Dr. Binaya Bhusan Jena

Today is the International Mother Earth Day. First celebrated on 22nd April 1970, a time when environmental protection was not yet a priority of the national and international political & policy agenda. However, the General Assembly of the United Nations declared Earth Day as International Mother Earth Day in December 2009, almost after 40 years of the first celebration of Earth Day.

It may be true that were better off today in material living standards and have made remarkable progress in science & technology and have enough food to eat. But this has come at a huge environmental cost. Since 1970, according to an estimate of the World Wildlife Funds Living Planet, the wildlife population has declined by 40 percent. It was reported by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, that there are 37,480 species threatened with extinction. In India, we have around 200 species that are identified as critically endangered that includes animals and plants. We are literally destroying the ocean, the ecosystem and her biological richness and altering the oceans chemical makeup with greenhouse gas and pollution, particularly plastic pollution, and have already created hundreds of dead zones threatening the marine bio-diverse ecosystem including the coral reefs. Hundreds of marine species including turtles and birds die from consumption of plastics and the rising carbon emissions are making the oceans more acidic, weakening its ability to sustain life both underwater and on land. As per a survey conducted by WWF, 88 percent of marine species are harmed by serious plastic contamination in the water, and more than half of the worlds marine species do stand on the brink of extinction by 2100.

Our rainforests that capture vast amounts of carbon, aid cloud formation, protect against desertification, contain the majority of terrestrial life on earth and provide a huge assortment of life-saving medicines continue to vanish at staggering rates. It dose not just stop there. According to the UN, Seven billion people will suffer from water scarcity by 2050. Thirty Indian cities, including Mumbai, Jaipur, Kolkata, Amritsar and Kozhikode could dramatically face severe water crisis unless urgent action is taken to mitigate and adapt to climate change.

Since 1970, we have seen several declarations that address climate change. However, the situation has gone from bad to worse in the last five decades. Biodiversity and bio-abundance continue to decline and unless large-scale actions are taken on war footing, we might face devastating environmental and climate-related consequences.

There is an urgent need to recall the wisdom of our ancestors. While the mainstream Western philosophy sees nature as mere resources for human consumption, we see nature-human relation in the light of a mother-child relation. The verses of the Vedas reveal profound reverence towards Mother Earth. The Bhagavad Gita tells us that a life without contribution toward the preservation of ecology is a life of sin and a life without purpose or use. The Upanishad says, tat sristva ta devanu pravisat(after creating the universe, the Creator entered into every object created). That is why they always worshiped the pancha mahabhutas, mountains, rivers, animals, and birds, as they had understood the interdependence. The concept of Mother Earth advocated in the Vedas, particularly in Bhoomisukta, is inimitable. The Hindu Declaration on Climate Change, presented in December 2009 at the Parliament of the Worlds Religions in Australia, reminded the world of the symbiotic relationship between the Earth and the Human. Mata Bhumi Putro aham Prithivyah! Earth is my mother, I am her son! Atharva Veda, 12-1-12.

The theme for International Mother Earth Day 2022 is Invest in our Planet. Question is, how do we invest and what do we invest? We can no longer sit idle and keep complaining about governments and industries that are yet to find an effective roadmap for addressing the environmental challenges the planet is facing. We are at a horrifying stage for our own existence and for the existence of all other forms of life that depends on this earth. Our behavior continues to be like the fabled woodcutter who is cutting the branch of a tree on which he is sitting. The menace of environmental crisis is gradually approaching a point of no return. So, if we really want to invest in our planet, we have to raise the collective and individual consciousness about the environmental impact. Recall the third Avtar of Lord Vishnu, the Varaha Avtar, wherein he appeared as a wild boar to save Mother Earth from the clutches of a demon named Hiranyaksha. Let us invoke the Varaha Avtar of Lord Vishnu, already present inside us, to reappear and save our Mother Earth.

Dr. Jena is a Professor and practitioner of sustainable fashion at National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Bhubaneswar, known for his concept and model of Farm to Fashion.

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International Mother Earth Day: Time for Recalling Vedic Wisdom | Odisha Special - Ommcom News

The hijab ban and several other controversies in Karnataka state have compromised Bengaluru's status as India's Silicon Valley.

Pack your bags and move to Hyderabad, Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao wrote on Twitter in response to a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur who complained about the Indian city's crumbling infrastructure.

Rao, the information technology minister for Telangana state, where Hyderabad is located, was making a larger point that did not go unnoticed.

Though long favoured for its moderate climate and cosmopolitan character, many fear that Bengaluru with its cherry blossom-lined boulevards is losing much of its sheen.

What the minister tweeted only amplified the suspicion that many nursed in private, but few dared to air in public.

Considered Indias Silicon Valley, Bengaluru serves as the capital of Karnataka state and hosts thousands of information technology companies. In fact, global tech giants such as Infosys and Wipro were founded in the city of 10 million, which accounts for more than 60 percent of the provinces revenue.

The city has always attracted the best, both in terms of investments and intellect. It currently boasts some 13,000 technology start-ups, and about 40 percent of Indias unicorns unlisted companies valued at more than a billion dollars each.

But the rush has also meant the city is rapidly becoming unlivable. Civic amenities are proving inadequate, while traffic has virtually choked. A one-way trip to the airport during rush hour could take as long as three hours.

For many, even more suffocating is the rising religious strife that is threatening Bengaluru.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rules Karnataka and considers it to be a vital springboard for eventually expanding its footprint in the other four southern states.

Karnataka, therefore, has become a kind of a Hindu nationalism laboratory,where the BJP has been experimenting with bringing about larger Hindu consolidation through means of religious rhetoric and communal provocations.

Muslims account for no less than 12 percent of Karnatakas population. But the BJP sees the support of the overwhelming number of Hindus as crucial for its electoral success.

For drumming up Hindu support, right-wing Hindu activists aligned with the BJP have been on overdrive to deepen the Hindu-Muslim divide and stoke hatred.

Virtually endless episodes of orchestrated indignations are ratcheting up tensions.

First, some months ago, Hindu mobs took exception to Muslim girls wearing hijab the Muslim headscarf while attending schools. The hijab, they claimed, went against Indias secular principles and also violated the school dress code.

The state high court upheld the ban. But then the mobs picked up one more issue to become outraged over. And then another.

Activists seeking to establish Hindutva, or the primacy of Hindus, have launched an angry, abusive campaign against Halal the process that certifies products, including meat, as being compliant with Islamic practices.

At the receiving end are mostly Muslim meat traders. Several in Bengaluru have had their shops raided and vandalised.

The mobs are having a virtually free run, with the Karnataka government headed by chief minister Basavaraj Bommai paying only lip service to the cause of religious peace and harmony.

Many say the government itself has been complicit in instilling the fear of a tightening siege among the minorities.

Last year, it banned the trade and slaughter of cows traditionally associated with Muslims. The government is now working to include the Hindu holy book Bhagavad Gita in the school curriculum.

All these and more have emboldened supporters of Hindutva, who have now moved on to their next targets.

Muslim traders have been physically barred from setting up shops in temple fairs, something that they have done for generations. Muslim mango sellers are the newest targets of the Hindutva mob, who have now reportedly set their sights on cleansing the fruit trade.

The rising hatred disturbs the calm and tranquillity that are essential for businesses to prosper, and captains of the corporate world are alarmed.

Kiran Majumdar Shaw, the chairperson of Biocon a leading biotechnology firm was among the first to speak out.

Karnataka has always forged inclusive economic development and we must not allow such communal exclusion@BSBommai please resolve this growing religious divide, she tweeted a couple of days ago, tagging the chief minister.

Being a very important voice, BJP politicians promptly responded and assured her that no damage would be allowed to the states business environment.

But it is unlikely that the damage already done to the dignity and right to livelihood of Karnatakas Muslims can be repaired.

It will also be equally difficult to repair the dent in Bengalurus reputation.

The citys loss, Telangana minister Rama Rao calculates, will be beneficial to Hyderabad.

Home to mega defence and aerospace industries, Telanganas state capital has assiduously nursed its ambitions of replacing Bengaluru as Indias IT hub.

Now that chinks have surfaced in Bengalurus armour, Hyderabad or more appropriately, its IT minister has moved in for the kill.

In luring entrepreneurs, like the one who complained over unlivable Bengaluru, to move to Hyderabad, Rama Rao is offering several incentives.

We have better physical infrastructure & equally good social infrastructure. Our airport is one of the best and getting in and out of the city is a breeze. More importantly, our governments focus is on the 3-I Mantra: innovation, infrastructure & inclusive growth, Rama Rao said in his tweet.

His sales pitch for Hyderabad elicited a strong response from a senior opposition politician of Karnataka. My friend, I accept your challenge, tweeted Doddalahalli Kempegowda Shivakumar, the state Congress president.

By the end of 2023, with the Congress back in power in Karnataka, we will restore the glory of Bengaluru as Indias best city, he added.

Ironically, Karnatakas own information technology minister seemed unfazed by the veritable storm over the challenge to Bengalurus coveted status.

We are competing globally, insisted Chikkakalya Narayanappa Ashwath Narayan, choosing to ignore the challenge from Hyderabad, some 550 kilometres away.

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions, viewpoints and editorial policies of TRT World.

We welcome all pitches and submissions to TRT World Opinion please send them via email, to opinion.editorial@trtworld.com

Source: TRT World

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A tale of two cities: The rippling effects of Islamophobia in Modis India - TRT World

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

AEW HITS & MISSES

C.M. Punk Defeated Dustin Rhodes HIT

The show opened with a match that oozed big fight feel, and largely delivered. Dustin and Punk showcased great chemistry in their first outing together, and I hope its not the last time.

The match had good pacing, but definitely slumped towards the ending, and thats what makes this match good, when it couldve been great. The story of Dustin battling through a knee injury worked well, but the ending was pretty clunky. The emotion flowed out of both men when the match ended. This may not have had the emotional catharsis as Dustin and Cody Rhodes match at Double or Nothing 2019, but it was a fun and great way to start the show.

Post Match Angle with Hangman Adam Page HIT

This was played incredibly smart. AEW knows they wont be able to make fans cheer Page and boo Punk, so they gave viewers the subtle cue through the entrance tunnels that both men are equal. Neither is face and neither is heel. Page can come out of the face tunnel, and Punk will leave through it. Letting fans cheer and boo as they please takes the pressure off of Page to try and out duel Punk on the stick, and hopefully lets him stay relaxed enough to channel and showcase that same fire game exuded before the Texas Death Match with Adam Cole.

Wardlow/Smart Mark Sterling Segment HIT

This was a fun segment. Its still showing how dangerous Wardlow is by treating him like Hannibal Lecter, while allowing Sterling to heel it up. Wardlows calm and borderline cocky response played perfectly against Sterling.

Jon Moxley, Bryan Danielson and Wheeler Yuta Defeated Brock Anderson, Dante Martin and Lee Moriarty MAJOR HIT

The Combat Club of Blackpool is so much fun to watch. The idea of team chemistry forged in blood is a fun concept and what makes the Blackpool Combat Club unique, rather than being a blind carbon copy of every other tough guy faction in wrestling.

BCC did a great job of showcasing their opponents. This match did more for Brock Anderson than anything before. Dante Martin reminded fans why hes there with incredible feats of agility, and Moriarty was on his game. Nothing they did though was enough, and the squash was complete with a Paradigm Shift to Dante Martin.

Undisputed Elite Segment MINOR HIT

This was a deceptively interesting segment. Cole showed a much more serious tone than in previous AEW backstage segments featuring him, ReDRagon and the Young Bucks. OReilly did an inspired job of trying to mend the fences with the Bucks. The idea of an open 10-man tag match issomething, but hopefully it leads to an interesting combination of performers across from the Undisputed Elite. Cole stating he has business to attend to is a small but very welcome touch in continuity for later in the show.

Samoa Joe/Jay Lethal/Sonjay Dutt/Satnam Singh MINOR HIT

This was fine. This did a good job of helping rewrite AEWs history to forget the lights off intro for Satnam Singh never happened. Joe calling Satnam Titan and Giant really put over how big of a threat Singh can be. Dutt and Lethal did a good job of putting Singh over and furthering the issues with Joe.

Tony Khans HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT MAJOR HIT

Sometimes it doesnt matter if a secret is the worst kept one in the room, C.M. Punk debuting in AEW can show those kinds of secrets can still be a blast. Limiting Khans involvement to hype man was smart, and featuring Cole was intelligent, as hes one of several performers on the roster who have been stars in AEW/NJPW/ROH, but makes sense with the ties to White. Cole vs. Ishii is an incredible treat to fans or AEW Rampage, and White shined on the mic vs his tepid introduction a few weeks back. White seemed to hint at a match at Forbidden Door with Kenny Omega. Sign me up!

Jade Cargill/Red Velvet/Kiera Hogan/Smart Mark Sterling Segment MINOR MISS

This didnt hit with me. Cargill continuing her angle underestimating Marina Shafir is fine, but everyone else felt so awkward in comparison. In a weird way this is a sign of Jades growth as a performer. Shes gaining the confidence to be able to pull off her character so effortlessly.

Wardlow Defeated The Butcher HIT

MJF and Shawn Spears did an excellent job setting the tone for this match. The heat was palpable with the crowd as Friedman forced Wardlow to come out as if he were participating in a Lights Out match back when AEW cared about the presentation for their Lights Out matches. Wardlow came out to no music, but a flurry of a fanfare. Roberts did his best to keep his energy up with no music to play off of, and it all worked. Wardlow looked like a big deal against The Butcher, while essentially keeping the same formula that AEW has used for months to build him up. Butcher stood basically no chance, succumbing to a Bittersweet Powerbomb Symphony in short order. The looks on Spears and Friedmans faces is what I imagine Dr. Robert Oppenheimer had on his face as he was reminded of the Bhagavad Gita following the first nuclear bomb test. Wardlow has become death, the destroyer of worlds.

Eddie Kingston Segment MINOR HIT

Not much to this, but it didnt need much. Kingston uses his intensity and facial cues to say more than his words needed to. Kingston vs. Daniel Garcia will be fun, as will the build towards Kingston and Jericho.

Kyle OReilly Defeated Jungle Boy MINOR HIT

Good match between OReilly and Jungle Boy. Boy didnt get to be as flippy as he normally does and instead tried to play more into Kyles style, and that ultimately came back to bite him. Quality storytelling and quality action in the ring.

MJF Segment MINOR HIT

To me the Wardlow/MJF storyline still feels like a copy of every other story MJF has done in AEW, but playing off of Jake Roberts and letting Lance Archer come off his hinges is a good way of keeping the concept fresh. Treating Wardlow like hes the protagonist of a wrestling games story mode and giving him a clear progression in difficulty of opponent is quite fun.

Hook Defeated Anthony Henry HIT

It was never going to be a question of how much the crowd was going to be behind Hook in his Dynamite debut, but he had one of the bigger pops of the night. Hook did well in his debut, and showed a progression in his learning. From what I remember from his past matches, he ran the ropes more effectively and incorporated more striking into his repertoire. Hook put away Anthony Henry quickly, which lead to

Post Match Angle with Danhausen MAJOR HIT

My god. When Danhausen started talking, the arena exploded. The crowd got really into what he was saying, and when Mr. Hausen proposed a match between him and Hook, the crowd got even louder, and to my ear came close to matching the pop for CM Punk. Its strange, and some people wont like it, but some people will hear that crowd response and think this is a big deal. Im very intrigued to see how this goes.

Scorpio Sky/Frankie Kazarian Segment MINOR MISS

Short segment setting up Sky interfering in a Guevara promo later in the evening, but Kazarian was incredibly wooden in this segment which dragged it down a bit.

Thunder Rosa Video Segment MINOR HIT

Nothing major to this. Just confirming the program with Nyla Rose is over and Rosa is in need of an opponent for Double or Nothing. A challenger will likely come forward next week.

Sammy Guevara/Scorpio Sky Segment MINOR HIT

This segment was head scratching. Certainly felt like Guevara was attempting to play into a heel personality with the pimp jacket, having Tay cosplay as Olivia Newton-John from the end of Grease, and acknowledging the boos, but trying to pivot mid segment to genuine appreciation for fans was weak. Guevara attempting to play both sides is keeping him from being good at either.

Page and Lambert were on fire tonight, and their work on the mic was great. Guevara challenging Sky to a ladder match seems odd, as Sky has previously won a Face of the Revolution ladder match. I get that theyve both won ladder matches, but Guevara beat Cody. Sky beat five other guys. That math doesnt seem to favor Guevara.

House of Black Video Segment MISS

The production and delivery was excellent and captivating. I just couldnt understand if the House of Black was still talking about Fuego Del Sol or if theyve moved on to a new target.

Dr. Britt Baker Defeated Danielle Kamela MINOR MISS

I blinked and this match was over. Theres squashes, and then theres squashes. The performers cant help that this match mainly happened during a commercial break, but that fact feels like a slap in the face. Id rather remove this match (or something else) from the show and have it air some other time.

Post Match Promo MISS

This was just bad. Baker already has a very breathy delivery for her promos, but being immediately after a match really made it worse. The delivery on her lines were horrible and none of the jokes really landed well. It was cool to have Harris and Friermufh out there, but theres not much else to like about this.

Serena Deeb/Hikaru Shida Video Segment MINOR MISS

Fine enough video segment, but its felt like the Deeb/Shida feud has gone on forever now and each match is the last one. Theyre very fun to watch, but Ill believe their word when I have a reason to.

Darby Allin Defeated Andrade El Idolo MINOR MISS

This was fine, but just fine. I dont feel like this had anything I havent seen before, and thats not what I want from Sting, and certainly not what I want from Allin and Andrade. The beats of the match all felt familiar, Sting doing a crazy spot felt familiar. The only thing that felt fresh was Jose the assistant running out and tearing his shirt off, which turned the freshness down to rotten pretty quick. The Hardys deletion salute also felt weird, and it looked like Jeff tore a labrum doing that so lets stop while were ahead.

Overall MINOR MISS

Theres definitely some stuff to like in this episode of Dynamite but the show felt too stuffed and too hectic. Too many segments had logistical issues and just felt like they sacrificed tightness in segments for cramming as much into the show as they could. Next weeks card is shaping up to be loaded, but lets hope that its not overloaded.

CATCH-UP: HEYDORNS NXT 2.0 RECEIPT 4/19: Bron Breakker and Joe Gacy miss with silly vignettes

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AEW DYNAMITE HITS & MISSES 4/20: Punk and Rhodes hit, Baker misses on the mic, more - PWTorch

New Delhi, June 30: There is a lot of fake news circulating on social media and spreading false information to the masses. Recently, a post went viral on several social media platforms, including Twitter, claiming that the Bhagavad Gita had become compulsory for students in the Netherlands from the 5th year. The statement in the message is incorrect.

During a reverse image search in Google, the viral image, which is circulating with the false claim, was uploaded to the Iskon Desire Tree website in September 2013. In particular, the International Society for the Conscience of Krishna (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna movement, preaches the teachings of Lord Krishna. Did the United States use the image of Mahatma Basavishwar on the $ 100 bill? The converted image spreads very quickly with a false statement; Here is the truth.

Here is the viral post with the fake claim:

This is not the first time this image has appeared on various social media platforms with a similar claim. Almost five years ago, the photo was posted on Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile, the official website of the Dutch government does not mention the chapters of the Bhagavad Gita which have become compulsory from the 5th grade. The list of compulsory subjects on the website includes Dutch, English, Social and Environmental Sciences, Arithmetic and Mathematics.

The same message was posted in 2016:

A few days ago, an old photo of a river in Manila, Philippines also went viral, claiming the Methi River in Mumbai was being choked with plastic waste. Several social media users in India shared the photo with the false claim and likened it to the frontage of the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad.

Recently She advises her readers to check the news before sharing it on social networks.

Claim :

The Bhagvad Gita is compulsory in schools in the Netherlands from group 5

conclusion:

Old photo of two little girls goes viral with misrepresentation

(The above story first appeared on LastLY on June 30, 2021 at 10:45 am IST. For more information and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment, and lifestyle , log on to our Latestly.com website.)

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Want to make the Bhagavad Gita fun in schools in the Netherlands from group 5? Ancient image of two little girls holding Hindu sacred texts is...

The most difficult thing to do is to live in peace and harmony with people. It is, perhaps, easier to live with birds and animals. Why is living with people a problem?

We know that fire is hot and we accept that fact. If we are burnt by touching fire, we do not blame it. Again, if we are admiring a beautiful full moon and someone else comes and starts appreciating it, we dont say, Why are you looking at my moon? You have no right to see it! There is no sense of ownership, no possessiveness; there is acceptance without any projection of likes and dislikes.

The Bhagavad Gita says that a wise person moves everywhere with love and affection. Like the wind blowing freely, he does not get attached to anything. He accepts all. . Sometimes people behave nicely, sometimes they dont. This neither elates nor depresses the wise person. Such a man of wisdom lives with his senses under control, free from personal likes and dislikes, and therefore, enjoys every object, place, situation and person.

What we need to have is love and affection. Along with that there should be freedom and space, too. Two hands joined together leave a gap and can be easily separated. Similarly, we should give space to people. It is not possible to love someone and also confine them in that love.

Continued here:

Live in peace - Economic Times

One thing is not in doubt. Jairam Ramesh is the quintessential, scholarly researcher. He can pick up relatively off-stream subjects, like his tomes on P.N. Haksar and Krishna Menon, and delve deep into the subject like an academic beaver who will not rest content until all the dimensions of the subject are fully retrieved.

But one still wonders whether Sir Edwin Arnolds The Light of Asia is deserving of 457 pages in print. Arnolds book is an important one, but is not considered by most critics to be a classic and his own place in literature is uncertain. It is true that Arnold was a genuine Indophile, and wrote several seminal works on Indian philosophy and literature, including The Song Celestial on the Bhagavad Gita. But, it is important to remember that he was a colonialist by conviction and, as Ramesh himself says, a firm believer in the civilising mission of the British for the good of the natives.

The Light of Asia Jairam Ramesh Penguin, May 2021

This being said, Ramesh had done a masterly work in piecing together and analysing the many facets of The Light of Asia, the life of Arnold, and the impact the book had significantly or tangentially on many pivotal figures in our own history, from Swami Vivekananda, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, B.R. Ambedkar, Rabindranath Tagore, and the physics Nobel Laureate, C.V. Raman. For the rest, we are presented meticulously researched details on the translations of the book, the films that it inspired, the art exhibitions it prompted, and the most obscure details of the life of Arnold, including how his birth centenary was celebrated and what his children and grandchildren did and did not do.

There was one important matter in which Arnold played an important role. It related to who would run the Bodh Gaya temple: a Hindu sect that had been in control of the temple since the seventeenth century, or the Buddhists. Arnold visited Bodh Gaya in 1886, and lent his full support to the control over this site passing on to the Buddhists, whose claim was spearheaded by the Sri Lanka monk, Anagarika Dharmapala, the founder of the Mahabodhi Society. It was a long and bitter battle, but was fortunately peacefully settled in 1953 when Buddhist control over the temple was established.

While Arnolds interest in Indias philosophical, spiritual and literary heritage was undoubted, and his translations of several Persian, Arabic and Sanskrit classics is testimony to this, it is interesting that his actual sojourn in India was quite limited. He lived continuously here only between late 1857 and mid 1860, as the first Principal of what would be known later as the Deccan College in Poona. He again returned to India in 1885 but only for some three months. By contrast, perhaps, his involvement in Africa, where he had a key role in the first Congo expedition and had a mountain and a river named after him, and in Japan, which occupied his attention almost continuously from 1890 (his third wife was Japanese), was more.

Ramesh admits that Arnold has attracted only one serious biographer, and that too as far back as 1957. In that sense, certainly, our intrepid researcher has fulfilled a gap which, obviously, was not very evident to the country to which Arnold belonged Britain.

As a biography, Rameshs book rates very highly. As an account of the times in which Arnold lived, and of his interactions with eminent people who were his contemporaries, it also scores very highly. Ramesh has left no stone unturned to dig deep into archival material and in particular letters and reports to construct a highly readable kaleidoscope of the man, his book, and the times. While one may cavil about whether so much time and effort ought to have been spent on a subject of limited scope, there can be little doubt that at the end of it all, the final product is a very readable one, and veritably, a labour of love.

Pavan K. Varma is a former diplomat and was a member of the Rajya Sabha between 2014 and 2016.

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Book Review: Throwing Light on the Lives and Times of Sir Edwin Arnold - The Wire

The Bhagavad Gita brings the realisation of the highest truth within the grasp of each and every individual who is keen to seek it. At every stage of His teaching, Krishna narrows the gap between philosophy and practicality to enable every seeker participate in this quest, said Srimati Sunanda in a discourse. The power of yoga is the fundamental factor in the sphere of spiritual advancement and it pertains to inner life. Krishna shows how this power can be accessed and harnessed with continuous effort and one-pointed determination. All depends on how one learns to guard oneself from the pulls of the body mind intellect to remain with the thoughts of the Truth of Brahman in ones inner self. This is the state of realisation. It is not attained by mere study and mastery of the Vedas.

A course in the Vedas and the Upanishads may make one a Vedic scholar. He may be adept to discuss and debate on the theory of the self or Brahman with much felicity and even hold audiences spell bound. But whether he has realised the truth as an inner experience is the question and he alone can answer it. It is gauged only by each ones honest self testimony.

Rabindranath Tagores observation that the world is full of sound scholars but it is rare to find sound men draws attention to the difference between knowledge acquisition and knowledge assimilation. So, when realised souls such as the seers in the Upanishads speak of their awareness of the imperishable Brahman, and state with conviction I know the Supreme Brahman of effulgence beyond the darkness, the words ring with the very vision and experience of the Eternal Truth. Such statements on Brahman are on a different plane unlike the intellectual utterances of well versed scholars. The imperishable quality of Brahman is to be realised as a truth and not as an utterance.

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Power of yoga - The Hindu

Nirvana Day, a festival celebrated on Feb. 8 and 15 by Buddhists, Hindus and Jains, commemorates the attainment of enlightenment by the Buddha on his death at age 80. This weeks commenters discuss why nirvana is central to their religious beliefs.

Nitin Ajmera of Plainview

Chairman, board of trustees, Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Nirvana in Jain philosophy is a state of infinite bliss, infinite knowledge and infinite perception that a soul attains when it gets rid of all its karmas.

Once the soul attains this stage, it is no longer subject to the cycle of life and death and remains in this happy state forever. According to Jainism, all living beings are mortal because of their karmas, pathos and ethos that bind them to infinite cycles of life and death. Individuals need to work on their self-restraint and control of emotions as well as guide their feelings toward a neutral state, thereby stopping the influx of karmas.

Through constant meditation and penance, the soul also gets rids of its karmas, slowly and steadily rising to this pristine and pure state, where no karma particles remain attached to the soul. This state is nirvana. Once a soul reaches this stage, it lives in happiness that is not momentary, but continuous.

Think of it like eating chocolate: We feel pleasure for some time, but if we eat a lot, the law of diminishing returns applies. In state of nirvana, however, there is no law of diminishing returns; the source of happiness is infinite and continuous.

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Narinder Kapoor

Member, board of directors, Multi-Faith Forum of Long Island

Although ancient texts such as the Vedas and early Upanishads don't mention nirvana, the term is found in the Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, the profound treatise of Hinduism. Nirvana is the eternal peace attained by those whose sins have been washed away, whose doubts have been dispelled by knowledge, whose minds are firmly established in the belief in God and who are actively engaged in promoting the welfare of all beings.

Hindus believe that there is a cosmic energy in the totality of creation. For us, nirvana literally means merging back into that cosmic energy. We also call this moksha, a word derived from Sanskrit that means the liberation of the soul from the cycle of birth and death. According to the Bhagavad-Gita, nirvana can be achieved through the three spiritual paths or practices: bhakti yoga (loving devotion toward a personal deity), karma yoga (unselfish action) or gyaan yoga (the path of self-realization).

In Srimad Bhagavad-Gita, Lord Krishna describes nirvana as an experience of "blissful ego-lessness," an eternal peace in which one is "illuminated by the inner-light" and "becomes one with God."

Bhante Kottawe Nanda

Head monk, Long Island Buddhist Meditation Center, Riverhead

Nirvana is the ultimate blissful state that any living being can achieve. But it is one of the most difficult phenomena to understand even though the path in achieving nirvana has been well explained in Buddhism.

In the Udna Text, a collection of the Buddhas sayings, each accompanied by the story that occasioned it, nirvana is defined as that dimension "where there is neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor wind; neither dimension of the infinitude of space, nor dimension of the infinitude of consciousness, nor dimension of nothingness, nor dimension of neither perception nor non-perception; neither this world, nor the next world just the end of suffering." Nirvana cannot be explained by any known dimension. Attaining it is an intellectual process leading to wisdom where there is no greed, hatred or delusion.

Buddha explains that form and suffering are impermanent. Buddha continues, "What is suffering is non-self. What is non-self should be seen as it really is with correct wisdom, thus: This is not mine, this I am not, this is not myself." When one sees this as it really is, with correct wisdom, the mind becomes dispassionate and is liberated from attachments which cause suffering.

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Asking the Clergy: What is Nirvana? - Newsday

An advocate was booked for attacking Kannada writer and rationalist K.S. Bhagavan at the City Civil Court Complex here on Thursday. The accused, Meera Raghavendra, confronted Prof. Bhagavan as he was leaving after attending a hearing in a metropolitan court and threw ink on his face.

She accused him of criticising Hinduism and said she was ready to face any action for her action. A gunman and a police constable escorted the writer out of the premises.

After a video clip of the attack started circulating on social media, Ms. Meera announced on Twitter that she had taught him a lesson. Prof. Bhagavan later filed a complaint with the Halasuru Gate police, based on which an FIR was registered against the lawyer. She was booked for wrongful restraint, assault and criminal intimidation.

A few months ago, Ms. Meera had filed a private complaint against Prof. Bhagavan for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. The writers lawyer, Surya Mukundaraj, said his client would also file complaints against Ms. Meera before the Bar Council and the Advocates Association.

Mr. Mukundaraj said: Attacking Prof. Bhagavan on the court premises despite the presence of security shows that it was a premeditated act and there was a deep-rooted conspiracy that needed a detailed investigation.

In the past, Prof. Bhagavan was provided security after he received threats to his life for his views on Hindu scriptures, notably on Lord Rama and the Bhagavad Gita, and a police case was registered against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.

More recently, the Public Library Book Selection Committee withdrew its recommendation to purchase writer Prof. Bhagavans 2018 book Rama Mandira Eke Beda? (Why there should be no Rama Mandira) after it was criticised by the right-wing on social media.

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Advocate booked for throwing ink on Kannada writer and rationalist Bhagavan - The Hindu

City Council of Rochester (New Hampshire), reportedly for the first time since its incorporation in 1891, will start its day with Hindu mantras on February two, containing verses from worlds oldest extant scripture.

Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed will deliver the invocation from ancient Sanskrit scriptures remotely before the City Council of Rochester, largest city in the seacoast region. After Sanskrit delivery, he then will read the English interpretation of the prayers. Sanskrit is considered a sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages.

Zed, who is the President of Universal Society of Hinduism, will recite fromRig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use; besides lines fromUpanishadsandBhagavad-Gita(Song of the Lord), both ancient Hindu scriptures. He plans to start and end the prayer with Om, the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.

Reciting fromBrahadaranyakopanishad, Rajan Zed plans to say Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya; which he will then interpret as Lead us from the unreal to the real, Lead us from darkness to light, and Lead us from death to immortality. Reciting fromBhagavad-Gita, he proposes to urge councilmembers and others present to keep the welfare of others always in mind.

Zed, a global Hindu and interfaith leader, has been bestowed with World Interfaith Leader Award. Zed is Senior Fellow and Religious Advisor to Foundation for Religious Diplomacy,on the Advisory Board of The Interfaith Peace Project, etc. He has been panelist for On Faith, a prestigious interactive conversation on religion produced by The Washington Post; and produces a weekly multi-faith panel Faith Forum in a Gannett publication for over nine years.

Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about 1.2 billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. There are about three million Hindus in USA.

Rochester, known as the Lilac City, serves as a gateway to the Lakes Region, the White Mountains, and the Seacoast; and Cocheco River flows through it. Mission Statement of the City of Rochester includes contributing to a sense of community and the overall quality of life. Caroline McCarley and Blaine Cox are Mayor and City Manager respectively.

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Hindu prayer to open Rochester Council in New Hampshire for the 1st time in 130 years - NewsPatrolling