Milan - An Initiative for Social Integration
A few likeminded group of professionals have started an Initiative towards "social integration" called Milan. Under Milan, we target the impressionable minds within the age group of 9-14 yrs and plan to lessen the social distance between mainstream children and the not-so-privileged ones. This we have been trying to do by conducting weekend workshops where we try and include team-building activities, games that instigate logical reaonsing and eventually we do hope to set their minds ticking the right way.
We are always on the lookout for suggestions.
Swetha
Friday, July 30, 2004
What's wrong being a Hindu?
What's wrong being a Hindu?
Yes! The first thing any Hindu who is going to read this would comment - "Nothing Wrong" or "Not again!" worse "Why this religion rigamarole?" And that's where our problem lies. We (Hindu's) have started becoming escapist, and we do have the media to be blamed a little for this. Under the onslaught of the global glare, we are confused, scared of being called religious fanatics & in the end are getting apologetic for being associated with Hindusim.
Why? While we appreciate the west embracing Yoga, Reiki, Ayurveda etc, what makes us cringe when asked about why we worship the Monkey (Hanuman) or an Elephant (Ganesha)? Instead why can't we explain what this connotates? - Ganesha being the Mooladhara, and Hanuman the "Agneya Chakra", the two endocrine fields of energy distribution in the body.These Gods were designed /invented for the layperson to better appreciate life forms. Ganesha symbolizes the "Aum", as his body mirrors the very shape of Aum and actually personifies the cosmos as a whole.
Should'nt we be proud of our culture that asks us to respect life right from that in a small fish to that of a might lion through the "Dashavatar", rather than getting on to our dining tables?
Why are'nt we assertive of our culture, which has probably contributed the most to the world today through its veda's and epics? How are we able to tolerate being ridiculed? ...........
Yes! The first thing any Hindu who is going to read this would comment - "Nothing Wrong" or "Not again!" worse "Why this religion rigamarole?" And that's where our problem lies. We (Hindu's) have started becoming escapist, and we do have the media to be blamed a little for this. Under the onslaught of the global glare, we are confused, scared of being called religious fanatics & in the end are getting apologetic for being associated with Hindusim.
Why? While we appreciate the west embracing Yoga, Reiki, Ayurveda etc, what makes us cringe when asked about why we worship the Monkey (Hanuman) or an Elephant (Ganesha)? Instead why can't we explain what this connotates? - Ganesha being the Mooladhara, and Hanuman the "Agneya Chakra", the two endocrine fields of energy distribution in the body.These Gods were designed /invented for the layperson to better appreciate life forms. Ganesha symbolizes the "Aum", as his body mirrors the very shape of Aum and actually personifies the cosmos as a whole.
Should'nt we be proud of our culture that asks us to respect life right from that in a small fish to that of a might lion through the "Dashavatar", rather than getting on to our dining tables?
Why are'nt we assertive of our culture, which has probably contributed the most to the world today through its veda's and epics? How are we able to tolerate being ridiculed? ...........
Thursday, May 06, 2004
What I think...
Religion has become a major facade providing room for man to fight. More often than not it cloaks other ambitions of territorial gains, material gains or sometimes simply a psychological gain. It even manages to blind otherwise rational thinking people.
What it was meant to be..
With the advent of the Internet, it has become increasingly easy to debate, express views quite frankly, extract opinions, with nothing at stake but our own world view.
Yesterday Forums, Message boards, Groups, Networks, Discussion Boards meant meeting a wide cross section of people [not necessarily likeminded], meant exchange of views with no attempt to condemn other's view, no distasteful language. Today the message boards & groups have turned to blame boards while discussions have reduced to an intellectual excercise in mechanical futility.
While I do appreciate free speech arguments, harangues only prove that all of us are quite bound in our own ignorance and try justification in the name of a country/religion/politics. Most of the discussion forums are open doors for circular argumentation, which fails to distinguish emotion from discussion leading to programmatic degeneracy.
Is all we can do is look on with resigned understanding?
With the advent of the Internet, it has become increasingly easy to debate, express views quite frankly, extract opinions, with nothing at stake but our own world view.
Yesterday Forums, Message boards, Groups, Networks, Discussion Boards meant meeting a wide cross section of people [not necessarily likeminded], meant exchange of views with no attempt to condemn other's view, no distasteful language. Today the message boards & groups have turned to blame boards while discussions have reduced to an intellectual excercise in mechanical futility.
While I do appreciate free speech arguments, harangues only prove that all of us are quite bound in our own ignorance and try justification in the name of a country/religion/politics. Most of the discussion forums are open doors for circular argumentation, which fails to distinguish emotion from discussion leading to programmatic degeneracy.
Is all we can do is look on with resigned understanding?
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Adoption does'nt label you a wimp!
Agreed the concept of adoption is being accepted and well on the rise in India. But even today, why is it just limited to couples who face infertility issues or singles?. Why are'nt more families taking to adopting children?. No denying that the stigma of adoption still exists. Even today I can occasionally hear whispers among my colleagues & friends singling out a person as "adopted" as though that ought to make a difference, bring about a change in opinion. Any behavioral pecularity or problems otehr wise innocuous is instantly attributed, with a meaningful nod, to the fact that he/she was adopted.Why? >>> more soon.
Agreed the concept of adoption is being accepted and well on the rise in India. But even today, why is it just limited to couples who face infertility issues or singles?. Why are'nt more families taking to adopting children?. No denying that the stigma of adoption still exists. Even today I can occasionally hear whispers among my colleagues & friends singling out a person as "adopted" as though that ought to make a difference, bring about a change in opinion. Any behavioral pecularity or problems otehr wise innocuous is instantly attributed, with a meaningful nod, to the fact that he/she was adopted.Why? >>> more soon.
Friday, September 05, 2003
A World Without Borders
A world without borders is just dream. A distant dream; attractive, alluring, desirable, fascinating, perhaps even a little intoxicating; but still a dream.
Mainly because the concept of borders, frontiers has been ingrained into us at school, in our curriculum, home - everywhere. Nobody can deny that. For implanted below our threshold of conscious perception, a world sans frontiers IS impossible, even crazy. It exists in our hearts. Besides the geographical borders are many other deep rooted borders which cannot be ignored.
To me, it does'nt a matter a fig what each one feels privately about Indians, Americans, Czechs, buddhists, muslims, women, dalits, aborigines, transexuals or any other section of the society, so long as it is agreed that all should be treated equally in the public domain, i.e under the LAW.
All I ask is for affirmative legislation.
Mainly because the concept of borders, frontiers has been ingrained into us at school, in our curriculum, home - everywhere. Nobody can deny that. For implanted below our threshold of conscious perception, a world sans frontiers IS impossible, even crazy. It exists in our hearts. Besides the geographical borders are many other deep rooted borders which cannot be ignored.
To me, it does'nt a matter a fig what each one feels privately about Indians, Americans, Czechs, buddhists, muslims, women, dalits, aborigines, transexuals or any other section of the society, so long as it is agreed that all should be treated equally in the public domain, i.e under the LAW.
All I ask is for affirmative legislation.
Bombing Bombay
I'm sure most of you have heard by now of the massive bombing at Mumbai, the commercial hub of India. Perhaps most also remember the bombing a little while back in Bali, the series of church bombings across Indonesia as well as those that have occurred on a much smaller scale in the south of Thailand. Similar instances have also occurred across the Philipines.
What do you make of those that indiscriminately kill and murder their own countrymen and foreigners to accomplish what goals? Are they religious patriots or terrorists? The simple answer is that the perpetrators are acting only in accordance with their own agenda; to prove their power over innocent citizens in the guise of representing the aspirations of a sect people.These terrorist outfits are killing for the sake of killing, regardless of who or what they are.
This was a group of people who were obviously desperate enough to use whatever means possible to strike against their percieved enemy with personal gains as motivation.
Terrorism pokes its head where it doesn't belong (across oceans), while so-called political leaders are engaged in contests in their own country, or place of habitation. If LeT has a political goal, it is to destroy and wipe out an entire nation. Call it my "close-minded" upbringing, but I was taught "genocide" is "bad", religion or otherwise. And I strongly condemn these "terrorists" as they are purely, and their only interest in killing, in the short and long term.
And the debate at 500 Citizens of the World Network surges on..
What do you make of those that indiscriminately kill and murder their own countrymen and foreigners to accomplish what goals? Are they religious patriots or terrorists? The simple answer is that the perpetrators are acting only in accordance with their own agenda; to prove their power over innocent citizens in the guise of representing the aspirations of a sect people.These terrorist outfits are killing for the sake of killing, regardless of who or what they are.
This was a group of people who were obviously desperate enough to use whatever means possible to strike against their percieved enemy with personal gains as motivation.
Terrorism pokes its head where it doesn't belong (across oceans), while so-called political leaders are engaged in contests in their own country, or place of habitation. If LeT has a political goal, it is to destroy and wipe out an entire nation. Call it my "close-minded" upbringing, but I was taught "genocide" is "bad", religion or otherwise. And I strongly condemn these "terrorists" as they are purely, and their only interest in killing, in the short and long term.
And the debate at 500 Citizens of the World Network surges on..
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