Friday, May 22, 2009

The Silence Surrounding Sri Lanka


I found this very moving article which saddened me. The silence which is surrounding Sri Lanka is deafening indeed. Yes deafening with the cries of innocent people killed and tortured by the government of Sri Lanka. Genocide is taking place right in front of our eyes in Sri Lanka while the world is watching silently. Many may not really understand what is happening in Sri Lanka, thinking it is another terrorist warfare. The truth being very strange and shocking.

With all the technologies of this century the world is still primitive in its dealing with another human being.

Looking around we come to understand that we have not changed at all. We are still behaving like we are in the stone ages. The only difference being that instead of using hand made weapons to fight our opponents we are now using the latest weapons of destruction as though it is a video game.


“ If the Third World War is fought with nuclear weapons, the fourth will be fought with bows and arrows. ”
—Lord Louis Mountbatten

“ I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones. ”
—Albert Einstein


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By Arundhati Roy

March 31, 2009 "Boston Globe" -- -NEW DELHI - The horror that is unfolding in Sri Lanka becomes possible because of the silence that surrounds it. There is almost no reporting in the international press - or in the mainstream media in India, where I live - about what is happening. From the little information that is filtering through, it looks as though the Sri Lankan government is using the propaganda of "the war on terror" as a fig leaf to dismantle any semblance of democracy in the country and commit unspeakable crimes against the Tamil people.

The government is working on the principle that every Tamil is a terrorist unless he or she can prove otherwise, and civilian areas, hospitals, and shelters are being bombed and turned into a war zone. Reliable estimates put the number of civilians trapped at over 200,000. The Sri Lankan army is advancing, armed with tanks and aircraft.

Meanwhile, there are reports that several "welfare villages" have been established to house displaced Tamils in the Vavuniya and Mannar districts. The Daily Telegraph in London reports that these villages "will be compulsory holding centers for all civilians fleeing the fighting." Is this a euphemism for concentration camps?

Mangala Samaraweera, a former foreign minister of Sri Lanka, told The Daily Telegraph: "A few months ago the government started registering all Tamils in Colombo on the grounds that they could be a security threat, but this could be exploited for other purposes like the Nazis in the 1930s. They're basically going to label the whole civilian Tamil population as potential terrorists."

Given the government's stated objective of "wiping out" the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelan, this malevolent collapse of civilians and "terrorists" does seem to signal that the government is on the verge of committing what could end up being genocide. According to a United Nations estimate, several thousand people have already been killed. Thousands more are critically wounded.

What we are witnessing - or, rather, what is happening in Sri Lanka and is being so effectively hidden from public scrutiny - is a brazen, openly racist war. The impunity with which the Sri Lankan government is able to commit these crimes unveils the deeply ingrained racist prejudice that is precisely what led to the marginalization and alienation of the Tamils of Sri Lanka in the first place. That racism has a long history, involving social ostracization, economic blockades, pogroms, and torture. The brutal nature of the decades-long civil war, which started as a peaceful, nonviolent protest, has its roots here.

Why the silence? In another interview, Mangala Samaraweera said, "A free media is virtually nonexistent in Sri Lanka today." He described death squads and "white van abductions," which have made society "freeze with fear." Voices of dissent have been abducted and assassinated. The International Federation of Journalists accuses the government of Sri Lanka of using a combination of anti-terrorism laws, disappearances, and assassinations to silence journalists.

There are unconfirmed reports that the Indian government is lending material and logistical support to the Sri Lankan government. If this is true, it is outrageous. What about the governments of other countries? Pakistan? China? What are they doing to help or harm the situation?

In Tamil Nadu, India, the war in Sri Lanka has fueled passions that have led to more than 10 people immolating themselves. The public anger and anguish - much of it genuine, but some of it obviously cynical political manipulation - has become an election issue.

It is extraordinary that this concern has not traveled to the rest of India. Why is there silence?

Given the scale of what is happening in Sri Lanka, the silence is inexcusable. More so because of the Indian government's long history of irresponsible dabbling in the conflict, first taking one side and then the other. Several of us who should have spoken out much earlier, have not done so, simply because of a lack of information about the war.

So while the killing continues, while tens of thousands of people are being barricaded into concentration camps, while more than 200,000 face starvation, and a genocide waits to happen, there is dead silence from this great country. It's a colossal humanitarian tragedy. The world must step in. Now. Before it's too late.

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Arundhati Roy was born in 1959 in Shillong, India. She studied architecture in New Delhi, where she now lives, and has worked as a film designer, actor, and screenplay writer in India. A tenth anniversary edition of her novel, The God of Small Things (Random House), for which she received the 1997 Booker Prize, was recently released. She is also the author of numerous nonfiction titles, including An Ordinary Person's Guide to Empire

Friday, May 15, 2009

Speaking Pleasant Words

“I believe everyone is entitled to his and her views and that we should respect this. Of course, this does not mean we must agree with these views. We are definitely at liberty to disagree with them. But just because we disagree with them does not mean we should silence these people and not allow them to express their opinions” - Raja Petra Kamarudin

I read this in RPK's blog in one of his article and it reminded me of a very nasty experience I had with someone I know recently. I was rudely shocked to be told off in a very humiliating manner to have expressed my personal opinion about some political issue.

The incident left me very shattered and badly shaken for a week and even though I have come out of it gradually, the scar or pain is still there. There is a saying in Tamil by the poet Saint Thiruvalluvar on using pleasant words. Sometimes we do not realize how disastrous the outcome can become if we do not know how to speak to people with courtesy. This particular incident has left me with more resolve not to hurt anyone with rude words because the pain caused can be agonizing.

The relationship too can be strained even though the person can be one of your best friends.


Speaking Pleasant Words - Thiruvalluvar


Pleasant words are those which, full of tenderness And free from deceit, fall from the lips of virtuous men.

Better than a gift given with a joyous heart Are sweet words spoken with a cheerful smile.

A kindly countenance and sweet words Spoken from the heart-these are virtue's way.

Poverty-provoking sorrow will not pursue Those who speak joy-producing words to all they meet.

Humility and pleasant words are the jewels That adorn a man; there are none other.

If a man seeks good works while speaking sweet words, His virtues will wax and his vices wane.

Words yield spiritual rewards and moral excellence When they do not wander far from usefulness and agreeableness

Sweet speech which is stranger to pettiness inparts pleasure Not only in this life, but in the next.

Why would anyone speak cruel words, Having observed the happiness that kind words confer?

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Tribute to the Violin Maestro Dr. L. Subramaniam

One just has to listen to this incredible man on his violin. What can I say? I am wordless, amazed, hypnotized, captivated, mesmerized and any word in the language can be used to describe the feeling I get. Violin is one of my favorite instruments, but to hear this genius on the violin is exalting.

I do not pretend that I can do justice to his wonderful work, but in my own way, for my personal satisfaction, I am doing what a little grain of sand on the beach of the ocean does. Though the grain of sand may seem insignificant, it has its own unique place in the universe. Like it I am a little grain of sand in the presence of the vast ocean of Music and her Musicians.

I give my salutations to this great musician of our time. I have never met him, but would like to do so some day......


“Music is a vast ocean and no one can claim to know it all. The more you know, the more you realise how little you know. It is an eternal quest.”

- --- Dr.L.Subramaniam





India's master violinist performs live at the Royal Albert Hall in 1995. Here he improvises in Raga Charukesi.



A rare interaction between two masters of the violin.
They improvise and play 'Necklace Road' by L.Subramaniam.

Super Brain Yoga


I received an e-mail from a friend about 'Super Brain Yoga'. Watching it I am amazed that this is what we kids were asked to do as a punishment. Most of the Indian children would have gone through with this.

Another interesting thing about this particular act which is called “Thoppukaranam” in Tamil which refers to the action one does in front of the deity Lord Ganesh. When we approach this particular deity who symbolizes Knowledge, we will automatically knock with our knuckles on the temples of our head and then perform the Thoppukaranam. (holding the earlobes with opposite hands and alternately squatting and standing up as shown in the video below.

I was truly surprised that an act which was so insignificant and also related to punishment happens to have such an astounding result when it is done. India has so much wonderful mysteries to be unfolded. These little simple things in life are made part of the daily life of an Indian from childhood. They are told to adhere to many things without questioning, which may look superstitious but in fact turn out to be beneficial to us. When practiced consistently they become such valuable habits. Today I learned that this simple act actually is amazing and of great value to me.



Superbrain Yoga® is a simple and effective technique to energize and recharge the brain. It is based on the principles of subtle energy and ear acupuncture. This powerful technique is explained in Master Choa Kok Sui's latest book Superbrain Yoga®.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Mahatma Gandhi's Prayer

“AS SOON AS WE LOSE THE MORAL BASIS, WE CEASE TO BE RELIGIOUS.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS RELIGION OVER-RIDING MORALITY.

MAN, FOR INSTANCE, CANNOT BE UNTRUTHFUL, CRUEL OR INCONTINENT
AND CLAIM TO HAVE GOD ON THEIR SIDE.”

– Mahatma Gandhi





Listened to this wonderful song (prayer) which was Mahatma Gandhi's favourite piece. The song brings about such sublime sweetness. This video above is a rendition by the violin Maestro Dr.L.Subramaniam.

Conceived, Composed and Produced by Dr. L. Subramaniam. A new melody and feeling for Gandhi's favourite song.

Features Pandit Jasraj, Kavita Krishnamurti Subramaniam, Sultan Khan, Pankaj Udhas, Hariharan, Remo Fernandes, Bindu Subramaniam, Narayana Subramaniam.


Another Beautiful Version






Kirtan Vaishnava Janato

Translation

One who is a vaishnav
Knows the pain of others
Does good to others, esp. to those ones who are in misery
Does not let pride enter his mind
A Vaishnav, Tolerates and praises the the entire world
Does not say bad things about anyone
Keeps his/her words, actions and thoughts pure
O Vaishnav, your mother is blessed (dhanya-dhanya)
A Vaishnav sees everything equally, rejects greed and avarice
Considers some one else’s wife/daughter as his mother
The toungue may get tired, but will never speak lies
Does not even touch someone else’s property

A Vaishnav does not succumb to worldly attachments
Who has devoted himself to stauch detachment to worldly
pleasures
Who has been edicted to the elixir coming by the name of Ram
For whom all the religious sites are in the mind
Who has no greed and deciet
Who has renounced lust of all types and anger
The poet Narsi will like to see such a person
By who’s virtue, the entire family gets salvation

Monday, May 4, 2009

Poem by Rumi




You are filled with God's glow.
It radiates out pure sparking light
making you appear as a mystical flower.
So why the sad face?
You have a bonfire of happiness within.
Why don't you immerse your heart
in its blissful sweetness?
Do you still think it's outside?
Listen, my friend,
the gold mine of all gold mines
is underfoot.
Won't you feel foolish
when you discover
your father has bequeathed
immense wealth?
All your wandering and begging
has brought you naught.
Come sit by the fire
and feel it's warmth.
Let's drink wine
and look at the moon
until we become mad with joy.

Rumi