demand is increasingly not for knowing how many passages from the Quran one can recite but how good is the youngster at mathematics? When will Muslims understand that to get on in life one must get on with modernity?

The UPA government must spend lavishly on setting up primary schools and encourage every low-income family to send its sons and daughters to get higher education by providing financial incentives. In due course—say, a couple of decades—minority students, so-called will be able to gain self-confidence and get seats in institutes of higher learning in their own rights. For a nation some 10,000 years old, a couple of decades count for nothing. An earnest prayer to the UPA is: Kindly stop dividing people. It is unbecoming of you. The British in their time did it and we know with what consequences. Let it not be said that like the Bourbons, the Congress has learnt nothing and forgotten nothing. This is not a party matter. It deals with the vary essence of national unity and concerns all of us determined to stop further divisions of the country.

HAJ SUBSIDY

HAJ SUBSIDY

Allahabad High court order to stop all cash-subsidies on any religious pilgrimage should not be seen as anti-Muslim only because presently only Haj-pilgrimage get such subsidy from the government. Order will automatically affect demand for similar subsidies on Amarnath yatra by Hindus. Religious trusts in every community are very rich, and those not affording costly pilgrimage can be financially assisted by such trusts. However government can and should spend on all other facilities required in pilgrimage other than cash-subsidy as rightly ordered by the Court. Even such spending is quite high.

(SUBHASH chandra AGRAWAL)

August 25 06

MOVING MOUNTAINS

Today's Quote

The man who removes a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.

-William Faulkner

TAJ MAHAL, WAS IT SHIV MANDIR BEFORE?

Shiv Sainiks object to Chadarposhi at Taj Mahal
Saturday August 26 2006 00:00 IST

UNI

AGRA: Activists of the right-wing Shiv Sena have raised objections to plans to observe the Urs of 17th century Mughal Emperor Shahjahan at the Taj Mahal, as well as to moves by a Raza Committee to place a shroud over his grave during a ceremony called 'Chadarposhi'.

The Shiv Sena is of the view that no such ceremony should take place at the venue as it was originally the site of a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and only milk should be offered.

The President of the Roza Committee, Tahiruddin Tahir, has claimed that the Chadarposhi ceremony has been going on for decades. He also disclosed that every year, the length of the sheet is increased by 10 metres and this year it is 120 metres.

"I will be covering the tomb of the Mughal Emperor Shahjahan at an Urs. This has been the practice for the past many decades from my forefathers' time. This time the sheet is about 120 meters. The name of offering the sheet has also been changed unlike the earlier occasions when they were offered by my forefathers' names. This time it is named as the Hindustani Satrangi Chaddar to symbolise communal harmony," said Tahir.

"Previously, at the place of Taj Mahal, there was a Shiv Mandir and in Shiv Mandir we do not offer sheet. We offer milk to lord Shiva. We have been protesting that in Taj Mahal sheet should not be offered but the police have stopped us from doing so," said Binu Lavaniya, President of the Agra chapter of the Shiv Sena.

He also said that as per the Supreme Court orders no political or religious activities can be held at Taj Mahal.

The District administration has deployed police to ensure security, peace and stop the Shiv Sainiks from entering the Taj Mahal.

SEATS ARE FOR PEOPLE NOT FOR YOUR LUGGAGE

Comfortable Luggage
====================

The waiting area at gate C3 was crowded.

I was waiting to board a flight from Chicago back to Atlanta.
All of the seats in the gate area were full.

People were standing.

Although all of the seats in the gate waiting area were full,
they weren't all full of people. One of every four seats had
luggage sitting in them.

There is one level of courtesy where men give up their seats for
women. There is another level where the young give up their
seats for the elderly. There is still another level where the
able-bodied would simply rather stand and let the less fit sit.

Then there is the sitting luggage.

I saw luggage sitting comfortably in seats while people stood
uncomfortably.

In our rush to get from one place to another, in the cold and
often impersonal world outside of our homes, in the personal
space that shrinks tighter and tighter around us, we forget
common courtesy.

We forget the plight of others.

Perhaps common courtesy

...is not so common.

LOST THE PASSPORT AT THE LAST MINUTE

The Passport
=============

I have some serious problems.

I am due to go to Spain tomorrow.
I have my ticket.
I was given two free tickets to anywhere in the world so the
tickets didn't cost me any money. After much deliberation,
I chose to go to Spain.

I have my hotel reservations.
Everything is set except for one detail.

I can't find my passport.

I have looked everywhere.

Well, technically not everywhere. If I truly looked everywhere,
I would have to look on your desk and in your house too.
I have looked everywhere that I thought the passport could be.

The passport is not the serious problem. I can't go on the trip
if I don't find it but that's not that serious.

That's not the real problem.

The real problem is that this is the third time that I have
misplaced my passport. That's the real problem.

Even the passport that I am looking for is a replacement
passport. I misplaced my original one and never found it.

HOW MANY TIMES HAVE WE MADE THE SAME MISTAKE OVER AND OVER?

Why don't we learn?

Why must we continue to suffer from the same, often silly and
stupid, things? I've spent three hours looking for that
passport to no avail. My sleep was not restful wondering if I
would find it in the morning.

Here I am, a grown, intelligent, successful businessman,
a leader, making the same stupid mistakes over and over.

Why?

When I woke up this morning and went to my desk, my passport was
lying there. Puddin (my wife) had found it.

Thus are the subjects of two future MountainWings issues.

Why I keep losing it and how Puddin found it.

If you have some repeating patterns that you need to change...
stay tuned.

I KNOW YOU LOVE YOUR LAWN

YARD WORK
==========

YARD WORK - AS VIEWED FROM HEAVEN
(overheard in a conversation between God and St. Francis):


God: Francis, you know all about gardens and nature; what in the
world is going on down there in the U.S.? What happened to the
dandelions, violets, thistles and the stuff I started eons ago?
I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow
in any type of soil, withstand drought, and multiply with
abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts
butterflies, honeybees, and flocks of songbirds. I expected to
see a vast garden of color by now. All I see are patches of
green.

St. Francis: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. They are
called the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers
"weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them
with grass.

God: Grass? But it is so boring, it's not colorful. It doesn't
attract butterflies, bees or birds, only grubs and sod worms.
It's temperamental with temperatures. Do these Suburbanites
really want grass growing there?

St. Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it has grown a
little, they cut it....sometimes two times a week.

God: They cut it? Do they bale it like hay?

St. Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put
it in bags.

God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

St. Francis: No sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it
away.

God: Now let me get this straight...they fertilize it to make it
grow and when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it
away?

St. Francis: Yes, sir.

God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we
cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows
the growth and saves them a lot of work.

St. Francis: You aren't going to believe this Lord, but when the
grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more
money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get
rid of it.

God: What nonsense! At least they kept some of the trees.
That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself.
The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade
in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a
natural blanket to keep the moisture in the soil and protect the
trees and bushes. Plus, as they rot, the leaves become compost
to enhance the soil. It's a natural circle of life.

St. Francis: You'd better sit down, Lord. As soon as the leaves
fall, the Suburbanites rake them into great piles and pay to
have them hauled away.

God: No way! What do they do to protect the shrubs and tree
roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose?

St Francis: After throwing the leaves away, they go out and buy
something called mulch. They haul it home and spread it around
in place of the leaves.

God: And where do they get this mulch?

St. Francis: They cut down the trees and grind them up to make
mulch.

God: Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore.
Saint Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have
you scheduled for us tonight?

St. Catherine: "Dumb and Dumber," Lord. It's a really stupid
movie about....

God: Never mind--I think I just heard the whole story from Saint
Francis!

WHY THANK YOU DEAR

Why Thank You Dear
===================

Bob was sitting at the table one morning, reading the paper
after breakfast. He came across an article about a beautiful
actress who was about to marry a football player known for his
lack of IQ.

He turned to his wife and said, "I'll never understand why the
biggest jerks get the most attractive wives."

She replied, "Why, thank you, Dear!"

HOW BIG

Big
====

You can tell how big a person is

...by what it takes to discourage him.


Aug 25 06

TV AND COMPUTER ARE MY SHEPHERDS

The 23rd Channel
=================

The T.V. and the computer are my shepherd.
My spiritual growth shall want.

It maketh me to sit down and do nothing for his name’s sake,
because it require all my spare time.

It keepeth me from doing my duty as a Christian,
because it presenteth me so many good shows that I must see.

It restoreth my knowledge of the things of the world,
and keepeth me from the study of God’s word.

It leadeth me in paths of not attending evening worship service,
and doing nothing in the Kingdom of God.

Yea, though I live to be a hundred,
I shall keep on viewing my T.V. as long as it will work,
for it is my closest companion.

Its sound and its picture,
they comfort me.

It presenteth entertainment before me,
and keepeth me from doing important things with my family.

It fills my head with ideas
which differ from those set forth in the word of God.

Surely no good thing will come of my life,
because my T.V. offereth me no good time to do the will of God;

thus I will dwell in the place of the devil and his angels

forever.

SEATTLE METAPHYSICAL LIBRARY, BALLARD

The Seattle Metaphysical Library Presents

Danica d’Hondt

Searching Further for the Holy Grail

Modern Science Confirms Ancient Wisdom

Twelve Planets were known by the ancient Sumerians!

Sunday, September 10

5:00 pm – doors open

5:30 – Presentation begins

2203 NW 60th Street, Ballard (Lodge of AMORC (The Ancient & Mystical Order of the Rose Cross)

$15 suggested donation – This is a fund-raiser for the Seattle Metaphysical Library

Danica d’Hondt, journalist and author, shares the results of over 45 years of research in this compelling slide show. Ancient documents suggest alternate interpretations of the events described in the first books of the Bible – most notably Genesis.

In this exciting sequel to her Cracking The Da Vinci Code class, Danica d’Hondt demonstrates how certain stories of ancient mythology, as viewed from the perspective of modern science, are leading us to a new understanding of the true events of ancient history and of the actual origin of the human race.

* Old Testament misinterpretations
* The Enuma Elish
* Who were the Nephilim of the Old Testament? (as described by Zecharia Sitchin in his book The Twelfth Planet)
* Who were Adam and Eve and the Snake?
* What was the Dragon Race?
* The secret hidden in the Human Genetic Code.
* The connections between ancient Judaism & the Druidic religion of the British Isles
* The Lost Tribes of Israel (and the origin of the Irish race)
* The two men who were Moses
* The secret of the White Powder of Gold
* The Phenomenon of the Dogon Tribe of Africa (The mystery of the star system Sirius, as described in Robert Temple’s book The Sirius Mystery)





* Sacred Geometry in the European landscape
* The Crop Circle phenomenon.



We expect this to sell out. Tickets may be purchased ahead of time, either by mail or by stopping by the Library during open hours. If buying by mail, you may mail a check in, and have us mail you the tickets, if you also enclose a self-addressed stamped envelope, or you may pick up your ticket the night of the presentation. If you want the tickets mailed, please put your check and SASE in the mail by Monday, September 4th. For will-call, please have your check in the mail by Thursday, September 7.

Mumbai's 12 Indians and the Dutch authorities

August 24, 2006 18:50 IST
Last Updated: August 24, 2006 20:07 IST

All the 12 persons detained in Amsterdam following a security alert on an American airliner are Mumbai-born, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said in New Delhi.

"We have got the list of the 12 people. They all were born in Mumbai. Nobody has been arrested as per the latest information but detentions are there," Sharma told reporters here. The Indian embassy in Amsterdam has been given consular access to the detained people, who all had addresses in Mumbai, he said.

"We have to ascertain and get the details. They are all from Mumbai and they all have Mumbai addresses," Sharma said. It was, however, not known how many of them were carrying Indian passports.

Those detained were identified as Sohail Abdul Aziz Nizami, Ayub Qadir, Sajid Qadir, Yusuf Haji Ghaffar Memon, Nur Mohammed Batliwala, Shakeel Usman Chotani, Ayub Khan, Ehsan Farooqi, Ghulam Mustafa, Mohammed Yusuf, Mohammed Imran and Mohammed Iqbal Batliwala.

Sharma said the Dutch government had not given any information so far on the detained people. "It was on the initiative of our mission (in Amsterdam) that we got the names...and now consular access has been set in motion," he said. "The government has asked the mission to meet these people and to see what has happened there."

They had gone to Port of Spain in the West Indies, in connection with their garment business..

Earlier, the flight that was rescheduled to fly from Amsterdam to Mumbai on Thursday was cancelled and the remaining passengers were rebooked on other Northwest Airlines flight.

Local prosecutor Ed Hartjes said the men arrested were Indians but refused to go into details why there were in custody. They "got something" that was not allowed on board the flight and this matter was "important enough to be investigated", he said.

Dutch interrogators have so far found no signs that the men posed "a terrorist threat", a spokeswoman for Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner said in Amsterdam. She declined to say why they remained under arrest. Prosecutors have three days before they have to file charges.

According to Ministry of External Affairs sources in New Delhi, the 12 Indians are likely to be released soon. "It seems like a case of Western security guys getting too hyper" said a source in.

The MEA is actively trying to secure their release as soon as possible, the source added.

Northwest Airlines flight No 42 from Minneapolis to Mumbai was escorted to Amsterdam's Schipol airport Wednesday by two F-16 fighters after its crew reported some passengers had displayed "behaviour of concern". Soon after, Dutch authorities reported that 12 people had been detained for questioning.

RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS ON THE ROCKS

Religious Symbols on the Rocks

Three children were talking about their religions.

"I'm a Catholic," said one, "And our symbol is the cross."

"I'm Jewish," said the second, "And our symbol is the Star of David."

The third child said, "I'm a Unitarian Universalist and our symbol is a candle in a cocktail glass!"

WHERE YOU WERE WHEN YOU STARTED....

Today's Quote

Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where he is had to begin where he was.

-Richard L Evans

BHARAT MATA - TUJHE KOTI KOTI PRANAM, JAI HIND

India

BHARAT MATA TUJHE K0TI KOTI PRANAM

5,000 year old ancient civilization
325 languages spoken – 1,652 dialects
18 official languages
29 states, 5 union territories
3.28 million sq. kilometers - Area
7,516 kilometers - Coastline
1.3 Billion population.

5600 dailies, 15000 weeklies and 20000 periodicals in 21 languages with a combined circulation of 142 million.

GDP $576 Billion. (GDP rate 8%)

Parliamentary form of Government
Worlds largest democracy.
Worlds 4th largest economy.

World-class recognition in IT, bio-technology and space.
Largest English speaking nation in the world.
3rd largest standing army force, over 1.5Million strong.
2nd largest pool of scientists and engineers in the World.

Bharat Forge has the world's largest single-location forging facility, its clients include Honda, Toyota and Volvo amongst others.


Hero Honda with 1.7M motorcycles a year is now the largest motorcycle manufacturer in the world.


India is the 2nd largest tractor manufacturer in the world.


India is the 5th largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in the world.


Ford has just presented its Gold World Excellence Award to India's Cooper Tyres.


Suzuki, which makes Maruti in India has decided to make India its manufacturing, export and research hub outside Japan.


Hyundai India is set to become the global small car hub for the Korean giant and will produce 25k Santros to start with.

By 2010 it is set to supply half a million cars to Hyundai Korea. HMI and Ford.


The prestigious UK automaker, MG Rover is marketing 100,000 Indica cars made by Tata in Europe, under its own name.

Aston Martin contracted prototyping its latest luxury sports car, AM V8 Vantage, to an Indian-based designer and is set to produce the cheapest Aston Martin ever.

India: Technology Superpower
Geneva-based STMicroelectronics is one of the largest semiconductor companies to develop integrated circuits and software in India.

Texas Instruments was the first to open operations in Bangalore, followed by Motorola, Intel, Cadence Design Systems and several others.

80 of the World’s 117 SEI CMM Level-5 companies are based in India.

5 Indian companies recently received the globally acclaimed Deming prize. This prize is given to an organization for rigorous total quality management (TQM) practices.

15 of the world's major Automobile makers are obtaining components from Indian companies.

This business fetched India $1.5 Billion in 2003, and will reach $15 Billion by 2007.

New emerging industries areas include, Bio-Informatics, Bio-Technology, Genomics, Clinical Research and Trials.

World-renowned TQM expert Yasutoshi Washio predicts that Indian manufacturing quality will overtake that of Japan in 2013.

McKinsey believes India's revenues from the IT industry will reach $87 Billion by 2008.
Flextronics, the $14 billion global major in Electronic Manufacturing Services, has announced that it will make India a global competence centre for telecom software development.

India: Trade
Tata Motors paid $ 118 million to buy Daewoo commercial vehicle Company of Korea.

Ranbaxy, the largest Indian pharmaceutical company, gets 70% of its $1 billion revenue from overseas operations and 40% from USA.

Tata Tea has bought Tetley of UK for £260M.

India is one of the world's largest diamond cutting and polishing centres, its exports were worth $6 Billion in 1999.

About 9 out of 10 diamond stones sold anywhere in the world, pass through India.

Garment exports are expected to increase from the current level of $6 billion to $25 billion by 2010.

The country's foreign exchange reserves stand at an all-time high of $120 Billion.

India's trade with China grew by by 104% in 2002 and in the first 5 months of 2003, India has amassed a surplus in trade close to $0.5M.

Mobile phones are growing by about 1.5Million a month. Long distance rates are down by two-thirds in five years and by 80% for data transmission.

Wal-Mart sources $1 Billion worth of goods from India - half its apparel. Wal-Mart expects this to increase to $10 Billion in the next couple of years.

GAP sources about $600 million and Hilfiger $100 million worth of apparel from India.

India: Self-Reliance
India is among six countries that launch satellites and do so even for Germany, Belgium, South Korea, Singapore and EU countries.


India's INSAT is among the world's largest domestic satellite communication systems.


India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) was indigenously manufactured with most of the components like motor cases, inter-stages, heat shield, cryogenic engine, electronic modules all manufactured by public and private Indian industry.


Kalpana Chawla was one of the seven astronauts in the Columbia space shuttle when it disintegrated over Texas skies just 16 minutesbefore its scheduled landing on Feb 1st 2003, she was the second Indian in space.


Back in 1968, India imported 9M tonnes of food-grains to support its people, through a grand programme of national self-sufficiency which started in 1971, today, it now has a food grain surplus stock of 60M.

India is among the 3 countries in the World that have built Supercomputers on their own. The other two countries being USA and Japan.

India built its own Supercomputer after the USA denied India purchasing a Cray computer back in 1987.

India’s new ‘PARAM Padma’ Terascale Supercomputer (1 Trillion processes per sec.) is also amongst only 4 nations in the world to have this capability.


India is providing aid to 11 countries, writing-off their debt and loaning the IMF $300M.

It has also prepaid $3Billion owed to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.


India: Pharmaceuticals
The Indian pharmaceutical industry at $6.5 billion and growing at 8-10% annually, is the 4th largest pharmaceutical industry in the world, and is expected to be worth $12 billion by 2008.

Its exports are over $2 billion. India is among the top five bulk drug makers and at home, the local industry has edged out the Multi-National companies whose share of 75% in the market is down to 35%.

Trade of medicinal plants has crossed $900M already.

There are 170 biotechnology companies in India, involved in the development and manufacture of genomic drugs, whose business is growing exponentially.

Sequencing genes and delivering genomic information for big Pharmaceutical companies is the next boom industry in India.

India: Foreign Multi-National Companies

Top 5 American employers in India:

General Electric: : 17,800 employees
Hewlett-Packard : 11,000 employees
IBM : 6,000 employees
American Express : 4,000 employees
Dell : 3,800 employees


General Electric (GE) with $80 Million invested in India employs 16,000 staff, 1,600 R&D staff who are qualified with PhD’s and Master’s degrees.


The number of patents filed in USA by the Indian entities of some of the MNCs (upto September, 2002) are as follows: Texas Instruments - 225, Intel - 125, Cisco Systems - 120, IBM - 120, Phillips - 102, GE - 95.


Staff at the offices of Intel (India) has gone up from 10 to 1,000 in 4 years, and will reach 2000 staff by 2006.

GE's R&D centre in Bangalore is the company's largest research outfit outside the United States. The centre also devotes 20% of its resources on 5 to 10 year fundamental research in areas such as nanotechnology, hydrogen energy, photonics, and advanced propulsion.

It is estimated that there are 150,000 IT professionals in Bangalore as against 120,000 in Silicon Valley.

India: R&D Labs
Established in 2002 with just two people, has scaled up to 20 specialists today. Plans exist to double its headcount by the beginning of 2004. Is totally dedicated to high-level research on futuristic technologies, with special focus on emerging markets.

Bangalore.

Established in 1996 with 10 people, has scaled up to 895 people today, and will be further scaled up to 1,000 before the end of 2003. Works on developing software for Philips products. Almost all Philips products that use software have some contribution from this centre. It is the largest software centre for Philips outside Holland.

Innovation Campus, Bangalore.
Established in November 1998 with 100 people, the Lab swill be scaled up to 1500 by the end of 2004. That will double 3000 staff by middle of 2006. It is the largest single-location R&D lab for SAP outside Walldorf, Germany. Nearly 10 percent of SAP's total R&D work is carried out from the Indian lab.

Labs India, Bangalore.


Established in 2001. Works on all IBM software like WebSphere, DB2, Lotus, Tivoli and Rational. The centre has added many new areas of activities such as middleware and business intelligence.


Software Lab,

Bangalore, Pune.

Established in 1988 with 20 people, has scaled up to 1,000 today. Drives nearly 60 percent of the company’s global development delivery.
R&D Centre,

Bangalore and Mumbai.


Established in mid-1999 with 20 people, has scaled up to 500 people today. Does work mainly on Sun's software which includes Solaris and Sun One.


India Engineering Centre,

Bangalore
The Bangalore centre was established in 1994; the Hyderabad one in 1999. Oracle’s largest development centre outside the US currently has 6,000 staff. Does work on Oracle's database products, applications, business intelligence products and application development tools, besides other activities.

India Development Centre, Bangalore, Hyderabad.


Established in 1984. The centre started with just 20 people, now has 900 people working on VLSI and embedded software, which goes along with a chip or into the chip.
R&D Centre, Bangalore
Highlights


R&D Centre

India: BPO
The domestic BPO sector is projected to increase to $4 billion in 2004 and reach $65 billion by 2010. (McKinsey & Co.).


The outsourcing includes a wide range of services including design, architecture, management, legal services, accounting and drug development and the Indian BPOs are moving up in the value chain.


There are about 200 call centers in India with a turnover of $2 billion and a workforce of 150,000.


100 of the Fortune 500 are now present in India compared to 33 in China.


Cummins of USA uses its R&D Centre in Pune to develop the sophisticated computer models needed to design upgrades and prototypes electronically and introduce 5 or 6 new engine models a year.

Business Week of 8th December 2003 has said "Quietly but with breathtaking speed, India and its millions of world-class engineering, business and medical graduates are becoming enmeshed in America's New Economy in ways most of us barely imagine".

William H. Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect Microsoft Corporation

(b-1955):

“…after the Chinese, South Indians are the smartest people in the world.”

India: Technology Superpower

Over 100 MNCs have set up R&D facilities in India in the past five years. These include GE, Bell Labs, Du Pont, Daimler Chrysler, Eli Lilly, Intel, Monsanto, Texas Instruments, Caterpillar, Cummins, GM, Microsoft and IBM.


India’s telecom infrastructure between Chennai, Mumbai and Singapore, provides the largest bandwidth capacity in the world, with well over 8.5 Terabits (8.5Tbs) per second.

With more than 250 universities, 1,500 research institutions and 10,428 higher-education institutes, India produces 200,000 engineering graduates and another 300,000 technically trained graduates every year.

Besides, another 2 million other graduates qualify out in India annually.


The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) is among the top three universities from which McKinsey & Company, the world's biggest consulting firm, hires most.

Indians abroad
A snapshot of Indians at the helm of leading Global businesses


The Co-founder of Sun Microsystems (Vinod Khosla),

Creator of Pentium Chip (Vinod Dahm),

Founder and creator of Hotmail (Sabeer Bhatia),

Chief Executive of McKinsey & Co. (Rajat Gupta)

President and CFO of Pepsi Cola (Indra Nooyi)

President of United Airlines (Rono Dutta)

GM of Hewlett Packard (Rajiv Gupta)

President and CEO of US Airways (Rakesh Gangwal)

Chief Executive of CitiBank (Victor Menezes),

Chief Executives of Standard Chartered Bank (Rana Talwar)

Chief Executive officer of Vodafone (Arun Sarin)

President of AT & T-Bell Labs (Arun Netravali)

Vice-Chairman and founder of Juniper Networks (Pradeep Sindhu)

Founder of Bose Audio (Amar Bose)

Founder, chip designer Cirrus Logic (Suhas Patil )

Chairman and CEO of Computer Associates (Sanjay Kumar)

Head of (HPC WorldWide) of Unilever Plc. (Keki Dadiseth)

Chief Executive Officer of HSBC (Aman Mehta)

Director and member of Executive Board of Goldman Sachs (Girish Reddy)

Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund (Raghuram Rajan)

Former CTO of Novell Networks (Kanwal Rekhi)

Indians in the USA.

Of the 1.5M Indians living in the USA, 1/5th of them live in the Silicon Valley.

35% of Silicon Valley start-ups are by Indians.

Indian students are the largest in number among foreign students in USA.

Statistics that show:


38% of doctors in the USA,

12% of scientists in the USA,

36% of NASA scientists,

34% of Microsoft employees,

28% of IBM employees,

17% of INTEL scientists,

13% of XEROX employees,


… are Indians.


1. India 44%
2. China 9%
3. Britain 5%
4. Philippines 3%
5. Canada 3%
6. Taiwan 2%
7. Japan 2%
8. Germany 2%
9. Pakistan 2%
10. France 2%
US H1-B Visa

applicants country

of origin

“IIT = Harvard + MIT + Princeton”


“IIT = Harvard + MIT + Princeton” , says CBS ‘60 Minutes’.


CBS' highly-regarded ‘60 Minutes’, the most widely watched news programme in the US, told its audience of more than 10 Million viewers that “IIT may be the most important university you've never heard of."


"The United States imports oil from Saudi Arabia, cars from Japan, TVs from Korea and Whiskey from Scotland. So what do we import from India? We import people, really smart people," co-host Leslie Stahl began while introducing the segment on IIT.

“…the smartest, the most successful, most influential Indians who've migrated to the US seem to share a common credential: They are graduates of the IIT.”


“…in science and technology, IIT undergraduates leave their American counterparts in the dust.”


“Think about that for a minute: A kid from India using an Ivy League university as a safety school. That's how smart these guys are.”
There are “cases where students who couldn't get into computer science at IIT, they have gotten scholarships at MIT, at Princeton, at Caltech.”

Mahatma Gandhi

(1869-1948):

Gandhi was once asked what he thought about Western Civilization. His response was: "I think it would be a good idea.”


"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.“


“You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”


“The only devils in this world are those running around inside our own hearts, and that is where all our battles should be fought.”


“If all Christians acted like Christ, the whole world would be Christian.”


“Woman, I hold, is the personification of self-sacrifice, but unfortunately today she does not realize what tremendous advantage she has over man.”

“Indians, will stagger humanity without shedding a drop of blood.”


“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”


Sir C.V. Raman, (1888 – 1970)

1930 - Nobel Laureate in Physics for work on scattering of light and Raman effect.


Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose, (1858 – 1937)

USA based IEEE has proved what has been a century old suspicion amongst academics that the pioneer of wireless-radio communication was Professor Jagdish Chandra Bose and not Guglielmo Marconi.


Satyendranath Bose, (1894-1974)

Indian Physicist, who solved one of the mysteries of quantum mechanics, showing that in the quantum world some particles are indistinguishable. His collaborations with Albert Einstein led to a new branch on statistical mechanics know commonly known as the “Einstein-Bose” statistics.


Srinivasa Ramanujam,(1887 – 1920):

Great Indian Mathematician, whose interest from academics at Trinity, College, Cambridge, led him to collaborate there and postulate and prove well over 3,542 theorems.

Amartya Sen, (b-1933):

1998 - The Nobel Prize for Economics for his redefining work on ethical welfare economics. Currently residing as Lamont University Professor Emeritus at Harvard, after stepping down from the prestigious post of Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.


Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, (1910-1995):

1983 Nobel Laureate in Physics. His many contributions to physics, on the structure and evolution of stars including rotational figures of equilibrium, stellar interiors, black holes, radiative transfer, hydromagnetic stability, stellar dynamics.

Har Gobind Khorana, (b-1922 ):

1968 - Nobel Laureate in Medicine for work on interpretation of the genetic code . Currently residing as professor at MIT.


Civilized Past

India
India never invaded any country in her last 10,000 years of history.


It is the only society in the world which has never known slavery.


India was the richest country on Earth until the time of the British in the early 17th Century


Robert Clive’s personal wealth amassed from the blunder of Bengal during 1750’s was estimated at around £401,102


It has been estimated that the total amount of treasure that the British looted from India had already reached £1,000,000,000 (£1Billion) by 1901.

Taking into consideration interest rates and inflation this would be worth close to $1,000,000,000,000 ($1Trillion) in real-terms today.

Vedic Civilization

Indus & Saraswati Civilizations

Rise of Jainism and Buddhism

Mauryan Period

Golden Age of Indian Arts & Sciences

Muslim Invasions

The Mughal Empire

Portuguese Invasion

The British East-India Company

The British Empire

India's Freedom Struggle

Independence

Modern India 2020 Vision


A Brief History of Time

India
India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.


Aryabhatta was the first to explain spherical shape, size ,diameter, rotation and correct speed of Earth in 499 AD.


The World's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. Students from all over the World studied more than 60 subjects.


The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.


Sanskrit is considered the mother of all higher languages. Sanskrit is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.


Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.


Today Ayurveda is fast regaining its rightful place in civilization.


Christopher Columbus was attracted India's wealth and was looking for route to India when he discovered the American continent by mistake.


The art of Navigation was born in the river Sindh 6000 years ago. The word ‘Navigation’ is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'.


In Siddhanta Siromani (Bhuvanakosam 6) Bhaskaracharya II described about gravity of earth about 400 years before Sir Isaac Newton. He also had some clear notions on differential calculus, and the Theory of Continued Fraction.


Languages of India


Hindi


Sanskrit


Tamil


Gujarati


Urdu


Punjabi


Malayalam


Bengali


Marathi


Konkani


Kannada


Assamese


Telegu


Oriya


Rajasthani


The Ancient Vedic Hymns


Rig Veda - Knowledge of Hymns, 10,859 verses

“There is only one truth, only men describe it in different ways.“


Yajur Veda - Knowledge of Liturgy, 3,988 verses

Sama Veda - Knowledge of Classical Music, 1,549 verses

Ayur Veda - Knowledge of Medicine, over 100,000 verses


Upanishads

Jyotisha – Astrology and Astronomy.

Kalpa – Rituals and Legal matters.

Siksha – Phonetics.

Aitareya – Creation of the Universe, Man and Evolution.

Chandogya – Reincarnation, Soul.

Kaushitaki – Karma.

Kena – Austerity, Work, and Restraint.

Dharnur Veda – Science of Archery and War.

Mundaka – Discipline, Faith and warning of Ignorance.

Sulba Sutra – Knowledge of Mathematics

Yoga Sutra - Knowledge of Meditation

Kama Sutra - Knowledge of Love and Sex


Sanskrit (संस्कृत )


Sanskrit was the classical language of India, older than Hebrew and Latin.

It is the oldest, most scientific, systematic language in the world. It became the language of all cultured people in India and in the countries that were influenced by India.


Sanskrit literally means “refined” or “perfected”


'measuring the earth’

'measuring triangular forms‘


‘first person pronoun’



‘the same’


mother

papa / father

brother

sister

geometry

trigonometry

door

me

name

smile

equal


matar

pitar

bhratar

svasar

gyaamti

trikonamiti

dvaar

ma

naman

smi

eka


Sanskrit meaning


English meaning

Sanskrit word


India


Theory of Continued Fraction was discovered by Bhaskaracharya II.


Indians discovered Arithmetic and Geometric progression. Arithmetic progression is explained in Yajurveda.


Govindaswamin discovered Newton Gauss Interpolation formula about 1800 years before Newton.


Vateswaracharya discovered Newton Gauss Backward Interpolation formula about 1000 years before Newton.


Parameswaracharya discovered Lhuiler’s formula about 400 years before Lhuiler.


Nilakanta discovered Newton’s Infinite Geometric Progression convergent series.


Positive and Negative numbers and their calculations were explained first by Brahmagupta in his book Brahmasputa Siddhanta.


Aryabhatta also propounded the Heliocentric theory of gravitation, thus predating Copernicus by almost one thousand years.



Madhavacharya discovered Taylor series of Sine and Cosine function about 250 years before Taylor.


Madhavacharya discovered Newton Power series.


Madhavacharya discovered Gregory Leibnitz series for the Inverse Tangent about 280 years before Gregory.


Madhavacharya discovered Leibnitz power series for pi about 300 years before Leibnitz.


Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days


Infinity was well known for ancient Indians. Bhaskaracharya II in Beejaganitha(stanza-20) has given clear explanation with examples for infinity.


The Surya Siddhanta,


A textbook on astronomy of ancient India,

last compiled in 1000 BC, believed to be handed down from 3000 BC by aid of complex mnemonic recital methods still known today.


Showed the Earth's diameter to be 7,840 miles,

compared to modern measurements of 7,926.7 miles.


Showed the distance between the Earth and the Moon as 253,000 miles,

Compared to modern measurements of 252,710 miles.

India
The value of "pi" was first calculated by Boudhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians. This was ‘validated’ by British scholars in 1999.


Algebra, trigonometry and calculus came from India. Quadratic equations were propounded by Sridharacharya in the 11th century.


The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 1053 with specific names as early as 5000 BC during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera: 1012.


Maharshi Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like caesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery.


Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipments were used.


Detailed knowledge of anatomy, physiology, aetiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.


When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in the Sindhu Valley Civilization.


Kalarippayat - Origin of Martial arts – 200 BC


Kerala, South India, guardians of the origins of modern martial-arts,

influenced by Yoga and connected to the ancient Indian sciences of war (dhanur-veda) and medicine (ayur-veda).

The origin of kung-fu begins with the legend of a monk named Bodhidharma (also known as Ta Mo) who travelled from India to China around 500 A.D.

The Encyclopaedia Britannica says:

"Man must have an original cradle land whence the peopling of

the earth was brought about by migration.

As to man’s cradle land, there have been many theories but the

weight of evidence is in favour of Indo-Malaysia.”


"If there is a country on earth which can justly claim the honour of having been the cradle of the Human race or at least the scene of primitive civilization, the successive developments of which carried into all parts of the ancient world and even beyond, the blessings of knowledge which is the second life of man, that country is assuredly India.“

Future

"In India today,

we have a lady born a Catholic (Sonia Gandhi)

stepping aside so a Sikh (Manmohan Singh)

could be sworn in by a Muslim president (Abdul Kalam)

to lead a nation that's 82% Hindu.


I defy anyone to cite another country with such diversity and tolerance to its political leadership."


Secular Tolerance


Goldman Sachs Report of 1 October, 2003 –

"Dreaming with BRICs: The path to 2050"


India's GDP will reach $ 1 trillion by 2011,

$ 2 trillion by 2020,

$ 3 trillion by 2025,

$ 6 trillion by 2032,

$ 10 trillion by 2038, and

$ 27 trillion by 2050,

becoming the 3rd largest economy after USA and China.


In terms of GDP, India will overtake Italy by the year 2016, France by 2019, UK by 2022,

Germany by 2023, and Japan by 2032.


Progress during the last 20 years


Poverty (incidence)

1980s 1990s 2000

44% 36% 26%


Education (literacy rate)

1980s 1990s 2000

44% 52% 65%


Health (life expectancy)

1980s 1990s 2000

56 60 69
Source: World Bank (2003)

Ex-Prime Minister,

Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee


A treaty was signed on 6 January, 2004, establishing a South Asian Free Trade Area among the seven SAARC countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives) in the region.


India committed to a South Asian Union as the ultimate objective, with mutual security cooperation, open borders and a single currency in Southern Asia in the long run.


"The bonds of ethnicity and culture which hold together the peoples of this region are more enduring than the barriers of political prejudice that have been erected quite recently.“


”….Friends, India is ready to do everything that is necessary, to walk as many extra miles as may be required, to make this vision a reality.”


Dr Abdul Kalam, President of India,

father of India’s space, missile and satellite programme and author of “India 2020 Vision”.


“I have three visions for India.”


1.

“ In 3000 years of our history people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds. From Alexander onwards. The Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours.

Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them.

Why?

Because we respect the freedom of others. That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM.

I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us. “


2.

My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed nation. We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10% growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the self-confidence to see ourselves as

a developed nation, self-reliant and self-assured.


3.

I have a THIRD vision. India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand.”







India’s population to be the largest in the world




India is set to overtake China as the world's most populous nation by 2050.


India’s population is expected to grow from 1.08bn to 1.63bn people, overtaking China, which is forecast to reach 1.44bn from 1.3bn currently.


India, will also have the highest working population in the World — 700 million people out of 1.1 billion people are young; the young population will continue till 2050.








India is proud to have….

*God fearing, law abiding citizens like Sridhar, one of the very few decided to serve the mother country despite the various lucrative offers poured from many countries….

Oh, my God, sorry Mr.Kalam, don’t get angry with me, please!

Jai Hind!

Kid's jokes

Kids' Bible Jokes

Q. Why should we be encouraged by the story of Jonah and the whale?
A. Because Jonah was down in the mouth, but came out all right.

Q. When was the first meat mentioned in the Bible?
A. When Noah took Ham into the ark.

Q. On the Ark, Noah probably got milk from the cows. What did he get from the ducks?
A. Quackers.

Q. Why did Noah have to punish and discipline the chickens on the Ark?
A. Because they were using "fowl" language.

Q: How do we know Peter was a rich fisherman?
A: By his net income.

SEATTLE METAPHYSICAL LIBRARY, BALLARD

lARGE COLLECTION OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHY, YOGA AND OTHER BOOKS
2220 NW Market Street, L-05
Ballard, WA 98107
(206) 329-1794

Subscribe to our newsletter! Subscribe@SeattleMetaphysicalLibrary.org



The Library is in the basement of the Kress Building, in Ballard.

The Market Street entrance is a glass door next to the Great Harvest Bread Company. Stairs lead down to the lower level.

If this entrance is locked, try the 56th Street entrance, at the back of the building.

The 56th Street entrance is the same used by the bookstore located there. Signs inside will lead you to the Library’s location in the basement.

Booklist

Click here to see our list of books sorted by category. You can click on a category to get the list of books in each category. This is not a searchable database, so you will have to do a Google search on our website if you want to find a specific title or author, but this will give you a glance at a good approximation of the books we have.


The Seattle Metaphysical Library is the new name of the AS-YOU-LIKE-IT Library, which was established in Seattle in 1961. The Library has grown over the past four decades to hold over 11,000 books, plus many hundreds of audio and video tapes, CDs, magazines and newspaper clippings.

The Seattle Metaphysical Library is a non-affiliated, non-profit library and resource center dedicated to the personal transformation and evolving global consciousness by providing access to metaphysical, transdimensional, rare and unusual material.

The Library is open to the public. There is no charge for browsing the materials, or reading at the Library.

Operating expenses are paid for by subscriptions, which allow people to borrow materials.

Hours

Monday 4 - 8 pm

Tuesday 4 - 8 pm

Wednesday 4 - 8 pm

Thursday 4 - 8 pm

Friday 4 - 8 pm

Saturday 1 - 5 pm

Sunday 1 - 6 pm

We are also open by appointment and happenstance. Feel free to call and leave a message, or send an email if these hours are not convenient for you.



Please! If you are making a special trip to visit us, call first. We are all volunteers, and sometimes it happens that we cannot be there as scheduled

Events and Activities



Danica d’Hondt – The theories of Zecharia Sitchin, the Holy Grail, and the origins of religions

A visual presentation including the connections with the Dogan tribe in Africa and the mysteries of the crop circles.

Her presentation in August was extremely well-received, and we expect this to be a sell-out!

A fundraiser for the Seattle Metaphysical Library

September 10, 2006, 5 pm

Michael Maier Lodge, AMORC, 2203 NW 60th Street, Ballard

$15 suggested donation. Tickets at 2220 NW Market Street, #L-05, Seattle, WA 98107

Click here for more details

Why the bird sings

Aug 23, 2006
A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer; it sings because it has a song.
Maya Angelou

PUDUCHERRY

RENAMING PONDICHERRY AS PUDUCHERRY



Rajya Sabha has at last cleared 3-decade old desire of Pondicherry Assembly to rename Pondicherry as Puducherry. Union government should also abolish British legacy of distorted spellings for Indian cities and states in one go in a manner Bangladesh and China have done to respell Dacca as Dhaka and Peking as Beijing respectively. Indian capital should be spelt as DEHLI as per its actual pronunciation. Already rest of three metro-cities Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai have since been renamed. Bareilly and Meerut should also be respelt like was done in case of Jalandher and Shimla.



Names of states should also be changed to make them one-worded like Karnatak, Maharashtra etc so that distortion by abbreviation may not be possible as has been like UP for Uttar Pradesh or WB for West Bengal. Otherwise also, it is senseless to name state as West Bengal because erstwhile East Bengal is now Bangladesh. Rather it creates confusion because incidentally West Bengal is in eastern part of the country!



Even country should be known as BHARAT only abolishing British given name of India for which an unanimous resolution passed by UP assembly is already pending. However

WE INDIANS ABROAD DO SO WELL , WHY NOT IN INDIA TOO

We Indians are the wealthiest among all ethnic groups in America, even faring better than the whites and the natives.

3.22 Millions of INDIAN in USA ( 1.5 % of population ).

YET, 38% of doctors in USA are INDIANs.
12% scientists in USA are INDIANs.
36% of NASA scientis are INDIANs.
34% of Microsoft employees are INDIANs.
28% of IBM employees are INDIANs.
17% of INTL scientists are INDIANs.
13% of XEROX employees are INDIANS.

If our Indian work for our country India will be super power
in the World.

GETTING SOMEWHERE

Today's Quote

Worrying is like a rocking chair: it gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere.

-Unknown

GOLD OR SILVER

It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt. Mark Twain (1835-1910)

KUMBH MELA IN CALIFORNIA ON SEPT 10 06

1. First Kumbha Mela In The USA

www.usakumbhamela.net

IRVINE, CALIFORNIA, August 18, 2006: (HPI note: Following is a press release from the organizers.) The first Kumbha Mela in the USA is being organized on September 10, 2006 at Bren Center, University of California Irvine, to usher in peace by infusing collective positivity. In India for thousands of years, millions of yogis, masters and saints have come together every 12 years at auspicious planetary convergences, to bring healing energy to the planet, and share information about spiritual practices. The Kumbha Mela in India brings 70 million people together, and is the largest spiritual gathering in the world. Now for the first time, the Kumbha Mela will take place in the USA. The Kumbha Mela USA is organized under the auspices of Paramahamsa Nithyananda, Nithyananda Foundation; Swami Ishwarananda, Chinmaya Mission; Swami Sarvadevananda, Vedanta Society; Dr. Acharya Yogeesh, Yogeesh Ashram; and the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh.

On September 10, 2006, thousands of spiritual aspirants, yogis, masters and spiritual leaders will converge in California to usher in the cosmic energy to create more peace on planet Earth. The highlights of the celebration include a powerful Vishwa Shanti Yagna, a Vedic style fire ceremony to invoke peace energy through one of the purest elements of nature--fire, an abhishekam, or offering of water from 21 holy rivers of India to all the Deities present, and a grand procession with participation by various spiritual organizations from across the country. Homas and aratis will add to the festivities and mahaprasad, or energized food for offering to everyone, will be prepared from rice collected from thousands of homes. This day-long event starts at 2:00 p.m.

BECAUSE IT DOESN'T NEED CLEANING YET

DAD, WHAT'S AN IDIOT

TEACHER SAYS.....SO SHE'S NO GOOD

RING ON THE WRONG FINGER

LET US START WITH YOUR MONEY...

IMAGES PART II

IMAGES

YOU YOUNG BRATS, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THE NEXT GENERATION?

A very self-important college freshman attending a
> recent football game took it upon himself to explain
> to a senior citizen sitting next to him why it was
> impossible for the older generation to understand his
> generation.
>
> "You grew up in a different world, actually an almost
> primitive one," the student said, loud enough for many
> of those nearby to hear. "The young people of today
> grew up with television, jet planes, space travel, man
> walking on the moon, our spaceships have
> visited Mars. We have nuclear energy, electric and
> hydrogen cars, computers with light-speed processing
> ...and," pausing to take another drink of beer......
> The Senior took advantage of the break in the
> student's litany and said, "You're right, son. We
> didn't have those things when we were young........so
> we invented them. Now, you arrogant little shithead,
> what are you doing for the next generation?"
>

OUTSOURCING SPAWNS A ROMANTIC COMEDY

Outsourcing spawns a romantic comedy

New Delhi, Aug. 21 (PTI): Outsourcing, one of India's great success stories in recent years, has now spawned yet another story--a romantic comedy.

Publishers HarperCollins India today announced the forthcoming release of a "romantic comedy about outsourced love" called "Once Upon a Timezone......" by Neelesh Misra, a journalist and Bollywood songwriter.

The novel will be available in bookstores in October, after its first formal release at the Frankfurt Book Fair-where India is the guest of honour this year.

"Once Upon a Timezone..." is a story about a middle-class youth, who dreams of his first love America, but settles for the second best--a job at a call centre--after he fails to get a job in the US. He assumes an American identity and soon tumbles into a faraway romance that will transform his life.

Lucknow-born Misra, 33, who had worked for major Indian and foreign news agencies, had previously written two non-fiction books--The Hijacking of IC 814 and End of the Line: The Story of The Killing of The Royals in Nepal.

He is also a songwriter for Bollywood and has written songs for films including Jism, Rog, Holiday, Gangster and Woh Lamhe.

SCIENCE BEHIND GODS DRINKING MILK

>> Fullstory
PTI
The science behind gods drinking milk
Monday, 21 August , 2006, 14:12

New Delhi: The phenomenon of idols "drinking" milk could be explained scientifically by the theory of capillary action or the movement of liquids within spaces of porous surfaces due to surface tension, adhesion and cohesion.

The reason behind people thronging temples with pots and pans filled with milk could be termed a ‘mass religious hysteria’ caused by gullibility and scientific ignorance, eminent scientist Prof Yash Pal said.

The surface tension phenomenon can be witnessed in the ubiquitous water tap, where a drop of water stays suspended and drains away when touched, he said.

Similarly, when a spoonful of milk is touched to the idol, the surface tension of the milk pulls the liquid up and out of the spoon, before gravity causes it to run down the front of the statue.

As the level of liquid or milk in the spoon dropped, it coated the statue beneath where the spoon was placed.

A similar phenomenon had frenzied devotees making a beeline at temples on September 21, 1995 with some even carrying milk in buckets for the Lord.

Our own firesides...

Today's Quote

Happiness grows at our own firesides, and is not to be picked in strangers' gardens.

-Douglas Jerrould

GOD CREATED.....

GOD saw you hungry & created McDonalds, Wendys, and Burger King.
He saw you thirsty & created Milk, Juice, and Water.
GOD saw you in the dark & created Light.
GOD saw you without a cute, adorable, FRIEND.........

so He created ME!!! hahahahahahahaha............!!!!

c41c1.gifc4211.gifc4276.gif

SMILE-- and have a GREAT day !!

Send this on to your cute, adorable friends.......I just did!

SAPNA, OR APNA; AAP AUR SONA

Apna:::Sapna
Aap har manzil ko mushkil samajhte hain ,

Hum Aapko manzil samajhte hain ,

bada fark hai Aapke AuR

Hamare nazariye mein ,

Aap hamein Sapna,

AuR Hum Aapko

Apna samajhte hain.... ...


SO NAHIN SAKTE

Hum Kabhi aap se Khafa ho nahi sakte,

Yeh Dil ke Rishtey Bewafa ho nahi sakte,

Aap bhale hameh bhulake so jao,

Hum aapko yaad kiye bina

soh nahi sakte.!! ...

Then I rem....

Then I remembered the scripture "Be anxious for nothing..."
(Philippians 4:6)

LIFE is....

Today's Quote

Life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.

-Lou Holtz

AARTI ON THE GOVERNMENT WEB SITE

4. Arati Link On Government Website Causes Controversy

www.ibnlive.com

BHOPAL, INDIA, August 14, 2006: The inclusion of a link for conducting arati (a Hindu prayer ceremony) at Ujjain on the state's public relations department website has stirred considerable controversy. Describing the step "as a violation of the tenet of secularism enshrined in the constitution of India," the Congress, the main opposition in the state, charged the government with furthering the 'saffron' (Hindu nationalist) agenda of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). The party warned of an agitation in case the idea to include the arati on the site was not dropped. The arati link, however, is still under construction. State Congress leaders, including its general secretaries Manak Agrawal and Syed Sajid Ali, said the government should desist from identifying itself with one religion, especially in a democratic country like India. However, State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Narottam Mishra dismissed these allegations and said the aratis in Ujjain were a part of the state's spiritual and cultural heritage and therefore providing a link on the website was not wrong. He added: "In the month of Ramadan, Islamic signs will be put up and on Christmas, prayers and pictures of Jesus Christ will be included on the site." The minister suggested that prayers of Jain community and the Guruvani of the Sikhs could also be shown during their respective festivals.

CAN INDIA AN ARYAVRAT COUNTRY FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF AUSTRALIA

Fw. A case of *unform *civil code for India.
>
> =======
>
> *I wish the leaders of our country would take a stand like Australia....
>
> Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday
> to
> get out of Australia, as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head
> off potential terror attacks. *
>
> *A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to
> Australia at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his
> ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown. *
> **
> *Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that
> some
> radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept
> that Australia was a secular state and its laws were made by parliament. *
>
>
> *
> "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law
> or
> a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you," he said on national
> television.
>
> "I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws
> governing
> people in Australia, one the Australian law and another the Islamic law,
> that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent
> courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to
> go to another country, which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better
> option," Costello said.
>
> Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said
> those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked to move to the other
> country *
>
>
> *
> Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who
> did
> not want to accept local values should "clear off".
>
> "Basically, people who don't want to be Australians, and they don't want
> to
> live by Australian values and understand them, well then they can
> basically
> clear off," he said. Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims
> on
> Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's
> mosques.
>
> Quote:
>
> IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT Take It Or Leave It ! I am tired
> of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or
> their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali, we have experienced a
> surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians.
>
> However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the
> "politically
> correct" crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism
> was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a
> grudge
> against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia.
>
> However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our
> country, and apparently some born here, need to understand.
>
> This idea of Australia being a multicultural community has served only to
> dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Australians, we have
> our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle.
>
> This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials
> and
> victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom. We speak
> mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian,
> or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our
> society, then learn the language!
>
> Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing,
> political push but a fact because Christian men and women, on Christian
> principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is
> certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God
> offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your
> new home, Because God is part of our culture.
>
> We will accept your beliefs and will not question why, all we ask is that
> you accept ours and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us.
>
> If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like "A Fair Go", then you
> should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet.
>
> We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really
> don't care how you did things where you came from. By all means keep your
> culture but do not force it on others.
>
> This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you
> every opportunity to enjoy all this, but once you are done complaining,
> whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or
> Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great
> Australian freedom, "THE RIGHT TO LEAVE."
>
> If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here.
> You
> asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted.
>
> Pretty easy really, when you think about it. I figure if we all keep
> passing
> this to our friends (and enemies) it will also, sooner or later get back
> to
> the complainers, lets all try, please. *
>