Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
<>> And Kok shastra,Krishna Keli,Draupadi's Vastra horon, AND top it all- Hindus' dearest Phallus --The SHIVALINGA and the Putrid Pussy of MAA KAMAKHYA whose direction is Taboo for all Koch-Rajbongshis mm From: "Roy, Santanu" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To: "Dilip/Dil Deka" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Chan Mahanta" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,"Ram Sarangapani" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>CC: Himendra Thakur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, assam@assamnet.orgSubject: Re: [Assam] Saint ValentineDate: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 20:56:13 -0600>Dilip-da:>There are still hell of a lot of people in India who know exactly how to separate religion from sex and have absolutely no private guilt about sex. Its just that nowadays, these people are not allowed to engrave walls of temples - or for that matter, caves :-). Those "pure of the body" and opposed to sensuality do the engraving nowadays - for fat Bania businessmen.>As for poor St. Valentine - why drag him to Khajuraho and Kamasutra. Isn't it fairly obvious that the opposition to Valentine's day reflects one of the fundamental conflicts of society in heartland urban India - between the haves and have-nots - the urban young male that have healthy access to feminine company outside of immediate family (whether by dint of class or culture...) and the masses of other urban young men that are denied such access (and who are often taught to look down on the femine companions of the other group as sluts).>Male jealousy is a terrible thing>As for the so called ideological opposition to MNC infused firangi culture, I wonder how come such opposition is not displayed in other more substantive matters.>When I left India, I had never heard of Valentine's day. So when a dear old friend from the Phillipines, who was my house mate in gad school, chirped one morning (rather uncertainly) - will you be my Valentine - I said no to her and walked out. It was the silliest thing I'd ever heard.>Santanu.-Original Message->From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Dilip/Dil Deka>Sent: Sat 1/28/2006 10:45 AM>To: Chan Mahanta; Ram Sarangapani>Cc: Himendra Thakur; assam@assamnet.org>Subject: Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine>>It just means some Indians knew how to separate religion from sex and did not feel guilty about sex. Aren't we fortunate that the same people used the walls of caves to engrave, thus enabling us to know today what their life was like?> =>>Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:>>> You may be right on those two counts Ram. I have to make some distinction there.>>> But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the mythologies/scriptures fit in ?>>> c-da>>> At 11:32 AM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote:> C'da, > ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from?> ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping > of Shiva's you-know-what? Isn't there a difference between brazen displays of sexuality and those that in art form? The Kama-Sutra, I suppose is recognized as an art form. Compare it to Michelangelo or other European art forms, I don't see much difference in which art is viewed. With reference to Hindus praying to the Gods represented by ... whatever, from what I understand, the Shiva is NOT so much a brazen representation of a sex object but more spiritual and for praying to the Gods for human preservation, procreation, health etc. Just my thoughts --Ram>On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:> While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history:>** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from?>** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ?>** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what?>** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature?>** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology?>** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company?>Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an erupti
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
Dilip-da: There are still hell of a lot of people in India who know exactly how to separate religion from sex and have absolutely no private guilt about sex. Its just that nowadays, these people are not allowed to engrave walls of temples - or for that matter, caves :-). Those "pure of the body" and opposed to sensuality do the engraving nowadays - for fat Bania businessmen. As for poor St. Valentine - why drag him to Khajuraho and Kamasutra. Isn't it fairly obvious that the opposition to Valentine's day reflects one of the fundamental conflicts of society in heartland urban India - between the haves and have-nots - the urban young male that have healthy access to feminine company outside of immediate family (whether by dint of class or culture...) and the masses of other urban young men that are denied such access (and who are often taught to look down on the femine companions of the other group as sluts). Male jealousy is a terrible thing As for the so called ideological opposition to MNC infused firangi culture, I wonder how come such opposition is not displayed in other more substantive matters. When I left India, I had never heard of Valentine's day. So when a dear old friend from the Phillipines, who was my house mate in gad school, chirped one morning (rather uncertainly) - will you be my Valentine - I said no to her and walked out. It was the silliest thing I'd ever heard. Santanu. -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Dilip/Dil Deka Sent: Sat 1/28/2006 10:45 AM To: Chan Mahanta; Ram Sarangapani Cc: Himendra Thakur; assam@assamnet.org Subject: Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine It just means some Indians knew how to separate religion from sex and did not feel guilty about sex. Aren't we fortunate that the same people used the walls of caves to engrave, thus enabling us to know today what their life was like? = Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: You may be right on those two counts Ram. I have to make some distinction there. But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the mythologies/scriptures fit in ? c-da At 11:32 AM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, > ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from?> ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping > of Shiva's you-know-what? Isn't there a difference between brazen displays of sexuality and those that in art form? The Kama-Sutra, I suppose is recognized as an art form. Compare it to Michelangelo or other European art forms, I don't see much difference in which art is viewed. With reference to Hindus praying to the Gods represented by ... whatever, from what I understand, the Shiva is NOT so much a brazen representation of a sex object but more spiritual and for praying to the Gods for human preservation, procreation, health etc. Just my thoughts --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINE'S DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something
Re: [Assam] U.S. tells India to back off Syria oil deal - The Hindu
The Hindu may make India Inc feel good by saying " Our bosses told US to back off". The Assamese are asking how much of the $573 million was looted from them. <<> And is it clear that China will melt in brotherly love of Delhi? What about Myanmar's final refusal to sell Gas"We decided to give the lot to China(You are not worth selling to?) " mm From: umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: Ram Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, ASSAMNET Subject: Re: [Assam] U.S. tells India to back off Syria oil deal - The HinduDate: Sat, 28 Jan 2006 00:50:18 + (GMT) I would add that Saudi Arabia is not a very stable country either or for that matter Iraq or Sudan or Nigeria --why don't US companies leave them. Maybe George Clooney was absolutely right in his recent movie "Syriana" that the dominant minority of US govt officials in tandem with Oil companies threaten oil rich countires as well other nations. UmeshRam Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: "The mature fields, jointly run by Shell." Why is the US NOT telling US investors of Shell to disinvest? This looks like its the second time, that the US is trying to apply pressure on India - first on the Iranian issue, now this. Wonder if India will back down or tell the US to go fly a kite. --Ram U.S. tells India to back off Syria oil deal Siddharth Varadarajan Aide memoirehanded over to Ministry A strategically significant venture for India "Today, it is Iran and Syria, tomorrow it may be Sudan or Myanmar or Venezuela." NEW DELHI: Taking strong exception to India's recent decision to buy a Syrian oilfield in partnership with China, the United States has asked the Manmohan Singh Government to "reconsider" its proposed investment. A demarche to this effect was made earlier this month and an aide memoire outlining Washington's objections handed over to the Ministry of External Affairs by senior diplomats here. In December last, ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) teamed up to purchase a 37 per cent stake in the al-Furat oil and gas fields from Petro-Canada for $573 million. The mature fields, jointly run by Shell, have proven reserves of 300 million barrels of oil equivalent. Indian officials consider the Syrian venture to be of enormous strategic significance, both for the value of the underlying assets and the role it will play in cementing the China-India partnership for acquiring oil and gas equities in third countries. The U.S. aide memoire, a copy of which is in the possession of The Hindu, says: "The United States strongly opposes such investments in Syrian resources." Pointing out that the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed two resolutions, UNSCR 1636 and 1644, "mandating complete cooperation by the government of Syria with the U.N.'s investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri," the U.S. note says: "Now is not the time to send mixed messages to the SARG [Syrian Arab Republic Government] either through investment deals or through any form of economic or political reward to the Damascus regime." "Reconsider decision" The U.S. is concerned that "the Syrian regime will seek to exploit news of any FDI at the moment as evidence that it is not isolated and therefore not comply with its UNSCR obligations." It adds bluntly: "We ask that you reconsider this decision to extend such a significant amount of investment in Syria". It is not known whether the U.S. embassy in Beijing presented a similar note to the Chinese Government. Indian officials say the U.S. has been told that the Syrian investment will proceed as planned. Coming on the heels of the Bush administration's opposition to gas imports from Iran, the demand is likely to intensify fears that Washington is leveraging its offer of civil nuclear cooperation to curb India's attempts to diversify its sources of energy. "We are being told whom to do business with and where we should stay away from," a senior Indian official told The Hindu. "Today, it is Iran and Syria, tomorrow it may be Sudan or Myanmar or Venezuela or someplace else. At stake is not just our energy security but also our right to take decisions by ourselves." The aide memoire says the U.S. encourages India "to send the Syrian Government a tough message that the international community in which your nation plays a crucial and growing role expects Syria to improve its behaviour before other states can resume normal dealings with it." Conditions for Syria Among the conditions the U.S. would like fulfilled before India gets involved in Syria are: "Syria must cease its interference into Lebanese affairs, cooperate fully with UNIIC Mehlis's investigation [into Hariri's assassination], prevent the use of its territory by those supporting terrorism and the insurgency in Iraq, expel Palestinian rejectionist groups and t
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
It just means some Indians knew how to separate religion from sex and did not feel guilty about sex. Aren't we fortunate that the same people used the walls of caves to engrave, thus enabling us to know today what their life was like? =Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: You may be right on those two counts Ram. I have to make some distinction there.But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the mythologies/scriptures fit in ?c-da At 11:32 AM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, > ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? > ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping > of Shiva's you-know-what? Isn't there a difference between brazen displays of sexuality and those that in art form? The Kama-Sutra, I suppose is recognized as an art form. Compare it to Michelangelo or other European art forms, I don't see much difference in which art is viewed. With reference to Hindus praying to the Gods represented by ... whatever, from what I understand, the Shiva is NOT so much a brazen representation of a sex object but more spiritual and for praying to the Gods for human preservation, procreation, health etc. Just my thoughts --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINE'S DAYAn article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentine's Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentine's Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible "Bollywood" movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name "Hollywood" just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentine's Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentine's Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring "love-parks" to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentine's Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also known as Claudius II. Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied territories. Thinking that unm
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
C'da: Must you rebel against everything good and normal? From your postings you seem to be in the left of/against everything. Here is a short list: Democracy Hinduism Religion Ancient Art form what else? Oh' I forgot - INDIA!! I hope, in one of these days you won't turn around and say planting 'laao-puli' is bad and shut down your green house and go overboard again and become a hindu -xonyaxi. You were even against the 'jaait-laao' that we grew with so much care, and said it had become 'burha' - out of sheer enviness. :) :) :) From: Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To: "Himendra Thakur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: Re: [Assam] Saint ValentineDate: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 10:53:48 -0600 While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINES DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentines Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentines Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible Bollywood movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name Hollywood just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentines Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentines Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring love-parks to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentines Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also known as Claudius II. Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied territories. Thinking that unmarried young men would make better soldiers, the Emperor banned all marriages. You want women? You want sex? Join my party youll get all appear to be a modern disco-party equivalent of what was said by Emperors recruiters 1737 years ago. An old Christian monk named Valentine (he was not declared as a Saint at that time) decided to work against the Emperors ban on marriage. His argument was simple: young people would give their lives to defend their motherland. But, just to fulfill Emperors craving to subdue other countries, they would not give up plans of their lives which were much more precious than wine-women-wealth. Joy did not depend upon the quantity of wine consumed. Happiness could not be purchased with ill-gotten wealth. Love was much superior to debauched sexua
Re: [Assam] Royal Enfield Bike trip to NE - awareness - TigerCountry trip
Hi Umesh >I did see this book at a hostel mate''s place in Delhi Univ. long back but then he did not have a >motorbike and I could take care of my mobike very well - I thought that what this book was all >about. and the moral of the story is "don't judge a book by its cover" :) Just couldn't help it. --Ram da On 1/27/06, umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Rajen-da, I did see this book at a hostel mate''s place in Delhi Univ. long back but then he did not have a motorbike and I could take care of my mobike very well - I thought that what this book was all about. Umesh Barua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Interesting. I did not know about Che Guevara's book "Motor Cycle Diaries" That actually reminds us of the famous novel. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: by Robert Pirsig The book is a diary of a motor cycle journey of a father and son team all across America. Behind their father and son talk, the book basically talks about about Buddhism and have the message for people to wake up from our materialistic slumber and acknowledge the true essence of humanity. The book is so popular that many have read it several times. If you have not read it I highly recommend the book. RB - Original Message - From: umesh sharma To: assam@assamnet.org Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 9:17 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] Royal Enfield Bike trip to NE - awareness - TigerCountry trip see this one on a desert bike trip. http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=9736 Last year I came upon a copy of Che Guevara's book "Motor Cycle Diaries" while cleaning out classrooms at Harvard and read a bit. Recently, I saw a recent film on it at Montogomery College , Rockville film fest. on how motorcycle riding can take you fast into the "real world" where earlier only horse riders could go. Most developing countires have poor roads and people have no oney for SUVs --so it is bike ride - anyway while balancing on your bike you can learn to balance your life. Umesh umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=11282Umesh Sharma 5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Photos – NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p a photo. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University, Class of 2005 Win a BlackBerry device from O2 with Yahoo!. Enter now. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___assam mailing list assam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University, Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The loss of language -The Hindu
Dear AKn, >To make my point clear, if you have a bright idea, chances are that someone somewhere will >agree with you, but it is not binding on everyone. So, breathe easy. Hehehe! Easy for you to say. C'da more than likely believes that some of us are bankrupt of bright ideas (not that I don't endorse his view, in may case at least), and then we are further Ingrezi challenged. :) But this intrigues me. Linguistic philosophers from Noam Chomsky to Steven Pinker have shown us how language is embedded in structures of thought, and how the interplay between language and thought processes is both deep and intricate . If that is so, could it not be that the way we use language also reflects the way we are thinking? We had some discussions on language and culture and I think none of us could give valid reasons as to why a language must flourish. The above reasoning that 'language is embedded of thought' seems to me to be of utmost importance of why languages must be spoken, written and developed. >only 5% of academics actually read the stuff and believe in them. and why would that be? Is it because the mantle of preserving language and thought usually falls on the young, and since they (as per the article) have little interest in grammar or composition, 95 % of the academics have given up the ghost? :) Just curious. --Ram On 1/27/06, Anjan K. Nath <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Hi Ram, Hai Ram! You know something? There are a lot of guys and gals out there who are trying to get an MA or Ph.D. in language studies and they have to write a thesis of sorts. Of recent there has been a focus on the cognitive forms of language learning and all that stuff about which Priyankoo can tell us more. Anyhow, a lot of what appears in the press as being novel is a part of this thesis/dissertation mania that has gripped the academic world and believe me, only 5% of academics actually read the stuff and believe in them. I, unfortunately, am not part of the elitist 5%. I choose to be more practical and don't believe that a typo is a sign of being dislexic or having a neuroligical imbalance. For the fun of it, I once wrote a paper on graphoanalysis as a diagnostic aid in determining neuroligical and mental illnesses (you can get access to it if you do a google on me; it is on some webpage). as soon as it was published I received numerous requests for reprints and people offering to publish it on their websites. I finally gave consent to having it on http://www.accessnewage.com . To make my point clear, if you have a bright idea, chances are that someone somewhere will agree with you, but it is not binding on everyone. So, breathe easy. Ram, Ram, Anjan - Original Message - From: Ram Sarangapani To: ASSAMNET Cc: Anjan K. Nath Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2006 8:11 AM Subject: The loss of language -The Hindu Here is an interesting piece on Language (and not just English). I recommend this to who are 'language challenged' - I have read it a couple of times already (once wouldn't do it). And this punchline Linguistic philosophers from Noam Chomsky to Steven Pinker have shown us how language is embedded in structures of thought, and how the interplay between language and thought processes is both deep and intricate. If that is so, could it not be that the way we use language also reflects the way we are thinking? (The Hindu) BTW, the author subtly indicates that grammatical, spelling, and comphrehension errors in emails can no longer be blamed on email or SMS. Maybe she been reading Assamnet? AKN , our Ingrezi mostor, would you like weigh in on this new trend - Me no Englais, Me no Hindi, Me no Oxomia trend? Basically, me no language. ? :) --Ram The loss of language JAYATI GHOSH The erosion of language skills in India is a major problem that requires urgent policy attention. I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users.It has removed 19 spam emails to date.Paying users do not have this message in their emails.Try SPAMfighter for free now! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Royal Enfield Bike trip to NE - awareness - TigerCountry trip
Rajen-da, I did see this book at a hostel mate''s place in Delhi Univ. long back but then he did not have a motorbike and I could take care of my mobike very well - I thought that what this book was all about. UmeshBarua25 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Interesting. I did not know about Che Guevara's book "Motor Cycle Diaries" That actually reminds us of the famous novel.Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: by Robert Pirsig The book is a diary of a motor cycle journey of a father and son team all across America. Behind their father and son talk, the book basically talks about about Buddhism and have the message for people to wake up from our materialistic slumber and acknowledge the true essence of humanity. The book is so popular that many have read it several times. If you have not read it I highly recommend the book. RB - Original Message - From: umesh sharma To: assam@assamnet.org Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 9:17 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] Royal Enfield Bike trip to NE - awareness - TigerCountry tripsee this one on a desert bike trip. http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=9736 Last year I came upon a copy of Che Guevara's book "Motor Cycle Diaries" while cleaning out classrooms at Harvard and read a bit. Recently, I saw a recent film on it at Montogomery College , Rockville film fest. on how motorcycle riding can take you fast into the "real world" where earlier only horse riders could go. Most developing countires have poor roads and people have no oney for SUVs --so it is bike ride - anyway while balancing on your bike you can learn to balance your life. Umesh umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=11282Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Photos NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p a photo.___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Win a BlackBerry device from O2 with Yahoo!. Enter now. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] The loss of language -The Hindu
Hi Ram, Hai Ram! You know something? There are a lot of guys and gals out there who are trying to get an MA or Ph.D. in language studies and they have to write a thesis of sorts. Of recent there has been a focus on the cognitive forms of language learning and all that stuff about which Priyankoo can tell us more. Anyhow, a lot of what appears in the press as being novel is a part of this thesis/dissertation mania that has gripped the academic world and believe me, only 5% of academics actually read the stuff and believe in them. I, unfortunately, am not part of the elitist 5%. I choose to be more practical and don't believe that a typo is a sign of being dislexic or having a neuroligical imbalance. For the fun of it, I once wrote a paper on graphoanalysis as a diagnostic aid in determining neuroligical and mental illnesses (you can get access to it if you do a google on me; it is on some webpage). as soon as it was published I received numerous requests for reprints and people offering to publish it on their websites. I finally gave consent to having it on http://www.accessnewage.com . To make my point clear, if you have a bright idea, chances are that someone somewhere will agree with you, but it is not binding on everyone. So, breathe easy. Ram, Ram, Anjan - Original Message - From: Ram Sarangapani To: ASSAMNET Cc: Anjan K. Nath Sent: Saturday, January 28, 2006 8:11 AM Subject: The loss of language -The Hindu Here is an interesting piece on Language (and not just English). I recommend this to who are 'language challenged' - I have read it a couple of times already (once wouldn't do it). And this punchline Linguistic philosophers from Noam Chomsky to Steven Pinker have shown us how language is embedded in structures of thought, and how the interplay between language and thought processes is both deep and intricate. If that is so, could it not be that the way we use language also reflects the way we are thinking? (The Hindu) BTW, the author subtly indicates that grammatical, spelling, and comphrehension errors in emails can no longer be blamed on email or SMS. Maybe she been reading Assamnet? AKN , our Ingrezi mostor, would you like weigh in on this new trend - Me no Englais, Me no Hindi, Me no Oxomia trend? Basically, me no language. ? :) --Ram The loss of language JAYATI GHOSH The erosion of language skills in India is a major problem that requires urgent policy attention. I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users.It has removed 19 spam emails to date.Paying users do not have this message in their emails.Try SPAMfighter for free now! ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] U.S. tells India to back off Syria oil deal - The Hindu
I would add that Saudi Arabia is not a very stable country either or for that matter Iraq or Sudan or Nigeria --why don't US companies leave them. Maybe George Clooney was absolutely right in his recent movie "Syriana" that the dominant minority of US govt officials in tandem with Oil companies threaten oil rich countires as well other nations. UmeshRam Sarangapani <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:"The mature fields, jointly run by Shell." Why is the US NOT telling US investors of Shell to disinvest? This looks like its the second time, that the US is trying to apply pressure on India - first on the Iranian issue, now this. Wonder if India will back down or tell the US to go fly a kite. --Ram U.S. tells India to back off Syria oil deal Siddharth Varadarajan Aide memoirehanded over to Ministry A strategically significant venture for India "Today, it is Iran and Syria, tomorrow it may be Sudan or Myanmar or Venezuela." NEW DELHI: Taking strong exception to India's recent decision to buy a Syrian oilfield in partnership with China, the United States has asked the Manmohan Singh Government to "reconsider" its proposed investment. A demarche to this effect was made earlier this month and an aide memoire outlining Washington's objections handed over to the Ministry of External Affairs by senior diplomats here. In December last, ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) teamed up to purchase a 37 per cent stake in the al-Furat oil and gas fields from Petro-Canada for $573 million. The mature fields, jointly run by Shell, have proven reserves of 300 million barrels of oil equivalent. Indian officials consider the Syrian venture to be of enormous strategic significance, both for the value of the underlying assets and the role it will play in cementing the China-India partnership for acquiring oil and gas equities in third countries. The U.S. aide memoire, a copy of which is in the possession of The Hindu, says: "The United States strongly opposes such investments in Syrian resources." Pointing out that the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed two resolutions, UNSCR 1636 and 1644, "mandating complete cooperation by the government of Syria with the U.N.'s investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri," the U.S. note says: "Now is not the time to send mixed messages to the SARG [Syrian Arab Republic Government] either through investment deals or through any form of economic or political reward to the Damascus regime." "Reconsider decision" The U.S. is concerned that "the Syrian regime will seek to exploit news of any FDI at the moment as evidence that it is not isolated and therefore not comply with its UNSCR obligations." It adds bluntly: "We ask that you reconsider this decision to extend such a significant amount of investment in Syria". It is not known whether the U.S. embassy in Beijing presented a similar note to the Chinese Government. Indian officials say the U.S. has been told that the Syrian investment will proceed as planned. Coming on the heels of the Bush administration's opposition to gas imports from Iran, the demand is likely to intensify fears that Washington is leveraging its offer of civil nuclear cooperation to curb India's attempts to diversify its sources of energy. "We are being told whom to do business with and where we should stay away from," a senior Indian official told The Hindu. "Today, it is Iran and Syria, tomorrow it may be Sudan or Myanmar or Venezuela or someplace else. At stake is not just our energy security but also our right to take decisions by ourselves." The aide memoire says the U.S. encourages India "to send the Syrian Government a tough message that the international community in which your nation plays a crucial and growing role expects Syria to improve its behaviour before other states can resume normal dealings with it." Conditions for Syria Among the conditions the U.S. would like fulfilled before India gets involved in Syria are: "Syria must cease its interference into Lebanese affairs, cooperate fully with UNIIC Mehlis's investigation [into Hariri's assassination], prevent the use of its territory by those supporting terrorism and the insurgency in Iraq, expel Palestinian rejectionist groups and take tangible steps to improve its domestic human rights record." ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://
[Assam] The loss of language -The Hindu
Here is an interesting piece on Language (and not just English). I recommend this to who are 'language challenged' - I have read it a couple of times already (once wouldn't do it). And this punchline Linguistic philosophers from Noam Chomsky to Steven Pinker have shown us how language is embedded in structures of thought, and how the interplay between language and thought processes is both deep and intricate. If that is so, could it not be that the way we use language also reflects the way we are thinking? (The Hindu) BTW, the author subtly indicates that grammatical, spelling, and comphrehension errors in emails can no longer be blamed on email or SMS. Maybe she been reading Assamnet? AKN , our Ingrezi mostor, would you like weigh in on this new trend - Me no Englais, Me no Hindi, Me no Oxomia trend? Basically, me no language. ? :) --Ram The loss of language JAYATI GHOSH The erosion of language skills in India is a major problem that requires urgent policy attention. D. RADHAKRISHNAN At a workshop on effective English teaching, in Udhagamandalam. A file photograph. IT has happened slowly, almost unbeknownst to most of us. But the change has been widespread and reasonably dramatic. In a country where written language skills may have been the preserve of a minority but were still valued and cherished by that minority, we now have the emergence of a new generation where these skills are noticeably absent. Across the country, institutions of higher education (even the most elite among them) are producing graduates with less than perfect control over the language or languages they normally use. The problem is particularly marked in English, where it is now difficult to find educated people under 40 years of age who do not regularly make mistakes in spelling, grammar and syntax. It is now commonplace to come across incorrect English in newspapers, in government documents, in advertisements, in instruction manuals - in fact, in everything that is written. All this could still be excused in the case of English, on the grounds that despite its wide prevalence, it is not the mother tongue. But, unfortunately, the same seems to be true of the actual mother tongues. Those who teach in Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil and so on increasingly complain of students' lack of basic language skills, especially in written form. So, we now have as products of our education system, people who do not have true command over any language. How has this happened? Even 20 years ago, schools and colleges in India were producing students whose English capabilities were on par with any native speaker, even if there were local peculiarities of usage. Indeed, among the elite, language skills were very highly developed. In an even earlier generation, being genuinely multilingual was almost a necessary qualification. Being educated inevitably meant also that proficiency not only in English, but in one's native tongue, and familiarity with its literature, were seen as essential. While this may not have been so true for those born into the post-Independence elite, it was still the case that "English medium education" ensured that the correct use of the language was inculcated and generally absorbed, and also that the vocabulary was at least moderately large and reasonably sophisticated. Such an assurance can no longer be made for the vast majority of more recent products of our education system, even when they have graduated from the most prestigious and internationally recognised institutions. This actually reflects different trends, not only in education, but also in society in general, in modes of social communication and information sharing, and even in the social and material rewards for correct use of language. The problems may begin from early school education onwards, because of a newer and more "flexible" approach to pedagogy, whereby insistence of what are seen as "rigid rules" (of spelling, grammar, and so on) was abandoned. This was a tendency that first became evident in the United States in the 1970s, and moved on to England by the early 1980s. Naturally, it was adopted by the 1990s in India on the assumption that if it was being there, it must be the best way of doing things here as well. In the primary and middle school curriculum of private schools in India, for example, there is hardly any emphasis on the rules of grammar, which are introduced in such a gentle and hesitant fashion that they could easily be ignored by less punctilious students. Spelling mistakes are routinely condoned and there seem to be few incentives to ensure that correct spelling is embedded in the mind. (So much so that there are even examples of spelling mistakes made in the report cards in some elite schools.) The building of vocabulary is similarly neglected, so that word usage remains at a basic and simple level, without much nuance and very little complexity. Add to this the widely observed phenomenon that
[Assam] U.S. tells India to back off Syria oil deal - The Hindu
"The mature fields, jointly run by Shell." Why is the US NOT telling US investors of Shell to disinvest? This looks like its the second time, that the US is trying to apply pressure on India - first on the Iranian issue, now this. Wonder if India will back down or tell the US to go fly a kite. --Ram U.S. tells India to back off Syria oil deal Siddharth Varadarajan Aide memoirehanded over to Ministry A strategically significant venture for India "Today, it is Iran and Syria, tomorrow it may be Sudan or Myanmar or Venezuela." NEW DELHI: Taking strong exception to India's recent decision to buy a Syrian oilfield in partnership with China, the United States has asked the Manmohan Singh Government to "reconsider" its proposed investment. A demarche to this effect was made earlier this month and an aide memoire outlining Washington's objections handed over to the Ministry of External Affairs by senior diplomats here. In December last, ONGC Videsh Ltd (OVL) and the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) teamed up to purchase a 37 per cent stake in the al-Furat oil and gas fields from Petro-Canada for $573 million. The mature fields, jointly run by Shell, have proven reserves of 300 million barrels of oil equivalent. Indian officials consider the Syrian venture to be of enormous strategic significance, both for the value of the underlying assets and the role it will play in cementing the China-India partnership for acquiring oil and gas equities in third countries. The U.S. aide memoire, a copy of which is in the possession of The Hindu, says: "The United States strongly opposes such investments in Syrian resources." Pointing out that the United Nations Security Council unanimously passed two resolutions, UNSCR 1636 and 1644, "mandating complete cooperation by the government of Syria with the U.N.'s investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri," the U.S. note says: "Now is not the time to send mixed messages to the SARG [Syrian Arab Republic Government] either through investment deals or through any form of economic or political reward to the Damascus regime." "Reconsider decision" The U.S. is concerned that "the Syrian regime will seek to exploit news of any FDI at the moment as evidence that it is not isolated and therefore not comply with its UNSCR obligations." It adds bluntly: "We ask that you reconsider this decision to extend such a significant amount of investment in Syria". It is not known whether the U.S. embassy in Beijing presented a similar note to the Chinese Government. Indian officials say the U.S. has been told that the Syrian investment will proceed as planned. Coming on the heels of the Bush administration's opposition to gas imports from Iran, the demand is likely to intensify fears that Washington is leveraging its offer of civil nuclear cooperation to curb India's attempts to diversify its sources of energy. "We are being told whom to do business with and where we should stay away from," a senior Indian official told The Hindu. "Today, it is Iran and Syria, tomorrow it may be Sudan or Myanmar or Venezuela or someplace else. At stake is not just our energy security but also our right to take decisions by ourselves." The aide memoire says the U.S. encourages India "to send the Syrian Government a tough message that the international community — in which your nation plays a crucial and growing role — expects Syria to improve its behaviour before other states can resume normal dealings with it." Conditions for Syria Among the conditions the U.S. would like fulfilled before India gets involved in Syria are: "Syria must cease its interference into Lebanese affairs, cooperate fully with UNIIC Mehlis's investigation [into Hariri's assassination], prevent the use of its territory by those supporting terrorism and the insurgency in Iraq, expel Palestinian rejectionist groups and take tangible steps to improve its domestic human rights record." ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] When People Defy-Sentinel Editorial
C'da, Its the Sentinel, and they are kind to sometimes :) I think, the ed. did bring out several issues (you will of course forgive them the hubris). Insurgency in this region, having metamorphosed into a lucrative extortion industry, has silenced the people for quite some time now (Sentinel) Would you disagree with that statement? It is not just a matter of patriotism though. What it matters is a now-redefined pragmatic way of living through the legacy of our founders. This requires people to understand the implications of "independence" and "republic". (Sentinel) and this one above. and this last part: Now that the people know who is what and how the ULFA wants to destroy the Assamese-Indian essence, the ULFA would do well to begin with a few good lessons on democracy and republicanism. In fact, for peace to usher in, the ULFA must first understand that the patriotic people (who matter ultimately) are defying its diktats, and then it must have a little bit of sense to abandon its cosy Bangladeshi home s. (Sentinel) Could it be, that the Ulfa, in its euphoric campaign of bombings & mayhem, has somehow forgotten its original goals? Its goal of a peaceful, prosperous, independent homeland for the Assamese - has it been somehow thrown by the wayside? What do you think C'da? Has the organization taken a different hue after so many years on the run? --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: So what do YOU think of the substance of the editorial Ram? You care to share? On my part, what can I say? Xurujor mukhot xwpa diboloi moi kwn (Who am I to tell the sun not to shine) :-)? c-da At 2:40 PM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, The Sentinel is back at it again :) "and by doing so they sent out a clear message: that guns cannot still the patriotic voice any more, and more so when it comes to globalized times as of now" - The Sentinel --Ram When People Defy I t is only the people who can teach our self-styled insurgents a few good lessons. Insurgency in this region, having metamorphosed into a lucrative extortion industry, has silenced the people for quite some time now. It is a good sign, then, that the people of Assam defied the ULFA's decree on the Republic Day, and by doing so they sent out a clear message: that guns cannot still the patriotic voice any more, and more so when it comes to globalized times as of now. It is not just a matter of patriotism though. What it matters is a now-redefined pragmatic way of living through the legacy of our founders. This requires people to understand the implications of "independence" and "republic". One great realization that must dawn on us is that republican democracy, as India really is, offers tremendous freedom to protest what we dislike and agitate when our rights are trampled upon. The Assam agitation was a classic case- mind it, it was not any insurgency! Our founders, democrats that they were in the real sense, would like the future generations to protest and agitate, if at all needed, for the sake of democracy itself, but no one would really tolerate organizations like the ULFA. The ULFA's idiocy in understanding democracy is clear from the way it terrorizes its own people. Now that the people know who is what and how the ULFA wants to destroy the Assamese-Indian essence, the ULFA would do well to begin with a few good lessons on democracy and republicanism. In fact, for peace to usher in, the ULFA must first understand that the patriotic people (who matter ultimately) are defying its diktats, and then it must have a little bit of sense to abandon its cosy Bangladeshi homes. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Royal Enfield Bike trip to NE - awareness - TigerCountry trip
Interesting. I did not know about Che Guevara's book "Motor Cycle Diaries" That actually reminds us of the famous novel. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: by Robert Pirsig The book is a diary of a motor cycle journey of a father and son team all across America. Behind their father and son talk, the book basically talks about about Buddhism and have the message for people to wake up from our materialistic slumber and acknowledge the true essence of humanity. The book is so popular that many have read it several times. If you have not read it I highly recommend the book. RB - Original Message - From: umesh sharma To: assam@assamnet.org Sent: Friday, January 27, 2006 9:17 AM Subject: Re: [Assam] Royal Enfield Bike trip to NE - awareness - TigerCountry trip see this one on a desert bike trip. http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=9736 Last year I came upon a copy of Che Guevara's book "Motor Cycle Diaries" while cleaning out classrooms at Harvard and read a bit. Recently, I saw a recent film on it at Montogomery College , Rockville film fest. on how motorcycle riding can take you fast into the "real world" where earlier only horse riders could go. Most developing countires have poor roads and people have no oney for SUVs --so it is bike ride - anyway while balancing on your bike you can learn to balance your life. Umesh umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=11282Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Photos NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p a photo.___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Win a BlackBerry device from O2 with Yahoo!. Enter now. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
C'da, I saw what Himen da was addressing. many feel that things like Valentine Day are popular Because its a western import. 'Go West, young man, go West' is as valid today as it was decades ago. Indian's and others in the sub-continent, Taiwanese/Singapore etc also are very quick to embrace western culture and sometimes at the expense of their own. Now, to your questions: >>It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as >>something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential >>trait in Indian heritage. >Is it an accurate statement, or is at an attempt at revising history, intentionally or out of ignorance? >>and a celebration of sensuality.. >Is it un-Indian in the historical context as we are led to believe ? I think SV day is Western (German, I think), its commercial and all that. Is it alien to Indian Heritage? I think it is - inspite of the fact that one may find numerous examples of Indians (and others) being prententious about sex. Many portray themselves as prudes, but could be just the opposite outside. But why do people have to pretend? - because Indian society and heritage does look down upon open displays of sexual freedoms. In that sense, something like SV day is alien. But I do not see the harm in it - its good for business, cards, flowers etc, etc. It also gives a wider choice to consumers who wish to spend money on such things. >>and a celebration of sensuality.. I don't know about this. Even in this country, I don't think the spirit is in celebrating sensuality. --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Ram: The question is whether these are a part of India's cultural history ? And if they are, how do you relate them to HT's opening paragraph: >It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Is it an accurate statement, or is at an attempt at revising history, intentionally or out of ignorance? >and a celebration of sensuality.. Is it un-Indian in the historical context as we are led to believe ? c-da At 1:15 PM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, >But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the >mythologies/scriptures fit in ? Again these too are art forms. One has to also take into account that value systems have changed a lot since those times. For example, the Spartans were very much at ease with homosexuality, the Greeks, Romans were famous for their orgies. I would guess the same has been the case with Konarak/Khajuraho. If these got into Hindu scriptures (which I am not it has), I would say that the scriptures just depicted what was considered 'normal' (not deviant) in those days. If the Bible or other religious texts only included Christians being thrown to the lions, but excluding the debauchery that existed in Rome, shows that the authors may not have wanted to depict reality. An important point being that the Bible has been rewritten/edited many times and thus catering to the views/opinions of the time (King James as opposed to the Old Testament). again my just my thoughts. --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: You may be right on those two counts Ram. I have to make some distinction there. But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the mythologies/scriptures fit in ? c-da At 11:32 AM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, > ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? > ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping > of Shiva's you-know-what? Isn't there a difference between brazen displays of sexuality and those that in art form? The Kama-Sutra, I suppose is recognized as an art form. Compare it to Michelangelo or other European art forms, I don't see much difference in which art is viewed. With reference to Hindus praying to the Gods represented by ... whatever, from what I understand, the Shiva is NOT so much a brazen representation of a sex object but more spiritual and for praying to the Gods for human preservation, procreation, health etc. Just my thoughts --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distan
Re: [Assam] When People Defy-Sentinel Editorial
Title: Re: [Assam] When People Defy-Sentinel Editorial So what do YOU think of the substance of the editorial Ram? You care to share? On my part, what can I say? Xurujor mukhot xwpa diboloi moi kwn (Who am I to tell the sun not to shine) :-)? c-da At 2:40 PM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, The Sentinel is back at it again :) "and by doing so they sent out a clear message: that guns cannot still the patriotic voice any more, and more so when it comes to globalized times as of now" - The Sentinel --Ram When People Defy I t is only the people who can teach our self-styled insurgents a few good lessons. Insurgency in this region, having metamorphosed into a lucrative extortion industry, has silenced the people for quite some time now. It is a good sign, then, that the people of Assam defied the ULFA's decree on the Republic Day, and by doing so they sent out a clear message: that guns cannot still the patriotic voice any more, and more so when it comes to globalized times as of now. It is not just a matter of patriotism though. What it matters is a now-redefined pragmatic way of living through the legacy of our founders. This requires people to understand the implications of "independence" and "republic". One great realization that must dawn on us is that republican democracy, as India really is, offers tremendous freedom to protest what we dislike and agitate when our rights are trampled upon. The Assam agitation was a classic case- mind it, it was not any insurgency! Our founders, democrats that they were in the real sense, would like the future generations to protest and agitate, if at all needed, for the sake of democracy itself, but no one would really tolerate organizations like the ULFA. The ULFA's idiocy in understanding democracy is clear from the way it terrorizes its own people. Now that the people know who is what and how the ULFA wants to destroy the Assamese-Indian essence, the ULFA would do well to begin with a few good lessons on democracy and republicanism. In fact, for peace to usher in, the ULFA must first understand that the patriotic people (who matter ultimately) are defying its diktats, and then it must have a little bit of sense to abandon its cosy Bangladeshi homes. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
Title: Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine Ram: The question is whether these are a part of India's cultural history ? And if they are, how do you relate them to HT's opening paragraph: >It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Is it an accurate statement, or is at an attempt at revising history, intentionally or out of ignorance? >and a celebration of sensuality.. Is it un-Indian in the historical context as we are led to believe ? c-da At 1:15 PM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, >But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the >mythologies/scriptures fit in ? Again these too are art forms. One has to also take into account that value systems have changed a lot since those times. For example, the Spartans were very much at ease with homosexuality, the Greeks, Romans were famous for their orgies. I would guess the same has been the case with Konarak/Khajuraho. If these got into Hindu scriptures (which I am not it has), I would say that the scriptures just depicted what was considered 'normal' (not deviant) in those days. If the Bible or other religious texts only included Christians being thrown to the lions, but excluding the debauchery that existed in Rome, shows that the authors may not have wanted to depict reality. An important point being that the Bible has been rewritten/edited many times and thus catering to the views/opinions of the time (King James as opposed to the Old Testament). again my just my thoughts. --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: You may be right on those two counts Ram. I have to make some distinction there. But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the mythologies/scriptures fit in ? c-da At 11:32 AM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, > ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? > ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping > of Shiva's you-know-what? Isn't there a difference between brazen displays of sexuality and those that in art form? The Kama-Sutra, I suppose is recognized as an art form. Compare it to Michelangelo or other European art forms, I don't see much difference in which art is viewed. With reference to Hindus praying to the Gods represented by ... whatever, from what I understand, the Shiva is NOT so much a brazen representation of a sex object but more spiritual and for praying to the Gods for human preservation, procreation, health etc. Just my thoughts --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINE'S DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentine's Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentine's Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible "Bollywood" movie star who thrive
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
Title: Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine You may be right on those two counts Ram. I have to make some distinction there. But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the mythologies/scriptures fit in ? c-da At 11:32 AM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, > ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? > ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping > of Shiva's you-know-what? Isn't there a difference between brazen displays of sexuality and those that in art form? The Kama-Sutra, I suppose is recognized as an art form. Compare it to Michelangelo or other European art forms, I don't see much difference in which art is viewed. With reference to Hindus praying to the Gods represented by ... whatever, from what I understand, the Shiva is NOT so much a brazen representation of a sex object but more spiritual and for praying to the Gods for human preservation, procreation, health etc. Just my thoughts --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINE'S DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentine's Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentine's Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible "Bollywood" movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name "Hollywood" just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentine's Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentine's Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring "love-parks" to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentine's Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also known as Claudius II. Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied territories. Thinking that unmarried young men would make better soldiers, the Emperor banned all marriages. "You want women? You want sex? Join my party you'll get all" appear to be a modern disco-party equivalent of what was said by Emperor's recruiters 1737 years ago. An old Christian monk named Valentine (he was not declared as a Saint at that time) decided to work against the Emperor's ban on marriage. His argument
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
C'da, >But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the >mythologies/scriptures fit in ? Again these too are art forms. One has to also take into account that value systems have changed a lot since those times. For example, the Spartans were very much at ease with homosexuality, the Greeks, Romans were famous for their orgies. I would guess the same has been the case with Konarak/Khajuraho. If these got into Hindu scriptures (which I am not it has), I would say that the scriptures just depicted what was considered 'normal' (not deviant) in those days. If the Bible or other religious texts only included Christians being thrown to the lions, but excluding the debauchery that existed in Rome, shows that the authors may not have wanted to depict reality. An important point being that the Bible has been rewritten/edited many times and thus catering to the views/opinions of the time (King James as opposed to the Old Testament). again my just my thoughts. --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: You may be right on those two counts Ram. I have to make some distinction there. But what about Konarak, Khajuraho and the debauchery of the gods as recorded in the mythologies/scriptures fit in ? c-da At 11:32 AM -0600 1/27/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: C'da, > ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? > ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping > of Shiva's you-know-what? Isn't there a difference between brazen displays of sexuality and those that in art form? The Kama-Sutra, I suppose is recognized as an art form. Compare it to Michelangelo or other European art forms, I don't see much difference in which art is viewed. With reference to Hindus praying to the Gods represented by ... whatever, from what I understand, the Shiva is NOT so much a brazen representation of a sex object but more spiritual and for praying to the Gods for human preservation, procreation, health etc. Just my thoughts --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINE'S DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentine's Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentine's Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible "Bollywood" movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name "Hollywood" just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentine's Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentine's Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring "love-parks" to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise.
[Assam] When People Defy-Sentinel Editorial
C'da, The Sentinel is back at it again :) "and by doing so they sent out a clear message: that guns cannot still the patriotic voice any more, and more so when it comes to globalized times as of now" - The Sentinel --Ram When People Defy I t is only the people who can teach our self-styled insurgents a few good lessons. Insurgency in this region, having metamorphosed into a lucrative extortion industry, has silenced the people for quite some time now. It is a good sign, then, that the people of Assam defied the ULFA's decree on the Republic Day, and by doing so they sent out a clear message: that guns cannot still the patriotic voice any more, and more so when it comes to globalized times as of now. It is not just a matter of patriotism though. What it matters is a now-redefined pragmatic way of living through the legacy of our founders. This requires people to understand the implications of "independence" and "republic". One great realization that must dawn on us is that republican democracy, as India really is, offers tremendous freedom to protest what we dislike and agitate when our rights are trampled upon. The Assam agitation was a classic case— mind it, it was not any insurgency! Our founders, democrats that they were in the real sense, would like the future generations to protest and agitate, if at all needed, for the sake of democracy itself, but no one would really tolerate organizations like the ULFA. The ULFA's idiocy in understanding democracy is clear from the way it terrorizes its own people. Now that the people know who is what and how the ULFA wants to destroy the Assamese-Indian essence, the ULFA would do well to begin with a few good lessons on democracy and republicanism. In fact, for peace to usher in, the ULFA must first understand that the patriotic people (who matter ultimately) are defying its diktats, and then it must have a little bit of sense to abandon its cosy Bangladeshi homes. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] NE: Arunanchal's Buddhist monk: a Grammy nominee
http://planetguru.com/Articles/ArticleDetail.aspx?ChannelId=entertainment&ArticleId=24341Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Win a BlackBerry device from O2 with Yahoo!. Enter now.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Action Aid Chief: on Nepali crisis by a Nepali
http://www.actionaid.org/index.asp?page_id=367Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine - pro-creation worship, Vatsyayan
About Khajuraho it is said that these statues are ALL placed outside the temple --NOT inside. These are the temptations for man which one must overcome before seeking to get close to God. You leave your temptations outside before you venture inside - if you can. Debauchery of Gods ? Perhaps you are refering to the Apsaras acting as pros for demi-Gods of Heaven. Even King of Heaven Indra had his face covered with black marks when he coveted and through trickery and disguise spolied the virtue of Rishi Gautam's wife. Maybe that has some message. Umesh C-da wrote: "So where does Konarak, Khajuraho and debauchery of the gods fit in?"Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:>I think there is difference between doing something in moderation and taking to >extreme.*** That is new! >Kamasutra was written supposedly by a Brahmachari (celibate) called Vatsyayan >who took an objective view of the whole thing and did research on others >experience (*** Heh-heh! Supposedly is the key word.>I got it from the art movie*** ART movie? So where does Konarak, Khajuraho and debauchery of the gods fit in?At 5:13 PM + 1/27/06, umesh sharma wrote: I think there is difference between doing something in moderation and taking to extreme. "Atee Saravtra Varjayet" - Doing anything in extreme is banned -as per the ancient Sanskrit saying. Whether it be eating too much or sleeping too much or too much burning of the midnight oil - or too much indulgence in sensual pleasures. There is distinction between having sex orgies and worshipping Reproductive acts -- or pro-creation --as in Yoni-Lingam worship (Shiva ling statue is NOT just the lingam but the very act of pro-creation - and includes the Yoni-I wouldn't go in graphic details which might hurt some sentiments here. Pl. check out yourself). Kamasutra was written supposedly by a Brahmachari (celibate) called Vatsyayan who took an objective view of the whole thing and did research on others experience ( I got it from the art movie called "Utsav" starring Rekha and based on Vatsyayan's research). Perhaps authors in 20th century took a different route in the west - like perhaps DH Laurence -who acted out his passions just before writing about them -- so the "educated" have a warped view that anyone who worries about sexual issues (incl. STDs, AIDS) is necessarily fixated on just the one thing. Umesh Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama! -Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of ! the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company?Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden.:-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINES DAYAn article by Himend! ra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentines Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentines Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible Bollywood movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name Hollywood just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentines Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now sp
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine - pro-creation worship, Vatsyayan
About Khajuraho it is said that these statues are ALL placed outside the temple --NOT inside. These are the temptations for man which one must overcome before seeking to get close to God. You leave your temptations outside before you venture inside - if you can. Debauchery of Gods ? Perhaps you are refering to the Apsaras acting as pros for demi-Gods of Heaven. Even King of Heaven Indra had his face covered with black marks when he coveted and through trickery and disguise spolied the virtue of Rishi Gautam's wife. Maybe that has some message. Umesh C-da wrote: "So where does Konarak, Khajuraho and debauchery of the gods fit in?"Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:>I think there is difference between doing something in moderation and taking to >extreme.*** That is new! >Kamasutra was written supposedly by a Brahmachari (celibate) called Vatsyayan >who took an objective view of the whole thing and did research on others >experience (*** Heh-heh! Supposedly is the key word.>I got it from the art movie*** ART movie? So where does Konarak, Khajuraho and debauchery of the gods fit in?At 5:13 PM + 1/27/06, umesh sharma wrote: I think there is difference between doing something in moderation and taking to extreme. "Atee Saravtra Varjayet" - Doing anything in extreme is banned -as per the ancient Sanskrit saying. Whether it be eating too much or sleeping too much or too much burning of the midnight oil - or too much indulgence in sensual pleasures. There is distinction between having sex orgies and worshipping Reproductive acts -- or pro-creation --as in Yoni-Lingam worship (Shiva ling statue is NOT just the lingam but the very act of pro-creation - and includes the Yoni-I wouldn't go in graphic details which might hurt some sentiments here. Pl. check out yourself). Kamasutra was written supposedly by a Brahmachari (celibate) called Vatsyayan who took an objective view of the whole thing and did research on others experience ( I got it from the art movie called "Utsav" starring Rekha and based on Vatsyayan's research). Perhaps authors in 20th century took a different route in the west - like perhaps DH Laurence -who acted out his passions just before writing about them -- so the "educated" have a warped view that anyone who worries about sexual issues (incl. STDs, AIDS) is necessarily fixated on just the one thing. Umesh Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama! -Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of ! the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company?Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden.:-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINES DAYAn article by Himend! ra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentines Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentines Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible Bollywood movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name Hollywood just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentines Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now sp
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
C'da, > ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? > ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping > of Shiva's you-know-what? Isn't there a difference between brazen displays of sexuality and those that in art form? The Kama-Sutra, I suppose is recognized as an art form. Compare it to Michelangelo or other European art forms, I don't see much difference in which art is viewed. With reference to Hindus praying to the Gods represented by ... whatever, from what I understand, the Shiva is NOT so much a brazen representation of a sex object but more spiritual and for praying to the Gods for human preservation, procreation, health etc. Just my thoughts --Ram On 1/27/06, Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINE'S DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentine's Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentine's Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible "Bollywood" movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name "Hollywood" just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentine's Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentine's Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring "love-parks" to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentine's Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also known as Claudius II. Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied territories. Thinking that unmarried young men would make better soldiers, the Emperor banned all marriages. "You want women? You want sex? Join my party… you'll get all" appear to be a modern disco-party equivalent of what was said by Emperor's recruiters 1737 years ago. An old Christian monk named Valentine (he was not declared as a Saint at that time) decided to work against the Emperor's ban on marriage. His argument was simple: young people would give their lives to defend their motherland. But, just to fulfill Emperor's craving to subdue other countries, they would not give up plans of their lives which were much more precious than wine-women-wealth. Joy did not depend upon the quantity of wine consumed. Happiness could not be purchased
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine - pro-creation worship, Vatsyayan
Title: Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine - pro-creation worship, Vatsya >I think there is difference between doing something in moderation and taking to >extreme. *** That is new! >Kamasutra was written supposedly by a Brahmachari (celibate) called Vatsyayan >who took an objective view of the whole thing and did research on others >experience ( *** Heh-heh! Supposedly is the key word. >I got it from the art movie *** ART movie? So where does Konarak, Khajuraho and debauchery of the gods fit in? At 5:13 PM + 1/27/06, umesh sharma wrote: I think there is difference between doing something in moderation and taking to extreme. "Atee Saravtra Varjayet" - Doing anything in extreme is banned -as per the ancient Sanskrit saying. Whether it be eating too much or sleeping too much or too much burning of the midnight oil - or too much indulgence in sensual pleasures. There is distinction between having sex orgies and worshipping Reproductive acts -- or pro-creation --as in Yoni-Lingam worship (Shiva ling statue is NOT just the lingam but the very act of pro-creation - and includes the Yoni-I wouldn't go in graphic details which might hurt some sentiments here. Pl. check out yourself). Kamasutra was written supposedly by a Brahmachari (celibate) called Vatsyayan who took an objective view of the whole thing and did research on others experience ( I got it from the art movie called "Utsav" starring Rekha and based on Vatsyayan's research). Perhaps authors in 20th century took a different route in the west - like perhaps DH Laurence -who acted out his passions just before writing about them -- so the "educated" have a warped view that anyone who worries about sexual issues (incl. STDs, AIDS) is necessarily fixated on just the one thing. Umesh Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama! -Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of ! the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINES DAY An article by Himend! ra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentines Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentines Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible Bollywood movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name Hollywood just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentines Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentines Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring love-parks to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian gover! nment as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentines Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also kn
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine - pro-creation worship, Vatsyayan
I think there is difference between doing something in moderation and taking to extreme. "Atee Saravtra Varjayet" - Doing anything in extreme is banned -as per the ancient Sanskrit saying. Whether it be eating too much or sleeping too much or too much burning of the midnight oil - or too much indulgence in sensual pleasures. There is distinction between having sex orgies and worshipping Reproductive acts -- or pro-creation --as in Yoni-Lingam worship (Shiva ling statue is NOT just the lingam but the very act of pro-creation - and includes the Yoni-I wouldn't go in graphic details which might hurt some sentiments here. Pl. check out yourself). Kamasutra was written supposedly by a Brahmachari (celibate) called Vatsyayan who took an objective view of the whole thing and did research on others experience ( I got it from the art movie called "Utsav" starring Rekha and based on Vatsyayan's research). Perhaps authors in 20th century took a different route in the west - like perhaps DH Laurence -who acted out his passions just before writing about them -- so the "educated" have a warped view that anyone who worries about sexual issues (incl. STDs, AIDS) is necessarily fixated on just the one thing. Umesh Chan Mahanta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company?Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden.:-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINES DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentines Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentines Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible Bollywood movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name Hollywood just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentines Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentines Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring love-parks to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentines Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also known as Claudius II. Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied territories. Thinking that unmarried young men would make better soldiers, the Emperor banned all marriages. You want women? You want sex? Join my party youll get all appear to be a modern disco-party
[Assam] Harvard, MIT, Yale: Meditation increases brain size
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/2006/01/23-meditation.html Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
Title: Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine While I am with Himen-da on his revulsion with the abject commercialism associated with this particular imported day of celebrations in India, once again I have questions about attempts to deny and revise history: ** Where did the Kama-Sutra come from? ** As a student of architecture I had the -- um-- opportunity ( or do I have a singularly impure body/mind?) of ogling the eye-popping sculpture depicting mass orgies of debauchery by desis of a distant past ( pardon my propensity for alliteration this morning) at the Sun Temple at Konarak, not too far from that holiest of holy Hindu sites--Bhubaneswar. Is that a desi-heritage , or was it yet another result of some phoren invaders military or corporate or religious or cultural, despoiling them desi-minds ? ** Or the culture of Yoni Pujas and the pervasive worshipping of Shiva's you-know-what? ** What is the basis of the entire Tantric movement--faith, art, literature? ** And the glorified and recorded debauchery of the gods and goddesses as widely recorded in Hindu mythology? ** What is the basis of the Kamakhya temple's origin? Need I repeat it here in mixed company? Echoing uncle scrooge, I say, bah humbug! It is an eruption of Victorian puritanism and attempts at hiding what could not be hidden. :-) At 11:40 PM -0500 1/26/06, Himendra Thakur wrote: MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINES DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentines Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentines Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible Bollywood movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name Hollywood just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentines Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentines Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring love-parks to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentines Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also known as Claudius II. Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied territories. Thinking that unmarried young men would make better soldiers, the Emperor banned all marriages. You want women? You want sex? Join my party youll get all appear to be a modern disco-party equivalent of what was said by Emperors recruiters 1737 years ago. An old Christian monk named Valentine (he was not declared as a Saint at that time) decided to work against the Emperors ban on marriage. His argument was simple: young people would give their lives to defend their motherland. But, just to fulfill Emperors craving to subdue other countries, they would not give up plans of their lives which were much more precious than wine-women-wealth. Joy did not depend upon the quantity of wine consumed. Happiness could not be purchased with ill-gotten wealth. Love was much superior to debauched sexual sensuality. Valentine secretly solemnized the marriages of those young couple who wanted to marry in violation of Emperors orders. Marriage was love culminated into commitment: and a set of promises : that we would be together, taking care of each other till death do us part. Very soon Valentine was caught by the Roman soldiers. He was thrown into the dungeon. When he was waiting for his death, the young couples married by him used to come to see him, and cry. Apparently, the jailer helped these young people to see him. They were consoled and cheered by the doomed man. They were surprised that he was happily ready to die for the truth. The jailers daughter
[Assam] People defy rebel boycott in northeast to celebrate R-Day -IANS
Wow! IANS is pretty credible, isn't it? I also saw a picture in the AT (I think) where a child was holding the Tri-Color, with her mother in Guwahati. Thats pretty brave. --Ram People defy rebel boycott in northeast to celebrate R-Day IANS GUWAHATI: People in India's northeast defied a call by separatist rebels to boycott Thursday's Republic Day by joining the celebrations across the region amidst a general strike called by the militants, officials said. "It is heartening to find people coming to attend the Republic Day functions across the region despite calls by some militants to boycott the celebrations," said Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, in the state's main city, Guwahati. At least six outlawed rebel groups, including the powerful United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), called a 17-hour general strike from 1 a.m. on Thursday to protest the celebrations marking India's transition to a republic in 1950. Militant groups that operate in the states of Assam, Manipur and Tripura called the boycott. "There is an open defiance to the rebel boycott call in all three states with people coming in large numbers to participate in the celebrations," an official said. In the run-up to the Republic Day, the ULFA rocked Assam with a wave of bombings that killed three people and wounded 31. The group also blew up gas and oil installations and power plants."Violence is not an answer to resolving any of the problems and we hope the militant groups join the mainstream and stop all forms of killings and bloodshed," Assam Governor Ajai Singh said in his Republic Day speech in Guwahati. Regional heads in the insurgency-hit northeastern states of Manipur and Tripura appealed to rebel groups to come for peace talks with the government. "Our doors for talks with militant groups are open. Problems can be resolved through negotiations and not through the barrel of the gun," Tripura Governor Dinesh Nandan Sahay said. Militant groups in the seven northeast states have for years boycotted national events to protest New Delhi's rule over the oil and timber-rich region. There are some 30 rebel groups operating in the region with demands ranging from secession to greater autonomy and the right to self-determination. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Use of Language to Dominate Politics
Title: Use of Language to Dominate Politics A lot to be learnt here about how the desi-media has been dealing with Assam! cm To: Undisclosed Recipient Hi, Jerry and I went to hear George Lakoff speak in San Jose. We were very impressed with what he had to say and how he said it. He is a linguist at Berkeley. If you're not familiar with his work, you might want to look at the web site below. http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2003/10/27_lakoff.shtml ***Framing the issues: UC Berkeley professor George Lakoff tells how conservatives use language to dominate politics By Bonnie Azab Powell, NewsCenter | 27 October 2003 BERKELEY - With Republicans controlling the Senate, the House, and the White House and enjoying a large margin of victory for California Governor-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger, it's clear that the Democratic Party is in crisis. George Lakoff, a UC Berkeley professor of linguistics and cognitive science, thinks he knows why. Conservatives have spent decades defining their ideas, carefully choosing the language with which to present them, and building an infrastructure to communicate them, says Lakoff. The work has paid off: by dictating the terms of national debate, conservatives have put progressives firmly on the defensive. George Lakoff dissects "war on terror" and other conservative catchphrases Read the August 26, 2004, follow-up interview In 2000 Lakoff and seven other faculty members from Berkeley and UC Davis joined together to found the Rockridge Institute, one of the few progressive think tanks in existence in the U.S. The institute offers its expertise and research on a nonpartisan basis to help progressives understand how best to get their messages across. The Richard & Rhoda Goldman Distinguished Professor in the College of Letters & Science, Lakoff is the author of "Moral Politics: How Liberals and Conservatives Think," first published in 1997 and reissued in 2002, as well as several other books on how language affects our lives. He is taking a sabbatical this year to write three books - none about politics - and to work on several Rockridge Institute research projects. In a long conversation over coffee at the Free Speech Movement Café, he told the NewsCenter's Bonnie Azab Powell why the Democrats "just don't get it," why Schwarzenegger won the recall election, and why conservatives will continue to define the issues up for debate for the foreseeable future. Why was the Rockridge Institute created, and how do you define its purpose? I got tired of cursing the newspaper every morning. I got tired of seeing what was going wrong and not being able to do anything about it. The background for Rockridge is that conservatives, especially conservative think tanks, have framed virtually every issue from their perspective. They have put a huge amount of money into creating the language for their worldview and getting it out there. Progressives have done virtually nothing. Even the new Center for American Progress, the think tank that John Podesta [former chief of staff for the Clinton administration] is setting up, is not dedicated to this at all. I asked Podesta who was going to do the Center's framing. He got a blank look, thought for a second and then said, "You!" Which meant they haven't thought about it at all. And that's the problem. Liberals don't get it. They don't understand what it is they have to be doing. Rockridge's job is to reframe public debate, to create balance from a progressive perspective. It's one thing to analyze language and thought, it's another thing to create it. That's what we're about. It's a matter of asking 'What are the central ideas of progressive thought from a moral perspective?' How does language influence the terms of political debate? Language always comes with what is called "framing." Every word is defined relative to a conceptual framework. If you have something like "revolt," that implies a population that is being ruled unfairly, or assumes it is being ruled unfairly, and that they are throwing off their rulers, which would be considered a good thing. That's a frame. 'Conservatives understand what unites them, and they understand how to talk about it, and they are constantly updating their research on how best to express their ideas.' -George Lakoff If you then add the word "voter" in front of "revolt," you get a metaphorical meaning saying that the voters are the oppressed people, the governor is the oppressive ruler, that they have ousted him and this is a good thing and all things are good now. All of that comes up when you see a headline like "voter revolt" - something that most people read and never notice. But these things can be affected by reporters and very often, by the campaign people themselves. Here's another example of how powerful framing is. In Arnold Schwarzenegger's accep
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
thats a good one. But in India people already show love for family thru other means - such as Rakshabandhan (Rakhi) for bros-sis love. But getting married by own choice is frowned upon by most people (and can be fatal in certain communities - such as Western UP) . So it is the marriage role of Valentine's Day which holds the greatest appeal to the Indian public - youth in particular. I see no harm in that. However, youth should ape the West completely and give Valentine Day cards to their brothers and sisters and parents ( but as per current notion people would laugh at them) Umesh Himendra Thakur <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINES DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentines Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentines Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible Bollywood movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name Hollywood just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentines Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentines Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring love-parks to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentines Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also known as Claudius II. Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied territories. Thinking that unmarried young men would make better soldiers, the Emperor banned all marriages. You want women? You want sex? Join my party youll get all appear to be a modern disco-party equivalent of what was said by Emperors recruiters 1737 years ago. An old Christian monk named Valentine (he was not declared as a Saint at that time) decided to work against the Emperors ban on marriage. His argument was simple: young people would give their lives to defend their motherland. But, just to fulfill Emperors craving to subdue other countries, they would not give up plans of their lives which were much more precious than wine-women-wealth. Joy did not depend upon the quantity of wine consumed. Happiness could not be purchased with ill-gotten wealth. Love was much superior to debauched sexual sensuality. Valentine secretly solemnized the marriages of those young couple who wanted to marry in violation of Emperors orders. Marriage was love culminated into commitment: and a set of promises : that we would be together, taking care of each other till death do us part. Very soon Valentine was caught by the Roman soldiers. He was thrown into the dungeon. When he was waiting for his death, the young couples married by him used to come to see him, and cry. Apparently, the jailer helped these young people to see him. They were consoled and cheered by the doomed man. They were surprised that he was happily ready to die for the truth. The jailers daughter took care of the old man. When the last day came and soldiers dragged him away to the chopping block, he quickly scrawled a note on a crumbled piece of paper and gave it to the jailers daughter From your Valentine! That was the first Valentine Card. The date was February 14, 269 AD. No wonder in America today fathers give Valentine Cards to their daughters. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles give Valentine Cards to each other. The idea is to uphold pure love as the highest treasure of humankind. As the bedrock of a family, the institution of marriage is the climax of love and commitment between a man and a woman. The institution of marriage, and not free-sex sensuality, was the strong undertone of St. Valentines martyrdom. Instead of disco parties, these MNCs could have organized mass marriage of young couples in India without
Re: [Assam] Royal Enfield Bike trip to NE - awareness - Tiger Country trip
see this one on a desert bike trip. http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=9736 Last year I came upon a copy of Che Guevara's book "Motor Cycle Diaries" while cleaning out classrooms at Harvard and read a bit. Recently, I saw a recent film on it at Montogomery College , Rockville film fest. on how motorcycle riding can take you fast into the "real world" where earlier only horse riders could go. Most developing countires have poor roads and people have no oney for SUVs --so it is bike ride - anyway while balancing on your bike you can learn to balance your life. Umesh umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=11282Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Photos NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p a photo.___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Win a BlackBerry device from O2 with Yahoo!. Enter now.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] Living Under Fascism
Title: Living Under Fascism I hope you will read this. Pass it on if you wish. I received it from a friend and assume it is genuine, but even if it isn't, it raises some important issues. L Living Under Fascism by Davidson Loehr Pastor, First UU Church of Austin, Texas You may wonder why anyone would try to use the word "fascism" in a serious discussion of where America is today. It sounds like cheap name-calling, or melodramatic allusion to a slew of old war movies. But I am serious. I don't mean it as name-calling at all. I mean to persuade you that the style of governing into which America has slid is most accurately described as fascism, and that the necessary implications of this fact are rightly regarded as terrifying. That's what I am about here. And even if I don't persuade you, I hope to raise the level of your thinking about who and where we are now, to add some nuance and perhaps some useful insights. The word comes from the Latin word "Fasces," denoting a bundle of sticks tied together. The individual sticks represented citizens, and the bundle represented the state. The message of this metaphor was that it was the bundle that was significant, not the individual sticks. If it sounds un-American, it's worth knowing that the Roman Fasces appear on the wall behind the Speaker's podium in the chamber of the US House of Representatives. Still, it's an unlikely word. When most people hear the word "fascism" they may think of the racism and anti-Semitism of Mussolini and Hitler. It is true that the use of force and the scapegoating of fringe groups are part of every fascism. But there was also an economic dimension of fascism, known in Europe during the 1920s and '30s as "corporatism," which was an essential ingredient of Mussolini's and Hitler's tyrannies. So-called corporatism was adopted in Italy and Germany during the 1930s and was held up as a model by quite a few intellectuals and policy makers in the United States and Europe. Fortune magazine ran a cover story on Mussolini in 1934, praising his fascism for its ability to break worker unions, disempower workers and transfer huge sums of money to those who controlled the money rather than those who earned it. Few Americans are aware of or can recall how so many Americans and Europeans viewed economic fascism as the wave of the future during the 1930s. Yet reviewing our past may help shed light on our present, and point the way to a better future. So I want to begin by looking back to the last time fascism posed a serious threat to America. In Sinclair Lewis's 1935 novel "It Can't Happen Here," a conservative southern politician is helped to the presidency by a nationally syndicated radio talk show host. The politician - Buzz Windrip - runs his campaign on family values, the flag, and patriotism. Windrip and the talk show host portray advocates of traditional American democracy - those concerned with individual rights and freedoms - as anti-American. That was 69 years ago. One of the most outspoken American fascists from the 1930s was economist Lawrence Dennis. In his 1936 book, The Coming American Fascism - a coming which he anticipated and cheered - Dennis declared that defenders of "18th-century Americanism" were sure to become "the laughing stock of their own countrymen." The big stumbling block to the development of economic fascism, Dennis bemoaned, was "liberal norms of law or constitutional guarantees of private rights." So it is important for us to recognize that, as an economic system, fascism was widely accepted in the 1920s and '30s, and nearly worshiped by some powerful American industrialists. And fascism has always, and explicitly, been opposed to liberalism of all kinds. Mussolini, who helped create modern fascism, viewed liberal ideas as the enemy. "The Fascist conception of life," he wrote, "stresses the importance of the State and accepts the individual only in so far as his interests coincide with the State. It is opposed to classical liberalism [which] denied the State in the name of the individual; Fascism reasserts the rights of the State as expressing the real essence of the individual." (In 1932 Mussolini wrote, with the help of Giovanni Gentile, an entry for the Italian Encyclopedia on the definition of fascism. You can read the whole entry at http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/mussolini-fascism.html) Mussolini thought it was unnatural for a government to protect individual rights: The essence of fascism, he believed, is that government should be the master, not the servant, of the people. Still, fascism is a word that is completely foreign to most of us. We need to know what it is, and how we can know it when we see it. In an essay coyly titled "Fascism Anyone?," Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, identifies social and political agendas common to fascist regimes. His comparisons of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suhart
Re: [Assam] R-Day - AT Editorial
Title: Re: [Assam] R-Day - AT Editorial BALONEY is the word! At 2:22 PM -0600 1/26/06, Ram Sarangapani wrote: Now a view from the AT. "But then, the success of a system depends more on those who administer it than the system itself. This is more true in the case of democracy, irrespective of its inherent advantages and disadvantages. The power emanates from the people, who are the ultimate masters of governance in a democracy. It is also said that more often than not, the people get a government they deserve." AT Republic DayRepublic Day is the occasion when we reaffirm our pledge to uphold the ideals of democracy - freedom, justice and equality. And for a country like India, regarded as the world's biggest democratic republic, the day is of special significance. Every Republic Day reminds us that in spite of all the drawbacks and aberrations of democracy, which is more relevant in the context of its functioning in this country, we have taken yet another stride in our march to achieve the cherished goals of democracy. Every Republic Day is also the occasion to look back and retrospect how we have fared as a democracy, and to learn from past mistakes and failures and ensure a better future. There was a time when Republic Day and Independence Day celebrations had a special place in the hearts of the people. Everyone used to look up to the occasion with a great deal of hope and anticipation. But times have changed now. The feeling of joy on the arrival of the Republic Day and a sense of pride in being a part of a successful democracy are fast waning. The earlier sentiment of nationalism and enthusiasm now stands replaced by a feeling of resignation. Most people seem to be little bothered about Republic Day celebrations. The earlier spontaneous participation of people in Republic Day is obviously not there any more. The changing atmosphere has deep-rooted reasons, the foremost being that there has been a growing realisation that the lofty ideals associated with democracy are as good as non-existent in the quagmire of today's murky politics and all-pervasive corruption. While it used to be a sacred occasion, the observance of Republic Day has been reduced to a mere ritual, where political leaders indulge in the same high-sounding, oft-repeated rhetoric. Corruption has scaled such unprecedented heights in our polity that the political class has fallen to the abyss in the esteem of the common man - to the extent that he is hardly interested in the meaningless utterances and the blatant lies of the present-day politicians and leaders. Things have deteriorated to a level that people are actually going through a process of disillusionment and alienation with the way our democracy is functioning. In Assam and the North East, another major irritant in the observance of the Republic Day has been the boycott call given by the ultra outfits. And with blasts becoming a routine in the run-up to both the Republic Day and the Independence Day, it is definitely a major dampener on the festive mood. Can anyone ever forget the cowardly ULFA's most dastardly act of killing a dozen schoolchildren by triggering a blast during Independence Day celebrations at Dhemaji a couple of years back? While the ULFA and its ilk, as self-professing non-believers in the Indian Constitution, may be free to stay away from the Republic Day and the Independence Day, what they must remember is that none has given them the right to dictate terms to the people - worse, by using intimidation and brute force. It is time the people rose in unison to defy the absurd boycott calls and served an ultimatum to the ultras, who want to liberate Assam by shedding innocent blood. Finally, what should not be forgotten in the midst of all these disquieting concerns is that we will have to find an answer to our problems within the existing structure. No doubt, democracy in India has failed to deliver, beset as it is with a lot of weaknesses. But then, the success of a system depends more on those who administer it than the system itself. This is more true in the case of democracy, irrespective of its inherent advantages and disadvantages. The power emanates from the people, who are the ultimate masters of governance in a democracy. It is also said that more often than not, the people get a government they deserve. If we put up a collective effort to rid the system of its ills, hope is definitely there to transform India into a thriving democracy. And this should be the pledge every Indian ought to make on the Republic Day. ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Hamas sweeps to election victory
Title: Re: [Assam] Hamas sweeps to election victory Some observastions: >mismanagement and corruption of the late Yassir Arafat's cronies who have >dominated the Fatah-led governments in the West Bank and Gaza. The electors >have seen the ministerial villas amid the Gaza slums. They have suffered from >the lawlessness. And they have seen huge sums donated from abroad squandered >while the Palestinian economy stagnated. This is Arafat's true legacy. *** I was taken aback for a moment thinking the write-up was on desi-demokrasy. >Little wonder, therefore, that voters turned instead to Hamas, the Islamic >militant group committed to the destruction of Israel. *** Somehow, it seems like a rather simplistic verdict, almost like one of the many in Assam Net! The voters turned to Hamas, simply because of corruption and mismanagement of Fatah? Likely story! So what is missing? I can't place my fingers on it exactly: But the issue of the non-movement on the peace front, thanks to Sharon/Bush legacy probably had something to do with it. I suspect Iraq provided some fuel. There may be others. But these are unpleasant things to discuss. Why make an issue of it? >Swiftly learning the populist tricks of electioneering, Hamas ran an effective >campaign. It played down its militant philosophy and played up its role in >providing schools, clinics and welfare support for Gaza's slum-dwellers. What an objective paragraph! Swiftly learning populist tricks --- Played down its militant philosophy --- Played up its role in providing schools --- ( Liars! How dare day?) Language, as a tool for deception comes to mind, so often a staple of Assam net and desi-rags in the context of Assam's disaffections. >But effective government by the Palestinian Authority (PA) is impossible >without a myriad of daily interactions with the Israelis. *** Why didn't Israel use its clout therefore to force Fatah in cleaning up its operations? What held it back? Why did it not use its enormous influence, in fact suffocating grip, to lay the law down on Fatah? And if it did, how come nothing changed? >Hamas may hope to concentrate at first on cleaner, more transparent government. >It will soon find that without Israeli co-operation it can deliver almost >nothing. *** So what else is new? Bottom line--for the Palestinians, its damned if you do, damned if you don't, isn't it? And for Israel ( thanks to its its sugar-daddy the USA's backing) its heads we win, tails you lose! >The West, which has long urged greater democracy in the region, accepts that an >election verdict, however uncomfortable, must be accepted - but not, as >Condoleezza Rice said yesterday, if Hamas has one foot in politics and one in >terror. *** Aha! Try to have it BOTH ways! Election results YES, but POLICIES, no! So where is the DEMOCRACY here? The Times' big LIE, the DOUBLESPEAK shows right here; in ATTEMPTING to separate election results ( acceptance of) and the policies advocated by the party, which were instrumental to earning it the election victory ( rejection of), just like Condi Rice's and the Bush admin's. This also points to the bankruptcy of the propaganda of the simple-minded advocates of 'democracy', who would acknowledged ( when forced into an intellectual corner that is) that elections are not the be-all and end-all of democracy, but are unable to take that into consideration, when dealing with the realities! Be it with the Palestininas, be it in Assam, be it in India. The fact is that, in the absence of an environment of peace, a rule of law, and an ability to deliberate on policy issues and alternatives without coercion, backed up by a credible and effective set of ground-rues that all abide by -- fealty to a CONSTITUTION that is -- elections are of little use in judging the presence or absence of democracy, as is dramatically played out in this instance. That brings us back to square one--what comes first? How is the environment to be created for real democracy ( something more than mere election results) to take hold in the midst of anarchy or oligarchy or autocracy, so that the Times, or the Israeli govt. or the US admin. don't have to resort to DOUBLESPEAK, like we see here? There-in lies the challenge for all of us. And if *I* had a simple answer to it, I wouldn't be hunt-and-pecking on my keyboard from St. Louis, in an almost futile effort to sensitize my fellow men to the realities, but would be riding as a knight in shining armor, rescuing humanity from the miseries of their misbegotten governments. But the good news is that there indeed ARE ways! Not as simple as giving an election though, like some think or attempt to assert. And they are not one-size-fits-all stock solutions. Each situation has to be dealt with to respond to its own unique needs. cm At 12:23 AM -0500 1/27/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Conten
Re: [Assam] Jai Ram Ji Ki-- in Amerika.
Thats a good way of narrating Ramayan to Generation Next! Umeshmc mahant <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:A young second generation Indian in the US was asked by his mother to explain the significance of "Diwali" to his younger brother, this is how he went about it... " So, like this dude had, like, a big cool kingdom andpeople liked him. But, like, his step-mom, or something, was kindof a bitch, and she forced her husband to, like, send this cool-dude,he was Ram, to some national forest or something... Since he was going, for like, something like more than 10 years or so.. he decidedto get his wife and his bro along... you know...so that they could allchill out together. But Dude, the forest was ral scaryshit... really man... they had monkeys and devils and shit like that. But this dude, Ram, kicked with darts and bows and arrows... so it was fine. But then some bad gangsta boys, some jerk called Ravan, picks up his babe (Sita) and lures her away to his hood. And boy,was our man, and also his bro, Laxman, pissed. all the gods were with him... So anyways,you don't mess with gods. So, Ram, and his bro get an army of monkeys.. Dude, don't ask me how they trained the damn monkeys... just go along with me, ok... .. So, Ram, Lax and their monkeys whip this gangsta's ass in his own hood. Anyways, by this time, their time's up in the forest..and anyways...it gets kinda boring,you know... no TV or malls or shit like that. So,they decided to hitch a ride back home... and when the people realize that our dude, his bro and the wife are back home... they thought, well, you know, at least they deserve something nice... and they didn't have any bars or clubs in those days... so they couldn't take them out for a drink, so they, like, decided to smoke and shit...and since they also had some lamps, they lit the lamps also... so it was pretty cl... you know with all those fireworks... Really, they even had some local band play along with the fireworks... and you know, what, dude, that was the very first, no kidding.., that was the very first music-synchronized fireworks... you know, like the 4th of July stuff, but just, more cooler and stuff, you know. And, so dude, that was how, like, this festival started." From: umesh sharma <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]To: assam@assamnet.orgSubject: [Assam] Royal Enfield Bike trip to NE - awarenessDate: Thu, 26 Jan 2006 16:32:12 + (GMT)http://www.royalenfield.com/app/IN/trip.asp?sID=11282Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 207401-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Photos NEW, now offering a quality print service from just 8p a photo. ___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org___assam mailing listassam@assamnet.orghttp://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 To help you stay safe and secure online, we've developed the all new Yahoo! Security Centre.___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
[Assam] INSEAD: Business & its education
How much is business education helpful and to whom? Were the semi-literate Marwari business heads right in ridiculing MBAs? Umesh http://www.economist.com/business/globalexecutive/education/displayStory.cfm?story_id=5432338 "An American in Paris When Gabriel Hawawini steps down as dean of INSEAD later this year, his successor will be J. Frank Brown, a long-time executive at PricewaterhouseCoopers whose business education has so far stretched no further than a ten-week general management course. The school, which has campuses in Fontainebleau, near Paris, and Singapore has never before in its 45-year history appointed a non-academic to its top job, and it is only the second time an American has held the post. (By contrast, the last two deans of the London Business School have been Americans.)"Umesh Sharma5121 Lackawanna STCollege Park, MD 20740 1-202-215-4328 [Cell Phone]Ed.M. - International Education PolicyHarvard Graduate School of Education,Harvard University,Class of 2005 Yahoo! Messenger NEW - crystal clear PC to PC calling worldwide with voicemail ___ assam mailing list assam@assamnet.org http://assamnet.org/mailman/listinfo/assam_assamnet.org
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
what do u mean man..? On 1/27/06, Rajiv Baruah <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Oh no .another discombobulating SINGLE issue partisan > > best > > > -- Original Message -- > Received: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 12:41:03 PM SGT > From: "Himendra Thakur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: > Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [Assam] Saint Valentine > > > > > > MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINE'S DAY > An article by > Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Boston, Massachusetts, USA > > It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentine's Day is misunderstood in > many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien > to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various > Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of > St. Valentine's Day in India. > > The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentine's Day was possibly > initiated by an irresponsible "Bollywood" movie star who thrived in Indian > movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name > "Hollywood" just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted > the St. Valentine's Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims > were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational > companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending > millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentine's Day as a > free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among > adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in > the same business by sponsoring "love-parks" to increase their profit > dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian > government as a commercial enterprise. > > The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex > sensuality to celebrate Valentine's Day is exactly what Saint Valentine > tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 > AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also > known as Claudius II. > > Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 > AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to > expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with > wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied > territories. Thinking that unmarried young men would make better soldiers, > the Emperor banned all marriages. "You want women? You want sex? Join my > party… you'll get all" appear to be a modern disco-party equivalent of what > was said by Emperor's recruiters 1737 years ago. > An old Christian monk named Valentine (he was not declared as a Saint at > that time) decided to work against the Emperor's ban on marriage. His > argument was simple: young people would give their lives to defend their > motherland. But, just to fulfill Emperor's craving to subdue other > countries, they would not give up plans of their lives which were much more > precious than wine-women-wealth. Joy did not depend upon the quantity of > wine consumed. Happiness could not be purchased with ill-gotten wealth. Love > was much superior to debauched sexual sensuality. > Valentine secretly solemnized the marriages of those young couple who > wanted to marry in violation of Emperor's orders. Marriage was love > culminated into commitment: and a set of promises : that we would be > together, taking care of each other "till death do us part." > > Very soon Valentine was caught by the Roman soldiers. He was thrown into > the dungeon. When he was waiting for his death, the young couples married by > him used to come to see him, and cry. Apparently, the jailer helped these > young people to see him. They were consoled and cheered by the doomed man. > They were surprised that he was happily ready to die for the truth. The > jailer's daughter took care of the old man. When the last day came and > soldiers dragged him away to the chopping block, he quickly scrawled a note > on a crumbled piece of paper and gave it to the jailer's daughter "From your > Valentine!" That was the first Valentine Card. The date was February 14, > 269 AD. > > No wonder in America today fathers give Valentine Cards to their daughters. > Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles give Valentine Cards to each other. The > idea is to uphold pure love as the highest treasure of humankind. As the > bedrock of a family, the institution of marriage is the climax of love and > commitment between a man and a woman. > > The institution of marriage, and not free-sex sensuality, was the strong > undertone of St. Valentine's martyrdom. Instead of disco parties, these MNCs > could have organized mass marriage of young couples in India without pomp > and show and dowry on the Valentine's Day and call it Bahu Divas > (Daughter-in-laws' Day) as a tribute to real family values. In fact, > "Antarjyoti" a social organization i
Re: [Assam] Saint Valentine
Oh no .another discombobulating SINGLE issue partisan best -- Original Message --Received: Fri, 27 Jan 2006 12:41:03 PM SGTFrom: "Himendra Thakur" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>To: Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]Subject: [Assam] Saint Valentine MISUNDERSTANDING St. VALENTINES DAY An article by Himendra Thakur [EMAIL PROTECTED] Boston, Massachusetts, USA It is rather unfortunate that the Saint Valentines Day is misunderstood in many parts of India as something western, something sensual, something alien to the idea of austerity, an essential trait in Indian heritage. Various Hindu activist groups have adopted tough plans to attack any celebration of St. Valentines Day in India. The distortion of the real meaning of St. Valentines Day was possibly initiated by an irresponsible Bollywood movie star who thrived in Indian movie business of copying everything from America (like they copied the name Hollywood just as a token of their intellectual bankruptcy.) They twisted the St. Valentines Day into a celebration of sensuality. The first victims were adolescents, highly vulnerable to anything new. Some multinational companies (MNC) of India too eager to sell their products are now spending millions of their advertisement dollars to promote Valentines Day as a free-sex disco party targeted to the rising tempo of sensuality among adolescents. Even the government tourism departments appear to be caught in the same business by sponsoring love-parks to increase their profit dollars, ironically required by the new policy of running the Indian government as a commercial enterprise. The idea behind these commercial disco parties where MNCs peddle free-sex sensuality to celebrate Valentines Day is exactly what Saint Valentine tried to stop 1737 years ago. He was beaten and beheaded on February 14, 269 AD under the orders of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Claudius Gothicus, also known as Claudius II. Forgetting the stoic teachings of his ancestor Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD), Emperor Claudius II (214-270 AD) placed himself in a big hurry to expand his empire. He needed a large army. He allured new recruits with wine-women-wealth, which they would be able to loot in the occupied territories. Thinking that unmarried young men would make better soldiers, the Emperor banned all marriages. You want women? You want sex? Join my party youll get all appear to be a modern disco-party equivalent of what was said by Emperors recruiters 1737 years ago. An old Christian monk named Valentine (he was not declared as a Saint at that time) decided to work against the Emperors ban on marriage. His argument was simple: young people would give their lives to defend their motherland. But, just to fulfill Emperors craving to subdue other countries, they would not give up plans of their lives which were much more precious than wine-women-wealth. Joy did not depend upon the quantity of wine consumed. Happiness could not be purchased with ill-gotten wealth. Love was much superior to debauched sexual sensuality. Valentine secretly solemnized the marriages of those young couple who wanted to marry in violation of Emperors orders. Marriage was love culminated into commitment: and a set of promises : that we would be together, taking care of each other till death do us part. Very soon Valentine was caught by the Roman soldiers. He was thrown into the dungeon. When he was waiting for his death, the young couples married by him used to come to see him, and cry. Apparently, the jailer helped these young people to see him. They were consoled and cheered by the doomed man. They were surprised that he was happily ready to die for the truth. The jailers daughter took care of the old man. When the last day came and soldiers dragged him away to the chopping block, he quickly scrawled a note on a crumbled piece of paper and gave it to the jailers daughter From your Valentine! That was the first Valentine Card. The date was February 14, 269 AD. No wonder in America today fathers give Valentine Cards to their daughters. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles give Valentine Cards to each other. The idea is to uphold pure love as the highest treasure of humankind. As the bedrock of a family, the institution of marriage is the climax of love and commitment between a man and a woman. The institution of marriage, and not free-sex sensuality, was the strong undertone of St. Valentines martyrdom. Instead of disco parties, these MNCs could have organized mass marriage of young couples in India without pomp and show and dowry on the Valentines Day and call it Bahu Divas (Daughter-in-laws Day) as a tribute to real family values. In fact, Antarjyoti a social organization in India, has been celebrating St. Valentines Day every year since 2004 by holding Bahu Divas as a mark of respect to the institution of marriage. By felicitating a daughter-in-law as grihalaxmi (wealth of the family), they uphold the value of marri
