World Peace Restoring Our Connections

Human beings are each a microcosm. Living here on Earth, we breathe the rhythms of a universe that extends infinitely above us. When resonant harmonies arise between this vast outer cosmos and the inner human cosmos, poetry is born. At one time, perhaps, all people were poets, in intimate dialogue I with nature. In Japan, the Man'yo-shu collection comprised poems written by people of all classes. And almost half of the poems are marked "poet unknown." These poems were not written to leave behind a name. Poems and songs penned as an unstoppable outpouring of the heart take on a life of their own. They transcend the limits of nationality and time as they pass from person to person, from one heart to another. The poetic spirit can be found in any human endeavor. It may be vibrantly active in the heart of a scientist engaged in research in the awed pursuit of truth. When the spirit of poetry lives within us, even objects do not appear as mere things; our eyes are trained on an inner spiritual reality. A flower is not just a flower. The moon is no mere clump of matter floating in the skies. Our gaze fixed on a flower or the moon, we intuitively perceive the unfathomable bonds that link us to the world. In this sense, children are poets by nature, by birth. Treasuring and nurturing their poetic hearts, enabling them to grow, will also lead adults into realms of fresh discovery. We do not, after all, exist simply to fulfill desires. Real happiness is not found in more possessions, but through a deepening harmony with the world. The poetic spirit has the power to "retune" and reconnect a discordant, divided world. True poets stand firm, confronting life's conflicts and complexities. Harm done to anyone, anywhere, causes agony in the poet's heart. A poet is one who offers people words of courage and hope, seeking the perspective—one step deeper, one step higher—that makes tangible the enduring spiritual realities of our lives. The apartheid system of racial segregation was a grave crime against humanity. In resisting and combating this evil, the keen sword of words played an important role. Mbuyiseni Oswald Mtshali is a South African poet who fought against the iniquities of apartheid with poetry as his weapon. He writes: "Poetry reawakens and reinforces our real, innermost strength; our spirituality. It is the force that makes us decent people, people who are filled with empathy for those in need or I pain, those suffering from injustice and other wrongs or societal ills." Nelson Mandela read Mtshali's poems in prison, drawing from them energy to continue his struggles. The Brazilian poet Thiago de Mello, lauded as the protector of the Amazon, also endured oppression at the hands of the military government. On the wall of the cell in which he was imprisoned, he found a poem inscribed by a previous inmate: "It is dark, but I sing because the dawn will come." They were words from one of his own poems. Amid the chaos and spiritual I void that followed Japan's defeat in World War II, like many young people of my generation, I gained untold encouragement from reading Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass. The overflowing freedom of his soul struck me like a bolt of empathetic lightning. Now more than ever, we need the thunderous, rousing voice of poetry. We need the poet's impassioned songs of peace, of the shared and mutually supportive existence of all things. We need to reawaken the poetic spirit within us, the youthful, vital energy and wisdom that enable us to live to the fullest. We must all be poets. An ancient Japanese poet wrote, "Poems arise as ten thousand leaves of language from the seeds of people's hearts." Our planet is scarred and damaged, its life systems threatened with collapse. We must shade and protect Earth with "leaves of language" arising from the depths of life. Modern civilization will be healthy only when the poetic spirit regains its rightful place. - Daisaki Ikeda, President Soka Gakkai International SGI Quaterly No 51, January 2008

2 President’s Page Hate the sin, love the sinner

That is what Mahatma Gandhi preached and practiced throughout his life. He never sought revenge against any one including those who had fatally attacked him. There are several instances from his early days in South Africa. Even for the first instance when he was thrown out of train, he did not seek revenge or punishment for the persons involved; he asked for reform. On a number of occasions he was violently attacked by the white youth and by some hired hooligans from his own folks. On one instance in South Africa he fell unconscious and remained in coma for a number of days. The first thing he did on regaining consciousness was to enquire about his assailants. When he was informed that his assailants were arrested, he immediately demanded their release stating they did not do anything wrong; he took the blame for his injury on him and ensured that his assailants were released. He was compassionate towards the ‘sinners’ as he considered them the victims of their ignorance and notions. Mahatma Gandhi often insisted: ‘You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty’.

In the present circumstances while we talk about need for peace in the world and continue decrying violence and terrorism related activities and fatal attacks we hardly care for bringing reforms in the hearts of those ‘terrorists’. They (‘terrorists’) are not given a chance or an opportunity to redress their anguish and hatred towards the populace who, according to them (‘terrorists’) ‘wronged’ them. Instead of understanding them and trying to quench their hatred feelings and anguish, they are being punished by more violent means. Mahatma Gandhi often said: ‘An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind’. That is what we see happening now.

Can we at the least give a go to the Mahatma’s advocacy for achieving peace? I ask the leaders of the world: USA and Israel included.

Recently an Australian court ordered a reduced imprisonment of 10 years for a criminal. The victim’s mother came out in the press condemning the reduced sentence saying that she was shattered that justice was not done to her deceased daughter and that the assailant would be free to walk after ten years and may harm others. I fail to understand how an enhanced punishment to the assailant would give solace or comfort to the victim or her / his relatives. Can’t we be humane and shun the tit for tat or in Mahatma Gandhi’s words an eye for an eye mentality? A ‘criminal’ may also have a family and family members. When a ‘criminal’ is punished his family member/s may suffer as well and in anguish may develop hatred for those punishing or relishing the punishment to the ‘criminal’. And if any one of them seeks revenge where do we stop?

‘Where there is love there is life’ advocated Mahatma Gandhi at all times and in all circumstances.

According to Mahatma Gandhi fortunate people who have amassed wealth are trustees of the wealth in their possession which they must utilise for the benefit of the underprivileged people. The practice codes of the various religious scriptures also encourage keeping aside a proportion of one’s income for charitable causes.

Gambhir Watts President Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia Publisher & Managing Editor: Gambhir Watts Editorial Page [email protected] Current Board of Directors Editorial Committee: J Rao Palagummi Catherine Knox Rajesh Katakdhond Office Bearers : [email protected]

Designing Team: President Gambhir Watts Utkarsh Doshi Treasurer Catherine Knox J Rao Palagummi Chairman Emeritus Surendralal Mehta- President Bhavan Advertising: Worldwide [email protected] Company Secretary Sridhar Kumar Kondepudi

Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Australia Suite 100 / 515 Kent Street, Other directors are: Sydney NSW 2000 Abbas Raza Alvi; Moksha Watts * The views of contributors to Bhavan Australia are not necessarily the views of Nominees of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan Worldwide: Bhavan Australia or the editor. Homi Navroji Dastur, Executive Secretary and Director General Bhavan Australia * reserves the right to Jagannathan Veeraraghavan, Executive Director, Delhi edit any contributed articles and letters submitted for publication. Mathoor Krishnamurti, Executive Director, Bangalore

Copyright: all advertisements and original Palladam Narayana Sathanagopal, Additional Registar editorial material appearing remain the P. A Ramakrishnan, Executive Vice Chairman, Puthoucode (Kerala) 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 Articles & Focus Themes

Restoring Our Connections 2 Cultures of the World - II 25

Mahatma Gandhi’s Martyrdom Day 5 India and the Sanctuary of Freedom 39 (Report)

Culture of Peace and the Indian 7 Science in Ancient India 41 Education System

A Fair Go For All Australians 12 Flash Back - Rewind 44

Gita and Human Rights 15 Dimdima Childrens Section 45

An Avatar in Jewish History 17 Holy and Wise 47

Innovation Inside 23

4 Interfaith Prayer Meeting. Mahatma Gandhi’s Martyrdom Day - 30 January 2008.

The greatest apostle of peace Mahatma Gandhi observed his all religions’ prayers every day. On 30 January 1948, af- ter breaking his fast against the Hindu - Muslim riots, as he was walking towards the altar for his evening prayers a fanatic Hindu shot him dead. This was perhaps the saddest day in the history of humanity. We at Bhavan Australia pay our humble tribute to Mahatma by commemorating this day Interfaith Prayer Meeting every since 2004. This year we organised the Interfaith Prayer Meeting at Parliament House of New South Wales on 30 January 2008. We gratefully acknowledge The Right Honourable John Aquilina MP and Leader of the House who kindly agreed to host the event. Like every year the leaders from all the major religions and a number of dignitaries graced the event and remembered Mahatma Gandhi in their speeches and prayers. These great souls include:

Hon. Sujan Chinoy Consul General of India John Aquilina MP Leader of the House and Member of Parliament

Sister Giovanni Farquer, representing His Executive Director, Interfaith Department of the Catholic Arch Eminence Cardinal George Pell, Diocese of Sydney Archbishop of Sydney

Swami Atmeshananda, an eminent Hindu Preacher, Vedanta Centre for Sydney Scholar

Brian White Chairman, Buddhist Council of NSW Ikebal Adam Patel President, Australian Federation of Islamic Councils Harmohan Singh Walia Sikh Community Leader, with Ragis (devotional singers) Keysar Trad Director, Islamic Friendship Association of Australia Preacher / Scholar (Shia Muslims),visiting from Canada, Sarkar Ali Abdi Bangkok, India Jynene Helland Chair Person, Women's Federation for World Peace Immediate Past President, Federation of Ethnic Communities Prof. Abd Malak Council of Australia Head, Multifaith International Institute, based in USA and travels Naeem Al Gohar (Syed Shah) around the world. Other great souls who attended but did not speak include: Jonathan O'Dea, MP Ted Quan Chairman, Ethnic Communities Council of NSW Rocy Mimo Founder & Chairman - Ambrose Centre for Religious Liberty Varanayaka President, International Society for Krishna Consciousness Gajendra Kumar Director, Govt of India Tourist Office, Australasia Nakul Singh Chand Regional Manager, Air India Dharampuri and Anandi Preacher and Scholar, Yoga in Daily Life Zafar Siddiqui & Azzam Siddiqui Community Leader and Writer Various other Community Members

5 January 2008 issue of Bhavan Australia which was devoted to Mahatma Gandhi included messages and articles from His Eminence Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney; Rabbi Jeremy Lawrence, Senior Minister, The Great Synagogue; Swami Sridharananada, President, Vedanta Centre of Sydney; Hon. Sujan Chinoy, Consul General of India, Hon John Aquilina MP and Leader of the House; Hon. Viginia Judge, MP and Parliamentary Secretary; Dr Stuart Rees AM, Professor Emeritus and Director of Sydney Peace Foundation; H.H. Mahamandeshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwaranada; His Grace Atmarama, Regional secretary, ISKCON Australia; Ikebal Adam Patel; Greg Johns, General Director, Sokka Gakai International; Jynene Hyland; Keysar Trad; Linda Oliveira, National president, The Theosophical Society; Rocky Mimmo and others.

6 Culture of Peace and the Indian Education System

Day: September 11, 1893 The occasion: Inauguration of the World Parliament of Religions in a church with the tolling of the churchbell. Among the speakers: Swami Vivekananda, who was to electrify the audience on succeeding days with his famous address to brothers and sisters. But on this inaugural day, he makes a brief statement. He calls attention to the bell that just tolled and expresses the hope that this will be the deathknell of all fanaticism, bigotry and intolerance that had made the century (19th century) the bloodiest in history. The 20th century was bloodier with two major wars and many more in various guises. The nations of the world organised themselves first through the League of Nations and later through the United Nations expressing their determination to end the scourge of war, but failing again miserably, though some would say that there is a sign of progress in that there has been no world war, no nuclear annihilation. And what about the 21st century? It commenced with the most senseless massacre in history - The Iraqi War. Its consequences will be felt for decades to come. The highly regarded Journal Foreign Affairs has published articles by leading Democrats and Republicans contending for the 2008 Presidential elections in USA. violence and non-violence continues. Hobbes and What is remarkable is how all the candidates see Rousseau, the great political thinkers, speculated on this terrorism, fanaticism and extremism as the major tension. Hobbes thought that man was inherently a savage, challenges ahead; some add the environmental destruction a brute and a nasty animal and had to be kept under and the need for social justice and human rights, moral control by the power of the state. Rousseau thought that leadership; all stress the need for military preparedness. by birth man was noble but current education and The UN Climate Change Report has documented the civilization corrupted him requiring the external power of violence unleashed by man on the environment and the state to deal with him. Others have looked to religion, danger faced by men and other species. And within faith, nationality, science, culture, sports and education to nations there are vivid accounts of violence against regulate the aggressive nature of man and direct his women, minorities, weaker sections of society; violence energies towards positive goals. While all these human within families, economic and social exploitation leading activities which we sum up as culture and ways of life to various disguised forms of violence, physical and have a role in civilising us, we have to delve deeper to mental and violence against oneself often culminating in understand the roots of violence and the best way of suicides, violence against others seen in growing crimes controlling the same, if not eliminating it altogether. and accidents. It is an old question, one that was put to Krishna by It is not that men and nations have not understood the Arjuna. Why does man indulge in evil and sin as if driven importance of non-violence. Many sages and saints have by a compelling force? And Krishna replies it is due to preached non-violence from the early days of man's anger (rage), and desire (passion) forms of Rajo Guna. history. In a personal discussion I had with the late Dr. And since Rajo Guna is in all of us, in all of existence in Mitra, Director NCERT, some years ago, he speculated as varying proportions, the implied recommendation is that to why Bihar, the land of Buddha and Mahavira was so we should cultivate the Saatwik part of our personalities violent. He felt that it is the very violence of the to get better control of our angers and desires and The communities in the early days must have led to the image of the chariot and chatrieer is conjured up in the movements led by the Buddha and Mahavira. We know Gita with the soul as the charioteer controlling the senses, how the violence of the Kalinga War led to Ashoka's organs and the emotions. propagation of non-violence. Thus the tension between

7 Plato used the same metaphor in which the self (soul) is a enemy. I will vanquish even more. I am the Lord. I am chariot and calm, rational part of the mind holds the reins. powerful. I have accumulated so much wealth. I will As pointed out by Jonathan Haidt in a recent book, accumulate even more. I will enjoy. I will give. Who is "Plato's charioteer had to control two horses .The horse there equal to me? With such thoughts all the time on the right of the nobler side is. a lover of honour with dominating their minds, these devilish men are full of modesty and self-control; companion to true glory, he schemes and are very energetic and active. It might appear needs no whip and is guided by verbal comments alone. that the Gita is just describing the modern entrepreneur or The other horse. is companion to wild beasts and businessman. In fact Gita is a description of the Asuric fits indecency and just barely yields to horse-whip and goad all who seek power, wealth and strength for their own combined". sake i.e. for self-aggrandizement and not for service. The moment the concept of service appears as one's goal, For Plato, some of the emotions and passions are good wealth, power etc. get subordinated to it and the devilish (for example, the love of honour) and help to pull the self power becomes divine. in the right direction; but others are bad (for example, the appetites and lusts). The goal of Platonic education was to The transformation from Asuric to Daivik is a process. help the charioteer gain perfect control over the two Two years later Jnana Deva was born. "Once the senses horses. Sigmund Freud offered us a related model 2300 are under control, Vithal Pant, father of Jnana Deva or years later. Freud said that the mind is divided into three Jnaneshwar named his first son born in 1273 as Nivurthi parts: the ego (the conscious, rational self); the super ego which means controller or subduer of the senses. This, (the conscience, sometimes too rigid commitment to the said Vithal Pant, is the first step towards self-realization. rules of society); and the id (the desire for pleasure, lots of One receives Divine Knowledge" explained Vithal Pant. it, sooner rather than later). The metaphor Haidt uses Two years later Sopan (the way) was born. "Once you when he lectures on Freud is to think of the mind as a have divine knowledge" said the father the path is made horse and buggy (a Victorian chariot) in which the driver easy. And lastly a girl, Mukta was born -"the culmination (the ego) struggles frantically to control a hungry, lustful of all three in liberation or salvation." and disobedient horse (the id) while the driver's father (the The Sanskrit aphorism " ȡ ǒ’ȡ ™ȡ ǒ˜ǕƠ™ȯ"means superego) sits in the back seat lecturing the driver on what knowledge which liberates is education; it is liberation he is doing wrong. For Freud, the goal of psycho-analysis from ignorance of all kinds. Education is the process was to escape this pitiful state by strengthening the ego, leading to that liberation. This has been the essential thus giving it more control over the id and more philosophy behind Indian education for centuries. That independence from the super ego. education naturally led to humility and non-violence, But says Haidt, that it was during some of the larger life service and sacrifice. Late Shri D. P. Mandelia, a close decisions (say about dating) that he really began to grasp colleague of Shri Ganshyam Das Birla has built a temple the extent of his powerlessness. He would know exactly for Bharata and Hanuman at Pilani. He considered Bharata what he should do, yet, even as he was telling his friends to be the perfect example of sacrifice and Hanuman as the that he would do it, a part of him was dimly aware that he example of service. Service and sacrifice can educate and was not going to. Feelings of guilt, lust, or fear were often lead our minds to higher goals. Humility and nonviolence stronger than reasoning. (On the other hand, he was quite are the natural result of such education. In a poetic way good at lecturing friends in similar situations about what Jnaneshwar describes the mind of such a devotee. "The was right for them.) ideal sage does not even cross a stream for fear of breaking its serenity; he moves slowly as a crane treads The Gita appreciates the point that it is difficult to control the surface of the water lightly, or as a bee tenderly one's mind, but says it is possible to still the mind through alighting on a lotus, lest its movements spill the pollen. Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (abstinence). Its asks us He regards the very atom as a part of life and walks gently to set divine goals and cultivate divine qualities rather as if by compassion. than devilish goals and qualities. As one's goals are, so will one's personality and events in life will get re-shaped. These values of humility and non-violence, sacrifice and The devilish seek wealth, power and conquest for its own service naturally led to respect for others, respect for sake. The divine seek peace and service to fellowmen and others' ideas and to peace and contentment in life and to identity with nature and with God. faith in God which gave strength to tide over the vicissitudes of life: education in these values was The Gita describes the thinking of the devilish mind in inculcated through epics, poems, stories, proverbs, family rather graphic terms. Such a mind says, "I have attained upbringing and societal examples. Respect for elders, this today. I will attain even more. I have conquered this consideration for the weak and poor and love of all

8 mankind ws inherent in the education provided not to a problems (e.g. bullying) that undermine effective learning select class but the mass of ordinary men and women in and healthy development. all walks of life by Tulsi Das, Surdas, Kabir, Guru Nanak 4. Community service and service-learning programmes and thousands of saints and sages. That made India are effective means of actualising and operationalising civilised and made Mahatma Gandhi claim that India was value-based education facilitating transformative more educated before the British came than afterwards. processes, and allowing students and teachers real world With the advent of the British rule in India, schooling on opportunities to grapple collaboratively with issues of Western model took over the centre-stage. This schooling diversity and social justice. was career oriented and while science and modern In the final analysis, value-based educational process knowledge and skills were imparted much better, value maybe as if not more important than value-based and character education declined. Worse still, there were educational content. That is because "children and youth fewer examples of high values in society or within are not empty vessels into which we 'pour' sanctioned families. Socio-economic changes leading to nuclear values, but are rather thinking, feeling, behaving, needing, families, and media influences and finally the impact of reacting, and developing beings who carry a rich array of globalisation have led to what Aurobindo characterise as beliefs and values with them into the learning aggressive, rational, materialistic civilisation of the West environment from their unique culture and context. having a growing and dominant influence on the Indian Mechanistic and simplistic input-output models of human mind, within and outside of schooling. And what is the cognition and functioning of the "Just Say No" variety essence of this Western influence? Dr. Craig N. Shealy of inevitably fail because they are too often predicted on the International Beliefs and Values Institute of James dogmatically reductonistic denial of human complexity." Madison University, USA has pointed out: "The single most important lesson from the last century and the In the Indian context, the NCERT's National Curriculum beginning of this one- is within our collective purview and Framework (2005) states: "We live in an age of relevant to a more peaceful and sustainable 21st century is unprecedented levels of violence, with constant threats the need to understand the central mediating role of posed by intolerance, fanaticism, dispute and discordance. beliefs and values across the entire range of human Ethical action, peace and welfare are facing new functioning, from the private and public justifications we challenges. ...The space for peace education within the harbour for the perpetration of violence against others, to framework of National School Curriculum document is the way we treat and regard societies, cultures and compellingly clear in the light of the escalating trends of, religions different from our own, to our attitude and and taste for, violence globally, nationally and locally. subsequent actions vis-a-vis the protection and sustenance Education is a significant dimension of the long-term of planet earth". process of building up peace - tolerance, justice, intercultural understanding and civic responsibility. He also points out that to address these complex and value However education as practiced in schools often promotes laden issues in the 21st century universal, high quality and forms of violence, both real and symbolic. Under these value-based education must become the birthright of circumstances, the need to reorient education and children around the globe. He has further recommended therefore the school curriculum takes priority. As a value, the adoption of the following "best practices" in it cuts across all other curricular areas, and coincides with schooling: and complements the values emphasised therein. It is 1. Broaden the curricular focus beyond the strict therefore a concern cutting across the curriculum and is "academic learning" in order to foster social, emotional, the concern of all teachers". ethical, and cognitive competence such as the capacity for The National Curriculum Framework goes on to examine self-reflection, empathy, and tolerance for frustration. the strategies for ethical development at different stages Promoting these capacities has been associated with and the best way for achieving them, it states that the school readiness and success. teachers should make deliberate attempts to infuse and 2. Build partnerships and relationships between a school reinforce the importance of peace-related values that are and the primary caregivers in a child's life. Abundant commensurate with the textual material taught in schools. evidence suggests that parental involvement is vital to the For instance it suggests that teachers can take advantage success of children. of the hidden components in a lesson by using appropriate strategies to awaken positive feelings, identifying 3. Comprehensive and systemic evaluation of school- experiences worth reflecting and exploring, based processes and systems can enhance the quality of discovering, constructing understanding peace-related curricular and programme offerings while illuminating

9 values. Strategies like questions, stories, anecdotes, believe, can one understand and even respect the moral games, experiments, discussions, dialogues, clarification motivations of those who want to make their society of values, examples, analogies, metaphors, role playing, conform more closely to the particular religion they and simultation are helpful in promoting peace through follow." teaching-learning. Teacher education programmes should One can understand such motivation but it can also consider introducing peace education "as an optional become the stepping stone to fanaticism and violence - subject of study." care must be taken to promote broadmindedness and But is all this sufficient to strengthen the young minds respect for other religions and beliefs, along with a spirit against the culture of violence? The National Focus Group of humility, service and sacrifice. The development of on Education for Peace states that there are "Agenda-wars moral and social values in education will be greatly in workplaces, gender-wars in homes, propaganda wars in facilitated by the establishment of social conditions where the public space."The result? Children grow up these morals and values inform the working of all unwittingly schooled in violence. The worst disservice to institutions and individual and institutional behaviour. The a nation is to infect the minds of its children with United Nations has done a great deal of work in defining violence. This is done actively by indoctrinating young the nature of these social conditions. These include the minds with ideologies of violence. It is also done charter of Human Rights, children's rights and several passively by denying them integrative ideals and universal declarations meant to achieve a just and fair society. values. The citizens of tomorrow need to be empowered to Business enterprises and governments have pervasive choose the way of peace; lest, by default, they stray into influence on social conditions. In fact, they are the leaders the blind alleys of violence. "Violence literacy" threatens in building up society and transforming social conditions. to become universal and again I quote from the Focus If they do not create a society, which is just, which Group document." This is well articulated. But is the respects law and order and promotes the values, which we modern school curriculum as it is transacted and the seek in education, the educational products will become informal learning that occurs all the time in the school and misfits in society. If, for instance, we teach the importance society and through media etc. conducive to peace and of truth and honesty in education and the businessmen and nonviolence? government build a society of untruth and dishonesty, one of two parts of the total system has to get subordinated The truth is that the education system flowing with the and transformed. We cannot talk of and develop the social changes occurring in society, promotes culture of peace in the school if the larger society is consumerism, careerism, competition, aggression, lacking in these values and the powers that be are smartness and cleverness. Hard work and talent promoting contrary values. The social conditions needed development are devoted to these aims. Modern education for a just society are enshrined in our Constitution. These does not seek to liberate it seeks to "globalise" the include various rights including the right to livelihood. In students by immersing them in a scientific-materialistic- our quest for becoming a global superpower and double- consumerist culture that pays lip service to religion and digit growth (a goal not enshrined in our Constitution), we spirituality and does not instill basic values and strength should not put the constitutional ideals on the backburner. of mind that goes with a spiritual bent on mind. An important requirement of a just social order is the Study of science and humanities by themselves cannot importance of equitable means for achieving just ends. It bring about the kind of ennobling hoped for. Haidt says is appropriate that political parties seek to come to power, that this is because the self becomes the main obstacles to but they should constantly reflect on the means they adopt religious and spiritual advancement. The constant stream for this purpose and should have the sagacity to say 'No' to of trivial concerns and egocentric thoughts keeps people questionable, methods and means. locked in the material and profane world, unable to The New Delhi Declaration adopted at the International perceive sacredness and divinity. This is why religions Ministerial Conference - (July 2003) - had enjoined all rely heavily on meditation, an effective means of quieting governments and civil societies to support dialogues the chatter of self. "Many religions teach that egoistic within and among civilisations so that it becomes an attachments to pleasure and reputation are constant effective instrument of transformation, a yardstick for temptations to leave the path of virtue" says Haidt and peace and tolerance and a vehicle for diversity and adds: pluralism. It also recommended that UNESCO initiate a "For all these reasons, the self is a problem for the ethics broad-based collaboration with Member-States, of divinity. The big greedy self is like a brick holding Organisations of the UN system, civil societies, scientific, down the soul. Only by seeing the self in this way, I academic and artistic communities, private sectors and

10 other partners with a view to translating the proposals, Our saints and sages taught us a message of self-control contained in the Declaration, into a concrete action. and joys of simple living and doctrines of Dharma, Daya and Dana, the virtues of identification with one and all Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in the six decades of its life, in a including Nature and the bliss of progress towards the world falling to pieces under the impact of an amoral, Divine. For what did Jnaneshwar request as a reward for technological avalanche, has been steadfastly his wonderful and all-encompassing presentation of the endeavouring to hold fast to the fundamental values of life Gita? "May the evil-minded drop their wickedness, and and has perseveringly contributed its mite to foster these may they nurture a spirit of love and friendliness towards values, reintegrating them with new elements suited to all” modern conditions. The Bhavan recognises no antagonism between science and spirituality. It believes that they are May the rising Sun of Truth dispel the darkness of sin and complementary and mutually invigorating and as such all the people find fulfillment in their religious duties and while promoting modern scientific progress the Bhavan in their own lives! May each receive what he yearns for seeks to strike a synthesis between material and spiritual within his heart and may the Saints forever bless and visit values. all the creatures of this world! The World Peace Centre of Maeer has similar ideals and is making a very significant contribution. Ultimately we - J Veeraraghavan, Director Bhavan’s Delhi Kendra have to turn to synthesis of science, spirituality, religion, Bhavan’s Journal February 15 2008 philosophy and humanities in our educational system and individual behaviour to counterbalance the negative impacts of globalisation, excessive and aggressive materialism and consumerism that go with them.

Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes. Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress. Honest disagreement is often a good sign of progress. I want freedom for the full expression of my personality. It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence. The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Where there is love there is life. A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave. The only tyrant I accept in this world is the still voice within. To conceal ignorance is to increase it. An honest confession of it, however, gives ground for the hope that it will diminish some day or the other. - Mahatma Gandhi

11 A Fair Go For All Australians

In 2007, despite the strong economy and large budget surpluses many Australians are not enjoying a decent standard of living. Australia Fair (a Federal Government initiative) held extensive consultations in every State and Territory in 2006 to identify what the public thinks are the 10 essentials to ensure a fair go for all Australians. The Australian Council of Social Service published a report: A Fair go for all Australians: International Comparisons, 2007 10 Essen- tials. This report releases new figures on income in Australia which show that at least one in ten Australians are living at or below the poverty line. Selective information from this report is reproduced in this article. While Australia’s economic growth is above the OECD average Australia ranks 14th on the United Nation’s (UN) Hu- man Poverty Index. Research featured in this 2007 report indicates that the ideal of a fair society is not one that can be achieved through the existing policy settings. While 22 out of 30 OECD nations have implemented national social inclusion or poverty strategies to share the social and economic benefits of the nation, Australia has no coordinated response to disadvan- tage. Given the persistence of joblessness, poor health and other forms of disadvantage for some Australians, such a strategy could provide a tool to strengthen communities for the future. What is meant by fairness in Australia?

Australia Fair consultation produced a very clear consensus that the ten essentials to make Australia fair for all are: Fair Community; Fair Reconciliation; Fair Education; Fair Rights; Fair Environment; Fair Services; Fair Health Fair Welfare; Fair Housing; Fair Work These results were then tested through telephone opinion polling which reinforced the message that the Australian community recognises ten essentials to ensure a fair go for all Australians. A follow up national surveys revealed that: 91% of Australians believe that ‘a fair go for all’ is an important Australian value; 77% believe that the gap between rich and poor in Australia is widening and 45% believe that Australia is not becoming a fairer place. Fair Community

For overall economic measures, such as average income, Australia ranks about midway in the OECD. But for older Australians, the proportion of people living in low income households is above the OECD average Fair Education

Australia ranks 9th out of 30 OECD countries on educational levels achieved by the adult population9, but we come in the bottom half of spending on education as a percentage of GDP. Fair Environment

Australia compares poorly to other wealthy countries on the proportion of energy derived from renewable resources. How well Australians respond to threats to these essentials of life now will impact on future generations. Australia’s current care for the environment is critical for intergenerational fairness and for fair consumption of resources world- wide. Fair Health

Life expectancy is among the highest in the world but adult oral health is in the bottom third of OECD nations Fair Housing

Australia has one of highest home ownership rate in the OECD, but the highest ratio of median prices to median in- comes among the English speaking OECD countries. Fair Reconciliation

The gap between the life expectancy of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous population is wider in Australia than it is in NZ, USA or Canada.

12 Fair Welfare

Australia spends much less than the OECD average on income support (as a percentage of GDP), but has the 5th high- est proportion of people of workforce age in jobless households in the OECD. Fair Work

Australia has an official unemployment rate below the OECD average but the value of minimum wages have only re- cently caught up with what they were worth in 1986 in real terms. When hidden unemployment (including jobless peo- ple who have become discouraged from looking for work and underemployed workers wanting to work more hours) is added to the ‘official’ unemployment rate, the number of people affected almost doubles. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that this broader measure of joblessness fell from 12.4% of the labour force in 2001 to 9.3% in 2006. A major outstanding problem is that jobless people are increasingly drawn from the most disadvantaged groups in the labour market. Of 533,000 people on Newstart or Youth Allowance in April 2007, 306,000 (57%) were on unemploy- ment payments for over 12 months.37 Among jobless sole parents and people with disabilities on income support, over 60% have only completed a year 10 education or less. Most have not been employed for many years. International comparisons

The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) defines poverty primarily as a denial of choices and opportunities for living a life one has reason to value. Lack of income is therefore far too narrow to serve as a holistic indicator. As a result, a broader measure was devised in order to capture the many, but not exhaustive, dimensions of human poverty. The Human Poverty Index (HPI) is a composite index measuring deprivations in the three basic dimensions captured by the human development index; a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living. It also captures social exclusion. The HPI indexes the probability of not surviving to age 60, the long-term unemployment rate, the proportion of people lacking functional literacy skills and the proportion of the population below 50% of median income. Fair Community

Key chapter points Communities in Australia vary in size, environments and the language and background of their members. Lack of services for people who suffer domestic violence, mental illness and drug misuse are problems in many communities. People with disabilities, who are poor or have low levels of education are less likely to be included in all elements of community life. Fair Education

Key chapter points Education dramatically improves the life chances of all Australians. Children who have a disability, are from a poor background, or are Indigenous have lower levels of access to preschool education and lower levels of educational attainment at all levels from preschool to post-school education. Australia spends near the least on educa- tion of all English speaking OECD nations. Under-spend and funding cuts are particularly noted in early childhood education and post secondary school education. Fair Environment

Key chapter points Australia hosts 10% of the Earth’s biodiversity including many unique species. While environ- mental awareness and some land/sea protection regimes have improved, Australians are large consumers of water and energy and large producers of waste and emissions. Australia has a particularly poor record on climate change, being both the largest producer of CO2 emissions per person in the OECD and one of the few developed nations to not sign the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Fair Health

Key chapter points Australia has relatively high life expectancy and spending on health. Indigenous Australians and people from poor backgrounds still have much lower life expectancy and poorer health. People in rural and remote ar- eas also have a shortage of doctors, dentists and other health services. Australia compares poorly with other countries in relation to Indigenous health and dental health. While smoking has lowered, obesity remains a significant health risk.

13 Fair Housing

Key chapter points while home ownership rates remain high, Australians are in more debt and face higher house prices than much of the OECD. Homelessness and evictions leave many Australians vulnerable and services to assist these groups are strained. Indigenous housing has also been noted as inadequate and overcrowded by the UN. Australia spends relatively little on social housing compared to the rest of the OECD. The majority of Australians believe that housing is a key issue where Australia is not delivering a fair go to all. Fair Reconciliation

Key chapter points Indigenous people are extremely disadvantaged across a wide range of indicators. Gains have been achieved by Indigenous-controlled health services, child care and education services but many of these rely on Indige- nous volunteers and face funding shortfalls to meet community needs. Life expectancy for Indigenous Australians is lower than Indigenous peoples in other OECD nations. The recent legislation grants overwhelming powers to the Fed- eral Minister to intervene in the lives and communities on Indigenous Australians in the Northern Territory. The UN has raised concerns about welfare agreements, mandatory sentencing laws in some States, imprisonment of young peo- ple nationally and amendments to the Native Title Act to ensure it remains consistent with the Racial Discrimination Act. Fair Rights

Key chapter points Treatment of people with disabilities, people in same sex relationships, Indigenous peoples and refugees and asylum seekers are a concern for the application of fair rights to all Australians. Australia is the only OECD country not to have a Bill of Rights to protect its citizens. Violence and discrimination against Muslims and people of middle Eastern appearance and the treatment of people in detention centres remain largely unaddressed by Government. Fair Services

Key chapter points Many Australians rely on community services for help in times of need or on an ongoing basis to balance work and family responsibilities. Ageing of the population, Indigenous disadvantage and the spread of popula- tion across rural and remote communities present challenges for services in Australia. Australia has a relatively high rate of older people living at home but unmet demand exists for most service types, including care and disability ser- vices. Fair Welfare

Payments for families, jobless and older people dominate Australian welfare. Payments are modest, some falling below the poverty line, targeted and include an increasingly complex set of rules for recipients. Australia’s mismatch between low overall unemployment but many jobless households is described by the OECD as a ‘polarisation of work’. Austra- lia has not reduced long term unemployment with the same success as European countries which generally invest more in education, training and support. Fair Work

Key chapter points Low wage earners have experienced a slower rate of increase in earnings, less hours and more con- tract and part time work than high wage workers. Australia has relatively good minimum wages compared to other OECD nations but relatively poor rates of workforce participation among disadvantaged workers such as older Austra- lians, mothers and people with disabilities. Industrial relations changes leave these groups particularly vulnerable to further competition and job insecurity. In relation to gender equity at work, the OECD notes that the high incidence of part time work among women (about three times greater than among men) is a contributory factor to the lower profes- sional attainment of women in terms of salary and career position. Australia and the USA are the only nations in the OECD not to offer paid maternity leave and along with the US and Denmark the only nation not to offer leave to care for sick children. Refer to the full Report published on behalf of Australia Fair by Australian Council of Social Service, 2007. www.australaifair.org.au.

14 Gita and Human Rights

Article one of the UN Declaration of Human Rights declares that all human beings should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood, as all are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Article 29(2) makes it abundantly clear that in the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the welfare in a democratic society. Human rights, therefore, are not absolute, but are burdened with legal responsibilities, morality and public order, without which the general welfare in a democratic society cannot be accomplished. As De Tocuvielle stated, 'liberty cannot stand alone but must be paired with a companion virtue, liberty and morality; liberty and law; liberty and justice; liberty and the common good; liberty and civic responsibility'. Without the junction of these appendages, liberty gets degenerated into licence. And that is why Mahatma Gandhi in his characteristic way said, "Rights accrue automatically to him who duly performs his duties". This crucial aspect is made clear by the UN General Assembly by incorporating Article 30 in The Declaration, which declares that nothing in The Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any state, group of person, any right to engage in any activity, or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedom set forth in the Declaration. To check the exercise of the rights and freedom and to enforcement of Human Rights at the instance of criminals maintain the requirements of morality, public order and has resulted in the destruction of many of the rights and welfare in a democracy, laws should necessarily be freedom enjoyed by law abiding citizens, and the result is enacted and codified. Such laws can never be said to "life has become too easy for criminals, and too difficult annihilate the human rights claimable by those who for law abiding citizens." Eminent jurist Palkhivala has destroy, like and similar rights and freedoms of others. described the situation thus: "Our values today are The Preamble, Part III & IV of the paramount law show drastically eroded, because too many men -with no more that this country has adopted almost all the provisions moral than a chocolate eclair - claim the freedom of embodied in the International Covenants recognising expression and action which results inevitably in Human Rights. The Constitution guaranteeing these increasing the number of violent Criminals". Terrorists are Rights has also conferred Constitutional rights on the frolicking about freely. Corruption is rampant. Rule of law citizens enabling them to protect and enforce these rights has disappeared from the scene. through Courts. In addition Human Rights Commissions To free society from the tight embrace of these evils, to have also been constituted. quote that eminent jurist again, "we have to strike an Fundamental Rights, guaranteed by the Constitution work acceptable balance between the proper interest of society as a restraint on states from interfering with the said which wants criminals to be put out of harm's way and the rights. The Constitutional laws empower the courts to equally proper instincts of libertarians anxious that protect the several facets of Human Rights. Human nothing should imperil the rights of the citizen". Criminals Rights, thus is playing a significant role in securing the should not be allowed to imperil the human rights of the accountability of persons wielding power or authority. But law abiding citizens under the cover of Human Rights.

15 How to accomplish this? Reduce the crime. How? One possibility. method is, increase police force. Another to pass laws and And this is a phrase coined by Sir Julian Huxley. "Today regulations. But these methods have proved ineffective we need a new science other than the current physical and crimes are on the increase. Terrorism has set at naught science, he has said, and he called it: "a science of human Human Rights. The War fought in Afghanistan and Iran to possibilities". To take the human being to that highest wipe out terrorism results in the annihilation of Human level of evolution, the guidance of that science is needed. Rights, because the victims are innocent people. When you study Vedanta, when you study The Gita, you Biologically stated the organic evolution has dragged find that they are exactly the science of human humanity into the present catastrophe. The situation shows possibilities". We must remember that man cannot be that man is still in a prehuman phase, where evolution made moral by police actions or Acts of Parliament. emphasised three things; organic satisfaction, numerical Men who believe in human values alone can be good increase, and organic survival. To get out of this citizens. To appreciate human values he must have imbroglio man has to achieve a new type of evolution spiritual growth and not physical growth alone, which is which is beyond the organic evolution, because you know, aimed at organic satisfaction. Education is meant for this. organic evolution has no relevance at the human level. Through education, man can unfold his spirituality lying Modern biology has prescribed 'human evolution' to, help hidden within. A person spiritually grown, automatically man to get extricated from the pre-human phase. Modern becomes a decent person who can live at peace with other biologist Sir Julian Huxley has defined human evolution citizens in society. The purpose of education must be the thus: "Evolution has risen from the organic to the training of the mind, and not stuffing of the brain. Swamiji psychosocial level". Huxley accordingly said, today man laments "nowhere in the world today is education of this needs a new science, "a science of human possibilities" to kind, of training of the mind. Mostly, it is stuffing of the guide the human being to that psychosocial level. brain. And ours in India is the worst from that point of view. These lessons from the Gita, from its great Master Huxley borrowed this idea from the Gita which is nothing Teacher Sri Krishna, we need very much today". but the "Samastha-Vedartha-Sara-Samgrahs". Swami Raganathanandaji has explained the phrase at psycho- I therefore address the authorities that they start a new leaf social level thus: "This psyche must be able to expand in the field of education to help citizens to start the beyond this organic system and dig affection in other spiritual growth and become decent citizens who alone psyches in society. That is love. That is compassion. That will be able to respect Human Rights and Human values. is humanist concern. You grow spiritually there by So, today's biology is slowly giving us a positive direction to Justice K.P. Radhakrishna Menon, human energy not merely negative; and that is the central Former Judge Kerala High Court theme of Vedanta. How to raise human being to the Bhavan’s Journal December 31 2007 highest possibility, he or she is capable of? We, in India, ages ago, developed in the Upanishads a science of human

Differences of opinion should never mean hostility. It is beneath human dignity to lose one’s individuality and become a mere cog in the machine. Once we recognize the common parent stock from which we are all sprung, we realize the basic unity of the human family, and there is no room left for enmities and unhealthy competition. - Mahatma Gandhi

16 An Avatar in Jewish History

the oppression In a free-flowing association of ideas, I am deliberately of my people extrapolating in this essay, the creedal construct of one who are in religious culture into another, in order to see where and Egypt, and have whether it could possibly lead to a new insight and heard their cry understanding. Avatar is an ancient and characteristically because of their Indian concept about the divine, perceived or believed as taskmasters, for present or manifested in cosmic happenings and historic I know their human experiences. But such perception or belief could sorrows. So I not have been peculiarly confined to the people of India, have come down since all ancient people were shift-agriculturists and to deliver them migrant food gatherers, cattle herders or hunters. As their out of the land whole life-style was a shifting and changing one, ideas of the Egyptians, also must have spread and changed from place to place and to bring and from one people to another. Migrations have been them to a land growing up to the present times, and we are made aware flowing with of our sharing, giving and taking, of ideas and models to milk and honey " and from others. The words, If it happens now, it could have happened in the past, even which Moses is though the resistance to such cultural mixing and reported to have exchanges must have been harder and stronger then than heard, were part and parcel of what is described as a in our days of faster globalisation. This seems implicitly vision he had, while pasturing the flock of his Midianite to justify my hypothesis about Moses' vision of the father-in-law, Jethro, on Mount Sinai. That vision burning bush as a biblical experiential replica of the consisted of the wonder of a green bush aflame with fire, Indian notion of avatar. But I should try to establish the without however being burnt out to ashes. The meaning of hypothesis by explicit textual references. Since I take the the vision, in sharp contrast to what he was doing there Indian idea as the primary analogue of avatar, I should and then, was a psychological self-disclosure of Moses' start with a classical Indian locus to illustrate my own deeper concern, with the remembrance of his hypothesis. And I assume chapter 4 and verses 3-4 of the oppressed people, who were like a flock, without a Bhagavad-Gita as such a classical locus. In the Mentor shepherd to lead them to greener pastures and restful Book translation by Swami Prabhavananda and waters. The voice of his ethnic conscientious Christopher Isherwood, the verses read as follows: identification, then, is represented in the narrative as the When goodness grows weak, voice of his ethnic god. When evil increases, I make myself a body. The descent of his ethnic God then is not so much in the In every age I come back physical spot called Mt. Sinai, but in the chosen person of To deliver the holy, Moses. It is in his conscientious identification with his ethnically oppressed people that he feels, and they in turn To destroy the sin of the sinner, recognise him, as their God's chosen instrument for their To establish righteousness. liberation. This is the meaning of his being asked to take The phrase, come back, describe the avatar in terms of a off his shoes. He henceforth is to be the personal ground divine descent or coming down rather than a return in from which God's will and word would be revealed for judgment. All renderings imply an active divine judgment him and his people. and intervention in cosmic and human history. The sacredness of the spot itself is due to the fact that the But if I stress the metaphor of the vertical descent, the vision, which he experienced at that spot in his literal reason is its parallelism to the biblical text which I take as sheep-pasturing task, did not fail. Instead, it was the secondary analogue to illustrate my hypothesis. My poetically and metaphorically fulfilled, in his becoming broad reference is to the biblical book of Exodus 3: 1-22 the literally liberating leader of his enslaved people. The and well into the next chapter. The precise reference is 3: sacralisation of Sinai then consisted in the transformation 7-8, which reads: 'And the Lord said: "I have surely seen of a literal reality like sheep into its metaphorically socio-

17 historical meaning Christianity, the question of its inter-relatedness to as a people under prophecy is more historical-theologically significant to it their own ethnic law than to Hinduism. The reason is that Christianity was not and rulers. an offshoot of Hinduism, but of Judaism. Both this metaphor But it would seem to have adopted something similar to and the vision of the the Vaishnavite notion of the divinisation of prophetic or burning bush are messianic figures as God's own descent on a particular symbols of the self- human person. Yet it may have been preventively to transformation ensure its own unified control over the community from within Moses getting divided by diverse forms of personalised belief himself. In that it confined the divine descent or incarnation to one experiential and only one person in the whole of human history. psychological terms, Hinduism, for its part, subscribed to the possibility and what transformed reality of several avatara purushas, by reason of which it him was his emotive seems so liberally unstructured in contrast. But the identification with apparent liberalism in belief and ritual worship is hemmed his suffering people. in by the social control exercised by the hierarchy of the In as far as that caste system, which may be seen as corresponding to the ethnic empathy is identified as the voice of the ethnic hierarchical system of social controls within Christianity. God, Moses is ethnically recognised as empowered and How may we account for the different workings and qualified to invoke and speak in the name of the god of results one and the same metaphor across diverse his fathers as having sent him to free them from the cultures? To answer this question, we must start by Pharaoh of Egypt. Though we started by considering admitting every metaphor to be itself precisely because Krishna as the primary Indian example of full and reality is analogously organised in ordinal classes, and not personal avatar, in applying that notion to Moses, we in uniquely unrelated individual identities. But diverse rediscover him as the primary biblical example of Hebrew ethnic groups interpret the primary analogue of reality and prophets and prophecy. Such a discovery gives rise to the of prophetic metaphors differently. Avatar was the question, about which developed from which. In other primary analogue of prophecy. But the primary analogue words, was the incarnation of the divinity an older idea was interpreted differently acre s the Semitic and the non- than prophecy and reduced to it? Or was a prophet-like Semitic cultures. figure cultural and cultic historically elevated to the status of God's own incarnation? While Judaism treated Moses as the primary analogue and ruling norm of all its succeeding prophets, Semitic To most Hindus, including the scholars among them, this Christianity, having been born out of the very persecution is perhaps a question of no practical consequence. There by its own maternal Jewish synagogue, in principle closed is within Hinduism vast scope for any socio-historical the line of prophetic succession, by declaring Jesus to be combination of idea-developments without necessarily attracting official rejection as heterodoxy. There is no personally authoritative Hindu religious office or functionary to sit in judgment on the orthodoxy or heterodoxy of any adherent. But the question becomes critical for communities of the Semitic religions, because they have a historical tradition of a teaching office and authority, which judge and discriminate between what is the right development and which was the wrong one. This does not mean that these religions are in mutual agreement with one another. Notwithstanding their mutual negations or contradictions, they are agreed on discriminating between one development and another. Each tradition tends to affirm itself as the orthodox one and the others as heretical and unorthodox. But as divine incarnation is an accepted belief in

18 the fulfillment of all prophecy or the full and final could, like Judaism, integrate cosmic and human history revelation of the divine. In other words, it self within the vision of one continuous avatar-like descent contradictorily denied the typological analogue to be non- and revelation of the divine. analogously unique and yet universal. I Therefore it In the way they have done it, both Hinduism and Judaism rendered jesus incomparable I through its very exclusive can be said to have displayed greater logical consistency adoration to him. It legitimised this process by re- than one can claim for Christianity. I say so, because the interpretatively substituting the name of Yahweh with the Hindu discourse on the subject is in terms of full and name of Jesus, by metaphorically treating the latter as the perfect or imperfect avatars, while the Christian discourse only begotten divine son, and Yahweh of the Jews as the is only in terms of a total and exclusive incarnation, which only begetting God and Father of Jesus Christ. Since the is identified with Jesus alone. Jews had made Yahweh the only name by which they could be saved, the Jewish Christians made Jesus the only The diverse ways, in which the Hindu-Jewish avataric name which could substitute Yahweh. divine descent and the Christian incarnation of the divine are conceived, are metaphorical justifications of different Starting with their ethnic father Abraham, the Muslims philosophical attitudes and psycho-spiritual approaches to connected themselves contrastively to both the Jews and life in the two communities. The older Hindu-Jewish the Christians by positioning Moses and Jesus as fore- attitude was one of passive openness in uncertainty and runners preparing the way to their own final and definitive indifference to anything which could happen as divine revelation in Prophet Mohammed. If the Jewish providentially beyond human control. Christians metaphorically affirmed the right to their own distinct ethnic identity in substituting Yahweh with Jesus The later Christian and the yet later Islamic attitude was as his son, the Muslims did the same with their own one of a pro-actively aggressive faith, which was identity by making Prophet Mohammed substitute the determined to make history, by proclaiming the object of place, which the Christians had metaphorically assigned to its belief to be the self-justification of what they both Jesus and the Holy Spirit promised by him. In other respectively professed and practiced. This may explain words, the Semitic religions are metaphorically why Hinduism and Judaism could coexist with each other theologised versions of sibling rivalry among the in principle, while Christianity and Islam seem able to co- maternally diversified ethnic descendants of Abraham. exist neither with Judaism and Hinduism, nor between themselves, because they are aimed at absorbing each Hinduism, on its part, is comparable to Judaism before other. Christianity got separated from it - the older Judaism, which could count upon a succession of prophets, judges and kings, none of them effectively closing the door to the - Ignatius Jesudasan, Bhavan’s Journal December 31 2007 other, who could succeed them. This was how Hinduism Readers Write Thank you for an informative and insightful edition - as always. I however feel that another issue dedicated exclusively to Swami Vivekananda and his beliefs would have been a better idea since he seems to have been sidelined in this issue. It was interesting to note that whatever be the religion or culture everyone of your writers agreed that Mahatma Gandhi 's beliefs stand true even 60 years after his passing away. Bapu's life is a testimony to how a single person can make a difference .The 30th January issue highlighted just how important it is to carry on the Mahatma's legacy in today's violent and uncertain world. However one point to be noted is that most people today talk of Gandhi's ideology as if it were thing of the past.Isn't it time everyone in their own way tried to contribute to ahimsa or try and follow at least one of the beliefs of Gandhi ?- for unless a concerted effort is put in, Bapu's beliefs will certainly be a thing of the past very soon. It is now entirely dependent on us whether we watch Bapu's legacy slowly become extinct or do we let it live on by being a little more proactive and teaching our children to be more understanding and tolerant of others- for isn't that what Gandhigiri is all about. Warm Regards, Sucheetra Tanikelha We would like to invite our readers to express their views on the various topics covered in the Bhavan Australia magazine. We will then publish this in Bhavan Australia.

19 Women's Section Women in Australian Politics

As of 11 October 2005, there were 64 women in the Commonwealth Parliament, 27 in the Senate (Upper House) and 37 in the House of Representatives (Lower House). This brings women's participation in Parliament to 28.3% rising from 25.4% following the 1998 Federal election and 14% following the 1993 election. This rate is almost double the international average of 16% (IPU figure as at 20 September 2005). There are 40 women Members of the House of Representatives and 27 women Senators in the current Parliament – February 2008. First Women in Australian Parliaments Although New Zealand was the first country in the world to accord the vote to women in 1893, South Australia led the world in not only enfranchising women in 1894 but also making them eligible to sit in Parliament. By 1909 all Austra- lian States and the Commonwealth had enfranchised most women (see table). Property qualifications applied initially for some upper houses. Federally, Aboriginal women (and men) were not accorded the vote until 1962 and even then enrolment provisions limited their electoral participation. Although Australia was seen as a pioneer of women's political rights, it had the greatest time lag of all western democ- ratic countries between the eligibility of women to stand for the national legislature and their actual election to it-41 years. The sequence of women's enfranchisement in Australian legislatures was as follows:

South Australia The Constitution Amendment Bill 1894 gave women both the right to vote and to sit in Parliament.(2) Although it was the first Australian State and the first legislature in the world to give women the right to sit in Parliament, it was the last of the Australian States to elect a woman to its lower house, in 1959.

Western Australia Women won the right to vote in Western Australia, through the Constitution Acts Amendment Act 1899, but they did not win the right to sit in the State Parliament until 1920, with the passage of the Parliament (Qualification of Women) Bill. Edith Cowan (Nationalist) was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1921, becoming Australia's first woman Parliamentarian. The first time a woman was elected to the Legislative Council was in 1954.

Commonwealth Parliament With Federation in 1901 women of some States had the right to vote and others did not. The Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 gave women both the right to vote in Federal elections and the right to sit in Federal Parliament. In 1943 the first women entered the Commonwealth Parliament: Dame Enid Lyons was elected to the House of Representatives and Dorothy Tangney was elected to the Senate.

New South Wales Women in New South Wales gained the right to vote through the Women's Franchise Act 1902 but did not gain the right to sit in the lower house until 1918, when the Women's Legal Status Bill was passed. The first woman was elected to the Legis- lative Assembly in 1925. Women gained the right to sit in the Legislative Council through the Constitution (Amendment) Act 1926 and were first represented in the upper house in 1931, when MLCs were appointed by the Governor, for life. The Con- stitution and Parliamentary Electorates and Elections (Amendment) Act 1978 provided for a popularly elected upper house and women were elected to the Legislative Council at its first election in 1978.

Tasmania Women gained the right to vote in 1903 with the passage of the Constitution Act Amendment Bill, but did not gain the right to sit in the State Parliament until 1921 under the Constitution Act. The first women were not elected to the House of Assem- bly until 1955, over a decade after Dame Enid Lyons was elected to the Federal Parliament. The first woman was elected to the Legislative Council in 1948.

20 Queensland The Elections Acts Amendment Act 1905 gave women the right to vote in State elections. Women received the right to sit in Parliament through the Elections Act 1915. The first woman was elected to the Queensland Parliament in 1929. The Legisla- tive Council was abolished in 1922 and had been an appointed, rather than directly elected, chamber; no women ever sat in the Council.

Victoria Although Victoria was the first State in which a strong women's suffrage movement was organised, it was the last of the States to grant women's suffrage. Women gained the right to vote finally with the passage of the Adult Suffrage Bill 1908 but did not gain the right to sit in the State Parliament until 1923 through the Parliamentary Elections (Women Candidates) Act, again the last State to do so. The first woman was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1933, at a by-election, and no women were elected to the Legislative Council until 1979.

ACT and NT Women were always able to vote and be represented in the Territories' elected bodies.

Source: http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rn/1996-97/97rn55.htm

A Himalayan Feat

In November last yean a monumental effort by an extraordinary Indian woman went unnoticed by most of the Indian media. It was when Priyadarshini, all of 23 years old and dabbling in playback singing and advertising, set out to conquer her own limits and become the first Indian woman to complete the grueling Himalayan 100 mile stage race. Not even the elitist of athletes had been able to come to terms with one of the world's most brutal races. She did. Months of intense and focused training went into preparing for the Himalayan 100 Mile Stage Race. My mind's been kicked off the radar with massive overwhelming new lessons and I know it'll be a while before I can find my equilibrium. June 2007 - I remember the moment distinctly - My friend Ram told me about something that completely blew my mind. A 250 km race in the desert. It wasn't so much the race that made me feel that crazy rumble in my stomach. It was so much more personal. A raging desire to overcome; to outdo; to push the limits; to redefine myself and to find someone in me I didn't know. At times, I look back and think that it was probably a really crazy idea for me to have been so confident of making the 100 Mile Stage Race; the world's most difficult 100 mile ultra marathon with a AAA rating (thankfully, I found out much later into the race). Albeit, now that it's done, it doesn't seem that crazy. It seems do-able. The odds were all against me - this was my first ever marathon, my flat feet was always playing killjoy, I suffered from spondilitis. Also, I was coming straight from what seems like the most polluted city at sea level - Mumbai - which meant I already had the lung capacity of a chain smoker. I had trained mostly on a treadmill in Mumbai, in parks and hills at Bangalore and AR I had had little opportunity to experience different types of terrain and altitude. We had just one day to get used to the altitude and were briefed about the 'rules' of the race which in no way were allowed to be broken. The morning of the race, we were driven to Maneybhejung (6600ft) which is where the race commenced. The very first day set the difficulty level of the race to something that even the elitist of runners were not prepared for.

21 'After a while, it's mind over body. You push yourself over the limit to uncharted territories. You struggle but survive and still keep going and then you realize you've just redefined your personal definition of the words 'limit', 'difficult' anand almost choked. I really had never seen anything that beautiful before. And I'd never felt that humbled before. I instantaneously knew why I was there. Through the day we ran through the most spectacular views of Mt. Everest, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu - 4 of the world's 5 highest peaks! Sometimes, in a trance, I'd slip into a daze where I felt like I was running in a postcard. The cold was there, the pain was there... the fight for oxygen was there. But there was a renewed sense of strength. and reason. Days 3, 4 and 5 were quite painful. I injured my knee and it got swollen and red. My feet wouldn't fit into my shoes anymore. I had to struggle with my toe nails falling off and my feet developing blisters. I lugged my left leg along most of Day 4. On Day 5, the doctor said I should pull out of the race as I could cause some permanent damage to my knee. But I was down 83 and there was no way I was going to give up those 17. I'd crawl to the finish line, but I'd still make it. It was only a question of getting used to the pain, exploring the discomfort and making friends with it. I gave myself no other option- There was no quitting for me. There was only the finish line and I was going to get to it. I went on to finish the 17 miles in another meditative painful trance with the help of a painkiller shot. As the miles to the Final Finish line of the race got nearer, I felt stronger and stronger. A few more steps to the finish line- a feeling of overwhelming emotion gripped me. It was nothing like I'd felt before. I felt a high and I felt invincible and yet so humbled. I wept. I couldn't wait to call my folks-1 had never missed them more. I wept again, this time like a kid- from exhaustion and a mighty sense of relief that it was finally over. But most of all, I wept because the past 5 days had made me so weak, yet so incredibly strong and it was all so sudden, I wasn't expecting it. Today, I feel like it really didn't take as much effort as I thought. Well, maybe it was really difficult, but my perception of 'difficult' before and after the race is world's apart. One message I want to pass around is - If I can do it, anyone can. I remember how I never thought I could run even a half marathon. And here I had just run the world's most challenging 100 mile ultra instead. And all it took was focus, the will to try, determination, perseverance and some guts. And you're bound to come out of it feeling that it really does get 'easier as you try harder'. I would love for my experience to motivate more people into fitness and running But more so- into pushing their limits fearlessly - in mind and body, to get to know themselves better - rediscover themselves and not succumb to everyday monotony. It's high time we got conscious about our health, fitness and our environment, before it's really too late. We really don't know how much time we have.

Priyadarshini Source: BSENSEX Vol.1. No.6 February - March 2008

22 Innovation Inside Improving learning and skills in prison can make a significant contribution to preventing crime and building a more capable society, says Fran Sainsbury. She is leading the RSA's new project, the Prison Learning Network and hopes to enlist the hlep of Fellows and citizens to create change.

The prison service met its education targets in 2006, with prisoners achieving 46,000 work skills awards and 15,000 basic skills awards. Was this a good performance, or could it have performed better, or more innovatively? The prison service is one of the largest providers of adult education in England and Wales but there is virtually no mainstream debate (or recognition) of its achievements or efficacy. Overcrowding and the severity of sentencing have dominated mainstream discussion, while issues such as education and rehabilitation have fallen by the wayside. Recent years, however, have seen a shift towards a more nuanced debate. The government's 2006 paper, Reducing Reoffending Through Skills and. Employment: Next Steps, recognised the centrality of education to tackling the cycle of deprivation and crime. The Learning and than half of male and 72% of female prisoners had no Skills Council has also been made responsible for the qualifications at all when sentenced and more than two- Offender Learning and Skills Service in an attempt to end thirds were not in training or employment at the time of its exclusion from mainstream education policy. offending. Education must, of course, be part of a holistic These are positive signs that debate is catching up on approach to rehabilitation and addressing multiple discussions that, until recently, have been the preserve of offender needs. Evidence suggests, however, that when academics and third sector initiatives - there are some 900 prisoners learn and develop skills, reoffending rates are charities working in prisons today. Despite this shift, reduced. This argument for better prisoner education is questions remain over whether policy addressing strengthened when given credible examples of what education in prisons can be effectively implemented. To works. It is estimated, for example, that basic skills take two examples, the frequent movement of prisoners to learning alone can contribute to a reduction in reoffending mitigate overcrowding and the similarly recurrent of 12%. But the relationship between prison learning and movement of prison governors present obstacles to reductions in recidivism is complex and largely reform. It is in this context that the RSA is launching the determined by individual circumstances facing ex- Prison Learning Network, a major new project that will prisoners on release, includingjob opportunities, family provide a space and resource for prison governors, prison support, age and so on. Second is die high level of crime heads of learning and skills and chief probation officers to committed by former prisoners, with 58% of all adult share knowledge and develop pragmatic solutions for prisoners and 85% of 14- to 17-year-old male prisoners re- improving how education is provided. The principal aim convicted within two years of release. of this network is not to create new policy in a vacuum, Third is the associated cost. According to the government, but to highlight existing innovation within the system. It is the overall cost of the criminal justice system has risen an opportunity to bring together a network of people who from 2% of GDP to 2.5% over die past ten years. The cost are working on the front line to deliver services. At the of recorded crime by ex-prisoners to the UK taxpayer is RSA we acknowledge the positive policy movements that about £1 lbn a year, a higher per capita level uian the US have started to gain momentum, but we want to offer a or any EU country. Fourth is the dramatic and well- resource for practitioners to discuss the issues, share documented increase in the UK prison population. At the learning and experience and pilot new solutions. The time of writing, it was 81,547 (HM Prison Service direction of die network will be driven by a series of Population Bulletin 16 November 2007). Since 1997, the interrelated issues. number of prisoners in England and Wales has increased First is the high levels of innumeracy and illiteracy and by 25,000. Previously it took nearly four decades (1958- the low level of skills of offenders when they enter prison: 1995) for the prison population to rise by 25,000. Despite 30% of prisoners were regular truants and 49% were overall crime levels falling significantly since 1995, the excluded from education at the time of offending. More prison service is now characterised by higher numbers of

23 people serving shorter sentences, chronic overcrowding in leadership at the top does not mean a loss of faidi from and high prisoner mobility. Last year, the government officers and inmates. announced a new prison-building programme that would This is where die RSA's Prison Learning Network hopes create an additional 8,000 places by 2012. In addition, this to play an important and dynamic role. As previously summer the government announced that an estimated stated, our primary aim is to enable prison governors, 25,500 prisoners would be given early release. prison heads of learning and skills and chief probation These measures will alleviate some pressure, but officers to develop pragmatic solutions that can make a overcrowding is likely to persist. While Lord Carter's difference now. The RSA's experience through the 2003 prison review showed that increased use of Opening Minds project will be a vital resource and the imprisonment reduced crime in the short term, it also Prison Learning Network will work closely with die concluded that, "there is no convincing evidence that education team to help build prisoners' basic capabilities further increases in the use of custody would significantly and life skills. Similarly, the RSA design team will bring reduce crime". If the government is to meet its pledge of to bear its experience on design and public service reducing re-conviction rates by 10% by 2010, prison delivery, particularly in relation to new prisons and the learning and employment programmes will need to play a use of technology for prisoner learning records and much bigger role. With prisons full and evidence that providing online learning. In line with the RSA's emphasis prison can increase the frequency and severity of on civic innovation, we must also pay particular attention offending, much more emphasis needs to be placed on to the effectiveness and expansion of peer-to-peer learning doing what stops reoffending, rather than further increases and the role of employers and the wider community in in die use of custody. To this end, the RSA's Network will opening up opportunities. We will learn from the success engage not just the prison and probation service but also of schemes such as 'Toe by toe', a buddy scheme in which academics, prison educators, employers and die voluntary literate inmates mentor illiterate inmates. The RSA will sector. At the time of writing, Lord Carter was about to seek to engage the wider public and, in particular, some of publish die findings of a government review assessing the RSA's 27,000 Fellows. short-term and longer-term building plans. We are confident that engaging the public and Fellows In addition, there have been reports that the Ministry of will help break down the barriers and deliver practical Justice is to make changes to the system through which outcomes, with more employers getting involved. There government commissions and provides correctional are reasons here to be optimistic. Even incremental services. Whatever the outcomes of these processes, we improvements in the delivery of prisoner learning and cannot expect the most severe problems to disappear in skills could have knock-on effects on the wider the short to medium term. Increasing stability and community. Plus, when it comes to offenders, research continuity in an environment as highly pressured as the funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation found that current prison service is a huge challenge and will mean public attitudes -while often contradictory - were less addressing recruitment, training, support and pay, as well punitive than received wisdom assumes. Many people looking at further provision and addressing sentencing think that prison, at best, does not prevent crime and, at trends. worst, leaves offenders worse off and more likely to commit crimes on release. We will be working closely Rapid changes in leadership and management also present with organisations such as the Prisoners' Education Trust, a major challenge, not just because of disruption to which has done much to win backing for more effective individual relationships with prisoners but also, crucially, education, as well as direcdy supporting individual to institutional programmes focused on learning and skills, prisoners. A key aim of the RSA network is to find the including probation services and other external most persuasive evidence and to engage citizens in a partnerships and networks in die community. The prison dialogue. This needs to be not just about why the current service is fighting a daily batde to find places and deal system is failing prisoners and the public, but about how a with heightened security tensions. The pressure on the more effective system could build a safer society. current system creates time constraints that mean staff who could be offering training and support have little time for anyfhing but security considerations. This makes Fran Sainsbury, RSA Journal December 2007 effective sentence planning harder and leads to problems Fran Sainsbury has joined the RSA as project director of the relating to continuity and transfer of prisoner records. All prison Learning network from the Prime Ministers (UK) strategy Unit. these issues are important, but the challenge in the short to Courtesy Gambhir Watts FRSA medium term is to find ways in which improvements can be made within this context. Where, for example, a change

24 Festivals of the World- II

The first installment on cultures of the world was published in issue 5.5 /5.6 November- December, 2007 in which we covered Christmas, Diwali/Deepaval, Gurupuralos (Sikh Festival) Ramadan and Melbourne Cup. The Third and final installments will be published in issue 5.9 March, 2008 and 5.10 April, 2008 . Australia

Festivals have become ubiquitous in Australia, with hundreds held each year. Some are as small as the community-based Apollo Bay Music Festival and Thirroul Seaside & Arts Festival, while others afford the opportunity to bring international performers to Australian audiences and showcase Australian works, such as the Falls Festival and Woodford Folk Festival. Greek Glendi, Carnivale, the International Concert and the Each capital city has a festival. Major festivals are: Pacific Islander Showcase. The Festival Fringe Sydney Festival (January) complements the mainstream Festival, and provides a full- on week of zany entertainment. Perth International Arts Festival (February) Perth International Arts Festival - women artists in the APY Lands. Image courtesy of Wayward Bus and Ku Arts. The Perth International Arts Festival is the oldest annual international multi-arts festival in the southern hemisphere and is Western Australia's premier cultural event. The first Perth Festival was in 1953 and it now offers the people of Western Australia some of the best international and contemporary drama, theatre, music, film, visual arts, street arts, literature, comedy and free community events. Some other events on the program include the Contemporary Culture program and the Perth Visual Arts Festival. As well as these, there are other satellite festivals Each year the Sydney Festival offers a rich and diverse surrounding the main festival which itself offers more program spanning all art forms including dance, theatre, than 30 Australian premieres. The Perth International Arts music, visual arts, film, forums and large scale free Festival (PIAF) presented the Western Australian outdoor events. For three weeks in January the Festival Indigenous Arts Showcase (WAIAS) involved over 90 hosts around 80 events involving upwards of 500 artists Indigenous singers, songwriters, musicians, actors and from Australia and abroad. In any given year, it makes use comedians from all over the state. of most of the main theatres across the breadth of the city and also has a commitment to the presentation of quality, Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts (March) large-scale outdoor events such as the iconic Domain The Adelaide Festival of Arts has created a strong Series. tradition of innovation since 1960 inspiring celebration National Multicultural Festival, Canberra and presenting diverse art from across Australia and (February) around the world. Held in the warm South Australian autumn in every 'even' year, this is a large-scale multi-arts The National Multicultural Festival is held over two event of extraordinary richness and diversity. weeks and features the very best in local, national and Ten Days on the Island, Tasmania (March) international music, dance, food and creative arts. Festival favorites include the Food and Dance Spectacular, the Tasmania’s flagship celebration of island arts and culture,

25 Brisbane Festival is about a lot more than just putting on shows, it encourages engagement and participation from everyone in the greater community across our great city, country and the globe. Darwin Festival (August) Yilila, winners of 2006 NT Indigenous Music Awards. Photograph courtesy of Yilila. The Darwin Festival is a celebration of the city's uniqueness, celebrating our multicultural community, youthful energy, tropical climate and our great lifestyle. The cultural program provides a feast of local, national and international performances to excite, inspire and entertain. It includes opera, cabaret, dance, music, film, comedy, the visual arts and workshops - incorporating music and dance from Indigenous, Indonesian and Pacific Island communities. There is also a strong visual arts Ten Days on the Island, boasts a multitude of events in 50 component, with traditional land owners guiding visitors locations across the island. Events and activities range through the many galleries exhibiting Indigenous art. across all types of music, dance, visual arts, theatre, Melbourne International Arts Festival literature, food and film. Individual artists and companies come from all corners of the globe, and a number of local (October) artists also take part. Melbourne International Arts Festival has a reputation for Brisbane Festival (July) presenting unique international and Australian events in the fields of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia, Brisbane Festival is Brisbane 's foremost international free and outdoor events over 17 days each October. First multi-arts festival, offering an outstanding program of staged in 1986 under the direction of composer Gian Carlo theatre, dance, music, opera, multimedia, and free Menotti it became the third in the Spoleto Festival series - community events for the residents of Brisbane and its joining Spoleto, Italy, and Charleston, United States. visitors. Held every two years, it endeavors to include the Melbourne's Spoleto Festival changed its name to the entire community in its program of activities by having Melbourne International Festival of the Arts in 1990. In intellectual rigor, international artistic credibility and an 2003, the Festival was renamed Melbourne International extremely broad grass-roots support base. Consequently, Arts Festival. Independent festivals Major independent national festivals include: Chinese New Year (February) The Chinese New Year is the longest and most important celebration in the Chinese calendar. The New Year begins on the first day of the Chinese calendar, which usually falls in February, and the festivities continue for 15 days. During Chinese New Year celebrations, people wear red clothes; give children 'lucky money' in red envelopes and set off firecrackers. Chinese New Year ends with the lantern festival, where people hang decorated lanterns in temples and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon. The highlight of the lantern festival is often the dragon dance. The dragon can stretch over 30 meters long and is typically made of silk, paper and bamboo. In Sydney, more than 500,000 people crowd the streets to celebrate the Lunar New Year and all things Chinese. lush; thousands of people of all ages bliss out as they enjoy the sounds of the planet while catching up with friends in the sunshine, lazing under the trees, shopping, eating, drinking and having fun with their family. National Folk Festival, Canberra (April) Klezmeritis in performance. Photo courtesy of the Kingston Arts Centre. Held over the Easter weekend in Canberra every year, the National Folk Festival draws together people from all around Australia and the world. They come to share in the songs, dances, tunes and verse that have flowed through the ages from many communities into Australian folk culture. The festival includes over 100 concerts, poetry and storytelling sessions, various dance classes running all day, a kids Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras program and of course lots of different food options. (February) Camping is available and many people spend the whole five days and nights at the festival. From a protest rally to one of the world's largest gay and lesbian festivals, the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Dreaming Festival, Woodford (June) has come a long way. In 1978, a group of 1,000 people The Dreaming is a vibrant, exciting and a valuable marched down Oxford Street to mark International Gay destination where local, national and international Solidarity Day. The one-off event resulted in violent audiences look forward to their annual ceremony time clashes with police and a determination to do it all again along with the most comprehensive showcase of the following year and Mardi Gras was born. The event Indigenous arts from across the country and around the has continued to transform, adding an arts festival in world. This three day and four night festival will have 1983, and grown to attract an audience of hundreds of performing arts venues, bars, Ceremony grounds, thousands of participants from all over the world. The traditional healing, galleries, rituals, campfire story circles Festival forms a huge celebration and reflection on gay and a mass of stalls, workshop avenue and food outlets. and lesbian life. Presented by the Queensland Folk Federation, the program WOMADelaide (March) features film and literature components, performing arts, new media and digital technologies, food and wine fare, Over three days, WOMADelaide runs six outdoor stages comedy, ceremony, exhibitions, performance artists, featuring performances and intimate workshops by around physical theatre, visual arts, craft workshops, music 35 groups from over 20 countries. It also presents a program, street performers, musicals and a youth program. KidZone, visual arts and street theatre programs, and an amazing Global Village of 100 arts, crafts, international Revelation Independent Film Festival (July) cuisine and educational display stalls and three bars. The The Revelation Independent Film Festival (RIFF) has magical ambience of WOMADelaide is indescribably always maintained a high focus on documentary. The festival's history has seen the screening of a wide array of contemporary and archival documentaries including Oscar nominated pieces, progressive works from the international scene and works from the international underground are represented in the Festival. Woodford Folk Festival (December) The Woodford Folk Festival is an event of international standing. Held over six days and six nights it presents more than 2000 performers and 400 events with concerts, dances, workshops, forums, street theatre, writers' panels, film festival, comedy sessions, acoustic jams, social dialogue and debate, an entire children's festival, art and craft workshops, late night cabarets and special events including a spectacular fire event. The Festival features

Easter traditions Pancake Day Pancakes became associated with Shrove Tuesday because they were a dish that could use up perishable foodstuffs such as eggs, fats and milk, with just the addition of flour, prior to the beginning of the 40 days of fasting during Lent. Many Australian groups and communities make and share pancakes on Shrove Tuesday. Selling pancakes to raise money for charity is also a popular activity. Hot Cross Buns Hot Cross Buns are sweet, spiced buns made with dried fruit and leavened with yeast. A cross, the symbol of Christ, is placed on top of the buns, either with pastry or a simple mixture of flour and water. The buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday, however in the cream of Australian performers and a gathering of Australia they are available in bakeries and stores many special international guests. weeks before Easter. A recent variation on the traditional fruit bun has become popular in Australia. A chocolate Theme-based festivals version is made with the same spiced mixture, but cocoa is added to the dough and chocolate chips replace the dried There are also other major national festivals based on fruit. themes such as film, jazz, music, folk, digital media and writer’s festivals. Easter Eggs Eggs, symbolising new life, have long been Melbourne Cup associated with the Easter festival. Chocolate Easter eggs, along with other forms of confectionary specially This festival was covered in part 1 manufactured for Easter, have become a favourite part of Easter in Australia Easter in Australia. In the lead up to Easter, many organisations take the opportunity to raise funds by selling Easter commemorates the resurrection (return to life) of tickets in raffles for baskets of Easter eggs. Community Jesus Christ following his death by crucifixion. It is the groups organise Easter egg hunts for children in parks and most significant event of the Christian calendar. The recreational areas. Easter eggs are traditionally eaten on Christian churches began Easter celebrations about 300 Easter Sunday, however stores start stocking Easter treats years after the death of Jesus Christ, however pagan well before the Easter holiday period. Spring equinox festivals associated with birth, the renewal of life, fertility and sunrise date back long before The Easter Bunny Early on Easter Sunday morning, the Christianity. Many of the present day customs of Easter Easter Bunny 'delivers' chocolate Easter eggs to children have their origins in these festivals. The date on which in Australia, as he does in many parts of the world. The Easter falls varies from year to year. rabbit and the hare have long been associated with fertility, and have therefore been associated with spring Religious observance and spring festivals. The rabbit as a symbol of Easter seems to have originated in Germany where it was first The Christian churches in Australia observe the Easter recorded in writings in the 16th century. The first edible Christian Calendar which begins with Shrove Tuesday, Easter bunnies, made from sugared pastry, were made in some forty days before Easter, and ends with Whitsun (or Germany in the 19th century. The Easter Bilby Rabbits Pentecost) which is 50 days after Easter Sunday. Good are an introduced species in Australia and are unpopular Friday, the Friday before Easter, commemorates the because of the damage they do to the land. In 1991 a crucifixion of Jesus and is a day of mourning in church. campaign was started by the Anti-Rabbit Research During Good Friday services Christians meditate on Foundation to replace the Easter Bunny with the Easter Jesus's suffering and on his last words spoken from the Bilby (an endangered species). Author Jenny Bright wrote cross: 'Father, forgive them; for they do not know what a children's story called Burra Nimu the Easter Bilby to they are doing.' (New English Bible, Luke 22; 34). Easter support the campaign. Sunday is the commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Churches are usually filled with flowers and the The Easter holiday in Australia celebrations include the singing of special hymns. The four-day 'weekend' In addition to its religious significance, Easter in Australia is enjoyed as a four-day holiday weekend starting on Good Friday and ending on Easter Monday. This extra long weekend is an opportunity for Australians to take a mini-holiday, or get together with family and friends. Easter often coincides with school holidays, so many people with school aged children incorporate Easter into a longer family holiday. Easter is the busiest time for domestic air travel in the Australia, and a very popular time for gatherings such as weddings and christenings. Sydney Royal Easter Show: The Sydney Royal Easter Show is Australia 's largest annual event and celebrates all everything from our bush heritage to the vitality of city life. It takes place annually at Sydney Olympic Park over a two week period which includes the Easter long weekend. The Show is part of the long tradition of family does a thorough house cleaning and purchases agricultural shows that are held in towns and cities across enough food, including fish, meat, roasted nuts and seeds, Australia. At these shows, rural and farming communities all kinds of candies and fruits, etc, for the festival period. showcase their livestock and produce, and exhibitors, Also, new clothes must be bought, especially for children. organisations and companies provide people in urban Red scrolls with complementary poetic couplets, one line areas with a glimpse of rural life. Shows are also a time on each side of the gate, are pasted at every gate. The for competition, spectacle and entertainment. The Sydney Chinese character 'Fu' is pasted on the center of the door Royal Easter Show includes the Sydney Royal Rodeo, and and paper-cut pictures adorn windows. Everyone looks the visitors to the show can enjoy the latest on offer in the forward eagerly to the New Year. way of extreme rides and attractions. On New Year's Eve, no matter where one is, every Festivals There are many festivals held over the Easter member will try his best to come back to enjoy the family holiday in Australia. Performers and audiences travel long reunion feast in which jiaozi in north China and niangao distances to attend music festivals as diverse as the (a kind of sticky rice cake) in the south are the National Folk Festival in Canberra, the East Coast indispensable foods. Family members chat or watch International Blues & Roots Festival at Byron Bay in special TV programs all night. To show respect for their northern New South Wales, and the Australian Gospel ancestors, some families burn incense and prepare Music Festival in Toowoomba in Queensland. There are delicious food at home. Fireworks are set continuously, also festivals with a more local or regional nature such as among which the midnight blasts are the most thunderous. the Bendigo Easter Festival, in Victoria, and the Ulladulla Blessing of the Fleet Festival on the New South Wales On the first day of Spring Festival, wearing their new south coast. clothes, people visit relatives and friends to extend New China Year's greetings and invite them to visit. Next, people begin to visit their distant relatives. In cities and suburbs, Spring Festival colorful activities include Temple Fairs, Yangge dancing, and lion and dragon dancing. Held on the first day of each year of the lunar calendar and lasting for weeks, the spring festival is regarded by The Spring Festival lasts until the Lantern Festival begins the Chinese people as the grandest and most important fifteen days later marking the end of the Chinese New annual festival, similar to Christmas Day for Occidental Year. It is celebrated by Chinese people at home and people. Originating during the Shang Dynasty (16th - 11th abroad. Everyone immerses in the festive atmosphere, and century BC), the Spring Festival, which celebrates family exchanges wishes for a good harvest year. reunion, is full of rich and colorful activities, and new Important Customs and Activities: Various customs and hopes with the advent of spring and flowers blossoming. activities are handed down by Chinese people such as People from different regions and different ethnic groups pasting Spring Festival scrolls, the character 'Fu', paper- celebrate it in their unique ways. cuts pictures, displaying firecrackers and fireworks, Spring Festival Traditions: During the period from the paying New Year visits and eating jiaozi. 23rd day of the previous lunar month to the event, every Pasting Spring Festival Scrolls, Character 'Fu', and Paper-Cut Pictures : Originating during the Song Lantern Festival dynasty (960 - 1279) and continuing through the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644), creating spring scrolls or couplets is a special literary form characterized by concise, ingenious sentences to express people's wishes. A few days before the Spring Festival, people paste red scrolls with complementary poetic couplets with one line on each side of the gate to add festive atmosphere. Pasting the Chinese Character 'Fu' is also a popular custom. Because 'Fu' in Chinese means 'Good Luck' or 'Happiness', by pasting this character on the center of the door, people show great hope to be happy. Nowadays, people like to paste it backward, for this means 'Fu' has come. Many beautiful design variations on the character 'Fu' can be found in markets and shopping malls. Paper-cut is a famous Chinese traditional craft. During Spring Festival, people paste favorite paper cuts on Falling on the 15th day of the first lunar month, windows not only for decoration and appreciation but also Lantern Festival is the first significant festival after for delivering hope. Spring Festival, so called because the most important activity during the night of the event is watching lanterns. Paying New Year Visits: Paying New Year visits is a And because every household eats yuanxiao (a rice ball special way for people to express good wishes to each stuffed with different fillings) on that day, it is called other. On the first day of the festival, in ancient times Yuan Xiao Festival. For its rich and colorful activities, it younger people had to salute the elderly by kowtowing; is regarded as the most recreational among all the Chinese today they salute them by offering good wishes. In festivals and a festival for appreciating the bright full response, the older generation gives money wrapped in moon, and family reunion. red paper. People also drop in at friends' houses, greeting one another with 'Happy New Year'. Recently, greetings With a history of over 2,000 years, various traditional sent by telephone or e-mail have become popular. customs and activities are held during Lantern Festival that appeal to people of different ages, including watching Eating Jiaozi: The indispensable food during spring lanterns and fireworks, guessing lantern riddles, festival is jiaozi. Made with flour and stuffed with performing folk dances, and eating yuanxiao. different fillings, Jiaozi is usually eaten on New Year's Eve. Because its shape resembles the Chinese Yuanbao (a One of the important activities of the event is watching kind of money used in ancient times), eating jiaozi means lanterns. During the Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD), wealth in the coming year. Also because different symbols Buddhism flourished in China. So in order to popularize for luck can be wrapped in them, great hope can be Buddhism, one of the emperors gave an order to light expressed. People wrap coins, candy, peanuts, or chestnuts lanterns in the imperial palace to worship and show in the jiaozi. People who eat one will be blessed with respect for Buddha on the 15th day of the first lunar receiving different wishes, such as a coin for wealth, month. During the Tang (618 - 907), Song (960 - 1279), candy for sweet life, peanuts for health and longevity, and Ming (1368 - 1644) and Qing (1644 - 1911) dynasties, chestnuts for vigor. Taboos: With good wishes cherished, people usually avoid unlucky behaviors during Spring Festival. Words like bad, dead, kill, ill, ache, etc. are not uttered because people think bad things may happen if they say these words, and the whole year would be terrible. In addition, one should be careful when holding plates, cups and other fragile items. The jar holding rice must be full, and sweeping the floor is also strongly discouraged. In addition, hair cutting should be avoided until the second day of the second lunar month. Other taboos differ in different regions. lighting lanterns became a tradition for Chinese people. moon. In the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), however, people started making round moon cakes Today, when the Lantern Festival comes, red lanterns can (Chinese: 月饼; pinyin: yuèbǐng), as gifts to their relatives be seen in the street, in each house, and store. In the parks, in expression of their best wishes of family reunion. At lanterns of various shapes and types attract countless night, they came out to watch the full moon to celebrate visitors. Visitors marvel that various lanterns so vividly the festival. Since the Ming (1368-1644), and Qing demonstrate traditional Chinese folklore. Dynasties (1644-1911), the custom of Mid-Autumn Festival celebration has become very popular. Mid-Autumn Festival For thousands of years, the Chinese people have related The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the two most the vicissitudes of life to changes of the moon as it waxes important holidays in the Chinese calendar (the other and wanes; joy and sorrow, parting and reunion. Because being the Chinese Lunar New Year), and is a legal holiday the full moon is round and symbolizes reunion, the Mid- in several countries. Farmers celebrate the end of the Autumn Festival is also known as the festival of reunion. summer harvesting season on this date. Traditionally, on All family members try to get together on this special day. this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather Those who can not return home watch the bright to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moonlight and feel deep longing for their loved ones. moon cakes together. Today, festivities centered about the Mid-Autumn Festival are more varied. After a family reunion dinner, many people like to go out to attend special performances in parks or on public squares. People in different parts of China have different ways to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Guangzhou in South China, a huge lantern show is a big attraction for local citizens. Thousands of differently shaped lanterns are lit, forming a fantastic contrast with the bright moonlight.

In East China's Zhejiang Province, watching the flood tide of the Qian Tang River during the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a must for local people, but also an attraction for those from other parts of the country. The ebb and flow of tides coincide with the waxing and waning of the moon as it exerts a strong gravitational pull. In mid autumn, the sun, earth and moon send out strong gravitational forces The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th upon the seas. The out of the Qian tang River is shaped lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- like a bugle. So the flood tide which forms at the narrow or late-September in the Gregorian calendar), a date that mouth is particularly impressive. Spectators crowd on the parallels the Autumn Equinox of the solar calendar. This river bank, watching the roaring waves. At its peak, the is the ideal time, when the moon is at its fullest and tide rises as high as three and a half meters. brightest, to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest. The traditional food of this festival is the Egypt mooncake, of which there are many different varieties. Festival time in Egypt finds everyone outdoors, following The custom of celebrating the moon (Chinese: 月亮; processions in the streets, strolling along the Nile, or pinyin: yuèliang) for both theHan Chinese and minority filling the parks and gardens. Vendors sell snacks and nationalities, can be traced as far back as the ancient Xia refreshing drinks, and the crowds eagerly pay court to Dynasty and Shang Dynasty of China (20th century BC- itinerant performances. Wrestlers, dancers and singers all 1060s BC). In the Zhou Dynasty (1066 BCE-221 BCE), put on open-air shows, happily collecting coins at the end the people celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival to worship of the performance. A favourite diversion is the mock- the moon battle called El-Tahtib: two men, armed with stout reed The practice became very prevalent in the Tang Dynasty staffs, face each other and walk in a circle while swinging (618-907 CE) that people enjoyed and worshipped the full the staffs above their heads. It looks like a courtly dance, women, travellers and the infirm are exempted from the fast, and everyone else takes advantage of shorter working hours for the convenience of non-Moslem visitors though many stop serving alcoholic drinks, At the end of the holy month comes Ramadan Bairam (Eid el Fitr). The three- day celebration is marked by gifts, greeting cards and visits to friends. Perhaps the most sacred of Moslem festivals, Qurban Bairam (Eid el-Adha) comes in the middle of the month of Zu'i-Hegga, when many Moslems make the Hajj, or pilgrimages, to Mecca. The four-day feast commemorates the biblical near sacrifice by Abraham of his son, and Moslem families relive the moment by sacrificing a ram. After the ritual slaughter according to Koranic law, the meat is cooked and a feast is prepared for family and friends, with a generous portion going to the poor. August used to be a time of elaborate festivals in Cairo. but each combatant is tingling with alertness, waiting for As the waters of the Nile rose in the annual flood, the opportunity to take a swing at his opponent. A split- Nilometres all along the river would be checked and second of inattention by one player, and the heavy staff of rechecked, and the readings sent off to Cairo by the other speeds down. But there's time to parry, and the messenger. When the water level reached a certain point, two weapons meet with a resounding thwack. With all the canals would be unblocked and the precious water equally-matched players. El Tahtib becomes a graceful would surge deep into the fields carrying valuable silt to ceremony of smooth movements and mutual respect. A replenish the soil. Now that the Aswan High Dam controls wily old master takes on a young and inexperienced hot- the Nile's flow at an even level all year round, the August blood, and the blows fall thick and fast. Strength and festivals have only the faintest echo of their former gaiety agility are less important than experience and alertness , and importance. The Cairo film festival was first and the old man always ends up teaching the novice a few organized in 1977 and proved a great success. Many fine tricks. countries bring their award-winning films to be shown at In Upper Egypt, Nubian folklore and music is very some of the best hotels at specific times during one week. different from the Arabic folklore of Cairo and the Delta. The festival is generally held in November. Nubians have their own languages (though most speak Prophet Mohammed's Birth Anniversary Arabic as well), and traditional Nubian music sounds surprisingly Far Eastern in its tonalities and rhythms. All The birthday of the founder of Islam is celebrated with Egyptians are united in the celebration of major Islamic great enthusiasm and joy in all Muslims country through and traditional festivals. The National spring Festival, out the world. This event of Egypt is held in the month of shemen-Nessim, comes on the Monday following Coptic May and is celebrated with parades. Offering sweets and Easter. It's an excuse for everyone to get outdoors or into clothes is a main ritual associated with this festival. boats on the Nile in order to obey an old legend. "He who Pharaonic Wedding sniffs the first spring zephyr", so it goes, "will have good This festival is the symbol of ancient civilization of Egypt health all year". Another major holiday is Muliden-Nabi, and is held celebrated in the month of November. This the Prophet's Birthday, when a mammoth procession festival is considered as an auspicious day for marriages. winds through Cairo's streets, imitated by smaller ones in Couples visit to Karnak Temple and get married there. other cities. Abu El Haggag Moulid Ramadan is a period of 30 days in the ninth month of the Moslem lunar calendar. During this time, all good This Egypt festival is dedicated to the patron saint of Moslems observe strict fasting between the hours of Luxor-Abu el Haggag. Horseracing, dance, music and sunrise and sunset. The rules are strict: no food or drink, drum playing are the high points of this Egyptian festival. no smoking or even licking a stamp beginning at first Wafaa Al Nil light. Working hours are also reduced. The fast is broken at sunset, and special dishes fill the feast tables for the This festival is dedicated to the symbol of Egypt-the Nile early evening breakfast meal or iftar. Children pregnant River. It is among one of the ancient festivals of Egypt. In the present scenario painting competitions, sessions of poetry, seminars and music concerts are the highlight of this September month festival. Abu Simbel Festival This Festival of Egypt is associated with the ancient temple of Egypt-Abu Simbel and highlights the ancient traditional rituals of Egypt. This festival is held on 22nd February. Shem al Nessim Another traditional festival, which marked the arrival of spring in Egypt and is celebrated throughout Egypt on the Monday in month of April after Coptic Easter. The Art Festival A week long festival held from 24th-31st August. This festival is said to be the greatest art festival of Arab world. daughters. It is also called Momo-no-Sekku (Peach Inspite of these festivals one most major event of Egypt is Festival). Displayed on a tiered doll-stand are gorgeous Ramadan or Ramzan as called in some countries. Fasting, hina ningyo dolls together with miniature articles and the fourth pillar of Islam is also called as Ramadan. It is furniture. And offerings of diamond-shaped rice cakes, considered as the most blessed and spiritually beneficial sweet and peach blossoms are made to accompany prayers month of the Islamic year. for the healthy growth and happy future of the daughters. There is also the custom of cooking clams and short- Eid al Adhha necked clams, these dishes decorate the doll-stand and are This religious event begins about 70 days after the end of served as a special dinner for this feast. Ramadan and is dedicated to Abraham's sacrifice of a Hana-Matsuri (Floral Festival) on April 8th sheep in place of his son. This event lasts for four days. Hana-Matsuri refers to the memorial service performed at Japan temples throughout Japan to celebrate the birth of Buddha on April 8th. It is formally called Kanbutsue. On this day, Festivals are countless in Japan. They are both happening small buildings decorated with flowers are made at at the local levels (matsuri) and some are celebrated temples and a tanjobustu (baby Buddha figurine) is placed through out the country. Most festivals are held annually inside. This figurine is sprinkled by worshippers using a and celebrate the shrine's deity or a seasonal or historical ladle with ama-cha, which is a beverage made by soaking event. Some festivals are held over several days. Some of tealeaves in hot water. Some people take this ama-cha the national wide festivals are Hina-Matsuri (Doll home and drink it as holy water. Festival) on March 3rd, Hana-Matsuri (Floral Festival) on April 8th Tanabata (Star Festival) on July 7th, O-Bon Tanabata (Star Festival) (Lantern Festival) during July 13th – 15th and Shichi-Go- This is an annual celebration of the stars. According to a San (Children's Shrine-Visiting Day) on November 15th. legend, the two stars, Vega and Altair, separated lovers, Matsuri involves the processions ceremony, in which the are allowed to meet each other across the Milky Way only local shrine's kami (Shinto deity) is carried through the once a year on the evening of July 7th. At this festival, town in mikoshi (palanquins). It is the only time of the prayers are also offered so that young girls will improve in year when the kami leaves the shrine to be carried around calligraphy and handicraft. The custom is to set up leafed town. Many festivals also feature decorated floats (dashi), bamboo branches in the garden, and people write poems, which are pulled through the town, accompanied by drum words or wishes on tanzaku or long strips of colorful and flute music by the people sitting on the floats. Every paper which they tie on the bamboo leaves. festival has its own characteristics. While some festivals O-Bon (Lantern Festival) are calm and meditative, many are energetic and noisy. O-Bon is a Buddhist ceremony for welcoming back and Hina-Matsuri (Doll Festival) on March 3rd appeasing the souls of our ancestors. The formal name of This is a festive event held on March 3rd when hina this festival is Ura-Bon. Depending on the region, the ningyo dolls are decorated in homes where there are Bon Festival may be held one month later, during August 13th-15th. Generally, a mukaebi fire is lit in front of the gate early on the evening of the 13th to receive the souls of the ancestors. At the same time, a Buddhist priest chants sutras in front of the Shoryodana or 'Shelf of Souls,' where offerings of fruit and vegetables are placed. On the evening of the 16th, an okuribi fire is lit to see off the souls of the ancestors. Shichi-Go-San (Children's Shrine-Visiting Day This is a ceremonial visit paid by parents and children to their tutelary shrines to offer gratitude for the healthy growth of the children. Celebrations are carried out on November 15th for boys who reach the age of 3 or 5, or for girls who turn 3 or 7 years old. The custom is for the children to dress in their best clothes and to carry Chitose- ame which are long thin candy sticks colored in red and white, believed to bring good luck. means 'to be careful', and some says that it means sadness. Hi matsuri (Fire festivals) Others say that "seol" derives from "nat seol da", which means to be unfamiliar. New Years's day can be called The famous Fire festivals (hi matsuri) are held in various "Won Dan", "Won Il", and “Shin Won", which are words seasons all over Japan. In Fire festivals, People carry of Chinese origin. It's also called "jung wol cho harut nal". torches at night. At Fire Rituals, talismans are consecrated "Jung wol" means 'January'. "Cho", 'the first', "harut nal", and old talismans burned in a sacred fire inside a hall or a 'first day'. large sacred bonfire outside. Sometimes at the end, ascetics and laymen alike walk through the hot embers. Preparing for “chesa”, the offering to ancestors are Most temples dedicated to the deity Fudo Myo-O have a important tasks for Korean women. "Ttok", "garettok", fire ritual on the 28 of each month, the memorial day of fried meats are prepared from the previous day. The room Fudo Myo-O and special first and last rituals of the year, must be spotless cleaned first, and then a screen and a on December (osame Fudo) and January (hatsu Fudo). table altar are placed in the room. The placement of the food has a certain order. The difference is that instead of Korea rice, as in any other "chesa", "seolnal", "ttokuk" is on the Lunar New Year offering table. These offerings in holidays are called "chare" because it is served with liquors and teas. Koreans celebrate the Lunar New Year. Seol is, along with “Chusok", one of the two most important holidays in After "chare" is over, "sebe" takes place, which is the first Korea. greeting to the elders of the year. Later the family has "Sut dal kum mum" is New Year's Eve in Korean and on breakfast with the food from the offering table and visits that night nobody is supposed to sleep. It's the so called elder relatives and neighbors. The people who receive "je yah". There was a belief that if someone slept on that these greetings prepare a table of foods. Food and liquors night, the eyebrows would turn white. That was the reason are served to adults and children are given candies or why the light was on at every room, the "maru" and even money and best wishes for everybody. The reason why in the kitchen. This was done to receive the New Year’s they give money to the children is to teach them to save Day with awakened eyes and brightness. During the New money. In the past it was to buy eggs and grow chickens, Year's eve day people perform an overall cleaning, sell them and buy a calf. When the calf would grow to be brushing off old dust. In the evening they heat water and a cow you would sell it later to buy lands to cultivate take a bath. They also burn bamboo sticks to cast off After that people visit the tombs of their ancestors. every single house demon. The common belief is that with Popular games and activities include kite flying; yut the sound of the exploding bamboo's knots, the demons game, top-spinning, snow sliding, etc. are the usual get scared and run away. At night, as a sign of entertainment during New Year’s festival. However, yut appreciation, people greet the family's elders and if there game is probably the most popular among them. Yut is is a "sadang" at home they present an offering there. It's one of the traditional Korean games that can be played the ceremony of the last day of the year. anywhere. It's especially popular on New Year's Day. It is New Year’s Day is called "seol" or "seol ral". "Seol" customary to play this game from New Year's day until will take them and run away. If one loses the shoes this way it means bad luck for all that year. That is the reason adults and children take all their shoes and put them inside the house and the attic. So the Yakwangy will not take them away. There is a good remedy to cast off the Yakwangy. Turn off the light and keep the shoes inside and hang up a sift at the wall of the internal patio or above the laundry rope. Yakwangy will look for the shoes and he will discover the sift. "What's that? What is it? Why does it have so many eyes?" He thinks that the holes are eyes. "Wow! So many eyes (holes). I don't know how many they are. All right. Let's count them. Let's see how many they are." Yakwangy starts counting and soon he forgets the number and starts all over again and again. He forgets about stealing shoes and keeps counting the entire night. At dawn when the birds sing he runs away. This is a story to send the children to bed early on Seolnal since they must be very tired with no sleep from the eve of New Year's day. Fortune telling: From ancient times in Korea there is a tradition to go to a fortune-teller at the beginning of the year. Tojong bigyeol is a book where the fortune-teller consults when he/she has the date of birth of the interested person. The author of Tojong bigyel is Tojong Lee Ji Ham (1517-1578), an eccentric person, from Chosun dynasty. He was a descendant of a loyal subject of the end of Koryo Dynasty named Mok Eun Lee Saek. He was an expert in diverse family arts. He drew the attention of people for his strange walking. After studying the human January 15, called Daeborum. Other unique traditions of condition he came to write this book. Obviously he was the New Year’s festival are “Bok jo ri”, the story of turned away by the Confucianist yang ban society. But Yakwanggy, and fortune telling practice. among the commoners his book was widely known until the present days. Not for the belief in it, but rather for fun. "Bok jo ri"? Literally a strainer ("jori") that brings blessings. It is a tool used to clean the rice from small First it was by elders who read Chinese characters who stones or straw particles. People used to buy Bok Jo RI would tell the fortune of family members. Somehow later very early in the morning of New Year's Day and hang it on people began charging for this service and individuals up on the wall. It is to pick up happiness in the New Year did this as a way of earning a living. as one does with rice grains. In the past street vendors of At the beginning of the year a lot of elders sit with their would yell, announcing the bok jo ri. The person who first books on the street. There are fortune-teller will also tell hears his voice calls him. The house owner should not go about the past, present and future and judge over the out of the front door. The vendor comes in and then they misfortunes and happiness, different from Tojong bigyel. buy the Bok jo ri the earlier the better since they will They calculate with calculating sticks based on the Book receive more blessings. The vendor must have been of Changes. Blind people did this. The reason was that considered a person who brings blessings. Nowadays it is because of social circumstances in the past in Korea blind difficult to find "bok jo ris" in Korea. It's a pity that on people did not have access to jobs. "seolnal" we cannot hear the voice of "bok jo ri" vendors. People just buy Bok jo ris from stores. Despite the not so good reputation of the people who work in this field because it is considered mere superstitious The story of Yakwanggy: As part of the customs of ordinary people. People today well into the high logical seolnal there is a story of Yakwanggy. The Yakwangy thinking recur to fortune-tellers regardless of its comes to the human world on the night of seolnal after credibility because they do not know what the future will some wandering. If he finds shoes that fit in his feet he bring. That might be the reason why now we have even visiting their tombs and offering them rice and fruits. In the evening, children wear their favorite hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) and dance under the bright moon in a large circle. They play games and sing songs. A variety of folk games are played on Chuseok, but these vary from region to region. A lion dance is performed in the north-west, a tug of war in Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces. Other regions hold wrestling and archery contests. For all games, in all regions, a Nongak band performs. Russia Baltai Baltai is a festival among Mordvin people, especially from Tatarstan. The name of the holiday means Feast of Honey (from Tatar words bal - honey and tuy - feast). Baltai is hold in the first Sunday after the Whitsunday and means the beginning of mowing time. The main traditions computer fortune teller Fortune tellers were on the street are the decorating of bear with birch leaves and round from Nam San to Seoul station but after some urban dance planning project they are now in Miari. They call themselves Destiny Philosophers, magical arts, Grushinsky festival conditions have changed radically, people fall under their An annual Russian bard songs festival, from 1968 takes commercialism and the old innocent aspect is not places near city of Samara, on Mastryk lakes. (Valeri available any more. Grushin, in whose memory the festival is named was a Chusok: Chusok, also known as the Korean student who died during backcountry trip saving his hanksgiving, is held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar drowning friends). Every year, there are tens and hundreds month. Chusok means a great day in the middle of of thousands of people who love bard songs coming to the August. It occurs during the harvest season. Thus, Korean Grushinsky festival. During the times of USSR, the formal families take this time to thank their ancestors for oversight of the festival was performed by VLKSM. From providing them with rice and fruits. Chuseok originates the late 1990s, the festival began to become from Gabae started during the reign of the third king of commercialized and lost its orientation to the bard songs. the kingdom of Silla (57 BC - AD 935), when it was a Sabantuy month-long weaving contest between two teams. Come the day of Gabae, the team that had woven more cloth had won and was treated to a feast by the losing team. In modern South Korea, on Chuseok there is a mass exodus of Koreans returning to their hometowns to pay respects to the spirits of one's ancestors. People perform ancestral worship rituals early in the morning. They often visit the tombs of their immediate ancestors to trim plants and clean the area around the tomb, and offer food, drink, and crops to their ancestors. Harvest crops are attributed to the blessing of ancestors. The celebration starts on the night before Chusok and ends on the day after the holiday. Thus, many Korean families take three days off from work to get together with family and friends. The celebration starts with a family get-together at which rice cakes called "Songphyun" are served. These special rice cakes are made of rice, beans, sesame seeds, and chestnuts. Then the family pays respect to ancestors by The show also includes a series of large-scale events on the waters of Neva river, such as rowing and motorboat races, and a massive battle with pirates culminating with appearance of a tall ship sporting spectacular "Scarlet sails." The show has been always the essential part of the White Nights celebration. The popularity of both the book and the tradition was boosted after the 1961 release of the movie titled "Alye parusa" ("Scarlet sails" in English). White Nights Festival The White Nights Festival in St. Petersburg, Russia is an annual international cultural event. The White Nights Festival consists of a series of classical ballet, opera and music events and includes performances by Russian dancers, singers, musicians and actors, as well as famous international guest stars. The Scarlet Sails celebration is Sabantuy is a Tatar and Idel-Uralian summer festival, that the culmination of the White Nights season, the largest dates back to the Volga Bulgarian epoch. At first public event anywhere in Russia with the annual estimated Sabantuy was a festival of farmers in rural areas, but it attendance about one million people, most of whom are later became a national holiday and now is widely students from hundreds of schools and colleges, both local celebrated in the cities. In 2007, Kazan Sabantuy was and international. celebrated on June 23. The White Nights Festival is officially organised under Scarlet Sails the egis of the Saint Petersburg City Administration. The The Scarlet Sails celebration in St. Petersburg, Russia is festival officially begins in May with the "Stars of the the most massive and famous public event during the White Nights" at Mariinsky Theatre and ends in July of White Nights Festival. The tradition is highly popular for each year. However, many performances in connection spectacular fireworks, numerous music concerts, and a with the White Nights Festival may often take place massive water-show including battle among tens of boats before and after the actual White Nights timeframe. full of pirates on the waters of Neva river. The Scarlet Cosmonaut Day - April 12 Sails show celebrating the end of school year 2007 was attended by more than one million people: "Scarlet Sails" Russia is extremely proud of its history of space celebration in St. Petersburg exploration. Cosmonaut Day in April celebrates Yuri Gagarin's space flight in 1961. Like Russia's celebration This tradition began here after the end of WWII, when of Sputnik's 50th Anniversary, Cosmonaut Day is marked several Leningrad schools united to selebrate the ending with special ceremonies and events. of a school year in connection with symbolism of the popular children's book "Scarlet sails" by Alexander Grin. Spain At the first celebration a boat with scarlet sails was sailing Spanish Festivals were mostly of religious kind for a along the English Embankment and the Admiralty prolonged period, but at present the scenario has changed Embankment towards the Winter Palace. Although it was a lot, in fact the religious essence has gone backstage, as designed to update the rusty revolutionary propaganda, the the other seasonal Spain festivities has replaced them. "Scarlet Sails" tradition eventually evolved into a massive Spanish festivals are of various types and it varies region demonstration of freedom from "schools and rules" and to region, though there are some traditional common-to-all became the most popular public event ever since, festivals at Spain too. Some of the most popular Spanish celebrating the ending of school year annually. festivals of different seasons are as follows Crowds of about one million people are treated to a wide Spanish festivals of January month – ‘Reyes Magos' is a variety of free entertainment provided by the city of St. traditional festival of Spain held on 6th of January, from Petersburg. Entertainment also includes appearances by the night before presents are distributed among the little popular rock stars, as well as St. Petersburg Symphony children. Bands, Floats and dancers perform on the streets Orchestra, ballet, and other classical acts, performing on of all major Spanish City-Streets. several stages simultaneously during the days of he event. with firework displays. During the day there are processions and cavalcades while at night, homemade model castles (“els bous”) are ceremoniously torched. In the old days, the people would burn unwanted items of rubbish and furniture on this occasion. But these days’ things are more sophisticated, with effigies of politicians and parodies of tourists meeting their fate in the flames. There is much good humored merriment and a certain amount of fire-leaping by the youth of the town La Tomatina, Buñol An event which began in the 1940s as a bit of friendly banter between friends has grown into the world's biggest food-throwing party, with around 20,000 people flinging 90,000 pounds of tomatoes. The actual "battle" falls on the day of the town's patron saint and is the culmination of a week's build-up of festivities, including parades, feasts, In February Spanish festivals like ‘Santa Cruz de Tenerife' fireworks and street parties. The night before the battle, carnival takes place. This is a special festival o canary the streets of the medieval centre serve up sizzling dishes island. The time of this particular festival is in the second with a tomato theme, a scene-setter for that which follows. week of February, the natives enjoy their heart Come the morning, shopkeepers have boarded up their participating in the fancy-dress parades and musical stores by the time the trucks roll in to town, laden with performances. ripe tomatoes. Inspectors check that everything is in order before diving for cover as the tomato-slinging begins – March is again a great time of Spanish festival like ‘Fallas and continues until every last tomato has been hurled and de San Jose' during spring time. The interesting most part turned to mush. Anything that moves will be pelted. of this festival is the night-time parade. Among the few simple rules is one which requires that In April Spanish Festivals like ‘Fiesta de Moros y each tomato should be squished a bit before throwing, so Cristianos', is celebrated across Spain, also popular as the as to avoid injury. At the end of the event, participants Moors and Christians. adjourn to the riverside where showers are available to start the clean-up process. May is a gala time for ‘Holy Cross day'. In these Spanish festivals the rural villages of Spain are beautifully decorated with lots of colorful flowers, and various processions are out to rejoice on the streets. The following sources were used to compile this article : Other seasons also have their significances and popular festivals in Spain. Below is the list of such famous http://www.travelchinaguide.com Spanish festivals, http://www.clickasia.co.kr The pagan festival of Hogueras de San Juan http://web-japan.org http://www.worldeventsguide.com The popular festival of San Juan (known locally as www.mapsofworld.com "Fogueres de Sant Joan") takes place throughout the www.mapsofworld.com province of Valencia as well as Spain as a whole. Of http://www.ireland.com pagan origin, it is celebrated traditionally on the night of http://www.cultureandrecreation.gov.au the summer solstice with the burning of great bonfires and http://www.egyptmelody.com India and the Sanctuary of Freedom

"To endeavour to understand and describe the India of today would be the task of a brave man". - Jawaharla Nehru

Never - to - be - forgotten India is a phrase coined by Swami Ranganathananda of Ramakrishna Math, to denote the masses, rather the weaker sections of the people who have suffered oppression for thousands of years at the hands of the rich for whose welfare alone Governments existed. The Never -to-be -forgotten India consists of the Adivasis, the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the Untouchables, the Backward Classes, the weaklings among the so-called forward class, all living in penury. These people living such a primitive life were more akin to domesticated animals destined to do the donkey work of their masters or the rich: And therefore the stroke of the midnight hour on 14 - 15th August, 1947, they did not hear. So much so the then Government had the added responsibility of waking them up from their slavish Jawaharlal Nehru & Mahatma Gandhi attitude to freedom. Free India had to set up a new social thus: "With Patel gone and Prasad elevated to and economic order, where life of contradictions are taboo Presidentship, Nehru became all-powerful. He had learnt and denial of equality condemned. two lessons from his brushes with Patel and Tandon. He The Preamble to the Constitution, therefore, pledges to must have, as Home Minister and Defence Minister, only secure to the Haves and Have-nots, the Narayanas and those who are unquestionably loyal to him and as Daridra Narayanas, "Justice, social, economic and Congress Party President one subservient to his will". political, liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and Congressmen knew that unless one was in the good books worship, equality of status and opportunity and to promote of Nehru, he could not come to power, in the absence of among them all fraternity, assuring the dignity of the which he was a nonentity. Therefore, there was a rush for individual". The resoluteness to work out these objectives, Congress tickets. See how picturesquely Durgadas has reiterated in the Directive Principles, was very much described this situation: "As was natural, many candidates visible in the first phase of The Republic. But the made allegations of corruption, immorality and black determination did not last long, because the political marketing against their rivals. A committee was appointed leaders and politician - turned administrators, the former to screen applications and the slogan was, "Let us give crazy about power and the latter who had tasted power, Nehru the five hundred men he wants and five years, and adopting any means to retain power, became slaves to the leave the rest to him. The Congress won the general vice of selfishness, self-centredness and corruption. It is election, and that gave birth to a new phase in India's an irony that these political leaders who were all by-words political life, namely, the emergence on top, of courtiers, for selfless service during the fight for freedom, after sycophants and hangers on. When I asked Azad to independence became repositories of selfishness and comment on this development, he said: "We are still corruption. They hardly had time to think of the welfare of feudal, but what has distressed me is that many good the masses, fated to live the primitive life in free India. persons have been denied tickets because the trusted This was the period when the country was getting ready courtiers labelled them as anti-Nehru". for the first general election. Every politician, particularly The courtiers, sycophants and hangers-on placed their Congressmen, was concerned with getting a ticket to interests above the interests of the nation. Many Congress contest election. Durgadas in his book, From Curzon to leaders, who could not approve this new phase in the Nehru and After, which, according to Zakir Hussain, political life, left the Congress and formed new parties. former President of India, gives a historical panorama, The result was the sturdy growth of nepotism, favouritism spreading from the fledgling years of the freedom and corruption-the arch enemies of democracy. The movementfrom Tilak to Gandhi and Nehru, and the years elected Government led by Nehru, thus got stuck in the that followed August 15, 1947, the "watershed of Indian cobweb of the making of sycophants and hangers on. The History" has recorded the political history of the period

39 consequences were political parties propagating opposing ideologies, towards disastrous. The elected the weaker section of citizens, has made most of them to Communist Government remain where they were when we won freedom. To crown in Kerala was it all, we are facing the fiendish problems contributed by unceremoniously institutionalised corruption . dismissed on the Another reason for recommendation of this situation is sycophants and hangers because the on, on the corridors of Governments failed to power. This action made follow the science of an indelible blot on the True Economics while fabric of the fledgling implementing democracy. The developmental administration slowly and schemes. What is steadily fell into the hands True Economics is Balgangadhar Tilak of sycophants and defined by Mahatma courtiers, who never believed in the welfare of the Gandhi: "True common people, the foremost condition to build up a new Economics, stands for live India in the place of the decadent India, according to social justice, it Swami Vivekananda. promotes the good of The Swamiji exhorted: "Let New India arise out of the all, equally including peasants' cottage grasping the plough, out of the huts of the weakest, and is the fishermen, the cobbler and the sweeper. Let her spring indispensable for Sardar Patel from the grocers' shop, from beside the oven of the fritter decent life." Instead, seller." The Mahatma endorsed this view. But, alas! His the Governments followed the dismal science of followers instead, exploited the poor masses for their own economics which "inculcates Mammon worship, and aggrandisement. An assessment of the progress of Free enables the strong to amass wealth at the expense of the India after 37 years of freedom, is succinctly stated weak". This spells death to the poor. In this process the by Swami Ranganathanandaji thus: "But today after poor therefore have become poorer and the rich, richer. achieving independence, the magnitude of self- The poor thus have been compelled to take refuge in the centredness that has come to many among our upper kingdom of Yama Raja either by committing suicide or classes, the dead life that has come to them, is amazing. allowing to be exterminated by remaining at places like The result is the problem-ridden India, which we live in Nandigram. This process is at its zenith now. Sanctuary of today. Everything is chaotic. After 37 years of freedom we freedom therefore is a far cry from the never - to be - have transformed India into a hell". This situation speaks forgotten India even after sixty years of independence. the truth about the attention of the ruling class. In the tight A Samaritan would say that the masses have been shifted grip of sycophants and hangers-on, never had turned to the from the yoke of imperialism to the yoke of dynastic never. to - be forgotten India, i.e., the poor. The context Governments or coalition Governments. The tryst with demands quoting the Marxist dictum: "The ruling ideas of destiny of the never -to-be -forgotten India thus will an age are the ideas of its ruling class". remain a speck on the horizon till the present forms of The later history of free India tells yet another truth that Governments, i.e. dynastic or coalition, which have the political parties, mushrooming every now and then, institutionalised corruption, are substituted by a clean were and are even now, more concerned with, and two-party system of Governments envisaged under our interested in, retaining the dynastic rule made possible by Constitution. To conclude: "The foreign analysis leads to sycophants and hangers-on, the parasites on the the conclusion that if the present Constitution has to Government; or as and when possible help a dynasty to function satisfactorily, the condition precedent namely, a take over the administration. This mode of administration two-party system has to be adopted by either ordinary law is anathema to a democrat, who firmly believes that only a or by the amendment of the Constitution." Ivor Jennings bipolar parliament can accomplish the objective sought to be achieved by our Constitution, namely, a welfare state K.P. Radhakrishna Menon, and an egalitarian society. The carrot and stick approach Bhavan’s Jourrnal February 15 2008. adopted by the dynastic Governments both at the centre and states, or the coalition Governments formed by

40 Science in Ancient India

A few years ago, when I was visiting South Africa, in Durban, I had a meeting with the iron lady of African freedom struggle, Fatima Meer, who was an associate of Nelson Mandela during their epic freedom efforts. She asked me what I was doing, and I told her I study cosmology and astrophysics. She asked me if I had studied Indian cosmology, described so vividly in various Puranas, and other ancient Indian texts. She then told me how impressed she was with some of those ideas and descriptions and asked me if any of those concepts could be tested and described from a modern scientific perspective. While I had no immediate answer for her, she certainly had a point well made, and the questions she raised still stay in my mind. While it is exciting to believe that India had already, in her impressive past, discovered all the modern sciences available to us today, when you actually try to figure out exactly what all was discovered in India in terms of concrete scientific achievements, it is never an easy task. One is hampered by the lack of precise references, and only some general information is available. Trying to figure out the exact scientific achievements of ancient India is not an easy task. However, a lot of evidence is available to proclaim that Fortunately, this is one area where one can make some we must have indeed made remarkable achievements in statements with definiteness. Research has been done on various sciences in our long and hoary past. Much study the development of mathematics in ancient Indian texts and effort is required to achieve important results. and it is found that books such as Taittiriya Samhita, My effort is to raise questions and hints, with some Satapatha Brahmana, and Yajur and Atharva-Veda, Rg- comments, which are of importance. That may spur us to Veda plus additional Samhitas do contain many initiate serious researches into this topic from various mathematical works and references. There was a need to dimensions, leading to further details and data. Let me determine the correct times for Vedic ceremonies and an start with the questions and my answers: accurate construction of altars was required, which apparently led to the development of astronomy and Were great scientific discoveries made in ancient geometry. India? Several topics discussed here include use of geometric From the information we have this looks possible. When shapes, including triangles, rectangles, squares, trapezia we study ancient Indian literature such as the Vedas, and circles. There have been discussions on equivalence Upanishads and epics, we are impressed at the enormous through numbers and area. Equivalence led to the problem intellectual heights which have been achieved and of squaring the circle and vice-versa, and early forms of expressed in these creations. The highest order of logic Pythagoras theorem were also discussed. and the finest display of reasoning marked those who Subsequently, the works of many mathematicians such as created these treasures of timeless wisdom and Aryabhatta, Bramhagupta, Bhaskaracharya, Varahamihira, knowledge. What has survived now in ancient Indian Shridhara etc have become known and studied. These literature, gives strong evidence of the great intuitive researchers studied several different topics, mainly related power and mental abilities of our ancestors. I am trying to to astronomy and geometry. make a case for undertaking intensive researches in Ancient Indian Sciences and what we exactly achieved For example, the mathematical verses of the Aryabhatta scientifically in ancient India. cover some of the following topics in arithmetic, such as Did ancient India make great progress in method of inversion, various arithmetical operators which mathematics? include the cube and cube roots, which probably

41 in ways that simply would not have been possible otherwise. It also allowed numbers to be used more extensively and by many more people than ever before. Again, very large numbers have been named and used in ancient Indian literature. For example, we have prayutam (million, 106), arbuda (billion, 109), and shanku (trillion, 1013). Likewise, it goes on to "Padma", "Mahapadma", "Kharva", "Nikharva", and "Parardha" which is 100,00,00,00,00,00,00,000, i.e. seventeen zeros after 1. This number system goes much higher, and the point is, only if they were using it somewhere, they would have created it all. It also shows that they were fully aware of the concept of powers of ten. * Could one name some other areas where we can say with confidence that ancient India did make considerable progress, and which is also vindicated by modern scientific discoveries?

Much progress was made in ancient India in the science of the mind. The Yoga traditions and related disciplines developed in ancient India are a clear evidence of that. All originated in Aryabhata's work. The 'new' operations of our knowledge is generated, perceived and created through mind and the senses, as they perceive Nature. The square root also originated with his work, it is believed. modern scientists are certainly aware of our limitations Again, in algebra, he discussed topics such as: Formulae for finding the sum of several types of series: 'Rules for towards understanding the universe through the means of sense perception, and the finite process of intellectual finding the number of terms of an arithmetical thinking. The subject of cosmology which deals with the progression': Rule of three - improvement on Bakshali Manuscript; Rules for solving examples on interest -which origin and evolution of the universe, tells us vividly how small and insignificant we are when compared to the led to the quadratic equation. It also appears clear that vastness of the cosmos. The story of the blind men and the Aryabhatta knew the solution of a quadratic equation. He appears to have used trigonometry in the modern sense for elephant, illustrates the fact that frequently people tend to understand only a tiny portion of reality, and then they the first time. extrapolate various dogmas from that, while claiming only In addition to important contributions to all the main areas his is the correct version. As the British astronomer, Sir of mathematics, Indian scholars were responsible for the Arthur Eddington, pointed out: creation, and refinement of the current decimal place "Man in his search for knowledge of the universe is like a value system of numeration, including the number zero, without which higher mathematics and modern science potato bug in the hold of a ship trying to fathom from the ship's motion the nature of the sea". would not be possible. Indian scholars made vast contributions to the field of mathematical astronomy and Thus, there is apparently a limit to how far logical as a result contributed mightily to the developments of thinking and human intellect could go. The ancients must arithmetic, algebra, trigonometry and secondarily have realised, however, that unlike other instruments of geometry (although this topic was well developed by the knowledge, it is possible to extend the limits of mind Greeks) and combinatorics. Perhaps most remarkable were enormously, and that the mind could be the most powerful developments in the fields of infinite series expansions of instrument of all. The various Yoga disciplines are the trigonometric expressions and differential calculus. means to develop and enhance the capacity of the mind, Surpassing all these achievements was the development of and to take it to higher stages and planes. While strengthening the mind, the body is also healed, and made decimal numeration and the place value system, which disease-free. stand together as the most remarkable developments in the history of mathematics, and one of the foremost The mind-body relationship, as espoused by the yoga developments in the history of humankind. The decimal philosophy, is being increasingly validated by today's place value system allowed mathematics to be developed medical science. While it is nobody's claim that ancient

42 Indians knew everything in this regard, it goes beyond and not be allowed to be forgotten. doubt that much can be learned by the modern man by Do we have some specific examples of possible means of a study of ancient Indian sciences. scientific advances in ancient India? There are also examples such as Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of medicine, astronomy, Jyotir Vigyan -that I mention below a few points which may be considered as is the science of celestial bodies, and such others. There is such examples. Such cases again require further good evidence that the art of ship-building and navigation investigation. The Loha Stambha, which is made of a non- were well developed in ancient India. The magnificent rusting alloy, at the Kutub Minar site in Delhi gives an temples that stand today in India tell us about the idea of the well-developed level of metallurgy of those architecture and civil engineering of those times, and of earlier times. A well-developed architectural knowledge course about the fine arts of the day. It appears that the has been used in several large temples. Knowledge of earliest recorded use of copper ware in India has been various acoustic effects is used again in construction of around 3000 B.C. Apparently, the earliest documented some temple halls and forts (e.g. Golconda Fort near observation of smelting of metals in India is by Greek Hyderabad). There was apparently a well-developed historians in the 4th century B.C. system of war science existing in ancient India, as can be inferred from several different references. Recently I had Why should one bother to study Ancient Indian been to a fort near Ramtek, at Nagpur, excavated in recent Sciences in this modern age when science and decades. While it was hot outside, some of the interiors technology are making amazing progress? were so designed as to preserve a pleasing and cool atmosphere, even in the absence of trees. Some principles The important point to bear in mind is, there is absolutely of optics are seen to be in operation at the Virupaksha no reason to think that today mankind has reached its temple. highest peak of knowledge! It is plausible that there could have been higher advancements in the past, or will be in Is Jyotisha (astrology) a science? future. We must have an open mind both about our past and future. There could not be anything better than a Based on discussions with some eminent Sanskrit scholars, I understand that Jyotisha has two parts. One is careful study of ancient Indian traditions and sciences in the mathematical part, or Ganit, which I think is fairly its broadest sense, because that can provide us with important and beneficial hints for the future. accurate. The other is Falit, or prediction part, and that depends much on intuition and guesswork, and is If we made great scientific discoveries in ancient generally not regarded as scientific. Finally, I would like India, then why so little is known about them? to end with a word of caution. Even if we did make a good Why have we been so bad at documenting and scientific progress in the past, we must save ourselves preserving? from the danger of being complacent and self congratulatory. While it may be good to be proud of our We have done rather poorly in documenting any heritage, we should certainly not overdo it. I was just discoveries, that were made in ancient India. Practically looking sometime ago at the science textbook of my little evidence survives on what ancient Indian science had daughter, and saw a picture of a Brahmin with a shaved achieved. It is also possible that much literature, evidence head, and a choti at the back, and below the picture it was and knowledge were destroyed during the invasions India written, "Kanada Rishi", who discovered atoms. It may be faced in the past few centuries. It also has to do with a alright to give pictures of a Newton or Raman, Rutherford certain attitude that we Indians have on life as a whole. or Einstein in a textbook, because we have definite For example, I was talking with an eminent Sanskrit information on the persons who lived in the recent past. scholar a few years ago about the possibility that ancient But to give a picture of Kanada Rishi, on whom we have India had great scientific traditions, and if so, what we no information as to how and when he actually lived, what could do to find and preserve that. He told me that, of he really looked like and so on, can clearly cause course, many such sciences have developed (and misconception. In my view, such attitudes do not produce vanished) in ancient India. He said, this is an ongoing any benefit to our cause. What is needed is serious phenomenon, and it is like the ash on fire. There are times attention and research into the various aspects of ancient when the fire is hidden under the ashes, but then a breeze India literature so that we could bring out some gems out just blows away the ashes, and the fire again picks up and of this ocean of Indian wisdom, and use it towards the shines bright! Similarly, he pointed out, such sciences greater benefit of mankind. emerge and vanish in time. He then added, "that which is eternal does not vanish and is never destroyed" and so I - Pankaj S Joshi, - Scientist, Tata Institute of Fundamental should not get disturbed about preserving Indian sciences Research, Mumbai. Bhavan’s Journal February 15 2008

43 The Mahatma's Service to Mankind Rajendra Prasad

Mahatma Gandhi did not set out to evolve a philosophy of life or formulate a system of beliefs or ideals. He had probably neither the inclination nor the time to do so. He had, however, firm faith in truth and ahimsa and the practical application of these to problems which confronted him constituted his teachings and philosophy. There was hardly any aspect of life in India which he did not influence and fashion according to his own pattern, beginning with the small details of individual life regarding food, dress, daily occupation, right up to big social problems which had, for centuries, become a part of life - not only unbreakable but also sacrosanct -like the caste system and untouchability. His views appeared to be startlingly fresh, unhampered by tradition or prevalent custom. So also his methods of dealing with problems, big and small, were no less novel and apparently unconvincing, but ultimately successful.

What Life Has Taught Me Dr. C. P. Ramaswami Aiyar

The Temple Entry Proclamation ultimately secured for me the friendship of Gandhiji though under peculiar circumstances. Along with Dr. Besant, I had the misfortune to differ from Gandhiji when he started his campaign of boycott and non-co-operation; but in spite of our political differences, we remained friends. In this respect, the late Sardar Patel resembled Gandhiji to a large extent. He fought me hard in politics; but, as Shri K. M. Munshi points out in his recent book, "THE END OF AN ERA", he was essentially friendly to me and he invited me to stay in his house by way of a friendly gesture notwithstanding political differences. I may enumerate other significant aspects of a fairly checkered and variegated existence but I hope enough has been chronicled to demonstrate that no small part of the discipline of life consists in interpreting aright the lessons and warnings conveyed to us by destiny and in the acquisition of a prayerful trust in Providence. Question Box Answers by K. M. Munshi Shri A. Sadananda Pai, Bangalore Q: What are the practical methods of developing national character and is there any institution in the country which works with that aim? A: National character is built up by: (i) Sense of national unity and loyalty to its tradition. (ii) Emotional awareness of the nation's thought and collective achievements. (iii) Great men whose memory inspires the pattern of conduct and provides and shapes the national ways of life. (iv) Collective resistance offered from time to time to disruptive forces. (v) The will of enlightened individuals to become and remain a nation. The whole purpose of the Constitution of India, the governmental activities, the universities and the educational system are calculated to develop national character after this pattern. The literature and scholarship in the country also have been contributing to the making of national character.

44 Bhavan’s Children Section

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Holy & Wise

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Vinay Swayam tap hai aur wah Aabhyantar tap hone se sreshta Dharm hita hai Humility is itself a penance and when Internalised, it becomes the highest Dharma - Jain saying

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everyone, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty that the person who has nothing to eat. - Mother Teresa

Kulpativani - Voice of Kulpati - Bhavan’s Founder Beauty - It’s Many Faces

Beauty and joy can never be divorced from each other. A thing of beauty gives unfading joy. Where there is no joy, there is no beauty. An architect expresses beauty through stone; a poet through words; a man of culture through manners; a 'bhakta' through his emotions; and when we see these things, we feel more of ourselves than we were. The hunger for beauty-beauty in words, in colour and in stone, in life and in character-has no transient limitations set up by different ages, races or countries. It is not given to everyone to satisfy this hunger. The capacity to satisfy the hunger for beauty cannot be given by law, or public opinion, or the votes of men, or by ingenuity of artifice. But the man to whom this capacity is given has but one law-to enjoy beauty, to create beauty and to impart to others such a vision of it as he can. The tree, the cloud, the flower, and stream which give us this mysterious satisfaction are but magic symbols of the beauty that lies within. It is there, real, insistent, undeniable. It is a symbol of reality. If once the spirit of beauty is captured, the gates of life Divine are opened and not even death can close them.

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

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