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Osho – The Art of Living 2

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Osho – The Art of Living 2
Life is not a problem. It’s a mystery to be lived no a problem to be solved. But it becomes a problem because you go on postponing things. For tomorrow that which can be done and should be done today. Can’t be done tomorrow. Would have been a beautiful phenomenon today. Tomorrow it will become a very cold and hard problem to be solved. Living here and now is not a problem. And it goes on piling up and so much gathers around you that you become paralysed, crippled. Even a genius a prize winner, great intellectual world known behaves in a childish way. If he finds his slippers are not there in the morning he is angered/irritated. If he could pay attention to the anger he would laugh… this is so foolish. He goes to the bath in a bad mood, starts shaving but almost unconscious that a problem has not been dealt. Which has been growing all the time. Everything alive is growing. Anger is alive, grows, never remains the same. It’s gathering momentum and force. He’s still irritated, not enjoying the freshness, beauty. Unconscious, the razor slips, falls to the floor. Now he’s even more angry. If he can deal with it now he’s laugh. A razor is not a being, it’s not responsible for anything. His hands are moving more foolishly. His razor slips again and hits his nice mirror and it breaks. He’s no more sane. Comes out angry, slams the door, slaps the child, etc. Just for a small nothing. Slippers. Now our so called genius takes his car to go to work but there is an accident and traffic. He drives like a maniac, anger goes to the feet to press the accelerator. He’s a drunkard, drunk on his anger. (Paras note: That was sooo me!) Now he’s in a hospital. He will never be able to relate the whole thing. The story can go on. The whole family disturbed, just for slippers… divorce (laughter). Deal with things moment to moment… don’t let it pile up, accumulate.

Life is extremely beautiful. It’s not a problem for the trees, birds, earth, sky. It’s only problem for men because men has learnt a trick … of postponement. Then a moment comes that you can’t cope. It becomes to big you can cope. Always caring the burden on your head. How can you enjoy, celebrate, dance. Then someone says there is god. You hear it but you can’t believe. Maybe there is a devil but not a god. You would like to end it. It’s rare to find a man that has not contemplated suicide. That life is so unliveable, rather than being more in it you’d rather be a drop out. How can you love god, pray. Prayer comes out of gratitude. A life lived well becomes a life of prayer. Nothing to do with temples, churches and mosques. Moment to moment, aware and alert. Becomes a prayer. And prayer becomes a meditation and then you don’t even pray because words disturb. Your prayer is silent… it’s meditation. So to understand that existence is beautiful you have to live a different type of life. Not of postponement. This is moment to moment. Past – It is no more there it’s already flown away. You are unnecessarily disturbed by a ghost. Don’t burden yourself with the future. When it comes you’ll be there to meet it. Why plan right now? Because the way you plan is never going to happen. Your planning is bound to be a greater problem. Your plan you want to impose on existence. Existence is not to follow you, you can follow it and feel graceful. You don’t know the whole, you don’t know the desire, destiny of the whole. They are bound to be broken and your heart is broken. Drop the past. And don’t bring the future in. This moment is all. Live it alert and small things will be dealt and it will grow. No great problems. Lao Tzu says there are no great problems for great men. There are always handled when they are small. Within his hands, something can be done. And when you do that you are always fresh. Dept never collects on your being. Next moment you slip as a virgin. Like a snake leaves it’s old skin. Then life is a mystery to be lived and lived totally. ANd you feel grateful. A blessing.

Let me tell you few examples. Archmedeas was trying to solve a scientific problem. Did his best. And he was the first to tackle this problem. There is not history, nothing of the past. He worked hard, became tense. What can you do when you can’t solve? One day in his bath relaxed, he dropped the idea of solution. Suddenly it’s solved. He becomes so ecstatic that he forgot he was naked. He rose to his feet crying eureka! Meaning I have found it! The whole town thought he has gone mad. When the king asked how… he says by non-doing. I had dropped all activity. When you relax you become one with the whole. You are no more with the ego, with the individual… you are with the whole. When you are tense you become individual. A concentrated ego. Ego is too small to solve anything. When ego is not there relaxing … suddenly it happens. It happened to Buddha. For 6 years he was doing and doing too much. Nobody has been in search as deeply as him… doing whatever he could. Going to teachers, teachers became helpless. He did everything perfectly but did not achieve… did better than his own masters. They said forgive us… we can’t help you and it’s not happening. You find another teacher. He was fed up teachers, systems, techniques. He did it own his on. Still nothing. 6 years! Then one day while passing the river he had become so weak because of a long fast. He couldn’t cross the river. The river is not big but he was really weak, he remained cling to the root. He started thing what have I been doing… I’ve simply destroyed myself. The world is finished that I left behind and this moksha, salvation … I drop it too. That very tension became the barrier. Both of these guys felt and upsurge of energy. When there is no greed, desire… this moment is enough. The ego disappears. Relaxed under the bhodhi tree. That night he slept perfectly well. For the first night he slept without dreams. Because dreams are part of desires. The day dreaming continues. Thousands of desires unfulfilled. They create some consolation for the mind. But when you don’t desire… dreams disappear. For the first time you sleep. You disappear into the whole. Early in the morning he woke fresh as a newly born child. No mind to look. No desire. That moment was eternity because when you desire you are always moving into the future. That time Buddha became like a flower. A bird sings here and now. A man things always somewhere else. A man is never where he is. Physically he was there, mentally, spiritually he was there. Thats why that tree became the tree of enlightenment.

So when people asked him how… he said when I stopped. Stopped seeking, dropped everything. Sometimes you may have observed … not Buddha like but you try to remember a name. It’s just on the tip of the tongue. And it is not coming and you feel suffocated and tense. What can you do… the more you try the more it seems impossible. Then you drop, you take a cigarette, you go for a walk. You engaged yourself somewhere else. Do something to forget about it and it pops… there it is. That is a tiny example. If you know this then you know what it means. There are things you cannot attain by action. This is the criterion if you can attain something by action… it belongs to this world. To the world of matter. And anything of the spirit cannot be attained by action. Through inaction. In the world of being. Being, doing is not needed. There you flower the greatest height. No effort is needed. Says a Zen master… sitting quietly doing nothing is the only way to do something. The grass grows by itself. They grow by themselves, you simply sit by the side. Once you realise this… a new dimension has opened for you.

Osho – The Art of Living 1 | Osho – The Art of Living 2 | Osho – The Art of Living 3
Osho – The Art of Living 4 | Osho – The Art of Living 5 | Osho – The Art of Living 6
Osho – The Art of Living 7

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Lohanas … from Wikipedia

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Lohanas (from Wikipedia) (Persian: لامياحاءأنأ, Gujarati: લોહાણા, Sindhi: لوها ڻا, Hindi: लोहाना) or ‘Master of Swords’ are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group and are a suryavanshi Kshatriya[citation needed] community ofIndia that originated in Iran and Afghanistan. In India, they mainly reside in Gujarat, Mumbai and other parts of the country. They have also spread to all parts of the world.

 
Languages
Indo-Aryan languages, primarily Gujarati,Kutchi, Sindhi and Hindi. Also English in the UK,USA and Canada, Arabic in Afghanistan.Swahili is spoken as a second language by some Lohanas in East Africa.
Religion
Primarily Hinduism. Those who converted toIslam are referred to as Memons or Khojas and are now separate independent communities.

[edit]Overview

Originally Lohanas were a prominent community of the Kshatriya jatt caste (Sanskrit क्षत्रिय Kshatriya) that originated in Iran and Afghanistan[citation needed], then in the region of Punjab and later on migrated to Sindh and present day Gujarat state in India around 800 years ago[citation needed]. As administrators and rulers, Kshatriya Lohanas jatt were assigned with protecting the people, and serving humanity. Over time, however, as a result of economic and political exigencies, the majority of Lohanas are now mainly engaged in mercantile occupations.

Some of the Lohanas converted to Sunni Islam, they are called Memon (Gujarati: મેમણ).

Ismaili Dai’ Pir Sadardin converted many of them to the Ismaili sect of Islam. They are known as “Khoja” (ethno Khawaja).

[edit]History

[edit]Early History

The Lohanas, also known as Thakkar (and hence often holding surnames including Thakkar and Thakrar ), trace their roots in history right up to the emergence of Aryans[citation needed], a linguistic of Indo-Iranians in the Indian sub-continent (which then included today’s Afghanistan). It is believed by Legend that the Lohanas are descendants of the hero Rama (Raghuvanshi, descendant of King Raghu), who bore two sons: Luv (Also spelled as Lava) and Kush. From the elder son Luv, the Lohanas are supposed to be originated along with Kurmi (later settled in North-East and some Western part i.e. UP, Undivided Bihar, MP, Gujrat, Maharashtra of India.)

Descendants of Kush are known as Kushwaha. His younger son Luv was given the North (uttar Kaushala) of his kingdom (Refer :Valmk Ramayan Uttar Kand sarg 107), which came to be, called Luvalka or Luv’s land consisting of present day Lahore (Pakistan) as it’s Capital.

Luv is portrayed in the Ramayana as a great warrior. In one of the episodes of the Ramayana even though he is a mere boy in the hermitage, he brings the entire army of his father Lord Rama (under the command of his uncle Laxman) to a standstill by the prowess at archery (of course along with his older brother Kush). His descendants too were cast in the same mould, but they were not satisfied with Luvalka and pushed to the west and annexed today’s Afghanistan and adjoining areas.

Around 580 BC., when king Bimbisara ruled over Bharat (India), the society came to be divided into different communities based on their occupation. One of their communities was called Kshatriyas and King Luv’s descendants were classed with them and came to be known as Luvanam, which was also referred to as Luvana. The Luvanas from Loharghat became known as Loharana (masters of swords; or iron (“Loha”) chiefs (“Rana”)), which later became Lohana.

Chinese traveller Fa-hien, who visited India between 414 and 399 B.C., calls Lohanas a brave community ruling the northwest territory of India,[4] in his diary. Another Chinese traveler, Kurmang who came in the eleventh century A.D. speaks of a Lohana kingdom as a mighty power. Historian Burton writes Lohanas were brave people and says they were spread over today’s Baluchistan (Pakistan), Afghanistan and eastern fringes of Central Asia. Col. Todd, who delved into history of Rajasthan, describes Lohanas as one of the oldest Kshatriya community.

The likely reason for this title of bravery is that they were the first line of defense for the Indian subcontinent in the direct path of invaders from northwest like Persians, Macedonians, Huns, Mughals, etc. Meanwhile, Muhammad established Islam. His followers spread out in different directions to establish his religion world-wide and in due course they turned East towards India.

Between the 7th and 11th century the Lohanas held their grounds in Afghanistan, blocking the advent of Islam eastwards. In the 11th century, they finally had to fall back and moved initially to the Sindh province of today’s Pakistan, where again for over two centuries they provided the frontline of defense against the invading hordes. Finally, at the turn of the 13th century, the Loharana king, Chahir Ray, was betrayed by his confidant Kualnger, who turned traitor for a large fortune in gold and gems. The Lohana kingdom disintegrated into smaller segments. After the community split, a new leader emerged who again unified the Lohanas. Veer Jashraj, who is revered as Veer Dada Jashraj, was born in the city of Lohar (today’s Lahore in Pakistan), which was the capital of Lohargadh. His domain extended from Lahore to Multan (also in Pakistan today).

As the folklore goes, Mongol invader Changez Khan, attacked Multan and was killed by Dada Jashraj, Rana of Lohargadh.

This finds mention in Mongol folklore, which say, “King of Mongols was killed by Mirana, the tiger of Multan fort”. His descendants who proudly carry the surname of ‘Mirana’ preserve the memory of this great warrior king. Dada Jashraj was also treacherously killed when only 28 – a life so short but full of heroic deeds.

After the death of Dada Jashraj, the decline of Lohana kingdom began and their reign at Lohargadh ended. King Dahir ruled for a while from Narayankot (today’s Hyderabad, Sindh). After his demise in a war against Muslims, Narayankot and Sindh fell to Muslims. It was around this time that some Lohanas converted to Islam. Many migrated to far-off regions like Kutchchh, Saurashtra and Gujarat and gradually became a trader community like Agarwals and Baranwals.

[edit]Recent history

In 1422 AD, 700 Lohana families comprising of some 6178 converted to Islam at the hands of one Yusuffuddin Qadri in Thatta Sindh — these are now known as Memons.

It was around this time, that Uderolal who is revered as Jhulelal (by Sindhis) or Dariyalal (by Gujaratis), son of Ratanchand Thakur and Mata Devki of Nasarpur, about 90 miles from Narayankot (now Hyderabad, Sindh) took on the mantle of Lohana leadership. Uderolal fought with Muslim chief Mirkshah, and initiated him into the true meaning of religion. Uderolal won the freedom of religion for Hindus from the Muslim rulers and devoted the rest of his life to spiritual and community service. Today Uderolal is revered as Jhulelal, the patron saint of Sindhis, both Hindus and Muslims visit the site of his samadhi.

The Lohanas felt their identity was increasingly threatened in Sindh and they began to migrate towards Kutchchh, Saurashtra, Gujarat and even as far as Thailand.[5] In Gujarati, Lohanas performing the puja (ritual worship) of Dariyalal are known as Pujaras and Dariyalal’s descendants as Ratnani.

Famous warriors once, Majority of Gujarati Lohanas took to trade and business. However, their mettle as warriors past was again tested in 1764, when Gulam Shah Kora attacked Kutchchh and they had to account for themselves in the battle of Zora. Lohana women fought alongside their men in this battle and the land of Kutchchh is strewn with memorial stones marking the deaths of Lohanas. A saying in Gujarati eulogies Lohana women thus: Only Rajputani, Loharani and Miyanai bring forth gem of children.

[edit]Lohanas today

Lohana culture has diverged over the centuries between different regions. Thus there are significant differences between the culture, professions and societies of Sindhi Lohanas, Kutchi Lohanas and those of Gujarati Lohanas.

Gujarati Lohanas gravitated towards trading since the eighteenth century. A large number of Hindu Lohana from Gujurat migrated to theBritish colonies of East Africa during the early part of the 20th century. Gujarati Lohanas in East Africa were great entrepreneurs. The Ruparelia, Madhvani, Mehta and Jobanputra families being the prominent industrialists in Uganda. The descendants of these East African settlers have moved to either Kenya and Tanzania or Great Britain in recent decades. Many of them can be found in North West London andLeicester.

Today, a good number of Gujarati Lohanas reside in Gujarat and in other parts of India. In Gujarat, many of them are in Rajkot, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Surat. Outside Gujarat, they can be found in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Bangalore, Mangalore, Kolkata, Varanasi, New Delhi. and other major Indian cities. Also, Gujarati Lohanas own the majority of food businesses, especially “farsan marts,” in Ahmedabad and Vadodara. They also have a noticeable share in other businesses. A significant number of Gujarati Lohanas also reside outside India.

Sindhi Lohanas, including the Bhaiband community, were primarily engaged in Agriculture, Industries and Professional Services before thePartition of India. However, after the partition, Sindhi Lohanas dispersed throughout the world, and having lost their agricultural property, have focused on Industry, Trading and Professional Services. The Khudabadi Sindhi Swarankar (Sonara) community, also affiliated with the Sindhi Lohana faction of the warrior Kshatriya caste of Hindu society, were mostly in the jewellery business. In fact, the 1911 Encyclopedia Brittanica stated in the article about Sindh that:

“ More than half of the Hindus are Lohanas, originally traders, who have almost monopolised government service and the professions.[6][7][8] ”

Lohanas are still to be found in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which are now Islamic states. In Afghanistan, they still maintain their Hindu religious identity and are known as Lokhathra. The Lohanas who keep their Hindu identity in Sindh are known as Sindhi Lohana.

Those Lohanas who converted to Sunni Islam are known as Memons. Those who converted to Shia Ismaili Nizari Islam or became IsmailiNizari Muslims are known as Khojas. Many of them retain their Hindu surnames from which many are ancient Persian surnames. Among them was the creator of Pakistan, Mohammed Ali Jinnah, whose father’s name was Jinabhai Poonja and grandfather was Poonja Gokuldas Meghji, a Hindu Bhatia from Paneli village in Gondal state in Kathiawar.[9]

Not only Khoja Ismaili Muslims but Memon Sunni Muslims also retain their Hindu and Persian surnames, among the most famous of these isLakhani.Some of the major groups derived from the principal professions they follow or the crafts they practice, for example, the cattle-breeding group takes the significant name of Gawli, derived from a Sanskrit word for cow. The names of the shepherd castes seem to be derived from words meaning sheep. Such is at least the case with Gadaria from ‘gadar’, on old Hindi word for sheep. Many others of these major groups called castes bear merely tribal or ethic names. Such are for example: Arora, Gujjar, Lohana, Bhatia, Meena, Bhil, Dom,Oraon, Munda, Santal, Koch, Ahir, Mahar, Nayar, Maratha, Gond, Khond, etc.[10]

[edit]Notable Lohanas

  • Late Shree Premjibhai Bhawanji Thacker – (1) prominent Lawyer of Kachchh District (2) Member of Raj Shabha – 1952 (3) Advisor to Chief Commissioner of Cutch C State 1956-1958 (4) Deputy Minister P. W. D.Departement in State of Bombay 1958 – 1960 (5) Minister P. W. D. in Gujarat State 1958 – 1960 (6) Cebinet Minister for Revenue and Law and Justice portfolio in Gujarat State 1967 – 1972 (7) Member of Gujarat Legisletive Assebmble – 1975-1976 (8) Pionior of Kachchh Rastra Bhasha Prachar Samiti and Today’s developed Kachchh visionary.
  • Padmabhushan (Late) Shri K. J. Somaiya, Industrialist
  • Lord Dolar Popat, founder of TLC Group also known as Lord Popat of Harrow.
  • Dr. S. K. Somaiya, Industrialist and Philanthropist
  • Sagar Thakker – Investment Banker, Industrialist and Philanthropist
  • Uday Kotak – Investment Banker
  • Cheteshwar Pujara – Cricketer
  • Bhairavi Raichura – T V Actress
  • Karishma Tanna – T V Actress
  • J.D.Majethia – Gujarati film star , T V Actor and producer ( producer of serial like Baa, Bahu aur Baby and Sara bhai vs Sara bhai
  • Deven Bhojani – T V Actor( Gattu)
  • Mr Shashikant Lakhani (Lawyer & ex Minister Gujarat State)
  • Mr Kirit Somaiya ( B J P leader Mumbai)
  • Mr Shailesh Bathiya (Leading Chartered Accountant)
  • Cheteshwar Pujara : 1st Lohana to play Test Cricket for India…
 http://www.cricinfo.com/india/content/player/32540.html

[edit]See also

Harshil kotak-student Shree Chatrabhujbhai Juthabhai Kotak-1st lohana president,bussinessman,social worker,president ofcloth merchant’s association and sister to Lt. Shrimati Indira Gandhi

[edit]References

  1. ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=OJlpWwZkRDAC&pg=PA17&dq=Lohana+population&hl=en&ei=Wmp5TMutNpO94gahqZmPBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CFAQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=Lohana%20population&f=false
  2. ^ http://www.joshuaproject.net/people-profile.php?rop3=112775&rog3=IN
  3. ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nUsOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA34&dq=Lohana+population&hl=en&ei=Wmp5TMutNpO94gahqZmPBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Lohana%20population&f=false
  4. ^ http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/itihas/fa-hien.htm
  5. ^ http://lohanamahajantrust.com/whoarewe.asp
  6. ^ http://www.foamcorinthiancapitals.cz.cc/wiki.php?q=Sind
  7. ^ http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Sind
  8. ^ http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/SHA_SIV/SIND.html
  9. ^ Ahmed, Akbar S. 1997. Jinnah, Pakistan and Islamic Identity: The Search for Saladin. London: Routledge. 320 pages. ISBN 0-415-14966-5. page 3.
  10. ^ Caste And Race In India by G.S. Ghurye (an eminent sociologist) Popular Prakashan 2004 reprint page: 31,32,33.
  11. ^ “Lohana History: Where do Lohanas come from?”. Lohana.info. Retrieved 2009-12-20.
  12. ^ “INSIDE STOREY -Youngest doctor joins UCLH”. uclh.nhs.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
  13. ^ http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nZ2SHSk3k6cC&pg=PA101&dq=Lohana&hl=en&ei=UT95TPPoJoqm4AbxhbCeBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Lohana&f=false

Oonk,G, The Changing Culture of Hindu Lohanas in East Africa, in Contemporary Asians Studies, 13, 2004, 83-97.

[edit]External links

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WHO BUILT BOMBAY AND NOT MUMBAI … from Rohit Shah

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WHO BUILT BOMBAY AND NOT MUMBAI … from Rohit Shah

An interesting review of the history of Mumbai

According to ancient history, a grouping of seven islands comprising Colaba, Mazagaon, Old Woman’s Island, Wadala, Mahim, Parel, and Matunga-Sion formed a part of the kingdom of Ashoka the Great of Magadh, ironically in North India.

The Bhaiyas and Biharis whom the Thackerays accuse of being outsiders in Mumbai, come from the region, which was a part of Ashoka the Great’s empire.. We judge everything according to history and the history of Mumbai proves that its earliest known ownership was with a North Indian.

The seven islands of Mumbai passed through many hands, the sultans of Gujarat, the Portuguese and the British. Every ruler left behind proof of residence in Mumbai.

The Mauryans left behind the Kanheri, Mahakali and the caves of Gharapuri more popularly called Elephanta.
The sultans of Gujarat built the Dargahs at Mahim and Haji Ali, the Portuguese built the two Portuguese churches, one at Prabhadevi and the other St Andrews at Bandra.

They built forts at Sion, Mahim, Bandra and Bassien. The Portuguese named the group of seven Islands ‘Bom Baia’, Good Bay. The British built a city out of the group of seven islands and called her Bombay.

The original settlers of the seven islands, the Koli fishermen, worshiped Mumbaidevi, her temple still stands at Babulnath near Chowpatty. The Kolis called the island Mumbai, ‘Mumba, Mother Goddess’.

In 1662, King Charles II of England married the Portuguese Princess Catherine of Braganza, and received the seven islands of Bom Baia as part of his dowry. Six years later, the British Crown leased the seven islands to the English East India Company for a sum of 10 pounds in gold per annum. It was under the English East India Company that the future megapolis began to take shape, after the first war for independence Bombay once again became a colony of the British Empire.

History has forgotten this but the first Parsi settler came to Bombay in 1640, he was Dorabji Nanabhoy Patel. In 1689-90, a severe plague epidemic broke out in Bombay and most of the European settlers succumbed to it. The Siddi of Janjira attacked in full force. Rustomji Dorabji Patel, a trader and the son of the city’s first Parsi settler, successfully defeated the Siddi with the help of the Kolis and saved Bombay.

Gerald Aungier, Governor of Bombay built the Bombay Castle, an area that is even today referred to as Fort. He also constituted the Courts of law. He brought Gujarati traders, Parsi shipbuilders, Muslim and Hindu manufacturers from the mainland and settled them in Bombay.

It was during a period of four decades that the city of Bombay took shape. Reclamation was done to plug the breach at Worli and Mahalakshmi, Hornby Vellard was built in 1784. The Sion Causeway connecting Bombay to Salsette was built in 1803. Colaba Causeway connecting Colaba island to Bombay was built in 1838. A causeway connecting Mahim and Bandra was built in 1845.

Lady Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy, the wife of the First Baronet Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy donated Rs 1, 57,000 to meet construction costs of the causeway. She donated Rs. 1,00,000 at first. When the project cost escalated and money ran out half way through she donated Rs 57,000 again to ensure that the vital causeway was completed. Lady Jamsetjee stipulated that no toll would ever be charged for those using the causeway. Today Mumbaikars have to pay Rs 75 to use the Bandra-Worli Sealink, connecting almost the same two islands. Sir J J Hospital was also built by Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy.

The shipbuilding Wadia family of Surat was brought to Bombay by the British. Jamshedji Wadia founded the Bombay Port Trust and built the Princess Dock in 1885 and the Victoria Dock and the Mereweather Dry Docks in 1891. Alexandra Dock was built in 1914.

A Gujarati civil engineer supervised the building of the Gateway of India. The Tatas made Bombay their headquarters and gave it the iconic Taj Mahal Hotel and India’s first civilian airlines, Air India. The Godrejs gave India its first vegetarian soap.

Cowasji Nanabhai Daver established Bombay’s first cotton mill, ‘The Bombay Spinning Mills’ in 1854. By 1915, there were 83 textile mills in Bombay largely owned by Indians.

This brought about a financial boom in Bombay. Although the mills were owned by Gujaratis, Kutchis, Parsis and Marwaris, the workforce was migrant Mahrashtrians from rural Maharashtra. Premchand Roychand, a prosperous Gujarati broker founded the Bombay Stock Exchange. Premchand Roychand donated Rs 2,00,000 to build the Rajabai Tower in 1878.

Muslim, Sindhi and Punjabi migrants have also contributed handsomely to Mumbai.

Mumbai is built on the blood and sweat of all Indians. That is why Bombay belongs to all Indians.

Apart from its original inhabitants, the Kolis, everyone else in Mumbai, including Thackeray’s ‘Marathi Manoos’, are immigrants.

The “Mumbai for Marathi Manoos” war cry has once again been raised to shore up the sagging political fortunes of the Thackeray family.

When the Shiv Sena-BJP combine came to power in 1993, under the guise of reverting to the original name they replaced Bombay with Mumbai.

I wonder when they will discard the anglicized Thackeray and revert back to their original Marathi surname Thakre?
________________________________________________
This article was written on February 7, 2010 by Tushar Gandhi, founder/president, Mahatma Gandhi Foundation, and the grandson of Gandhiji.

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RECORD SHATTERED! THE WORLD HAS STOOD UP TO DEMAND AN END TO POVERTY! 17/10/2009

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To see the London Art of Living crew stand up go to http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=243393&id=500304440

GUINNESS WORLD RECORD SHATTERED BY CITIZENS ACROSS GLOBE DEMANDING THAT THEIR LEADERS END POVERTY

More than 173 Million People Gather at “Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!” events, setting new world record for largest mobilization in history
A Guinness World Record shattered this weekend when 173,045,325 citizens gathered at over 3,000 events in more than 120 countries, demanding that their governments eradicate extreme poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). “Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!”, now in its fourth year, has been certified by Guinness World Records as the largest mobilization of human beings in recorded history, an increase of about 57 million people over last year.
“The more than 173 million people who mobilized this weekend sent a clear message to world leaders that there is massive, universal, global demand for eradicating poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals,” said Salil Shetty, Director of the United Nations Millennium Campaign. “In particular, we have seen citizens determined to show their governments that they will hold them accountable for keeping their promises to end hunger, improve maternal health and abolish trade-distorting agricultural subsidies. They will not accept excuses for breaking promises to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people, who have already been hardest hit by the global food, economic and climate crises they had no role in causing.”
In Asia more than 100 million people participated (101,106,845); in Africa more than 37 million people participated (37,848,412); in the Arab region more than 31 million people participated (31,394,459); in Europe more than 2 million people participated (2,102,121); in Latin America more than 200,000 people participated (229,371); in North America nearly 200,000 people participated (191,535); and in Oceania more than 170,000 people participated (172,582).
“Stand Up is proven to be a growing global mobilization, as well as an ongoing grass roots movement from remote areas and cities in so many countries, both rich and poor,” said Sylvia Borren, Co-chair of the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), who attended several “Stand Up” events across The Netherlands last weekend. “These are the voices of young people, women and men demanding the eradication of poverty, and new answers to the food, economic and climate crises. We will carry this overwhelming message forward in the weeks and months ahead to influence both the Copenhagen climate discussions and next year’s MDG review.”
Currently 1 billion people around the world are hungry and 500,000 women continue to die annually as the result of pregnancy and childbirth. The vast majority of these deaths are preventable.
The mobilization was organized globally by the United Nations Millennium Campaign, in partnership with a range of organizations including the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP).
The 3,000 events across every inhabited continent this weekend included:
In New York, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon lead schoolchildren in Standing Up on Friday.
In Bangladesh, civil society campaigners raised the call “National Unity Can Eradicate Poverty,” urging that a “Poverty and Hunger Free Bangladesh is Possible Now.” The Prime Minister led the nation in pledging to remain united to develop the country by 2020. At a rally in Dhaka, she called upon all political parties to jointly fight corruption and stabilize democracy.
Despite the typhoons that hit the Philippines just before “Stand Up,” 35.5 million people in the country Stood Up and the “I Vote for MDGs” campaign, a survey on the issues voters believe should be prioritized by the 2010 Presidential candidates, was launched.
In Nepal the President read a Stand Up Pledge with members of the Constituent assembly at an event broadcast live on national television, followed by a concert in a large open-air theatre in the heart of Kathmandu.
In the United States, the Irish band U2 brought 50,000 concertgoers to their feet for a “Stand Up” moment during their October 18 concert in Norman, Oklahoma.
From Cape Town to Cairo and from Accra to Kampala, millions of Africans stood up in churches, mosques, schools, markets, streets and work places to call on their leaders to end poverty and inequality. In Uganda, the Local Government Association joined “Stand Up” by launching a historic award to honor the best-performing local government. The inaugural award was presented to the Kasese District.
In South Africa, housemates on the hit television show “Big Brother” made passionate appeals to world leaders to end poverty and led the continent in reading the “Stand Up” pledge, collected food for disadvantaged children and wrote a song on poverty. They called on African leaders to stop maternal death, end hunger and address climate change.
In Nigeria, legendary African artist Femi Kuti led over 60,000 people attending the annual event commemorating the life of his late father Fela Kuti, in pledging their commitment to campaigning fervently against poverty and injustice. Femi urged participants at the festival to be bold when holding their governments accountable, noting that Africa has enough resources to end poverty. Accusing African leaders of mismanaging public resources through corruption and poor governance, he called on them to focus more attention on programs leading to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
At Federation Square, Melbourne, a concert organized by Make Poverty History Australia and AusAID included a flash mob stunt and performances by entertainers including Diafrix, a musical group of African refugees.
Citizens of Papua New Guinea Stood Up for the first time this year, in churches and government buildings, with support from the government Department of Community Development.
In Halifax, Canada, citizens marched against poverty in a rally organized by Make Poverty History.
In Italy, more than 400,000 people participated in 200 sports events across the country. The people of L’Aquila, which was hit by a devastating earthquake in April, ran a marathon to show their support.
In Paris, the streets were invaded by 4,000 roller-bladers on Sunday proudly sporting ‘Stand Up, Take Action, End Poverty Now!’ t-shirts.
In Spain, coordinated marches nationwide included a rally in Madrid on October 16 which was followed by an outdoor concert featuring Spanish rock bands.
Peru was one of several countries which used “Stand Up” to start a process of climate justice hearings aimed at gathering the testimonies of people whose lives and livelihoods are being destroyed by global warming.
“Stand Up” was also supported by the entire United Nations system, with events organized by United Nations Information Centers (UNICs) across the globe. In Egypt, for example, 25 million worshippers Stood Up in mosques, more than 2 million worshippers Stood Up in Coptic Orthodox churches and thousands more Stood Up in schools across the country, in a mobilization organized by the UNIC in Egypt.
Hundreds of people gathered on October 16 at the International Labor Organisation (ILO) headquarters in Geneva to Stand Up Against Poverty in a joint action with UNDP and UN agencies, led by ILO Director-General Juan Somavia.
For more information, photos and b-roll contact:
Kara Alaimo
United Nations Millennium Campaign
Kara.Alaimo@undp.org
Telephone: +1 212-906-6399
Ciara O’Sullivan
Global Call to Action Against Poverty
Ciara.osullivan@whiteband.org
Telephone: +34 679 594 809
About the Campaigns:
The UN Millennium Campaign was established by the UN Secretary General in 2002. The Campaign supports citizens’ efforts to hold their governments to account for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. The Millennium Development Goals were adopted by 189 world leaders from rich and poor countries, as part of the Millennium Declaration which was signed in 2000. These leaders agreed to achieve the Goals by 2015. Our premise is simple: we are the first generation that can end poverty and we refuse to miss this opportunity. For more information, visit www.endpoverty2015.org.
The Global Call to Action against Poverty (GCAP) is a civil society alliance of social movements, international NGOs, trade unions, community groups, women’s organizations, faith and youth groups, local associations and campaigners working together across more than 100 national coalitions/platforms. GCAP is calling for action from the world’s leaders to meet their promises to end poverty and inequality. In particular, GCAP demands solutions that address the issues of public accountability, just governance and the fulfillment of human rights; trade justice; more and better aid; debt cancellation; climate justice; peace and security as well as gender equality and women’s rights. For more information, visit www.whiteband.org.
www.StandAgainstPoverty.org

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The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith

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The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith
First of all Cordwainer Smith is a pseudonym Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger used for his science fiction work. He has a few more depending on his work. Now I’m not one to go for any kinda of fiction that easily since my thinking is why not read something where I’ll also learn something at the same time. But after Nick described this book and especially the mind-blowing descriptions… I had to find out for myself.

Boy was I blown away! The way Cordwainer uses descriptions are so original and astounding you have to read them again. My favourite examples – When describing telepaths navigating space he said something like the stars being the pimples in the telepathic mind. Another one: Doleres Oh sighed a dry, ugly sigh, like the crackling of sub-zero winds through frozen twigs. Describing music: Silly, bony words given flesh and blood and entrails by the music which carries them. It’s random but connected! I’m hoping Nick will add some more of his favorites under this post ;o) What a way to paint a picture for our imagination.

The book started with a timeline and a long fascinating history of the author (wars, languages, countries… he’s been around and know lots). The timeline is a guide for the coming short stories. They all lead into, but are not dependant on, each other. And I dare you to start the first story and not be hooked. Even after reading the book it’s so clear even though we’re missing a few 1000 years between the stories. I’ll tell you one thing… it’s the first book I’ve fallen deeply in love with. I admit it, I was lost in a world of creatures, morbid technology, melancholic happiness… basically it was like life we live here but with different mentalities, rules and lifestyles. I mean people called scanners turned into killing robots, ships with sails million times larger than the planet, travelling space for 40 years when it just seems like months, using telepathic powers to shoot ships in space and the ships have cats that are helping people kill dragons, the planet where a cow-man harvests body parts grown on criminals for the rest of the … Universe. And at the same time these are historical revolutions to change how ‘man’ lives. Instead of death theres cryogenics… hell one story even brought back death and troubles so people we not miserably happy.

I might as well transcribe the book if I’m gonna go on like this. Smith’s writing has the ability to pick you up and put you in the characters shoes, pull you out again and do it for every character involved. So you see the world through so many eyes, you understand their feelings and history. I didn’t understand the relevance of a couple of stories to the ‘rediscovery’ but I was still so ensnared I had to pace myself or I’d finish the book too soon (The cover explained my confusion about one of the stories anyway). And even though all the stories have a sadness you’re not too emotionally moved. There are songs lyrics in the book, poetry, rhymes, historic notes. This man has created a complete world! I think the sadness helps you connect more with the people when they have some kind of emotion between them. Some of his sentences are not grammatically incorrect or misspelt or otherwise but you still get the gist of what is happening… in fact you get a better idea just from the bad english. This guy is so deliberate you want to get in his mind! A definite recommendation man. Superstar big up to Nick for hooking me up.

Contents
- Timeline
- Introduction: Cordwainer Smith – The Shaper of Myths by J. J. Pierce
- Scanners Live in Vain
- The Lady Who Sailed the Soul
- The Game of Rat and Dragon
- The Burning of the Brain
- The Crime and the Glory of Commander Suzdal
- Golden the Ship was – Oh! Oh! Oh!
- The Dead Lady of Clown Town
- Under Old Earth
- Mother Hitton’s Littul Kittons
- Alpha Ralpha Boulevard
- The Ballad of Lost C’mell
- A Planet NAmed Shayol

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Lesser Known Miracles of OLIVE LEAVES … Anjana

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Lesser Known Miracles of OLIVE LEAVES … Anjana
Olive leaf is the leaf of the Olive tree- Olea europaea – a small evergreen tree native to Asia Minor and Syria but also cultivated in the Mediterranean area, Peru, Chile and South Australia. While the fruits of this tree-olives- and olive oil are very well known as highly beneficial as food ingredients all over the world nowadays, olive leaves and their amazing properties are less known and use outside the Mediterranean space

History: According to the Greek mythology Athena, the Goddess of heroic endeavour gifted the tree to the city of Athens and the olive leaves were considered the symbol of abundance, glory and peace while olive oil was the symbol of purity and goodness; in ancient times the winners in the Greek Olympic Games were crowned with a wreath of olive leaves.

In Ancient Egypt olive leaves were the symbol of heavenly power and the Egyptians were using the oil extracted from them for mummifying their kings, considering that these leaves were somehow associated with eternal life. And they were not exactly wrong, as nowadays it is proven that the olive tree can live thousands of years. There are seven olive trees in Israel that are over 3000 years old and they are all healthy and continue to produce olives, and in Israel scientists confirm that throughout are tens of ancient olive trees that are 1500-2000 years old & the ones in Gethsemane Garden in Jerusalem have witnessed the presence of Jesus Christ.

Actually the olive leaf is the first plant ever mentioned in the Bible; during the Great Flood mentioned in the Book of Genesis in the Bible, Noah came to find out that waters were decreasing when he saw the dove he had sent in order to find dry land coming back with an olive leaf in her mouth. This is the reason why nowadays the dove and the olive branch are considered the international symbol of peace. Olive leaf is also mentioned in Quran, the Holy Book of Islam.

Traditionally, olive leaves have been used since ancient times for treating high fever and for the topical treatment of wounds, infections and skin rashes.

Active compounds: There are more that 95 different medicinal compounds in the olive leaves, but the most important is an iridoid: oleuropein and the products resulted from its hydrolysis: elenolic acid and calcium elenolate that make the olive tree extremely resistant against insect and bacterial damage.

In animal study oleuropein was found to decrease blood pressure, dilate the coronary arteries, prevent intestinal muscle spasms, lower the elevated blood sugar levels, normalize arrhythmias and decrease high fever. At the University of Milan Pharmacological Sciences, researchers found that oleuropein inhibited oxidation of low-density lipoproteins, the so-called “bad cholesterol” involved in heart and arterial disease. This revelation, if confirmed by further research, suggests that oleuropein contains antioxidant properties similar to other phytochemical compounds. Elenolic acid has a strong antibacterial effect and inhibits the growth of viruses and calcium elenolate is effective against viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasitic protozoan’s and it is extremely safe and non toxic even in doses hundred times higher than recommended.

Olive leaves also contain several types of flavonoides and poliphenols that work as antioxidants and prevent free radical damage in the body.

Powerful Antiviral Action: studies show that olive leave appear to selectively block an entire virus-specific system in the infected host, they can inactivate viruses by preventing virus shredding, budding or assembly at the cell membrane and have the ability to penetrate infected cells and stop viral replication.

Powerful Antibacterial Action: at the Robert Lyons Clinic of Budapest, Hungary, a research study was done on 500 patients for: respiratory diseases (tonsillitis, pharyngitis, tracheitis); lung conditions such a pneumonia and bronchitis; dental problems (pulpitis, stomatitis); skin conditions such as herpes and other viral skin problems; bacterial skin infections; and ulcer disease (Helicobacter pylori infection). The rate of improvement and recovery from all bacterial and viral infections after the administration of olive leave extract was approximately 98%. For all patients involved in this clinical study, the body’s immune system was strengthened and none experienced any adverse side effects.

Anti Parasitic Action: studies found olive leaves effective against plasmodium falciparum, vivax and malaria. Reports about the benefits of the olive leaf extract in the treatment of malaria are present in the medical literature since 1827; one report in 1906 stated that olive leaves were superior to quinine for malarial infections.

Antioxidant: It contains some of the most powerful known antioxidants; as an antioxidant it protects blood vessels from damage and the heart from coronary occlusion and infarct. Studies performed at The Australian Centre for Complementary Medicine Education and Research, in 2005 found that olive leaves have five times the antioxidant capacity of vitamin C and almost double that of green tea or grape seed extract and it is a stronger antioxidant than vitamin E —therefore it could help to fight some inflammatory conditions.

Decreases high blood pressure: A study in Germany and Switzerland was carried out on 40 twins with borderline hypertension, between 18 and 60 years, for eight weeks. The extract obtained from dry olive leaves was put into capsules; one of the twins was given 500 mg and the other 1000 mg of the extract a day. The results showed that those who took a higher dose had an eleven mm Hg fall in the systolic blood pressure, while the other group had a five mm decrease. Lowers the cholesterol levels, especially LDL or bad cholesterol, Increases the blood flow through the coronary arteries, Stimulates the immune system, Powerful Antifungal Action, Reduces inflammation, Febrifugal & Antiseptic also.

Indicated for
Viral infections: influenza, Barr virus, chicken pox, mumps, measles, herpes zoster, herpes virus I and II, hepatitis A, B and C, human papilloma virus (HPV), HIV infection along with the conventional treatment-The Department of Biochemistry at New York University School of Medicine has investigated the antiviral activity of olive leaf extract (OLE) preparations against HIV-1 infection and replication and they found out that OLE inhibits acute infection and cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1, inhibits HIV-1 replication and reverses many of the HIV-1 infection-associated changes in the cells. Moreover, in the effective dose range, no cytotoxicity on uninfected target cells was detected.

Bacterial infections: Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, gonorrhoea, dental, ear, urinary tract and surgical infections, encephalitis, meningitis, intestinal bacterial infections, gastritis with positive Helicobacter pillory Cancer Along with the conventional treatment. Even if significant research has not been done yet on the action of olive leaves in cancer, their strong immune boosting and antioxidant action along with the radio-protective effect suggests that it can be used with favourable results in this condition also.

Cardio-vascular diseases: Heart arrhythmia, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol levels, for prevention of the heart attacks.

Fungal infections: Systemic candidiasis, chronic toenail fungal infection, genital or skin fungal infections

Parasites: Giardia, intestinal worms, malaria, dengue fever

Any condition involving a decreased efficiency on the immune system, Diabetes mellitus especially type II, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Arthritis

Contraindications: There is very little information regarding the way olive leaf may affect a developing foetus or infant, therefore it is not recommended during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Olive leaves lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels, so it is recommended to be used cautiously along with anti hypertensive and/or anti diabetes therapy. Olive leaves are not recommended to persons with kidney stones

Forms of administration and recommended doses:
Olive leaf can be prepared either as powder in capsules or as a tincture (alcoholic extract).The general indicated dose for the powder is 2 grams a day, divided in four 500 mg doses, but these doses may be increased, for acute flu symptoms 1 gram every six hours and for acute infections 1.5 grams every six hours. The general dose for tincture is 40 drops 3 times a day in 100 ml water.

Dr. Andreea Dragomirescu, MD Medicine is member of the Romanian National Association for the Promotion of Unconventional Medical Branches, Romania. andreeariana@yahoo.com

Dr. Sanjeev Sood MD Ayurvedic Medicine is Prof. & Head of Panchakarma Department, Dayanand Ayurvedic College, Jalandhar, +91- 9814004142 drsanjeevsood@yahoo.com

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