To please Hindu vote bank, Chandy set to induct Chennithala into Cabinet

Ramesh Chennithala would join the Cabinet led by Oommen Chandy, in a bid to improve party’s relation with upper class Hindu vote bank. (IE Photo)

 

Kerala state Congress president Ramesh Chennithala would join the Cabinet led by Oommen Chandy, in a bid to improve party's relation with upper class Hindu vote bank. Hindu Nair outfit Nair Service Society has been sulking over the Congress' reluctance to induct Chennithala, a Nair, into the cabinet.
Chennithala's entry into the Cabinet has been in the air for several months, but a final decision came on Monday, after Defence Minister A K Antony held discussions with the leaders in Thiruvananthapuram and conveyed the party high command's intention in this regard. Chennithala is likely to get the Home portfolio, which is currently held by another Nair Congress leader Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan.
During earlier rounds of discussion on Chennithala's induction into the cabinet, his 'I' group had stuck to the stand that he should join the cabinet only as a home minister as that post would make him the second in command in the Chandy government. It is almost sure that Chennithala would get the home department.
United Democratic Front convener P P Thankachan told the media on Tuesday that a decision on Chennithala's portfolio would be taken today and he is likely to swear in as a minister on Wednesday. For the time being, Chennithala would continue as the party state president. Radhakrishnan would be given due role, indicating that he would be retained in the cabinet.
After the resignation of Kerala Congress (B) nominee K B Ganesh Kumar as forest minister in the wake of a case related to domestic violence, Chandy has been holding the departments of forest and sports. Kumar is also a Hindu Nair and close to NSS. With Ramesh becoming the home minister, Radhakrishnan is likely to be rehabilitated in the cabinet with one of the portfolios held by Kumar.
But, the Congress would have to tackle rebellion from senior UDF leader R Balakrishna Pillai, who wanted his son Kumar taken back into the cabinet. Kumar had settled the complaints related to domestic violence registered by his estranged wife.
NSS general secretary Sukumaran Nair welcomed the party decision to take Chennithala into the cabinet. Earlier, the NSS leader had threatened the Congress with dire consequences in the coming elections if Chennithala is given a key position in the government.
 

 

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UK Sikhs, Hindus criticise use of 'Asian' in criminality talk

British Sikhs and Hindus have launched an online petition asking politicians and media to stop using vague terms like "Asian" while talking of child sex grooming by gangs as it besmirches their communities.
Four leading religious groups — the Hindu Council UK, the Network of Sikh Organisations, the Sikh Media Monitoring Group and the Sikh Awareness Society — have sponsored the online petition, The Times said in a report today.
Political correctness should not stop the government from identifying "an emerging pattern of criminality" perpetrated by some British Pakistanis against predominantly white girls, they were quoted as saying by The Times.
The petition has called on British politicians and the media to stop using vague terms that "besmirch" their communities.
"By masking the identity of perpetrators by using the vague terminology 'Asian', we are unable to have a mature discussion or get to the root cause of an emerging pattern of criminality," the organisations claim, according to the report.
"In order to help find a solution to the problem, we need to be clear on the identity of those involved. We will not be able to do this if we mask the identity based on misguided views of protecting a vulnerable community of perpetrators and not looking at the vulnerable community of victims. Political correctness by some of our elected representatives is stifling an important debate," they were quoted as saying.
More than 600 people have signed the "ipetition" till last night, the report said.
Lord Indarjit Singh of Wimbledon, director of the Network of Sikh Organisations, complained in 2012 to the BBC about the word Asian being used "in an unhelpful, misleading and insensitive way".
His complaint was not upheld because the BBC said it was used in the relevant broadcast "to refer to the ethnicity of those involved, rather than their religion". However, the BBC did acknowledge his concerns.
The petition criticises Simon Danczuk, the Labour MP for Rochdale.
He said in a BBC interview: "We still need a breakthrough, I think, in terms of the Asian community."

Courtesy: dnaindia dot com

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Vedic varsity chancellor in 3-day custody in rape case

Chancellor of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic University Girish Varma was Monday remanded to police custody for three days after he was arrested in connection with a rape complaint filed nearly 10 months ago in Bhopal.
The alleged victim, a teacher at Maharshi Vidya Mandir, Ratanpur, had accused Varma, a nephew of Mahesh Yogi, of repeatedly raping her between 1998 and 2013. A former employee of a group institution, the woman alleged that the couple had received threats to withdraw the complaint.
Varma, who had refused to produce himself before the police, has described the case as an "elaborate conspiracy" against him and accused the couple of trying to blackmail him after the complainant's husband was fired from job. After the spiritual guru's death in 2008, Varma was entrusted the job of running the university and other institutions in the country.
The couple had knocked on several doors, including those of the state women's commission, but the police were dragging their feet over the complaint and till the arrest on Sunday, appeared to dispute the complainant's accusations.
When the police reached Varma's Bhopal residence he tried to evade arrest by claiming that he was meditating and that he would turn himself in after two days. Having registered an FIR in the afternoon, the Jahangirabad police waited for some time outside his home before forcing Varma to accompany them to the police station.
The police Friday took his statement at the Women's Police Station but let him go. While accusing the administration and police of giving him special treatment, the woman threatened to immolate herself if Varma was not arrested.

Courtesy:indianexpress dot com

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Construction of Hindu crematorium in Buntong to start next month

Current site: The Hindu burial ground at the Indian Settlement in Jalan Madras currently has a small building to burn the dead. The state government plans to replace this with the RM1.3mil public crematorium, which only needs a space of about 0.1 ha land for its construction. — filepic

THE construction work of a RM1.3mil Hindu crematorium in Buntong is expected to start next month.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir’s special officer C. Sivarraajh said the tender had been awarded to a reliable contractor.
He said plans had also been submitted to the Ipoh City Council.
Sivarraajh said Devastana Paripalana Sabha, the association overseeing the project, held a meeting with the state’s Economic Planning Unit (Upen) last week.
Sivarraajh, who is the MIC Youth chief, said if all goes well, work would start by January or latest February.
“There has been a slight delay of the project because the equipment is being imported from China.
“The funds, paperwork and other necessary works have all been finalised, and I will personally monitor the progress, since I stood as a candidate in Buntong at the last General Election,” Sivarraajh said last Wednesday.
It is learned that the crematorium would be sited near the Buntong Hindu cemetery.
Buntong assemblyman A. Sivasubramaniam had said in August that the state government had in 2012, allocated RM1.3mil to the association to build the crematorium but work had yet to begin.
He had claimed that the association had received warnings for misappropriation of funds and should not be given the responsibility for a public project.
He added that the Public Works Department should handle the project instead.

Courtesy:thestar. dot com

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Voluntary service offered for Hindu temples

Not satisfied with maintenance and upkeep of ancient Hindu temples at Katasraj in Chakwal district, the All India Mahajan Jagaran Manch (AIMJM) has announced to perform karsewa (voluntary service) at these temples.
"They white wash, clean and put lights in the temples before arrival of Hindu jathas from India and lock them as we leave Katasraj," AIMJM President Manch Gulshan Mahajan told Indian reporters.
Mahajan had recently returned from Katasraj pilgrimage. Notably, many Hindu devotees had complained of poor maintenance of Hindu temples and installation of khandit (broken) idols of Hindu deities. A few had even said that they were told by Pak officials that they had kept the idols in a museum for their preservation.
He said the temples should be opened daily and permanent priest should be appointed to perform daily religious rituals. He informed that MJM would communicate with the concerned ministry for seeking permission for karsewa.
All India Hindu Shiv Sena President Surinder Kumar Billa said, "According to my information there are no idols in the temples and makeshift arrangements are made during visit of Hindu jathas from India."
He also said that there was a broken Shivalingmam in a temple close to Amar Kund, which was polluted by the effluents coming from a nearby cement factory.

Courtesy:pakistantoday dot com dot pk

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Hindu Married to Non-Hindu Can't Get Divorce Under Act: HC

The Bombay High Court has held that a Hindu married to a non-Hindu in accordance with Hindu rituals cannot seek divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act.   
Accordingly, a bench headed by Justice V K Tahilramani upheld a family court order which rejected a petition filed by Niranjani Roshan Rao, a Hindu, seeking divorce from husband Roshan Pinto on the ground that he was a Christian at the time of marriage and was professing the same religion till today.           
As the family court rejected her petition, she moved the High Court, which, on December 24, rejected her appeal and upheld the lower court order.         
"We are of the view that an order passed by the learned judge of the Family Court is perfectly legal and calls for no interference in exercise of appellate jurisdiction," said the bench while dismissing the appeal.         
The appellant had filed the petition in family court seeking a decree of nullity of marriage and alternatively claimed divorce on the grounds of cruelty. She said, on January 13, 1999, she was married to respondent as per Hindu rituals. At the time of marriage, she was a Hindu while the respondent was a Christian.     
After their marriage, they continued to profess their respective religions. Even at the time of filing of the petition, they continue to practice and follow their respective religions.     
The appellant-wife argued that their marriage was null and void as it was in contravention of essential condition of valid marriage provided under section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, i.e both the partners should be Hindus at the time of marriage.        
The family court rejected the petition in exercise of powers under Order 7 Rule 11 of C.P.C, as the petition did not disclose any triable cause of action.   
In other words, the family court said the petitioner had no right to file such a petition under the Hindu Marriage Act and as such cannot seek any relief. Both were not Hindus at the time of marriage and hence do not fulfill the conditions laid down under the Act.
The high court observed that the appellant herself has stated that the respondent was not a Hindu at the time of marriage or thereafter.      
"If this condition is not fulfilled and there was no contravention of provisions under Section 5 of the Hindu Marriage Act, the family court was right in saying that she had no right to file such a petition", the bench said.
Moreover, provisions of Hindu Marriage Act can be applied in cases when both the spouses were Hindus and their marriage is performed as per Hindu rites and rituals, the Judges said.
It is also an essential condition under the Act that at the time of filing a petition for divorce, both the spouses were Hindus by religion, ruled the bench.

 

Courtesy:newindianexpress dot com

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NIA set to drop case against Sadhvi Pragya, others arrested by MP Police

The NIA has concluded that the Madhya Pradesh Police arrested the wrong people, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur.

Nearly six years after the murder of RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has concluded that the Madhya Pradesh Police arrested the wrong people, including Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. Joshi, an accused in the 2006 Malegaon blasts and the Samjhauta and Ajmer blasts in 2007, was found dead in Dewas on December 29, 2007.
According to the NIA probe, Joshi was killed by Lokesh Sharma and Rajender Pehalwan, both accused in the Samjhauta blasts case, for allegedly misbehaving with Thakur. The duo were reportedly helped by Dilip Jagtap and Jitender Sharma. All the four have been arrested. Sharma, a BJP youth wing leader, was arrested from Mhow recently, after which the NIA claimed the probe had been completed.
NIA sources said the group also feared that Joshi may expose their alleged involvement in bomb blast cases. Lokesh Sharma and Rajender Pehalwan are also reported to have had a financial dispute with Joshi.
The sources said the agency is seeking the home ministry's sanction to prosecute the four accused, after which a chargesheet will be filed. The agency is also examining the CFSL report on the murder weapon.
The agency then plans to approach the MP special court seeking to drop the charges against Pragya Singh Thakur, Harshad Solanki, Vasudev Parmar, Anand Raj Kataria and BJP councillor Ramcharan Patel, who were booked under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and 201 (destruction of evidence) by the MP Police.
While Thakur, an accused in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case, is currently in jail, Parmar, Kataria and Patel have been released on bail. Solanki is also still in jail for his alleged role in other crimes. The MP Police, in its chargesheet filed in 2011, had claimed that Joshi was shot by Harshad Solanki. It had said that Joshi was killed because Solanki and the others had started regarding him as a threat.

Courtesy:indianexpress

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Hindu nationalist party leader on Friday rejected criticism on 2002 religious riots in India

 

FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2013 file photo, Narendra Modi, leader of India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its prime ministerial candidate for next year's national elections, gestures at the party's office in New Delhi, India. An Indian court on Thursday, Dec. 26, 2013, rejected a petition seeking the prosecution of Modi in the killing of a former lawmaker and other Muslims during riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002. (AP Photo/Saurabh Das, File)

NEW DELHI - A Hindu nationalist party's prime ministerial candidate on Friday rejected criticism that he did not do enough to prevent the killings of nearly 1,000 Muslims during riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002.
Narendra Modi, the top state elected official, said in his blog that he was shaken to the core by the violence and his government had responded to the violence more swiftly and decisively than had been done in any previous Hindu-Muslim riots in India.
He is the Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate for national elections to be held before May.
"'Grief', 'Sadness', 'Misery', 'Pain', 'Anguish', 'Agony' - mere words could not capture the absolute emptiness one felt on witnessing such inhumanity," he wrote.
India's Information Minister Manish Tewari, a Congress party leader, said Modi had taken 11 years to get his emotions together "but still not a word of regret."
Political rivals and human rights groups have accused Modi of looking the other way while his state suffered from one of India's worst outbreaks of religious violence. They have been demanding an apology from Modi.
The riots occurred after a fire killed 60 passengers on a train packed with Hindu pilgrims. Hindu extremists blamed the deaths on Muslims, but the cause of the blaze remains unclear.

Courtesy:canada dot com

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Bid to Alienate Tribals from Hindu Religion

Taking a serious note of the efforts at converting the members of the tribal community to Christianity and “alienate them from the Hindu culture,” Kerala Vanavasi Vikas Kendram has called upon the Hindus to take up the cause of the tribals and fight for their birth rights.
Delivering the key-note address at the cultural meeting organised as part of the birth centenary of Balasaheb Deshpande, the founder of Akhila Bharatheeya Vanavasi  Kalyan Ashram, Seema Surakha all-India joint organising secretary A Gopalakrishnan said  here on Thursday that it was from the days of East India Company that the Western Christian missionaries had started the efforts to  convert the tribals on a massive scale.
He said attempts by Pentecostal missionaries to convert the tribal people from Hinduism to Christianity in Agasthyarkoodam forests, Wayanad and Attappadi had been going on unchecked.
However, he said, the activities of the Vanavasi Vikas Kendram had started showing results.
Two books were released at the function by Narayan Dev (Vanavasi Kalyan Akhila Bharatheeya Karyakari member) and K K Balaram (Pranta Saha Sangha Chalak, RSS).Mithraniketan director K Viswanathan, Mohan Triveni (Adivasi Mahasabha), Sivamritha Chaithanya, Mallan Kani, Reshan Master, P K Bhaskaran, Lakshmi Amma, C K Rajasekharan, Narayan (novelist) and others were honoured.

 

Courtesy:newindianexpress dot com

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Marriage under Hindu law not a contract to be undone by a deed, says Bombay High Court

Asks family court to hear divorce appeal by couple, who had simply signed an agreement to part ways.

Marriage under the Hindu law is not a contract that can be annulled by the signing of a deed of divorce by the couple themselves, the Bombay High Court has said, in a case that it termed as "very peculiar and most unusual."

The court was hearing an appeal against a family court order by a city couple who, unaware of the legal provisions for divorce, had dissolved their marriage by simply signing a deed between themselves. They did not approach a family court for a decree of divorce. Later, discovering the inadequacy of their deed, they petitioned the family court for "divorce by mutual consent", but the court refused to hear their plea on the grounds that they had already got divorced by signing the deed.

The HC division bench of Justice VK Tahilramani and Justice V L Achliya, earlier this week, directed the Bandra family court to dispose of the couple's plea as expeditiously as possible, even waiving the mandatory waiting period of six months for seeking divorce by mutual consent.

While passing the order, the HC observed that marriage under the Hindu law can never be treated as a "contract simplicitor" between two individuals. The bench observed: "Under the Hindu law, it is treated as a sacrosanct relation between two human beings placing certain obligations and duties against each other. So also the divorce in Hindu Marriage was a concept difficult of attainment and governed by stringent laws."

The couple were married in 2007, but differences arose between them just a year later. After all efforts to save the relationship failed, they chose to separate in June 2011 - but only through a "Deed of Divorce" which they got notarised. Both soon remarried.

That this deed did not legally annul the marriage only came to light when the wife -- now married to an American citizen of Indian origin --applied for a visa to the US Consulate. Her US-based husband had found her a job and wanted her to shift to that country.

The Consulate authorities brought it to her notice that her first marriage still subsisted. A few days after the personal interview at the Consulate, the authorities wrote her a letter in September this year, informing her that they were unable to issue her a visa as she had not produced a decree of divorce from an Indian court.

She immediately got in touch with her former husband, who agreed to file a petition seeking divorce by mutual consent. The family court, however, rejected the petition, observing that they had already got divorced through the deed of divorce "as per the custom and usages prevailing in their caste and community."

The wife's advocate, R M Upadhyay, argued before the HC that to accept divorce by "customs prevailing in the caste and community," there has to be a proven track record of such a custom. Moreover, the couple were both Hindus, and the Hindu Marriage Act contained no provision for getting divorced in that manner.

The HC accepted the argument and restored the petition seeking divorce by mutual consent. 

Courtesy: mumbaimirror dot com

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Indian court rejects prosecution of Hindu nationalist leader and PM candidate in 2002 riots

AHMADABAD, India - An Indian court on Thursday rejected a petition seeking the prosecution of a Hindu nationalist party's prime ministerial candidate in the killing of a former lawmaker and other Muslims during riots in the western state of Gujarat in 2002.
Magistrate B.J. Ganatara's ruling comes as a boost to Narendra Modi, the state's top elected official and the Bharatiya Janata party's prime ministerial candidate in national elections to be held before May.
Former Congress party lawmaker Ehsan Jafri was allegedly killed by Hindu rioters in a neighbourhood where dozens of Muslim families lived in Ahmadabad, Gujarat's largest city. Dozens of other Muslims also died in the neighbourhood attack.
In her petition to the court, Jafri's widow, Zakia Jafri, accused Modi of not doing enough to prevent the killings. Modi denies the charge.
On Thursday, Zakia Jafri expressed her disappointment with the court ruling. "I won't give up fight. I will appeal the verdict in a higher court," she told reporters.
Modi was the state chief minister when Hindu mobs rampaged through Muslim neighbourhoods, towns and villages in Gujarat in February-April 2002 that left about 1,000 people dead. Most of the dead were Muslims.
The riots occurred after a fire killed 60 passengers on a train packed with Hindu pilgrims. Hindu extremists blamed the deaths on Muslims, but the cause of the blaze remains unclear.
The religious violence was among India's worst since its independence from Britain in 1947.
 

Courtesy:canada dot com

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HC denies divorce to woman who claimed she didn’t know of husband’s religion

The Bombay High Court Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by a Hindu woman seeking nullity of her nearly 15-year-old marriage, who claimed that she was unaware at the time of marriage that her husband was Christian and hence the marriage under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955 cannot be held valid.
The woman had moved the court in 2011 stating that her marriage on January 13, 1999 as per Hindu rituals was null as her husband was a Christian and continued to profess the religion even after the marriage. Her lawyer submitted to the court that under the Hindu Marriage Act, the marriage can be performed only between two Hindus and if any one of the parties is not Hindu, the marriage would be a nullity. She claimed that her consent for the marriage was obtained fraudulently. She sought the annulment of the marriage or alternatively sought divorce on the grounds of cruelty.
"The surname of the respondent is 'Pinto' which is distinctly a Christian surname. Not only has the appellant not averred in the petition that she did not know at the time of the marriage that the respondent was not a Hindu but from the fact that surname of the respondent is 'Pinto' and other facts, it was clearly to the knowledge of the appellant that the respondent was a Christian at the time of the marriage. Thus, it is too late in the day to contend that her consent to the marriage was obtained by fraud and that the respondent had concealed from her the fact that he was a Christian," Justices V K Tahilramani and V L Achliya observed.
Upholding the order of the family court that granted no relief to the wife, the High Court also noted, " The appellant (wife) has stated in her petition that her father and the respondent's father were close friends. The appellant and the respondent were acquainted with each other since their childhood. Their marriage was love marriage.... It is pertinent to note that in the petition, the appellant has stated that her parents in fact opposed the marriage as she and the respondent were from different religions."

Courtesy:indianexpress

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Senate Approves Seat For Hindu Minority

Wednesday December 25, 2013
Kabul (BNA) At the Senate Meeting chaired by its speaker Fazul Hadi Muslimyar, the senate in addition to confirming of three international documents, confirmed the draft amendments at the election law pertaining to allocation of a seat for the Hindu community at the House of People.
Meanwhile, the agreement of friendship and cooperation between Afghanistan and Indonesia, the strategic agreement between Afghanistan and the Royal Government of Denmark and an agreement between Afghanistan and Britain and Northern Ireland with respect to aid to the academy of national army officers were adopted by the Senate meeting.
Meanwhile, the draft amendment and addition to the election law pertaining to allocation of a seat at the House of People for Hindu and Sikh community was adopted with majority vote of the senators.
However, the House of People in its general meeting had rejected it earlier while the senate considering allocation of the ten seats for the Kuchis and considering an empty seat at the House of People justified its confirmation.
It is said that in order to remove the differences of views between the Senate and the House of People a joint commission will be formed so that one of these options are confirmed.
At another part of the meeting, the senate discussed the complaints of the public with respect to electricity shortage in some parts of the Kabul city and it was decided that the head of the Breshna Company should summoned to one of the senate general meeting to provide explanation in this respect.
They also complained over the weak welcome of the protocol department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the International Kabul Airport and the head of the ministry’s protocol department was summoned to a senate meeting.
The senators also raised the issue of highway robberies and abductions on the roads towards Maidan Shahr and Ghourband were irresponsible armed people are behaving inappropriately with the commuters.
They asked the Ministry of Interior Affairs to undertake necessary preventive measures to stop such practices.
They also touched on a report released by the (One TV) that terrorists and abductors and the organizers of suicide bombings are freed with the meddling of the High Peace Council while this council without advancing reasons threatened the TV network for publishing this news.

Courtesy:bakhtarnews dot com dot af

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Respect Jesus teaching ; Christian bodies against Church conspiracy to include them in SC Category

Respect Jesus’ teachings and do not include us in SC category

New Delhi, December 24th 2013

The Poor Christian Liberation Movement (PCLM) and United Christian Democratic Forum (UCDF) have named Church Authorities of conspiring to include them in the Scheduled Caste list, which they said is not acceptable to Dalit Christians.

In an open letter to His Holiness Pope Francis and Church Authorities, the PCLM President R. L. Francis, Advocate George Tomas, Rev. Ashwini Kumar and P. B. Lomeo said that Dalits converted to Christianity prefer to preserve their dignity, and are willing to forgo Scheduled Caste tag.

Demanding compensation for the 30 million Dalit Christians, Mr. Francis said Dalits have suffered heavy economic losses by foregoing reservation and converting to Christianity to get respect and dignity in the Christian society.

At the all India level, the Church flaunts that it has 22 percent education institution and funding and 30 percent health monopoly. Thus, it has resources almost at par with the Government of India. If the Church has such an enormous power why are the Dalit Christian not even getting the crumbs?

Today, the Catholic Church Governance has six Cardinals, 30 Arch Bishops, 170 Bishops, 822 Major Superior and 25000 priests and over a lakh nuns. The surprising element is that in this huge administrative structure the number Dalit Christians holding of any importance cannot be counted on the fingers too.

In a press release, Mr. Francis said the efforts of the Indian Church authorities to put Dalit Christians yet again in the scheduled Caste list would promote casteism in Christianity. It’s a mockery of Jesus Christ’s birth as “Saviour” in Bethlehem.


R. L. Francis
President, PCLM
Courtesy:haindavakeralam

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Senate Approves Presidential Order For Hindu Seat

News - Afghanistan 


The Upper House of Parliament unanimously approved a Presidential order from Hamid Karzai that would create one seat for the Hindu and Sikh minority groups on Tuesday.
The Lower House has rejected the order last month, saying it was contrary to Afghanistan's Constitution.
In a legislative decree, President Hamid Karzai had asked Parliament to implement changes in the election so as to allocate one seat to the Hindu minority. The legislative order further says that a special election constituency should be considered in the election law for the Hindu minority.
Members of the Upper House said the Hindu minority should have a seat as ten seats have already been allocated to the Kochis (nomads).
"The presidential order was approved in majority and only seven votes were casted against the order," Senate Chairman Fazel Hadi Muslimyar said.
A joint parliamentary commission will now discuss the future of the order.
"The senate's decision is not the final stage, it will be referred to the joint parliamentary commission, and we hope that the joint commission approves the order," Hindu Senator Anarkali Honaryar said.
The Lower House consists of 249 seats. In a presidential order president Karzai had asked the lawmakers to allocate one seat to the Hindu minority and increase the number of seats to 250.

Courtesy: tolonews dot com

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Hindu Backlash to Lower House Seat Refusal

News - Afghanistan  

Members of the Sikh and Hindu minority in Afghanistan on Tuesday criticized the Lower House's refusal to approve a Presidential Decree that would designate a single seat to them in Parliament.
Although the Senate voted in favor of the change this week, it must now be forwarded on to a joint-chamber commission to have its fate decided.
The Hindu & Sikh Council called the Lower House's vote discriminatory, and demanded that their democratic rights be respected.
"We still cope with many religious and ethnic problems, and only a few people in Parliament can defend them...so the presence of one representative or more than one that could serve the interests of the Hindus in Parliament is essential," said Zehra Sepahr, the Chairperson of the Development & Support of Afghan Women & Children Organization.

The Hindu & Sikh Council argued that the addition of a new seat for the religious minority, which would raise the total number of seats in Parliament to 250, would not have any detrimental effect on the rights and powers of the other representatives.
"This is the 250th seat approved by the Upper House, and the rights of others wouldn't be violated," said Rawul Singh, a member of the Council.

The Hindu & Sikh Council in a resolution of their own declared that their civil and political rights had been violated by the Lower House stance, calling on the United Nations and other international bodies to take steps to protect religious minorities in Afghanistan.

Source:tolonews dot com

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Sangh Parivar Takes a Leaf Out of Christian Practice

The think tanks of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are calling on Hindu families for a social cause. Taking a leaf out of the Christian practice followed in families dedicating their children to the services of the church, RSS is now taking a step forward to put it in practice in Hindu families.Speaking to Express RSS Prantha Kariyavah(state secretary) P Gopalankutty Master said that in the past in Hindu and Christian communities there was a trend of one of the children in a family engaging in social service or opting for spiritual causes.

AP photo

“In Christian families parents had a tendency to allow one of their children to  take up the religious cause and become a priest or a nun. In Hindu families parents had no problem in one of their kids opting for  politics to serve the country. But now no parents can afford to allow this as most Hindu families have single child,” he said. Expressing serious concern over the growing demographic imbalance in South India, he however denied reports of issuing any circular to promote the idea of Hindu parents to have three children instead of the current trend of just one.Akhila Bharatheeya Kariyaakri Mandal held in Kochi last month had taken serious note of the growing trend of Jihadi elements contributing to the destabilisation of the country. RSS Sarsangha Chalak (RSS chief) Mohan Bhagwat  had recollected at the meeting that RSS former chief K S Sudarshan also had pointed out to the fact that the Hindu  population were becoming a minority in several districts of South India. Bhagwat had stressed the need for taking a relook at the current family planning policy.
Gopalankutty Master said RSS had not conducted any survey to pinpoint the growth of any particular community. However, he said it was a known fact that Hindu parents in South India were following a policy of opting for single child family in majority of cases, whereas parents from a particular community were not following the dictum.
“The growing demographical imbalance will be dangerous to the country. It is not the question of Hindus becoming minorities. In case of a particular community taking charge in all realms it would trigger serious issues which cannot be tackled easily,” Gopalankutty Master said.
 Reacting to the issue, RSS Akhil Bharatheeya Saha Prachar Pramukh J Nandakumar denied reports of issuing any circular on promoting the idea of three or more children for a family. He, however, said it was high-time for the country to take a relook at the growing demographic imbalance and related chaos to follow.
 “Where ever the Hindus became a minority, the country’s integrity and stability are in peril,” he said. There were three factors -  infiltration, conversion and uncontrolled child birth - among a particular community and the reluctance to follow the civil laws had  contributed to the growing demographic imbalance, he said.
 The end result will be communal violence,  loss of trust between communities and even  threat to the security of the nation. “Nobody is willing for an open discussion. In case anyone wants to speak about it, there is an apprehension that he or she will be branded as communal. It is time for a reality check,” Nandakumar said.

Courtesy:newindianexpress dot com

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Call to popularise Sanskrit in the country

'There are more Sanskrit colleges and Sanskrit students in Germany than in India - the birthplace of the language.'

There were more Sanskrit colleges and Sanskrit students in Germany than in India - the birthplace of the language, Commissioner for Collegiate Education B.G. Nanda Kumar said and called upon the authorities and lovers of the language to popularise it.

Delivering the valedictory speech at the fifth International Vedic Science conference jointly organised by the National Institute of Vedic Sciences Trust of the Sri Sripadaraja Math and the Rashtriya Samskrit Samsthana, a Union Government unit, here on Sunday, Mr. Nanda Kumar attributed the lack of interest in popularising the language to the ignorance of its value and heritage.

He said that people were not aware of the hoary past of the country, including its languages, culture and civilisation.

Mr. Nanda Kumar said that Sanskrit has rich information on a variety of fields, including Ayurveda and mathematics.

He promised help to the institute for imparting information on science that Sanskrit contained .

Maharani’s Art College principal Ravikumar told Mr. Nanda Kumar that posts of Sanskrit teachers/lectures were vacant in many schools/colleges and urged him to take steps to fill them.

Keshavanidhi Tirtha Swamiji of Sri Sripadaraja Math and Vidyasagara Madhavatirtha Swamiji of Tambihalli Math spoke. Vice-chairman of the trust N.S. Lakshminarayana was present. 

Courtesy: the hindu

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London school teaches students Vedic maths

A private British primary school chain in London has been training its pupils in Vedic mathematics for more than a decade, even as including the subject in school curriculum is a matter of debate in the country of its origin.

Vedic mathematics is taught compulsorily to pupils of the multi-cultural private chain of three schools, St. James’ Independent Schools, according to its former deputy principal, James Glover. Mr. Glover says he taught the subject to over 400 children from eight classes for over 15 years. The London school teaches pupils aged between five and 13 Vedic mathematics in English, interspersed with Sanskrit hymns.

Mr. Glover was in Bangalore to attend an international Vedic science conference organised by the National Institute of Vedic Sciences.

“Learning Vedic mathematics is fun, as it creates a sense of magic of numbers among children,” he told The Hindu. According to him, the subject offers “fast and efficient methods” for solving problems.

Meanwhile, the national educational advisory body, National Council of Educational Research and Training, is yet to decide on introducing Vedic mathematics in schools in India. The proposal has been criticised in some quarters.

Mr. Glover, who now teaches Maths and Sanskrit at the Herschel Grammar School in London, remarked that Sanskrit education in India needs to be streamlined. In the 800 Sanskrit schools in the State, students were not enthusiastic about learning the language, he said. 

Courtesy: The Hindu

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Nepalis Must Decide on Becoming Hindu State: BJP leader

Kathmandu, Dec 23 (IANS) Nepal, which embraced secularism in 2008, will only be declared a Hindu state if the people of Nepal want it and not just because the BJP thinks so, party leader Bhagat Singh Koshiyari said here Monday.

The former Uttarakhand chief minister held talks with various Nepali leaders, including President Ram Baran Yadav and Interim Election Council chairman Khil Raj Regmi in the past three days.
After a decade-long people's war waged by Maoists and upon agreement among political parties, Nepal declared itself a secular republic in 2008, after more than two-and-half centuries of monarchy.
At that time, Nepal was the only Hindu state in the world. The country is still dominated by Hindus, whose numbers stand at more than 80 percent of the population, according to the 2011 census.
After recent reports in Kathmandu that the Bharatiya Janata Party wants to see Nepal as a Hindu state, Koshiyari Monday said that Nepal cannot return to a Hindu state just because the BJP or its leaders like Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh or himself want so.
Nepal will only be declared a Hindu state if the people of Nepal want it and establish it through a vote, he said.
He made it clear that none of his leaders, Modi or party president Rajnath Singh, have ever said that they want Nepal to become a Hindu state.
"Nepal as a nation will be called a Hindu majority nation, as the majority of people are Hindus and no one can destroy the Hindu culture by the wish of someone," he said.
"We agree with the desire put forth by the Nepali people where people's regime should prevail," Koshiyari said.
He said India wants to see democracy and development in Nepal regardless of the government model, be it monarchy or British-style democracy.
"We just want to see a stable government in Nepal," Koshiyari said.
He said that once Nepal has a stable government, he will take the initiative for the construction of the Pancheshwor multipurpose project that aims to produce 3,240 MW hydropower and will help in irrigation on both sides.
The project, located in Nepal along the border with Uttarakhand, is part of the Mahakali treaty signed by Nepal and India in 1996.

Courtesy :in.news.yahoo.com

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Hindu school teacher goes missing in Peshawar

PESHAWAR: A Hindu school teacher was allegedly kidnapped by unidentified people while on her way back home from school near the Pakistan Radio Colony on Saturday afternoon.
Faqir Chand, the father of the missing 25-year-old woman Sapna Rani, said his daughter is a teacher at the Peshawar Science Academy near Ayub Flour Mill on GT Road.
While talking to The Express Tribune, he said Rani went to school at around 7:45am on Saturday morning and when she did not return till 4:00pm, the family started to worry.
After trying in vain to locate her, Chand’s nephew Suraish Kumar went to the Paharipura Police Station to lodge a missing report after which ASI Sardar Ali Khan registered a case and launched investigations.
Bindya Rani, the kidnapped woman’s grief-stricken mother, said “We don’t have an enmity with anyone,” and pleaded to the government to do everything in its power to find her daughter.

Courtesy:tribune dot com dot pk

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Dancers light up school to learn about Diwali festival

Annapurna Dance at Field Lane School, Rastrick. Hannah Sharp 10, Chevanah Matheson 11 and Alicia Dwyer nine.

Music and dance lit up Field Lane Primary School in
Rastrick as pupils learnt about the Diwali.
Annapurna Dance group visited the Rastrick school to teach children traditional dances and about the festival itself.
The organisation has been working with young people across the region for some time.
Shantha Rao, from Annapurna, said the chance to find new audiences through the scheme was a great opportunity.
“Our main aim is to bring communities together through the children, their parents and the staff,” she said. “We have a beautiful culture to share and we want to share it with everybody as it’s important to celebrate the quality of opportunity and to raise the profile of Asian culture by getting involved in these cross-curricular activities.”
Headteacher at Field, Vanessa Dear, said the day was all about working with people from different communities.
“We had a wonderful session with Shantha and her dancers who created a really exciting and interesting day for our children and staff
“Every pupil in the school was involved and enthused by what they experienced. We’re now looking at more ways we can work with Annapurna to boost the work of our school community as well as using Artsmark to assess the quality of our efforts to bring arts and cultural experiences to our children.”
Courtesy: brighouseecho dot co dot uk

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'Hindu Garjana' Has Cops on Their Toes in Tirupati

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  Pontiffs of various Hindu mutts during the ‘Hindu Garjana’ in Tirupati on Friday. The meeting was organised as a protest against the construction of the Heera International Islamic University at Tondavada near Tirupati | EXPRESS PHOTO
  

The ‘Hindu Garjana’ organised in the temple town put the police on tenterhooks for some time. Heavy police bandobust was seen at the TUDA grounds where the meeting was held and also at the Islamic University at Tondavada against which the Hindu outfits held the protest.
The Tirumala Tirupati Pavitrata Samrakshana Vedika (TTPSV), which proposed the meeting, was denied permission by the authorities concerned. With this, Vedika leaders threatened to besiege the University, if they were denied permission to hold the meeting at TUDA grounds.
However, as tension started to build up, the authorities gave permission at the last minute but did not take any chances and put tight security at the university.
All the lanes leading to the Islamic University at Tondavada, more than 10 kilometres from Tirupati, were barricaded and policemen deployed there. They did not allow anyone to go near the premises.
Policemen kept guard even in bushes and small bylanes that lead to the university premises to prevent anyone reaching there.
Armed police and special parties were also deployed aniticpating trouble.
At TUDA grounds too, police and paramilitary forces were deployed around the premises to prevent any attempt to take out a rally or the activists to proceed towards the university.
Police heaved a sigh of relief after the meeting passed off peacefully and the activists left the place.

Courtesy:newindianexpress dot com

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Our Hopes Were Dashed, Say Pakistani Hindus

The Hindu Hindus from Pakistan demonstrating at Jantar Mantar on Friday. Photo: Shiv Kumar Pushpakar 

A group of 29 Hindus from the Sindh province of Pakistan have been demonstrating at Jantar Mantar here for the past four days to demand that the Indian Government provide them food, shelter and jobs.

On October 5 this year, the group entered India legally, seeking a better future for themselves. However, they were allegedly asked by customs officials at Munabao in Barmer district of Rajasthan to hand over the jewellery they had carried.

According to Panju Mal, who sold off his farm in Hyderabad and bought jewellery with the money, they entered India in the hope that they would be accepted.

“But all our hopes were dashed when the customs officials at Munabao, which borders Pakistan, insisted that the women remove their jewellery items like bangles and earrings. They told us that jewellery was taxable. Since we did not have Rs. 5 lakh to pay, we had to leave them there,” he told The Hindu.

The group went to a local police station and had an FIR filed. “But the FIR was filed on behalf of four women and not all eight whose jewellery is with the officials. The FIR is in Hindi, which we cannot read. We were given phone numbers which nobody picks up,” he said.

He added: “We want the Indian Government to give us jobs so that we can feed our families. Wherever we go people ask to show our identity cards. Our month-long tourist visa has expired and we have no money.”

He is worried about his mother, a senior citizen, whose blood sugar level has increased alarmingly but he cannot buy medicines for her.

At the moment, there are 1,114 Hindus, of which 50 are children and 30 are women, from Sindh at Jantar Mantar who came to India on tourist visas at different days.

Conversant in English, Parthi, who studied Humanities from the Government Girls College in Hyderabad, said the job prospect for Hindus in Pakistan is pretty bleak.

“In Government jobs, 95 per cent are reserved for the majority. And the minorities have only five per cent jobs. We have no future there and this was the reason we have come to India.”

Like others, Narain Das too sold off his shop and used the money earned from it to prepare jewellery.

“Now our deplorable condition has become similar to beggars. We do not have a house to live in and our women and children are braving the inclement cold weather of Delhi. We plead the Indian Government to give us roti, kapra and makan.”

Pointing out that an important reason for abandoning Pakistan was that Islam was taught in schools, Mr. Das said from nursery to Class V it is compulsory for all schools to teach Quran.

“After a three year gap, students are again taught Quran from Class IX to XII. Our children can recite the holy text of Muslims but we do not want our children to convert to another religion.”

He said the Panchayat in Hyderabad had paid Rs.13 lakh to authorities to construct a cremation ground for the Hindus. “But it was not constructed. In 1947,

Hindus in Sindh were living in large numbers but now only 13 lakh are staying. We could not migrate to India because we were working under zamindars.”

He shows a photocopy of his passport to show that he has permission to stay in Delhi, Jodhpur and Mathura.

A burly man, Khemchand was a commission agent at a vegetable market in Karachi but is now living in a hand to mouth condition.

“But we are happy to be in India. The truth is that majority of Hindus in Pakistan want to settle down here. But only a limited number of people get visas.” 

Courtesy:the hindu dot com

 

 

 

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Tamil writer and Vedic scholar Swaminatha Athreyan dead

His works include Samartha Ramadas Charitam, a book on Anjaneya temples

Tamil writer and Vedic scholar Swaminatha Athreyan, who delved deep into the keerthanas of Saint Thiyagaraja and translated Tulsi Ramayana into Tamil, died on Thursday at Thanjavur. He was 94.

Athreyan, one of the writers of Manikodi, a trail blazer in the modern Tamil literature, recreated specific incidents in the life of Thiyagaraja as short stories, that gave birth to different compositions.

The collection was later published as Thiyagaraja Anubhavangal.

A close friend of Tamil writers T. Janakiraman and Karichan Kunchu, Athreyan had written a total of 28 such stories over the years, but only 12 of these survive now.

Ku.Pa. Rajagopalan encouraged him to write and his stories were published in literary journals such as Manikodi, Kanaiyazhi. 

Athreyan once said that he could get a glimpse of Thiyagaraja’s mind after listening to Umayalpuram Swaminatha Bhagavatar during his student days in Kumbakonam.

His other works include Samartha Ramadas Charitam, a two-volume book on Anjaneya temples in the country.

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Fire Destroys Middle Ga. Hindu Worship Center

LIZELLA, Ga. — Middle Georgia fire officials are working to determine the cause of a blaze that destroyed a Hindu worship and community center in Lizella.

Macon-Bibb Fire District Chief Richard Blair told the Telegraph of Macon that flames were shooting through the building's roof when he arrived Wednesday night. Blair says four people who were inside escaped without injuries.

Fire Chief Marvin Riggins told WMAZ-TV the building's occupants were in a separate area and were unaware of the fire until someone called to tell them about it.

The worship center occupied the space of a former middle school about 12 miles west of Macon.

Blair says the building can't be salvaged, and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is helping investigate the blaze.

Source: 11alive dot com

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Hindus, Satanists banned from putting up monuments at Oklahoma Capitol

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — After hearing from Satanists, Hindus and an animal rights group, the panel that oversees the grounds at the Oklahoma Capitol says it's not taking any more requests for new displays at the Statehouse.

The Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission voted Thursday to approve the ban until a court dispute over the current Ten Commandments monument is settled. It was that monument that the New York-based Satanic Temple said opened the door for it to seek its own display at the Statehouse in Oklahoma City.

That was followed by similar requests from a Hindu leader in Nevada, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and the satirical Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

"At this time, I believe action by the (commission) on any of these requests would be premature given that the lawsuit has yet to be decided," said Commission Chairman Trait Thompson.

The Republican-controlled Legislature in 2009 authorized the placement of the privately funded Ten Commandments monument at the state Capitol, and former Gov. Brad Henry, a Democrat, signed the bill into law. It was placed on the north steps of the building last year, and the Oklahoma chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union has sued to have it removed.

Brady Henderson, legal director for ACLU Oklahoma, said that if state officials allow one type of religious expression, they must allow others as well.

"The best solution is to say: 'Let's just get out of the religious monument business," Henderson said. "This isn't an issue that can be solved with more and more religions or points of view represented."

The Satanic Temple said earlier this month that it would file a formal request with the commission. A spokesman for the group said it's nearly finished with the application and that the moratorium should not be applied retroactively.

"At the state Capitol a monument to the Ten Commandments still stands," spokesman Lucien Greaves said in an email to The Associated Press. "If ... the monument to the Ten Commandments remains, then our case for placing a Satanic monument still holds merit."

A fundraising website dedicated to erecting the satanic monument showed the group had raised nearly $8,000 toward its $20,000 goal as of Thursday afternoon.

Thompson said Thursday's vote won't affect a state senator's plans to erect a privately funded Bill of Rights monument.

"I can't tell the Legislature what to do," Thompson said. "That's completely up to them."

Courtesy:komonews dot com

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Khairpur Hindu traders threaten to move business to India

Thursday, December 19, 2013
From Print Edition

SUKKUR: Hindu traders in Khairpur have threatened to move their businesses to India if police did not stop their atrocities against them.

According to reports, local Hindu traders had been observing shutter down for last four days in Nara, Peerano Pattan, Choundiko and Sikandarabd against what they call the atrocities of Station House Officer Mansoor Nizamani.

They alleged they were tortured by the police when they refused to give extortion.

Representatives of traders Siri Chand and Kirshan Das said that police instead of providing them security demanding money. On their refusal, fake cases were registered against them, they added.

Courtesy:thenews dot com dot pk

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Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal Stable

Thursday, Dec 19, 2013, 18:30 IST | Place: Gurgaon | Agency: IANS

Ashok Singhal.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal's condition is stable, a doctor said on Thursday.
The 87-year-old Singhal, the former international president of the Hindu organization, was admitted to Medicity Medanta hospital here Monday for general checkup and treatment.
"His vitals are stable and parameters were under acceptable limits," a senior doctor at Medicity said.
"Singhal had a complaint of high blood pressure and blood sugar," he said.
Singhal was international president of the VHP for over 20 years until stepping down Dec 20, 2011 due to ill-health. He was succeeded by Raghava Reddy.

Source:dnaindia dot com

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Fatwas ban outsiders’ entry in Rameshwaram villages

Source: News Bharati English  |  12/16/2013 2:44:19 PM

Chennai, December 16 : Fatwas by Islamic institutions in and around Muslim dominated Rameshwam and neighbouring villages have banned outsiders from entering the villages. 

Ramanathapuram district, 527 km south of Chennai, which houses Rameswaram Temple and many holy shrines, is getting out of bound for outsiders. Local Jamaath Councils have issued ‘fatwas’ declaring Muslim-majority villages out of bound for people even from the district itself.

Entrances to Athiyuthu, Puthuvalassai, Panaikulam, Azhagankulam and Sitharkottai sport such boards, all put up by the local Jamaath Councils. “There are boards deep inside these villages which declare outsiders are not allowed,” said B Arumugam, who acted as a guide to this correspondent. Interestingly, all these villages have a strong Muslim population.

“Advertising (banners, posters and pamphlets) and honking (from vehicles) without permission is prohibited inside the Panchayath. By Order - Muslim Jamaath Thajul Islam Sangh, Pottakavayal”, is the board which welcomes the visitor to the village entrance on the Attrankarai Road, hardly 10 kilometre from Ramanathapuram town. “For the last 20 years, only Muslim candidates had been elected from this constituency. Only Muslims could be elected from this Assembly constituency,” said N Suriyaprakash, a civil engineer-turned-politician.

Ramanathapuram is represented in the Tamil Nadu Assembly by MH Jawahirullah of the Muslaim Munnetra Kazhagam (MMK), an Islamic outfit. The MMK was an ally of the AIADMK in the 2011 Assembly election and switched over to the DMK camp during the July 2012 Rajya Sabha election. “Both the Dravida parties are responsible for this sad state of affairs,” said Kuppuramu, a lawyer. He said the DMK, the Congress and the AIADMK, in order to appease the minorities look the other way when Islamic fundamentalists unleash a reign of terror.

Kuppuramu took this reporter to Pamban, a village near Rameswaram island, the birth place of Pamban Swami, a great Saivite saint. The Panchayath road has a board put by the Islamic extremists banning outsiders from the road: “Not a public thoroughfare. Ladies move about in this place,” says the board.

Pamban Swamy (1848-1929), who preached love, compassion, kindness and equality, would be turning in his grave if he comes to know what his successors have done in his place of birth. The Hindu community is a scared lot because of the ever growing Islamic extremism in the district. “During the DMK regime in 2008, some Muslim youths hoisted the national flag with chappals at Vethalai village. The case was hushed up by Hassan Ali, the then MLA of the Congress,” said Kuppuramu. He said there was another instance of tricolour with chappals being hoisted in Puthumadom village which too was hushed up Hassan Ali.

Efforts to contact the district collector and superintendent of police were futile. Though e-mails were sent to both the officials, there were no replies. “The collector is busy in meeting senior officials. We are yet to check the mail,” Dharman, his personal secretary told The Pioneer on being asked about the email.

R Nataraj, former director general of police, Tamil Nadu, said it was not proper to put up such boards. “I don’t think even the government has the power to put up such boards. But we have to find out why they have put up boards like this,” said Nataraj. BR Haran, a political commentator, and Gowthaman, director of  Vedic Science Research Centre, Chennai, who accompanied this reporter to the spots, were told by villagers of Azhagankulam that they have no other way but to fall in line. “We can never survive here without their cooperation. We are all businessmen and why should we bother about such boards?” asked Nithyanandam, a building contractor at Azhagankulam.

The villagers are still in a state of shock as some Muslim youth slaughtered a cow in front of the Muneeswarankoil Temple. “The Jamaath Council president and secretary told us that they were helpless as the youth would not listen to them,” said Senthilvel, a foreign exchange dealer in the village. Suba Nagarajan, a BJP leader in Ramanathapuram, said the Muslims in the district are on a warpath with the Hindus since 1981. “Religious conversion and smuggling are rampant in the district. Panna Ismail and Bilal Mohammed, who murdered Hindu leader Vellaiyappan in July 2013 at Vellore had come to Keezhakarai after the murder. The police should probe the details of their visit to Keezhakarai,” he said.

According to Kuppuramu, nearly 50 per cent of the business establishments in Ramanathapuram are owned by members of the Musilm community. “A Hindu can launch his business only if he gets approval from the Muslim community. This is an unwritten rule in the district,” said Kuppuramu. He said his efforts to meet the superintendent of police ended in futile as the officer was busy most of the time.

The local population is of the view that Chief Minister Jayalalithaa is the only person who could solve this fundamentalism tangle. “She made the police track down the killers of Hindu leaders by constituting the Special Investigation Division. The same SID may be able to resolve this issue,” said Shiva Thavasimani, Hindu Munnani leader.

(With Agency Inputs)

Courtesy: en dot newsbharati dot com

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8 Awami activists get death for murder of Hindu man

Eight student activists of the ruling Awami League were sentenced to death and 13 others were given life terms on Wednesday by a fast-track court in Dhaka for hacking to death a Hindu man during a nationwide strike in 2012.

“They (the eight) will be hanged to death,” pronounced tribunal-4 judge A.B.M. Nizamul Haque at the packed courtroom as six convicts appeared in the dock.

During the 10-minute proceedings of the day, the court observed that Biswajit Das’ murder case is quite different from the others. It took place in the broad daylight instead of night which was heinous and deplorable killing, the court said.

Two other death penalty convicts and 11 of the 13, who were awarded the life term, were tried in absentia as they were on the run to evade punishment.

Under the Bangladeshi law, the High Court must review death penalties even if the convicts do not appeal against the lower court’s verdicts.

The Chhatra League activists hacked to death the 24-year-old tailor on the street in Old Dhaka’s Bahadur Shah Park area on December 9, 2012 during the opposition enforced blockade. The incident was captured live on television cameras.

Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) is the student front of the Awami League.

Sutrapur police filed a murder case in this regard on the same day. On June 2, 2013 charges were framed against the 21 Chhatra League activists. The murder drew flack on the ruling Awami League.

Reacting to the verdict, Mr. Das’s brother said, “I am satisfied...we got justice.” 

Courtesy:thehindu dot com

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Buddhists, Hindus together construct Chhorten in Solukhumbu

Buddhists and Hindus in Salleri-7 in Solukhumbu district have jointly constructed a Buddha Chorten (a Buddhist shrine) as a symbol of religious harmony.
A new Chorten was constructed at Chhalyamu of Salleri-7 the same place where the old Chhorten was located. The old Chhorten was replaced by a new one as it was in dilapidated condition.
The Chhorten was constructed at the initiatives and support of all communities including Newar, Sherpa, Chhetri and Magar living in the area. The Chhorten was inaugurated on Tuesday. Its construction had started one month ago.
A total of Rs. 156,700 was invested to construct the Chhorten. The amount was provided by different individuals.

 Courtesy:nepalnews dot com

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'Hindu god' Littledean cannabis couple spared jail by judge

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  Gloucester Crown Court
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  Katarzyna Dryden-Chouen
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  Gloucester Crown Court
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  Katarzyna Dryden-Chouen

HUSBAND and wife Katarzyna and Clive Dryden-Chouen have walked free from court after growing vast quantities of cannabis which they claimed they would burn as a spiritual offering to a Hindu god.
The couple not only had numerous plants in various states of growth, but kilograms of harvested crop when police raided their Littledean home last year.
Their diaries also contained entries which police thought indicated they had been supplying the drugs to other people.
But after hearing their two young children, one of whom has learning difficulties, would suffer if they were jailed, the judge imposed suspended sentences.
Clive, 60, and Katarzyna, 47, had been charged with possession with intent so supply and money laundering relating to a quarter of a million pounds which had passed through her hands.
But following a three-week trial at Gloucester Crown Court, a jury cleared them of those charges, leaving just the production offence, which they had admitted.
Police raided their home in Church Street in August last year and found 15 established and 41 juvenile plants as well as kilograms of plant matter, including flowering heads. They also recovered the paraphernalia for growing the plants, more than £12,000 in cash and the diaries which also detailed the cultivation of the crop.
In the lounge was a shrine to the Hindu god of Shiva, who has a close association with hemp.
Fiona Elder, for Katarzyna, said her client was using a lot of valium at the time and went too far in her religious devotion.
She said: “She took a course in this particular part of her life when she became obsessed, I think for want of a better word, with cannabis and its properties and the spiritual side of it.
“Your Honour will also know at the same time it was revealed in evidence, and the subject of one of the charges on the indictment, the increasing use of valium.
“She seemed to become what she eventually said in evidence, dependant upon that. It had an impact on the way she behaved in that period.”
She said they had two young sons, who social services said were well brought up, but the impact on them of her being jailed would be immense.
Robert Duval, for Clive, said: “He has come within an iota of destroying his own family. The stability of it and the financial future of it.”
He said the money recovered had been signed over to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and they would be pursued for any other unpaid tax.
Judge Alistair McGrigor said: “The jury found you not to have been supplying cannabis to others throughout those years and not to have made any criminal property.
“This was effectively an excessive self production for your own consumption.”
Giving them credit for their plea he said: “There is a matter that goes against your credit: you have two young children at home that rely on you.
“You had filled the house with the accoutrements of cannabis production and that along with your behaviour would have had an affect on your children.
“If you were to go into prison this would cause further considerable hardship to your children. That is why this is going to be dealt with by way of a suspended sentence.”
He imposed 10-month jail terms suspended for two years and ordered they each do 120 hours of community service.

Courtesy:gloucestercitizen dot co dot uk

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Jamaat-Shibir men defy joint patrol, chase Hindus

Panic haunts around 600 families belonging to the Hindu community at eight villages of Bawra and Jongra unions in Patgram upazila under the district as Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir launched several attacks on the minority community during the last two months.
Lastly on Sunday midnight, Parapukur Mandir, a heritage temple at Shafinagar village of Bawra union was attacked and six idols of gods and goddesses were vandalised there, during the countrywide hartal called by Jamaat.
Joint forces started patrolling the areas on Monday night but the minority people are too panicked to lead a normal life as Jamaat-Shibir activists continued threatening them to withdraw the cases filed for attack on the minority people.
Seeing a few Hindus walking along Baura-Shafinagar road in Patgram upazila yesterday, Jamaat-Shibir men chased them.
“Shafinagar is our native village, Bangladesh is our motherland, we were born here and we want to die here. But our peaceful living is threatened due to repeated attacks by Jamaat-Shibir men,” said Harendra Nath Roy, caretaker of Parapukur Mandir.
“Due to frequent attacks and threats by Jamaat-Shibir men many Hindus are still out of their homes. Around one hundred Hindu families in the village are virtually barred from moving freely in the local bazaar for weeks,” said Sunil Chandra Sen, 48, a leader of the local Hindu community.
Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men attacked Hindus in the area and vandalised, looted and torched 18 shops on October 27, during the countrywide 60-hour hartal enforced by BNP-led 18-party alliance, locals said.
On October 29, a case was lodged with Patgram police station accusing 111 Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men in connection with the incident.
Local Hindus blamed Bawra Union Parishad (UP) chairman Habibul Haque Basuniya and UP member Habibur Rahman Manik for ‘instigating’ the Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men to attack on the minority people.
Denying the allegation, Habibul Haque Basuniya said he formed a peace committee comprising 25 members from both the Muslim and the Hindu communities in the village to restore peaceful environment yesterday noon.
Around 60 Hindu families at Ghoshpara village of Jongra union in Patgram upazila are also passing their days amid panic as Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised and looted five shops and two houses of Hindus there on November 28, during the BNP-led opposition called three-day countrywide blockade.
A case was lodged with Patgram police station accusing 40 people including three identified Jamaat and Shibir leaders for the incident.
“Many people in the village, including myself, are still staying away from homes as Jamaat-Shibir men continued threatening us,” said Dhanjit Chandra Ghosh, a local.

Courtesy :The daily star dot net

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Urban Outfitters forced to pull $8 Ganesh socks from sale after Hindu community accuses it of 'hurting our devotees'

Urban Outfitters has come under fire from the Hindu community over a pair of $8 socks.

Rajan Zed, the president of the Universal Society of Hinduism, says that Urban Outfitters’s socks featuring the ancient deity Lord Ganesh are a misinterpretation of the Hindu religion.

‘Lord Ganesh was highly revered in Hinduism and was meant to be worshipped in temples or home shrines and not to be wrapped around one's foot,’ Mr Zed said of the socks in a statement aimed at Urban Outfitters executives.

The culprit: Urban Outfitters's $8 Ganesh socks have sparked backlash from the Hindu community

‘Inappropriate usage of Hindu deities or concepts for commercial or other agenda was not okay as it hurts the devotees,’ he added.

Mr Zed’s comments, which addressed UO president Richard Hayne and company CEO Ted Marlow, has prompted the retailer to remove the socks from its website and stores.
‘We appreciate Rajan Zed and the Universal Society of Hinduism for bringing this matter to our attention and for helping us understand the cultural and religious sensitivities this product carries.
We will remove the Ganesh Socks immediately from our website and stores,’ a spokesperson for Urban Outfitters told The Huffington Post.

Removed: Urban Outfitters has since removed the socks from its website and says that the product will also be pulled from store shelves

Statesman: Rajan Zed (pictured above) feels that Ganesh's likeness should not be wrapped around a foot or be used to draw a profit

On their respective e-commerce link, the Ganesh socks’ product’s image has been replaced with a sign that says ‘sold out.’ They are no longer available for online purchase.

Yesterday Mr Zed took to his Twitter account to thank Urban Outfitters for their response.

‘Thanks Urban Outfitters for understanding the concerns of upset Hindus & thus apologizing & removing socks carrying image of Lord Ganesh,’ he dispatched.
Lord Ganesh is a Hindu deity that is portrayed with the head of an elephant and the body of a Siddha (a term for someone who has reached a high degree of physical and mental enlightenment).

In appreciation: Zed in return, took to Twitter to thank Urban Outfitters for its quick response

Ganesh is considered by Hindus to be the remover of obstacles, as well as the patron saint of arts and sciences and the deity of intellect and wisdom. For these reasons, Ganesh figures are often found in yoga studio asana rooms.

Ganesh’s likeliness is also sometimes printed onto clothing produced by small, yoga-centric brands.

 Courtesy:dailymail dot co dot uk

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An Avid Shutterbug, Driving Enthusiast, Sanskrit Scholar

By Express News Service - THIRUVANANTHAPURAM

Published: 17th December 2013 10:24 AM

Last Updated: 17th December 2013 10:24 AM

Police offering state honours to the mortal remains of Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma at Panchavadi on the premises of the Kowdiar palace on Monday | Kaviyoor Santhosh

Other than being the head of the Travancore Royal Family and a ‘Padha Dasamanab’, Uthradom Thirunal Marthanda Varma was a multifaceted personality - an ardent lover of photography, a driving enthusiastic, a Sanskrit scholar and a voracious reader.
Marthanda Varma had a passion for photography from a tender age and it was his brother, the last ruler of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, who presented him his first camera. With the Rolleiflex camera presented to him in 1934 he learned the basics of photography and then there was no looking back.
His passion for photography took him to take a air sortie on the VTAYK aircraft that the Travancore Royal Family owned in 1939, all over the erstwhile Travancore region.
His prized possession of photographs includes aerial view of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Sabarimala Temple and Kanyakumari Temple. Marthanda Varma had a collection of more than 5,000 negatives, including a chapter entirely dedicated to royals from different parts of the world he had photographed. His photo memories include Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma on foot along the forest path to Sabarimala in 1939 and a picture taken in auto click mode of the royal family - Chithira Thirunal, Uthradom Thirunal, Karthika Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, and Col Goda Varma - at Peermade in the same year.
He also used to gift photographs he clicked to visitors and used to keep his knowledge up-to-date about the changing photographic technologies. One of his favourite photographs in his personal collection was that of his wife Radhadevi in consort, which he had clicked at ‘Ramapriya’, the Bangalore residence, in 1955.
During his Bangalore days he was a motor enthusiastic who clocked 40 lakh miles in his Mercedes Benz 180 D. During those days Mercedes used to honour drivers who crossed one-lakh miles and it had presented him with 10 medals.
His favourite car, the copper blue 180D Mercedes Benz, was in his possession till he breathed his last. A person with varied interests, he had to his credit several trophies won as an amateur horse rider at various places in the country. A keen sportsman, he had interest in tennis, hockey, golf, football and polo.
Another of his favourite hobby was to collect newspaper cuttings.
The treasured possession of paper cuttings of Marthanda Varma were handed over to Avittom Thirunal Grandhasala here two years ago.
A wide range of topics under four major titles - religion, education, medicine, cooking and his areas of interest - were well arranged in separate files.

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India: Hindu group congratulates Supreme Court for banishing homosexuality as ‘imported disease’

The Supreme Court in India ruled to ban gay sex last week

A right-wing Hindu group in India has congratulated the Supreme Court for its “historic”, decision to reinstate a ban on gay sex.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), congratulated the decision of the Supreme court to last week reinstate Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which bans gay sex.
VHP went on to call homosexuality as an “imported disease”, saying it needed treatment.
A message was sent to President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying the government should also ban alcohol and make moral education mandatory, saying homosexuality was “against Indian culture and values.”
Last week, the Supreme Court in India ruled to reinstate Section 377 of the penal code, which bans gay sex.
Courtesy:pinknews. dot co dot uk

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Hindus Protest Demolition of Temple in Karachi

A large number of Pakistani Hindus today joined a protest outside the Press Club here over the demolition of an 80-year-old temple in the city's Soldier Bazar area.

The Krishna or Rama Peer Mandir at Dholi Khata in Soldier Bazar has become a bone of contention between the minority Hindu community and a powerful builder, who bought the land on which the temple was built from the military estate office through a government auction.

"Religious articles, including pictures and statuettes of our gods, are still lying in the rubble of the demolished temple and families living in the compound on which the temple was built still remain homeless," Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, patron of the Pakistan Hindu Council, told PTI.

Several families displaced by the demolition of the temple participated in the protest. Observers said the issue highlighted the growing insecurity of Pakistan's minorities.

Vankwani, a member of the Sindh chapter of the PML-N party, said authorities had trampled the sentiments of Hindus across the world by razing the historical temple.

"The departments responsible for this gross injustice are the military estate office and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), who auctioned off the land to a powerful builder without caring about our sentiments," he said.

An ETPB official, speaking on condition of anonymity, claimed the temple was illegally built on military land that had been auctioned. The temple was legally razed on the orders of a court, he said.

Many Hindu temples in Karachi have in recent years been the subject of disputes involving commercial builders.

The ETPB official said the dispute over the shrine in Soldier Bazar began in 2008, when the Military Estates Officer issued eviction notices to the temple and more than a dozen Hindu families living in houses built around it.

But Vankwani insisted that maps with the ETPB showed the temple was present on the plot even before Partition. "The Hindu families have been living in the compound since Partition and instead of being thrown out, they should have been offered ownership rights for a price," he said.

Mukesh Kumar Jaidia, a resident of Doli Khata, said the government could have spared the temple. "This incident shows that there is no care for Hindus in Pakistan," he said.

The 1998 census - the last official population count - placed Pakistan's Hindu population at 2.5 million.

FILED ON: Dec 16, 2013 21:19 IST
Courtesy:news dot outlookindia dot com

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