Umesh, Yes, this faith stuff is all over the universities. I really do not see any value for their presence in convocations. A Religious studies department should be sufficient. Schools ought to be like secular governments, where religion is kept separate from their activities.
Just my thoughts --Ram da On 6/12/05, umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I think all Univs have chaplains of different faiths to say the commencement > prayer. It depends upon whose trun it is that day. At Harvard's this year > -it was the turn of the Christian chaplain, maybe next year it be of some > other faith. > Every day of the week a different faith's chaplain says the paryers in the > prayer hall-atleast at Harvard. > > Umesh > > Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > C'da, > > I know news items like these are rather hard to digest:-) > > Honestly, IMHO, I think the whole thing is a bit over the top. > Hinduism (or any other religion) does not and should not need an MIT > or the White House to give its blessings. > > I don't think it served any purpose (for Hinduism or MIT) - except > maybe to cause some discomfort to the Hindu/India bashers:-) > > --Ram > > On 6/12/05, Chan Mahanta wrote: > > At 6:34 PM -0500 6/11/05, Ram Sarangapani wrote: > > Here is some interesting bit of news from the halls of MIT. Hope itdoesn't > > gag those netters who find everything wrong with India orHinduism. > > > > *** That was very timely. > > > > You really delivered a 'jen-kukur-ten-tangwn' wham to these ne'er-do-good > > anti_indian, hindu-bashers. Making them gag in their own bilious blabber > is > > too kind a treatment for them and who deserve much worse. > > > > I mean just look at it, even MIT has, at long last, incorporated Hindu > > chants > > in their convocation invocations, thus purifying, in one fell swoop, all > the > > sins of commission and omission of the Hindu, something that even a deep > > steep in the Ganga could not do. > > > > Time for all good Hindus of the world to rise and rejoice and for the > > hindu-bashers to, at the very least, take a bow, if not offer a > > 'xastange-pronipaat' with appropriate 'dokkhina' to the Brahman so they > too > > can reach Brahman. > > > > C-da :-) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Nevertheless hope y'all enjoy it. > > --Ram______________________________________Issue Date: > > Sunday, June 12, 2005Shanti, shanti rings out in MIT K.P. NAYAR > Washington, > > June 11: Five years after a Hindu priest gave the openingprayer on Capitol > > Hill for the first time in the history of the USCongress, the > Massachusetts > > Institute of Technology (MIT) has followedsuit. > > The 139th commencement ceremony of MIT, which has produced 59 NobelPrize > > winners in all, began this year with an invocation in Sanskritand English. > > "May we come together for a common purpose. Common be ourprayer, common > our > > goal," prayed Swami Tyagananda. > > "May the one and the same Divine Reality lead us. May we be grantedclear > > understanding and the courage to pursue the goals of socialjustice, > > non-violence, harmony and peace." > > The swami, who belongs to the Ramakrishna order and heads its > Bostonbranch, > > is MIT's Hindu chaplain. He has been in Boston since 1998,assigned to the > > Vedanta Society there. > > The presence of Swami Tyagananda apart, India was all over theceremony, > > reflecting the dominant presence of Indian and IndianAmerican students at > > prestigious US educational institutions. Amongthe speakers was Barun > Singh, > > president of the Graduate StudentCouncil, who saluted the Class of 2005. > > "We celebrate the hope and promise of times to come in the world weall > > share. You have demonstrated the ability to reason. Be open > tounconventional > > solutions. Keep alive your passion and drive. The worldneeds this, and it > > waits for you," Singh said. > > The president of the senior class presented MIT's president, > SusanHockfield, > > with a senior class gift - $31,000 this year - for a newstudent lounge. > The > > senior class president's name is Rohit Gupta. > > Senior class gift is a tradition at MIT. Since 1935, they have so > farraised > > $138.56 million for MIT. > > An Indian American from California, Sandhya Sitaraman, a brain > andcognitive > > sciences major, was among those graduating this year. Shewas a resident > > academic adviser for three years at MIT's women's dorm,McCormick Hall. > > "When I was accepted to MIT, many boys were surprised that a girlcould get > > accepted to this institution," Sitaraman said. "My fouryears here have > been > > absolutely wonderful in terms of helping me growas an individual, and I > > leave this place with many fond memories." > > MIT said in a press release that the invocation in Sanskrit andEnglish > > "reflected the large international crowd's spirit of unity andgoodwill" at > > the commencement ceremony of this venerable institution. > > Reflecting the diversity of the occasion, the chaplain said in hisprayer: > > "May the one and the same Divine Reality who is the Father inheaven of the > > Christians, Holy One of the Jewish faith, Allah of theMuslims, Buddha of > the > > Buddhists, Dao of the Chinese faith, AhuraMazda of the Zoroastrians, The > > Great Spirit of the Native Americansand Brahman of the Hindus, lead us > from > > ignorance to knowledge, fromdarkness to light, from death to immortality." > > He began his invocation with a quote from Swami Vivekananda thatsuited the > > occasion: "Education is the manifestation of the perfectionalready within > > us." He concluded with the chant, shanti, shanti,shanti. > > The opening prayer at the US Congress by a Hindu priest in 2000 was onthe > > occasion of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's > > visit.Venkatachalpathi Samuldrala, a priest from the Shiva Vishnu > > Hindutemple in Parma, Ohio, was brought to Capitol Hill at the > initiativeof > > Sherrod Brown, a Congressman from Ohio. > > During this year's Commencement ceremony, 1,094 MIT students > > receivedbachelor's degrees, 1,078 received master's degrees, 257 > > gotdoctorates and 12 students were given engineering degrees, accordingto > an > > MIT press release. > > _______________________________________________ > > Assam mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > > > Mailing list FAQ: > > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > > To unsubscribe or change options: > > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Assam mailing list > [email protected] > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/listinfo/assam > > Mailing list FAQ: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/assam/assam-faq.html > To unsubscribe or change options: > http://pikespeak.uccs.edu/mailman/options/assam > > > ________________________________ > Yahoo! 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