Waytha urges Heritage Department to stop the re-development of the building.

PETALING JAYA: Hindraf Chairman P Waytha Moorthy has sent out an urgent call to the National Heritage Department to stop the proposed re-development of the Swami Vivekananda Ashram in Brickfields.

He said in a statement today that the department must take immediate steps to acquire and protect the building because the proposed development would destroy the existing structure, which has been standing there for over 100 years.

He pointed out that the building was classified as a Category 2 heritage building in Kuala Lumpur City Halls gazetted Structure Plan for 2004.

He also noted that the National Heritage Act allows the Commissioner of Heritage to designate a site as having heritage value and to acquire it.

Waytha said the ashram must be preserved because it clearly fits all the necessary criteria in the form of its historic importance in Malaysian history, its social and cultural associations, its richness in exhibiting the diversity and the evolution of the multicultural social fabric of the Malaysian community.

The National Heritage Department has all the valid reasons to pursue with an objection to the demolition and/or change in the faade of a cultural heritage such as the Swami Vivekananda Ashram, he added.

Under the National Heritage Act, the minister in charge has the power to provide or issue policies, statements or directives in respect of any matter or conduct on the conservation and preservation of heritage.

Under Section 40, the Commissioner of Heritage is empowered to advise and coordinate with the local planning authority in safeguarding, promoting and dealing with a heritage site.

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Hindraf scrambles to save century-old Ashram

October 28, 2014

MIC Youth says ashram is pride of Indian community and Hindu organisation leaders must be consulted.

PETALING JAYA: MIC Youth chief C Sivarraajh said the Vivekananda Ashram trustees had a moral obligation to consult the Indian community first before redeveloping the 100-year-old landmark in Brickfields.

Sivarraajh said the trustees must consult leaders of the Indian community, NGOs, temples and Tamil institutions like the Hindu Sangam as well as political leaders.

They cannot just sell or redevelop an ashram that is the pride of the Indian community who see Vivekananda and his guru Ramakrishna as giants of the Indian community, he said.

Swami Vivekananda was one of Indias top religious philosophers who visited Malaya in 1893.

He was also a disciple of the Indian mystic Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who founded the Ramakrishna Mission.

The Vivekananda trust also manages four schools SJK (T) Vivekananda, Brickfields, the Vivekananda primary and secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur and SJK (T) Thamboosamy Pillai in Sentul.

This is the trustees third attempt in the last two years to sell the land. The first two attempts were met by strong public opposition, said Sivarraajh.

He also highlighted that a Facebook page dedicated to protesting the redevelopment plans had already garnered 10,000 likes.

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Get feedback before redeveloping ashram

Sabarmati Ashram (also known as Gandhi Ashram, Harijan Ashram, or Satyagraha Ashram) is located in the Sabarmati suburb of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, adjoining the Ashram Road, on the banks of the River Sabarmati, four miles from the town hall. This was one of the residences of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, generally called Mahatma Gandhi, who lived there for about twelve years along with his wife, Kasturba Gandhi.

It was from his base here that Gandhi led the Dandi march also known as the Salt Satyagraha on 12 March 1930. In recognition of the significant influence that this march had on the Indian independence movement the Indian government has established the ashram as a national monument.

Gandhi's India ashram was originally established at the Kocharab Bungalow of Jivanlal Desai, a barrister and friend of Gandhi, on 25 May 1915. At that time the ashram was called the Satyagraha Ashram. But Gandhi wanted to carry out various activities such as farming and animal husbandry, in addition to other pursuits which called for the need of a much larger area of usable land. So two years later, on 17 June 1917, the ashram was relocated to an area of thirty-six acres on the banks of the river Sabarmati, and it came to be known as the Sabarmati Ashram.

It is believed that this is one of the ancient ashram sites of Dadhichi Rishi who had donated his bones for a righteous war. His main ashram lies in Naimisharanya, near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. The Sabarmati ashram is sited between a jail and a crematorium, and Gandhi believed that a satyagrahi has invariably to go to either place. Mohandas Gandhi said, "This is the right place for our activities to carry on the search for truth and develop fearlessness, for on one side are the iron bolts of the foreigners, and on the other the thunderbolts of Mother Nature."

While at the ashram, Gandhi formed a tertiary school that focused on manual labour, agriculture and literacy, in order to advance his efforts for the nation's self-sufficiency. It was also from here that on 12 March 1930,Gandhi marched to Dandi, 241 miles from the ashram, with 78 companions in protest at the British Salt Law, which increased the taxes on Indian salt in an effort to promote sales of British salt in India. It was this march and the subsequent illegal production of salt (Gandhi boiled up some salty mud in seawater) that spurred hundreds of thousands across India to join in, either in the illegal production, buying or selling of salt. This mass civil disobedience in turn led to the jailing of some 60,000 freedom fighters by the British Raj over the following three weeks. Subsequently the government seized the ashram. Gandhi later asked the Government to give it back but they were not willing to do this. He had by then already decided on 22 July 1933 to disband the ashram, which then became a deserted place after the detention of so many. Then local citizens decided to preserve it. On 12 March 1930 Gandhi had vowed that he would not return to the ashram until India had gained independence. Although this was won on 15 August 1947, when India was declared a free nation, Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January 1948.[1]

The ashram now has a museum, the Gandhi Smarak Sangrahalay. This had originally been located in 'Hridaya Kunj', Gandhi's own cottage in the ashram. Then in 1963, having been designed by the architect Charles Correa, the museum was built. The Sangrahalay was then re-located into the well-designed and well-furnished museum building and was inaugurated by Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India on 10 May 1963. Memorial activities could then continue.

Other buildings and sites within the ashram are:

Nandini: This is an old ashram guest house where visitors from India and abroad are accommodated. It is situated on the right hand side of 'Hridaya Kunj'.

Vinoba Kutir: This cottage is named after Acharya Vinoba Bhave who stayed here. Today It is also known as Mira Kutir after Gandhiji's disciple Mirabehn who later lived there, following Gandhi's principles. She was the daughter of a British Rear-Admiral.

Upasana Mandir: This is an open -air prayer ground, where after Prayers Gandhiji would refer to individual's questions and as head of family would try to analyse and solve these queries. It is situated between Hridaya Kunj and Magan Nivas.

Link:
Sabarmati Ashram - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Where poverty is widespread, people believe more in religions. They are uneducated but they have hopes and dreams, based on God. Some gurus take advantage of their dreams and suck the little money that they have out of them. Lets spread education so that they can really live their dreams.

Does a soul get more comfort by expensive rituals after death?

Sects go to extremes - Either lots of sex or no sex at all!

Video games taught children that violence and rioting is fun! They learned how it should look like when you break into a store and when they see that it works, they get greedy and steal mobile phones, game consoles, electronics and more. I think violent video games have encouraged teenagers to see this all as fun!

Isnt it crazy how religion is often only a way to manipulate people? Just tell people often enough that something is Gods wish and they will believe it!

Dont be shy to show a little gesture if you think it will make someone happy.

Sharing has a double effect: it decreases sadness and increases happiness!

Why do we need to pretend to be who we are not?

Every child is same and when you have this wish to give love to children, you should share your love with every child, no matter if it is yours or the child of someone else.

The only good reason for the wish to have a child is because you have love in your heart and you want to share it with a child. You want to give a child the happiness that you feel when you are loved and when you can love someone.

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