Issue 16 - May 2004
Editorial – Khalil Gibran (1883-1931): A Voice of Consciousness
In one atom are found all the elements of the earth; in one motion of the mind are found the motions of all the laws of existence; in one drop of water are found the secrets of all the endless oceans; in one aspect of you are found all the aspects of existence.
Hindu Nationalism and Orissa: Minorities as Other
Gujarat represents an end and a beginning, a marker in Hindutva’s malevolent reach for a Hindu state. The end of lives, the culmination of brutality. I am reminded of a dalit boy, age 8, in a decimated colony in Ahmedabad, in June 2002, who said, “I am not afraid of death. I am frightened by life. Look what happens in life,” as Muslim and dalit women stared each other into silence across a boundary wall.
Edith Wharton’s Feminism: Roving in a Blind Alley
Undine reveals the nakedness and horror within society with a total sense of freedom and gay abandonment. For her, a father is only a check-book, a husband a means of social advancement, a baby a threat to the figure. Undine too confronts the same elements that destroy Lily, a materialistic society governed by money which makes women ornamental and dehumanizes them by grudging them any independence.
Amrit
A speeding motorcycle broke the pin-drop silence of the dark winter night. Shammi was driving home, with his wife Tina sitting on the backseat. A dense cover of fog made it difficult to see the road, but the newly wed couple waded through it fast. Tina had tightly wrapped Shammi into her arms.
Estrada, Marcos Among Most Corrupt
In its annual Global Corruption Report released on March 26, United Kingdom-based Transparency International stated that former Philippine presidents Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada were among the most corrupt world leaders over the past 20 years.
Climb to the Summit
The wind was blowing at tremendous speed and there was not much foothold on Razor’s Edge. Lashed and buffeted by the wind, I found it difficult to keep my balance. We dug our ice axes in and tightened the ropes but the winds were merciless and kept lashing us while the cold penetrated to the very marrow of our bones. The going became tough and there were moments when I felt like giving up the struggle.
The Way Things Are
A journalist searches for truth and stand for truth and justice, whereas a businessman’s goal is to expand his business to increase profits. Journalistic ethics are not compatible with business ethics, as in business it is the bottom line which matters, whereas in journalism truth is the bottom line.
Without Political Progress There Can Be No Trade Between India and Pakistan
I am trying to explore international markets for Pakistani products, particularly in the region. That is why, we have signed a preferential trade agreement with China, are negotiating one with Sri Lanka and have started negotiations with Bangladesh and Indonesia. We have just signed an agreement with Turkey. We are negotiating with Iran, OIC, etc.
Shia-Sunni Strife: How Many More Karbalas and Quettas?
Contrary to what Islamists, Muslim apologists as well as detractors of Islam would have us believe, the Muslims of the world are just about as fiercely divided as any other religious community. The Shia-Sunni dispute is only one, albeit the most prominent, division that has run through almost the entire history of Islam. In addition to the Shia-Sunni divide are the innumerable divisions that characterise the broadly defined Shia and Sunni communities.
Caste: The Eighth Wonder
Caste based discrimination also called untouchability is a socio-economic, political and religious reality which every Indian encounters daily from birth till death. By law all Indians are equal, but in practice, some Indians should not and cannot be equal with the upper caste people.
The Sikh Separatist Movement and the Indian State: A Retrospect
The Sikhs were explicitly recognized as one of the three national entities by the Montego-Chelmsford Report of 1918. The authors of this Report expressed the view that the Sikh representation in the administration and services should be consistent with their distinctive position. The Government of India Act (1919), The Simon Commission Report (1930), Ramsay Macdonald’s Communal Award (1932) and Government of India Act (1935) all referred to the Sikhs as a distinct entity.
France: Religious Freedom in the Land of Voltaire
There was a march on Saturday in support of International Women’s Day, and many of the women marching were Muslims, and they were insulting each other. The ones who reject the scarf, many of them have joined a group called “Ni Putes, Ni Soumises,” (neither whores, nor submissive women) which is fighting for women’s rights in the Banlieue, in these immigrant suburbs, and they are totally against the headscarf, and they very much supported the ban on it in French schools.
Brandy Advertising Campaign Draws Protest
A Philippine distiller has defended its controversial billboards from protests from feminist groups, church organizations and politicians. Destileria Limtuaco’s billboards for Napoleon Quince brandy, which contains the tag line “Nakatikim ka na ba ng kinse anyos (Have you tasted a 15-year-old)?” have been censured by critics for allegedly advocating statutory sex.
Bhagavad Gita and Management
Management is a systematic way of doing all activities in any field of human effort. It is about keeping oneself engaged in interactive relationship with other human beings in the course of performing one’s duty. Its task is to make people capable of joint performance, to make their weaknesses irrelevant – so says the Management Guru Peter Drucker.
Globalization of the Dhol: Say Shava Shava, Cheb i Sabbah
Thus, dhol blasting, which began in the “pinds” of Punjab, can be (and already has been) transported and transformed all over the world, and because of the unique nature of Punjabi music — a music originally forged in a celebratory festivals of farming — the transplanted dhol carries with it not merely sonic nature, but its anthropological overtones as well.
Gurbani and the Natural World
Man may embody the highest form of consciousness in the universe, but hardly merits the limitless power of an absolute monarch. His unique ability to unravel the secrets of nature does not make him the equal of its creator. In the tart words of William Blake, the unrepentant critic of Newton and the Enlightenment: “He who sees the infinite in all things sees God. He who sees the ratio only sees himself only.”
Corruption and Fraud on the Rise in Punjab
Before seeking NRI investments in Punjab, chief minister Capt. Amrinder Singh should make sure that proper law and order is established in the State for these matters, which can only be proved, at least in this case, when the culprits are behind bars and the corrupt Government officers are punished.
Muslim Reaction to Arya Samaj Proselytisation
In August 1922, in the wake of grossly exaggerated reports of forced conversions of Hindus in Malabar in the course of the Mappilla rebellion, the Kshatriya Upakarini Sabha [Kshatriya Upliftment Society], an organization of Hindu Rajputs patronised by Rajput princes and landlords, passed a resolution at a meeting in Allahabad calling for the conversion of the Muslim Rajputs to the Hindu fold.
A Life of Struggles
His journey to this achievement was, by no means, an easy one. A troubled relationship with his father, a poverty-ridden childhood, witnessing the horrors of the partition of Punjab in 1947, and supporting a family of six as he pursued an academic education, provided the backdrop for Khera’s younger years.
The Changing Interpretation of Khushwant Singh
Professor Hazara Singh sent a point-by-point rebuttal to Khushwant Singh. Khushwant Singh acknowledged his mistakes, however, refused to publish the rebuttal on the pretext that his was a casual write-up. Fortunately, Professor Hazara Singh published both Khushwant Singh’s article and his rejoinder in the October issue of the Sikh Review of 1979.
Shifting American Strategy in the Gulf
That cosy relationship between the Saudis and the Americans is now being seriously reconsidered by policy makers in Washington. This is strikingly illustrated in a recent report brought out by the Brookings Institute, a major American think-tank. Titled ‘The Approaching Turning Point: The Future of US relations with the Gulf States’, it is authored by F. Gregory Gause III, director of the Middle East Studies Programme at the University of Vermont.
A Book to Hold Next to Your Heart
The book tells the tragic tale of an East Indian farmer who wishes to escape economic hardships for a more economically viable part of the empire (the Dominion of Canada), but soon discovers that he is not entitled to the same rights as white British subjects.
Sikh Pilgrimage: A Study in Ambiguity
Haj to Mecca is one of the five pillars of Islam while the Torah requires all male Jews to visit Jerusalem three times a year. The Hindus have their 68 holy cities (athsath teerath), which they are supposed to visit to wash off their sins. In direct contrast lies the Sikh doctrine that does not approve of any belief seeking to tie up theophany with geography.
National Human Rights Commission: A Shameful Incident
I am sending to your honour a complaint illustrating as to how brain washing is being done of poor children, taken from poor parents or otherwise for ulterior motive and such children are also being made useless/impotent later on to lead their lives as sadhus.
Guru Granth Sahib and the Religions of the World
Religion has been a socio-cultural institution of human society. We can say that human beings have been born into this world with religion. We can even assert that religion is a necessity of the human condition, like breathing, drinking or eating.
Plight of Dalits in Pakistan
‘The roots of all the discrimination against dalits in Pakistan emanate from Hindu caste system’, he argues. Many Muslims whose ancestors had converted to Islam at some point in time continue to discriminate against the Dalits. They may have changed their names through conversion, he says, but not their minds.
James Beaver: We Are Here as Long as Kabul Welcomes Us
The chief justice of Afghanistan Mr Shinwari has banned women driving, women singing, cable TV, etc. Is this a matter of concern for you because women empowerment is on your agenda?
Psychoanalysis of W. H. McLeod
Before he could leave New Zealand for missionary trip to replace Dr. Ryburn in Kharar, India, he had to be ordained. He showed his ambivalence and anti-social, non-conforming personality and doubts in the Lordship of Christ by replacing the Christian Clerical Collar with a tie and going through the ceremony that for him was devoid of meaning. Hew is silent about how he resolved his doubts in the Lordship of Christ!
Hemkunt: In the Cradle of the Valley of God
In my article I am simply sharing my feelings and reflections on a spiritual high point in my life. I hope it offers some inspiration and pray that it does not generate any heat. Ultimately, faith is in the eye of the beholder and the spirit of the person experiencing the moment.
Why I Disagree
However, when his work was subjected to in-depth scrutiny, he took it as a personal attack on him. Instead of responding to the criticism of his work in a professional manner — through publications or defending his work at conferences and seminars — he started attacking his critics through decoys- his students and supporters.
End of the Masand System and Birth of the Khalsa
On March 30, 1699, Sikhs from all parts of the country had assembled at Anandpur Sahib, to celebrate Baisakhi as usual, but in much larger numbers. The day started, as always, with Kirtan (devotional singing).
Rehman Faiz: RPRO and Inter-Faith Issues
It was the first demonstration of its type by the Shias in the history of the country. Following this, the Anjuman Sipah-e Sahaba (later called the Sipah-e Sahaba Pakistan or SSP) was set up in 1984, with the support of the then Pakistani establishment, in order to counter the rising force of certain Shia groups, who were said to have been backed by the Iranian intelligence.
The Universal Philosophy of Sikhism: Claims and Facts
In everyday living, just as a sunbeam can’t separate itself from the sun, and a wave can’t separate itself from the ocean, we can’t separate one mind from another. We have characteristics of our own like individual waves that can be high or low, aggressive or passive but part of the same ocean.
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