11,000 people embraced to Buddhism in Ahmedabad

Close to 11,000 people, including those from the Koli and Kshatriya communities as well as Christian families, embraced Buddhism at a function in Saijpur Bogha here on Sunday. Buddhist monks from Bhante Pragnyasheel administered the pledges to the new converts. The Ahmedabad district collector, however, said no conversion could be effective unless an official permission was granted.



“Five Hindu Dalit families that had earlier converted to Christianity also converted to Buddhism at the function,” said Balkrishna Anand, convenor of the Bauddh Dhamma Deeksha Angikar Abhiyan (Gujarat). “We were working on the event for the last few months, touring many districts and conducting meetings to mobilise people,” he said, adding that in all, 350 meetings were held to spread the message across the state.



Maintaining that nearly 11,000 people converted to Buddhism at the function, Anand said the neo-converts had come from places as far as Patan, Surendranagar, Rajkot, Vadodara, Junagadh and Mehsana. Renowned Buddhist leader Kalpana Saroj was the chief guest at the function, which was presided over by five Buddhist monks from various parts of the country.
Asked whether an official permission was sought to carry out the conversions, the convenor said applications for conversion were submitted in the respective districts and they were under process.

Ahmedabad District Collector Hareet Mehta, however, said he did not have details of the applicants off hand.

On the occasion, the Vadodara-based Buddhist Mahasabha urged the state government to work towards inception of the Buddhist relic at M S University into a stupa.

“The state government, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation and M S University should join hands to execute the project with help from Acharya Satyanarayan Goenka of Mumbai, who had set up a grand pagoda,” a memorandum of the Mahasabha to the CM read

50 Vietnamese artisans will carve the world’s largest statue of Buddha

World largest jade statue of Buddha to be made in Vietnam

50 Vietnamese artisans will carve the world’s largest statue of Buddha at a weight of 16 tonnes from a 35-tonne jade block measuring 3m tall, 2.15m wide and 2.2m deep.
An opening ceremony for the project was held by the Than Chau Ngoc Viet Gemstone and Jewelry Company in the northern province of Hai Duong on January 18 in the presence of State President Nguyen Minh Triet, officials of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha and representatives of Indian Buddhism.

Addressing the ceremony, President Triet thanked the family of Dao Trong Cuong, who owned the Than Chau Ngoc Viet company, for their effort in obtaining this giant jade block from Myanmar.

The State president expressed his wish that the statue will serve religious practices not only in Vietnam but also all over the world.

When it is completed in two years’ time, the sculpture will be registered for the Guinness Records.

Behenjee Gifted With A Plot On The Moon On Her Birthday

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) partymen went to the farthest extent to please "Behenji" Mayawati on her 54th birthday. BSP leader from Kanpur, Mahendra Singh Sengar presented her with a special and unique gift – three acre plot on the moon!

Sengar said that he bought the lunar plot from US-based Lunar Republic Society. He added that the society openly sells plots on the moon and has its registration paper duly signed by its member-secretary Margaret Hayes Barton. However, the papers did not show the price for the plot. He denied mentioning the price for the plot.

He said, "How does it matter how much it cost me; when I am gifting the plot to my most revered Behenji, its price is immaterial. It is the feeling that matters.”

Mayawati, who generally celebrates her birthday in the most extravagant way, observed her birthday in a simple way this time. Moreover, she declared welfare programmes and development schemes worth a whopping Rs.7,312 crore (Rs.70.3 billion).

Narendra Modi to Construct Buddhist temple, religion study centre in state

Buddhism was born in this country, which makes me a son of India, born to Tibetian parents” is how the Dalai Lama described himself as he inaugurated the three-day International Seminar on Buddhist Heritage here on Friday.
On the occasion, Chief Minister Narendra Modi announced to start a centre for religion studies at M S University.

Modi also announced to construct a Buddhist temple in the state. “This will not just be a place of worship or a revenue generation exercise to attract tourists, but also be developed as a centre of research on Buddhist philosophy,” he said.

Earlier in the day, the Dalai Lama paid a visit to Lord Buddha body relics found during an excavation at Devnimori conducted by the Department of Archaeology.

The Dalai Lama said, “Amid the growing technology in the 21st Century, there is also growth in the desire for peace. In such a situation, religion in its different forms teaches.



Vadodara: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated International Buddhist Convention in Vadodara. The three-day seminar will focus on Buddhist heritage in Gujarat.

Speaking about the significance of Buddhism in today’s scenario at the inauguration ceremony, Modi said, “Buddhism is now more significant as we live in a world full of conflicting interests, which then pose nagging threat to the world peace.”

Linking Gujarat’s history with Buddhism, the Gujarat Chief Minister noted: “It will be news to many, but during the times of Maitraka kings there were more than 13,000 monks in Gujarat. We also had one of the greatest Buddhist universities ‘Vallabhi Buddhist University’ in Vallabhi pur in Gujarat during that period.”

“I consider that this seminar is the first in the series of initiatives we are painstakingly planning to undertake in order to locate Gujarat in the context of Buddhism,” he added.

The seminar is being held at the Maharaja Sayaji University, Baroda, and will focus on the Budhhist heritage, recently excavated in Gujarat after a research by the university researchers.

Also present on the occasion was His Holiness The Dalai Lama, who stressed that Buddhism is the religion of peace and its teachings are very relevant at time when the world is sitting at the threat of global terrorism.

I can’t say Buddhism is the best religion: Dalai Lama
Speaking at the function, the Dalai Lama said: “Twentieth century was the most important century in the world history as a lot of inventions took place in it. But on the other hand nearly 20 crore people were killed in wars and conflicts.”

He further said: “The 21st century is no different and it is a matter of grave concern because this is the century of economy and financial powers.”

Stressing on the need of non-violence, the Dalai Lama said: “When America bombed Iraq, thousands of protestors across the globe took to streets and that shows that desire for peace is still alive.”

The seminar was very well managed by the university students working as volunteers.

Also present at the seminar were, Bhutan’s Minister of Works and Human Settlement, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba who was the chief guest; His Holiness Ogyen Drodul Trinley Dorje, the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa; Swami Dayanand Saraswati, University chancellor Dr Mrunalini Devi Puar; Maha Bodhi Society of India, Dr Bhupendra Kumar Modi apart from other eminent Buddhist leaders across the globe.

Opposition Parties prevented me from getting PM’s post’ - Mayawati

Lucknow The Opposition joined forces in the Lok Sabha elections so that a Dalit does not occupy the chair of the country’s Prime Minister, Chief Minister Mayawati, who turned 54 on Friday, says in her latest book.
“The reason behind these parties reaching a covert understanding during the confidence vote sought by the Central government on the Indo-US nuclear deal was to stop me from becoming the Prime minister,” Mayawati writes in the fifth volume of her book A travelogue of my struggle ridden life and BSP movement — excerpts of which were released by her on Friday.

Terming as country’s “misfortune” that dynastic rule and politics of nepotism were still prevalent, Mayawati laments that it was not only encouraged in an “aggressive” manner but “unethical” alliances were also formed by different parties against the daughter of a Dalit, thereby trampling upon wishes of the general public.

On the construction of grand memorials and parks in the state, she writes that they are not to the liking of the Congress-led government at the Centre and the Opposition shows the “animosity” towards her.

In the 1,100 page book whose Hindi and English versions have been released simultaneously, Mayawati writes that though her birthdays are dedicated to the BSP movement, it has never been liked by the Opposition. They are against the poor and the weaker sections of society and the supporters of capitalists, she added

KG Balakrishnan: People's advocate

By: Shloka Nath/ Forbes India
KG Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India, was once a member of the downtrodden class. Today, he is their voice

In 1997, the Kerala High Court created ripples across the nation by ruling that state-sponsored lock-outs, or bandhs, were illegal as they interfered with individual liberties and caused substantial economic loss to the nation. Until then, several state governments have behaved as if it was within their right to shut down the society whenever their political masters wished. The ruling broke that cruel comfort. A decade later, the Supreme Court used the judgement in its own ruling against bandhs.
The man who delivered the Kerala judgement was none other than K.G. Balakrishnan, who later became India’s first chief justice from the Dalit community. The judgement not only empowered the silently suffering masses to rise against the culture of forced bandhs, but also showed the sensitivity of a man who had come from an underprivileged background and used the judiciary as a tool to fight for civil rights.


It was quite natural, then, for the present dispensation in Delhi to pick Balakrishnan to lead the most ambitious reforms of the judiciary in independent India. The law ministry has come out with a roadmap to reduce the average span of litigation from the current 15 years to three years, and entrusted Balakrishnan with the task of achieving that.
It is an irony that “Bala”, as a young Balakrishnan was known to family and friends, was supposed to become a doctor and not a lawyer. His father, K.J. Gopinathan, desperately wanted one of his eight children, preferably Bala, the second one, to take up medicine. This was his hope of emancipation for the family, which belonged to the ostracised “Pulaya” caste and had little access to education.
But fate made Balakrishnan a healer of a different kind. He studied law because he saw that as an opportunity to cure social ills. A successful stint in practice elevated him to judicial ranks and throughout his career, Balakrishnan’s rulings have restored the equality of people wherever it had been damaged.


India’s courtrooms are littered with examples of delay and dithering. And this tardy legal process with its current backlog of over 30 million cases has already taken a huge toll. The old adage “justice delayed is justice denied” rings truer nowhere else. “We cannot have this much of delay at any cost. It should be reduced,” a very worried Balakrishnan had said at a recent conferene in Bangalore. He warned policymakers that people will revolt if the delays continued and the legal system would collapse under the pressure. Not the kind of words that any judge would make. And that passion is what sets apart Justice Balakrishnan.


However, the task ahead is immensely difficult. The initiative provides for a National Arrears Grid to compile accurate data about pending cases. It also includes temporary appointment of more high-court and lower-court judges to ease the congestion. But convincing everyone will be a tortuous affair. “The vision statement, it is good as a set of goals and expectations – it helps fix your sights a bit – but one should not only be content with vision statements,” says constitutional expert Fali S. Nariman. “You have to have a way to implement those goals.”


From the backwaters
His poor background and the lack of schools willing to take a Dalit child in, young Balakrishnan would walk five kilometres to the government school every day. He was a good student. In the 4th grade, he got a double promotion and went straight to the 6th grade. His father, a humble clerk in the district court, was delighted. He earned just Rs.15 each day, but he wanted his children to have the best education, and his son’s academic success was a step toward fulfilling that goal.


“Though my father was only a matriculate and my mother had her schooling up to the seventh standard, they wanted to give their children the best education,” Justice Balakrishnan recalled in an interview.


Balakrishnan worked his way up without the benefit of reservations; in educational institutions or in government jobs. “In fact, when I joined the service, I didn’t deserve any sort of reservation. At that time, the benefit of reservation was not even available. But there were many people who helped me when the caste prejudice was at its peak,” he says in an interview published in 2007.


Balakrishnan earned his bachelor’s degree in law in 1968. He went on to secure the first rank at the master’s course in law from the Government Law College at Ernakulam. His teacher, T.P. Kelu Nambiar, remembers Balakrishnan vividly. “He was a very quiet student. You couldn’t always feel his presence in the room. But I soon realised it was not because he was lost in his own world but because he was very attentive and studious.”


He steadily rose through the ranks to be appointed a judge of the Kerala High Court in 1985 and to the Supreme Court in 2000, after serving stints as Chief Justice of the Gujarat and Madras high courts.


GENTLE GIANT
One of his landmark judgements came in 2001, when Justice Balakrishnan ordered that the mid-day meal program in schools become a statutory requirement. This order brought relief to millions of poor children who had to discontinue their studies due to poverty.


Courtsy: Forbes

Talibanis r destroying Buddhist Heritage

TAXILA, Pakistan — Archaeologists warn that the Taliban are destroying Pakistan's ancient Gandhara heritage and rich Buddhist legacy as pilgrimage and foreign research dries up in the country's northwest.

"Militants are the enemies of culture," said Abdul Nasir Khan, curator of Taxila Museum, one of the premier archaeological collections in Pakistan.

"It is very clear that if the situation carries on like this, it will destroy our culture and will destroy our cultural heritage," he told AFP.

Taxila, a small town around 20 kilometres (13 miles) south of Islamabad, is one of Pakistan's foremost archaeological attractions given its history as a centre of Buddhist learning from the 5th century BC to the 2nd century.

Violence is on the rise in Pakistan as Taliban bombers and gunmen strike with increasing frequency and intensity in the cities of North West Frontier Province and around the capital Islamabad.

"Even in Taxila we don't feel safe. The local administration has warned us about a possible attack on this museum. We have taken some extra security precautions but they aren't sufficient and we lack funds," said Khan.

"For weeks we don't get even a single foreign visitor. If visitors don't come, if sites are not preserved and protected, if research stops, what do you think will be the future of archaeology?" he said.

In March 2001, Taliban militants in neighbouring Afghanistan blew up two 1,500-year-old Bamiyan Buddha statues in defiance of international appeals.

The Islamist militia has since spread into Pakistan. Their opposition to music, art, dance, girls' education and idolatry makes archaeologists fear that Pakistani Buddhist relics are in the eye of the storm.

Italian archaeologists were active in Pakistan's northwest Swat valley from 1956 until they reluctantly discontinued work in 2007 after Taliban fighters led by radical cleric Maulana Fazlullah rose up demanding sharia law.

"It is not planned to carry on any research activity," Luca Olivieri, co-director the Italian archaeological mission in Pakistan, told AFP by email.

After 17 years as curator in Swat, Khan took no risks. With the Taliban killing and bombing their way through the valley, the museum closed in 2008 and he evacuated the most priceless antiquities.

That September, the Taliban twice tried to blow up 7th century Buddhist relics -- damaging a rock engraved with images of Buddha that for centuries had been a pilgrimage site.

This year, the rebels marched to within 100 kilometres (60 miles) of Islamabad, precipitating a major military operation in the northwest district and followed up with a current offensive in South Waziristan.

"This is the worst time for archaeology. Militancy has affected it very badly. There were 15-20 foreign missions working in this field, now this research has completely stopped," Khan told AFP.

He says the army has requisitioned the museum building in Swat's main town of Mingora. Despite the summer offensive, which appears to have flushed out Taliban havens in Swat for now, he doubts life will soon return to normal.

"I don't see any chance in the near future of re-opening the Swat museum. The situation is still not suitable.

"The museum building was badly damaged in a bomb blast. The display cases are broken and the building needs complete renovation," he said.

"There is still fear in people's minds but I hope that the army will succeed in bringing back normalcy," he added.

The situation is not much better further south.

Peshawar, the troubled capital of northwest Pakistan known for its Buddhist heritage and archaeology, used to attract thousands of tourists but security fears and bomb attacks make it a no-go area for foreigners.

Its museum is open, but one gate has been sealed and cement barricades outside the second allow only pedestrians to enter.

"For a year and a half, foreign tourists have completely stopped visiting this part of Pakistan," Qazi Ijaz, an official at Peshawar museum, told AFP.

"The nucleus of the Gandhara civilization in Swat is closed and that was their main interest," he said.

"The tourist companies have closed. Foreign visitors have stopped coming and museums with monuments and other archaeological sites look deserted," he added.

There are about 10 museums in northwest Pakistan, including one under construction to protect Kalash culture in the Chitral valley, where a Greek volunteer was kidnapped in September and reportedly smuggled to Afghanistan.

The fair skin and light eyes of the Kalash inspire academic speculation that they descend from an ancient Middle Eastern population or soldiers of Alexander the Great's army which conquered the area in the fourth century BC.