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Out on parole, Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim tends to animals, tries hand at gardening – The Tribune India

Posted: July 14, 2022 at 1:55 am


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Tribune News Service

Barnawa (Baghpat), July 10

Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who is out on parole for a month, can be seen reciting bhajans and preaching his followers at Dera Sacha Sauda Ashram, Barnawa, in Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh daily. He has reportedly written around 700 bhajans while serving his term in the Sunaria jail, Rohtak.

The dera head, convicted of raping of two women disciples and murdering journalist Ram Chander Chhaterpati, was released on parole on June 17. He was convicted by a special CBI court in August 2017.

The dera head reached the Barnawa ashram, which is spread over 100 acres, on June 18. All four gates of the ashram have been closed since July 26. UP Police and dera security personnel are deployed around the ashram.

Dera spokesperson Sandeep Kaur said, Guruji starts his day by playing volleyball and badminton. He can also be seen looking after dogs and horses, besides trying his hand at gardening.

He has written 700 hymns in the jail, which he recites for his followers. The main theme of these hymns is to wean youths away from drugs. He interacts with his followers for hours after 4 pm daily, she said.

#dera sacha sauda #gurmeet ram rahim

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Out on parole, Dera Sacha Sauda head Gurmeet Ram Rahim tends to animals, tries hand at gardening - The Tribune India

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‘The Beatles And India’ Blu-Ray Review – A Look At The Fab Four’s Quest For Enlightenment & Creativity – Geek Vibes Nation

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Rare archival footage, recordings and photographs, eye-witness accounts and expert comments along with location shoots across India, bring alive the fascinating journey of George, John, Paul and Ringo from their high octane celebrity lives in the West to a remote Himalayan ashram in search of spiritual bliss that inspires an unprecedented burst of creative songwriting. It is the first serious exploration of how India shaped the development of the greatest ever rock band and their own pioneering role bridging two vastly different cultures.

Director Ajoy Bose was a teenage rebel in Calcutta in love with the Beatles when they came to India. His long mop and the psychedelic flowers painted on his shirt imitating the Fab Four led to fierce fights with his bureaucrat father. In an interesting quirk of fate half a century later as an established journalist and author, Bose was writing a book, Across the Universe to mark the 50th anniversary of The Beatles historic trip to Rishikesh for the worlds largest publishing house Penguin Random House.

Inspired by Ajoy Boses book, British Indian music entrepreneur Reynold DSilva has now taken the amazing saga of The Beatles and India further by producing Boses directorial debut. Bose and cultural researcher, co-director, Pete Compton, have created an audio-visual presentation that stands apart from the many documentaries on the band, delving deep into the most crucial period of their evolution from the worlds most famous pop stars into multi-faceted pioneering musical artists.

For thoughts on The Beatles and India, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

Video Quality

The Beatles and India comes to Blu-Ray with a very lovely high definition master that suits the film as well as you might hope. As is typical with documentaries on subjects from decades ago, the film features a lot of different material in varying degrees of quality. The new interviews look incredibly solid and clear with natural skin tones and some detailed facial features on the subjects. The archival footage features a variety of different sources that seem to be in the best shape possible given the filming limitations. Some footage appears to be authorized within the compound while other is taken from far away as people tried to get a glimpse of the Fab Four. Much of this footage is pretty ragged, but it helps bring a glimpse of history into the modern world. The colors featured in the film have a decent degree of vibrancy to them. The transfer has not fallen victim to any compression artifacts or digital nuisances of the sort. MVD Entertainment has delivered a great presentation for fans.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio and a LPCM 2.0 track which perfectly suits the source material. Since this is a film focused on world famous musicians, you might expect wall-to-wall classic tunes, but most of the music featured in the film comes from Indian musicians rather than The Beatles themselves. Nevertheless, the sound quality is pristine and fills the room in a wonderful way. With this being such an interview showcase with talking heads aplenty, it is nice to note that dialogue comes through flawlessly in the center channel. The archival clips do not feature much in the way of age-related wear, thankfully, but you can tell there were some limitations to recording in certain situations. The surround channel presentation is not pushed to the limits, but it sounds terrific here. There are optional English subtitles provided on this release.

Special Features

Final Thoughts

The Beatles and India is an immensely entertaining documentary detailing a unique period of time in the career of one of the greatest bands of all time. Hardcore fans of the group may already know quite a bit about this period, but even they should find a lot of value in the unique archival footage and the larger context you get from the interview subjects. If you are completely fresh to this information, get ready for a different side of the Fab Four which more clearly defined what exactly mattered to each of them at this point in their lives. MVD Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray featuring a strong A/V presentation and a nice array of additional material. If you are a Beatles fan, you are going to have a lot of fun. Recommended

The Beatles and India is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: MVD Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.

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'The Beatles And India' Blu-Ray Review - A Look At The Fab Four's Quest For Enlightenment & Creativity - Geek Vibes Nation

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My Government Committed To All-Round Development Of Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde – NDTV

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Eknath Shinde said he is a "Sevak" of the Maharashtra people.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday said he was a "sevak" and his government was committed to the all-round development of the state as well as welfare of its citizens.

Mr Shinde also said that the decisions being taken now for the welfare of the people, should have been taken two-and-a-half-years back, but since that did not happen, 50 MLAs had to unite and take a stand.

He was referring to Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's announcement made on Tuesday about his party's support to the National Democratic Alliance's Presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

Mr Shinde was interacting with reporters at Anand Ashram in the city after paying tributes to late Shiv Sena leader and his mentor Anand Dighe on the occasion of Guru Purnima.

When asked about NCP president Sharad Pawar's recent remark that he wanted the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress to contest the future elections together as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the chief minister said, "Pawar is a big leader. The 50 MLAs, who are in my camp and with the present alliance (with the BJP), all of us are aiming to develop the state. Hence, we do not want to get into any politics. "My government wants to ensure that the lives of the people of the state are improved. The citizens should feel that it is their government. I am a 'sevak' (servant) and will remain one till the end. I will walk on the path shown by late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and Anand Dighe by following their principles," he said.

When asked about Mr Thackeray announcing his party's support to Murmu, Shinde said the Shiv Sena MPs wanted it. "Even we, the 50 (rebel) MLAs, have already declared our backing to Murmu. The support being given to Murmu from all quarters is being welcomed at all levels and by everyone. Even the support given by Uddhav Thackeray to her is being welcomed from all quarters," he added.

"The decisions meant for the welfare of the people, which are being taken now, should have been taken two-and-a-half-years back. But since they did not do so, the 50 MLAs had to unite and take a stand. We have taken this decision now," he said.

Mr Shinde was referring to the rebellion in the Shiv Sena led by him last month. A majority of the Sena MLAs had sided with him, leading to the collapse of the MVA government headed by Uddhav Thackeray. Shinde became the chief minister, a day after Thackeray resigned from the top post on June 29.

"The stand taken by the 50 MLAs has been receiving an overwhelming response from all over the state. Even during my visit to Pandharpur recently, where 10 lakh people had gathered on the occasion of Ashadhi Ekadashi, I got a rousing reception. I moved freely among the people and they gave me love," he added.

The stand taken by the rebel camp has been welcomed by the party's office-bearers, corporators and all others, he claimed.

"Even today, Sena corporators from Ulhasnagar supported us, and the situation is similar in Nashik and Ahmednagar, etc," he said.

When asked whether the expansion of his cabinet would happen after July 18, he replied in the affirmative, but refused to elaborate.

Mr Shinde also evaded any direct reply to a query about Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut's statement that his party's support to Murmu does not mean backing the BJP, he said his faction's spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar has gone to Delhi for a meeting of the parties called by the NDA over the presidential polls.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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My Government Committed To All-Round Development Of Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde - NDTV

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On this Gurupurnima, Learn to respect your teacher – News Track English

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You must be thinking Respecting your teacher is a very easy task but it is not that easy, even it is one of the most difficult task. Take a look into your life and think about a incident in which you had disrespected your teacher, Do you feel guilty now? I am sure you are guilty of disrespecting your teacher. These days students want to look cool infront of others and therefore they make fun of their teacher or start arguing with them but ask yourself is it really a cool task to disrespect your teacher

Here is a one story for all of you. Whenever you think bad about teacher remember this story of Surdas. As it help you to understand that the teacher not only help you to gain you bookish Knowledge but they also play a very important role in building your personality.

Surdas was an eager student who wanted to learn about Spirituality. He met a Guru who accepted him as his disciple. The Guru found that Surdas was hampered by his quality of getting angry easily, which prevented him from learning. Thus, the Guru decided to make Surdas shed his anger.The Guru said 'Dear Surdas, chant the God's name during all your activities for one month, then take a bath and come back to me. Surdas followed the Guru's instructions and the day after the month was over, he went to meet his Guru. On his way to Guru's ashram, a sweeper on the street carelessly put dirt on his clothes. Surdas got angry and scolded the sweeper, 'What are you doing,you fool? Now I have to go back wash and dry these clothes and bathe again! Such a waste of time!' The Guru had observed the scene and when Surdas reached the aashram he told him,'Dear Surdas, you are not yet ready for further spiritual practice. Chant the God's name during all your activities for another month, take a bath at the end of it and come to see me.'

After a month, he eagerly went to his Guruji's ashram and the same thing was repeated. Surdas again became really angry and blamed the sweeper. After bathing, he met his Guru who asked Surdas to chant God's name for one more month. One month passed and this time the same incident happened when Surdas went to meet his Guru. However, this time Surdas addressed the sweeper softly saying "Thank you. You are my master. You have helped me to overcome my anger." The sweeper felt bad for his action.

This time as Surdas approached his Guru's hermitage, he could see his Guru standing in front of the hermitage welcoming him. Guru told Surdas that he is now ready to teach him.

Learn from this story, start respecting your teacher as they are the one because whom you had achieved all the success in your life.

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On this Gurupurnima, Learn to respect your teacher - News Track English

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‘Gift Milk’ programme aiming to address malnutrition launched in government schools in Odisha – The New Indian Express

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By Express News Service

MALKANGIRI: To address the problem of malnutrition among school children while providing good refreshments and improving their attendance, the district administration launched a flavoured gift milk programme at the remote Silakota Ashram School under Podia block last week.

The initiative, supported by the National Dairy Development Board (NDDB) Foundation for Nutrition with CSR assistance of Indian Railway Construction Limited, will be rolled out in the district on a pilot basis for a month. It is expected to benefit around 3,162 students in 21 government schools in Swabhiman Anchal of Chitrakonda and inaccessible pockets ofMathili, Korukonda and Podia blocks.

Collector Vishal Singh said as Malkangiri is an aspirational district and typically deprived of basic necessities, IRCON identified it as one of its intervention areas and decided to provide flavoured milk in government and tribal schools. NDDB then requested the district administration to initiate the programme.

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'Gift Milk' programme aiming to address malnutrition launched in government schools in Odisha - The New Indian Express

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Rape threat, land rows, unclear past: Who is Bajrang Muni, the ‘respected mahant’? – The Indian Express

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Appearing for the Uttar Pradesh Police Friday in a bail petition by AltNews co-founder Muhammed Zubair, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju argued before the Supreme Court that his tweet calling Yati Narsinghanad Saraswati, Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop hate mongers had offended the followers of Muni, who is a respected Mahant in Sitapur.

As Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State of Uttar Pradesh, also opposed Zubairs plea, Raju said: Bajrang Muni is a respected mahant a religious leader in Sitapur with a large following. When you call a religious leader a hate-monger, it raises problems. The religious feelings of a lot of people in UP are hurt, he added.

* Bajrang Muni

The 38-year-old runs the Shri Laxmandas Udasin Ashram in Khairabad in UPs Sitapur district, though he is originally said to be from Raniganj in Pratapgarh district of the state. According to those who know him, he was working in an airline company when he reportedly met some spiritual leaders, decided to quit and joined the Udasin Akhara. Before coming to Sitapur, he stayed at Prayagraj, Nasik and Azamgarh.

* The current controversy

On April 2, on the eve of the Hindu New Year that saw several incidents of communal tension across the country, videos had surfaced where Muni was making threats.

In the videos, Muni is heard threatening to rape women of another community if a single Hindu woman is harassed. I am telling you with love. If you harass a single Hindu girl, then I will openly rape your daughters after picking them up from your houses, he is heard saying in one of the purported videos on April 2 in Sitapurs Khairabad town. He is seen surrounded by a crowd, including policemen, while he says this sitting inside a car.

Among others, the National Commission for Women sought his arrest.

Hours after police lodged an FIR against him, another video of him apologising for his statement surfaced, in which he said: To all the mothers and sisters, I would like to apologise. If my video, which is viral, has hurt them, please forgive me I respect all women.

He also claimed the video was being distorted and showed out of context. See, this is Khairabad. Eighty per cent population here is Muslim, while 20 per cent are Hindus That day (April 2), we had a Kalash Yatra, and these people were climbing their terrace with stones and sticks and wanted to repeat a Karauli-like incident (the violence in Rajasthan) When the administration stopped such an incident, they started abusing. We said that if you do so, the power to tolerate will finish, and that if you commit atrocities against our daughters, then your daughters wont be safe.

Muni was arrested on April 13 and booked under Sections 354-A (making sexual remarks), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) and 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the IPC.

A senior police officer who spoke to The Indian Express at the time of the arrest said Muni was known for making controversial remarks in the past too.

On April 24, Muni was granted bail by a local court and was quoted as saying in a PTI report: I have no guilt for what I said. He added that he was ready to go to jail a thousand times, but will continue to safeguard my religion and women:.

* The past rows

It was around two years ago that Mahant Bajrang Muni Udasin first surfaced in Sitapur. The antecedents of the priest before that are blurry, though he is almost constantly in the news in the area for land disputes.

Those close to Bajrang Muni in Khairabad and adjoining areas in Sitapur say he is originally a native of Raniganj area in Pratapgarh district, and once held a job at an airline. It was after he reportedly came in contact with some spiritual leaders that he decided to quit and joined the Udasin Akhara. As part of the organisation, he stayed at Prayagraj, Nasik and Azamgarh before coming to Sitapur.

Contacted over the phone, Bajrang Muni told The Indian Express he was a native of Pratapgarh district, and hung up.

Most of the rows he is involved in Sitapur involve land around the Ashram, also known as Badi Sangat.

Saket Mishra, a candidate who lost from the Sitapur Sadar seat in the recent Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, told The Indian Express that locals in the area had filed several complaints against Bajrang Muni, accusing him of threatening them and harassing them with false allegations, and of grabbing their land around the Ashram.

Circle Officer, City (Sitapur) Piyush Singh said that Muni too has filed three cases against locals, all related to land.

In February 2021, Muni had been provided a police gunner for protection after a clash with a local resident called Laiq Khan, and his brothers Atiq and Salman, who allegedly hit him in the legs with a knife and left serious injuries.

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Rape threat, land rows, unclear past: Who is Bajrang Muni, the 'respected mahant'? - The Indian Express

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Thanal Ashram in Madikeri reunites Tamil Nadu woman with family after seven years – The New Indian Express

Posted: January 10, 2022 at 1:55 am


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Express News Service

MADIKERI: A woman was reunited with her husband and family after seven years following the efforts of an Ashram in Madikeri.

In 2014, a native of Tamil Nadu, Rajappa had admitted his wife Muthamma to the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences KSRT(NIMHANS) for treatment. Muthamma was at the hospital for nearly two months and was being treated for her mental illness. However, Muthamma escaped from the hospital even as Rajappa filed a missing complaint with the Bengaluru Police. Rajappa and his family searched for Muthamma everywhere, but in vain.

Meanwhile, in 2017 a woman was found lying near Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) Bus Depot in Madikeri. The woman had woundson her leg and she seemed homeless. Her legs were in a putridstate and she had also lost two toes.

A resident who found the woman alerted the ThanalAshram in Madikeri and the management took the woman under their care.

We admitted the woman to Madikeri District Hospital and provided first aid. She was then shifted to Thanalheadquarters in Kerala and she was treated for her injuries for six months. Later, she was sheltered at ThanalAshram in Madikeri, recalled Mohammed, the president of Kodagu ThanalAshram.

The management also appointed a psychiatrist and treated the woman for her mental illness. During this time, she slowly regained memory. We learned that her name was Muthamma. However, her memory was not restored completely. When weasked for her whereabouts, she only replied saying she was from Kothuru, explained Mohammed.

The management visited many places with the name Kothuru across Karnataka and even visited a place with the same name in Andhra Pradesh. They contacted the police stations across these places, but could not find any clue about the womans family. During a public function of Thanalin Madikeri, we shared the story of Muthamma.Kodagu district magistrate Subramanya was invited as the guest for the function. The woman told about a place called Dindiguland magistrate Subramanya said that he knew an advocate friend from this place, which is in Tamil Nadu, he explained.

Following this information, more details were traced with the help of the Kodagu police, and Muthamma was taken to Dindigulin Tamil Nadu by the Tanhal management and the Kodagu police. The police tracked Muthammas family and she was reunited with her husband Rajappa and others from the family.

One policy of Thanalis that we try to reunite the family as we do not want them to stay orphans, concluded Mohammed.

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Thanal Ashram in Madikeri reunites Tamil Nadu woman with family after seven years - The New Indian Express

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UP Polls – Is The BJP A Wee Bit Jittery? – The Citizen

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Post its 2014 spectacular victory in the Lok Sabha election, the BJP was still riding high on the Modi magic, people were still hopeful of the acche din that he had promised, and the opposition was still in complete disarray, having been decimated .

It was against this backdrop that the Uttar Pradesh assembly election was held in 2017 . Nobody was surprised when the BJP emerged victorious on 311 seats, having captured over 40 percent of the vote share. In all, the BJP and its allies, the Apna Dal and Bharatiya Suheldev Samaj Party had registered victory on 324 seats.

The Samajwadi Party, which had gone against its grain to stitch up an alliance with the Congress party, could only manage to win 47 seats, with a 21.82 percent vote share. Its alliance partner, the Congress could only manage to win seven seats with six percent votes. The other major opposition party, the BSP, finished a poor third with only 19 seats and a 22 percent vote share.

The Samajwadi Party, which was ruling the state then with Akhilesh Yadav as chief minister, had gone to the polls with a family feud raging in the background, all its dirty family linen being washed in full public view. The father-son-uncle triumvirate of the Yadav parivaar was at daggers drawn with each other.

A discredited Congress was still to recover from its drubbing in the Lok Sabha election and the BSP was still getting its act together.

Even though the BJP had gone to the polls without a local face, Yogi Adityanath was hoisted from above post poll, the Modi name was then enough for the party to go ooh lala, laughing all the way to the chief ministers oath taking ceremony.

If the BJP leaders are to be believed, they have done spectacular development work all over the state in the last five years. Then why is it that they refrain from talking about their own work and hark back to those abbaajaan ruled days when the peoples money was being wasted on building kabristaan walls, instead of constructing the Ram temple, or Kashi Vishwanath Corridor or creating facilities for pilgrims thronging to Krishnajanmabhoomi temple in Mathura?

Is it because if they talk about any other development work, like the Yamuna Expressway, or the recently inaugurated Purvanchal Expressway, or the proposed Ganga expressway, they would also have to mention that these were projects initiated by the previous Akhilesh Yadav government?

If they talk about the proposed Jewar International Airport, they would also have to tell people how Mayawati had conceptualized the project, or how Akhilesh Yadav had pushed for it while the Centre had stonewalled it then.

If they talk about the metro rail they would also have to admit that it was indeed Akhilesh Yadav who had flagged off the Lucknow metro rail project in Uttar Pradesh.

Aware that there is actually nothing for which they can lay sole claim, the BJP has finally settled down to its pet agenda of bhaijaan, chachajaan, abbajaan story, love jihad , forced religious conversion bogey and so on.

And as the election is approaching, the virulent campaign is reaching its crescendo. Minority bashing has emerged as their sole agenda. Talking about how the Yogi government has controlled corruption and crime, the Prime Minister mentioned the Sotiganj scrap market in Meerut recently where the UP government has seized wealth to the tune of Rs. 65 crores from three scrap dealers. Making it sound as if each and every scrap dealer in Sotiganj is engaged in theft, the prime minister painted a picture as if the entire Muslim community in Meerut was involved in the illegal activity. Inevitably, each speech by the top leaders of the BJP is laced with innuendoes against Muslims.

Thus it is no surprise that the lower rung leaders and fringe right wing organizations have taken cue and incidents of attacks on Minorities have gone up. Not only Muslims, even Christians have come under attack for the purported bogey of conversion.

In an unprecedented attack on Christians, right wing hoodlums attacked a Christmas Eve gathering in Agra and, shock of all shocks, burnt the effigy of Santa Claus! The hoodlums, led by one Ajju Chauhan, formerly a prominent VHP leader, shouted Santa Claus murdabaad. One is still to hear of any police action in this case.

In another similar shocking incident, right wing youth organization activists, mainly Bajrang Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini, protested in front of Matridhaam Ashram in the Chandmari area of Varanasi, the prime ministers own constituency, on Christmas Eve and shouted slogans against Christians and Christianity.

Matridhaam Ashram is not even a church. It is a place where people of all faiths gather and offer prayer. On Christmas Eve a similar prayer meeting was organized when the goons surrounded the ashram, shouted slogans and disrupted the prayer meeting. According to eyewitnesses, the police, which had been duly informed of the programme, was nowhere to be seen. The goons, after disrupting the programme and warning those gathered against conversion left. So far there is no report of the police having initiated any action against trouble mongers.

The fact that there is a deliberate attempt by the right wing organisations to communally polarize the voters became obvious when on January 2, 2022, Hindu Yuva Vahini members, brandishing swords and other weapons, held a motorcycle rally in Muslim dominated areas of Varanasi, shouting slogans like kashi me rehna hai to Ram Ram kehna hai, and playing loud objectionable songs on the DJ. Apparently there was no occasion for such a rally, but the local administration remained a mute spectator and nobody else in the government has yet found anything objectionable in this rally.

We realize that this is a deliberate attempt to communally polarize the voters, but we have to stay alert and not bite their bait, says a prominent Muslim religious leader from Varanasi. He says the elders in the community have the responsibility to keep the youth under control otherwise the situation could turn ugly.

P L Punia, senior Congress leader, who is the partys campaign incharge, said since the BJP has nothing to show by way of achievement, it is harking back to its communal agenda. People are fed up with this government due to escalating prices, rising joblessness and vitiating social atmosphere. It is their old and time tested trick to fall back on the communal card, he added.

Reacting to Amit Shahs claim of teen so ke paar Punia said that Shah should also tell us which 100 seats he is going to lose. He further maintained that there is nervousness in the BJP camp as people have made up their mind for change. Which way the change will lead remains to be seen but BJP is not coming back, Punia said.

Is the BJP getting jittery by the crowds gathering at Akhilesh Yadavs meetings? It is still too early to say which way the wind will blow in UP, but there indeed is a lot at stake for the ruling BJP.

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UP Polls - Is The BJP A Wee Bit Jittery? - The Citizen

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January 10th, 2022 at 1:55 am

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After nearly two-year closure, Self-Realization Fellowship’s meditation gardens have reopened – The San Diego Union-Tribune

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ENCINITAS

After a nearly two-year closure due to the pandemic, the meditation gardens at the Self-Realization Fellowship in Encinitas reopened to the public last month.

The lushly landscaped gardens which include a koi pond, exotic flowering plants and a stunning clifftop ocean view were originally landscaped and planted by the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda, who founded the international Fellowship in 1920 in Los Angeles. He later opened the Encinitas retreat, hermitage and ashram center in 1937. Entrance to the gardens has always been free, and thousands of visitors from all over the world visit each year, according to Fellowship spokeswoman Amy Correia.

Veronica Villa, 50, of Los Angeles, enjoys the view at the newly reopened meditation gardens at Self-Realization Fellowship in Encinitas on Wednesday.

(Ana Ramirez/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

One of the highlights of the gardens is an old Monterey pine that was given to Yogananda as a gift. Known as the Ming Tree or Little Emperor, it has been cultivated as a large bonsai. It sits on a bluff above the ocean behind a large wooden screen to protect it from strong ocean winds. Also in the garden is an ancient Aleppo pine, African coral trees, a large ficus tree from India, fan palms, a Hollywood juniper, a flame-thrower palm and a bull horn acacia.

The 17-acre hermitage property Yogananda opened 84 years ago has helped define the citys identity, including its golden lotus blossom-topped towers on South Coast Highway and Swamis Beach, the popular surfing spot at the foot of the property. The garden was created to offer visitors a place to rest and contemplate in peace. The Encinitas property is one of more than 800 temples, retreats and ashrams around the world, which includes 200 in India.

A person meditates in the newly reopened Meditation Gardens at Self-Realization Fellowship on Wednesday in Encinitas.

(Ana Ramirez/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

Born in India in 1893, Yogananda has been widely credited with helping introduce the philosophies of yoga and meditation to the Western world. He also encouraged harmony between people of different faiths, races and cultures. Most of these ideas were spread during Yoganandas 10-year lecture tour in the U.S. and Europe from 1925 to 1935 and in India from 1935 to 1936.

After that, he retreated from the public eye to focus on writing up his teachings. Most of this writing was done at the Encinitas hermitage, which was secretly built for Yogananda as a surprise during his years abroad. The property was purchased and construction was underwritten by his leading disciple Rajarsi Janakananda, a self-made millionaire from Louisiana whose birth name was James Jesse Lynn.

In January 1938, Yogananda dedicated the opening of a Golden Lotus Temple on the spot where the meditation gardens now stand. The temple had a four-story glass observation tower and huge windows that offered followers an unobstructed view of the ocean. But within four years, the erosion of the shoreline below caused the land underneath the temple to become unstable and the building had to be removed. Today, services are offered at a pair of temple buildings a few blocks away in downtown Encinitas.

People enjoy the newly reopened Meditation Gardens at Self-Realization Fellowship on Wednesday in Encinitas.

(Ana Ramirez/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

In December 1946, Yogananda published his memoir, Autobiography of a Yogi, which has since sold more than 4 million copies and been translated into 50 languages. The Fellowship marked the 75th anniversary of the books publication in 2021. Because of the pandemic, Correia said many of these celebrations were held online, including group meditations, talks and classes.

In 1952, Yogananda died of heart failure while concluding a speech at a dinner for the visiting Indian ambassador at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. He was 59. Janakananda, who built the Encinitas hermitage, succeeded him as Fellowship president until his own death three years later in Borrego Springs.

Accessed through iron gates, the meditation gardens entrance is at 215 W. K St., between Second and Third streets. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sundays and closed on Mondays. The gardens will also be closed on Wednesday and Saturday for private events associated with Yoganandas Jan. 5 birthday celebration. For more information on the gardens, visit encinitastemple.org/visiting.

Koi fish in the newly reopened Meditation Gardens at Self-Realization Fellowship on Wednesday in Encinitas.

(Ana Ramirez/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

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After nearly two-year closure, Self-Realization Fellowship's meditation gardens have reopened - The San Diego Union-Tribune

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January 10th, 2022 at 1:55 am

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Dharma sansad and mahamandaleshwar: who they are, the role they play – The Indian Express

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The organisers of the dharma sansad in Haridwar have announced a pratikar sabha on January 16 to protest the FIRs registered against them in connection with the hate speeches at the three-day meeting last month.

Several Hindu religious leaders had given incendiary addresses targeting the minority community at the closed-door conclave organised from December 17-19.

The speakers were mahamandaleshwars of the various akharas or religious orders of Hinduism. The chief organiser of the Haridwar dharma sansad, Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand, is mahamandaleshwar of Juna Akhara. Swami Prabodhanand Giri and Annapurna Ma, who spoke at the sansad, are mahamandaleshwars of Juna Akhara and Niranjani Akhara respectively.

A dharma sansad, literally, religious parliament, is a platform of Hindu religious leaders or sants, where decisions are taken on issues considered important to the dharma.

The first dharma sansad was organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi in 1984, where a decision was taken to launch the Ramjanmabhoomi movement.

At the next dharma sansad held in Udupi in 1985, eight resolutions were passed, one of which demanded that

Shri Ramjanmabhoomi, Shri Krishnajanmasthan and the Kashi Vishwanath complex should be immediately handed over to the Hindu samaj.

The VHPs dharma sansads are called by its margadarshak mandal, a body of 65 prominent sants from around the country, whenever, according to the sants, a need is felt to guide the Hindu samaj.

The margadarshak mandal decides the participants, which include the sants from the akharas. These sants may participate themselves or send their representatives to the sansad.

VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain said the parishad has so far organised 17 dharma sansads, which are in the nature of routine meetings to receive guidance from sants.

The VHPs last dharma sansad was held in Haridwar in 2019, when the sants had asked then Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat to free temples from government control.

Over the years, newer organisations have called their own dharma sansads, which the VHP has tacitly approved. According to Jain, while the VHP organised the first dharma sansad in 1984, anybody could hold a dharma sansad.

Development of new traditions and methods is the specialty of Hindu dharma, he said. If anyone else uses this title, that does not reduce the dignity and glory of the VHPs dharma sansad.

Jain, however, dissociated his organisation from the Haridwar meeting last month.

That was not the VHPs dharma sansad. VHP has not patented the term dharma sansad, but the entire nation understands what is the language of the VHP and what is not, he said.

Jain also said that Yati Narsinghanand was not in the VHPs margadarshak mandal, and that he had never spoken from a VHP platform.

Juna Akhara president Prem Giri Maharaj defined a dharma sansad simply as a meeting of sants, and said that every akhara regularly holds its own dharma sansads.

If a mahamadaleshwar holds a meeting of 200-400 followers and preaches a sermon, that is also a dharma sansad, he said.

Ravindra Puri, secretary of Niranjani akhara, said that dharma sansads are intended to propagate sanatan dharma, and the message of the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana. Ravindra Puri said that he opposed a dharma sansad of the kind held in Haridwar because, A dharma sansad should not be a political platform. It should not be against anyone and it should have positive thoughts and a positive message.

All 13 akharas in the country nominate mahamandaleshwars to propagate sanatan dharma as the representative of the akhara. The mahamandaleshwar has no role in the internal organisation and financial affairs of the akhara, which is run by an executive body of the akhara concerned.

The akharas have their own norms for appointing mahamandaleshwars. In Juna Akhara, a prospective mahamandaleshwars name is proposed by an existing mahamandaleshwar or other senior functionary.

It is good if he is educated. But more important is speaking skills that can attract and impress people. He must be able to hold satsangs, guide followers, and have knowledge of the shastras and the confidence to speak to gatherings of 50-100 people at least, Juna Akhara president Prem Giri Maharaj said.

In Niranjani Akhara, an aspiring mahamandaleshwar should be educated, have knowledge of the shastras, should be able to propagate sanatan dharma, and should have his own ashram or at least an educational institution to hold satsangs and teach sanatan dharma.

They are given the honour of mahamandaleshwar with the expectation that they will propagate sanatan dharma as our representative and brighten the name of the akhara, said Ravindra Puri.

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There are more than 100 mahamandaleshwars of the Niranjani Akhara working across the country, he said.

Mahant Ramdas of Hanuman Garhi, Ayodhya, who is associated with the Nirmohi Akhara, said his akhara has more than 1,000 mahamandaleshwars, who are given the title of Shri Mahant. They are assigned the tasks of creating awareness about the importance of the Ganga, the conservation of heritage and the environment, protection of sanatan dharma, gau seva, giving deeksha to followers, organising camps in Kumbh melas, and working for the protection of temples, Ramdas said.

The mahamandaleshwars are part of the Peshwai procession of their akharas during Kumbh Melas; they also hold satsangs during the Mela.

According to Ramdas: We make sure that the person who is made a mahamandaleshwar has not been sentenced by a court in any case, and he has not been associated with any other religion in the past.

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Dharma sansad and mahamandaleshwar: who they are, the role they play - The Indian Express

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January 10th, 2022 at 1:55 am

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