The External Affairs Minister of India S.M. Krishna has informed parliament yesterday that the Indian government is undertaking efforts to make Hindi as one of the official languages of the United Nations. He said “We are taking active measures to make Hindi an official language at UN. A high level committee is looking into it”. [...]
I am a traveler. I have had the privilege, the opportunity, the financial means and the time to travel within India and also many other parts of the world. Traveling is very important to us human beings. We inhabit this beautiful planet called Earth that is traveling on its orbit around the Sun at the [...]
We in India know that we have a great history. I am not sure how we know this for a fact but we know. The Chinese hold a very similar opinion. Maybe the concept of the great past is something that our forefathers passed on to us as we pass on to our future generations. [...]
The world famous Lord Venkateswara Temple is located in Tirumala which is very close to the town of Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh). The Thirumala temple is one of the most visited places on earth. It is estimated that somewhere between 50,000 to 75,000 pilgrims and tourists visit this temple every day. Today the presiding deity of [...]
Most of us know by now that Ramkishan Alipur Yadav (known as Swami Ramdev) has started a political party. The party named Bharat Swabhiman will contest all 545 Lok Sabha seats in the next national elections. The Swami himself will not stand for elections (this stance reminds me of Sonia Gandhi and her relationship with [...]
Saint Thomas is one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He is also known as “doubting Thomas” as he did not initially believe in the resurrection of Jesus. According to Christian mythology he is supposed to have visited India in 52 AD. Catholic tradition also states that he was killed by a Brahmin and buried [...]
August 27, 2010 | 6 comments | View Post
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They say that 85% of Indians are Hindus. How accurate are these numbers and more importantly who is a Hindu? Human beings by default do not have a religion. Religion is something that parents teach their kids. The version of the religion they teach is obviously influenced by their own religious beliefs and their cultural [...]
August 25, 2010 | 15 comments | View Post
There is a war of words going on between the Church and the State in Kerala. Sitaram Yechury (Senior Member of the politburo of the Communist Part of India (Marxist)) said that the Church “should not take its position in politics”. There was an immediate response from Father Paul Thelakkat who is the spokesman of [...]
August 20, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
This is election season in America. It is the time when the modern day Shamans come out of their spells and talk to their followers about visions, wisdom and knowledge that they came across when they were in the Shamanic state in their cave dwellings. When the Shaman speaks there is silence in the air [...]
August 19, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
Mount Kailash according to Hindu mythology is the abode of Lord Shiva. In the Vishnu Purana Kailash is described as the center of the world and also the one of the pillars of the world. Some Buddhists also believe that Kailash is the home of Buddha. The mountain itself is in Tibet (occupied by China [...]
August 18, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Whenever I am up late I turn on the TV and watch the “Tonight Show” hosted by comedian Jay Leno. My favorite segment of this show is called “Jaywalking”. Reporters from the Tonight Show approach pedestrians in some of the major American cities and ask them fairly basic questions. Some of the responses are hilarious. [...]
August 16, 2010 | 4 comments | View Post
I have always wondered about what the right to self determination means. According to the United Nations “All peoples have the rights of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.” This statement raises more questions than answers. Can my neighbor claim [...]
August 14, 2010 | 6 comments | View Post
We have all come across this situation one time or the other. We are driving our motorcycles and pull up right behind an overloaded truck that is spewing smoke from its exhaust. We cautiously take a peek to see whether there is any oncoming traffic and try to pass the truck before our face turns [...]
August 12, 2010 | 9 comments | View Post
In a rather strange ruling the Delhi High Court said that people who are in a live-in relationship cannot complain about infidelity or immorality. The judges said “People who chose to have live-in relationship cannot complain of infidelity or immorality as live-in relationships are also known to have been between a married man and unmarried [...]
August 11, 2010 | 6 comments | View Post
My interest in science and space in particular grew exponentially as I started watching the television show Cosmos presented by renowned astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan in the mid eighties. I am not sure whether programs such as these are shown on Indian television anymore. But people of my generation will be forever grateful for [...]
August 10, 2010 | 4 comments | View Post
“I’ve been so spoiled with my friends and family in this life. Next time I want to be just something quiet and supporting”. Hollywood actress Julia Roberts made these comments to a magazine while promoting her latest movie Eat Pray Love. According to reports she is now a Hindu and like many Hindus she now [...]
August 9, 2010 | 24 comments | View Post
I want you to think about these numbers for a moment. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) estimates the GDP of the United States is $14.26 trillion (2009). For the same period India’s GDP was $1.16 trillion. American defense spending was approximately $663 billion for 2009 which is more than half of India’s GDP. [...]
August 8, 2010 | 2 comments | View Post
“You can build a Mosque at ground zero when we can build a Synagogue in Mecca” read the sign carried by one of the protesters. They protesters were trying to pressurize the city of New York and prevent the city from granting permission to build a 13 story Islamic community center a few blocks from [...]
August 7, 2010 | 0 comments | View Post
Shangri-La is a mythical Himalayan utopia. If you are a fan of rock like I am then I am sure you have listened to the song “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin. Led Zeppelin is one of the all time bands and Kashmir in my opinion is their best work. The song is a tribute to their [...]
August 5, 2010 | 6 comments | View Post
