[url="http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/oct/21franc.htm"]http://www.rediff.com/news/2003/oct/21franc.htm[/url]



The massacre of 6 million Jews by Hitler and the persecution Jews suffered all over the world in the last 15 centuries has been meticulously recorded by the Jews after 1945 and has been enshrined not only in history books, but also in Holocaust museums, the most famous one being in Washington, DC.



It has not been done with a spirit of revenge -- look at Israel and Germany today -- they are on the best of terms; yet, facts are facts and contemporary Germany had to come to terms with its terrible actions during World War II.



Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists have also suffered a terrible holocaust, probably without parallel in human history. Take the Hindu Kush for instance, probably one of the biggest genocides of Hindus. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' /> There is practically no serious research ever done about it and no mention in history books. Yet the name Hindu Kush appears many times in the writings of Muslim chroniclers in 1333 AD



Ibn Battutah, the medieval Berber traveller, said the name meant 'Hindu Killer,' a meaning still given by Afghan mountain dwellers. Unlike the Jewish holocaust, the exact toll of the Hindu genocide suggested by the name Hindu Kush is not available. 'However,' writes Hindu Kush specialist Srinandan Vyas, 'the number is easily likely to be in millions.'



A few known historical figures can be used to justify this estimate. The Encyclopaedia Britannica recalls that in December 1398 AD, Taimurlane ordered the execution of at least 50,000 captives before the battle for Delhi; likewise, the number of captives butchered by Taimurlane's army was about 100,000.



The Britannica again mentions that Mughal emperor Akbar ordered the massacre of about 30,000 captured Rajput Hindus on February 24, 1568 AD, after the battle for Chitod, a number confirmed by Abul Fazl, Akbar's court historian. Afghan historian Khondamir notes that during one of the many repeated invasions on the city of Herat in western Afghanistan, which used to be part of the Hindu Shahiya kingdoms '1,500,000 residents perished.' 'Thus,' writes Vyas, 'it is evident that the mountain range was named as Hindu Kush as a reminder to the future Hindu generations of the slaughter and slavery of Hindus during the Moslem conquests.'



Or take the recent plight of the Kashmiri Pandits. Over 400,000 Kashmiri Pandits have been forced to flee their homeland. Many Pandit men, women and children have been brutally murdered. About 70,000 still languish in makeshift refugee camps in Jammu and Delhi. Scores of temples in Kashmir have been desecrated, destroyed, looted, more than 900 educational institutions have been attacked by terrorists. Properties of Pandits have been vandalised, businesses destroyed or taken over, even hospitals have not been spared. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' />



Did you know that this huge human tragedy is taking place in Free India?



Burning books, looting culture is a very important part of the plan as we have seen during early Muslim invasions, where Buddhist centres of learning were ruthlessly burnt and razed to the ground.



Kashmir was also the crucible of knowledge, spirituality, a hallowed centre of learning and the cradle of Shivaism. It was known as Sharda Peeth, the abode of learning. Kashmiri Pandits excelled in philosophy, aesthetics, poetics, sculpture, architecture, mathematics, astronomy and astrology. Sanskrit was studied, propagated and spoken by women and men. Scholars like Kalhan, Jonraj, Srivar, Abhinavgupta, Somanand, Utpaldev, Somdev and Kshemendra created an intellectual centre of unrivalled repute.



Fundamentalism and terrorism have been ruthless in their assault on Sharda Peeth, zealous in ravaging its heritage, and consistent only in bloodthirsty intolerance. The destruction of Hindu places of worship, forced conversions of Pandits and death and ignominy to those who resisted, were accompanied by a savage assault on literary activity. This process has been going on since centuries.



As a correspondent covering India for more than 20 years, I have witnessed the terrible damage terrorism in Kashmir has inflicted upon people's lives, their families, their culture, the very fabric of society, not only of the Kashmiri Pandits, but also Muslims in the valley, who after all, are victims too of Pakistan's bloody designs. Hence, with two journalist friends, we started a Foundation: FACT -- Foundation Against Continuing Terrorism.



The first task of FACT has been to mount an exhibition on terrorism, focussing on the plight of the Kashmiri Pandits, so that the people of India, who do not suffer directly from terrorism understand, what it does to others. This exhibition, which opened at the Habitat Centre, New Delhi, on July 18, was a great success. More than 25,000 people visited the exhibition till its closing day, on July 23. Among them were Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Justice A S Anand, Rajya Sabha MP Dr Karan Singh, Union Minister Murli Manohar Joshi... It was covered by most English and Hindi national newspapers and reported on the television channels.



Our aim is manifold: we would like to take the present exhibition all around India and all over the world, particularly the United States, where most symposiums on Kashmir, including some organized by the US State Department, are peopled mostly by Pakistanis, Muslims and US-based Indians who are anti-Hindu.



We would also like to start another exhibition on forced Christian conversions in the Northeast. Ultimately, we would like to build a Hindu/ Sikh/Buddhist Indian Holocaust Museum based in New Delhi, or in Bangalore. It will record not only the genocide of Hindus Sikhs and Buddhists at the hands of Muslim invaders, but also the terrible persecution of the Portuguese (hardly mentioned in Indian history books) and British -- nobody knows for instance that 20 million Indians died of famine between 1815 and 1920, because the English broke the agricultural backbone of India to get raw materials like cotton, jute etc. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':blink:' /> :furious



We need your support for this Indian Holocaust Museum.



Francois Gautier



-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Forward it to your friends..... a good article to keep. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

I would like to use this thread to compile various dress styles in India.



Saris



Why do I find that most women look so much better in a sari with a bindi on their forehead?



An invention which has dominated for thousands of years, a sari allows a woman to express her personality. Depending on how one wears it, a sari can be a garb of modesty or be a sexy attire.



Long live the sari!



[url="http://www.sulekha.com/weblogs/weblogdesc.asp?cid=4537&nma=MIA"]http://www.sulekha.com/weblogs/weblogdesc....id=4537&nma=MIA[/url]

Quote:Ask Indian men about what looks best on women and most would answer unanimously: Sari. There is this timeless quality about the sari that has ensured its existence over thousands of years and survival despite the onslaught of many a fashion.

Admins, I could not find proper thread to post announcement(s) about events (social, cultural or political etc), hence I am creating a new thread. Should you feel this is not needed please delete after few days. Thank you.



----



The most talked about and researched movie 'Veer Savarkar' is coming

to the silver screen in Washington, DC Metropolitan area. This is the

movie that every Indian must see. The movie will not be released on

DVD or VCD for another year. One should not miss the chance of seeing

this epoch making event. Please mark your calendar.



Movie: Veer Savarkar

Date: Sunday, November 9, 2003

Time: 1:30 PM

Place: Loehmann Plaza Twin Cinemas

(7291 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church, VA 22042)

Admission: $8.00 per person (children under 6 years free)



Event Organized by Savrkar Darshan Pratishtan & World Hindu Council

of the USA.



For information please call:

Adapa V. Prasad: (410) 531-2933

Satish Misra: (301) 340-2983

Prem Rangwani: (703) 948-9549

Sharadanad: (301) 917-1555

Vandana Joshi: (703) 803-2872



Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was a brilliant poet, powerful writer,

electrifying speaker, great patriot and a dauntless revolutionary. He



personified an effulgent philosophy that had the capacity to

strengthen the national spirit, to rouse the Hindu Society to its

shortcomings, to cleanse it of them, and to make it a mighty being

cemented with the feeling of unity and equality.



:thumbsup :clapping :beer

I am presenting two news reports: one, of Pres. Bush's visit to Hindu Bali; the second, of Muslim News report on the request from Governor of Bali to promote Hindu culture in Bali.



Here is an opportunity which should be seized to promote Hindu-Indonesia relationships which were very strong for a millennium between 8th and 18th centuries. Jakarta has the most magnificent edifice of Gitopades'am sculpture adoring the centre of the capital city. Indonesia has a 20,000 rupiah note which shows Vinayaka. A Garuda-Vishnu dhvaja stambha is being built in Jakarta, which will be a spiritual marvel.



The response of 'secular' Min. of External Affairs of Bharat, that is Indis is indeed shocking and shows the state of affairs in Bharat created by the Marxist, pseudo-secular mind-set.



When there is an opportunity to build up the traditions in Indonesia where Mahabharata and Ramayana episodes are still taught to school children and celebrated in theatrical shows adored by millions of Indonesians, Bharat also can learn from Indonesia on how to introduce Dharma in educational system and in the cultural affairs of a nation.



Bali is representative of the Hindu states of South-east Asia. There is a magnificent book by George Coedes titled Indianized States of Southeast Asia which is replete with Sanskrit inscriptions between 8th and 18th centuries in the region. Cambodia has the largest Hindu temple in the world: Angkor Wat (Nagara Va_t.ika). Every Cambodian family has a temple in every house and every Cambodian venerates the values of Hindu Dharma. Ayodhya is the second capital city of Thailand which has a King whose princess daughter is a Sanskrit scholar. Tiruppavai, Tiruvembavai are sung in Thailand during the King's coronation.



Now is the time to launch an Indian Ocean Academy to intensify people and scholar exchanges among Bharat and Asian States promoting Dharma-Dhamma. Bharatiyas should donate a jagannath ratha to Cambodia to celebrate a car-festival in Angkor Wat. Bharatiyas should send priests to train the local devotees in the Asian countries to perform puja-s according to a_gama-s..



Kalyanaraman





Bush, in Bali, Listens to Leaders' Complaints

By JANE PERLEZ



Published: October 22, 2003







ENPASAR, Indonesia, Oct. 22 — President Bush made a three-hour visit to the world's most populous Muslim nation today, a visit that was restricted for security reasons to Bali, the Hindu part of the country, and just to the airport area of the resort island.



The president is unpopular in Indonesia, but his appearance was mandated by what planners of the stopover called his desire to visit his firm ally, Australia, at the end of his Asian tour, and the political embarrassment that would be caused by flying over a moderate Muslim nation on his way south.



In a session intended to show that Mr. Bush was in a listening mode, the president heard complaints about his foreign policy from three Indonesian Muslim leaders selected by the White House for their moderate views.



Indonesia's most popular Muslim television preacher, Abdullah Gymanstiar, who has been embraced by the American Embassy in Indonesia as the model of a moderate Islamic leader, refused an invitation to meet Mr. Bush, calling him a man without compassion.



After the encounter with the president, Hasyim Muzadi, the chairman of the largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, with an estimated membership of 40 million, said he told Mr. Bush that his Middle East policy unfairly favored Israel.



He asked the president when American troops would leave Iraq to the Iraqis and told Mr. Bush, he said, that the United States should stop seeing Indonesia as a "terrorist's nest because Indonesia is a terror victim."



Mr. Bush tried to make the best out of what many Indonesians seemed to regard as an awkward visit, saying in a short speech that the United States and Indonesia held some common values: religious diversity and respect for liberty.



"Americans hold a deep respect for the Islamic faith which is professed by a growing number of my own citizens," Mr. Bush said. "We know Islam is fully compatible with liberty, tolerance and progress. We see the proof in your country."



Mr. Bush spoke from a thatched-roof pagoda, especially crafted for the occasion to give him and the Indonesian leader, Megawati Sukarnoputri, a Balinese context even though they were on the edge of the island's international airport.



American officials had deliberated for days over the exact spot for the pagoda so that the cameras would capture a photo-perfect backdrop: the azure blue Indian Ocean with gently cresting waves, two potted palms waving in the breeze and tubs of flowers personally designed by the staff of Ms. Megawati, who is a plant lover.



In the distance, American warships, especially diverted for Mr. Bush's visit, patrolled the waters, and an extraordinary number of Secret Service and other security officials patrolled the grounds of the airport hotel where Mr. Bush held his official meetings.



Regard for the United States has plummeted in Indonesia since the war in Iraq, largely because the war was seen as a battle against Islam. A recent Pew poll showed that 61 percent of Indonesians held a positive view of the United States in mid-2002, but only 15 percent held a favorable view in June 2003.



Indonesia is the base for Jemaah Islamiyah, a terrorist group that has been held responsible by the United States for the attack on a Bali nightclub last year that killed more than 200 people. The same group is blamed by the United States for the suicide bombing of the Marriott Hotel in the capital, Jakarta, in July.



Mr. Muzadi said he told Mr. Bush that people in Indonesia viewed the United States campaign on terror as a fight against Islam.



According to an American official, Mr. Bush seemed puzzled by the accusation, and pushed back, saying that as president he did not equate Islam with terrorism.



Mr. Bush also insisted that his Middle East policy was balanced because he was the first American president to call for an independent Palestine, the official said.



Before the visit, some Indonesians said they hoped Mr. Bush would modulate his usually stern message on terrorism, which they said often offends many Indonesians.



In a nod to a more nuanced approach, Mr. Bush offered $157 million for Indonesian education over the next six years. American officials said this would go chiefly to primary schools, including Islamic boarding schools.



The Bali locale turned out to be politically and logistically convenient, even though it meant that Mr. Bush skirted the Muslim heartland of Indonesia, American officials said.



The president's presence in Hindu Bali was justified because Bali was the site of the terror attack last year, they said.



In his speech, Mr. Bush paid tribute to the victims of the blast, and their families. He also thanked the Indonesian government for making headway in rounding up terrorists, some of whom have been sentenced to death after guilty verdicts in the Bali nightclub trials.



But while the Indonesians have arrested scores of Jemaah Islamiyah members, American officials have said the group still maintains cells.



The White House was also vexed by a recent speech by Ms. Megawati to the United Nations General Assembly in which she criticized the war in Iraq for causing more problems than it solved.



But despite these irritations, the Bush administration has decided that Ms. Megawati, the daughter of Indonesia's founding father, Sukarno, is the best bet among the many candidates in next year's national elections, the first direct polling for a president in the nation's history.



Whether a show of support from Mr. Bush will do much for Ms. Megawati's fortunes, given his lack of popularity among Indonesians, remains to be seen.



Indonesia's most prominent intellectual Muslim leader, Nurcolish Madjid, who has a doctorate from the University of Chicago, and has entered the presidential race, gave the clear signal that he thought Mr. Bush was not much help to him.



Mr. Madjid said he believed that his Islamic colleagues were wasting their time in meeting with Mr. Bush. "It will be in vain," he said before today's meeting.



Aside from Mr. Muzadi, the other Muslim leaders who met with Mr. Bush were Syafii Maarif, the head of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim group in Indonesia, with about 30 million members, and Azyumardi Azra, the director of the State Islamic University in Jakarta, where secular as well as religious subjects are included in the curriculum.



At the last minute, after the refusal of Mr. Gymanstiar, a Christian, the Rev. Natan Setiabudi, and a Hindu from Bali, Ida Pedanda Gede Made Gunung, were included in the session. Indonesians are taught in school that Indonesia respects five main religions: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism and Christianity, which is usually interpreted in Indonesia as Protestantism.



[url="http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/international/asia/22CND-BALI.html?pagewanted=2&hp"]http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/22/internat...pagewanted=2&hp[/url]



India denies Bali Govt sought help to promote Hindu culture



12-10-2003, Muslim News



By Chiang Mai (Thailand)



Press Trust of India:



India on Sunday denied media reports that the governor of Bali had written to it requesting cooperation in protection and promotion of Hindu culture among younger generations in Bali in Indonesia.



"No such communication was received" by the government, External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said.



According to media reports the Indian External Affairs Ministry had asked Bali governor Dewa Made Bertha to use the phrase "Indian culture" rather than "Hindu culture" since India was a secular country.



Bertha had called on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on October 7 in Bali on the sidelines of the second India-ASEAN summit there. He had thanked Vajpayee for all the cooperation by India, including scholarships for students of Bali in Sanskrit and Indian studies.



The spokesman said the Bali governor had requested the Prime Minister for additional scholarships for students in technical education.



Vajpayee in turn had assured Bertha on possible cooperation and instructed the Indian ambassador HK Singh to implement the request for additional scholarships in technical education.



[url="http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=5939"]http://www.muslimnews.co.uk/news/news.php?article=5939[/url]

A project taking india back to roots with IT!!



[url="http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/oct03/spt5.asp"]http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/o.../oct03/spt5.asp[/url]



sorry for opening new thread for this but i could not find a place to post it. <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

<img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />



MOD Note: Thread title edited from "Revitalization of Sanskrit with IT" to Revivalism of Sanskrit" - Krishna!

[url="http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/articles/revelation/revelation.html"]http://www.swordoftruth.com/swordoftruth/a...revelation.html[/url]



if this is true then its more dangerous than pak/chin <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':unsure:' /> isn't it? <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/sad.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Ladies & Gentlemen,



A couple of questions: Have you ever bought any books, online, from Indian sites? Are there any particular, known, sites that you have used? Any price matching sites ala pricegrabber, pricematch, allbookstores et al.,



A few books I'm looking for right now:

• #@$^%*&()$^%*&
  
  
• #^%*&()_+$^%&*(
  
  
• #$^%*&()_+^%*&()
  
  

I am planning to go to India in the near future. Tickets for the Indian leg of the journey have always been somewhat of a problem. as you know IA charges a high rate if you buy here (almost double). When buying in India, I need the tickets to be either sent back to me in the US or delivered to the counter at my port of entry (Hyderabad). is there such a thing as electronic ticketing in India. I dont want to bother family and friends at 12:00 midnight just to come and deliver the tickets to me or have to leave the airport just for a few hours

Opening a thread to discuss ideas on selling or spreading Indian culture.



Per Mudy's advice in the 'Indian Movies' thread - will be donating my Hindi movies with English subtitles to local library. :guitar

I'm all for +ve psy ops.



I'd like others to contribute their experience/ideas in this area. Hopefully this thread will be kind of an 'action' thread than just plain old :argue yak-yak thread.

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