10-22-2005, 06:13 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-chandramoulee+Oct 19 2005, 02:40 PM-->QUOTE(chandramoulee @ Oct 19 2005, 02:40 PM)<!--QuoteEBegin--> Which Acharya's turn will be this time around?
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Flight offloads Dwarka swami_
http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&...2&newsid=187759
-Â By Our CorrespondentÂ
Mumbai, Oct. 19: Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, the successor to Swami Swarupananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth, was made to disembark from an Indian Airlines flight for carrying his holy dand, a thin bamboo stick which is a symbol of their spiritual designation, inside the aircraft cabin
The swami was in Mumbai to attend the Hindu Sabha Acharya Sabha, a first of its kind organisation which held a two-day conference at Sanyas Ashram, Vile Parle. Despite repeated attempts to contact Indian Airlines, no airline official was available for comment.
Speaking to this newspaper, Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati said, "Our work takes us on flights often. I have travelled on an aircraft over 225 times till date but never have I had such an experience." He added that it was the pilot of Indian Airlines flight IC-147 who objected to him carrying the five-foot, eight-inch long stick on board the aircraft.Â
According to the swami, he had been cleared in the security check stage and it was only after he occupied his seat that Indian Airlines staff came and requested him to keep the dand in the cargo compartment. He refused to part with the dand, saying it is always kept with his person, is a symbol of his mutt, and that keeping it away from his person would be sacrilegious.
"The behaviour of the pilot of the flight, which had over 50 per cent foreigners, made me feel like I am indeed a terrorist and I just wondered what the foreigners would be thinking of Hindu saints," the swami said. He said he got off the plane because he feared an incident could be created by Hindus on board the plane.
Swami Avimukteshwa-rananda Saraswati met senior Indian Airlines officials who apologised to him verbally, but refused to issue a written apology or refund the ticket. He had to wait at the airport for three hours before returning to Sanyas Ashram at Vile Parle. <b>"They just want me to forget the incident as a one-off incident and did not assure me of anything. Tomorrow, any saintly person of the Hindu dharma could face such treatment,"</b> he said.
Swami Vishveshwar Anand, the mahamandaleshwar of Sanyas Ashram at Vile Parle, Mumbai, said, "The dand is so small that it cannot injure anyone. We will definitely agitate against it and <b>there are many Hindu organisations that will be happy to raise this issue of ill-treatment of a Hindu saint of Swamijis stature</b>. Just yesterday we had discussed such issues of ill-treatment of Hindus at our conference. Today we are observing it."
There was a record attendance of 138 sampradayas and heads of akhadas, mutts and acharyas from all parts of India. Former President of India R.  Venkatraman also attended. There were several translators for the diverse  religious heads. Seven sampradayas from Assam attended this meet.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
[right][snapback]39796[/snapback][/right]
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Flight offloads Dwarka swami_
http://www.asianage.com/main.asp?layout=2&...2&newsid=187759
-Â By Our CorrespondentÂ
Mumbai, Oct. 19: Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati, the successor to Swami Swarupananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth, was made to disembark from an Indian Airlines flight for carrying his holy dand, a thin bamboo stick which is a symbol of their spiritual designation, inside the aircraft cabin
The swami was in Mumbai to attend the Hindu Sabha Acharya Sabha, a first of its kind organisation which held a two-day conference at Sanyas Ashram, Vile Parle. Despite repeated attempts to contact Indian Airlines, no airline official was available for comment.
Speaking to this newspaper, Swami Avimukteshwarananda Saraswati said, "Our work takes us on flights often. I have travelled on an aircraft over 225 times till date but never have I had such an experience." He added that it was the pilot of Indian Airlines flight IC-147 who objected to him carrying the five-foot, eight-inch long stick on board the aircraft.Â
According to the swami, he had been cleared in the security check stage and it was only after he occupied his seat that Indian Airlines staff came and requested him to keep the dand in the cargo compartment. He refused to part with the dand, saying it is always kept with his person, is a symbol of his mutt, and that keeping it away from his person would be sacrilegious.
"The behaviour of the pilot of the flight, which had over 50 per cent foreigners, made me feel like I am indeed a terrorist and I just wondered what the foreigners would be thinking of Hindu saints," the swami said. He said he got off the plane because he feared an incident could be created by Hindus on board the plane.
Swami Avimukteshwa-rananda Saraswati met senior Indian Airlines officials who apologised to him verbally, but refused to issue a written apology or refund the ticket. He had to wait at the airport for three hours before returning to Sanyas Ashram at Vile Parle. <b>"They just want me to forget the incident as a one-off incident and did not assure me of anything. Tomorrow, any saintly person of the Hindu dharma could face such treatment,"</b> he said.
Swami Vishveshwar Anand, the mahamandaleshwar of Sanyas Ashram at Vile Parle, Mumbai, said, "The dand is so small that it cannot injure anyone. We will definitely agitate against it and <b>there are many Hindu organisations that will be happy to raise this issue of ill-treatment of a Hindu saint of Swamijis stature</b>. Just yesterday we had discussed such issues of ill-treatment of Hindus at our conference. Today we are observing it."
There was a record attendance of 138 sampradayas and heads of akhadas, mutts and acharyas from all parts of India. Former President of India R.  Venkatraman also attended. There were several translators for the diverse  religious heads. Seven sampradayas from Assam attended this meet.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->