02-02-2006, 07:18 PM
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Indian citizens can find jobs in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos Oman, UAE and Australia, and people from these countries can make it to India or any other countries in the 'Indian Ocean Rim' freely. Farmers sending their agricultural products to the countries in the Indian Ocean Rim without any hassles! Sounds like a pipe dream? No. There are strong cultural and commercial bonds between these countries dating back to thousands of years. "It is the arrival of the colonial powers which destroyed the seasoned relations between these countries," says Mr Ravi Kumar, an authority on East Asian studies. An alumni of the Madras Institute of Technology, Mr Ravi Kumar has been studying the age old bonds between nations in south Asia for the last two decades.
The call for a common currency for South East Asian nations by former Prime Minister Mr AB Vajpayee may seem strange for the average Indian. But there are demands from countries like China, Vietnam and Thailand for the construction of Trans-Asian highway and railway which in the long run would culminate in the formation of a community of Indian Ocean nations in the lines of European Union. Â
It is the similarity in the cultural traditions which has inculcated a sense of oneness among the intellectuals in these countries. All these countries lie along the rim of the Indian Ocean. They do have a lot of things in common though national boundaries and international lines of control separate them. But the economic potential of the community of Indian Ocean nations is capable to send jitters down the spines of both the USA and the European Union. Â
Mahathir Mohammed, who ruled Malaysia as Prime Minister for twenty two years had some Indianness in him. The name Mahathir stands for 'Maha Dheer', which is the Sanskrit word for the most gallant.  In Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country, all the ministers including Prime Minister take oath in the name of the 'Sri Paduka', the Sanskrit version for the footwear of Rama. Remember that Bharata ruled Ayodhya for 14 years worshipping the Rama Paduka during the Lord's 'vanvas'.
The President of Malaysia takes oath of office and secrecy in the name of 'Seri Paduka Dhuli', which means the dust of Rama's Paduka. This is because Paduka Dhuli is considered holier than Paduka itself. In Malay, the word Bhasha stands for language, yet another link to Sanskrit. The husband is addressed as Swami, a teacher as Guru, a senior teacher as Maha Guru, a student as Siswa and a senior student as Maha Siswa . Modern buildings are named in Sanskrit â Chaya Surya, Wisma Putra and Wisma Duta to name only a few.
The president of the republic is addressed as Raja Parameswara, the Royal Queen is addressed as Raja Parameswari and the second son of the sultan is addressed with reverence as Laxmana. Most of the royal customs are also based on practices found in Sanskrit literature.
The Royal prince must take a bath called "Ganga Snan" before his Sunnat or before ascending the Royal Throne. The Royal throne itself in Bahasa Malaya is called "Simhasana". Most royal and wedding ceremonies are accompanied with feasts taken on banana leaves. Yellow rice is sprinkled on brides or bride grooms or prince as a mark of blessings.  Once Dr Mahathir Mohammed remarked that if anyone watches his wedding video, he might mistake it for a Hindu marriage.
One of the oldest classics in Malay language is the 13th century classic, "Hikayat Seri Ram", the Malay version of Sanskrit Ramayana. It describes King Dasharatha as the great grand son of Adam, and Ravana becoming the emperor of four worlds by the blessings of Allah. Hikayat is studied in Malaysia as a piece of literature.
The wives of Malaysian leaders have formed the organization 'Vanitha Pushpavalli' for their social activities. Most Malay government officers wear black caps (as part of their uniform) similar to those worn by the Maharashtrians . Sarong (similar to South Indian Dhoti) and Kurta is still the official dress of Malay ministers in all important ceremonies. Kite flying, gilli danda, playing with tops are some of the traditional games of Malays. "Wayang Kulit" or shadow puppet shows still popular in the eastern state of Kelantan is based on Ramayana and Mahabharata characters.
Malaysia is not the only country which rejoices in its Sanskrit and Indian ancestry. Brunei and Indonesia have also borrowed most words from Sanskrit. The capital of Brunei is Bandar Sri Bhagwan (Port of the Lord)  while Singapore is derived from the Sanskrit word Simha meaning a lion. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia is pronounced in the local language as Jaya Karta, the city of victory. Other prominent cities are Prambanan ( Park of Brahama), Yogya Karta (City of Yogi),  Madura, Sumatra, Bali and Surabaya. There is no need to specify that the island Bali is named after the character in Ramayana.
Mr Gus Dur Abdul Rehman Wahid, the former President of Indonesia, who was requested to attend the consecration of a mosque in Surabaya City in the island of Java asked the organizers to arrange for a Hindu pundit from India to perform the Vigneswara Pooja  before the Quran could be recited by the Islamic priest. A Hindu Tantrik priest was flown in from Kerala exclusively for the purpose and Mr Wahid sat through the ceremony.
Sukarno, the late Indonesian president, has been named after Karna, the legendary character of Mahabharata. Sukarno's father used to read Koran on Fridays and Ramayana and Mahabharat on all other days. Karna  was his favourite character in Mahabharat. He wanted his son to be as brave and philanthropic as Karna. He also wanted his son to be on the side of Dharma and Righteousness which made him name his son as SuKarna meaning a good Karna.
The name of his daughter, Meghawati Sukarnoputri is yet another indication of the influence of Sanskrit in Indonesia. Meghawati is the Sanaskrit word for "full of clouds". Sukarnoputri is yet another Sanskrit word meaning  Sukarno's daughter. The incumbent President of Indonesia is yet another proof of the country's link with Sanskrit and Indian heritage. The name Susilo Yudhoyono speaks lot about the person's personality.  We in India may hold our breath when we are told that one of the prominent politicians in Indonesia is named Karthikeya Mohammed.
Late Swami Ranganathanandaji, in his book "Eternal Values For a Changing Society", has mentioned about a discussion he had with Sukarno during his visit to Indonesia in 1964. "Though the President agreed to meet me for  just 20 minutes, our discussion went on for more than an hour. Sukarno told me that every night he reads at least two pages from the collected volumes of Swami Vivekananda before going to bed," the Swamiji has written in the book.  Â
Garuda, the national carrier of Indonesia is named after the official vehicle of Lord Vishnu. Countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and  Myanmar are known by the name Suna Boomi which is yet another synonym for Swarna Bhoomi or the Golden Land.
There is a river which originates in the Himalayas and flows through all the south east Asian nations. River Mekong's original name was Ma-Ganga ( Mother Ganga), which took the name Mae-Kong (which is the Chinese name for mother Ganga). Though known by the Anglicized  name of Mekong, the age old Ma Ganga continues to be the lifeline of China, Laos, Vietneam and Cambodia where the river is held in high reverence.
Thailand, is yet another country which boasts of its Indian and Sanskrit lineage. Thailand, is the western name of Siam- Desh, Land of Vishnu. The King's name is Bumipal Adulyatej , the westernized version of Bhoomipal Atulyatej which means the ruler of the earth with unparallel illuminousity. He is also designated as Rama IX as a mark of respect to Lord Rama of Ramayana. The capital city Bangkok's original name is Krung Deva, city of angels. Â
An incident, which occurred in 1977 in New Delhi, is a pointer to the Indian influence in the south east Asian countries. The Vietnamese foreign minister who came to India as state guest expressed her desire to visit the birth place of Chatrapathi Shivaji. The reason put forward by the Vietnamese minister was very interesting. "Shivaji was our inspiration to take to the jungles to fight the Yankees. The Viet Kong guerillas consider Shivaji as the world's first ever guerilla," she had said. Â
There is no need to elaborate on the number of Vishnu temples in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Religion and life style may be different  in some ways, but the fact remains that there exists an invisible bond which unites the people across these countries.
"It is said that language is the lifeline of a country. Going by these words and terms, one need not doubt further about the Indian connection of these countries," said Mr Ravikumar.
There is a general feeling among the south east Asian scholars that in the wake of the tsunami disaster of Dec. 26, 2004, the need for creating the Indian Ocean Community (IOC) as a cultural network has gained urgency. The IOC should become the network for cooperation among the rim states of Hindumahasagar, as Indian Ocean is known throughout the south east Asian countries.
On the tsunami waves should rise the realization that Indian Ocean unites more than 60 states of Asia-Pacific, 50 of which were affected by the tsunami disaster. These nations should get together, to start with, as an Indian-Ocean Free Trade Zone as a first step towards the ultimate constitution of an Indian Ocean Community which will rival the European Community with a total national asset exceeding 3 trillion dollars. The Community can become a veritable powerhouse for spurring economic development and growth in the world economy which is now in the doldrums caused by slump in the US stock markets. "This is a community which has its roots in sea-faring merchants who navigated the Indian Ocean and established cultural contacts over a long period of over 2 million years. This cultural bond will be strengthened by the Indian Ocean Community, expanding the present groupings of SAARC, ASEAN and APEC," says Mr Ambady Venugopal, convener, Indian Ocean Studies Research  Group, a Chennai based think tank.
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Indian citizens can find jobs in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos Oman, UAE and Australia, and people from these countries can make it to India or any other countries in the 'Indian Ocean Rim' freely. Farmers sending their agricultural products to the countries in the Indian Ocean Rim without any hassles! Sounds like a pipe dream? No. There are strong cultural and commercial bonds between these countries dating back to thousands of years. "It is the arrival of the colonial powers which destroyed the seasoned relations between these countries," says Mr Ravi Kumar, an authority on East Asian studies. An alumni of the Madras Institute of Technology, Mr Ravi Kumar has been studying the age old bonds between nations in south Asia for the last two decades.
The call for a common currency for South East Asian nations by former Prime Minister Mr AB Vajpayee may seem strange for the average Indian. But there are demands from countries like China, Vietnam and Thailand for the construction of Trans-Asian highway and railway which in the long run would culminate in the formation of a community of Indian Ocean nations in the lines of European Union. Â
It is the similarity in the cultural traditions which has inculcated a sense of oneness among the intellectuals in these countries. All these countries lie along the rim of the Indian Ocean. They do have a lot of things in common though national boundaries and international lines of control separate them. But the economic potential of the community of Indian Ocean nations is capable to send jitters down the spines of both the USA and the European Union. Â
Mahathir Mohammed, who ruled Malaysia as Prime Minister for twenty two years had some Indianness in him. The name Mahathir stands for 'Maha Dheer', which is the Sanskrit word for the most gallant.  In Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country, all the ministers including Prime Minister take oath in the name of the 'Sri Paduka', the Sanskrit version for the footwear of Rama. Remember that Bharata ruled Ayodhya for 14 years worshipping the Rama Paduka during the Lord's 'vanvas'.
The President of Malaysia takes oath of office and secrecy in the name of 'Seri Paduka Dhuli', which means the dust of Rama's Paduka. This is because Paduka Dhuli is considered holier than Paduka itself. In Malay, the word Bhasha stands for language, yet another link to Sanskrit. The husband is addressed as Swami, a teacher as Guru, a senior teacher as Maha Guru, a student as Siswa and a senior student as Maha Siswa . Modern buildings are named in Sanskrit â Chaya Surya, Wisma Putra and Wisma Duta to name only a few.
The president of the republic is addressed as Raja Parameswara, the Royal Queen is addressed as Raja Parameswari and the second son of the sultan is addressed with reverence as Laxmana. Most of the royal customs are also based on practices found in Sanskrit literature.
The Royal prince must take a bath called "Ganga Snan" before his Sunnat or before ascending the Royal Throne. The Royal throne itself in Bahasa Malaya is called "Simhasana". Most royal and wedding ceremonies are accompanied with feasts taken on banana leaves. Yellow rice is sprinkled on brides or bride grooms or prince as a mark of blessings.  Once Dr Mahathir Mohammed remarked that if anyone watches his wedding video, he might mistake it for a Hindu marriage.
One of the oldest classics in Malay language is the 13th century classic, "Hikayat Seri Ram", the Malay version of Sanskrit Ramayana. It describes King Dasharatha as the great grand son of Adam, and Ravana becoming the emperor of four worlds by the blessings of Allah. Hikayat is studied in Malaysia as a piece of literature.
The wives of Malaysian leaders have formed the organization 'Vanitha Pushpavalli' for their social activities. Most Malay government officers wear black caps (as part of their uniform) similar to those worn by the Maharashtrians . Sarong (similar to South Indian Dhoti) and Kurta is still the official dress of Malay ministers in all important ceremonies. Kite flying, gilli danda, playing with tops are some of the traditional games of Malays. "Wayang Kulit" or shadow puppet shows still popular in the eastern state of Kelantan is based on Ramayana and Mahabharata characters.
Malaysia is not the only country which rejoices in its Sanskrit and Indian ancestry. Brunei and Indonesia have also borrowed most words from Sanskrit. The capital of Brunei is Bandar Sri Bhagwan (Port of the Lord)  while Singapore is derived from the Sanskrit word Simha meaning a lion. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia is pronounced in the local language as Jaya Karta, the city of victory. Other prominent cities are Prambanan ( Park of Brahama), Yogya Karta (City of Yogi),  Madura, Sumatra, Bali and Surabaya. There is no need to specify that the island Bali is named after the character in Ramayana.
Mr Gus Dur Abdul Rehman Wahid, the former President of Indonesia, who was requested to attend the consecration of a mosque in Surabaya City in the island of Java asked the organizers to arrange for a Hindu pundit from India to perform the Vigneswara Pooja  before the Quran could be recited by the Islamic priest. A Hindu Tantrik priest was flown in from Kerala exclusively for the purpose and Mr Wahid sat through the ceremony.
Sukarno, the late Indonesian president, has been named after Karna, the legendary character of Mahabharata. Sukarno's father used to read Koran on Fridays and Ramayana and Mahabharat on all other days. Karna  was his favourite character in Mahabharat. He wanted his son to be as brave and philanthropic as Karna. He also wanted his son to be on the side of Dharma and Righteousness which made him name his son as SuKarna meaning a good Karna.
The name of his daughter, Meghawati Sukarnoputri is yet another indication of the influence of Sanskrit in Indonesia. Meghawati is the Sanaskrit word for "full of clouds". Sukarnoputri is yet another Sanskrit word meaning  Sukarno's daughter. The incumbent President of Indonesia is yet another proof of the country's link with Sanskrit and Indian heritage. The name Susilo Yudhoyono speaks lot about the person's personality.  We in India may hold our breath when we are told that one of the prominent politicians in Indonesia is named Karthikeya Mohammed.
Late Swami Ranganathanandaji, in his book "Eternal Values For a Changing Society", has mentioned about a discussion he had with Sukarno during his visit to Indonesia in 1964. "Though the President agreed to meet me for  just 20 minutes, our discussion went on for more than an hour. Sukarno told me that every night he reads at least two pages from the collected volumes of Swami Vivekananda before going to bed," the Swamiji has written in the book.  Â
Garuda, the national carrier of Indonesia is named after the official vehicle of Lord Vishnu. Countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and  Myanmar are known by the name Suna Boomi which is yet another synonym for Swarna Bhoomi or the Golden Land.
There is a river which originates in the Himalayas and flows through all the south east Asian nations. River Mekong's original name was Ma-Ganga ( Mother Ganga), which took the name Mae-Kong (which is the Chinese name for mother Ganga). Though known by the Anglicized  name of Mekong, the age old Ma Ganga continues to be the lifeline of China, Laos, Vietneam and Cambodia where the river is held in high reverence.
Thailand, is yet another country which boasts of its Indian and Sanskrit lineage. Thailand, is the western name of Siam- Desh, Land of Vishnu. The King's name is Bumipal Adulyatej , the westernized version of Bhoomipal Atulyatej which means the ruler of the earth with unparallel illuminousity. He is also designated as Rama IX as a mark of respect to Lord Rama of Ramayana. The capital city Bangkok's original name is Krung Deva, city of angels. Â
An incident, which occurred in 1977 in New Delhi, is a pointer to the Indian influence in the south east Asian countries. The Vietnamese foreign minister who came to India as state guest expressed her desire to visit the birth place of Chatrapathi Shivaji. The reason put forward by the Vietnamese minister was very interesting. "Shivaji was our inspiration to take to the jungles to fight the Yankees. The Viet Kong guerillas consider Shivaji as the world's first ever guerilla," she had said. Â
There is no need to elaborate on the number of Vishnu temples in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. Religion and life style may be different  in some ways, but the fact remains that there exists an invisible bond which unites the people across these countries.
"It is said that language is the lifeline of a country. Going by these words and terms, one need not doubt further about the Indian connection of these countries," said Mr Ravikumar.
There is a general feeling among the south east Asian scholars that in the wake of the tsunami disaster of Dec. 26, 2004, the need for creating the Indian Ocean Community (IOC) as a cultural network has gained urgency. The IOC should become the network for cooperation among the rim states of Hindumahasagar, as Indian Ocean is known throughout the south east Asian countries.
On the tsunami waves should rise the realization that Indian Ocean unites more than 60 states of Asia-Pacific, 50 of which were affected by the tsunami disaster. These nations should get together, to start with, as an Indian-Ocean Free Trade Zone as a first step towards the ultimate constitution of an Indian Ocean Community which will rival the European Community with a total national asset exceeding 3 trillion dollars. The Community can become a veritable powerhouse for spurring economic development and growth in the world economy which is now in the doldrums caused by slump in the US stock markets. "This is a community which has its roots in sea-faring merchants who navigated the Indian Ocean and established cultural contacts over a long period of over 2 million years. This cultural bond will be strengthened by the Indian Ocean Community, expanding the present groupings of SAARC, ASEAN and APEC," says Mr Ambady Venugopal, convener, Indian Ocean Studies Research  Group, a Chennai based think tank.
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