Art of Living silver jubilee celebrations end
By K G Vasuki

     Bangalore: Silver jubilee celebrations of the world famouse Art of Living meditation course came to an end on Sunday with a large number of people attending the ''Maha Sudarshan Kriya'. Millions of people gathered at the Jakkur Airfield in Bangalore to attend the mass meditation ''Maha Sudarshan Kriya', a meditation technique devised by the spiritual guru in 1981 on the third and the final day of the Art of Living silver jubilee celebrations. President APJ Abdul Kalam, who arrived soon after the kriya, said he was ''delighted'' to be participating in the celebrations. Dr. Kalam appreciated the efforts of Ravi Shankar for bridging the gap in the society.

    "Respected religious leaders and the members who are assembled here, I have put forward a three dimensional approach for the evolution of the society. Can the Art of Living with multiple religious conglomerate here (will) evolve a system that can capture and propagate an action-oriented doctrine on the evolution of the citizens?", said President APJ Abdul Kalam. Spirituality should have the following missions...number one- The evolution of the society, number two using music as a binding force of the mind and hearts throughout the world. Just now I saw...any violent god will melt there...third...making fine arts as a part of the curriculum in the secondary and university education. Fourth, celebration of inter-religious festivals...every religious organisation should celebrate the festivals of other religions, five...multi-religious community projects for e.g. religious schools should welcome 20 percent poor boys and girls from other religions. Six, the education system must be able to draw the best thoughts of all the religions and promote among all the participants. A healthy exchange of ideas, promotion of a common goal among the participants to become a useful member of the entire society, radiating harmony everywhere should be the goal of the entire educational process," said Kalam. Conscience is the light of the Soul that burns within the chambers of our psychological heart. It is as real as life. It raises the voice in protest whenever anything is thought of or done contrary to the righteousness. Conscience is a form of truth that has been transferred through our genetic stock in the form of the knowledge of our own acts and feelings as right or wrong. He further went on to say that a virtuous and courageous person can alone use the instrument of conscience. He or she can alone hear the inner voice of the soul clearly. "In an impious person this faculty is dead. The sensitive nature of his or her conscience has been destroyed by sin. Hence he or she is unable to discriminate right from wrong. The members of the "Organization of Spiritual Glad tidings" should develop this virtue of the ability to use their own conscience and also inspire others to do so which will enable them to enjoy the freedom and remove their anxiety and worries," he added. "Wisdom has got to be inculcated to the mankind by the parents, teachers and leaders from various walks of life in the society and most respected religious and spiritual leaders of various religions and traditions. Such training and exposure among our youth will definitely enable them to develop human values and ethics needed for promoting universal harmony," he said. Leader of Opposition L.K.Advani, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, BJP leader Anantha Kumar, a galaxy of other leaders and dignitaries were also present at the event.

Sadhu Yadav's arrest in flood relief scam stayed (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday stayed the arrest of Railway Lalu Prasad's brother-in-law and Lok Sabha Member Sadhu Yadav till March 9 in connection with the non- bailable warrant issued against him in the Bihar flood relief scam case. The stay order was issued by the Justice S K Agrawal who asked the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP from Gopalganj to appear before the appropriate court in Patna before March 9 to seek solution under the law.

    The Delhi High Court had on February 17 stayed the arrest of Sadhu Yadav till today. Staying the execution of the non-bailable warrants (NBW) issued against him by a Patna Court, Justice S K Agrawal had also issued notice to the state of Bihar to seek its reply by today to the anticipatory bail plea of Sadhu Yadav. Apprehending his arrest in 1999-2000 flood relief scam, Anirudh Prasad alias Sadhu Yadav, had moved an anticipatory bail application before the High Court. His counsel had claimed that Yadav was falsely implicated in the case due to political dispute after the Janta Dal (U)-Bhartiya Janta Party combine assumed power in the state. Special Judge (Vigilance) R N Prasad in Patna had issued an NBW on February 13 against the MP on the request of the vigilance bureau which had grilled him in December 2005, about his links with Santosh Jha and other accused in the case. It was the first NBW against a politician in the scam which came to light last year. Additional Director General of Vigilance Neelmani had earlier claimed that there was sufficient evidence to prove the charge that Sadhu Yadav had received 'ill gotten money 'from the supplier of relief materials and alleged kingpin of the fraud Santosh Kumar Jha, who is in judicial custody. Former Patna District Magistrate Gautam Goswami is one of the main accused in the case related to cheating of Rs 17 crore meant for providing relief to flood-hit people in several districts of north Bihar in the year 2004. Goswami was conferred 'Young Asian Hero' award for his role in providing aid to flood victims last year before the Bihar government ordered a vigilance probe into the scam on April 26 following allegations of misappropriation of relief funds. Goswami is lodged in jail since his surrender on June 30, 2005.

Victorious Indian cricket team given welcome  (Go To Top)
by Sushil Pareek/Chandrika Jain

     Mumbai/New Delhi: A victorious Indian cricket team, which arrived in two batches in Mumbai and Delhi, was on Monday given jubilant reception by their fans in the wake of their clinching win over Pakistan in the Hutch one-day series. The Indians won the series 4-1. Fans welcomed Irfan Pathan, Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar, while the real heroes -- Yuvraj Singh and Mahendra Singh Dhoni chose to take connecting flights to Chandigarh and Ranchi respectively. Singh and Dhoni had posted an unbeaten third-wicket stand of 146 in just 99 balls to power India to 287 for two in 46.5 overs in reply to Pakistan's 286 for eight on Sunday. Yuvraj ended on an unbeaten107, while Dhoni scored a rollicking 72 of 56 balls. Pakistan won the first match in Peshawar before being outclassed in the next four games when India made four successful run chases. Losing captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said India had played well after losing the test series 1-0.

     Sunday's was India's 13th consecutive successful run-chase and their 12th victory in their last 16 matches. Kiran More, chairman of Selection Commitee, said the Indian team will now gear up for the forthcoming series with England. "It's quite good. It will be a good start. We have some plans and we will work on those areas. We will also work on concerned areas. It should be an interesting series. England is a good side," said More, when asked about the team's immediate plans. The 16-member England squad led by captain Michael Vaughan arrived on February 13 for a 40-day tour of India. The team is due to play three tests and seven one-day matches during the two- month trip. The first test begins in Nagpur on March 1.

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