‘Govardhan Hill should be world heritage site’

• ‘Govardhan Hill should be world heritage site’

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  • American landscape experts, who are drawing up a conservation plan for Mount Govardhan — significant in Hindu mythology — feel the hill deserves to be recognised as a world heritage site.
    “Goverdhan hill is unique in the world, visited by more than ten million people annually. However, its ecosystem is in a shambles, the water bodies have been destroyed and the green cover almost disappeared,” Amita Sinha of the Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, US, told IANS.

    Sinha and her team have completed a weeklong study of Goverdhan hill, which Lord Krishna is believed to have lifted on his little finger to protect residents from the wrath of Indra the god of rain.

  • Mathura

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Hampi Festival: celebrating a great Hindu empire

• Hampi Festival: celebrating a great Hindu empire

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  • This month, the centuries-old temples of Hampi, in southern India, are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the Vijayanagara empire with a traditional festival of folk culture and elephants, brimming with life and colour.
  

  • Hampi, a small village, now, in the southern state of Karnataka, was the epicenter of this powerful alliance of Hindu villages whose combined military efficiency stopped the advance of the Muslims, then masters of most of the north of the subcontinent. Literature and the arts flourished in the Vijayanagara empire, which became immensely rich through trade in textiles, gemstones, spices and all the variety of merchandise the princes and regents had brought from the Indian seaports and as far afield as China.

    Evidence of this vast wealth is to be found in the ruins of hundreds of temples that are scattered in a 15 kilometre radius of the village of Hampi. Some 20 years ago, UNESCO granted the area the status of World Heritage Site.

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P Parameswaran writes to Dr Singh National anthem insulted at PM functions

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  • By S Chandrasekhar
  • First it was the turn of ‘Vande Matharam’. Now ‘Jana Gana Mana’ is being targeted.
    
    The Prime Minister Dr. Man Mohan Singh was in Thiruvananthapuram on January 3 to inaugurate the 97th Indian Science Congress. Leading Indian Scientists from all over the globe, International Scientists and Nobel Prize Winners attended the inaugural meet. The Prime Minister also attended two other functions including that of Kerala Pradesh Congress.
    
    But in all the three functions, the National Anthem was neither played nor sung. As per protocol the National Anthem is necessarily played at the end of functions attended by President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, Governor etc. As per media reports the ‘PMO’ had directed the function organisers not to play the national Anthem, since it was not getting due respect in many ceremonies!
  • RSS ideologue and Bharateeya Vicharam Kendram Director Padmasri P. Parameswaran has sent a letter to the PM stating that the move was shocking to any person with national esteem and feelings.
    
    "It is difficult to comprehend that the audience comprising of national leaders, prominent citizens, scientists from all over the globe and elite citizens of Kerala will not give consideration and importance to the National Anthem. This is an insult to National Anthem and citizens at large. I join lakhs of Keralites and patriots to record strong protest in this breach of tradition," he wrote.
    

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Finale of Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra in Nagpur on Jan 17

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  • From Virag Pachpore in Nagpur
  • The historic Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra, which began its itinerary from Kurukshetra on the auspicious Vijaydashami day, will culminate in Nagpur on January 17, 2010. The Yatra under the inspiring leadership of Shri Raghaveshwara Bharati Swamiji, will be arriving at Nagpur on January 16, 2010 and halt at historic Reshambag grounds.
    
    Giving this information Shri Balkrishna Bharatia, President of the Vidarbha Yatra Samiti said that the concluding function would be attended and addressed by Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, Sri Sri Ravishankar Guruji of Art of Living, Dr Pranav Pandya of Gayatri Parivar, RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat, Swami Dayanand Saraswati and many other dignitaries.

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Sanskrit is second official language in Uttarakhand

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  • By Ravindra Saini
  • It is a great irony that in India, 18 states have made Urdu their second official language under the appeasement policy but for the first time the Uttarakhand government took the right decision by declaring Sanskrit the second official language. -KS Sudarshan, former RSS Sarsanghachalak

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स्वामी विवेकानंद का वह सपना

• स्वामी विवेकानंद का वह सपना

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  • घनश्याम सक्सेना
    
  • अमेरिका में शिकागो की धर्म-संसद का समापन हो चुका था। अमेरिका और यूरोप समेत सारा पश्चिम स्वामी विवेकानंद के आध्यात्मिक अश्वमेध के आगोश में था। तीस दिसंबर 1896 को यूरोप के संक्षिप्त प्रवास के बाद स्वामीजी नेपल्स बंदरगाह से उस स्टीमर द्वारा रवाना हुए, जो 15 जनवरी 1897 को कोलंबो पहुंचने वाला था। इसी समुद्री यात्रा के दौरान उन्होंने नेपल्स और पोर्ट सईद की बीच एक अद्भुत स्वप्न देखा। एक ऋषि-आकृति ने अचानक प्रकट होकर उनसे कहा- "ध्यान से देख! यह ईसाइयत की मातृभूमि है। मैं थेरापुत हूं। हमने जो शिक्षा दी थी, उसे ईसाइयों ने ईसा की शिक्षा कहकर प्रचारित किया है। सच तो यह है कि जीसस नामक किसी व्यक्ति का कभी जन्म ही नहीं हुआ था। पुराकालीन खोज ही इसका पता देगी।"
    
    स्वामीजी की नींद खुल गई। उन्होंने डैक पर जाकर पूछा- "हम कहां हैं?" उन्हें बताया गया कि स्टीमर क्रीट से पचास मील के आसपास है। ईसाइयत की स्थानीयता और जीसस क्राइस्ट से जुड़े इस तत्व ने स्वामीजी के स्वप्न को एक सर्वथा नया रूप दे दिया।
    
    थेरा एक अति प्राचीन बौद्ध भिक्षु थे। थेरावत यानी भेरा के पुत्र अथवा अनुयायी।
  • एक दिन लोगों ने स्वामीजी से जीजस के बालस्वरूप को आशीर्वाद देने को कहा। उन्होंने ऎसा न करके जीसस के चरण स्पर्श करते हुए कहा कि "अगर मैं जीसस के समकालीन पेलिस्टाइन में होता तो उनके चरण अपने आंसुओं से न पखारकर रक्त से पखारता। मैं बाल जीसस और बाल कृष्ण के बारे में सोचकर समान रूप से भाव-विह्वल हो जाता हूं। मेरे लिए सभी धर्म स्वदेशी हैं, क्योंकि मैं विश्व मानवता का स्वप्नदर्शी हूं।"
    

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पशुधन से भरे छह ट्रक पकड़े

• पशुधन से भरे छह ट्रक पकड़े

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  • जोधपुर
  • पाल गांव में रविवार शाम गुजरात ले जाए जाने की सूचना पर गौवंश प्रेमियों ने चौपासनी हाउसिंग बोर्ड थाना पुलिस की मदद से छह ट्रकों को रोक लिया। पुलिस ने छह चालक, छह व्यापारी व एक मजदूर को गिरफ्तार कर लिया। दो लोग मौके से भाग गए।
  
  • टीम ने कार्यकर्ताओं के सहयोग से उन्हें पकड़ लिया। इन ट्रकों में करीब 120 पशु थे, जबकि मौके पर 22 पशु और थे। ट्रकों में भरे सभी पशुओं के पैर व कइयों के मुंह बंधे थे। उनके पास मिले कागजात की जांच की जा रही है। पकड़े गए लोगों ने बताया कि वे यह पशुधन धोरीमन्ना पशु मेले से लाए हैं तथा गुजरात लेकर जा रहे हैं।

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पराई धरती असुरक्षित

• पराई धरती असुरक्षित

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  • मलेशिया जैसे मुस्लिम बहुल देश में भारतीय प्रवासियों की हालत चिन्ताजनक है। यह खुलासा मलेशिया के कठोर आंतरिक सुरक्षा कानून के तहत 514 दिन हिरासत में रहे भारतीय मूल के नेता पी.उदयकुमार ने की।
    
    उदय ने बताया कि मलेशिया में भारतीय अल्पसंख्यकों के साथ हुए मानवाघिकार उल्लंघनों पर आधारित एक रिपोर्ट उन्होंने भारत सरकार को दी है। लेकिन रिपोर्ट को अनदेखा कर दिया गया। 30 से अघिक हिन्दू गैर-सरकारी संगठनों की संस्था "हिन्दू राइट्स एक्शन फोर्स" (हिंदराफ) के कानूनी सलाहकार उदय ने यहां आठवें प्रवासी भारतीय सम्मेलन में दावा किया कि मलेशिया में हर सप्ताह एक हिंदू मन्दिर तोड़ा जा रहा है। वहां हर दिन किसी न किसी भारतीय से जुड़े निर्माण कार्य को ढहाया जाता है। भारतीयों चौथी पीढ़ी को जन्म प्रमाण पत्र ही नहीं दिए गए। जिससे यहां उनके 1,50,00 बच्चे आज भी गैर पंजीकृत हैं।
    
    इसका सीधा असर उनकी शिक्षा-दीक्षा पर पड़ रहा है। क्योंकि न तो वे स्कूल जा सकेंगे और न ही उन्हें सरकारी सुविधाएं मिल सकेंगी।

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यासिन मलिक के खिलाफ कश्मीरी हिंदुओं का हंगामा

• Deshbandhu : news,india,jammu kashmir,delhi,नई दिल्ली, कश्मीर, यासिन मलिक के खिलाफ कश्मीरी हिंदुओं का हंगामा

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  • नई दिल्ली

  • कश्मीरी पंडितों के एक समूह ने तीन दिवसीय भारत-पाकिस्तान शांति सम्मेलन के दौरान जम्मू एवं कश्मीर के अलगाववादी नेता यासिन मलिक के खिलाफ नारेबाजी और प्रदर्शन किया तथा उन्हें भाषण देने से रोका।

    जम्मू एवं कश्मीर लिबरेशन फं्रट (जेकेएलएफ) के अध्यक्ष मलिक जैसे ही 'कश्मीर समस्या के समाधान की रूपरेखा' विषय पर भाषण देने मंच की ओर बढ़े, वहां मौजूद कश्मीरी पंडितों के समूह ने इस पर आपत्ति जताई। इनका कहना था कि एक आतंकवादी को बोलने की अनुमति नहीं दी जानी चाहिए।

    दर्जन भर इन प्रदर्शनकारियों ने मलिक के साथ गाली गलौच तक की और उनके ऊपर एक हिंदू लड़की का बलात्कार व हत्या करने का आरोप लगाया।

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Why Islamic banking is not acceptable in India

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  • By Subramanian Swamy
  • Islamic scholars argue that payment of interest is a bane on the society. What are the alternatives especially example, for old-aged people who live on the interest from deposits of their lifelong savings, if interest is prohibited? How will banks survive without charging interest on loans extended?
    
    An Islamic banks cannot charge interest, but then what does it do to survive? By giving by one hand, and taking away twice as much or more by the other hand! Let us take an example: If you want to purchase a house worth Rs 10 lakh an Islamic bank will not give you a loan of Rs 10 lakh at a rate of interest and fixed maturity as non-Islamic banks would. Instead the Islamic banks will purchase the house and sell it to you at a higher price! This means they will make a profit and such profit is called halal, as per Sharia! They will ask you to pay this back in say 15 years or so. Of course, interest-free. This is back-door collection of interest.
    
    Thus, an Islamic bank is like a boiled ice cream; it cannot exist in real life without tricking our confidence.
  • (The writer is former Union Law & Justice Minister.)

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Aide spills Rao push for temple in Ayodhya: India Today - Latest Breaking News from India, World, Business, Cricket, Sports, Bollywood.

• Aide spills Rao push for temple in Ayodhya: India Today - Latest Breaking News from India, World, Business, Cricket, Sports, Bollywood.

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  • A. Srinivasa Rao

  • Late Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao, during whose rule the Babri Masjid was demolished, was in favour of the Ram temple, a new book has claimed.

    Retired IAS officer PVRK Prasad, who served as joint secretary at the Prime Minister's Office ( PMO) and was Rao's information adviser, has made the claim in his latest book Asalu Emi Jarigindantey... ( What happened, actually).

    The book claims that Rao planned to build the temple at the site of the razed mosque ostensibly to deny any credit to the sangh parivar. The Telugu version of the book was released in Vijayawada last week and its English version will come out shortly.

    In two chapters, Prasad narrates Rao's strategy to build the temple after the Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992. For two years, Rao made all efforts to construct the temple through a non- political trust, the book says. But he was careful to keep himself and the Congress government out of the picture.

    The Ramalayam Trust was formed after prolonged efforts, but the temple could not be built because general elections took place and Rao lost.

  • He, however, could not shed light on whether the former PM had advance knowledge of a plan to demolish the mosque. " He was very cautious. He preferred listening to others, than disclosing his mind," he said.

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