Adventures in India 2007

2011-12-05T17:29:00.000-08:00

Traveling to the land known as "Bharat Varsh" via Dubai International Airport. "Varsha" is the division of the earth or a continent. According to Wikipedia: The name India is derived from the name of the Sindhu or Indus River and has been in use in Greek since the time of Herodotus (5th century BC).

From: Vishnu Purana (2.3.1)[2][3]

uttaraṃ yatsamudrasya himādreścaiva dakṣiṇam
varṣaṃ tadbhārataṃ nāma bhāratī yatra santatiḥ

उत्तरं यत्समुद्रस्य हिमाद्रेश्चैव दक्षिणम् ।

वर्षं तद् भारतं नाम भारती यत्र संततिः ।।

"The country (varṣam) that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bhāratam; there dwell the descendants of Bharata."

Anandwan 2007

2008-11-30T20:43:00.000-08:00

Here is a computer training session being conducted at Anandwan for the youth living in the nearby villages as seen in December 2007.

Anandwan 2007

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During December 2007, I visited Anandwan with Shraddha, a 19 year old college student. This was my second visit to Anandwan, a self sustained village established by the Indian humanitarian Baba Amate a friend of my father Dada Koranne (Vishnu Laxman Koranne). Baba Amate was the founder of many ashrams for treatment and rehabilitation of patients of leprosy, the disabled, and other people from marginalized sections of society. Anandwan, meaning "Forest of Joy" is located in the remote and economically less privileged district of Chandrapur, Maharashtra and is the most well-known of such ashrams and was Baba Amte's home. Baba Amte passed away on February 9th 2008 at the age of 94.

Following are some of Baba Amte's major honors and awards:

Damien-Dutton Award of USA in 1983, which is considered to be the highest award in the field of leprosy.

Ramon Magsaysay (Philippines) known as the Asian edition of the Nobel prize awarded for public service in 1985.

G.D. Birla International Award (1988), for outstanding contribution to humanism.

UN Human Rights Award in 1988 for outstanding contribution in the field of human rights.

The Templeton Prize in 1990 worth $8,84,000. Also known for world's largest cash prize as Nobel Prize of Religion.

International Giraffe Award in 1990.

Global 500 UN Award in 1991 for contribution to environment.

Right Livelihood Award in 1992 from Sweden.

Padmashree by the Government of India in 1971.

Padma Vibhushan in 1986 (returned on January 8, 1991).

D.Litt, Poona University in 1998-86.

D.Litt Nagpur University in 1980.

Jamanlal Bajaj Award in 1979.

Maharashtra Bhushan Award in 2004. Highest award of Maharashtra Government conferred on May 1, 2005 at Anandavan in Warora.

Gandhi Peace Prize in 1999

2008 Press Trust of India (PTI).

Incredible India continues....Yoga: The practice of self-healing

2007-11-17T22:14:00.000-08:00

Most of the mornings starting at 5:00 a.m. until 7:00 a.m. you will find me attending a free yoga class in the nearby open air park that is conducted by teacher Brij Mohan seen here at left. The yoga and pranayam class is sponsored by Swami Ramdev who is trying to revive this ancient practice among the masses by offering free classes all over India. The techniques of "pranayam" have been simplified by Swami Ramdev so as to make the practice easy for the common people to use. This self-healing practice is conducted in open air and in the early hours. It has been the best pranayam (controlling of "Prana" or breath) and yoga class I have ever attended. I have also attended yoga teacher's certification course in the past somewhere else.

From Wikipedia: Yoga is a group of ancient spiritual practices originating in India. As a general term in Hinduism it has been defined as referring to "technologies or disciplines of asceticism and meditation which are thought to lead to spiritual experience and profound understanding or insight into the nature of existence."

Outside India, Yoga is mostly associated with the practice of asanas (postures) of Hatha Yoga or as a form of exercise, although it has influenced the entire Indian religions family and other spiritual practices throughout the world.

Hindu texts discussing different aspects of yoga include the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Shiva Samhita, and many others.
Major branches of Yoga include: Hatha Yoga, Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Raja Yoga. Raja Yoga, known simply as Yoga in the context of Hindu philosophy, is one of the six orthodox (āstika) schools of thought, established by the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Swami Vivekananda translates the sutra as "Yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (Citta) from taking various forms (Vrittis)." Gavin Flood translates the sutra as "yoga is the cessation of mental fluctuations".

Patanjali's writing also became the basis for a system referred to it as "Ashtanga Yoga" ("Eight-Limbed Yoga"). This eight-limbed concept derived from the 29th Sutra of the 2nd book became a feature of Raja yoga, and is a core characteristic of practically every Raja yoga variation taught today. The Eight Limbs of yoga practice are:
(1) Yama (The five "abstentions"): nonviolence, truth, non-covetousness, chastity, and abstain from attachment to possessions.
(2) Niyama (The five "observances"): purity, contentment, austerities, study, and surrender to god.
(3) Asana: Literally means "seat", and in Patanjali's Sutras refers to seated positions used for meditation. Later, with the rise of Hatha yoga, asana came to refer to all the "postures"
(4) Pranayama ("Lengthening Prāna"): Prāna, life force, or vital energy, particularly, the breath, "āyāma", to lengthen or extend
(5) Pratyahara ("Abstraction"): Withdrawal of the sense organs from external objects.
(6) Dharana ("Concentration"): Fixing the attention on a single object
(7) Dhyana ("Meditation"): Intense contemplation of the nature of the object of meditation
(8) Samadhi ("Liberation"): merging consciousness with the object of meditation

Incredible India

2007-11-16T01:39:00.000-08:00

Made in India! Here is a picture of the three way plug I bought on the second day of my arrival in Delhi. I was extremely happy to buy something that was not made in China . When I found out that the plug I had brought from US for my laptop was of the wrong kind, I was very disappointed. How will I update the blog I thought. But soon I went to the close by market and bought the right plug in this small electrical equipment shop. Within two minutes my laptop was working. Luckily my brother has wi-fi connection at his home. I am able to have internet connection anywhere in his house. I had forgotten a few other things and it was no problem at all to find everything in Indian markets, all made locally right here. Sid was right about this! He was visiting India in August.

Diwali continues.....

2007-11-14T20:33:00.000-08:00

Deepavali (an array of lights) or Diwali is the national festival of lights celebrated each year either in October or November. The traditional calendar followed all over Asia is based on the lunar cycle.

Diwali the festival that marks the victory of good over evil, and uplifting of spiritual darkness. On the day of Diwali, many wear new clothes, share sweets, and snacks. People also thoroughly clean and paint their houses before Diwali. Some North Indian business communities start their financial year on Diwali and new account books are opened on this day. Diwali also celebrates the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya after an exile of 14 years and after a war where he killed the demon king Ravana. It was a moonless night and so the villagers lit oil lamps to welcome Rama. Diwali is celebrated for 5-7 days. Two days before Diwali it is Naraka Chaturdashi when Narakasura , an evil demon was destroyed by Krishna's wife Styabhama. People in Maharashtra rise before sunrise to take a ritualistic bath believing that if they don't bad luck will follow them throughout the year. During Diwali Goddess of prosperity Lakshmi and the Lord of Wealth, Kuber are also worshipped.

During the fifth day of Diwali ,"Bhaiyadooj" or "Bhaubij" the special bond between brothers and sisiters is celebrated. The day falls on Dooj, the second day after the new moon. This day Yamaraj went to his sister's house who put an auspicious mark on his forehead for his welfare. Thus, on this day sisters perform puja for their brothers safety and well being. Brothers in return give gifts to their sisters as a token of love. Another version is after killing Narakasur, Lord Krishna, went to his sister Subhadra who welcomed him in the traditional way by showing him a light and putting on his forehead a tilak of her sisterly protection. Another myth behind this begins as when Bhagawaan Mahavir found nirvana, his brother Raja Nandivardhan was distressed because he missed him and was comforted by his sister Sudarshana. Since then, women have been revered during this festival. Diwali is a personal, people-oriented festival when enmities are forgotten, families and friends meet, enjoy and establish a word of closeness. Reflecting this essence, Bhai dooj has its own importance in continuing to maintain the love between brothers and sisters for it is the day of food-sharing, gift-giving and reaching out to the inner most depths of the hearts. (Excerpt on "Bhaiyadooj" taken from the Society for the Confluence of Festivals in India)

Contributions of Indian Mathematical works to the World!

2007-11-12T04:15:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of a rangoli design made with numbers from the altar decorated at Diwali by Mrs. Girija, a neighbor. Note how each row of numbers adds to 72. Numbers that we use today and the concept of decimal system evolved in India. The word "Mathematics" also has been derived from Sanskrit language. In Sanskrit "math" is to churn and "mastishka" is the brain. We do need to excercise our brain when working on mathematics. The word decimal has also been derived from the Sanskrit word dashmalav. "Dush" or deci means ten. The numbers that are known today as Arabic numerals are actually Indian numbers introduced to the rest of the world by Arab traders. This explians the Arabic names that are given to the Indian numbers. One can still see the traces of Sanskrit in the number names. Shoonya in Sanskrit was given the Arabic name ziphra which in turn became known as zero. Sanskrit ekam=one, dve=two, tree=three, chatur=four, pancha=five, sashta=six, sapta=seven, ashta=eight, navam=nine, dasham=deci or ten

The following excerpt on Indian Mathematics has been taken from Wikipedia:

Indian mathematics evolved from ancient times until the end of the 18th century. In the classical period of Indian mathematics (400 CE to 1200 CE), important contributions were made by scholars like Aryabhata, Brahmagupta, and Bhaskara II. Indian mathematicians made early contributions to the study of the decimal number system, zero, negative numbers, arithmetic, and algebra. In addition, trigonometry was further advanced in India, and, in particular, the modern definitions of sine and cosine were developed there. These mathematical concepts were transmitted to the Middle East, China, and Europe and led to further developments that now form the foundations of many areas of mathematics.

Ancient and medieval Indian mathematical works, all composed in Sanskrit, usually consisted of a section of sutras in which a set of rules or problems were stated with great economy in verse in order to aid memorization by a student. All mathematical works were orally transmitted until approximately 500 BCE; thereafter, they were transmitted both orally and in manuscript form. The oldest extant mathematical document produced on the Indian subcontinent is the birch bark Bakhshali Manuscript, discovered in 1881 in the village of Bakhshali, near Peshawar (modern day Pakistan); the manuscript is likely from the seventh century CE.

A later landmark in Indian mathematics was the development of the series expansions for trigonometric functions (sine, cosine, and arc tangent) by mathematicians of the Kerala School in the fifteenth century CE. Their remarkable work, completed two centuries before the invention of calculus in Europe, provided what is now considered the first example of a power series (apart from geometric series).

Rangoli

2007-11-08T23:33:00.000-08:00

Beautiful artwork of all kinds is a big part of everyday life in India. Different types of Rangoli was displayed in my brother's house and the neighbors. I created the rangoli seen abovewith geometrical designs by sprinkling by hand white marble rock powder and colored powder. The others have been created using rice flour paste, rice powder and flowers.

Rangoli, a very popular art form which is a form of sandpainting created by using white marble powder and colored powder, or painted with wet rice powder paste or made with flowers. It consists of geometrical designs such as triangles, diamonds, squares or other motifs found in Indian culture. In India all guests and visitors occupy a very special place. Atithi Devo Bhava: A guest is God like, and a rangoli is an expression of this warm hospitality. The Diwali festival is widely celebrated with rangoli, since at this time, people visit each other's homes to exchange greetings and sweets. Rangoli also has a religious significance, enhancing the beauty of the surroundings and spreading joy and happiness all around.

Hello Diwali.....

2007-11-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the images of Diwali from my brother's house and the neighborhood. Yesterday, the next door neighbor, Mrs. Girija came by with gifts of special sweets she had prepared for Diwali. Included in this post are pictures of lamps that are lit during this festival of lights. Light symbolizes knowledge and darkness symbolizes ignorance. Knowledge removes ignorance just as light removes darkness. The traditional oil lamp has a further spiritual significance. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our negative tendencies and the wick, the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the negative tendencies get slowly exhausted and the ego perishes. (From "Why do we"....by Swamini Vimalananda, Chinmaya Mission)

Life in Delhi begins

2007-11-08T11:03:00.000-08:00

My brother and sister-in-law who are both retired doctors came with their driver Harikishan to pick me up. They live about thirty minutes from the airport. Everywhere there is great hustle and bustle due to the preparations for the biggest festival of India, Diwali, the festival of lights.

How I lost an entire day or 12 and a half hours to be exact.......

2007-11-08T09:24:00.000-08:00

Details of pictures: Hong Kong airport, Singapore airport, SQ airport, and an apartment building in Singapore. Singapore is a word derived from Sanskrit, the ancient language of Inida and the mother of all languages-Sinha: lion and pur: a city.

Painfully long but the uneventful journey from Elk Grove, Sacramento to Delhi started on Sunday, Nov. 4th at 3:00 p.m. Left for the airport with suitcases packed with a few gifts and mp3 players, CD players and some arts and craft activities for the school for tribal children. It ended many hours later and after many hours spent at various airports, four to be exact. It also included a tour of the downtown area of Singapore which was a free tour offered by the kind government of Singapore. When I arrived in Delhi, India at 11:00 p.m. it was November 6th, 2007. Totally exhausted because of lack of sleep, it was a relief when we pulled in half an hour early. But the luggage did not come out for another hour. My brother and sister-in-law who are both retired doctors were waiting outside patiently. It is 11:00 p.m. on Nov. 6th. I have lost one entire day because India is 12 and a half hours ahead of US time. On to the drive back home, ahhhhhh.. welcome sleep and welcome jet lag!

An excerpt from the Hemalkasa website

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On the left is a picture of the students from the school. The school for tribal children was started on the belief that if the tribal people were educated, they would know their rights as modern society closed in on them. Dr. Prakash and others realized how important it was for the Madia people to withstand the abusive system, they also knew that it wasn't enough merely to teach them to read and to write. They had to be taught better methods of agriculture, better health care and hygiene so they would be less dependent on outsider traders.

The average percentage of students who pass is 70%. Two tribal students from this school have become doctors (M.D.) and are working for the tribals. For more info refer to the following website: http://mss.niya.org/projects/hemalkasa.php

Dr. Prakash Amte with leopards from the wild life orphanage in Hemalkasa

2007-10-29T00:26:00.000-07:00

During our visit to Hemalkasa in August 2005, Padmashree Dr. Prakash Amte fearlessly went in the enclosure where the leopards were kept and fed them with his own hands. He spent quite a while playing and petting them. And we all stood outside the enclosure in awe and slightly worried for his safety with the ferocious creatures.

Wild life orphanage in Hemalkasa

2007-10-29T00:19:00.000-07:00

Heera in August 2005 with Padmashree Dr. Prakash Amte and the snake from the
wild life orphanage in Hemalkasa!

School for the blind children in Anandwan

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Here is the picture of the school for blind children in Anandwan as seen in Aug. 2005.

Worker at the loom in Anandwan

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Here is a rehabilitated woman weaving cloth at the electric loom in Anandwan factory in Aug. 2005.

Swarandanwan: Blind and disabled youth orchestra

2007-10-29T00:06:00.000-07:00

In August 2005 we were treated to a grand show presented by the Swaranandwan orchestra. Here is a picture of two blind girls presenting a beautiful dance.

Visiting Anandwan in August 2005

2007-10-28T23:44:00.000-07:00

Heera with Baba Amte in August 2005 at Anandwan via Warora, Dist. Chandrapur, near Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Baba clearly remembered Heera's father Dada Koranne and inquired about his younger brother who was also involved in self less service. Baba held my hand and gave me blessings. Dada Koranne and Baba Amte became friends when they were both involved with Gandhi Ji in their youth. Baba had asked my father in 1970 to come and manage the school for the handicapped children. But it was not to be. Since I was young, my parents could not leave me in Delhi with my brother and go away to Anandwan. I wish they had availed of the opportunity but could not because of their responsibilities.
Life would have been so different. At least now I am trying to connect to my past somehow.

WOW, I am going home!

2007-10-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

October 28, 2007

On the left is a picture of a road sign in Delhi written in four languages namely Hindi, English, Punjabi and Urdu. Please notice the different scripts used for each language. These are full fledged languages and not mere dialects.
I have about one week left to start preparing for my departure to India next Sunday. WOW, I am going HOME! Tonight I am sending an email to the staff at my school requesting for some donations for the residential school for tribal boys and girls at the Lok Biradari Prakalp in Hemalkasa. I am also hoping that our school will adopt the tribal school in Hemalkasa and form a partnership with them. I will be visiting there in December. Padmashree (a national honor) Dr. Prakash Amte runs a hospital and a school there for the Madia Gond tribe who lives in the region. I was greatly inspired once again to revisit this remote area in a jungle after attending an inspiring presentation by Dr. Prakash Amte in San Jose in July. I am also collecting personal CD players and MP3 players for the "Swaranandanwan" orchestra consisting of blind and disabled youth of Anandwan started by Baba Amte in 1951.