1768- Make fun, see fun

Story of two nations.
-------------------------
India: - Thankfully the people value non-violence so when you make a movie denigrating the deities of the Majority community then the most you get is a couple of protests and some legal notices. This too is well compensated with 300 crore of earnings.
France: - Publish a satire article with the cartoon of a prophet and Paris burns. 11 dead and such is the fear of amidst people that no media house even dares publish those cartoons.
---------------------------
This is so sad. Humanity cries over this fanaticism.
The minorities in France need to learn tolerance from our nation and its people.

~ ShankhNaad

 ________________________________

1767- Fitness & Sickness

1766- Telugu Quotes

ఎక్కడయితే శత్రుత్వం వుంటుందో అక్కడ ప్రతి మనిషి తనకంటూ ఒక రీజన్ ఏర్పరచుకొని వాదించటం ప్రారంభిస్తాడు. ఎక్కడ 'ప్రేమ' ఉంటుందో అక్కడ రీజన్ వుండదు.
Yandamoori Virendranath

ఏదీ తనంత తానే నీ దరికి రాదు...శోధించి సాధించాలి...అదే ధీరగుణం.
Sri Sri

వందమంది చేయలేని పని ఓ హేళన చేస్తుంది.
Sri Sri

1765- Ghar wapsi won’t succeed unless Hindus change their mindset: Vinay Katiyar

Written by Shyamlal Yadav | New Delhi | Posted: January 7, 2015 12:24 am | Updated: January 7, 2015 8:47 am

Vinay Katiyar, founder president of the Bajrang Dal and BJP Rajya Sabha member from UP, has criticised the RSS-affiliated Dharma Jagran Samanway Samiti (DJSS) for rushing into a re-conversion programme that had benefited no one, and only created disharmony and bad blood.
‘Ghar wapsi’ was a difficult project, Katiyar said, and advised the DJSS to “work more and talk less”. RSS pracharak and DJSS convener  Rajeshwar Singh, who had spearheaded the Agra ‘ghar wapsi’ that triggered massive criticism of the government and stalled Parliament’s winter session, has recently gone “on leave”.
“Nobody is going to be benefited from the controversy. Nothing positive is going to emerge from the propaganda,” Katiyar told The Indian Express.
Explaining the importance of doing “homework” for the project, he said, “As a pracharak for Hindu Jagran Manch, I had approached some Muslim families in Unnao (UP) in the early eighties. They said they were ready to re-convert to Hinduism, but who would marry their children? Finally they did not come to our fold. For any Muslim who wants to re-convert, an assurance that marriage would not become a problem is the most important.”
Before founding the Bajrang Dal as a front of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the early eighties, Katiyar had worked for the HJM, the organisation that led the Sangh’s re-conversion mission before the DJSS. Katiyar, who was one of the more aggressive faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, subsequently headed the BJP’s UP unit and represented Faizabad in the Lok Sabha for three terms.
“Iss se sirf katuta paida hui hai. Kisi ka koi fayda nahin hua hai (This [ghar wapsi] has only created bitterness. No one has gained from it). It has only hampered work,” Katiyar said. “Ghar wapsi”, he added, “can be successfully carried out only if we are able to persuade Hindus to marry the girls and boys of the people who re-convert”.
Hindus, Katiyar said, almost never accept those who ‘return’ with an open mind and heart. “No matter which caste they come back to, nobody accepts their children as a bride or groom. Sometimes people are ready to accept their daughters, but they will still not marry their own daughters to re-converts. There have been cases where families that re-converted went back to being Muslim again only because of this problem of marriage.”
The DJSS’s efforts are likely to be largely futile, Katiyar said. “They have neither the strength nor the preparedness. Unless Hindus are ready to change their mindset, no ghar wapsi is possible from Muslims to Hindus.” According to him, getting families ‘back’ from Christianity was easier because the problem of acceptability was not that acute

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ghar-wapsi-wont-succeed-unless-hindus-change-2/#sthash.IkoknlMN.dpuf

(Written by Shyamlal Yadav | New Delhi | Posted: January 7, 2015) 

Vinay Katiyar, founder president of the Bajrang Dal and BJP Rajya Sabha member from UP, has criticised the RSS-affiliated Dharma Jagran Samanway Samiti (DJSS) for rushing into a re-conversion programme that had benefited no one, and only created disharmony and bad blood.

‘Ghar wapsi’ was a difficult project, Katiyar said, and advised the DJSS to “work more and talk less”. RSS pracharak and DJSS convener  Rajeshwar Singh, who had spearheaded the Agra ‘ghar wapsi’ that triggered massive criticism of the government and stalled Parliament’s winter session, has recently gone “on leave”.

“Nobody is going to be benefited from the controversy. Nothing positive is going to emerge from the propaganda,” Katiyar told The Indian Express.

Explaining the importance of doing “homework” for the project, he said, “As a pracharak for Hindu Jagran Manch, I had approached some Muslim families in Unnao (UP) in the early eighties. They said they were ready to re-convert to Hinduism, but who would marry their children? Finally they did not come to our fold. For any Muslim who wants to re-convert, an assurance that marriage would not become a problem is the most important.”

Before founding the Bajrang Dal as a front of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the early eighties, Katiyar had worked for the HJM, the organisation that led the Sangh’s re-conversion mission before the DJSS. Katiyar, who was one of the more aggressive faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, subsequently headed the BJP’s UP unit and represented Faizabad in the Lok Sabha for three terms.

“Iss se sirf katuta paida hui hai. Kisi ka koi fayda nahin hua hai (This [ghar wapsi] has only created bitterness. No one has gained from it). It has only hampered work,” Katiyar said. “Ghar wapsi”, he added, “can be successfully carried out only if we are able to persuade Hindus to marry the girls and boys of the people who re-convert”.

Hindus, Katiyar said, almost never accept those who ‘return’ with an open mind and heart. “No matter which caste they come back to, nobody accepts their children as a bride or groom. Sometimes people are ready to accept their daughters, but they will still not marry their own daughters to re-converts. There have been cases where families that re-converted went back to being Muslim again only because of this problem of marriage.”

The DJSS’s efforts are likely to be largely futile, Katiyar said. “They have neither the strength nor the preparedness. Unless Hindus are ready to change their mindset, no ghar wapsi is possible from Muslims to Hindus.” According to him, getting families ‘back’ from Christianity was easier because the problem of acceptability was not that acute.

(- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ghar-wapsi-wont-succeed-unless-hindus-change-2/#sthash.IkoknlMN.dpuf)

 ______________________

Written by Shyamlal Yadav | New Delhi | Posted: January 7, 2015 12:24 am | Updated: January 7, 2015 8:47 am

Vinay Katiyar, founder president of the Bajrang Dal and BJP Rajya Sabha member from UP, has criticised the RSS-affiliated Dharma Jagran Samanway Samiti (DJSS) for rushing into a re-conversion programme that had benefited no one, and only created disharmony and bad blood.
‘Ghar wapsi’ was a difficult project, Katiyar said, and advised the DJSS to “work more and talk less”. RSS pracharak and DJSS convener  Rajeshwar Singh, who had spearheaded the Agra ‘ghar wapsi’ that triggered massive criticism of the government and stalled Parliament’s winter session, has recently gone “on leave”.
“Nobody is going to be benefited from the controversy. Nothing positive is going to emerge from the propaganda,” Katiyar told The Indian Express.
Explaining the importance of doing “homework” for the project, he said, “As a pracharak for Hindu Jagran Manch, I had approached some Muslim families in Unnao (UP) in the early eighties. They said they were ready to re-convert to Hinduism, but who would marry their children? Finally they did not come to our fold. For any Muslim who wants to re-convert, an assurance that marriage would not become a problem is the most important.”
Before founding the Bajrang Dal as a front of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the early eighties, Katiyar had worked for the HJM, the organisation that led the Sangh’s re-conversion mission before the DJSS. Katiyar, who was one of the more aggressive faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, subsequently headed the BJP’s UP unit and represented Faizabad in the Lok Sabha for three terms.
“Iss se sirf katuta paida hui hai. Kisi ka koi fayda nahin hua hai (This [ghar wapsi] has only created bitterness. No one has gained from it). It has only hampered work,” Katiyar said. “Ghar wapsi”, he added, “can be successfully carried out only if we are able to persuade Hindus to marry the girls and boys of the people who re-convert”.
Hindus, Katiyar said, almost never accept those who ‘return’ with an open mind and heart. “No matter which caste they come back to, nobody accepts their children as a bride or groom. Sometimes people are ready to accept their daughters, but they will still not marry their own daughters to re-converts. There have been cases where families that re-converted went back to being Muslim again only because of this problem of marriage.”
The DJSS’s efforts are likely to be largely futile, Katiyar said. “They have neither the strength nor the preparedness. Unless Hindus are ready to change their mindset, no ghar wapsi is possible from Muslims to Hindus.” According to him, getting families ‘back’ from Christianity was easier because the problem of acceptability was not that acute

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ghar-wapsi-wont-succeed-unless-hindus-change-2/#sthash.IkoknlMN.dpuf

Written by Shyamlal Yadav | New Delhi | Posted: January 7, 2015 12:24 am | Updated: January 7, 2015 8:47 am

Vinay Katiyar, founder president of the Bajrang Dal and BJP Rajya Sabha member from UP, has criticised the RSS-affiliated Dharma Jagran Samanway Samiti (DJSS) for rushing into a re-conversion programme that had benefited no one, and only created disharmony and bad blood.
‘Ghar wapsi’ was a difficult project, Katiyar said, and advised the DJSS to “work more and talk less”. RSS pracharak and DJSS convener  Rajeshwar Singh, who had spearheaded the Agra ‘ghar wapsi’ that triggered massive criticism of the government and stalled Parliament’s winter session, has recently gone “on leave”.
“Nobody is going to be benefited from the controversy. Nothing positive is going to emerge from the propaganda,” Katiyar told The Indian Express.
Explaining the importance of doing “homework” for the project, he said, “As a pracharak for Hindu Jagran Manch, I had approached some Muslim families in Unnao (UP) in the early eighties. They said they were ready to re-convert to Hinduism, but who would marry their children? Finally they did not come to our fold. For any Muslim who wants to re-convert, an assurance that marriage would not become a problem is the most important.”
Before founding the Bajrang Dal as a front of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the early eighties, Katiyar had worked for the HJM, the organisation that led the Sangh’s re-conversion mission before the DJSS. Katiyar, who was one of the more aggressive faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, subsequently headed the BJP’s UP unit and represented Faizabad in the Lok Sabha for three terms.
“Iss se sirf katuta paida hui hai. Kisi ka koi fayda nahin hua hai (This [ghar wapsi] has only created bitterness. No one has gained from it). It has only hampered work,” Katiyar said. “Ghar wapsi”, he added, “can be successfully carried out only if we are able to persuade Hindus to marry the girls and boys of the people who re-convert”.
Hindus, Katiyar said, almost never accept those who ‘return’ with an open mind and heart. “No matter which caste they come back to, nobody accepts their children as a bride or groom. Sometimes people are ready to accept their daughters, but they will still not marry their own daughters to re-converts. There have been cases where families that re-converted went back to being Muslim again only because of this problem of marriage.”
The DJSS’s efforts are likely to be largely futile, Katiyar said. “They have neither the strength nor the preparedness. Unless Hindus are ready to change their mindset, no ghar wapsi is possible from Muslims to Hindus.” According to him, getting families ‘back’ from Christianity was easier because the problem of acceptability was not that acute

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ghar-wapsi-wont-succeed-unless-hindus-change-2/#sthash.IkoknlMN.dpuf

Written by Shyamlal Yadav | New Delhi | Posted: January 7, 2015 12:24 am | Updated: January 7, 2015 8:47 am

Vinay Katiyar, founder president of the Bajrang Dal and BJP Rajya Sabha member from UP, has criticised the RSS-affiliated Dharma Jagran Samanway Samiti (DJSS) for rushing into a re-conversion programme that had benefited no one, and only created disharmony and bad blood.
‘Ghar wapsi’ was a difficult project, Katiyar said, and advised the DJSS to “work more and talk less”. RSS pracharak and DJSS convener  Rajeshwar Singh, who had spearheaded the Agra ‘ghar wapsi’ that triggered massive criticism of the government and stalled Parliament’s winter session, has recently gone “on leave”.
“Nobody is going to be benefited from the controversy. Nothing positive is going to emerge from the propaganda,” Katiyar told The Indian Express.
Explaining the importance of doing “homework” for the project, he said, “As a pracharak for Hindu Jagran Manch, I had approached some Muslim families in Unnao (UP) in the early eighties. They said they were ready to re-convert to Hinduism, but who would marry their children? Finally they did not come to our fold. For any Muslim who wants to re-convert, an assurance that marriage would not become a problem is the most important.”
Before founding the Bajrang Dal as a front of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the early eighties, Katiyar had worked for the HJM, the organisation that led the Sangh’s re-conversion mission before the DJSS. Katiyar, who was one of the more aggressive faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, subsequently headed the BJP’s UP unit and represented Faizabad in the Lok Sabha for three terms.
“Iss se sirf katuta paida hui hai. Kisi ka koi fayda nahin hua hai (This [ghar wapsi] has only created bitterness. No one has gained from it). It has only hampered work,” Katiyar said. “Ghar wapsi”, he added, “can be successfully carried out only if we are able to persuade Hindus to marry the girls and boys of the people who re-convert”.
Hindus, Katiyar said, almost never accept those who ‘return’ with an open mind and heart. “No matter which caste they come back to, nobody accepts their children as a bride or groom. Sometimes people are ready to accept their daughters, but they will still not marry their own daughters to re-converts. There have been cases where families that re-converted went back to being Muslim again only because of this problem of marriage.”
The DJSS’s efforts are likely to be largely futile, Katiyar said. “They have neither the strength nor the preparedness. Unless Hindus are ready to change their mindset, no ghar wapsi is possible from Muslims to Hindus.” According to him, getting families ‘back’ from Christianity was easier because the problem of acceptability was not that acute

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ghar-wapsi-wont-succeed-unless-hindus-change-2/#sthash.IkoknlMN.dpuf

Written by Shyamlal Yadav | New Delhi | Posted: January 7, 2015 12:24 am | Updated: January 7, 2015 8:47 am

Vinay Katiyar, founder president of the Bajrang Dal and BJP Rajya Sabha member from UP, has criticised the RSS-affiliated Dharma Jagran Samanway Samiti (DJSS) for rushing into a re-conversion programme that had benefited no one, and only created disharmony and bad blood.
‘Ghar wapsi’ was a difficult project, Katiyar said, and advised the DJSS to “work more and talk less”. RSS pracharak and DJSS convener  Rajeshwar Singh, who had spearheaded the Agra ‘ghar wapsi’ that triggered massive criticism of the government and stalled Parliament’s winter session, has recently gone “on leave”.
“Nobody is going to be benefited from the controversy. Nothing positive is going to emerge from the propaganda,” Katiyar told The Indian Express.
Explaining the importance of doing “homework” for the project, he said, “As a pracharak for Hindu Jagran Manch, I had approached some Muslim families in Unnao (UP) in the early eighties. They said they were ready to re-convert to Hinduism, but who would marry their children? Finally they did not come to our fold. For any Muslim who wants to re-convert, an assurance that marriage would not become a problem is the most important.”
Before founding the Bajrang Dal as a front of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the early eighties, Katiyar had worked for the HJM, the organisation that led the Sangh’s re-conversion mission before the DJSS. Katiyar, who was one of the more aggressive faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, subsequently headed the BJP’s UP unit and represented Faizabad in the Lok Sabha for three terms.
“Iss se sirf katuta paida hui hai. Kisi ka koi fayda nahin hua hai (This [ghar wapsi] has only created bitterness. No one has gained from it). It has only hampered work,” Katiyar said. “Ghar wapsi”, he added, “can be successfully carried out only if we are able to persuade Hindus to marry the girls and boys of the people who re-convert”.
Hindus, Katiyar said, almost never accept those who ‘return’ with an open mind and heart. “No matter which caste they come back to, nobody accepts their children as a bride or groom. Sometimes people are ready to accept their daughters, but they will still not marry their own daughters to re-converts. There have been cases where families that re-converted went back to being Muslim again only because of this problem of marriage.”
The DJSS’s efforts are likely to be largely futile, Katiyar said. “They have neither the strength nor the preparedness. Unless Hindus are ready to change their mindset, no ghar wapsi is possible from Muslims to Hindus.” According to him, getting families ‘back’ from Christianity was easier because the problem of acceptability was not that acute

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ghar-wapsi-wont-succeed-unless-hindus-change-2/#sthash.IkoknlMN.dpuf

Written by Shyamlal Yadav | New Delhi | Posted: January 7, 2015 12:24 am | Updated: January 7, 2015 8:47 am

Vinay Katiyar, founder president of the Bajrang Dal and BJP Rajya Sabha member from UP, has criticised the RSS-affiliated Dharma Jagran Samanway Samiti (DJSS) for rushing into a re-conversion programme that had benefited no one, and only created disharmony and bad blood.
‘Ghar wapsi’ was a difficult project, Katiyar said, and advised the DJSS to “work more and talk less”. RSS pracharak and DJSS convener  Rajeshwar Singh, who had spearheaded the Agra ‘ghar wapsi’ that triggered massive criticism of the government and stalled Parliament’s winter session, has recently gone “on leave”.
“Nobody is going to be benefited from the controversy. Nothing positive is going to emerge from the propaganda,” Katiyar told The Indian Express.
Explaining the importance of doing “homework” for the project, he said, “As a pracharak for Hindu Jagran Manch, I had approached some Muslim families in Unnao (UP) in the early eighties. They said they were ready to re-convert to Hinduism, but who would marry their children? Finally they did not come to our fold. For any Muslim who wants to re-convert, an assurance that marriage would not become a problem is the most important.”
Before founding the Bajrang Dal as a front of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the early eighties, Katiyar had worked for the HJM, the organisation that led the Sangh’s re-conversion mission before the DJSS. Katiyar, who was one of the more aggressive faces of the Ram Janmabhoomi agitation, subsequently headed the BJP’s UP unit and represented Faizabad in the Lok Sabha for three terms.
“Iss se sirf katuta paida hui hai. Kisi ka koi fayda nahin hua hai (This [ghar wapsi] has only created bitterness. No one has gained from it). It has only hampered work,” Katiyar said. “Ghar wapsi”, he added, “can be successfully carried out only if we are able to persuade Hindus to marry the girls and boys of the people who re-convert”.
Hindus, Katiyar said, almost never accept those who ‘return’ with an open mind and heart. “No matter which caste they come back to, nobody accepts their children as a bride or groom. Sometimes people are ready to accept their daughters, but they will still not marry their own daughters to re-converts. There have been cases where families that re-converted went back to being Muslim again only because of this problem of marriage.”
The DJSS’s efforts are likely to be largely futile, Katiyar said. “They have neither the strength nor the preparedness. Unless Hindus are ready to change their mindset, no ghar wapsi is possible from Muslims to Hindus.” According to him, getting families ‘back’ from Christianity was easier because the problem of acceptability was not that acute

- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/ghar-wapsi-wont-succeed-unless-hindus-change-2/#sthash.IkoknlMN.dpuf

1764- HANDBOOK for LIFE

Health:
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in the previous year.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile!

Personality:
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Eliminate negative thoughts and things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive and in the present moment.
13. Don't over do. Know your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake!
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner of his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are part of the curriculum; they appear and fade away but the lessons you learn last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day do something good for others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. For a learning experience spend some time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 8.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:
32. Do the right thing!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. BE HAPPY EACH DAY!
__________________________

1763- Islamic difference and radicalisation

(Excerpts from the article by Suchitra Vijayan, The Hindu)

1762- Humans

1761- Travel light

Iyanla Vanzant

If you know that your life is a journey and if you want to make it to your divine destination, you must learn to travel light!
Unpack the abrasive attitudes, addictive appetites, and frivolous fears that you have packed away in the crevices of your heart and mind. 
Pack a tidbit of truth, a capsule of courage, a fistful of faith, and a pocketful of prayer, and be on your way!
_________________________

1760- MASSES

James Kella Long ago i read of a marathon where at a turn the 1st guy took a wrong turn and almost 90% followed him and got disqualified only a few could complete. Following the masses does not mean you are on the right track whether it is in spiritual, carnal, academics, etc.

 

Narayana Rao C This reminds me of the joke I heard when I was in school.
A teacher wanted to conduct a special class on a Sunday, hence the notice on the board-"I want to meet my CLASSES on Sunday at 10am." Boys being boys, they erased the letter 'C' from the word 'CLASSES' and it reads- "I want to meet my LASSES on Sunday at 10am." Now the teacher deletes 'L' from 'LASSES' as to make it read- "I want to meet my ASSES on Sunday at 10am"

___________________________________

 

1759- Mariages

1758- BRAHMAN

Brahman reveals Himself to the extent you unwind yourself. He manifests when you disappear into yourself...
- Jayaram V, 'Brahman

1757- Phones, then and now

1756- Hinduism isn't a country club one can waltz in and out of

BY DEVDUTT PATTANAIK Jan 04 2015 : The Times of India (Chennai)    ___________________________ In India, to convert people out of Hinduism is seen as a fundamental right guaranteed by the Constitution. To convert people from Indian Islam to radical Islam, however, is a cause for concern. While to re-convert anyone into Hinduism is seen as a media joke. Do India-visiting aliens wonder about this confu sion? Or are they too busy saving religious Indians (Hindus especially) from cult leaders, and encouraging them to convert: become rational, secular, liberal, sci entific atheists? Is that the cosmic or the alien way? To evangelise means to spread `the good word'. To proselytise is to spread the good word using material benefits. To evangelise and proselytise has become a modern way of life, expanding beyond the religious sphere. Education has increasingly become about conversion -teaching children good habits like speaking, reading and writing English (or Sanskrit) rather than their mother tongue. Entertainment has become about conversion -civilizing Indians, and ensuring victory of the `truth' by exposing social evils and shaming wrongdoers, in a spirit of smug self-righteousness. Democracy has become about conversion. Every few years, citizens are expected to reaffirm their faith, or convert, in the hope of `good days' (achhe din). Everywhere around us, in religious and secular markets, we find people following a seven-step process. Step 1: make fun of, or evoke fear of, the old (caste excesses, demonization of blue-skinned multi-armed animal-riding deities, expensive washing powders). Step 2: extol the virtues of the new (one God, equality , cheaper washing powders).  Step 3: offer deals (rice, job, medicine, education, pres tige, discounts). Step 4: strike the deal (convert, make the sale).  Step 5: ensure loyalty (regular congregations and ritual re-affirmation). Step 6: incentivise forward selling (you become an elder, if you get 10 converts in).  Step 7: keep the flock together (stir anger, hatred by turn ing the other into villains and the self into victim). Yet in an ecosystem of conversion, re-conversion into Hinduism is problematic. Hinduism is not designed as a community that you can enter by signing a contract (as in baptism, or communist parties) and exit (by refus ing to follow the tenets of the religion, or a country club). You are born a Hindu. Or more correctly , you are born into a caste, and whether you convert or re-convert, you cannot shed your caste, just as you cannot shed the colour of your skin. Which is why Hindutva followers have spoken of Hindu Christians and Hindu Muslims when referring to Christians and Muslims whose ancestors converted to these religions centuries ago. Rather than indulging this feeble attempt to reconcile, there was a media outcry . And so Hindutva followers turned their attention from oldrich converts to newpoor converts, unleashing a new vocabulary -`homecoming' (ghar wapsi), a very American term, which is not surprising considering the massive NRI influence in shaping the current success of Hindutva. The problem stems from the definition of God. In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity , Islam), there is the concept of `false gods' and `one true God'. To follow the faith is to reject the false and embrace the true. This doctrine has expanded itself into left liberal, rational atheistic, thought where `no God' has become the one true God. Hinduism never had the concept of `false gods'. Every god is valid, which is why even Every god is valid, which is why even Shitala, the goddess of smallpox and cholera, is worshipped, and not treated as a demon. It's also why Hindus have no problem praying in a church, synagogue or mosque. God is seen as limitless, ever expanding, inclusive of diversity . Hence God can be rock, plant, animal, male, female, neuter and even formless. Hence the words used to describe God are bhagavan, one who includes all portions (bhaga) and brahman, one who has infinitely expanded (brah-) the mind (manas). How does this limitless God account for caste? This God appreciates that as long as humans are un-enlightened, they will discriminate, use hierarchy to indulge their insecurities and dominate as animals do.When the mind expands there is wis dom, and with wisdom, all structures with their inherent hierarchies will collapse. This is liberation (moksha). Yes, re-conversion does mean a return to caste inequality , for people are far from enlightened. But conversion does not mean entry into equality either. It merely enables entry into the tribe of the Chosen People, a member of a group that is now able to feel good about itself by separating itself from the followers of `false gods' and positioning itself as higher and better, a trait seen in many secularists, terrorists, and card-carrying communists. Thus we are able to dominate those `savarnas' who once dominated us, while proclaiming that we stand for liberty , equality and justice. In conversations of conversion and reconversion, we forget a very human trait: it feels damn good to win an argument, and seduce (or force) people into our way of thinking. The limitless rainbow-coloured God, who is also Goddess, watches this and smiles. The writer is a mythologist  

1755- The other conversion story

{Jaya Menon,Jan 04 2015 : The Times of India (Chennai)}
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In 1981, around 600 dalits of Meenakshipuram in southern Tamil Nadu decided to convert enmasse to Islam. Today their families live in harmony with their Hindu clansmen, at home both in temple and masjid
Seventy-year-old S Kalimuthu's daughter Khaleema Bheevi is a Muslim. Kalimuthu himself had organised her marriage with his brother's son, a neo-Muslim convert. The families meet often for weddings and functions, including the local Durga temple festival.
Umer Kaiyum, a 79-year-old retired Tamil pandit who converted to escape caste hatred, still maintains close ties with his father's brother, M Subramanian and his family .
These ties make Meenakshipuram a different conversion story. While some members of a family converted to Islam, many remained Hindus. But the village, which changed its name to Rehmat Nagar along with the mass conversions, remains a peaceful, communally integrated hamlet.
The harsh mid-day sun throws deep shadows on the lush mountain ranges of the Western Ghats. In narrow lanes, gaudily painted houses and dilapidated old homes alternate with tiny brick-andconcrete hovels. The over night rain has left the pathways slushy . In the heart of the hamlet, once known as Meenakshipuram, there is chatter and laughter under the white dome of the masjid. At 1pm, silence falls for the `thozhugai' (afternoon prayers).
Islam is serious religion in this hamlet in Tirunelveli district in south Tamil Nadu. It is barely three decades since the headline-grabbing mass conversions took place here. But, it was nothing like the Sangh Parivar's controversial Ghar Wapsi programme in Uttar Pradesh last month. On February 20, the day after the symbolic conversion, 300 dalit families -about 500 to 600 people -gathered in the village square and amid hushed silence and much trepidation, tonsured their heads and repeated the Shahada (Testimony of faith). They were formally initiated into Islam by the Ishadul Islam Sabha of South India, which had its offices in Tirunelveli.
“It was a yearning for dignity . We sought Islam to escape caste hatred and the atrocities inflicted on us by the Thevars (a most backward community , but higher in the caste hierarchy than dalits),“ recalls Umer Kaiyum, who was once A Mookkan. A retired primary school teacher, he lives behind a small stone mound in the hamlet, with his three sons and their families. “I was a Tamil pundit. But, I was mocked for my name and forced to change it to Umadevan,“ says Kaiyum.
Horror stories of caste discrimination have been passed down over generations. “If any Thevar was murdered, the dalits were tied up and beaten black and blue,“ says Mohammed Saleem, 40. Only two buses plied in the village those days. One travelled to and from Kerala, ferrying workers. There was also a Tamil Nadu bus. “We may have been bathed and better dressed than them (Thevars), but we were never allowed to sit on the seats of the Tamil Nadu bus,“ says Saleem, recalling his child hood. The dalits had to sit on the bus floor or travel standing all the way .
There is a little known story of Mohammed Yusuf, the man who inspired the Meenak shipuram dalits to take the final step towards embracing Islam. In 1975, Yusuf, then T Thangaraj, fell in love with a Thevar woman, Sivanatha. It was a reckless and dangerous thing to do those days but he decided to elope with her. Six years before the rest of the village followed his lead, 31-year-old Thangaraj took his bride to Tirunelveli and converted to Islam.
They took the names Yusuf and Sulehal Bheevi. Thangaraj's audacity shook the whole village.
“But, even today , we share a good rapport with my uncles (mother's brothers) Mariap pan, Ayyappan and Sivapandui,“ says Moham med Abu Haliba, 36, Yusuf 's son, who lives in Mekkarai village, 5km from Rehmat Nagar.
Many of Meenakshipuram's neo converts own agricultural land in Mekkarai, a picturesque hamlet on the ghat foothills. Here, the Muslim converts grow paddy and tapioca and also rear cattle and poultry .
The Meenakshipuram conversions oc curred during the AIADMK regime headed by MG Ramachandran, and it became a landmark event for the sheer numbers involved. The reason why it attracted so many dalits was a Thevar's murder that led to widespread brutal police action against the community , say locals.It provoked even those who were undecided on converting.
The conversions triggered a virtual political stampede in the village. Many national leaders descended on it; BJP leaders Atal Bihari Vajpayee, LK Advani and a host of Sangh Parivar leaders visited the village to investigate the reasons behind the conversion. The ruling Indira Gandhi government despatched its minister of state for home, Yogendra Makwana, to Meenakshipuram and MGR constituted the Justice Venugopal commission of inquiry .
The director of scheduled castescheduled tribe welfare of the Union government submitted a report of the findings that ruled out forceful conversions. The Arya Samaj built a school in the village. While the school continues to enroll students even today , the dilapidated building showcases a failed bid to get Muslims to return to Hinduism.
“An old dalit I met in Meenakshipuram told me how he once had to vacate his seat in a village bus for a 10-year-old Thevar boy , addressing him respectfully . But after he converted to Islam, he didn't have to do that and he is addressed respectfully as `bhai',“ says A Sivasubramanian, a Tamil teacher and writer of folklore based in Tuticorin. A chapter in his book `Pillaiyar Arasiyal' (politicizing the deity Vinayaka) is devoted to the Meenakshipuram conversions. “They may not have seen great economic change in their lives because they lost the right to reservation in education and jobs but, they are happy with their new social status and cultural freedom,“ says Sivasubramanian.
As the sun sets over Mekkarai, Sardar Mohammed, 70, sits proud in his stone and concrete home. He built it about two decades ago. As a dalit, he was permitted only to build a thatched hut.
In Rehmat Nagar, the dusk brings calls for evening prayers at the `pallivasal' (masjid), which was built soon after the mass conversion. Karuppiah Madasamy, 66, the local naataamai (village head) and leader of a local Hindu outfit, walks into the masjid and settles down on a bench to wait for his grandsons.They are all Muslims.

1754- Kishore Kumar Sad Songs Top 10 - Jukebox 1 - Bollywood Evergreen Sad Son...

1753- Yes, God is One! Religions are manmade!

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It is true, God is one. Yes,as per Advaita(like Sufism) too, God/ Brahman is one. Vedas too say "Ekam Sat, vipra bahuda vadanti"- God/Truth is one but wise call Him by different names. To visualise an abstract God is difficult for us mortals. Each country has got a Flag. Flag is not the country. It symbolises the country. Likewise each has got his own symbol to visualise/remind him of his deity- a Letter/a Book/a Kaba/ an Idol/ a Cross etc. A child cannot visualise the abstract alphabets. So we teach him alphabets through concrete objects like- A for apple, B for boy C for cat etc till such time he can fluently read. Till we can understand the abstract (omnipotent/omnipresent/ omniscient) Brahman we worship the ideal behind symbols/ idols as props and as our conscious expands we drop them.

As per Rabbi Rami Shapiro 
"To me, religions are like languages:
no language is true or false; all languages are of human origin; each language reflects and shapes the civilization that speaks it; there are things you can say in one language that you cannot say or say as well in another; and the more languages you learn, the more nuanced your understanding of life becomes.
Judaism is my mother tongue, yet in matters of the spirit I strive to be multilingual.
In the end, however, the deepest language of the soul is silence.“

That is, Religions are man made, and ultimately what counts is man's relationship with God and the fellow human beings. So can we say all religions teach 4 simple principles. 1.Believe in One God super power - 2. Do Good Deeds - 3. Stand for the Rights - 4. Be patient for what ever good and bad we receive from our lord.Therefore,now a days many lean towards spiritualism without religion.

"Science has cut across human barriers. There is no such thing as ‘your science’ or ‘my science’. But this is not in case with religions.
The individual truths in different religions have not come together to interact with each other to form a greater truth that could result in improved spiritual life and thinking of mankind. Religions have not found a common theme to work together for the greater good of humanity by assimilating within them some scientific temper."- V.Raghunathan & M.A,Eswaran(Ganesha on the dash board)

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1752- Change Mother-in-law as Mother

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'The person who loves others will also be loved in return.'
A Chinese saying
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A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married & went to live with her husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time, Li-Li found that she couldn't get along with her mother-in-law at all.Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many of her mother-in-law's habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.
With the passage of time, the relationship between them only worsened.But what made Li-Li really angry was the ancient Chinese tradition according to which she had to bow to her mother-in-law and obey her every wish. Li-Li’s husband D was caught in the middle and was helpless. He could not take either side and found it very embarrassing.Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law’s bad temper and dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it!
She went to see her father's good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs.She explained to him her predicament and asked if he would give her some poison so that she could solve the problem once and for all.Mr. Huang thought for awhile. He was a very intelligent person. So he could understand the mental condition of Li-Li and realized that she was determined to kill her mother-in-law. Even if he refuses to help her, she would think of some other means to finish her job. Finally, he said, "Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem, but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you."Li-Li said, "Yes, Mr. Huang, I shall do whatever you ask me to do." Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, "You can't use a quick-acting poison to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to become suspicious. If the truth of what you do comes out, both of us will be in serious trouble. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs that will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving. Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you, when she dies, you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. Don't argue with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen. It may take six months but both of us would be safe and your purpose also would be achieved." Li-Li agreed.Li-Li understood the sane advice of Mr. Huang. She was very thankful of his help and also of his fool-proof plan that would not cause any problem to her. She decided to implicitly obey his words.
She hurried home to start her plot of murdering her mother-in-law.Weeks went by, and months went by, and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law. She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion, so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her like her own mother.Li-Li implemented her plan very systematically. She noticed that the old lady was gradually changing and treating her more and more kindly. However, she did not want to change her plans in the middle. But she could not miss the improvement in the behavior of her mother-in-law that was obvious. Sometimes, she was half-minded about her own plan to kill her mother-in-law; but she used to strengthen her will and continued.Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn't had an argument with her mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to get along with.The mother-in-law's attitude toward Li-Li appeared to have changed, and she began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in- law one could ever find. Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a real mother and daughter. Li-Li's husband was very happy to see what was happening.Six months passed. Li-Li administered the final dose on that day. She knew that her mother-in-law would die very soon and it would appear like a natural death. But now her conscience bothered her very much. Was she not murdering a kind hearted lady who is her husband’s mother? She could not stand her compunction that was gaining strength day by day. Her guilt feeling did not allow her to sleep or behave normally. She thought about the whole thing for hours and decided to do whatever was possible for her to cancel her foolish action.
Li-Li rushed to Mr. Huang. He received her kindly and looking at her worried face, he told her, “Why are you worried, young lady? Is it about your mother-in-law? Don’t worry. She would die soon.” Li-Li became more uncomfortable with what he said. She started crying uncontrollably and sobbingly told Mr. Huang, "Dear Mr. Huang, Please forgive me. I have done a great blunder and I have also involved you in it. I should have understood that my mother-in-law is a kind person. I had imagined everything wrongly. Now, I have completely administered the slow poison that you gave me to kill her. I have done a great mistake. Please you have to help me undo the grave mistake I have don. Please help me by giving me an antidote to save my mother-in-law from the poison. She has changed into such a nice woman, and I love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the poison I gave her."
Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. "Li-Li, there's nothing to worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind. It was your wrong attitude toward her, but that has been all washed away by the love which you gave to her during the last six months."
The moral of the story is that the way others treat is only a reflection of how we treat them.
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1751- Safar - All Songs - Sharmila Tagore - Rajesh Khanna - Lata Mangeshkar - ...

1750- KAKOOS (Tamil/ Malayalam)

(The Week, December 28, 2014)

1749- The things we think, say or do!

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The Four Way Test "of the things we think, say or do" that Rotarians ask:
"Is it truth?
Is it fair?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?" 
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The guru Satya Sai Baba's test is in this form, "Before you speak, ask yourself:
Is it kind,
is it necessary,
is it true,
does it improve on the silence?"
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A poem called "Three Gates" written in 1835 by Beth Day and said to be of the Sufi saints:
If you are tempted to reveal
A tale to you someone has told
About another, make it pass
Before you speak, three gates of gold.
These narrow gates:
First, "is it true?"
Then, "is it needful?" In your mind
Give truthful answer.
And the next Is last and narrowest,
"Is it kind?"
And if to reach your lips at last
It passes through these gateways three,
Then you may tell the tale, nor fear,
What result of speech may be.
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1748- Root of all evil