1. Yoga Offers Kashmir Troops Peace of Mind
2. Navya Shastra Organizations Calls for Fairer View in California Textbooks

1. Yoga Offers Kashmir Troops Peace of Mind

in.today.reuters.com

SRINAGAR, INDIA, February 1, 2006: On a cold winter morning a group of Indian soldiers, hardened by months spent fighting Islamic militants in revolt-hit Kashmir, assemble in a camp hall for their first briefing of the day. There is no senior officer to dictate anti-insurgency tactics presiding over the get-together, but in his place sits a yoga guru tasked with trying to settle frayed nerves and relieve stress in the ranks. Relaxing body and mind is a serious business in this troubled Himalayan region, where a separatist revolt has left tens of thousands dead since 1989, and where the security forces are regularly targeted by Muslim guerrillas -- and occasionally by their own depressed colleagues. Indian authorities say yoga sessions are helping ordinary soldiers and officers, who daily face extreme danger operating in difficult terrain and in freezing temperatures, reduce mental and physical stress. "Any battalion which is inducted in the Kashmir valley for CIOPs (counter-insurgency operations) first has to undergo yoga classes at corps battle school," Lieutenant Colonel V.K. Batra, an army spokesman told Reuters. "In Kashmir pressure, tension and stress is always there so jawans (soldiers) need to know how to relax," he said.

Amid Kashmir's mountains and passes, stress can kill. Last week a soldier ran amok in a camp in Srinagar, shooting dead four colleagues, the latest in a series of fatal incidents. Local media have reported that up to 100 troops have been killed by depressed or out of control security personnel. Others have committed suicide. "Depressive disorders are common among security force personnel in Kashmir," said Syed Abinah Nawaz, a doctor at Kashmir's only psychiatric hospital. "Long hours on duty, living away from home under constant threat to their lives is causing heavy stress."

There are an estimated half-a-million Indian troops and police in Jammu and Kashmir, mainly Hindu India's only Muslim-majority state. The force -- which includes men and women from all over India -- began anti-militancy operations last year, and is stationed in Srinagar and other towns in Kashmir. "The daily yoga exercises have certainly helped our troops who are facing a hostile environment," said Rakesh Kumar, a senior officer with India's Central Reserve Police Force, a paramilitary unit. "It is a part of daily routine for them now and part of the training curriculum." The security forces are trained by yoga teachers from the Mumbai-based Art of Living Institute, run by one of India's leading spiritual gurus, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, which also works with prison inmates and young people in Kashmir. Officials say the violence involving soldiers and Muslim guerrillas is on the decline since India and Pakistan launched a peace process two years ago. But people are still being killed in regular gunbattles, occasional bomb blasts and attacks in the scenic region claimed by both India and Pakistan which has been the cause of two wars between the nuclear-armed neighbors. "It is an alien place for me," said CRPF officer Ram Prasad, dressed in battle fatigues which include a 25 kg (55 lb) flak jacket. "Most of the locals here don't talk to us and there is a communication problem. And there is always fear of an attack." "But yoga is helping a lot, at the end of exercise you are a relaxed person," Prasad said, his eyes jerking nervously left and right as he patrols a street in the heart of Srinagar.

2. Navya Shastra Organizations Calls for Fairer View in California Textbooks

www.shastras.org

TROY, MICHIGAN, USA, February 2, 2006: (HPI received this press release from Navya Shastra organization.)

Navya Shastra, the international Hindu reform organization, has called for a broader representation of Hindu traditions and a fairer treatment of Dalits in California textbooks.

The current version of the school textbooks equates Hinduism with a monolithic reading of the Vedic tradition, which has historically been interpreted in many ways. In addition, Hinduism is comprised of several strands that might appropriately be described as non-Vedic, such as Vira Shaivism, Tantra and tribal traditions. By equating Hinduism with the Vedic tradition, the California school board would be endorsing a narrow formulation of a multifaceted and inclusive faith tradition, the vast majority of whose adherents have never read or recited Vedic texts, though they might proclaim nominal allegiance to them.

Navya Shastra recognizes that activists are currently limited to proposing edits to existing texts, but we feel that we must protest the constraint, because the Hinduism sections are extremely poor to begin with. Many commentators have noted the wild distortions and falsities, misplaced pictures and even sarcasm in the textbooks. Navya Shastra strongly suggests that future textbooks be written with the consultation of scholars who have also had an experiential understanding of the religion.

Navya Shastra is also dismayed that the school board is considering redacting out any mention of Dalits. While the former untouchables of India have been called or call themselves many things, including Avarna and Harijan, the term Dalit is increasingly considered an empowering symbol of unity among a section of the former untouchables, including those who still retain their Hindu affiliation, and eliding their identity must be viewed as an act of upper-caste hegemony.

Navya Shastra also requests that the school board recognize the positive contribution of Dalits to Hinduism, and strongly suggests replacing the photo of the Dalit performing a menial task in one book with a photo that illustrates a Dalit immersed in a faith practice. For while the caste system has treated many Hindus very unfairly, the liberating resources of the tradition that affirm the equal worth and dignity of all beings should also be presented. We firmly believe that a child is fully capable of comprehending a balanced presentation of religion without becoming disillusioned with her faith. In addition, all religious traditions must be treated in the same manner.

Navya Shastra exhorts the school board to look beyond Indian nationalist politics, which has unfortunately become an issue in the controversy, and to remember that what is at stake is not any Indian political position, but rather the depiction of a world religion with two million American followers.