Mandir Aur Masjid Ki Kahani

What is the best possible solution to the Ayodhya case? While the judges fight it out tomorrow in Allahabad High Court, the solution quite clearly came from an unidentified school boy studying in Std. 7th in an unidentified school of Allahabad. The topic of discussion was not a 'Mandir vs Masjid' but whether the school would be open tomorrow so that the inter-house basketball match could happen for which they had been practicing for a long time!
The solution which everyone agreed to (without an exception) in the class was to construct a lush green park where the children could go for a picnic!
This was a low cost and effective suggestion for the resolution of a conflict which has taken many lives already. The apt thing to do with the land which has brought so many troubles in the name of religion was to make it 'religion-free'.
History is a potent inspiration for the man of action and at the same time can prove to be the mistress of the person incapable of action. Giving a judgement on the basis of history would be lame, what we should be concerned about is the present and the future or our country and her people!
The best possible solution for everyone in the country would be to forget and move on. While one sect needs to forget the 1500s 'history' the other sect needs to forget the 1992 'history'! Religion in modern India is not limited to Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian - it has expanded into a host of glamorous religions like doctors, lawyers, engineers, actors, architects, craftsmen, educators, industrialists, scientists, and so many more vibrant other religions. These religions live in perfect harmony, allow 'inter-religious' marriages, live, eat, sleep, travel together and contribute to the land which gives them an opportunity to excel in life!
The structures that should be of any concern to us right now are the ones that fall for no reason on workers and passers-by in embarrassing situations - the flyovers that collapse, the railway tracks that give way to tragedy, the roads that get filled with potholes within days of being made and above all the bridges and false ceilings that collapse in the games village in Delhi right before the CWG!

Bangalore blasts, inhuman act

Men become great not just by carefully avoiding disastrous situations but by reacting in the right spirit when faced by one. The same is true for the greatest manifestation of a group of people --- a nation.
When terror strikes, when buildings are burnt down, people killed, children orphaned, the surviver of the attack have a much bigger responsibility than hurling blames on one another. A person who commits a crime is a criminal, and only that. It is a shame to qualify a criminal as a muslim/hindu/christian/sikh/etc. It is wrong to glorify the life and acts of such individuals by associating them with such great religions.
When bombs are hurled at places of worship or when people are massacred in cold blood on the streets filled with cries of babies dying and women being raped or when innocent commuters become victims of death traps in railway stations, the person behind these acts has already steered away from being human and hence unworthy of belonging to any religion of the world. The muslim who joins the forces of terror in no longer a muslim, the hindu who brings down national heritages in no longer a hindu, the sikh who loses his patience and commits a crime has lost confidence in Guru Granth Saheb.
Criminals should never be identified with religious leaders/followers. A worshiper of arms/murder/impatience knows only pagan worship and is a criminal of humanity.

PS: The incidents like the Bangalore blasts that took place today are heinous acts done by individuals and groups living on the brinks of the civilized world. The people involved in such crimes are a disgrace to humanity. Such individuals/groups do not belong to any religion of the world.

HINDU PRAYERS AT US SENATE

It wasn’t long that not many Americans knew about India and the only things the country was associated was with animals and snake charmers.. But thanks to the nuclear tests in 1999, the brain drain and the rise of IT; our country has gained immense popularity in this century. Slowly Yoga, Indian food, and even Bollywood are making their entries into main stream American culture.
But history will be created on July 12th when Hindu prayers will be recited at the opening ceremony of the US Senate. Rajan Zed, a Hindu chaplain has been asked to deliver the prayer for the first time since its inception in 1789. Zed who is busy choosing lines from the Rig Veda, the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita says “July 12 will be an illustrious day for all Americans and a memorable day for Indian Americans when prayers from ancient Hindu scriptures will be read in the great Hall of democracy”.
Isn’t this looking a feel good factor after the recent tough run for the Nuclear Deal and the arguments surrounding docking of USS Nimitz at Chennai..

SAI BABA

Very often in my discussions with friends we look out for incidents and people who can really act as a good unifying factors in the country especially between the hindu and muslim communities.. Cricket as the most popular option (though I still remember many people cheering for Pakistan and celebrating on Sachin’s dismissal during the Ind-Pak in 2003 World Cup).. Abdul Kalam is a close second, though not interested in taking a second term as the President of India, which he rightly deserves, he was a very popular and is well known and admired people of all communities, all age groups and all regions of the country.. The third choice was Sania Mirza and I needed say any thing about her.. do i?? ;o)
Recently I visited the town of Shirdi which was home to godman Sai Baba.. learnt from the localites there that the town is getting more and more devotees in recent times and the curve is on a rise, reaching new heights every year.. Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) provides good bus service to Shirdi and especially from Hyderabad, organises various package tours providing number of options for people to choose.. We took a 3-day package; covering Shirdi-Nasik-Triambakeshwar.
After a 13 hour overnight bus journey we reached Shirdi, a nice cool morning breeze welcomed us to the temple town. Very quickly we got ready to go for darshan as we learnt that Sundays have peak rush.. My father even arranged special VIP passes for all four of us.. it was my first visit to the place but as my sis and mom were there already so they guided me and we got the darshan in just half an hour.. the main idol of Baba, carved out of milk white marble, was located at a big hall.. very beautiful and very peaceful..
Then while we were visiting the surrounding temples started the afternoon Aarti.. Suddenly all talks ceased and everyone started joining their hands and clapping to the tune.. it was so wonderful to see EVERYONE getting united in the act.. it was a long (compared to the regular om jai jagadish) and melodious tune.. But the best thing is that the moment u start thinking that its going too long the tune changes.. the Aarti prayer has several verses each having different tunes and the more uniquely – different clapping style which adds beauty to the prayer..
It is this Aarti at Shirdi that found as a great unifying factor.. people of all communities and all social and economic backgrounds shed all the differences apart and devotionally get involved in it.. Baba being a fakir himself, the place has number of fakirs still there and lot of Muslim devotees.. I also spotted few Sikhs(easy to recognise, thanks to their turbans) and few foreigners (either Christians or Hindu followers)..
There are 4 Aartis performed at Shirdi each differ form the other and are performed at different timings through the day..
So anyone wishing to have peace and wish to see a really secular India visit Shirdi and make sure u attend as many Aarti sessions as possible..