Uniting India
Archive for June, 2011
Fight Against Corruption!Be Part of the Change
Jun 25th
We the Indians are proud of achievements of our country in various fields. In the past few months news papers and electronic media reported any number of incidents about corruption. Corruption reached ridiculous proportions. The corruption has spread its hands far and wide. Everybody would have come across corruption in their life any number of times. There are reports about corrupt officials, corrupt ministers, corrupt cops, corrupt priests and sometimes, even a corrupt Swamiji every other day. Corruption has become an integral part of our daily life. We have to pay a price to everyone starting from the highly privileged Chief Ministers to the lowly paid sweepers in the Government Offices for getting our works done. Corruption is a very integral ingredient of Indian politics. They were (and are) really good and successful crooks, who excelled in the art of treachery and made many times more than sufficient money. They also have high end contacts to keep them out of jail and from all sorts of trouble.
For the last few months social networking sites and email chains are pleading to support “India Against Corruption”, will that help change eradicating this mega problem? First we must start by saying “No” for More >
Spiritual Pancha Sheela-Sathya Sai Baba
Jun 19th
FIVE principles have to be observed for realizing the divinity in man. They are: Ahimsa (Noninjury),Sathya (Truth), Soucham (Purity), Daya (Compassion) and Asthikyam (Faith in God).
Non-harming (Ahimsa): It is a supreme virtue. But, in daily life, almost at every step some harm or other is being caused. When we breathe in or breathe out, countless microbes perish. There are occasions when wittingly or otherwise injury is caused to some being or other. Complete nonviolence is not a practicable ideal. What should be ensured is that there is no deliberate causing of injury or harm to anyone.
Truth (Sathyam): Truth is Divine. Where there is Truth there is Divinity. When Dushyanta forgot that he had given a ring to Sakuntala when he met her near the sage Kanva’s ashram,Sakuntala declared in the open court of the king that Truth was the supreme Dharma and a king should uphold truth at any cost. She pointed out that in the order of merit, starting from digging wells to performing horse-sacrifices, the horse-sacrifice ranked higher than having a hundred virtuous sons. But greater than a hundred horse-sacrifices (Aswamedha Yajna) was honoring one’s plighted word. While the king was ruminating over this exhortation to uphold truth, More >
Kanakadhara Stotram-Sri Adi Shankaracharya
Jun 19th
Adi Shankaracharya was possibly one of the greatest saints of his time. He became a monk at very young age. One day he went for begging food, as it was the custom, and arrived at the hut of a very poor Brahmin woman. The woman had no food at home except an Amla fruit (gooseberry). She gave this fruit to Adi Shankara without any hesitation. Sri Shankara was deeply touched at the plight of the woman and her generosity. He was so much moved by her poverty that he extemporaneously composed and sang the Kanakadhara Stotram in front of the woman’s hut. He prayed Goddess Mahalakshmi to bless the poor women by driving her poverty and grant her riches. This prayer instantly invoked the Mahalakshmi. She told him that the lady had not done any good deeds in her previous birth. So she doesn’t deserve riches and is destined to suffer in poverty. Shankara accepted that the poor lady didn’t do any good deeds in previous birth. He told Mahalakshmi that she has such a kind heart in this birth that in spite of being poor, she gave this little amla fruit to him. He further requested the Goddess that this good deed alone is enough to bless her with More >
Picasso of India-M.F.Husain
Jun 10th
He is a millionaire but he still walks without sandals. He was born poor but the world’s richest people also feel jealous looking at his lavish cars. He is old but still loves the natural beauty of a woman. He is an artist who never complained that his art ever got discouraged. He represents creativity. He expresses the art in a modern way in Indian style. He was also controversial due to his paintings. He is popularly known as the ‘Picasso of India’. M.F. Husain was among the earliest Indian painters to command huge price at international auctions for his paintings.
Maqbool Fida Husain was born on September 17th, 1915 in a village in Maharashtra, India. M.F. Husain started his career as movie billboard artist and soon climbed the ladder to fame in the Indian art field. Husain began gaining international attention in the late 1940s. He is not just a painter. He produced and directed some films as well. In 1967 he made his first film, ‘Through the Eyes of a Painter’. This film was shown at the Berlin Film Festival and won a Golden Bear. He produced a film ‘Gaja Gamini’ with Madhuri Dixit and made’ Meenaxi- A Tale of Three Cities’ with Tabu More >
Veteran Bharatanatyam Dancer ”Kamala Lakshman”
Jun 2nd
Aesthetic Kamala Lakshman is still remembered by the audience of the ’50s and ’60s for her great dance performances in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu movies. Kamala, the artiste, is worthy of emulation for aspiring dancers. She was adept at Hindustani and Carnatic music, a dancer par excellence with charm and beauty to match. Kamala is famous for her stamina and for holding a pose for a considerable time. Kamala was a dancing prodigy since her childhood and one of the most accomplished Bharata Natyam dancers in her days and become a synonym with Bharata Natyam.
Kamala was born on 16th Jun 1934 in ‘Mayuram’ near Kaveri river bank in Tamilnadu. Her parents were Rajam and Rama Murthy Iyer. Her mother was in love with dance and music and learnt music from the famous singer K.B.Sundarambal. Kamala’s mother was very much in love with dance more than music but her family traditions and customs didn’t allow her to learn dancing. Kamala’s parents desired to see her as an artiste and came to Mumbai when Kamala was 3 years old. Kamala started to learn Kathak dance from Pandit Lachu Maharaj when she was three and half years old.
Once Central Studio owner Chandulal Shah saw her dance and made an agreement with More >
