<b>A Hindu wedding for US couple</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Every traditional detail was observed - there were Vedic mantras, a priest, a fire and even two locals who stood in for the bride's parents for the ritual of 'kanyadan' to give her away.
"India is the birthplace of yoga and Vedic traditions and spirituality fascinates me," said Cain.
"This was a marriage with a difference. It hardly matters that they belong to other religions. Their love for our culture and tradition motivated me," said Prafulla Mohapatra, the priest who conducted the rituals.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Can anyone translate this in englis? I can get crude translation in translator services, but it might be too important to understand accurately.. after all Roma are Indians...
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->REPORTAGE
La ville où les Roms sont chez eux
LE MONDE | 10.03.05
Peuplée de 40 000 habitants, roms pour la plupart, Shuto Orizari, en Macédoine, se veut le foyer de la conscience d'un peuple éparpillé.
Les poings tatoués enfouis au fond des poches de son jean, Salhi Bechir, le visage grave, descend la rue Washington et pousse la porte des préfabriqués du comité des Roms du Kosovo. Réfugié, à la recherche de ses enfants dont il est sans nouvelles depuis cinq ans, il compte désormais sur cette instance, financée notamment par le Haut-Commissariat aux réfugiés (HCR), pour obtenir des informations sur les disparus. "Nous ne sommes pas arrivés directement ici,raconte Muslin Magili, un des responsables du comité,nous avons voyagé dans toute la Macédoine avant d'y trouver refuge. Il n'y a qu'ici que nous sommes libres."
Ici, c'est Shuto Orizari, "Shutka" pour les Macédoniens. Filmée par Emir Kusturica dans Le Temps des Gitans, cette ville de 40 000 habitants jouxte Skopje, la capitale de la Macédoine. Devenue le foyer de la conscience rom, elle tente de se débarrasser de la misère qui lui colle à la peau : taudis, enfants sales, trafics en tout genre.
Partis d'Inde au Xe siècle, les Roms s'installent en Macédoine au XIVe siècle. Ils constituent aujourd'hui la deuxième minorité de ce pays de 2 millions d'habitants au sud des Balkans, où coexistent Slaves (64,8 %), Albanais (25 %) et Turcs (3,8 %). Au lendemain de la guerre, après l'extermination de 500 000 d'entre eux dans les camps de la mort, l'idée de créer un Romanistan avait déjà mobilisé les énergies. Depuis toujours, la Macédoine a été un refuge pour ce peuple apatride.
De leur côté, les Macédoniens, qui n'ont jamais eu d'Etat, se montrent ouverts au développement de leurs propres minorités. En 1948, des Roms siègent pour la première fois au conseil municipal de Skopje. Et au début des années 1950 naissent l'union sportive Ekipe (Unité) et l'association culturelle Phralipe (Fraternité), qui organise des concerts de musique rom et des représentations de danse et de théâtre. De cette pépinière de talents émergera notamment la "Reine des Tziganes", Esma Redzepova, une diva qui fera connaître cette musique dans le monde entier.
L'histoire de Shuto Orizari débute par un événement tragique. Le 26 juillet 1963, un tremblement de terre ravage les deux tiers de Skopje. Les Roms, sédentarisés depuis le XVIIe siècle dans le quartier de Topana, partent tous vivre à Shuto Orizari, sur les flancs d'une colline, au bord d'une décharge. Très vite, le faubourg se transforme en une cité à part entière avec son administration, son cinéma, ses magasins.
En 1996, à la faveur d'une loi de décentralisation, Shuto Orizari devient la première municipalité rom du monde, la première ville où le romanès, aux racines indiennes, devient langue officielle. "Nous sommes un cas unique", rappelle fièrement Erduan Iseni, le maire. Derrière lui flotte le drapeau vert et bleu frappé d'un pont et d'une roue, emblème de la ville. Le pont, c'est le célèbre Kamen Most ("pont de pierre" en macédonien), qui enjambe le Vardar à Skopje. La roue symbolise le nomadisme de ce peuple du voyage. "Nous avons tous les droits mais nous ne pouvons nous émanciper, faute de moyens. Nous avons de nombreux problèmes d'éducation, de logement, d'aide sociale", souligne le maire.
En dépit de l'émergence d'une classe moyenne à Shutka, la majorité des Roms vit sa romanité le ventre creux. Comme Tahir, rencontré rue Che-Guevara. Assis sur une jante de camion, il fume pensivement une cigarette. Autour de lui, des enfants en guenilles courent, s'interpellent en romanès. La vie a creusé les traits de cet homme qui, à 50 ans passés, est revenu chez lui après avoir vécu vingt ans en Allemagne. "Je suis parti à la fin des années 1970 pour trouver du travail."
De retour à Shuto Orizari, il habite dans un taudis. Ici, quatre planches et trois tôles suffisent à faire une maison. Alors que le muezzin appelle à la prière de 19 heures, sa femme l'arrache à ses pensées : la petite dernière a faim.
Aret Shakir essaie d'agir contre cette situation. Ce diplômé en droit, mi-Turc mi-Rom, a découvert il y a seulement trois ans sa romanité. Aujourd'hui, au sein d'une association indépendante, il veut sensibiliser les Roms à la défense de leurs droits : "Il y a 95 % de chômeurs dans les rues, la plupart improvisent des commerces, ils vivent au jour le jour. Il n'y a pas d'usine. Tout le monde vit de l'aide sociale. Notre seul espoir, ce sont les ONG et le financement international." Aret Shakir le reconnaît, il faut d'abord se battre contre certaines traditions. "Les filles, par exemple, ne restent pas longtemps à l'école, parce que leurs parents les marient très tôt." Et puis, ajoute ce jeune juriste, "il y a aussi un fatalisme social".
A contre-courant des instances officielles, il déplore un certain communautarisme qui est à la fois un legs du passé et une tendance de la société macédonienne tout entière. "Cela accentue notre ségrégation. Il y a un double mouvement de ghettoïsation : par les autres et par nous-mêmes, alors que nous voulons avant tout nous intégrer."
Certes, les accords de paix d'Ohrid, signés le 13 août 2001 pour mettre fin à six mois de guerre civile entre la guérilla albanaise et le gouvernement macédonien, prévoient la mise en place d'une discrimination positive afin de favoriser l'accès des minorités à la fonction publique. "La municipalité ne peut pas faire beaucoup plus sans le soutien de notre gouvernement. Et notre seul représentant au Parlement est exclu de la coalition entre Albanais et Macédoniens", regrette Aret Shakir.
Construit en bordure de la rue principale, le marché fait battre le cÅur de la ville. Vêtements à petit prix, hi-fi, disques, légumes venus des alentours, tabac : on y trouve de tout. Surtout des contrefaçons. Entre les étals serrés, les vendeurs s'interpellent, rameutent les clients. Leurs voix cassées par le tabac peinent à couvrir le vacarme des enceintes de vendeurs de turbo-folk, cette musique populaire qui mêle rythme rom et synthétiseurs survitaminés. Entre commerçants, la concurrence est féroce. C'est à qui vendra ses pastèques ou ses piments.
Sur les toits d'une grande villa rose, semblable à celles construites par les émigrés qui ont fait "fortune", de grandes paraboles tutoient le ciel. Elles diffusent les émissions de Shutel, l'une des deux stations de télévision rom de Shutka.
Dans le salon transformé en salle de rédaction, plus de dix personnes préparent le journal du soir. Deux ordinateurs et quelques dépêches permettent de traiter les sujets internationaux. Le reste est dévoué à l'actualité nationale et à la cause rom. Représentants de partis politiques, présidents d'association et stars locales, tous sont invités à débattre dans un décor des plus kitsch. "30 % de nos programmes sont en romanès, le reste est en macédonien. Nous diffusons des talk-shows et des émissions éducatives pour apprendre la langue et l'alphabet roms", raconte un des journalistes. Le soir, Shutel participe aussi à la prise de conscience des racines indiennes des Roms en diffusant les films de Bollywood. Rue du Vietnam, la cloche sonne. C'est l'heure, pour les cinquante-quatre jeunes filles aidées par l'ONG catholique Caritas, de reprendre les cours. Emilija Bozinovska est une institutrice slave. Tailleur et chignon aussi gris que stricts, elle explique : "Nous enseignons l'histoire, la géographie et les sciences aux filles roms de 14 à 23 ans. Certaines ne savaient même pas le nom de leur pays."A 19 ans, Lenina, une élève de l'école, a de nouveau des projets d'avenir. Ses parents étant au chômage, elle avait dû quitter l'école pour travailler. Aujourd'hui, elle se sent "rescapée": "Ici, dit-elle en souriant, c'est mieux que dehors : j'ai appris à lire et à compter. Je me plais à Shutka et je veux y rester. Je rêve d'être coiffeuse et de faire de la création."
Coexister avec les autres minorités demeure un défi. Les Albanais, qui jusqu'alors ne venaient pas à Shutka, y achètent maintenant des terrains en nombre pour construire. "L'an dernier, il y a même eu des bagarres autour de l'une des deux écoles de Shutka", raconte Saïp Iseni, directeur du plus grand établissement primaire de la ville. "Au début, mon collègue de l'autre école avait ouvert une classe pour que les Albanais puissent, comme les Roms, suivre l'enseignement dans leur langue. Aujourd'hui, ils sont plus de mille neuf cents, et il n'y a presque plus d'enfants roms dans cette école : les parents craignent pour eux à cause des tensions intercommunautaires."
Tous les enfants roms s'étant rabattus sur son établissement, Saïp Iseni a dû composer : "On travaille en trois tranches horaires", explique-t-il. Construite en 1963 pour un millier d'enfants, l'école accueille aujourd'hui plus de 2 000 élèves. "Nous recevons des aides, notamment d'ONG étrangères, conclut Saïp Iseni, mais ça ne suffit pas, surtout depuis l'arrivée de 150 petits Roms kosovars."
Depuis 1999, plus de 4 000 Roms du Kosovo sont en effet réfugiés à Shutka. La ville, malgré les problèmes sanitaires et financiers posés par cette population, veut être fidèle à sa tradition d'hospitalité et s'est fait un devoir de les accueillir. Chassés par les Albanais qui les accusent d'avoir participé, en 1999, au nettoyage ethnique aux côtés des Serbes, les Roms du Kosovo attendent un éventuel retour dans leur pays. Sans grand espoir. "Nous ne pouvons pas rentrer. Nos maisons sont constamment redétruites par les Albanais", explique l'un d'entre eux, Gasyani Muharem. Le HCR a construit des baraquements ; mais la médiocrité des conditions sanitaires l'a obligé à fermer le camp de réfugiés. Ceux-ci s'entassent désormais dans des logements laissés vacants par les émigrés partis chercher du travail en Europe de l'Ouest.
Tant que le statut du Kosovo n'est pas adopté, le retour des Roms n'est pas envisageable. "Cela fait cinq ans que nous sommes ici. Nous avons demandé l'asile en Europe de l'Ouest sans résultat. Le HCR ne cherche pas vraiment à nous aider, mais plutôt à trouver le moyen de nous faire rester ici. Quant aux Macédoniens, ils ne s'occupent pas de nous. Ils disent qu'ils ont leurs propres problèmes", regrette Regys Berisha, du comité des Roms du Kosovo. En effet, leur statut de réfugié n'est pas reconnu par le pays ; ils ne bénéficient ni de soins, ni d'éducation, et n'ont pas le droit de travailler.
Si aujourd'hui les Roms de Macédoine jouissent d'une reconnaissance politique et culturelle que leurs cousins européens pourraient leur envier, la romanité reste pourtant un obstacle en dehors de Shutka. De nombreux Roms préfèrent ainsi se déclarer Turcs ou Albanais pour échapper à la discrimination plutôt que de révéler leur véritable identité. D'où la difficulté de recenser précisément les Roms en Macédoine. Même s'ils sont parvenus à conserver leur culture, ceux-ci subissent de plein fouet l'évolution instable de ce pays et de ses sÅurs yougoslaves, depuis l'éclatement de la fédération en 1991.
Face à ces problèmes qui continuent de gangrener la vie des Roms, le maire, Saïp Iseni, réclame une prise de conscience : "Nous ne sommes pas des gens "exotiques". Nous en savons plus sur l'Europe que l'Europe n'en sait sur nous. Si les Européens restent aveugles, nous continuerons de leur envoyer des émigrants parce que nous sommes pauvres et sans éducation !" Il lance un appel : "Nous voulons que des parlementaires européens viennent juger par eux-mêmes. Shuto Orizari pourrait devenir un modèle pour d'autres pays, comme la Slovaquie par exemple, où la condition des Roms est la pire."
Sébastien Daycard-Heidet Simon Mazurelle
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->http://www.viewzone.com/baboquivari.html
<b>The O'Odham: Native-Americans With Ancestors From India? </b>
<i>By Gene D. Matlock, BA, M.A. </i>
Hindu scholars have always claimed that in remotest times, their ancestors visited every part of the globe, mapping it accurately, and mining gold and copper in such places as Michigan, Colorado, Arizona, England, Ireland, Peru, and Bolivia. Known to us as "Indo-Europeans," they lost their grip on the world in about 1500 BC., retreating to what are now Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Northern India. However, they continued to visit the Americas in their large teakwood ships, many of them 250 feet long and five- to six-masted, until about 1200 A.D. After that, the sectarian fanaticism and territorialism of their religious leaders, rebellions among their conquered subjects, constant internecine rivalries, and troubles with Moslem invaders forced them into isolation. No Westerner naively accepts India's claims of having once dominated the world. Right? Well, some of us do. In an essay entitled On Egypt from the Ancient Book of the Hindus (Asiatic Researchers Vol. III, 1792), British Lt. Colonel Francis Wilford gave abundant evidence proving that ancient Indians colonized and settled in Egypt. The British explorer John Hanning Speke, who in 1862 discovered the source of the Nile in Lake Victoria, acknowledged that the Egyptians themselves didn't have the slightest knowledge of where the Nile's source was. However, Lt. Colonel Wilford's description of the Hindu's intimate acquaintance with ancient Egypt led Speke to Ripon Falls, at the edge of Lake Victoria. The Hindus also claim that the gospel of their deity Shiva was once the religion of the world and the progenitor of all religions coming after it. "Isvar was the only god in India, the whole of Asia, the southern parts of Russia, Mediterranean countries, Egypt, Greece, the whole of Europe, the human inhabited places of both Americasâ¦and also in England and Ireland. In all these lands, Isvar was the religion with slight variations in the pronunciation of the word Isvarâ¦.the Isvar religion is the mother of all religions in the world, including Christianity and Islam." (Remedy the Frauds in Hinduism, by Kuttikhat Purushothama Chon; p. 36.) While the languages our forefathers spoke thousands of years ago would be completely unrecognizable to us now, the names of their deities (those that survived to this modern age) may be immediately recognizable to their respective modern adherents, such as the Christians, Jews, Moslems, Jains, Buddhists, and Hindus. Names of deities tend not to change.
Isvar was and is especially visible (to discerning eyes) in our own Southwest as well as in Northern and Central Mexico. Some tribes even worshiped God Shiva's wives and consorts. Spanish priest, Andres Perez de Ribas wrote in his book, My Life Among the Savage Nations of New Spain, that a Northern Mexican tribe worshiped two deities: Viriseva and a mother goddess named Vairubai. Viriseva means "Lord Siva" in Sanskrit. Vairubai has to be (a mispronouncing of) Bhairava, another name of Siva's consort, Goddess Durga. A few Hindu scholars insist that not all their gods and religious traditions are natives of the Indian subcontinent. When the ancient Nagas retreated to India, they also took back the deities and religious traditions they had acquired abroad, incorporating them into "Hinduism," a term meaning "The Indus Valley Way of Life." Historian Chon states: "There are strong indications in our ancient texts that the places and events described in them are lying outside the geographical limits of India But when we talk of geographical limits, â¦are they the national boundaries of post-independent India? Or are they the boundaries of India, the ancient?"
(Remedy the Frauds in Hinduism; p.30.) I'm especially impressed with the traditions of the Pimas (Akimel O'Odham) and Papagos (Tohono O'Odham) of Southern Arizona and Northern Mexico. Although I could write a lengthy article about Isvarist (worship of the Hindu deity, Shiva) practices in practically every Southwestern United States, Mexican, Central and South American Indian tribe, even India-Indian spiritual geography is reproduced abundantly in the O'Odham nation.
Though the pre-conquest era O'odhams were relatively primitive, the Spaniards admired them for their intelligence, industry, and high philosophy. Some Catholic missionary priests thought they were the progenitors of the Aztecs. About 5,000 BC or earlier, a brilliant deified Phoenician Naga king and philosopher named Kuvera (also Kubera) learned how to smelt copper, gold, and other metals. These activities took place in the kingdom named after him, Khyber ("Kheeveri"), which consisted of a group of craggy mountains in what are now Southeastern Afghanistan and Northeastern Pakistan (i.e. the Khyber Pass). According to Hindu mythology, Kuvera and God Shiva lived in the totally barren, mineral-poor, goldless, frigid, lofty, bell-shaped or pyramidical peak of Kailasa in Western Tibet. Edward Pococke stated in his book India in Greece, The Khyber; its region is wealthy and abounds with rubies; gold is found in the mines in its vicinity, and it (the Kheeveri kingdom) was likewise the ruling power in those early days. (p.220.) We derived our word "copper" from Kuvera's name. Eventually, the Nagas extended their influence over all of India. If you've intuited that Afghan Khyber (Kheever), Hebrew Heber (pronounced Kheever), Egyptian Khepri, Greek Khyphera, Cabeiri, Cypriotic Cip'ri (Kheep'ri), biblical Capernaum, Arabic Khabar, O'Odham Babo-Quivari (Kheeveri), Francisco de Coronado's search for the fabled Quivira (Kheevira), ad infinitum, are somehow linked, you've intuited correctly.
But why do the Hindus and Buddhists worship Kuvera and Shiva in a barren peak and not in the Khyber mountain range itself? I don't want to get "mystical," but the "reason" for this anomaly is the world's best-kept millennium's-old secret. Besides, it's not the focus of this article. Kuh or Koh = "Hump; Mountain" while Vera or Vira = "Hero; Lord." The Nagas, also called Nakas and Nahu(a)s, were a highly civilized ruling, maritime and mercantile class who once inhabited what is now Afghanistan, Tibet, Pakistan, and Northwestern India. The Nag ("Self-Consuming Serpent") was one of their principal tribal emblems. The substance of Kuvera's teachings is that God, then called Dyau, Deo, Dyaus or Jyaus, put all the plants, animals, ores, and minerals on earth for Man's enjoyment. As long as Man protects the happiness and security of all humanity, he need not place any limits on his greed. Kuvera's teachings spread throughout the whole world.
"Originally, the Asuras or Nagas were not only a civilized people, but a maritime power, and in the Mahabharata, where the ocean is described as their habitation, an ancient legend is preserved of how Kadru, the mother of serpents, compelled Garuda (the Eagle or Hawk) to serve her sons by transporting them across the sea to a beautiful country in a distant land, which was inhabited by Nagas, The Asuras (Nagas) were expert navigators, possessed of very considerable naval resources, and had founded colonies upon distant coasts." (The Encircled Serpent, by M. Oldfield, p. 47.) "Asura" is the Indian equivalent of Assyria (really Asuriya and Asir) and the Persian Ahura of Zoroastrianism. It derives from the name of the ancient Hindu sun god Ashur. The Naga capital was called Oudh, Iodh, Yudh, and Ayodhya. Located near what is now Herat, Afghanistan, it is not to be confused with todays Oudh or Ayodhya in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The citizens of Oudh were called Oudh-am and Otia-Am. Am = "People" in Sanskrit.
In those days, only a few million people inhabited the earth. Most humans were cavemen and less. The Nagas didn't entrust their highly developed technologies to such aborigines. But they did teach them how to build simple thatch and adobe homes, and to raise vegetable and animal foods. They also taught them about the Creator of All Life, Dyaus or Jyaus. Even today the O'Odhams call it Jeoss or Josh. Joshi is one of God Shiva's many names. Some White Arizonians mistakenly insist that the O'Odhams derived this term from Dios (Spanish for "God"), Jesus, or Joshua. The innocent Arizona aborigines believed these Nagas from Oudh, Afghanistan (part of India until the late 1700s) were gods. They even named themselves Oudham, which they pronounced as O'Odham or O'Ot'ham. An ancient Sanskrit word for "brotherhood; fraternity" is Ton; Tahun. The Papagos called themselves Tohono O'Odham, or "Oudh-am Fraternity." Tohono now means "Desert" in the O'Odham language. The Pimas settled along winding rivers, which seemed to look like writhing serpents. They named themselves Akimel O'Odham. "Akimel" derives from the Sanskrit Ahi-Mahal (Great Serpent). This name eventually came to mean "River." The Nagas dug deep wells in the desert, siphoning water.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
http://www.maachandi.com/Poster.pdf
Hindustani's from the Netherlands(Europe) have plans to build the biggest Mandir- Complex in the world outside India
The 75 milion EURO project wil include a library, MegaStore, school, Yoga Room, Theater and much more <!--emo&:thumbsup--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbup.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='thumbup.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Hindustani's from the Netherlands(Europe) have plans to build the biggest Mandir<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wow <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
Hi all ... I am new to the forum .....
I read a lot of posts on How to propogate our culture. How many of us preserve what is already existing in our families ? Even in India, I have seen people reluctant to follow our customs.... simple things like wearing dhoties/sarees on functions, preserving traditional recipes etc etc are not being done. Though we don't practise it everyday, we must atleast be aware of our customs/culture.
Streaming video version of Dr. Subhash Kak's recent show on Dutch Public TV
http://www.ohmnet.nl/Televisie/index.asp
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Streaming video version of Dr. Subhash Kak's recent show on Dutch Public TV <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Very educative. <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Council of Elders of the Sacred Mayas, Guatemala
In Collaboration with
International center for Cultural Studies, USA
Organizing 6th Conference and Workshop
(In the series of understanding Ancient Cultures and Traditions of the world)
Theme:
<b>Hindu âMaya Cultural Similarities</b>
Hindu and the Maya traditions and cultures are one of the ancient in the world. There are many similarities in these two great traditions. They date back thousands of years; believe in
One God with manifestations in different forms. Both believe in philosophy for Human being in totality and total humanity. The proposed conference and workshop will look at the similarities in these cultures and traditions as well as conduct workshops on ceremonies of these traditions.
Council of Elders of the Sacred Mayas, Guatemala: is a council of more than 440 Elders of the Maya Traditions and cultures belonging to 23 different ethnic Sacred Maya Groups.
ICCS, USA is a registered non profit organization in USA. ICCS is dedicated to academic research on ancient cultures and cultures. ICCS has published over 20 books on comparative study of the cultures.
Venue: Maya Village Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
Date: 29th and 30th May 2005
Registration fees will be US $ 50 for the participants.
Delegates will have to take care of their travel and accommodation. Approximate expenses for accommodation will be US $ 20 per person, double occupancy.
There will be a tour of Guatemala Mayan Attractions from 31st May to 4th June 2005; details will be posted on www.iccsus.org
Contact: Elizabeth Araujo, Guatemala E mail: guacamaya11@yahoo.com
Shekhar Patel, USA, E mail: sposu@yahoo.com
Yashwant Pathak, USA E mail: yash@iccs.org
For registration material and details: www.ICCSUS.org
This is a tentative itinerary,
28th May
Leave USA to reach Antigua, reach the Conference site.
29th and 30th
The conference begins with a grand welcome by the Council of Elders of the sacred. Mayas and the
conference and presentation of the papers
31st
Leave Atitlan for Antigua passing Through IXimche, ancient city of the Maya Katchikel Kingdom.
1 st
Leave Antigua in early morning for Coban (About 6 hour drive). Here in Coban we could meet with local
Mayas and go to one of their altars in the near by mountains for Maya Ceremony.
2nd
Leave Coban for Tikal. Two hours from Coban are the Caves of La Candelaria, an incredible place. Then
another 2 hors away or so is Ancient City of Ceibal, time permitting we can stop here two. Then we
continue to Tikal.
3rd
Spend the day in Tikal, visit the Ancient Pyramids and Monuments. This is a world heritage site.
4 th
We return to Guatemala with a stop at Rio Dulce and if possible the Site of Quirigua.
5th June
Return back to USA<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Wiping Stereotypes Of India off the Books
Fairfax County businesswoman Sandhya Kumar teaches her three daughters about other countries, cultures and religions. She wants them to take pride in their Indian heritage and Hindu faith -- and to respect and understand other views.
But when Kumar of Lorton scanned several world history textbooks recommended for Fairfax County schools, she worried that students would come away with a distorted and negative impression of her homeland's culture.
Georgetown University professor Ariel Glucklich, left, and Fairfax County teacher Asheesh Misra are shown with an assortment of textbooks.
"I thought the American children will think India is some Third World country with pagan beliefs and backward thinking, not a forward-thinking country," Kumar said.
She and dozens of other Indian American parents launched a campaign to change the way their history is taught in Fairfax, the nation's 12th-largest school system. Their lobbying has prompted school officials to rethink presentations of India and Hinduism in classrooms and has sparked efforts to develop a more sophisticated and thoughtful curriculum.
Susan Douglass, a world history curriculum consultant who has worked with Fairfax schools, said the changes mirror a broader shift in the way history and religion are taught nationwide. She said it was in the 1960s and '70s that Eastern cultures and religions began appearing in textbooks that largely focused on Western civilizations. But the presentations often lacked sophistication compared with lessons about Christianity, which was more familiar to authors.
"Before we'd set up this curio cabinet called Islam or Buddhism or Hinduism. We'd put in the foundation, the books, the acts of worship and add the components that are exotic compared to what the students know," Douglass said. "With Islam, for a long time it was four wives, no pork and no alcohol."
But now, she said, there is an increased effort by educators to teach aspects of each religion through the eyes of its followers.
Balaji Hebbar, a George Washington University religion professor who was one of three scholars hired by Fairfax County to review the books cited by the group of Indian parents, said he and his colleagues found few factual errors. But he said the lessons boiled down a complex culture to "karma, cows and caste."
"It's as if I were making a picture book of the United States, and I took pictures of the bad parts of D.C., the run-down parts of New York City and the smoke stacks of Cleveland and left out the Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty," Hebbar said. "I would be telling the truth, but I would only be telling half the truth."
Hebbar and the other scholars, Ariel Glucklich, a Georgetown University theology professor, and Robert DeCaroli, an art professor at George Mason University, said caste sometimes was overemphasized.
<b>Glucklich said he thinks the presentation in many of the books "completely removes the kids' ability to imagine . . . why anybody in his right mind would want to be Hindu."</b>Isn't this a deliberate plan of the church to discourage the youngsters to have a fair & educated opinion of Hinduism?
Based on the concerns of Fairfax educators, five publishers made modest changes in the texts, and the professors recommended that the county purchase eight revised books, reject one and supplement the curriculum with other materials.
The concern over the books began last spring when Rakesh Bahadur's daughter, a fifth-grader, told him that the lessons in her history book were different from those she learned at home. Bahadur, a Reston engineer with two children in Fairfax schools, took his problem to school officials.
They sent a memo telling teachers that students who selected India as a topic for a project -- as Bahadur's daughter did -- should be guided away from the textbook and given other material.
<b>In the fall, schools put forward for public review a new round of world history textbooks for fifth, ninth and 10th grades -- replacements for those approved in 1997.</b>(Compare this with the intoxification drive of Congi-commi-combine.) Officials invited parents and any other interested residents to take a look, and Bahadur returned with a long critique and the signatures of 118 people who supported his views.
"We read them, and we really couldn't fairly respond," said Ann Monday, assistant superintendent for instructional services. "Quite frankly, none of us had a depth of knowledge in the field." So Monday delayed submitting the books to the school board for approval and called in the professors as well as history teacher Asheesh Misra, who is of Indian descent, to weigh in on the matter.
The parents challenged some facts, but many of the complaints centered on emphasis, omission or even nuances in the way the authors presented Hinduism. <b>For example, one fifth-grade book explains that Hindus "made up stories" to help explain holy texts, an assertion that Bahadur called "blasphemous."</b>
<b>Misra and the professors did not agree with all of Bahadur's conclusions.</b> But they recommended that teachers expand their lessons on topics including Hindu writings; the value system, including the four stages of life; reincarnation and salvation.
School officials said that if members of other religions or ethnic groups raise concerns, they are ready to listen.
"This is not the end of a conversation," Monday said. "This is the beginning of a conversation about how we handle our increasingly diverse community."
<b>Kashyap has US anchors spellbound</b>
Rediff.com
The success of students of Indian origin in the US spelling bee contest over the past several years has drawn much attention with TV channels and newspapers in America giving it widespread publicity.
<b>This year, Indian-American students swept the top five spots, led by champion Anurag Kashyap.</b>
<b>NBC TV, one of many channels, which interviewed Kashyap the day after the event, asked him to test some of their top anchors.
Most of the anchors failed the test and only one spelled correctly all the words that Kashyap could think of for the impromptu challenge.</b>
<b>In recent years, the media noted, descendants of Indian immigrants-- less than one per cent of the American population-- have dominated this contest, taking first place in the past seven years.</b>
Behind those statistics lies a beguiling story, not just of immigrant pluck but of a "<b>craze that seems to have swept through the Indian-American community," </b>The New York Times said.
Indians brought to spelling mastery some particular advantages, according to Madhulika S Khandelwal, an Indian immigrant who directs the Asian American Center at Queens College.
Their parents and grandparents are usually educated, often as scientists or engineers, and they generally spoke English and appreciated the springboard powers of education.
Wowwwwwwwwww.
Sanskrit chants at MIT graduation
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Amid chants of Sanskrit prayers on a bright and sunny morning, some 2,300 students of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) received their graduate and undergraduate degrees in Cambridge.
Swami Tyagananda, the institution's Hindu chaplain, offered an invocation in the language of the gods to reflect the large international crowd's spirit of unity and goodwill at one of the best-known educational campuses in the US.
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American sadhu offers rare view on changing India
Agence France-Presse
New Delhi, July 1, 2005
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Many people in United States dropped out and turned on in the 1960s as the country became involved in the Vietnam war and major cities became engulfed by race riots. Rampuri went a big step further, he disappeared into rural India and became a naked sadhu.
For 21 years he wandered holy outposts and smoked pot from a clay pipe called a chillum, learned the rituals of sadhus, Hindu devotees covered in sacred ashes and sporting dreadlocks, from a guru and along the way abandoned his western name and cut most contact with his family in Beverly Hills.
The wandering years are the subject of his book, Baba, Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Yogi, that gives a modern globalisd twist to what Thomas Wolfe wrote in the 1930s about a man who moves to New York and writes a best seller critical of his small town roots, You Can't Go Home Again.
Rampuri, 54, says he is a rare western witness to a demise of the ancient sadhu culture in India. The perch led him to realise that as a foreigner he could never fully understand the ways of the vast country, but equally he could never rejoin western culture back in the United States.
The traditions of sadhus in story telling, ayurvedic medicine, yoga and in giving aashirvad (blessings) played an important role in India's ability to withstand 20th century commercial trends as many people found the holy men a potent reminder against middle-class desire, Rampuri says.
"But the sadhus who were plugged into that, that's coming to an end. This is what really impressed me. These were people who could basically wander the country with no clothes, no money, nothing between you and the Earth. That is now in a tremendously rapid decline," he says, dressed in an embroidered kurta pajama in an interview at a luxury hotel in New Delhi.
"The financial pressures on the sadhus now are just enormous, many people shoo them away. I am one of the few people to see that from both sides and I feel other things that bind me to the sadhus, but I still feel outside. I also feel an outsider to my own country. It's an epiphany. I see that I have come to play a very unique position."
Sadhus have been around for thousands of years in India with an estimated four to five million now, according to Dolf Hartsuiker, author of Sadhus, Holy Men of India. They can be called naga babas (naked holy men), yogis (a term of reverence) or the more generic sadhu.
Hartsuiker says the number of sadhus has declined from a century ago when Indian society was more organized to support the holy men who are not supposed to work.
A central feature of sadhu existence is the dhuni or sacred fire which is regarded as a home and temple for daily rituals and ascetic exercises.
Sadhus, who normally wear just a string around the waist tied to the penis, regularly smear the ashes from the dhuni on their bodies to indicate rebirth.
But as India liberalised its economy to imports and became a hub for outsourcing, Rampuri says he noticed that people chasing the new affluence increasingly ignored the holy men and found their practices out of touch.
"I've seen it as devastating. We used to walk into a village trailed by kids waiting to hear our stories. Now there's no one waiting," Rampuri says.
"They are not listening to the stories. TV now replaces the living babas. The smarter ones are now running businesses. They have learned to buy and sell. The ones who have understood all this change are the ones that have prospered. The ones that did not understand have been impoverished and their ancient knowledge is on the decline."
Sadhus are organised into various sects to pass on wisdom such as yoga and usually live in small groups or by themselves on the fringes of society in devotion to a deity, such as Shaivas who follow the Hindu god Shiva and Vaishnavas who who worship Vishnu or incarnations such as Rama Krishna.
<b>What Hindus Should Do</b>
<i>By K.V. Paliwal, Ph.D
Scanned and reproduced with the author's exclusive permission </i>
http://www.urday.com/vishnua1.htm
---------------------------------
Reference to Bharata Varsha Bharatha Kanda
Among the eight Vasus, one was Hima. Merudevi was his wife.
They had a son Rishabh. Rishabh had one hundred sons among
which Bharat was the eldest. When he grew old, Rishabh transferred
the onus of his kingdom on his eldest son Bharat and himself took
to penance in the forest. Since then, this landmass that
stretches from the snowy peaks of Himalayas to the splashing
Indian Ocean is known as Bharatvarsha. Bharat had a religious
minded son Sumati.
Indradyumna was the son of Sumati. Indradyumnaâs son was Parmeshthi.
After him, the lineage of
Priyavrata continued as follows-
Pratihaar-
Pratiharta-
Bhava-
Udgeeth-
Prastav-
Prithu-
Naka-
Gaya-
Nar-
Virat-
Mahavirya-
Dheemaan-
Mahaant-
Manasyu-
Twasta-
Viraj-
Raj-
Shatajit.
Shatajit had one hundred sons whose descendants populated the earth.
They divided Bharatvarsha into nine parts
CHAPTER TWO of Vishnu Puran
GEOGRAPHICAL DESCRIPTION of Bharat
The earth has seven great islands-
Jambu,
Plaksha,
Shaalmali,
Kusha,
Kronch,
Shaakh and Pushkar.
These are surrounded by oceans having
saline water, sugarcane juice, wine, ghee, curd,
milk and sweet water respectively.
Jambudweep is situated at the centre. Situated at the centre of
Jambudweep is golden Sumeru Mountain (Himalayas), which is
eighty-four thousand Yojans high.
Towards the south of Sumeru are Himavaan, Hemkut and Nishad Mountains.
Towards its north are Neel and Shringi Mountains. All these mountains
are two thousand Yojans high with similar expansion.
Towards the south of Sumeru Mountain, Bharatvarsha is the first landmass
followed by Kimpurushvarsha and Harivarsha. In the north of Sumeru Mounta
in,Ramyak is the first landmass followed by Hiranyamay and Uttarkuruvarsha.
All these landmasses have expansion of nine thousand Yojans. At the centre
of these landmasses is Ilaavritvarsha that bears Sumeru Mountain.
On the four sides of Sumeru Mountain are four smaller mountains that seem to
support the massive Sumeru. Among these four mountains, Mandrachal Mountain
is in the east and in the south is Gandhmaadan. Vipul is in the
west and Supaarsh is in the north.
All these four mountains are ten thousand Yojans high and have lofty
trees of Cadamba, Jambu, Pipal and Banyan. Because of abundance
of Jambu trees, this island came to be known as Jambudweep. It bears
big fruits, which scatter all around upon falling on the earth. Their juice
gives rise to the river Jambu. It is said that its water is capable
of keeping demerits like sweat, foul smell, old age and loss of
senses away from the drinker.
When the juice of this fruit dries, it leaves the soil golden in colour.
Towards the east of Sumeru Mountain is
Bhadrashvavarsha and towards the west is Ketumaalvarsha.
Midway between the two is Ilaavritvarsha. On the eastern side of
Meru Mountain is the forest of Chaitrarath. In the south is
Gandhmaadan and in the west is Vaibhraaj and towards the north is the
forest named Nandan. Mount Sumeru also holds four holy lakes named
Arunodaya, Mahabhadra, Asitoda and Maanas.
Shitambh, Kumund, Kukri, Maalyavaan, Vaikank are some of the peaks
situated towards the eastern side of Sumeru. Towards the southern
side are the peaks of Trikut, Shishir, Patang, Ruchak and Nishaad.
In the west are situated peaks of Shikhivaasa, Vaidurya, Kapil,
Gandhmaadan and Jaarudhi and in the north are situated the peaks
of Shankhkoot, Rishabh, Hans, Naag and Kaalanj.
Above the mount Meru is situated Brahmapuri of Brahma which has
an expansion of 14,000 Yojans. The Ganges that rises from the feet
of Lord Vishnu circles the lunar sphere before falling in Brahmapuri.
Thence it divides into four rivers- Sita, Chakshu, Alaknanda and
Bhadra that flow into four directions.
The landmasses of Bharat, Ketumaal, Bhadraashva and Kuru appear
like lotus leaf in shape. Among all the peaks that surround Mount Meru
are present beautiful caves. There also exist beautiful towns and gardens.
In these towns are situated beautiful temples of Lakshmi, Vishnu, Agni and
Surya. Ravines of these mountains are populated by Gandharvas, Rakshasa,
Yaksha and Daanavas. Besides them, scores of religious people also
live there.
Lord Vishnu stays as Hayagreev (human figure with horse head) form in Bhadrashvavarsha.
In Ketumaalvarsha,He is in boar form and in Bharatvarsha;
He stays in turtle form. In Kuruvarsha,Lord Vishnu stays as fish.
Thus Lord Vishnu is present everywhere.
People of these eight landmasses are free from all kinds of sorrow,
pain, emotions, hunger etc. and lead a healthy and rich life that
extends up to ten or twelve thousand years. All these landmasses
have seven indigenous mountains each from which hundreds of rivers rise.
The landmass that is present between Himalayas and the ocean is known as
Bharat. It has an expansion of 9,000 Yojans. It is populated by the
descendants of Bharat. It has seven native mountains- Mahendra, Malay,
Sahaya, Shuktimaan, Riksha, Vindhya and Paariyaatra.
Bharatvarsha has nine divisions named Indradweep, Kaseru, Taamraparn,
Gamastimaan, Naagdweep, Soumya, Gandharva, Vaarun and Yahadweep which
is surrounded by the sea and has an expansion of 1000 Yojans. In the
eastern part of Bharat, live Kiraat whereas in the western part live Yavans. In the mid part of Bharat, live population of Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras who pass their lives engage in works ascribed to their respective class.
Rivers in India -
om the
Himalayas rise Shatudri (Sutlej) and Chandrabhaaga rivers.
From Paariyaatra Mountain rise Veda and Smriti rivers. Narmada and
Surasa rivers rise from Vindyachal. Taapi, Payoshani and Nirvindhya
rivers rise from Riksha Mountain. Godavari, Bheemrati and Krishnaveli
rivers rise from Sahaya Mountains. Kritmaala and Tamraparni rivers rise
from Malayaachal. Trisaama and Aryakulyaa rivers rise from Mahendragiri.
Rishikulya and Kumaari rivers rise from Shuktimaan Mountain.
All these rivers have scores of other branches and tributaries.
A brand new rediscovery of grand old Delhi
Mandira Nayar
NEW DELHI: Sniffing out history through narrow by-lanes and broad tree-lined avenues of Delhi these days are a bunch of enthusiastic treasure hunters hot on the trail of the Capital's written legacy. Covering obscure temples, tiny mosques and even the odd slum cluster, the search for manuscripts launched by the National Mission for Manuscripts here this past week has led to some exciting discoveries in totally unexpected quarters.
From two pages of a folio found in a temple at Mukerjee Nagar that dates back to the 11th Century to "Guruanyas", a 200-year-old handwritten manuscript that is worshipped even today in a temple near good old Kashmere Gate, the paper chase seems endless.
"We never thought there would be so many manuscripts in Delhi. We knew we would find some in places like Chandni Chowk, but it was really surprising that there were so many of them in North Delhi. Some of the finds like the 11th Century manuscript are really important because the script is a mix of Bengali, Maithili and Sanskrit, which will go a long way in understanding how these languages evolved. The only problem is that we have not found a full collection anywhere," says conservator Ritu Jain.
Walking in the sweltering July heat with only an Eicher map for a guide, it was after four long days that one of the search teams got lucky. "The first day of the hunt was a Sunday and the area we were to map out was residential with mainly businessmen living there. They all had door-phones and they wouldn't even let us in. Some people even thought we were salesmen," said Sanjay, a volunteer.
While the preliminary survey for the Capital was to last only ten days, the teams already have appointments to look at manuscripts till September 20. With people suddenly discovering that old written texts are valuable, volunteers are being promised sacks full of old manuscripts from places as far away as Kanpur.
The usual spots apart, manuscripts have also been found in places like homoeopathic clinics and even slum clusters, in a way proving that protectors of the past are not always educated or rich.
The priest at a small roadside Durga temple in Model Town III here is a perfect example of the "ordinary" unsung protector. Clinging on to the words of wisdom passed down from his father, he has kept alive a small piece of history. Handwritten in carbon-black that is tough to wash away, the manuscript is the only one that survives from a larger collection.
"We had a whole trunk full of manuscripts. But they were ruined in the floods that happened a couple of decades ago. This was the only one that we managed to save," he said.
While conservationists believe that there is still hope of salvaging some bit of the past for the future, they also believe that the ongoing survey is historic in more ways than one. And perhaps the most important find has been the enthusiasm of the younger generation for the ancient world. As a lawyer-turned-manuscript-scout Arun Kumar Shukla put it: "I feel that such things help me rejuvenate myself. I intend to keep following up these appointments so that I can find all the manuscripts even after the survey is over."
came via email:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sorry for the repeated message. I got responses from people that the petition link is not working. Please use the following link: www.thevedicfoundation.org/petition and updated message below when forwarding this to others:
<b>The State of California is in the process of adopting new textbooks for history-social studies classes where major inaccuracies on the subject of Hinduism or India have been found in 12 books that are submitted for adoption. Please sign this important petition that appeals the California Board of Education to correct these inaccuracies. A positive change in California will have nationwide effect since one of these 12 books are used in schools across the U.S.
Petition can be read and signed here: www.thevedicfoundation.org/petition</b>
Link to petition
Please play an active role in this initiative by forwarding this to others and strengthening the petition. Information on the initiative can be obtained from www.thevedicfoundation.org
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forwarded via email
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>75,000 to gather in Watford for largest Hindu gathering outside India</b>
Music, dance, costumes, games and food to add colour and spice
Over 75,000 Hindus and other visitors will gather at the sleepy town of Aldenham, just north of London on Friday 26th and Sunday 28th August to celebrate the 5000 year-old Hindu festival of Janmashtami at the famous Bhaktivedanta Manor Hare Krishna temple. The festival at Bhaktivedanta Manor, which is a Manor house donated by former Beatle George Harrison, includes lively plays, traditional Indian dances, melodious singing, food stalls, multi-media shows, elaborate worship, meditation and chanting, youth tents, games, childrenâs areas, bullock-wagon rides and much more.
Pilgrims and visitors queue up for two hours to finally be able to offer worship at the main altar. All 75,000 visitors will be given a free vegetarian meal specially sanctified by a sacred offering to Lord Krishna.
The entire festival is managed and run by volunteers from the community who gather every evening after work for a month prior to the event and put in countless hours of hard work for the occasion.Â
Prime Minister Tony Blair in a special message to the organisers said, âI am delighted to send my best wishes to everyone attending the Janmashtami festival at the ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple. Janmashtami, the celebration during which there is a focus on the values of family, the importance of community, and the significance of faith. I understand that the celebration of Janmashtami at the Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple is the largest such gathering outside India. As such it is a tribute to the hard work of the organisers and the strength of the Hindu community in this country.â
âThe festival is a special occasion to encourage the core values of devotion to God, commitment to family values and inspiration to serve others,â explained Gauri Dasa, President of Bhaktivedanta Manor. âIt is a chance for everyone to give something back to the community, but do it in a way that is fun and very productive.â
Tulasi Harrison, a 16 year old student from Watford, has been coming to volunteer every year since she was 9 years old. This year, she is involved in co-coordinating the gift shop tent. âI love what I am doing,â she says. âEvery year I meet so many new people and learn a lot of new things. It makes me feel like a real part of this important festival, and helps me connect on a deeper level with God. With all the distractions in society for people of my age, I feel privileged to be able to come to a safe place and do something which is benefiting so many others.â
The festival is expected to draw pilgrims from all over UK and attracts many Ministers, MPs, diplomats, business leaders, faith representatives and other dignitaries, as well as messages of support from the leaders of the three main political parties.
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Recalling Aurobindo's vision for India
Deepa H Ramakrishnan
Yogi's statue installed in Kolkata, his birthplace "Perhaps it was destiny that granted India her Independence on Sri Aurobindo's birthday, 15th of August. The two of them shared a unique relationship"
IMPOSING BRONZE: A model of the statue of Sri Aurobindo installed in Kolkata. â Photo: T. Singaravelou
PONDICHERRY: "India does not rise as other countries do, for self or when she is strong, to trample on the weak. She is rising to shed the eternal light entrusted to her over the world. India has always existed for humanity and not for herself and it is for humanity and not for herself that she must be great." - revolutionary leader, yogi, philosopher and poet Sri Aurobindo's vision for India.
"Perhaps it was destiny that granted India her Independence on Sri Aurobindo Ghosh's birthday, the 15th of August. The two of them shared a unique relationship and he actively participated in the freedom struggle. And it was sheer coincidence that his statue was installed in Kolkata, his birthplace, on August 15," says Lalith Varma, CEO of Aurodhan Art Gallery in Pondicherry, which made the bronze statue.
The Governor of West Bengal, Gopalkrishna Gandhi, unveiled the statue, which has been installed at Sri Aurobindo Bhavan, the house where he was born on August 15 1872.
The statue is the first of four bronze figures made by Aurodhan Art Gallery to be installed in the four corners of the country. "One will be installed in an important location in New Delhi, another in the south and the location for the fourth statue is yet to be decided," says Mr. Lalith Varma.
What is unique in this statue is that it is in the standing posture. "There are not many photographs of Sri Aurobindo in a standing pose but we wanted it that way and when the model was made, we showed it to people, who had seen him and lived with him, including Nirodhparan dha and they said it was very much like him," explains Mr. Lalith.
Two sculptors â A.C. Das and M. Pathak â made the statues from West Bengal and they took almost a year-and-half to make all the four statues. "We wanted the statue to have a soft smile and a gaze that looks through you, into the unknown," they said.
Sri Aurobindo was born on August 15 1872, in Calcutta. As a 7-year-old boy, he was sent to St Paul's in London and then to King's College in Cambridge. On his return to the country, at the age of 21, he plunged whole-heartedly into the study of Indian culture.
He spent 13 years in Baroda in the administrative and educational services of that State. under the Gaekwad of Baroda. He came to Pondicherry in 1910 where he practised tapas yoga.
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