WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9, 2016 DAILY EXCELSIOR, JAMMU daily Excelsior Pinning down political rivals An Eminent Scholar Shiban Khaibri Established 1965 Founder Editor S.D. Rohmetra Col J P Singh, Retd ken chain of spirituality, religious and liter- an political rivalry stoop so low so as to dare take liberties with ary pursuits. I call it a masterpiece because even the security of the country and making scapegoats, those ge and glasses of wine should never despite my meager knowledge of past and professional Police officers who toiled hard in collecting and be counted as per an Italian proverb. C understanding of history/philosophy, I am assimilating intelligence inputs about matters in respect of the country’s Narrating a story of a young Prince, Idle assets A convinced that he has written it not for today security and threat perception to its political leaders and took on the well inheritor of the largest empire in India, mete- or tomorrow but to galvanise renaissance of identified executors of terror activities. Motivated, the terrorists had cam- reviously, in these columns we have been high- orically rising as a formidable intellectual, a Hinduism and possibly for a distant future ouflaged the apparent motive of the group by putting in front or carry- world renowned scholar, luminary of reli- lighting discrepancies in planning, execution and generations. Precisely for that reason ing with them as accomplice, a young girl who in fact was a terror mod- gions and multifaceted author of great repute, the book should be readily available & ule but was projected and that also, on oath, by the then government as and consolidating various new projects floated I am compelled to take liberty with the say- P widely read. He has described in this book an “innocent” having no terror links . The Home Ministry “set aside” the by the State or the Central Government. We generally ing. I wish to briefly recount universal con- how all revered Indian Saints and Scholars findings of the impeccable IB and instead constituted a SIT to manufac- take up concrete examples to strengthen our point of tributions of Dr. Karan Singh as an eminent led/connected their followers to God. He ture “findings” accordingly. The young girl who was an activist of the scholar and a prolific writer. 85 years ago he has written 31 books. Readers will find all LeT and which was corroborated by terrorist Headley and by the website view. Here we would like to take up the case of was born on 9 March 1931. All these years streamlining tourism in Kishtwar. The basic philosophy of them intellectually stimulating. of the terror outfit “ Gazva Times” as also the weapons recovered from he has been extensively travelling, getting He has been extensively speaking on her person, with whom were two Pakistani nationals, was on a specific is to stimulate economy of Kishtwar, attract tourists, exposed to people, books, environments and religions and raising interfaith awareness mission following hatching of a conspiracy but got engaged in an float projects that would attract tourists and as a corol- music which have been moulding his think- and respect. He is the world Chairman of encounter with the Police and killed on June 15, 2004 . The cat has final- ing making him a scholar of universal emi- 'Temple of Understanding' a global inter- ly come out of the bag and revelations after revelations have exposed the lary to that, local people involved in tourist industry nence. He calls himself a born traveller by would be benefitted. The philosophy is sound. But faith organization. His discourses on philos- designs of the then UPA government and hence stirred the conscience of saying that while in mother's womb, he set ophy of Vedanta, Upnashids, Sri Aurobindo the people as to what could be the motive of all this, excepting to frame what is the environmental and circumstantial situation sail to Europe with his parents and when 6 of the society. and Swami Vivekananda promote Hin- and falsely implicating the main political rival of the then congress led in which the idea of streamlining Kishtwar tourism can weeks, he sailed back to India and has been duism as world revered religion. Wherever UPA government of Dr. Manmohan Singh. continuously travelling since then. He is In his writings on Hinduism, he has be floated. Kishtwar has attractive climate no doubt. It described scriptures of Vedas and Upnashids he goes, people ask him lots of questions on Could anyone, other than those who think they had earned irrevoca- what he is today not because of years but religions, Vedanta, Upnashids, philosophy ble monopoly in their right to rule as a divine duty, be allowed entry to has high mountains and the plateau has its own because of totality of rich experience of mul- plainly for ease of understanding. Hinduism, he describes as a geographical term based on and interfaith which he answers to their power constitutionally as the “traditional hardened rulers” want to limit charm. We concede that the nature abounds in beau- tifaceted exposure and divine gift making admiration. On 7th November 2015, during the space and scope of such change to insignificant proportions and if him universally recognised India's outstand- Sanskrit name for great river 'Sindhu' mean- ty and attraction. But road connectivity is very tortuous ing the flowing one, that lies across the Maharaja Ghulab Singh Memorial Lecture, such attempts bear no fruits, then to try to implicate the rivals, frame them ing thinker and leader, equally at ease with in Gen Zorawar Singh Auditorium, he deliv- and defame them is what is Ishrat Jahan case all about and made compli- and almost seasonal as it is situated deep in the politics and administration, education and Northern boundary of India. For those liv- mountains. It has no tradition of tourism. There is total ing East of the river Sindhu, which the ered an eloquent lecture on 'Bhagvadgita Ka cated by alleged manipulations by the then Home Minister in the UPA environment, Vedas and global conscious- Samkalin Mahatav'. It was so enlightening government. lack of basic amenities for developing tourism like ness, Eastern philosophy and Western cul- Greeks called 'Indus' came to be known as the land of Hindus and the vast spectrums of that it was heard spell bound. He is indeed It is regarding not tolerating others and conveniently keep branding good hotels, rapid communication, good restaurants, ture; truly a global citizen. a 'Powerhouse of Intellect'. them as Rightists, communalists, extra nationalists, intolerant jingoistic He was born at Cannes, France as 'Heir' faiths that flourished here got the collective recreational spots, clubs and community halls, the- On Yoga, he feels that of late it has and hence having no place in the political system for being in govern- of princely state of Jammu and Kashmir. He name of Hinduism. His book 'Hinduism' is atres and cinema halls, outdoor and indoor games, detailed description of the nomenclature. acquired a superficial connotation as ment even if with new policies, new ideologies and the like within the would have ruled the state as a Monarch had breathing and physical exercises which seek light and sound programmes and so many other Upnashids are a treasure of knowledge. framework of the constitution. Human conscience and inner awakening the sub-continent's chronology followed its to further one's physical and mental well does not stop it any longer from either feeling remorse over or come out path rightly. Even if he did not rule as They are written in the form of Mantras. He things. has translated mantras for the global reader- being. He has been extensively speaking rebellious against and alternately confess any wrong having been com- Our contention is not that no energizing develop- monarch, he continues to rule over the hearts and writing about four spiritual paths of mitted by him at the behest of a close relative, an authority under whose and minds of people all over the world ship. Once we understand the meaning of mental schemes have to be envisaged for any back- such mantras, all illusions of life get aside, Yoga, (i) Jnana Yoga (yoga of wisdom) (ii) directions he or she had to work or perform an act or under any other form through his scholarly reach. A deep insight Bhakti Yoga ( yoga of love) (iii) Karma of influence, duress or threat. In Ishrat Jahan case, the same thing appears ward region of the State. All regions have to be into his glorious public life will reveal that living and dying becomes easier. According to him, importance of our heritage and cul- Yoga (yoga of works) (iv) Raja Yoga (yoga to have happened. brought under developmental programmes. What we he is part of Indian journey since independ- of psycho-spirituality). Let it be first decided by which standard of ethics, morality or com- ence which finds eloquent description in his ture lies in its immense diversity and plural- are suggesting is that before launching any dream- ism besides its antiquity. 5000 years of Hin- Politics has been beautifully summed up mitment towards the nation, some of our political leaders have started autobiography. Those who have read his in the 1st part of his book 'India and the seeing in terror related matters, politics to either appease some sections world project, we have to see the geography, topogra- autobiography would have admired repro- duism in India having allowed growth of phy, accessibility, available infrastructure, manpower, many other great religions such as Jainism, World'. He believes that politics will always of the society who otherwise are mistakenly thought to be having soft cor- duction of his inner expressions with an be turbulent because that is the nature of ner for such terrorists and saboteurs, or a means to settle political scores? effort to reach out to his countrymen with Buddhism, Islam and Sikhism gives Hin- market-efficiency and so many other things.