Ayurveda on way to regaining rightful place on world stage
India has a long glorious history of medical technology. Sushruta and Charaka performed complicated operations to save lives in ancient India, far before anyone else in known history.
Ayurveda, after languishing in neglect for a thousand years, is finally on its way to regaining its rightful place on the world medical science and technology stage.
Hindustan Times reports:
US varsities to teach Ayurveda
Madhur Singh
New Delhi, April 16, 2007
First Published: 20:46 IST(16/4/2007)
Last Updated: 21:24 IST(16/4/2007)
American patients may soon find their doctors advising them on the health benefits of amla and karela, and on how to keep vata, pitta and kapha doshas balanced. Starting this year, some half a dozen American medical schools are set to introduce courses in Ayurvedic medicine.
The courses will be offered under the continuing medical education (CME) programme for doctors and as part of the ‘alternative medicines’ modules for medical students. They will be introduced in schools in the Washington DC area. The teachers will be experts from India, and their expenses will be paid for by the Indian government.
These will be credit courses, and the aim will be to encourage doctors to use Ayurveda as an add-on or as an independent system of medicine. Only one mainstream American medical school, the Connecticut Medical School, offers courses in Ayurveda as of now, although some 20 schools teaching alternative systems of medicine do so.
The move is aimed at tapping the growing interest in herbal medicines and naturopathy across the world. According to Shiv Basant, Joint Secretary, Department of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy), his department, in conjunction with Indian embassies abroad, has been working consistently to promote Indian systems of medicine abroad.
India exports about Rs 300 cr worth of Ayurvedic medicines and Rs 1,000 cr worth of medicinal plants. “The figure has been increasing at the rate of about 10 per cent year on year,” Shiv Basant says.
Dr Navin Shah, former president of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), who played a pivotal role along with the Department of Ayush and the Indian embassy in the US in bringing Ayurveda courses to American universities, points out that the herbal medicines market in America alone is worth $40bn. Other than the obvious benefits that can accrue to the Indian pharma sector, introducing Ayurvedic courses in American universities also contributes to enhancing India’s soft power.
“There has been a conscious effort to promote Indian systems of medicine abroad,” says Shiv Basant, “and we will continue to organise expositions, road-shows and courses.”
The Ayush department has helped organise short courses in Indian systems of medicine, particularly Ayurveda in the West Indies, Germany and Hungary. The Indian embassy in Budapest is organising an Ayurveda festival in October, where participants from all Eastern European countries are expected to attend.
Labels: Indian Science
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Shameless Imams want hardworking Hindu taxpayers to pay for their trips to Mecca
These people have no shame. On the one hand they claim to follow the Koran, which clearly says that people going on Haj should pay their own expenses, and on the other hand they want the hard-working taxpayers of Hindu-majority India to pay their hard-earned money for their trips to Mecca.
These shameless beggars are saying that massive subsidies for costly airfares "is just like the biscuits, water and other provisions provided by the people to Hajis". If so, then those must be very expensive biscuits !
Subsidizing these trips to Mecca benefits Saudi Arabian economy by giving them tourism revenue, and India only suffers massive loss of foreign exchange.
It is also completely against Secularism to subsidize religious activities in this way. No Government of India has ever given even one rupee in subsidy to a Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, or Jain to go on any religious missions. Only the Muslims are chosen for these kinds of favours.
The Imams are saying that taking Government subsidies for going on Haj does not violate "Koranic beliefs". Perhaps they are right. The Koran has always supported taking money, land, or women, from non-Muslims. It is to be expected that the Koran would enthusiastically support the idea of the foolish Government of a Kaafir-majority poor country -- with millions of starving Hindu children and Hindu farmers committing suicide to escape the pains of poverty and hunger -- giving tens of millions of Dollars to Muslim fundamentalists and extremists going on vacation and Islamic terrorism conferences in Saudi Arabia, less than 50 years after Muslim extremists killed off millions of its people and took away 25 per cent of its land, and while Muslim extremists plot and carry out terrorist attacks on its Hindu citizens on a regular basis.
Those who do not understand why I call Muslim religious events in Mecca "Islamic terrorism conferences" above should take a look at the Koran. It is full of gruesomely violent thoughts and instructions: asking Muslims to kill, maim, kidnap, rape and torture non-Muslims practically constantly throughout the book.
No wonder that is what Muslims have been doing all over the world, throughout the last fourteen hundred years.
Times of India reports:
Subsidy not against Quranic beliefs: clerics
[27 Aug, 2006 0348hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK]
LUCKNOW: The order of the Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court banning subsidy on all pilgrimages has been interpreted by the Muslim clerics and religious leaders in the state in different ways. This order will affect only the Haj pilgrims as they are the only ones who get a subsidy from the government.
The clerics were unanimous in their opinion that the subsidy did not go against the Quranic belief that a Haji should finance his pilgrimage on his own.
Opinions and interpretations of the Muslim clerics and leaders varied from a shade of remorse to finding other ways of aiding the Haj pilgrims.
Zafaryab Jilani, member, All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), said, "There is no issue about removing the subsidy for Haj pilgrims. The government was only giving subsidy on the air fair. It can allow us to use other airlines —instead of Air India— who are more than ready to give discounts." The government spends huge sums on religious events like Kumbh Mela, Amarnath yatra and so on, he added.
Fazlu Rehman, Imam of Tille Wali masjid, however, said that it was bad for the Muslims. "We respect the court and would not say anything against it but the subsidy on Haj pilgrimage was a great help to the Muslims," he said. The Imam stated that a meeting of the Muslim Personal Law Board would be called as soon as the papers of the order are
available to them. "We will together decide the future course of action."
Yusuf Qureshi of the United Democratic Front (UDF) stated that the government will be the loser as they were getting one lakh passengers for Air India at one go.
"Now these passengers will go through the travel agents and get better facilities than that provided by the old Air India planes," Qureshi said. Qureshi said that the government started doling out a subsidy after the cruise service was discontinued. Arshad Khan of People's Democratic Front (PDF) said that the subsidy should continue. "The court will do what it thinks fit while the government should should what it deems fit," he said.
The Muslim clerics and leaders denied that enjoying a subsidy on Haj pilgrimage is against the tenets of Islam. The Quran says that the expenditure incurred by a Haj pilgrim should be borne by the person himself — or his close relatives. Jilani said, "The Muslims actually pay more as the Airlines are charging more than the cost of the service they provide."
He pointed out that the travel agents were charging a similar fee and yet making a profit. Arshad Khan of PDF expressed similar views.
Imam Fazlu Rehman said that the subsidy is like somebody giving you something as a gift on your way to the pilgrimage. "As Indian citizens we are entitled to this much support from the government.
The expenditure is high and the subsidy is a big help. It should be treated as providing a free train under special circumstances," he said.
Qureshi argued that the subsidy was in the form of gifts that are given to those going on a pilgrimage. "It is just like the biscuits, water and other provisions provided by the people to Hajis," he said. Jilani said that the Haj subsidy matter was in court for a long time and the government lost as their counsel failed to provide a proper defence.
Times of India reports:
Govt ready to subsidise all pilgrimages
Dhananjay Mahapatra
[15 Apr, 2007 0017hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK]
NEW DELHI: In its determination to protect Haj subsidies, particularly in view of the ongoing elections in UP, Centre has told Supreme Court that it was ready to offer similar support, at state expense, to pilgrimages organised by other communities.
Positing its offer as being in sync with the "secular ideals" of the Constitution, Centre virtually made a policy announcement by agreeing to provide financial assistance to Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jains and other religious communities. Government's brief appeared quite clear: to restate its commitment to Haj subsidy.
Though Supreme Court had earlier rescued the Centre by staying an Allahabad High Court order banning Haj subsidy, it could not restrain itself from asking the government whether it had ever subsidised the annual Sikh Jatha to Nankana Sahib in Pakistan. Keen not to leave any chink in its Haj armour, Centre swiftly agreed that it was open to providing subsidies for other pilgrimages too.
Centre did not specify whether assistance would be in the same scale as is being given to Haj pilgrims. Centre's earlier assertions regarding help to other communities were limited to arrangements for law and order during the Kumbh Mela and the management of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.
With the Congress-led government seeking to challenge its bitter critic Samajwadi Party in UP for the minority vote in the state, Centre would see a setback on Haj subsidies as a big blow to its political calculations. Even as Congress has been promising minority-centric measures in the wake of the Sachar committee, striking down of the Haj subsidy would have quickly set its "secular" rivals at the party's throat.
The ministry of external affairs's statement in an affidavit, filed in response to a PIL challenging the Haj subsidy, is unambiguous and shorn of ifs and buts. It said: "It is very much pertinent to state at this juncture that the government is not averse to the idea of granting support to the pilgrimages conducted by any community." The ministry said the PIL filed by Praful Goradia has challenged Haj Committee Act of 1959, which has been repealed with the enactment of HCA, 2002.
Terming the PIL as politically motivated, MEA stoutly defended Centre's policy to subsidise air-travel of pilgrims to Mecca for the annual Haj. Citing the HCA, 2002, enacted during the NDA regime, the ministry said the policy decision was first taken in the mid-90s and is being continued.
It said expenditure for facilitating and supporting the pilgrimage to religious places is covered under Art 282 of the Constitution and took the stand that the SC itself has held in several judgments that a policy decision cannot be questioned by the court unless it is contrary to the Constitution.
On the plea of the petitioner that granting subsidy to one community violated secularism, which is the basic fabric of the Constitution, the ministry said: "A policy decision to grant subsidy to Haj pilgrims is in no way going to affect the principles of secularism."
On the contrary, such policy decisions stimulate the ideals set out by the Constitution which intends to secularise amongst others the liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith and worship, equality of status and opportunity, it said.
Seeking to seal the case against interference by the court, MEA said the amount of subsidy (which is the difference of air fare) is allocated in the Union budget. Once Parliament passes the Union budget after due consideration of all relevant issues, courts ought not to issue any direction against the subsidy which would be tantamount to deleting budgetary allocations, it said.
dhananjay.mahapatra@timesgroup.com
Labels: Indian politics
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DMK introduces zizya in Tamil Nadu
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party ruling Tamil Nadu has introduced reservations for Muslims and Christians in Tamil Nadu Government jobs and educational institutions. Poor Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Sikhs are thus being encouraged to convert to Islam or Christianity in order to become eligible for getting access to education and jobs in their own motherland.
The Sultans of Delhi and Mughal Emperors like Aurangzeb -- who spent their lives constantly destroying Hindu temples, butchering Hindus, kidnapping Hindu women and raping and torturing them till they agreed to convert to Islam -- used financial incentives like
zizya as well in their crusades against Hinduism.
Hindus Buddhists Jains and Sikhs living under Muslim rule were forced to pay the
zizya religious tax. Over the 1000-year-long Muslim tyranny over India, during times of famine, food shortage, crop failure, etc., this
zizya tax caused millions of starving Hindus and Buddhists to convert to Islam in order that their starving children might stay alive.
Now poor Hindus Buddhists and Sikhs in Tamil Nadu, where Reservations have already touched 69%, are essentially being told by the DMK Government: "If you want to go to college or get a job, convert to Islam or Christianity. Otherwise, remain Hindu and starve." Do you still think India is a secular country ?
The UPA Government led by the anti-Hindu Catholic fanatic Antonia Maino (a.k.a. Sonia Gandhi) has recently shamelessly introduced Re. 2 coins embossed with the Christian Cross.
Now Hindus are being openly denied opportunities in their own ancient homeland, while they are being reserved for Christians and Muslims only.
How much more of this will the Hindus of India tolerate ? Now is the time for Hindus of India to unite. To forget about Caste differences. To fight for survival.
It is not difficult. All we have to do is to be able to identify our friends and enemies. Anyone practising Casteist Divide and Rule politics, dividing Hindus on the basis of, say, Caste (like Arjun Singh, or V P Singh, and anyone in the same Parties or Alliances with them) is an enemy.
Anyone preaching Hindu Unity, like the RSS or the BJP, or the Shiv Sena, is a friend.
Those who are against OBC Casteist Reservations and angry with BJP and Shiv Sena for not opposing them, please understand that BJP or Shiv Sena cannot protest against OBC Reservations because doing so will mean playing into the hands of people like Arjun Singh.
Arjun Singh and Sonia Gandhi want Hindus to fight amongst each other. We must not. Our OBC brothers and sisters will see through Arjun Singh's tricks on their own, and will oppose Casteism and Divide and Rule on their own.
Hindus of India, unite. If you don't, you will be exterminated.
Your tolerance is being used against you. Your enemies are motivated by mad and intolerant religious fanaticism preached in the Koran and Bible; tolerating this intolerance will have disastrous results.
Hindus must unite and inspire fear among the fanatic Muslims and Christians who seek to destroy us; only then will they start showing secularism, religious tolerance, and civilized behaviour.
Spread these thoughts among all you know. I have reached these conclusions after a lot of thought. I know many of you are afraid of being associated with the RSS. But in truth, Hinduism in India can be saved only if all Hindus of India, of all castes, languages, regions, unite under the RSS flag.
The enemies of Hinduism know this. That is precisely why they are trying to besmirch the RSS by spreading malicious propaganda about it all the time.
The RSS has been banned in in Hindu-majority India three times since Independence; each time on flimsy grounds and false accusations. The enemies of Hinduism have been fighting it desperately.
A small minority of Hindus have been working hard to keep the RSS alive for the last hundred years. Now is the time for the rest to lend a hand.
Join RSS today and work for Hindu Unity, so that your children can have a better future than the unfortunate Hindus of Pakistan, Bangladesh, or Kashmir.
Join RSS today, so that your daughter is not kidnapped into a harem and forcibly converted to Islam, the way Hindu girls are being treated in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Join RSS today, so that your son and daughter are not forced to convert to Islam or Christianity in order to qualify for college educations and jobs in their own motherland.
Vande Mataram. Jai Hind.
Times of India reports:
TN announces 'exclusive reservation' for minoritiesAdd to Clippings
[5 Apr, 2007 1252hrs ISTPTI]
CHENNAI: In the midst of a raging controversy over the Supreme Court's stay on the 27 per cent reservation for OBC students in the elite educational institutions, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday announced an 'exclusive reservation' for Christians and Muslims in government services and educational institutions.
Intervening during a debate on the demands of grants for minorities department, Chief Minister M Karunanidhi told the state assembly that the government had accepted the recommendations of the state Backward Classes Commission, headed by Justice M Janardanam, retired judge of the Madras High court, in this regard.
The Commission, which had been asked to go into the question, had stated that the report of the Second Class Backward Commission, headed by J A Ambashankar, which went into the number of backward class people in the state, could be the basis for the 'exclusive reservation’ for Christians and Muslims.
The Ambashankar Commission had studied the population of backward class people among Hindus, Christians and Muslims.
The government would take legal steps to implement the exclusive reservation for minorities once the Supreme Court pronounced its verdict on the 69 per cent reservation case, pending before it, Karunanidhi said.
He said full details on the exclusive reservation would be announced after consultations with 'friendly parties' of the DMK.
Labels: Indian politics
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