Sikhs in New Jersey

"To wear a turban in America — even in a state that has absorbed as
many waves of immigration as New Jersey has — is to subject yourself
to judgment by strangers, not all of whom have warm and fuzzy feelings
about diversity.

"You get these looks all the time, especially after Sept. 11," said
Rajinder Singh, 57, who holds two doctorates, works as a chemist for a
pharmaceutical company, has never cut his hair, following the
requirement of his faith, and wears a turban. "You could see people —
their lips inside their car — that this person is swearing at me."

Muslims have absorbed much discrimination in the United States in
recent years, but also caught in the crossfire have been Sikhs,
members of a religious minority from India whose men happen to wear a
similar head covering, and who have endured similar suspicions since
the terrorist attacks and the subsequent wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan," says a touching article in the New York Times about
Sikhs in the Tristate area.

Read the full article at --
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/15colnj.html?emc=tnt&tntemail0=y

How Far Can Artists Go?

Dissolving the controversy surrounding M.F. Hussains art, a court has
basically dissolved the controversy surrounding his art and says he
needs to be back home painting.

The New York Times reports that -- "A court in India has quashed three
obscenity cases against M. F. Husain, one of the country's most famous
contemporary painters, the BBC reported. The charges contended that
Mr. Husain, 92, offended Hindus with a work, above, that represented
India as a nude goddess. The court in Delhi ruled that the painting
was not obscene. Mr. Husain, who has been accused of obscenity in at
least seven cases, apologized for the painting, which he declared an
"expression of purity." He has been living in the Middle East because
of the lawsuits, but his lawyer, Akhil Sibal, quoted the court as
saying Mr. Husain "deserves to be at home, painting his canvases."

Whereas a website by Hindu Jagruti says that Hussain is painting
derogatory art of Hindu gods, why is he not doing so of his own
religion? You can see some of the paintings at their site listed
below. An article in Frontline magazine, has some paintings by Hussain
of Hindu Gods which are not derogatory, so what does that mean?

New York Times article is at --
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2008/05/09/arts/09arts-INDIANCOURTD_BRF.html&tntemail0=y

Hindu Jagruti website is at this URL--
http://www.hindujagruti.org/activities/campaigns/national/mfhussain-campaign/

Frontline magazine article on Hussain is here--
http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1416/14160820.htm

Hope And A Little Sugar

Hope and a Little Sugar is a new Bollywood/American collaborative
movie released this April. It is currently doing the film festival
circuit. This is the story of a Hindu American who loses her husband
in the 9/11 attack. She later falls in love with a Muslim boy much to
the consternation of her father in law who is consumed by hatred
towards Muslims due to the 9/11 incident. But he changes his mind when
he receives the same treatment from Americans who mistake his turban
and beard. This change of heart is at the crux of the movie. This
movie is a reflection of what is happening is real life.

The racial and religious intolerance that is brought to light by this
film is very relevant in today's society where we are quick to jump to
conclusions bases on the color of ones skin or religious disposition.
The fundamentalists might force us develop an attitude towards those
of a particular religion. Shouldn't we be rising above all that and
stop being judgmental? What makes a person is their own personal
character. Race and religion are accessories to this character no
doubt, but to stereotype, generalize and condemn one because of what
they are wearing or who they are praying to, is grossly unfair, is it not?

Hope and a Little Sugar is on the web at--
http://www.hopeandalittlesugar.com/

Wear a Pancha Kachcham - wikiHow

Wear a Pancha Kachcham - wikiHow

The Eccentric Artist

Yes artists are considered an eccentric sort, but painter, M.F.
Hussain is in a league all of his own. One of his faux pas's is his
derogatory portrayal of Hindu gods and goddesses. More protests by
Hindu groups in New York have been a precursor to the Christies
auction.

"Hindu activist groups in the US have threatened to hold a
demonstration at Christie's here unless the art gallery stops an
auction this week of paintings by celebrated Indian painter M F
Husain, who they say has hurt Hindus the world over for portraying
their gods in "derogatory" forms." says SIFY news, "In a letter to
Christie's, the Indian American Intellectual Forum, which has joined
hands with Hindu Janjagruti Samiti on the campaign against Husain,
said the artist has gained ignominy and notoriety in India by painting
several Hindu gods and goddesses in derogatory forms. As part of
Christie's New York auction March 20 of modern and contemporary art
from South Asia, Husain's paintings are expected to fetch hundreds of
thousands of dollars. One of them, "The Battle of Ganga and Yamuna" is
estimated to rake in $600,000-$800,000."

Hussain is currently in hiding and BBC reports that he may be living
in the Middle East.

Read the full SIFY article at --
http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?id=14624043

Read the full BBC article at --
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7303479.stm

The Living Goddess

I was 11 years old, during a 2 week school excursion to Northern India
and Nepal, that I was awed by my first visit to see the "Living
Goddess." My friends and I were so jealous of this young girl who was
just a couple of years younger than us, and we wished we were
princesses too... Litlle did we know then the difficult lives that
these young girls lead, after giving up their childhood.

An excerpt from Reuters --
"A controversial young Nepali girl worshipped by many Buddhists and
Hindus as a Kumari, or "living goddess", has given up her divine
position following a request from her family, an official said on
Sunday. The 11-year-old Sajani Shakya was revered for nine years as
the Kumari of the ancient temple-town of Bhaktapur, near Kathmandu, in
a centuries-old tradition."

Read the full story at --
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDEL18739720080302

The "Giggling Guru's" Peace Palaces

Not one but about 100-200 peace palaces are being planned as centers
of Transcendental Meditation, in Parma, Ohio. "The Maharishi promised
that if just 1 percent of the world practiced TM, as it is known, then
"the Maharishi effect" would take over and there would be increased
coherence in the collective unconsciousness, and peace would prevail,"
reports the New York Times.

An excerpt from the Times article --
"The peace palaces are intended to be gleaming white, two-story
buildings, 10,000- to 12,000-square-feet, and to replace the typical
rented space where TM is now taught at more than 200 locations in the
United States.
Each is designed to be large enough to have dormitories, retail space
to sell TM's health products and clothing, and, most importantly,
space for TM classes that currently cost $2,500. (Instruction in yogic
flying costs an additional $2,000.)
They are being built to follow the Vedic architectural guidelines,
which, among other requirements, mean each building faces east to
greet the energizing morning sun.
The result is something like an Indian temple crossed with a Southern
plantation mansion, a look the organization hopes will become a visual
brand, much like the golden arches signify McDonald's the world over."

Read the full article at --
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2008/02/22/us/22peace.html&tntemail0=y

Gayathri Mantra goes pop-culture

Right in the middle of one of my yogasana's, during one of my Yoga
classes, I heard a westernized version of the Gayathri mantra, set to
serene Enya like music.

The Gayathri mantra is becoming very pop-culture. Here are some more
examples where it is used - An abbreviated form of the Gayatri Mantra
is sung in the opening theme for the TV show Battlestar Galactica; The
Treasure Quest video game soundtrack by Jody Gnant includes a song
entitled "The Gayatri"; Cher, in her 2002-2005 live performances on
Living Proof: The Farewell Tour; Deva Premal's album "The Essence"
includes two versions of this chant; and An abbreviated form of the
Gayatri mantra is chanted in the Bollywood film "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi
Gham"; it can also be heard during the credits of The Matrix
Revolutions.

What is the Gayathri Mantra?

Om Bhur bhuvah svah, Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo Devasya dheemahi, Dheeyo yonah prachodayaat

Hinduism considers this the supreme mantra, the king of all mantras.
This is believed to be the basis of all mantras and the essence of all
the Vedas. Those that chant the Gayathri mantra are protected from all
evil.

One interpretation of the meaning of the Gayathri Mantra is -- We
meditate upon the spiritual effulgence of that adorable supreme divine
reality, the source of the physical, the astral and the heavenly
spheres of existence. May that supreme divine being enlighten our
intellect so that we may realize the supreme truth.

It is said that young girls and women should not chant the Gayathri
Mantra. One of the beliefs behind this is that the chanting of this
mantra generates a lot of energy in the female's body, that which is
not conducive to girls/women of childbearing age. This not any
different from women not being allowed to chant many other mantras
from the Hindu Scriptures, such as the Rudram and Chamakam, etc.
Another belief is that chanting the Gayathri mantra gives tremendous
"Shakti" or strength, to one who chants it, since women are considered
an epitome of Shakti anyway, they need not chant it.

As with many traditions and beliefs this one is meant to be broken as
well and many women chant this mantra in today's modern world, as they
do the Rudram, Chamakam and other "prohibited" mantras in Hinduism.

Sania Mirza -- You go girl!!!

It's about time some of these celebrities put their foot down, and
acted more aggressively. Is it just because she is a Muslim, or is it
because of schadenfreude? Why does everyone keep picking on this woman
who is bringing India to the forefront of women's tennis...

An excerpt from the New York Times article --
"Sania Mirza, the most successful tennis star in India, has announced
that she has no desire to play in her country any more after a string
of controversies that have exposed her to months of negative
publicity.

"Every time I play in India, there is a problem," Mirza, ranked 29th
in the world and No. 1 in Asia, said Monday. "Considering all that, I
thought it would be better not to play in Bangalore," she added,
explaining her decision to boycott India's most prestigious
tournament, the Bangalore Open, in March. "In fact, I feel it would be
better if I don't play in the country for some time.""

Read the full article at --
http://select.nytimes.com/mem/tnt.html?emc=tnt&tntget=2008/02/06/sports/tennis/06tennis.html&tntemail0=y

What is proper art?

In Baroda, a student was arrested for rendering improper art.

The New York Times reports--

The tempest began on May 9 when a lawyer accompanied by police officers and television news crews marched into the art department at the respected Maharaja Sayajirao University, a state-run institution in Vadodara, in western Gujarat state. (Gujarat’s elected government is led by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.)

The lawyer, Niraj Jain, based locally and affiliated with the party, said he was aggrieved by several works exhibited on a wall in the department library, including a painting — or rather a digital enlargement of a painted work — depicting a female form wielding weapons in her many arms, evoking a goddess from the Hindu pantheon, and giving birth. It was the final-year art project by Chandramohan, a graduate student who goes by one name.

the full article is at the link below.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/19/arts/design/19hind.html ex=1337227200&en=dd40d4b9887d2cb1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

This brings up the question of what is proper art? A question that is going to raise many controversies and ruffle the feathers of some religious fundamentalists.