Of Winners, Wave Rats and Whinos
By Narayanan Komerath

http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=40465

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Question: Is MMS just stalling?

Dual citizenship for overseas Indians: PM

Press Trust Of India
Posted online: Friday, January 07, 2005 at 1142 hours IST
Updated: Friday, January 07, 2005 at 1613 hours IST

Manmohan Singh Mumbai, January 7: Dual citizenship will be extended to all overseas Indians who migrated from India after January 26, 1950, as long as their home countries allowed it under the local laws, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced on Friday.

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Inaugurating the Pravasi Bhartiya Divas in Navy Nagar in Mumbai, Singh said his government will simplify application form for citizenship for overseas Indians.

A new user-friendly form, combining the three forms prescribed earlier, had also been evolved and will be notified soon, he added.

The Prime Minister said that his government would simplify the format of the certificate of registration of overseas citizens of India. Various options, including the possibility of introducing a smart card, are being considered, Singh added.

Similarly, he said, his government had unveiled a civil aviation policy to meet the requirements of the overseas Indians by allowing Indian private airlines to fly abroad.

He said the government is building new international airport in major metros and will soon modernise 30 other airports across the country. About 2,500 delegates, including 1,500 overseas Indians from 60 countries, are participating in the three-day meet, which would also have a special plenary session on disaster management in view of the devastating tsunami tragedy and deliberate over problems faced by Indians in the Gulf.

The Prime Minister said the government should try and wean away the NRIs in the Gulf from bank deposits to debt or even equity-oriented savings.

He noted that India owes a lot to the people of Indian origin in the Persian Gulf whose regular financial remittances home have played an important role in building the country's foreign exchange reserves that now amount to over 130 million dollars.

Singh said that there are many issues of concern for NRIs in the Gulf, including those pertaining to work contract and conditions. He assured them that the ministry of overseas Indian affairs would try to resolve these issues and also protect the returns on their savings.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Previous version of this thread is available at ..

http://indiaforumarchives.blogspot.com/200...an-history.html



<b> South Indian works on dharma in the middle period</b>
-700 CE bAlakrIDA a commentary on the yAGNYavAlkya smR^iti was composed by vishvarUpa in Shringagiri in Karnataka.

-?700 CE bhAruchi wrote commentaries on the viShNu dharmashastra and the manusmR^iti.

-1120 CE mitAksharA was written by viGNYAneshvara who was the prime minister of the chAlukya king vikramAditya-04. It was a definitive work on Hindu law that gained currency throughout much of India and continues to be authoritative to this date. It was based on the yAGNYavalkya dharmashAstra. He also wrote the work Asaucha dashaka or a brief set of sholkas on ritual pollution.

-1120 CE The shilahara king aparAditya, who ruled over Goa and the Konkans wrote a great compendium on Hindu law entitled the yAGNYavalkya smR^iti bhAShya. Though it traces it antecedents to yAGNYavalkya's law book, it is a rather independent volume of law in that era. aparAditya also composed a work on nyAya atomism and logic: the nyAyasAra TIka.

-1150 CE nArAyaNa shAstri, a disciple of viGNYAneshvara composed a compendium on civil law entitled the vyvahAra shiromaNi.

-1200 devana bhaTTa in Karnataka wrote the extensive digest of various smR^itis: smR^iti chandrika


-1260s paNDita haradatta in Tamil Nad wrote his famous commentaries on dharma sUtras of Apastamba and gautama. Some authorities believe he lived in the 800s of CE and also authored a work on the grammar of pANini. They may have been distinct

-1260 hemAdri, the prime minister of the yAdava king of Maharashtra, mahAdeva yAdava, wrote a great Hindu encyclopedia: the chaturvarga chintAmaNi. It is one of the most voluminous Sanskrit works ever composed and covers at length topics like vratas, dAna, tIrtha, moksha, parisheSha, prAyshchitta and vyavahAra. All aspects of Hindu law were encompassed in the encyclopedia along with other topics like geography and ritual. On legal aspects he often mentions devana bhaTTa.

-late 1200s varadarAja in Tamil Nad wrote the vyvahAra nirNaya which tries to interpret the legal principles based on mImAsa.

-1350s mAdhava vidyAraNya, minister of the Vijayanagara empire wrote the parAshara mAdhavIya, which followed at its core the law book of parAshara. However, it independently developed several aspects that were not covered by the hoary smR^iti.

-1350s His brother, sAyaNa, wrote the puruShArtha sudhAnidhi which covers several aspects relating to personal law.

-1375 vishveshvara wrote a text called mitAkShara subodhini that develops on the earlier work of viGNYAneshvara.

-1500 harita venkaTAchArya, a shrivaiShNava scholar composed the smR^iti ratnAkara which survives to this date amongst shrivaiShNava brahmins.

-1510 paNDita dalapati wrote the voluminous text nR^isimha prasAda, a work in 12 chapters that covers all aspects of Hindu civil and ritual law. dalapati was an effective politician who had infiltrated the court of the Nizam Shah and managed to induce the Sultan to allow Hindus to be ruled independent of the Shariat under their own legal code.

-1510 lakShmIdhara, the famed Tantrik from Orissa wrote the sarasvati vilAsa, which systematically deals with the contradictions in aparAditya, viGNYAneshvara and bhAruchi's work and attempts a conciliatory synthesis.

-1600 vaidyanAtha dIkShita in Tamil Nad wrote the smR^iti muktAphala which is considered as the authoritative text on legal issues by the smArta brahmins of Tamil Nad.

This brief survey shows that Hindu law was not static as is commonly painted in Leftist and secularist history-writing on India. While the legal issues were based on the earlier legal tradition comprising of dharma sUtras followed by the smR^itis or the dharma shAstra, they typically diverged from their precedents. The divergence allowed discussion of new legal issues uncovered by the earlier legal sources and importantly account for the changing times. Attempts were made to compile legal digests by drawing out material from diverse earlier authorities, as well as develop new systems by recombination and reconciliation of earlier sources. In several cases, new concepts may be slipped in with different degrees of conservative or reformist opinion.

However, it should be kept in mind that many of the issues are mainly relevant to the Arya varNas and their pre-occupations. It is clear that the fourth varNa was sort outside of the consideration of many of the points discussed in the smR^iti and hence their complaints about enforcement of oppressive laws by the Arya varNas are rather unjustified on occasions.

There has been lot of talks about "women independence" and "freedom". I have seen many messages where it is mentioned that in India "Women is not independent and freedom is not granted ". In the current scenerio, I have also seen that in many cases the words "independence" and "freedom" is taken for granted esp by the women.

I am confused to some extent on this. Below are some factors that I have taken to understand the level of independence and freedom required for a women :

<b>a. EQUALITY IN GOOD THINGS:</b>
I am really happy on women claiming "equality" in good things. This effectively includes career, education etc.

My sincere wishes and prayers for them in achieving this. They should be given full "freedom" and "indepedence" in achieving this.

<b>b. FAMILY LIFE:</b>
In India, the success rates of families are much higher compared with western countries during the past. One of the major reasons for this could be the traditional values that we impose on the society especially on the women. To some extent, the women is submissive to a man. I feel this is required. There should be one "head" in the family. I feel, that should be the husband. The husband should take care of his wife in all the aspects. This is clearly mentioned in all the religions, be it bible (or) Quran (or) Gita. The scripture clearly tells that the "Husband" should be respected by a wife like what she does to the GOD. No where it is mentioned that husband should respect wife like GOD but it is mentioned that husband should love wife.

In a family, there may be give and take scenerios. Husband and wife cannot work independently if we need a successful family life. The freedom needs to be restricted inline with the traditional values of the nation. But, now-a-days, I see, women are claiming that they are also equal to men and creating problems in the family.

If you see the trends of failing families in India, within a decade, you can see the divorce rates of India equalling the western countries.

Do we need this situation in India ?

<b>c. EQUALITY IN BAD THINGS:</b>
In India, we have imposed restrictions on women for "smoking" and "drinking". They are not allowed to move around freely and controlled. I feel this control is required. I do not think, a true Indian lover, wish to "smoke" and "drink" with his wife and children ! These areas, I feel, women needs to be controlled.

Also, the controls imposed on a girl to move around freely, will reduce the probability of having improper sexual relationships. In India, we rarely see young women getting pregnant in a illegal way. But this is common in the western countries. Because of the open culture of the westerners, the society is affected with harmful diseases, teenage mothers and careless children.

Do we need this situation in India ??

<b>d. SOCIAL STATUS:</b>
The social status of women covers dressing styles, behavior in a social gathering.

While a women claims equality in everything with men, why she does not claim the same in wearing dresses ?? Even in the western countries, men dress well, but very rarely you can see a properly dressed women. Women finds pleasure in exposing secret parts of her body !! But most of the religions clearly mentions that the "body of the women can only be seen by her husband" . Why the girls not able to follow this ? Is there any bottleneck for them to achieve this ? Is it because there is no adequate communication made to the women to show them how foolish and low they look when they do not dress adequately ??? Is it because of the corruption by the media ( TV/Magazines/Internet etc) ? This needs immediate attention.

In western countries, they have a habit of shaking hands, dancing with other wife and dating with others wife. In India, we have a wonderful word "nameste" for greeting ? Infact, we can also use the good words available in English for greeting . Why there is an issue in using this words to greet others ? Should we follow the act of prostitutes ( touching people of other gender ) to show our greeting. This is obviously not required.

<b>CONCLUSION:</b>
While I am saying all these, definitely, I am against all the other evil acts ( dowry, cruelty etc ) done against our women. This needs to be taken care with high priority.

The western countries are suffering with "Moral degenerosity" because of the "open" culture that they have . Indian culture respects family and traditions and it is successful over the years except few areas like dowry, cruelty against women which needs to attended and eradicated.

Given the above, Should we develop a culture of providing a "full independence to a women" in India (or) is it advisable to cultivate the conservative culture as per the Indian tradition ?

Pls provide your thoughts. Thanks in advance for all your replies.

Hi All,


I am interested in under going training to become a Hindu priest.

I have basic knowledge of samskrtam and can chant mantras well.

I would like to learn how to perform rites like upakarma, marriage, seemantam, grha pravesham, sraddha etc... on my own.

Does anyone know of any place in the U.S. where I can learn all this?


Thanks.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'>A Simple Demand for Justice</span>

<b>Satya Sarma</b>

In an interview to rediff.com, Prosecutor for Tamil Nadu, KTS Tulsi said of those who show support for the Kanchi Sri Sankaracharya: “For them, a Brahmin is above the law.”

Ignore for now the fallacy that a sanyasi is bound by varna – that is a question, I am unqualified to discuss. There is something else there that Mr. Tulsi got wrong. It is not that we claim our Dharmacharya to be above the law. It is just that the Law has sunk so low. By forsaking the solid ground of truth, the Law has slipped into a gutter where it lies unworthy of any respect or of even a second look.

After claiming to have “shocking and solid” evidence, the Law and its guardians have, time and time again, been proven outright liars. The testimony they claimed clinched the Acharya’s guilt turns out to be a litany of lies forced out under torture. They have failed to produce the purported key conspirators who link the Acharya to the crime. Not that we can believe any testimony they claim to elicit from witnesses in their custody anyway.

Mr. Tulsi himself has been caught in a lie. In open courts, Mr. Tulsi got up and said that a ‘deserted’ woman he implied was linked to the Acharya was involved in the murder, and had absconded with lakhs. This woman’s apprehension was essential to the investigation, said he.

That woman turned out to be one of the millions of the sick and destitute whom the Kanchi Sankaracharya has given help and solace to. And Mr. Tulsi turned out to be a slanderous liar.

Then, from the gutter, came the bizarre procession of new accusations, trumpeted by sensational headlines. There were cases from two years ago, and twelve years ago and twenty years ago. All from a band of lawmen who have not been able to sniff out a trail that is two months old! The Accusers promised skeletons would fall out of the Kanchi Acharya’s closet. Instead, it is the Prosecution that is parading out the ghouls.

So far, all that has been proven is that the law-enforcers are themselves liars, capable of unthinkable violence and cruelty. Frankly, they seem more likely murderers than the man they accuse. One of their witnesses came to court with a broken hand; the other described how his teeth were broken to extract false testimony.

It turns out the chief investigator has a long and documented history of such inhuman abuse. He’s even been convicted by a court of law. He disdains that court’s verdict against him. It was passed, he says, by only one biased judge, (neglecting to mention the more than eighty eye-witnesses that judge relied on). But he is quite happy submitting Sankaracharya before that very same court. And a verdict denying bail to an elderly person who has served people selflessly his entire life, that judgment could not possibly be biased, oh never!

The charges that SP Prem Kumar tortured people, intimidated witnesses and filed false cases – he claims these are scurrilous allegations raked up by supporters of the Acharya who want to derail the law. Oddly enough, the human rights magazine reporting his past record had lifted not a finger to help the Acharya. Also, they published their article on SP Prem Kumar the month before the Acharya’s surprising arrested. But why should facts get in the way of a confirmed liar like Prem Kumar?

The Chief Minister outdid them all. Having publicly pronounced the Sankaracharya guilty of murder, she gave those expected to be called as witnesses against him Five hundred thousand in currency. No doubt, this is an act of generosity never to be questioned, whereas if Sankaracharya’s organization gives a penniless woman some 5 or 10,000 rupees as charity, it is a certain sign of something illicit!

The CM’s tampering is so egregious that it eclipses the allegations by two other accused that the identification line-up was tainted, as the police openly coached witnesses.

A week or so ago, columnist S.Gurumurthy asked who was going to do the funeral for this case. It turns out the secular guardians of law are not above beating a dead horse. I asked in my last article, who are these people to judge a jagatguru? Well, now we have our answer. They are the ones with the whip hand. That is all.

They can haul anyone in, any time, for questioning. Should a journalist poke holes in their case (it’s hard not to), out comes the whip: be prepared for a grilling. If supporters should enter the mutt, out comes the whip: be prepared to be searched. If witnesses relate facts that contravene their theories, out comes the whip: they are threatened with prosecutions.

What is their reaction to anyone whose testimony indicates the Acharya’s innocence? Out with the whip! Srirangam Usha destroys their theory of misconduct with truth and the very next day we hear the police plan to arrest her on a two-year old case they never bothered to book her for in the first place! Mythili Raghavan destroys the fanciful fabrications of another accuser; lo and behold, the police tell the press they will press charges against her!

Today, the sole source of the Law’s authority is the use of force. For the Law and its guardians have conceded moral authority. The rulers of our land , who claim the Acharya is too dangerous to be given bail, persuade the courts that tainted politicians should be allowed to write the law of the land. If the people protest that the process is corrupted, the answer returns that only the corrupt can ask for an investigation into their corruption.This is how the Home Minister responded to concerned Tamil Nadu legislators.

To the guardians of law, the truth is not even an afterthought; it is irrelevant. They have lost all credibility, and we can no longer believe them.

And so, in desperation, what do they do? The same tainted policemen fabricate yet another confession. Yes, another confession that is denied flatly by the witness. This disputed ‘confession’ cannot be evidence, but they deliberately leak <b>excerpts</b> to <b>selected members</b> of the press. They do not bother to authenticate this purported confession. They do not bother to elucidate the context or the circumstances; they do not even care to disclose the entire sum of it. Nothing they disclosed would ever be stilted toward their version of events: we are to take Prem Kumar and Tulsi’s word for it! In a trial by the media, the accusers do not have to face the accused.

Excuse me, but when the Acharya himself- who for the past fifty years has been a fount of wisdom and compassion for millions- says he hasn’t confessed, and prolific liars say he has, it’s isn’t tough to choose who to believe!

Every fundamental principle of Justice has been violated when it comes to the Sankaracharya. And the violators have been the people deputed to render Justice through the Law.

The first and foremost principle of justice is the presumption of innocence. This is not a mere technicality in the law. It is a fundamental principle that has existed in every civilized human society from Hammurabi’s Babylon to the United States of America. Near Kanchipuram, in Madurai, our own ancestors have a story that teaches this principle.

Yet, from the very beginning, the Public Prosecutor of Tamil Nadu labeled the accused a criminal. In the very interview in which he accused supporters of flouting the Law, Tulsi contravened this essential principle of Justice. He publicly passed his verdict on the Sankaracharya: guilty, even before the charges were drafted! In a few days’ time, it was the Chief Minister’s turn. Before the police had bothered to complete their enquiries, she publicly declared the Acharya a murderer.

Finally, the High Court justice himself, before hearing a single witness or considering a shred of evidence, even before any date has been set for trial, announced in his public decision the judgment that there was reasonable evidence of Sankaracharya’s guilt! Without ever considering the merits of the case, he jumped to this conclusion.

In the case of any person, justice demands that the burden of proof of guilt should lie with the accuser. In the case of someone who has dedicated his life to service and charity, how much greater that burden should be! Is it just to pronounce our Dharmacharya guilty before he is even charged?

The second principle of justice is that the accused be given every opportunity to defend himself against his accusers. This, the Supreme Court of the Land has said, is so important, that bail should be the rule, denial the exception, because it holds that granted bail, a presumably innocent person is far better able to prepare his defense.

But the Acharya’s bail hearings have each dragged on for weeks. Bail has been denied, first on the flimsy charge that he might escape; then on the judgment that he was guilty before the charges were framed.

To prepare his defense, the accused must be given adequate access to counsel. Yet, the Sankaracharya was not given benefit of counsel on multiple occasions: not at the time of his arrest in Chennai, not before his remand hearing, not before his first bail application, and not during his interrogation.

To prepare his defense, the accused must be disclosed all the evidence against him. To prepare his defense, the accused must be able to question witnesses freely. How can this occur when the police are harassing any witness who might support his case? How can this occur when the Law is tampering with witnesses by buying those who are to testify for them and bullying those who would testify in favor of the accused?

Our demand, Mr. Tulsi, is a simple one: Justice!

We demand out Dharmacharya be presumed innocent. Stop smearing him with your lies and manipulations!

We demand that our Dharmacharya be given every opportunity to prepare his defense. Consent to bail for him, and ensure he has adequate assistance of counsel.

We demand you stop intimidating supporters, coaching witnesses, and manufacturing “evidence”. Stop cracking your whip at us because your lies have unraveled.

Or is it, Mr. Tulsi, that for you, a saffron-clad sanyasi is beneath Justice.

Every evidence brought forward of the Acharya’s guilt has crumbled before the world’s eyes. But the Prosecution presses on with blind fervor. Enough is enough!

Upon Sankaracharya’s arrest a month ago, a Tamil magazine proclaimed “Justice has died there.” Justice is the reason the Law exists. When Justice itself has died, why should the Law remain?

This was the principle that Kannagi invoked, when Pandiyaraaj – a ruler extolled for his fairness, executed her husband on false charges. The reputed Raaj that committed that one injustice burst into flames. This is a different era, in which ill-doers seem to flourish.

But there is a flame burning in the hearts of millions who watch this injustice continue. It is not the angry flame that burned down Madurai. It is a quiet, white-hot flame that burns away all impurity. <b>This</b> Raaj ignores it at its own peril.

If you have been following the exploits of Wendy and her children you might find this hilarious..

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianCivili...on/message/8753
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IndianCivili...n/message/47467

<!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo--> <!--emo&:roll--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/ROTFL.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='ROTFL.gif' /><!--endemo-->

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Amiga Persecution Complex: n.</b>

The disorder suffered by a particularly egregious variety of bigot, those who believe that the marginality of their preferred machine is the result of some kind of industry-wide conspiracy (for without a conspiracy of some kind, the eminent superiority of their beloved shining jewel of a platform would obviously win over all, market pressures be damned!) Those afflicted are prone to engaging in flame wars and calling for boycotts and mailbombings. Amiga Persecution Complex is by no means limited to Amiga users; NeXT, NeWS, OS/2, Macintosh, LISP, and GNU users are also common victims. Linux users used to display symptoms very frequently before Linux started winning; some still do. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->


It is not an exaggeration if the above definition is read as


<b>C/R Persecution Complex: n. </b>

<i>The disorder suffered by a particularly egregious variety of bigot, those who believe that the marginality of their preferred machine is the result of some kind of country-wide upper-caste conspiracy (for without a conspiracy of some kind, the eminent superiority of their beloved shining jewel of pet platform would obviously win over all, reality and facts be damned!) Those afflicted are prone to engaging in flame wars and calling for boycotts and mailbombings. C/R Persecution Complex is by no means limited to usual suspects; Communists, Socialists, Professional Secularists, Media, Brown Sahib Elite, Pakistan/Bangladesh Lovers, and Tree Huggers are also common victims. Missionaries and Mullahs used to display symptoms very frequently before they started winning; and they still do. </i>


It is quite ironic that such leaders who extol the virtues of global democracy, global village, pluralism, understanding, brotherhood, universal values, multiculturalism (you get the picture) rarely put the same in practise on the home front. Rather, they gain mileage by misleading and dividing people based on "caste and/or religion" and impart <i>C/R persecution complex </i> to their beloved followers by fanning blind hatred.

For a society divided is a country divided; sane, rational and logical people would do well to eschew such politics and polemic of hate and see through their leaders' hypocrisy and work towards a united and stronger India.

This thread is meant to collect articles that highlight this complex in the so-called leaders who are actually doing a disservice to their followers, blatantly abusing them and harming the nation. This goes both ways - exposing such politics and hypocrisy, no matter who does it - Truly secular! Folks!.

Folks

I would like to collect more information on the dravidianist history.

Added Later : I recognise the possibility this thread can lead to free for all tamil bashing. Please avoid doing this. I hate to modify/delete posts . Please, please use your judgement. Thankyou..

<b>Karl Marx's smoking gun </b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->It discloses that one of the world's most famous social thinkers invested £4 as one of the original shareholders on a working class British newspaper, the Industrial, which dissolved in 1883. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd--><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Although Marx did not live to see his ideas carried out, his work had a great influence in the formation of communist regimes at the start of the 20th Century. Communism became one of the leading world ideologies before its decline in the 1980s and 1990s.

Bearing in mind such huge influence, the shareholders' certificate of an obscure London newspaper may seem an unlikely place to find his signature in 1865. On it Marx described himself as a doctor of philosophy, on a list which included a tailor, joiner, painter and shoemaker.

Curator Sue Laurence says: "All the other shareholders have occupations listed and he's the only one without. Here are all these guys investing their money in this newspaper and all have gainful employment apart from him.

"The only gainful employment he looked for was as a railway clerk and that was rejected because his handwriting was so lousy."

It wasn't a surprise to find Marx involved in this kind of enterprise, she says, given his life - financed by his friend Friedrich Engels and beyond his own means - as a bourgeois gentleman.

"Marx played the markets in the UK and the US and this was a bit like a cooperative because the other men were upper middle class and this was a small-scale enterprise." <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->