Book explores the history of Nagore dargah

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Leaders, Records, All

Chennai :

When the Tanjore king Achuthappa Naik (1560-1614) was bedridden after he suffered a paralytic stroke, many believed it was due to some black magic. The matter was informed to a visiting saint who eventually restored the king to health. Whether one believes in miracles or not, Nagore still thrives on it.

“Nagore is known for its religious harmony for more than 500 years. It is all because of the saint Qadir Wali who is enshrined there in a place widely known as Nagore dargah to which people of all religions throng with faith and problems. The miracle has been happening since 16th century and it still continues,” said A S Mohamed Rafee, author of the recently released book, “The Ocean of Miracles: Life of Qadir Wali”.

Qadir Wali travelled to many parts of the world and stayed in Mecca, Medina, Turkey and Palestine for many years before he came to Nagore where he lived for 28 years. “At a time when the world is facing serious threats in the name of religion, it’s remarkable that Nagore still survives on harmony, a reason why more sandal smeared heads are seen in the Sufi dargah. Wali served the people of all religions with his miraculous powers,” said Rafee, who is associate professor at the Mazharul Uloom College, Ambur.

Qadir Wali was born in 1504 in Manikkappur, a town established by Firoz Sha Tughluq in Uttar Pradesh, some 60 km from today’s Ayodhya. His parents, Hasan Guddus and Fatima, were descendants in the lineage of Prophet Muhammad and Abdul Qadir of Jilan, a great saint of the 12th century in Iraq.

Nagore dargah was built on land donated by king Achuthappa Naik. Many important parts of the dargah were built by the generous donation of non-Muslims, a reason cited why it’s a symbol of religious harmony. “The dargah has five minarets and the tallest one is called Periya Minar. It is 131 feet high with ten storeys. It was built by king Pratap Sing of Tanjore (1739-17633) after his wish for a son was fulfilled by praying to Wali 200 years after his passing away. The Peer Mandapam was built by the Dutch.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of Ibdia / Home> City> Chennai / by M T Saju, TNN / February 09th, 2015

Yoga gets a unique platform

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Allahabad :

At a time when the marriage season is at its peak, the Sangam city witnessed a unique wedding on Wednesday night. Not only the nuptial knot were tied by the couple at the ceremony, it also promoted Yoga as the invitees attended the marriage ceremony and also watched various ‘aasans’ (postures) of Yoga displayed on the two large LCD screens installed at the venue.

Owner of a sweatshop at Baluaghat locality of the city, Ravi Shankar Yadav, propagated Yoga at the marriage ceremony of his daughter Reema, held on Wednesday. The interesting invitation card of the marriage carried a photo of Baba Ramdev. The inside page, besides mentioning the family details also carried the message, “Karen yog, rahen nirog” (stay healthy by practicing yoga).

Likewise, the last page of the card mentioned the message regarding the 1st World Yoga Day which is on June 21. Besides, the venue had several banners mentioning the benefits of practicing Yoga.

“Our guests were not served with mocktail drinks, rather various herbal products like different flavors of candy, juices, ‘churan’ were served,” said Yadav. The boxes of the return gift, having sweets of my shops, also carried the message regarding celebrating the 1st International Yoga Day with participating in the event in a big way.

“It is the inspiration of Ramdev and the execution of our Prime Minister that the entire world would be celebrating and getting benefit by yoga,” said Yadav.

Another interesting aspect of the family was the banners put up at the marriage venue which will mention ‘no-smoking’ as a message. “As we promote the idea of staying healthy, we also asked people to not only refraining from smoking in the function, but also quit smoking altogether,” said Yadav.

Similarly, the function did not had ‘pan’ (betel leaf) for the invites, informed Amit the eldest son of Yadav.

“As there were many invitation for today, my family was a bit confused as to where to go but after seeing the invitation card and the unique idea of promoting yoga, we made sure to attend this marriage,” said Sammer Jaiswal, an invitee.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / February 05th, 2015

This Folding Microscope Made From A Single Sheet Of Paper Can Save A Billion Lives

Inspiration / Positive News and Features, Science & Technology

The Microscope is something we’ve mostly seen in our school labs and in a few health care centres. However, it is still largely an expensive instrument and requires elaborate amount of learning to use it regularly. It is also not easy to have them carried out into the field to do quick diagnosis of diseases.

This is where Manu Prakash and his team’s invention comes into the picture – they have invented a microscope (called Foldscope) that is made out of paper that is extremely easy to fold and use!

An entire working microscope is on this single A4 size sheet of paper!
An entire working microscope is on this single A4 size sheet of paper!

And this microscope costs approximately 50 cents (Rs. 30) only!

In this demo, Manu shows how his invention can really revolutionize healthcare. The best part is how versatile these paper microscopes are!

About Manu Prakash

Born in Meerut, India, Prakash earned a BTech in computer science and engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur before moving to the United States. He did his master’s and PhD in applied physics at MIT before founding the Prakash Lab at Stanford.

Courtesy: Ted.com

source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> Innovation / by TBI Team / February 08th, 2015

Varanasi’s Gulabi meenakari awaits GI tag for revival

Business & Economy, Records, All, World Opinion

Varanasi:

Gulabi meenakari or pink enameling of Banaras, a unique art form of the city, is likely to join the coveted Geographical Indication (GI) club by April after being notified under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Rules, 2002 through Geographical Indications Journal issue dated November 21, 2014.

The famed Banarasi brocade and silk sari and Bhadohi carpet have obtained GI tag earlier. Another product of Varanasi, glass beads, is also likely to get GI certification along with Gulabi meenakari.

A flourishing and prosperous industry till a century ago, meenakari is confined to a few artisans today who are struggling to keep alive this art of colouring or decorating a metal surface by attaching or fusing pieces of different mineral substances over it. “It is considered as the most alluring and technical of all metal decorations. Earlier, Banarasi Gulabi Meenakari was done on gold but now we use other metals like silver and copper,” said meenakari artisan Kunj Behari Singh, who was awarded Ram Manohar Lohia Vishisth Pradeshik Puraskar at Lucknow for his mastery over the craft.

Singh, a resident of Lalghat, is also the secretary of Sahbhagi Welfare Samittee that applied for GI registry for GI tag in January 2013. “We are in this field for generations. In the past, the city had over 250 artisans of this craft but today only 50-60 people are engaged in it,” he lamented.

“Escalating cost of gold and silver has diminished its demand. We are hopeful that it will thrive after getting GI tag for its uniqueness,” he said adding, “I hope that the GI tag, a sort of intellectual property right, will go a long way in promoting this art form.”

According to specification given in GI notification, Banaras gulabi meenakari is basically an ancient form of art in India that has been praised since its introduction for the superb designs and combination of colours. It is characterized by pink strokes on white enamel. Unlike the vibrant enamelling in red, green and blue of Jaipur and Delhi, where the white enamel is left stark, the Varanasi craftsmen delicately add pink to the predominant white enamel. The motifs have been lotus blooms and buds. It is said to have been introduced in Varanasi by Persian enamellists who had come to India in early 17th century at the peak of Mughal court.

“The artisans are called meenakars. It is a unique craft in which meenakars make items like religious figures of gods and goddesses on silver and gold sheet, various types of traditional ornaments and decorative items, motifs, including flowers and birds and animals on gold and silver metal. The specialty is artistic quality. It is remembered by people for having a significant taste for design and fashion, which means something special for them. The colours used in the Banaras Gulabi Meenakari are predominately natural and leadless dyes,” an artisan informed.

Human Welfare Association, an NGO, is also facilitating the art to get GI tag. “The process of getting GI registration is in final stage. This tag will be a proof of uniqueness of Banaras Gulabi Meenakari,” said HWA director Rajani Kant.

Rai Krishnadas, founder director of Barat Kala Bhawan of Banaras Hindu University, had also written that Banaras stands next to Jaipur in the art of enamelling and the nature of Banaras pink is similar to Jaipur red. In 19th century and early 20th century, pink enamel was famous throughout the country and was much sought after by princes and the aristocracy, he said.

Unlike the red enamel of Jaipur, which has still maintained the high quality and fine workmanship of the 19th century, the pink enamel of Banaras was short-lived. It ended here in the first quarter of 20th century when its last hereditary master Babbu Singh passed away in 1923. After a gap of about half a century, there has been a revival of pink enamelling in Banaras, chiefly as a trade to meet the demands of tourists and of women, who have taken to old jewellery more as a fashion than out of love for its charm and grace. National Museum of India, New Delhi and Bharat Kala Bhawan have collections of this art.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Time of India / Home> City> Varanasi / by Binay Singh, TNN / January 31st, 2015

HBTI launches community newsletter

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Education, Records, All

Kanpur :

In a bid to bridge the gap with teachers and alumni, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI) students have come up with their first in-house newsletter – HBTI Akhbaar. The newsletter will provide a platform to students’ creative skills.

The newsletter will include stories focusing on topics ranging from features, sports activity within the community along with sketches and cartoons made by engineering students. The newsletter is a joint initiative of HBTI Alumni Association HBTI and Literary Sub Council (LSC) of the college. Appreciating the efforts, director in-charge Prof A K Nagpal said, “It is an innovative initiative by students and will motivate them to come up with creative ideas and work on it. The initiative is first of its kind.”

LSC secretary and third-year student of Civil Engineering Rohit Rajput said that the paper also contained interviews of successful alumni and Gate rankers. “It is a 14-page newsletter that will be published quarterly. We were planning it for the last two years. Lots of efforts went into the launch of the newsletter. It will be distributed free-of-cost among students and faculty and keep them updated about happenings on the campus. The newspaper contains a number of inspiring interviews by alumni as well as toppers of the college and other successful people. It also has placement records and academic calendar,” he said.

Rajput said that till now they have distributed 2,000 copies on the campus. “It took a lot of hard work, and a bit of fun to produce the newsletter. It is an activity that keeps all students united,” he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kanpur / TNN / February 03rd, 2015

Dimple flags off Agra car rally

Business & Economy, Leaders, Sports, Travel

Lucknow :

Flagging off the Agra Taj rally from Etawah’s lion safari, Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav said the Uttar Pradesh government plans to promote tourism beyond the iconic Taj Mahal in the state. Saying the government will also develop places of interest around the monument of love in Agra.

“For the purpose, religious, cultural, wildlife tourism around Agra would be developed as well as adventure tourism so that the state can emerge as tourism-friendly,” Dimple said, while flagging off Agra Taj car rally. Laying emphasis on the state’s efforts to increase tourist footfall and employment opportunities around tourism in UP, Dimple said, “Tourists who come to Agra return from there. But with lion safari, they will come here leading to more employment opportunities for the locals and development of this region.”

The Agra car rally flagged off by Dimple will cover a distance of 450km passing through the Chambal, Jarar, Chakarnagar ravines and reach Agra in two days.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / February 01st, 2015

Saints perform Dhuni tap at Sangam

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Dense smoke covered the Jhunsi side of Sangam as saints performed ‘panchagni tap’ on Basant Panchmi on Saturday. The saints performed the oldest form of penance surrounded by huge mounds of burning cow dung cakes. Through out the ritual, saints observed fast with limited intake of fruits and performed meditation while sitting in yogasans for hours.

Also referred as ‘Dhuni tap’, it also finds mention in ancient scriptures like Padma Puran and Shiv Puran. “Initially it involved sitting under hot mid-day Sun surrounded by a ring of burning cow dung. The Sun acted as the fifth fire. Nowadays, the penance is performed with varying numbers of fires. It starts with five and the number continues to increase for the next 18 years till it becomes a ‘circle of fire.’ The saint also carried a fire pot on his head,” explained a saint practicing ‘Dhuni Tap’ for the last 15 years. At Magh Mela, dhuni tap was executed for a fixed length of time per session and most observe the same for four to five hour session, he added.

Making offerings to smoldering cow dung heaps – holy fire – amidst chanting of mantras is an integral part of the excise. “After making the offerings, the saint blows his conch-shell to invoke the deity. This concludes the preliminary rituals, and now he can sit in meditation,” explained another saint Baba Ram Karan Das, who has been performing the ritual for the last 16 years.

He said that Panch-agni-tapasya must be done for 18 consecutive years. The first stage involves surrounding oneself with five fires. In the next stages the numbers increases to seven, twelve and 84 fires, culminating in ‘innumerable’, i.e. a circle of fire. In the final stage a pot with fire is balanced on the head. Each stage is performed for three consecutive summers.

Explaining the ritual, a saint from Chitrakoot said that each session of the fire-austerity usually concludes with some hath-yoga exercises. Preparing for his fire-austerity, a saint purifies the place with fresh cow-dung, arranges the heaps of fuel and the ritual paraphernalia and takes a bath. He then sanctifies his body by applying tilak. The final stage of the fire-austerity is called kapal-dhuni that is the fire (dhuni) in the bowl (kapal) on the skull (kapal), he added.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Allahabad / by Rajeev Mani, TNN / January 24th, 2015

UP gives village development a philanthropy push

Inspiration / Positive News and Features

LUCKNOW: HCL Foundation will adopt clusters of villages in various districts in UP to provide basic amenities and skill development programmes. The state Cabinet headed by chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday cleared a proposal from the foundation.

The Cabinet also decided to convene sessions of the Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Parishad from February 18 while the state Budget will be tabled on February 24.

The Cabinet approved nearly three dozen decisions to set up micro-clusters in the food industry in the state to create employment in rural areas and passed a new policy for supervision and maintenance of water pipelines in the rural belt.

For industry, the cabinet okayed a proposal of the UPSIDC to acquire land in Pilibhit for developing an industrial hub.

Disabled persons will now get concession in purchase of land or taking land on lease to up to Rs 20 lakh. So far, this provision was limited to purchase of government land alone.

For the co-operative sector, 16 non-licensed district cooperative banks will be given licenses and financial assistance.

The Cabinet recommended that migrated Bengali communities like Namoshudra should be included in the Scheduled Castes category and the government can approach the Centre for this.

Hawaizaada tax-free

Hawaizaada, a film on Shivkar Talpade, who is said to have flown an unmanned flight even before the Wright brothers, has been declared tax-free in UP.

HSRP soon

Vehicles in UP can now have high security registration plates (HSRP). The Cabinet on Wednesday approved invitation of fresh tenders from companies.

Begum Akhtar award

Begum Akhar Award to the eminent singers in the field of Dadra,Thumari and ghazal singing. Award will be carry a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and would be given to artistes who are above 40 years of age.

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Land for Metro

Land acquisition for the Lucknow Metro to get simpler with the Cabinet giving go ahead to form a committee under the district magistrate that will work on modalities for purchase of land for the project.

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Rs 300 cr for Lohia Hospital

The Cabinet earmarked Rs 300 crore for construction of an academic block at Ram Manohar Lohia Institute of Medical Sciences.

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Badminton hall in name of Big B

In Allahabad, the old building of the badminton complex to be demolished for a new Amitabh Bachchan Badminton Hall

State culture department institutes award in the name of Begum Akhtar

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Lucknow / TNN / January 29th, 2015

If you missed Tansen, listen to his descendant

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Records, All
Abdul Rashid Khan will perform at Sursagar’s ‘Living Legends and Budding Masters’ series at Alliance Francaise on January 30 at 6.30 p.m. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.
Abdul Rashid Khan will perform at Sursagar’s ‘Living Legends and Budding Masters’ series at Alliance Francaise on January 30 at 6.30 p.m. — Photo: Sampath Kumar G.P.

Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan (107), based in Kolkata, was the oldest living legend to be bestowed Padma Bhushan

He is the direct descendant of Tansen and has been performing for 75 years. He has performed nearly 3,000 concerts and composed 2,000 bandish , which are being sung by leading Hindustani musicians. In 2013, when he was conferred the Padma Bhushan, he was the oldest living legend to be bestowed the honour.

“I am Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan, 107 years young,” declares the maestro jokingly. “Some members of my family have lived up to the age of 110 and beyond,” he says.

Born in 1908 at Salon near Rai Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, Rashid Khan is the son of Chote Usuf Khan of the Gwalior Gharana. He is the 23{+r}{+d}generation of Tansen’s family and traces his ancestry to Surat Sen, one of the maestro’s four sons.

“My father, and uncle Bade Usuf Khan, trained me in a 10-hour schedule that was followed by a four-hour riyaaz (practice) every day for 22 years.

“Only when I touched 30 did my gurus allow me to step on a stage. That was the kind of integrity we followed,” says the Ustad, who once had Zakir Hussain, then 16, playing the tabla.

After obtaining a degree from Allahabad University, Rashid Khan went to Rae Bareli. He performed a slew of concerts in every nook and corner of India. “I have performed at every maharaja’s court in pre-Independent India. Rae Bareli alone had 22 maharajas and each would demand a particular raag ,” he says recollecting the traditional four to five hour concerts that were in vogue then.

In 1991, he was specially invited by the ITC Sangeeth Research Academy in Kolkata to take over as the senior guru. He has been teaching there for the last 25 years. His traditional compositions have been recorded by the BBC and Iraq Radio.

The UP Sangeet Natak Academi and the ITC Sangeet Research Academy have more than 1500 compositions of the ustad in their collection.

And the secret of his longevity?

“All we know is that he prays five times a day,” says grandson Bilal Khan, who accompanies the ustad on the tabla.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Bengaluru / by Ranjani Govind / Bengaluru – January 29th, 2015

Pages from History : Saint Raidasa of Varanasi

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Historical Links / Pre-Independence, Leaders

by Prof. A.V. Narasimha Murthy, former Head, Department of Ancient History & Archaeology, University of Mysore

The other day, my friend K. Chandramouli gave me a copy of his newly- published book Prajwala Kashi. The book is written in Kannada and is highly interesting and throws light on many aspects of Banaras or Kashi. In my busy schedule, I could not read it all these days but last week I took it and completed reading it. It has a chapter on Raidasa or Ravidasa. In the meantime, I also read another book Rosary of Saints by Meera S. Sashital which has a small section on Raidasa. The present account is based upon these two books.

Raidasa was born in 1414 at the village Karahiya near Varanasi. Actually it is very close to Banaras Hindu University. But according to others Raidasa was born near Govardhanapura. The main occupation of this community was to carry the dead cattle out of the village and clean the village. It is said that the child did not drink mother’s breast milk and hence the mother went for ashirvadam from the Saint Ramananda. He blessed the child and gave him the name Raidasa. Ramananda initiated him to the cult of devotion but he continued the work of a cobbler along with his father. Raidasa prepared the footwear and sold it for a song or gave it free of cost to Saints. Parents thought that he would become more responsible and got him married to a girl by name Lona. Finally, his father asked to set up a separate home for himself and his wife and continue the work of preparing footwear.

With the blessings of Ramananda, Raidasa became famous as a religious teacher and his compassion for men and women continued. In his ecstasy, he used to forget taking money from his customers and on such days, they had nothing to eat and survived on water. His wife never complained. One day, a saint came to his house and Raidasa treated him as the guest. He was supremely happy and while going, the saint wanted to give him a magic gem by which he can live happily. His wife came to know of it but without husband’s permission she would not touch it. Finally the saint hid it near the thatched roof. After sometime, the saint asked him about it and Raidasa without any concern replied that it must be there where it was kept by you. I have no desire to possess it. That puts me into the bondage of mundane desires. Hence I did not even look at it.

There is another story like this. His wife, though pious, was enamoured of a diamond studded ornament. A devotee gave it to her and she accepted it. She did not inform her husband about it thinking that it is a trivial matter. This came to the notice of Raidasa. He never rebuked her nor even spoke against her. He simply commented that if only you had half the desire to attain Moksha, you would have been in that blissful atmosphere. Immediately, she threw away that ornament and repented for her ignorance even though she was the wife of Raidasa.

Raidasa was a generous man and used to invite needy people to his house. Most of the time there used to be nothing at home. Raidasa’s wife was never worried because God would take care of the guests. One day four Brahmins appeared and requested her for food. She simply thought of her husband and went to the kitchen and lo! the kitchen had tasty food items in plenty. The four Brahmins had a grand feast and blessed the lady. Raidasa came home after sometime and she narrated all the incidents. He congratulated his wife saying that you are fortunate to have seen and fed the God but that fortune has not dawned on me. I am still a sinner and I have to purify myself further.

Meera Bai was another saint and she had great respect for this couple. Raidasa’s wife wanted to possess a diamond and learning of this Meera Bai sent a diamond to Raidasa. He simply ignored it and it was kept in an insignificant place. Some people wanted to test Raidasa and his wife and asked back the diamond given by Meera Bai. The couple replied we have no idea; it must be there where it was kept, go and search, and take it. It was lying there only. After this incident Meera Bai explained to the devotees the greatness of Raidasa. Thus, he had passed the test of Meera Bai also.

The name and fame of Raidasa increased in and around Kashi. The Brahmins could not tolerate a cobbler becoming famous. So they hatched a plan to humble him. They invited him to a religious debate in which Vedas, Upanishads and Sastras could be discussed. The Brahmins felt that Raidasa was a cobbler and could not utter a word of Sanskrit and hence could be defeated and insulted. The King of Kashi himself presided over the meeting. The learned Brahmins used high flown flowery Sanskrit language and asked questions to which Raidasa gave highly satisfactory answers. The Brahmins were exposed but they deviced another plan.

They brought an image of Shiva and placed it on a pedestal and people sat around. The King ordered that people should win over Shiva to their side. The Brahmins chanted mantras and performed Rudrabhisheka but nothing happened. The King turned towards Raidasa, who closed his eyes, composed some poems and began reciting them. After sometime, he became highly emotional and the image of Shiva marched towards Raidasa and sat on his lap. Everybody hailed Raidasa. ‘I have done nothing; Shiva has been generous to me; that is greatness,’ explained Raidasa. As per the conditiosn, the Brahmins carried Raidasa in a palanquin.

Not satisfied by this, they threw one more challenge on Raidasa. Saligrama (stone) should be thrown into Ganga and the Saligrama of Brahmins will float, they claimed. Raidasa said where do I bring a Saligrama? The stone I use to beat the hide (animal skin) is my Saligrama, he said. Ultimately the real Saligramas went inside the water and the hide beating stone of Raidasa began floating.

The King came to meet Raidasa during the night and requested him to initiate him. At that time, Raidasa was dipping the hide in water; he gave it to him as holy water. But the King did not drink it but his servant drank that water and she got enlightenment. The King fell at the feet of Raidasa and accepted his mistake.

Raidasa’s songs (padas) are full of deep devotion and religious meaning. Actually they are bhajans. These songs have been compiled by his disciples and some of them have been included in Granth Saheb (the Sikh scripture). One of them reads as follows:

Oh Lord, thou are the searcher of hearts

Though the servants of God we know God

Grant me that my body may be thy shine

Ravidasa sees God in everything.

The Queen of Chittore invited all caste people to a dinner but the Brahmins protested. They were made to sit separately when the feast was going on. Every Brahmin felt that by his side was a cobbler and a Raidasa. This miraculous multiplication of himself made the Brahmins feel the greatness of Raidasa. Finally, they all became his disciples.

The final teaching of Raidasa is nearer Upanishads. God is within you; Do not search for him only in temples or other religious places. Search within yourself; He will appear before you. That is the Sanatana Dharma which we have been trying to understand.

source: http://www.starofmysore.com / The Star of Mysore / Home> Feature Articles / January 24th, 2015