Most of us are aware of celebrity cases where Muslim men marry Hindu girls, who because of the marriage automatically embrace Islam or at least their children are brought up as Muslim. Even when Mughal ruler, Akbar entered into matrimonial alliance with the Rajputs, it was a unlinear arrangement. In other words, Rajput princesses were given in marriage to Mughal rulers but it was not the other way round. Mughal females didn't get married into Hindu Rajput families.
In more recent times, film actors such as Shahrukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Imran Khan and Saif Ali Khan all have Hindu wives or girl friends. Even a Muslim chief minister, Omar Abdullah married a Hindu/Sikh but when Omar's sister married a Hindu, ruckus was raised.
For a Hindu man to marry a Muslim female isn't easy. In fact it is extremely difficult. Here is a case of a Hindu boy who married a Muslim girl in Jammu and has had to face extreme difficulties thereafter. So much so that Judges of the Bombay High Court have had to intervene.
A division bench of the Bombay high court recently went out of its way to settle an unexpected conflict between a newly married Hindu-Muslim couple from Jammu.
When Daljeet Chand from Jammu married his childhood sweetheart Waziran and got married in Bombay, he had braced himself for stiff opposition from the bride's conservative and influential family. What he had not bargained for was that Waziran would threaten to walk out on him within barely a month of their marriage.
As expected by Daljeet, the girl's family had lodged a case of kidnapping with the Chenani police in Udhampur district of Jammu on the grounds that the girl was a minor. The newly married groom, who is a corporal with the Indian Air Force and his wife, who changed her name to Prathiba after converting to Hinduism, had approached the Bombay high court seeking protection from the alleged bogus case.
During the two instances when the matter came up for hearing before the division bench presided by Justice V M Khanwilkar, the girl was determined to stay with the boy and was not interested in going back to her parents.
However, on October 1, when the matter came up for a final hearing before the division bench of Justice Khanwilkar and Justice P D Kode, the girl did a U-turn and expressed her strong desire to go back to her parents. She informed the court that she would only consider staying with her husband if he converted to Islam.
"Everybody including me, her husband and the court were taken aback by the sudden change in her stance. Accepting what the girl wanted, the court paved the way for her to go back to her parents and also cleared the hurdles for the Jammu police to prosecute her husband on the grounds that he had kidnapped a minor," said their advocate Naveen Chomal.
Advocate Chomal said the boy was heartbroken and deeply disappointed by the sudden turn of events.
"Both me and the boy urged the girl to reconsider her decision," said advocate Chomal.
The justices then called the petitioners to their chamber, along with the girl's father, to further discuss the matter. Waziran alias Prathiba stuck to her stand that she will stay with Daljeet only if he converted to Islam. This happened in the afternoon.
Justice Khanwilkar again called Prathiba for counselling in the evening even though the court had pronounced its order. Justice Khanwilkar and Justice Kode tried to broker an amicable settlement between the newly married couple. When the two Justices talked to Pratibha and tried to make her change her mind, she broke down and expressed her willingness to stay with her husband.
Prathiba then told her father that she didn't want to go back to Jammu. Having saved the couple's marriage by this unprecedented intervention, the court then proceeded to deal with the issue of the girl's age. Her father had produced a school leaving certificate which declared that she was 17 years old, while the birth certificate issued by the Chenani police claimed that she was 19. The court has now directed the air force hospital to ascertain her correct age.
Meanwhile, a new problem has cropped up in connection with this issue. The Jammu and Kashmir police personnel, who have been stationed in Bombay for nearly a month, have expressed their inability to sustain themselves in the city. The court has directed the Bombay police commissioner to make suitable arrangements for the JK police team and the girl's family members till the next day of the hearing.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Girl Stands Up Against Muslim Fundamentalism In Kerala
Rayana R Khazi, from a small town in Kasargod district in north Kerala, is unlike any other 22-year-old girl. Unlike other girls in her village, she traveled to Chennai to pursue her dream of becoming an aeronautical engineer. She is now preparing for the civil services examination and wants to be an Indian Administrative Services officer.
But she confronts death threats from fundamentalists in her community and been forced to stay home. The reason: Rayana refuses to cover her head and wear a burqa. But these threats and harassment have not daunted her fighting spirit. She tells that her fight is not for her freedom alone, but for the freedom of her younger sisters and other young girls who have lost it. Listen to the story of this courageous fighter:
Childhood
My mother came from a very conservative family where girls were not allowed to study. She was not even permitted to talk loudly. Even now, the situation is the same in my mother's family. My father, a businessman, has not studied much; my mother had studied only up to the 4th standard. At the age of 14, she was married off. I was born when she was 15 years old.
My mother started studying after she had children. Now, she is studying law! My mother would not have studied if my father was not like what he is. When people in the neighbourhood spoke ill of my mother because she went to study, I used to ask my father, 'How could you remain so indifferent to their rude comments?' His answer was just a smile!
My mother is my role model. If I have respect for any woman in this world, it comes from my mother. She hails from a family that does not grant any freedom to girls, but she used to tell me all the time that I should be able to stand on my own and be independent.
My parents have five daughters. I have seen my neighbours telling their daughters not to talk loudly as they are girls. But it was never like that in my family.
If my parents were not like this, I would not have been able to think independently and live courageously. I am proud of my parents. My parents were sad about not receiving an education. They did not want that to happen to their daughters. Mother used to tell me, 'When I look back, I have no colourful memories, but I do not want that to happen to my children'.
After I received my education, I could see that other girls were made subservient by either their parents or relatives or other people. When I look around, I also see that all girls and women are tied to rigid norms by either their parents or husbands or relatives or by the community.
I don't believe in purva janam (earlier life), but I feel that I might have done something good in my past life because I got such good parents, who have given me all the freedom in the world. Do you think I will misuse the freedom given to me by such parents and bring unhappiness to them?
My parents are very, very religious. Sometimes I feel they are overly religious, but they have never imposed anything on us. My father used to tell me that bhakti (faith) should come from within and if we did something because of pressure, it is not bhakti. That was how I was brought up.
But she confronts death threats from fundamentalists in her community and been forced to stay home. The reason: Rayana refuses to cover her head and wear a burqa. But these threats and harassment have not daunted her fighting spirit. She tells that her fight is not for her freedom alone, but for the freedom of her younger sisters and other young girls who have lost it. Listen to the story of this courageous fighter:
Childhood
My mother came from a very conservative family where girls were not allowed to study. She was not even permitted to talk loudly. Even now, the situation is the same in my mother's family. My father, a businessman, has not studied much; my mother had studied only up to the 4th standard. At the age of 14, she was married off. I was born when she was 15 years old.
My mother started studying after she had children. Now, she is studying law! My mother would not have studied if my father was not like what he is. When people in the neighbourhood spoke ill of my mother because she went to study, I used to ask my father, 'How could you remain so indifferent to their rude comments?' His answer was just a smile!
My mother is my role model. If I have respect for any woman in this world, it comes from my mother. She hails from a family that does not grant any freedom to girls, but she used to tell me all the time that I should be able to stand on my own and be independent.
My parents have five daughters. I have seen my neighbours telling their daughters not to talk loudly as they are girls. But it was never like that in my family.
If my parents were not like this, I would not have been able to think independently and live courageously. I am proud of my parents. My parents were sad about not receiving an education. They did not want that to happen to their daughters. Mother used to tell me, 'When I look back, I have no colourful memories, but I do not want that to happen to my children'.
After I received my education, I could see that other girls were made subservient by either their parents or relatives or other people. When I look around, I also see that all girls and women are tied to rigid norms by either their parents or husbands or relatives or by the community.
I don't believe in purva janam (earlier life), but I feel that I might have done something good in my past life because I got such good parents, who have given me all the freedom in the world. Do you think I will misuse the freedom given to me by such parents and bring unhappiness to them?
My parents are very, very religious. Sometimes I feel they are overly religious, but they have never imposed anything on us. My father used to tell me that bhakti (faith) should come from within and if we did something because of pressure, it is not bhakti. That was how I was brought up.
Shoes Carrying Images of Hindu Deities Withdrawn In United States
Designer shoes carrying pictures of Hindu deities were withdrawn from sales in the United States after an outcry by the Indian community.
The American company, which had launched the shoes named after guitar legend late Jimi Hendrix, apologised to the Hindu community and immediately withdrew from the market its special designer shoes.
"We apologise for the unintentional offence and have decided to immediately discontinue the sales of the Jimi Hendrix/Axis shoes," said Jessica, a spokeswoman for the company. The shoes carried images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
The Converse shoe company launched its new range of shoes to commemorate the memory of Rockstar Jimi Hendrix by introducing shoes, which carried the cover of his record breaking album 1967 'Axis: Bold as Love.'
A Houston-based woman Beth Kulkarni raised the issue with the shoe company last week and the company sent its apologies to her via email. The company responded, saying it was an unintentional mistake on their part.
"As a Hindu, I am very much offended by the use of pictures of Hindu deities on Converse shoes. Hindus in general find this very offencive. To avoid further hurting the sentiments of Hindus world-wide, I request that these shoes be removed from the market effective immediately," Kulkarni wrote in three emails to the Converse shoe company.
"Converse designed the Converse Chuck Taylor Jimi Hendrix/Axis shoe to demonstrate our support of music culture and to celebrate the contributions of the global music icon, Jimi Hendrix," Jessica said.
"With approval of the Hendrix estate, we applied artwork taken directly from the 1967 "Axis: Bold as Love" album cover. The cover art included images of Hindu deities.
"Our ambitions were to honour the music of Jimi Hendrix. It was not our intent to offend Hindu culture by having Hindu deities on footwear," Jessica wrote.
Houston-based Vijay Pallod said when he called the company, he was informed that the company has withdrawn all such shoes from the market.
"When I heard about these shoes, my immediate concern was to express my own feelings and request for action and also indicate that many other Hindus also would feel as I did. I am sure other Hindus did likewise," Kulkarni said.
The American company, which had launched the shoes named after guitar legend late Jimi Hendrix, apologised to the Hindu community and immediately withdrew from the market its special designer shoes.
"We apologise for the unintentional offence and have decided to immediately discontinue the sales of the Jimi Hendrix/Axis shoes," said Jessica, a spokeswoman for the company. The shoes carried images of Hindu Gods and Goddesses.
The Converse shoe company launched its new range of shoes to commemorate the memory of Rockstar Jimi Hendrix by introducing shoes, which carried the cover of his record breaking album 1967 'Axis: Bold as Love.'
A Houston-based woman Beth Kulkarni raised the issue with the shoe company last week and the company sent its apologies to her via email. The company responded, saying it was an unintentional mistake on their part.
"As a Hindu, I am very much offended by the use of pictures of Hindu deities on Converse shoes. Hindus in general find this very offencive. To avoid further hurting the sentiments of Hindus world-wide, I request that these shoes be removed from the market effective immediately," Kulkarni wrote in three emails to the Converse shoe company.
"Converse designed the Converse Chuck Taylor Jimi Hendrix/Axis shoe to demonstrate our support of music culture and to celebrate the contributions of the global music icon, Jimi Hendrix," Jessica said.
"With approval of the Hendrix estate, we applied artwork taken directly from the 1967 "Axis: Bold as Love" album cover. The cover art included images of Hindu deities.
"Our ambitions were to honour the music of Jimi Hendrix. It was not our intent to offend Hindu culture by having Hindu deities on footwear," Jessica wrote.
Houston-based Vijay Pallod said when he called the company, he was informed that the company has withdrawn all such shoes from the market.
"When I heard about these shoes, my immediate concern was to express my own feelings and request for action and also indicate that many other Hindus also would feel as I did. I am sure other Hindus did likewise," Kulkarni said.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
New York publication acknowledges historical antiquity of Amarnath, Kashmir
A well known publication based in New York, Wall Street Journal, has acknowledged the importance of Amarnath Yatra describing it as one of the world's oldest pilgrimages, with historical references dating back to more than 2000 years. This is a very significant acknowledgement in the U.S.
Many Hindus have been objecting to the fact that the government in Kashmir referred to holy Amarnath cave of Lord Shiv, as having been discovered by a Muslim shepherd a couple of centuries ago. Hindus contend that Amarnath yatra was in vogue before the advent of Islam. Hindus show proof in form of references about the yatra taking place even before the birth of Christ, including the mention to this effect in Rajatarangini, the most authortative history of Kashmir by Kalhana.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/08/24/amarnath-pilgrimage-comes-to-quiet-close/
Atal Behair Vajpayee once remarked --- Govind Ballabh Pant's assertion that elections in Kashmir and participation by Kashmiris in these elections have set to rest, once and for all the demand for plebiscite. Pant said and Vajpayee reiterated that Kashmir assembly elections in 1950 s is India's way of holding plebiscite in the state.
Apart from regular elections, one strong point which goes in India's favor rather than Pakistani as far as Kashmir is concerned is the Amarnath Yatra. According to the Wall Street Journal report, more than 450,000 Hindus went on the pilgrimage this year. The very fact that such large numbers go on this pilgrimage shows the importance it has for India in general and Hindus in particular.
What would have happened, if Kashmir was in Pakistan ? only a small congregation or jatha of few hundred people would have gone on this pilgirmage of Amarnath like they now go to Nanakana Sahib near Lahore. Just look at the fuss created by the Pakistani authorities who think they do us a favor by giving visa to the Hindu-Sikh jathas for visiting the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev ji. The number of pilgrims on this holy shrine have reduced to a trickle.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, even the Kashmiri Muslims realize the importance of this Amarnath Yatra and sell images of Hindu gods and goddesses to the worshippers at the Cave.
In another part of Himalayas, under illegal control of China, is the Mount Kailash and Kailash Mansarovar where too a handful of Hindus are able to go for pilgrimage every year subject to visas granted by Beijing. Oh Lord Shiv!!! look..... we are the mercy of Beijing government to pay our respects to you in your seat of worship in Kailash.The pilgrimage was resumed after Vajpayee visited China as foreign minister in 1978. He remarked that the presence of a Hindu place of worship in the region is a proof of India's claim on Kailash. Since restoration of territory to India wasn't acceptable to the wily Chinese, Vajpayee argued that at least the pilgrimage should be resumed, which it did.
Vajpayee, once jokingly remarked that if Kailash parvat doesn't belong to the Hindus then the only other possibility is of Chinese establishing a Hindu place of worship under the intoxicating influence of opium. Chinese were notorious opium eaters during the colonial times and also fought with the British in what are known as the Opium wars.
If Hindus don't want the fate of Amarnath to be what it has been to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and Kailash Mansarovar in China, they should fight all attempts of scession of Kashmir tooth and nail. Always remember that it was Lord Shiv who was the first Amarnath Yatri along with Goddess Parvati. In the eighth century, it was Jagat Guru Adi Shankaracharya who went on this pilgrimage. Sister Nivedita mentions in her memoirs about Swami Vivekananda going to Amarnath in the 1890s and having a strange feeling of calmness inside the cave.
If you go on Amarnath Yatra and climb up the Himalayas, you walk on the footsteps of Lord Shiv, footsteps of Goddess Parvati, that of Jagat Guru Adi Shankaracharya and Swami Vivekananda, something, you will never be able to do if separatist designs in Kashmir succeed.
Many Hindus have been objecting to the fact that the government in Kashmir referred to holy Amarnath cave of Lord Shiv, as having been discovered by a Muslim shepherd a couple of centuries ago. Hindus contend that Amarnath yatra was in vogue before the advent of Islam. Hindus show proof in form of references about the yatra taking place even before the birth of Christ, including the mention to this effect in Rajatarangini, the most authortative history of Kashmir by Kalhana.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2010/08/24/amarnath-pilgrimage-comes-to-quiet-close/
Atal Behair Vajpayee once remarked --- Govind Ballabh Pant's assertion that elections in Kashmir and participation by Kashmiris in these elections have set to rest, once and for all the demand for plebiscite. Pant said and Vajpayee reiterated that Kashmir assembly elections in 1950 s is India's way of holding plebiscite in the state.
Apart from regular elections, one strong point which goes in India's favor rather than Pakistani as far as Kashmir is concerned is the Amarnath Yatra. According to the Wall Street Journal report, more than 450,000 Hindus went on the pilgrimage this year. The very fact that such large numbers go on this pilgrimage shows the importance it has for India in general and Hindus in particular.
What would have happened, if Kashmir was in Pakistan ? only a small congregation or jatha of few hundred people would have gone on this pilgirmage of Amarnath like they now go to Nanakana Sahib near Lahore. Just look at the fuss created by the Pakistani authorities who think they do us a favor by giving visa to the Hindu-Sikh jathas for visiting the birth place of Guru Nanak Dev ji. The number of pilgrims on this holy shrine have reduced to a trickle.
According to the Wall Street Journal report, even the Kashmiri Muslims realize the importance of this Amarnath Yatra and sell images of Hindu gods and goddesses to the worshippers at the Cave.
In another part of Himalayas, under illegal control of China, is the Mount Kailash and Kailash Mansarovar where too a handful of Hindus are able to go for pilgrimage every year subject to visas granted by Beijing. Oh Lord Shiv!!! look..... we are the mercy of Beijing government to pay our respects to you in your seat of worship in Kailash.The pilgrimage was resumed after Vajpayee visited China as foreign minister in 1978. He remarked that the presence of a Hindu place of worship in the region is a proof of India's claim on Kailash. Since restoration of territory to India wasn't acceptable to the wily Chinese, Vajpayee argued that at least the pilgrimage should be resumed, which it did.
Vajpayee, once jokingly remarked that if Kailash parvat doesn't belong to the Hindus then the only other possibility is of Chinese establishing a Hindu place of worship under the intoxicating influence of opium. Chinese were notorious opium eaters during the colonial times and also fought with the British in what are known as the Opium wars.
If Hindus don't want the fate of Amarnath to be what it has been to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan and Kailash Mansarovar in China, they should fight all attempts of scession of Kashmir tooth and nail. Always remember that it was Lord Shiv who was the first Amarnath Yatri along with Goddess Parvati. In the eighth century, it was Jagat Guru Adi Shankaracharya who went on this pilgrimage. Sister Nivedita mentions in her memoirs about Swami Vivekananda going to Amarnath in the 1890s and having a strange feeling of calmness inside the cave.
If you go on Amarnath Yatra and climb up the Himalayas, you walk on the footsteps of Lord Shiv, footsteps of Goddess Parvati, that of Jagat Guru Adi Shankaracharya and Swami Vivekananda, something, you will never be able to do if separatist designs in Kashmir succeed.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Hindu Friendly Is National Security Friendly
All,
It is a short write-up and doesn't require much time to read.
Those who cobble together a majority after the latest polls, should at least keep some Hindu interests in mind. To be a Hindu is not a crime. If we ask for or expect some Hindu friendly initiatives, we won't be asking for the moon. Since Hindus constitute a major part of the country, such measures will also be in favor of the country, without the risk of being branded communal.
For decades now, demands for abrogation of Article 370 and creation of a Uniform Civil Code have been described outlandish by the secular brigade, despite the latter being mentioned in the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution.
No problem, put it on the backburner, let us not waste time debating on this at the moment, because Hindu-unfriendly Hindus will put spanners in our works. But there are also other issues, which are Hindu friendly and equally important for national security as well. We can give them a try.
For example, infiltration of Bangladeshis along the porus eastern border. I want to ask, will there not be even half-a-dozen serious members among the ruling benches in the next Lok Sabha, who can adopt the attitude of an Otto Von Bismarck and ensure through administrative and politicial acumen that this menace is addressed, nipped in the bud before it becomes another communal tinderbox? Hindu friendly means National Security friendly.
Another example is the displacement of Hindus from Kashmir Valley. Those who created trouble in Kashmir Valley are facing the music in Swat Valley - but that is another story for another day - as of now, time is ripe to rehabilitate Hindus, the hundreds of thousands of them, who became internally displaced persons in their home land. Excuses, such as, "hindus aren't keen to return to Kashmir", won't work. I want to ask, will there not be even half-a-dozen serious members among the ruling benches in the next Lok Sabha, who make it their parliamentary term's mission to resettle by some way or the other at least a small number of 15,000 Hindus back in Kashmir. Let at least a small beginning be made somewhere.
Can there be even not one small group of members in the next Lok Sabha, who can come forward to say, they will extend support to the next government only if there is a time-table to do two things, one each for North-west India and East India. One - reverse the exodus of Hindus from Kashmir, resettle them. Two - set the ball rolling to brutally suppress all infiltration from Bangladesh.
If you have any doubts, about the feasibility of these things getting accomplished, read how Bismarck went ahead, using a range of tactics for the unification of Germany. Realpolitik can accomplish anything, creation of Bangladesh and silently going ahead with the 1998 nuclear blasts in Pokhran are two examples. There are many more, but this was supposed to be a short write-up.
It is a short write-up and doesn't require much time to read.
Those who cobble together a majority after the latest polls, should at least keep some Hindu interests in mind. To be a Hindu is not a crime. If we ask for or expect some Hindu friendly initiatives, we won't be asking for the moon. Since Hindus constitute a major part of the country, such measures will also be in favor of the country, without the risk of being branded communal.
For decades now, demands for abrogation of Article 370 and creation of a Uniform Civil Code have been described outlandish by the secular brigade, despite the latter being mentioned in the Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution.
No problem, put it on the backburner, let us not waste time debating on this at the moment, because Hindu-unfriendly Hindus will put spanners in our works. But there are also other issues, which are Hindu friendly and equally important for national security as well. We can give them a try.
For example, infiltration of Bangladeshis along the porus eastern border. I want to ask, will there not be even half-a-dozen serious members among the ruling benches in the next Lok Sabha, who can adopt the attitude of an Otto Von Bismarck and ensure through administrative and politicial acumen that this menace is addressed, nipped in the bud before it becomes another communal tinderbox? Hindu friendly means National Security friendly.
Another example is the displacement of Hindus from Kashmir Valley. Those who created trouble in Kashmir Valley are facing the music in Swat Valley - but that is another story for another day - as of now, time is ripe to rehabilitate Hindus, the hundreds of thousands of them, who became internally displaced persons in their home land. Excuses, such as, "hindus aren't keen to return to Kashmir", won't work. I want to ask, will there not be even half-a-dozen serious members among the ruling benches in the next Lok Sabha, who make it their parliamentary term's mission to resettle by some way or the other at least a small number of 15,000 Hindus back in Kashmir. Let at least a small beginning be made somewhere.
Can there be even not one small group of members in the next Lok Sabha, who can come forward to say, they will extend support to the next government only if there is a time-table to do two things, one each for North-west India and East India. One - reverse the exodus of Hindus from Kashmir, resettle them. Two - set the ball rolling to brutally suppress all infiltration from Bangladesh.
If you have any doubts, about the feasibility of these things getting accomplished, read how Bismarck went ahead, using a range of tactics for the unification of Germany. Realpolitik can accomplish anything, creation of Bangladesh and silently going ahead with the 1998 nuclear blasts in Pokhran are two examples. There are many more, but this was supposed to be a short write-up.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Stray Thoughts on Terrorist Tormentors
In several of my earlier posts, I have warned of the dangers of what is emanating from Pakistan. The attack that unfolded over the the last four days in Bombay may have been audacious but wasn't unexpected. India can blame the attackers for anything but not for being taken by surprise.
The owner of the Taj Hotel says there were warnings of a likely attack on the heritage building. The home ministry says it had alerted the coast guard of the likely attack on installations in Bombay by sea. The year 2008 has stood apart for the number of attacks which have taken place across cosmopolitan India. Bombay has been particularly vulnerable over the last 15 years and there were adequate number of warnings. There are several general points we need to now ponder about.
The 1993 serial Bombings in Bombay also had its origins in the sea. RDX and weapons were smuggled in by sea. A time span of 15 years is long enough to plug the loopholes in coastal security.
When the terrorists attacked Ramjanambhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, India's Parliament in New Delhi, RSS headquarters in Nagpur and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, we got away with lesser damage due to the alert security and a stroke of luck but unless the national security is taken to the next very very high level, it is unlikely that we will succeed against every such attack.
The latest attack shows that a new phase of terrorism has begun. World has seen guerilla warfare in jungles of Sri Lanka and mountains of Afghanistan but the Bombay attack shows urban, cosmopolitan guerilla warfare where handful of agile and heavily armed terrorists play hide and seek like a few rats across more than 1,300 rooms, corridors, elevators and stairs of two massive international hotels. Earlier terrorist attacks on hotels worldwide pale into insignificance in front of the latest prolonged battle.
The Bombay siege also remind us of the Parliament attack of 2001, which led to the largest ever peace-time mobilization of armed forces to the border under Operation Parakram and Pakistan respondedin kind. It is possible that terrorists who are feeling the heat on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border felt it necessary to again create an icy relationship with India. This will force Pakistan to move troops again from its western front to the Indo-Pak border, arguably making life slightly easier for Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The terrorists were looking for foreigners during the latest Bombay attacks, which has a tinge of the Al Qaeda elements.
At a time when Pakistan is going around with a begging bowl for money and its economy is in tatters, there may be at least some elements in that country, who would be keen that India should also be projected as a risky destination for foreign investment. But such attacks on India's economy though relentless, are unlikely to have a major impact in the near-term.
Nevertheless, it will be difficult to pin blame on Pakistan because that country functions at many levels. Government in Pakistan will easily wash its hands off the incident saying that terrorists who attack its own domestic installations may also be induldging in such heinous crimes abroad. Pakistan may give the "terrorists provoking escalation of tensions between the two countries" argument.
Having acquired nuclear capability, Pakistan feels confident of looking the other way when terrorists take such initiatives in India. It is not a mere coincidence that Pakistan's proxy war and covert anti-India operations were given a special push only after it acquired the technology to make nukes. Somewhere down the line, particularly after 9/11, these terrorists have been given reasonable amount of autonomy to conduct their anti-India operations.
Germany's late chancellor, Adolf Hitler followed to two pronged strategy to acquire power and form the Third Reich. He contested parliamentary elections even as his Storm Troopers, or SA, under Ernst Rohm ruled the streets, brutally stifling opposition and creating social unrest. Pakistan's strategy seems to be no different, its government uses diplomacy to cultivate good relations and a peaceful dialogue even as the Army, spy agency, the ISI and terrorists work together to launch brutal attacks like the latest one in Bombay.
India's strategy should be to take a leaf out of the book of another German chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck of the Second Reich, who had remarked, "the great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood". Had Bismarck been India's Prime Minister, he would have siezed the opportunity to extract at least some concessions from Pakistan after the latest attacks. The least Pakistan can do is, hand over Dawood Ibrahim and also the mastermind of the attack on India's embassy in Kabul earlier this year. Afghan intelligence chief is on record, saying that his agency has given the name and address of the criminal behind the attack on India's Kabul embassy, to the government in Pakistan.
For Pakistan to handover these terrorists would be tantamount to accepting that they were playing host to them for so many years, using, nurturing and aiding them. But an extradition can always be stage managed, for example by showing them as arrested in jungles of Nepal. Apparently, something similar was done, when Yakub Memon was shown as arrested at the New Delhi railway station in the 1990s even though he had willingly returned via Nepal followed by the rest of the family.
The time to act is now. We missed the opportunity to take strong action after the attack on India's Parliament in December 2001. The Operation Prakaram ended with a whimper. Many soldiers died because of the land mines that were laid under the operation, finally it was called off, a ceasefire with Pakistan was announced, new land and rail routes were opened for travel and 6,500 crore rupees went down the drain.
The owner of the Taj Hotel says there were warnings of a likely attack on the heritage building. The home ministry says it had alerted the coast guard of the likely attack on installations in Bombay by sea. The year 2008 has stood apart for the number of attacks which have taken place across cosmopolitan India. Bombay has been particularly vulnerable over the last 15 years and there were adequate number of warnings. There are several general points we need to now ponder about.
The 1993 serial Bombings in Bombay also had its origins in the sea. RDX and weapons were smuggled in by sea. A time span of 15 years is long enough to plug the loopholes in coastal security.
When the terrorists attacked Ramjanambhoomi Temple in Ayodhya, India's Parliament in New Delhi, RSS headquarters in Nagpur and the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, we got away with lesser damage due to the alert security and a stroke of luck but unless the national security is taken to the next very very high level, it is unlikely that we will succeed against every such attack.
The latest attack shows that a new phase of terrorism has begun. World has seen guerilla warfare in jungles of Sri Lanka and mountains of Afghanistan but the Bombay attack shows urban, cosmopolitan guerilla warfare where handful of agile and heavily armed terrorists play hide and seek like a few rats across more than 1,300 rooms, corridors, elevators and stairs of two massive international hotels. Earlier terrorist attacks on hotels worldwide pale into insignificance in front of the latest prolonged battle.
The Bombay siege also remind us of the Parliament attack of 2001, which led to the largest ever peace-time mobilization of armed forces to the border under Operation Parakram and Pakistan respondedin kind. It is possible that terrorists who are feeling the heat on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border felt it necessary to again create an icy relationship with India. This will force Pakistan to move troops again from its western front to the Indo-Pak border, arguably making life slightly easier for Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The terrorists were looking for foreigners during the latest Bombay attacks, which has a tinge of the Al Qaeda elements.
At a time when Pakistan is going around with a begging bowl for money and its economy is in tatters, there may be at least some elements in that country, who would be keen that India should also be projected as a risky destination for foreign investment. But such attacks on India's economy though relentless, are unlikely to have a major impact in the near-term.
Nevertheless, it will be difficult to pin blame on Pakistan because that country functions at many levels. Government in Pakistan will easily wash its hands off the incident saying that terrorists who attack its own domestic installations may also be induldging in such heinous crimes abroad. Pakistan may give the "terrorists provoking escalation of tensions between the two countries" argument.
Having acquired nuclear capability, Pakistan feels confident of looking the other way when terrorists take such initiatives in India. It is not a mere coincidence that Pakistan's proxy war and covert anti-India operations were given a special push only after it acquired the technology to make nukes. Somewhere down the line, particularly after 9/11, these terrorists have been given reasonable amount of autonomy to conduct their anti-India operations.
Germany's late chancellor, Adolf Hitler followed to two pronged strategy to acquire power and form the Third Reich. He contested parliamentary elections even as his Storm Troopers, or SA, under Ernst Rohm ruled the streets, brutally stifling opposition and creating social unrest. Pakistan's strategy seems to be no different, its government uses diplomacy to cultivate good relations and a peaceful dialogue even as the Army, spy agency, the ISI and terrorists work together to launch brutal attacks like the latest one in Bombay.
India's strategy should be to take a leaf out of the book of another German chancellor, Otto Von Bismarck of the Second Reich, who had remarked, "the great questions of the day will not be settled by means of speeches and majority decisions but by iron and blood". Had Bismarck been India's Prime Minister, he would have siezed the opportunity to extract at least some concessions from Pakistan after the latest attacks. The least Pakistan can do is, hand over Dawood Ibrahim and also the mastermind of the attack on India's embassy in Kabul earlier this year. Afghan intelligence chief is on record, saying that his agency has given the name and address of the criminal behind the attack on India's Kabul embassy, to the government in Pakistan.
For Pakistan to handover these terrorists would be tantamount to accepting that they were playing host to them for so many years, using, nurturing and aiding them. But an extradition can always be stage managed, for example by showing them as arrested in jungles of Nepal. Apparently, something similar was done, when Yakub Memon was shown as arrested at the New Delhi railway station in the 1990s even though he had willingly returned via Nepal followed by the rest of the family.
The time to act is now. We missed the opportunity to take strong action after the attack on India's Parliament in December 2001. The Operation Prakaram ended with a whimper. Many soldiers died because of the land mines that were laid under the operation, finally it was called off, a ceasefire with Pakistan was announced, new land and rail routes were opened for travel and 6,500 crore rupees went down the drain.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Amarnath: World's Oldest Pilgrimage
Those who try to question the simple fact that there was no pilgrimage in this world, in the strict sense of the term, before Amarnath pilgrimage, should remember that it was Lord Shiva himself who first visited Amarnath with Godess Parvati.
Even though the exact date of the origin of Amarnath pilgirmage isn't known but based on sound historical references it is now widely recognised as the world's oldest pilgrimage, which Hindus have been undertaking since the start of historical times or even in the pre-historic age.
The Amarnath tradition is deeply imbibed in Kashmiri history. It will be unfair to encourage dubious myths, arguing that the pilgirmage was the result of any recent discovery, 100 or 200 years ago by a Muslim shepherd.
Jagat Guru Adi Shankaracharya, founder of the four maths in four corners of the country, went on this pilgrimage of Lord Shankara. Another, venerable pilgrim is Swami Vivekananda.
The Amarnath Cave is referred to in the Bhrngish Samhita, Nilmat Purana, Kalhana’s Rajtarangini, and the Mahatmayas of Amarnatha and Amreshvara Kalpa. According to Kalhana’s Rajtarangini, Samdimat (34 BCE-17 CE), a great devotee of Shiva who rose from the position of minister to be the king of Kashmir, “used to worship a linga of snow above the forests, which is not found elsewhere in the world, during the delightful Kashmir summers”.
Kalhana also narrates the legend of Naga Surava, who gave his daughter Chandralekha in marriage to a Brahmin youth and carved a place for him besides his own abode in Shushram Naga (Seshnag). Kalhana says, “It is seen to this day (ie, 1148-49) by pilgrims proceeding to Amareshvara (Amarnath).”Regular pilgirms to Amarnath via the traditional Pahalgam route, are well aware that Seshnag is 19 kilometers from the Holy Amarnath Cave.
One of the earliest references to Amarnath is in the Nilamata Purana, a 6th century Sanskrit text which depicts the religious and cultural life of early Kashmiris and mentions about origin of Kashmir itself. The pilgrimage to the holy cave has been described with full topographical details in the Bhringish Samhita and the Amarnatha Mahatmya, both ancient texts said to have been composed even earlier. References to Amarnath appear in historical chronicles like the Rajatarangini and its sequels and accounts of several Western travellers. The original name of the tirtha, as given in the ancient texts, is Amareshwara.
Turning again to Rajtarangini; Kalhana gives the history of the Naga Suruva, who in his fury burnt to ashes the kingdom of King Nara when he tried to abduct his daughter already married to the Brahmin youth, and after the carnage took his abode in the lake now known as Sheshnag (Kashmiri Sushramnag).Kalahana writes: “The lake of dazzling whiteness [resembling] a sea of milk (Sheshnag), which he created [for himself as residence] on a far off mountain, is to the present day seen by the people on the pilgrimage to Amareshwara.”(Rajatarangini, Book I v. 267.Translation: M. A. Stein).
There is yet another reference to Amareshwara or Amarnath in the Rajatarangini (Book VII v.183). According to Kalhana, Queen Suryamati, the wife of King Ananta (1028-1063), “granted under her husband’s name agraharas at Amareshwara, and arranged for the consecration of trishulas, banalingas and other [sacred emblems]”.
In his Chronicle of Kashmir, a sequel to Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, Jonaraja relates that that Sultan Zainu’l-abidin (1420-1470) paid a visit to the sacred tirtha of Amarnath while constructing a canal on the left bank of the river Lidder (vv.1232-1234). The canal is now known as Shah Kol.
In the Fourth Chronicle named Rajavalipataka, which was begun by Prjayabhatta and completed by Shuka, there is a clear and detailed reference to the pilgrimage to the sacred site (v.841,vv. 847-849). According to it, in a reply to Akbar’s query about Kashmir Yusuf Khan, the Mughal governor of Kashmir at that time, described among other things the Amarnath Yatra in complete detail.
Amareshwara (Amarnath) was a famous pilgrimage during the time of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. In his eulogy of Shah Jahan’s father-in-law Asif Khan, titled “Asaf Vilas”, the famous Sanskrit scholar and aesthete Panditraj Jagannath makes clear mention of Amareshwara (Amarnath) while describing the Mughal garden Nishat laid out by Asif Khan. The King of gods, Indra himself, he says, comes here to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva”.
Francois Bernier, a French physician, accompanied Emperor Aurangzeb during his visit to Kashmir in 1663. In his book “Travels in the Mughal Empire”, he writes an account of the places he visited in Kashmir that he was “pursuing journey to a grotto full of wonderful congelations, two days journey from Sangsafed” when he “received intelligence that my Nawab felt very impatient and uneasy on account of my long absence”. The editor of the second edition of the English translation of the book, Vincient A. Smith, writes in his introduction: “The grotto full of wonderful congelations is the Amarnath cave, where blocks of ice, stalagmites formed by dripping water from the roof are worshipped by many Hindoos......as images of Shiva…..”
Another traveler, Vigne, in his book “Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh and Iskardu” writes about the pilgrimage to the sacred spot in detail, mentioning that “the ceremony at the cave of Amarnath takes place on the 15th of the Hindoo month of Sawan” and that “not only Hindoos of every rank and caste can be seen collecting together and traveling up the valley of Liddar towards the celebrated cave……” Vigne visited Kashmir after his return from Ladakh in 1840-41 and published his book in 1842. His book claims that the Amarnath Yatra drew pilgrims from the whole of India in his time and was undertaken with great enthusiasm. Vigne himself, after returning from Ladakh and Tibet by 1840-41, during the rule of Maharaja Sher Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, attempted to visit Amarnath along the traditional route via Seshnag in late season, but was forced to return from the Wawjan Pass due to bad weather.
Walter R Lawrence mentions in Valley of Kashmir (1895) that Brahmins of Mattan joined the pilgrims to Amarnath and further up at Batkot, the Maliks used to take charge of the pilgrimage. According to Lawrence, the Maliks were supposed to keep the track in order, guide and escort the pilgrims, carry the sick, and ensure nothing was stolen.
Guru Arjan Dev is said to have granted land in Amritsar for the ceremonial departure of Chari Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva which marks the beginning of the Yatra to the Holy Cave.
In 1819, the year in which the Afghan rule came to an end in Kashmir, Pandit Hardas Tiku “founded the Chhawni (Cantonement) Amarnath at Ram Bagh in Srinagar where the Sadhus from the plains assembled and where he gave them free rations for the journey, both ways from his own private resources”, as the noted Kashmiri naturalist Pandit Samsar Chand Kaul has pointed out in his booklet titled “The Mysterious cave of Amarnath”.
Even though the exact date of the origin of Amarnath pilgirmage isn't known but based on sound historical references it is now widely recognised as the world's oldest pilgrimage, which Hindus have been undertaking since the start of historical times or even in the pre-historic age.
The Amarnath tradition is deeply imbibed in Kashmiri history. It will be unfair to encourage dubious myths, arguing that the pilgirmage was the result of any recent discovery, 100 or 200 years ago by a Muslim shepherd.
Jagat Guru Adi Shankaracharya, founder of the four maths in four corners of the country, went on this pilgrimage of Lord Shankara. Another, venerable pilgrim is Swami Vivekananda.
The Amarnath Cave is referred to in the Bhrngish Samhita, Nilmat Purana, Kalhana’s Rajtarangini, and the Mahatmayas of Amarnatha and Amreshvara Kalpa. According to Kalhana’s Rajtarangini, Samdimat (34 BCE-17 CE), a great devotee of Shiva who rose from the position of minister to be the king of Kashmir, “used to worship a linga of snow above the forests, which is not found elsewhere in the world, during the delightful Kashmir summers”.
Kalhana also narrates the legend of Naga Surava, who gave his daughter Chandralekha in marriage to a Brahmin youth and carved a place for him besides his own abode in Shushram Naga (Seshnag). Kalhana says, “It is seen to this day (ie, 1148-49) by pilgrims proceeding to Amareshvara (Amarnath).”Regular pilgirms to Amarnath via the traditional Pahalgam route, are well aware that Seshnag is 19 kilometers from the Holy Amarnath Cave.
One of the earliest references to Amarnath is in the Nilamata Purana, a 6th century Sanskrit text which depicts the religious and cultural life of early Kashmiris and mentions about origin of Kashmir itself. The pilgrimage to the holy cave has been described with full topographical details in the Bhringish Samhita and the Amarnatha Mahatmya, both ancient texts said to have been composed even earlier. References to Amarnath appear in historical chronicles like the Rajatarangini and its sequels and accounts of several Western travellers. The original name of the tirtha, as given in the ancient texts, is Amareshwara.
Turning again to Rajtarangini; Kalhana gives the history of the Naga Suruva, who in his fury burnt to ashes the kingdom of King Nara when he tried to abduct his daughter already married to the Brahmin youth, and after the carnage took his abode in the lake now known as Sheshnag (Kashmiri Sushramnag).Kalahana writes: “The lake of dazzling whiteness [resembling] a sea of milk (Sheshnag), which he created [for himself as residence] on a far off mountain, is to the present day seen by the people on the pilgrimage to Amareshwara.”(Rajatarangini, Book I v. 267.Translation: M. A. Stein).
There is yet another reference to Amareshwara or Amarnath in the Rajatarangini (Book VII v.183). According to Kalhana, Queen Suryamati, the wife of King Ananta (1028-1063), “granted under her husband’s name agraharas at Amareshwara, and arranged for the consecration of trishulas, banalingas and other [sacred emblems]”.
In his Chronicle of Kashmir, a sequel to Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, Jonaraja relates that that Sultan Zainu’l-abidin (1420-1470) paid a visit to the sacred tirtha of Amarnath while constructing a canal on the left bank of the river Lidder (vv.1232-1234). The canal is now known as Shah Kol.
In the Fourth Chronicle named Rajavalipataka, which was begun by Prjayabhatta and completed by Shuka, there is a clear and detailed reference to the pilgrimage to the sacred site (v.841,vv. 847-849). According to it, in a reply to Akbar’s query about Kashmir Yusuf Khan, the Mughal governor of Kashmir at that time, described among other things the Amarnath Yatra in complete detail.
Amareshwara (Amarnath) was a famous pilgrimage during the time of the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. In his eulogy of Shah Jahan’s father-in-law Asif Khan, titled “Asaf Vilas”, the famous Sanskrit scholar and aesthete Panditraj Jagannath makes clear mention of Amareshwara (Amarnath) while describing the Mughal garden Nishat laid out by Asif Khan. The King of gods, Indra himself, he says, comes here to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva”.
Francois Bernier, a French physician, accompanied Emperor Aurangzeb during his visit to Kashmir in 1663. In his book “Travels in the Mughal Empire”, he writes an account of the places he visited in Kashmir that he was “pursuing journey to a grotto full of wonderful congelations, two days journey from Sangsafed” when he “received intelligence that my Nawab felt very impatient and uneasy on account of my long absence”. The editor of the second edition of the English translation of the book, Vincient A. Smith, writes in his introduction: “The grotto full of wonderful congelations is the Amarnath cave, where blocks of ice, stalagmites formed by dripping water from the roof are worshipped by many Hindoos......as images of Shiva…..”
Another traveler, Vigne, in his book “Travels in Kashmir, Ladakh and Iskardu” writes about the pilgrimage to the sacred spot in detail, mentioning that “the ceremony at the cave of Amarnath takes place on the 15th of the Hindoo month of Sawan” and that “not only Hindoos of every rank and caste can be seen collecting together and traveling up the valley of Liddar towards the celebrated cave……” Vigne visited Kashmir after his return from Ladakh in 1840-41 and published his book in 1842. His book claims that the Amarnath Yatra drew pilgrims from the whole of India in his time and was undertaken with great enthusiasm. Vigne himself, after returning from Ladakh and Tibet by 1840-41, during the rule of Maharaja Sher Singh, son of Ranjit Singh, attempted to visit Amarnath along the traditional route via Seshnag in late season, but was forced to return from the Wawjan Pass due to bad weather.
Walter R Lawrence mentions in Valley of Kashmir (1895) that Brahmins of Mattan joined the pilgrims to Amarnath and further up at Batkot, the Maliks used to take charge of the pilgrimage. According to Lawrence, the Maliks were supposed to keep the track in order, guide and escort the pilgrims, carry the sick, and ensure nothing was stolen.
Guru Arjan Dev is said to have granted land in Amritsar for the ceremonial departure of Chari Mubarak, the holy mace of Lord Shiva which marks the beginning of the Yatra to the Holy Cave.
In 1819, the year in which the Afghan rule came to an end in Kashmir, Pandit Hardas Tiku “founded the Chhawni (Cantonement) Amarnath at Ram Bagh in Srinagar where the Sadhus from the plains assembled and where he gave them free rations for the journey, both ways from his own private resources”, as the noted Kashmiri naturalist Pandit Samsar Chand Kaul has pointed out in his booklet titled “The Mysterious cave of Amarnath”.
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