Daily Inspiration from Pakistan Hindu Post (PHP)

By Gopinath Kumar (editor-in-chief)
Monday, June 13, 2011

(Photo : Studio photo of Anandamayi Ma, India )

Enquire: 'Who am I?' and you will find the answer. Look at a tree: from one seed arises a huge tree; from it comes numerous seeds, each one of which in its turn grows into a tree. No two fruits are alike. Yet it is one life that throbs in every particle of the tree. So, it is the same atman everywhere.
-- Sri Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), Bengali mystic

Muslims Put Up Water Stalls During Lord Hanuman Puja, India

By PHP Staff
Monday, June 13, 2011

 (Photo : Purana Hanumaan Mandir in Lucknow, India )

LUCKNOW, INDIA, May 25, 2011: Traditional water stalls do not discriminate between any religion. As per the traditions, Muslims set up water stalls at prominent places in the city while they also queued up to have prasad and cold drinks during this Hindu Festival. Lucknow celebrates Bada Mangal as a reverence to Lord Hanuman wherein people from all walks of life set up stalls offering water, cold drinks and sweets to the denizens. The trend continues for all the four Tuesdays in the month of Jyestha in the Hindu calendar.

Praising the spirit of Lucknow, historian Roshan Taqui opined that Muslims and Hindus have always been in forefront in celebrating and extending a helping hand in each other's festivities. "The most visible example is the Purana Hanuman Mandir in Aliganj. A crescent over its dome symbolises Hindu-Muslim unity," he said. It is believed that the temple was built after the mother of a Muslim ruler had a dream telling her to build a temple to Lord Hanuman. "Still today we can find Muslims putting up stalls of flowers used for offerings outside various temples of the city," said Taqui.

Hindus also set up stalls during Muslim festivals. "We support the water stalls on Bada Mangal and our Hindu brethren put up water stalls during Muharram. It is the spirit and tradition of Lucknow. There is no religious discrimination. Our religion also stresses on offering water to the thirsty," remarked spokesperson, All India Shia Personal Law Board, Maulana Yasoob Abbas.

Indian Government Approves First Caste Census In 80 Years

By PHP Staff
Monday, June 13, 2011

 ( Photo : India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh )

NEW DELHI, INDIA, May 19, 2011 (Voa News): For the first time in 80 years, India is planning a detailed survey of religious and caste affiliation. Castes in India are part of a traditional Hindu system of social categorization and are believed to have an impact on the economic fortunes of the population. Leaders say having detailed caste data can help them better target social programs.

Indian officials plan to distribute questionnaires about caste and religious affiliation during June and July, alongside efforts to count those Indians who are living below a government-set poverty line. This is the first concrete plan by the Indian government to collect caste affiliation data since 1931, prior to the country's independence from the British.

N. Bhaskara Rao is one of India's most experienced and respected demographic researchers. He says the caste survey has two well-intentioned aims. "One is to establish a more reliable estimate," he said. "The second is, those who are not represented, those who have not yet gotten on to the power structure - to bring them into the fold of power."

Ancient Hindu scripture outlines four basic social classifications, along with a fifth class of so-called "untouchables," now known as Dalits, who were at the bottom of the hierarchy and traditionally performed society's most menial jobs. The reality is far more complex, with thousands of sub-groupings weaving an intricate hierarchy of socially perceived roles.

India's post-independence constitution set a goal of eliminating caste-based discrimination. Modern Indian governments have taken a more practical approach - seeking to target job quotas, food subsidies, and other social programs at lower-caste Indians. Supporters of a caste census says the data it generates will be crucial in tailoring such programs.

Twelve Thousand Hindu Couples Tie The Knot In Mass Marriages Across Andhra Pradesh, India

By Staff
Monday, June 13, 2011

(Photo :   Priests perform rituals during a mass marriage of 175 couples at Lalitha Kala Thoranam in Hyderabad on Friday, India)

HYDERABAD, INDIA, May 21, 2011: The Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, lauded the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) trust for organizing a mass marriage for poor people. About 12,000 couples across Andhra Pradesh entered into wedlock yesterday as part of the sixth phase of mass marriages by TTD.

Amid the chanting of Vedic hymns, the marriages were performed in various towns of the state between 9.52am and 10.04am, the auspicious time set by pundits.

TTD, which manages the affairs of the famous Tirumala temple, spent about US$155 on each couple, providing them wedding apparel, mangala sutra (chain), silver toe rings for brides, and food for 60 guests from both sides.

The temple body has so far performed marriages of 46,000 couples under Kalyanotsavam, launched four years ago, to strengthen the Hindu marriage system and to help the poor Hindu families perform marriages of their children in accordance with Hindu traditions.