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Devotees of Sankracharyas to observe one-day fast

     Chennai: Huge number of devotees of the two Kanchi seers will observe a one-day fast today against the "systematic and malicious" campaign against Hindu religious heads. The devotees are demanding withdrawal of cases against the two Hindu leaders. Spearheading the one-day fast, the state unit Janata Party president, V.S.Chandralekha said, Kanchi Kamakoti Akila Bharatha Devotees Forum and the VHP women's wing would observe the fast and a group prayer would also be held. She alleged that a public disinformation campaign had been mounted against the seers and that "bogus" video clippings and interviews had been published to "discredit them", particularly by a Tamil weekly. The Janata Party president also warned the state government that if the state government did not take legal action against the weekly by April 14, "we shall file a private complaint before the court". "Jayendra Saraswathi's proximity to the Dalits and backward classes had angered some political parties and claimed that the people's anger would be reflected in the assembly polls next year," she added.

A temple in Karnataka for India's `Apostle of Peace' (Go To Top)

     Mangalore: As the country celebrates the 75th anniversary of the historic Dandi (Salt) March, a temple on the outskirts of Mangalore symbolically reminds us of the sacrifices made by India's `Apostle of Peace' Mahatma Gandhi. This first ever temple dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi in the village of Kankanadi, located five kms from Bangalore, is as old as Independent India. It was built on December 15, 1948, ten-and-half months after the Mahatma was assassinated. It symbolises his efforts to uplift the socio-economic condition of the poor and backward classes. Gandhi visited Mangalore thrice and left a lasting impression on the backward people of the region. Moved by Gandhianism, three of his followers, Venkappa, Somapandit and Narasappa Saliyana, all from the backward Billava community came together to build the temple soon after his death. The present trustee of the temple, K. Chittaranjan, says that the trio built the temple because they firmly believed that Gandhianism had given the backward classes of the country a ray of hope.

      Chittaranjan further said that even today, Gandhiji is worshipped like any other god, by everyone in the village, including Muslims and Christians. Special pujas (prayers), held twice an year at the temple, attract thousands of people. "Gandhi influenced some of my caste people and they installed the Gandhi statue in this temple complex 58 years ago. Pooja is performed traditionally like for any other God or in any other temple. Hundreds of people visit and pray every day. Gandhi is also symbolic of backward classes," said Chittaranjan. The temple has its own priest, an individual from the backward Billava community, who performs puja twice a day in the traditional way, with Aarti and recitation of hymns from the Bhagavad Gita. Vasudeva Shanthi, who is the temple's chief priest, has been performing the ritual for the past 25 years, and for him, Gandhi is no different to the other dieties that are in the complex. "People come here and offer prayers like in any other temple. I perform pooja twice a day in the morning and in the afternoon. I perform traditional pooja, but use hymns from Gita. We all believe he is God," said Shanthi. As for the youth, Gandhi symbolises freedom and his teachings are still seen as relevant. "Gandhi was responsible for getting us freedom and now he became a God for all," said Shashank, a college student from the village, who is a regular visitor to the temple.The Gita holding Gandhi statue is made out of white marble has metamorphosed as God here in Kankanadi reminding us of relevance of Gandhism in times of turbulence.

Darjeeling autonomous council Act to be amended (Go To Top)

     Siliguri: West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, on Sunday said that a Gorkha Autonomous District Hill Council (Amendment) Bill would be introduced in the assembly on Monday, March 14. "State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister Ashok Bhattacharya will place the Darjeeling Autonomous District Hill Council (Amendment) Bill in the assembly on March 14. There will be some interim measures for the administration of the council after March 26. The Act, in the present form does not propose any measure to solve crisis situation like this. After the amendment I'll leave for New Delhi on the 19th. I have an appointment with the Prime Minister in the morning, March 20 where I will discuss and finalise the interim measures," said Bhattacharjee. The tenure of the present Council, chaired by Gorkha National Liberation Council leader Subhash Ghisingh, will end on the March 25, this year. There will be a crisis in administration of the council as the government have failed to hold elections in face of sharp resistance from the Gorkha leader. The amendment is expected to create a dispensation to run the hill council after the expiry of the present General Council's term. The amendment will also drop the word "Autonomous" from the council's nomenclature.

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