1. US Supreme Court Allows Texas Ten Commandments, But Not Kentucky's
2. Hindu American Foundation Reacts To Ten Commandments Decision
3. Elephanta Caves - A Sixth Century Saivite Site Needing Better Care
4. Ramayana a Hit At UK Music Festival

1. US Supreme Court Allows Texas Ten Commandments, But Not Kentucky's

abcnews.go.com

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 27, 2005: The US Supreme Court struggled in a pair of 5-4 rulings Monday to define how much blending of church and state is constitutionally permissible, allowing the Ten Commandments to be displayed outside the Texas state Capitol but not inside Kentucky courthouses. In its first rulings on the issue in a quarter-century, the high court said that displays of the Ten Commandments on government property are not inherently unconstitutional. But each exhibit demands scrutiny to determine whether it amounts to a governmental promotion of religion, the court said in a case involving Kentucky courthouse exhibits. In effect, the court said it was taking the position that issues of Ten Commandments displays in courthouses should be resolved on a case-by-case basis.

In the Kentucky ruling and a second decision involving the positioning of a 6-foot granite monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor joined members of the liberal bloc in arguing the displays were unconstitutional. Stephen G. Breyer, normally part of the more liberal wing, joined them in the Kentucky case but voted with the more conservative members to make a 5-4 majority in favor of the Texas display.

The justices voting on the prevailing side in the Kentucky case left themselves legal wiggle room, saying that some displays inside courthouses like their own courtroom frieze would be permissible if they're portrayed neutrally in order to honor the nation's legal history. But framed copies in two Kentucky courthouses went too far in endorsing religion, the court held. Those courthouse displays are unconstitutional, the justices said, because their religious content is overemphasized. In contrast, a 6-foot-granite monument on the grounds of the Texas Capitol one of 17 historical displays on the 22-acre lot was determined to be a legitimate tribute to the nation's legal and religious history.

The rulings were the court's first major statement on the Ten Commandments since 1980, when justices barred their display in public schools. But the high court's split verdict leaves somewhat unsettled the role of religion in American society, a question that has become a flashpoint in U.S. politics. "While the court correctly rejects the challenge to the Ten Commandments monument on the Texas Capitol grounds, a more fundamental rethinking of our Establishment Clause jurisprudence remains in order," Thomas wrote in a separate opinion.

Dissenting in the Texas case, Justice John Paul Stevens argued the display was an improper government endorsement of religion. Stevens noted in large letters the monument proclaims 'I AM the LORD thy God.'" "The sole function of the monument on the grounds of Texas' State Capitol is to display the full text of one version of the Ten Commandments," Stevens wrote. "The monument is not a work of art and does not refer to any event in the history of the state," Stevens wrote. "The message transmitted by Texas' chosen display is quite plain: This state endorses the divine code of the Judeo-Christian God."

Ten Commandments displays are supported by a majority of Americans, according to an AP-Ipsos poll. The poll taken in late February found that 76 percent support it and 23 percent oppose it.

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2. Hindu American Foundation Reacts To Ten Commandments Decision

www.hinduamericanfoundation.org

TAMPA, FLORIDA, June 27, 2005: The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) expressed a combination of relief and some disappointment over the Supreme Court decisions on the constitutionality of Ten Commandments displays on government property. The decision in McCreary County vs. ACLU, that disallowed a framed version of the Ten Commandments in a Kentucky courthouse supported the HAF position that public displays of the overtly Judeo-Christian Ten Commandments effectively promote a particular religion over other religious traditions. In contrast, in Thomas Van Orden vs. Rick Perry, a case in which HAF submitted the first ever Supreme Court amicus brief representing Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, the Court ruled that the display of the Ten Commandments on the Texas State Capitol grounds could remain.

The HAF amicus brief was cited in the dissenting opinion authored by Justice John Paul Stevens in the Van Orden case. In the citing, Justice Stevens wrote that the monument violates the Establishment Clause of the Constitution by, "...prescribing a compelled code of conduct from one God, namely a Judeo-Christian God, that is rejected by...Hinduism, as well as nontheistic religions, such as Buddhism."

"Clearly, some members of the bench considered our views seriously and decided in favour of our communities in the Kentucky case," said Suhag Shukla, Esq., Legal Counsel of HAF, who coordinated the filing of the brief with a team of attorneys working pro bono at Goodwin Procter, LLP. "We are disappointed that the Court's reasoning in the Kentucky case did not produce the same conclusion in the Texas case."

In its decisions, the Supreme Court held that the context in which the display is placed is paramount. According to the Court, the courtroom displays in Kentucky were placed with an expressed purpose to promote the Judeo-Christian faith.

"If the factual surroundings of the Ten Commandments displays are critical to their constitutionality," said Nikhil Joshi, Esq., member of the Hindu American Foundation Board of Directors, "Then HAF, and similar organizations protecting the views of other major religious traditions, must remain vigilant to ensure that the separation of church and state enshrined in our Constitution is never violated."

Despite the split decision in these cases, Shukla and Joshi expressed satisfaction that HAF's efforts in this case were recognized. "To have the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain perspective acknowledged by the highest court is a first for our community," said Ms. Shukla. "HAF will endeavour to ensure that a Hindu voice is heard in dialogues of national import."

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3. Elephanta Caves - A Sixth Century Saivite Site Needing Better Care

www.indianexpress.com

MUMBAI, INDIA, June 13, 2005: Ancient sixth century Saivite caves about seven miles from Mumbai on a quiet island have become a focus in India's political arena. The Elephanta Caves boast a main cave that the news release says has a three-headed Sadashiva, a dozen highly detailed sculpture panels, and a Siva Lingam shrine, all patterned in a complex Hindu mandala geometry. Presently the caves have a meagre 320,000 visitors a year. Transportation to the island is via diesel powered boats that provide a rough ride and the subsequent train ride to the caves is less than comfortable. The article explains, "The caves remain only almost a world class tourist complex, while an exhaustive plan for the sustainable development of the entire 1.98-sq km island, prepared in 2003 by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), languishes on official tables. INTACH plans include drawing up a plan to fight seepage in the main cave hall and developing more aesthetic modes of transportation for tourists as well as providing shaded walkways, street furniture, memento shops and a better-kept museum."

The news release explains other challenges affecting the progress, "Waste from the JNPT's ships, ship-breaking activities, and oil and chemical industries along the Thane creek have almost killed the mangroves on one side of the caves. The longterm impact on the fragile caves and rock sculptures is anybody's guess. Also, for anybody working on Elephanta's development, logistics is a huge quandary. During the 1998-99 cleaning and restoration of the caves, if anybody forgot a roll of tape or a pack of nails, it meant a day's work lost, until the items could be fetched from Mumbai."

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4. Ramayana a Hit At UK Music Festival

Rakesh Mathur

ENGLAND, June 28, 2005: Aldeburgh Festival of Music and the arts is 58 years old. Established by the renowned English composer, Benjamin Britten, in the beautiful natural surroundings of Suffolk, the festival has traditionally served the Western music industry and its audience in the most high brow way. A group of international journalists were invited recently to the festival to witness its growth and expansion. The most remarkable experiment that was carried out this year has something to do with the Hinduism.

For the first time in its history, a non-Western production of Ramayana was presented to a discerning audience by the South Bank Gamelan players. The gamelan is the ensemble of percussion instruments on which the traditional music of Java and Bali is played. A complete Javanese court style gamelan comprises two sets of instruments. In Java, gamelan often accompanies poetry, dance and theatre such as dance drama, and shadow puppet plays.

At Aldeburgh festival, the performance of Ramayana brought much needed relief to the festival. It attracted younger audience and in a way, helped created a new audience. The average age of the audience of the Aldeburgh festival is 60+ years and they seem to have set notions about the Western classical and new music. But this year, a performance of Ramayana showed a different dimension of the multicultural Britain.

According to Jonathan Reekie, the Chief Executive of the festival, the last episode of Ramayana, "The Final Battle" was an important program in the festival's educational efforts. "Its popularity went beyond all our expectations," he said. Jonathan Reekie used to visit India when his father worked for the British High Commission in New Delhi. He learnt a great deal about the Indian culture and religion there. It is hoped that under his leadership, Aldeburgh festival would include more programs related to the Hindu religion and history.

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