Irreverence and Intolerance

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2010
Thodupuzha, a small town at the foothills of Western Ghats in Kerala, was gripped by violent protests and curfews last week. Muslims protestors ravaged the town and forced shopkeepers to close down their shops. They were up in arms against a question paper that insulted their god ‘Allah’ and their prophet Muhammad.

The offending question paper was part of an internal examination in the Malayalam language department of Newman College, Thopuzha. The head of department, one Prof Joseph, had included a few lines of fictitious conversation between the prophet Muhammad and Allah to test his students’ skill at punctuation and grammar. Little did the professor realize that this exercise would be a full stop in his career! Those lines portrayed Allah and the prophet in bad light. The author of those lines – whether the professor or someone else – betrays his malice and folly.

Malice, because the writer portrays Allah and the prophet as persons bereft of any intelligence. The writer places abusive words in the mouth of Allah. Whatever one thinks of Islam or its followers, it is indeed wickedness to ascribe folly and vulgarity to the Muslim’s god. If the ‘conversation’ included in the exercise had been between two ordinary Muslims, things would have been slightly different.

This was an act of folly because the professor allegedly created a joke about Allah and Muhammad as if he were creating a Sardarji joke. The Sikh community has a sense of humour that is unique; they laugh at themselves even as others laugh at them, thereby nullifying the effect of any cruel joke. It was foolish on the part of the professor to ridicule the Muslim community. If people think that he did this deliberately to create a religious uprising or riot, they cannot be blamed. Mr Joseph, being a professor, will find it difficult to convince anyone that he was unaware of past Muslim objections to criticism and ridicule. The whole world knows what will happen if someone makes a cartoon or a joke about any Islamic icon.

Newman College suspended the professor from service. The Catholic diocese under which the college functions expressed regret. However, it is unfortunate that the entire blame is now on the professor. How is it that the Principal of the college does not share any blame? Responsibility for any academic issue should finally be on the Principal’s shoulders.

The ministers in charge of Education and Home Affairs called for strict action against just the professor. They wanted to press criminal charges against Prof Joseph. If the Principal and the management of the college can be let off the hook, and if the latter can wriggle out of the situation by just issuing a notice of regret, why can’t the professor be given a chance to apologize unconditionally? After all, he is a teacher – that too, a teacher of the local language. The examination was an internal assessment—not a University exam in which the question paper could get wide circulation. The Kerala Government’s decision to frame criminal charges against the professor might be interpreted as an attempt to please a minority community at the expense of another.

Students who were offended by the question should have complained to the Principal. They should have sought the professor’s apology or suitable in-house punishment instead of taking the matter to the streets. The disturbance in the region was not caused by the question paper; it was the decision of the students to take the matters to the wider religious community that created widespread disturbance. One breach of law does not excuse or justify another. One negative action should not have been dealt with by another larger negative reaction.
POSTED BY PHILIP.EAPEN AT 1:43 PM
2 COMMENTS:

Najmath said...
hi sir.
it is an unfortunate incidence that happened in our country, but the question paper if its the way i read it is really aweful. as you also believe in one god same like me (am muslim). we both believe in one god..{i just object w/ the fact that prophet isa(Peace be upon him)is gods son)...the same god. would it be right for people to say that our one and only god is using such vocabulary? is god to be joked upon? do we have the power to moke at God... we adore muhammad (PBUH) same like we adore jesus (PBUH)... if that professor had written jesus' name instead of muhammad.. it wud have hurt us... really bad... bcoz they are our dear prophets... it is not the matter that we dont tolerate jokes.. we cant tolerate our beloved prophets to be moked.... hope you get it..
July 4, 2010 11:16 PM

K.Venugopal said...
That the professor framed an uncalled for question is idiotic and provocative. It was proper that he was suspended and a case has been charged against him. However, the reaction of some elements of the Muslim community in chopping-off a hand of the professor is definitely a more dangerous crime because it is about taking the law into one's own hands. If the population at large starts taking law into their hands, India will be in a state of anarchy. Therefore it is important that all the people involved in the dastardly attack on the professor be arrested and charged for nothing less than attempts to create anarchy in the society. If India is to be saved from turning into a terrorist bad land like Afghanistan, the tendency of taking law into one's hands, be it in the name of honour killings or religious slights, must be crushed. We must say, this far and no further.
July 5, 2010 7:57 PM

http://ppeapen.blogspot.com/2010/04/intolerance-meets-irreverence.html

All over for 'IPL czar' Modi?

3 Jul 2010, 2258 hrs IST, AGENCIES
Tightening the noose around the embattled Lalit Modi, the BCCI on Saturday (July 3) took the first step towards his expulsion by unanimously ratifying all charges against him and authorising its President Shashank Manohar to initiate civil and criminal proceedings against the suspended IPL chief. The BCCI's Special General Body Meeting also referred the charges against Modi to a re-constituted disciplinary committee which now has Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia replacing Manohar, who rescued himself after Modi accused him of bias.

The Board's unanimous decision to refer the matter to its Disciplinary Committee is seen as the first step for Modi's ouster from the BCCI where he has virtually lost support from all the members. Manohar said criminal proceedings could be started against Modi for financial bunglings while issuing IPL contracts and rights. "The house, after deliberation and debate on the matter, resolved that the Board President has the right to start any legal proceedings, including civil and criminal proceedings, against Mr Modi," Manohar told a press conference.

"The civil and criminal matters would be decided after inquiry and that is for the disciplinary committee to decide. I can tell you that there were certain rights given to parties without there being contracts like the ticketing rights of the finals and the third-place match given to a company called 'Ticket Genie'. There was no contract to show how many tickets were printed and how many were sold," he said. Modi's legal counsel Mehmood Abdi termed the BCCI's decision to refer charges against him to the disciplinary panel as well as to initiate criminal proceedings as "legal absurdity".

"The decision taken is a legal absurdity. On the one hand the SGM BCCI decided to ratify referring of charges against Mr Modi to the disciplinary committee for further investigation. "On the other hand the BCCI decides also to file criminal charges against Mr Modi on the same ground. That means the BCCI has already formed an opinion about the commitment of offence by Modi," Abdi said. Apart from Scindia, the disciplinary committee also includes IPL's interim chief Chirayu Amin and BCCI vice-President Arun Jaitely. Scindia is the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association chief and a sitting Congress MP from Guna. "There were 30 members present, 29 state associations were there and the house took a unanimous decision ratifying BCCI Secretary's (N Srinivasan) decision to recommend the matter to the disciplinary committee," Manohar said.

"The house unanimously decided to appoint Scindia as the third member of the disciplinary committee. He (Modi) has accused me and Srinivasan of bias, so we both thought that Mr Scindia would be the best person to be in the committee because he is not associated with the day to day functioning of the board," Manohar explained. Manohar said that the disciplinary panel will complete its probe against Modi within six months from the date of issue of the three show cause notices to Modi. "There's no bar", Manohar said to a query whether the probe against Modi will run parallel to the impending criminal and civil charges that the Board will file against Modi with government authorities.

Asked about an estimate of the financial irregularities, Manohar said, "I can't say on that but I can say there were number of contracts of which we had no knowledge." Manohar said Modi will have to appear before the disciplinary committee where he would get a chance to put forth his reply on accusations that include taking kickbacks from TV and internet rights. "Modi says he was not aware about the facilitation fee of USD 80 million. Modi who has signed the contract has given us the reply that he was not aware of the fee. He will be asked to appear before the inquiry committee where he can give his additional reply," he said.

On the disciplinary committee's functioning, Manohar said since he was no longer a part of the panel, he could not comment. "Now we don't have anything to do with the committee's proceedings," he said. On the World Sports Group's threat to initiate legal action against the BCCI for scrapping its telecast deals, Manohar said, "If they want to go to court, its fine." Manohar also said the Board will not take a decision on the application for sale of stakes in the Kings XI Punjab by its co-promoters, including industrialist Ness Wadia and Bollywood star Preity Zinta till the probe into its share holding was completed by the relevant government authorities.

Modi has been slapped with three show cause notices so far accusing him of financial bunglings, trying to start a rebel league in England and irregularities in issuing theatrical rights of the IPL. Modi's replies, the first one running into a whopping 15,000 pages, were rejected by the BCCI which then decided to call the SGM to discuss the issue. The decision to refer the matter to the disciplinary committee is seen as the first step towards ousting Modi from all BCCI positions. Modi, a BCCI vice-President, has remained defiant accusing the Board Secretary of pursuing personal vendetta against him.


This is undoubtedly the biggest cover-up scandal in India, maybe next only to the Anderson-Bhopal tragedy cover-up by Congress. Everybody but everybody said Modi worked wonders for cricket. However, when he set out to expose a scandal behind the IPL Cochin bid, Congress, stung that one of Sonia's blue-eyed boys was caught red-handed, set in motion an oust-Modi plan. They set the IT Department against Modi and even before framing charges, Times of India itself was recruited to taint Modi's image by trying to pass of allegations as confirmed facts. When the going was good everyone gave Modi a free hand. Now the very people who were in the thick of alleged wrong-doings are themselves sitting in judgement. They have brought in Jyotiraditya Scinda as an empire - a fellow, like his father, known to be a Congress toady. The Supreme Court must intervene and put an end to this farce and appoint a neutral committee to go into all aspects of the matter. Meanwhile Modi should be asked by the football associations in India to draw up a programme to take football in India from its current hubris to international success. If Modi is at the helm, there is all the chance that India may be a part of the next world cup. Go India Go.

http://www.timesnow.tv/All-over-for-IPL-czar-Modi/articleshow/4348865.cms

No one country should dominate ICC: Howard

Last Updated on Sunday, July 04, 2010, 12:11 IST

Melbourne: John Howard refuses to blame India for scuttling his bid for the ICC vice-president`s job but the former Australian Prime Minister feels international cricket`s financial powerhouse should not be allowed to dominate affairs like it does right now.

"We have to be careful of making India some kind of target of disdain in world cricket," Howard said when asked whether he considers India the primary reason for losing out on the crucial Afro-Asian support for his bid.

"(But) I think it is very important we understand there`s got to be a fair sharing of responsibilities and no one part of the world, no one country, should dominate.”

"People in the past criticised the fact it was dominated by England and Australia and now we don`t want to replace one perceived domination with another," he said.

"That in a way is why the ICC put in place this rotation system and that`s one of the issues CA have got to take into account when it responds to what has happened."

Howard said he still wants the job but it is upto Cricket Australia and New Zealand Cricket to consider whether he should be re-nominated.

"I`d like the job but at this stage it`s hit a roadblock, and what happens from now on is really CA`s call, it`s not about me, it`s about the future of the game," Howard said.

"I went into this because I love cricket very much and I had the time to devote to it and the energy and the commitment, but what happens from now on CA and New Zealand Cricket have been asked to re-nominate and they obviously separately and together will meet and talk about the situation," he added.

Howard once again expressed his disappointment at being rejected for the job and hoped CA would work out a conciliatory formula.

"They`ve got to pay regard to what`s happened, given that we had apparently put in place a procedure for choosing by rotation the president and vice president of the ICC, and that appears to have been pushed to one side in the last week.”

"But equally they`ve got to look at the future of the game," he said.

Howard said India`s financial might should not be viewed negatively.

"There is one part of the world where a sport at the present time remains transcendent over soccer and that is the Indian sub-continent," he said.

"The fanaticism for cricket among the 1.5 billion people in the entire region... is unbelievable and we`ve got to see that in a positive light," he added.

PTI
He said that it was perceived at one time that England and Australia were dominating ICC but did he say at that time that such domination should end? Was it he who brought in the rotation system? If he now feels ICC should not be dominated by any one country, is it because that country is neither Australia nor England?

http://cricket.zeenews.com/fullstory.aspx?nid=30670

Karnataka Lok Ayukta withdraws resignation

Updated on Saturday, July 03, 2010, 22:07 IST

Bangalore: Heeding to appeals from top BJP leaders, Santosh Hegde on Saturday agreed to withdraw his resignation as Karnataka Lokayukta, bringing relief to an embarrassed Yeddyurappa government which he had accused of being indifferent to corruption.

Stung by Hegde's sudden decision to quit, BJP went into an overdrive to persuade him to continue as the anti- corruption watchdog, with party president Nitin Gadkari himself along with Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa calling on him shortly after party veteran L K Advani called him up to reconsider his decision.


"I have decided to withdraw my resignation. If Governor H R Bhardwaj gives me time, I will meet him tomorrow to withdraw the resignation," said Hegde, who had repeatedly refused to budge despite appeals from various quarters in the past 10 days since he announced his decision to quit.

"I express my heartful thanks to Santosh Hegde," an elated Gadkari said while Yeddyurappa too thanked Hegde for agreeing to withdraw the resignation, over which opposition Congress and JDS mounted a sharp attack on his government.

"Hegde was kind enough to consider enveryone's request and agreed to withdraw his resignation," said Yeddyurappa, who initially had not persuaded the Lokayukta to reconsider his decision.

Hegde, who had come under pressure from political leaders and intellectuals in the state to reconsider his decision, finally yielded citing Advani's appeal and assurances by Yeddyurappa to address issues raised by him, including giving suo moto powers to the Lokayukta.

Known for his aggressive crusade against corruption, Hegde had announced his decision to resign with effect from August, miffed over BJP government's "indifference" towards corruption and not doing enough to arm the Lokayukta with more powers.

"For me Advani is like a father. He was a close friend of my father (former Lok Sabha Speaker late K S Hegde). I cannot go against his wish. I have to acceed to his request. Not for any political reason, but because of my love and respect for Advani, I have decided to withdraw my resignation," he said.


Hegde said Gadkari, here to attend a party function tomorrow, Yeddyurappa and Law Minister Suresh Kumar, met him and promised to consider certain demands raised by him.

"I am totally happy and satisfied with the assurance".

Asked why he had accepted Advani's appeal but not that of Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, Hegde said "Advani is like my father while Chidambaram is my younger brother".

Hegde said it was not possible for him earlier to withdraw his resignation without any assurances.

"I have not withdrawn my resignation because Advani is in BJP or that the ruling party is BJP," he said. "My relationship with Advani is different from all other political leaders. I equate Advani to my father, his word is my command. I cannot disobey him," he said.

In his appeal issued in Delhi, Advani said "I have known Justice Santosh Hegde for a long time. He is an eminent jurist for whom all of us have great respect. As Lokayukta of Karnataka, he has certain concerns, I am sure the state government of Karnataka will address them earnestly."

A delegation of BJP headed by its state unit president K S Eswarappa, Home Minister V S Acharya and Law Minister yesterday called on Hegde to persuade him to reconsider his decision, but to no avail.

Hegde said he decided to continue as Lokayukta trusting the assurances given by the government, but also warned "if it does not happen, then you know the consequences. The doors are open, I can come in and I can also go out.

"I am free to walk out. There is no commitment to that extent."

PTI

I congratulate the BJP in getting the Lokayukta back. BJP must not only mould itself as a Hindutva party, but also as a moral force. Corruption is more dangerous than terrorism. Nobody wants terrorism and we have strong security forces to handle it. But corruption has become a way of life and has seeped into all levels of society. BJP must co-opt the Lokayukta and under his leadership put an end to the corruption and end the powers of the blackmailing Reddy brothers, even if the government falls. The BJP will sweep the next elections on the strength of its anti-corruption drive.

http://www.zeenews.com/news638436.html

'Reservation on religious ground unconstitutional'

Updated on Friday, July 02, 2010, 18:40 IST
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court today declared as unconstitutional reservation on religious grounds while allotting flats built by a government agency.

A division bench of Chief Justice J N Patel and Justice B Bhattacharjee hearing a PIL held that there was no provision for reservation on religious grounds in the Constitution.

Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority, a West Bengal government agency, had on March 10 floated an advertisement for sale of nearly 300 flats at Baishnabghata in the southern outskirts of the city.

The brochure said there would be 26 per cent reservation in allotment of the flats for religious minorities like Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Parsis, etc., counsel Kaushik Chanda submitted on behalf of the petitioners.

Challenging this, the petitioners submitted that the Constitution has no provision for reservation on religious grounds and that secular nature of the government would be affected if such reservations are made.

Appearing for the KMDA, counsel Soumitra Basu submitted that they would be guided by the High Court and would abide by its decision.

Hearing both the parties, the division bench passed the order declaring such allotments illegal and asked KMDA to issue fresh advertisements for selling the flats.

-PTI

This is a good decision by the Hon'ble High Court. I think the courts should also strike down Manmohan Singh's policy of "first preference for Muslims in development". Also, the plot by the UPA Government to grant reservations to Muslims and Christians in the name of Dalits should be challenged in courts. I congratulate those who brought up the PIL in Calcutta High Court.

http://www.zeenews.com/news638194.html

Lahore: 42 killed in suicide blasts at shrine

Updated on Friday, July 02, 2010, 13:14 IST
Lahore: A pair of suicide bombings that killed 42 at a popular Sufi shrine in Pakistan's east stirred outrage among many in this terror-scarred nation on Friday. Several blamed the US presence in Afghanistan for spurring the attacks, while some faulted a minority sect that itself was viciously targeted just weeks before.

The bombings of Lahore's Data Darbar shrine, the burial site of a famous Sufi saint, struck at the heart of the moderate Islam most Pakistanis still practice. The assault wounded 180 people and again demonstrated the potent nature of militant groups that are linked to but operate far from the northwest tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

Thousands of people had gathered late Thursday at the green-domed shrine when bombs went off minutes apart in separate sections. The blasts ripped concrete from the walls, twisted metal gates and left the white marble floor awash with blood. Worshippers scattered as white plumes of smoke blanketed the area, footage showed.


There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Islamist extremist groups consider Sufism to be heretical, and they have previously struck non-Sunni sects. Still, several Pakistanis interviewed on Friday said the real root of the problem was the US presence in Afghanistan and its missile strikes against militants in Pakistan's tribal regions.

"America is killing Muslims in Afghanistan and in our tribal areas, and militants are attacking Pakistan to express anger against the government for supporting America," said Zahid Umar, 25, who frequently visits the shrine.

Pakistanis are suffering because of American policies and aggression in the region, said Mohammed Asif, 34, who runs an auto workshop in Lahore. He and others said the attacks would end if the US would pull out of Afghanistan.

Several others interviewed blamed the Ahmadis, a minority sect that has long faced discrimination in Pakistan. On May 28 in Lahore, gunmen and a suicide squad targeted two Ahmadi mosques, massacring at least 93 people.


"I think the Ahmadis were behind the attack" on the Sufi shrine, said Lahore resident Mohammad Amir, accusing the minority sect of seeking revenge. He offered no evidence to back up his claim.

Lahore, capital of Punjab province, is a key military, political and cultural hub. The city has witnessed several audacious attacks on a diverse set of targets over the past two years, from crowded markets to Sri Lanka's cricket team.

The Pakistani government has been criticised for lacking the will to crack down on militants in Punjab, the country's most populous and most powerful region. Many of the militants are part of now-banned groups launched with government support in the 1980s and '90s to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan and pressure archenemy India.

Many of these groups have formed links with the Pakistani Taliban, which has recruited militants to carry out attacks in parts of Pakistan far from its sanctuary in the northwest.

During Thursday's attack, the first bomber detonated his explosives in an underground room where visitors sleep and wash themselves before praying. Minutes later, a second bomber struck upstairs in a large courtyard in front of the shrine as people tried to flee.

Police initially said they were investigating the source of a third blast, but concluded there were only two suicide bombers, whose heads were later found, said Khusro Pervez, a senior government official in Lahore. Overnight, the death toll rose to 42, he said. Police said 180 were wounded.

Pakistani officials condemned the bombings, using language they have frequently used to try to convince the population that the fight against militancy is not one they can ignore. The efforts have had limited success in a country where anti-Americanism is widespread and engaging conspiracy theories is a national pastime.

"Those who still pretend that we are not a nation at war are complicit in these deaths," said Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokeswoman for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

The attacks have fuelled anger against Pakistan's weak police forces, who appear helpless to stop the killings. In the hours after Thursday's bombings, demonstrators gathered outside the shrine to protest the security lapse, only to be dispersed after police fired into the air and threw rocks at them.

Pervez said recent intelligence alerts about possible attacks lacked details.

"The intelligence agencies alerted us that terrorists could target prominent places, shrines and mosques in Lahore. They mentioned names of major places as a possible target, but no specific information was available to us," he said.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the attack and resolved to fight the terrorists. The blasts showed that terrorists have no respect for any religion, Zardari said, adding that such acts would not dent the government's resolve to fight the menace of terrorism and militancy.

The Prime Minister said: "Such cowardly acts indicate that the terrorists after their defeat in bordering areas have resorted to target innocent citizens in the cities."

Bureau Report

Violence in the sub-continent is the legacy of the entry of Islam into the region. Let alone take measures to fight this legacy, the secular opinion makers of India do not have the guts even to acknowledge this truth - taking refugee in secular policy that taboos criticism of Islam. Till this truth is spelt out clearly by the opinion makers, violence in the name of religion would continue in the sub-continent - a violence that even encourages the non-religious violence of the Maoists. Of course, it is also true that the vast majority of Muslims in the sub-continent do not wish for violence and all they want, like others, is to live with dignity and security. The only way to ensure that the mass of Muslims are not caught up with the result of Islam’s inbuilt religious intolerance is to make them a part of India’s nationalistic movement, where the interests of the nation come above any religious consideration. In short, the solution to the perennial problem of violence in the sub-continent in the name of religion is the awakening of Indian nationalism, where all Indians, irrespective of their religious persuasion, are equal partners.

http://www.zeenews.com/news638028.html

AoL now in an Art of Land deals

01/07/2010

Bangalore: The mystery behind the mysterious extortionist who demanded a whopping Rs 42 crore from the Art of Living Foundation of Guru Sri Sri Ravishankar has taken a new turn to the world of real estate. A day after AoL lodged a police complaint that an extortionist was making threatening calls, allegations have surfaced that the ashram has occupied the land illegally.

Agni Sridhar, a don-turned film maker has been having a running battle with Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. He has alleged that a part of the land occupied by Art of Living belongs to Paul Fernandez, a businessman.
The calls were allegedly made by Agni Sridhar, a don-turned journalist and filmmaker, demanding Rs 42 crore. AoL confirmed that it was Sridhar who made the calls. Sridhar too confirmed that the cell phone numbers mentioned in the complaint belonged to him.
Soon, Sridhar came out in the open and told the media in Bangalore that he had only asked AoL to pay up Rs 42 crore for the land that belonged to one Paul Fernandez, a businessman from Kerala.
Sridhar said that AoL had taken away his friend Paul's land and had not paid up. He alleged that the AoL lodged a police complaint on extortion only to gag his voice as he given notice to launch an agitation against the Ashram.
In a counter complaint with the police, Sridhar has alleged that the AoL had filed a false complaint against him and sought an investigation into the land issue.

The Art of Living ashram according to Paul Fernandez was told that the money for the land was paid by him.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Sridhar pointed out that his calls were not mysterious or sudden and that he had been holding talks with AoL for the past month."After Paul approached me, Swamiji wanted to meet me. For the past one month, there have been calls to my phone from the Ashram. After the intervention of a local Gram Panchayat and Zilla Panchayat member, I went to the Ashram and held a meeting with Sri Sri Ravishankar for more than one-and-half hours. When such is the case, why should I threaten him over phone," he asked.
The story, according to Sridhar is this: Paul Fernandez had paid for the land that is now occupied by AoL. This triggered a litigation in 1995.
Paul, who was also present at the press conference, said he had told AoL that he had paid for the land and showed the sale agreements. But AoL ignored this and got the land registered in its name.

Art of Living, however, says that they have no knowledge of the deal.
Paul said he had purchased a land adjacent to the AoL complex through a power of attorney 12 years ago. The owner of the land died before executing the absolute sale deed and only then he came to know that the land had been pledged to a cooperative society. AoL purchased the land from the society. "Since I had already spent Rs 10 million on the land, I was forced to approach AoL seeking either return of the land or fair compensation," he said.
At another press conference, Prasad Konnar, a senior faculty, and Prasanna Prabhu, a trustee of AoL said: "Agni Sridhar had visited the ashram with a proposal for initiating joint social development projects with his organisation as well as with other Dalit organisations known to him. During the discussion, he praised guruji and the ashram programmes."

According to Agni Sridhar, he had met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and told him about the land deal. But Art of Living counters this by saying that Sridhar hadcome and met the Guru as a devotee and to discuss social projects.
"He (Sridhar) invited guruji to his place. On June 21, Ravishankar deputed three seniors - Prasad, Prasanna and Raju Gowda - to visit Sridhar. After exchanging pleasantries, we were taken aback when Sridhar changed his tone and the topic. He wanted us to inform the top brass of the ashram to settle the issue. If not, he had some CDs and documents to malign the ashram."
"We passed on his message and for the next three days, we got SMS and calls from Sridhar's mobile phone number enquiring about the money."
But Sridhar had a different take. "On June 18, I personally met the guruji and discussed a settlement with regard to encroachment of some land belonging to realtor Paul Fernandez, by the ashram." Sridhar said the realtor had sought his help. "I decided to call the media as my cellphone number was mentioned in the (ashram's) police complaint."
Said AoL: "We bought 15 acres of land from Vijay on February 5, 2007 and we are in possession of all the legal documents. The charge of land encroachment is baseless and fabricated."
Source: India Syndicate

K.Venugopal
#1
Thursday, 01 July 2010 16:45:04
The so called controversy is unlikely to be an issue at all. The local government land records office can give the correct position as to ownership of the land and the ashram should place the records in public domain so that the controversy dies a natural death. The ashram appears to have legally bought the land from the party to whom it was hypothecated, who subsequently expired. The relatives have now hired a gangster to see if the ashram can be forced to pay an imagined compensation for land which was legally bought. The point is, who are the people who have cooked up a false picture to malign the ashram? The ashram must expose them. The gangster is only a conduit. Could anti-Hindu forces be behind the efforts?

K.Venugopal
#1
Thursday, 01 July 2010 21:18:08
Dear Ananthaswamy

1.Should not a swamiji(sanyasi) be beyond suspicion of worly things.?
If some people cook up things to make a suspect of Swamiji, what can he do? He has to take to legal recourse, which he will do.
2.Why do they travel in expensive cars.?they can always so no just like other real sanyas.
This idea of expensive cars and cheap cars may be in the head of materialists. Spiritual gurus simply travel in the vehicle provided by the disciples, whether it is a Mercedes or bullock-cart.
3.If sanyas is perfect & speaks truth then why did he say that somebody was trying to kill him when actually a Dog was the target & not this God.?
He at no time said somebody was trying to kill him. He simply said a shot has been fired and it should be looked into seriously.
4.Why dont THEY allow children in the shopping mall in your ashram(they presume that children steal & actually do not purchase)
I don’t know about this. It is for the Ashram to explain.
5.What other skill & knowledge does he possess apart from breathing exercise which anycase all yogis practice but marketed well by AOL.
Teaching breathing exercise alone would qualify him to have the gratitude of his disciples because breathing properly is the basis of health. Sri Sri Ravi is also imparting knowledge of the deepest philosophies of Hinduism in very simple language. This is a bonus to mankind.
6.Why do they collect so much money for a simple breathing technology.?
This is one question I too have. I think they ought to teach it free.
7.Why do they insist that the technology shuould be initiated by gurujis cassete & not somebody else.(justlike mosquito liquid manufacturers insist that it works best in their machines)
You have the freedom to listen to any cassette, not just Sri Sri Ravi’s. If you want to know what he is teaching, then of course you have to listen to his cassette. Simple, is it not?
8.Why doesnt he clarify his sexuality since people have a doubt.?
Why don’t you start walking naked on the streets so that no one has any doubts about yours?

IF SOMEBODY CAN ANSWER 4 QUESTIONS ,HE NEED NOT ANSWER OTHER 4.
I WILL NEVER ASK MORE QUERIES I HAVE IN ANY FORUM
Have I answered the quota of your questions? Are you not going to ask any more questions in any forum?

Dear Ananthaswamy
#4

I have not asked the questions to get an answer" like" GETthe REPLY FROM ASHRAM" I DONT KNOW." "THIS IS ONE QUESTION I ALSO DO NOT KNOW"
If I do not know the answer to a question, what else do I say?

"RUN NAKED ON THE ROAD & SHOW WHO I AM ""WHEN SOMEBODY ASKS ME I WILL GET A DOCTORS CERTIFICATE RATHER THAN RUN ON THE ROAD NAKED. Since I belong to a tribe called CIVILISED.
You claim you are civilised. But was it civilised of you to ask of a person to clarify his sexuality? Have you considered clarifying your sexuality? You would be able to do so if you run naked on the road, grab headlines. I don’t think a civilized person would have asked the question you did. So I simply gave you a taste of your own medicine. Thank you but I am not at all interested in your sexuality.

As regards your other answers you say that YOU ARE FREE TO LISTEN TO ANY CASSETTE.SORRY I HAVE GONE TO AOL COURSE WHOSE TEACHERS CLEARLY INSIST ON INITIATION THRO CASSETE(SINCE OBVIOUSLY HE CANNOT BE EVERYWHERE )!OR DIRECTLY GURUJI
Because you are in democratic India, you are free to listen to any cassette. If the teachers in the ashram insist on something, it is your choice to do it or not. Have they forced you to buy their cassettes? If they clearly say that initiation is through the cassette or directly by Guruji, how can you fault them?

As regards your other answers that Ravishankar never said that only bullet came & investigate.PLEASE REFER TO THEIR COMPLAINT & P.CHIDAMBARAM & POLICECHIEF'S & NEWSPAPER REPORTS & VIDEO RECORDINGS.HE CLEARLY CLAIMED THAT SOMEBODY WAS TRING TO KILL HIM & HE SUSPECTED NAXALITES FROM WESTBENGAL & CHATTISGARH SINCE THEY WERE JEALOUS OF HIM.
Please give me at least one link where he said somebody was trying to kill him. I think he only said he did not rule out the Naxalites as some may not be happy with his peace efforts and may be behind the incident with the aim of creating panic.

Mr.VENUGOPAL,YOU HAVE ANSWER ONLY ONE QUESTION THATIS REGARDING CAR USAGE WHIVCH I ACCEPT AS A CIVILISED DEBATE ANSWER(THOUGH I DONT AGREE).
THEREFORE I ADVICE YOU PLEASE DO NOT ENTER INTO PUBLIC DEBATE WITHOUT GETTING YOUR FACTS CORRECTLY & BECOME A LAUGHING STOCK.
I stated what I know and tried to express it in a straight forward manner. If anyone wishes to laugh it is their prerogative.

IF YOU STILL HAVE ANY DECENCY LEFT & BELIEVING YOU ARE A DEVOTEE OF SAINT I EXPECT AN APOLOGY FROM YOU & I DO NOT EXPECT A FOUL LNGUAGE REPLY.INCASE YOU DO THEN I CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR GURU TEACHES .YOUR REPLY REFLECTS YOUR LEARNING.
What is this about believing that one is a devotee? Either one is or one is not. I am not a devotee of Sri Sri Ravi. I did not use foul language. Can you tell me where I have? I do not think I have written anything that calls for my apology. Can you tell me why I should apologize?

Dear gdgdxx

No use trying to white wash ravisankar
Giving one’s opinion is not tantamount to whitewashing anyone.

Nice to hear you suggest that ravi sankar is using luxury car that was probably donated by his devotee. So does that mean he have only got devotees amongst the rich ?
Look, this rich-poor divide is a material divide. Spiritual masters like Sri Sri Ravi come to infuse us with spiritual understanding. With spiritual understanding we shall cease to consider ourselves poor just because we do not have above a certain amount in the bank or house of a certain size and make or consumer goods of all sorts. Real poverty is in the sense of lack the mind suffers from due to lack of spiritual understanding.

Would he ride a bicycle if some other middle class devotee where to gift it to him ?
Why not? I am sure he would if he were to visit a place like Matheran, the famous hill station in Maharashtra, where automobiles are not permitted.

Of course there could have been many gifts that he got.
It is not taboo to accept gifts. The problem is when one becomes attached with the gifts.

As he obviously uses only the best and nicest of stuff , what would differentiate him from the nouveau rich ?
The difference is that the materially rich can only use the best and nicest of stuff. The spiritually rich will not miss the best and nicest of stuff if they are not available.

Also it couldn't be just ravishankar himself fully in control , who knows there are more powerful ones behind him who pulls the strings ?
There is always such a possibility in the case of so-called Swamis who life history we do not know. But the history of spiritual savants like Sri Sri Ravi and Mata Amritananda Mayi are well known and they have taken to spiritualism since their childhood. So the question of anyone controlling them does not arise.

If he just TEACH others of his exercises , how can be called SPIRITUAL leader ? At best he can only be considered a fitness instructor !!
What he teaches are not just exercises, which by itself is not a bad thing and fitness instructors should be respected. But Sri Sri Ravi teaches yoga and pranayama and other aspects of Hinduism. That is why he is a respected spiritual master.

Dear Ananthaswamy

SORRY I DIDNT ANSWER ONE MORE QUESTION FROM VENUGOPAL.HE SAID WHAT CAN ANYBODY DO WHEN PEOPLE MAKE FALSE ALLEGATIONS.NOW IN ALL THEIR LIFE DID ANYBODY DARE TO SUSPECT NELSONMANDELA,MOTHER​THERESA,ABDULKALAM,V​ISWESHWARAIAH,C.RAJG​OPALCHARI,M.S.SUBBAL​AKSHMI,J.N .TATA,SWAMI VIVEKANANDA,RAMAKRIS​HNAPARAMAHAMSA.LALBA​HADURSHASTRI,JAYAPRA​KAHNARAYAN......ETC.​YOU WOULD NOT EVEN HEARD OF THE OTHER NAMES I CAN MENTION.
That is the whole point. I think there is a conspiracy to defame Hindu icons because Hinduism is being spread far and wide by them.

Dear citizen_indian

There have always been frauds in the garb of honest people. The existence of frauds does not prove that honest people do not exist. To suggest all swamis of today are frauds is rather unfair. You may name a particular swami and charge him of being a fraud. If your charges stick, that swami would have his goose cooked. But simply alleging charges against all and sundry swamis is probably with ulterior motives – hoping that such charges would sully the fair name of all Hindu gurus. Hinduism, which has survived through the ages where many other religions have floundered, is still alive and kicking. Those ill motivated against it would not have their evil plans succeed.

citizen_indian

I will just compare the modern swamis who are hi tech and use very beutiful worlds like corporate culture for their business.

Respected Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji and Buddha ....they never "advertise'" their teachings . They never "use" it as a tool for their social publicity . They treated Poor and rich with same eye, rather they preferred poors as they were there to share their sorrows . It was Almighty's Grace and wisdom that they were representative of and people get attracted to them automatically . Guru used to visit villages while they were just travelling but who ever get in contact with them got blessed and their super natural power got spread throuh people . Money was least concerend to them ....

They live forever in this world , that's true guru who takes you to GOD.

Today i see babas posing as gining Ashirwad , acting as self declared representative of GOD !!!! They are just good speakers who know loophpoles in our system and have feel of our pulse ..... They are going to face the justice of GOD one day definitely ..

mohit_de_1977

Here are the normal supporting sentiments expressed by the devotees of SRI X 2 RAVI SHANKAR -
1. He uses the money for good causes - Hmm.. Interesting. Did somebody audit him or did you folks audited him and found out that all the money is accounted for. Can he provided audited reports with due taxation file?
I think you are not aware that all institutions, whether commercial or Trust, have mandatorily to be audited. So what make you think that the Ashram is not audited? The Income Tax Department would not have remained silent if the Ashram had not filed its income tax returns and audit report. As far as I know, the Income Tax Department has not charged the Ashram for not filing its returns.

2. He spreads Love : Statistics - 72% of the devotees of Guruji have decided to go with Celibacy. Well that ain't much of love is there. Statistics - out of these 72%, 93% of them spend more than 60% of their income for Guruji in Long term/ Short Term. Instead of spending on their ailing parents or other needy folks they spend on his YATRAS to US and other parts of the world.
It appears that you recognise only the sexual act as love. What stops a celibate from radiating love? In fact, if they are on the spiritual path, they are likely to radiate more love because their love doesn’t ask for anything in return. About looking after ailing parents or other needy folks, your statistics do not prove that they do not do these. A spiritual person becomes seva minded and he serves without expecting anything in return and they are more likely to look after their ailing parents because they do not have any encumbrances.

3. Guruji's teaching cannot be interpreted until you become part of it and learn from him : I agree, once I get into AOL, I will learn everything like good old deciples have and have attainted nirvana. See the points above - Norvana through money .. SPARE US.
Is Guruji forcing you to learn from him? If he has conditions for teaching, that is between him and his disciples, is it not?

4. Guruji has done so much for the world : Yes and more for himself - He is a broker who takes commision between needy and the deciples.
This is mere character assassination. You can call him a broker. But you must do more than that to have your charges stick. Name calling will not do. You can either file a case against him or wait for him to be trapped, if ever by his own commissions and omissions.

5. HE is GOD : Get yourself a break. If he were a GOD, he won't need money. Tickets @US to his crappy workshops range from 600 USD to 27k USD.
Please tell me where he has said he is God? If he has used the word God about him, that is part of the Hindu understanding of the essence of man. Please do not superimpose the understanding of the word God by the Abrahamic religions with the understanding of the word God by Hinduism.

6. HE is cute : If he is cute, then I am Superman.
Hi, Superman!

7. HE was in Iraq bringing peace and smiles on faces of people there and how much money flowed through his Ashram is not investigated by government, perhaps he is a conduit to ministers' stashed money!!
It was courageous of him to have gone to Iraq. A batch of Iraqis visited his ashram to learn more about his teachings. Money might be flowing through his Ashram. The onus of proving it is illegal is upon those who make allegations.

8. HE was in Sri Lanka to hobnob with LTTE brokering peace again and how much money went through Ashram a/c for arms deals is not investigated!!
Investigation is the duty of those who have the powers to do so. Please petition such powers to investigate.

9. HE keeps going to trouble locations with regular visits to USA so that monthly remittances can be verified and distributed to other locations as generous donations!!
Is there an allegation of wrong-doing here?

10. HE never gives a direct answer if you shoot a question out of ignorance. HE will ask your innerself to answer or state your question has the answer! If you know to ask for an answer, you will bot shoot the question!!
It is upto the Guru to decide how he teaches. If you are not satisfied with his teachings you can go to other gurus. If you think no guru can teach you, you may start to character-assassinate them.

11. If regular interviews are not aired by leading TV Channels, he stagemanages per week/month an incident so that people follow him and attach themselves sympathetically and financially.
I don’t think he needs to stage-manage anything. He is already a star attracting publicity in his own right.

12. Art of Cheating is one mastered by all sadhus and swamis of India since there is enough money to be taken out of ministers, babus, rich business men (who can park the black money ) and general weak public.
If you master the Art of Living, you don’t need to master any art of cheating.

Lord save them from the demon!!
Amen.

K.Venugopal, We undestand you are his very big devotee, We are expressing our thoughts. Please don't reply. Go and pray. Do what you are good at..
I am not Sri Sri Ravi’s devotee. You don’t need to be a devotee to recognise mud-slinging when you see it. Please continue expressing your thoughts.

K.Venugopal, please don't reply to my post. You do not have facts. If you reply, it shall also mean that you are as big a fraud as your Guruji. ANYHOW FOLKS ignore Venugopal K.Venugopal and his stupid comments. He ain't getting enough. He needs to go out more. Guruji is 'DHONGI' and 'PAKHANDI'. Matter of time before his PAKHAND is in the open.
I am amused that you do not wish your comments to be contested though you have put it up in a public forum. Maybe your idea of freedom of expression is a one-sided maligning of those whom you do not like.

I wanted to stop arguing with a guy who talks without facts.Mr.Mohith dont worry .I will anwer that Venugopal. He said HE WENT TO US & COLLECTED DONATION -WHATS IS WRONG?THE REAL REASON IS HE WENT TO BUY NITYANANDA'S DEVOTEES WHO DESERTED HIM & ALSO BUY HIS PROPERTY OR SHOULD I SAY TAKE OVER-LIKE CORPORATS .IS THIS SANYAS OR BUSINESS.THAT IS MORALLY & ETHICALLY WRONG.I KNOW HE ASKS FOR THE PROOF.I HAVE IT.
The points that you make sound more like gossip. Why don’t you share with us the proof you have against the Swami? Or is it going to be more gossip?

ALL HIS OTHER ARGUMENTS ARE NAIVE.SO NO POINT IN ANSWERING.
I think you are not countering my points because you are unable to.

ANYWAY CAN HE ANSWER WHY HE IS CALLED SRI SRI(TWISE) & WHICH UNIVERSITY OR PERSON OR GOVT GAVE HIM THE TITLE.NORMALLY I THOUGHT HONOURS ARE BESTOWED NOT AWARDED BY SELF. SOMEBODY ON CNN-IBN ASKED THIS QUESTION.FOR THIS SIRS REPLY WAS IT IS ACTUALLY SRI SRI...1000TIMES AND NOT TWICE!
Since you have nothing credible to say, you are asking why he is called this way or that way. I am sure he himself would have clarified it and I if I come upon his clarification, I shall pass it on to you.

MYDEAR VENUGOPAL,I KNOW THIS MAN WHEN HE WAS GIVING TALK AT WORLD CULTURE.I REALLY THOUGHT THAT HE HAD STUFF WHEN HE ORGANISED A MEETING WITH DALAILAMA IN BANGALORE. NOW I KNOW THAT DALAILAMA IS DALAILAMA THE GREAT.HE SEES GOOD IN EVERYONE.THEREFORE HE GOT NOBELPRIZE. BUT I LOST THE GOODWILL WHEN HE STARTED COLLECTING SO MUCH MONEY & WHEN I SAW THAT ASHRAM IS A PURE COMMERCIAL CENTRE WHERE CHILDREN ARE NOT ALLOWED IN THEIR MALLS & MORE
You have the right to form your own opinion about anyone but your opinions should not be prejudiced.

GOODLUCK VENUGOPAL. Good-luck to you too.

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