India relaxes visa norms for select Pakistanis including Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities

Source Sify News
Thursday, June 10, 2010

 (PHOTO : Indian/Pakistan Border near Punjab State of Indian Side with Pakistani Sikh)

New Delhi : India on Thursday relaxed visa extension norms for a select category of Pakistan nationals, including Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities who have come to the country seeking Indian citizenship.

The other categories of Pakistanis for whom norms have been relaxed include women married to Indian nationals and staying in India, and Indian women married to Pakistani nationals but who have returned after their spouse's death or divorce, said the union home ministry.

Visa can also be extended in cases of extreme compassion, a home ministry statement said.

It, however, added that the relaxed visa extension rules will be applicable only for those who are already in India or likely to come here before the end of this year.

The statement said that all states and union territories have been asked not to insist upon validity of Pakistani passports, as per the latest statutory provisions notified by the ministry on May 15, 2010, under the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920.

The statement said the decision has been taken after consultation with the ministry of external affairs and the ministry of law and justice.

"Accordingly, it has been decided to grant exemption to a select category of Pakistan nationals from the provisions of Rule 3 of the Passport (Entry into India) Act, 1920. An order to this effect has been notified on May 15, 2010," the statement said.

The ministry added that it is further contemplating to provide this facility to male Muslim citizens of India who migrated to Pakistan during partition leaving behind their family but came back on a valid Pakistani passport, but could not get their passports renewed.

Pointing out that there are thousands of such people in Kerala, the home ministry statement said they were unable to get their passports renewed as the Pakistan High Commission refused to do so in the absence of a Computerised National Identity Card.

"Pakistan issues Computerised National Identity Cards to their nationals and extends validity of passports in respect of only those nationals who possess the identity card," said the home ministry statement.

Some such Pakistan nationals could not get their passports renewed because of sheer poverty, said the home ministry, adding that it has decided to examine the pleas of such people to extend their visa, pending a decision on their pleas for Indian citizenship.

Over 7,000 Pilgrims Register for Hindu shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir , India

Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Source: www.ddinews.gov.in

INDIA : This year’s annual pilgrimage to the holy Hindu shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir will begin July 1 and end Aug 24, on the occasion of “Sharvan Purnima.” The registration of the pilgrims for the Amarnath Yatra began on June 5 at 121 designated branches of the Jammu and Kashmri Bank across the country, said RK Goyal of the shrine board.

About 7,000 pilgrims have so far registered themselves for the yatra
to the 3,888-meter high Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir.

They said 3,510 pilgrims have registered for the yatra through Baltal
route, while 3,297 through Pahalgam route.

Last date for the registration is 20th August. About 3,73,419 pilgrims
had visited the cave shrine in 2009 and 4,98,075 people in 2008.

Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies Established in Buddhist Area , India

Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Source: www.pib.nic.in

INDIA : The Union Cabinet today accorded approval for the establishment of Central Institute of Himalayan Culture Studies (CIHCS) at Dahung in West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh as an autonomous institute under the Ministry of Culture.

It also teach community arts and crafts for self-sufficiency and sustainable development and preservation of ethnic identity within the framework of national integration. The West Kameng district where CIHCS is proposed to be established is traditionally Buddhist, with Hindu influences.

Historic Vicharnag Temple Reopens in Srinagar , Jammu and Kashmir

Source: news.oneindia.in
Monady,May 31,2010

 Nishat Bagh in Srinagar (J&K)

SRINAGAR, KASHMIR : A number of Kashmir Pandits offered rituals at the historic Vicharnag temple, when it reopened after a 20 year hiatus. Located in the district’s Soura city, once famous for being center of discourse and learning for Muslims and Hindus, the Vicharnag temple had closed in the 1990 when the Kashmiri Pandits migrated from the Kashmir valley following ethnic turbulence. “Every year, during the nine-day Hindu festival of Navaratri, a grand fair used to take place. Hundreds of devotees of all age groups used to converge here but the area has remained deserted for the last 22 years. Now it has been reopened and people have started coming,” said Avtar Kishan Koul, a devotee.

The All Parties Migrants Coordination Committee in the state started the drive two years ago to open all Hindu temples and shrines in the Valley to restore their glory. “I feel very happy to meet the Hindus from Kashmir. They are our guests. Twenty-thirty years ago, we used to eat from the same platter, and help each other during weddings,” said Abdul Samadh, a Muslim.

World’s richest Hindu temple (Tirumala) Deposits One Ton of God in Bank in India

Source: beta.thehindu.com
Monady,May 31,2010

(Priests perform special prayers at the sacred Golden Dome at the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirupati)

TIRUPATI, INDIA : Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the custodian of the world’s richest Hindu temple, has signed a pact with State Bank of India (SBI) for deposit of huge quantity of the surplus yellow metal lying in its treasury. The TTD has agreed, in the first phase, to deposit 1000 kg (2,204 lbs) of gold with SBI. The arrangement, which is expected to be a win-win situation for both the stakeholders, is also unique in the sense that a bank is coming to the doorsteps of Tirumala to receive the gold deposits and pay interest in the form of gold.

While the TTD paid in the past for charges towards transportation, insurance and melting (at the mint), the same will now be taken care of by the bank, thus saving a lot for the temple management.

Hindus face reservation threat : Says BJP , India

Source Indian Express (News)
Wednesday,May 26,2010

(Ex Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee releases " Sheroo" the Lion, the mascot of the First Afro-Asian Games (to be held in New Delhi from November 3-11, 2001) at a function in New Delhi on August 5, 2001. The Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Sushree Uma Bharati and the Minister of State for Youth Affairs Shri Pon. Radhakrishnan are also seen)

INDIA : BJP will launch a major 'awakening Campaign' in July to highlight the 'threat' facing Hindu students due to reservation for minorities (read Muslims) and monthly Education (Financial) assistance (EFA), party's Tamil Nadu president Pon Radhakrishnan said here today.

During the campaign from July 4-31, the party will press for similar EFA for Hindu BCs, SCs, STs and MBCs, he told reporters here after the party's State Executive Committee meeting.

Government was giving Rs.350 as EFA for minority school students(doing 5th-10th std),and Rs.500 for vocational course students. Besides other concessions on tuition fee were being given to the minority students. On an average each student was being given Rs.35,000 a year, he claimed.

He alleged that Government was encouraging conversions by such moves.

The DMK, which started a big agitation on a ''non-issue like "Anti-Hindi" agitation, which ultimately affected Tamil students, should now help the Backward,SC and ST people and get them the EFA, he said.

Hindus raise money for Muslim girl's wedding in India

Source http://sify.com/news
Wednesday,May 26,2010

INDIA : It was more than a wedding since it also symbolised celebration of unity and communal harmony when Hindus in an Uttar Pradesh village raised money for a poor Muslim girl's marriage.

Hindus in Sunhera village in Baghpat district, some 400 km from here, performed the marriage Sunday. They are proud of their action, which they say will go a long way in fostering relations between the two communities.

'More than 800 people participated in the wedding. Such a ceremony was possible only with the generous contributions of the villagers,' Mahipal Singh, village head of Sunhera, told IANS.

'The wedding was no less than those organised in cities. Like them, the wedding had decorations, music and varied food items,' he added.

The locals also gifted the couple a number of items they would need for their new life.

'They were given several household items like tables, chairs, a radio and other electronic items,' said Sumer Singh, a resident of the village.

It was the locals who selected the groom for Asma.

Rajastan High Court allows Pakistani Hindu Grooms to visit India

By Rano Bheel (PHP Rajasthan)
Tuesday,May 25,2010

 (View of the Rajasthan High Court, India)

Jodhpur,Rajasthan : Two Pakistani Hindu grooms were allowed to visit the border district of Sriganganagar in Rajasthan for their wedding function only after the high court heard their plea. They were cornered when the local authorities in Jodhpur refused to grant them permission while their brides were waiting to tie the nuptial knots.

The sources said thatHindu families from Pakistan continue to migrate to India for permanent settlement. Hailing from Pakistan, Dilip and Mukesh, both brothers, were willing to lead their marriage party to Sriganganagar from Jodhpur for their marriage and sought the permission from authorities. But the authorities refused to oblige them and said that it was against visa rules.

“The family had no option but to move the court for justice. The court granted them permission. But the authorities were not sympathetic towards the Pakistani Hindus, who sought refuge in India due to persecution on religious ground in Pakistan, says Seemant Lok Sangthan (SLS) president Hindu Singh Sodha, who is spearheading a campaign for the Pakistani settlers in India.

“We have granted permission to both the youth following the court directives,” says superintendent of police (CID), Jodhpur, Mr Sachin Mittal. The family had migrated from Pakistan to India some time back and the rest of the family had already got Indian citizenship. But Dilip and Mukesh could not get it. “Everyone in life dreams for a lavish wedding function, but we spent our time in anxiety,” says a member of the groom’s family. “We struggle every time to obtain a permission for marriage. Two Pakistani Hindus have been languishing in jail as they were arrested for violating visa rules while visiting a border district to find a suitable match for their daughter,” says Mr Sodha.

According to the SLS, Arjun and his son Khuman visited Bikaner from Jodhpur to find a suitable match for a girl. But the police arrested them for violating visa rules.

NOTE - Pakistani Hindu Post thanks to Mr.Sodhaji and Gopinathji is also working with him on Pakistani Hindus Rights issue.

Mr.Hindu Singh Sodha says Give Indian citizenship to Pakistani Hindus, Because this refers to the report Pakistani Hindus launch fight to ascertain identity (IE, May 20). Hundreds of Pakistani Hindus have visited India on valid passports from time to time. Many have been residing in India for more than ten years and should be given Indian citizenship. Lakhs of Bangladeshis have, on the other hand, migrated to India illegally. Internal position of Pakistan is not good and according to the media, Hindus are humiliated there. The Taliban has also imposed Jaziya (religious tax) on Hindus and other communities in some areas. According to a notification by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Pakistani Hindus can be given citizenship under some rules.

Daily Inspiration from Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)

By Gopinath Kumar
Monday,May 24,2010

A day spent without a conscious attempt to clean ones heart is a day wasted. Impurity of cloth or body will lead to diseases which will last only for one lifetime. But impurity of heart will lead to diseases which will afflict the soul for several births.
Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, (1894-1994) Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peedam

Gopinath Kumar thanks to Mr.Surinder K. Billa for being Supportive to Pakistani Hindus in India

By PHP Editorial staff
Monday,May 24,2010

On behalf of Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP) team Mr.Gopinath Kumar thanks very much to Mr.Surinder Kumar Billa who is President of All-India Hindu Shiv Sena (AIHSS). NOTE AIHSS is not Shiv Sena Party neither its has any affiliation with it. AIHSS and Mr.Billa is committed to work for welfare of Migrant Pakistani Hindus in India and particularly in Punjab. He is also aware of PHP Blog and has send his  appreciation. Below are few pictures of his works done ! 

Punjan : All-India Hindu Shiv Sena (AIHSS) President Surinder Kumar Billa and social activist Ashok Kapoor here today handed over financial aid to the four Pakistani Hindu familie.

Punjab : Free ration and household goods were distributed among Hindu families which had migrated from Pakistan after the alleged atrocities on minorities by terrorist outfits like Taliban. The All-India Hindu Shiv Sena led by Surinder Kumar Billa and Ashok Kapoor, a social worker, urged the Prime Minister to take up the issue of ensuring security of Hindus and Sikhs with their Pakistani counterparts.

Migrant Pakistani Hindus launch fight to ascertain identity in India

By Anju Agnihotri Chaba (Indian Express)
Monday,May 24,2010

(2009 Image: Pakistani Hindu ,Jagdish Lal Sharma with his family now in Punjab,India)

Jalandhar,Punjab : Nearly 200 Pakistani Hindus, who had migrated to India over a decade ago and are now left with expired passports, launched a fight on Tuesday to ascertain their identity.

Threatening to take the authorities to the Supreme Court, in view of harassing the migrants eligible for Indian citizenship, the protestors met the deputy commissioner of Jalandhar under the leadership of Surinder K Billa. Billa has been instrumental in bringing together migrated families spread all over Punjab.

The families said despite spending 10 to 15 years in India, the government had not provided them citizenship.

According to the Citizen Amendment Rules, 2004, which were made under Citizenship Rules 1956 of the Citizenship Act 1955, as notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs, “in respect of minority Hindus with Pakistan citizenship, who have migrated to India more than five years ago with intention of permanently settling down in India and have applied for India citizenship, the authority to register a person as a citizen of India under clauses (a), (c), (d) and (e) of subsection (1) of Section (5) of the Act shall be the concerned collector of the district where the applicant is ordinarily a resident of”.

Billa said there were nearly 2,000 to 5,000 Hindu families who have migrated from Pakistan and are presently living in Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Delhi.

Simak Ram, who had migrated from Peshwar in 2000, said of the 100 Hindu families in Peshawar, over 50 migrated to India in the last five to seven years. “Hindu girls are picked up by Muslims, which is a major factor for the migration,” he said.

“We are very much Indians but the Indian government is harassing us. And in the absence of any identity, we cannot get any respectable work and our children are not getting admission in schools and colleges,” he added.

“We have been living here for over a decade now. How can we renew our passports from Pakistan?” asked Ashok Kumar, another migrant.

Billa said the Gujarat and Rajasthan governments had made arrangements to help such migrants, but in Punjab no such effort had been made.

Indian Govt should be liberal with Pakistani Sikhs keen to visit Golden Temple: Akal Takht

By Mohan V.Tripathi (PHP New Delhi)
Thusday,May 20,2010

(Pakistan Sikh Delegation - Deputy Leader of Pak delegation Lal Singh, Jatehdar Akal Takht Gyani Gurbachan Singh)

AMRITSAR: Jatehdar Akal Takht (highest Sikh temporal seat) Gyani Gurbachan Singh assured the Pakistani Sikh delegation that in the next couple of month he along with the SGPC President Avtar Singh Makkar would visit Pakistan to facilitate the Pakistani Sikhs to impart Sikh tenets and customs.

Addressing the media persons during the meeting with Pakistani Sikhs, Jatedhar said that he along with the SGPC president Makkar would visit to Pakistan to have the first hand information regarding the problems faced by them in Sikh shrines in Pakistan.

He said that Union Government of India should give directions to Indian High commission based at Islamabad to be liberal with Sikh devotees who were keen to pay obeisance at Golden Temple.

Ramesh Singh Founder Chairman of Pakistan Sikh Council and leader of delegation of 150 Hindu and Sikhs in the presence of Jatehdar said that Pakistan Sikh wants to learn Sikh ethic and religious customs, since in Pakistan no such religious personality was there to impart them spiritual and religious education.

“The group of 150 Hindus and Sikhs have come on 25 days visa to visit at various religious shrines of Hindus and Sikhs in India including Punjab, Delhi, Maharashtra and Bihar”, Ramesh Singh informed before leaving to Pakistan today.

Hinduism and Democracy: A Comparison

By Ashok M. Kuber, PhD
Wednesday,May 19,2010

The basic principles of democracy were embedded in Indian Civilizations. A real democracy requires secularism in practice and India is the only major nation who can claim this. The credit goes to Hinduism.

PR Log (Press Release)  – The basic principles of democracy were embedded in Indian Civilizations and its religions long before they occurred in the West. Democracy in Europe was born in people’s struggle against Church and ruthless rulers. Democracy is not limited to elections and majority rule. More importantly, democracy involves freedom of expression and liberty – along with equal opportunities and protection of all minorities. Throughout history, religions of Indian origin have imbedded these principles in their belief.

Hindu scriptures, Vedas, are a collection of teachings from over many thousand years. Hinduism allows followers to interpret scriptures according to the current times.

Dogmatic interpretation and its forceful execution are not a part of Hinduism, as it has been with Islam and Christianity.  These religions often ignore the basic teachings of their founders.

Hinduism does not seek converts.  No forceful or violent conversion, no religious wars with Christians, Jews, Jains, Sikhs, Buddhists, atheists occurred until Islam came to India . You can become Hindu by your own free will by accepting Bhagavad-Gita, essence of Vedas spoken by Lord Krishna as a final authority. The mythology of Purana or the great epics Ramayana or Mahabharata explain the Vedas to common people in a simple way. Numerous sects of Hinduism co-exist peacefully under the supreme guidance from the Vedas.

Hinduism offers lots of freedom to operate. An individual decides his Guru, and follows him or her. When many devotees come together a sect is formed.  Like democracy, the people select a leader. Sects come and go like political parties in a dynamic democracy. Often, those of other faiths portray Hinduism as a religion of confusion. It is like communist or a dictator might consider democracy as a confused state where the news media, congressmen, senators, the president and scholars challenges each other dramatically and sometimes unreasonably. Like American democracy, where challenging a President or burning a flag is tolerated - Hinduism tolerates challenges. Contrast to Hinduism, Christianity and Islam offer very limited freedom and tolerance for other faiths.

According to Hinduism, there are different paths to reach God, just like there are many ways to reach the top of the mountain. As you go higher, differences between them are reduced. Anyone who believes that his is the only way to reach God is full of ignorance just like a frog in a well unable to comprehend the outside world. Bhagavad-Gita suggests the following Yogas to reach God:  Knowledge, Devotion, Meditation, and Karma. Karma Yoga is pure selfless service. Missionary service is not Karma Yoga, as missionaries hope to convert people to their faith and thus expand their power base to reestablish domination of the church which will ultimately curtail democracy.

Vedas means knowledge. It is not only religious rituals with chanting of hymns, but it includes philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, medicine, and grammar. When philosophy is the origin of religion, it permits freedom of speech and thought, and acknowledges Atheism. Just like democracy, Hinduism accepts Atheists as equal citizens. About 2300 years ago India peacefully became predominantly Buddhist during the Maurya Empire. During that period, Takshila University was the center of learning Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism and Atheism.  Also, Nalanda University was formed 2000 years ago with its 10,000 students and 1500 teachers. In the 8th century Hindu Guru Shankracharya debated one to one Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Atheist women and men gurus who upon defeat accepted his synthesis of Vedic metaphysics philosophy and India became again predominantly Hindu.

According to Hindu philosophy there is one GOD, an eternal, formless, supreme, all pervading spirit. Observed multiplicity in the Universe is just like the waves in the ocean - they come and go. Waves are nothing but sea water which is the only essence, just as the supreme spirit is the only essence (the underlying reality). As a Hindu, one is free to worship a formless GOD in any form and name one wish. As you progress spiritually, you will realize the absolute invisible all pervading supreme spirit. No one is between you and GOD. Religion and the holy man just give you the direction, but they are not the end. This assures individual freedom and discourages dictatorial control with its abuses.

Ridicule of the caste system in Hinduism by others is extremely overdone. Critics must look at their own history of religious wars, bloody conversion and annihilation of natives in occupied lands.  The caste system was a class system not by birth but by profession:  Labor, Merchants, Ruler (warriors) and Brahmin (teachers and preachers). The King and his ministers collectively ruled the kingdom according to very strict ethic rules given in the Vedas which protect freedom and liberty. Brahmins were mainly teachers until the later part of the Buddhist period (6 A.D.), when they started temples and idol worshipping and were mainly involved in the religious rituals. At about that time, they became Brahmins by birth in order to protect their livelihood. Movement between other classes was more or less free.

Chanakya of Takshila University, who contributed economics in the Vedas, uprooted the Greek Alexander's rule from India and established the Maurya Empire by appointing his student, who was born in the labor class, as a king. The great sages, who wrote the most important Hindu scriptures Puranas, Mahabharata and Ramayana, were born in the labor class!

The caste system already coexisted and there were no real conflict between the groups. Untouchability is often misunderstood and Hinduism has nothing to do with it. Untouchables were outclass persons who had committed crimes. In other civilizations, criminals and their family were killed. In India , they were put out of society and given cleaning jobs. Unfortunately, their families remained untouchables for subsequent generations. The efforts of Hindu reformers and the civil rights laws have brought the untouchables back into society - resulting in the election of an untouchable as President of India in 1997.

In AD 52, the apostle St. Thomas came to South India . His followers known as Syrian Christians were free to practice their apostolic faith. However, during the Portuguese colonial rule, the Catholic Church forcefully absorbed them. Next the British rule came and the Protestant Church ruled them. After India became independent, the followers reestablished the Syrian Christian Church of India free from European control. When Jews and Zoroastrians (Parsis) came to India to escape persecution, they were given shelter and were free to practice their faith. Contributions of these relatively miniscule minorities to India have been immense, and their success in every aspect of life is striking. In India non Hindus including Christians and Muslims have occupied many top positions including president and prime minister without a single threat of violence against them from the 80% majority Hindus.

Recently, America broke the racial barrier by electing the first black president. Even though there is freedom to practice any religion in western nations, most of them have Christianity as a state religion. US constitution states only separation between state and church. In reality, USA is not a secular nation. America and the West have a long way to go to break the religious barriers in order to catch up with India .  For Islamic democratic countries, even separation of state and religion is a mere dream. A real democracy requires secularism in practice and India is the only major nation who can claim this. The credit goes to Hinduism.

The author is thankful to Dr. Dilip Amin and Mr. Sam Barnabas for valuable suggestions.

Ashok M. Kuber, PhD
Lansdale, PA
Contributed to www.InterfaithShaadi.org

Hindus, Muslims celebrate ‘Malmaas’ in Jammu Kashmir , India

Source http://www.indiatalkies.com
Wednesday,May 19,2010

Anantnag (Jammu and Kashmir), May 10 : Promoting communal harmony and brotherhood, Hindus and Muslims celebrated ‘Malmaas’, the extra month in the Hindu calendar, at the famous Martand Teerth Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag District on Monday.

Kashmiri Hindus expressed their joy over the involvement of both Muslims and Sikhs.

“After 20 years, I have seen such rush at the temple which used to be there earlier. I am feeling very happy as local Muslims and Sikhs are with us,” said B L Koul, a Kashmiri Hindu.

Kashmiri Hindus used to visit this temple earlier, but with the advent of militancy in the state, many chose to migrate to more peaceful environs.

“Malmaas comes after every two-and-half years. To attend this festival, people come from Jammu and Delhi. This time the festival was celebrated very well,” claimed Kamaljeet Kachru, one of the organizers.

“After the migration of the Kashmiri Hindus, this is the first time I have seen this festival being organized. These Hindu brothers of ours are welcome,” said Altaf Ahmad, a local of Mattan.

“We want them (Hindus) to come back, so that we can live with brotherhood and harmony. We are happy that they came here and celebrated this festival of Malmaas,” he added. (ANI)

'Embracing Islam just to marry is anti-religion' , India

Source http://www.zeenews.com
Wednesday,May 19,2010

(Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband in India)

Muzaffarnagar (UP): Islamic seminary Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband has said conversion to Islam just for the sake of marriage is against religion.

Its comments came after a Hindu man in Garhi Pukhta village said he wanted to convert to Islam to marry his domestic help, who is a Muslim.

Last month, 82-year-old Om Prakash, also a freedom fighter, and Gasia Begum (50) had applied at the marriage registrar office. Following stiff opposition to the relationship by his two sons, Prakash said he would convert to Islam if he was not allowed to marry Gasia.

Their decision attracted the attention of the Islamic seminary, which termed any such move against the 'Shariat'.

Deputy In-charge of the fatwa department of Deoband, Mufti Ahsan Kasmi, said conversion of person to Islam for the purpose of getting married is "against the Shariat".

Lord Nataraja Statue Worth $1 Million Seized in New Delhi , India

By Mohan V.Tripathi (PHP Editor from New Delhi)
Tuesday,May 18,2010

(ANTIQUE PIECE: The statue is 600 years old)

NEW DELHI, INDIA : A 600-year-old statue of Lord Nataraja, estimated to be worth around US$1 million in the international market, was seized by the police in south district from two persons who were allegedly trying to sell it. The accused were arrested near Vikas Sadan in Kotla Mubarakpur on Sunday.

“We have seized the antique statue of Lord Nataraja and a car in which the accused were moving around, hoping to find a customer,” said DCP Dhaliwal. Police said the 19-inches long murti weighs 34 lbs and is made of “ashtadhatu” (eight metals). Experts at Archaeological Survey of India have valued it at approximately US$1 million.

Hindu Yogi named Prahlad Jani has Astounds Indian Scientists

By Dr.Nandwani (PHP Editor from India)
Tuesday,May 18,2010

(Indian holy man Prahlad Jani speaks at a press conference at a hospital in Ahmedbad on May 6. Jani, who says he has spent seven decades without food or water, has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period)

AHMEDABAD, INDIA : An 83-year-old Indian holy man who says he has spent seven decades without food or water has astounded a team of military doctors who studied him during a two-week observation period. Prahlad Jani spent a fortnight in a hospital in the western India state of Gujarat under constant surveillance from a team of 30 medics equipped with cameras and closed circuit television. During the period, he neither ate nor drank and did not go to the toilet.

The long-haired and bearded yogi was sealed in a hospital in the city of Ahmedabad in a study initiated by India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the state defense and military research institute. The DRDO hopes that the findings, set to be released in greater detail in several months, could help soldiers survive without food and drink, assist astronauts or even save the lives of people trapped in natural disasters.

“We still do not know how he survives,” neurologist Sudhir Shah told reporters after the end of the experiment. “It is still a mystery what kind of phenomenon this is.” “If Jani does not derive energy from food and water, he must be doing that from energy sources around him, sunlight being one,” said Shah. “As medical practitioners we cannot shut our eyes to possibilities, to a source of energy other than calories.”

Jani has since returned to his village near Ambaji in northern Gujarat where he will resume his routine of yoga and meditation. He says that he was blessed by a goddess at a young age, which gave him special powers.

India Says No Beef At Mega Sports Event In New Delhi

Source: www.earthtimes.org
Tuesday,May 18,2010

NEW DELHI, INDIA : India has said that at the Commonwealth Games mega sports meet in New Delhi in October where athletes from 71 nations are scheduled to participate, no beef will be served but instead the participants will be provided with nutritious meals and snacks.

“Commonwealth Games Federation’s requirement from the organizing committee is to provide to a quality 24 hour catering service offering nutritious meals and snacks to the athletes and their team officials during Commonwealth Games Delhi 2010, taking into consideration cultural dietary requirements and the need for variety and rotation of menus,” the games organizers maintained. The slaughtering of cows is banned in most Indian states.

Introduction to Vaak, A Sanskrit Newspaper in Uttarakhand , India

Source: www.livemint.com
Tuesday,May 18,2010

(Buddha Dev Sharma)

HARIDWAR, INDIA: More than three decades ago, when Buddha Dev Sharma was young and nervous about English, he subscribed to a newspaper in English to overcome his fears and learn the new language. Today Buddha Dev Sharma writes, edits and publishes Vaak, Uttarakhand’s only Sanskrit newspaper.

Following stints as a freelance writer with local newspapers in Haridwar and Dehradun, and later a teaching job in the subject at a government secondary school, Sharma took it upon himself to propagate the language he likes to call “practical Sanskrit.” “There was no better way to do it than publish a newspaper,” he says.

In the four color pages in each edition, the fortnightly newspaper touches upon current affairs, a crossword puzzle and a column for general knowledge questions, the newspaper’s most popular section. The range of news is contemporary–the Copenhagen summit on climate change, political leadership changes in the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the updates on Indian Premier League cricket matches.

The name Vaak, which means speech in English, is also in line with the purpose with which it was launched: bringing the language to daily life.

China, India And Nepal Agree To Mt. Kailash Preservation

Source: www.2point6billion.com
Wednesday,April 28,2010

China, India, and Nepal have agreed on a framework regarding the conservation and preservation of the Mount Kailash region, a sacred area in the Himalayas that touches all three countries. The international project, titled “Mount Kailash Sacred Landscape Conservation Initiative: Developing a Transboundary Framework for Conservation and Sustainable Development in the Greater Mount Kailash Region of Nepal, India and China,” is lead by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development, but will include the Wildlife Institute of India, the Forest Department of Uttarakhand, the Nepalese Ministry of Forests, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development, and the United Nations Environment Program.

Mount Kailash itself is a peak in the Gangdise Mountains considered a sacred and holy place in five of the world’s religions: Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Ayyavazhi, and the Boen. It is particularly unique in that it remains one of the most significant peaks in the world that has yet to be stepped on by man. Considered the abode of Buddha Demchok in Buddhism and Lord Shiva in Hinduism, the summit at Mount Kailash is off limits and no attempt to climb the mountain has been recorded.

Every year, thousands of pilgrims travel to the region to circumambulate Mount Kailash; clockwise for Hindus and Buddhists, and counterclockwise for believers of Jainism, Ayyavashi, and Boen. Travelling the 32 miles around the mountain is believed to bring good fortune, but it must be done on foot, pony, or yak.