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Let noble thoughts come to us from every side - Rigv Veda, 1-89-i

Holi

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam “The whole world is but one family”

Life | Literature | Culture

March 2012 | Vol 9 No.9 | Issn 1449 - 3551 Peace Proposal 2012

Human Security and Sustainability: Sharing Reverence for the Dignity of Life January 26, 2012 Synopsis

The economist Amartya Sen, a renowned advocate Humanitarianism, Human Rights and of the methods and approaches of human Sustainability security, has emphasized “the dangers of sudden deprivation.” Such unanticipated threats can Turning to specific proposals, three major take the form of natural disaster and conflict, challenges—natural disasters, environmental and can also arise from economic crises and degradation and poverty, and nuclear weapons— rapid environmental degradation brought about present future generations with threats and by climate change. It is crucial that we respond burdens that will only become greater the more vigorously to such threats, which can grievously we delay. Humanitarianism, human rights and undermine people’s lives, livelihoods and dignity. sustainability need to be the core elements of a future vision of: It is the nature of disasters that they destroy • A world that, refusing to overlook human those things that are most precious, necessary tragedy wherever it occurs, unites in solidarity and irreplaceable to human life. They inflict the to overcome threats; suffering of the loss of friends and family members, • A world that, based on the empowerment of the destruction of homes and the shredding of the individuals, gives priority to securing the dignity bonds of community. When disasters strike, society and right of all people to live in peace; as a whole must be prepared to offer long-term • A world that, remembering the lessons of the support, sharing the responsibility to assist people past, does not allow unborn generations to in rebuilding their lives. inherit the negative legacies of human history and directs all its energies to transforming those The treatise “On Establishing the Correct Teaching legacies. for the Peace of the Land,” authored by Nichiren (1222-82), whose teachings are the foundation Disaster Risk Reduction of the belief of members of the Soka Gakkai International (SGI), provides a useful framework Regarding disaster risk reduction, international for thinking about our contemporary world. Three frameworks to support disaster-affected aspects of this text are especially relevant in light populations need to be strengthened, specifically of present-day conditions and the imperatives by applying a rights-based approach and including of human security: the philosophical stance that such responses in the mandate of the Office of the the highest priority of the state must be the well- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees being and security of ordinary people; a call for (UNHCR). the establishment of a worldview rooted in a vital sense of our interconnectedness; and the insight Human rights need to be given a central stress in all that the greatest empowerment is realized when, relief efforts, focusing on the right of those affected through dialogue, we advance from a shared by disasters to live with dignity. We need to create concern to a shared action-oriented pledge or vow. a culture of human rights that champions the dignity of those afflicted by disasters, threats and Such empowerment is of particular relevance social injustice. At the same time, it is absolutely to the restoration of people’s sense of mental vital that people be empowered to transform their equilibrium and health in post-disaster situations, own circumstances, and here a focus on women “the recovery of the heart.” Buddhism teaches that will prove indispensable. whatever our individual circumstances, we can always discover the capacity to help others; it also Women bear a disproportionate burden of the assures us that those who deprivations resulting from disasters, and they have suffered the most are often exposed to grievous threats. At the same have the right to the time, there is a need to afford greater recognition to greatest happiness. women’s special capacities to contribute. Women must be empowered as effective change agents in the fields of disaster risk reduction, recovery and reconstruction, in line with similar recognition of their potential roles in conflict prevention, resolution and peacebuilding. Specifically, disaster

2 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 risk reduction and recovery could be included in give it concrete form as the scope of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, a binding legal agreement or a new resolution could be adopted with a focus expressing the shared on the roles women play in these areas. conscience of humankind.

Sustainable Development We must initiate concrete negotiations that will culminate in the realization of an NWC. One Ahead of the United Nations Conference on way to do this would be to present it as a basic Sustainable Development (Rio+20) slated to be held treaty establishing the legal framework of a world in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, this June, there have been without nuclear weapons with a set of associated many calls for the establishment of Sustainable protocols. The basic treaty would allow signatory Development Goals. states to clearly commit to the goal of a world without nuclear weapons and undertake a process A set of common goals for a sustainable future of mutual threat reduction. Separate protocols should inherit the spirit of the Millennium could enumerate prohibited activities such as Development Goals of alleviating the distortions development and production, use or threat of use, in our global society generated by poverty and and establish procedures for decommissioning income disparities, and should also address the full and verification. NGOs and forward-looking range of human security issues. governments should establish an action group to embark on this venture. Sustainable energy is also a key issue we need to face. As made painfully clear by the accident at the We should set a target of 2015 for the release— Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant that accompanied or better yet, the signing—of an agreed-upon the devastating earthquake and tsunami which draft of the basic framework treaty. Hiroshima struck Japan last March, a rapid transition to an and Nagasaki would provide a suitable venue for energy policy that is not dependent on nuclear this, at a nuclear abolition summit to mark the power is urgently required. At the same time, the effective end of the nuclear era. The Nuclear Non- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) needs Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, to play a central role in responding to nuclear scheduled for 2015, provides a good opportunity power plant accidents, in the decommissioning of for such a summit. obsolescent nuclear reactors and in handling the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle. The struggle for peace, like the struggle for human rights and humanity, should be thought Nuclear Abolition of as the work of generating an uninterrupted and unstoppable flow of commitment connecting For years, the SGI has promoted a movement to and passed on from one generation to the next. manifest the will of the world’s people for the This is the conviction that has supported the outlawing of nuclear weapons through the adoption SGI’s efforts to help build a better future for all, of a Nuclear Weapons Convention (NWC). There to promote a movement of empowerment that are numerous signs that we are now positioned at is of, for and by the people, a tipping point where a “cascade” of governments laying the foundations for a starts supporting adoption of an NWC. global society of peace and harmonious coexistence. The leading role played by civil society in developing a draft NWC and in actively seeking the -Daisaku Ikeda start of negotiations demonstrates that the spiritual wellspring and normative source for such a treaty President, Soka Gakkai exist as a vital presence in the hearts and minds International of the world’s ordinary citizens. What is required now is to take this living, breathing awareness and Source: www.sgi.org

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 3 For this Month

Our Country

How should one try to understand one’s own country? The country grows on you and you grow in the country. Understanding one’s own country becomes more difficult if you are an Indian. India a civilization of antiquity, of great achievements and numerous short-comings fills one’s mind and often causes bewilderment. And yet, one has to undertake this journey, howsoever, formidable the task may be.

But what is important is to love your own culture and be proud of it while having genuine respect for all other cultures. Mahatma Gandhi often used to say: I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any.

Imagine this approach of “one truth many expressions”. That is Bhavan’s ideal. This was best expressed in the Rig Veda: “Ekam Sad Vipra Bahudha Vadanti”; (The truth is one the sages describe it variously) was formulated by our rishis both in order to understand the complexities of natural objects and their inter-relationships and for harmonious living in society among people of multifarious beliefs and practices. Understanding the point of view of those with whom one profoundly disagrees is the first step toward learning to create a society which manages such disagreement.

What is India?

Viewed in terms of geography, the Indian sub-continent “is a world of its own, extensive yet enclosed by marked geographical boundaries”. A recent survey has indicated that 4,653 communities live in India (that include all major religions of the world in a predominantly Hindu society with a sizeable Muslim population), professing different faiths, practicing diverse forms of worship, entertaining different notions about the migration of the soul, speaking several languages and dialects. Jawaharlal Nehru once said, “India is a cultural unity amongst diversity a bundle of contradictions held together by a strong but invisible thread”. In fact, for the past five thousand years or so, Indians have developed common traits, thoughts and feelings. These have given successive generations of Indians a mindset, a value system, and a way of life, which has been retained with remarkable continuity.

The Indus Valley civilization provides the beginnings of the Indian historical experience. The archaeological excavations at various sites connected with that civilization, such as a Mohenjodaro, Harappa and Dholavira, have amply proved that there existed a well-developed city life, irrigation system, and agricultural operations in India during this period. Much later, during the vedic period divine narratives were pieced together out of subconscious allegory, poetic symbolism, personification of nature, or worship of spirits. But in all these, the human mind played as important a role.

The Vedas are the world’s oldest literature. It is called shruti (hearing) which is eternal, self-evident and divinely revealed. The sages had seen and perceived the Vedic mantras while in a stage of meditation and contemplation. The entire Vedic literature is shruti. On the other hand, we have several human creations in literature which are known as smriti (recollection). The Ramayana, the Mahabharata including the Bhagvad Gita, the Upanishad and Dharmashastra represent the finest examples of the smriti tradition.

Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit, have greatly contributed to the growth of modern Indian languages like Hindi, Marathi, Bengali and Assamese, and have enormously influenced their script, grammar and literature. A remarkable feat of the conservation of memory, the Hindus, through the tradition of shruti and smriti have passed on the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Bhagvad Gita and other sacred texts to the present day. This remarkable aspect of historical consciousness of Indians was highlighted by Rabindranath Tagore in his paper, ‘A vision of Indian

4 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 History’, where he writes: I love India, not because I cultivate the idolatry of geography, not because I have had the chance to be born on her soil, but because she has saved through tumultuous ages the living words that have issued from the illuminated consciousness of her great sons.

Where lies the genius of India? As Sri Aurobindo rightly observes:

“Spirituality is indeed the master-key of the Indian mind; the sense of the indefinite is native to it. India saw from the beginning, and, even in her ages of reason and her age of increasing ignorance, she never lost hold of the insight, that life cannot be rightly seen in the sole light, cannot be perfectly lived in the sole power of its externalities. She was alive to the greatness of material laws and forces; she had a keen eye for the importance of the physical sciences; she knew how to organize the arts of ordinary life. But she saw that the physical does not get its full sense until it stands in right relation to the supra-physical.”

It is thus not surprising that during the period of recorded global history of the past 2500 years India was a major power for 1400 years. Our ancestors developed rational traditions in this country. The Indian genius initiated some of the earliest steps in algebra, geometry and astronomy. The decimal system emerged here. It was in India where early philosophy—secular as well as religious—achieved exceptional sophistication. People invented games like chess, pioneered sex education, and began the first systematic study of political economy. The Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, the finest works of art and sculpture of Ajanta and Ellora and various Buddhist shrines, the best universities of the world of their times at Nalanda and Vikramshila are achievements that should give us pride in our heritage.

India of the Future

Democracy is at the heart of governance in India. Election after election common people are asserting their voice, changing their representatives in a manner that has ensured change in government in the states and also at the Centre. Democracy has really moved beyond periodic elections toward ‘good’ governance. Good governance does not occur by chance. It must be demanded by citizens and nourished explicitly and consciously by the nation-state. As long as Indian society and polity encourage creative minds in the literatures and arts, science and technology, and give primacy to democratic institutions and to an approach of an inclusive and just social order, its age-old cultural strength would continue to be renewed. I do also believe that like individuals, countries too have their destinies. India’s emergence as a significant global power is full of promise. Tomorrow’s India will be a country free of the scourges of poverty and illiteracy. I am still learning about India.

At times, India’s history, its achievements and failings make me happy; at others I feel angry. But I always feel proud, not in a narrow nationalistic sense, which in itself is significant, but in the wider sense of values that India provides to her children: a simple living, family ties, tolerance for the point of view of others, a spiritual quest and a respect for ecology.

Gambhir Watts

President, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 5 Contents

20 13 70

Terminal Care...... 11 India’s Anti-Corruption Contest...... 62

Bhavan, A Chosen Instrument of God...... 16 A Crisis in Two Narratives...... 64

Festivals of the Month: India...... 20 Qualities of Religious Teachers...... 66

Mahatma Gandhi Inaugural Oration...... 28 India’s Year of Living Stagnantly...... 68

Gandhi’s Treasures...... 36 Being a Good Friend...... 77

Nai Talim - Gandhian Way to Education...... 42 Remembering Ram Manohar Lohia...... 83

Our Medical Wisdom and Quantum Physics...... 46 World Harmony Day...... 88

Scientists and “Vanities of the Educated”...... 52 Ancient culture of China!...... 89

Heroines of Peace-The Nine Nobel Women...... 55

Publisher & General Editor: Gambhir Watts Board of Directors of Bharatiya [email protected] Vidya Bhavan Australia Editorial Committee: Shanker Dhar, Parveen Dahiya, Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi Office Bearers: [email protected] President Surendralal Mehta Design: Executive Secretary Homi Navroji Dastur The Aqua Agency - 02 9810 5831 Acting Chairman Shanker Dhar www.aquaagency.com.au Secretary Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi Advertising: [email protected] Other Directors: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia Abbas Raza Alvi, Mathoor Krishnamurti, Rozene Suite 100 / 515 Kent Street, Kulkarni, Palladam Narayana Sathanagopal, Kalpana Shriram, Sydney NSW 2000 Jagannathan Veeraraghavan, Moksha Watts. Printed at: India Empire, New Delhi, India President: Gambhir Watts The views of contributors to Bhavan Australia are not necessarily the views of Bhavan Australia or Patron: Her Excellency Mrs Sujatha Singh the Editor. Bhavan Australia reserves the right to edit any contributed articles and letters submitted High Commissioner of India in Australia for publication. Copyright: all advertisements and original editorial material appearing remain Honorary Life Patron: His Excellency M Ganapathi the property of Bhavan Australia and may not be reproduced except with the written consent of the owner of the copyright.

Bhavan Australia: - ISSN 1449 – 3551 aqua.2947

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The wounded snake its hood unfurls, The flame stirred up doth blaze, The desert air resounds the calls Swami Of heart-struck lion’s rage: The cloud puts forth its deluge strength When lightning cleaves its breast, Vivekananda’s When the soul is stirred to its inmost depth Great ones unfold their best!

Poems Let eyes grow dim and heart grow faint And friendship fail and love betray, Let Fate its hundred horrors send And clotted darkness block the way—

All nature wear one angry frown To crush you out—still know, my soul, You are Divine. March on and on, Nor right nor left, but to the goal!

Nor angel I, nor man nor brute, Nor body, mind, nor he nor she; The books do stop in wonder mute To tell my nature—I am He!

Before the sun, the moon, the earth, Before the stars or comets free, Before e’en Time has had its birth— I was, I am, and I will be!

The beauteous earth, the glorious sun, The calm sweet moon, the spangled sky, Causation’s laws do make them run, They live in bonds, in bonds they die—

And mind its mantle, dreamy net, Casts o’er them all and holds them fast. In warp and woof of thought are set Earth, hells and heavens, or worst or best.

Know these are but the outer crust— All space and time, all effect, cause, I am beyond all sense, all thought, The Witness of the Universe!

Not two nor many, ’tis but One. And thus in me all me’s I have, I cannot hate, I cannot shun Myself from me—I can but love!

From dreams awake, from bonds be free! Be not afraid. This mystery, My shadow, cannot frighten me! Know once for all that I am He!

(To be Continued…)

Source: In search of God and Other Poems by Swami Vivekananda, Advaita Ashrama, Publication Department, Kolkata

8 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Swami Vivekananda Conversations and Dialogues1 IV Bangajas and the Dakshin-rarhis. Thus we are to build up that which is already existing, and which Intermarriage among Subdivisions of A Varna— is in our hands to reduce into practice—reform Against Early Marriage—The Education That India does not mean wholesale breaking down. Needs—Brahmacharya [Shri Surendra Nath Sen—from private diary] Question:—Very well, let it be as you say: but what corresponding good can come of it? Monday, The 24th January, 1898. Swamiji:—Don’t you see how in our society, The same gentleman who was asking questions marriage, being restricted for several hundreds of of Swamiji on Saturday last came again. He raised years within the same subdivisions of each caste, again the topic on intermarriage and enquired, has come to such a pass nowadays as virtually to “How should intermarriage be introduced between mean marital alliance between cousins and near different nationalities?” relations; and how for this very reason the race is getting deteriorated physically, and consequently Swamiji:—I do not advise our intermarriage with all sorts of disease and other evils are finding nations professing an alien religion. At least for the a ready entrance into it? The blood having had present, that will, of a certainty, slacken the ties to circulate within the narrow circle of a limited of society and be a cause of manifold mischief. It number of individuals has become vitiated; so the is the intermarriage between people of the same new-born children inherit from their very birth religion that I advocate. the constitutional diseases of their fathers. Thus, born with poor blood, their bodies have very Question:—Even then, it will involve much little power to resist the microbes of any disease, perplexity. Suppose I have a daughter who is born which are ever ready to prey upon them. It is only and brought up in Bengal, and I marry her to a by widening the circle of marriage that we can Marathi or a Madrasi. Neither will the girl understand infuse a new and a different kind of blood into her husband’s language nor the husband the girl’s. our progeny, so that they may be saved from the Again, the difference in their individual habits and clutches of many of our present-day diseases and customs is so great. Such are a few of the troubles other consequent evils. in the case of the married couple. Then as regards society, it will make confusion worse confounded. Question:—May I ask you, sir, what is your opinion about early marriage? Swamiji:—The time is yet very long in coming when marriages of that kind will be widely possible. Swamiji:—Amongst the educated classes in Bengal, Besides, it is not judicious now to go in for that the custom of marrying their boys too early is all of a sudden. One of the secrets of work is to go dying out gradually. The girls are also given in along the line of least resistance. So, first of all, let marriage a year or two older than before, but that there be marriages within the sphere of one’s own has been under compulsion—from pecuniary want. caste-people. Take for instance, the Kayasthas of Whatever might be the reason for it, the age of Bengal. They have several subdivisions amongst marrying girls should be raised still higher. But them, such as, the Uttar-rârhi, Dakshin-rârhi, what will the poor father do? As soon as the girl Bangaja, etc., and they do not intermarry with each grows up a little, every one of the female sex, other. Now, let there be intermarriages between beginning with the mother down to the relatives the Uttar-rarhis and the Dakshin-rarhis, and if that and neighbours even, will begin to cry out that he is not possible at present, let it be between the must find a bridegroom for her, and will not leave

1These Conversations and Dialogues are translated from the contributions of Disciples to the Udbodhan, the Bengali organ of the Ramakrishna Mission.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 9 him in peace until he does so! And, about your they will take up the vow of lifelong virginity, fired religious hypocrites, the less said the better. In with the strength of that virtue of chastity which these days no one hears them, but still they will is innate in their life-blood from hoary antiquity. take up the role of leaders themselves. The rulers Along with that they should be taught sciences and passed the Age of Consent Bill prohibiting a man other things which would be of benefit, not only to under the threat of penalty to live with a girl of them but to others as well, and knowing this they twelve years, and at once all these so-called leaders would easily learn these things and feel pleasure of your religion raised a tremendous hue and cry in doing so. Our motherland requires for her well- against it, sounding the alarm, “Alas, our religion being some of her children to become such pure- is lost! As if religion consisted in making a girl souled Brahmachârins and Brahmachârinis. a mother at the age of twelve or thirteen! So the rulers also naturally think, “Goodness gracious! Question:—In what way will that conduce to her What a religion is theirs! And these people lead well-being? political agitations and demand political rights!” Swamiji:—By their example and through their Question:—Then, in your opinion, both men and endeavours to hold the national ideal before the women should be married at an advanced age? eyes of the people, a revolution in thoughts and aspirations will take place. How do matters stand Swamiji:—Certainly. But education should be now? Somehow, the parents must dispose of a imparted along with it, otherwise irregularity and girl in marriage, if she be nine or ten years of age! corruption will ensue. By education I do not mean And what a rejoicing of the whole family if a child the present system, but something in the line of is born to her at the age of thirteen! If the trend positive teaching. Mere book-learning won’t do. of such ideas is reversed, then only there is some We want that education by which character is hope for the ancient Shraddhâ to return. And what formed, strength of mind is increased, the intellect to talk of those who will practice Brahmacharya is expanded, and by which one can stand on one’s as defined above—think how much faith in own feet. themselves will be theirs! And what a power for good they will be! Question:—We have to reform our women in many ways. The questioner now saluted Swamiji and was ready to take leave. Swamiji asked him to Swamiji:—With such an education women will come now and then “Certainly, sir,” replied the solve their own problems. They have all the time gentleman, “I feel so much benefited; I have heard been trained in helplessness, servile dependence from you many new things, which I have not been on others, and so they are good only to weep their told anywhere before.” I also went home as it was eyes out at the slightest approach of a mishap about time for dinner. or danger. Along with other things they should acquire the spirit of valour and heroism. In the Swami Vivekananda present day it has become necessary for them also to learn self-defence. See how grand was the Queen Source: Swami Vivekananda’s Works of Jhansi!

Question:—What you advise is quite a new departure, and it will, I am afraid, take a very long time yet to train our women in that way.

Swamiji:—Anyhow, we have to try our best. We have not only to teach them but to teach ourselves also. Mere begetting children does not make a father; a great many responsibilities have to be taken upon one’s shoulders as well. To make a beginning in women’s education: our Hindu women easily understand what chastity means, because it is their heritage. Now, first of all, intensify that ideal within them above everything else, so that they may develop a strong character by the force of which, in every stage of their life, whether married, or single if they prefer to remain so, they will not be in the least afraid even to give up their lives rather than flinch an inch from their chastity. Is it little heroism to be able to sacrifice one’s life for the sake of one’s ideal whatever that ideal may be? Studying the present needs of the age, it seems imperative to train some women up in the ideal of renunciation, so that

10 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 by correction of the life style as wrong life style is the highest contributing factor adding to the cause. Curative treatment modalities including fasting, diet and treatments with mud, water, air, sunlight, exercise, relaxation techniques and the mind-body medicine through application of yogic techniques Terminal Care also come in help for a total benefit. This holistic approach, most of the time can help to avoid 2 February is the cancer survivor’s day. medical interventions which will be a tax on vitality Advancement of medical science has notable in terminal conditions. Side effects of the treatment contributions on the cancer survivors. Surgical can be avoided if timely Naturopathic intervention removal of the cancerous parts, Radiation and is adopted. Even otherwise, without the life style chemotherapy has been used widely which helps modifications as advised by the Naturopathic survival of the cancer patients. Similarly Anti Retro medicine, continuation of quality survival would be Viral Therapy in case of people living with HIV AIDS impossible. promotes survival of such patients. Tuberculosis, Complications of metabolic disorders and in many Now, it is we to decide whether to first try with such terminal cases medical science comes in Naturopathy, a sure cure method of eradicating to help. the root cause or to support at later stage as an adjuvant therapy. Among the survived after cancer, On a detailed study, we come across many other HIV positives and the survived after different important findings. Percentage of survival, survival other terminal conditions, it is assessed that role for long duration, quality of life of the survivor, of change of life style is the deciding factor upon their mental status, role of adjuvant therapies and the prolongation of life, quality and endurance. life style modifications along with modern medical The role of medicines is minimum. More than the interventions, etc. It is undoubtedly agreed by all, diseases, many a times, treatment happens to be the role of positive life style and need of a holistic the cause of death in large number of cases. To approach for attaining the desired results. In short, avoid this tragedy, any patient has to opt initially role of medical interventions appears to be minimal on falling sick, the science of Naturopathy and as a ‘stand-alone’ support system in most of the yoga. This helps easy and fast recovery from any terminal cases. diseased condition.

First of all root cause of the disease is not known Cancer, AIDS or any such terminal condition; an while applying the treatment. Therefore the cause immediate return to nature is the first step to be is not eradicated by the treatment applied. Only taken. Every medical practitioner should make it symptomatic relief or strong suppression of sure and guide the patient seriously to follow the possibility of relapse of the same situation is the rules of health. The medical practitioner needs effect of these interventions. But if the suppression to know the right diet and other health practices is not supported by the life style modifications which ensure internal hygiene of the patient thereafter, the outcome is disastrous. Therefore without which no miraculous drugs can work. the adjuvant therapies become inevitable or External factors to maintain personal hygiene are unavoidable in case of survived, in terminal cases. also to be taken care. But then, we shall not be guided on the wrong path, like blindly following System of medicine like Naturopathy with Yoga the caloric theory, vitamin theory etc and feed the gives greater assurance in prolonging the life patient with junk foods, just because they carry expectancy, quality of life and as an effective some vitamins or calorific value (-ve) . Importance holistic therapy to stop the relapse. Naturopathy of natural and healthy diet and other health being a science with a strong theory of cause practices are of the utmost importance. If proper will be helpful in rooting out the same after the health guidance is given the temporary remedial measures like medication. result in terminal care can be The life style modification is well taken care of, by much better. the science of Naturopathy. Thus as an adjuvant therapy after any other medical interventions, Naturally Yours! Naturopathy stands first to help the survivor. Dr. Babu Joseph, Chief Editor, As the cause is known to Naturopathy, in most of Nisargopachar Varta the cases, if Naturopathy is applied well in time, the result will be high, even without the need of any Source: Nisargopachar Varta, other medical interventions. The cause is removed Vol. 4 Issue 2, February 2012

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 11 time than one usually does. The intervals are Naturopath’s lengthened, often over the course of about few weeks. This helps retrain the bladder to hold urine Advice (India) longer and to urinate less frequently. Question & Answer Pelvic Floor Exercises/Kegel Exercises These are exercises in which one contract and Q. I am aged 73 years and thin built in nature, release the pelvic floor muscles. These are the weighing only 38 kg. My complaint is excess muscles used to voluntarily stop and then restart urination both in day and night especially in cloudy the flow of urine. Toning these muscles can help and cold atmosphere. Please suggest me the cure for improve bladder control and reduce urinary the same through Naturopathy. urgency and frequency. The exercise is performed Mohinder Kr. Nayyar, Punjab by squeezing and relaxing the pelvic floor muscles for three seconds for 10 to 15 times per session. A. Normally people urinate at a frequency of four to This can be done at least three times a day. Kegel eight times a day. Need to go more than eight times exercises are only effective when done regularly. a day or waking up in the night to urinate more than once is considered frequent urination. There Diet Modification are two different ways to look at frequent urination: either as an increase in total volume of urine Avoid foods that appear to irritate your bladder produced (polyuria) or a malfunction in the storage or act as a diuretic, including caffeine, alcohol, and emptying of urine. As you haven’t mentioned carbonated drinks, tomato-based products, any of the following symptoms like fever, chocolate, citrus fruits, and spicy foods. Eating a abdominal pain, back or side pain, bloody, dark, or high-fiber diet is recommended as constipation cloudy urine, vomiting, chills, increased appetite or can worsen the symptoms of overactive bladder excessive thirst and fatigue, the possible cause in syndrome. Restricted Fluid Intake your case can be Drinking enough water to prevent constipation Prostate Hyperplasia: An enlarged prostate can and over-concentration of urine is mandatory. press against the urethra (a tube that connects This volume averages about 2 liters. But drinking the urinary bladder to the genitals) and block the any fluids as little as possible, four to five hours flow of urine, causing the bladder wall to become before bedtime can reduce or eliminate nighttime disturbed. The bladder contracts even when it urination. Bedtime milk is also to be avoided contains small amounts of urine, causing frequent though it is good. urination. Dr. D. Sathyanath, Nature Cure Physician, Overactive Bladder: Repeated and uncontrolled National Institute of Naturopathy (NIN), Dept. of bladder contractions leading to frequent and often Ayush, Ministry of Health & F.W., Govt of India, urgent urination, even if the bladder is not full. based at Bapu Bhavan, Tadiwala Road, Pune, India. NIN provides multifaceted Services and Excess Drinking: Consuming more fluids can cause Monthly Activities including, OPD Clinic, Yoga the body to urinate more often. Classes, Magazine, Weekly Lectures, Monthly Workshop, Naturopathy Diet Centre, Courses and Un-natural Foods: Caffeine, carbonated drinks, Acupressure Clinic etc. For more details visit: artificial sweeteners and alcohol can act as www.punenin.org, Email: [email protected]. diuretics, which can cause more frequent urination. The following are the suggestions that can be done Source: Nisargopachar Varta, National Institute of to reduce urinary frequency. Naturopathy, India, Vol. 4 Issue 2, February 2012

Treatments

Regular application of mud pack to the lower abdomen for 20 minutes every day will alleviate the symptom. Sitz bath/hip bath in cold water for 10-15 mins and cold abdomen pack for half an hour are the other options. Yogasanas along with other specific practices Moola bandha, Uddiyana bandha, Vajroli mudra shall be practiced to maintain the tone of all the abdominal muscles, which in turn will help to avoid the incontinence.

Bladder Retraining

This is helpful for overactive bladder syndrome. It involves holding the urine for a slightly longer

12 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Bhavan’s Holi Mahotsav Tumbalong Park and Chinese Garden Forecourt, Darling Harbour

Bhavan’s Holi Mahotsav is a grand festival of meditation activities, cultural workshops about friendship and harmony celebrated with culture, multiculturalism and art exhibitions last for three colours and food at Darling Harbour. It has become days. There are also delicious vegetarian Indian a major Multicultural Sydney Festival in Australia. food and craft stalls. We decided to celebrate Holi in Australia in a most prominent location constantly visited by people We dedicate the first day of the Festival, Friday from every community. Our obvious choice was March 23 to schools, young people and children. Darling Harbour—the most prominent Australian The school children are invited to participate icon venue, where flow of people never stops and with group performances and enjoy restricted we wanted it to be free for everyone to join in the demonstration of colour throwing festivity. The festivities. special school day will become an annual tradition since this year. The event is a mixture of culture, spirituality and entertainment. Nearly four hundred artists On Saturday March 24 there will be a large street will perform during the festival. The cultural procession from Martin Place going through performances include: Indian, Bollywood and Sydney CBD and Sydney Town Hall culminating aboriginal, tribal belly dances, fusion and folk in to Tumbalong Park, Darling Harbour. The music, Hindi songs, multicultural bands and dance Procession will include Rath Yatra (hand pulled groups. The music and dance, yoga, prayers, Chariot) and other community floats. There will be

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 13 the Sacred Holi Fire which is believed to drive away Commission for a multicultural New South Wales, evil from the society. City of Sydney, Australian Government: Department of Immigration, Incredible India, Sydney Harbour On Sunday March 25 the traditional practice of Foreshore Authority, State Bank of India-Sydney, colour throwing will take place in the designated AFL and ISKCON Sydney, and previous sponsors: area. In India people take extreme delight in Qantas, Western Union, Byron Ayurveda Centre, spraying coloured powder on each other. The Yoga for Daily Life, Reliance India Call, NAB, Vision colours symbolize the nature around us, which Asia, Mystic Call, Australia India Business Council. once again will start to grow and bloom in spring. Also exuberant eating, drinking and singing are an We are grateful to our media supporters, Desi intrinsic part of the Holi festivity. Kangaroo, The Indian, Indus Age, Indian Link, The Indian Down Under, Punjab Times, Masala The Mahotsav Newsline, Kerala Times, Hindi Gaurav, Navtarang, Nepalese Times, Radio Dhanak, Sur Sangam and the Holi Mahotsav celebrates culture, colours, folk Epoch Times, SBS Radio, Chinese newspaper who and fun. Holi is the festival of freedom from social join us in making this 2012 festival even brighter norms. Colours and ‘gulal’ are showered on the and diverse. people dressed up in white clothes and the whole community seems to merge into one big fraternity The success of Holi Mahotsav could not have been under the guise of colours, without any distinction possible without the selfless untiring support of of caste, creed, colour or sex. over 400 artists from a large number of dance academies and cultural groups. We bow before People exchange good wishes, sweets and gifts. and salute them with humility and greatest Holi parties are organized in the grounds where gratitude. We are thankful to: Geetanjali School people dance to the rhythmic beats of the drums of Dance & Performing Arts—Sharmila Maitra, and sing Holi songs. The theme of the festival is Nupur Dance Group—Manjusha Dey, Ghwazi ‘We belong together’. The spirit of the festival is a Caravan—Sandy, Eastern Flavaz—Wahab Shah, symbolic commemoration of cultural harmony to Bollywood Xclusive—Viji Venkat, MLC Dance shed inhibitions and caste differences by extending Group—Sunali Bhandula, India Exclusif—Shraddha a hand of peace and throwing brightly coloured Kumar, Kanta Nritya Kala—Bindu, Malhar powder (Gulal) over each other. Zia Hussain, Indian Dance Centre—Raghavan Nair, Nrityaniketan, Neeta Sura, MASI—Laxman This year Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia Kumthekar, Swaminarayan Group—Manju th is celebrating the 10 anniversary of the Holi Patel, Ruchi School of Dance—Ila, Mango Dance Mahotsav from Friday 23 March until Sunday School—Farah Shah, Ruchi Sanghi Group—Ruchi 25 March 2012. Holi Mahotsav started as one Sanghi, Bengali Association—Rili, Priya Dewan, day festival and today it is first time ever three Priya K., Lipica Tiwari, Chris, Sunali, Shruti days long. Bose, Yoga in Daily Life, Art of Living, ISKCON, Contemporary Dance Academy—Anita Brar, Mala We express our heartfelt gratitude to Lebara Mehta—IABBA Dance School, Ghawazi Caravan, Mobile and other sponsors: Community Relations Batool Zulfiqar, Avijit Sarkar, Bengali Community

14 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Student Choir, Aboriginal Performance by Tribal The dedicated staff, master of ceremonies and Warrior Association Inc, Kavita Ponnuju, Amilee organisers (over last 10 years): Avijit Sarkar, Lalli Saha, Rakhi Birla, zarmar pandya, Raghavan Nair’s Sethuram, Vish Viswanathan, Rao Palagummi, Dance Indian Dance Centre, Kavita Ponnuju, Ritu Rohitas Batta, Victoria Korshunova, Karen Singh, Amilee Saha, Kanan Shah, Scottish Highland Brabant, Priscila Molina, Mrinal Rambhojan, Karan Dancers, Richa Srivastava, Punjabi Sangeet Centre, Shreshtha, 2012 year Event Managers: Joanna Kerry Johnson’s Blaqseedz Dances, Platinum Nasierowska and Lucy Senkyrova, Parveen Dahiya, Bhangra, Astha & group, The Mexican Dance group Jayanshu Shah, Bushra Kazi, Vishal Thakur, Bhoji of Australia, Namarata Karve’s. Dance Group, Watts and Manju Chand, Harinder Kaur, Avijit Priyanka Ray, Momo (a Japanese artist), Aaja Sarkar, Nayana Purohit, Catherine Knox, Reena Nachle Dance School, The Divas and The Dons Doshi, Rajesh Katakdhond, Jimmy Talatia Divya group, Sisca Hunt Dance Group, Akriti Gupta’s Dhingra, Soiam Chandraja, Shezly Mahendra, Stepzz1, and Nupur Dance School. Damodararati’s Nitisha Tripathi, Dyasmin Sandhu, Vijay Jogia, group, Ghawazi Caravan & Aziff Tribal Belly Anchal Saxena, Dyasmin Sandu, Priya Rao, Sophil dancers, IABBV Hindi School, Karen McPhillips and Soiam Raja, Govinda Watts, Nitin Patel, Rajesh School of Highland Dancing, Camp Quality Laughter Katakdhond, Prem Gangadharan, Utkarsh Doshi, Yoga, Nupur Dance Group, Ghoongroo Dance Jenny Ren, Sudhir Das, Zsolt Naggy, Bushra, Anchal Academy, AXR Entertainment Fashion show, Saxena, Ryan D’Lima, Deepthi Pathak, Veena Tokyo Love-In, Folk N Fun, Kurbat The Band, Sashikumar, Dinesh Raman, Gautam Sehgal, Rinul Nrityaniketan School of Dance, Budding Blossoms, Pashankar, Hitashi Gohil, Saurabh Arora, Gagan Shaheedi Faujan, Gatka Akhara, Dance Oolites, Tari Puri, Orsi Toth, Raghu, Sumedh, Anita Nath, Nitin Nusantara, Swastik Institute, Nupur Dance Group, Navale, Amit Dongre, Robin Dmello, Pratik Patel, Bollywood Spice, Gopi Parikh, Youva Australia, Jishiv Patel, Ravi Pandya, Bhavesh Savaliya and Prabhu OSONIQS Rhythm, Vishwaas Productions, numerous volunteers. Directors of Bhavan: Shanker Live Orchestra (Avijit Sarkar with Jazba); fashion Dhar, Abbas Raza, Alvi, Mathoor Krishnamurti, show by Sareeonline.com; a fusion of Odissi, Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi, Rozene Kulkarni, Kathak, Bhavanesswaari Manugaran, Manugaran, Palladam Narayana Sathanagopal, Kalpana Shriram, Baldeep Kaur & Thilakavathi Chengodu; Chris Jagannathan Veeraraghavan, Moksha Watts. Barkat & Waqas Aslam; Ruchi Sanghi; Vrinda Ravi; Shruti Bose, Radhika Biswas, Sudarshana We are grateful to Scott Eager, Brendan Burke, Bose, Anahita Parikh, Debjani Pal, Ankita Saha, Alex Boyce, Graham and other staff from Sydney Ria Sinha and Eva Sinha), Avaya Prada, Majusha Harbour Foreshore group, Manju Patel, Laxmi Vekaria, Laliben Vekaria, Authority for their Dhani Vekaria, Manjula Vaghjiani, Shruti Rajani, valuable contribution in Sangita Vaghjiani, Bharti Rabadia, Ramila Kerai, hosting this festival. Rasila Hirani & Sunita Hirani, Nujjagoori; Nirmal Chowdury, Auntora Chowdhury, Sarmistha Sarkar, Joanna Nasierowska & Arjun Sarkar, Sapla Misty Paul, Pritha Barai, Chitra Lucie Senkyrova Das, Anonya Bhattacharya and Mousumi Saha. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 15 of our nation and the universe thus strengthening the ideal of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the World is One Family, which alone can spread the message of love and universal brotherhood ushering in an era of peace, unity and harmony.

I have a solemn duty to perform. With a heavy heart, I have to inform you that during the year, the Bhavan’s Family lost several stalwarts including Bhavan’s Former Trustee, donor and father of our colleague Harsha Vardhanji, Shri Basudeoji Kanoria. The Director of the Bhavan’s Bangalore Kendra Shri Mathoor Krishnamurti suddenly passed away on the Vijaya Dashami Day. His great contribution to the progress of Bhavan’s London Bhavan, and Karnataka Kendras will long be remembered.

A recipient of the Bhavan’s Munshi Sanman, the A Chosen great music composer Shri Ajit Merchant also has passed away. Bhavan’s former Vice-President and the Governor of Maharashtra Dr. P.C. Alexander, Instrument former Director of Bhavan’s Nagpur Kendra Shri Mahadev Shastri and several other members also have left us. Bhavan also mourned the deaths of of God the victims of two bomb blasts; one in Mumbai on July 13 and the other in Delhi on September 7. Bhavan condemns these cowardly and hideous acts of terror. Excerpted from the Presidential address to the Bhavan’s Governing Council at Mumbai on During 2011, many members of the Bhavan’s December 18, 2011 Family, including our students have received recognition and won laurels. I will mention a The year 2012 is going to be a momentous one for few. Smt. Rama Devi, Smt.Vineeta Arora and Smt. the Bhavan’s Family. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan will Kumudini Periaswamy, Principals of Bhavan’s complete 74 years of its existence and enter the schools in Hyderabad, Chandigarh and Coimbatore 75th year on November 7, 2012. The 125th birth have won the President of India Award, Best anniversary of Kulapati Munshiji who was born in Principal Award of Science Olympiad Foundation 1887 will fall on December 30. We are planning a and Dr. Radhakrishnan Best Principal Award yearlong celebration of these two historic events. I respectively. request you to kindly think deeply over this matter. The Principal of the Bhavan’s school in Chennai, Overcoming many hurdles, Bhavan has worked Shri Ajeeth Prasath Jain has been appointed a hard to achieve its objectives. Considering the Member of the Committee of Central Board of national recognition and appreciation that it has Education to prevent unfair practices in school received, it appears that Bhavan has acquitted education, constituted by the Human Resources itself quite creditably. But we should not be Ministry, Government of India. Bhavan’s Atmakuri satisfied with our achievements. Our struggle is a Rao school of Hyderabad has won Paryavaran Mitra continuing process. Much has been done, but much Best school Award of the Ministry of Environment more remains to be done. As the great Gujarati and Forests. poet Karsandas Manek says: Twelve students of our Chennai school have been Tein gaayun chhe ghanuye pan selected for Scholarship for higher education ghanu gaavaanu baaki chhe under the scheme: “Innovation in Science Pursuit nathi gaayun te gaavaani avadh aaje for Inspired Research”. In the surveys conducted Jo paki chhe by educational journals and national newspapers Many a beautiful melody you have sung. But many several Bhavan’s schools and colleges across the more remain unsung. Now, the crucial moment country feature in the list of India’s best and most has burst upon you when you have to sing new respected schools and colleges. enchanting tunes, you have never sung before. Let During the year, the Bhavan has continued to us grab the moment of the twin-celebrations of march forward on several fronts. To me personally, Bhavan’s Diamond Jubilee and 125th Birthday of the most gratifying thing is that we have been its Founder, to consolidate our existing institutions able to spread and strengthen our activities in and activities and enter new creative arenas in our the fields of culture and performing arts. Several endeavours to enrich the cultural and spiritual life Kendras which were previously focusing mainly on

16 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 school education have started meaningful cultural Shri Narayan Bandekar and his wife Smt. Mandaji, activities. Several others have expanded the scope who is the Chairperson of the Goa Kendra. in this field. Sublime music knows no boundaries. It casts The Bhavan runs its Maa Sharda Devi Hospital a mystic spell on everyone living anywhere in Secunderabad mostly for the benefit of the in the world. The Constantinople Society of economically weaker sections of society. It has Performing Arts, Canada, organised a conference now been renovated and restructured with a new in Montreal from September 30 to October 3, X-ray machine, ultra-sound equipment, a blood cell 2011. The Principal of the Bhavan’s Bharatiya counter and a full-time radiologist. The Pharmacy Sangeet and Nartan Shikshapeeth, Pandit Dhruba has been upgraded. With these improved facilities, Ghosh represented Bhavan. One purpose of the the number of patients has increased considerably. conference was to bring closer to one another the various traditional music forms. This time The Bhavan’s Durban Centre in South Africa, which the emphasis was on the classical music of India had become non-functional, is being resumed. and Iran. Steps have been taken to start an Indian Institute of Production Management at the Bhavan’s Raipur A proposal was made for setting up a composer’s Kendra conducting diploma courses and training laboratory at Bhavan Mumbai for studies and programmes for semi-skilled industrial workers. experimentation with classical Indian forms Training for Advanced Diploma in Maintenance by composers from Europe, Japan, Australia, Management too will be started. Canada and the U.S.A. Bhavan is also planning collaboration with the Amsterdam Music The Bhavan’s Nagpur Kendra, will soon have a Conservatory and the Vicessya Music Academy modern auditorium of its own. Its foundation of Italy. stone was laid by me on September 11, 2011 in the presence of my colleagues on the Executive I am happy to inform you that the Bhavan’s Committee and Board of Trustees. We all were schools started during the last five years in Jaipur, highly impressed by the excellent progress of the Hyderabad, Hinghanghat, Kuwait, Qatar and Abu Nagpur Kendra under the able leadership and Dhabi have made great strides within a short meticulous personal care of our dear colleague Shri period. Bhavan’s Gandhi Institute of Computer Banwarilal Purohit who overwhelmed us by his Education and Information Technology, imparting wonderful hospitality. totally free education through its 40 centres continues to do well. The Bhavan’s Shikshan Bharati organised a Conference of the Principals of all the Bhavan’s However, its funds are naturally getting depleted. schools in India as also a national integration camp But I have faith that my colleague Shri Murli Deora with the cooperation of the Bhavan’s Delhi and who is in charge of the Institute will bring in fresh Jaipur Kendras respectively. Apart from discussing donations. I am not the only one to nurture this all the relevant issues and problems faced by the hope. Five years back, our Prime Minister, Shri schools, the Conference focused on the ways and Manmohan Singh came to Bhavan to dedicate methods by which we can strengthen our efforts to the Gandhi Institute’s first Centre to the memory inculcate moral and ethical values in our children. of the great Shri C. Subramaniam. At that time The Bhavan’s Executive Secretary, Shri Dastur paying tributes to Bhavan for its contribution to delivered the Key-note address. expanding the Information Technology Revolution in India and even reaching out to the poorest of The Bhavan’s Delhi Kendra has undertaken the our countrymen, the Prime Minister had said: “I work of construction and major renovation. For pray that Shri Murli Deora’s skill in raising resources this the Priyamvada and Madhav Prasad Birla Trust would prove a strong spur to make this Computer of Kolkata has generously offered a donation of Education Centre reach its goals”. 7 crores. The first instalment of 75 lakhs was received last month. On behalf of all members of I am also happy to inform you that the Bhavan’s the Bhavan family, I convey our feelings of deep Sanskrit activities too have maintained its steady gratitude to the trust. I must mention here that the pace of progress. Our Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya late Shri Madhav Prasadji and Smt. Priyamvada is imparting training in traditional Sanskrit were great friends and benefactors of the Bhavan studies, literature, Vyakaran, Vedanta, Jyotish and had in the past given donations to the Central etc. Our Saral and Sahitya Sanskrit examinations Bhavan and the Bhavan’s London Centre. departments, the Post-graduate and Research Institution, the short-term courses on Sanskrit, We have received the last instalment of 50 lakhs Gita, Bhagwat, Purans, Subhashitas, Buddhism, for the Bhavan’s Goa Kendra school from the Vedic Mathematics, etc. continue to do well. We eminent industrialist, Shri Narayan Bandekar last continue to organize talks, workshops, seminars, month. With this, we have received a total of essay competitions, etc. 1 crore 50 lakhs. The Bandekar family has also promised to buy a plot adjoining the school and As we enter the New Year, let us pause briefly donate it to the Goa Bhavan. We are thankful to and take a look at the path we have travelled on,

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 17 observe how far we have come and then look at Ramakrishnans, Shivarams, Patels and Dasturs the road ahead. The times have radically changed. would turn down fantastically lucrative offers of The idealism and commitment to moral and jobs and resist such other temptations because ethical values have been transformed into sheer of their commitment to Bhavan. We are in need materialism, where a man’s worth is being judged of sincere and able senior executives in the Head by his capacity to earn money. Office as well as Kendras. I call upon everyone of you to kindly help us in our search. Even about-to- When Munshiji conceived the idea of Bhavan, he retire or just retired persons may be of help. had with him the blessings of Mahatma Gandhi and support of the stalwarts like Nehru, Sardar The next two years are crucial. The twin- Patel, Rajaji and Rajendra Prasad. The institutions celebrations is a great opportunity for us to like the mass media and leaders in various fields consolidate and move forward. As I said at the were ready and eager to appreciate and help beginning we have to strengthen our existing a good cause. The noble idealism and spirit of institutions and seek newer pastures. I appeal to sacrifice pervaded the very air we breathed. Today, all of you to kindly extend your helping hands to indifference has replaced appreciation and nothing us not only by giving your valuable suggestions moves without money. We are regularly confronted regarding how to make the celebrations really with this attitude. meaningful but also to raise funds by identifying and wherever possible approaching prospective donors and philanthropists so that we can augment “We are in need of sincere funds to consolidate and expand the Bhavan’s activities. and able senior executives We would love to have a Spiritual Centre in Andheri in the Head Office as well where excellent facilities can be made available for research in the comparative studies of the as Kendras. I call upon major religions of the world. We can plan for a world class library, hostels with canteen facility for everyone of you to kindly the research scholars, programmes and projects emphasising the unity of Mankind and the Bhavan’s help us in our search. Even ideal of Sarva Dharma Samabhav, love and equal about-to-retire or just retired respect for all religions. Bhavan’s students number over one lakh 75 persons may be of help.” thousand. Every year a few thousand students go out and equal number comes in. This has given us a wonderful opportunity to inculcate by I give you only one example. Some time back a various creative ways, moral and ethical values in leading and even respected magazine’s Assistant our young generation apart from giving them the Editor rang up Shri Dastur to say that after best of education in their respective subjects. We conducting a thorough scientific survey they need to strengthen our efforts in this direction by have chosen Bhavan as one of the top ten leading conceiving new innovative methods. NGO’s of India. They would give two pages on the work and achievements of Bhavan and one Even if 10 to 15 per cent of the students absorb page of Shri Dastur’s interview. Then he added: values and become upright citizens which I hope Normally it would cost you six lakh rupees, but they have been doing all these years, it is a silent because Bhavan is one of the best institutions, we but solid contribution to our national-building will charge you only 2 lakhs 50 thousand. Even efforts. As a part of this mission, Shri Dastur has an excellent cultural or educational programme suggested that we should identify experts and capable of elevating human mind goes unnoticed get the Bhavan’s Cultural Course Readers re- unless of course you pay for it. And that Bhavan written to suit the changing times and to meet the of course would never do. Consequently Bhavan challenges posed by the cult of materialism. Our is receiving less coverage on lectures, seminars aim is to produce such excellent Readers that the and even the reviews of music, dance and other world will take notice of it and non-Bhavan schools performing arts. and parents of school-going children in India and abroad will clamour for it. It is a long, expensive, Of course, we are not disheartened. But it entails creative and challenging task but I am happy to harder efforts on our part and forces us to shift inform you that the work has begun and the first our focus and re-adjust our approach in order preliminary steps have been taken. to reach the Bhavan’s Message to the people. At the end of it all, selfless good work will speak for Our Publications Division has taken a new itself or so we hope. Another difficulty is to find initiative. There are world-class classics and great talented and dedicated young men and women in books published in various Indian languages. They the service of the Bhavan. Gone are the days when have an universal appeal but they are confined to

18 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 the boundaries of their respective languages. We have now decided to identify such publications, get them translated into English and publish them. It will also be an attempt at breaking the language and regional barriers, thus contributing to the nation’s unity and harmony. Of course we will have to identify the best translators and get their work checked by experts. It is again an expensive proposition but it will fulfil one of Bhavan’s basic objectives.

We have started with the 93-year-old immortal singer Juthika Roy’s autobiography. It was published in Bengali many years ago. The translation work was almost over when Juthikabehn wanted to add a few chapters. Like- wise, the translation work of the great classic musician, Pandit Govindrao Tembe’s acclaimed book in Marathi “In Pursuit of Music” done by Dr. S.D. Pillai, who was the Executive Editor of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Mumbai the Oxford Encyclopedia of Music, is nearing completion. and dedicated work of the Bhavan’s staff, both We also intend to revive musical journals of great administrative and academic all over India under value which have gone into extinction. Besides the direction of the Executive Secretary. other benefits, it will facilitate original research in the field. We also want to construct a building in Looking back on the 74 years of the Bhavan’s our Andheri Campus for our Sangeet and Nartan existence I am overwhelmed at the continuous flow Shikshapeeth with hostel facilities. We would of the abundant grace of God on this institution. also like to open new libraries in the country and What began as an idea, an ideal, a spirited purpose strengthen and expand the existing ones. Several and absolute commitment to the unity, dignity friends and colleagues have proposed starting of and welfare of the entire human race, is today a Law college named after Munshiji in our Andheri standing before us as a huge cultural educational Campus. We would also love to have a full-fledged and spiritual Movement holding fast to its strong institution for research in Indology and Ancient belief in Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam—The World is Indian Languages. One Family.

All this naturally requires dedicated persons and This proves beyond all doubts that Bhavan has a lot of money. But as Gandhiji believed, if we been chosen by God as His instrument. Everyone of have purity of purpose, dedication and integrity, us therefore, is a soldier of the Divine Mother. It is commitment and spirit of sacrifice, the required a daunting responsibility. But if we put the interest resources will sooner or later arrive. Of course the of Bhavan above our self, have faith and remain vital ingredient is the grace of God without which humble and committed to the Bhavan’s goals and nothing good and noble can happen. I appeal to ideals, we will be able to overcome any obstacles all of you to do your very best to get Bhavan the and pitfalls and the onward required resources of devoted men and money. march of Bharatiya Vidya I take this opportunity to convey my feelings of Bhavan will continue. deep gratitude to all Members. You have, all these years, reposed total trust and confidence in the -Surendralal G. Mehta Bhavan’s Executive Committee, Trustees, President and Executive Secretary, given us your help and Source: Bhavan’s Journal, guidance whenever required and endorsed all our January 15, 2012 decisions. Your faith is our real strength.

I thank our Vice-Presidents and other office-bearers for their creative contribution to the work of Bhavan. I am also beholden to my colleagues in the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees for their consistent support and guidance. I have also to express my feelings of gratitude to the Chairmen and other office-bearers of our Kendras all over India who have devoted their time for the work of Bhavan. I must also put on record the deep appreciation of all of us for the diligent

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 19 Festivals of the Month: India Navratri

mentioned about Holikotsav in his work Ratnavali that was written during the 7th century. The famous Muslim tourist, Ulbaruni too has mentioned about Holikotsav in his historical memories. Other Muslim writers of that period have mentioned, that Holikotsav was not only celebrated by the Hindus but also by the Muslims. Holi 2012 falls on 8 March.

Legends and Mythology

The literal meaning of the word ‘Holi’ is ‘burning’. There are various legends to explain the meaning of this word, most prominent of all is the legend associated with demon king Hiranyakashyap. Hiranyakashyap wanted everybody in his Brij Holi kingdom to worship only him but to his great disappointment, his son, Prahlad became an ardent devotee of Lord Narayana. Hiaranyakashyap Holi commanded his sister, Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap. Holika had a boon whereby Holi is an ancient festival of India and was she could enter fire without any damage on herself. originally known as ‘Holika’. The festival finds However, she was not aware that the boon worked a detailed description in early religious works only when she enters the fire alone. She paid a such as Jaimini’s Purvamimamsa-Sutras and price for her sinister desires, while Prahlad was Kathaka-Grhya-Sutras. Historians also believe saved by the grace of the God for his extreme that Holi was celebrated by all Aryans. It is said devotion. The festival celebrates the victory of that Holi existed several centuries before Christ. good over evil and also the triumph of devotion. However, the meaning of the festival is believed Legend of Lord Krishna is also associated with to have changed over the years. Earlier it was play with Colours as the Lord started the tradition a special rite performed by married women for of playing with colours by applying colour on his the happiness and well-being of their families beloved Radha and other Gopis. Gradually, the play and the full moon (Raka) was worshiped. There gained popularity with the people and became a is a detailed description of Holi in the Vedas and tradition. Puranas such as Narad Purana and Bhavishya Purana. A stone inscription belonging to 300 BC Holika Dahan found at Ramgarh in the province of Vindhya has mention of Holikotsav on it. King Harsha, too has On the eve of Holi, Holika Dahan takes place. Effigy of Holika, the devil minded sister of demon King

20 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Holi colours Holi sweets

Hiranyakashyap is placed in the wood and burnt. a huge human pyramid and one on the top breaks The ritual symbolises the victory of good over evil the pot with his head. All this while women keep and also the triumph of a true devotee. Children singing Holi folk songs and throwing buckets and also hurl abuses at Holika and pray pranks, as if buckets of water. The tradition has its roots in the they still try to chase away Dhundhi who once mischievous nature of Lord Krishna who was so troubled little ones in the Kingdom of Prithu. Some fond of butter milk that he used to steal it from people also take embers from the fire to their every accessible house in the village. To hide the homes to rekindle their own domestic fires. butter from young Krishna, womenfolk used to hang it high. All in vain! Play of Colours Basant Utsav Next day is the main day of Holi celebrations. The day is called Dhuleti and it is on this day Holi is celebrated in the most dignified manner in that the actual play of colours takes place. There the state of Bengal. At Vishwa Bharti University, is no tradition of holding puja and is meant for founded by Rabindranath Tagore founded the enjoyment and celebrations. The tradition of tradition of celebrating Holi as ‘Basant Utsav’ or playing colours is particularly rampant in north ‘Spring Festival’. Students decorate the campus India and even in that region, there can be no with intricate rangolis and carry out prabhat pheris comparison to the Holi of Mathura and Vrindavan. in the morning. Clad in traditional attires young People take extreme delight in spraying coloured boys and girls sing songs composed by Gurudev water on each other with pichkaris or pouring and present an enchanting view to the onlookers buckets and buckets of it. Singing Bollywood Holi who gather in large number here. In other parts numbers and dancing on the beat of dholak is of Bengal, Holi is celebrated as Dol Yatra where also a part of the tradition. Amidst all this activity the idols of Radha and Krishna are placed on a people relish gujiya, mathri, malpuas and other decorated palanquin and taken out in a procession. traditional Holi delicacies with great joy. Drinks especially thandai laced with bhang is also an There are many more ways in which Holi is intrinsic part of the Holi festivity. Bhang helps to celebrated. Different states, different cities and further enhance the spirit of the occasion. different villages have come out with their unique and innovative styles of playing Holi. It may not be Traditions possible to describe all of them at one place. What is noteworthy though is the fact that the spirit of The colourful festival of Holi is celebrated by Holi remains the same throughout. It is the festival different names. The traditions followed for the which generates the spirit of brotherhood and festival varies a little and at times a lot as one bring people close, and this is what matters most moves from one state to other studying the various than anything else. facets of the festival and getting behind the various colours of it. At Barsana Holi assumes the name Celebrations of Lathmaar Holi. Here, women of Barsana give a tough time to men of Nandgaon as they come Holi celebration takes place with lot of joy and to play Holi with them. Women drag the unlucky verve throughout the country. The enthusiasm of captives, beat them, dress them in female attire. the people reaches its peak and matches with the nature which is in full bounty at the time of Holi. The most enjoyable tradition of Holi apart from the play of colours is the tradition of breaking Differences of any sort are drowned in the coloured the pot. It is celebrated with much fanfare in the waters of Holi and people just enjoy being a play states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Here a pot of animal. Children particularly enjoy the festival as buttermilk is hung high on the streets. Men form they throw water filled balloons at passersby...

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 21 Holla Mohalla

Holla Mohalla or Hola Mohalla is the festival of Punjab. Celebrated over three days, the festival retains the character of fun and enjoyment that Holi has embodied. It is a community festival that brings people together in an atmosphere of sharing and caring. It is also an occasion to remember the valor of the Sikhs in battling the enemies of the land.

The word Mohalla has been derived from an Arabic word “hal” which means “alighting or descending”. Mohalla is a Punjabi word which signifies an organized procession in the form of an Basant Utsav army column. Furthermore, Holla Mohalla stands for “mock fight”. The festival is marked by Sikhs demonstrating martial arts in the form of simulated battles that are accompanied by war-drums and standard bearers. This annual festival is celebrated with great zeal and gusto in the north-eastern region of Punjab in Anandpur Sahib and Kiratpur Sahib. Holla Mohalla 2012 falls on 9 March.

The Nihangs

The Nihang Sikhs, who are part of the Sikh army that Guru Gobind Singh founded, exhibit their martial skills and daring stunts through mock battles, sword-fighting displays, archery and horse- riding exercises. The Nihangs also splash colour on the spectators, and everyone follows suit. Stories and songs about the life, valour and wisdom of the ten Sikh gurus from Guru Nanak to Guru Gobind Singh, are told and recited. Holla Music, dance, poetry programs and competitions are held at many venues. A procession is carried through the important Gurdwaras in town marking and if anybody stares…they have ready answer, the highlights of the last day celebrations. ‘Bura na mano Holi hai..’ and evoke a smile on the irritated face. Besides, they have their water Holla Mohalla, while being an occasion to rejoice, is missiles, pichkaris to drench the person from far also a time to restore faith in the Khalsa Panth and and escape further drenching. rededicate oneself to the service of the community. Everyone, irrespective of their social standing, After a wild and eventful day, evenings are involves themselves in Kar Seva (manual labour) celebrated in a dignified manner by visiting friends such as helping in the Langars or public kitchens, and relatives. People exchange sweets and hug cleaning the Gurdwaras and washing dishes. each other conveying the warm wishes for Holi. Holla Mohalla is a reminder that enjoyment of life These days people also participate and organise should go hand in hand with the responsibilities to Holi Meets and enjoy the festival till late in the society and constant effort to improve oneself and night. Holi celebrations that start with the burning contribute to helping others and bettering life for of Holika on the eve of Holi thus culminates with others. the lot of funfilled activity and bonhomie. Celebrations Holi in Australia The festival day begins with early morning Holi festival apart from India is celebrated widely prayers at the Gurdwaras. The Guru Granth Sahib in nations like Nepal, Pakistan United States, United is ceremoniously taken out and bathed ritually Kingdom, Malaysia, Fiji Australia etc. In Australia with milk and water. Thereafter, it is placed on many major cultural organisations celebrate with a platform and venerated. Kirtans are sung, the great enthusiasm the Holi Festival. Thousands Prasad is consecrated and everyone shares a part of Indians, Australians and people of different of it. After the service, community lunch is served communities celebrate with wild enthusiasm the at the common hall. Evening is a time for numerous Holi Festival. cultural activities.

22 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Navratri

Navratri, the festival of nine nights is dedicated to Goddess Durga and her nine forms. The nine days have great religious significance as Goddess Durga, the divine mother, had destroyed Mahisashura. Navratri 2012 falls from March 23 to April 1.

Celebrations

The festival is celebrated with true devotion and purity all over the country. People from various sections of the society irrespective of caste and creed celebrate this festival by visiting temples and offering pujas at the Mother’s feet. In some places special puja samarohas are also held by setting the images of Mother Durga on beautifully decorated pandals. Temples dedicated to Shakti also make arrangement for pujas and vratas to mark these nine days as true symbols of devotion and adoration towards the divine mother.

The most famous Navaratri celebrations are held in the western states of India (Gujarat and Maharashtra). Traditional dances in the form of Dandiya and Garba take place almost everywhere. The dancers move around in a circle, with different Gudi steps around a lamp, which signifies the Eternal Light of the Durga. Gujarati men and women wearing colorful dresses dance around in a circle by clapping their hands or decorated sticks to the brass, copper or silver is held up to the sky over rhythm of the devotional songs. After worshipping it. On Gudi Padwa, one find Gudis hanging out of and ‘Aarti’, ‘Dandiya Raas’ is performed all through windows or displayed in traditional Maharashtrian the night. households as they are expected to ward off evil and invite prosperity and good luck into the house. Gudi Padwa Significance India is known as the country of colors because of the numerous festivals celebrated here. All these The day of Gudi Padwa has special significance festivals are the reminder of the secular unity of for the Hindu families. There is a custom in which this country with rich cultural heritage. The Gudi on this holy day the wife applies the ‘Tilak’ on the Padwa festival marks the commencement of the forehead of her husband, garlands him, performs Hindu luni-solar calendar year. Though a major his ‘Aarti’ and also prays for his long life. Then the Indian festival, not all Hindus celebrate this festival husband gives her a gift in appreciation of all the because the Indian culture varies from one part of tender care that his wife showers on him. Thus the country to another. Almost every part of the the Gudi Padwa is festival of celebrations and country has different days assigned to start the respect of love and devotion between the wife and year, depending on the calendar that used to be the husband. People invite their newly married followed by the ancient civilizations of that part of daughters with their husbands on this day of Gudi the country. The festival marks the beginning of Padwa for special meals and give them gifts. nature’s cycle too, as at this time of the year the weather changes and along with it changes the Traditions and Rituals atmosphere around. A number of seasonal offerings Gudi Padwa is an auspicious festival celebrated are made while worshipping the Gudi. Gudi Padwa in India which marks the beginning of the 2012 falls on 23 March. Maharashtrian New Year. This day is considered Gudi pious because it is believed that on this particular day, Lord Brahma created the entire universe out A ‘Gudi’ is a bamboo pole on top of which an of chaos. The Hindu name for this day is Chaitra upturned brass or silver pot called a kalash is Shukla Pratipada and this festival is celebrated with placed. The Gudi is covered with a bright green great pomp and vigor in the state of Maharashtra. or yellow silk cloth adorned with brocade (zari) Not just in Maharashtra, it is celebrated in different and decorated with coconuts, marigolds and states too with different names and there are a mango leaves that symbolize rich harvest. An number of different activities which take place in empty, inverted jug of water (tambya), made of all these states.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 23 Celebrations orchestrated a beauty pageant to find a new queen. A Jewish girl, Esther, found favor in his eyes and People in villages rise early in the morning and take became the new queen—though she refused to an oil bath. The courtyards of the houses in village divulge the identity of her nationality. are swept clean and plastered with fresh cowdung on the festive day. Women and children draw Meanwhile, the anti-Semitic Haman was appointed intricate and beautiful patterns of rangoli designs prime minister of the empire. Mordechai, the leader by paste of rice grains, turmeric paste, vermilion of the Jews (and Esther’s cousin), defied the king’s powder, chalk and limewater on their doorsteps orders and refused to bow to Haman. Haman was to welcome guests. The vibrant colours of incensed and convinced the king to issue a decree Rangoli mirror the splash of colour of the season, ordering the extermination of all the Jews on the spring. The strikingly colourful patterns brighten 13th of Adar—a date chosen by a lottery Haman up the festive ambience. made.

Everyone dresses up in new clothes Mordechai galvanized all the Jews, convincing especially bought up for the day and all family them to repent, fast and pray to God. Meanwhile, members gathers together to enjoy and rejoice the Esther asked the king and Haman to join her for a occasion. Special delicacies made on the day, like feast. At the feast, Esther revealed to the king her soonth panak and chana usal are eaten on this day. Jewish identity. Haman was hanged, Mordechai Traditionally, families are supposed to begin the was appointed prime minister in his stead, and a festivities by eating the bittersweet leaves of the new decree was issued—granting the Jews the right neem tree. Sometimes, a paste of neem leaves is to defend themselves against their enemies. prepared and mixed with ajwain, gul, tamarind and jaggery. All the members of the family consume Celebrations this paste. It is believed that this neem paste will purify the blood and strengthen the body’s immune On the 13th of Adar the Jews mobilized and killed system against diseases. The hoisting of the “Gudi” many of their enemies. On the 14th of Adar they is the main ritual of the festival. rested and celebrated. Purim is celebrated by children and adults wearing fancy dress, giving Purim gifts to the poor, feasting and getting somewhat drunk. Festival of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar (late winter/ Parveen early spring). It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young Source: Source: www.holifestival.org, and old, infants and women, in a single day.” Purim http://festivals.iloveindia.com, www.riiti.com, 2012 falls on March 8. http://stdavidsday.org, www.hindu-blog.com, The Festival http://hindupad.com, www.krishna.com, www.gaurapurnima.com, www.radhadesh.com, The Persian empire of the 4th century BCE http://mayapur.com, extended over 127 lands, and all the Jews were its http://festivals.iloveindia.com, subjects. When King Ahasuerus had his wife, Queen http://festivalsofindia.in, Vashti, executed for failing to follow his orders, he www.godlikeproductions.com

Purim Purim

24 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Festivals of the Month: Australia Brunswick Music Festival performers

area that is home to Corinbank has a long history of habitation, stretching back over 20000 years. In the summer, local men and those from surrounding areas would move into the Brindabellas to meet and to hunt bogong moths, before returning to the plains of modern day Canberra.

Land History

Located above Gibraltar Falls between Billy Billy and Square Rocks, Corinbank lies amidst alpine meadows. The Brindabellas have a rich history, from bogong moth hunts to the deep space tracking of mankind’s giant leaps. The site has been handcrafted by volunteers to minimise impact on the land and to enhance enjoyment of the spectacular scenery.

Celebrations Corinbank Festival crowd Corin Forest is a year-round recreation facility with an emphasis on mountain sports and activities. Corinbank Festival Peoples of all ages enjoy the rides, like the waterslide and bobsled. The hills come alive with Corinbank is an annual 3-day, all-ages celebration the sound of music from artists all over the nation of art, music, culture and people. Corinbank feature and abroad. Corinbank is a great experience for a fine line-up of music over the three days of the people of all ages, with heaps of activities to keep festival, as well as hosting a huge range of art the kids happy. The activities include play with displays, performance art, and activities ranging juggling things, diabolos, devilsticks, stilts, rola- from the adrenaline-pumping to the artistic, from bolas, twirling things, hula-hoops, walking beams, the exciting to the sublime. The festival is held at hand-held stilts etc. the Corin Forest Mountain Resort near Canberra. Corinbank festival 2012 falls on 2 – 4 March. Brunswick Music Festival

The Ngunnawal People The Brunswick Music Festival has been held annually in February-March since 1989 and is one The Ngunnawal people are the traditional owners of Victoria’s premier music festivals and a major of the Canberra area, including Corin Forest. The multi-cultural event for Australia. The festival is

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 25 Corinbank Festival stage

an integral part of a statewide circuit of visual, sporting, culinary and performing art celebrations. Brunswick Music Festival 2012 falls on 14 – 25 March.

History

The Brunswick Music Festival is one of Victoria’s premier music festivals and the City of Moreland’s biggest multi-cultural and arts event. Home to the Festival is the City of Moreland, one of the most culturally diverse communities in Australia with 35% of its residents born outside Australia and with many languages other than English spoken in the home. Cultural activities have produced a vibrant artistic community with a growing emergence in the last decade. This influx of artists continues to shape and change the cultural life of the City.

Festivals of all kinds have offered people in every part of the planet great opportunity to unite, wildly celebrate, grow, move toward understanding more about the people as individuals, and to understand more deeply about their roles in the worldwide community surrounding them. Brunswick Music Festival crowds Celebrations

The festival embraces in its programming several major community celebrations, including the free Music for the People Concert. The festival attracts thousands of people indulging in the celebrations.

Maitreya Festival

Maitreya Festival was born out of the will to encourage in the wonderful people who attend the celebration of life, self-expression and freedom. All who participate in gatherings of this kind take

26 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Brunswick Music Festival fireworks display

away a sense of togetherness with those who they dance and celebrate with, and a reconnection with the wonderful nature and art they experience. This is of real value to the world! All of these elements have inspired people to come together and create Maitreya Festival. Maitreya Festival 2012 falls on March 9 – 12.

Culture

One of the greatest opportunities of festivals of any kind is the building of communities. Even though people may only come together for Maitreya festival once a year, they are all part of a community here and around the world celebrating their interconnectedness to each other. Maitreya provides a full program of learning and participation on all days of the event from dawn till dusk.

Celebrations

Live art creation, accompanied by live music creation releases an explosion of cultural interaction that goes beyond time, space, and the barriers of language. Creativity is taken to a higher level on both sides, and inspires onlookers as they are taken on a journey of sight and sound! Maitreya focuses on providing this experience with artists from around the country and abroad creating amazing live works at the event. The festival includes everything from oil paintings, to intricate installations, massive graffiti, to digital designs and live video mixing.

Source: http://ballaratbegoniafestival.com, www.brunswickmusicfestival.com.au, www.maitreyafestival.com, www.corinbank.com Crowds gather at The Sydney Road Street Party

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 27 Mahatma Gandhi Inaugural Oration

University of New South Wales January 30, 2012

Ngaji Gurrjin? Ngayu nilawarl Patrick Dodson Ngayu ngamburlan Yawurungany buru.

I Acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation on whose lands we are gathered and on which this fine University is built. I acknowledge the Consul General Mr Amit Dasgupta, Premier of NSW Hon Barry O’Farrell, the Vice Chancellor Professor Fred Hilmer, Vice Chancellor, Academic, Professor Richard Henry, and Mr Neville Roach of the Australia India Society, UNSW Dignitaries and other distinguished guests.

When the Vice Chancellor, Professor Hilmer and Mr Neville Roach of the UNSW node of the Australia India Institute generously invited me to deliver this, the inaugural Mahatma Gandhi Oration, I felt not only humbled by the great honour at having been asked to undertake the task, but also apprehensive as to my own ability to do justice to the achievements of a man whose physical being left the world on this day 64 years ago, but whose life and achievements have inspired every Human Rights struggle that has been undertaken on this earth since his death in Delhi in 1948. When one is given the honour of delivering orations that have been created to honour and recognise great people and their achievements there is bestowed a great responsibility, to not only give just and fair acknowledgement to the work and reputation of the person

28 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 for whom the oration is named, but to interpret the values, lessons and messages that are the true legacy that people of greatness bequeath to later generations.

So let me begin by acknowledging that I am not an expert on Gandhi or his teachings. There are no doubt many here who are far more familiar with Gandhi’s writings and teachings, and are better placed to give scholarly interpretation to his work. Gandhi’s philosophy of non-violent resistance included sat-ya-gra-ha (the removal of tyranny through civil disobedience), and swa-deshi (the economic boycott of foreign goods). At the same time, he lived by his ideals and ethics and devoted himself to a higher purpose—satya—the search for truth. Mohandas Gandhi did not invent the concepts of pacifism, noncooperation, non- violence and peaceful resistance solely as weapons to achieve political outcomes. He certainly personified and applied such concepts to an extraordinary level to himself and for the freedom of India. For Gandhi, the essence of non-violence as a technique was ‘to liquidate antagonism but not the antagonist.’

He believed such values were essential for the future of human kind in a world rebuilding itself after two world wars and engaging in the drivers of modernity: global trade and resource exploitation. Pilbara Strikes in 1946 and the Gurindji peoples’ Like all great thinkers Gandhi looked to history walk off from the servitude of the Vestey properties to help define his philosophy of political struggle. in 1966 had parallels with the non-violent When the great Russian writer, Leo Tolstoy wrote resistance used by Gandhi. in his Letter to a Hindu in 1908 that he believed that the use of love as a weapon was the only way in In both incidents, the strategies used so effectively which the native Indians would be able to remove by Gandhi—the removal of labour, the boycott of the colonial oppression of the British Empire, economic activity and non-violent opposition— Gandhi sought his permission to reprint the letter were used by leaders to resist attempts by those in his native Gujarati language. with power and money to force Aboriginal people back into the cages of oppression and slavery. In Gandhi’s words: “I thus begun to call the Indian movement Sat-yagraha, that is to say the force which Vincent Lingiari succeeded with his walk-off is born of truth and love or non violence”. Gandhi where the Bunuba resistance fighter Jandamarra never received the Nobel Peace Prize, though he could not with his guerrilla war. The spirit of was nominated several times. His contribution to resistance that Jandamarra stands for today still peace, however, is not diminished by the absence burns bright, but in the stand of the Gurindji we of accolades. Gandhi’s legacy to peace endured in see how the armoury of resistance was adjusted the inspiration that he gave to other great leaders, to include non-violent forms of protest. I am also like Martin Luther King Jr, Nelson Mandela and reminded of the leadership shown by my dear Aung San Suu Kyi—all of who were influenced by friend Michael Long, a star AFL football player from Gandhi in their own struggles against tyranny, the NT who embarked on foot from Melbourne oppression and racism. to Canberra seeking an answer from those in political power to the question: Where is the love But what of our own experiences with oppression for my people? Michael had sore feet at the end and tyranny in Australia? The Vinegar Hill of his 700-kilometre trek—I am sure that Gandhi rebellions in 1804, the uprisings in the Victorian may have been similarly afflicted after his long Goldfields in the 1850’s which led to the Eureka Salt March to the sea. There are other examples Stockade, even Ned Kelly’s attempt to set up where Aboriginal people have resisted attempts the Republic of North East Victoria, all failed by the state and others to trample their rights because the main avenue chosen was an unequal without resorting to violence and the use of brute violent confrontation between governments force. Noonkanbah in the Kimberley and the Tent and the oppressed. It is notable that in the most Embassy in Canberra spring to mind, though successful challenges to oppression and injustice recent events in Canberra may have tainted this by Aboriginal people in Northern Australia—the perspective of the tent embassy for some.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 29 It would be simplistic however, to condemn With this learning began an analysis of my future outright the behaviour of protestors associated directions and the burden of the opportunities with the Tent Embassy last week without that fate and circumstance had placed before me. considering the sense of oppression that some of The needs of others as against individual fulfilment our people still feel towards our Governments on a had been well planted in my formation at this whole range of matters. I will always condemn bad point. But, on reflection, the tension between what manners and unnecessarily aggressive behaviour profession to choose in order to meet the physical by whom ever. But I will always defend people’s and spiritual needs of others as well as myself was rights to assert their political position and try to put as a false binary, with greater emphasis on look to the heart of why people feel so oppressed the religious necessities and the practical needs that they feel violent confrontation is the only being relegated to a secondary position. I will recourse to the resolution of their position. always be grateful for the education that I received at Monivae, and to the many lifelong friends it bequeathed me. The years of further learning and study after leaving Monivae were spent within the “He certainly constraint and ambivalent embrace of the Catholic Church in the period leading up to my ordination personified and applied as a priest and my work as a practicing priest. But like many others who had embarked on a similar such concepts to an journey I soon found myself at the crossroads, confronting an intersection of political, cultural and extraordinary level to religious divergence. himself and for the The tension between injustice and salvation never seemed to resolve itself successfully. In my mind, freedom of India.” there was the need for my people to hear the “good news” of spiritual redemption, but also the practical liberation of improving their lives for Each nation’s journey is different and each person’s themselves and others through the alleviation of experience within the nation is unique to the truth poverty and the redressing of injustice. I chose the of their own circumstance. In life’s journey, time, path of political and social activism and sought to circumstance or fate can take us in many different, underpin the values and principles of my activism unexpected, perhaps disconcerting directions. with the spirituality and culture of my Aboriginal My own life has taken several directions. Its inheritance. This did not mean charity and good foundations have often been highly influenced works were not a necessity. by events over which I have had no control. My parents both died within three months of each I regret that I have never been to India or been a other in very tragic ways in the early 1960s. I student of its ancient history, religions, traditions became a ward of the state and the property of the and diverse cultures. Nor have I studied India’s Native Protector, who, but for the will and struggle colonial history, its transition to nationhood or of my older sister would have sent me to a mission the modern developments that this great country home, leaving me cut off from my family, my has since achieved. As an Aboriginal child growing community and my culture. up in Katherine, in the Northern Territory, India seemed an exotic place, as distant and far removed While in her care I ran away to go droving with from my reality as England. What little I knew of a family I knew in the Katherine region of the India, I learned from social studies and geography Northern Territory. But like Gandhi’s initial lessons at primary school, and from what I saw endeavour to establish himself in law practise in at the picture shows. Yet, when I look back to the Bombay my droving career was short lived and as India of my boyhood construct, there were some a career possibility, unsuccessful. I was retrieved parallels. A history of colonisation by the British, from the camp by a family friend, returned to for instance, was something we shared here in Katherine and then sent off to “exile” in Victoria Australia. In India the British presence arrived in to a catholic boarding school for boys—Monivae the form of the East India Trading Company, in College, in Hamilton on the vast sheep breeding Australia they arrived by boat to set up a prison. plains that had been named “Australis Felix” by Major Thomas Mitchell a century before but which It is perhaps ironic that the ship which first has been the ancestral lands and waters of the brought the British Naval Captain James Cook to Aboriginal people of that region for millennia. It the eastern shores of this continent in 1770 and was in Victoria that I learnt about difference, race, began our colonial experience was named The and the importance of learning. It was here that I Endeavour. Ever since that April day when the gained an understanding of the society which had Aboriginal people of Australia, (represented by the been overlaid on the domain of the Indigenous people of Botany Bay) and the Colonising peoples, society of my family, and where I became more (represented by Cook and his crew) we two aware of the consequences of government policies. peoples have been locked in an endless endeavour.

30 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 That endeavour is to come to terms with each other Australians. other’s place on this continent. The modern Australian nation has of course come along way Our National governments present a different face since then, and we have taken many positive steps when dealing on the international stage to what together in terms of improving Indigenous—non- they do domestically in their treatment of the indigenous relations. The good will and support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of shown by everyday Australians in our journey this land. I struggle with this hypocrisy, particularly towards reconciliation has been a very important when they seem happy to intervene in the affairs of part of the gains that we have made. However, as other countries, but become very defensive when a nation-state, we have not succeeded in achieving criticised for their treatment of the First Peoples of a just accommodation of the truth concerning the this land. sovereign Indigenous peoples who occupied this continent prior to the arrival of the British. While it may be convenient for some to want to forget this point, it nevertheless remains that the Australian nation-state that came into being in 1901 was founded on a historical legacy of colonial dispossession and silence about the presence of Indigenous people. As a nation, we may have the possibility - should we go to a referendum—to address this by recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples in the Constitution of Australia.

But even now, in the second decade of the 21st century, full and proper recognition of the status of Indigenous Australians as First Peoples— with the rights and responsibilities that go with When I reflected on Gandhi in preparation for that status—is regarded with alarm by some this oration, there was something that he said in within our community. This is despite the fact Hind Swaraj that struck a chord with me. In Hind- that countries like Canada, New Zealand, and Swaraji (Home Rule) Gandhi notes that; while Norway demonstrating that it is possible to give religious difference and conflict existed before substantive recognition to Indigenous people the arrival of the British, Indians did not define without that recognition leading to the downfall themselves solely in terms of this difference. It of the nation-state. Indigenous Australians have was British Colonialism that formalised division never been recognised as an equal people in and difference by resetting the foundations of our own lands. Australian courts have generally power and civilization to those based on western ruled that we are subject to the jurisdiction of the principles of commerce, industrialisation and rule settler state. Our own customary laws, which have of law as determined by the Empire. India, Gandhi sustained our societies for millennia have been set writes in his chapter on the Railways, was one aside and discarded as worthless. The wealth that nation before the British arrived—an undivided the nation state of Australia enjoys comes from the land once connected by the pilgrimages of holy exploitation of our land and waters. The price for men who spoke each other’s languages and paid this has been our dispossession and displacement, homage and respect to each other’s ancient holy and our dependent relationship with the settler places. This particular description by Gandhi’s state. resonated with me. It reminded me of how we, as a diverse Indigenous people, from the saltwater, Australia is one of the wealthiest nations of the to the river, to the desert and hills are connected world, yet we seem incapable of lifting the vast through ancient song lines that cover our entire majority of Indigenous people in this country to continent. Our song-lines, the ancient tracks of our anywhere near parity on any social indicator with ancestor spirit beings, created a sense of nation non-Indigenous Australians. In the midst of the or oneness out of people who spoke different mining boom many Aboriginal people are finding languages and occupied different landscapes. immediate relief from the poverty besetting many This, I suggest, was our common Law. It was a law of our communities by gaining employment in the system that emanated from what we Yawuru call mining industry. But I question whether in the long the Bugarrigarra. A social, religious and legal code term our participation in unbridled exploitation that informed our kinship systems predicated is not in fact adding to the diminishment of our our rights and obligations to country and created custodial responsibilities to humanity, global common bonds and obligations. sustainability and resilience. It is 20 years since the handing down of the Royal Commission Report into The nationhood we experienced was not of the Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, and yet we are still design of the Empire. Despite our highly complex over represented in state prisons and institutions social systems, our customary laws and territorial and on average dying 10 to 17 years earlier than organisation, we were deemed to lack a polity with

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 31 a system of property rights that the British could equate with their own. So it was that the land that our ancestors had occupied for thousands of years was declared terra nullius—a land belonging to no one. This legal doctrine prevailed until the High Court overturned it in 1992 in the landmark, Mabo Case. But our own customary laws, which sustained our societies for millennia remained subjugated to laws of the settler state. Native title claimants must under this system abdicate their unique commonality for adjudication by courts and lawyers. Our history has dictated that we, the original owners of this land must share our countries with peoples from many other lands.

We acknowledge the need to share and recognise the interests of those who have come and now occupy and exploit our land and waters. Yet this understanding is not always understood, shared or reciprocated. Throughout my own working life, the discourse has usually been about us having to conform to some new party policy, a new set of rules or to be inducted into yet another set of implementation strategies, all authored by outside agencies to lift us out of the dependant state that we find ourselves in after more than two hundred years. If there is any parallel with Gandhi wanting to get the Empire out of India it would be the desire to displace the authoritative position of the public service from the lives of the Aboriginal people so that some of the values that have underlined our society prior to the British occupation might again find useful expression and contribute to our resilience.

The opportunity, in 1991, for me to chair the Council for Aboriginal Reconciliation arose after years of work with others in seeking to have the land rights of Aboriginal people recognised, to get federal laws to deal with Aboriginal heritage and to have national representative entities established in the hope of governing our own affairs. It was also a recommendation out of the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, in which I was one of the commissioners. A formal process of Reconciliation coming soon after the promise of a treaty by the Labor Government was seen as an opportunity to improve our relationships. But the divisive debate that followed the High Court’s decision in the Wik case in 1996 challenged the resolve for reconciliation. In Wik, Native Title was found to co-exist with the grant of pastoral leases. Yet, this recognition of co-existence, where the rights of leaseholders still prevailed, was met with a legislative regime under John Howard’s 10 Point Plan that eroded our rights, and ensured that extinguishment, which is an abhorrent concept in customary Aboriginal law, was a feature of native title.

Under the Howard Coalition Government, we saw a shift in reconciliation away from the rights agenda towards practical reconciliation. Reconciliation

32 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 it seemed was redefined as the provision of stated that the commonwealth could make laws “practical” measures to address discrepancies for all other races, “other than the Aboriginal in our socio-economic status, rather than the race in any state”. In 1967, the Australian people root causes of our exclusion. Practical short- voted overwhelmingly to repeal section 127 term measures were to be pursued to achieve altogether, and amend section 51(26) to enable assimilation with the mainstream, while dialogue the Commonwealth to make laws for the people of with Indigenous people about substantive issues of any race for whom it is deemed necessary to make equality was completely disregarded. The polemics special laws. However, section 25, which gives of the rights and responsibility discourses the states the ability to disenfranchise people on were posited as opposing binaries, effectively the basis of race, still remains in our Constitution reducing to a clash of competing ideologies what today. Problems still arise with having a race should have been a constructive discussion of power under section 51(26). The dilemma is that our collective failure to address the historical section 51(26) in its current form enables the inequity and exclusion experienced by Australia’s Commonwealth to pass laws that can adversely Indigenous people, and the disadvantage to which affect any group of people by virtue of their race, it gave rise. including Aboriginal peoples. Yet without this head of power, laws such as the Native Title Act could I was disheartened when Aboriginal suffering not be passed. was politicised and used by those in privileged positions to gain kudos or score political points in The task of recognition was complicated by the the media. More and more we were being defined in fact that preambular recognition—the form of the language of disadvantage and gaps, portrayed recognition most expected to be put forth—is in the media as impoverished welfare mendicants not as straight forward as originally thought. The who were incapable of uplifting ourselves from challenge before the Expert Panel was how to a state of disadvantage, dependency and social recognise Aboriginal and Torres Islander people malaise, despite the largess of the Australian and their unique place in the nation, and provide nation-state. There is no doubt in my mind that the Commonwealth with the power to pass laws there is a need to ameliorate disadvantage, reduce for us without resorting to outmoded identifiers welfare dependency, and address abuse and such as race. For this reason, amongst others, the the debilitating social problems experienced in Expert Panel proposed a new head of power called Aboriginal communities. I do not disagree with section 51A. This new section would incorporate Noel Pearson, when he says there is a need for a statement of recognition similar to a preamble, our people to take responsibility and eliminate and also give the Commonwealth parliament the dependency. But we must avoid false dichotomies power to pass laws for Aboriginal and Torres around rights and responsibilities and symbolic Islander peoples. In this way if there were legal and practical forms of reconciliation that obscure consequences to the inclusion of a statement of the need for a balanced approach. recognition, they would be limited to this new section and not impact other sections of the This year I have had the privilege of working Constitution. with an Expert Panel comprised of Australian people from diverse backgrounds, and political The Panel also recommended that a non- persuasions. We were given the task by Prime discrimination provision (section 116A) also be Minister Gillard to search for ways for Aboriginal inserted in the Constitution. Such a provision and Torres Strait Islander peoples of Australia to provides for formal equality by prohibiting be recognised in the Australian Constitution. Our discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, report was handed to the Prime Minister earlier or ethnic or national origin, but still allows this month. We have recommended five specific Commonwealth and state parliaments to pass laws changes that would entail the removal of two to address forms of inequality or disadvantage sections and the insertion of three sections to the amongst any group of people, if required. Such body of the Constitution. Currently the Australian special measures could otherwise be referred Constitution, the founding legal document of the to as forms of affirmative action (positive Commonwealth of Australia, does not recognise discrimination). This is not a one clause Bill of Aboriginal and Torres Islander Peoples. Aboriginal Rights. Nor is this proposition something that and Torres Strait Islander peoples were not is radical or new. The Constitution of countries involved in discussions about federation, nor were such as Canada, South Africa and India all contain they included in the constitutional conventions similar non-racial discrimination provisions to that that led to the drafting of the Australian which the Panel has proposed. Such a provision Constitution. When the Australian Constitution was would bring us into step with international passed by the Westminster Parliament in 1901, the standards. only two express references to Aboriginal people in the Constitution related to our exclusion. The Expert Panel has been criticised for over- extending its reach by proposing such a Section 127 excluded us from being counted in recommendation. There will of course be some the Commonwealth census, while section 51(26) who argue against and some who argue in favour

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 33 for such a provision. No doubt there will be those how politicians and the country deal with this most who reject both constitutional recognition of important challenge for us as a modern nation. Indigenous people altogether, and who will regard our task as a waste of time. For some of my own Australians generally do believe in justice and Indigenous people our recommendations will not tolerance and are not racist, but we are perhaps have gone far enough, for other Australians it will too accepting of the racism and intolerance in our appear to have gone too far. On this point I can midst. The terrible attacks on Indian students, the empathize with Gandhi who left the second round demonising of Muslims and the Cronulla riots tell table in December 1931 disheartened by the tone us how far we still need to go to address racism and direction of the negotiations. I hope, however, and intolerance in our society. But intolerance that we as a nation can have an informed and and racism is something that many Indigenous mature conversation about such matters, without people are confronted with on a daily basis. We resorting to divisive commentary or cheap political feel the hostile judgment by the dominant society point scoring. whose growing understanding of past injustices has evaporated under an avalanche of public commentary about the ideological righteousness of blame and individual responsibility which has no “While religious historical context or analysis.

difference and conflict We have seen the demonizing of our cultural identity and ridiculing of our traumatic history existed before the arrival by Australia’s political leaders who label the “Indigenous rights agenda” as meaningless of the British, Indians symbolism that has no positive practical outcomes. What we have not seen is an honest dialogue did not define themselves about the impacts of the settler state and its intertwined history with us. What we do see are solely in terms of this the consequences of modernity upon our ways, cultures and spiritual values. This is why a dialogue is essential I believe that racial discrimination difference.” should not be tolerated in our society, and enshrining this in our constitution would be an act that enhances us all. But intolerance and the death of racism cannot be constructed by legislation alone. To be rid of racism, we must reflect on how we treat and view others who are different to us. This, like true reconciliation, must involve a process of engagement based on mutual respect, trust and a deep understanding and commitment to agreed objectives. Gandhi would no doubt add that preparing to achieve such a relationship would require personal reflection and a spiritual openness to find truth and love through the engagement. As a nation we have found this almost impossible to contemplate.

Several years ago, it became clear to me and some others that there was a need to establish a new philosophical basis for the relationship between the settler state and the Aboriginal peoples—a Ultimately, to achieve any of this requires a need for a new dialogue between our peoples. Referendum to be conducted that delivers a We were seeking a Dialogue that would address double majority—that is a majority of voters in a the need for tolerance and non-discrimination majority of states. This of course comes after the and respect for diversity in this country. A true proposition to be put to the voters and the States dialogue, not a regurgitation of the woes of the has been agreed and a law passed in the federal settler state—but a dialogue to establish a new parliament. If there is no cross party support for foundation befitting the history, context and the proposition then it will more than likely fail challenges of the modern era. So too in more if pursued. If our politicians cannot agree then recent times, Aboriginal people have sought a we should not consider a referendum. This is a full and open dialogue about how this nation relatively simple matter of recognition of the First can incorporate Indigenous knowledge systems Peoples of this land. Whilst this would be belated, and experience into how we are to deal with the it would set a new foundation for our future damage that has been done to our environment relationship. We will have to wait to see and landscape.

34 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Yet, even in this most critical of areas Indigenous On this day of Martyrs, I would like to conclude people are being relegated to the back table as with words of one who knew the Mahatma better an afterthought rather than people with vast than most, and whose own journey of life was knowledge and experience in such matters as as complex as his friend and companion. On the land and sea management. In traditional Indian granting of Indian Independence on the 14 August culture Gandhi saw great strength and resilience, 1947 Jawaharlal Nehru said: “On this day our but he despaired at the propensity of Western thoughts go to the architect of this freedom, the civilization and its ideas of modernity that made Father of our Nation {Gandhi}, who embodying the people slaves to industrialisation, the pursuit of old spirit of India, held aloft the torch of freedom money and material wealth. This was a civilizing and lighted up the darkness that surrounded us. intent that hypnotised people and disconnected We have often been unworthy followers of his people from their spirituality and connection to and have strayed from his message, but not only nature. The consequences for Indian peoples of we but succeeding generations will remember British Colonialism and the pervasive spread of this message and bear the imprint in their hearts a commercialised modernity were not lost on of this great son of India, magnificent in his faith Gandhi. For him the disconnect in the politics of and strength and courage and humility. We shall modernity was that the poor became poorer and never allow that torch of freedom to be blown out, less resilient as they lost village skills that for however high the wind or stormy the tempest.” centuries had sustained meaningful livelihoods for them, whilst the wealthy champions of modernity became richer and more powerful.

One of Gandhi’s greatest skills was his ability to expose the inequities of a system that spoke of equality but never delivered it. We should draw from his insights, and rethink the approach of development at all costs—driven solely by market imperatives, or because it is deemed good for the economy. There is a need for ecological and social balance to be restored, not only to ensure our own resilience but our very survival as human beings. There are many challenges facing this country today including the future management of our lands and seas which is overshadowed by Global warming and our own past poor management of our lands, waters and forests. We are capable of meeting all of these challenges with our science, Professor Patrick Dodson, a Yawuru man from technology and our imagination. Broome in Western Australia has dedicated his life work to being an advocate for constructive Gandhi’s experience shows that while the round relationships between Indigenous and non- table conferences failed, persistence of the Indigenous people based on mutual respect, issues remained so that eventually the major understanding and dialogue. He is a recipient objective—the independence of the Indian people of the Sydney International Peace prize. He is would be met. The trade mark of the British a former Royal Commissioner into Aboriginal to divide and conquer, and then rule via the Deaths in Custody, former Chair of the Council restructure of peoples was evident in the life of for Aboriginal Reconciliation and is currently Gandhi who understood well how a unified India Co-Chair of the Expert Panel for Constitutional required respect for diversity. He saw no value Recognition of Indigenous Australians. Patrick in a nationalism that promoted division between lives in Broome with his family, where he is Muslim and Hindu. On my reading of Gandhi, involved in social, cultural, economic and assimilation was not about conformity at the environmental sustainability through his expense of one’s difference, so that one cultural roles as Chair of the Lingiari Foundation and order prevails over another. Unity has to be about Executive Chair of Nyamba Buru Yawuru. He is accommodating difference through dialogue the founding Director of the Indigenous Policy so that common ground can be found. It is on & Dialogue Research Unit at UNSW and Adjunct common ground—where we meet as equals on the Professor at the University of Notre Dame basis our difference—that we find unity. When we Australia. can achieve a Dialogue that results in a just and true Reconciliation between Indigenous and non- Source: www.sprc.unsw.edu.au, indigenous Australians, then and only then will Picture Credit; Jenny Evans. we be able to say that our nation-building task has been completed. We will then, perhaps, have faced our truth, our Satya.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 35 Heritage

Gandhi’s Treasures Museums across the country are rich repositories of memorabilia

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, better known the South African police; Gandhi, in a British as Mahatma Gandhi, led India towards freedom Army uniform, working as a medical volunteer and spirituality in a way that his principles are during the Boer War; and Gandhi, in football gear, followed even today. No wonder, museums across playing for the Satyagrahi team. India are dedicated to the ‘Father of the Nation,’ as he is popularly known, which trace his journey Among the museum’s possessions are the walking towards freedom and peace. stick Gandhi used during the Dandi March, a pair of spectacles, a pocket watch he always carried and National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi two of his extracted teeth. On view are charkhas (spinning wheels)—from traditional ones to Located near Rajghat or Gandhi Memorial, this mechanised versions—and yarns, handspun museum is stocked with Gandhi’s belongings, by Gandhi, his wife Kasturba and leaders like rare pictures, letters and books. The photogallery Jawaharlal Nehru. Among the exhibits is a statue documents Gandhi’s childhood, his years in of three monkeys (a gift from a Chinese friend). England, life in South Africa, and his rise as a leader Familiar to most Indians, one of the monkeys has and worker for communal harmony and social his ears covered, another his eyes and third his justice. Some unforgettable images from South mouth; the message is hear no evil, see no evil Africa show a young but poised Gandhi confronting and speak no evil. The Mahatma’s bloodstained

36 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Gandhi Ashram, Sabarmati, Ahmedabad

“Built on the banks of the River Sabarmati, the Gandhi Ashram was home to the Mahatma for over a decade. The cottage where he lived has been preserved as it

Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi was during his lifetime.” shawl, one of the bullets that pierced his heart on is the shawl Gandhi wore in London to attend January 30, 1948, and an urn carrying his ashes are the Second Round Table Conference and the the other items on exhibit. blood-stained dhoti he wore on the day of his assassination. The Mahatma’s ashes are kept at the Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai Peace Park in the museum.

It was in Madurai on September 22, 1921, that Gandhi Ashram, Sabarmati, Ahmedabad Gandhi resolved never to wear stitched clothes and gave up his turban, long coat and dhoti. A plaque Built on the banks of the River Sabarmati, the commemorating this decision greets visitors at the Gandhi Ashram was home to the Mahatma for over Madurai Railway Station. a decade. A neat little cottage in the centre of the ashram, where Gandhi stayed, has four rooms, The museum here is housed in the magnificent including a kitchen. These rooms are kept just Tamukkam Palace. Its library has copies of as they were 80 years ago during the Mahatma’s about 27,000 letters pertaining to Gandhi lifetime. Also preserved are the Udyog Mandir, and a remarkable collection of paintings and a workshop for spinning khadi and Upasana sculptures. ‘Fights for Freedom’ gallery has over Mandir—a spot under a tree where Gandhi offered 265 illustrations depicting the freedom movement. morning prayers. Among the items displayed in the Hall of Relics

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 37 Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai

Statues of Gandhi and his wife Kasturba at Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya, Barrackpore National Gandhi Museum, New Delhi The library at Mani Bhavan, Mumbai

Close associates, Vinoba Bhave and Madeleine in 1932. Gandhi’s room houses his low desk and Slade (renamed Mira by Gandhi), stayed in the spinning wheel. It is in Mani Bhavan that Gandhi spartan Vinoba-Mira Kutir. And the guest house— learned to use the spinning wheel, started drinking Nandini —was where many eminent personalities goat’s milk and launched several of his struggles— from India and abroad came to absorb the simple the non-cooperation movement, the Swadeshi life. It is from this ashram that Gandhi launched movement and the Khilafat movement. On display the Dandi March against the British Salt Law. are his passport issued in 1931, his eye test report and an identification chart describing the marks In 1963, a museum, the Gandhi Smarak on his body and his exact height. Martin Luther Sangrahalay designed by famous architect Charles King Jr., who visited Mani Bhavan in 1959, was Correa, was built adjacent to the ashram. One of so taken by the place that he cancelled his hotel the exhibits here is a portrait of Gandhi made with reservations and decided to stay where the groundnut shells. Mahatma did.

Mani Bhavan, Mumbai Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalaya, Barrackpore

The most visited spaces in this museum are Around 25km from Kolkata is a quaint museum Gandhi’s room, the library and the terrace where that houses a collection of 800 photographs he lived in a tent and from where he was arrested documenting events and aspects of Gandhi’s life. It

38 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Gandhi Ashram, Sabarmati, Ahmedabad;

The library at Mani Bhavan, Mumbai Office of the Gandhi Memorial Museum, Madurai also has a mural—81 feet long—depicting different he was assassinated. The Samiti has a treasure phases of India’s freedom struggle. Rich in trove of photographs, sculptures, paintings, research material, the museum runs courses and frescos, inscriptions on rocks and relics connected programmes on Gandhi’s philosophy. Here one can to Gandhi’s life. browse through the poems on Gandhi written by eminent Bengali poets. Malvika Kaul

Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi Source: India Perspectives, Vol 25, No. 7, October 2011 The Mahatmai’s last 144 days were spent in a bungalow that is now Gandhi Smriti. The Samiti operates from another campus and runs as an international centre for Gandhian studies. The Smriti building preserves the room where Gandhi lived, exhibiting all his possessions— his spectacles, walking stick, fork and spoon, the rough stone he used as a soap and a copy of the Gita. Visitors can pay homage to the Mahatma at the Martyr’s Column, the exact spot

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 39 The world celebrates the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore this year. His creative genius found expression in poems, novels, short-stories, plays, paintings and essays. In the history of Indian literature, he forms a trinity along with Sanskrit poet and playwright Kalidas and Hindi poet and philosopher Goswami Tulsidas.

The Bengali personality bears impact of the genius of Rabindranath and he occupies a place Beyond Bengal: of prominence in their homes. Rabindranath, however, has a message for mankind. His poems and essays provide a way to tackle challenge that The Genius of the world is facing today. This could be viewed in the context of conservation of environment; threats Rabindranath to world peace; and ways to expand human mind and its potentialities. Tagore The forest cover is fast depleting, several species have become extinct and many more threatened. The main reason is human greed, furthered by machine. The culture of wealth, at any cost and by any means, has invaded forest land, the home of biodiversity as well as minerals.

Tagore saw this greed phenomenon clearly and wished that we draw lessons from forests. In Tapovan, he writes about the “culture that has arisen from the forest has been influenced by the diverse processes of renewal of life”. In conflict between greed and compassion, conquest and cooperation, nature alone would “impart peace of the eternal to human emotions”.

40 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 How do we work for conservation of ecology? How and freedom alone would lead to realisation of the to deal with the threat of global warming? Tagore full potentialities of human-beings. It was in this wanted us to use our machines not for conquest context that he emphasised freedom of the mind. of nature, but for conservation of ecology. He A poem in Gitanjali catches this ethos admirably: abhorred concentration of wealth in the hands of a few and recommended traditional institutions ‘Where the mind is without fear and the head is of cooperatives and panchayats to work for the held high; restoration of human-animal balance in habitats Where knowledge is free; and for conservation of ecology. Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; In the poem ‘The Sunset of the Century’, written on Where words come out from depth of truth; the last day of the 19th century, Tagore observed Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards ‘the last sun of the century sets amidst the perfection; blood-red clouds of the West and the whirlwind Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its of hatred’. way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit....

The mood on the last day of the 20th century, Tagore wanted education to be an instrument however, was one of hope. Many viewed the of realisation of human potentialities. He raised termination of the cold war as the end of major Visva-Bharati as an international university aimed conflicts in global politics and emergence of a at assisting students to realise the true character harmonious world. This was short-lived. The of our interlinked humanity and deeper unities of attack on the United States of America on our civilisation in the West and the East. Could we September 11, 2001 established that religiously not build a better world by teaching love and not motivated violence is going to pose a major hatred? threat to world peace. In this context, Rabindranath’s message of “Rabindranath worked harmony among religions is of great significance. Tagore described his Bengali family a product of a for one supreme cause, the confluence of three cultures: Hindu, Muslim, and British. It is not so much that Rabindranath tried union of all sections of to produce a synthesis of the different religions, either in his life or in his poetry or novels, but humanity in sympathy and that it went into the making of his personality in a natural manner. understanding, in truth

In his novel, Ghare-Baire (The Home and the and love. He was opposed World), the character which is really the author, declares: to every kind of religious

‘It was Buddha who conquered the world, not fundamentalism and Alexander—this is untrue when stated in dry pose-oh when shall we be able tossing it?’ cultural separatism.”

Rabindranath worked for one supreme cause, the The movements of democracy, ecology, religious union of all sections of humanity in sympathy and harmony, good education and world peace need understanding, in truth and love. He was opposed not be viewed as separate ideals or goals; these to every kind of religious fundamentalism and are inter-related. Creative minds, civil society cultural separatism. institutions, the media, and the global political architecture need to have a unity of purpose. He writes: The future of mankind depends upon the manner ‘While God waits for his temple to be built of love in which it harnesses the ideals of freedom and men brings stones’. democracy for expansion of the human mind.

The building of temple of love remains mankind’s May Rabindranath Tagore continue to be our unfinished agenda. Tagore was never lacking guide? May we move on the path of expansion of judgment or in resolution in siding with the forces freedom of mind with earnestness? of peace and harmony, spirituality and freedom Balmiki Prasad Singh, Governor of Sikkim, is a against religious discrimination, nationalistic distinguished scholar, thinker and public servant. arrogance, terrorism, and social discrimination. His latest book is Bahudha and the Post-9/11 World. He wanted Indians to learn how other people lived, what they believed in and so on, while remaining Source: Bhavan’s Journal November 30, 2011 interested and involved in their own culture and heritage. Tagore believed that true democracy

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 41 Nai Talim— Gandhian Way to Education

land or of shares in the stock market. We want to provide only such education as would enable the student to earn more. We hardly give any thought to the improvement of the character of the educated.”

Gandhi based on his values and vision of what constituted a truly civilised and free India, developed his firm views on education. Education not only moulds the new generation, but reflects society’s fundamental assumptions about itself and the individuals which compose it. His experience in South Africa not only changed his outlook on politics, but helped him to see the role education played in that struggle.

He was aware that he had been a beneficiary of Western education and for a number of years while in South Africa he still tried to persuade Indians to take advantage of it. However, it was not until the early years of the last century, when he was in his mid-thirties, that he became so opposed to English education that he could write about ‘the “The principal idea is to impart the whole education rottenness of this education’ and that ‘to give of the body, mind and soul through the handicraft millions a knowledge of English is to enslave them that is taught to the children.” - Mahatma Gandhi ... that, by receiving English education, we have enslaved the nation’. He was enraged that he had For Gandhiji, Nai Talim was the expression of to speak of Home Rule or Independence in what the principle of non-violence in the educational was clearly a foreign tongue, that he could not sphere. It was the preparation for, and practice of, practice in court in his mother tongue, that all the peaceful organisation of a co-operative human official documents were in English as were all the community. best newspapers and that education was carried out in English for the chosen few. He did not On the occasion of the Platinum Jubilee year, the blame the colonial powers for this. He saw that it time has come to relook on the basic educational was quite logical that they would want an elite of philosophy as given by Mahatma Gandhi in Nai native Indians to become like their rulers in both Talim in the year 1937 and to make timely and manners and values. In this way, the Empire could necessary corrections in our educational system be consolidated. Gandhi blamed his fellow Indians rather than just copying from western models. for accepting the situation.

Mahatma Gandhi’s critique of western, particularly Later in his life, he was to declare that ‘real English, education was part of his critique of freedom will come only when we free ourselves Western ‘civilisation’ as a whole. He said, “The of the domination of Western education, Western real difficulty is that people have no idea of what culture and Western way of living which have been education truly is. We assess the value of education ingrained in us. Emancipation from this culture in the same manner as we assess the value of would mean real freedom for us’. He was, in fact,

42 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 absolutely opposed to modern machinery. In his Gandhi’s proposal intended to stand the education collected works, he refers to machinery as having system on its head. The social philosophy and the impoverished India, that it was difficult to measure curriculum of what he called ‘basic education’ thus the harm that Manchester had done to them by favoured the child belonging to the lowest stratum producing machine-made cloth which, in turn, of society, in such a way it implied a programme ruined the internal market for locally produced of social transformation. It sought to alter the hand-woven goods. symbolic meaning of ‘education’ and to change the established structure of opportunities for Typically of Gandhi, however, he does not education. blame Manchester or the mill owners. ‘How can Manchester be blamed?’ He writes. ‘We wore Manchester cloth and this is why Manchester wove it’. However, he notes that where cloth mills were “Education not only not introduced in India, in places such as Bengal, the original hand-weaving occupation was thriving. moulds the new Where they did have mills e.g. in Bombay, he felt that the workers there had become slaves. generation, but reflects He was shocked by the conditions of the women working in the mills of Bombay and made the society’s fundamental point that before they were introduced these women were not starving. He maintained that assumptions about itself ‘if the machinery craze grows in our country, it will become an unhappy land’. What he wanted and the individuals was for Indians to boycott all machine-made goods not just cloth. which compose it.”

He was quite clear when he asked ‘What did India do before these articles were introduced?’ and then Why Gandhi proposed the introduction of answered his own question by stating ‘Precisely productive handicrafts into the school system was the same should be done today. As long as we not really as outrageous as may appear. What he cannot make pins without machinery, so long really wanted was for schools to be self-supporting, will we do without them. The tinsel splendour of as far as possible. There were two reasons for this. glassware we will have nothing to do with, and we Firstly, a poor society such as India simply could will make wicks, as of old, with home-grown cotton not afford to provide education for all children and use hand-made earthen saucers or lamps. unless the schools could generate resources from So doing, we shall save our eyes and money and within. Secondly, the more financially independent support Swadeshi and so shall we attain Home Rule the schools were, the more politically independent (Swaraj)’. they could be.

Within this context of the need for a machine-less What Gandhi wanted to avoid was dependence on society, Gandhi developed his ideas on education. the state which he felt would mean interference The core of his proposal was the introduction of from the centre. Above all else, Gandhi valued productive handicrafts in the school curriculum. self-sufficiency and autonomy. These were vital The idea was not simply to introduce handicrafts for his vision of an independent India made up as a compulsory school subject, but to make of autonomous village communities to survive. the learning of a craft the centrepiece of the It was the combination of Swaraj and Swadeshi entire teaching programme. It implied a radical related to the education system. A state system of restructuring of the sociology of school knowledge education within an independent India would have in India, where productive handicrafts had been been a complete contradiction as far as Gandhi was associated with the lowest groups in the hierarchy concerned. of the caste system. Gandhi was of the opinion that manual work should Knowledge of the production processes involved not be seen as something inferior to mental work. in crafts, such as spinning, weaving, leather- He felt that the work of the craftsman or labourer work, pottery, metal-work, basket-making should be the ideal model for the ‘good life’. and bookbinding, had been the monopoly of Schools which were based around productive work specific caste groups in the lowest stratum of where that work was for the benefit of all were, the traditional social hierarchy. Many of them therefore, carrying out education of the whole belonged to the category of ‘untouchables’. India’s person—mind, body and spirit. own tradition of education as well as the colonial education system had emphasised skills such as The right to autonomy that Gandhi’s educational literacy and acquisition of knowledge of which the plan assigns to the teacher in the context of upper castes had a monopoly. the school’s curriculum is consistent with the

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 43 “Gandhi’s proposal intended to stand the education system on its head. It sought to alter the symbolic meaning of ‘education’ and to change the established structure

Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba with children of opportunities for education.” libertarian principles that he shared with Tolstoy. urbanisation. The three pillars of Gandhi’s Gandhi wanted to free the Indian teacher from pedagogy were its focus on the life-long character interference from outside, particularly government of education, its social character and its form as or state bureaucracy. a holistic process. For Gandhi, education is ‘the moral development of the person’, a process that is Under colonial rule, the teacher had a prescribed by definition ‘lifelong’. job to do that was based on what the authorities wanted the children to learn. Textbooks were Gandhi’s first experiments in education began at mandatory so that Gandhi found that ‘the living the Tolstoy Ashram in South Africa. It was much word of the teacher has very little value. A teacher later, while living at Sevagram and in the heat of who teaches from textbooks does no impart the Independence struggle, that Gandhi wrote originality to his pupils. Gandhi’s plan, on the other his influential article in Harijan about education. hand, implied the end of the teacher’s subservience In it, he mapped out the basic pedagogy: “I hold to the prescribed textbook and the curriculum. that the highest development of the mind and the It presented a concept of learning that simply soul is possible under such a system of education. could not be fully implemented with the help of Only every handicraft has to be taught, not merely textbooks. mechanically as is done today, but scientifically i.e. the child should know the why and wherefore of Of equal, if not more important, was the freedom every process....I have myself taught sandal-making it gave the teacher in matters of curriculum. It and even spinning on these lines with good results. denied the state the power to decide what teachers This method does not exclude knowledge of history taught and what they did in the classroom. It gave and geography. autonomy to the teacher but it was, above all, a libertarian approach to schooling that transferred “But I find that this is best taught by transmitting power from the state to the village. Gandhi’s basic such general information by word of mouth. One education was, therefore, an embodiment of his imparts ten times as much in this manner as by perception of an ideal society consisting of small, reading and writing. The signs of the alphabet self-reliant communities with his ideal citizen may be taught later...Of course, the pupil learns being an industrious, self-respecting and generous mathematics through his handicraft.” Gandhi individual living in a small co-operative community. added that, “I attach the greatest importance to primary education, which according to my Nai Talim is a spiritual principle which states that conception should be equal to the present knowledge and work are not separate. Gandhi matriculation less English....”—Harijan of the 31st promoted an educational curriculum with the same July 1937. name based on this pedagogical principle. It can be translated with the phrase ‘Basic Education for A national education conference was held at all’. However, the concept has several layers of Wardha on October 22-23, 1937. Afterwards meaning. It developed out of Gandhi’s experience two model schools were opened at Wardha and with the English educational system and with nearby Segaon. Post-basic education and pre-basic colonialism in general. In that system, he saw that education schools were developed after Gandhi’s Indian children would be alienated and ‘career- death. Gandhi’s model of education was directed based thinking’ would become dominant. toward his alternative vision of the social order: “Gandhi’s basic education was, therefore, an In addition, it embodied a series of negative embodiment of his perception of an ideal society outcomes: the disdain for manual work, the consisting of small, self-reliant communities development of a new elite class, and the with his ideal citizen being an industrious, self- increasing problems of industrialisation and

44 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 respecting and generous individual living in a small co-operative community.”

Nai Talim also envisaged a different role for the teacher, not simply as a professional constrained by curricula and abstract standards, but rather as a person relating directly to the student in the form of a dialogue: “A teacher who establishes rapport with the taught, becomes one with them, learns more from them than he teaches them. He who learns nothing from his disciples is, in my opinion, worthless. Whenever I talk with someone I learn from him. I take from him more than I give him. In this way, a true teacher regards himself as a student of his students. If you teach your pupils with this attitude, you will benefit much from them.”

Gandhi’s disciple, Vinoba Bhave, developed the idea further as a means of social transformation: “The crux of Nai Talim lay in overcoming distinctions between learning and teaching, and knowledge and work. Vinoba discusses the need to redefine the relationship between teacher and student, “they must each regard the other as a fellow worker...”

Instead, the ‘teacher’ was to be skilled in a kala/ hunar (and to derive sustenance from this and not a teaching salary). The student was to live, work and grow with the teacher and his/her family. In this process s/he would learn the kala/hunar—the of education, nor even the beginning. It is only skill as part of a way of life, code of ethics, web of one of the means by which man and woman can relationships, etc.” be educated. Literacy in itself is no education. I would therefore begin the child’s education by Finally, Nai Talim was conceived as a response to teaching him a useful handicraft and enabling him one of the main dialectics of modernity as Gandhi to produce from the moment he begins his training. saw it—the dialectic between human being and Thus every school can be made self-supporting.” ‘machine’ or ‘technology’: “In this dialectic, man represented the whole of mankind, not just India, The National Planning Commission set up by the and the machine represented the industrialised Central Government expressed its opposition West.” It is for this reason that Gandhi placed such to Gandhi’s vision of Basic Education on several central emphasis in his pedagogy on the role of grounds. The Nehru government’s vision of an handicrafts such as spinning; they symbolised industrialised, centrally-planned economy had the values of self-sufficiency or Swaraj and no place for ‘basic education’ or self-supported independence or Swadeshi. schools, rather it reflected the “vision of a powerful and growing class of industrialists, their Traditional and colonial forms of education had supporters in politics and intellectuals with high emphasised literacy and abstract, text-based qualifications in different areas, including science knowledge which had been the domain of the upper and technology.” castes. Gandhi’s proposal to make handicrafts the centre of his pedagogy had as its aim to bring A further detailed history of the attempts to about a “radical restructuring of the sociology of implement basic education in India is given by school knowledge in India” in which the ‘literacies’ Marjorie Sykes, The History of Nai Talim. Finally, of the lower castes—“such as spinning, weaving, as has been noted by Krishna Kumar, “the leatherwork, pottery, metal-work, basket-making implementation of Gandhi’s plan could not survive and bookbinding”—would be made central. The the ‘development decade’ of the 1960s when the other aim of this use of handicrafts was to make Indian economy and its politics entered into a schools financially and socially independent of the new phase featuring the penetration of Indian state—an even more radical concept. agriculture by the advanced economies of the West and the centralisation of power.” Thus in his influential article on education in Harijan in 1937 he argued: “By education I mean Arvind A. Dhond an all-round drawing out of the best in child and man body, mind and spirit. Literacy is not the end Source: Bhavan’s Journal September 30, 2011

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 45 of the restraining audit body like the I.O.M. in the Our Medical USA. Here it is free for all in the name of “science.” We have even had the audacity to label centuries old medical wisdom of the East (leader being India Wisdom and here) as quackery. Luckily quantum physics is proving that the Eastern medical wisdom is very Quantum Physics scientific while the modern medicine of the West is anything but science! “The most beautiful and profound emotion we can experience is the sensation of the mystical. It is the For those of us who are new to quantum physics, power of all true science.” -Albert Einstein there is a very easy to understand book by 1982 Nobel Laureate physicist, Heinz R. Pagel with the This world is a wonder, a wonderful wonder! title: The cosmic code: quantum physics, as the Everything here looks solid while there is language of Nature. For the benefit of biologists nothing solid in this universe which is just the (physicians included) who are not comfortable manifestation of that all pervading energy. What is with this new science of the intangibles, another science? According to great scientists like Marie Nobel Laureate biologist, Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Curie, “science is measurement and measurement wrote this beautiful book entitled Introduction to is science.” sub-molecular biology as far back as 1960.

If that were so this whole world becomes The two together would make the Gita and the unscientific as one cannot measure all the energies Bible for the medical students, when that happens. in this world. While known science can measure The two non-detailed texts to supplement these about 5% of the total energy—nuclear, gravitational main texts could be the books The biology of Belief, and electromagnetic—in this world; the vast by the noted cell biologist, Bruce H. Lipton and majority of 95% energy can never be measured, Molecules of Emotion by another Nobel nominated called the occult energy. This will give the reader NIH scientist, Candace Pert. Her colleagues almost an idea as to how reliable our conventional science forced her out of National Institutes of Health is! The new science of quantum physics, born (NIH) for this sin. Writing these books brought all around 1925, was an enigma even to Albert Einstein those four so many brickbats that one of them was who refused to believe in that. He was calling it almost dismissed by his colleagues as “a brilliant as mathematical trickery. One can then not fault scientist who has lost his mind now.” (Pagel). ordinary mortals like us who do not understand this new science. Are you surprised? I am not in the least surprised as any new truth goes through three stages, was Be that as it may, our concern here is the science the opinion of one of the leading philosophers, of modern medicine which is sold to the gullible Arthur Schopenhauer. “All truth passes through public as “evidence based scientific medicine.” three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, violently The end result has, however, been more and more opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self- misery for the common man. According to a recent evident,” he wrote. study, based on official statistics of the American government, modern medical interventions along Conventional medical wisdom does not understand with associated problems have been the leading as to how the molecular mechanisms truly provide cause of death in the USA in the last ten years. for life. Our organ based disease model in modern (Gary Null et. al. Death by Medicine). Obviously medicine loses its validity when one realises that Indians must have suffered much more as we follow the human body is a happy colony of nearly fifty the American model in Toto without even the fear trillion single human body cells each of them

46 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 “Luckily quantum physics is proving that the Eastern medical wisdom is very scientific while the modern medicine of the West is anything but science!”

having the capacity to live independently as an principles in management of illnesses. It is only organism. Each cell breathes, digests food, excretes in modern medical systems we use reductionist its waste, and works hard. Together they make chemicals. Similarly, the down side is that every what we are. part of the electro-magnetic spectrum like the microwave ovens, visible light spectrum, cell Albert Popp, a quantum physicist, has been phones, radio frequencies, and even very low able to photograph these cells using their frequency force called scalar energy effects the photon light emissions (bio-photons) where he biological regulations. Specific frequencies and defines health as a state where all these cells live patterns of electromagnetic radiation regulate the in synch: illness is when they are out of synch. DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis, alter protein Newtonian conventional physics does not control shape and function, control gene regulation, molecule’s life generating movements but quantum cell division, cell regulation, cell differentiation, physics does. morphogenesis (how cells form organs), hormone secretion, nerve growth and function. Reviewing many of those studies in this area for the journal Nature, biophysicist Weinhold F. Recent elegant studies have shown that all summarises like this. When bio-chemistry books chemical molecules work only through the Placebo serve as aids and, not barriers, to this enriched effect. The end result is when a patient gets better quantum mechanic perspective on how molecular with our present drugs (and even surgery) the turnstiles work and when we understand the forces good effects are due to the faith the patient has that control the twisting and folding of molecules in the doctor and the side effects are due to the into complex shapes and organs, we will have drugs and interventions! Two elegant studies of understood both human physiology and coronary bypass surgery showed that the control quantum physics. group who had no surgical intervention but were made to believe that surgery was done, in one case This whole world is energy (universal with just skin cutting and sutures and the other consciousness) and the human body is part of it. study (laser total myocardial revascularization) (Individual consciousness). Nothing in this world is where the patient was just anaesthetized to be solid and each atom has its own energy vibrations. later told that s/he had the surgery. Both these The frequency, of course, changes from atom to situations the placebo group did much better; in atom. Diseases, in this context, become abnormal fact with full revascularisation on scanning. But energy patterns of the body. The best logical the side effects of genuine surgery were sometimes treatment should be trying to reset that abnormal life threatening. I saw a patient two days ago who energy pattern. had lost his knowledge of the English language completely erased from his mind after a bypass Using chemical molecules (pharmaceutical drugs) surgery! He was a former Bank Chairman! Some for this would not only be useless but could be degree of cognitive damage is seen in 97% of counterproductive as is seen in audits lately. immediate postoperative stage to settle down to Chemical information transfer occurs at a very 47% permanent damage. Bruce Mosley’s work on slow pace of one centimeter per second, while surgery for severe knee pain elegantly showed that energy transmission occurs at a phenomenal the placebo surgery did better than real surgery! speed of 1,86,000 miles per second. Naturally, energy treatments are the best. Most, if not all, Does that mean that we can throw modern Eastern medical wisdoms ranging from Ayurveda, medicine out of the window? Never! We still need Chinese Chi and acupuncture (derived from Indian emergency surgery, corrective surgery, repair acupressure), the varmology of Siddha system, of congenital defects; humane doctors who can homoeopathy and Unani are all using energy minister to a sick mind etc. are all very useful.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 47 “There are many other useful systems of medical practice that could contribute to a future integrated system that works with quantum physics as the base.”

There are many other useful systems of medical higher force that runs this world. This knowledge practice that could contribute to a future would make even an atheist become a believer, not integrated system that works with quantum in that God that sits on the throne in Heaven but physics as the base. Chiropractic is one such the unseen force that governs and runs this world, where the energy flow in the nervous system is the Universal consciousness, which some people harnessed to treat aches and pains etc. When in call as our soul. 1895 DD Palmer introduced chiropractic people ridiculed him and quickly seeing the danger to Every doctor should acquire some understanding reductionist drugs, the Carnegie Foundation made of this great science of energy therapy for the good the government of USA to appoint a one man of mankind. Newtonian world view is not useful committee to regulate medical practice. Andrew in this area although the Planets still follow the Flexner was thus appointed to do the job. He Newton’s Law’s of movement. Doctors have been clearly stated that all those treatment modalities predicting the unpredictable future of mankind outside the “scientific” drug based treatments using this deterministic predictability model which should be banned and all such teaching institutions has been our curse. should be closed. Thus the end of all sensible disease management methods had to close Take a cancer patient as an example. There is no way shop in 1910. However, the chiropractors won a any doctor could give a definite prognosis to any protracted law suit in the Federal court in 1990 patient. That is exactly what is being done day in and where the verdict went against modern medical day out. “You will live for maximum six months as establishment. The judge observed that the you have this cancer”, which we hear every day is the American Medical Association had used devious main reason why that patient dies and not because fraudulent methods to defame healing sciences like of the cancer. Several studies have shown the danger Chiropractic and thus revived that’s science once of this kind of predictions. Quantum physics of again. Similar fights will have to be waged on behalf cell function tells us one more important lesson. It of many other banned systems in the world. We is the positive thoughts of love and camaraderie can have a new necklace of pearls picked from each that facilitates health and all our negative thoughts one of those systems including modern medicine damage health as our thoughts are our own friends for a future integrated system. I would like to call or foes as the case may be. Thoughts and emotions that new system as Meta Medicine. Hope the day turn into chemicals inside the system. will not be far away. Our reductionist idea of one drug for one gene The kingpin in the drama of human wellness and defect or for one ailment must be one of the disease is the cell wall and not the nuclear genes. reasons for increased mortality and morbidity. The latter can never show their prowess without How else can one explain the significant fall in the help of the protein sleeve around them. In death and disability when doctors went on strike in fact, there are not enough genes to go round five places in the last 25 years? Let us look at one for every defect. The cell wall protein (Integral simple example. When you are bitten by a spider, Membrane Protein—IMP) is the powerful one. The you develop a severe itch and red swelling locally. environment (universal consciousness) controls This is due to release of a chemical at the local the human cell by coupling with the IMPs giving nerve endings, histamine. We have the magic bullet each of us our identity. The cell responds to the in our powerful antihistamines. Let us see what message thus received for all its functions. When happens when we give these drugs. Histamine goes we understand this the enormous amount of money round the body when ingested or injected. In the being spent on genetic engineering and stem cell limb blood vessels histamine opens the small pores research could be channelised to other fruitful in the capillary walls thus pouring out water to get areas. The IMPs also get us connected to our swelling to localise and neutralise the poison.

48 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 But when it goes to the brain it does not do that towards me. The cranes paused about 6 feet but interferes with nerve nutrition. That is why from where I stood like the pied piper crooning one feels drowsy after taking antihistamines. the Om. After awhile the dominant crane opened Similarly, being a H1 blocker, histamine could his beak and started to chant along with me. It produce cardiac arrhythmias. See how the was a strange duet to say the least. The crane chemical molecules work? On the contrary, when attempting to intone the Om produced a saw-like we are threatened we secrete histamine which trumpeting sound that reverberated through the mainly concentrates in the brain to increase nerve park boomeranging back. This went on for about nutrition thereby making us stronger to act wisely. 10 minutes a sweet communion with nature that Energy treatment, on the contrary, is not only demonstrated how connected we all are. Suddenly much faster than chemicals as shown above but is the two cranes lowered their red foreheads, long also specific without any side effects. necks pointing straight ahead; they opened their wings and flapped upward with stringy black legs Quantum physics has shown that matter is energy trailing behind in flight. I watched as they vanished and energy is matter—duality of Hans Peter Durr. in the dense forest preserve. Hans prefers the Indian sages name Advaita, though. This leads to the point that this world Purple and blue shades of twilight blanketed is immaterial—in the words of Richard Conn the sleepy forestland. Softly singing a song I had Henry, a Johns Hopkins physicist: “The universe is learned in camp I bid the beautiful park adieu:” immaterial—mental and spiritual. Live and enjoy.” I believe in intuition and inspiration. Imagination is This brings us back to what I always keep saying more important than knowledge. For knowledge is that “it is not what you eat that kills you but what limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire eats you that kills you—your negative thoughts.” world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution. We should strive to take mankind one step higher It is a real factor in scientific research. using the cell wall intelligence where the loving -Albert Einstein human beings do not only survive but they thrive by loving one another. The energy vibrations affect B.M. Hegde, MD, FRCP, FRCPE, FRCPG, FACC, not only humans but anything else in this universe. FAMS. Padma Bhushan awardee 2010. Editor- Look at this true story sent to me today by a friend, in-chief, The Journal of the Science of Healing Deirdre West. Outcomes; Chairman, State Health Society’s Expert Committee, Govt, of Bihar, Patna. Former “During my walk I noticed two red sand hill cranes Prof. Cardiology, The Middlesex Hospital Medical near a lakelet digging diligently for their supper School, University of London; Affiliate Prof. of with their long, dark ditch-digging beaks. They Human Health, Northern Colorado University; seemed oblivious to me as I stood looking down Retd. Vice Chancellor, Manipal University, from a small hill. I started intoning the Om. The Chairman, Bhavan’s cosmic sound of Om rippled across the elfin pond Mangalore Kendra. disappearing into the green sanctuary of Florida sand pines, diamond oak and tall wispy grasslands. Source: Bhavan’s Journal I could feel the atmosphere becoming saturated November 15, 2011 with the Holy music of The Om. Apparently the Red Sand hill cranes were in tune with this mystic syllable. Much to my surprise and delight the pair stopped foraging and turned towards me with an alert look. Entranced by the sound of the Om they climbed the embankment then ambled curiously

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 49 Narayana brought in an element of the sense of duty which was enjoined on men and women to serve the poor if they wanted to serve God. Like the Buddha, Swami Vivekananda highlighted the role of rationality in human conduct. He believed that whatever we do must be justified and supported by Three Great Souls reason. Man must learn to live with a religion which commends itself to intellectual conscience and to in One Decade the spirit of rationality.

It is sheer good fortune that in one decade of Religion should be the sustaining faith that insists the 19th century, three great men were born on the intellectual and spiritual development of in India: Swami Vivekananda on January 12, every human being irrespective of his caste, creed, 1863, Rabindranath Tagore on May 4, 1861 and community, or race. Any religion that divides man Mahatma Gandhi on October 2, 1869. Each from man, or supports privileges, exploitation, and became a formidable figure in his sphere of work: wars, cannot commend itself. Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda in religion and spirituality, more than others emphasised that every religion Gurudev Tagore in literature, and Mahatma Gandhi must serve the poor and should aim at the in freedom movement and public life. Swami removal of poverty, ignorance and disease among Vivekananda was the first leader among the three the downtrodden people of society. He further outstanding personalities to make a major impact emphasised that in this task there could be no on Indian consciousness both in his time and discrimination between man and woman, between thereafter. one sect and another, between one profession and another. Narendranath Dutta (Swami Vivekananda) was born into a Hindu family in Kolkata. During a He, in fact, raised service of the poor to the short life span of thirty-nine years, he gave a new level of worship, and at that level, harmony meaning to Hindu philosophy of tolerance. It was among different faiths automatically became a he who built the Ramakrishna Order to propagate pre-condition. Such an environment demands the values of Vedanta philosophy and to work reconciliation among human beings. In order for the spread of quality education and health to overcome enemies and animosity we need care throughout India. The contribution of Swami to renounce hatred and cultivate love and Vivekananda needs to be viewed in three inter- compassion for all. related perspectives. First, he brought religion to the centre-stage and gave a new meaning to it. The Swamiji’s earnest prayer was: Second, he stressed the need for harmony among “May I be born again and again, faiths. Third, his teachings continue to be of and suffer thousands of miseries, relevance. so that I may worship, A contemporary of Swami Vivekananda, the famous my God the miserable, German thinker Friedrich Neitzsche (1844-1900), my God the poor of all races, made an outstanding statement declaring the of all species”. ‘death of God’. Subsequent scholars and writers Today it is no longer possible to live an isolated went on to highlight the fact that people were no life. People of different faiths live side by side. longer as interested in God as they were earlier. It was felt that science and rationality were guiding human affairs more decisively than religions. This was not acceptable to Swami Vivekananda who went on to give a new meaning to religion. He maintained that service to God should mean service to the poor.

Discarding monks and pandits, temples and mosques, churches and satras, which were traditionally centres for religious dialogues that enjoined on the participants the need to pursue higher values of renunciation and moksha, the Swamiji emphasised something new, and that was to help the poor man. He coined a new word Daridra Narayana—‘God in the poor and the lowly’—as a religious axiom. Daridra

50 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 It is therefore, necessary to understand each other: their needs and aspirations, faiths and belief practices. A close examination of Swamiji’s teachings and practices reveals that he thought ahead of his time. His ideas emphasising dialogue among faiths and justification for plurality of faiths and belief patterns are of great relevance to today’s strife-torn world. Swami Vivekananda explained that Vedanta philosophy was not Brahmanic or Buddhist, Christian or Muslim, but the sum total of all these. In his historic address to the Parliament of Religions in Chicago on September 11, 1893, Swami Vivekananda clarified:

The Christian is not to become a Hindu or a Buddhist, Swami Vivekananda or a Hindu or a Buddhist to become a Christian. But each must assimilate the spirit of the others and yet preserve his individuality and grow according to his through training and idealism. On the other hand, own law of growth. political parties do not have any system to support The Swamiji saw this relevant in the Indian context. or sustain their active members. The time has The Indian idea was to make man find the best that come for political parties to draw appropriate he could in his environment, and live upto it in all lessons from Ramakrishna Order. sincerity. The Hindu conception has been what We are living in a world which is marked by hatred was described by Paramahamsa Ramakrishna in and violence, terrorism and suicide squads. The the form of an aphorism: Jato mat, tato path, that is, terrorists are using religious slogans to justify their (‘As many opinions, so many ways’). Swamiji greatly evil deeds. There are many people who believe in valued plurality of approach in human affairs and the dictum: “my god is superior to yours”. spoke against uniformity. How could a man of religion be a terrorist? How He was in favour of harmony among religious could a religious person join a suicide squad if he beliefs and against one religion for all. As Swami believes in the service of the poor? Vivekananda records: Swamiji had answer for all these questions as The greatest misfortune to befall the world would well as justification for plurality of faiths and be if all mankind were to recognise and accept but harmony among religions. He rightly declared one religion, one universal form of worship, one in the Parliament of Religions that “if anybody standard of morality. This would be the death-blow dreams of the exclusive survival of his own religion to all religious and spiritual progress. and the destruction of others, I pity him from the bottom of my heart, and point out to him that upon There are two aspects of Swamiji’s teachings and the banner of every religion will soon be written, in practice which are of relevance to India and the spite of resistance: ‘Help and not fight’, ‘Assimilation world today. He was one of the great founders of and not Destruction’, ‘Harmony and Peace and not the national freedom movement of India. Many Dissension”. people in his time and later who took an active part in the freedom struggle drew inspiration from him. Swami Vivekananda was handsome in looks, Persons like Ramakrishna Paramahamsa and Swami handsome in thoughts, and handsome in deeds. Vivekananda provided a way of life to the people Such a combination of beauty is rarely seen in an not only in regard to their spiritual upliftment, but individual. His short span of life and monumental in their approach towards society at large. The deeds constitute a rare example of an individual’s stress on rendering service to the poor is not only earnestness and endeavour in human history. a social obligation to be discharged, but a path of As India celebrates the 150th birth anniversary salvation as well. of Swami Vivekananda, let us focus on and work Indian democracy is facing serious challenge in for making India a strong nation and an equitable view of its inability to keep public servants away society and the world a better from temptations. The Ramakrishna Order, set place to live in. up by Swamiji, since its inception has taken care -Balmiki Prasad Singh, currently of their members in a manner that they continue Governor of Sikkim, is a to be symbols of integrity and devotion to duty. distinguished scholar, thinker How has this been accomplished? The Order takes and public servant. care of every member’s food, clothing, shelter, and health care needs. There is considerable equality Source: Bhavan’s Journal, in treatment in respect of food, clothing and August 15, 2011 healthcare provisions. It motivates its personnel

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 51 Scientists and “Vanities of the Educated”

Bring light to the ignorant, and more light to the greed for money gravitates them to the anti-social educated; for the vanities of education of our time groups and get themselves sucked into corruption are tremendous. and other social malpractices.

-Swami Vivekananda This dark period in the field of education we had during political subjugation under the British Rule; Have we ever pondered over why this great and the rulers of free India were reluctant to erase noble son of Bharat, Vivekananda made the above and introduce a value-based system suggested sarcastic statement? We have not, because the by a galaxy of creative personalities like Raja education we get today is not life-building, man- Rammohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath making, character-making; but stuffing of the brain Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi. The system of with undigested material information, which runs education, according to them, should inspire every riot; consequently, we are incapable of deciphering student in the schools, colleges and universities; the idea compressed in the statement. that a student must become an instrument of the nation, working to bring about a welfare state If the object sought to the achieved is to collect where there is no difference between the rich and only material information, then as the Swamiji said, the poor, the strong and the weak. “the libraries are the greatest sages in the world and the encyclopaedias are the Rishis”. The system of education we are now having has developed sectarianism, bigotry and its horrible Students in schools, colleges and universities descendant, fanaticism. The remedy for the malady educated in the present system, are interested lies in inspiring our students with ethical and only in getting a job and lead, according to them, a spiritual values. It does not mean that the system comfortable life without any social commitments. should impose a digest of do’s and don’ts of any They are caught in the cobweb of the making of the of the moral or religious code on them. These evils of consumerism. do’s and don’ts should inspire the capacity of the student to think and take decision independently We must remember that modern education is and to face the consequences that may sprout a costly undertaking. To turn out a doctor or there from, fearlessly. This would help the engineer the cost is many fold more. This cost student to develop his personality and character. is met by the State, which means we the people To achieve this, you have to fill his mind with of India, other than the student! The educated, spirituality. therefore, are indebted to the people, are expected to pay their debt to the people by serving them, Freedom is the first condition for mental growth. using their knowledge and talent and converting And freedom implies freedom to commit mistakes. money-making endeavours into service of the Mistakes and failures help forge the human spirit. people. But what is happening in free India? The educated have become selfish and self-centered; In his explanatory note to this, Swami are afflicted by evils like unchecked careerism and Ranganathananda has remarked, “Man alone has greed for money. the freedom and capacity to move according to nature’s tracks, deviate from them by the free Bereft of social commitments, these educated exercise of his will and choice, commit blunders on citizens become not dynamic personalities, but his way, correct himself, and grow in the process remain confined to one’s body or genetic system, into a warm, rich, spiritual personality, with the always complaining and grumbling that the State capacity for entering into, and being entered into, has not given this or that benefit to them. The other human beings in society, in love and concern,

52 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Aldous Huxley, Bertrand Rrussell, & Mahatma Gandhi dedication and service. This is man’s spiritual growth. This registers the specific advance of evolution at the human stage. It is the fruit of assimilation of ethical and spiritual values by him”.

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan put this idea of Ranganathananda thus: “Education is the process by which we conserve valuable elements in our culture and discard the wasteful”. Milliken: “It seems to me that the two great pillars It is in this background that we shall endeavour upon which all human well-being and human to find out the importance of the conjunction of progress rest, are first the spirit of religion, physical science and ethics or rather spirituality. and second, the spirit of science or knowledge. Modern scientists admit that the achievement of Neither can attain its largest effectiveness without physical science is limited. So is the case with the support from the other. To promote the latter we achievements of spirituality dug out from religion have universities and research institutions. But by the older civilization. This set up made Einstein the supreme opportunity for everyone, with no to confess that “physical science can denature exception lies in the first”. plutonium, but it cannot denature evil in the heart of man”. What the scientists mean by spirit of ‘religion’, is the acquisition of spiritual knowledge and not Physical science provides man with an ever- a creed of dogma, is clear from the exhortation increasing range and quantity of consumer goods of the eminent physicist Sir Arthur Eddington, and gadgets to satisfy his organic appetites; but it reproduced hereunder: cannot check his impulses to indulge in lust and greed, drug and drink, violence and destruction “You will understand the true spirit neither of the and even self immolation. For the knowledge science nor religion, unless seeking is placed in the and technical know-how to deal with this mental forefront”. discord, man has to seek help from the science of the spiritual nature of man which is addressed as To acquire spiritual knowledge, we have been told ‘Religion’ by Acharyas. by Vedas and Upanishads that the human mind, addressed as the wild horse, shall be filled with Touching upon the acquisition of knowledge wisdom. This kind of teaching about the spiritual through physical science alone, Bertrand Russell dimensions of human life taught by the Gita was sarcastically has stated to the effect, that the not there in modern scientific thoughts, especially chairman or managing director of a company will in neurology and biology. take a flower in his hand, enter the factory and place the flower before the machine and pray, Dealing with this aspect, Swami Ranganathananda Machine, make me a good nut and bolt in your says: system. “Modern thinking has no inkling about the To Bertrand Russell increasing of knowledge, supersensory level of experience. That second pure and simple worldly, without a corresponding part, a positive part, is given in the Bhagavad growth of spiritual knowledge, man will be Gita and Upanishads. This kind of teaching about acquiring more sorrows. He says “we are in the the spiritual dimensions of human life is slowly middle of a race between human knowledge as coming into modern scientific thought, especially to means and human folly as to ends. Unless men in neurology and biology. Modern biology will increase in wisdom as much as in knowledge, tell you that organic satisfaction is not the goal increase of knowledge will be increase of sorrows”. of the human stage. That is the goal of the prehuman stage”. He did not stop with this remark. According to him men who have not acquired spiritual knowledge Modern biology is going in the right direction. That will be egoistic and hence they are like billiard is why the renowned biologist Julian Huxley said balls, always colliding with other human beings. “evolution had risen from the organic to psycho- Today, it is common knowledge, we have too social level”. many billiard balls, full of conflicts whether it is in politics or administration. The one who has understood the effect of human evolution rising to the psycho-social level, can dig Scientists agree that one should acquire both affection in other human beings in society. That spiritual knowledge and worldly knowledge, if is called love, compassion and humanist concern. that one shall be of any use for the “abhudaya” of Thereby you grow spiritually. This is the central society. This idea finds the clearest expression in theme of Vedanta. the proverbial statement of the great astrophysicist

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 53 But to raise the human being to that highest level piece, we shall have ethic based education at every of evolution so that he can dig affection in his level, the primary, college and university level. fellow being, the modern civilisation need a new Such value-based education is meant to help us to science other than the physical science, which, acquire both spiritual and worldly knowledge. however had been developed by the Rishis of yore in the Upanishads, called The Science of A citizen who has had education under this system human possibilities. The scope of science has will be a personality; will be a decent one who can been explained giving illustrations by Swami live in peace with other citizens in society. This Ranganathananda thus: character cannot be imposed on a citizen by an Act of Parliament. It comes, as already said, from value- “Take, for example, hatred. We can overcome based education. How beautifully this aspect is hatred. That is a human possibility. Hatred also is a highlighted by Swami Vivekananda in his definition human possibility and controlling hatred is again a of the word ‘education’, which I reproduce below: human possibility, controlling it and transforming energies to a higher level also a human possibility”. “Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in the human being”. How to learn this which alone can properly train the mind, which otherwise is the villain of the A system of education which will not help the student to unfold those beautiful possibilities like love, affection compassion, mercy and like possibilities though the system helps him to acquire worldly knowledge, will bring about snobs, selfish and self-centered people, etc. who are in the least bothered about a welfare state. Such persons have been caricatured by our scriptures as “the donkey carrying its load of sandalwood knows only the weight and not the value of the sandalwood”.

All education therefore shall aim at training of the mind and not stuffing of the brain. Such education is not there anywhere in the world today is obvious. The type of education, Lord Macaulay introduced in this country, is still continued by the administration of free India and consequently, barring very few, every other citizen in power or otherwise, is self-centered, selfish, afflicted by the evils produced by unchecked desire for power and greed for money. I quote Albert Einstein:

“It is essential that a student acquires an understanding of and lively feeling for values Clockwise, from top left: Rabindranath Tagore, we must acquire a vivid sense of the beautiful Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Swami and of the morally good. Otherwise he—with his Ranganathananda, & S. Radhakrishnan. specialised knowledge—more closely resembles a well trained dog—than a harmoniously developed person”.

K.P. Radhakrishna Menon

Source: Bhavan’s Journal December 15, 2010

54 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Heroines of Peace— The Nine Nobel Women

The Nobel Peace Prizes at their best set before us to be awarded “to him or her who would have an array of great human spirits. The nine women brought about the greatest step toward advancing Prize-winners clearly belong in this list. They come the pacification of Europe.” In the will he drafted from a variety of backgrounds and represent a a few months later Nobel included a generous variety of forms of peace making. bequest for Baroness von Suttner’s Austrian Peace Society and provided for prizes to be awarded The earliest of these heroines of peace was the every three years for intellectual and scientific Austrian baroness who inspired the Prize, while achievements. These included efforts to promote the most recent was the Indian from Guatemala the establishment of a European tribunal and were who rose to leadership overcoming poverty and to be granted to the most deserving, whether “a oppression. They include the woman regarded Swede or a foreigner, a man or a woman.” as the greatest of her generation in the United States; the scholar and reformer who was the acknowledged intellectual leader of the American peace movement; two Northern Irish advocates “The earliest of these of nonviolence who made a dramatic effort to resolve the longstanding violent conflict in their heroines of peace was the land; a saintly missionary working in the slums of Calcutta; a Swedish social reformer who became a Austrian baroness who cabinet minister and ambassador; and a Burmese intellectual who led the opposition to a brutal inspired the Prize, while the military dictatorship. most recent was the Indian They were not only of different nationalities and different classes, but of different faiths; among from Guatemala who rose them were Catholics and freethinkers, a Buddhist and a Quaker. They worked against war in peace to leadership overcoming societies and in political life, as humanitarians and defenders of human rights. This small group poverty and oppression.” of nine Laureates represents the diverse paths to peace which the Norwegian Nobel committees have recognized over the years. But they are most In the final draft of his will, Nobel omitted the last interesting in themselves; each has a fascinating clause, as well as the bequest for the Austrian story to tell. Peace Society, but he set up a prize for peace as one of his five prizes, and he clearly expected the The purpose is to consider the lives and peace Baroness to receive it. Four awards were made, efforts of these nine laureates, picturing them as however, before she finally received the prize in the members of the Nobel Committee described 1905. In 1901 and 1902 she was not even on the them in presenting them with their prizes at the Committee’s short list. In 1903 the Committee award ceremonies. First a few words about Alfred put her on the short list, but despite the support Nobel’s intentions regarding women and the Prize of most of the other peace leaders, who called and how the Norwegian committee have followed her their “commander-in-chief,” she was again his wishes in this respect. passed over. In 1904 she lost out to the Institute of International Law, which added insult to injury, Nobel, The Norwegian Nobel Committee, and since when Nobel’s will was being implemented, Women Prize Winners the Baroness, with her special knowledge of her friend’s intentions, had strongly protested to the The story has often been told of how Nobel had executors that Nobel had wanted the Prize to go long been interested in peace but how it was his only to individuals. friend the peace activist Baroness Bertha von Suttner, who drew his attention to the international In a speech earlier that year Nobel Committee movement against war which was becoming Chairman Jörgen Lövland, in referring to the organized in the 1890s and secured his financial awards to the veterans of the peace movement, had support for her peace activities. In January 1893 spoken of “the men who had done this work.” Small he wrote her that he planned to set up a prize

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 55 wonder that the Baroness just about gave up hope the Cold War in mind, to share the prize between and was much surprised when the gold ring finally Eleanor Roosevelt who had done distinguished came around to her in 1905. This was due to the work on human rights in the United States and special effort of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson, the great Alexandra Kollontai, the Soviet diplomat who had writer, who was a member of the committee. When contributed to ending the Soviet-Finnish War. In the Baroness came to deliver her Nobel lecture 1948 Rosika Schwimmer of Hungary, who began in the spring of 1906, Chairman Lövland, spoke at her peace campaigning during the First World the banquet about the great influence of women in War, was nominated by a number of European history and how they could change the ideas of war parliamentarians. While it is true that during all and give men higher aims. It was however, twenty- these years it was difficult for a woman to rise to six years later before the second woman, Jane prominence in a male world, the Norwegian Nobel Addams, was honored with the Prize. committees were apparently not without prejudice.

Addams had first been nominated in 1916 for her efforts to bring the First World War to an end and repeatedly thereafter. In 1923 the Committee’s adviser recommended her in his report, and she had a distinguished list of supporters, including Woodrow Wilson, John Dewey, Felix Frankfurter, Robert LaFollette and Sidney Webb, but no Prize was awarded for that year. Four more Baroness Bertha times she was on the short list before she shared the divided Prize of 1931 with Nicholas Von Suttner Murray Butler.

In the presentation speech, made in her absence, It is all the more Professor Halvdan Koht said, “In honoring Jane remarkable that Addams, we also render homage to the work which Baroness von Suttner women can do for peace and human brotherhood.” won an international Apparently that was enough homage for the next reputation at the fifteen years until in 1946 Emily Green Balch shared beginning of the the Prize with John Mott of the YMCA. This time twentieth century. On a lecture tour of the United it took years for the next women laureates, Betty States in 1904 she was even received at the White Williams and Mairead Corrigan, even though the House by President Theodore Roosevelt. Not the committee had had its first woman member since least of her achievements was her break with the 1948. During the thirty years Mrs. Aase Lionaes military and aristocratic traditions of her family, served on the Committee, chairing it the last ten, first by deciding to earn her living as a governess the Williams-Corrigan award was the only one to and later by writing the anti-war novel Die Waffen women. Since then the committee has done better, Nieder (“Lay Down Your Arms”), which brought honoring Mother Teresa in 1979, Alva Myrdal in her into the peace movement. Eloping with the 1982, Aung Sang Suu Kyi in 1991, and Rigoberta brother of the young ladies she was tutoring and Menchú Tum in 1992. going off with him to the Caucasus to become a writer was also not quite what a well-bred countess In the first 45 years of the Prizes, only three went to was expected to do. women, and of the 96 awards since 1901, only nine women have been Prizewinners. The committee’s The Baroness was not able to come to Norway archives are open for research up to the Second when her prize was announced in 1905 on the World War, so we know that a number of women traditional day, December 10, and there was no made the short list: The Quaker Priscilla Peckover presentation speech. The following April, she was and Annie Besant, theosophist and social reformer, introduced by Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson who spoke both from England; from the United States, the of her “real influence on the growth of the peace peace activist Lucia Ames Mead, Belva Lockwood movement and how in one of the most militaristic and Carrie Chapman Call and Elsa Brändström, countries of Europe she had continued to cry, the Swedish humanitarian. Others who might have “Down with arms.” Although laughed at first, been considered in the period included Dr. Aletta her words received a hearing because they were Jacobs of the Netherlands, feminist and activist; uttered by a person of noble character and because the activist Helene Stöcker and the artist Käthe they proclaimed humanity’s greatest cause. Kollwitz of Germany; Christian socialist Muriel Lester and author Vera Brittain of England; and feminist and writer Oliver Schreiner of South Africa.

In the years following the Second World War, there were several well qualified women candidates who were not named. In 1947 there was a proposal with

56 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Aung San Suu Kyi

At the ceremony for Several times in his speech Sejersted cited the Aung San Suu Kyi in collection of her essays, entitled Freedom from December 1991, she Fear, which her husband, Michael Aris, edited was still being held and published before the ceremony, so that her in detention by the voice could be heard beyond the reach of her military dictatorship oppressors. The title essay begins, “It is not in Myanmar (Burma) power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power and could only be corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge represented by her of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” two sons, her husband Fearlessness is the best response to governmental and her picture facing the audience. In his speech violence. In conclusion she writes that “truth, presenting the prize to her sons, Professor Francis justice and compassion... are often the only Sejersted, chairman of the committee, declared, bulwarks against ruthless power.” These are the “Her absence fills us with fear and anxiety,” but he teachings of Buddha. felt we could also have confidence and hope. He went on to sum up the meaning of her prize: Sejersted told how Suu Kyi spent many years abroad, first when with her diplomat mother in her In the good fight for peace and reconciliation, younger years, then studying at Oxford, working we are dependent on persons who set examples, at the United Nations in New York, marrying Aris, persons who can symbolize what we are seeking a British Tibetan scholar, starting a family when and mobilize the best in us. Aung San Suu Kyi is they were in Bhutan, finally ending up in England, just such a person. She unites deep commitment after scholarly assignments in Japan and India. and tenacity with a vision in which the end and Burma was always on her mind and heart, however, the means form a single unit. Its most important especially after the military seized power in 1962. elements are: democracy, respect for human rights, When she married Aris, she told him that one day reconciliation between groups, non-violence, and she must return to Burma when she was needed. personal and collective discipline. It was to nurse her dying mother that she returned The sources of her inspiration, Sejersted explained, from England, but as the daughter of Aung San, she were Mahatma Gandhi, about whom she had could not stay aloof when she saw the government learned when her mother was ambassador to India, brutally repressing a popular movement in and her father, Aung San, the leader in Burma’s opposition. She headed a political party in the struggle for liberation. She was only two when elections which the military permitted, but she was he was assassinated, but she had made his life a so successful that even before election day, she center of her studies. From Gandhi she drew her was ordered confined to her home. Nevertheless, commitment to nonviolence, from her father the her party won by a great majority, after which its understanding that leadership was a duty and other leaders were jailed. that one can only lead in humility and with the confidence and respect of the people to be led. “We ordinary people, I believe,” Sejersted declared, Both were examples for her of independence and “feel that with her courage and her high ideals, modesty, and Aung San represented what she Aung San Suu Kyi brings out something of the best called “a profound simplicity.” in us... The little woman under house arrest stands for a positive hope. Knowing she is there gives us We must add that undergirding her political confidence and faith in the power of good.” philosophy in spirit and deed has always been her Buddhist faith, which is also the foundation Suu Kyi remained detained, separated from her for her belief in human rights. In championing family, despite efforts of many governments and human rights in her political opposition to the the United Nations to secure her liberation. A military dictatorship, she needed to be fearless. group of Nobel peace laureates only got as far as Sejersted referred to the incident during her Thailand in an attempt to bring their petition to the election campaigning when she courageously faced military dictators who hold her. In 1994, however, a detachment of soldiers, whose officer lined them a U.S. congressman was permitted to see her, and, up in front of her, prepared to fire if she continued as a result of mediation by a Buddhist monk, she to walk down that street, which she did. had a conference with members of the government. Suu Kyi was released from her detention a few days after the 2010 vote.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 57 for a time as its secretary-general in the Geneva Emily headquarters, and continuing to be a familiar figure at the League of Nations. Jahn was impressed with Green Balch her practicality, her effort to improve international political relations by promoting international cooperation in other fields, and by her control of Emily Greene Balch was a the facts in all her proposals. As an example he colleague of Jane Addams’ referred to her work to secure the withdrawal of in the effort to stop the First the U.S. troops from Haiti in 1926 after eleven years World War, her partner of occupation. She went to Haiti with a delegation, in the work of WILPF, and successor as its leader. showed great skill in investigating the situation, In 1946 she herself shared a prize with the YMCA wrote most of the report, and fought to get the leader, John Mott. It came to her as the result of a recommendations accepted by the government. successful campaign organized at the request of Eventually they were all carried out and the troops WILPF by its member, Mercedes Randall, who did withdrawn. Jahn referred to Balch’s difficult a remarkable job of bringing Balch’s indisputable decision in World War II, as an absolute pacifist qualifications before the Nobel committee and who had joined the Quakers, to support the U.S. securing a large number of prominent supporters. war effort to vanquish the evil which Hitlerism represented. She could not be unaffected by the Committee Chairman Gunnar Jahn gave a far fate of her WILPF colleagues and Jewish friends. fuller description of Balch’s activities than Koht Jahn commended Balch for her gradualism, as had devoted to Addams. He told of her landmark compared with the Utopianism of less patient research on Slav immigrants to the U.S., of her peace workers. She continued to develop twenty-year teaching of social economics at imaginative proposals for slow international Wellesley College, which ended when she was progress through functional cooperation and came dismissed because of her pacifist activities during to be regarded by American peace activists as their World War I. In her next career, she was at the intellectual leader. center of WILPF’s international work, serving

Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan

When Egil Aarvik, vice-chairman of the committee Williams and presented the postponed 1976 prize to Betty Corrigan “have Williams and Mairead Corrigan in 1977, he began shown us his speech with a graphic description of the tragic what ordinary accident that had occurred the previous August on people can do a street in Belfast in Northern Ireland. A car out of to promote control, its driver an Irish Republican Army (IRA) peace.” They gunman shot dead fleeing from British soldiers, had the courage to smashed into a family out for a walk. Two of the take the first step. “They did so in the name of children were killed outright, the third was mortally humanity and love of their neighbour; someone injured, and the mother critically injured. had to start forgiving. ... Love of one’s neighbor is one of the foundation stones of the humanism on This senseless killing of innocent children which our western civilization is built.” It is vitally produced a wave of revulsion against the violence important that it “should shine forth when hatred which had been sweeping Northern Ireland, with and revenge threaten to dominate.” Theirs was “a Catholic IRA members using murder and terror to courageous unselfish act that proved an inspiration drive out the British, Protestant extremists doing to thousands, that lit a light in the darkness...” the same in response, and many innocent victims killed as a consequence. The movement was led Unfortunately, that light was dimmed in Northern by Betty Williams, a housewife who came upon Ireland until very recently. The Peace People, the the scene after she heard the shot, and Mairead organization which emerged from the movement, Corrigan, the young aunt of the dead children. declined in numbers and influence. Betty Williams emigrated to the United States, where she teaches Aarvik told how the two women led marches in in a university and has become a stirring lecturer which Protestants and Catholics walked together on peace. Mairead Corrigan Maguire has continued in demonstrations for peace and against violence. to work with the Peace People in Belfast and has That so many people in Northern Ireland had also effectively carried her message of nonviolence recognized that violence cannot bring social into other countries. Quakers in the seventeenth justice, Aarvik declared, gave hope that this could century thought of themselves as “God’s be “the dawn of a new day bringing lasting peace to ordinaries.” When ordinary people rise to face the sorely tried people of Ulster.” challenge, they may go far beyond the ordinary.

58 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Toiling for peace during the war and for a true peace afterward, she spoke for the pacifist women of the world. For some reason Koht did not give Jane Addams specific mention of the Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the organization she helped found and continued to lead. As she asked, the WILPF (Women’s International league for Peace and Freedom) is on her tombstone along The Norwegian Nobel with Hull House, the famous settlement house Committee had waited she established. Fortunately, Koht’s omission of so long to give the Prize WILPF is rectified in the official Nobel Foundation to Jane Addams, that she was ill and Directory. Koht went on to say, “Even when her unable to go to the award ceremony or to come views were at odds with public opinion, she never later to present a Nobel lecture. In fact, on the gave in, and in the end she regained the place of very day of the award, December 10, 1931, she honors she had had before in the hearts of her was being admitted to the hospital in Baltimore. people.” This was very true. The Chicago City In failing health in her last years, Jane Addams Council for example proclaimed that “she was the died four years later. Professor Halvdan Koht greatest woman who ever lived.” gave the presentation speech for Addams and her co-recipient, Nicholas Murray Butler, both of Koht spoke of how Goethe, Henrik Ibsen, and whom were absent. Since Koht was a specialist in Björnson had all seen women as representing “the American history, he must have known what an highest and purest moral standards of society.” unlikely pairing this represented, for during the Koht felt that women have a special role as First World War, Butler had strongly denounced peacemakers, speaking of “that love, that warm those, like Addams, who had opposed the war. maternal feeling which renders murder and war so hateful to every woman.” Addams herself wrote Koht paid due tribute to the war-time leadership of that as a life-giver and a life-nurturer, woman has a the International Congress of Women which met at special feeling about war and peace. To Koht, “Jane The Hague in 1915 and led to a spectacular effort Addams combines all the best feminine qualities to end the war. He explained her opposition to the which will help us to develop peace on earth.” entry of the United States, which may well have Without superlatives, perceptive observers, in kept an earlier Nobel committee from giving her whose hearts Addams may not have lost a place of the prize, in this way: “She held fast to the ideal of honor, have given her the highest praise. William peace even during the difficult hours when other James declared that “she inhabited reality,” and considerations and interests obscured it from her to Walter Lippman, “she was not only good, but compatriots and drove them into the conflict.” great.”

Mother Teresa compassion devoid of condescension, based on this reverence for Christ in Man. Professor John Sanness, who chaired the committee, gave the speech of Sannes told how Mother Teresa was born presentation for the 1979 prize to into a Roman Catholic Albanian family living Mother Teresa. After speaking of the in Skopje, capital of the Yugoslav republic of many paths to peace which had been Macedonia. At the age of twelve she had felt recognized in previous awards, he the call to help the poor, and a few years later explained what was special in this one: decided to work in India. At the age of eighteen she joined the Irish order of Loreto and went Can any political, social, or intellectual feat of to teach in their girls’ school in Calcutta. After engineering, on the international or on the national sixteen years she felt a new call, to work in the plane, however effective and rational, however Calcutta slums. There she started a new order, the idealistic and principled its protagonists may be, Missionaries of Charity, committed to serve the give us anything but a house built on a foundation poorest of the poor, which soon spread to many of sand, unless the spirit of Mother Teresa inspires other countries. the builders and takes its dwelling in their building? Working for people who were not of her race, Sannes explained that this spirit is rooted in the religion or nationality, Mother Teresa had Christian faith. “She sees Christ in every human transcended all barriers. “With her message she being, and this in her eyes makes man sacred... is able to reach through to something innate in The hallmark of her work has been respect for every human kind—if for no other purpose than to the individual and the individual’s worth and create a potential, a seed for good.” “She promotes dignity. The loneliest and the most wretched, peace in the most fundamental manner,” Sanness the dying destitute, the abandoned lepers, have concluded, “by her confirmation of the inviolability been received by her and her Sisters with warm of human dignity.”

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 59 Rigoberta revolutionary in the real meaning of the word ‘transformation.’ If I had chosen the armed Menchú Tum struggle, I would be in the mountains now.” Committee Chairman Sejersted in his It was announced in presentation speech emphasized the meaning of October 1992 that Menchú’s decision. He spoke of “the brutalizing the prize would go to effect of the use of violence. Whoever commits Rigoberta Menchú, an act of violence will lose his humanity. Thus, a Mayan Indian violence breeds violence and hate breeds hate.” of Guatemala “in How can one break out of this circle, especially recognition of her work when one is confronted with the blind violence for social justice and of the other side? ethnocultural reconciliation based on respect for the rights of indigenous peoples.” An answer can be found in “the shining individual examples of people who manage to preserve their The decision was generally applauded, but humanity in brutal and violent surroundings, of conservative critics charged that Menchú had persons who for that very reason compel our taken part in violent actions of the Guatemalan special respect and admiration. Such people guerrillas against the government. Previous give us a hope that there are ways out of the Nobel prizes for champions of human rights had vicious circle.” been given only to those who used nonviolent methods, like Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. It was To Sejersted, “even in the most brutal situations, true that Menchú had every provocation to take one must retain one’s faith that there is a minimum up arms, and two of her sisters had indeed joined of human feelings in all of us. Rigoberta Menchú the guerrillas. Government soldiers had brutally Tum has preserved that faith.” murdered their mother and brother because their father opposed the landowners, and finally the Her whole life story represents a remarkable soldiers had set fire to the Spanish embassy where achievement. Born in abject poverty among a the father and other compesinos were making a suppressed people, working since the age of peaceful protest and burned them all to death. eight—“I never had a childhood”—she managed to get some minimal education in her church, Menchú tells this terrible story in I, Rigoberta where she first showed her potential ability, taught Menchú, An Indian Woman in Guatemala, a book herself Spanish so that she could tell the world of composed of a series of reminiscences she dictated the sufferings of her people, and, driven into exile in Spanish to the anthropologist Elisabeth Burgos- in Mexico in fear of her life because of her political Debray. That Menchú did not turn to violence, but activities, she developed the skills of leadership to political and social work for her people, is the and diplomacy until, as the prize announcement reason why she received the prize. She became an states, “Today, Rigoberta Menchú stands as a active member of the Committee for Campesino vivid symbol of peace and reconciliation across Unity and then helped found the Revolutionary ethnic, cultural and social dividing lines, in her Christians. Menchú explained that “we understood own country, on the American continent and in the world.”

the committee wanted at the same time to give that movement a helping hand. Myrdal had headed Alva Myrdal the Swedish delegation to the U.N. Disarmament Committee from 1962 to 1973 and had produced one of the best books on the disarmament race. Chairman Egil Aarvik of the committee gave the Her social commitment went back to the 1930s, presentation speech at “when she played a prominent part in developing the award ceremony when the Swedish welfare state. She was a staunch the 1982 prize was shared champion of women’s liberation and equal rights.” between Alva Myrdal Aarvik belonged to a more conservative part of the and Alfonso García Robles of political spectrum, but he said that on one point all Mexico. Aarvik explained that in recognizing two could agree: “her name has become a rallying point prominent leaders in the disarmament movement for men and women who still cling to the belief that

60 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 in the last resort mind is bound to triumph over the Nobel and the committee had given the matter.” Myrdal was not only a champion of reason prize to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, but in her writing and in all her activities one of its there was such an outcry of criticism in Norway most brilliant practitioners. that a popular movement arose which raised sixty thousand dollars to be presented to her as She was the first woman to be appointed head of the Norwegian People’s Prize. The ceremony at a department in the United Nations Secretariat, the Oslo city hall in February 1982 had touched and she had served her country with distinction her deeply. as a cabinet member and as ambassador to India. So glowing was her record in all her assignments, Aarvik referred to what Myrdal had said in so many honors had been heaped upon her, that accepting the first Einstein Peace Prize: “I have, Aarvik seems not to have recognized that, as despite all disillusionment, never, never allowed she pointed out to me, “I had not held my first myself to feel like giving up. This is my message important position until I was forty years old.” The today; it is not worthy of a human being to give up.” career of her husband, Gunnar Myrdal, had taken Aarvik emphasized this message, no doubt thinking priority at times when she had been offered high of the failure of the U.N. disarmament session positions. earlier that year. He said that the committee intended the 1982 peace prize to go to “people Of all the honors she had received, Myrdal who are not satisfied merely to draw attention to regarded the Nobel Peace Prize as “the peak.” alarming trends, but who also devote their energy She confided to me, however, that the Norwegian and their ability to turning the tide.” Certainly such People’s Prize was “dearer to my heart.” In 1981 a one was Alva Myrdal. when she had been nominated once again for

Conclusion nine Nobel Women have shown us is the potential of the human spirit. What did all these women peace Laureates have in common? They were all women of high ideals, Irwin Abrams prepared to work and sacrifice to bring something better into being, and they labored in the certainty -Irwin Abrams 1914-2010, Antioch University that their objectives would eventually be realized. Irwin Martin Abrams (1914-2010), a longtime They all carried within that sacred flame, which professor of history at Antioch College was a Gunnar Jahn perceived in Emily Greene Balch, pioneer in the field of peace research and a which inspired them to struggle against odds, to global authority on the Nobel Peace Prize. Born withstand disappointments and defeats, to resolve in San Francisco in 1914, Irwin graduated from never to give up. They shared a faith in humanity, Lowell High School in December 1930 at the age whether born of religious conviction or humanism. of 16. He went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree Most displayed remarkable courage. Not all faced from Stanford University and a Master’s degree the aimed rifle, as did Aung San Suu Kyi, or had to and Ph.D. from Harvard University. In 1997, he hide from the soldiers, as did Rigoberta Menchú received an honorary doctorate from Antioch Tum. But it took courage to withstand the slings University. In 2000, he was given a distinguished and arrows of the militaristic press of Imperial lifetime service award by the Peace History Germany or the war-time patriotic fervor in the Society and the Peace History Commission of the United States, just as it took courage to take the International Peace Research Association. He was first step to break the circle of violence in Northern inducted into the Dayton Walk of Fame in the fall Ireland. Sejersted said that “in the good fight of 2007 and has a square on the sidewalk on W. for peace and reconciliation, we are dependent Third Street commemorating his achievements. on persons who set examples, persons who can symbolize what we are seeking and mobilize the Source: www.nobelprize.org, best in us.” That all the women Laureates had faith Copyright © Nobel Media AB 2012. The article in the power of good.” was first published on 22 September 1997. Since then six more women have been awarded the In speaking of Jane Addams, Professor Kove done Nobel Peace Prize: Jody Williams (1997), Shirin for us, knowing that they are there and have been Ebadi (2003), Wangari Maathai (2004) and there “gives us confidence it referred to “the best Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and feminine qualities which will help us to develop Tawakkol Karman (2011). peace on earth.” Above all, however, what these Pictures: http://womenshistory.about.com

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 61 Awakening India

India’s Anti-Corruption Contest

New Delhi: India ended 2011 amid political chaos, a constitutional amendment, thereby elevating as the much-awaited “Lokpal Bill,” aimed at the authority of the office, failed to command creating a strong, independent anti-corruption the necessary two-thirds support. Still, the bill’s agency, collapsed amid a welter of recrimination in passage after 43 years of stalemate was little short the parliament’s upper house, after having passed of historic. the lower house two days earlier. The episode, which leaves the bill in suspended animation until The action then shifted to the Rajya Sabha its possible revival at the next session, raises (the upper house), where the government fundamental issues for Indian politics which will lacks a majority. After a session lasting until need to be addressed in the New Year. midnight, punctuated by the introduction of 187 amendments (most by the opposition but some by The need for the bill—Lokpal loosely translates coalition allies of the ruling Congress Party), the as “ombudsman”—was first mooted in 1968, but government pleaded incapable of processing all the eight subsequent attempts to create one had amendments in time. Agitated members shouted never reached a parliamentary vote. The credit their dissatisfaction (one rather melodramatically for imparting urgency to an issue that had become tearing up the draft bill), and the Rajya Sabha’s a hardy perennial of Indian politics goes to the chairman, Indian Vice-President Hamid Ansari, mass campaign that coalesced around a Gandhian halted the proceedings without a vote. leader, Anna Hazare, who insisted that a “Jan Lokpal Bill” (“People’s Ombudsman”) drafted by All sides have flung accusations at each other. his followers had to be enacted in toto. Some allege that the government’s bill, by requiring a similar ombudsman in each of India’s states, Two well-publicized fasts by Hazare, attended by was an assault on Indian federalism. Others claim hundreds of thousands and breathlessly covered that the government colluded in the disruptions by India’s news channels, pushed the government in the Rajya Sabha, because it knew that it could to expedite preparation and consideration of a bill. not win the vote; some, preposterously, suggest The draft differed in many respects from Hazare’s, that the government did not want the bill to pass; but it retained what most people sought—an still others claim that it would have created such independent agency with its own investigative a “weak” Lokpal that it was not worth passing. The resources and prosecutorial powers. government has grimly suggested that it would go back to the drawing board with a view to reviving After parliamentarians were summoned back the bill during the parliament’s budget session, due to work after Christmas in an unprecedented in March. extended winter session, the bill passed the Lok Sabha (the lower house), where the ruling Whatever happens, the need to tackle corruption coalition commands a narrow majority. But the is undeniable. In a recent survey by the anti- government’s attempts to entrench the law in corruption watchdog group Transparency

62 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 International, 54% of Indian respondents said Inspectors and prosecutors can catch only some that they had paid bribes in the last two years, in criminals; India needs to change the system so that interactions with police, bureaucrats, and even fewer crimes are committed. Corruption isn’t only educational institutions. high-level governmental malfeasance; overcoming it requires nothing short of a change in Indians’ While the media have tended to focus on big-ticket mindset. For every Indian bribe-taker, there is corruption, such as that revealed by ongoing a bribe-giver looking for a shortcut or an undue scandals concerning on the allocation of spectrum advantage. To paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi, we to telecom companies or the organization of the need to be the change that we wish to see in India. Commonwealth Games, petty corruption has Corruption will not end until Indians stop giving often affected people more directly. The mass bribes as well as stop taking them. outpouring of support for the quirky Hazare reflected the genuine frustration that most Indians As an elected politician, I am well aware that feel over the corruption that assails their daily Hazare’s campaign has sparked the imagination lives, rather than a clear understanding of Hazare’s and enthusiasm of many young people in my proposals to combat it. country. India’s parliament must continue to debate all the options available. It is important that Every time a poor pregnant woman must bribe we do not betray public expectations; but nor can an orderly to get a hospital bed (to which she is we act irresponsibly. We must do the right thing, entitled), or else deliver her baby on the floor; but we must also do the thing right. every time a widow cannot get the pension that should be hers by right, without bribing a clerk to Shashi Tharoor, a former Indian Minister of State process the papers; and every time a son cannot for External Affairs and UN Under-Secretary obtain his father’s death certificate without General, is a member of India’s Parliament and greasing the palm of a petty municipal official, the Author of a dozen books, including India from Indians know that the system has failed them. They Midnight to the Millennium are right to vent their anger at endemic graft. and Nehru: the Invention of India. Indeed, corruption in India is far broader and deeper than the headlines suggest. The Lokpal will Copyright: Project not be a panacea. It is one instrument among many Syndicate, 2010, that are needed, along with reforms to increase www.project-syndicate.org transparency, protect whistleblowers, prevent tax evasion, clean up campaign financing, and reduce officials’ discretionary power, which allows them to profit from the power to permit.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 63 A Crisis in Two Narratives

Chicago: With the world’s industrial democracies new technologies in power, transport, and in crisis, two competing narratives of its sources— communications across countries, and expansion and appropriate remedies—are emerging. The of educational attainment, underpinned the long first, better-known diagnosis is that demand has boom. But, as Tyler Cowen has argued in his collapsed because of high debt accumulated prior book The Great Stagnation, once these “low-hanging to the crisis. Households (and countries) that were fruit” were plucked, it became much harder to most prone to spend cannot borrow any more. propel growth from the 1970’s onward. To revive growth, others must be encouraged to spend—governments that can still borrow should Meanwhile, as Wolfgang Streeck writes persuasively run larger deficits, and rock-bottom interest rates in New Left Review, democratic governments, facing should discourage thrifty households from saving. what seemed, in the 1960’s, like an endless vista of innovation and growth, were quick to expand Under these circumstances, budgetary the welfare state. But, when growth faltered, this recklessness is a virtue, at least in the short term. meant that government spending expanded, even In the medium term, once growth revives, debt can as its resources shrank. For a while, central banks be paid down and the financial sector curbed so accommodated that spending. The resulting high that it does not inflict another crisis on the world. inflation created widespread discontent, especially because little growth resulted. Faith in Keynesian This narrative—the standard Keynesian line, stimulus diminished, though high inflation did modified for a debt crisis—is the one to which reduce public-debt levels. most government officials, central bankers, and Wall Street economists have subscribed, Central banks then began to focus on low and and needs little elaboration. Its virtue is that it stable inflation as their primary objective, and gives policymakers something clear to do, with became more independent from their political promised returns that match the political cycle. masters. But deficit spending by governments Unfortunately, despite past stimulus, growth is still continued apace, and public debt as a share of GDP tepid, and it is increasingly difficult to find sensible in industrial countries climbed steadily from the new spending that can pay off in the short run. late 1970’s, this time without inflation to reduce its real value. Attention is therefore shifting to the second narrative, which suggests that the advanced Recognizing the need to find new sources of economies’ fundamental capacity to grow by growth, towards the end of Jimmy Carter’s making useful things has been declining for presidency, and then under Ronald Reagan, decades, a trend that was masked by debt-fueled the United States deregulated industry and the spending. More such spending will not return these financial sector, as did Margaret Thatcher in the countries to a sustainable growth path. Instead, United Kingdom. Productivity growth increased they must improve the environment for growth. substantially in these countries over time, which persuaded Continental Europe to adopt The second narrative starts with the 1950’s reforms of its own, often pushed by the European and 1960’s, an era of rapid growth in the West Commission. and Japan. Several factors, including post-war reconstruction, the resurgence of trade after Yet even this growth was not enough, given the protectionist 1930’s, the introduction of previous governments’ generous promises of

64 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 health care and pensions—promises made even example, are leaving low-paying jobs to acquire less tenable by rising life expectancy and falling skills that will open doors to higher-paying birth rates. Public debt continued to grow. And positions. Too little government attention has been the incomes of the moderately educated middle focused on such issues, partly because payoffs class failed to benefit from deregulation-led growth occur beyond electoral horizons, and partly (though it improved their lot as consumers). because the effectiveness of government programs has been mixed. Tax reform, however, can provide The most recent phase of the advanced economies’ spur retraining and maintain incentives to work, frenzied search for growth took different forms. even while fixing gaping fiscal holes. In some countries, most notably the US, a private- sector credit boom created jobs in low-skilled Three powerful forces, one hopes, will help to industries like construction, and precipitated a create more productive jobs in the future: better consumption boom as people borrowed against use of information and communications technology overvalued houses. In other countries, like Greece, (and new ways to make it pay), lower-cost energy as well as under regional administrations in Italy as alternative sources are harnessed, and sharply and Spain, a government-led hiring spree created rising demand in emerging markets for higher- secure jobs for the moderately educated. value-added goods.

In this “fundamental” narrative, the advanced The advanced countries have a choice. They can countries’ pre-crisis GDP was unsustainable, act as if all is well, except that their consumers are bolstered by borrowing and unproductive make- in a funk, and that “animal spirits” must be revived work jobs. More borrowed growth—the Keynesian through stimulus. Or they can treat the crisis formula—may create the illusion of normalcy, and as a wake-up call to fix what debt has papered may be useful in the immediate aftermath of a deep over in the last few decades. For better or worse, crisis to calm a panic, but it is no solution to a the narrative that persuades these countries’ fundamental growth problem. governments and publics will determine their future—and that of the global economy. If this diagnosis is correct, advanced countries need to focus on reviving innovation and Raghuram Rajan, a former Chief Economist of productivity growth over the medium term, and on the IMF, is Professor of Finance at the University realigning welfare promises with revenue capacity, of Chicago’s Booth School of Business and the while alleviating the pain of the truly destitute in Author of Fault Lines: the short run. For example, Southern Europe’s How Hidden Fractures growth potential may consist in deregulating Still Threaten the World service sectors and reducing employment Economy, the Financial protection to spur creation of more private-sector Times Business Book of the jobs for retrenched government workers and Year. unemployed youth. Copyright: Project In the US, the imperative is to improve the match Syndicate, 2011, between potential jobs and worker skills. People www.project-syndicate.org understand better than the government what they need and are acting accordingly. Many women, for

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 65 Qualities of Religious Teachers

Today students of philosophy and seekers all over faiths later perished—we shall be able to know the the world accept Advaita or non-dualism as the reason. At the same time, it would be possible for supreme system of thought. Since you call me a us to find out how in the first place they attracted teacher of Advaita you will naturally expect me such a large following. If you find out how a religion to say that it is because of the excellence of this declined you will be able to know how it had first Vedantic system that it has so many followers. grown and prospered.

But, on reflection, the question arises as to The decay of a religion in any country could be whether all people do indeed subscribe to non- attributed to the lack of character of its leaders dualism. The world over people follow so many and of the people constituting the establishment different religions, subscribe to so many different responsible for its growth. philosophical systems. People belonging to the same country go from one faith to another. When we listen to the story of the Buddha, when During the time of the Buddha many adherents we see again and again his images that seem to of the Vedic religion embraced his system. In exude the milk of human kindness, compassion and later centuries many Hindus became converts tranquillity spring in our own hearts and we feel to Christianity or Islam. Jainas have become respectful towards him. People must have been Vaisnavas with the name of “Pustimargins”. During attracted to him thus during his time. How, in later the time of Sri Ramanuja a number of people went times, there was a moral decline in the Buddhist over to the Visistadvaita (qualified non-dualism) monastic establishments will be seen from the fold. Similarly, Sri Madhva’s school of Dvaita Mattavilasam1 written by Mahendra Pallava. This or dualism also gained many adherents. When work shows how Buddhism came to be on the Adi Sankara held sway, non-Vedic religions like decline and demonstrates that the rise or fall of a Buddhism and Jainism suffered a decline. Those religion is dependent on the quality and character following the path of karma then—the karma marga of its spokesmen. is a part of the Vedic religion—returned to Advaita which indeed is a wholly Vedic system. After the Buddha came Adi ankara to whom people were drawn for his incomparable goodness and Why did religions that had flourished at one time greatness. Later appeared Ramanuja and Madhya go under later? Do people really follow a religion who, in their personal lives, stood out as men or subscribe to a philosophical system after of lofty character. They too were able to gather making a proper inquiry into the same? Perhaps round them a large following and extend the only thinking people embrace a religion after an sway of their respective systems. Recently came assessment of its doctrines. The same cannot be Gandhiji as a man of peace and sacrifice. Millions said about the generality of people who follow of people accepted his teachings which indeed any faith. If it is claimed that the common people came to constitute a separate religion, “Gandhism”. accept a religion for its concepts, they must be If a system owes its growth to the excellence of able to speak about them and tell us how these the philosophical principles on which it is based, doctrines are superior to those of other religions. Gandhism ought to be at the peak of its glory The fact is that the vast majority of the followers of today. But what do we see in reality? The Gandhian any faith know precious little about the beliefs or way of life as practised now is all too obvious to doctrines on which it is founded. need any comment.

I believe that the growth or expansion of a The question here is not about the religions that religion is in no way related to its doctrines. The try to draw people to themselves either through common people do not worry about questions of force or the lure of money. It is but natural for philosophy. A great man of exemplary character ignorant people to become converts to a new and qualities appears on the scene—a great man of religion through rites like baptism after receiving compassion who creates serenity all round—and various inducements and “social rewards”. It was people are drawn to him. They become converts in this manner, they say, that Christianity extended to his religion in the firm belief that the doctrines its influence during times of famine. It is also said preached by him, whatever they be, must be good. that Islam was propagated with the sword, that On the other hand, a religion will decline and decay masses of people were forced to join it by force if its spokesmen, however eloquent they are in of arms. Here again there is proof of the fact that expounding its concepts, are found to be guilty of the common people do not adopt a religion for the lapses in character and conduct. It is difficult to sake of any principle or out of any interest in its give an answer to the question why people flock philosophical system. There is one more matter to religions that have contradictory beliefs. But, to consider. The padres [Christian missionaries] if we examine the history of some religions—how converted mainly people living in the ceris [that at one time people gloried in them and how these is people on the outskirts of a village or town].

66 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Their usual procedure was to tell these poor folk their faith. Even if I were able to do so, conversions that they were kept suppressed in the religion of carried out in such a manner would be neither true their birth and offer them inducements in the form nor enduring. Suppose a group comes up that has of free education and medical treatment and the more muscle and money power; it will undo my promise of a better status. work with its superior force and greater monetary strength. We should not, therefore, depend on such Not all, however, fell to such lures. However much outward forces to promote our religion but instead they seemed to be suppressed in the religion of rely on our Atmic strength to raise ourselves. In their birth, many of them refused to be converted, this manner our religion will flourish without any ignoring the advantages held out. Why? One need for aggressive propaganda or the offer of reason was their good-naturedness and the second inducements. reason was respect for the great men who have appeared in our religion from time to time. They At present many intellectuals abroad talk in told themselves: “Let us continue to remain in the glowing terms of Advaita, may be because of its religion of our forefathers, the religion that has lofty character as a philosophical system. They produced so many great men.” come to the school of Vedanta after examining it and after being inwardly convinced of its truth. But We must not censure those who convert people the common people need the example of a great to their faith. They believe that their religion soul, a great life [not abstract principles]. represents the highest truth. That is why they practise conversion by compulsion or by placing A man of peace and compassion, a man of wisdom various temptations before people belonging to and self-sacrifice, must arise from our midst. other faiths. Let us take it that they try to bring others into their fold because they believe that that Pujyasri Candrasekharendra Saraswati, 68th is the only means of a man’s salvation. Let us also Sankaracharya of Kanci Kamakoti Pitha, was presume that they believe that there is nothing installed as Sankaracharya in 1907 when he was wrong in carrying out conversion either by force hardly 13 years old. His life spanned the greater or through the offer of inducements because they part of the century and during this period of think that they are doing it for the well-being of the social and political ferment he was one of the people they seek to convert. guiding lights. He was a divine incarnation, the greatest spiritual luminary of our time with a If religions that resort neither to force nor to mission of restoring the Vedic religion to its old money power have grown, it is solely because glory. He was like a lambent light who rekindled of the noble qualities of their teachers. Outward the spirit of the nation and brought about a guise alone is not what constitutes the qualities renaissance in many spheres like religion and of the representative or spokesman of a religion. culture. He was the voice of eternal India and he Whatever the persuasion to which he belongs taught mankind, groping in the dark despite all he must be utterly selfless, bear ill-will towards the strides taken in science and technology, how none, in addition to being morally blameless. He to journey towards a higher destiny, how to win must live an austere life, and must be calm and the highest of freedoms, the freedom of Atma- compassionate by nature. Such a man will be able svarajya. His compassion was as boundless as to help those who come to him by removing their his jnana. shortcomings and dispelling the evil in them. Source: Hindu Dharma The Universal Way of Life, Producing men of such noble qualities from Bhavan’s Book University, Mumbai amongst us is the way to make our religion flourish. It is not necessary to carry on propaganda against other religions. The need is for representatives, for preceptors, capable of providing an example through their very life of the teachings of our religion. It is through such men that, age after age, sanatana dharma has been sustained as a living force. Hereafter too it will be through them that it will continue to remain a living force.

If a militant proselytiser appears on the scene, I shall not be able to gather a force to combat him. Nor can I spend crores and crores like those religious propagandists who build schools and hospitals to entice people into

1Mattavilasam is a “prahasana” or farcical comedy. Its author, Mahendravarman I, gave up Jainism under the influence of Apparsvamigal to become a Saiva again.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 67 The New Power Game

India’s Year of Living Stagnantly

New Delhi: Will 2012 prove to be a year of renewal recollections of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s for India, or another annus horribilis? No country fraudulent call for a state of emergency in progresses unerringly, but India cannot afford 1975, when she ruled by decree for 21 months, another politically and economically torpid suspending elections and civil liberties. year like 2011. For India, last year is a year best forgotten. The population’s outraged response to these events was visceral, and previously unknown India has been so deeply mired in political figures such as the anti-corruption activist Anna paralysis that the Nobel laureate economist Hazare rallied thousands of Indians in meetings Amartya Sen recently said that the country has across the country to protest against government “fallen from being the second best to the second corruption. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s worst” South Asian country, and that it is currently government floundered, the opposition vainly “no match for China” on social indicators. This is sought to gain the upper hand. a damning comment on a country that held such promise just a short time ago. But, to ordinary Indians, this political gamesmanship appeared to be merely a farce—the In early January, the American social critic James blind pretending to lead the unsighted. Perhaps Howard Kunstler described India as “a nation for the first time ever, India’s government failed to with one foot in the modern age and the other in a enact even a single piece of legislation, much less colorful hallucinatory dreamtime.” Kunstler’s view undertake any economic reforms, restore price is harsh, but perhaps prophetic: India’s “climate- stability, or address widespread civil disorder. change-related problems are doing heavy damage to the food supply. Their groundwater is almost As the Indian business analyst Virendra Parekh has gone. The troubles of the wobbling global economy observed: “The second fastest-growing economy will take a lot of pep out of their burgeoning tech in the world now has the unenviable distinction of and manufacturing sectors.” having the fastest falling financial markets in Asia.” Moreover, “the fortunes of the rupee are….tightly Indeed, suddenly, India’s economy has begun linked with the euro, which is in the throes of an spinning out of control. Last year, the country’s existential crisis...” This has resulted in another, GDP growth slowed, manufacturing plummeted, albeit unintended, consequence: “Unscrupulous and inflation and corruption grew uncontrollably. politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen, who Elected and unelected government officials have stashed their illicit wealth abroad, are alike, including cabinet ministers, members of bringing some of it back,” passing off the money parliament, and civil servants, were implicated as export earnings. Where corruption has been in corruption scandals. The situation triggered absent, incompetence has replaced it.

68 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Furthermore, weaknesses in agriculture, At the heart of India’s current malaise is a energy, infrastructure, and governance have all paradox: rapid growth in real income has not been contributed to India’s current crisis. For example, matched by genuine advances in living standards. approximately a quarter-million Indian farmers If the country’s fundamental problems are to be have allegedly committed suicide over the last 16 addressed, India needs a government with the years, despite unprecedented economic growth. determination, integrity, and intelligence to meet the complex demands of modern governance in the This statistic begs the question of why India twenty-first century. continues to import foods and oils that could be produced domestically. Solutions offered by Jaswant Singh, a former Foreign Minister, Finance organizations such as the US-India Business Council Minister, and Defense Minister of India, is a or USAID do not address the problem’s roots, and member of the opposition the crisis will most likely continue in 2012. It is in India’s Parliament. He imperative that India invest in its agriculture, not is the Author of Jinnah: only for economic reasons, but also because it is India—Partition— central to the country’s culture. Independence.

Another concern is nuclear power. In 2008, the Copyright: Project United States and India agreed to a civil nuclear Syndicate, 2010, deal that would allow India to expand its nuclear- www.project-syndicate.org power capability. In 2010, India’s parliament passed the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, a precondition for activating that agreement. But, following Japan’s Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, safety concerns surrounding nuclear power are large and mounting.

Local farmers, fishermen, and environmentalists have spent months protesting a planned six-reactor nuclear-power complex on the plains of Jaitapur, south of Mumbai. In April, the protests turned violent, leaving one man dead and dozens injured. India will certainly see more anti-nuclear clashes in 2012.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 69 The Most Promising Herb for Diabetes, Karela

1. prevents excess release of sugars stored in the liver called liver glycogen.

2. prevents excess breakdown (catabolism) of sugars stored in muscle (muscle glycogen), thereby preventing excess conversion of lactic acid to blood sugar in the liver.

3. improves glucose utilization related to muscle- glycogen release and lactic acid/blood sugar conversion, a process normally compromised in diabetes.

Karela has the most documented scientific reports that cite its blood sugar-lowering benefits. The plant’s key compound is notably Polypeptide-P, a plant insulin known to lower blood sugar levels. The plant’s insulin-like benefits have been enjoyed for long by many diabetic people, who include karela as part of their daily diet, either eaten as a vegetable or consumed in the form of juice. With the traditional use supported by modern scientific validation of the plant’s benefits, Karela is the single most promising plant/herb for diabetes today. Karela is commonly referred to as bitter melon or bitter gourd and is extremely supportive in metabolism of carbohydrate. It is also helpful in increasing the body resistance as it contains high mineral and vitamin content.

Nutritional Benefits

Karela is very low in calories but dense with precious nutrients. Bitter melon or karela or bitter gourd is rich in Iron (Fe) content and has double the beta Carotene of broccoli, double the Calcium (Ca) of spinach, double the Potassium (K) of bananas. It also possesses Vitamins C (ascorbic Karela: acid), B1 (thiamine) to B3 and outstanding Dietary fiber. Bitter melon is thought to be outstanding for The Plant’s Insulin the liver related disorders and perform as an anti- tumor agent, and restrain HIV-1 infection. Latin Name: Momordica Charantia; At least thirty two energetic constituents have been Family Name: Cucurbitaceae; recognized in bitter gourd so far, along with Beta- English Name: Bitter Melon, Bitter Gourd, Balsam sitosterol-d-Glucoside, Citrulline, GABA, Lutein, Pear, Balsam Apple, Melega Saga, Karela, Karavella. Lycopene and Xanthin. Nutritional analysis reveals “Karela contains a unique Phyto-constituent that bitter gourd is also well rich in Phosphorous, that has been confirmed to have a hypoglycemic Iron and Beta-carotene. Karela contains a unique effect, called charantin. There is also another phyto-constituent called charantin that has been insulin-like compound known as Polypeptide P confirmed to have a hypoglycemic effect. which has been suggested as insulin Health Benefits replacement in some diabetic patients.” Blood Disorders: Karela juice is highly beneficial for treating blood disorders like blood boils and itching due to toxemia. Mix 2 ounces of fresh bitter gourd juice with some lime juice. Sip it slowly on empty stomach daily.

Diabetes Mellitus: Karela contains a hypoglycemic compound (a plant insulin) that is highly beneficial in lowering sugar levels in blood and urine. Karela

70 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 juice has been shown to significantly improve well. It has astonishing properties in maintaining glucose tolerance without increasing blood the blood sugar levels to the normal limits. insulin levels. Contraindications Energy: Regular consumption of Karela juice has been proven to improve energy and stamina level. • Bitter melon traditionally has been used as an Even sleeping patterns have been shown to be abortive and is documented with weak uterine improved/stabilized. stimulant activity; therefore, it is contraindicated during pregnancy. Eye Problems: The high beta-carotene and other properties in karela makes it one of the finest • This plant has been documented to reduce vegetable-fruit that helps alleviate eye problems fertility in both males and females and should and improve eyesight. therefore be used in proportion by those undergoing fertility treatment or seeking Hangover: Karela juice may be beneficial in the pregnancy. treatment of a hangover for its alcohol intoxication properties. It also helps cleanse and repair and • The active chemicals in bitter melon can be nourish liver, having problems because of alcohol transferred through breast milk; therefore, consumption. it is contraindicated in women who are breastfeeding. Immune Booster: This bitter juice can also help to build your immune system and increase your • All parts of bitter melon (especially the fruit and resistance of body against infection. seed) are demonstrated in numerous studies that they lower blood sugar levels. As such, it is Piles: Mix three teaspoons full of juice of karela contraindicated in persons with hypoglycemia. leaves with a glassful of buttermilk. Take this every morning on empty stomach for about a month and Dr. Lalit Kumar Upadhyaya see the improvement in your condition. To hasten the healing, use the paste of the roots of karela Vedic Holistic Medicines & Research Foundation, plant and apply over the piles. Pune, India

Psoriasis: Regular consumption of this bitter Source: Nisargopachar Varta, National Institute of juice has also been known to improve psoriasis Naturopathy, Vol. 3, Issue 1, January 2011. condition and other fungal infections like ring- worm and athletes feet. “Karela has the most Respiratory Disorders: Take two ounces of fresh karela juice and mix with a cup of honey diluted in water. Drink daily to improve asthma, bronchitis documented scientific and Pharyngitis. reports that cite its Toxemia: Karela contains beneficial properties that cleanse the blood from toxins. Sip two teaspoons blood sugar-lowering full of the juice daily to help cleanse the liver. Also helpful in ridding jaundice for the same reasons. benefits. The plant’s key In Ayurveda also, it is said that bitter melon has:- compound is notably • Guna or properties—laghu/light and ruksh/dry Polypeptide-P, a plant • Rasa or taste—katu/pungent and tickta/bitter insulin known to lower • Virya/potency—ushana/hot. blood sugar levels.” Bitter melon helps in subsiding the effect of pitta as well as kapha humor or dosha.

Owing to its actions it helps to calm the body and also cooling and thereby, helpful in treating the skin related disorders. Due to its properties, it is also helpful in fast healing of wounds. It is extremely beneficial in promoting digestion and normalizing the bowel movement. Due to its tickta rasa, it is also helpful in evading parasitic infiltration in the body. It helps in limiting infection in the body and regularizing the urinary tract as

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 71 Poetry: Deepshikha, Himalaya, Neerja, Nihar, Rashmi, Sandhya Geet, Saptaparna.

Collection: Geetparva, Mahadevi Sahitya, Parikrama, Sandhini, Smarika, Smritichitra, Yama. Mahadevi Verma Honours Her writings were well-acclaimed and earned her an Mahadevi Verma, the famous Hindi poet and important position in the world of Hindi literature. writer was born on 26 March 1907, in Farrukhabad Her amazing poetry collection Yama brought her in a family of lawyers. She was the eldest among the Gyanpeeth Award (1940), the highest Indian her four siblings. She received her education at literary award. In the year 1956, the Government Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She went to Allahabad of India honoured her by conferring the title of University for higher education and obtained Padma Bhushan upon her. She was the first Indian her Master’s degree in Sanskrit from Allahabad woman to become a Fellow of the Sahitya Akademi University. She was a well-known Hindi poet of the in the year 1979. Her most famous works include Chhayavaad generation, the times when every poet Atita ke Chalchitra (The Moving Frames of the Past) used to incorporate romanticism in their poetry. and Smriti ki Rekhayen (The Lines of Memory). She is more often called the modern Meera. Her famous poetic publications are Nihar, Rashmi, Neerja and Sandhya Geet. Her work Shrinkhala ki Married Life Kadiyan reflects the plight of Indian women.

Mahadevi Verma was married to Dr Swarup The Mirabai Narayan Verma at an early age. After marriage she continued to live with her family and receive Mahadevi Verma was deeply aesthetic. Her education. She met her husband for some time in poetry is marked by a constant pain, the pain of the princely state of Tamkoi somewhere around separation from her beloved, the Supreme Being. 1920. Thereafter, she moved to Allahabad to Due to this she is also sometimes compared to further her interest in poetry. Unfortunately, she Mirabai. There is an element of mysticism in her and her husband mostly lived separately and were poetry. Her poems are addressed to her distant busy pursuing their individual interests. They used lover, while her lover remains quiet and never to meet occasionally. Her husband died in the speaks. With her work Deepshikha, which contains year 1966 and then Mahadevi Verma decided to 51 poems, she ventured into new field of Hindi permanently shift to Allahabad. literature—Rahasyavaad. She also served as an Editor of the famous Hindi monthly Chand. Chhayavaad

Mahadevi Verma was one amongst the other major poets of the Chhayavaadi School of the Hindi literature. She was the epitome of child prodigy. Not only she wrote fabulous poetry, but also made sketches for her poetic works such as Deepshikha and Yatra. Deepshikha is one of the best works of Mahadevi Verma. She was also famous for her book of memoirs. She was highly influenced by the values preached by the Buddhist culture. She was so much inclined towards Buddhism that, she even attempted to become a Buddhist Bhikshuni.

Notable Works

Some of her notable works included: Prose: Ateet ke Chalchitra, Kshanda, Mera Parivaar, Path ke Saathi, Sahityakaar ki Aastha, Sambhashan Sankalpita, Shrinkhla ki Kadiya, Smriti ki Rekhayen.

72 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 The Social Reformer “She was the Mahadevi Verma was also a social reformer. She strongly advocated the cause of women in India. epitome of child Many of her prose works reflect her views on the plight of Indian women. She was appointed the first prodigy. Not only she Principal of Prayag Mahila Vidyapeeth and started to impart education to girls through Hindi medium. wrote fabulous poetry, Later she became the Chancellor of the institute. She believed that, only by educating women, society becomes enlightened. She wanted women but also made sketches to be empowered and become self-dependent. for her poetic works The Literary Figure such as Deepshikha Mahadevi Verma was one of the top ranking figures in the world of Hindi literature. She was and Yatra.” always remembered with reverence along with the pioneers of the “Chhayavad” movement, such only one untruth brought a lot of misfortune for as Jai Shankar Prasad, Surya Kant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ both Pandavas and Kauravas, but now everyone and Sumitra Nandan Pant. Her style was such that is taking shelter under untruth, falsehood and she could easily integrate mysticism of nature with hypocrisy. Hence, we find everywhere in society the highest imagination of a human being where deep distress, unhappiness and misery. Only God sorrow and happiness are interwoven. She not only knows what will happen to the country.” enriched Hindi literature but also gave it a new direction, directing it towards newer objectives In her Presidential Address at Hindi Sansthan, leading to a more enjoyable and rejoicing path. Lucknow, she expressed her anguish over the ways of the politicians who were selfish and Her readers were not only impressed by her self-centered. They always gave importance for flowery language and beautiful expression but their well-being and ignored the common well- also in the deep aesthetic stream of philosophical being of the people. According to her, politicians realization of eternal truth emerging from a sense had become mere puppets in the hands of the of union with the Supreme Reality, which enabled dishonest tyrants and their only objective was to her readers to have a taste of eternal happiness achieve the highest seat in the corridors of power. or bliss. In most of her works the essence of She said, “I can understand if someone dreams spirituality can be seen. She was a lover of nature to serve the country and devote himself for the like Wordsworth. For her the beauty of nature important task of nation building or to serve was not only a thing of joy, but also an object of mankind at large, but I cannot understand how a worship and adoration. person can dream to be at the helm of affairs by snatching the highest chair in the power-achieving Nature, for her was an eternal source of inspiration game and still think that he is a great person.” leading to self-realization. To her, prose was a subject of the intellect and poetry dealt with Final Days emotions. In prose, one needs subjects to ponder over and discuss, but poetry flows by itself. It does Mahadevi closely followed Mahatma Gandhi’s not need any sort of external support. She enriched philosophy of life. She worked with towering Hindi literature by expressing herself beautifully personalities like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and both in prose and poetry. She was also deeply Dr Rajendra Prasad. She realized that truth and involved in fine arts, culture and self-expression happiness flows naturally from sacrifice, from through her poems, articles and other writings. reunion with the Supreme Reality. She practiced what she preached in her life so Mahatma Gandhi much so that each and every word in her poems became more She had no interest in politics but she was or less a sermon, or a piece of very much aware of the contemporary scripture. Mahadevi Verma died scenario. She was against the evils existing in on September 11, 1987. the society in the form of corruption, bribe, treachery, untruth, falsehood and hypocrisy. Source: www.iloveindia.com, She was a profounder of truth and was a www.mapsofindia.com, faithful admirer and disciple of Mahatma www.indianetzone.com Gandhi. She said, “At the time of Mahabharata

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 73 Kautilya’sKautilya’s Arthashastra:Arthashastra: EducationEducation

Education in every sense is one of the fundamental deeds were acclaimed. Thus, Kautilya established factors of development. No country can achieve the fact that education helped and preserved sustainable economic development without righteousness, wealth and physical pleasures. substantial investment in human capital. It is Arthashastra preached that training and learning undeniable that education enriches people’s destroyed unrighteousness, poverty and hatred. understanding of themselves and of the world. It improves the quality of their lives and leads to It is from learning that the intellect is formed, benefits both to individuals and to societies. Prior through the intellect skill in action (yoga) and from to the nineteenth century, systematic investment yoga, self-control follows. Much of our knowledge headingin human capital was not of special importance about state policy under the Maurya rule comes for any country. Expenditures on schooling, from the Arthashastra. Though it was written on-the-job training and other similar forms of during the third century BC, it is still relevant. The investment in development of human capital, book, written in Sanskrit, discusses theories and were quite small. This began to change radically principles of governing an ideal state and is not during the 19th century with the application necessarily an account of Maurya administration. of science to the development of new goods and more efficient methods of production. In It categorised discipline into two kinds: artificial agriculture, evidence suggests positive effects of and natural. Instruction (kriya) can be rendered education on productivity among farmers using only by a docile being tied to the rules of modern technologies, but less impact, as might be discipline. The study of science can tame only expected, among those using traditional methods. those possessed of such mental abilities as obedience, hearing, grasping, retentive memory, Interestingly, Kautilya’s Arthashastra clearly discrimination, inference, and deliberation, but demarcated the significance of education and the not those devoid of such abilities. Arthashastra role of intellectuals in ensuring a welfare state. warned that sciences should be studied and their During the era it was the political theorist of the precepts strictly observed only under the authority early Maurya period who was acquainted with the of specialist teachers. In view of maintaining principles of Arthashastra who formulated these efficient discipline, the student should invariably in a text. This might have been done shortly after seek the company of aged professors of sciences the death of Kautilya, in order to fill the gap left by from whom alone the discipline’s roots could be the fact that Kautilya did not write his own text or understood. found his own school. Students were to spend the forenoon in receiving Kautilya’s Arthashastra identified the significance of lessons in military arts concerning elephants, training and learning. It clearly stated that training horses, chariots, and weapons, and the afternoon imparted discipline. Thus, the lessons of discipline in hearing the Itihasa. Purana, Itivritta (history), could be imparted to those whose intellect had Akhyayika (tales), Udaharana (illustrative stories) the desire to learn, capacity to listen attentively, Dharmasastra, and Arthashastra are known by power to grasp what was taught, to retain it in the name Itihasa. During the rest of the day and memory, discriminate between the important and night, they should not only receive new lessons the unimportant, draw inferences, deliberate and and revise old lessons, but also hear over and imbibe the truth and not to others. over again what had not been clearly understood. From hearing (sruti) ensues knowledge; from A young intellect was apt to consider whatever was knowledge, application (yoga) is possible; and told as the teaching of scientific knowledge, just from application, self-possession (atmavatta) is as a fresh, raw object absorbs whatever material possible. This is what is meant by efficiency of it is brought in contact with. Arthashastra clearly learning (vidhyasamarthyam). Kautilya stated that a points out that ‘teaching wrong’ things was a great well-educated King, disciplined in the sciences and crime. It urged that discipline and self-control were devoted to a good government, would enjoy the acquired by learning the various sciences under earth unopposed. the authoritative control of concerned teachers. Kautilya believed that only learning which results India, at the time of Kautilya, continued to be in righteousness and wealth was true learning. famous for its medical knowledge throughout the Persons who distinguished themselves on account ancient period. The doctors could perform surgical of their learning, intellect, valour, and good operations for cataract, hydrocele, abscesses,

74 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 extraction of dead embryos, etc. Education and and other properties in the village were to be training were divided into specific areas. maintained by officials, known as gopas and Kautilya’s Arthashastra: sthanikas. Hence, we can conclude that Statistics Kautilya’s Arthashastra: Veterinary Education had been taught even in those times. Despite scientific, commercial and a practical educational Education This field of medicine had developed fairly early. system, the ancient Indian educational institutions Education Since animals were regarded as part of the same were characterised by spiritual endeavors to cosmos as humans, it is not surprising that animal realise a higher truth. Moral education and character life was keenly protected and veterinary medicine building, in addition to intellectual learning, formed was a distinct branch of science with its own the essential features of such systems. scholars. Patronised Centers Military Education Kings were encouraged to set up centers for In modern times, military training is usually given higher education in various branches of learning only by the state authorities when recruits join the by utilising state income. Patronised centres like army. Such was not the case earlier. The average Nalanda University, in Rajgriha, Bihar, Takshasila citizen and villager was expected to be able to University in present Rawalpindi (Pakistan), defend his own hearth and home. The Arthashastra Vikramshila University in Dharam Pala, Bihar were expressly lays down that every village ought to be few of the leading educational centres during that able to defend itself. That such was actually the era. Historians have found that Nalanda University case in several parts of India would become quite had about 1500 professors and 10,000 students. clear from the accounts of Alexander’s invasions, All these universities followed the Gurukul system as given by the Greek historians. of teaching where students and the faculty stayed together. The universities were well-known over In several places, the Macedonian was opposed not the world as major hubs of learning (akin to Oxford so much by state forces as by the whole population and Harvard Universities today) that attracted a up in arms. There can be no doubt that in many large foreign student population. of the republican states of Punjab, the Kathas, the Malavas, the Sibis, etc., every adult used to receive Takshasila—The Most Ancient University military training of a fairly high order. Takshasila was the most famous seat of learning. Military Training This was where students went to complete, not begin, their education. They were invariably sent There were also some cities in the country, famous there at the age of sixteen or when they “came of as centers of military training. Takshasila, situated age”. Here it would be essential to mention briefly in the north-west, had become a center of military the range of subjects taught in Takshasila: training. (1) Science, (2) Philosophy, (3) Ayurveda, (4) Commercial Education Grammar of various languages, (5) Mathematics, (6) Economics, (7) Astrology, (8) Geography, (9) There was considerable inter-provincial and foreign Astronomy, (10) Surgical Science, (11) Agricultural trade in the ancient times. Maritime activity was sciences, (12) Archery and (13) Ancient and considerable, and the trade with other countries Modern Sciences. was very profitable. There is evidence to show that Statistics would have been taught here. Takshasila was also the capital of Gandhara and its Kautilya’s Arthashastra, while describing the duties history goes back into antiquity. It was founded by of different officials, says that there had to be a Bharata and named after his son Taksha, who was person to mark the animals that were a month or the ruler there. As a center for learning, the fame of two old or that had stayed in the herd for a month this city was unrivalled. The philosophy and layout or two—the branded mark, the natural mark, the of the university adhered to the ancient Hindu colour, the peculiarity of the horns—and along with beliefs of the value of natural beauty around a these characteristics, the recording of additions university. The valley is “a singularly pleasant one, to the herd. Another person should look after 100 well-watered by a girdle of hills.” animals, i.e., an equal number of aged cows, milk cows, and cows with young, cows with calves for Numerous references show how students from the first time, and heifers. Thus, we understand far off Benares, Rajagaha, Mithila, Ujjain, from that people of ancient India were conversant with the Central region, Kosala, and Kuru kingdoms the topic. in the North country flocked there. The fame of Takshasila as a seat of learning was of course due Association of Attributes to the wisdom of its teachers. Sending their sons a thousand miles away from home also proves In the same chapter, Kautilya has written that the great concern felt by parents about good statistics and records about all agricultural

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 75 education, even in those days. As shown in the Conclusion case of the medical student, Jivaka, the course of study at Takshasila extended to as many as seven Kautilya’s Arthashastra identified the significance years. Historical records reveal how parents felt of training and learning. It clearly stated that on seeing their sons return home after graduation training imparted discipline. Kautilya established at Takshasila. An archery school at Takshasila had the fact that education helped and preserved on its roll call 103 princes from different parts of righteousness, wealth, and physical pleasures. the country. The students came to Takshasila to Even though the concept of human resource complete their education in the three Vedas and development had not been specifically mentioned the 18 Sippas or Arts. Sometimes the students were in Kautilya’s Arthashastra, all the prescribed known to select to study only the Vedas, or just guidelines give the impression that he was the Arts. The Boddisatta (Buddha) is frequently propounding ‘human resource development’ referred to as having learned the three Vedas in a detailed manner, where education played by heart. a vital role.

Nalanda Today the common perception, even among educationists, is that institutions of learning have Nalanda was the name of the ancient village now little connection with learning and have more to do identified with modern Baragaon, seven miles with business or training recruits for employment north of Rajgir in Bihar. The earliest mention of as serfs in corporate life. Nevertheless, education Nalanda is in the Buddhist scriptures, which refer raises people’s productivity and creativity and to a Nalanda village near Rajagriha with a Pavarika promotes entrepreneurship and technological Mango Park in Buddha’s time. Even Kautilya was advances. In addition, it plays a very crucial once a student of this university. This university role in securing economic and social progress was the seat of knowledge for the world. Nalanda and improving income distribution. The highest University offered many subjects for study, though priority and importance should be given to it specialised in Mahayana Buddhism. Instructions education and training. Many countries are now were imparted in logic, grammar, philosophy, on the brink of increasing access to secondary astronomy, literature, Buddhism, and Hinduism. and higher education and in effecting spectacular Discussions in the classrooms were the usual improvements in the quality of education offered at method of teaching. all levels.

Vikramasila More students complete their basic education and their demand for education at higher levels is Like Nalanda, the University of Vikramsila was also similarly increasing. Previous studies have shown possible due to royal benefactors. The syllabus handsome returns to various forms of human and method of teaching were controlled by a board capital accumulation—basic education, research, of eminent teachers. The walls of the university training, learning by doing and aptitude building. prominently displayed portraits of pandits eminent Unequal education tends to have a negative for their learning and character. impact on the per capita income in most countries. Undeniably, as stated by Kautilya, investment Grammar, logic, metaphysics, ritualism were the in human capital especially in higher education main subjects here. The image this university would have a greater impact on the growth and conjures up is one of a typical Brahmin with a development of the economy. high chignon, beard, short garments, seated on a mat in a round leafy hut; four fellow denizens of Source: Kautilya’s Arthashastra, The Way his hermitage, a cow, a crow, a kneeling doe, and of Financial Management and Economic a coiled snake, all living at peace as friends in the Governance, Priyadarshni Academy and atmosphere of non-violence. Jaico Publishing House, Mumbai, India

(To be continued…)

Manuscript Arthshastra

76 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai at Parliament House

Being a India has played a major role in reconstructing Afghanistan and Good Friend rehabilitating its citizens

India and Afghanistan have a shared history, so Dignitaries from Afghanistan came on reciprocal it is natural for the two countries to be partners visits. President Hamid Karzai, who visited earlier in development today. Visits by Prime Minister in February and later in October, was one of them. Manmohan Singh and Foreign Secretary Ranjan A historic agreement on strategic partnership Mathai earlier this year just confirms how between Afghanistan and India—first agreement important Afghanistan is to India. One of the by the former with any country—was signed. The reasons for this importance is Afghanistan’s agreement reinforced the strong, vibrant and strategic geographical position on the world map. multi-faceted relations between the two countries Says Gautam Mukhopadhaya, India’s ambassador and formalised a framework for cooperation in to Afghanistan: “A stable and economically various areas. They include political and security robust Afghanistan is critical for the stability cooperation, trade and economic cooperation, of the region.”

President Pratibha Patil with Afghan First Defence Minister A.K. Antony with his Afghan Vice-President, Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim counterpart General Abdul Rahim Wardak

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 77 Road repair in progress Afghans unload medical supplies sent from India

capacity development and education, and social, project and a matter of pride, the highway involved cultural, civil society and people-to-people over 330 engineers and workers from India and relations. Afghanistan. The road was built at a cost of 7.3 billion. Says Inder Pal Khosla, former Indian During his visit this May, the Indian Prime Minister ambassador to Afghanistan: “The Iranians will now announced an increase of 24.5 million assistance have access to sell goods in their neighbouring in the present level of almost 73.5 billion. This country.” Already the road has resulted in is a significant contribution and a result of India’s increased trade, transport and customs revenues desire to see peace and stability in Afghanistan. for the government.

As a result of Operation Enduring Freedom, A major project underway is the Salma Dam power Afghanistan saw the ouster of the Taliban plant in Herat province. The 42-megawatt power regime and the extent to which the country has plant, which has been delayed due to problems been ravaged came to the fore. India was one in logistics, will bring power to the west of Herat. of the first countries to lend a helping hand to A 220 kV DC transmission line from Pul-e-Khumri rebuild the country. From roads, power stations, in the north and a 220/110/20 kV sub-station at schools, hospitals to assistance in agriculture, Chimtala were commissioned to provide power education, and telecommunication, India has to Kabul. Considered a milestone in Afghanistan’s taken up innumerable projects in various parts reconstruction, the Chimtala substation has been of the country. All the projects are undertaken built at a cost of 4.5 billion. It has benefitted a in partnership with the Afghan government, in huge number of people by bringing power from total alignment with the Afghanistan National Uzbekistan to Kabul. Another ongoing project is Development Strategy and with focus on local the construction of a new Parliament building in ownership of assets. Kabul by India. “Indian projects in Afghanistan are widely regarded as visible, successful, and In 2009, India completed the Zaranj-Delaram benefitting both the targeted communities and highway, located near the Iranian border. The general economic development,” says ambassador 220-km-long road connects Zaranj to the Kandahar- Mukhopadhaya. Herat highway. The road will help regional cooperation by encouraging trade and transit Capacity building is a significant aspect of India’s through the Iranian port of Chabahar. A mammoth involvement in Afghanistan. The projects include

78 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 The Chimtala substation, a milestone Buses donated by India in Afghanistan’s reconstruction

These are essentially in the fields of agriculture, “Capacity building is rural development, education, health and vocational training. The focus of these projects is a significant aspect of on local ownership and management. Under phase-I (2006-08), 50 such proposals have been approved India’s involvement in and are being implemented; under phase-II (2008- 2010), a new pipeline project has been approved.

Afghanistan.” In addition, India has always extended humanitarian assistance whenever needed. reconstruction of Habibia School; award of 1,000 Free medical services and medicines have been ICCR long-term university scholarships and 675 provided through five Indian medical missions. short-term ITEC training programmes for Afghan Moreover, in collaboration with the World Food nationals annually; deputation of 30 Indian civil Programme, India has sponsored the distribution of servants under Capacity for Afghan Public Service high-protein biscuits in Afghan public schools. Programme (CAP); setting up of CII-run India- It is a win-win situation. Indian aid helps win Afghan vocational training centre for training 3,000 friends and earn goodwill and in the process the Afghans in carpentry, plumbing, welding, masonry Afghans get infrastructure and world class training and tailoring; and a SEWA project for setting up in various disciplines. Mukhopadhaya sums up Women’s Vocational Training Centre in Bagh-e- the partnership, “We see a progressive integration Zanana women’s market. Says Mukhopadhaya: between the Afghan and Indian economies as a “Our contributions in this area are intended to return to the ‘natural state’ that has historically help Afghanistan stand on its own after 30 years of prevailed in this region. Such integration is also a conflict that has severely depleted its education guarantee for the long-term economic prosperity of and training infrastructure and shattered its Afghanistan.” structures of administration. India is perhaps best placed in the region to help in this regard.” Meenakshi Kumar

Besides, India assists in community-based, small Source: India Perspectives, November 2011, development projects in vulnerable border areas. Photo: AFP

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 79 TWILIGHT

Glimmering and Hazy Landscape of Indian Politics

‘We have thrown ourselves in a very intricate honour in the town travels with a lot of blemish. situation. There seems to be no respite to my They would think of all sorts of situations for us. fears.’ Rajeev put up a face of boldness. ‘Don’t Morality is likely to swim in the small town. Her worry. In the beginning things look bad... but then name being repeated on the lips of towns-men! they look better.’ ‘But when?’ Their conversation O God! Suddenly her family faces swam across found echoes in Tripathee and Rajesh also. How her eyes. Sona, Rekha must find themselves in long? How long can we go on fasting without any wilderness leading them to all types of situations attention?’ ‘Results?’ The night was on its way to and speculations. What will happen? She was tense advancement. Some moments become tense with with grief. a conglomeration of nagging ideas and situations. Their words were reduced to whispers. It’s a ‘But what? But what?’ Her doubtful thoughts fight within and a fight without against a blurring seemed to be searching an anchor. The van moved situation. There swam a pall of fear among the to a place of isolation. ‘Sure. Sure. We can even four inmates of the tent. Perhaps the unconscious allow you to go back if you give up the seat of travels in the remotest, darkest lanes of the inner fasting. Persuade Rajeev.’ The van stopped and recesses of the human psyche. There was a lot they came down. She was ushered in a room of darkness in the sky—like a canopy misshapen. under the open horizons of the sky. The height There were footsteps hurrying towards them. was declining towards morning. Partial darkness Fear stricken they made an attempt to pierce the enveloped the surrounding areas. Smita looked darkness around them. Yes, they were three-four of around and was struck with an air of familiarity. them with their faces covered with clothes. Their Ajeet was there—the arch enemy of the agitational only aim was to kidnap Smita and then create panic situation. She almost pounced upon him sending in the town. They pounced upon her like vultures him to shreds. ‘Ajeet, I can’t believe. Is this the way without tearing away her flesh. The attack was to behave with college-mates?’ abrupt, quick and well-planned. They did not allow her to shriek or give any indication of protest. He sent forth a mild giggle. ‘If you can stay with Rajeev so long, why not with me for a few days? Rajeev was crucially hit on his head rendering him Any difference between me and Raj eev.’ ‘Shut-up incapable of offering an resistance. Tripathee and Rajeev.’ ‘Suppose I take you to your parents. In that Rajesh were also spanked, thrashed and given case I am a better person than Rajeev. He has put heavy blows on their faces. They reeled, spun you in a very awkward situation. I plan to restore around and were flat on the ground. There was the dignity of your family. Smita dear, though you none to rescue them at the dead of night. A Maruti always voted against me.’ ‘Is that the cause for van rushed out of the town carrying away Smita kidnapping me? Are you that petty, Ajeet?’ ‘Oh, no. and her kidnappers. She was too dazed to judge That was just by the way. I mention. At the moment her present situation. The operation was sleek, I’m connected with a big cause in my life.’ ‘What’s manipulated by trained hands. that?’ ‘Rajeev and you must stop this agitation. It is against the peace of the town. It has already ‘We wouldn’t harm you physically in any way.’ brought discontent among people... you... see.’ One of them peeped through the bandaged cloth ‘But we are agitating for a cause...’ ‘For example...’ over his eyes. His face was not completely explicit ‘There is a system that sends the innocent to death. to Smita. ‘Rest assured Smita sister. Our plan is There are people behind such happenings. Ajeet... to demolish your fasting and dismantle the tent.’ You have become a criminal. As a student you Smita gained a lot of confidence when she heard of have entered unwanted areas of life.’ ‘Politics is his assurance. The van was rushing on the paved not unwanted. Without politicians we can’t run the roads and then taking Kachcha paths. It received a country.’ ‘True... true... absolutely true. Is it politics number of jolts on the mazy Kachcha path. Smita to get a girl of your college kidnapped by ruffians? felt like shrieking at the prospect of encountering Is it politics to destroy public property?’ a hostile situation. Everything gone to dogs! Her

80 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Indeed Ajeet uttered the words in a jiffy and then meant for homes.’ ‘But now I am out of it.’ ‘Your left his seat. Smita was now free from all traces of marriage prospects. Almost nil!: ‘I wouldn’t marry fears and apprehensions. At least she has been at all. Is it that necessary?’ ‘Then?’ ‘Then... I’ll be transported among the known persons. No harm active in politics.’ ‘You are a book worm. Hell of would come to her. But what? There may come a difference Smita. It is one thing to read books and lot of harm to him. Her name has already appeared quite another to turn to politics. Can you manage in many newspapers. She is the talk of the town. It all what we are doing?’ ‘Suppose politics is far. might serve a deadly blow to her father. He might With a tinge of morality.’ ‘You are no better than not be able to bear the shock. And she was morally Rajeev. Chips of the same block.’ He emitted peals upset. She can talk to Ajeet. But they wouldn’t of laughter rising in a crescendo. believe her. The society has different yard sticks for male and female morality. A fallen female is (To be Continued...) curse to her parents and to the society. What could she do? She should not have consented to Dharam Pal go on fast with Rajeev. But Rajeev is dear to her. Very... Very... dear... her future life partner. He will Born on October 1, 1941, Prof Dharam Pal, Retd accept her. She knows him too well. He knows this Head, Department of English, Hindu College, is a part of their struggle. For the first time the Sonepat, Haryana, India has published Novels, flow of consciousness had a bit of relaxation. She Short-stories in Hindi and English. These include, looked around the room intently to discover her Upnevesh, Mukti, Raj Ghat ki Aur, Tharav, Basti, situation in the room. Chairs and tables thrown in Avshes, Nirvastra, Ramsharnam, Twilight, The a zig-zag manner. The morning sun will illuminate Eclipsed Serialized in Indo-Asian Literature many more things to her. There they were the main and other stories. Two operators of the upheavels in the town. students have been awarded MPhil Degrees She fell into a mood of past rumination. Last year on his Hindi Works. His this group had crossed all decent behaviour and plays, stories have also had created a lot of panic in the town who does been broadcast on Indian shelter them? There was a lot of hue and cry among Radio. He has been twice the people of the town but their activities were honoured by Governor given unbridled directions. Their main victims of Haryana, India. He used to be shopkeepers giving money in the name has won Hindi Rashtriya of agitations. The group would threaten them with Shatabdi Samman, 200 all sorts of tricks. Curiously enough, the police and also Penguin Award. stood passive spectators to the entire sequence of events, without giving them any warning. Political patronage? Smita was now trying to probe the springs of their power. Ajeet was now back with two cups of tea. He offered one of them to Smita and spoke in a lingering tone. ‘See the difference between me and Rajeev. He separated you from your family. To lead a poor girl to politics! I doubt his intentions about you. He is there to demolish you. No one will marry you and your sisters.’ Ajeet was at the top of his persuasion to her, ‘Girls are

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 81 World Forestry Day

World Forestry Day has been celebrated around trees should be planted in place of cutting of one the world to ring a bell among the society about tree. Though in last two decades only 1% trees the importance of forests and the scores of benefits were planted. which are gained from them. The Day has been celebrated around the world for 30 years to remind Forests—The Life Providers communities of the importance of forests and the many benefits which we gain from them. The Forests have been of great importance to mankind concept of having a World Forestry Day originated since prehistoric days. Forests provide multiple at the 23rd General Assembly of the European benefits to environment, people, and animals. Confederation of Agriculture in 1971. Today the forest coverage is reduced to only 30% as opposed to 60% earlier. We are paying the cost Later that year, the United Nations Food and of development by reduction in vegetation (by Agriculture Organisation gave support to the idea clearing of forests) to lead the path for mines, believing the event would contribute a great deal towns and roads. Forests, supply many products to public awareness of the importance of forests like timber for making furniture, houses, ships and and agreed that it should be observed every railway sleepers, plywood, fuel wood or charcoal, year around the world. March 21, the autumnal paper, processed wood products like cellophane, equinox in the Southern Hemisphere and the vernal plastics, synthetic fibers like rayon and nylon, equinox in the Northern Hemisphere was chosen rubber from the latex of rubber tree. as the day to be celebrated offering information about the three key facets of forestry, protection, Fruits, nuts and spices are gathered from the production and recreation. Every year March 21 forest. A lot of medicinal plants such as camphor, is distinguished as World Forestry Day. The event cinchona also come from the forests. The roots of also venerates the contribution of the forests. the trees hold the soil together and thus help to A forest just doesn’t mean trees only but it’s an conserve soil by preventing rapid runoff of water entire complex, living community. According to after heavy rain and minimizing flooding. Trees the United Nations, 1.6 billion people worldwide absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen into depend on forests for their livelihood. Forest- air which is needed to breath by the mankind. related activities directly and indirectly influence Vegetation affects local and global climate. Trees significant numbers of Australians, particularly in form a protective cover of the earth as well as regional areas. provide shelter to the wild animals and protect all the living beings from the solar heat and Significance temperature. Trees absorb heat, thus helps to regulate the temperature of earth. Similarly natural Sir Frank Fraser Darling rightly says: “Man is wildlife is important for it is an important part of weaned of the forest, and yet the forest is still very the lifecycle. Forests reduce light reflection, offer much a part of us.” This is at the root of the concern a sound barrier and help guide wind direction of so many people today for the preservation of and speed. forests and other natural environments. Forests are essential for life on Earth. They give us shade The Need of the Hour and shelter, refuge and refreshment, clean air and water. Today, with a growing global population The reckless felling of trees is creating many and subsequent demand for forest products, the problems in the surroundings so the need of the forests of the world are at risk from widespread hour says that everybody should ponder seriously deforestation and degradation. over it. Everybody should actively involve themselves in prevention and creation of new Deforestation forests.

Many interdependent populations of plants and “Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky. We animals too dwell beneath the forest canopy; fell them down and turn them into paper, that we the forest soil is a home to large variety of may record our emptiness.” invertebrates, bacteria and fungi which play an - from ‘Ode To Trees’ a poem by Kahlil Gibran essential role in cycling nutrients in the soil and the forest. According to rules of Forest Dept. 10 Source: www.festivalsofindia.in, www.tree-nation.com

82 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Remembering Ram Manohar Lohia

Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia, a dynamic a socialist leader wanted to unite all socialists in the world to form an effective platform. A man of rare scholarship, he toiled to create a society which would ensure justice to the poor, the backward classes and women. He was instrumental in having 60 per cent of seats in the legislature reserved for minorities, lower classes and women. He was one of the greatest thinkers Indian Parliament had ever seen. He was the first to introduce the unification of the 750 princely states in India to form larger states, an idea later put in action by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the first Home Minister of India.

Lohia realised that poverty would create an India with a weak foundation. He desired to make the people realise the importance of economic strength for the nation’s future. He favoured Hindi as the official language, exhorting that the use of English was an impediment to original thinking and a gap between the educated and the uneducated. He went to prison several times for the sake of his ideals, both before and after independence.

Lohia helped to create a day called ‘Janavani Day’ when people would come and present their grievances to Members of Parliament. The tradition continues even today. He wanted to abolish private schools and establish upgraded municipal schools which would provide equal opportunity to students of all castes with the intention of eradicating divisions created by the caste system.

Lohia encouraged public participation in post-independence reconstruction and appealed to people to construct canals, wells and roads voluntarily. He himself volunteered to build a dam on river Paniyari which is called ‘Lohia Sagar Dam.’

Lohia was born on March 23, 1910 to Hira Lal, a teacher and Chanda in Akbarpur in Faizabad district. Ram was introduced to the Indian freedom struggle at an early age. He made his maiden

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 83 contribution to the freedom struggle by organising On the eve of World War II, he made a series of a small hartal on the death of Lokmanya Bal speeches urging Indians to boycott all government Gangadhar Tilak. institutions. Though arrested on May 24, 1939, he was released the next day fearing a youth uprising. His father, a devoted follower of Gandhiji, took Ram along to a meeting with Gandhiji. Ram was After his release, Lohia wrote an article titled impressed by Gandhiji’s spiritual power and he ‘Satyagraha Now’ in the Harijan on June 1, 1940. He pledged to follow in his footsteps. was arrested and sentenced to two years for the article. In December 1941, Lohia along with other While at school, Ram came across a reference Congress leaders was released. about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj as a ‘bandit leader’ by a British author. Ram proved that the Lohia opposed the Cripps Mission and welcomed label was unjust and launched a campaign to the Quit India Movement launched by Gandhiji and remove the reference from the textbook. the Indian National Congress in 1942. Subsequently, prominent leaders, including Gandhiji, Jawaharlal He organised a student protest against the Nehru, Abdul Kalam Azad and Sardar Patel were Simon Commission in 1918 to consider granting jailed. Lohia printed and distributed posters and dominion status to India without consulting the pamphlets on the theme of “Do or Die”. He went to Indian people. Calcutta to revive the movement there.

Ram stood first in Matric examination and joined Later, he was jailed in Lahore but under Gandhiji’s the Banaras Hindu University to complete his pressure, he was released. Lohia stoutly opposed intermediate course. He completed his B.A. from partition of India in his speeches and writings. Calcutta University and decided to attend Berlin He appealed to communities in riot-torn regions University after obtaining financial assistance to stay united and stick to Gandhiji’s ideals of based on his outstanding academic performance. non-violence. He joined Gandhiji in his Naokhali Peace Mission and worked for pacifying communal While in Europe, Lohia attended the League of tensions. Lohia left the Socialist Congress in March Nations assembly in Geneva. He also helped 1948 and the following year, he formed Hind Kisan organise the Association of European Indians and Panchayat to resolve farmers’ day-to-day problems became its Secretary. He wrote his PhD thesis on and became its first President. ‘Salt Satyagraha’, focusing on Gandhiji’s socio- economic theory. Returning home, Lohia joined the In 1952, the Socialist Party merged with ‘Kisan Indian National Congress. He met Jawaharlal Nehru Mazdoor Praja Party’ to form Praja Socialist Party’ in 1921 and later developed a close friendship. and he remained its General Secretary till 1959. In However, he never hesitated to criticise Nehru on 1956, he edited a journal titled The Mankind. He his political beliefs and had disagreement with him contested against Jawaharlal Nehru in the 1962 on many vital issues. General Elections but lost.

Lohia was attracted to Socialism and helped lay During his last few years, he spent time talking to the foundation of Congress Socialist Party in 1934. thousands of young-adults on topics ranging from He edited ‘The Congress Socialist’ and formed the Indian literature, politics and art. Lohia died as a All India Congress Committee (a foreign affairs bachelor on October 12, 1967 in New Delhi leaving department) and was appointed its first Secretary behind no property no bank balance. by Jawaharlal Nehru. He helped define India’s foreign policy during the two years that he V.N. Gopalakrishnan served there. Source: Bhavan’s Journal March 31, 2011

84 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Saint Patrick’s Day

St Patrick’s Day or Paddy’s Day, is a yearly banquet day which rejoices St Patrick (385–461 AD), one of the benefactor Saints of Ireland. St Patrick’s Day is a national public celebration of Ireland. St Patrick’s Day became the feast day in Roman Catholic Church owing to the authority of Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding in premature part of 17th century. It is considered a divine day of compulsion for the Roman Catholics in Ireland. St Patrick’s Day 2012 falls on 17th March.

History

In ancient times, St Patrick’s Day was considered as a pious holiday and later it became the communal holiday. The celebration remains a sacred ceremony in Ireland for both Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland. According to legend, St. Patrick used the shamrock (three leaf clover) to explain the Holy Trinity to pre-Christian Irish.

The St Patrick’s Day was first celebrated in Boston in 1761, prearranged through the altruistic Irish Society. And the initially recorded parade was New York City’s festivity which started on 18 March 1762 when Irish soldiers in English martial marched through the city with their music. The New York St Patrick Day parades are held in cities such procession is the major, normally drawing 2 million as Sydney and Brisbane. These parades feature viewers and with 150,000 marchers. The city’s flag people clad in traditional Irish costumes or dressed has an Irish symbol, the shamrock, in one of its in green, as well and floats displaying the Irish flag. corners. All cities of Ireland contained their own Some people dress as leprechauns while others festivals and parades, including Kilkenny, Belfast, wear green wigs. Many Irish associations and Galway, Dublin, Derry, Waterford, Limerick, and historical societies hold events that give people Cork. Parades also happen in additional Irish towns the chance to learn about the history of Irish and villages. immigration and settlement in Australia.

St Patrick’s Day in Australia Celebrations

St Patrick’s Day is an annual observance that St Patrick’s Day is celebrated globally through is popular in Australia on March 17. This event Irish people and all the time more via non-Irish serves as a tribute to Ireland and one of its patron people. On this St Patrick’s Day, Christians and saints, St Patrick. Many Australians come together non-Christians rejoice the secular adaptation on St Patrick’s Day to celebrate Irish culture and of the celebration by wearing orange or green, remember St Patrick’s life and achievements. Some eating Irish food or green foods, drinking Irish businesses and organizations hold St Patrick’s Day drink and attending carnivals. This year’s planned breakfasts and lunches where lucky door prizes are celebrations in Hyde Park, Sydney were washed given and Irish food and drinks are served. Many away due to the weather conditions. pubs, particularly Irish pubs, hold St Patrick’s Day parties in the evenings, where local bands play Source: www.altiusdirectory.com, Irish music and green drinks are served. www.timeanddate.com

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 85 World Tuberculosis Day

World Tuberculosis Day is annually held on March tuberculosis. WHO works with this partnership on 24 to raise awareness of tuberculosis and ways to support the activities and events that take place to eradicate the disease. World Tuberculosis Day on World Tuberculosis Day each year. is a worldwide event that aims to raise public awareness of tuberculosis and the efforts made Tuberculosis to prevent and treat this disease. This event is promoted by organizations such as the World Tuberculosis, or TB, is an infectious bacterial Health Organization (WHO). disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which most commonly affects the lungs. It is History transmitted from person to person via droplets from the throat and lungs of people with the World Tuberculosis Day, annually held on March disease. WHO estimates that the largest number of 24, marks the day in 1882 when Dr Robert Koch new TB cases in 2005 occurred in south-east Asia, detected the cause of tuberculosis, the TB bacillus. which accounted for 34 percent of incident cases This was a first step towards diagnosing and curing globally. However, the estimated incidence rate in tuberculosis. World Tuberculosis Day can be sub-Saharan Africa is nearly twice that of south- traced back to 1982, when the International Union east Asia. against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease launched World TB Day on March 24 that year, to coincide Observation with the 100th anniversary of Dr Koch’s discovery. Various World Tuberculosis Day events and In 1996, the World Health Organization (WHO) activities are organized by various organizations joined the union and other organizations to involved in the Stop TB Partnership. WHO is a promote World TB Day. The Stop TB Partnership, United Nations’ (UN) health authority that works called the Stop TB Initiative at the time of with this network to promote World Tuberculosis its inception, was established in 1998. It is a Day each year. Campaign activities include: network of organizations and countries fighting • Community discussion groups that are organized to look at ways to prevent TB. • Award ceremonies or other events to honor the life and work of those who dedicate their lives to “WHO works with prevent and fight against TB. • Photo exhibitions that showcase images to raise this partnership on to worldwide awareness of TB. • Charity events to raise funds for disease control support the activities and (of TB) in countries that need assistance. events that take place on People, community groups and government agencies also take the time to work with broadcast, print and online media to promote awareness World Tuberculosis Day about tuberculosis.

each year.” Source: www.timeanddate.com

86 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Shehnai at Red Fort

Ustad Bismillah Khan brought Shehnai to the centre stage of Indian classical music with his concert in the Calcutta All India Music Conference in 1937. He had the honour of performing at Delhi’s Red Fort on the occasion of India’s Independence Ustad on August 15, 1947. Bismillah Khan mesmerized everyone with his heart-touching rendering of Raga Kafi from the Red Fort on the eve of India’s first Bismillah Khan Republic Day ceremony, on January 26, 1950.

The legendary Shehnai player, Ustad Bismillah Shehnai and Khan Khan was one of India’s most celebrated classical musicians. Bismillah Khan is fully credited with Bismillah Khan religiously practiced the Shehnai taking the Shehnai from the marriage mandap and attained perfection in a very short time. He to the concert hall. He was the third classical alone made Shehnai as one of the most famous musician after Pandit Ravi Shankar and MS classical music instruments. He monopolized Subbulakshmi to be awarded Bharat Rathna, the Shehnai recital in the post independence era and highest civilian honour in India. kept the legacy of classical music alive with his recitals. He can be truly called a pure artist who Early Life always believed that music will survive even if the world perishes. He believed in Hindu-Muslim unity Bismillah Khan was born on March 21, 1916 at and spread the message of brotherhood through Dumraon, Bihar. Bismillah Khan was named his music. He always announced that music has Qamaruddin to sound like his elder brother’s no caste. name Shamsuddin. However, when his grandfather Rasool Baksh Khan saw him as a baby he uttered Allah and Saraswati the word “Bismillah” and hence he came to be known as Bismillah Khan. His father used to be a Ustad Bismillah Khan was an icon of the composite Shehnai player in the court of Maharaja Keshav culture of India. He was a worshipper of both Prasad Singh of Dumraon. Ustad Bismillah Khan Allah and Saraswati. Ustad Bismillah was greatly was trained under his uncle, the late Ali Bux attached to the city of Varanasi and the river ‘Vilayatu’, a Shehnai player attached to Varanasi’s Ganga. Once, a rich American university invited Vishwanath Temple. Bismillah to be their musician-in-residence, and asked him to state his terms. Bismillah Khan replied, he would only come if he could bring “He was the third his beloved Ganga with him. Ustad Bismillah classical musician after Khan performed in various parts of the world. He performed in Afghanistan, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Pandit Ravi Shankar and Canada, West Africa, USA, USSR, Japan, Hong Kong MS Subbulakshmi to be and almost every capital city across the world. awarded Bharat Rathna, Ustad Bismillah Khan was a recipient of many honours and awards. These include: Padma the highest civilian Vibhushan (1980), Padma Bhushan (1968), Padma Shri (1961), Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1956), honour in India.” and Tansen Award by Govt. of Madhya Pradesh. In 2001, Ustad Bismillah Khan became the third classical musician to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour. Despite the fame that he achieved, Bismillah Khan always remained where his roots were.

Final Days

He shared a special bond with his Shehnai and called it “Begum” after his wife died. On 21st August 2006, at the age of 90, Bismillah Khan breathed his last after having a cardiac arrest. His body was buried in Varanasi with a 21-gun salute from Indian Army. His Shehnai was buried with him in his grave.

Source: www.iloveindia.com, www.culturalindia.net

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 87 World Harmony Day

“All that it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.” - Sir Edmund Burke

World Harmony Day was started after the devastation of the September 11 World Trade Center incident in New York, America that shook the world and left it in fear and terror grappling helplessly for some semblance of security and safety.

Significance

World Harmony Day is a day to celebrate ALL of humanity as one global family. It is an observation that is not only symbolic, but most importantly, will bring hope to the rest of the world. This is happening all over the World and it will create a wave of Harmony and become one collective voice—visualising love, light, peace, harmony and unity. World Harmony Day is about sharing, caring, loving and understanding people needs—“All We Need is LOVE”.

Celebrations

Harmony Day is celebrated on 21 March each year. It’s a day when people celebrate their cultural diversity. The Day is celebrated worldwide. Harmony Day in Australia began in 1999 and since then, a wide variety of groups including sports organisations, community groups, local, state and federal government agencies, schools and businesses have staged more than 25 000 Harmony Day events..

In 2012, people will celebrate the important role that sport plays in bringing together Australians from all walks of life to share in a common passion with the message Sport—play, engage, inspire. The aim is to encourage everyone, regardless of background, to participate in a sporting activity, increase understanding and to be inspired or inspire others.

www.harmony.gov.au/about, http://worldharmonyday.com/

88 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Ancient Culture of China!

It is the season of magical lore, and what better in the valley, ladies of the Yi ethnic group dance in time to revisit ancient legends in the Year of the rainbow skirts by the river. In the heavens, celestial Dragon? One special performance might just be fairies trail silken sleeves through the clouds. the perfect gift. For 5,000 years, China amassed Resounding drums awaken the dusty plateaus of a diverse legacy of heroes, myths, and virtues the Middle Kingdom. that still resonate in the present. Today, Shen Yun Performing Arts is reviving the world’s most Gorgeous backdrops extend the stage, transporting ancient heritage in full color through dance and the audience to distant lands and eras. An music. In April, Shen Yun will perform at Capitol orchestra, combining Western and Chinese Theatre with an all-new 2012 show. instruments like no other, accompanies with stirring scores. Dancers fly across the stage in an “It was an extraordinary experience,” said Academy array of flips, spins, jumps, and aerials. The energy Award-winning actress Cate Blanchett after of classical Chinese dance is contagious; the entire watching Shen Yun. “The level of skill, but also performance, mesmerizing. the power of the archetypes and the narratives were startling. And of course it was exquisitely “Fantastic!” says Joy Behar, from ABC’s The View. beautiful.” “If you ever get a chance to see it, you should.”

Shen Yun captures the spirit and grandeur of a Anne Zhong, Journalist, Australia Epoch Times culture long lost. The show moves quickly from Pty Limited, Australia one story, region, and dynasty to the next. Down

Shen Yun will perform at Capitol Theatre, Sydney, 27 April - 6 May, 2012. For more, visit: ShenYun2012.com. Tickets are now on sale.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 89 Earth Hour

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries/territories officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

On Saturday 27 March, Earth Hour 2010 became the biggest Earth Hour ever. A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common—our planet.

WWF

Earth Hour is organized by WWF. With almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries/territories, it’s one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.

Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of sustainability issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future for our planet.

Source: www.earthhour.org

90 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Bhavan’s children

Untold Stories of King Bhoja

The Eagle Hunt As was the custom, the king invited the great astrologers of the country and requested them Sarpati started explaining how, in the life-scheme to cast the horoscope of their child and find of a house-holder, athithi-puja is of paramount out what the future held for her. In those days importance. Said he in substance: learned men enjoyed complete freedom of expression, as they were devoted to the pursuit I shall start this way. A man puts by a part of his of truth and truth alone. Kings took them at their earn-ings in trickles right from the beginning. If word whether they liked it or not. The learned in his ripe old age, when he expects to subsist astrologers prepared the horoscope according to on his life’s savings, the king expropriates his rules laid down in the shastras and after carefully entire savings, how will that man feel and what examining the positions and influences of the will become of his lot? I can compare this man’s different planets said: “Great King! We have a very lot to that of the householder who forsakes or unpleasant news to communicate to you. It is our fails to entertain an athithi. Incidentally by athithi, considered opinion that whoever marries the I do not mean any relation or acquaintance who princess will die at the hands of a Brahmarakshas arrives by appointment. By athithi I mean the on the ninth day after marriage. Make no mistake unannounced guest, be he a beggar or a rich man about it!” or a yogi. Now if a householder fails to entertain this unexpected guest, all his accumulated virtues To the king agog with expectation, this news came will be expropriated by this neglected guest. like a thunderbolt and he fell down unconscious Hence it becomes obligatory for the grihasta to on hearing it. Later on when he regained await possible guests after his midday ablutions consciousness, he lamented: “Fate has once again and he should not partake of meals before feeding turned against me, I do not know for what. I am at least one guest. not overbearing and do not fail to listen to the, advice of elders. I do not collect revenues from And even if perchance a guest knocks at his door my subjects under duress. I never speak untruth. while the grihasta is just ready to take food served I never fail to help the indigent. As far as I can before him and if no more food be left, he should remember, I have not committed any sin. At the straightway share his food with that guest. You time of performing vratas and yagas I have not, will understand the significance of this statement out of miserliness, reduced dakshinas. I have after listening to the story I am about to relate. never behaved ill towards my preceptors nor spoken irreverently of them. I have never stood In the country of Kalinga, there was a city by in the way of improving the lot of my servants. name Pundarika. A king, Sampati by name, ruled When I had been entertaining high hopes of the over that city. He was a strict follower of truth coming of a son to me, I got a daughter. I satisfied and of exemplary conduct, greatly attached to myself with that and hoped that she would be a dharmic activities, wholly devoted to his ideal good substitute for a son and that I could lavish like the great Sri Rama, and far-famed for his my affection on her. Apparently God would not valour. His queen, Chandra Rekha by name, was permit me even this pleasure. Indeed I did not exquisitely beauti-ful and devoted to him as Sita feel so miserable when I had no issues as I do was to Ramachandra. By karmic effect this royal now. What shall I do? How can I possibly bear this pair were issueless for a long time. calamity?” And he wept. On the advice of the learned men of the country, the king and queen propitiated Lord Shiva for To be continued… long with austerities, danas and dharmas. Pleased with their devotion, the Lord blessed them with V.A.K. Ayer a female child which was as resplendent as Source: Untold Stories of King Bhoja, Bhavan’s Mahalakshmi Herself just emerged from the Book University, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Milky Ocean.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 91 reader.com

Revolutionary Discovery

Dr. Craig Venter and his colleagues in USA have made a revolutionary discovery by synthesising the genome (genetic material) of a micro organism called ‘M’ mycoides and introducing the same into another micro organism ‘M’ capricolum in such a way that the life transplanted synthetic genome of mycoides is given total control over the host ‘M’ capricolum cell. The result is that capricolum cells divide and continue their growth for 30 generations We can even devise alternative systems that would producing proteins coded by mycoides gene. For have profound effects on food, energy environment the functioning of the genome, it needs a living and biodiversity. Now it is possible to synthesise cell. This living cell is thus deprived of its original genomes (genetic material) in the laboratory and genome and is transplanted with another genome. have them propagated in the recipient cells to express the relevant protein products. Here is a method for design, synthesis and assemblage and transplantation of synthetic Thus synthetic biology paves the way for the chromosomes that carry the genetic material which design, synthesis, assemblage and transplantation has tremendous implications. The entire genome of of synthetic chemicals to produce the necessities mycoides was synthesised and transplanted into a of humans namely foods, drugs, bio-fuels, and living cell of capricolum. This process is described energy. It is possible to produce all food stuffs as the same as rebooting the genetic software of from waste, thus opening a new area of production Microsoft with Linux. The cells now are alive with without endangering the environment. It is a genes producing proteins and other molecules as tremendous achievement and humanity will be dictated by the synthetic genome with identifiable ever grateful to Dr. Venter for his outstanding markers in gene sequences. contribution. Venter’s group has also embarked on a very interesting project with algae that can This discovery leads to synthesis of genome and take up carbondioxide from the atmosphere and transplantation into another cell to have expression produce hydrocarbons for our use. in incipient cells which would express the proteins products that can lead to the production of most -Prof O.S. Reddy, Hyderabad valuable products in agriculture to produce food by photosynthesis, production of bio-fuels, drugs and agents to reduce environmental contamination. The two areas that have great effects are the reader.com chemical and energy industries to make anything. We invite frank opinion from our readers.

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92 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Charter of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia Bhavan) is a non-profit, non-religious, non- The Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan ( political Non Government Organisation (NGO). Bhavan has been playing a crucial role in educational and cultural interactions in the world, holding aloft the best of Indian traditions and at the same time meeting the needs of modernity and multiculturalism. Bhavan’s ideal ‘is the whole world is but one family’ and its motto: ‘let noble thoughts come to us from all sides’.

Like Bhavan’s other centres around the world, Bhavan Australia facilitates intercultural activities and provides a forum for true understanding of Indian culture, multiculturalism and foster closer cultural ties among individuals, Governments and cultural institutions in Australia.

Bhavan Australia Charter derived from its constitution is:

• To advance the education of the public in: a) the cultures (both spiritual and temporal) of the world, b) literature, music, the dance, c) the arts, d) languages of the world, e) philosophies of the world.

• To foster awareness of the contribution of a diversity of cultures to the continuing development of multicultural society of Australia.

• To foster understanding and acceptance of the cultural, linguistic and ethnic diversity of the Australian people of widely diverse heritages.

• To edit, publish and issue books, journals and periodicals, documentaries in Sanskrit, English and other languages, to promote the objects of the Bhavan or to impart or further education as authorized.

• To foster and undertake research studies in the areas of interest to Bhavan and to print and publish the results of any research which is undertaken.

www.bhavanaustralia.org

The Test of Bhavan’s Right to Exist

The test of Bhavan’s right to exist is whether those who work for it in different spheres and in different places and those who study in its many institutions can develop a sense of mission as would enable them to translate the fundamental values, even in a small measure, into their individual life.

Creative vitality of a culture consists in this: whether the ‘best’ among those who belong to it, however small their number, find self-fulfilment by living up to the fundamental values of our ageless culture.

It must be realised that the history of the world is a story of men who had faith in themselves and in their mission. When an age does not produce men of such faith, its culture is on its way to extinction. The real strength of the Bhavan, therefore, would lie not so much in the number of its buildings or institutions it conducts, nor in the volume of its assets and budgets, nor even in its growing publication, cultural and educational activities. It would lie in the character, humility, selflessness and dedicated work of its devoted workers, honorary and stipendiary. They alone can release the regenerative influences, bringing into play the invisible pressure which alone can transform human nature.

March 2012 | Bhavan Australia | 93 From Bhavan’s Journal January 7, 1962 Reprinted in Bhavan’s Journal January 15, 2012

Jesus of Nazareth Name purifies the mind of its ego and desires, and floods the whole being with joy. Repeat the Name -Mahatma Gandhi so constantly that its enthralling music should thrill, illumine, elevate and sweeten your entire life. The message of Jesus is contained in his Sermon on The Name arrests distracting thoughts, subdues the Mount. The spirit of the Sermon on the Mount unregulated desires and enlightens the intellect. competes almost on equal terms with the Bhagavad After enabling its devotee to achieve thorough Gita for the domination of my heart. It is that concentration of mind, it helps to draw the mind Sermon which has endeared Jesus to me. inward and attain complete absorption in the eternal Reality, which in its turn takes him to the I have regarded Jesus of Nazareth as one amongst supreme goal of self-surrender. The Name unlocks the mighty teachers that the world has had. Of the fountain of your heart and floods your being course, Christians claim a higher place for Jesus of with immortal light, knowledge, peace and joy. It Nazareth than as a non-Christian and as a Hindu I grants you the loftiest vision and experience. Fixing have been able to feel. the mind on the sound of His Name is the easiest way for concentration. Take it that the sound of the I purposely use the word ‘feel’ instead of ‘give’ Name is itself a symbol of God. By gradual practice, because I consider that neither I, nor anybody the external repetition will lead to an automatic else, can possibly arrogate to himself the claim of functioning of the Name in the mind. When thus giving place to a great man. The great teachers of the Name comes into the mind constantly, you will mankind have had the place not given to them, but attain concentration. By this Sadhana the restless the place has belonged to them as a matter of right, nature of the mind is curbed. as a matter of service that they have rendered. Jesus occupies in my heart the place of one of the great teachers who have made a considerable Dr. Salazar influence on my life. Proverbs have often a way of surprisingly reaffirming their validity and one that did so last The Divine Name month with an amount of irony was the innocuous school-room adage, “Birds of the same feather -Swami Ramdas flock together.” The occasion was the return, long delayed, of Goa and other Portuguese possessions Take the Name as Brahman Himself and using in India to the motherland. it as a ladder ascend the summit, the supreme Godhead. The Divine Name is a powerful boat When the colonial powers of the West, ‘deplored’ that takes man across the whirlpools of life to the India’s action and pleaded on behalf of Portugal, haven of his eternal and spiritual nature. His name the spirits of the Angolans massacred would have transforms man from the human to the Divine. turned in their grave. Salazar is now back in his The Divine Name is the one sovereign panacea for saddle as Prime Minister of Portugal for a fresh all physical, mental and intellectual ills that have term, after the general elections last month, from created the sense of diversity and misery in the which, as the entire world knows, all the opposition world. To be in tune with the Name is to be in tune candidates withdrew at the last moment as a with the infinite Truth and thus to transmute the protest against Government intimidation which lower, stumbling and ignorant human nature, into prevented the holding of free and fair elections. the glorious self-illuminated nature. The divine

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94 | Bhavan Australia | March 2012 Holy & Wise One should conquer anger with forgiveness, wickedness with goodness, niggardliness with Human dignity, economic freedom, liberty (a miser by donating) individual responsibility, these are the and the falsehood with the truth. characteristics that distinguish democracy from all other forms devised by man. -Vidura Neeti -Dwight D. Eisenhower

Love, and you shall I offer you peace. I offer you love. I offer you friendship. be loved—All love is I see your beauty. I hear your need. I feel your feelings. My wisdom flows from the Highest Source. I salute that mathematically just, as Source in you. Let us work together for unity and love. much as the two sides of an algebraic equation. - Mahatma Gandhi -Emerson

Kulapativani

Manners

India, in the past, was well-known for its wonderful manners. I have read in one of the books by an old Englishman, how, while meeting an Indian of culture and refinement, he felt that his own manners were those of a barbarian.

This morning I was reading one of the oldest books in Allahabad library—Travel to Surat. Ovington writes about the courtesies of Indian life in 1689 and says that if an Indian came to Europe, he would find that it was inhabited by uncivilised persons. That was our pride. But can we say the same thing of ourselves now?

There was a time when you stood up in the presence of your elders, you folded your hands and bent your knees in respect. Now, flashing ties, creased trousers and swaggering gait, you accost your grandfathers with a ‘cheerio’. This is not culture. This is a fall from it.

Dr K.M. Munshi Founder, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

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