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e-Anjali,
Issue 8, April 22, 2005
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Letter to the Editor:
Dear
Editor,
I want to share
with you some of my thoughts about one of the long term activities KHNA should be considering in the next convention.
- Establish
a Scholarship Trust Fund for the benefit of the Hindu community in Kerala.
- Raise
funds by solicitation from members of our community in North America and by Annual Fund-raising
events in every major city of North America.
- For
Fund-raising, obtain the help of NSS &
SNDP and other major Hindu organizations
to select a team of artists and speakers every year from Kerala .
- Elect
very reputable members of the Hindu Malayalee community as Trustees.
- Selection
of beneficiaries of scholarship should be based on the
recommendation of the Board of Directors of NSS,
SNDP and Yogakshema Sabha etc.
- The scholarship
should be awarded to economically backward members of Hindu
community who has academic achievements to their credit irrespective
of the course of subject they are pursuing.
I believe that
this is one other way to bring the Hindu community together in Kerala and
to help those who are financially backward. I also believe that over a
period of time we can have a substantial amount in the trust to help the
needy. I also believe that this effort will help Hindu organizations to
work at grass root level in Kerala. I visualize a chance for providing
hundreds of scholarships annually by this trust as the trust grows.
I would
appreciate if you would run this proposal through the executive committee
of KHNA and through News Letter for further comments
and proposals.
Thank you,
Govindankutty Nair
Bakersfield, California
(Editor's Note: Items 1 and 2 have already been discussed by KHNA
National Committee)
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P.Parameswaran
Director, Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram
"Samskrithi
Bhavanam", Thiruvananthapuram-1
Jeffrey D Sachs, Special
Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Millennium Development Goals and
one of the world's foremost economists told in an interview with The
Smart Manager "What happened in India
after the elections was amazing. Incumbents were booted out, yet the
handover happened so incredibly peacefully. There was not even a small
power struggle to try to cling to office. It was an amazingly smooth
transition".
"There is such an unbelievable amount of 'social
capital' in India. One appreciates
and admires to the limit what has just happened in terms of what it
really means about the capacity of this country to absorb change and
manage itself peacefully. It is a phenomenon because
I see the opposite all over the world".
What is this unbelievable amount of social
capital in India which Sachs
refers as "the capacity of this country to absorb change and manage
itself peacefully"? Apparently the word is not used in the sense in which
the Neo-liberal World Bank economists use it in strictly economic terms,
since what it refers to is the political transition. One can't be too sure that it is not the 'Trojan
Horse' strategy
which radical economists attribute to the term 'social capital'. He is
amazed at this phenomenon because all over the world he sees just the
opposite. So this is something unique to India. The vibrant
democracy and peaceful transition of power from one ruling party to
another through the smooth mechanism of the ballot paper is what
distinguishes India, according to
Sachs from the other countries. The bloody revolutions and military
coups, interminably enacted in Pakistan and Bangladesh must be vividly
in his mind as stark contrast. Till 1947 these were also part of India. Ever since, India adopted a
democratic constitution and worked it quite successfully, to the wonder
of the west – particularly U.K and U.S which claim to be the cradles of democracy and
for whom India had always been
under autocratic rule. How come India could achieve
this and Pakistan and Bangladesh miserably
failed? It is this phenomenon which appears a
miracle that Sachs calls India's 'social
capital'.
But one must go a little deeper to understand
this unique strength of India, and may be, its
gift to humanity at large. One thing must be clearly understood. This 'social
capital' is not a sudden or sporadic fallout
from above, nor is it a creation of independent India. It is not a
gift of anybody from outside. On the other hand
this 'social capital' is an inherent quality, a natural flowering of the
Indian genius. It is the fruit of millennia of imaginative and creative
endeavor of India's sages and
saints. It is what J.B.S Haldane,
a left wing British Scientist, once described as "the absolute
impression one has of being in a highly civilized community. This I feel
far more at home in India than I do in
some European and most American cities. I was born in 1892 and became
automatically a subject of Queen Victoria as I am now of
Queen Elizabeth. Neither was my own choice. It is entirely possible that
I shall die as a citizen of the Indian Republic, if they will
have me". He sought Indian citizenship and ultimately to his
satisfaction, died an Indian citizen.
But that was 50 years ago. Parsis
sought asylum in India about 1400 years
back, when their homeland was annexed and people forcibly converted by
fanatic invaders. Even much before, the Jews came as refugees and were
provided safe sanctuary in India, the only part
of the earth where they were left absolutely free
to practice their religion till they chose to return to the land of their
origin. That is our unique 'social capital'. Even today the same
continues to flourish in India. That is why Taslima Nasreen after 10
years of self-imposed exile from Bangladesh, the land of her
birth, has applied to the Government of India to grant her Indian
citizenship saying she "dreams of living in West Bengal where I feel at
home because East Bengal has already
closed the door for me". This is the eternal uniqueness of India which is capable
of absorbing all without eliminating any.
What makes such great
economists and even leftist scientists feel so fascinated that they
almost fall in love with India? It is some intangible quality of the soul of India
which people generally call 'spirituality' and the way of life of the
society built around it. The west may be highly advanced in
science and technology but this 'social capital' of spirituality is India's unique
heritage. It has penetrated into every field of life including science
and technology. Recently Jure Biechonski, a British psychologist who visited India told in an
interview with The New Indian Express, 22nd January 2005. "In the
West psychologists have become technicians. They try to impose Freud on every
culture. Indian psychologists on the other hand, incorporate a spiritual
system". He advised Indian psychologists "to stop turning to
the West for guidance in psychology and try to draw from the vast
indigenous knowledge at their disposal".
In India religion and
spirituality are not identical. Religion is the outer shell, spirituality
is the kernel. Religion may help preserve and promote spirituality, if
rightly understood and followed. Otherwise it will hurt and hamper
spirituality. Genuine spirituality is liberal and tolerant, inclusive and
integrative. That explains the unique phenomena which Sachs so much
admired about India. The stamina and
power of survival of Indian democracy, in spite of all contradictions and
diversities is due to this vibrant spiritual ethos. It binds religions
into a "Common Wealth of Faiths" and does not divide them into
warring groups.
But all this praise
for India's 'social
capital' has to be understood in the context of American diplomacy to
impose a model of development on India which suits the
West and particularly the U.S.A. It is a carrot
and stick affair. "I would say that India is poised to
become one of the three large economies of the world, if India manages
the economy properly". While openly criticizing the NDA Government that was voted out in the last
elections, Sachs is showering encomiums on the Manmohan
Singh Government. "Frankly, I was very gratified by the election
results. I think the new government is absolutely a dream team. The prime
minister is a leading figure in development economics and the father of
economic reforms in this country with an experienced cabinet and a
tremendous social agenda".
There is no doubt that this is part of the Bush administration's agenda
to establish a 'New World Order' of their choice.
But if ever America succeeds in
imposing her "dream world order" through a steamroller
globalization, then the 'social capital' of India which has
sustained her through the ages and which has made the transition to
democracy so easy will be the first casualty. That unique and price-less
heritage of India is so precious
to humanity that it has to be preserved at all costs. That is the
strength and vitality of Bharat. Tagore calls this inner strength of
"Bharatavarsha", Sanatana Dharma, which is another name for Hindu
Dharma. Is it not the same phenomenon which so deeply fascinates and even
amazes Sachs? Hindutwa or Hindu Dharma is that
"Kamadhenu" which
our ancient sages won over by their Tapasya and
which has been with us from time immemorial. We have been fed on
her nourishing milk. Let us continue to milk her till eternity and not
kill her in the name of secular insensitivity or political opportunism.
Tagore had foreseen, at least a century back the
danger India was facing on account of her encounter with foreign lands.
"I do not think it is causing any increase in our strength; in fact,
it is actually sapping our energy. With every passing day our commitment
is faltering, our character is disintegrating; Our mind is becoming
unruly and our efforts futile". But the great poet visionary was not
unnerved. He wrote "A reserve of the mighty power (social capital?)
that calmness contains still exists in Bharatavarsha: we do not know it
ourselves. Amidst many difficulties over centuries, it has been that
unwavering inner strength of Bharatavarsha that has been guarding us. And
when the occasion would arise again, it would be this power, firm in its
commitment, this power emanating from the Bharatavarsha that is poor,
that is ill-clad, without adornment, without words, that would rise again
and extend its reassuring hand to Bharatavarsha. The English Jackets, the
furniture from English shops, the perfect imitation of the way of
speaking of English teachers would not survive and would be of no use at
all".
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VIP Profile
Sri P.
Parameswaran
Childhood
and Education
A scholar, great
thinker and social worker, Sri P Parameswaran was born in 1927 at Cherthalai in Alappuzha
district of Kerala State. After his schooling at his birthplace, he graduated
from University College, Thiruvananthapuram with distinctions in BA (Hons.)
in History.
Public
life
Already a poet,
writer and excellent orator from his college days, Sri Parameswaran
entered the realm of social work as a pracharak (organizer) of
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
Later on in 1957, he was entrusted with the task of building up the Bharatheeya Jan Sangh in
Kerala as its State Organizing Secretary. In 1968, he became and All‑India
General Secretary and later Vice‑President of the Jan Sangh. He was jailed during the period of emergency
in 1975‑77.
In 1977, Sri
Parameswaran moved from politics to the sphere of social thought and
development. He was Director of the Deendayal Research Institute at New Delhi for four years. In
1982, he came back to his home state and gave shape to a new
organization; Bharatheeya Vichara
Kendram aimed at national reconstruction
through study and research. It has its headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram and has units all over the
state. Sri P Parameswaran is currently the Director of Bharatheeya Vichara
Kendram. It functions also as a center for molding public opinion in
favor of national needs and concerns. He has also been associated with
the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and Vivekananda Kendra, Kanyakumari and
has served in various capacities in the governing body of the Kendra.
He is currently the All‑India President of Vivekananda Kendra.
Sri P Parameswaran
has led a life wholly dedicated to social service, especially as a social
philosopher and thinker. From early childhood, he had a great
inclination towards the study of Hinduism. He was intimately connected
with most of the Hindu social and cultural organizations. He took
initiation from Sri Ramakrishna Mission and was a close associate and
disciple of Swami Agamananda ‑ social reformer and founder of
Advaita Ashrama at Kalady, the birth place of Adi Shankara. Well
entrenched in the philosophy of Vedas, Upanishads and Gita, he has
followed in detail the thoughts and writings of Western thinkers like
Karl Marx and Arnold Toynbee and the Indian seers like Swami
Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi and Deendayal Upadhyaya.
He has been
ceaselessly writing articles and books on social, cultural and
religious themes. He is also a gifted orator, with a great command of
words and a greater depth of insight. He has delivered lectures all
over the country on national issues. He participated in the Centenary
celebrations of Swami Vivekananda's address at the World Parliament of Religions
held at Chicago in 1993.
Sri P Parameswaran
was awarded the Bhaiji Hanuman Prasad Poddar Award instituted by
Bada Bazaar Library of Calcutta in 1997, in recognition of his effort
in teaching the lofty principles of Hinduism to the common man.
The Nation honoured
him with Padmasree award in 2004.
He was appointed as
the member of the Court (Senate) of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in 2000.
Awarded
the "Amritha Keerthi Puraskar" by Sri Matha Amrithananda Mayi
Mutt on 26th
September 2002, for outstanding
service to the society.
Social
Thought
Sri Parameswaran is
looked upon as a saint in the Kerala social scene albeit without the
saffron robe. In the eighties, he took the initiative to call for an
end to the mindless political violence in Kerala and put forward the
ideal of 'ideological debate in the place of armed conflict'.
This was widely welcomed by the wise men of Kerala and set the trend to
end the bitter violence. He has been an acclaimed scholar and
propagandist of the vision of Swami Vivekananda and Sri Aurobindo. His
biography of Sri Narayana Guru is one of the well‑written studies
on the life and teaching of the reformer saint of Kerala.
In 1998, as an
answer to the rising crime rate, delinquency and other social evils in
Kerala, Sri Parameswaran proposed observation of a 'Gita Decade'.
Popularizing the Bhagavad Gita as a comprehensive life science was his
solution to the social problems of Kerala and the whole of India. This suggestion
was well received by other social and religious leaders and
organizations. By a joint effort of several social and religious
organizations, a massive movement for spreading Gita awareness has
started in Kerala. The recently conducted two‑day Gita Sangamam
at Trichur attracted around two thousand youths from all over Kerala.
Eminent personalities like Dr. Padma Subramanyam, Justice Sukumaran
etc. attended the function which was formally inaugurated by Sri.
Ananth Kumar, Union Minister for Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports. The
program of conducting one Gita Shibir in each panchayat
of Kerala is on.
The International
Gita Seminar on 'Bhagavad Gita and Modern problems' was held in Thiruvananthapuram from 7th to 4th December 2000. Over 1500 youths,
scholars and saints from all over India and abroad participated in the
seminar including Dr. Murali Manohar Joshi, Union HRD
Minister and His Holiness The Dalai Lama. It was a high watermark of
the Gita Movement organized by the Gita Swadhaya Samithi under the able
guidance of Sri P Parameswaran. It is an ongoing movement with active
participation of the youth from the universities and also from every
walk of life.
Publications
Sri Parameswaran has
authored several books on Indian philosophy and society. He was the
editor of the journals ‑ 'Kesari'
and 'Manthan'. Currently he is the
editor of the monthly 'Yuva Bharathi' and the quarterly 'Vivekananda Kendra Patrilka'.
His Books:
Sri Narayana Guru ‑ The Prophet of
Renaissance
Sri Aravindan ‑
Bhaviyude Darsanikan
Viswa Vijayi
Vivekanandan
Marx and Vivekananda
From Marx to Maharshi
Bhagavad Gita ‑
Vision of a New World Order
Beyond all isms to humanism
Heart Beats of a Hindu Nation (Compilation
of selected editorials in Yuva Bharathi)
Yajna Prasadam
(Selected Poems)
Disabodhathinte Darshanam
(Selected Essays in Malayalam)
Bhagavad Gita ‑ The Nectar of
Immortality (Collection of Gita Essays)
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Souvenir
Announcements
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Souvenir Committee requests photographs of the Convention
office-bearers for publication in the souvenir.
All
Convention Committee officials, Co-Conveners, Regional Coordinators,
Sub-Committee Chair-persons, Ex-Officios,
National Advisory Committee members and Constitution Committee members
are requested to submit your passport size photos by April 25th, 2005. Please submit the photos by
email to khnasouvenir@yahoo.com.
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630-935-2990.
Directory of Kerala
Hindus of North America
Would
you like to get your FREE copy of the Directory of Kerala
Hindus of North America? First 100 persons
who submit their information at the convention website by April 30th, 2005 will receive a
free copy of the directory. Please inform your friends and encourage them
to submit their information for the directory. Directory contains appx. 2000 entries with names,
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(Directory
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again for the directory.)
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All attendees of
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SOUVENIR PHOTOS & ARTICLES
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We have
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Please call us at 630-935-2990 to confirm any material you may have
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Convention Announcements
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NATIONAL
COMMITTEE MEETING IN CHICAGO
SATURDAY MAY 21, 2005
12:00 NOON
at
Crowne Plaza
Hotel O'Hare International
5440 North River Rd, Rosemont, IL 60018
If you would like to
reserve Hotel accommodations for the meeting, please contact Mr. Aravind Pillai at 847-297-1187.
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Registration Announcements
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Regular
Registrations close on April 30th, 2005.
All registrations
made after April 30th will be subject to an additional charge
of $50. Accommodations and event seatings are
subject to availability for late registrations and are not guaranteed. If
you have not paid in full please mail the balance of the registration
amount by April 30th,
2005.
Upcoming Registration Deadline
Suresh Balachandran
Chair-Registration
Committee
The KHNA Registration
Committee wishes to remind all participants for the convention that the
deadline for making the payment in full is fast approaching. There are
only 2 weeks left for the regular registration to end. After April 30, 2005, there will be
an additional $50 charge for those who have not completed their payment
in full by then. Those who have payment pending are kindly advised to use
the next 2 weeks to complete their registration process.
Please make checks payable to
KHNA
PO Box 112
Skokie, IL 60076
If you have any questions, please call Mr. Anil Kumar
Pillai at 847-674-7694 or Mr. Suresh Balachandran
at 847-977-3584
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