» Articles from December, 2009 issue

(Part 1 of 2) Devotees of Amar Nath: Revolutionary Pioneers of a People’s Movement, by Bhagyashree Chanda Sathye

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Part 1/2 of a first person account of the Epic 62-day struggle to get a land grant for the Lord Amar Nath (Shiva) Shrine located near Jammu city, India.
Unfortunately, on August 15, 2008, due to threats from jihadist terrorists, the Tricolor could be hoisted only for 2 hours in Jammu and Kashmir.  J&K is an integral part of India. This incident triggered several questions.  Are Indians truly free? What do the ominous burnings of the Tricolor mean?

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Draupadi: The Heroic Princess of the Mahabharat, by Aparna Garg

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

A personification of shakti (strength) and bhakti (devotion), Draupadi was one of the bravest and strongest characters in the Mahabharat. Despite being both born and wed into powerful royal families, Draupadi went through countless hardships. She nevertheless emerged victorious and will always be remembered as a valiant woman who stood for the protection of Dharma. Read the rest of this entry »

It is India, not South Asia, by Ramesh Rao

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Avowal is how I portray myself: I am Ramesh, an Indian-American, a Hindu, an associate professor, a husband and son and father. In contrast, ascription is how others attribute identities to a person. I am a South Asian for some, a Hindutvavadi for some others, a discriminated brown for yet others, and an oppressor Brahmin for my politically inclined detractors.

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Jnaneshwari, by V.N. Gopalakrishnan

Tuesday, December 1st, 2009

Jnaneshwari is the commentary on Bhagavad Gita written by the Marathi saint and mystical poet Jnanadeva. The commentary on Bhagavad Gita has been praised not only for its scholarly excellence, but also for its aesthetic value. He has explained the Gita not by recourse to rational arguments but by the profuse use of similes, metaphors and illustrations. In Jnaneshwari, he calls the Gita the literary image of Lord Krishna.

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