BALI, INDONESIA, September 2, 2004: Our thanks to Ved Chaudhary for supplying the contact information (”source”_ for the upcoming Hindu youth summit in Bali:



The website announcement reads: Dear Hindu Brothers & Sisters all around the world. On behalf of the national committee of World Hindu Youth Summit 2004 , please let us inform you that you can check our official website for this world event: http://www.worldhinduyouth.com/. This summit will be held on Bali Island, Indonesia, November 26 to30, 2004. Delegates can be enrolled through October. The summit will discuss religion, dharma, interfaith, global politics, economy, social issues, education, seva, and networking. The goal is to create the World Hindu Youth Organization and select representatives for every continent and country. We will see you in Bali Island, island of Gods, island of Hindu dharma.



Shri A A Ngrh Arya Wedakarna MWS, SE (MTRU)

President Organizing Committee of WHYS

http://www.worldhinduyouth.com

wedakarna_mahendradatta.com

vedanta.wedakarna@web.de

PURI ALIT MAHENDRADATTA BALI

Jalan Ken Arok No.10 - 12 Denpasar - Bali - Indonesia 80115

phone : +62.361.434827 - fax : +62.361.226929

contact person : +62.811396028

CHANDIGARH, INDIA, September 2, 2004: Respected as rakshaks (protectors) of the entire country, many of them did not sport a rakhi on Raksha Bandhan (festival in which sisters give their brothers a colored thread to wear around their wrist, symbolizing protection and the bond between them), fearing it would damage the secular fabric of the Indian Army. In the wake of instructions issued by the Army early this year regarding the need to maintain a strict dress code and a secular image, it was assumed that the colorful threads of rakhi did not go well with the olive green of the military uniform. An Army major did not wear his rakhi till the time he changed into his civvies. “I didn’t want to take a chance. The directive issued by the army headquarters instructs us not to sport sacred threads,” he said. Reaffirming its secular credentials, the army had earlier ordered its personnel not to sport religious symbols such as bracelets, birthstone rings, vermilion streaks or sacred threads. Caution was the watchword among soldiers, though one can hardly insert a particular religious ideology into the system by tying a rakhi around the wrist. But the code of discipline is the cornerstone of army tradition that has to be defended anyhow, some might argue. A colonel said while there were no specific instructions to avoid the festival, he felt it was expected of army personnel to be of strong secular convictions. “In any case, saluting your superiors with a rakhi tied on your wrist is a bit awkward,” he said. At some units, the choice of wearing a rakhi was left to the troops. However, it was verified during the morning muster on Tuesday that the rakhis were gone. Western Command hospital commandant Maj Gen S K Kaul told The Times of India that the staff had been instructed not to wear rakhis after the festival was over. A few Army officers wore rakhis “because theirs weren’t gaudy, but plain looking threads that kept up the spirit of the festival without defying the code.” A captain said he put on his rakhi in the morning to mark the festival but removed it before leaving for office.



For comparison, click here, a report on how Christmas was celebrated by American troops in Iraq.

MUMBAI, INDIA, August 30, 2004: With just over a month to go before polling day in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena has found another issue to attack the Congress party- this time it is the alleged harassment of Bhajan mandals on Mumbai’s local trains by the city’s railway police. Shiv Sainiks sang the state song on a packed Goregaon-Churchgate local in protest against what they call is an unjust crackdown on the city’s bhajan mandals that sing daily on the city’s local trains. The railway police have been fining the groups on grounds that the singing disturbs other commuters. But the Shiv Sena has taken it as an attack on Hinduism.



A common feature on Mumbai locals, Bhajan Mandals have been around since the 60s. The groups consist of regular commuters who spend their journey time, singing bhajans (religious songs) to the beats of cymbals and brass bells. But the practice became a controversy after the Muslim League said they wanted to sing qawaalis on trains. The railways turned down the application fearing a confrontation between the two groups and asked the bhajan mandals to stop.



In a sudden turnaround the government appears to be taking a more tolerant stand and does not seem to be in a hurry to take any action. “Let the sainiks sing bhajans. That is all they have left to do,” said R R Patil, Home Minister. The decision on the qawaali groups however, is still pending.

PUNJAB, INDIA, September 6, 2004: In Kapurthala district of Punjab, Baba Balbir Singh Seechewal is popularly called the “ecological saint.” Seechewal is on a unique mission to clean up the 110-mile-long Kali Bein rivulet and shore up its embankment. While the state government couldn’t afford to undertake the task due to the sheer scale of effort and resources required, 42-year-old Seechewal, who heads a little-known religious sect, mobilized the residents of villages close to the lost rivulet for kar seva by invoking its religious sanctity, says this article. Seechewal launched into the project for the revival of the Kali Bein at Sultanpur Lodhi, where Guru Nanak spent time and is believed to have attained enlightenment while bathing in the Bein. With the religious and historical significance of the rivulet forgotten, it had turned into a weed-choked, garbage dump.



Three years ago, Seechewal began by cleaning the 2-mile-long, stretch of the Bein between two historic gurdwaras at Sultanpur Lodhi. In less than two years the ugly site was turned into a beautiful landscape. But the fresh water still eluded the Bein because its source had long dried up. This changed when Seechewal mobilized his followers and local people. Soon villages, pitched in with workers and machinery. The volunteers manually removed hundreds of tons of water hyacinth, while the farmers used their tractors to dredge out the silt from the bottom to widen and deepen the Bein’s course. For the first time in living memory, the Bein gurgled with water in June last year. “Having cleaned the Bein themselves, the people will not let it become polluted or go dry again,” says Seehewal. The ecological benefits from the Bein’s revival are evident. The drying up of the one-time perennial channel had led to waterlogging in the villages upstream, while the catchment areas downstream witnessed a steady decline in the water table. The trend has been reversed since fresh water started flowing in it. Seechewal is now focusing on the next phase of the kar seva on the last 8-mile stretch beyond Sultanpur Lodhi.

USA, September 2, 2004: Skipping Stones: the multicultural magazine edited by a born-again Hindu, Arun Narayan Toke, is suggesting that educators, schools, institutions and communities everywhere observe September 11 as a Day of Dialogue; a day to acknowledge and celebrate our differences!



Writes Toke:

When we listen to others, when we know their stories, they are no longer strangers. Becoming active peacemakers by learning about one another, we can make the world a safer place for all of us. September 11 can be a day for listening, reflection, understanding and commitment to change for the common good. It can serve as a tool to learn nonviolent ways and language, to ask for forgiveness when needed, and to always aid and support each other. Working to establish peace in our homes, communities and schools is one way to create hope for the world’s future. Let’s make it a day when we strive to communicate openly and harmoniously with others in our own communities, across our nation and beyond. Let us forge new bonds of friendships and understanding, the surest way to a lasting peace.



* Declare September 11th as a Day of Dialogue in your home, school and

community.

* Organize activities such as panel discussions, storytellers or guest

speakers

* Share with others your ideas for facilitating an intercultural /

interfaith dialogue.

* Write to Skipping Stones for our free Educator’s Resource Packet for

planning an International Day of Dialogue on September 11, 2005.



For more information, contact: Arun Narayan Toke at “source.”