When the ongoing tragedies of human sufferings do not get A line in the poetry of poets, A page in…
All About Hinduism
by Promod Puri Why are there so many gods and goddesses in Hinduism? Why worship an idol? Is going to…
THOUSANDS OF ASSAM MUSLIMS ARE STATELESS
by Promod Puri Is it a crime not to have citizenship? Or more precisely, having no formal documents to prove…
Farmers Following Gandhi’s Message Of Satyagraha
Why Indian farmers’ protests are being called a ‘satyagraha’ – which means ’embracing the truth’ Sumit Ganguly, Indiana University For…
Karmas Role In Hinduism For The Self And The society
In creating divine residency in our intellect and consciousness, Hinduism offers a humanistic and enlightened walk paved with disciplined and ethical karmas.
‘The Mauritanian’ rekindles debate over Gitmo detainees’ torture – with 40 still held there
Lisa Hajjar, University of California Santa Barbara “The Mauritanian,” directed by Kevin Macdonald, is the first feature film to dramatize…
Indian Democracy Not Dead But Acquires Saffron Avatar
By Promod Puri Obsessed with his impulsive cause based on insufficient knowledge and limited perception of Hinduism, Prime Minister Narendra…
FUTURE OF HUMANITY BASED ON TWO FACTORS
Anthropogenic changes cover human activities related to biophysical environments, natural resources, global warming, environmental degradation, ocean acidification and ecological collapse.
HINDUISM’S COMMITMENT TO SOCIETY AND SELF
The execution of Karma in Hindu thought influences or has a consequence on society as well. For that reason, societal…
$ 1 MILLION OFFER TO STUDY IF CONSCIOUSNESS SURVIVES AFTER DEATH
Does consciousness or ‘Atma’ die too after bodily death? Or it survives to re-enter a new body. A Los Vegas…
CELEBRATION OF INDIA’S REPUBLIC DAY:
by Promod Puri Republic Day on January 26 is an official colossal event in India every year to celebrate the…
POLITICS AND RELIGION IN US PRESIDENTIAL CEREMONIES
Is the Bible or other religious volumes have ritualistic values only on such occasions. Or they offer spiritual inspirations as well. Whatever the reason is, politics has a dependency on religion both for ritualistic functioning and spiritual guidance.
Indulgence in reading can lead to an urge to write about what is read.
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READING, THINKING AND WRITING INTERCONNECTED
History tells us there have been many wise people, especially saints with divine attribution, who did not go through a voluminous reading of books. But their minds did the reading.
What is a protein? A biologist explains
Nathan Ahlgren, Clark University Editor’s note: Nathan Ahlgren is an assistant professor of biology at Clark University. In this interview,…
Meditation In Hinduism
Meditation in Hinduism is secular in its participation and spiritual in practice.
Why Total Repeal Of India’s Farm Laws
When an entire structure has a fragile foundation, shaky frame, and dangerous to live in, it needs total demolition immediately.…
A VISION OF 2021 AND BEYOND
As the year 2020 departs just at the moment clock hits midnight, we welcome the arrival of 2021. Two images…
It is A Yuga Of Plenty!
A roof over our heads, for some more roofs than their heads. Enough bottled or running water for our thirsts…
THE FOURSOME WHO RUNS INDIA
It is the government of the foursome, rerouting the democracy into Oligarchy.
Little Misha lost her special friend, Poky the Puppy
The toy of her joy disappeared from her tender arms somewhere at the hotel while on vacation with her family.…
PEOPLE’S POWER SWELLING IN INDIA
The People’s Power is a juggernaut when it starts moving; it can pull aside all the barriers and face the bullets to crush despotism.
Getting The Best Out Of Turmoil And Turbulence of 2020
Corona invasion has disciplined our lives, from masking to six feet distancing and restricting travels, socials and shopping.
Joys, engagements and ease of life navigated new options. A circadian lifestyle is one where a daily routine is possible with the least of disturbances and distractions.
REMEMBERING POET SHAILENDRA
In simple words, poet Shailendra wrote great poetry with deepest thoughts, feelings, and emotions. His ‘shikva’ meaning complaint to God…
MY MEMORIES WITH GRAMOPHONE
They say Vinyl is back. With that news, my memory goes back to the golden era of listening to music…
CUBANS ON THE STREET
Communists and Leftists all over the globe are fanatically in love with Cuba’s leadership. Their only source of information about this island nation is its propaganda machinery, an effective weapon of misinformation used by authoritarian rulers.
Caste, Colour, Creed, And Nationalities Clog World Peace
Nationality, caste, colour, creed, ritual-based religion: do we still have to wear these badges? When these identities become obsolete, dead,…
Remembering Raj Kapoor
I was sitting by myself in the neighbourhood community centre’s Sauna room when a man walked in. “Good morning, how…
Beyond the farm laws, protesting Indian farmers are sowing the seeds of revolution against authoritarianism.
TRUMP’S LEGACY: BREEDING TRUTHS OUT OF LIES
Conceived opinions and judgments influence our mindset viewpoint. And most of the time, our actions and reactions are based on retrieving the intellect from the installed position.
The Essence Of Hinduism Lies On Just Two Very Basic Principles
In its theology, Hinduism generated a range of systematic ideologies covering various studies in ethical and metaphysical perceptions. Within these profound discernments, Hinduism’s outstanding feature is the doctrine of “Purusarthas,” advocating four complementary engagements in an individual’s life.
MY PASSION WITH IRONING
Taking advantage of the Black Friday shopping bargains at Walmart, we bought a long overdue ironing board. Till now, we…
Does God Play Role In Our Karmas
by Promod Puri Karma is one of the most fundamentals of Hinduism. The actual word is ‘Karm’ with a firm…
Concept Of Moksha Or Salvation In Hinduism
Moksha or Mukti denotes freedom. It is a much-hyped Hindu traditional thought. In essence, it represents ardent purity to seek…
Universal Totality
The universe is a totality, indivisible; it is an organic whole. The parts are not separate, we are all existing…
LIFE REVOLVES AND SURVIVES AROUND MAINTENANCE
Maintenance, maintenance, and maintenance are the mantra that sustains us practically in most aspects of our lives. From personal health…
ATHEISM HAS CREDIBLE INFLUENCE ON RELIGIONS TOO:
God and religion are the two synonymous influences subjected to evolution in humankind’s ongoing social construction. In this evolution, atheism…
The many stories of Diwali share a common theme of triumph of justice
Natasha Mikles, Texas State University As many Indian Americans celebrate the election of the first Black and South Asian woman,…
ELECTION REVEALS TRUE AMERICA
The current election in the United States of America has furnished quite a glimpse of its social behaviour and sentiments…
Shastras In Hinduism
While traversing along with its ritual, religious and spiritual landscape, we discover on top of it quite a meaningful spectrum…
Perceiving God
God is more than our mindset imagination of being a superhuman governing this universe.A brief and straightforward, but still far…
VERSATILE PUMPKIN A SUPER VEGETABLE THAT FIGHTS CANCER:
I have strong feelings for pumpkin, mostly when left out in the chill of autumn nights during the Halloween season.…
WHAT IS WRONG WITH FRENCH SECULARISM
France needs pluralistic Secularism – one that tolerates minority ethnic communities’ cultural and religious symbols and values.
BC LIBERAL PARTY A REPLICA OF CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF CANADA
The Liberal Party of British Columbia is almost a replica of the Conservative Party of Canada. Its leadership and memberships’ behaviour and supporters’ temperament coincide with the federal Conservatives from top to bottom in the party’s rank and file.
India Urgently Needs A Comprehensive Diagnostic Study To Tackle Rape Epidemic
This is a disease that can’t be controlled by candles, protests, poetry, prose, and punishments. By Promod Puri It is…
OCTOBER 24 ELECTION A BOMBSHELL FOR BRITISH COLUMBIANS
By Promod Puri The Liberals got caught off guard. And so are the British Columbians when Premier John Horgan announced…
There Is Faith In Trudeau’s Ethnic Sentiments
He recognizes the contribution of Canada’s ethnic diversity that makes this nation a genuinely multicultural society of equal opportunities. He has shown his enthusiastic participation in Canadian ethnic and cultural events too.
JALEBI: The Queen Of Indian Sweets
Enjoy Jalebi, the queen of Indian confection, straight or with milk, anytime, including midnight all alone and guilt-free craving for something sweet
SWAMI AGNIVESH: A PROGRESSIVE HINDU CRUSADER
A man with a world vision of one humanity, he argued that people should be allowed full freedom of movement across borders through the elimination of passports and immigration laws.
RULERS AND LEADERS ARE THE CRIMINALS OF 9/11s, NOT THE NATIONS
In the call out for sacrifice, nationalism, and patriotism, or just for “defence,” battles are fought, soldiers fight and die, the accountability falls on the nation’s states, but not on the leaders in the long run.
Swing Like A Pendulum
People with a free mindset attitude swing like a pendulum. Passing through the Centre, they move to the social or…
PURGING OF USELESS LETTERS IN ENGLISH WORDS
The word ‘behaviour’ or ‘behavior’ behaves the same way no matter how one spells it.
WHY FEEL BORED?
Boredom is a very commonly expressed feeling even in this age when we have 24-hour entertainment at our convenience. There…
WHY INTELLECTUALS NOW RIDICULED IN INDIA:
Being intellectual in India these days has an irony of pun in it. The ‘intellectuals’ rather be non-intellectuals to avoid…
TEACHERS DAY SHOULD BE IN HONOR OF JYOTI RAO AND SAVITRIBAI PHULE
September 5 is celebrated in India as Teachers’ Day synonymous with its second president, Dr. Sarvepilli Radhakrishnan, who also was…
National Parks: Where the indigenous people were forced out to cultivate wilderness.
American environmentalism’s racist roots have shaped global thinking about conservation
“conservation will succeed only if it can support the goal of a dignified life for all humans and nonhuman species.”…
UNCLE-JI AND AUNTI-JI
Uncles and aunty’s designations have become popular among the younger generation of South Asians to address their parents’ friends or…
Her identity is biracial
I don’t accept Kamala Harris has to represent herself with Black identity only. Her real identity of being biracial is…
Cultures, religions, and ideologies must change. If not, they face natural deterioration.
Two Overly Used Popular Sayings:
“BE POSITIVE”:In rational and balanced thinking we can’t ignore some negative facts in front of us.” “FORGET THE PAST, LIVE…
COVERING RACISM WITH “FIG LEAVES”
Having few friends of different religious or race backgrounds does not qualify a person being secular.
MY FIRST WRITING PEN MADE FROM A DRY TWIG
Handcrafted from a solid dry twig, with one end slightly chiselled and shaped like a nib. And the stem was smoothed to hold the Kalam.
For each word or few words to write, the Kalam received its ink while dipped into an inkpot. Together the pair was called “Kalam-dawaat,” that I used to carry with me to primary school. Often my school bag and my clothing got stains of the black ink.
CONGRESS ONLY HOPE TO SAVE DEMOLITION OF DEMOCRACY IN INDIA
Quite a damage has been done to the institution of democracy in India by the Modi brigade at every level of the Indian political, social, economic, educational, and religious grounds. All under seize by the autocratic rule of Modi-Shah.
Culture and national identity
In a multicultural Canadian society there are a multitude of cultures, traditions and religions, with lot more sub banners within each group. It is a myriad with a diversified web which gives Canada an image of acceptance and tolerance.
Book Review: Purva Grover’s The Trees Told Me So is playwright’s delight
Originally posted on Vishal Bheeroo:
Book Review: The Trees Told Me So Author: Purva Grover Publisher: Niyogi Books Rating: Four and…
Emerging Role Of Freeland In Liberal Party Of Canada
In the current rapid movements of Freeland, from one job to another, establishes her versatility that she can fit into any ministerial role with confidence.
How Howard Thurman met Gandhi and brought nonviolence to the civil rights movement
A growing number of African-American leaders closely followed Gandhi’s campaigns of “satyagraha,” or what he termed as nonresistance to evil against British colonialism. Black newspapers and magazines announced the need for an “American Gandhi.”
What is the meaning and purpose of life?”
Seeking the meaning and purpose of human life is a behaviour issue at the individual level.
Meaning of life and purpose of life, I think, are two related terms.
LABELLING OF US VOTERS
“When you hear of “the Black vote,” “the Jewish vote” or “the Latino vote” as a kind of shorthand to describe a voting bloc, it’s probably wrong.
CUBA HATES AMERICA BUT LOVES TO HAVE US DOLLAR
Leftist bhagats of late Fidel Castro may still be reciting the virtues of Cuba’s brand of socialism.
RELIGION HAS BEEN THE MOTIVATING FORCE IN AMERICA’S CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Even now, with very few exceptions, the American civil rights movement has never been led on a political platform.
AT AGE 92, THE SECRET OF MY FRIEND’S HEALTHY LIFE
It is under one medical term, called circadian rhythm. And Mr. Singh has kept it well under control with his disciplined daily regime.
A real understanding of the circadian rhythm is that all our body organs, down to their cellular levels, have body clocks working along with the brain.
Denialism: A Roadblock To Liberal Thinking
A recent example of denialism is when President Trump refuted the pandemic of COVID-19 in its early stage. And when most of India’s upper and wealthy class refused to accept the plight of migrant workers in their agonizing walks back to the villages during the peak Coronavirus lockdown.
Temples And Other Range Of options In Hindu Worshipping Practices
“Temple-Hinduism” is an expression introduced by Vasudha Narayanan, Professor of Religion, University of Florida. The terminology is not an academic phrasing, nor does it reflect a new sect in Hinduism. It is an interpretation of Hinduism related to the devotional practices of rituals and prayers in the temple’s iconological environment.
Koi Bole Ram Ram, Koi Khudaaye….
One of the spiritual gems of Guru Arjan Devji, that portrays the essence of all religions: “Koi bole Ram, Ram; koi khudae….”
Here is the English translation of the Shabad:
Some call the Lord ‘Ram, Ram’, and some ‘Khuda’.
HINDU DEVOTIONAL PRACTICES
Besides the devotional practices at dedicated places like temples, home, or public shrines, a striking and environmental sensitive and gratifying feature of Hindu worshipping practices and reverence is the deification of natural landmarks like rivers, lakes, mountains, plants, and animals.
RIG VEDA: HE KNOWS, PERHAPS He DOES NOT KNOW
Who really knows?
Who will here proclaim it?
Whence was it produced?
Whence is this creation?
The gods came afterward,
with the creation of this universe.
Who then knows whence it has arisen?
Whence this creation has arisen—
perhaps it formed itself, perhaps it did not
the one who looks down on it, in the highest heaven,
only He knows or perhaps He does not know.
even, only He knows – or perhaps He does not know.
– Rig Veda 10:129, translation: Wendy Doniger O’Flaherty, Author, Indologist, and Sanskrit Scholar.
American slavery: Separating fact from myth
Economists and historians have examined detailed aspects of the enslaved experience for as long as slavery existed. My own work enters this conversation by looking at the value of individual slaves and the ways enslaved people responded to being treated as a commodity.
DEMOCRACY DYING IN INDIA AND FASCISM TAKING BIRTH
Fascism is a system that is run or led by a dictator who has full power in every aspect of a nation. To achieve and maintain that hold, a fascist ruler suppresses any opposition and criticism. A false sense of aggressive nationalism and patriotism gets developed and promoted.
MY SCHOOL TEACHER’S BRUTALITY
The moment I sat, the teacher, addressed as Masterji, called me up and asked why I was late. Before I could gather words to express myself, he gave me a hefty slap on my tender little face.
Do We Care About Statues
Last Sunday, June 7, it was a cheering feeling for me when the statue of Edward Colston in Bristol got pulled down as a result of the killing of George Floyd by the police in the US.
WHERE IS GOD AMID CORONAVIRUS?
The business of religion, like any other business, is down. But this business is exceptional. In principle, besides being a medium to seek God’s grace and express gratitude, religion should reveal the path to discern and realize the nature of the Creator.
Buddhist and Hindu philosophies help us see clearly, act wisely in an interconnected world
Indian thinkers have been reflecting on interconnectedness for more than two millennia. I study Indian philosophy, and I believe this diverse tradition offers rich and timely insights about how people might better understand global interconnectedness today and act more wisely.
NANAK DUKHIYA SABB SANSAR SO SUKHIYA JIS NAAM ADHAAR
The sufferings could be innocently or naively self-inflicted, from fellow beings, or other causes. Elements of nature and the so-called fate also play minor or significant roles to accompany man’s lifelong journey through calamity and disaster.
PASSING THROUGH RACIST PASSAGE OUR HISTORY FROM HINDOOS TO SOUTH ASIAN CANADIANS
Immigrants, especially from the “visible minority” communities, not only faced racial discrimination in most aspects of their lives in Canada, but they could also discern reflections of bigotry and segregation in their labelings.
In the early part of the twentieth-century immigrants from the Indian subcontinent were all classified as “Hindoos.”
Humanization Of Countries, Viruses And Everything Else
By Promod Puri Do we have to blame a nation or nations in their respective involvement and stake in initiating…
Coronavirus Pandemic Falls Heavy On India’s 200 M Lowcaste Population
Long before the outbreak of COVID-19, a more pernicious form of social distancing was widespread across India: the Hindu caste system. In one form or another, this system – which has existed in the region for over a millennium – has long ensured social segregation based on one’s place in the hierarchy.
Mantra: An Ingrained Feature In Hinduism
By Promod Puri Peace in all the cosmic environments influences peace in humankind as well An ingrained feature in Hinduism…
HUMANIZING EVERYTHING FROM MOON TO VIRUS
“We find human faces in the moon, armies in the clouds; and… ascribe malice or good-will to everything, that hurts…
Equality And Duality are Themes In Hindu Mantra:
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यतेपूर्णश्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥ “ Om purnam adah purnam idampurnat purnam udachyatepurnasya purnam adayapurnam evavashishyate”. An ideological…
Sikhism Dwells In Its Saint-soldier Philosophy
By Promod Puri Guru Nanak Dev and Guru Gobind Singh represent two distinct aspects of Sikhism. In the evolution of…
MY MEMORIES WITH “PEEPEWALE” BISCUITS
Since these crunchy cookies were contained in a ‘pipa,’ that is the reason they are called ‘Peepaewale’ biscuits here in Canada. Perhaps, it is a marketing approach by the manufacturers to draw the nostalgic feel and taste of the sweet goodies.
A CASE FOR FULL AUTONOMY TO STATES TO KEEP INDIA UNITED
By Promod Puri Because of its vast linguistic and cultural plurality, as represented by most of its states, suggesting India’s…
THE CAKE MY MOTHER USED TO MAKE
Our kitchen was very elementary but a conspicuous place in the house. Prominently featured was the built-in wall cabinet that…
Guru Nanak’s Message of Divine Order
Hukam Razai Chalna, Nanak Likhyea Naal. Hukmae Andhar Sabh, Bahar Hukme Na Koe These are the two separate edicts from…
WHEN LORD SHIVA CURSED FARMERS
It may be related to the current lockdown environment, but the story goes like this: Once Lord Shiva, for some…
History Of Hinduism
The foundation of Hinduism possibly began …
1918 FLU PANDEMIC KILLED 12 MILLION INDIANS, AND BRITISH OVERLORDS’ INDIFFERENCE STRENGTHENED THE ANTI-COLONIAL MOVEMENT
Cremation on the banks of the Ganges river, India. Keystone-France via Getty Images Maura Chhun, Metropolitan State University In India,…
RITUALS IN HINDUISM
The liberalism in Hinduism has encouraged genesis of rituals. Over its long history, rituals generated to build up a…