http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3477International Jahajee Journal (IJJ), Nov 9th, 2007Voice of the International Jahajee Diaspora
http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5174 Home of the International Jahajee DiasporaDear Readers:We are back after vacation in India and London, and assisting with the Caribbean Hindu Conference, organized by the Hindu Council of the Caribbean, at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad. This is a Special Divali Edition of the Journal. I wish you a bright and happy DIWALI, and extend greetings for this season of illumination. Together with outer lamps lit by human hands, let there also shine forth the bright Lamp of Divine Life, lit by the hand of God, within the mansion of your heart. Let the supreme joy of virtue, goodness and service sweeten your days and grant you Divine happiness. May all your days be filled with auspiciousness and may success attend all your undertakings. Hari Om. Deosaran Bisnath,Editor, International Jahajee Journal.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JahajeeDesi2005/post?postID=Bk5LYfgVDm8ibXCB_4hTxxlGT1DtjpwO5ud0qkWUZ7rtRbELQPAGHmS5LyvDdVDCoa5ZgCy1UT78kHb9ITwhttp://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?act=idx http://jahajeedesi.blogspot.com/DEEPAVALIby Swami Sivananda DEEPAVALI or Diwali means "a row of lights". It falls on the last two days of the dark half of Kartik (October-November). For some it is a three-day festival. It commences with the Dhan-Teras, on the 13th day of the dark half of Kartik, followed the next day by the Narak Chaudas, the 14th day, and by Deepavali proper on the 15th day.There are various alleged origins attributed to this festival. Some hold that they celebrate the marriage of Lakshmi with Lord Vishnu. In Bengal the festival is dedicated to the worship of Kali. It also commemorates that blessed day on which the triumphant Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after defeating Ravana. On this day also Sri Krishna killed the demon Narakasura.In South India people take an oil bath in the morning and wear new clothes. They partake of sweetmeats. They light fireworks which are regarded as the effigies of Narakasura who was killed on this day. They greet one another, asking, "Have you had your Ganges bath?" which actually refers ... Continued at:
http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3422Trinidad's Divided Diaspora: Indians lose, againPNM 26 ... UNC 15 ... COP 0Tuesday, November 6th 2007 TRINIDAD and Tobago yesterday voted to "step up" with Prime Minister Patrick Manning and the People's National Movement. In one of the most keenly contested election races in recent years, the people bought into the party's plan to continue its goal of taking the country to developed status by 2020 with a second straight term in office, giving the PNM 26 of the 41 seats. The United National Congress Alliance meanwhile took 15 seats, with UNC-A co-leaders Basdeo Panday (Couva North) and Jack Warner (Chaguanas West) securing their seats, while the new party to the race, Congress of the People, failed to win a single seat... MORE AT:
http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5176Tamaso Ma Jyotir Gamaya Immortal Atma Swarupa! Blessed seekers after Truth! Om Namo Narayana! Loving Namaskars, Greetings and goodwill to you in the name of holy Master Swami Sivananda. My prayers to the Divine Mother, whose auspicious Annual Worship (Navaratra Devi Pooja) we have concluded a week back, to shower upon you Her choicest blessings and to grant you joy, peace and Immortality. May all your days be filled with auspiciousness and may success attend all your undertakings.... With the approach of Diwali, my thoughts are drawn to our ancient prayer “Tamaso ma Jyotir Gamaya” which expresses the central concept of our culture and constitutes the very essence .. MORE AT:
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http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CaribbeanTalk/Or send mail to : CCDSJ@yahoo.comTrinidad ‘Bangala ’ turns 100Officiating pundit Narenda Ragoonanan performs the rites to bless the bungalow.
http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5178September 5 was an important date in the history of 60 Saddle Road, San Juan, Trinidad. The old wooden house turned 100 that day. The Parray family that lives there observed the occasion with a special Hindu prayer. At this reading, the officiating pundit was Narendra Ragoonanan, who was assisted by two senior pundits, Jairam Sharma and Basdeo Misir. The pundits spoke of the longstanding traditions that have been kept alive at this home and some of the more notable contributions made by past and present Parrays. Bangala, the Hindi word that gives us bungalow, was given to this estate by the estate workers in 1896. Builder and founder Sanjhari Parray came from India, served her indentureship and started out in business, eager to make a name for herself and provide for her two daughters. Her first enterprise was a shop at the corner of Laventille and Saddle Roads, San Juan. As things grew and she neared retirement age, Parray bought a cocoa and coffee estate of about 25 acres in 1896, built the Hindu temple (one of the oldest in the country) in 1902, built the house in 1904 and settled workers close by, on what is now Concord Road. Number 60 Saddle Road was born. To inaugurate the opening of the temple, named the Rama Krishna Mandir, the first reading of the Srimad Bhaagwat Mahaa Puraan (the life story of Lord Krishna) in T&T was conducted in September 1904 at the Parray's residence... MORE AT:
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http://www.jaagriti.com/South Asians have Low IQ; Limit Immigration, says Canadian Academic. Canadian psychology professor John Philippe Rushton has recently claimed that South Asians “aren’t that Intelligent (on average)” and that "mass immigration from the region is very likely to lower the average IQ of the receiving Western countries, and consequently be dysfunctional." Rushton, a psychology professor at the University of Western and is well known for his controversial work on intelligence and racial differences. His article appeared in the anti-immigration site VDare on September 26, 2007 (http://vdare.com/rushton/070926_indians.htm)He writes: "East Asians (Chinese, Japanese and Koreans) obtain the highest mean IQ at 105. Europeans follow with an IQ of 100. Some ways below these are the Inuit or Eskimos (IQ 91), South East Asians (IQ 87), Native American Indians (IQ 87), Pacific Islanders (IQ 85), and South Asians and North Africans (IQ 84). Well below these are the sub-Saharan Africans (IQ 67), the Australian Aborigines (IQ 62), the Bushmen of the Kalahari Desert, and the Pygmies of the Congo rain forests (IQ 54)."IQ tests constructed in Western Europe and North America and standardized with an average IQ of 100. The "normal" range goes from "dull" (IQ around 85) to "bright" (IQ around 115). IQs of 70 suggest handicap, while IQs of 130 and above predict giftedness.Rushton goes on to explain: “Even a few years ago, news of drastically lower mean IQs for any population group—as low as 70 to 85 in Africa—would have been considered not only an absurdity, but also an injustice. Yet .. MORE AT:
http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5179THE LIGHTER SIDE
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http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=42Diwali Light Glows Global by Roop Misir, PhD
When people leave their home country, they bring with them not only their skills and expertise but also their culture and tradition. As the newcomers settle down in new places, often they would find support and solace amongst people with similar backgrounds. Many miss the former country and long for family and friends “back home”. Suddenly, customs and traditions that formerly were taken for granted now become pretty attractive. And so out of the initial cultural isolation of the new country comes of necessity the yearning to associate with others of similar backgrounds. The people would meet and observe cultural days. At times, celebrations become established; if accepted by other citizens, they then become national events. This may well be the case for Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights.Also known as Deepavali, Diwali has its origins in India but is now observed worldwide wherever Indians are domiciled. In India, celebrations may last for many days. Weeks before the Festival, homes and public places are meticulously cleansed and tastefully decorated. Traditionally, rows of diyas or little earthen oil lamps are lit; however in these times, electric and laser lights, and firecrackers are preferred. Outside of India, Diwali is also celebrated in grand style—in countries such as Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago. In Britain, and also in Canada, it is observed in Houses of Parliament, and in the USA... MORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5175INDOCARIBBEAN TIMESCurrent issue is available here: http://www.esnips.com/web/Indo-CaribbeanTimesDiwali Resolution Passes by Overwhelming Margin in House of RepresentativesWashington, DC . Leaders of the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) were jubilant late today as a bill recognizing "the religious and historical significance of the festival of Diwali" passed in the full House of Representatives by a mammoth margin of 358 to 0. House resolution 747 was introduced jointly by Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Jim McDermott (D-WA) and with its passage becomes the first bill to ever pass the House recognizing a Hindu festival that is also marked by Sikhs and Jains. Intending to have the bill passed prior to November 9, when Diwali will be celebrated this year, the bill was introduced and passed in the Foreign Affairs Committee last week and moved quickly to the successful full vote today. "My resolution acknowledges the international, religious, and historical importance of the festival of Diwali as well as the religious diversity in India, the United States, and throughout the world," said Congressman Wilson in a statement that was read on the floor of the House prior to the vote today. "It shows our support for the strong and growing partnership and dialogue in international efforts between the United States and India." Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) also took the floor to speak on behalf of the bill. In his statement, Congressman Wilson... MORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5180TRINIDAD, GUYANA, US, UK, FIJI, JAMAICA, SURINAME, INTERNATIONAL INDIAN DIASPORA at: http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=9Pluralism for a pluralist societyby Jay Lakhani of the Hindu Academy Interfaith dialogue in this country commenced with an attitude of tolerating other religions. This was clearly a derogatory attitude as it suggested "Giving other religions permission to exist." The dialogue has moved forward and now parades as "Respecting other religions." This appears as a mature attitude suited to the needs of a multi-faith society but it is way off target. This terminology is a camouflage shielding an exclusivist, non-negotiable agenda of the Abrahamic faiths. A sarcastic interpretation of respecting other religions is: "I know that my faith alone is right and the others are in error but I will not make a fuss about it." At best this can reduce chances of open confrontation between people of different faiths but hardly a prescription for community cohesion! Recently Pope Ben edict declined to participate in a joint prayer meeting with people of other faiths because that can give an impression that the Catholic Church considered all religious traditions equally valid! This be interpreted as "Catholicism alone is right, the rest of religions including the Anglicans are in error." One of the greatest challenges we face this century is: How to diffuse the issue of strife in the name of religions? Continuing to shield ... MORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5175V S NAIPAUL: A Tribute http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=56Webpages and Forum dedicated to the NOBLE LAUREATEhttp://www.jahajeedesi.com/index.php?page=laureatevsnaipaulAn American Indophile’s Tryst With India’s History “I was bitten by the Indian bug as a young man. And I stayed bitten all my life,” admits Phillips Talbot - journalist, scholar, diplomat and Indophile - in his book An American Witness to India’s Partition, recently released by Sage Publications in India. Talbot adds: “The decision at 23 to take that fellowship transformed my life. Through all these succeeding decades South Asia has been at the center of my interests.” Now, at age 90, he hopes the book might be of interest to a ‘new generation who are interested in an independent American observer’s understanding at the time of those dramatically formative years: 1938-1950.’ Talbot was America’s eyes and ears during the tumultuous days of the freedom struggle. He saw freedom as well as Partition. Steeped in his private reports and reflections, the book reveals masterfully, in vivid, exhilarating detail, how the actions of a few extraordinary people – Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, and Lord Mountbatten - determined the fate of the subcontinent. Rarely is a book written that brings to life historical actors and evidence in such a way that transforms our understanding of individuals and the impact that they had upon the course of history. Talbot’s reports from the field, presented here in the original from of letters, offer a kaleidoscope of first-hand observations: on student life at the Aligarh Muslim University, local life in a small Muslim community in Kashmir, a Vedic ashram in Lahore, Gandhi’s Sevagram, crucial sessions of the Indian National Congress and the All India Muslim League, Hindu and Muslim urban communities in Lahore and Bombay, Afghanistan, a walk with Gandhi ... Continued at:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5177TRINIDAD & GUYANA INDIAN DIASPORA at: http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=9CARIBBEAN LITERATURE at: http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=17A quest to connect Guyana ancestors' India links.....Two women, strangers to each other but on a similar mission to trace links between India and the South American nation of Guyana, spent the summer months touring villages in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.Leena Ramotar, a resident of New York, and Nalini Mohabir from Canada have ties in Guyana that stretch back to India. Though they have never met each other, both Nalini and Leena's family history have a similar trajectory - their ancestors went to British Guiana (now called Guyana) as indentured workers from villages in Uttar Pradesh, their parents emigrated from Guyana to seek better opportunities in the West. And they grew up in Britain and Canada.In recent times, issues of identity, race and migration have gained importance for both the women, who are part of a secondary migration but whose ties to the original homeland are linked through the question of race. Both of them have been moved to search for their roots and have made a trip to India to look for the villages from ... MORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5162GUYANA, T&T, INT'L DIASPORA NEWS at: http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=8MOVIES...MUSIC...HUMOR...BOOKS...INDIAN DIASPORA SPORTS......HINDUISM...FINANCE...HEALTH...LIFESTYLE...ARTS...at...http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?act=idxCan We Rejoice Always?by Swami ChidanandaDipavali is the day in the year when there is light everywhere. There are reunions and celebrations, and people forget for a moment their problems and difficulties. They rejoice! The question arises: Should it not be possible to make this mood a permanent state of your inner being? Should you not at least try to see if it is possible to perpetuate this mood and make it a permanent state of mind within yourself, so that all the days of the year and not just one single day will be a day of rejoicing, of light, of effulgence, of cheerfulness? We don’t require any special day to celebrate God, because God is every day, everywhere, always. So we can always rejoice in Him, celebrate Him, because He is perennial being. He is eternal, and being all-pervading, He is everywhere present. We are never far from Him; He is ever near to us at all times. This very fact, this great truth, which our ancestors realised provides ... MORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5180~~~~~~~HINDU WISDOMAs a caterpillar, having come to the end of one blade of grass, draws itself together and reaches out for the next, so the Self, having come to the end of one life and dispelled all ignorance, gathers in his faculties and reaches out from the old body to a new.---- Brihadaranyaka Upanishad God, as Truth, has been for me a treasure beyond price.May He be so to every one of us.---- Mahatma Gandhi Amid accumulated millions a man remains poorIf he neither gives nor enjoys his wealth.Vast wealth can be a wretched curse to one who neitherGladdens himself in its worth nor gives to the worthy.---- Tirukkural 101:1005-1006YAJNA--QUINTESSENCE OF THE CULTURE OF INDIAby Sri Swami KrishnanandaYajnarthat-karmano-nyatra lokoyam karmabandhanah;Tadartham karma kaunteya muktasangah samachara."The world is bound by actions other than those performed for the sake of sacrifice; do thou, therefore, O son of Kunti (Arjuna), perform action for that sake (for sacrifice alone), free from attachment." (Gita III-9)When we are born into a particular set up of circumstances which we call a family, all the conditioning factors of the family are also born together with us. The tradition of the family grows when we grow. The pattern of our character and conduct is entirely determined by the idealogical background that is at the very basis of the structure of that particular family. We are born not merely in a family but also in wider circumstances called the community, nation, world, universe, etc., to all which we owe obligations. Our obligation to a condition into which we are born is sacrifice or Yajna and that is what Bhagavan Sri Krishna speaks of in the above verse. When we are born, we are born with certain .. MORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5180THE GLOBAL INDIAN MAGAZINEJust visit our website to download your latest edition: http://www.theglobalindian.co.nz/ BOOKS, POETRY at:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=17THE SRI-SUKTAAN ESSAY BY SRI SWAMI KRISHNANANDAThe Sri-Sukta of the Veda is recited with benefit especially on Fridays, together with formal worship of the Goddess, for peace, plenty and all-round prosperity. Lakshmi, who is usually identified as the Spouse of Vishnu, or Narayana, represents the glory and magnificence of God. Narayana and Lakshmi, actually, stand for Being and Becoming. The Creator in all His glory manifests Himself in the variety of Creation. Generally, spiritual seekers make the mistake of imagining that God is outside the world and the world has to be rejected in spiritual pursuits. This is an inadequate view because the world is the glory of God, as light is the glory of the Sun and light cannot be disassociated from the Sun. The values and glories and the abundances of this vast Creation cannot be separated from God, the Almighty, even in our love for God. Narayana represents God, Lakshmi the magnificence, abundance, plentifulness and grandeur of Narayana. The tradition among the Vaishnavas especially is that Narayana cannot be approached except through Lakshmi... MORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5180RADIO SHAKTI 97.5 fm FREE ONLINE RADIO from TRINIDADRADIO SHAKTI 97.5 fm Inspirationhttp://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=10DEEPAVALI Dipavali means the line of lights. Dipa is light; and Avali means line. So, Dipavali or the festival of the line of lights is the celebration of the rise of Knowledge. It is also the celebration of the victory of the Sattvic or divine elements in us over the Rajasic and Tamasic or baser elements which are the real Asuras, the Rakshasas, Narakasura and others. The whole world is within us. The whole cosmos can be found in a microscopic form in our own body. Rama-Ravana-Yuddha and Tarakasura-Vadha, and all such Epic wars,--everything is going on inside us. This Dipavali is thus also a psychological context, wherein we contemplate in our own selves the holy occasion of self-mastery, self-subjugation and self-abnegation leading to the rise of all spiritual virtues which are regarded as lustre or radiance emanating from Self-Knowledge. Bhagavati Mahalakshmi, the Goddess of prosperity, does not merely mean the Goddess of wealth in a material sense. Lakshmi does not mean only gold and silver. Lakshmi means prosperity in general, positive growth in the right direction, a rise into the higher stages of evolution. This is the advent of Lakshmi. Progress and prosperity are Lakshmi. In the Vishnu Purana we are told if Narayana is like the sun, Lakshmi is like the radiance of the sun. They are inseparable. Wherever Narayana is, there is Lakshmi. Wherever is divinity, there is prosperity. So on this day of Dipavali we worship the Supreme God who is the source of all conceivable virtues, goodness and prosperity, which is symbolised in illumination, lighting and worship in the form of Arati and gay joyous attitude and feeling in every respect. So, in short, this is a day of rejoicing over the victory of Sattva over the lower Gunas, the victory of God Himself over the binding fetters of the soul.SWAMI CHIDANANDA http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CaribbeanHindus/http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=10Read a good book lately?Find one here:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showforum=17DIVALI in the DIASPORAMORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=3477Word of the Week flummery \FLUHM-uh-ree\, noun: 1. A name given to various sweet dishes made with milk, eggs, flour, etc.2. Empty compliment; unsubstantial talk or writing; mumbo jumbo; nonsense.He had become disturbed by the number of listeners phoning in with such flummery as tales of self-styled clairvoyants' uncannily correct forecasts.-- Suzanne Seixas, "One Man's Finances", Money, September 1, 1986One reason there is so much flummery in the global warming debate is that the weather in the Northeast United States, where the opinion-makers live, has a disproportionate effect on whether greenhouse concerns are taken seriously.-- Gregg Easterbrook, "Warming Up", New Republic, November 8, 1999It is Dr. August's claim that he receives inspiration from spirits, that through his music the departed can speak to those they left behind. Although this is sometimes unabashed flummery, there are moments when Fitz seems to make a real connection with those who have crossed over.-- Paul Quarrington, "Psychic Hotline", New York Times, September 3, 2000Flummery comes from Welsh llymru, a soft, sour oatmeal food.MAIN FORUM PAGE: http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?act=idxDIVALI Aarti & PrayersShree Ganesh AartiJai Ganesha Jai Ganesha Jai Ganesha DevaMaata Jaaki Parvati Pitaa MahadevaLadoowan Ka Bhog Lage Sant Karen SevaaJai Ganesh DevaEka Dant Dayavant Chaar BhujadhariMaathe Par Tilak Sohe Muse Ki SawaariPaan Chadhe Phool Chadhe Aur Chadhe MevaaJai Ganesh DevaAndhe Ko Aankh Det Kohin Ko KaayaBanjhan Ko Putra Det Nirdhan Ko MaayaSurya Shama Sharan Aaye Safal Kijye SevaaJai Ganesh Deva Maa Lakshmi AartiJai lakshmi maataa, Maiyaa jaya lakshmi maataaTumako nishadina dhyaavata, Hara vishnu vidhaataa"Glory to you, O Mother, glory to you, mother Lakshmi. Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma meditate on you everyday and night." MORE AT:http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=239JahajeeDesi's Blog: http://jahajeedesi.blogspot.com/~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~http://www.jahajeedesi.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=5174'jahaj' = ship; 'desi' = Indian'JahajeeDesi' = The Indians who crossed the Kala Pani by ship, the Indentured Indian Immigrants, and their descendents.http://www.jahajeedesi.com/For Free Subscription to this Newsletter, or to Join the JahajeeDesi YAHOO Group, or to contribute News, Letters, Essays, Reviews, Send Mail to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/JahajeeDesi2005/post?postID=C_5CrXzMunDe0IHSMzvwEewVkz_5jQBO_NtBuah5dTEDk8AVXer2CdnHb52RR0n49GOfNt8WwkkAMgSubscription Problems? Unsubscribe? 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