ISSUES AND CONCERNS

RAMAKRISHNA MOVEMENT IN MANGALOORU-1947-2022 FOOT PRINTS ON THE SANDS OF TIME That the Ramakrishna movement was the brainchild of Swami Vivekananda is well known. To give concrete shape to the message of Sri Ramakrishna and himself, Swami Vivekananda launched the monastic order. The first Ramakrishna Math was thus formed followed by Ramakrishna Mission. The objectives of Ramakrishna Math are to spread the idea of the potential divinity of every being and to manifest it through every action and thought. “Aatmano Mokshartham Jagad Hitaaya Cha” is the motto of Ramakrishna Math, which translated into English means “For the salvation of our individual self and for the well being of all on earth”. This is a shloka or verse from Rig Veda. In simple terms, the above shloka quoted by Swami Vivekananda means “For one’s own liberation and for the good of the world”. Thus, Ramakrishna Math was formed to spread the idea of how to liberate oneself in thought and action that would lead to the good o...

NEW DELHI: The news report datelined New Delhi “Making marital rape criminal: Delhi HC delivers split verdict” is not a comfortable thought at all. In a democratic milieu that we are in, and the kind of cultural moorings we Indians inherit, to think that woman is unequal to man is spiritual blasphemy. India in particular has a long history of ladies being kept at an honored pedestal and there are umpteen examples. That is being the case, it is absolutely in order to think that, SHE is as autonomous as HE is. No debate. Of course, in living together some adjustments are needed, which is an universal norm. Hence for learned judges of the Delhi High Court to disagree on the issue sounds rather shocking. Delivering the judgment at Delhi High Court on the petition to criminalize the marital rape, two judges of Delhi High Court agreed to disagree. One said “its rape” and other said “it need not be”. Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who headed the Delhi HC bench on the petition in question, has favo...

KASHMIR FILES: THE WHOLE TRUTH! There is this video going round in the social media. PV Narasimha Rao, who was the Prime Minister of India during 1991-1996 sends a special emissary to the United Nations, the then opposition leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to represent India on the troubled Kashmir issue. Addressing the General Assembly of the UN, Vajpayee states, “Before beginning my talk I want to tell you something about Rishi Kashyap, after whom Kashmir is named. Rishi Kashyap was walking through a thick forest and saw a beautiful lake. On seeing the lake, he thought ‘what a good opportunity to have a bath’. He took off his clothes, put them aside on the bank of the pond and got into the lake for taking bath. When he got out and wanted to dress, he found that his clothes were not there. It had vanished. A Pakistani had stolen them.” Vajpayee paused for a while. The Pakistani representative, who was present in the UN General Assembly jumped on his feet furiously and shouted “what are ...

NEW DELHI: Sometime in May 2021, Waseem Rizwi had approached the Supreme Court with a PIL. In his PIL Rizwi had alleged that there are 26 verses or suras in Quran that promotes violence and therefore they should be removed from the Holy Book. But strangely learned judges of the highest court of the land dismissed it off hand, by terming the PIL as ‘an absolutely frivolous petition’ and fined him Rs. 50,000/- for refusing to withdraw it. The decision of the bench chaired by Justice Rohinton Nariman was patently wrong in dismissing the petition without hearing him and it was prima facie high-handed to penalize him by Rs. 50000/- for refusing to withdraw the petition. It was in his full senses that Waseem Rizwi had refused to withdraw his petition and hence paid the fine. It is another matter, eventually Waseem Rizwi decided to leave his faith of over 50 years and he did leave, as if to say “hell with your judgment”. He could probably have remained a Muslim if court had heard him and ther...