Kamis, 24 Februari 2011

Pakistani Hindus narrate 'citizenship' woes in India

By Dr. Radhe Shyam Kumar (Executive Editor)
Thursday, February 24, 2011

(Photo : India_country_map )

NEW DELHI : Uttam Puri is blind, wears saffron and sings bhajans. Four years ago, when Puri was residing in a temple in Amarkot in Pakistan's Punjab province, he was asked to pay rupees one lakh or convert to Islam. He fled to Sanchor, Rajasthan, arriving on a tourist visa. He asked for an extension, was denied and subsequently spent three years, first in a Sanchor jail and then at the Jodhpur Central Jail.

Many Pakistan's Hindus who've fled to India for fear of losing their religion find themselves in another set of predicaments here. They're not granted refugee status. They come on tourist visa but extensions, like in the case of Puri, are difficult to secure. Those who have been here a long time and have been granted long term visas would apply for citizenship except the fees are too high for families of daily wage workers.

Jodhpur-based HS Sodha, who heads the Seemant Lok Sangathan, which helps these refugees, says citizenship was easier for the first batch of about 10,000 who arrived after the 1965 war. After 1971, one lakh Hindus fled Pakistan but things wouldn't be easy for them. India government agreed to send them back, Pakistan accepted. It was all peachy except they forgot to ask the refugees themselves; they refused to go back. They spent six years in camps and were then granted citizenship. However, there were about 17,000 who weren't in the camps; their visas expired and subsequently, their Pakistani passports. This group is, in effect, stateless.

A similar group of about 125 families now resides in Haryana, a sizeable section in Sirsa. According to Rajendra Prasad Gupta who is fighting for their case, they came between 1992 and 1999 started right after BJP's Ram Janambhoomi movement heated things up for them in Pakistan. As things stand now, they don't officially belong to either country; many have married here and had kids who're Indians.

Daily Inspiration from Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)

By Purushottam Singh (PHP New York)
Thursday, February 24, 2011


He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
 Martin Luther King (1929-1968)

Minorities committee asks govt to properly pursue Taseer murder case, Pakistan

By Mohammad S.Solanki (Executive Editor)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
 (Photo : Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani a Chairman for Members of Standing Committee Minorities in Pakistan)
Islamabad : A Pakistani parliamentary panel has demanded that the government appoint a competent prosecutor to properly pursue the case related to the killing of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer by one of his police guards who was angered by his opposition to the controversial blasphemy law.

The demand was made by the committee on minorities of the National Assembly or lower house of Parliament, which also asked the government to ensure that the assassin is punished according to the law.

Committee Chairman Mahesh Kumar Malani said the whole panel condemned the killing of Taseer.

The panel strongly condemned the people who had celebrated Taseer's murder and expressed dissatisfaction over the fact that despite the existence of law, no one was properly following it in the country.

Taseer was gunned down in Islamabad last month by his police guard Mumtaz Qadri, who said he was angered by the politician's opposition to the blasphemy law and support for Asia Bibi, a Christian woman sentenced to death last year for allegedly insulting the Prophet Mohammed.

Qadri has been hailed as a hero by religious hardliners and some groups of lawyers.

No prosecutor appeared on behalf of the government during Qadri's initial appearances in court, apparently due to security concerns.

The committee on minorities observed a minute's silence for Taseer during a meeting yesterday and lauded his services to protect the rights of minority communities.

Addressing the meeting, Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti said Taseer's vision was to promote harmony and provide rights to every citizen of Pakistan.

Bhatti, a Christian, condemned the killing of the outspoken Governor and said Taseer raised his voice for the marginalised section of society.

He said Taseer had the courage to raise his voice against those forces who wanted to oppress minorities.

The committee also unanimously passed a resolution asking the government to increase the number of seats for minorities in the National Assembly in accordance with the census conducted in 1998.

NOTE : Dr.Mahesh Kumar Malani is a Pakistani Hindu politician, serving as an elected member of the National Assembly of Pakistan. Belonging to the ruling Pakistan People's Party, Malani currently serves as the chairman of the Standing Committee for Minorities.  He is also President of Pakistan Peoples Party Minority Wing of Sindh province and president of his party in District Tharparkar. His brothers late Motiram Malani and Late Jagdish Malani were also elected members of National Assembly of Pakistan and Provincial Assembly of Sindh respectively.

The PHP Team

Pollution of religion in Pakistan, By Dr. Manzur Ejaz

By PHP Staff
Thursday, February 24, 2011
(Photo : Dr. Manzur Ejaz in Pakistan)

Pakistan : The spirit of religion has been polluted so much that every sect considers the other as non-Muslim. Instead of spiritually uplifting individuals, irrespective of their religion and sect, religion has been turned into a power game, a political circus

Allama Iqbal himself probably did not appreciate the depth and practical dimension of his statement, “Deen-i-mullah fee sabeel Allah fasad” (the mullah’s religion is just creating frictions). And, when he preached that “Judaa ho deen siasat se to reh jati hai changezi” (if religion is separated from politics, it becomes barbarism), he was advocating being ruled by the mullahs. However, what he did not foresee was that mixing religion with politics would turn the socio-political discourse into the mullah’s domain, which would not bring anything but inter-sect conflicts, hatred and friction.

After daily repetition of “Judaa ho deen siasat se to reh jati hai changezi”, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) was able to massively infuse religion into politics. Additional help from the US for international jihad created the exact situation that Iqbal had implied in his poetry. There were thousands of shaheens (eagles) who wanted to run their horses into the Black Sea and beyond. These eagles ran their horses into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon, and all other pagan lands. But what has come of it all at the end of the day?

After heavily mixing doses of religion with politics, have we defeated the changezi (barbarism) system or have we, inadvertently, created just that? Just count the number of dead in suicide attacks and the destruction as a result of security operations against jihadi mullahs. Then, scan the religious landscape and see how many sects consider one another non-Muslims now, as opposed to before the Islamisation movement, how the poor non-Muslims have suffered under mullah shahi (rule of the clerics) and how social anarchy has wrecked Pakistani society.

Under the sway of mullah shahi, the rich and powerful have skimmed off the people with corruption and plundering. Some may ask what Islamisation has to do with corruption; the answer is that if two things happen simultaneously, there must be some correlation between them. In this case, the emergence of mullah shahi has changed societal priorities as allegations of blasphemy now become more important than discussing corruption and injustice. Have you seen any religious party demonstrating against the corruption of billions in almost every department?

By now it is clear that, most importantly, the spirit of religion has been polluted so much so that every sect considers the other as being non-Muslim. Instead of spiritually uplifting individuals, irrespective of their religion and sect, religion has been turned into a power game, a political circus. One can appreciate the wisdom of the founders of the US constitution, George Washington in particular, who argued that purity and spiritualism of religion can be maintained only by keeping it separate from politics. They wanted to save religion from trickeries, hypocrisies and the wheeling-dealing of politics. However, this point cannot be appreciated by our mullahs for whom religion is a profession as they have tasted the power of their political blackmailing.

The early proponents of secularist philosophy were the Sufis of the subcontinent who understood the dangers of the pollution of religion if it is mixed with politics. Therefore, on the one hand, they severely condemned the mullah’s profession and its damaging role in society and, on the other, they developed a strict policy, particularly the Chishtias, never to meet or relate to the royals. Their emphasis on a personal relationship with God or other deities was meant to eliminate the role of intermediaries, i.e. theocracy. Baba Farid and his disciple Nizamuddin are known to have refused to meet with the kings even when they were threatened with dire consequences.

These Sufis did not further any overt political agenda by design and emphasised the universal humanistic values that can create a better society. Like George Washington, they wanted to preserve the religious spiritualism of every religion. They knew this could be done only if they preached irrespective of religious denominations.

However, the tradition was diverse. The Chishtia were anti-establishment and the Bahauddin-led Suharwardia (headed by Shah Mahmood Qureshi these days) were pro the Delhi kings. Both schools adhered to the basic tenants of Islam, i.e. praying five times and performing all other mandatory Islamic duties. Wahabi propaganda that said the Sufis were bhangi charsi (drug addicts) had and has no basis. Only the Malamtia sect to whom Shah Hussain belonged was against the entire ambit of ritualistic religion. Shah Hussain’s pre-condition for initiation (mureedi) was to drink alcohol and shave the beard, moustaches, head hair and even eyebrows. In most cases, many were just intellectuals and thinkers following a certain mode of life that resembled Sufism. Many of us confuse the great classical Punjabi poets with the Sufi tradition.

By the end of the 18th or 19th century, the Sufi movement had come to a close and what were left were the rituals of the Barelvi mullahs and sajjada nasheens (holders of the saintly seat). The Sufi tradition could only survive in a multi-religious society, which Punjab and Sindh had before 1947. The purging of Hindus and Sikhs from Pakistan created an anti-Sufi environment. Therefore, it is not surprising at all that the followers of the Sufis, namely the Barelvis, have become just like the Wahabi and Deobandi maulvis. They could not avoid the dictates of the environment they lived in. In contrast, the Barelvis in India are much more tolerant of other religions because they have to live with them. More Hindus visit the Ajmer shrine of Moeenuddin Chishti than Muslims.

As a matter of fact, the Barelvis had abandoned the Sufi tradition long ago. They had become a ritualistic sect that considered khatam darood (rituals) as their basic distinction. The Sufi shrines had become the jagirs (estates) of sajjada nashins who were running them like feudal dynasties. This trend had started much earlier in history. Baba Farid and his ilk had refused to see kings and their men but his great grandsons joined the Tughlaqs and were awarded a huge estate in Pakpattan. It was a noteworthy estate when Ranjeet Singh conquered Punjab and he had to negotiate with the then sajjada nasheen.


The writer can be reached at manzurejaz@yahoo.com

Rabu, 23 Februari 2011

Sikhs cannot be clubbed as Hindus in India, Lesson for Hindus in Pakistan

By PHP Staff
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
(Photo : Map of Bangalore City in Karnataka State in India)

BANGALORE : Government's move to include Sikh religious institutions under the amendment to the Karnataka Hindu Religious Institutions and Charitable Endowments (Amendment) Act, 1997, has not gone down well with the community. Sri Guru Singh Sabha, a Sikh religion organization, has maintained that Sikhism, where idol worship is strictly prohibited, is separate from Hinduism.

"The gurdwaras come under the Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1925, and the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Act, 1971. Hence, Sikh gurdwaras cannot be clubbed under the KHRICE Act, 1997 and we cannot be clubbed as Hindus," Sabha's general secretary Harminder Singh said.

The amendment to the Act, which was approved by the cabinet on Thursday, considers Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists as Hindus and authorizes the government to scrutinize the accounts and money transactions of these religious organizations. The Jain and Buddhists association have already opposed the government's move.


Introduction : The historical interaction between Sikhism and Hinduism occurred because both were founded on the Indian Subcontinent and have the majority of their followers there.In the days of Mughal oppression, which intensified in the 18th century as the Sikhs openly defied Mughal leadership both local and upward, many Hindu families would offer their firstborn sons to join the Khalsa Army to aid in this cause.

Nanak, was born in a Hindu Khatri family. However, he declared that all are equal in the eyes of God in his famous proclamation "I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim." A unity between Hindus and Muslims under the teachings and revelations of the Guru. The Guru had some familiar and common beliefs as in Hindu concepts like Karma, Dharma, Reincarnation, and meditating on God's name to break the cycle of birth

In 1675 Aurangzeb caused the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. He had gone to Aurangzeb on behalf of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus), who requested him to plead against their forceful conversion and as a result Guru Tegh Bahadur is also honored by Hindus and the Guru Tegh Bahadur Martyrdom Day is also observed by many Hindus.

Also called "Sher-e-Punjab" ("The Lion of the Punjab") (1780–1839) was a Sikh emperor and the founder of Sikh Empire.Ranjit Singh crowned himself as the ruler of Punjab and willed the Koh-i-noor back to its original location at Jagannath Temple in Orissa while on his deathbed in 1839.

Similarities between Hinduism and Sikhism:

1.At the time of the Gurus, most North Indian families would remain "Hindu" while the eldest son was a "Sikh."Hindus enlisting their eldest sons in the Khalsa was done for protection against the Mughals.

2.The notion of dharma, karma, prasad, moksha and a belief in rebirth are very important for many Hindus and Sikhs as they make ethical decisions surrounding birth and death.

Differences between Hinduism and Sikhism:

1.Sikhism is a monotheistic religion; Sikhs believe there is only one God, who has infinite qualities and names. Hinduism is a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, monism and atheism.

2.The Guru Granth Sahib describes many Hindu deities like Shiva and Durga, as false illusions. Sikhs prefer not to worship in Hindu temples or go on Hindu pilgrimages.

3.1509: Guru Nanak's Declaration "I am not a Hindu, nor am I a Muslim" Alah rām kė pind parān.

Differences between Sikhism and specific Hindu traditions

NOTE : The worship of murtis (icons) is an important part of several Hindu traditions, such as Vaishnavism and Shaivism, although some Hindu denominations like Arya Samaj and Satya Mahima Dharma have rejected idol worship. Sikhs do not believe in worship of any sort of physical idol, symbol, picture, or statue.


— "ਦੇਵੀ ਦੇਵਾ ਪੂਜੀਐ ਭਾਈ ਕਿਆ ਮਾਗਉ ਕਿਆ ਦੇਹਿ ॥ ਪਾਹਣੁ ਨੀਰਿ ਪਖਾਲੀਐ ਭਾਈ ਜਲ ਮਹਿ ਬੂਡਹਿ ਤੇਹਿ ॥
O brother, you worship gods and goddesses. What can you ask of them and what can they give to you? O brother, the stones/idols you wash with water sink in water (in other words how could these stones help you cross the ocean of worldly temptations)"
Aad Guru Granth Sahib - page 637

 (Photo : In the Swami Narain Mandir complex in Karachi, Pakistan where a  Hindu community lives, a Gurdwara has been created for the small Sikh community)

Rajesh Pandit (PHP Islambad) : Sikhism can be considered part of Dharmic faith or Indian religion (Hinduism,Jainism and Buddhism) But is completely wrong to say Sikhs are Hindus because Guru Nanak (founder) said clearly that we (Sikhs) are neither Hindus or Muslims. They is agent need to start campaign for awareness among Hindus in Pakistan on this subject.

A.Randhawa (PHP Punjab) :
While presently Sikhs around world are very busy in promoting there distinct identity from Hindus or Hinduism as a religion, The ignorant Hindus in Pakistan still believe that Sikhism is a sect within Hinduism and have allowed Sikhs holy books,pictures to be installed at Hindu mandirs in throwout Pakistan. As a result many foolish Hindus have converted to Sikhism from actual Hinduism.

H.Dayal  (PHP NWFP or Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa) : During 1992 Hindu-Muslim tension due to Babri Mosque issue in India ,there was very harsh reaction in Pakistan and particularly in NWFP, Those days many Hindus either got converted into Islam or Christianity or Sikhism or opted for India. Sikhs in Peshawar have illegally occupied our 3 Hindu temples. I will request to all Hindus in Pakistan please please try to understand that Sikhism is different faith and its wrong to consider as a sect or integral part of Hinduism.

Jetendrra Kattri (PHP Balochistan) : Just in Quetta city a capital for Balochistan, where three Hindu temples have been permanently converted to Gurdwaras or Sikh temples in past 10 years, due to local Hindus who had promoted Sikhism in actual Hindu place of worship. Time has come when Pakistani Hindus should have mutual respects for different faiths like - Islam or Christianity or Sikhism, but not to follow them or convert into it rather should maintain there original Hindu identity.

Krishna Bheel (PHP Sindh) : The Lohana Hindu community in Sindh and rest of Pakistan is currently playing major role in promoting conversation of Hindus into Sikhism by installation of Sikhism at major historical Hindu temples like - Swami Narayan Temple (Build in 1849 by Sindhi Hindus) in Karachi just few years back. The Lohanas who keep their Hindu identity in Sindh are known as Sindhi Lohana. They also found in  Afghanistan, where they still maintain their Hindu religious identity and are known as Lokhathra.

The PHP Team

Hindus and Sikhs also wanted decision on Minority Affairs Ministry reversed, Pakistan

By PHP Staff
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
(Photo : 2009 A Delegation of Pakistsn Hindu Council (PHC) and Sikh Naujawan Sabha Pakistan met the Mr. Shahbaz Bhatti Federal Minister Of Minorities Affair Government of Pakistan & Chairman Sikh Naujawan Sabha Sardar Ramesh Singh Presenting a  Sindh Tradional Ajrak to Minister of Minorities Affairs Government of Pakistan Islamabad)

KARACHI - After the Pakistan Hindu Foundation (PHF), a representative body of Pakistani Hindus, demanded that the federal and provincial governments should immediately reverse the decision of merging the Minority Affairs Ministry with the Religious Affairs Ministry, the Sikhs have also suite.

Like the PHF, the Sikhs have also demanded that a high-level inquiry be launched against Sindh Minority Affairs Minister Mohan Lal Kohistani for “misappropriating ministry funds.” A representative body of the Sikh community in Sindh, Sikh Naujawan Sabah Pakistan (SNSP) in a meeting on Tuesday said that the government should include Kohistani’s name in the exit-control list and start an inquiry against him.

A large number of Sikhs from different cities attended the meeting. Addressing the occasion, SNSP president Sardar Ramesh Singh said that Sikhs were the third biggest minority of Sindh but were always ignored in developmental projects and in terms of security.

“The Sindh government has decided that Kohistani be reinstated even after proposed cuts in the size of the provincial cabinet under the 18th Amendment. We are surprised that after corruption of millions of rupees in the funds of financial assistance and development projects of Hindus temples, churches and Gurdwaras, how they could allow him to carry on,” said Singh.

He alleged that Kohistani had never visited any area or provided security to religious festivals of any minority communities. “Several temples and Gurdwaras were occupied recently and kidnapping of Sindhi Hindus for ransom is on the rise, but despite several requests Kohistani did nothing,” said the SNSP president.

Ashok Kumar a Pakistani Hindu of Samjhauta blast victims await relief, India

By PHP Staff
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
(Photo : 2007 A police officer looks at a burnt compartment of Samjhauta Express at Dewana,India)

NEW DELHI : The families of 16 people who could not be identified, even four years after the Samjhauta Express blast on February 18, 2007, have now asked the Indian and the Pakistani governments to rise above politics and compensate them.

"We have filed RTIs with the Northern Railway, which said 16 bodies are still unidentified. The Haryana police say relatives of these 16 people cannot make a claim before the railway tribunal until the DNA tests prove their identity. A separate RTI query to the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Hyderabad, reveals that all 63 bone and tissue samples sent by cops have been examined. Will these poor people never receive the Rs 10-lakh compensation," asks Ashok Randhwa, president of the South Asian Forum For People Against Terror.

It was this 23-year-old web designer's maiden visit to the country he had heard so much about from his uncle Ramesh Kumar (43), a dry-fruits merchant at Sialkot in Pakistan. Two years since that first visit, Ashok Kumar regularly comes to India with the hope that the innumerable surgeries by doctors here can finally fix his fingers again.

The duo is presently putting up at a relative's house in Tughlaqabad. "Neighbours here have been asking me how it feels to be a Hindu staying in Pakistan. I tell them that there are more than 120 Hindu families at Sialkot," Ramesh said

NOTE : If anyone has contact information of Ramesh Kumar a Tughlaqabad (Delhi/India) based who is relative of Ashok Kumar a Hindu resident of Sialkot (Punjab) in Pakistan. Please write us at namastepakistan@gmail.com.

The PHP Team

Selasa, 22 Februari 2011

Hindu Peasant Family in Private Jail of Landlord for 13 years, Pakistan

By Nazir S. Bhatti (PHP Executive Advisor)
Tuesday, February 22, 2011

(Photo : February 11, 2011, Protest demonstration by workers of Peace and Human Rights Trust for liberation for Muno Bheel family in front of Hyderabad Press Club,Pakistan)

Hyderabad : Muno Bheel belongs to minority (Hindu) community, and had worked on farmlands of influential landlord Abdul Rehman Mari of Jhol in district Sanghar along with his family for years. He is seeking recovery of his family held by landlord as bonded labour and kept in private jail since May 1998. His family was once recovered by police on order of Sindh High Court on petition of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan Sindh office in early 1998 but on 2nd May same year the landlord with his armed men raided home of Muno Bheel in village Jam Waryam Memon near Jhudo in Mirpurkhas district and kidnapped 9 members of his family who are missing since then.

Muno Bheel had filed case of kidnapping of his family including his elderly parents,wife, daughters and son at police station Jhudo in Mirpurkhas district wide crime number 35/98 but police took no action to recover the kidnapped peasant family. Since then he has run after post to pillar for recovery of his family and had observed the longest hunger strike in history of Pakistan in front of press club Hyderabad for 1287 days.

Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chowdhry had taken suo moto action in 2006 and had called to court Sindh chief secretary and Inspector General police, had ordered them to recover family of Muno Bheel yet Muno was still awaiting liberation of his family from private jail of landlord. Chief Justice had appointed DIG of Mirpurkhas division Rana Saleemullah Khan for recovery of Muno Bheel family and when, according to Rana, he was close to a place where this peasant family was kept, he was not only transferred but also suspended by then Sindh chief minister Arbab Rahim for the reason that if police put hands on landlord Mari his government might fall down as the Mari landlord is Khalifa of a politically influential Pir on whose support every successive government in Sindh survives.

In September 2003 an MPA of PPP Ghulam Qadir Chandio of Nawabshah district had raised voice for recovery of family of Munoo Bheel kept captive by landlord Mari and forced to work as bonded labour in Sindh Assembly. Then Sindh law minister Chowdhry Iftikhar ( from Sanghar district) had assured the house for early recovery of bonded family but since those days government has taken no step to get release of the family.

Meanwhile an human rights body Peace and Human Rights Trust filed a petition in Sindh high Court Hyderabad circuit bench against landlord Mari who had got bail from district court Mirpurkhas against FIR 35/98 of Jhudo police station. On plea of advocates of PHRT Rana Aslam and Justice ( retired) Rashid Rizvi , Sindh High Court cancelled bail of landlord who was then arrested in April 2006 and remained in Hyderabad central jail for 18 months. But yet police failed to recover family of Munoo Bheel from his private jail at his farm near Jhol town of district Sanghar. The landlords of Sindh are said to sell the peasants to their brethren landlords in Balochistan as such the family of Muno Bheel is also said to have been sold by Abdul Rehman Mari there.

Sindh being a feudal society, there is no procedure of any account of how much crop the peasant has raised and his share in it. And as is the practice that landlord provides ration to each peasant family as subsistence so that they can live and work for him as slaves. And at end of each crop tells them that the debt they had taken from him at time they had started working on his farms, has multiplied as such they are not allowed to leave his lands and have to work generation after generation to liquidate the debt that never comes to end. They are not allowed move out of landlord's farms and many are kept in chains and under tight security of armed men of landlord. The bonded or forced labour is modern form of slavery.Though there is law called

Sindh Tenancy Act under provisions of which landlord and peasant are to share production of crops on equal basis that is half share to each but the law is never implemented and Mukhtiarkar ( the land revenue officer of Tehsil) is the sole arbiter under the law who always takes sides with landlord.

In 1992 ( during rule of Nawaz Sharif) a law named Bonded Labour System Abolition Act was enacted yet the practice of bonded labour still continues in country and according to surevy conducted by Comrade Ramzan Memon of Bhandar Hari Sangat even today there are around 2 million bonded peasants working on agriculture farms of landlords in Sindh. The worst affected areas with regard to bonded labour in Sindh are districts of Sanghar, Mirpurkhas and Thar. Majority of bonded peasants who till lands of big landlords of lower Sindh districts above mentioned and whose families are kept in private jails belong to Hindu minority people of Bheel, Kolhi and Meghwar communities.

Various human rights organizations including Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Peace and Human Rights Trust,Green Rural Development Organization and others have liberated through courts thousands of bonded labour from farm lands of landlords as well as from brick klins. The liberated families are living in 5 Hari camps around Hyderabad namely Sikendarabad Hari camp,Mukhtar Rana Hari camp and Baba Salahuddin Hari camp near Kotri and at Husri and Azad Nagar near Hyderabad.

Aslam Rana advocate and president of Pakistan chapter of Peace and Human Rights Trust has said that under Bonded Labour System Abolition Act 1992 and rules framed under it the district governments were made responsible for liberation of bonded labour from their districts and for rehabilitation of liberated families including providing them homes, technical training to enable them to get jobs, schools and dispensaries at Hari camps but district governments of Hyderabad and Jamshoro have done nothing for rehabilitation of liberated Hari families who are living in Hari camps miserable life, many under open sky with no homes, no schools, no dispensary, no drainage, no jobs, no water for drinking and no electricity. Under such cirsumtances scores of liberated families finding to source of livelihood and no human basic need at Hari camps,had gone back to rural villages and engaged again by landlords to till their lands as bonded labour.

Dr. Ashothama, Sindh Coordinator of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has told that the commission can get release of bonded labour from private jails of landlords and brick klin owners through court orders obtained by their lawyers and with help of police but the commission has no resources for their rehabilitation. It was solely the responsibility of government ( be it federal, provincial or district) under Bonded Labour System Abolition Act and as the governement has no intention to implement this law like other laws, the poor peasant community of Sindh, Hindus and Muslims are destined to work as bonded labour and continue to serve the feudal lords by remaining in their private jails.

Their plight can end only when the Jagirdari and big land holdings are abolished and land distributed among the landless tillers. This is impossible for time being as these very big landlords and Jagiradars continue to rule the country since creation. In democracies landlords, being members of big political parties, are elected to assemblies and become members of cabinets while during military dictaorships they are sold easily to Generals and picked up to serve them in their cabinets.

The peasants had seen a ray of hope in MQM chief Altaf Hussain when he raises their voice in his public meetings by demanding abolition of Jagirdari system but within few days he succumbs to compromise under political considerations with feudal rulers.

Muno Bheel is living in a katcha home in Hari camp Sikendarabad near Kotri town of Jamshoro district along with around 300 other families of liberated peasants moslty of minority community in a condition without basic needs of life. At 60 he is still hopeful that one day he could he able to meet with his family he has not seen since 1998.

NOTE : PHP Staff are in touch with Mano Bheel (Hindu), if anyone has any comment, advise or can offer help is most welcome to write us at namastepakistan@gmail.com.

The PHP Team

Daily Inspiration from Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)

By PHP Staff
Tuesday, February 22, 2011


What is the secret of the true life? To remain still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly awake while in meditation. 
Dada Sadhu Vaswani

Hindu Prachar Kendra (HPK) Dedicates to Lord Rama in Trinidad

By PHP Staff
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
(Photo : Map of Trinidad-Tobago)
TRINIDAD/TOBAGO : (by Paras Ramoutar) Trinidad and Tobago's pioneering Hindu Prachar Kendra, located in Central Trinidad, has dedicated the Year 2011 in devotion to Lord Rama, the hero of the Ramayana. Titled, Shri Rama Saadhanna, it will host 27 sessions of spiritual practice in an attempt to reignite the teaching, message and life of Lord Rama.

The Kendra was founded by Shri RaviJi (who) over 40 years ago, spent over a decade in spiritual, social and religious service across India. Geeta Vhani, spiritual leader, said that Shri Rama Saadhanaa will take the form of spiritual sessions of mantras, poojas and rigid spiritual discipline.

'Participants will find a fraternity of fellow devotees for mutual support and enlightenment as it will afford personal cleansing, personal peace, stability, repentance, family well-being and personal development. It is also an opportunity to learn ancient scriptures and it is a worthy opportunity for all of us to tune ourselves internally, to ignite the spirituality in all of us, and move towards a global environment of peace, law and order,' she said.

Senin, 21 Februari 2011

2011 Amarnath pilgrimage to begin June 29 in Jammu & Kashmir

By PHP Staff
Monday, February 21, 2011

JAMMU, INDIA : The annual pilgrimage to the Amarnath cave shrine in Jammu and Kashmir that attracts more than half a million pilgrims each year, will be held from June 29 to Aug 13, the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB) said Friday.

The shrine board that met in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Governor N.N. Vohra took into account the climate, security needs and the rush of pilgrims before deciding on the dates of the pilgrimage, SASB said in a statement issued here.

Pilgrims come to worship a stalagmite of snow in the cave shrine, that is believed to be an embodiment of Hindu God Shiva. It is situated at a height of 13,500 feet above sea level in the Himalayas in south Kashmir.

The duration of the pilgrimage has been a matter of contest between the Hindu groups and the locals. Since 2006, the pilgrimage period was increased to 60 days, much to the annoyance of the local political groups, separatists and mainstream alike. The Peoples Democratic Party and the hardline Hurriyat faction led by Syed Ali Geelani favor a pilgrimage no more than 15 days long.

The board, in the statement, noted that the annual schedule of the 'Yatra' or pilgrimage in the past 15 years had varied from 15 to 60 days and that about 85 percent of the pilgrims complete the yatra within 30 days of the commencement date.

Tirupati a richest Hindu temple in world, takes Gold To the Bank

By PHP Staff
Monday, February 21, 2011
(Photo : A panoramic view of Tirupati Temple on the Tirumala hills in India)

TIRUPATI, INDIA : India's richest Hindu temple on Friday deposited 2,590 lbs. gold with the State Bank of India (SBI) to convert the 'dead assets' into income earning sources.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), which manages the temple's affairs, had last year deposited 2.370 lb of gold with the SBI. TTD officials said the move would not only convert the 'idle gold' into a perennial source of income but would also provide security to its assets. A bank official said TTD was the highest depositor of gold among religious institutions in the country.

SBI along with HDFC and Punjab National Bank also inaugurated secured payment gateway facility by integrating with TTD online for accepting e-Hundi donations, which became operational from Friday. With this facility the donors can now use their debit, credit, Visa or Master cards to make donations.

Following objections from various quarters, the TTD Specified Authority has given up its proposal of handing over the monuments of temple of Lord Venkateshwara and other temples to the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) for structural maintenance. 'We are giving the proposal a review and also pursuing other alternative solution to see that the temples, which are the identity of our rich heritage and culture, were protected forever for benefit of future generations,' said TTD Chairman J. Satyanarayana.

NOTE : Well for one, the Tirupati Temple has overtaken the Vatican, not just as the richest devotional place in the world but also the most visited place of worship. With more than 50,000 daily visitors and an average of 19 million visitors a year, it attracts almost double the estimated number of people visiting Vatican City.

Ayurvedic Medicines Face European Union (EU) Ban

By PHP Staff
Monday, February 21, 2011

LONDON, U.K. : Practitioners of Ayurvedic and other traditional medicines in Europe are bracing themselves for a tough licensing system similar to that for Western medicines. The EU's Traditional Herbal Medical Products Directive is set to come into effect on May 1, and requires any herbal medicine sold over the counter to have either a Traditional Herbal Registration or a marketing authorization. The legislation is tantamount to a ban on ayurvedic herbs, as just over 70 herbal products in the UK (none of which is Ayurvedic) have so far got the licence.

Mr Sebastian Pole, an Ayurvedic practitioner who runs Bristol-based firm Pukka Herbs with around 500 employees in India, said his company had been working on obtaining licences for six products at the cost of around US$161,500. 'It's a very onerous process and is going to have a very negative impact on all traditional medicines,' he said. 'Yes, it's good to improve standards but this is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.'

Dr. Shantha Godagama, President, Ayurvedic Medical Association, who sits on the advisory board of the UK's Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency, said that while change and regulation were necessary in the long term to improve standards, in the short term it would merely reduce choice and hit the smallest firms the hardest. He said that in his time on the advisory committee, not a single application for a herbalist licence had been received.

In America 'Surya Namaskar' is gaining popularity

By PHP Staff
Monday, February 21, 2011

WASHINGTON : Surya Namaskar (Sun salutation), practised in India for years, has now found a whole lot of takers in the US, with several cities endorsing this ancient Indian exercise for its health benefits.

Over 10,000 people participated in the public Surya Namaskar exercises held in 225 cities from 40 States in January, according to Hindu Swyamsevak Sangha (HSS), which organizes the annual 'Health for Humanity Yogathon'. Surya Namaskar yoga routine integrates simple postures of well-balanced movements in ten steps with an easy breathing technique to provide immense health benefits for everyone from beginners to yoga enthusiasts, HSS said.

Mayors of Tampa in Florida, Milpitas (California), Cupertino (California), Normal (Illinois) and Bloomington (Illinois) declared 'Health for Humanity' also known as Surya Namaskar Yajna (SNY) day and encouraged their residents to participate in the locally held Yogathons.

Daily Inspiration from Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)

By PHP Staff
Monday, February 21, 2011

Most people, most of the time, are under the influence of the ego. Now, when someone is driving under the influence, a policeman can pull that drunk driver over and measure the level of inebriation with a breathalyzer test. But what policeman has the authority to pull you over and give you an egolizer test? You are driving, living, acting and speaking under the influence of the ego.

Gurumayi Chidvilasananda

Minggu, 20 Februari 2011

Open invitation for Shivaratri Pooja by SRSSM in Pakistan

By Gopinath Kumar (editor-in-chief)
Sunday, February 20, 2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Shri Ramdev Shiv Santosh Mandir (SRSSM)
Date: Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 4:41 AM
Subject: Maha Shivratri Pooja...
To: Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)

Namasty

Dear Gopinathji

          SRSSM Team Inviting you on 2nd March Maha Shivratri Pooja at Shri Ramdev Shiv Santosh Mandir, Al-Haider Society, Driag Road, Karachi

Pooja Timing
06:00 PM till 06:00 AM

Please come with your family and friends. May this Maha Shivratri gives you new prosperity and courage for your Dharma.

Regards,

Sanjesh Sunny
0333-2024170


Introduction : Maha Shivratri or Maha Sivaratri  (Great Night of Shiva or Night of Shiva) is a festival celebrated every year on the 13th night/14th day in the Krishna Paksha (waning moon) of the month of Maagha  in the Hindu Calendar (that is, the night before and day of the new moon). The festival is principally celebrated by offerings of Bael (Bilva) leaves to the Lord Shiva, all day fasting and an all night long vigil. Cannabis is traditionally used as an offering for Lord Shiva and his followers. Per scriptural and discipleship traditions, the penances are performed in order to gain boons in the practice of Yoga and meditation, in order to reach the goal more swiftly and avoid rebirth.

(Photo : 2010 Shivaratri Pooja celebration at Shri Ramdev Shiv Santosh Mandir in Karachi, Pakistan)

NOTE : PHP Executive team thanks to entire  SRSSM team and wishes them prosperity and success in there efforts for celebration of Shivratri festival in Pakistan. SRSSM is a non-profit mandli. Please Donate generously, through your contribution we will achive the mission. We all can change the change the Hindu community life in Pakistan.For donation contact on this email at saneshsunny@gmail.com

The PHP Team 

Selasa, 15 Februari 2011

Mr.Himmat Lal a Hindu among five abducted in Pakistan

By PHP Staff
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

(Photo : Map of Islamic Republic of Pakistan)

Islamabad, Feb 15:  A Hindu driver and four officials have gone missing and are feared to have been kidnapped in Pakistan's Sindh province, a media report said Tuesday. 

Driver Himmat Lal and four officials of the Sindh Seed Corporation were abducted from the national highway near Qazi Ahmed Sunday evening.

The corporation's director Agha Shahid, deputy directors Abdul Rahim Memon and Mohammad Sharif Khushk and assistant director Sadiq Memon left for Hyderabad in a car driven by Himmat Lal, but they did not reach Hyderabad till late night.

Shahid's friend Mazhar Kalhoro told Dawn that one hour after they left, they could not be contacted as their mobile phones were switched off.

Farooq Ahmed Jamali, a police officer, said the car of the missing people was found abandoned near Thari Mirwah in Khairpur district.

PHP Calender Distribution and SCRM meeting in Lahore, Pakistan

By Gopinath Kumar (Executive Editor)
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ramesh Jaipal
Date: Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 7:56 AM
Subject: Lahore Calender Distribution , Bank Statement
To: Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)

Namasty

Dear Gopinathji

             Hope you will be fine there, In our recent Lahore meeting of Punjab coordinators for 2011 planing we distributed 2011 Free Calender By Pakistan Hindu Post and HRF (Lord Krishna Calender of Pocket Size) and as well of SRSSM (Wall Size Calender) with few Prayer Papers, Book on Sanatana Dharma etc

               Please find attach file of planing meeting of Scheduled Caste Rights Movement Pakistan for Punjab level and the Co-coordinators of Rahim yar Khan Guru Sukh Dev ji, Sami Devi, Bahawalpur Aatam Ram, Multan Shokantala Devi, Bahawal Nager Sajan Bhatia,Lahore Amer Nath and Narowal Ratan lal and Kamlaish Devi is participate the meeting and planing for activities of 2011

              Today my friend also gave Calender to Sanjeshji (Pocket Size 50) and 50 for Swami Naran Mander and Snndeepji in Karachi.

For more information Please Contact with me.

With Regards
Ramesh Jaipal
(PHP, Pakistan)

 (Photo : SCRM-Punjab Planing Meeting in Pakistan)

(Photo : PHP/HRF 2011 Calender with SCRM Punjab members in Lahore,Pakistan)

The PHP Team

SCRM Protested on abductions of Hindu girls cases in Pakistan

By PHP Staff
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ramesh Jaipal
Date: Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 9:23 AM
Subject: SCRM Protest on abductions of Hindu girls cases in Pakistan
To: Arvind Iyer (Int. Human Coordinator)
Cc: Gopinath Kumar (Editor-in-Chief)

Namesty

Dear Arvindji and Gopinathji

           Please see an attach file, Today i came back from Lahore and organized the protest on abduction of Hindu girls cases in Pakistan. Recently a minor Hindu girl was raped and then forcefully convert into Islam in Punjab according to local district coordinator of Hare Rama Foundation (HRF). So i and Scheduled Caste Rights Movement (SCRM) members organized a urgently protest on that particular abduction case. During our protest we forward our key demands to members of National Assembly (Parliament) and Provincial Assembly (Punjab) and including to local District Police officer and Regional Police Officer of Bahawalpur City in Pakistan.

             On the way of protest we did raised our voice loud against rapist ,We walked around 2Km. then even blocked the main road, there i burned my shirts after that few other peoples also started to burn there Shirts , Hanker Chief, Sweater and Jerseys etc

             The results of the protest led the RPO Officer say to us that they will reopen case of abduction of Miss.Kavita Devi (Hindu minor girl).The local administrator  promised us that they the will restore the victim girl in 5 days to her original Hindu family.

            After that we closed our protest rally and at the end we got good media coverage and some local Muslims backed us by praising SCRM protest rally and me.


With Regards
RJ
(Pakistan)

 (Photo : SCRM members protesting on abduction of Hindu girls in cases in front of Police officers, Pakistan)

(Photo : SCRM members protested by burning clothes and blocking traffic on the issue of abductions of Hindu girls in Pakistan)

NOTE : Mr.Gopinath Kumar condemn the force conversation incident of a minor Hindu girl in Pakistan and demands immediate release of Miss.Kavita Devi from her Muslims rapists back to her Hindu parents. The local police should interfere in the case and Human rights group should take notice on the matter. We sincerely thankful to Rameshji and entire SCRM members for showing such solidarity and encouragement's for a successfully organized protest rally in Pakistan. 

The PHP Team

By Acharyaji on The Meaning of Human Existence

By PHP Staff
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
 (Photo : Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya, USA)

The Meaning of Human Existence
 
"According to the ancient wisdom of Dharma, we exist to begin with because it's our very innate nature to exist. The sacred scriptures of both Yoga and Sanatana Dharma teach us that our true, innermost nature is that we are atman, or eternal units of consciousness. We have the Absolute (Brahman, or God) as both our causative and substantial source, and as the ontological sustainer of our existential being. Having God as our underlying source, it necessarily follows that we naturally share in many of God's essential attributive qualities. Because we participate in God's innate attributes - and if not to a quantitatively equivalent degree, then certainly to a qualitative one - we too share in many of God's qualities. One of those attributes that both the infinite Godhead and we as finite units of consciousness have in common is necessary existence. In other words, both God and we ourselves (atmans, or souls) are eternal by our inherent nature. God and individual atmans cannot but exist. To go out of existence is simply not within the realm of our capability.

Never was there a time when we came into being, and never will there be a time when we cease to exist. So, in a way, we exist because we cannot but exist, being purely spiritual beings in essence. Such is our nature, for it is the nature of God, the ultimate source of our being...."

VISIT HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ENLIGHTENING ARTICLE:

http://www.dharmacentral.com/forum/content.php?14-Human-Existence

Please forward this information to all sincere spiritual seekers. Feel free to publish the entire article on your website, blog, Facebook or social site.

Aum Tat Sat

World's Muslim Population Proportionally Increasing

By NYC PHP Staff
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

(Photo : Projections for 2010-2030 in World's Muslim Population in World)

UNITED STATES : The world's Muslim population is likely to increase by about 35 percent in the next two decades, going from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion, according to new study by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. Globally, the Muslim population is projected to increase at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population over the next two decades--an average annual growth rate of 1.5 percent for Muslims, compared with 0.7 percent for non-Muslims. 

(Photo : Projections for 2010-2030 in World's Muslim Population in World)

Current trends, if they continue, suggest that Muslims will make up 26.4 percent of the world's total projected population of 8.3 billion in 2030, up from 23.4 percent of the estimated 2010 world population of 6.9 billion. While the global Muslim population is expected to grow at a faster rate than the non-Muslim population, the Muslim population nevertheless is expected to grow at a slower pace in the next two decades than it did in the previous two decades.

To read entire article visit below link -
http://pewforum.org/The-Future-of-the-Global-Muslim-Population.aspx

By Purushottam Singh
PHP New York

Senin, 14 Februari 2011

Pakistani Hindu refugees in India now recall happy days in Peshawar (NWFP)

By PHP Staff
Monday, February 14, 2011

(Photo : Jagdish Lal with his family in Punjab, India)

AMRITSAR, India : Once a rich and prosperous young hakim, Jagdish Lal, who used to enjoy comfort and reputation in Peshawar, Pakistan, is now cramped up in a 6x6 feet ayurvedic clinic in a narrow street at Khandwala in Amritsar to barely make both ends meet.

Lal's ancestors, especially his grandfather Pundit Ganda Mal, was highly respected by the Pakistan's lawless tribes, who, despite his being a Hindu would call him to Jirga (panchayat) to settle disputes in the now forbidden tribal Orkazai Agency area of Pakistan.

Jagdish is one among many Pakistani Hindus living in various parts of Punjab, who fearing persecution at the hands of Muslim fundamentalists and the Taliban had arrived in India, leaving behind their plush properties and running businesses, to find a safe haven for themselves and their children.

His five children and wife Santosh vividly remember the holidays they spent in their walnut orchard in the tribal areas, but now the area was under the control of local Muslim fundamentalists who had threatened people like Jagdish to leave the country. As the Talibans advanced towards Peshawar, the family decided to move to India, leaving behind their belongings.

(Photo : Inside the Hindu Temple in Peshawar City of NWFP, Pakistan)

On October 2, 2008, Jagidsh Lal along with his parents, children, wife, brother, Bakshish Lal, and five more families had arrived in India aboard the Samjhauta Express and found shelter in Khandwala, where some of his relatives and friends were already living in Peshori Mohalla.

'Being a Pak national it was not easy to settle here as everyone looked at us with suspicion,' said Jagidsh, who paid a sum, which the family had brought from Pakistan, towards a rented house and Rs 25,000 as a goodwill amount for a shop in Putlighar, where he could run his ancestral ayurvedic medicine clinic.

In late 2009, Talibans started retracting from Peshawar due to Pakistan government's assault on them and the conditions started improving and Jagdish Lal decided to send his brother Bakshish Lal back to Peshawar to run the clinic as he couldn't find clientele for himself in Amritsar. 'But media, here, projected our migration in such a manner that back home in Peshawar other Hindus came under criticism even from moderate Muslims. So, we stopped talking to media,' said Santosh. 'Do you think I will send back my brother to danger, no, the conditions have improved there and he is running his clinic well,' he said.

Living on extended visa, here, in India, Jagdish Lal said he wants his children to settle here in India, but he would like to return to his roots since the conditions were far better in Peshawar.


Few interesting link below on Hindus in NWFP and FATA of Pakistan -

No More safe at home for the Pakistani Hindus

Taliban terror forces Hindus to flee Pakistan

 

The PHP Team

Pakistan : Bill To Increase Minority Seats In NA Rejected Today, But all Hindu MNA's silent

By Gopinath Kumar (Editor-in-Chief)
Monday, February 14, 2011


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Krishan Somnath Brahman
Date: Mon, Feb 14, 2011 at 7:50 PM
Subject: Opposition forces Awan to attend NA body meeting
To: "Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)"

 (Photo : National Assembly of Pakistan in Islamabad city)

ISLAMABAD, Feb 14: A strong protest by the opposition forced Law Minister Babar Awan to leave some `important engagement` and attend a meeting of the National Assembly`s Standing Committee on Law and Justice on Monday. 

The protest came two days after Mr Awan was reappointed in a reconstituted cabinet which followed a controversy mainly over exclusion of some heavyweights.

At the outset of the meeting, members belonging to the N and Q factions of the Pakistan Muslim League drew the attention of chairperson Nasim Akhtar Chaudhry to the absence of the law minister and refused to take part in proceedings.

The issue was raised by PML-Q`s Raza Hayat Hiraj and supported by PML-N`s women members.

A statement by Law Secretary Masood Chishti that the minister was busy in an important meeting infuriated the members who asked which meeting could be more important than that of an NA committee.

Mr Hiraj said it was not the first time that the minister had kept away from a meeting and urged the chairperson to present a record of attendance of the minister in the National Assembly as well.

Sensing the seriousness of the situation, the law secretary contacted Mr Awan and urged him to rush to the Parliament`s House to attend the meeting and the minister complied. BILL REJECTED:

The committee rejected a bill submitted by minority member Asia Nasir seeking an increase in seats for minorities in the National Assembly.

It deferred for further discussion a bill seeking an amendment to sections 1 and 2 of the Pakistan Penal Code to enhance punishment for people registering false FIRs.

An important accountability law has been pending before the committee for more than a year.

Opposition members have been blaming the non-serious attitude of the government for the delay.

On Feb 3, Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi had to suspend the NA proceedings after it failed to carry out legislative business because of the absence of the law minister.

Mr Kundi asked Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to take notice of what he said was “really a problem”. He complained that Mr Awan had come to the house only once during the entire session.

Pictures from Karachi 2011 PHP and SRDSM Free Calender distribution, Pakistan

By Dr.Radhe Shyam Kumar (Executive Editor)
Monday, February 14, 2011

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sanjesh  (PHP, Karachi)
Date: 2011/2/13
Subject: more pics
To: Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)

Namasty

Dear Gopinathji

        Please find attach pictures from Karachi City ,the main financial centre of Pakistan, and the capital of the province of Sindh. Projects of 2011 PHP and SRDSM Free Calender distribution is going out throwout Pakistan.

NOTE : Karachi is a home to many diverse ethnics community and Languages, Similarly for various Hindu communities from wide range including from Sindhi, Balochi, Punjabi ,Gujarati , Marwadi (Rajastani) and Madrasi or Dravidian (South India/Sri Lankan) are resident here. Presently Karachi has approximately more then 35 active Hindu temples with few in Court cases involved, But before partition or creation of Pakistan, Karachi city alone hosted more then 350 big or small Hindu place of worships or Mandirs.
 

(Photo : Counterclockwise from top left: French Beach, Karachi, Mazar-e-Quaid, MCB Tower, Karachi Creek Vista, D. J. Science College, Merewether Clock Tower, Pakistan)

Sindh's population is mainly Muslim (89%), and Sindh is also home to nearly all (93%) of Pakistan's Hindus, who form 10% of the province's population. A large number of Hindus migrated to India during the Partition of India in response to the influx of Muhajirs (Muslims) from India.

Best Regards,
Sanjesh Sunny
(PHP Karachi, Pakistan)

 (1 Photo : Minority members of Hindu community receiving PHP/SRDSM Free Calender Distribution at Karachi city of Sindh province in Pakistan)

(2 Photo : Minority members of Hindu community receiving PHP/SRDSM Free Calender Distribution at Karachi city of Sindh province in Pakistan)

 (3 Photo : Minority members of Hindu community receiving PHP/SRDSM Free Calender Distribution at Karachi city of Sindh province in Pakistan)

 (4 Photo : Minority members of Hindu community receiving PHP/SRDSM Free Calender Distribution at Karachi city of Sindh province in Pakistan)

 (5 Photo : Minority members of Hindu community receiving PHP/SRDSM Free Calender Distribution at Karachi city of Sindh province in Pakistan)

  (6 Photo : Minority members of Hindu community receiving PHP/SRDSM Free Calender Distribution at Karachi city of Sindh province in Pakistan)
 
Mr.Gopinath Kumar (Executive Editor) : Appeal to entire civil society,government establishment and various International Hindu organizations should come forward for preservation/restoration of all these ancient Hindu temples in Pakistan, Which doesn't only represent Hinduism or Sanatana Dharam but a cultural heritage of Indus Vally Civilization's land of Pakistan.

The PHP Team

Magh Mela Attracts 4 Million Hindu Devotees on Basant Panchami, India

By Santosh Singh (PHP India)
Monday, February 14, 2011

(Photo : Hindu devotees gather to take a holy dip on Basant Panchami, the fourth auspicious date of bathing during the annual month long Hindu religious fair of Magh Mela in Allahabad, India)

ALLAHABAD, INDIA : More than 3.5 Million pilgrims and devotees from different walks of life took a holy dip at Sangam on the occasion of the Magh Mela here on Tuesday. Devotees mainly from Maharashtra and Gujarat took the holy dip in wee hours of Tuesday.

Ratna, a student from Satara (Maharashtra) says that along with her, parents and neighbors had arrived here to take bath at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati.

The Magh Mela is also known as mini Kumbh Mela and is held in Magh month, following the traditional Hindu calendar of North India.

Explore Foundations of Vedic Science & Mysticism in Hinduism

By Tina Sadhwani (The Chakra News)
Monday, February 14, 2011
As rivers lose name and form when they disappear into the sea, the sage leaves behind all traces when he disappears into the light. Perceiving the truth, he becomes truth; he passes beyond all suffering, beyond death and all the knots of his heart are loosened”
 
 - Upanishads 

When one looks at the immense sea of knowledge that has come down to us from the Vedic civilization one cannot help but feel overwhelmed at the timeless grandeur and depth of such wisdom. Wisdom that has not only cast its eternal light upon the earth but wisdom that has laid the primal foundations for all the world’s scientific and spiritual ethos. The Supreme Vedic Experience had unfolded within the rishis of antiquity the discoveries of the immutable Source, furnishing cosmological insights into the macrocosm while revealing the transcendental truths of Atma-Vidya, the inner science.

These Vedic rishis, the oldest and highest luminaries of sentient intelligence have been recognized as the primary ‘seers’ of such wisdom. The ‘seers’ of the Veda. It has often been reiterated that the Veda has been ‘revealed’ and not composed. That it is ‘apauru?eya’, not authored or created by man. One is however bound to question the basis of such knowledge that has been mysteriously perceived or ‘revealed’ as opposed to logically arrived at through intellectual endeavour or scientific investigation. How were the ancient rishis, so early in human history, made privy to information that enabled them to understand the intrinsic operations of the universe without the use of scientific technology, the kind that we are so proud of today? How have the immense structures of civilization, of thought, of language, of communication and of knowledge of the workings of the cosmos been grown from and built upon the foundation of faculties that are often considered the antithesis of reasoning, intellect and science?

Most of us often think that our own perception of the world and analysis of things is the only level of thinking that exists and the only standard of reality and normality. Furthermore, the modern mind tends to give more credence to rationalism today and considers any deviation from that norm as invalid, unacceptable or merely the work of an inferior mind. The higher truths cognized by the ancient seers are therefore often dismissed as the primitive compositions of an ignorant race or sensational glorifications reflecting mere religious sentiment.
What is not commonly known is that the fountainhead of ancient enquiry has often been governed by non-ordinary modes of information-processing such as intuition, spiritual cognition and revelation. These have been considered not just alternate operations of the mind but superior and extraordinary modes of experience that transcended the mind.

Moreover, the Vedic mind has always been aware of the multifaceted nature of reality that escapes even the most ingenious forms of speculation and intellectualism. Consequently, the Vedic truths arrived at have been the off-spring of such mystical and intuitive revelations that have occurred through transcendental modes of consciousness. Nevertheless they have still displayed an integrity of the highest intellectual vigour. The supramental consciousness that has been established by the ancient seers in the earth-life, in the world-order, and the power and knowledge that it has unleashed in the form of the Veda, the self-expression of Spirit, cannot be compared to or evaluated by the crudities of the modern rational mind.

Truth of the Veda 

By delving into the immense Vedic literature one can easily observe the fact that the Vedas are not a set of books or scriptures, for Vedic knowledge is eternal. More accurately speaking, the Vedas can be understood as a cosmic matrix of fundamental knowledge, embedded in the very fabric of existence, echoing the scientific and spiritual laws of the universe that was first revealed to and cognized by the ancient Vedic rishis in their advanced states of consciousness.

Without an ‘advanced state of consciousness’ which could serve as a provisional key term here to comprehend the basis of such metaphysical insight and knowledge, one could only be considered looking at the infinite knowledge base of the Veda through merely a key hole.

Sri Aurobindo affirms “The perfect truth of the Veda, where it is now hidden, can only be recovered by the same means by which it was originally possessed. Revelation and experience are the doors of the Spirit. It cannot be attained either by logical reasoning or by scholastic investigation… ‘Not by explanation of texts nor by much learning’, ‘not by logic is this realisation attainable.’ Logical reasoning and scholastic research can only be aids useful for confirming to the intellect what has already been acquired by revelation and spiritual experience. This limitation, this necessity are the inexorable results of the very nature of Veda.”



When our consciousness is identified with the physical body (sthula sharira) then we are said to experience the waking state (jagrat). When consciousness is identified with the subtle body (sukshma sharira) then we experience the dream state. When consciousness is identified with the causal body (karana sharira) then we experience the deep sleep state. The common aspect shared by these three states of being is the ‘absence of knowledge’ of the true nature of reality. It is emphasized that it is only in the super-conscious state (turiya) that consciousness breaks free from the limitations of all the bodies and takes cognizance of the Absolute Reality (Brahman).

So the ‘way’ or mode in which we tend to ‘know’ things seems to determine the validity and substantiality of the knowledge thus gained. According to the Yoga Sutras (Patanjali) there are different ways in which we arrive at knowledge, understand it and respond to the environment. These ways of ‘knowing’ are set in a hierarchical mode of information processing in which sensory perception (utilizing the five senses) is considered to be an inferior form of awareness, followed by the conceptual mode (rational, linguistic) and finally by the supramental mode which is intuitive in nature and which reveals to us the true nature of reality.

The Age of Intuition 

Observation and sensory perception serve as suitable methods of processing information when it comes to the lower functions of consciousness such as thinking, emotions, volition, etc. However our senses are limited in their range of information processing and cannot always solve all problems, especially those of a metaphysical nature. Reasoning and logic take place through the agency of the intellect (buddhi) and hence serve as useful modes when we cannot rely on our senses to provide us with adequate information. However, the intellect has been found to have its limitations too.

The super-conscious experience on the other hand, moves beyond the faculty of the senses, the mind and the intellect. It enables one to have a ‘direct’ experience of reality without being influenced by the conditioned filters of the mind. It is found most useful in cognizing metaphysical phenomena, true nature of reality, nature of self, etc. The mind and intellect are then meant to serve as useful intermediaries to organize and communicate such esoteric knowledge.

One can clearly see how the age of pure intuition which defined the early Vedic and Upanishadic thinking was then followed by the age of reason which organized the Vedic insights into scriptural, metaphysical philosophies. This period saw the rise of many conflicting schools of thought, each of which founded itself on the Veda but used its text as a weapon of reason against the others. Today’s age on the other hand is defined more by pursuits of experimental science.

Early Vedic thinking has however been more holistic, with a tendency towards the synthesis and unity of all knowledge. So by establishing itself in the higher, supramental mode of being the Vedic experience has very early in history discovered the eternal and spiritual fundamental reality that lies beneath all the formation and movement which constitutes the apparent physical reality.

Considering the intuitive knowing and holistic vision of the Vedic mind, mathematician Pierre Simon Laplace explained it very precisely,

“An intellect which at a given instant knew all the forces acting in nature, and the position of all things of which the world consists… would embrace in the same formula the motions of the greatest bodies in the universe and those of the slightest atoms; nothing would be uncertain for it, and the future, like the past, would be present to its eyes.”

The Doors of Spirit 

Given the timeless nature and depth of Vedic insights, it would be safe to assume that the ancient rishis were host to such transpersonal and supramental modes of experience that made them privy to information that is normally out of the range of common awareness. Generally, each and every mode of consciousness gives us access to a different view of some aspect of reality, but the supramental mode offers a more complete and god-like view of existence as one’s consciousness expands to become a super-conductor of information that cannot be otherwise known to us by mere observation or speculation. Hence one seems to then be able to access the universal database or global mainframe because in this state there is a ‘transcendence’ of time, space, personal self and culture. Information processing becomes ‘impersonal’ as there is no longer just a separated, individualized ‘self’ that is having experiences because consciousness expands to include the world and universe at large. In other words, one’s consciousness literally steps out of the conditioned system of the three dimensional reality and moves from being ‘ego-centric’ to ‘world-centric’.

This kind of experience tends to surpass ordinary sensing, perceiving, conceptualizing, reasoning or understanding and is unlike anything remembered or imagined. It is, the Hindu mystics say, pure intuition, pure consciousness, ‘sat-chit-ananda’ if you may. Yet, even this description of the Supreme Experience is simply akin to the finger pointing to the moon, which is not the moon. It can never be conceptualized or described as it is beyond all thought and imagination. It is nothing within the mind or outside it, nothing in the past, present or future for all these are merely conceptions in time and space.

In the context of the Vedas, ‘sravas’ literally means ‘hearing’. From this is derived ‘sravana, sruti, sruta’, meaning “revealed” or knowledge that comes through the opening of the mind’s channels. Drsti- direct perception of the truth and Sruti- direct hearing of the truth are hence the two chief powers and faculties of that advanced consciousness, which corresponds to the old Vedic idea of the Truth, the Ritam. Whoever is thus at this advanced level of consciousness, possesses and becomes invariably open to the faculties of drsti and sruti and is then considered the Rishi or the Kavi, sage or seer of Truth.

In the secret of the Veda, Aurobindo explains that “The Rishi was not the individual composer of the hymn, but the seer (drast¯a) of an eternal truth and an impersonal knowledge. The language of Veda itself is S’ruti, a rhythm not composed by the intellect but heard, a divine Word that came vibrating out of the Infinite to the inner audience of the man who had previously made himself fit for the impersonal knowledge.”

Furthermore, according to psychologist and philosopher James, an important quality of these non-ordinary states of consciousness is that they are noetic or knowledge-laden. “They are basically states of insight into the depths of truth, unhindered by the discursive intellect. They are illuminations and revelations about the universe at large, full of significance and importance… they carry with them a curious sense of authority for after-time.”

The Supreme Vedic Experience 

Such has been the power and authority of the Supreme Vedic Experience that has left us the treasure of universal, eternal truths and insights. Such insights can only be decoded by the same process that led to its revelation. And it is for this same reason why everyone cannot be considered qualified to interpret the Vedas, unless their consciousness has expanded enough to transcend its own cultural conditionings.

Moreover, the symbols and terms used in Vedic verses when properly recognized and understood possess great value: they are ‘evocative’ and induce direct intuitive understanding. Hence they are meant to be meditated upon and not merely rationalized or intellectualized. He who takes the Vedic verses literally will not be able to move past them towards the higher realities that they point to. That is essentially why one requires the ability to synthesize all visions and perspectives expressed in the Vedas and comprehend it holistically, as an organic whole.

Interestingly, this is also the reason why in the ancient era ‘Brahmins’ were primarily entrusted with the responsibility of preserving and disseminating the Vedic knowledge, not because of some misconceived racial superiority but because they were considered the most advanced in their consciousness through intense yogic disciplines of meditation and tapasya.

The ancient Vedic seers have also been aware that no individual could claim to be the exclusive custodian of a direct link to the Divine which is why they never set up any hierarchy, dogma or religion to access or experience the Absolute Reality. With fullness of being, fullness of life and fullness of consciousness they have manifested on earth the sublime voice of Spirit and endowed with such Brahman-Vidya or Supreme Illumination they have ingeniously preserved and delivered to us these universal and sentient truths through the many changing cycles of time.

“Vast is That, divine, its form unthinkable; it shines out subtler than the subtle: very far and farther than farness, it is here close to us, for those who have the vision it is here even in this world; it is here, hidden in the secret heart” 

- Mandukya Upanishad III.1.6

References:
Sri Aurobindo (1956) The Secret Of The Veda
Sri Aurobindo (1940) The Life Divine
Swami Prabhavananda (2003) Patanjali Yoga Sutras. Ramakrishna Math. Chennai.
Mandukya Upanishad – http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/mand_0.html
http://www.swamij.com/mandukya-upanishad.htm
James William (1902) The varieties of religious experience. NY Modern Library.