Ayodhya: Proud of my India

Ayodhya: Proud of my India

The court has finally made the decision and so far peace has prevailed.  I was not able to sleep last night late until 3:00 AM and thank God, goodness has yet prevailed. If people don't agree, let it go to Supreme court, we have to prove to the world that we are a nation that respects rule of Law. Let other nations in the world look up to our model and never, every dream of becoming like the very ones we denigrate.

There are over 4000 articles to read, I have read a few and am sure you all have read as many. There are two that really are patriotic articles, where they wish the best outcomes for all Indians.  

Every society is composed of Good, Bad and Ugly and each one reflects what he or she is loaded with. There is famous saying that you cannot expect clean water from a sewer and certainly we will find a lot of hateful material floating and I do not expect good coming out of the hard core hate boys, be it Muslims, Hindus or any one. The ratio of good to bad is 99:1. It is time for good people to speak up.

Lets show the world that we are a pluralistic democracy and that we honor the rule of law. No doubt a few on both sides will create trouble, I hope a good majority of us will not fall prey to the temptations and remain good. Let's take pride in being good citizens.

Jai Hind

Mike Ghouse

Ayodhya issue: 'This is ultimate test of Indian faith'

Published: Thursday, Sep 30, 2010, 8:42 IST
By Sumaa Takur | Place: Bangalore | Agency: DNA

http://www.dnaindia.com/bangalore/report_ayodhya-issue-this-is-ultimate-test-of-indian-faith_1445489

Even as the crucial verdict on the Ayodhya issue is going to be made public today, the city's intelligentsia is crossing its fingers. The city's influentials and bright minds are hoping that people demonstrate, when most needed, the main teachings of peace and harmony that the two religions of Hinduism and Islam stand for.

"In recent times for all the wrong reasons, India has been poorly portrayed and this is an opportunity to show the world that we are truly descendants of a great civilisation. As a nation, it will test our true self, and we should do nothing that makes our heritage covered with shame," says Subroto Bagchi, gardener and vice-chairman, MindTree, a global IT solution company. "We must maintain calm irrespective of the outcome of the verdict on Ayodhya. Any act against a fellow human being will be an act against God," he says.

Jnanpith award winning author, Prof UR Ananthamurthy, says the people should transcend the need for a physical space to practice religion. "Islam is a great religion. The greatness of Islam lies in the fact that Muslims do not even need a mosque to pray. I have seen this everywhere. When it is time to pray, Muslims do not go looking for a mosque. They turn west and surrender themselves to Almighty God. They can pray even on the pavement. This religion has built itself to sustain and survive without a symbolic building,"
he says.

"This is true for the Hindus as well. Ram should not be merely a historical figure born in any particular place. He is a figure of mythology more truly than historical truth. For, it is a perennial truth for devotees of Rama. Ram is everywhere. I recall a famous statement by a former chief minister of Kerala, EK Nayanar. He once said: 'I always thought Ram was born in Kerala'," adds Ananthamurthy.

He is of the opinion that both religions must have an understanding of the other religion. Members of each religion must also build the capacity to keep the religion alive beyond physical symbols. "A good example of communal harmony worth remembering now is in Bidar. During the Ganesha Chaturthi festival procession, the Hindus stop ringing the bells and the loud noises when they pass by mosques where Muslims are praying.

They are sensitive to the fact that the Muslims need silence when they pray. Each should respect the others' space," he says.

Lokayukta justice N Santosh Hegde appeals to the citizens of Bangalore to listen to their humane side. "We are humans, first and foremost. We belong to a religion by the chance of birth into a household or by fate. Let not the latter take away the human in us," he says.

Captain GR Gopinath, the man who 'simplified' flying in the country, asks people to beware of opportunists. "All parties and leaders must step back and respect the court verdict on Ayodhya. We have to focus on good governance to reduce corruption which has become so brazen and pervasive it is going to destroy the country," he says.

There are more urgent matters in the country that demand our focus, he says. "We must aim to provide affordable and quality rural education, healthcare for common people and pool all our resources to build a robust infrastructure. This will enable us to create jobs across India for the vast population which will have to migrate from agriculture," says Gopinath. He adds that the prerequisite for all this to happen is communal harmony.

"We must start by rejecting all self-serving fundamentalists and politicians who are dividing this country, and stand united for peace and communal harmony.

Swati Ramanathan, co-founder, Janagraha, says, "There is so much to fight for —- this is not one of them. There is no winning or losing in this. Of what value is a sentiment of hate and intolerance that corrodes society and our very souls? As humanity there is more that connects us than divides us. Mandira or Masjid, these are mere shells —- our God resides within us. Peace be with us.''

 

 

 

India of 2010 is different from that of 1992'

Published: Friday, Oct 1, 2010, 2:54 IST

By Team DNA | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA 

 

http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_india-of-2010-is-different-from-that-of-1992_1445887

 

Peace will prevail and we will be patient," was the most common sentiment prevalant in the city on Thursday. As the verdict was announced and televsion sets turned on, social organisations and activists were happy to note that the judgment was accepted gracefully by both the communities.

"It is heartening that the India of 2010 is vastly different from that of 1992. The common man is more aware of the need for peace and tolerance," said Jatin Desai, national secretary of Pakistan-India Forum for Peace and Demoracy.

Activists in communally sensitive areas went into an overdrive, going door-to-door urging people to accept the judgment gracefully, holding meetings with neighbours and talking to the youth about the importance of the judgement.

Some hurriedly put up banners to communicate themessage of peace. "It is important to respect the verdict and maintain peace and harmony," said Ibhrahim Tai, president of the Muslim Council Trust.

Activists observed that the mood in both the communities was that of acceptance though there was a bit of confusion and dissent over the three-way sharing of the land.

"Most of the people we have met have gracefully accepted the verdict as they have decided that they will not let anybody take advantage of their emotions," said advocate Mubin Solkar, president of Indian Mumbaikars for Peace and Community Togetherness (IMPACT).

Solkar said his organisation will conduct a 'peace programme' for Hindus and Muslims over the next few days so that vested interests don't misinterpret the judgment and instigate communal unrest. "We have submitted a memorandum of our programme to the deputy general of police, commissioner of police and other senior officers," he said.

A few voices of dissent in the Muslim community were drowned by the mostly relieved tone of the community at large. "If the matter is challenged in the Supreme Court, we will support it," said Sarfaraz Mohammed, a resident of Bharat Nagar.

Many felt the court had taken a "somewhat neutral stand". "All parties are getting an equal share. Religious and political leaders should not approach the Supreme Court and let the matter rest for everyone's good," said Altaf Patel, a shop owner from Bharat Nagar, Bandra.

 

 

• Ayodhya verdict: Divide disputed site into three parts, makeshift temple to Hindus
• Ayodhya issue: 'This is ultimate test of Indian faith'
• Gujarat police on high alert ahead of Ayodhya verdict
• Bangalore students despair over deepening schisms in the country
• Judgment will pave way for Ram temple, says Narendra Modi

 

Hindu-Muslim amity can't be built on the basis of denial

• Hindu temple remnants used to construct Babri Masjid: Judge
• Russian firm unveils plan for first space hotel
• Ayodhya verdict: Divide disputed site into three parts, makeshift temple to Hindus

 

• India hopes for peace as Ayodhya verdict day arrives
• Varun Gandhi to get married; Maneka says Sonia will be invited
• Veggie Indians more prone to heart disease
• Indo-Tibetan Border Police gearing up for riot control?

 

INCREDIBLE - India Launches Project to ID 1.2 Billion People

India Launches Project to ID 1.2 Billion People

 By AMOL SHARMA

India's vaunted tech savvy is being put to the test this week as the country embarks on a daunting mission: assigning a unique 12-digit number to each of its 1.2 billion people.

IDs for India

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• More photos and interactive graphics

The project, which seeks to collect fingerprint and iris scans from all residents and store them in a massive central database of unique IDs, is considered by many specialists the most technologically and logistically complex national identification effort ever attempted. To pull it off, India has recruited tech gurus of Indian origin from around the world, including the co-founder of online photo service Snapfish and employees from Google Inc., Yahoo Inc. and Intel Corp.

 

The country's leaders are pinning their hopes on the program to solve development problems that have persisted despite fast economic growth. They say unique ID numbers will help ensure that government welfare spending reaches the right people, and will allow hundreds of millions of poor Indians to access services like banking for the first time.

Critics question whether the project can have as big an impact as its backers promise, given that identity fraud is but one contributor to India's development struggles. Civil-liberties groups say the government is collecting too much personal information without sufficient safeguards. The technology requires transferring large amounts of data between the hinterland and an urban database, leading some to question whether the system will succumb to India's rickety Internet infrastructure.

An ambitious national ID program in India is using sophisticated biometric technology to register the country's 1.2 billion citizens. WSJ's Amol Sharma reports.

The sign-up effort is already under way in a handful of districts, and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is expected to kick off nationwide enrollment Wednesday. The government hopes to issue the first 100 million unique ID numbers by March and 600 million within four years. The undertaking is the latest chance for India to show it can pull off a massive project after what is widely viewed as its mishandling of next week's Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, where infrastructure and hygiene issues led some nations to threaten withdrawing.

 

To lead the program, Mr. Singh picked Nandan Nilekani, former CEO of Infosys Technologies Ltd., which helped pioneer India's low-cost offshore model of technology services. A native of Bangalore, India's tech hub, and son of a textile-mill manager, the 55-year-old billionaire is trying to infuse some of Infosys's efficiency into a lumbering bureaucracy.

 

"You have a whole mass of people who are shut out of society," Mr. Nilekani says. "A lack of identity is a big source of exclusion. You're giving them a key to social services."

In one early registration drive in Nagaram, a village 30 miles outside the southern city of Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh state, dozens of people were streaming into a drab government office one recent afternoon to have their fingerprints taken and irises scanned. Many applicants, who ranged from vegetable and rice farmers to real-estate brokers and shopkeepers, had never used a computer much less seen biometric equipment. Local officials had knocked on their doors the night before to tell them about the program.

Salekula Anjaiah, a 44-year-old farmer who earns about $40 per month for his family of five, said he hoped the IDs would keep people from cheating the welfare system and getting food rations they don't qualify for. "It will take fraud out of the government schemes," said Mr. Anjaiah, who relies on subsidies to feed his family. "Then it will be guaranteed I get what I deserve."

 

India has been attempting to improve governance through technology for two decades. Programs have digitized land records, created Web portals for government agencies and computerized tax filing systems. But the unique ID program, dubbed "Aadhaar," or "foundation" in Hindi, is by far the largest and most ambitious effort. Many countries have some form of national ID and a handful use biometrics, but none come close to matching the scale of what India is attempting.

 

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Mr. Nilekani started recruiting Indians in the global technology industry in the summer of 2009. These early recruits included Srikanth Nadhamuni, who had spent 16 years as a technology engineer for companies like Sun Microsystems and Intel.

 

Word spread in Silicon Valley that Mr. Nilekani wanted help, and by the fall a few others arrived in Bangalore.

 

The team rented an apartment at a gated community on the eastern outskirts of the city to use as an office. Everyone worked for free.

 

The group worked in the living room. They bought a few tables, two whiteboards and some markers. For food, they went to Mr. Nadhamuni's house nearby, where his wife served rice cakes, lentil crepes and lemon rice. Visitors had to use a wooden shoe rack as a bench since there weren't enough chairs.

 

The team came up with a plan to capture a mix of biometric information—digital photos, fingerprints and iris scans—as well as names, addresses, genders and dates of birth. Since they knew they wouldn't have a second chance to collect the data, the engineers say they erred on getting too much information, including all 10 fingerprints instead of just one. The government would issue the random 12-digit numbers by mail. Passports, driver's licenses, ration cards and government health-insurance cards could either have the numbers printed on them or embedded electronically.

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Project head Nandan Nilekani says 'a lack of identity is a big source of exclusion' in India today.

That still left a major hurdle: How to verify that a number and a person actually match? Retailers, like banks and cell-phone companies, could install fingerprint readers and match the data over the Internet. But getting readers and Internet access to the 500,000, often remote locations where subsidized food is distributed to the poor would be costly and impractical.

 

The Indian government is expected to spend as much as $250 billion over five years on programs aimed at the poor, including subsidies for food, diesel, fertilizer and jobs. But 40% of the benefits, as the system now stands, will go to the wrong people or to "ghosts" with fake identification papers, according to a report by brokerage firm CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets. Today's ration cards, for example, are issued on paper, and are relatively easy to forge or doctor.

India Real Time

Who's Who in Nilekani's UID Dream Team

In November 2009, Mr. Nilekani wrote to tech companies such as Intel, Google, Oracle Corp. and Yahoo, asking them to send Indian-origin engineers to contribute to the cause, either on paid sabbatical or as volunteers. More than 20 people joined the effort.

The government has approved about $670 million for the project so far, and the entire cost will likely be "several billion dollars," says Mr. Nilekani.

 

By early this year, the Bangalore team moved into a real office at a technology park. Mr. Nilekani became a traveling salesman for the project, taking a PowerPoint presentation on the road and making the case for unique IDs with government agencies and regulators across the country.

 

In his pitch, Mr. Nilekani focused in part on reducing fraud, but also on the potential for bringing into the financial system the roughly two-thirds of Indian adults who don't have bank accounts. The poor often have few or no documents to prove who they are or where they live. The unique ID would solve that problem, says Mr. Nilekani, and could be linked to banks' plans to offer "no-frills" accounts, with no minimum balance and low fees, as well as nascent money-transfer services via mobile phones.

Scanning the World

India's unique ID program is the largest and most logistically challenging identification project in the world. A look at other such schemes.

 

Germany

Now issues paper ID cards, but plans to replace with electronic cards embedded with fingerprints and a six-digit PIN number that can be used to digitally sign forms.

Nigeria

 

Creating a national database with biometric data on citizens. Government hopes that 100 million out of 150 million Nigerians will be issued a unique ID card in three years.

Bosnia-Herzegovina

 

National ID cards were issued in 2002, partly to encourage unity following ethnic strife. The technology involves a bar code, a single fingerprint and a photograph. About 2.5 million IDs had been issued as of May.

 

Malaysia

Smart cards hold personal data and a thumbprint, and can be used to pay road tolls and access ATM machines.

 

Oman

One objective of smart-card program is to track immigrants, including workers from Pakistan, Iran, India and elsewhere.

 

U.S.

The US-VISIT program collects digital fingerprints and photos from foreign travelers as a way to keep immigration violators and criminals from entering the country. It has over 100 million records.

 

Source: CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets; WSJ Research

In the village of Nagaram, officials say they have been signing up 200 people per day, and as of early September, had made it through half of the 4,500 residents. The goal is for hundreds of villages and towns in Andhra Pradesh to start enrollment soon, and to reach 30 million people state-wide by the end of the year.

 

Signing up is technically voluntary, but any government agency or company will be allowed to require a unique ID as identity proof, an approach critics say amounts to a de facto mandate for people to enroll.

 

The process is slow going, taking anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes per person. Capturing iris scans with binocular-like devices is tricky and can take several minutes.

 

Administrators had to hold one elderly man's eyelids open to get a good image.

In addition to biometrics, residents provided an array of personal information, including their caste, religion and cellphone number. State agencies and companies who register people can gather whatever information they deem appropriate.

 

Such vast data gathering rankles privacy advocates who say demographic details can potentially be used to discriminate in the services that companies offer customers or government agencies offer citizens.

 

Another concern is that marketers will find ways to build profiles of people based on how they use their IDs—tracking where people bank, which hospitals they have checked into and who their cellphone providers are, for example.

 

"You will basically be creating these wonderful resources for people to mine," says Sudhir Krishnaswamy, a law professor at the National University of Juridical Sciences in Kolkata.

Mr. Nilekani says he has drafted legislation to address the concerns of critics. Under the bill, which has been approved by India's cabinet but must still be passed by parliament, the government would have to ensure that the information it collects "is secured and protected against any loss or unauthorized access." Anyone who discloses private information or hacks into the ID database would face up to three years in prison and stiff fines. Mr. Nilekani said India also needs a broader privacy law.

 

Andhra Pradesh officials say early data already show how unique IDs could reduce corruption at the state's 43,000 ration shops, which distribute subsidized food to the poor.

At one shop, records showed rations were being delivered to 330 families, but after the IDs were rolled out, only 203 families claimed benefits by placing their finger on a scanner at the shop. State officials suspect the shop owner had been making up fake accounts to divert some of the food into the black market.

 

Jejjayila Venkatesh, a 35-year-old Nagaram resident who earns $50 a month in a local government job, said he isn't concerned about privacy. He just hopes the ID will help him open a bank account and get a driver's license, which he has had difficulty obtaining thus far, and maintain his benefits when he goes out of state for work: "This will help me prove my identity wherever I roam."

 

—Vibhuti Agarwal contributed to this article.

Write to Amol Sharma at amol.sharma@wsj.com

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704652104575493490951809322.html#printMode#ixzz10wK4lkOU

Ayodhya Verdict

I pray that our nation and people accept the verdict of the Allahabad High court, or go to the Supreme Court to continue with the challenges.

 

Let the common folks of India not fall in trap to the politicians,the ones who instigate will sit pretty in their homes and the let you hurt each other, and cause anguish. Do they care?

 

 

There are bad elements among Society, whoever disturbs the peace must be

rounded up and dealt with accordingly. We must resist the temptation to

blame the family of such persons, community, town or religion of that person.

Let no one escape blaming the intangibles like the caste, religion or the language

 

Let's punish those individuals who do wrong.

On our part, the India's sitting elsewhere in India, we should do every thing

to keep peace there, but certainly not cheer for the destruction of each other.

 

On our part at Dallas Indians, let's learn about what is going on there,

and pray for goodwill instead of cheering the loss of the other. Shame on us if did that. Let's each one of us do our duty, the least we can do is pray.

 

 Mike Ghouse

 

 

 

 

 

A Pefect Michami Dukadam to all but particularly to our Jain friends

Michami Dukadam friends,

particularly, Kirit, Dilip, Jay, Nalini, Manohar, Dhiren, Rashmi, Atul, Lal, Ashok, Gautam, Mihir, Daulat, Vastupal, Yashwant, Lena, Pramod, Manish, Kapadia, Meera, Pramod, Kumkum, Nirmal  and friends.  Forgive me for not recalling some of the names of our friends at this moment but I do see all the faces of my Jain friends in Dallas, Vancouver, and California.  I grew up with  Jayendra Sajjanraj Jain who has built a magnificent Jain temple in Yelahanka near Bangalore and is my neighbor. His father Sugalchand and my father were great friends and I cannot forget the best Jamoons of my life were at his house.

 

I have been busy with too many things in public square and I forgot to greet "Michami Dukadam"... one of the most beautiful gifts presented by the Jain tradition to the world.

 

Indeed, this phrase is one of the dearest expressions of me. Two years ago, at the funeral prayers for Najma in the Richardson Mosque, I asked people to repeat "michami dukadam" and nearly 2100 people from all faiths and traditions present repeated the phrases, meaning every one wanted to acknowledge the past, but release each other from any bondage and free oneself to continue with life.

 

In lay man's terms, It is pushing the refresh button in our lives, cleaning our slate for the last year and starting all over again with renewed relationship. it is tying the loose ends and achieving spiritual freedom; Mukti, moksha, nirvana, nijaat, salvation or plain freedom. 

 

Two years ago,  I wrote in Najma's obituary,  "Three  days prior to her death, I shared the good news with her, "Najma, spiritually you are a free person now, you will be pleased to know that all those items that bothered you and gave you tension are done with, the loose ends are tied, and if you were to get up and walk and be with any one, hear about anything or see anything you will be completely free from tensions". The smile that appeared on her face was simply life giving, it meant everything to me, it was a relief to me to know that  as a spouse I have done my part in completing her life successfully and I thank God for that.  I asked her to forgive my shortcomings and without missing a beat, she asked me to do the same. It was one of the best emotional releases she and I have had in our lives. It was a perfect Michami Dukadam. (cleaning each others slate).

 

Michami Dukadam friends,
More about Paryushan below

 

I invite all of you to Join me at the Unity Day, on Sunday, September 12, 2010 at 5: 30 PM, details are at; www.Unitydayusa.com

 

Mike Ghouse

 

THE SPIRIT OF PARYUSHAN
=====================================

The Paryushan Parva (festival) is the most important and pinnacle  festival among the Jain festivals. Paryushan  is a festival of self-discipline through fasting, equanimity and other ascetic practices.  Men, women  and children as well as monks and nuns  undertake fasts with varying strictness.  Svetämbars celebrate eight days of Paryushan  with daily prayers, reading of  Kalpasutra scriptures, life of Lord Mahavira, penance, meditation and self repentance for violating knowingly  and unknowingly the basic rules of conduct of a householder.During Paryushana, there are regular sermons and ceremonies in the temples On the last day, jain members  greet each other and ask forgiveness (Kshama-yachna)  for any pain that might have been caused knowingly or unknowingly by any of their actions during the past year.

Digambar Jains celebrate Paryushan for 10 days, Dash Lakshan. During the Parva  they read and discuss 10 virtues,  which are called the cardinal virtues. These cardinal virtues are the inherent qualities of a human soul.  The 10 cardinal virtues are :

1. FORGIVENESS (KSHAMA) - Total lack of anger. 
2. HUMILITY (MARDAVA)  - Lack of pride,ego. 
3. STRAIGHT FORWARDNESS (ARJAVA) - Lack of cunning. 
4. CONTENTMENT (SAUCH)-  Lack of greed. 
5. TRUTHFULNESS (SATYA)  -  Lack of falsehood. 
6. SELF-CONTROL (SAYAMA) - Control over physical  violence.  
7. AUSTERITY (TAPPA)-  Austerity is repentance of one's sins. 
8. RENUNCIATION (TYAGA)- Giving up possessions both internal and external.
9. DETACHMENT (APARIGRAHA)-  Lack of attachment. 
10. CELIBACY (BRAHMACHARYA). Control of sensory pleasures

 

The festival ordains the Jains to observe the above  mentioned ten universal supreme virtues in daily practical life. Besides assuring a blissful existence in this world and the other world for every living being, it aims at the attainment of salvation - the supreme ideal for mundane soul. The non-Jains also express high reverence for this Jain festival. All members of Jain community- high and low, young and old, and males and females, participate with full vigor and zeal in the various religious rituals and cultural programs. They listen to the holy sermons of the saints and learned Jain scholars arranged during the ten-day festival. In these celebrations lie dormant the seeds of the well  being, peace and happiness of the common man. These celebrations harbinger social harmony and amity and preach the lofty Jain motto ‘Live and Let live’.

Requesting Forgiveness

At the conclusion of the festival, members request each other and all living beings for forgiveness for all offenses committed during the last year.. There are several great aphorisms (Sutras) to ask for forgiveness with the unity of the body, speech and mind, and one of them is as follows:

    Khämemi Savve Jivä, Savve Jivä Khamantu Mi 
    Mitti Me Savva bhuesu, Veram majjham na Kenai.

Meaning:

 

 I forgive all the living beings of the universe, and may all the living-beings forgive me for my faults. I do not have any animosity towards anybody, and I have friendship for all living beings.

The process of shedding our karmäs really begins by asking for forgiveness with true feelings, and to take some vows not to repeat mistakes. The quality of the forgiveness requires humility (vinay - absence of ego) and suppression of anger. Therefore, the real purpose of the Paryushan is to purify our soul by staying closer to our own soul, to look at our own faults, to ask for forgiveness for the mistakes we have committed, and take vows to minimize our faults. We try to forget about the needs of our body (like food) and our business so that we can concentrate on our-self. 

Paryushan  Parva gives expression to the perfectly purified trait of the soul, through which one gets rid of worldly discords and allurements and one gets fully absorbed in the eternal truth on experiencing and realizing the true nature of soul. In other words we can say that the natural realization of the trio ‘the True, the Good and the Beautiful’ This festival puts an end to all evils in man; gives him realization of the eternal bliss, and spiritualism becomes alive by the celebration of this festival.

To sum up, Paryushan  Parva is a grandest of the  Jain festival of self-introspection, 
self-enlightenment and self-achievement, which ultimately leads to the one and 
only one final goal, i.e., liberation or salvation.

 Complied by Dr. Pradeep Shah, 2006, Dallas, Texas

An Indian Muslim scholar sets an example

An Indian Muslim scholar sets an example of faith in democracy
By MUQTEDAR KHAN • August 10, 2010

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20100810/OPINION09/8100322/1004/OPINION/An-Indian-Muslim-scholar-sets-an-example-of-faith-in-democracy

On Aug. 15, India will celebrate its independence from British colonial rule. Congratulations to India. For nearly 200 years the British occupied and exploited India and its resources. But we all know this aspect of British culture firsthand and it does not need much elaboration here.

India, too, has emerged as a democracy after independence. It used to be a great civilization, now it is on its way to becoming a great world power.

India is not only a successful democracy and an emerging fountain of knowledge for the world; it is also the other Holy Land. There are only four religions with more than a billion adherents. Two come from the Middle East (Islam and Christianity), and the other two were made in India (Hinduism and Buddhism).

Whether it is Indian software engineers, doctors or professors, Indians are not only scripting a phenomenal story of growth in India, but are also driving growth everywhere in the world.

In the U.S., too, Indians and their progeny are making an incredible impact. Bobby Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, Fareed Zakaria and Sanjay Gupta of CNN, Deepak Chopra, 11 Nobel laureates and thousands of scientists and entrepreneurs are making America a more scientific and prosperous nation.

Kalpana Chawla, one of the brave astronauts who died in the space shuttle Columbia accident, was Indian-American.

And then there is yours truly.

One of the most important reasons for India's tremendous post-independence success is its unwavering focus on education. One of the earliest architects of India's freedom struggle and its focus on education was a Muslim scholar -- Maulana Azad, a close companion of Mahatma Gandhi and the first minister of education of free India, from 1947 to 1958.

His policies, which created the world-renowned Indian Institutes of Technologies and brought education to women very early on, played a big role in India's social and economic development and its ability to nourish its democracy.

Maulana Azad was a remarkable man by any standards. He was a freedom fighter, a journalist, a scholar, a politician and a statesman. He was born in Mecca in 1888 to a family of Islamic scholars who taught Islam in Mecca and Calcutta. He received a traditional education in Islamic sciences, but in his early teens he recognized that much of his education was religious indoctrination. So he rebelled against it and declared his intellectual freedom and took the nom de plume Azad.

(2 of 2)


Azad means free.




He became a prominent player in India's freedom struggle, motivating millions of Muslim Indians to join the movement through his various magazines and leading the Indian National Congress during the crucial years 1940-1946.

He was an Indian Muslim leader and Islamic scholar who believed in Hindu-Muslim unity and opposed the partition of India. He believed that a secular, democratic India would safeguard the freedoms both of Muslims and Hindus.

Azad's faith in communal harmony came from his belief in the fundamental unity of all religions. He based this on his reading of the Quran, which claims that God has sent prophets with the divine message to all people, some of them known to Prophet Mohammed, others he was not aware of (40:78), and that all religions are but one (23:52). It was this belief that made him reach out to Hindus, Christians and Parsees successfully.

In spite of his political responsibilities, Azad found time to write books. His magnum opus was a thirty-volume commentary on the Quran. He wrote several other treatises on the Quran and a history of India's struggle -- "India Wins Freedom."

No leader in the Indian subcontinent, Hindu or Muslim, could match him in erudition and scholarship. No contemporary leader in the entire Muslim world is able to combine political leadership and Islamic scholarship like Azad.

Muslims who live as minorities need leaders like Azad who emphasize respect for pluralism, believe in democracy and eschew mental and social ghettoes.

Leaders who use religious identities as political instruments not only undermine the social harmony of societies, but also do more harm than good for the very minorities whose interests they claim to advance.

We live in an age of globalization, where boundaries are gradually losing their salience. In this age, politics of religious boundaries are artificial and counterproductive.

I hope that American Muslims will discover Azad and learn how to live and lead in a secular democracy; and that non-Muslim Americans learn that not all Muslim leaders in history were divisive and partisan. Many, like Azad, seek political and religious unity.

He became a prominent player in India's freedom struggle, motivating millions of Muslim Indians to join the movement through his various magazines and leading the Indian National Congress during the crucial years 1940-1946.

He was an Indian Muslim leader and Islamic scholar who believed in Hindu-Muslim unity and opposed the partition of India. He believed that a secular, democratic India would safeguard the freedoms both of Muslims and Hindus.

Azad's faith in communal harmony came from his belief in the fundamental unity of all religions. He based this on his reading of the Quran, which claims that God has sent prophets with the divine message to all people, some of them known to Prophet Mohammed, others he was not aware of (40:78), and that all religions are but one (23:52). It was this belief that made him reach out to Hindus, Christians and Parsees successfully.

In spite of his political responsibilities, Azad found time to write books. His magnum opus was a thirty-volume commentary on the Quran. He wrote several other treatises on the Quran and a history of India's struggle -- "India Wins Freedom."

No leader in the Indian subcontinent, Hindu or Muslim, could match him in erudition and scholarship. No contemporary leader in the entire Muslim world is able to combine political leadership and Islamic scholarship like Azad.

Muslims who live as minorities need leaders like Azad who emphasize respect for pluralism, believe in democracy and eschew mental and social ghettoes.

Leaders who use religious identities as political instruments not only undermine the social harmony of societies, but also do more harm than good for the very minorities whose interests they claim to advance.

We live in an age of globalization, where boundaries are gradually losing their salience. In this age, politics of religious boundaries are artificial and counterproductive.

I hope that American Muslims will discover Azad and learn how to live and lead in a secular democracy; and that non-Muslim Americans learn that not all Muslim leaders in history were divisive and partisan. Many, like Azad, seek political and religious unity.

Dr. Muqtedar Khan is an associate professor at the University of Delaware and a fellow of the Institute for Social policy and Understanding.

Indian Muslims - The Lamb's share

Muslims
The Lamb’s Share
There’s funds, schemes aplenty, but the Muslim lot is no better. Why?
Abusaleh Shariff

http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?266661

It is essential to begin this essay by emphasising that minorities, including the Muslims, maintain aspirations and seek opportunities for development like any other community in India. Yet an empirical review suggests that Muslims are lagging practically in all spheres of development, including education, employment, income, assets and so on. There have been efforts by both the Centre and state governments to overcome deprivation amongst the Muslims across India, but a quick review of outcomes suggest little improvement. There is a need for durable changes, a recognition that deprivation amongst the minorities/Muslims exists due to systemic causes which can be set right only through broad-based public policy initiatives, not just through special purpose vehicles such as the minority/Muslim-oriented programmes; in fact, it would be best to assist them to strive to access their share within the mainstream line of ministries, departments and programmes.

India, through the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendment, has made a strong sociopolitical statement of its arrival as a mature democracy, championing multi-layered decentralised governance, sharing substantial powers and a national pool of resources with the states. Further, the enduring canons of governance and economic development are grounded in the principles of socialism, inclusiveness and secularism and fully conscious of regional imbalance.

Like the other main communities of India, the Muslims should have been able to pursue social, economic and educational aspirations within the framework and support of state-provided infrastructure, opportunities and political awakenings. One expects that the ‘diversity’ natural to our population would be reflected in public spheres such as in educational institutions, public and organised sector employment, political systems and governance structures at all levels. Yet, in spite of the fact that practically all social, educational and economic spheres of living are governed and regulated by the states, one finds substantial differences (often unacceptable levels) between varied social groups and across states. Such differentials are prominent in spite of special constitutional provisions bestowed upon the minorities since Independence.

Maintaining diversity in public spheres is a must. If it does not happen naturally, it has to happen via state intervention.

Over 150 million citizens, just about 14 per cent of all Indians, profess Islam as their religion and reside in all parts of India. Muslims are the largest (80 per cent) of all the identified minorities. They reside in substantial numbers and proportions in states such as Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, UP and Bihar, Gujarat, Maharashtra and so on. There are examples and best practices found within India. Consider the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, all have devised policies favouring Muslims at two levels. Muslims here have relatively better access to quality mass education (both elementary and higher level) and employment; and given the history of relative deprivation of the Muslims, the states have extended the benefit of reservations in a certain measure of fractional-proportions linked to their size and share in the population. Such quotas are enabling Muslim girls and boys to catch up with their peers amongst the Hindus and Christians, both in education and employment. Similar provisions enable Muslims to participate even in the political spaces. AP has made a beginning by promoting a system of ‘co-option’ or ‘nomination’ system to the mandals, zila parishads and municipalities/nagar panchayats (AP Panchayat Act, 2006).

Maintaining diversity in public spheres is essential. When this does not happen naturally, it has to be made to happen through government intervention. Legislation can be one way (the mechanism is to remind the government and the institutions that ensuring diversity is their responsibility). Diversity can also be assured by offering incentives/credits to government departments, institutions, universities and so on. Another means is to provide institutional access to citizen representatives (including those from the minorities) to ensure ‘equity’ in the public sphere. An ‘Equal Opportunities Commission’ will go a long way in both ensuring diversity as a key state objective, and also as an institution to enforce redressal.

The Centre has made some efforts during the past 3-4 years to address various aspects of Muslim deprivation. Under the revised 15-point programme, a special investment programme is on in about 100 minority concentration districts (MCDs); exclusive scholarships have been announced for the first time to cover minorities, both in elementary and at higher levels of education. The RBI is consistently sending memos to public sector banks to increase funding to applicants from the minorities and so on. However, a review of all the above suggest that the MCD programme has not even made a presence in many states like West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Gujarat. The overall utilisation is less than 20 per cent of the total funds earmarked for the programme since inception. Similarly, the scholarship programme, although very popular, is able to cover only a fraction of total applicants. And it appears that the public sector banks have not even taken note of the repeated requests by the RBI, a matter of utmost concern.

The larger malice of exclusion has to be fought unitedly by all ‘regular-line departments’ and ministries at the national and state levels. It also needs collaboration and partnership with civil society and private institutional structures. Will a separate ministry ensure the implementation of the over 300 programmes that aim to alleviate poverty and improve human development, promote inclusiveness of the excluded, whether they be SCs, STs or Muslims?

In the absence of any timeline, programme-specific implementative strategy and clarity on monitoring mechanisms, no results will be forthcoming. It is important to mention here that a flat policy of earmarking 15 per cent of budgetary allocations to favour the minorities is not implementable. Rather, the service delivery procedures must use population shares at the “programme-specified operational levels” such as the district, taluka and block levels so as to ensure maximum coverage and provide a sense of equity. The early euphoria and expectations are dying out. UPA-1 took many initiatives to diagnose the problem; now UPA-2 must ensure that inclusive policies are actually implemented before the people at large become disappointed. I only hope that government procrastination on issues related to Muslims does not lead to frustration.

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(The author is an economist who oversaw the writing of the Sachar Commission report.)

Proud of my India, happy independence day

http://mikeghouseforindia.blogspot.com/2010/08/proud-of-my-india-happy-independence.html
Proud of my India

We are proud of our heritage - a multi-faith, multi-cultural, multi-regional and multi-linguistic society, where we have come to accept and respect every which way people have lived their lives.

For over 5000 years, India has been a beacon of pluralism - it has embraced Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Baha’i and Zoroastrianism to include in the array of the indigenous religions; Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism.


India led the way to the freedom movement, since 1947 every country has been liberated from colonialism. Indian democracy is a shining example to the world, where the people have peacefully transferred the powers. Indians are inherently secular and economically capitalistic. They believe in "live-and-let-live" life style, which is the essence of capitalism.

Through the years we have expressed the highest degree of maturity on handling extreme situations; the more divergent opinions we hear, the larger our heart grows, the bigger our embrace would be and we can cushion more differences. Let’s continue to honor the concept that there is always another side to the story, as finding the truth is our own responsibility.

Our goal is to seek ideas and make attempts to move towards solutions to ensure continuance of our Pluralistic Heritage. The world is one family; Vasudhaiva KutumbakamWe must be open to ideas from the fanatics of the divide to the intellectuals. It is the only way we can learn all aspects of an issue.

Any long term policy will have to be based on factoring in all expressions. We cannot overlook the voices that are meek or extreme, as some day they could be explosive. The stability of a civil society depends on how the powerful treat their weak. Mighty empires have come and gone, whereas good governance will last and be remembered.Multiple ways of worshipping the divine has been a way of life through out our history. Our people have believed that all rivers lead to the ocean. That open mindedness has allowed us all to embrace diverse ideas and expressions with ease. India is proud to have all expressions of divinity from Atheists, Baha’i, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jain, Jewish, Sikh to a Zoroastrian.

Hinduism, the land’s oldest practicing faith can sum up one of the purposes of life is to become Brahman. When one becomes a Brahman, he belongs to all, and everything belongs to him. A man becomes free from all prejudices and the elements like ignorance, ill-will, malice, anger and desires. That is one’s struggle to get freedom from the bondages and one’s effort to be good to all mankind. That is the single most important item of faith that Prophet Muhammad taught thru Islam, and that was the message in every religious tradition. To be good to others and good will come to you.


I wish a very happy India Independence day to my fellow Indians around the world.

Now, it is your turn to bring independence to the millions who are entrenched in misery and poverty.

We also need to gain freedom from bias towards each other on religious, nationalistic or ethnic basis. We need to be free and achieve the Mukti, Nijaat, Nirvana, Moksha, Salvation and real freedom from our own littleness.

I am proud of my heritage and am proud to be an Indian-American. Please join me in the discovery of India at IndianPluralism@yahoogroups.com as time permits and share the wealth of knowledge you have on this forum. Play and enjoy the two versions of our national anthem:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7399792002477900458

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bh26zOjIh9I&feature=related

and listen to some 20 Patriotic Songs in a row -
Mere Desh ki dharti is repeated twice in a row
http://tinyurl.com/IndianPatrioticSongsbyMike

Jai Hind


Mike Ghouse is a speaker on Pluralism, Islam and India offering pluralstic solutions to the media and public on issues of the day. His work is encapsulated in 22 Blogs and 3 Websites listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/