India, Namibia may jointly explore Uranium

India may consider joint exploration with the Namibian government for uranium. India has not received even an ounce of uranium under a deal signed with Namibia six years ago.

No government-to-government trade is currently possible because the mines are privately owned in Namibia. The government can not impose any decision on the mines. Uranium in Namibia can be acquired through licences. In such a scenario there is a positive side. India can negotiate with existing companies that are mining uranium in Namibia. India and Namibia can also collaborate via a joint exploration project. Indian government has the aim of promoting clean energy and due to this aim India needs uranium.

Namibia and India signed an agreement for cooperation in the field of peaceful uses of nuclear energy in 2009. Uranium being sent to India is not subject to the embargo on international nuclear trade. Both the governments are working hard for starting this supply as soon as possible.

There are two uranium-rich nations in Africa — Namibia and Niger. Both have offered to supply the nuclear fuel to India. India’s negotiations are on with two of the largest producers of uranium —Canada and Australia. India's domestic uranium is inadequate to fully feed the indigenous small and mid-size reactors. That is why India is forced to woo these uranium producing nations.

The forgotten widows of Vrindavan by Rohini Verma

Vrindavan is one of the holy places for Hindus. People come here in large numbers to seek blessings of Lord Krishna. Thousands of people in India are members of ISKCON. They come in large numbers to the temple. Tourists also come to see the holy place. The city is always over-crowded with people. Here is a different side of Vrindavan, which is not known by majority of the people. This sad side is the condition of Hindu widows who live here.

In the male- dominated Indian society, there is no value of life of a widow. People who come in large numbers for pilgrimage; they fail to notice life of these living dead souls. Thousands of widows live a miserable life in dharamshalas. There widows who can afford staying in any dharamshala. But there is a large number of street widows, who do not have money to get a shelter. These are the street widows who live in streets and sleep wherever they find place in the city.

In the conservative families, widows are considered out cast. They are considered a burden. Even the sons of these women discard them. Once the father dies, all property is divided among sons, then the widow mother is considered a burden, so they are dumped in holy cities like Vridavan. Most of the widows come from West Bengal, a state ruled by a lady. The government of the state does not take any initiative to provide shelter to widows. There is nothing that is done to stop widows from moving to Vrindavan.

The life of these women is miserable. They have to sing bhajans for long hours and they get petty Rs. 2 to Rs. 10 by end of the day. That is the reason that these women stay outside main temples so that they can beg money. The worst victims are the old ladies who can not sing any more or suffer from some disease. They are left to die alone in their misery. The U.P. government has provided shelters which are not sufficient to give place to all the women. The number of these widows is increasing every year. According to an estimate, there are 6000 widows in Vrindavan alone. The state government claims that they are giving widow pensions and old age pensions to such women. But they get meagre 150 Rs per month. In Indian society, wife of a man is considered property of her in laws. If the husband dies then the family decides how to treat her and what to give her. This is the sad story of poor women forced to live in a hell like condition. Most of the women do not even remember when they were dumped here.

The worst thing is that the government intervention is negligible. The U.P. government and West Bengal government need to take actions to protect these widows from all forms of exploitation.

More important is change in the mind set of people in general. Widows should not be declared outcast. Widow remarriage needs to be encouraged. The mind set of the society needs to be changed so that widows can lead a dignified life. Most of the women are treated so badly by their sons or in laws families that they prefer staying in these holy cities than going back to their families. This is the tragedy that there is no place for the widows. They are not allowed by the society to lead a dignified life, so on both sides these women have no escape from exploitation. The state governments, central government and organisations like ISKCON can do a lot to help these destitute women, only problem is lack of conviction.   

“Hey its Diwali but I don’t know pooja and all....”

This article is for those people especially women who are busy in office till late. Theyhardly find time for shopping. Amid the frequent fights of husbands and wives, theyreach the market and husband tells “am sitting in the car, you go and come asap”.

Hmmm so half the spirit is down by this time. But this article is for women who face the same situation. Forget everything ladies, cheer up and think about the pooja that has to done at home. There too husband will not be of any use, alas but he has to sit in pooja.

Working girls and ladies don’t know much about pooja. So lets increase our religious knowledge. Some basic knowledge is given that will not take much time.

First come to the pooja timings:

Lakshmi Puja Muhurta - 17:40 to 19:35

 Auspicious Choghadiya Muhurat for Diwali Lakshmi Puja:

-         Morning Muhurta (Labh, Amrit) = 06:49 - 09:28

-         Morning Muhurta (Shubh) = 10:47 - 12:07

-         Afternoon Muhurta (Char, Labh) = 14:45 - 17:24

-         Evening Muhurta (Shubh, Amrit, Char) = 19:05 - 23:16

How is Pooja done?

Decorate your home with marigold flowers and Ashoka, mango and banana leaves on the day of Lakshmi Puja. You can use silk clothes for gods’ idols. Generally, Lakshmi Puja is done during the time which starts after sunset and approximately lasts for 2 hours. Buy a new photo of goddess Lakshmi and Ganesh ji. In front of this photo or idol meditate of Bhagawati Lakshmi.

After Shri Lakshmi has been invoked, take five flowers in Anjali (by joining palm of both hands) and leave them in front of the Murti.  Then wash feet of all idols.  Then offer water to Shri Lakshmi for head Abhishekam. Offer scent bath to Shri Lakshmi. Then comes the turn of moli. Offer Moli (मोली)  to Shri Lakshmi. Offer honey and milk to all idols. Put on the jewellery on idols. Red sandalwood is also offered to Devi. Then  offer vermilion to Shri Lakshmi for Tilak. The unbroken rice are offered to Devi. Then offer chandan, dhoop and flowers to all idols.

 Offer symbolic Pradakshina (circumambulate from left to right of Shri Lakshmi) with flowers. Then one should seek pardon from Shri Lakshmi for any known-unknown mistakes done during Pooja.

Ufff... a long process, but dear friends I have made it short. Otherwise there are so many long processes and mantras. With the above given info one can perform the pooja oneself. Give a leave to Pandit ji. It is more loveable and when husband and wife perform the pooja together. In this way one can forget the past mistakes of each other. Diwali is a festival of happiness so all guys cheer up its Diwali. Enjoy Diwali. Please don’t use fireworks that make noise. The poor stray dogs, cows are scared with the bang noise. Even the birds can also loose their hearing ability. So guys enjoy Diwali, stay safe and let other stay safe too. Happy Diwali  

Women – to whom they belong???

This is a cold winter evening and depressing fog is every where. Though, a lot of said and written about women’s emancipation. I don’t want to get in to that plethora of laws and books. This is an article inspired from most of the women’s life in India.

On one hand there are successful women CEOs like Indra Nooyi, Neeta Ambani, etc. their success stories are published in all papers and magazines. “Sonia Gandhi – among the list of most powerful people in the world.” We come across many such tag lines. But who cares for millions of girls/women who are not having luck as blessing as for someone else like Gauri Khan or Twinkle Khanna?

Tragedy of using a new name:

This is the time when my mind boggled about what is happening in lives of women after marriage. The first attack on your identity is done by changing your name. And when you tell some one your pre marriage name, an old witch in your in laws will say, “oh you forgot your name?” on the other hand this lady might be using her pre marrigae  name every where. Husbands will also complain “see my bhabhi, she uses our family name”. The male ego is so shallow that it gets insecurity even if the girl is using her original name given by her parents. And of course the husband is “husband” why would he change his name?

Dowry Tradition:

The next evil is Dowry Tradition. No matters if your father in law is an IAS officer, your high headed mother in law will surely expect some “gifts” from girl’s side. The bride's family gives the groom's family money and/or gifts. The model used to calculate the dowry takes the bridegroom's education and future earning potential into account while the bride's education and earning potential are only relevant to her societal role of being a better wife and mother.

Men are considered capable of earning money and caring of the family line. They are concerned about providing for their aging parents so they bring a wife (and with this a capable domestic helper) into the family. For massage, for combing, for cleaning even urine and stool when required. This is the use of getting married.

Women are regarded more of a liability for a family:

By bad luck if the bride has some health issues your mother in law will crib “oh god so much spent on medicines, so much of tests” , etc. amid this your husband will give you complex by hiding your hospitalization from his mother. So that mother is not worried about money spent on unofficial maid. The prejudice against female children is shown in “May you be blessed with a hundred sons” which is a common Hindu wedding blessing.

Food serving by mother in law:

The mom in law will eagerly make some thing like kheer for your husband as it is his favourite. You are standing next to your husband and mom in law will bring the thing and serve her son. The daughter in law will not be offered.

Under the existing cultural and social ethos of India a married girl / woman is no longer considered to be part of the family of her birth, instead she has become part of the family of the groom. Hence, after marriage the woman leaves her parental home and lives with her husband's family, where she is required to assume all household labour and domestic responsibilities.

In such situations, daily events, one can guess how a woman can be liberated? There is no way till the time in laws give equal treatment to their daughters in laws and their own daughters. Will this ever happen? Keeping the fingers crossed. Parents of the girls tell “one day you will go to your own home after marriage”. After marriage she is considered an out sider who is kept away from family decisions, as they say this is not your house.... so the question is – women – to whom they belong?

Dying steel industry of Mandi Gobindgarh

Mandi Gobindgarh was once called steel capital of India and Punjab. But now the whole industry is facing a severe fall. Mandi Gobindgarh is 55 km from Ludhiana. The 500 rolling mills, induction furnaces and foundries produce ingots, construction steel, and specialised high carbon steel.

More than a third of the units in the town have shut down. Many have vanished and many have been taken over by banks to recover their loans. Many others are on the verge of closure due to lack of demand and due to loans which they are unable to repay. There are many problems like high power rates, lack of tax benefits, lack of uninterrupted power supply, etc. In Punjab, nearly 50 per cent of the secondary steel makers, who produce steel through the induction route, have shut their units. Many factory owners have put their products like furnaces for sale. But they are unable to find buyers.

Another very significant reason is launch of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. This scheme has led to labour shortage. Due to this scheme most of the labour is shifting back to their native villages as they can get employment there.

What has crippled the industry is:

-         Repeated increase in sales tax on petroleum products.

-         Withholding of permission by the Pollution Control Board to allow use of ''pulverised'' coal in the furnaces, instead of furnace oil.

-         Financial crunch and market speculation.

-         A high freight rates and tax incidence on raw materials. 

-         Another cause of the major setback to the iron and steel industry is the packages of incentives that the Centre has announced for Himachal Pradesh, J & K, Uttaranchal etc. All units coming up in these states will, henceforth, for 10 years, enjoy a complete tax holiday, including exemption from paying income tax.

The state government has totally turned its blind eye to the situation. The government needs to intervene before its too late. But will Badals give a thought to this once a very prosperous town? This is the million dollars question which only time will answer.

Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi by Katherine Frank

Every October 31^st brings back the memory of a strong leader – Indira Gandhi. This was the time to visit few pages of history. This chance was given by the famous book - Indira: The Life of Indira Nehru Gandhi by Katherine Frank. It was on October 31, 1984, when she walked through her garden, smiling, with palms pressed together in namaste greeting. That was the tragic time when she was assassinated by her own Sikh bodyguards.

There are exquisite details in this well-researched book. This book is rich and exhaustingly dramatic from start to finish. There are so many unknown facts that are brought to light by this book. The book explains in detail the story of Indira turning in to a leader from being a nervous and under-confident child.

The book tells fascinating stories like Jawaharlal insisted that Indira had to run long distances every day and with grace. He told her what to wear, to read, and to think. The book also deeply explains the flaws of Indira as a person. The tough decisions like the forced sterilisation programmes of 1976 made her infamous. She also took the step against democracy and imposed emergency in India. She violated the principles that her father stood for.

Another dimension of Nehru family is brought to light – that is poor treatment given to Indira’s mother – Kamala Nehru. Jawaharlal’s sisters treated her badly all of her age, even when she was sick with TB. The book tells how Indira loved her mother intensely and was worried whenever she was left alone with her in-laws, especially when Nehru was in prison.

 Indira’s confidence got a jolt when Nehru’s sister called her 'ugly and stupid'.  The book also contains many personal photographs. The book provides details about operation Blue Star and eventual killing of Indira by her own bodyguards. The book is a very interesting read if one wants to know the iron lady of India

India inducts supersonic surface-to-air missile

Today India took a giant leap in the field of defence. The indigenously-developed supersonic surface-to-air missile "Aakash" has been inducted in the Indian Air Force today.

The missile has a speed three times faster than that of sound. It can hit eight targets at a time.

The Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar handed over "Aakash" to the IAF chief Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha.

Akash was already with the Indian Army now it has been inducted in the Indian Air Force. Akash has been developed jointly by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), Bharat Electronics Ltd. (BEL) and the private sector.

The missile can track a target 100 km away and hit the enemy's helicopter, plane or drone from a 25-km distance. The missile will surely improve the strike capability of the Indian Air Force.

The dying farmers of India By Rohini Verma

They say that public has a short memory. It is true. It was just a few days back that a farmer from Rajasthan committed suicide in the national capital. Now, whole media attention has been diverted to the earth quake in Nepal or Modi’s foreign visits. The poor dying farmers have been forgotten and erased from the national collective memory.

Let us look at few numbers:

 Farmer suicides are a matter of grave concern. In 2011, a total of 135,585 people committed suicide, of which 14,207 were farmers. In 2012, the National Crime Records Bureau of India reported 13,754 farmer suicides, which is the official count. In 2012, the state of Maharashtra, with 3,786 farmers' suicides, accounted for about a quarter of the all India's farmer suicides total.

 The highest number of farmer suicides was recorded in 2004 when 18,241 farmers committed suicide. As of 2013, a total of 296,438 farmers have killed themselves in India since 1995. There are a number of reasons for farmer suicides, such as monsoon failure, high debt burdens, genetically modified crops, government policies, personal issues and family problems. There are some other reasons as well like habits of drinking and gambling, chronic illness, property disputes, debt burden, etc.

 Droughts:

As much as 80% of India's farmland relies on monsoon season for irrigation. So, inadequate rainfall can cause droughts, making crop failure more common. In regions that have experienced droughts, crop yields have declined, and food for cattle has become scarcer. Agricultural regions that have been affected by droughts have subsequently seen farmers’ suicide rates to increase.

GM crops:

There is a link between the GM crops and farmer suicides. The Bt cotton seeds cost nearly twice as much as ordinary ones. The higher costs force farmers to take larger loans, often from private moneylenders on exorbitant interest rates (60% a year). The moneylenders collect their dues at harvest time, by compelling farmers to sell their cotton to them at a price lower than it fetches in the market. Due to their losses, farmers are compelled to commit suicides. The southern Indian states have ten times higher rates of suicides than some northern states. According to a report by Daily Mail, every 30 minutes an Indian farmer commits suicide as a result of Monsanto’s GMO crops. Globalization and monopoly have forced farmers to buy GMO seeds and since GMO crops have become pest resistant, the farmers have no choice but to purchase Monsanto’s popular herbecide. This is a disturbing fact that often farmers commit suicide by drinking the insecticide shipped to them by companies like Monsanto.

Relief packages:

In response to farmer suicides, the government appointed a number of inquiries. Families of dead farmers were given grants. In 2006, the government of India announced ex-gratia cash assistance from Prime Ministers National Relief Fund to the farmers. A special rehabilitation package was launched to mitigate the distress of the farmers. Following steps can be taken to help farmers:

-         - Debt relief

-         - Improved supply of institutional credit

-         - Improved irrigation facilities

-        -  To employ experts and social service personnel to provide farming support services

-         - Introduction of subsidiary income opportunities through horticulture, livestock, dairying and fisheries.

In 2008, the state government of Maharashtra, one of the most farmer suicide affected states, passed the Money Lending (Regulation) Act, 2008 to regulate all private money lending to farmers. The bill set maximum legally allowed interest rates on loans to farmers. The State Government of Maharashtra made it illegal, in 2010, for non-licensed moneylenders from seeking loan repayment. 

Failure of government efforts:

A look at government data on farmer suicides since 1995 to 2012 shows that no political party has succeeded in stopping farmers’ suicides. Among states Maharashtra has the worst record for farmer suicides. During 1995-1999, there were 10,000 farmers who took their lives. These figures show that the government has failed in implementing its policies to save lives of farmers. States like Punjab and Haryana are considered advanced in agriculture, but farmers of these states also have been involved in committing suicides.

Condition this year:

This year farmers have suffered from unseasonal excessive rains and hail storms. This led to destruction of crops all over India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a higher relief package for farmers. At the same time he has directed banks to restructure agricultural loans and also asked insurance companies to proactively settle the claims. The destruction of crops this year has already led to many suicides. In such situations, some political parties are trying to take advantage.

Political advantage by AAP:

Arvind Kejrival held a rally in Delhi for so called support of the farmers. This was a rally to take political advantage not to help farmers in any way. Such rallies inflame passions in general public. The brazen result of this rally was shown on all TV channels – Suicide of a farmer from Rajasthan. Nearly 3 lakh Indian farmers have committed suicide in the last two decades. Given that suicide is associated with social stigma for the family and is in fact a crime according to Indian law, so the statistics on suicides are subject to an under-reporting bias.

According to the FIR, AAP workers and supporters abetted the suicide of Gajendra Singh. Investigators said their probe reveals that AAP workers stopped police from sending the victim to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital while insisting that he was a party member and should not be taken in police van which resulted in considerable delay leading to his death. It is so shameful that the AAP leaders did not call off the rally and even after death of a farmer the rally continued. The AAP tried to gain maximum political benefits out of this incident.

“India loves a dead farmer more than a living one”: 

In regard to deaths of the farmers a foreign newspaper rightly said “India loves a dead farmer more than a living one.” A typical Indian farmer, when alive and toiling, is among the least productive workers in the world. Trillions of rupees are spent in subsidies but even then farmers are in distress. No matter how much money the state throws at farmers, most of them have small holdings of land or are landless laborers. It shows that farming in India has bleak prospects.

There is need of agricultural reforms and counseling of farmers. Cheap loans and better irrigation facilities can help farmers. The land bill to be passed by the government can bring attractive prices to the farming land. The people with small land holdings can sell the land and try their hand in other sectors. All these measures are to be taken only then the farmers of India can be saved.

Courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/, http://www.seattleorganicrestaurants.com/, http://indiatogether.org/, http://www.ndtv.com/, http://ibnlive.in.com/, http://indianexpress.com/, http://www.nytimes.com/

Hinduism in Ancient Arabia by Rohini Verma

Hinduism is the most ancient religion of the world. Hinduism was not only concentrated in Indian subcontinent rather Hinduism has its roots as far away as Europe and Africa. From time to time various Hindu artifacts are discovered in various parts of the world. Hinduism was there prior to spread of Islam or Christianity in the world. Hindu culture was the way of life in majority of the world. The pre-Islamic Hindu history of the non-Muslim West Asia appears to have begun at least 9,000 years ago and it continued for millenniums, at last coming to an end on the day Mohammad inaugurated Islam, with the destruction of the Hindu shrine of Kaaba.

Hinduism and vedic culture in Arabia:

Sanskrit name of Arabia:

Prior to the advent of Muhammad, Arabia was centre of the vedic civilization. The word “Arabistan” is derived from a Sanskrit word “Arvasthan”, which means the land of horses. These people followed Hindu smritis and were called smritics. The people who lived in this land were called Semitic. Arabs followed the ancient Vedic Smritis such as Manu-Smriti as their revered religious guides and thus they were identified as Smritic which has been corrupted into Semitic.

Language and literature of the area:

The language of the land was Sanskrit and it later gave way to Arabic. Many Arabic words have Sanskrit origin. All the four Vedas find mention in Arabic literature. Thousands of words that were derived from Sanskrit still survive in Arabic. Some poems have been written which mention Hindu rule in the area and also mention famous kings like Vikramaditya. In Sair-Ul-Okul there is a poem written by Jirrham Bintoi who praises India's great King Vikramaditya. A noted scholar of history, W.H. Siddiqui notes:

"The Arab civilization grew up intensively
as well as extensively on the riches of
Indian trade and commerce. Nomadic Arab
tribes became partially settled communities
and some of them lived within walled towns practised agriculture and commerce, wrote on wood and stone, feared the gods and honored the kings."

Idols of Hindu gods:

There were idols of many Hindu gods found in the area. Many of these idols were found in Kaaba which were demolished by Muhammad and his followers. The Kaaba was a Hindu shrine that was captured by Muslims. The black stone which is a symbol of Lord Shiva is still found in Kaaba. According to encyclopedia Islamia Muhammad’s grand father and uncles were priests at Kaaba temple which had 360 idols. All other Vedic Idols could be found buried in the precincts or trampled underfoot in labyrinthine subterranean corridors if archaeological excavations are undertaken. In fact the names of the holiest of Muslim cities Mecca and Medina come from the Sanskrit words Makha-Medini which means the land of Fire-Worship. A poem written by Labi-Bin-E- Akhtab-Bin-E-Turfa, who lived in Arabia around 1850 B.C., mentions all four Vedas. This verse can be found in Sair- Ul-Okul which is an anthology of ancient Arabic poetry. It was compiled in 1742 AD under order of the Turkish Sultan Salim.

Condition of women:

Women in vedic Arabia enjoyed a lot of freedom. Goddess Durga was worshipped by the people. Women were allowed to get education. They were financially independent and were free to choose their husbands. They were entrepreneurs, artisans, poets and even warriors.

Destruction of vedic deities by Muhammad:

The Kaaba had 360 vedic deities’ idols and was dedicated to worship sun god. At the centre of Kaaba there is octagonal pedestal of Bramha. Now it is called Maqam –e Ibrahim. Muhammad destroyed all 360 idols and looted the temple. Vedic ritual was to face the east while praying but Muhammad ordered to face west while praying. He considered idol worship a threat to his religion so he made it a sin. Hindu prayers were done in lyrical way with music but Muhammad was so keen on curbing Hinduism that he declared music haraam or a sin. Traditional accounts mention that one of the deities among the 360 destroyed, when the shrine was stormed, was that of Saturn, another was of the moon and yet another was one called Allah. In India the practice of Navagraha puja that is worship of the nine planets is still in vogue. Two of these nine are the Saturn and the moon. Right at the centre of the Kaaba is the octagonal pedestal of Bramha the creator.

                                          Maqam-E-Ibrahim or more appropriately the pedestal of Brahma.

786 or OM?

Koran has the figure 786 which is the “OM” written in Sanskrit. It is the mirror image of Om. Arabs regarded India as their spiritual and cultural motherland. The Vedas were the religious scriptures to which the Arabs owed allegiance as early as 1800 B.C. Anyone who knows Sanskrit can try reading the symbol for "OM" backwards in the Arabic way and magically the numbers 786 will appear.

                                                                            Read from right to left this figure
                                                                             of OM represents the numbers 786

Lord Vishnu's footprints:

The ancient Vedic scripture Harihareswar Mahatmya mentions that Lord Vishnu's footprints are consecrated in Mecca. Worshipping such carved, holy foot impressions is a holy Vedic custom.

Reference to King Vikramaditya:

There is a reference to a king Vikramaditya in an inscription found in Kaaba in Mecca proving beyond doubt that the Arabian Peninsula formed a part of his Indian Empire. King Vikrama’s preachers had succeeded in spreading the Vedic way of life in Arabia. It could be that Vikramaditya himself had this peninsula named Arvasthan if he was the first Indian monarch to capture it and bring it under his sway.

Seven circumambulations:

The practice of taking seven steps- known as Saptapadi in Sanskrit- is associated with Hindu marriage ceremony and fire worship. The culminating rite in a Hindu marriage enjoins upon the bride and groom to go round the sacred fire four times. Since "Makha" means fire, the seven circumambulations also prove that Mecca was the seat of Indian fire-worship in the West Asia.

Even now Muslims do the seven circumambulations. Muslim pilgrims visiting the Kaaba shrine go around it seven times. In no other mosque does this perambulation prevail. Hindus invariably perambulate around their shrines. This is yet another proof that the Kaaba shrine is a pre-Islamic Shiva temple where the Hindu practice of perambulation is still meticulously observed. The only difference is that Muslims move anti-clockwise. 

Meaning of Allah:

The word ‘ALLAH’ itself is a Sanskrit word. In Sanskrit language Allah, Akka and Amba are synonyms. They signify the supreme goddess or mother. The term ‘ALLAH’ forms part of Sanskrit chants invoking goddess Durga.

Unani medicine:

The identity of Unani and Ayurvedic systems shows that Unani is just the Arabic term for the Ayurvedic system of healing taught to them and administered in Arabia when Arabia formed part of the Indian empire. Unani medicine is more or less derived from the Ayurveda.

Recital of the Namaz five times:

Muhammad jumbled up the Sanskrit words Nama and Yaja which meant "bowing and worshipping" respectively into a combination word Namaz. He used that word to describe his prescribed method of prayer. Recital of the Namaz five times a day owes its origin to the Vedic injunction of Panchmahayagna (five daily worship- Panch-Maha-Yagna) which is part of the daily Vedic ritual prescribed for all Hindus. Because the Vedic custom was to pray facing the East, in his hatred for all things Hindu, he directed his followers to pray facing only the west.

Sanskrit inscriptions:

Encyclopedias tell us that there are inscriptions on the side of the Kaaba walls. At least some of these inscriptions are in Sanskrit, and some of them are stanzas from the Bhagavad Gita. Many of these inscriptions were destroyed by Muhammad. But relics of some exist even to this day.

Meaning of ‘Eed-ul-Fitr’:

In India, Hindus commemorate their ancestors during the Pitr-Paksha that is the fortnight reserved for their remembrance. The very same is the significance of ‘Eed-ul-Fitr’ (worship of forefathers). There is strong evidence that this festival was encouraged from the Hindu practice of Pitr pooja.

Mosque over buried Hindus:

Muhammad showed utter contempt and disrespect for the souls of dead people. He had a mosque constructed on a place having dead bodies of Hindus. Through the ages, Muhammad's followers would preserve this tradition of desecration of non-muslim graves and emulate his example devoutly by consistently building mosques on graveyards on top of destroyed places of worship. This act of desecration was followed by innumerable raiding expeditions and the successive history of loot, plunder, rape and destruction that Muhammad went on to create in Medinah.

Prophet of Islam attacked Kaaba:

The Prophet of Islam attacked Kaaba. He turned to the idols housed in and around the temple. Each one of the sacred idol was dragged down and stripped of the rich jewels and gems that ornamented them. Then he set all broken idols on fire. There was the idol of Lord Hanuman at the top of the temple. This image of BaHubali was dragged down from the roof, and the saffron flag that it held was trampled into the dirt by the "Holy Prophet". The icon itself was buried in the sand and used as a doorstep. The only idol that Muhammad spared was the black stone known today as "Sangey Aswad", which was a Shivlinga. The only reason this was spared is that, it was the family deity of Muhammad's clan. Muhammad's own uncle, Umar-Bin-E-Hassham was a staunch Hindu and fervent devotee of Lord Shiva. He was a renowned poet and wrote many verses in praise of Lord Shiva. His verses are included in Sair-Ul-Okul. The Encyclopedia Islamia admits : "Muhammed's grandfather and uncles were hereditary priests of the Kaaba temple which housed 360 idols!"

                                                                 The Shiv Ling at the Kaaba. It was broken in seven 
                                                                 places and now is held together by a silver band.

The Temple of Dhu-l-Khalasa:

This temple was dedicated to Lord Shiva, Dhu-L-Khalasa stood for "The One of Kailash". It was situated in Yemen. The Prophet's helper Jarir set out with a force of 150 cavalrymen from the Ahmas Tribe. In Jarir's words: "We dismantled it and burnt it to the ground and killed whoever was present there." Plenty of valuables were robbed. The beautiful statue of Dhu-L-Khalasa (Shiva), a white piece of marble in which a crown was carved, was used as the stepping stone under the mosque at Tabala.

The Temples of Fils & Ruda in Tai:

Ali Bint Abi Talib went to the Temple of Fils to destroy it by order of Muhammad. He took 200 horsemen with him. Ali tortured and murdered many people present there. This Temple contained images of the Mother Goddess. Ali obtained two swords from the temple, one named Rasub and another called Makhzam, both swords were extremely valuable. The Temple of Ruda was looted and destroyed. It was dedicated to Lord Rudra (Shiva) and contained a beautiful jet black Shivling. The Shivling was smashed into its base and the temple razed.

According to historian Sitaram Goel:
"The conquest of Mecca by Muhammad was the most significant event in the history of Islam. The success of the enterprise settled the character of Islam for all time to come. The principal lessons are two: The first is that Muslims should continue resorting to violence on any and every pretext till they triumph; setbacks are temporary. The second lesson is that Islam should refuse to coexist or compromise with every other religion and culture, and use the first favourable opportunity to wipe out the others completely so that it alone may prevail."

Practice of shaving the head:

As the pilgrims now proceed towards Mecca for Hajj they are told to shave head and beard and to don a special sacred attire. This consists of two seamless sheets of white cloth. One is to be worn round the waist and the other over the shoulders. Both these rites are remnants of the old Vedic practice of entering Hindu shrines, clean shaven and with holy seamless spotless white sheets.

With Islam came the flood of destruction, murder, plunder and crime that destroyed the great Vedic heritage of Arabs. Archaeological research has resulted in discovery of historic sites in other Islamic countries like Afghanistan that prove its close religious-cultural affinity with Hindu India. References to Afghanistan, its rivers and towns are found in Rig Veda. Even Syria is said to have a Hindu past, so much so that it derived its name from Surya or Sun. So, we can conclude that the whole west Asia and Arabia had strong links to the Hindu culture which were snubbed by the later Muslim rulers.

Courtesy: http://www.sanskritimagazine.com/, https://www.aho.hk/, http://www.dharmakshetra.com/, http://www.guardiansofdarkness.com/, http://www.harekrsna.com/, http://defence.pk/, http://www.arunachala-ramana.org/, http://www.topix.com/ , http://www.veda.harekrsna.cz/ The Works "The Life & times of Muhammad" by Sir John Glubb, "An Introduction to the Hadith" by John Burton and "Hindu Temples: What Happened to Them?" by Sita Ram Goel, Works of P.N. Oak, D.S. Margoliouth have been used to compose this article.

Growing Muslim population:A demographic threat By Rohini Verma

Growing Muslim population:A demographic threat By Rohini Verma

Whenever the population of religious groups in India is discussed that leads to heated debates. If we talk about Muslim population in India, there is official figure of 14.88% of the country's population. So, there are about 180 million Muslims in India. Islam first came to the western coast of India with Arab traders as early as 7th century AD. Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kerala is thought to be the first mosque in India, built in 629 AD by Malik lbn Dinar.

Politics of partition:

When the British rule ended in India, it led to creation of Pakistan on religious grounds. In 1971 due to different social and political reasons, the Dominion of Pakistan was split into the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the People's Republic of Bangladesh. One of the largest population movements in recorded history took place when India was divided in to India and Pakistan.

Officially, India has the third largest Muslim population next to Indonesia and Pakistan. India is home to 10% of the world's Muslim population. India has a rough estimate of 176 million Muslims, but the actual number is expected to be higher. Records show that India has more Muslims than Pakistan. The largest concentration of about 47% of Muslims in India, live in the three states of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and Bihar. High concentrations of Muslims are found in states of Assam, Kerala, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka.

As of 2015, Muslims comprise the majority of the population in the only Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir and in a Union territory Lakshadweep. In Jammu and Kashmir there is 68.3% Muslim population. In Lakshadweep there is 96.2% Muslim population.

High Population Growth Rates:

Muslim population has been growing rapidly in India with increasing figures in every census.

In 1951 Muslim Population Growth rate per Census was 9.9%.

In 1971 census, the Muslim Population Growth rate was 11.21%.

In 1991 Census Jammu and Kashmir was not included in the Census Data due to militant activity in the state. Even then the Muslim Population Growth rate was 12.12%.

By the 2001 Census, Muslims formed 13.4% of India’s population.

In 2011, the Muslim Population Growth rate was 14.88% which was the highest so far. This is the official figure, but the actual growth rate is more than this figure.

Higher total fertility rate:

Muslims in India have a much higher total fertility rate (TFR) as compared to other religious communities in the country. The share of Hindus in India’s population has shown the sharpest dip in a decade since Independence and has dropped below 80%. The 2011 religion census data shows that the share of Muslims in the population has risen 80 basis points from 13.4% in 2001 to 14.88% with some border states showing a high increase. The number of Muslims increased 24.4% to 17.18 crore from 13.8 crore during the period 2001-11. At 24% the growth rate of Muslim population is higher than the national average of 18% for the decade 2001-11. During the five decades — 1951 to 2001 — their share rose from 9.8% to 13.4%.

Drop in Hindu Population:

The share of Hindus over the previous five decades — between 1951 and 2001 — dropped 3.65 percentage points from 84.1% to 80.45% of the total population. India's Muslim population is more urban compared to their Hindu counterparts, infant mortality rates among Muslims is about 12% lower than those among Hindus.

Surveys indicate that Muslims are less willing to adopt family planning measures and Muslim women have a larger fertility period since they get married at a much younger age as compared to Hindu women. Muslims are much more resistant to modern contraception and consider contraception anti –Islamic. The rise in Muslim numbers is most noticeable in Assam, where they were found to make up 34.2% of the population in 2011.

West Bengal, where illegal immigration from Bangladesh has been an issue, has also seen a rise in Muslim population from 25.2% in 2001 to 27% in 2011. In Kerala, by 2% to 26.6%. In UP and Bihar, the increase is about 1%, with the Muslim headcount at 19.3% and 16.9% respectively. Jharkhand, Delhi and Maharashtra report similar increases, with the 2011 figures rising to 14.5%, 12.9% and 11.5%.

A study conducted by K.C. Zacharia in Kerala in 1983 revealed that on average, the number of children born to a Muslim woman was 4.1 while a Hindu woman gave birth to only 2.9 children.

Growth in world's Muslim population:

The world's Muslim population is expected to increase by about 35% in the 20 years following 2011, rising from 1.6 billion in 2010 to 2.2 billion by 2030, according to new population projections by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. Globally, the Muslim population is forecast to grow at about twice the rate of the non-Muslim population.

The Muslim population in India is projected to increase from 177.3 million in 2010 to 236.2 million in 2030. The Muslim share of India's population is expected to increase to 15.9% in 2030.

Pakistan may surpass Indonesia as the country with the single largest Muslim population:

A majority of the world's Muslims about 60% will continue to live in the Asia-Pacific region, while about 20% will live in the Middle East and North Africa.

Pakistan is expected to surpass Indonesia as the country with the single largest Muslim population. In the United States, for example, the population projections show the number of Muslims more than doubling over the next two decades, rising from 2.6 million in 2010 to 6.2 million in 2030, in large part because of immigration and higher-than-average fertility among Muslims.

Why Muslims are growing in numbers? Following are the reasons:

-         - Higher fertility rates (more children per woman)

-         - Improved health and economic conditions

-        -  Decline in infant and child mortality rates

-        -  Life expectancy is rising

-         - Remarriage among Muslims is allowed

-        -  Avoiding contraception

According to another study, Hindus will become the world's third largest population by 2050, while India will overtake Indonesia and Pakistan as the country with the largest Muslim population. India will retain a Hindu majority but also will have the largest Muslim population of any country in the world.

In the backdrop of projections that India will have the largest number of Muslims by 2050, Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanded a uniform law to rectify the "demographic imbalance" in the country. This was a key result of an in-depth study on “The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050,” by the Pew Research Center. The Pew study found that Muslims would nearly double their numbers in Europe to more than ten per cent by 2050 and would outnumber Christians worldwide by 2070.

Comparison of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh:

In Pakistan in 2001-11 Muslims had a decadal population growth rate of about 20%.  India's Muslims had the figure of 24% and Bangladesh slightly more than 14%. If India's Muslims had witnessed Pakistan's population growth rate of 20%, the country would have had about five-six million fewer Muslims in 2011.

If Bangladesh had experienced the same 20% population growth rate, it would have had seven million more Muslims. The lower numbers of Bangladesh have a significant factor of migration to India. The point to be noted is that the growth of the Muslim population in the border districts of West Bengal and Assam has been the highest. Even at 20%, the growth rate of the domestic Muslim population would be higher than for all non-Muslims.

Since the Indian partition, the Muslim population has grown in all the three nations. Some projections suggest that the Muslim population in India may be 18-19% of the population.

This is the high time when ways should be explored to encourage more Muslims to adopt family planning. Another point is that the illegal immigration should be reduced. It is worth bearing in mind that if India continues to do better economically than Bangladesh there will be even more illegal immigration. At least 3Crore Bangladeshis are in Indian territories who show that they are Hindus so that they can stay in India. Their count in Hindu category itself enlarges the Hindus numbers in census.

The other side of the story is that there is an alarming decrease of Hindu population in both Pakistan and Bangladesh, whereas Muslims are growing in India. The statistics show almost elimination of Hindu population in many districts in Pakistan and Bangladesh.

 The problem is that Indian Census of 2011 is a substantial piece of fiction. It has not represented a true and fair picture of religious affiliations in India. Census 2011 has given an overestimate of the real Hindu population and an underestimate of the Muslim and Christian populations.

Given the significant conversion activities of Muslim and Christian religious organisations, the chances are that a large chunk of the SC population has probably formally been designated as Hindu to avoid being made ineligible for reservations. India’s “secular” forces would like all of us to believe that all Hindu fears of being gradually outnumbered are baseless. Declaring the Hindu population to be an overwhelmingly large number whether 80.45% in 2001 or 78.35% in 2011 may be considered vital for vote bank politics.

Both Pakistan and Bangladesh are poorer than India, but still have lower birth rates. In Kerala, where Muslims are not poor the Muslim proportion has actually risen substantially in 2011 from 24.7% to 26.6%. When overall Muslim decadal population growth exceeds the Hindu decadal growth by almost 10%, one has to consider cultural and political ramifications.

Scheduled castes and OBCs should not be excluded from reservation benefits because they do not declare themselves Hindu. In fact, a lot of OBCs converts who now get reservations may also be tempted to misdeclare their religions for fear of losing quota benefits. What Hindus can usefully do is stop killing girl children. That way there will be more Hindu women reaching child-bearing age.

In order to contain the population of Muslims, vasectomy or family planning are the only solutions. If the Muslim population continued to grow in the same way then it may lead to the formation of a new Pakistan with in India.

Courtesy: http://www.populationmatters.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/, http://www.rediff.com/, http://indianexpress.com/, http://www.openthemagazine.com/, http://www.faqs.org/, http://www.prb.org/, http://www.thehindu.com/, http://www.firstpost.com/, http://ibnlive.in.com/, http://www.thehindu.com/, http://indiatoday.intoday.in/, http://en.reingex.com/Muslim-population-countries.asp, http://www.business-standard.com/, newobserveronline.com