Destruction Of Hindu Culture From India

[dhu]

<b>Students not allowed to wear rakhis, activists stage protest</b>

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->PANAJI: There were protests in front of the education department on Friday after students of a Canacona school were not allowed to wear
rakhis on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan.

After parents reported the incident, members of the Hindu Jan Jagruti Samiti staged a protest in the capital. However, director of education Celsa Pinto was quick to respond and assured the protesters that circulars would be dispatched to all schools asking them not to hurt religious sentiments.

<b>On August 5, the occasion of the Hindu festival, students of St Sebastian's High School, Loliem, Canacona, went to the school with rakhis tied to their wrists. However, the headmistress is reported to have called the students to her cabin where she allegedly snapped the rakhis.</b>

Hindu Jan Jagruti Samiti president Jayesh Thali, along with a delegation, met Pinto and told her that the feelings of the Hindu community were hurt. He also said that the headmistress had disrespected Hindu culture.

The delegation later submitted a memorandum to Pinto saying that steps should be taken to put a stop to such incidents. The delegation also demanded the headmistress' suspension and action against the school management.

Pinto in learnt to have immediately sent a fax to South Goa deputy director of education calling for a report on the incident.

"In this regard, we can't take any action against the headmistress, but we can send a letter to the management asking it to initiate an inquiry," she told parents, adding, "To maintain harmony, we will send circulars to all the schools asking them not to hurt religious sentiments."<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<b>Krishna is missing in Dasavatara, replaced by Buddha!</b>

[dhu]

<b>Maoists eye temple fund
</b>
Pashupatinath is a treasure trove

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->After suffering a reverse via the Nepal Government’s decision to reinstate Indian priests at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu some months ago, the Maoists are again trying to gain control of the shrine. Opponents of the tradition of Bhatts, who perform rites at the shrine and are recruited from south India, recently rushed into the premises and locked up the office of the managing committee, Pashupati Area Development Trust. The aggression was reported to be triggered by the move to appoint two priests from Karnataka. Last month, the trust formed a three-member committee, including the chief priest, for the purpose. The shortfall in staff officiating at the temple was affecting ritual performances.

This situation surfaced after the Supreme Court stayed the appointment of two Nepalese priests in January this year. Though the court directed that the old practice of appointing Indians should continue, the case awaits a final resolution.

The Maoists’ attempt to gain control over Pashupatinath temple, Nepal’s most-renowned pilgrimage and a world heritage site, is viewed cynically by locals as less of an assertion of national identity and more as a bid to get access to the temple’s huge corpus of funds. For, the Shiv shrine, whose origins are lost in the mists of antiquity, is among the most sacred for Hindus around the world. It ranks in importance with ancient Shiv shrines in India.

The huge rush of pilgrims to Pashupatinath throughout the year and in all seasons ensures handsome offerings. The surmise that the tussle over control of the shrine management is driven by motives other than ideology may be correct. There are precedents for such a struggle.

To cite a pertinent example at home, long before the dispute over the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya became politicised, the town had witnessed bitter feuds between claimants to the site, viewed by devout Hindus as the birthplace of Ram. Alongside Muslims who pressed their claims were the Nirmohi Akhara and Digambar Akhara. Ayodhya has a history of disputes between various religious factions over property and wealth.

Bairagis, a Vaishnav sect that popularised Tulsidas’s Ramcharitmanas through dramatic renderings, and Shaivs fought for control of shrines as these meant rich pickings. The former believed that the legendary King Vikramaditya of Ujjain had made a splendid temple at Ram’s birthplace, and they had ownership rights to the site. Struggles over control of shrines often ended in killings of mahants and their ashrams or shrines being taken over by adversaries.

In more recent times, Maithili Sharan of Janaki Ghat and Bajrangdas of Hanumangarhi were said to have met this fate. And, the chief mahant of Mumuksh Bhavan at Vibhishan Kund was apparently killed by a disciple, impatient to grab his ashram. Such instances abound in pilgrimages, where piety and sin co-exist. Rather than a political feud, many people living in Kathmandu valley choose to view the ongoing tussle at Pashupatinath as a struggle between two factions for access to temple property and funds.

Traditionally, priests at Pashupatinath temple have been recruited from South India since the time of King Yaksha Malla, who reigned in the 15th century. Another account holds that Adi Shankaracharya, the 8th century AD monk who restored the primacy of theism over agnostic faiths, initiated the custom of South Indian priests officiating at Himalayan Hindu shrines such as Badrinath, Kedarnath and Pashupatinath. It reflected his vision of unity. A third view holds that Indian priests were brought to ensure uninterrupted worship at the fabled shrine. This is because custom enjoined the Nepalese people to undertake a year-long mourning, even suspending religious service, when the monarch died. Indian priests could be expected to perform ritual worship while the whole of Nepal lamented the king’s demise.

The forced attempt to break with tradition has been criticised both in Nepal and India. Those backing Nepali priests argue that they are as skilled as their Indian counterparts in performing rites. But, the matter being subjudice, they need to bide their time till a final verdict on the matter is given by the court. Abolishing the monarchy and trying to undo religious convention are not the same. For, despite its conversion into a secular state, the country clearly harbours a Hindu soul, rooted in millennia of uninterrupted worship at Himalayan shrines that have withstood the march of centuries, as much as ideological assaults.

Maoist haste to take over Pashupatinath only raises questions about the motive for such a course of action. Since it cannot be political, the reason is not far to seek.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->

[Guest]

<b>Crooks thrive as idols vanish from temples</b>

September 7th, 2009
By Our Correspondent
Hyderabad

Sept. 6: It’s not just the jewellery of gods and goddesses that disappear in the state. The very idols are stolen by organised gangs with networks across the borders.

<b>The number of cases of idol thefts and smuggling are on rise in the state.</b> And some of the stolen idols are never recovered. Hyderabad is the hub of the idol theft racket. Idols of Lord Janardhana Swami and goddess Sridevi of the Chola period (1,300 years old) were stolen from Guntur district recently and were later recovered by Vijayawada police.

In another case, the idols of Someswara, Ganga, Balatripura Sundari and Vighneswara were stolen from Maddipadu temple and Lakshmana Swami and Rama idols were stolen from Jaladanki and Vinjamuru temples in Nellore district. The modus operandi of gangs led by the buyers and brokers based in Hyderabad and Karnataka is to identify the Idol to be stolen from temples without adequate security and assign the job to the thieves.

“Of late the demand for idols has increased in the international market,” said a top official of the Crime Investigation Department. “Idols from India especially get a good price. The antique collectors of the West spend a fortune to procure ancient sculptures and idols of the Indian origin. This is causing increased thefts.”

Once the idol crosses the district borders it is very difficult for police to track it or trace the thieves. According to State Crime Records Bureau 94 idol theft cases were registered in 2008 as against 90 cases in 2007 showing an increase of 4.4 per cent. In 2006, there were 76 cases of idol thefts.

Guntur district registered highest number of idol thefts followed by Nalgonda, Prakasham, Warangal, Mahaboobnagar and Khammam. “One idol theft occurred in Tripurantakam and the other in Chirala Saibaba Temple and both are still undetected,” said the Prakasham superintendent of police, Mr V. Naveen Chand.


He added that the thefts take place mostly in the temples in interior areas where there are no security men.

“These temples are locked at nights but as there is no security, the robbers break into them and make away with the Panchaloha idols,” said the SP. “Ordinary thieves will not resort to these offences. There are organised gangs behind this. We had detected 15 out of 27 cases reported this year.”

Endowments officials said that robbers have also stolen idols from temples which are guarded after assaulting the security personnel and priests. Stolen idols from the State are reportedly smuggled out to be sold in Delhi and Mumbai. Investigators have learnt that at the local level, thieves are paid Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 for each Idol they steal from the temple and the brokers sell it for Rs 1 lakh or Rs 2 lakh. And when they cross the country and reach the international market, the idols are valued in crores.

<b>The endowments department has failed to improve the security at the temples in remote areas and it has also not used the services of archaeology department to register the precious idols.</b> “The public does not want the idols of main deities to be shifted for safekeeping,” said the commissioner of endowments, Mr P. Sundara Kumar. “They feel that the idols have to be kept in the temple. Despite this, we have directed that panchaloha idols be taken to safe lockers.”

He, however, added that the department does not have a monitoring system to keep track of idol thefts. “We haven’t noticed cases in which idols of huge value have been stolen,” said Mr Kumar. “We are recruiting home guards and private security agencies and are also installing CC cameras in temples.”

Task Force sleuths recently arrested a gang which was trying to sell three priceless panchaloha idols reportedly belonging to the Sri Krishnadevaraya period to an antique dealer in the city. The idols of Lord Venugopala Swamy, Goddesses Bhudevi and Sri Devi were brought from a person in Markapuram in Prakasam district.

“We are nabbing these gangs whenever we get information,” said Mr V. Kamalasan Reddy of the Hyderabad Police Commissioner’s Task Force.

[shamu]

Looks like there are attempts to convert Hindu festivals into typical holidays, where people make pleasure trips instead of celebrating with family and relatives.

Diwali destinations: Serene lakes and ancient caves

[dhu]

[url="http://www.dailypioneer.com/230382/Ramdev-faces-threat-to-life.html"]Ramdev faces threat to life[/url]



Terrorist groups, MNCs targeting Baba

Yoga guru wants security to be upgraded

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev is facing threat to his life and intelligence agencies are keeping a close watch on his security.



Alarmed by a spate of emails, letters and independent feedback that pointed to the ever growing threats to his life, Baba Ramdev has informed the Home Ministry and intelligence agencies that he could be targeted by Islamic militant groups and multinational agencies.



“Yes, Baba has informed the Government about the threats to his life,” says Bala Krishna, a close associate of the Yoga guru.



Talking to The Pioneer over phone, Bala Krishna said IB sleuths have been visiting the Patanjali Yogpeeth at Haridwar and trying to assess the nature of threats. “They have met the guru and discussed the whole issue of threats and security with him. We feel that Baba’s security must be upgraded,” Bala Krishna said.



The man who has revolutionised yoga teaching and taken the Indian tradition of medicine and cure to different corners of the world, has been provided Y-category security that involves protection by nine policemen.



Sources said that Baba has specifically identified two potential threats; one from Islamic militant groups, and the second from MNCs. Baba is reported to have told IB sleuths and officials that based on personal knowledge and feedback received from his well-wishers, he apprehends that he was on the hit list of Islamic groups for preaching religious tolerance and communal amity.



At the same time, he has expressed fears that several MNCs could be keen to see him eliminated because his preaching of ‘swadeshi’ and campaign to avoid harmful consumer goods produced by these multinationals.



Baba has been in the centre of many controversies in the past. He has repeatedly lashed out against colas and advised the people to use them as toilet cleaners. His advocacy of Indian medicine and his claim that he could cure AIDS and cancer with yoga and pranayam has also won him many detractors.



Talking about threats from extremist outfits, Bal Krishna said, “Baba’s thrust on reaching out to even the Muslims has angered several fanatical elements. They think he is a kafir who should be eliminated for teaching yoga to the Muslims.”



Bala Krishna added that Baba’s campaign against corruption has also earned him many enemies. A section of people are threatened by him, and they have every reason to eliminate him. We have repeatedly drawn the attention of the Government to the threats, but adequate steps have not been taken to protect him.”



Bal Krishna said that ‘hate’ emails and letters could have been dismissed as handiworks of ‘cranks’, but independent inputs from different sources have suggested that certain elements were actively plotting to eliminate Baba.



“We hope that the Government will take the threat seriously and act accordingly by upgrading his security cover,” Bal Krishna said.

[acharya]

Talking of "right" makes sense if there exists a "left". Does any "left" exist in TSP? For that matter, in India - is there anything truly called "left". If it doesen't there is no point in labeling "rights" - both in TSP and India.



Second, if "right" does exist - why is it necessarily "bad"? Talking of only the SS/BajDal as "right" appears to make only the "Hindu" giving rise to "right-wing" "extremism". What about the various Islamist parties in India, who are somehow never mentioned as "right-wing"? Are the Islamists "leftist"? On the othetr hand if both "Islamists" and "Hinduists" are "right-wing" then we have two right-wings fanatically opposing each other!



In India, there are no left-right divide and only two categories in the political-ideological spectrum - "value-based" and "vacuum-ideology". The values of the "Hinduists" can be diamterically opposite to the "Islamists" - but both work on commitments to some "value-systems". Even parts of the so-called "Left" belong to this "value-based" end. The "vacuum-ideology" is hogged by the so-called "centre-left" - it means total flexibility in trashing any and all value-systems as suits political expediency.



In TSP, in contrast - every political grouping is forced to belong to one or the other variation of a single "value-system". Therefore to outshine each other, they must become more "pure" in adherence to that "value-system". One of the arguments given towards the validity of "tolerant/totally inclusive of the foreign" "Hindu/India" (strangely it was supposed to be intolerantly exclusive in its treatemnet towards supposed oppressed classes within itself) is that it has helped the "Indian/Hindu" civilization to "survive". Look at TSP - it too has survived from an impossible beginning - in spite of cyclical waves of conviction from generations of "tolerant/inclusive/anti-bigot" Hindu-Indians that TSP was "soon" going to "implode".



TSP is managing to survive, extract "peace-tax" from the world and its neighbours, has joined the nuke owners club, and has uccessfully tied up a super-power's military in its land, and managed to play off rising powers against one another, and has hosted one of the most powerful radical movements after communism - that threatens a whole wide axis of countries and regions across the continents. All, by sticking to its single "value-system". Regular IED mubaraks may be a butt of jokes for us, but it is very much part of the "value-system" by which the foundational theology of that nation lives. We joke about it because we have never studied Islamic history of the ME in all its bare naked glory of violence.



Instead of labeling anything as "right" or "left" and an obnoxious plague, we should treat each ideology separately and see how far it takes a nation and how appropriate it is for that nation to consolidate itself and protect its existence/culture/civilization.

[dhu]

[url="http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=10516&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter"]E.Ahmed cancelled special train from Kollam to Attukal[/url]

01/03/2010 04:11:56 HK

The Minister of state for Railways E. Ahmed cancelled the special train service from Kollam to Attukal on the eve of Attukal Ponkala due to pressure from Muslim fundamentalists in Kerala. There would be a special train service every year but very surprisingly the special train was cancelled this year, caused inconvenience to thousands of woman unable to attend the divine ritual.



It is understood from reliable source that E Ahmed had instructed the concerned authority not to run special train for Attukal Ponkala thus making the aged devotees (Ammamar) unable to attend the divine ritual and dwindling the presence of devotees.



The minister is for every one; his religious hatred against the Hindus should not be spared. The majority subject cannot be made victims of begot minister who works only for the welfare of Muslim community.

[acharya]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh8QIs9rpD0



Bharat Svabhiman & Eye Opening Lecture of Rajiv Dixit Part1

[Lalitaditya]

My letter to the editor of DC, finally got fed up with their coverage of the Tamil conference. Predictably it din't get published.



Dear sir,



I am following with keen interest DC's coverage of the Classical Tamil meet in

Coimbatore. I cannot but help get the feeling that the paper endorses the political

ideology of the present Tamilnadu government which is based on a colonial construct called

the Aryan-Dravidian race divide. Scores of scientific reports based on DNA analysis have

come out which have proven that the so called Aryan and Dravidian divide is false and no

substantive foreign immigration has happened in the subcontinent since the Holocene era.

The last straw was a report in today's newspaper which reported on how Karunanidhi

represented the "Aryan domination over Dravidians" in his work in cinemas. Reading such

articles I have come to ask the question, "Divide and Rule" certainly has worked well in

India, hasn't it? When will we get rid of the colonial hangover?



Best wishes,

A proud Indian

[ravicv]

[quote name='Lalitaditya' date='27 June 2010 - 07:28 PM' timestamp='1277695255' post='107205']

My letter to the editor of DC, finally got fed up with their coverage of the Tamil conference. Predictably it din't get published.



Dear sir,



I am following with keen interest DC's coverage of the Classical Tamil meet in

Coimbatore. I cannot but help get the feeling that the paper endorses the political

ideology of the present Tamilnadu government which is based on a colonial construct called

the Aryan-Dravidian race divide. Scores of scientific reports based on DNA analysis have

come out which have proven that the so called Aryan and Dravidian divide is false and no

substantive foreign immigration has happened in the subcontinent since the Holocene era.

The last straw was a report in today's newspaper which reported on how Karunanidhi

represented the "Aryan domination over Dravidians" in his work in cinemas. Reading such

articles I have come to ask the question, "Divide and Rule" certainly has worked well in

India, hasn't it? When will we get rid of the colonial hangover?



Best wishes,

A proud Indian

[/quote]



Don't waste time writing to outlets like DC. It's a Cong mouthpiece. In fact, most of the Indian media has either sold out to church interests, Saudis (ISI???), or the Cong. So much for the stupidity (or was it something else?) of the BJP for allowing foreign onterests in Indian media.

[Lalitaditya]

[quote name='qubit' date='04 July 2010 - 05:24 PM' timestamp='1278243980' post='107291']

Don't waste time writing to outlets like DC. It's a Cong mouthpiece. In fact, most of the Indian media has either sold out to church interests, Saudis (ISI???), or the Cong. So much for the stupidity (or was it something else?) of the BJP for allowing foreign onterests in Indian media.

[/quote]



Exactly, the irony is that I stopped subscription to The Hindu and switched over to DC as I heard that they were more balanced in reporting. But of late they have swung to the p-sec camp. No surprises, I find that their printer and publisher is a Christian. Sigh, I wish the daily pioneer were made available in Chennai.

[Guest]

My friend said this to me

met a cousin of mine yesterday who is in insurance buisness...travels a lot within Andhra..was saying..that not just the poor but even the rich among the kammas, chodrys in andhra...every 3rd person is getting conv..to X big time in vijaywada, rajhmundy areas..itseems priests are selling dilapitated temples in villages to xians..since they are in provery and govt. does not pay them much...so like the ellai amman temples..xian ones are coming up...fast in villages

Note: ellai amman temples -> Are Shakti temples in TN that villagers believe protect their villages, usually such temples are constructed at village boundaries (ellai).

[Bharatvarsh2]

Commonwealth Games damper for Ramlila, Durga Puja



New Delhi, July 21 : The Commonwealth Games in the city may prove a dampener for Ramlila and Durga Puja celebrations during the festive period in October.



After asking schools and markets to shut down during the Oct 3-14 Games, Delhi Police now have Ramlila celebrations and Durga Puja on the radar.



"We are asking that the fairs associated with the Ramlilas be rescheduled. The fairs have no religious relevance and could be organised three or four days later," Delhi Police Commissioner Y.S. Dadwal told reporters at the Police Headquarters.



The Commonwealth Games in Delhi would coincide with the annual Ramlila fairs organised throughout the capital from October 7.



Needless to say, organisers of the religious-cum-community events are fuming.



"How can the commissioner say the fairs associated with these events are irrelevant? The fairs are what draw the people to them," said Subhash Goyal who organises Chandni Chowk's popular Luv-Kush Ramlila.



Goyal argued that the fairs transform the religious nature of the event to that of a community festival.



"It is the fairs that draw the crowd, especially children, to the Ramlila. Children might not be interested in reading the Ramayana, but once they get drawn to the Ramlila by the rides or the good food they are automatically drawn to watch the larger-thanlife enactment of the epic on stage, irrespective of their religion," Goyal said.



Commissioner Dadwal, however, was of the opinion that the Games were of much more importance to the city.



"We are having an event of national importance and people are more worried about holding `melas' (fairs)," he said.



The organisers said that the Games were important in their own right but incomparable to traditional celebrations that had their origins in history.



"The Games have their origin in the British Empire -which is new when compared with the history of our religion," said Goyal.

Dheeraj Bansidhar, who organises the Dharmik Ramlila at the parade grounds, said: "We are yet to receive any intimation from the Delhi Police. How and why will they stop us from organising our Ramlila? We shall discuss the matter with Commissioner Dadwal himself."



http://www.newkerala.com/news2/fullnews-4364.html

The "Commonwealth" Games are nothing but a cheap rip off from the Olympics and any true heathen would know the purpose of the real Olympics (something which Dadwal I am sure never heard of), if you don't here it is:

The Athens Olympics in August 2004 were as much a reminder of what

Christianity did to the Hellenes in the past two millennia as it was a celebration

of the coming home of this great ancient Hellenic tradition. It was the

Christian emperor Theodosius who abolished the Olympics in the late fourth

century after its life of some 1,169 years. The Hellenes started the Olympics

to honor Zeus, father of both gods and people, and to remind themselves of

their common culture. It was an athletic event and a Panhellenic religious

and political celebration of athletic excellence that marked the unity of the

Greek world.



Now the Olympics, which were brought back to life in 1896, have become

the greatest show on earth, having nearly nothing to do with their Hellenic

origins. The reason is that they are now tied to a different civilization whose

defi ning characteristics are Christian monotheism and money. The ancient

Greeks used money, too, and they gave plenty of money to those athletes

who won immortality in the Olympics, but their polytheistic religion colored

everything they did, including their organization of the Olympics, which was

primarily a means of paying their respect to Zeus. Yet the people of the

West, who now own the Olympics, have the illusion they are following in the

path of the Greeks. They are not. On the contrary, Christianity and materialism

have been an insurmountable obstacle in the vague Hellenic dream of

the western people, including modern Greeks living in Greece and staging

the non-Hellenic Olympics in Athens in 2004.



Now Christian Greeks see their archaeological treasures as strictly business—

attractive tokens for tourists. They read Greek history, though the Greek histories

are written by non-Greeks. They celebrate the Olympics in 2004 not

like their ancestors but like the Australians with Coca Cola as the sponsor.

In ancient Greece all wars were suspended to celebrate the Olympic games.

Now Greeks spend billions alone on “security” because the Americans and

the Israelis say so. They are building their country using the architecture of

foreigners and ignoring their own.



http://hellenismos.us/public_html/yabbfi...Reason.pdf

Vallianatos comments on the imperial order that brought an end to the Olympics as

follows:



Here was a millennial tradition of athletic competition for arete (courage, virtue,

equality before the law, goodness, manliness, nobility and excellence) started by

Herakles, son of Zeus and the Greeks’ greatest hero, and Theodosios, thinking like a

barbarian, brought it to an end.



The Olympic agon (contest) was much more than a struggle between outstanding

men for physical excellence. It was, above all, a Panhellenic honoring of the gods.

It was an extraordinary effort to rein in the Hellenes’ passions for war and bring

them together from all over the world for the celebration of their common culture.

The overwhelming idea behind the Olympic contest was political. The Olympic contest

was an effort to build a Panhellenic polis and commonwealth, a united Hellas

under democratic governance. The Olympic agon was also building better and

nobler human beings. And yet the Hellenes’ greatest athletic contest and celebration

of national identity were buried . . . by a barbarian king who knew no better than

listening to the fanaticism of his Christian advisors.



http://mq.dukejournals.org/cgi/reprint/19/1/97

[Bharatvarsh2]

NOTE ON VEDIC/ SANSKRIT PATHASHALAS AND THE EFFECT OF THE RIGHT OF CHILDREN TO

FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT, 2009 ON THEIR FUNCTIONING



INTRODUCTION



Over the last few decades, Vedic and Shastric education has become somewhat

marginalised with 'educated' modern households hardly considering Shastric

education as an option. The reasons could primarily be economic. However, there

was also a singular lack of recognition in the mainstream to the skills

developed over years of traditional Sanskrit and Vedic education. The result was

that only those who were strongly traditional or economically deprived would

send their wards to Vedic Pathashalas for pursing education of the traditional

arts and sciences in a specific and disciplined manner. The curriculum in such

Pathashalas is quite rigorous with a 6-8 year program. Such Pathashalas exist

all across the country. The products of such Pathashalas would go on to become

religious leaders, priests, traditional scholars, literary gems, ayurvedic

practitioners etc. Society still looks up to such traditionally educated

scholars/ practitioners to guide daily living and understanding of the

scriptural knowledge. In a way, it is these individuals who provide Hindu

society with its identity. Most of the students from such institutions go on to

lead fulfilled life and are respected in society. Financial security is usually

not a major problem. The Vedic/ Sanskrit Pathashalas usually accept students for

induction in the age group of 6-10 years and it is in this context that the

recently introduced compulsory and mandatory schooling in the 6 – 14 year age

groups in government recognized elementary schools becomes a new challenge to

traditional Sanskrit/Vedic learning.



The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 has very lofty

ambitions to provide universal and compulsory education to all children in the

age group of 6 – 14 years. However, its enthusiasm to ensure universal primary

education has resulted in a universal definition of education in terms of a

conventional school. It does not specifically recognise alternate modes of

education like Vedapathashalas/ Gurukulas/ Madarsas etc.[size="5"] The mandatory and

compulsory nature of the 2009 Act has already started discouraging the small

number of traditionally minded from sending their children for training in

traditional Sanskrit/ Vedic subjects. This can potentially imply a deathblow to

a number of traditional schools of learning which were otherwise attracting a

small but dedicated group of students. At a time when there is an ongoing

decline and loss of Vedic/ Sanskrit knowledge, it is necessary to assure those

who opt for traditional education that their choice is respected and their

ability to do so will not be hampered.[/size] It is to kept in mind that although

Sanskrit per se is a language of national, if not international relevance, the

actual number of users of the language comprise a linguistic minority. It is the

duty of the State to take measures to protect the interest of such a minority

represented by the system and products of the Vedic Pathashala system. There is

a constitutional guarantee for the protection of such rights vide Article 29 and

30 of the Constitution. It is to be kept in mind that vide Article 351 of the

Constitution, it is also the duty of the State to promote the spread of the

Hindi language drawing primarily on Sanskrit for its vocabulary.



Recently, the HRD Minister, Mr Kapil Sibal convened a meeting with muslim bodies

demonstrating for the exemption of the Madarsa system from provisions of the

2009 Act. Giving in to the pressure of the representations, the Minister has

promised to carve out such an exception. While the right of the students to

follow the traditional Madarsa system of education appears to have been

protected, it is necessary that similar protection should be granted to other

affected persons like those who decide to study in Vedic Pathashalas. There

should not appear to be any discrimination in the manner in which different

religious groups are dealt with especially in matters of the traditional systems

of education which are crucial to keep alive the fabric and continuity of any

society. It would thus be immediately necessary to either suitably amend the

2009 Act or provide in the Rules thereof for traditional education systems that

address the issue of primary education in a different manner and which often

prove improved solutions.





GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE PATHASHALA SYSTEM OF EDUCATION



Vedic/ Sankrit Pathashalas and Tols exist all over the country. Most students

attending these Pathashalas enroll themselves or are inducted by their parents

at the age of 6 – 10. There is no specific uniform curriculum or board

throughout the country to regulate or define the nature of education in such

Pathashalas. While the Sanskrit Parishad had recently mooted the idea of a

Central Sanskrit Board, the same has yet not been acted upon or operationalised.

In the meantime, there is a variation from state to state with regard to the

nature and extent of regulation of education in the Pathashalas. The ancient

system of Gurukulas did not have any fixed text or examinations, but depended on

the intimate exchange of knowledge between a Guru and Shishya who stayed

together. There has been an increasing trend to adopt some form of

standardization of the examination or certification of the completion of the

Pathashala education. Social and religious organizations apart from Government

bodies like the Maharishi Sandipani Rastriya Veda Vidya Pratishthan provide

different certifications in recognition of the proficiency attained by students

completing the Pathashala course. However such certifications do not offer an

opportunity for the students to enter mainstream academia. It is necessary to

revive and implement the idea of a Central Sanskrit Board that will give Vedic

Pathashala students an opportunity to gain recognition in the mainstream and

provide them with options for pursuing further academic and economic

opportunities.



Most Pathashalas focus on preserving the oral tradition of the Vedas. The

rigorous schedule trains students on the nuances of correct rendition of vedic

chants. It also provides them with an instruction on the performance of rituals

and the attendant rules. Most importantly, it provides the students with a

thorough grounding on the basic tenets of a lifestyle that traditionally defines

society. This enables the students to play a leadership role in society by

providing direction in social and religious matters. Some Pathashalas also

provide instruction on Sanskrit texts and an introduction to the Shastras like

Vyakarana (grammar), Nyaya (logic), Sahitya (literature) etc. Students from such

Pathashalas often decide to pursue higher education in Sanskrit universities and

under learned Pandits and play the crucial role in interpreting and presenting

the collective wisdom of the Shastras for the benefit of mankind. Such scholars

who had their basic grounding in the traditional Pathashalas go on to become

Ayurveda practitioners, Astrologers, Logicians, Grammarians etc. Although the

full fledged instruction and study of Vedic and Sanskrit studies is a full time

activity in itself and does not lend itself to being a minor component of a

conventional school curriculum, some pathashalas have of late begun to introduce

subjects like English, Mathematics, Science and Computer acquaintance to instill

confidence in their students to interact with mainstream society. Some students

also appear for examinations conducted by the National Open School and obtain

certificates allowing them to participate in the mainstream society. The

flexible study options allowed by non regular options like the National Open

Schools helped the students manage their time effectively in the Pathashalas.



The report of the Sanskrit Commission (1956-57) has provided some description of

the Pathashala – Tol system prevalent across the country for the specialized

impartation of Vedic/ Sanskrit education. The report had captured the state of

affairs as it existed at the time of independence. The report had also provided

recommendations for revitalizing and improving Sanskrit education at the

elementary and higher levels. It is a fact that while some progress has occurred

in the Pathashala system, there has also been decline in some aspects with a

need to revisit the task of examining and improving the task of elementary

education in the Pathashala system. Given the crucial social and scholastic role

played by the Pathashala system, the efforts to undermine its contributions and

denying it recognition would immensely harm our precious heritage and harm the

interests of society at large.



THE RIGHT OF CHILDREN TO FREE AND COMPULSORY EDUCATION ACT, 2009 AND ITS EFFECT

ON THE PATHASHALA/ TOL SYSTEM OF VEDIC AND SANSKRIT EDUCATION



The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 has been

implemented with a view to provide free and compulsory education to children in

the age group of 6 – 14 years. The Act was notified for implementation from

April 1st, 2010. The 2009 Act was meant to put into action the fundamental right

guaranteed by the Constitution by the 86th amendment which incorporated Article

21A to be a fundamental right. The said Article 21A reads as follows: Right to

education.- "21A. The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all

children of the age of six to fourteen years in such manner as the State may, by

law, determine."

It is a fact that the 2009 Act has chosen to compulsorily implement an idea of

education that seeks to draw inspiration from the conventional system of

schooling with no inclusion of other valid sources of education like

Pathashalas, Madarsas, alternate schools and home education. The 2009 Act

provides for a specific description of a school which excludes from its purview

descriptions of traditional Pathashalas and the nature of education carried out

therein. Most of the instructions and training in the Pathashalas follow the

traditional norms and they do not correspond to the conventional notion of a

curriculum. Teachers do not have B.ed. or other certifications and are

recognized on terms not necessarily recognized by the 2009 Act. The Pathashalas

do not necessarily follow a class pattern like a conventional school. Despite

years of deliberations o the matter, the Central Government has not provided a

modicum of recognition for most Pathashalas with the effect that most

Pathashalas face the scepter of de-recognition with respect to the narrow

definitions of the 2009 Act. This is not a reflection of the Pathashalas as such

but more an inability of the 2009 Act to deal with systems of education other

than the conventional system of schooling. In a way, the 2009 Act, rather than

providing a compulsory provision for education is instead enforcing compulsory

schooling corresponding to a standard definition in the age groups of 6-14

years. [size="5"]This has the effect of ignoring and threatening the vibrant diversity and

the freedom of choice otherwise available to all citizens of the country. If

parents desire to educate their children in a certain manner that will best

reflect their aspirations and beliefs, there should be freedom to do so and the

State should not overtly interfere in such private specifics as the exact nature

and manner of the education being provided. [/size]This would amount to a micro

management and interference in individual choices and social and religious

matters not contemplated in the Constitution and contrary to the letter and

spirit of the Constitution.

The 2009 Act has already started threatening the continuation of the Pathashala

system of education. The schedule defining a recognizable school is already too

narrow with insufficient space to provide for the description of the Pathashala

system. Due to the compulsory nature of the elementary education as defined in

the 2009 Act and the provision of a certificate as contemplated by Section 30,

the lack of such a certificate would be most damaging to the future prospects

and options of a child. This has led to parents forcibly withdrawing children

from Vedic Pathashalas whose education would not otherwise qualify for such a

certificate. The 2009 Act is therefore unwittingly affecting the very foundation

of the traditional arts and sciences by choking and derecognizing the Pathashala

system which continues to supply the basic body of individuals who carry on the

traditions. This is particularly disturbing in an age and time which is

increasingly looking to alternate sources of knowledge and information to deal

with the world's problems. At a time when recognition for the Vedas and Shastric

subjects' contribution to mankind is growing internationally, it is disturbing

to consider a scenario when the very source of this fountain of knowledge is

threatened.

It is necessary to amend the Schedule in the manner provided by Section 20 of

the 2009 Act to bring about a broader description of the modes and options of

elementary education available. The national curriculum should necessarily offer

multiple options that allow and recognize the vedic/Sanskrit pathashala system.

There is an urgent need to instate a Central Board for Sanskrit studies that

will provide recognition to the body of traditional scholars who pursue

traditional arts and sciences.



EMAIL SENT TO THE HRD MINISTER ON 20th July, 2010

Dear Mr Sibal,



I am approaching the HRD Ministry because of some anomalies I have noticed in

the application of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory

Education Act, 2009. I am sure that the Central Government is

implementing the Act with the best of intentions so as to ensure no

child is left out from the right to being educated. However, by the

imposition of detailed rules and guidelines regarding the nature of

education to be imposed, the Government has created certain anomalies.

The government has standardised the syllabus and has fixed the number

of hours of education in specified schools. This includes fixing the

number of days to attend school etc. While all this is fine from the

point of view of the millions of children who are absolutely bereft of

opportunity or education, the Act nowhere recognises longstanding

traditional education systems which existed parallel to the

conventional education.



The vedic pathashalas all over the country represent one such system.

The islamic madarsas represent another. In the vedic pathashalas,

students are expected to follow a rigorous programme of education from

the age of around 6 for a period of 6-12 years during which they are

trained in recitation of vedas and are required to follow certain

disciplines including dietary and lifestyle stipulations. In most such

pathashalas, the students stay away from their parents under the

guidance of a guru. Although few in number, it is these pathashalas

that are expected to train and educate spiritual leadership in Indian

society. While many of the products of such a system decide to follow

the profession of a Purohit or Archaka, a few go on to learn the

Shastras and pursue higher education in Sanskrit scholastic

disciplines. It is such people that Hindu society by and large looks

up to for guidance in daily living including the performance of

important festivals. Important events like Yagnas, marriages etc are

conducted under the guidance of the alumni of vedic pathashalas. Some

of the more scholastically inclined keep alive the numerous shastric

traditions including the understanding and exposition of sacred books

like the Ramayana and Puranas.



The products of vedic pathashalas may not be adept in science,

mathematics and english, but are in the most part fully literate in

the local language of the State and also have a working knowledge of

sanskrit. Most importantly, they are schooled in the discipline and

lifestyle that defines Hindu society and is necessary to keep our

cultural heritage alive. It is also a fact that the nature of the

Pathashala/ Gurukula system is such that it cannot be a part time

activity playing second fiddle to a full time school education as

contemplated in the 2009 Act.



From the viewpoint of protecting the character and traditions of Hindu

society, the well intentioned, but deficient provisions

of the 2009 Act are especially damaging. The Act does not provide for

any exception and does not recognise the value of traditional

education systems. One possible solution is to encompass Gurukula/

Veda pathashala education as a valid source of primary education.

Certain broad outlines can be specified in this regard. While there

may be legal methods of

challenging the efforts of the Act to standardise all

aspects of primary education, it is also important for the Government

to introspect and make necessary corrections based on the

circumstances in Indian society. The

damage that the strict enforcement of the Act can cause to Hindu

society by forcibly diverting

willing students from the Veda Pathashalas can be devastating to the

Sanatana Dharma way of life. There is need to assure those intending

to study in Vedic Pathashalas that their choice of education and

lifestyle will not be denied

because of inadequate legislation. It is also necessary to

ensure some sort of recognition for Gurukula/ vedic pathashala

education so that there is a greater possibility and choice for such

students to integrate with the mainstream. This will be beneficial to

society in general.



It is reported in the media that Muslim bodies are coming to the

forefront by seeking exemption from the 2009 Act provisions for

students opting for madarsa education. In their estimate, the right to

a madarsa education is important and necessary to keep up the

structure and basis of Muslim society. Given the ancient roots of

traditional Indian education and the shastric system, it is imperative

that the Gurukul/ Veda Pathashala system be similarly exempted if the

Act cannot be otherwise modified to recognise them.



I request you to look into the issue and take steps to initiate

corrective legislative actions. Concerned stakeholders and affected

students/ institutions may be consulted in the process.



With regards,Krishnan

Krishnan Venkataraman,

Advocate, Contract Management Consultant,

B Tech, MS, LLB

152, Maxworth Nagar, Kovilambakkam, Chennai - 600117,

M 96770 66635

krishnan.v78@...



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hinducivil...sage/47589

[Bharatvarsh2]

Just found something more related to this issue:

(draftt petition)Exemption to certain clause Right to Children Education



athAtaH pavamAnAnAmevAbhyArohaH |

sa vai khalu prastota sAma prastauti|

sa yatra prastuyAt tadetAni japed

asato mA sadgamaya

tamaso mA jyotirgamaya

mRutyormAmRutam

gamayeti |



BRuhadAraNyakopaniShat 1.iii.28







The Hon'ble Minister for Human Resource Development,

Government of India





Sub:



1. Exemption of vedic education from the compulsory requirements of the Right of

Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009

2. Considering Traditional Vedic Education to be in the definition of Education

as conceived in Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009

3. Assistance and support for capacity building and additional training to fully

empower the rights of the child to avail any opportunity



Dear Sir,



1. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 is a

commendable Act towards implementing the inalienable rights of children, the

future citizens of Bharath - India.



2. The Rights of the Hindu Child includes its inalienable right to education in

the traditions, culture, tradition and heritage given by the Vedic system of

education. This has the forte for the oral rendering of Veda Mantra that has not

had a phoneme altered from the time its was handed down to us thousands of years

back. UNESCO has declared this as a unique but endangered Bharath and World

Heritage.



3. The available corpus of vedic literature of Bharath including the veda

samhitam brahmana, smrithi, vedangam, purana, mahabharatha and ramayana, itihas,

vyakarna, gaNitam, mimamsa and others is the largest collection of ancient

literature from a single country in the world!



4. These have been beacons of enlightenment for thousands of years and they

continue to be so even today.



5. The subject matter in the vedas and shastras are subjects of intense study

globally even today. Almost all universities in India and overseas have

departments of Sanskrit and Indian language studies. Literally millions of web

sites can be seen that are dedicated for study and practice of Hinduism.



6. The subject matters in the veda has provided key inputs for growth in the

science and technology at advanced level in subjects as varied as linguistics

and phonetics, astronomy, biology, medicine, archeology, political

administration, mathematics, physics and medicine including yoga, health and

well being, medicine, and ayurveda to mention a few. Such inputs have provided

impetus for software algorithms, natural language processing, artificial

intelligence and robotics, and even space and cosmology studies. The wonderful

work being done by Ayush under auspices of Government of India needs no

elaboration.



7. We represent the interests of the Vedic Pathashala system of education. This

system has intensive, residential and full time education and training for young

boys under the tutelage of trained scholars., the gurus.



8. The students of the pathashala have additional needs such as using computers

and training and education for vocations other than their traditional roles. It

is our desire that these children can exercise options for secular and

professional roles including opportunities for higher studies if they so choose

when they come of age.



9. There is need for building up the capacities of the veda pathashala to meet

these challenges. This is monumental work needing a lot of resources.

Nevertheless this not an insurmountable problem.



10. Many Bharatiya have done this and risen to be in the galaxy of the great

personages in Bharath. Dr.C.Rajagopalacari, Dr.S.Radhakrishnan, Dr.Bhagavantham,

Dr.PV.Narsimha Rao and others are too well known. Many others have have risen to

positions of being scientists, directors and able administrators and

professional people having very high qualifications in both vaidik and heritage

knowledge and conventional university degrees in India and overseas.



11. We are looking forward to Exemption of vedic education from the compulsory

requirements of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009



12. We are looking forward to enhanced support and assistance for capacity

building for veda pathashalas to fulfil the spirit and letter of the lawful

rights of he child.



Thanking you



with regards



Signed –



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hinducivil...sage/47590

Pathetic.



Hindus have to write petition to the scum in the Indian gov't who are trying to destroy everything about this 5000 year old civilization.



So many Hindus are semi Christianized or Westernized and reflexively anti Muslim on every issue even though the Muslims are right in protesting this piece of shit legislation.



The Indian gov't should stop trying to meddle into issues that don't concern them.

[Husky]

^ This is not some random "secular" govt law.

It is christianism - through its "secular" arm the cryptochristo govt enacting "secular" laws. It is a very *calculated* move to destroy Hindu Dharma. Indian christianism (incl. when it assumes the cover of "secularism") follows the christobrits in everything and is continuing from where their christomasters left off.



Madarsas being hit by these laws is actually a secondary pay-off: christianism doesn't want madarsas anyway and can live *very* well without them. But the primary objective is to destroy the Hindu repository of knowledge, self-maintenance and resilience at the source. Christianism always aims for the life veins of the heathen tree. The trunk, the roots. And that is what they are doing here again. Just like they destroyed libraries, banned "pagan" teachers and "pagan" education in the Roman empire, killed "pagan" teachers.



Can see this aiming-for-the-heart again in how christianism has carefully

- worked towards making it not worthwhile for Hindu families of Temple priests to choose to keep next generations in that profession, and

- impoverished Hindu temples in such a way that it all seems like an accident of circumstance, rather than the carefully-planned systematic destruction of Hindu Temples that it actually is.

(And can see it even in how it get rids of key Hindus - either through murdering them or character assassination, or through the reinstated Christian Inquisition of the Hindus.)



Christianism has thought it all through. Missionaries and their minions spend decades and even much longer studying where the weak points and the sources of heathenism are, just to optimally target them. (The christos from Europe of the colonial era who invaded India made such careful investments of their time and efforts - such as in their studies of local materials - all the time: why do Hindus today not twig that the christos continue to do it?)



And so such seemingly "natural" disasters affecting Hindu religion as in the above posts - just like the "secular" dredging at RamarSethu - are the results of this intense christian study for How Best To Genocide Hindu Religion. (They're not after destroying "Indian civilisation" or "culture": those are/will be claimed for christianism and appropriated, respectively. Since these are things that can be assimilated. Rather, they are after destroying Hindu religion, which is I think why most Indians are so unaffected by it all: people's worry/indifference regarding these disastrous events is defined by a proportional relationship to their actual level of involvement/investment in it.)



Hindus by and large will continue to interpret all of these events that deal various vicious blows to Hindu religion as independent and as being misfortunes owing to pure chance (i.e. "terrible bad luck. yet again. why is all this happening?"), instead of seeing it for what it is: deliberate systematic genocide of Hindu religion due to christianism.

Cryptochristianism is so very dangerous to Hindus.



Anyway. Western countries allow [size="5"]home-schooling[/size], e.g. the kids of several of my (non-religious) lecturers here were home-schooled.

The traditional Hindus in Bharatam who are interested in maintaining traditional Hindu Dharma really ought to do home-schooling/community-schooling (gurukulas/paThashaalas can fall under the latter), bypassing the christoterrorist govt occupying India which has no right to force Hindus into christo mis-education projects even when these have now become govt-sanctioned/promoted.



Loss of traditional Vedic learning is going to directly and significantly impact landmark moments of many lay Hindus' life too: proper Vedic Hindu marriage rituals and death rituals (:eek

But as it will coincide with more people not taking these things seriously anyway (there was a time/generation when the disruption of proper performance of Hindu death rituals would scare the old Hindus into a near-death state), does it really matter? These things are not some "cultural heritage" to hold onto. They mattered to the old (traditional) Hindus for a reason.

Hindus have to write petition to the scum in the Indian gov't

What, like the petition to stop dredging Ramarsethu? Did that work? Did anything else work in this respect? I.e. how is the Ramarsethu doing now, or is it all still going ahead full-steam (but with less publicity to prevent further delays due to Hindu protests)?



Maybe Hindus should be like Libanius and similar Hellenists and write pamphlets on Pro Templis and cross our fingers that christianism will stop it. It all worked so well the first time.

"Reasoning" with christianism/islamism, as if the opponent is civilised and can thus be deterred from carrying out their non-existent gawd's commandments. Heathens were simply mistaken about christianism long ago, not knowing what it meant, but now - when they can learn from history/precedent - heathens are just plain stupid.

[Pandyan]

Petitions won't work, the only thing that will work for Hindus is selective assassination of the bastards who introduced that bill.

[Bharatvarsh2]

[quote name='Husky' date='21 August 2010 - 11:36 PM' timestamp='1282451311' post='108014']What, like the petition to stop dredging Ramarsethu? Did that work? Did anything else work in this respect? I.e. how is the Ramarsethu doing now, or is it all still going ahead full-steam (but with less publicity to prevent further delays due to Hindu protests)?[/quote]

I should have said "had" my mistake because I certainly don't believe that things like petitions work with the vermin we are facing for our enemies and was just commenting on the sad pathetic state where Hindus had to end up writing a petition in their own land to save Veda Pathashala's.



This bill should be opposed tooth and nail, doesn't matter if the Muslims are opposing it as well. I had made it quiet clear earlier that I am disgusted by those Hindus who feel like they have to take a position opposite to that of the Christians or Muslims just for the sake of it. Abortion being one example.

[Husky]

I should have said "had" my mistake because I certainly don't believe that things like petitions work with the vermin we are facing for our enemies and was just commenting on the sad pathetic state where Hindus had to end up writing a petition in their own land to save Veda Pathashala's.

Your original sentence was perfectly fine, it was clear even then that you were

just commenting on the sad pathetic state where Hindus had to end up writing a petition in their own land to save Veda Pathashala's.

In choosing to comment with reference to it, I was merely stressing the same ridiculous position we're in and our hopelessly ineffectual response (petitioning), but unfortunately didn't copy the rest of your containing sentence which made your point obvious.

Petitions won't work, the only thing that will work for Hindus is selective assassination of the bastards who introduced that bill.

Selective assassination.... If only we were like the Israelis eh, and didn't give a hoot about public opinion concerning our handling of all the threats standing in the way of the indigenous people's collective future.

Now wouldn't that be something. De-colonised at last. When everyone else is acting out of selfish (ideological/religious) interests in Indian territory, Hindus/other Dharmics seem adamant in their reticence to do anything, let alone the necessary, to remotely safeguard their own future. At best - and this itself shows the degree of how desperate is our state - we muster some non-distinct "nationalist" motivation, which more often than not ends up including our very enemies in the fold, even as the said enemies never leave the opportunity to pounce on this unnatural identity as a means to attack us (e.g. "they're saffron fundamentalist communal Hindu nationalists oppressing our poor christoislamiterrorist selves").

We lack the will to resist, or sometimes - the even more fundamental problem: - the recognition that these are situations that demand resistance from us.



The enemy when outside the gate is easy to recognise and beat off. E.g. the tyranical christo colonial powers were recognisably not one of ours, and the Indian resistance came naturally. And the same vis-a-vis islamania earier.



But, like with Rome, the enemies are now inside. They look like us, they have taken our labels and claim indigenousness through local ancestry (even as they have rejected the fundamental identity of that ancestry, which actually renders them anything but indigenous), and then they make impossible demands of Hindus that they would *never* accord to us (even in fraction) when the tables are reversed. Parasitic demands which, even as it benefits them, are simultaneously meant to destroy us.

We are paving the way to our own destruction since, by complying (even though unwillingly), we are feeding christoislamism - not merely tolerating its growing presence. All the money, all the compromises that Hindu society has been making/been forced to make towards christoislamism are enabling it to grow faster. And are simultaneously cutting the ground from beneath our own feet. We retreat, they advance.

It is brainwashing into secularism (christoconditioning) that has made this "miracle" possible.