Rishikesh

Yoga festival attracts foreign tourists in large numbers

2008-03-02T21:02:00.001-05:00

The ongoing International Yoga Festival at Rishikesh is drawing a large number of foreign tourists.
The seven-day long festival that started on March 1 has been jointly organised by Uttarakhand Tourism Development Board and Parmarth Niketan Ashram.
The festival was first organised in 2001 and since then it is being held every year.
A large number of visitors are coming every year to attend the yoga sessions and perform yoga exercises.
"The environment is such that people can learn, enjoy and also listen to speeches of big people. There is serious study and exposure," said Birju Mehta, a visitor.
The participants said that attending the festival has been an enriching experience for them.
The festival is held on the banks of the river Ganga, it offers a wide variety of yoga including Kundalini Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Reiki, Pranayama, Power Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Pranic Healing, Music Therapy, Yoga Therapy, Nada yoga, Meditation and special satsangs.
The question-answer sessions with prominent exponents of Yoga are one of the highlights of the Yoga Week.
The Yoga festival has been uniting people of different cultures and faiths as it promotes the unity of the body, mind and soul.

To prevent the holy River Ganga from further pollution, a massive campaign has been launched from Gangotri, the origin point of River Ganges to West Bengal's Gangasagar, the point from where River Ganga flows into Bay of Bengal

2008-02-20T14:54:00.001-05:00

To prevent the holy River Ganga from further pollution, a massive campaign has been launched from Gangotri, the origin point of River Ganges to West Bengal's Gangasagar, the point from where River Ganga flows into Bay of Bengal.

Organised by Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh, the 99-day campaign named "Ganga Sanskriti Pravah Yatra" which commenced on February 1, reached Varanasi earlier this week.

The campaign would conclude at Gangotri, the origin point of River Ganges on May 11.

"People have lost their faith in those who give speeches. They have even lost their faith in the Saints. There have been so many swords coming out during the Kumbh fair to take a dip in the river Ganga, if the same come out even to save, the river could be saved.," said Satya Narayan Baba, an artist.

"It is a group effort of Ganga Mahasabha and 145 other organisations from Ganga Sagar and Gangotri. We have called for this yatra (campaign) completely on the trust of the people of this nation and those living on the banks of River Ganga and not the government. The people who have come riding on boats in this Yatra are not a sponsored lot," said Acharya Jitendra, National Secreatary of Ganga Mahasabha, an RSS outfit.

"We believe soon a time will come when even the public would come out on roads to save the sacred River Ganga", Acharya Jitendra added,

"Pollution and commercialization has increased a threat to river Ganga. The society is also polluting Ganga in the name of development. We believe this initiative would help in creating awareness regarding cultural and water pollution," said Indresh Kumar, All India Karamkarini Member of the RSS.

Many prominent Hindu clerics are likely to join the campaign.

After Varanasi, the campaign would be taken to Allahabad, Kanpur, Muzaffarnagar, Rishikesh and Devprayag, Tehri, Uttarkashi before concluding at Gangotri, the origin point of River Ganga.

Meanwhile, the principal sources of pollution are domestic and industrial wastes. Conservative estimates put the effluents flowing into Ganges at 1.7 billion litres each day, out of which 1.4 billion litres is untreated.

Nearly 88 per cent of the pollution originates in the 27 cities that are located along the river's banks and the banks of its tributaries.

According to a recent official report, only 39 percent of the primary target of the Ganga Action Plan, which the Central Government had started in 1985, has been met so far.

The Ganga Action Plan (GAP) was originated from the personal intervention and interest of the late Prime Minster Indira Gandhi, who requested a comprehensive survey of the situation in 1979.

After five years, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) published two comprehensive reports, which formed the base from which the action plan to clean up the Ganga, was developed. By Girish Kumar Dubey

2007-11-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

Ashrams are forever

2006-12-25T18:26:00.000-05:00

As a child, my parents took me to many ashrams. I have fond memories of watching The Mother playing tennis at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, of the smell of freshly baked brown bread and of witnessing the table football game there. I remember the serenity of the Shahenshahi Ashram in Rajpur, the beautiful bhajans of the Swamiji and the gushing waterfall not very far away.

The Sivananda Ashram in Rishikesh was very special. Swami Chidananda had an all-pervading glow in his eyes. He would attract people without saying anything. As I grew up I visited ashrams in different parts of the world, all by myself.

I went to the retreat of Swami Muktananda in the Catskill mountains in New York, stayed at a monastery in France where the monks meditated with Gregorian chants, practised dhrupad at the ashrams of Ustad Aminuddin Dagar in Kolkata and Ustad Fariduddin Dagar at Panvel, visited the gurukuls of Shri Ammanur Madhava Chakyar in Irinjalakuda and Pandit Kishan Maharaj in Varanasi, attended a two-week camp at the Bihar School of Yoga in Munger and visited many other ashrams.

These experiences helped me realise that ashrams are scientific laboratories where inmates experiment with their lives, following the results of research carried out by our ancestors and directed step by step by the gurus.

All of us do not have to live in an ashram but as Swami Niranjananda Saraswati of the Munger Ashram says, we should visit a true ashram at least once a year.

What we call spirituality is at one level a scientific method of applying distilled wisdom and information on a large scale. This truth has been verified by perceptive people at various places at different points of time. We know that Einstein was a great scientist and Otto Hahn a great technologist who converted his theories into an actual fission reaction — the atomic bomb, which later engineers replicated for more useful purposes, namely, atomic energy.

Similarly, Jesus Christ was the originator of some very great concepts which his apostles used to propagate a method of good living; the church copied this prototype and spread it in an organised manner.

We could be the engineers who could use ideas developed in different ashrams to enhance our own lives. Different methods have been developed to connect with our inner selves and each human being would have a natural preference for a particular method. The more the number of routes, the more the number of people likely to reach the goal.

Each true ashram provides us with a route traversed initially by the original master. Taking ideas from these various ashrams, we can come up with a route which is most suited to each one of us. The atmosphere of total giving at the Sivananda Ashram, the humility, even of the Abbot of the monastery in France, the intensity in Ustad Aminuddin Dagar's ashram and the rigorous riyaz at Ustad Fariduddin Dagar's ashram have left indelible marks on my being.

Today, young people visit different cities in the world during their vacations, take up fancy jobs or simply while away their time. Very few visit ashrams. The SPIC MACAY National School Intensive, which will be held from December 26-31 at Modern School, Barakhamba Road, New Delhi, is an attempt to bring the ashram to the student.

As the saying goes, if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain. Children attending the Intensive will do yoga and meditation from 4-7 a.m., have holistic food, do shramdaan, hear talks and attend workshops by inspiring dancers, singers, artists, puppeteers and yoga-charyas, watch film classics and witness performances by top artistes of our country for five days.

This will include a full night of classical music by five great musicians. It will give them an experience of staying in the proximity of great masters in different areas of human endeavour, learning from them and watching them perform. May this experience enrich the lives of many of my young friends. The writer is founder, SPIC MACAY.

A whiff of Rishikesh in Malad: Shameem Akthar is charmed to find a chowk dedicated to the internationally renowned yoga guru Swami Sivananda

2006-09-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

In the chaotic jamboree that is a Mumbai traffic junction, there is a sudden, serendipitous reminder of another way of life. A simple board announces that this corner in Malad West, where the Marve Link Road meets the serpentine S V Road, is Swami Sivananda chowk. It is particularly poignant that on September 8 when thousands of yoga freaks the world-over must have celebrated his birthday with his rollicking hymns this corner of Mumbai, despite bearing his name, ignored it. Amidst billboards blaring hardware and shops warring salwar kameez who has time to hark back to a Himalayan life?

As a yoga instructor trained in his school of integral yoga I am continually amazed at how Swami Sivananda's name continues to draw yoga buffs from the six continents to remote corners of India. Annually thousands visit ashrams set up his various disciples around India. Even the most crusty ones will then endure sitting cross-legged, to mutate into joyous children. Swaying, they will sing silly rhymes off-tune, exhorting each other to 'Adapt, adjust, accomodate.' Each will carry back home a personal tale of epiphany, a moment when the coin drops and things become clearer, whether it involves negotiating a difficult scorpion pose or grappling with a moral dillemma or cleaning the toilet without cribbing.

It was at the Malad branch of the Divine Life Society (headquartered in Rishikesh) that I picked up his amazing books. He'd written over 300, covering religion, philosophy, different yogas, yogic practices, naturopathy. For just Rs 35 you could feel young and alive with his book 'How to live for hundred years', and stop counting sheep for Rs 45 with his book 'How to get sound sleep.' And a rare treat, all his discourses are available in audio format, for the heart-breaking rate of Rs 45 per cassette. Unfortunately, this treasure trove is open only when a staffer is available. My last few attrempts to visit it have been unsuccessful.

As the paisa vasool range of the books indicate, his was a tradition which gave without taking. Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) broke Brahminical tradition by learning martial arts, studied medicine but decided to cross the seas and served in Malaysia before he decided to chuck it all up for a yogic life. Even today the DLS conducts two-months all-paid-for yoga training (only men) at its Rishikesh ashram, while the Mumbai branch offers free yoga classes at the Suchak Hospital (near Malad subway). Every year Rishikesh teachers visit Mumbai to give a fortnight's training in yoga, for which only the Rs 50 registration fee is charged.

So what if nobody around the chowk knows of the man after whom it is named? Passing it daily I feel reassured that in some recess of our collective minds, even in its cob-webbed corners, we still have space for the deathless, mystic India.

sorriso no Ganges

2006-08-28T23:37:00.000-04:00

sorriso no Ganges
Originally uploaded by ATintin.

Chotu Video

2006-08-23T15:37:00.000-04:00

Drying under the rain

2006-08-09T14:05:00.000-04:00

Drying under the rain
Originally uploaded by elishams.

India Uttarnchal Rishikesh Ganges

2006-08-08T19:26:00.000-04:00

India Uttarnchal Rishikesh Ganges
Originally uploaded by Uzi Kilon.

The Third Eye Isreli Restaurant

2006-08-08T19:22:00.000-04:00

4371
Originally uploaded by suryakund.

Ganga Sadhu, pt. 2

2006-08-08T19:20:00.000-04:00

Ganga Sadhu, pt. 2
Originally uploaded by FullyFunctnlPhil.

rishikesh ganga

2006-08-08T19:18:00.001-04:00

rishikesh ganga
Originally uploaded by another_penny_lane.

Rishikesh

2006-08-08T19:18:00.000-04:00

Rishikesh
Originally uploaded by AidanK.

Rishikesh

2006-08-08T19:17:00.001-04:00

Rishikesh
Originally uploaded by AidanK.

Monkeys at Rishikesh

2006-08-08T19:17:00.000-04:00

Rishikesh
Originally uploaded by AidanK.

Fish in Ganges at Rishikesh

2006-08-08T19:16:00.000-04:00

Rishikesh
Originally uploaded by AidanK.

rishikesh.green4

2006-08-08T19:15:00.000-04:00

rishikesh.green4
Originally uploaded by SEPUS 1.

India Uttarnchal Rishikesh Ganges

2006-08-08T12:17:00.000-04:00

India Uttarnchal Rishikesh Ganges
Originally uploaded by Uzi Kilon.

Rishikesh_at_Night

2006-08-08T12:06:00.000-04:00

Rishikesh_at_Night
Originally uploaded by allwaysmerryandbright.

Sadhus in Rishikeh

2006-08-08T11:58:00.000-04:00

IMG_2973
Originally uploaded by NineFingers.

THE TRIFOLD NATURE OF LIFE

2006-08-08T11:54:00.000-04:00

THE TRIFOLD NATURE OF LIFE
Originally uploaded by elishams.

2006-08-06T11:59:00.000-04:00

Taking her message to the world

2006-07-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

TAMWORTH will be touched by the Miss World quest when Miss World Australia Sabrina Houssami visits in August.
Miss Houssami will represent Australia in Poland in September at the judging for Miss World, but will first make a stop in Tamworth for Life Education's 20th birthday

dinner.

The 20-year-old Sydney University student has supported 25 charities with Astara Angels and Life Education her two charities this year. Astara Angels is a charity in Rishikesh, India, that aims to build a refuge for orphaned and abandoned girls.

"They are both beautiful projects," Miss Houssami said.

"I've seen the destitution in India so that's why I chose that charity and we have a lot of misinformation about health and it is going down the drain with obesity rising, which is why I chose Life Education."

Tamworth's Life Education branch invited Miss Houssami to their dinner and she immediately accepted.

"I want to bring more awareness of what they are doing and why it's an important organisation," she said.

"Having a high profile I'm able to raise awareness and understanding of the cause, which is important to gain support for it."

After her visit to Tamworth, Miss Houssami will travel to Poland for a month of Miss World judging in September.

Tamworth residents have the chance to meet Miss Houssami with a meet and greet at Shoppingworld on August 12 at 11am and she will visit a school on Friday, August 11 with Life Education.

http://tamworth.yourguide.com.au/detail.asp?class=news&subclass=columns&story_id=493788&category=Columns&m=7&y=2006

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Netaji became a swami and was cremated with State honours in Rishikesh says citizen group in Dehra Dun

2006-07-27T23:13:00.000-04:00

Staff Correspondent

"Probe who is the swami who lived at the Shaulmari Ashram" ________________________________

They are sure that Netaji was leading the life of a recluse Group has documents and knows people close to Netaji ________________________________

DEHRA DUN: A group of citizens has urged the Union Government to find out the identity of a swami who lived and died at the Shaulmari Ashram on Rajpur Road here on April 10, 1977 as they feel he might have been Subash Chandra Bose.

Addressing newspersons here on Monday, Om Prakash Sharma, Rajendra Nath Sharma, Devendra Bhasin and B.S. Rawat said they were in possession of documents and knew some people close to the swami. They were sure that he was Netaji leading the life of a recluse.

"These people and the then District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police will be able to tell who the swami was as he was cremated with State honours in Rishikesh," they said.

Several persons known to be close aides of Netaji like Uttam Chandra Malhotra and Ramani Ranjan Das were his frequent visitors of the swami, they added.

They wanted the Government or Parliament to order a probe into Netaji's whereabouts as suggested by the Mukherjee Commission. The Commission's report was rejected by the Government.

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Vicki's turn

2006-07-26T21:07:00.001-04:00

Vicki's turn
Originally uploaded by vickilynn.

The Ganges at sunset

2006-07-26T21:07:00.000-04:00

The Ganges at sunset
Originally uploaded by vickilynn.

Rishikesh (37)

2006-07-25T19:42:00.000-04:00

Rishikesh (37)
Originally uploaded by pjames.

kolej II - Self Payers building

2006-06-11T12:34:00.000-04:00

kolej II - Self Payers building
Originally uploaded by tal3s_c0.

hostel

Centro de Estudios Podebrady

2006-06-11T12:32:00.001-04:00

Centro de Estudios Podebrady
Originally uploaded by tal3s_c0.

school Zamek

kolej I - Building de Becados

2006-06-11T12:32:00.000-04:00

kolej I - Building de Becados
Originally uploaded by tal3s_c0.

hostel in Podebrasy

Podêbrady

2006-06-11T12:31:00.000-04:00

Podêbrady
Originally uploaded by AliBaba[+40thieves].

the village of podebrady

India Calling

2006-02-23T21:26:00.000-05:00

Rishikesh-Haridwar
Morgan Freeman is coming down to shoot Moses Tate's War mid-year. ''It's about saving cows. In India, cows are worshipped so I'm really looking forward to it,''he reportedly declared at a press conference. The film is touted to be set in Rishikesh and Haridwar.

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Hollywood stars head for India

2006-02-23T12:03:00.000-05:00

WIDE ANGLE |Saibal Chatterjee

India has every reason to be excited with Hollywood actor Will Smith's visit. For whatever it is worth, the visit does push the country just a tad closer to the centre of the global showbiz radar.

But are the positive noises that one half of the Men in Black is making about India in general and its movie industry in particular a sign of things to come? Or do they merely represent the polite posturing of a visiting celebrity? Smith's Indian sojourn is much more than the column space it devours if it were to lead to lasting cooperation between Bollywood and the industry that he represents. It is not enough for these stars to shine bright on India; they must shine long.

The indications currently available on the ground suggest that, with or without Will Smith, things are beginning to move in that direction. Indeed, if all goes well, 2006 could turn out to be the year of Hollywood in India
A string of American productions is lined up for filming on the subcontinent in the course of 2006. While several Western countries have been wooing Bollywood producers in recent years in the hope of boosting tourist inflows from India, the reverse traffic has remained comparatively low.

The stray international films that have been shot in India in recent years have primarily been those that have been helmed by Indian directors like Mira Nair, Gurinder Chadha and Deepa Mehta. That apart, the world's engagement with Indian movies has been largely confined to the participation of a handful of Western actors in recent Hindi films like Lagaan, Kisna – The Warrior Poet, Mangal Pandey – The Rising and Rang De Basanti.
A still from Aamir Khan's Lagaan. The film was widely appreciated abroad.
The frame is now set to widen appreciably. Top-draw Hollywood stars like Michael Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, Johnny Depp and Morgan Freeman are likely to descend upon India in the coming months as films featuring these A-list names begin to roll on various locations of the country.

The Michael Douglas film, Romancing the Stone, co-starring Aishwarya Rai, has been hanging fire for quite a while. It was announced amid much fanfare early last year but not a frame has been exposed since then. But now the film, believed to be a sequel to the action-adventure comedies Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile, seems all set to get going.

Ageing action star Sylvester Stallone will be shooting portions of Rambo IV in India, probably in the rugged terrain of Ladakh. The plot of the film has the angry ex-soldier heading for India when a bunch of racist thugs hounds his family back in the US.

But probably the most eagerly awaited film of the entire upcoming lot is Shantaram, a screen adaptation of the autobiographical bestseller by Aussie man-on-the-run Gregory David Roberts. To be directed by Oscar-winning Australian director Peter Weir, the film will be shot in Mumbai and on handpicked locations in the Andamans. Superstar Johnny Depp plays the protagonist.

Veteran actor Morgan Freeman will be flying down to Rishikesh and Hardwar later this year for the shoot of Moses Tate's War, a film that deals with a campaign to save cows. Can cows and India ever be separated?

Religiosity does play a key part in most foreign films that are set – or are sought to be set – in India. Remember Jane Campion's Holy Smoke, starring Kate Winslet and Harvey Keitel? It was about a White girl who gives up her cushy but empty existence as she falls under the spell of an Indian holy man.

In real life, too, India has begun to cast a spell on North American entertainers. Indeed, the renewed interest in India probably has something to do with the fact that an increasing number of Western pop and movie idols are turning to Oriental religious and spiritual practices.

All that might be a source of joy for the individuals involved, but from the point of view of moviemaking in India, the important question is whether the growing spiritual bonding that seems to be happening between sections of Hollywood and India can translate into greater give and take between the two movie industries, one the most powerful, the other the biggest. The marriage has the potential of yielding rewards all the way.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1631577,001100030008.htm
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Uttaranchal forest deptt launches 3-day tiger census

2006-02-23T12:01:00.000-05:00

Dehradun, Feb 22: The Uttaranchal forest department today launched a three-day tiger census in the state under the supervision of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).

"The census is being held in strict accordance with the norms laid down by the WII and will also enumerate other carnivores like jackal, fox, leopard," Chief Wildlife Warden Srikant Chandola said here.

He said special teams of the department had already begun locating half-eaten prey and pugmarks of tigers and leopards.

"Cameras are also being used to capture the images of roaming animals," Chandola said.

The exercise will also assess the availibility of prey and fodder in both protected and non-protected forest areas in the state, he said.

The 2001 census carried out by the department put the number of tigers in the state's forests at 251. The figure got reduced to 245 in the 2003 census and 241 in 2005 census.

Bureau Report

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=277423&ssid=26&sid=ENV
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Summer worries for Uttaranchal farmers

2006-02-23T11:54:00.000-05:00

NDTV Correspondent

Wednesday, February 22, 2006 (Deharadun):

Summer has made an early appearance in Uttaranchal with the rare sight of flowers in full bloom in February.

The state's wheat farmers are far from happy, as the crop in the hills is dependent on rain for irrigation.

Farmers say streams have dried up without rain and crops have failed.

Survival techniques

The weather department said it is advising farmers to shift wherever irrigation facilities are available.

"Irrigate crops at short intervals and apply light irrigation especially in the evening," said Anand Sharma, Director of the Met Department in Dehradun.

Applying water in the daytime will cause more evaporation and water loss will take place, he explained.

In the dry hills of Uttaranchal the out of season flowering and withering crops is a warning that weather patterns are increasingly abnormal.

http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?category=National&slug=Summer+worries+for+Uttaranchal+farmers&id=85089

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New light on Beatles’ split with maharishi

2006-02-21T00:05:00.000-05:00

DAVID ORR

New Delhi, Feb. 19: The spat between the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968 became an instant pop legend as perhaps the most bitter bust-up in the era of Free Love.

Now, after almost four decades of rumour and counter-rumour, a confidant of both sides has gone public with revelations that could upset many of the band's fans.

The spiritualist and author Deepak Chopra, a former maharishi disciple and a friend of the late George Harrison, has said that contrary to popular myth, the row was nothing to do with claims that the maharishi made sexual advances on Mia Farrow, the actor and friend of the band.

Instead, he said, the maharishi had objected to the group taking drugs at his home in Rishikesh, northern India. Chopra told the Sunday Telegraph: "What isn't generally known is that the maharishi had got fed up with the Beatles taking drugs while they were at his ashram."

The group had gone to the ashram in search of spiritual enlightenment, meditating during the day and writing songs in the evening.

A few weeks into their much-publicised sojourn, however, relations soured between the guru and the band's entourage. In a subsequent television interview, John Lennon and Paul McCartney said they had lost interest in the maharishi's teachings.

Chopra said of the rumour that the guru had misbehaved with Farrow, who was part of the entourage: "There was never any truth to stories about the maharishi's womanising...."

"As for the stuff about Mia Farrow, that was complete nonsense. I met her years later and she asked me to tell the maharishi that she still loved him," he said.

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
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Mystery solved in Beatles spat with guru

2006-02-20T09:05:00.000-05:00

Bad karma was over Fab Four's drug use, not moves on Mia Farrow The Beatles join Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, centre, as they arrive by train at Bangor, Wales, to participate in a weekend of meditation in 1967. From left to right are John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

The spat between the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968 became an instant pop legend as perhaps the most bitter bust-up in the era of Free Love.

Now, after almost four decades of rumour and counter-rumour, a confidant of both sides has gone public with revelations that could upset many of the band's fans.

The spiritualist and author Deepak Chopra, a former maharishi disciple and a friend of the late George Harrison, has said that contrary to popular myth, the row was nothing to do with claims that the maharishi made sexual advances on Mia Farrow, the actress and friend of the band.

Instead, he said, the maharishi, known as the founder of transcendental meditation, had objected to the group taking drugs at his home in Rishikesh, northern India.

Chopra told the Telegraph: "What isn't generally known is that the maharishi had got fed up with the Beatles taking drugs while they were at his ashram (spiritual home). They were smoking ganja (cannabis) and taking LSD. He hadn't come across anything like that before and he took a strong view."

The group had gone to the ashram in search of spiritual enlightenment, meditating during the day and writing songs in the evening.

According to reports, they consumed no alcohol or drugs when they first arrived and kept to a strict vegetarian diet.

A few weeks into their much-publicized sojourn, however, relations soured between the guru and the band's entourage.

In a subsequent television interview, John Lennon and Paul McCartney said they had lost interest in the maharishi's teachings.

Chopra said of the rumour that the guru had misbehaved with Farrow, who was part of the entourage: "There was never any truth to stories about the maharishi's womanizing. When he was sick in the UK, he wouldn't even allow any female nurses near him.

"As for the stuff about Mia Farrow, that was complete nonsense. I met her years later and she asked me to tell the maharishi that she still loved him," he said.

Chopra said Harrison later apologized to the maharishi during a visit to his meditation centre at Vlodrop in Holland, where he now lives as a recluse.

Nobody at the centre was available for comment. http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/news/story.html?id=797aa7fb-91d1-421a-af1f-465414034838&k=41435 -- http://sanjaytewari.blogspot.com http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/ http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/

2006-02-19T11:24:00.000-05:00

Beatles spiritual guru 'never made a pass at Mia Farrow'

2006-02-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

By David Orr in New Delhi
The spat between the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1968 became an instant pop legend as perhaps the most bitter bust-up in the era of Free Love.

Now, after almost four decades of rumour and counter-rumour, a confidant of both sides has gone public with revelations that could upset many of the band's fans.

The spiritualist and author Deepak Chopra, a former maharishi disciple and a friend of the late George Harrison, has said that contrary to popular myth, the row was nothing to do with claims that the maharishi made sexual advances on Mia Farrow, the actress and friend of the band.

Instead, he said, the maharishi had objected to the group taking drugs at his home in Rishikesh, northern India. Dr Chopra told the Sunday Telegraph: "What isn't generally known is that the maharishi had got fed up with the Beatles taking drugs while they were at his ashram [spiritual home].

They were smoking ganja [cannabis] and taking LSD. He hadn't come across anything like that before and he took a strong view."

The group had gone to the ashram in search of spiritual enlightenment, meditating during the day and writing songs in the evening. According to reports, they consumed no alcohol or drugs when they first arrived and kept to a strict vegetarian diet.

A few weeks into their much-publicised sojourn, however, relations soured between the guru and the band's entourage. In a subsequent television interview, John Lennon and Paul McCartney said they had lost interest in the maharishi's teachings.

Dr Chopra said of the rumour that the guru had misbehaved with Farrow, who was part of the entourage: "There was never any truth to stories about the maharishi's womanising. When he was sick in the UK, he wouldn't even allow any female nurses near him.

"As for the stuff about Mia Farrow, that was complete nonsense. I met her years later and she asked me to tell the maharishi that she still loved him," he said.

Dr Chopra said Harrison later apologised to the maharishi during a visit to his meditation centre at Vlodrop in Holland where he now lives as a recluse. Nobody at the centre was available for comment.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/19/wyogi19.xml&sSheet=/news/2006/02/19/ixworld.html
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Ramdev prescribes yoga

2006-02-19T11:01:00.000-05:00

"Terrorism and extremist mind-set can be cured by effective practice of yoga. I am aware of the fact that several terrorists come to the camps I organise across the country from time to time, in disguise and benefitted by my yoga lessons, they have returned to normal life."
These were the initial comments of yoga guru Baba Ramdev who landed in Ranchi this evening along with Jharkhand chief minister Mr Arjun Munda, who escorted him personally and has accepted him as a state guest. Baba Ramdev was interacting with media persons on his maiden visit to the state. He is scheduled to hold a week long camp in Ranchi from tomorrow. The Baba however, chose to remain silent on the controversy surounding him and his Patanjali Yogpith and the comments of CPI-M politburo member Mrs Brinda Karat. "A person who is a yogi and has truly learnt the art of yoga by heart, cannot just become a terrorist or an extremist. Anti-national feelings can be deleted from an individual's life by regularly practicing yoga", Baba Ramdev said. The Baba also had a note of advice for politicans. Reacting to a question on whether yoga can be effectively used in checking the rate of corruption in the political system, Baba Ramdev said: "I feel that before the daily session of Parliament in both Houses and during the session of state Assembly Houses, politicians should practice yoga for at least an hour. If that is introduced as a mandatory practice, I believe that the level of corruption would definitely scale down and the political process in country would be more transparent and less corrupt."
He also opined that all political as well as social forces in the country should unite in moving the country ahead.
Reacting sharply against multinational companies manufacturing soft drinks and fast food, Baba Ramdev termed junk food as poison and claimed that his campaign against junk food has virtually reduced the sale of soft drinks by 60 to 70 per cent. "I will never stop campaigning against these foreign agents selling poision to the people of our country," Baba Ramdev said.
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IDPL-ON REVIVAL PATH (all of its five units to be revived)

2006-02-16T17:34:00.000-05:00

(India Business Insight Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)The Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, Government of India has decided to revive all the five units of Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Ltd (IDPL) at Gurgaon, Chennai, Hyderabad, Rishikesh and Muzaffarpur. The plants will be made compliant with Schedule M before Apr 2006. A sum of Rs3 crore has been released for redeveloping the Rishikesh, Gurgaon and Chennai plants.

A sum of Rs1 crore has been sanctioned for Muzaffarpur plant.

National Institute for Pharmaceutical Education and Research will oversee the IDPL research centre at Hyderabad. -- http://sanjaytewari.blogspot.com http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/ http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/

Tales of the Open Road

2006-02-08T09:21:00.000-05:00

Tales of the Open Road by Ruskin Bond
Paperback
Penguin Books India
Price: Rs 200.00
Pages: 202
ISBN: 0-14-400072-5

'I have come to believe that the best kind of walk, or journey, is the one in which you have no particular destination when you set out.'

Ruskin Bond's travel writing is unlike what is found in most travelogues, because he will take you to the smaller, lesser-known corners of the country, acquaint you with the least-famous locals there, and describe the flora and fauna that others would have missed. And if the place is well known, Ruskin leaves the common tourist spots to find a small alley or shop where he finds colourful characters to engage in conversation.

Tales of the Open Road is a collection of Ruskin Bond's travel writing over fifty years. Here, you will encounter a tonga ride through the Shivaliks, a hidden waterfall near Rishikesh, walks along the myriad streets of Delhi (one of which used to be the richest in Asia), trips down the Grand Trunk Road, stopovers in little tea stalls in the hills around Mussoorie, and an excursion to the icy source of the Ganga at over ten thousand feet above sea level.

Enriched by rare photographs that Ruskin took during his travels, Tales of the Open Road is a celebration of small-town and rural India by its most engaging chronicler.

Here is an excerpt:

"Of course, the best walks are to be enjoyed in the hills, preferably in the company of a quiet friend. Sometimes I would escape from Delhi and trek to the Pindari Glacier in Kumaon, or the hills beyond Landsdowne, or Deoban above Cakrata. I wasn't interested in climbing mountains - I preferred going around them: you saw more that way. At ever bend of the road in the mountains there is a fresh vista, a different landscape, interesting people, new birds, trees, flowers.

Some of these excursions could be quite comical. On one occasion, many years ago, a Bengali friend and I decided to walk from Mussoorie to Chamba (near Tehri), some thirty miles distant. This was before the road became motorable.

I knew we wouldn't find anything to eat along the way, so I slipped two tins of sardines into my haversack and we set off on our day-long walk. By noon we were both quite hungry, so we sat down in the shade of a whispering pine, and quenched our thirst from our water bottles. Then, with a flourish, I produced the sardine tins.

To my horror, I discovered I'd left the tin-opener behind. We did our best to open the tins with stones and even a horseshoe nail, but to no avail.

'Why couldn't you remind me to bring a tin-opener along?' I snapped at my companion. 'You're a Bengali, you're supposed to like fish.'

'Only fresh-water Hilsa,' he replied disdainfully. 'We don't go in for tinned stuff.'

In my frustration I flung both tins into a deep ravine, and for all I know they are still there, unless aliens from outer space have succeeded in opening them.

At Chamba we found a tea shop that sold some ancient, rock-hard buns, probably left behind by the roving Pandavas. We softened them up by soaking them in mugs of hot tea, and so satisfied our hunger to some extent.

Two days later, on our return to Dehra, the first thing I saw was the tin-opener on my desk."

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1619497,00110004.htm
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Hubs for utilising EDUSAT in WB, Uttaranchal to function soon

2006-02-07T10:56:00.000-05:00

Hubs for utilising EDUSAT in WB, Uttaranchal to function soon New Delhi: With bandwidth for networks allotted, hubs for taking advantage of the education satellite EDUSAT are set to start functioning in Haryana, Uttaranchal and West Bengal shortly.

Department of Educational Communication Unit (DECU) of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said that the bandwidth for these networks would be operational by March 2006. The network for Orissa is under implementation, a statement issued by DECU Director B S Bhatia said.

Extended C-Band networks are also being established in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. While the Rajasthan hub is already installed, the Madhya Pradesh and Maharasthra hubs are ready for dispatch and decisions regarding location is awaited form the state governments.

"Some of the states are slow in responding and their implementation is delayed. The target of setting up hubs in all states has been substantially met and the delays, if any, are at the state levels,", the statement said reacting to the reports that the EDUSAT programme was a non-starter.

Already more than 2000 receive terminals and about one thousand interactive terminals are in the network and many more are added.

UDUSAT has one National beam and five regional beams. The national beam is utilised on a daily basis by CEC/UGC, IGNOU, CIET/NCERT and AICTE. One channel has been allocated to Vigyan Prasar. A school broadcast network for the Hindi regional with uplink at Jabalpur has also become operational.

A blind people's network is operational in Gujarat. With these users, the capacity of the National beam is fully utilised, the statement added.

http://www.newkerala.com/news2.php?action=fullnews&id=3639
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Yoga History 101

2006-02-06T22:07:00.000-05:00

by Stephen Kreutze
When you practice yoga, it is, of course, not necessary to have a full understanding of yoga history in order to fully benefit from your practice. A brief understanding of the history behind yoga, however, may increase your spiritual practice and inspire you to find out more about the tradition behind the discipline.

The first writings about yoga were written in Sanskrit in early religious manuscripts in India called the Vedas. The word 'yoga' has many meanings. The root of the word is 'yug' which means 'to hitch up', referring to fastening horse bridles to a carriage. But yoga also means 'to actively put to use' or 'yoke' or 'join'. Today, it is agreed upon that yoga is a method of joining or a discipline. Men who practice yoga are called yogi or yogin and women who practice yoga are called yogini.

Yoga was first passed from generation to generation by word of mouth. It wasn't until about 2000 years ago when an Indian named Patanjali wrote 'The Yoga Sutra' that the philosophy of yoga was committed to paper. Yoga is not just about stretching and breathing and holding poses. Yoga is a philosophy on how to live life and deal with the challenges that human beings face daily. The Yoga Sutra defined this philosophy in 195 statements.

Sutra can be defined as 'thread' or 'aphorism', which means 'a short declaration of truth'. It also means 'the concentration of a large quantity of information into a simple definition'. It is a way of looking at truths that apply to everyone despite culture in the clearest way possible.

Hatha yoga, or the yoga that you do when you take a yoga class or perform yogic poses, was begun as a physical form of meditation. The physical act of yoga calms your body and allows your mind to become calm. It also gives you the physical strength to sustain long periods of meditation.

When you perform the physical practice of yoga, you are only engaging in half of the discipline as it has been practiced for thousands of years. Yoga is an incredible form of exercise and calming for the body, but it can also be used as a spiritual practice and a way to calm the mind and will as well.

Stephen Kreutzer is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides yoga tips on http://www.more-about-yoga.com .

This article represents the views and opinions of the author and not of www.dailyindia.com.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/1237.php

Yoga and Pranayam for CRPF jawans

2006-02-06T08:48:00.000-05:00

Yoga and Pranayam for CRPF jawans

Itanagar, Feb 05: To help CRPF jawans posted in Arunachal Pradesh get rid of their mental stress, the Paramilitary Force is holding a week-long Yoga course, a senior official said.

Some 300 CRPF jawans of the 170 battalion here are currently participating in a week-long Yoga course on stress managment, Sanjeeva Roy, Battalion Commandant said in a press release.

The training in Pranayam and Yoga has been organised with the help of an NGO 'Art of Living', Roy said.

Though Arunachal Pradesh is a peaceful state, three battalions of the CRPF have been inducted in the state recently for sensitive duties like guarding residences of VVIPs and civil secretariat, banks and other important establishments and maintenance of general law and order.

CRPF sources said that as there is no group centre for housing, the jawans are living away from their families. While performing their arduous duties, the jawans get bored and come under severe mental stress, they added.

Recently two jawans were shot dead by one of their colleagues at their mess here for serving cold food. The sources said officers had already taken up with the Arunachal Pradesh government the issue of land allotment for construction of group centres as available in other states.

Bureau Report

http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=273511&ssid=204&sid=LIF

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Mini metros in making

2006-01-29T12:47:00.000-05:00

The face of small towns is all set to change. After metros and major cities now townships and state capitals are on the builder's radar. The real estate boom fuelled by an upbeat economy, brain drain in the reverse and growing IT and ITES sectors have made place for building activity to flourish. Upcoming housing projects in Tier II and III cities, like Lucknow, Dehradun, Rajpura, Zirakpur, Amritsar , Mohali, Jallandhar, Malerkotla, Kurukshetra, Karnal, Rishikesh and Bhimtal are readying to become launch-pads for realty activity and kindle the hopes of denizens aspiring to emulate the lifestyles of their counterparts in metropolitans . Sunit Sachar, V-P marketing , Parsvnath Developers, says "The liberalisation and opening of FDI doors in the sector have brought a sea change in the thinking of builders and they find the B & C class cities as viable destinations for investment." Advancement of infrastructure , easy availability of loans and rising aspirations of people all combine to justify builders' view. Arun Singh, GM marketing , Ansal Housing & Construction echoes similar view saying that "People in smaller towns are now aspiring for quality of life and are willing to spend money to attain the same." Besides Bangalore and Mumbai, mini township projects of the company are coming up in hitherto sleepy cities like Rewari, Bhopal, Indore, Agra, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Jammu. Is it the metroisation of these towns? Arun Singh says what his company is offering is a happy marriage of local culture and ethos with metropolitan lifestyle in Agra. "Market survey have revealed the preference of courtyards, kitchens in the front and storerooms. Accordingly , the same are being incorporated into the designing of houses here." In fact, he reveals, the idea of courtyards has received an overwhelming response in the city. The AEZ Group is taking luxurious homes right upto the banks of Ganga in Rishikesh. Aloha-Rishikesh project located close to Lakshman Jhoola, offers in the lap of Himalayas urban indulgences of fully furnished apartments, a golf course, spa, pool, health club, library and multimedia centre. Spread over an area of 20,000 square yards, the project features 172 fully furnished Spanish style apartments ranging from studio, two bedroom, two bedroom with terrace garden and three bedroom duplex apartments. Also on the platter are arrangements for adventure sports, trekking and visits to religious and tourist places of Uttaranchal. The price range for one, two and three bedroom apartments starts from Rs 16.45 lakh onwards. What should a buyer in Jaipur, Jodhpur or Malerkotla look for, while buying his dream home? Sachar is emphatic that for people in these places the options may be limited and hence it is important to bank on a trusted name. Only a reputed builder with a proven track record can assure a transparent deal without price escalation and hidden costs. Citing the facility of 100% power backup for all floors at the Panchvati housing complex in Agra as unique, Sachar says the problem of power outages in the city is acute hence this is a major boon for buyers ofhese independent floors. What does this portend for the future? In lay terms it implies that metros will expand but small towns too will expand and boom time is here for a while. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1390431.cms -- http://sanjaytewari.blogspot.com http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/ http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/

YOGA, Narang's new-found booster

2006-01-27T00:21:00.000-05:00

LIU Xiang turns to yoga, targets world mark
China Daily - China
Chinese Olympic gold medalist Liu Xiang is working hard to break the 110-meter
men's hurdle world record and thinks yoga can help. ...
< http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2006-01/27/content_516163.htm>

11 day Ahmedabad Utsav begins with Yoga camp
Gujarat Global.com - Ahmedabad,Gujarat,India
Swami Adhyatmanand started his yoga camp at the sprawling Sardar Patel
stadium in the morning. The yoga camp will be till February 2. ...
<http://www.gujaratglobal.com/nextSub.asp?id=675&cattype=NEWS >

FREE yoga classes Feb. 4
Village News Network - Fallbrook,CA,USA
Fallbrook Yoga Center is offering free yoga classes on February 4 at 1:30
and 3:30 pm The center is located at 121, 123 & 125 East Hawthorne St.
...
<http://www.thevillagenews.com/story.asp?story_ID=9013>

FINDING balance through yoga
Culpeper Star Exponent - Culpeper,VA,USA
... To the untrained eye, yoga - an Indian philosophy established some
5,000 years ago - seems like a series of stretches intended to foster
physical wellbeing. ...
< http://www.starexponent.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=CSE/MGArticle/CSE_MGArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137833663827>

YOGA, Narang's new-found booster
Delhi Newsline - Delhi,India
Apart from his usual workouts, he has included a session of yoga each day,
with his meditation, to help him go through the strain of preparing for
the Three ...
<http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=167246 >

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New study abroad program takes students to India

2006-01-26T23:52:00.000-05:00

Written by Melissa Marcotte

Thursday, 26 January 2006

Marcotte is a U of S student working in the College of Arts and Science

What would be better than spending part of your summer in India?  Of course, many of us have to work and earn money to pay for school, but when you can earn credits just to travel and learn, why wouldn't you take the opportunity?

The College of Arts and Science at the U of S is offering two different study abroad opportunities in India this spring and summer.  Both of the programs are being offered for the first time.

The first opportunity enables students to study mountain geography and ecology in the Indian Himalayas. This intensive five-week field program, occuring early May to mid-June, enables students to earn six credit-units in Geography.

Travelling through areas of extraordinary beauty, students will have the opportunity to study the tremendous diversity of ecology and physical landscapes, as well as the cultural diversity, of the Indian Himalayas.

Participants will study the characteristics of several eco-zones in the field; visit historical and pilgrimage sites; examine the strategies used by farmers and herders in obtaining their sustenance; learn about the dynamics of environmental degradation; investigate the ecology and the politics of environmental conservation; and consider other environmental concerns related to the increasing pace of modern development.

A highlight of the program will be a four-day ecotourism trek, climbing more than 2,000 metres to the outskirts of the famous Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, and learning of the struggles of the indigenous Bhotiya herders to maintain their way of life.

The second Indian program is offered by the Department of Religious Studies and Anthropology in cooperation with the Department of Political Studies.  Through this program, which will take place in July and August 2006, students will be able to earn six credit-units at the 200 level (three credit-units in political studies and three in religious studies).

This program will offer students a unique opportunity to experience India's ancient heritage and to learn about its contemporary political dynamics, while studying and travelling for four weeks in Northern India in places such as Delhi, Vrindavan/ Mathura, Agra, Jaipur, Amritsar, Dharamsala, Haridwar/Rishikesh, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Sarnath, and Bodhgaya/Rajgir.

The political studies component of the program will explore the political dynamics and issues that concern modern India, including the history of Hindu-Muslim relations, caste politics, and regional identities.  The religious studies component offers students an opportunity to become acquainted with sacred sites of the major religions of South Asia: Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Islam.

Both programs are expected to cost about $6,000 to participate. Students are encouraged to participate in these programs and others like them that are offered by the U of S.  If you are interested in knowing more about study abroad opportunities, attend an information session presented by Global Commons in Arts 134 at 4:00 on Monday, January 6.

For more information on the Himalayan study abroad program, contact Dr. Bill Archibold, Dept. of Geography (Arts 283, w.archibold@usask.ca ) or visit the program website at http://www.usask.ca/geography/himalayas/

For more information on this study abroad opportunity, contact Dr. Robert Schwab of the Department of Political Studies ( robert.schwab@usask.ca ), contact the Department of Religious Studies and Anthropology ( relstudies@usask.ca ), or see the departmental website (www.usask.ca/relst/).

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'We cannot stop tiger poaching'

2006-01-24T09:54:00.000-05:00

By Gyan Varma, Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve (Uttaranchal): Authorities at India's most famous wildlife reserve, once the primary haunt of the tiger, ruefully that they can do little to stop the pernicious practice.

"We cannot stop tiger poaching in the reserve till we are able to nab the people who are buying the skins and other animal parts," Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve director Rajiv Bhartari told IANS.

Last year three cases of poaching were recorded in the reserve - one of a tiger and two of spotted deer.

This in spite of the fact that forest rangers arrested four people in 2005, including Jagga, a notorious poacher said to be behind the death of 70 elephants at the reserve since 2001.

"We do not have enough people to keep a strict vigil on the entire reserve," Bhartari admitted. "Ideally I should have two dozen informers but I do not have enough to tell us about the movements of poachers."

According to a 2004 census, there were 140 tigers and 90 leopards, apart from many other animals and some 500 bird species, in the 1,288-sq km tiger reserve, the first and oldest of the nine tiger reserves in India. Formed in 1936, it was earlier named Hailey National Park before being renamed after the famous wildlife conservationist Jim Corbett in 1956.

British by origin, Corbett had stayed most of his life India and had hunted 50 man eating tiger and 250 leopards between 1907-1939. He had actively worked with villagers to protect animals from being hunted by the royal.

Though it is one of the 27 tiger reserves in India that are part the Project Tiger, the big cats in the reserve are now under threat of being hunted for skin and money. There are around 3,500 tigers left in the wilds in India although in the beginning of the century the number stood at around 10,000.

Bhartari pleaded helplessness in fighting the racket that has international links and strong connections. According to him, unless the government targeted international buyers of animal skins and body parts, it would be extremely difficult to totally stop poaching in the Corbett reserve.

"Tibet has become one of the major centres of animal skin trade and most of the animals skins are smuggled there," he added.

Little known to ordinary people, Tibet - the land of the Dalai Lama and peaceful people - is also host to a major fair in animal skins and parts that is bought by Chinese traders who then sell these to the rest of the world.

The forest department has begun taking help from villagers living in and around the reserve to prevent poaching, Bhartari said.

"We have carried out awareness campaigns so that if villagers find poachers, they inform the forest department," he added. All the poachers who have so far been arrested in the reserve were either caught by the villagers or nabbed with their help.

Bhartari also pointed out an irony: increased tiger sightings that pointed to the well-being of the animals led also to the increased presence of poachers.

This apart, he felt that the number of tourists visiting the park should be regulated. "The government should regulate the number of tourists in the tiger reserves," Bhartari maintained. Over 150,000 tourists visited the reserve in 2005, up from 84,000 in 2004.

Tourists can explore the park in two ways: aboard flatbed trucks or in jeeps. While the movement of trucks has been severely curtailed, restrictions will also be applied to jeeps.

"We used to allow around 90 jeeps in a day inside the reserve but we are now trying to bring the number down to 60," he added.

However, forest officials and local residents admitted that the gatekeepers often allowed vehicles in on the sly.
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Uttaranchal Tourism opens new office in Delhi

2006-01-21T15:14:00.000-05:00

Continuing with its aggressive focus to attract tourists, Uttaranchal Tourism opened its second office in the national capital today.

Inaugurating the office at Janpath Hotel in Connaught Place, Uttaranchal Tourism Minister Lt Gen (retd) TPS Rawat said, Customer focus was our key and we would make all efforts in reaching out to them.

The new office, which would have Uttaranchal Tourism Development Board, Garhwal Mandal Vikas Nigam and Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam under one roof, was an attempt towards the same, he added.

Uttaranchal Tourism Secretary A K Jain, senior officials of UTDB, GMVN and KMVN were present at the occasion.

Integration of the office was part of a larger game plan adopted by Uttaranchal Tourism to bring both corporations (GMVN and KMVN) under one roof for the convenience of customers and travel agents in all major cities of the country.

Last year Uttaranchal had a record 140 lakh registered tourists, including about 75,000 foreigners and this year it aimed to host 150 lakh, including about a lakh foreigners.

The effort was to improve 'AIM' (Accessibility, Infrastructure and Marketing), Gen Rawat said and added that first ever all-India advertising campaign launched recently to woo tourists to the state this winter.

The campaign focused on wildlife and Adventure tourism, including skiing destination, and positioned the state as a 'sunshine' state on North India during winters.

Later, the strategy would shift to water sports, he added.

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Uttaranchal to explore nuclear option

2006-01-18T10:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.business-standard.com

Our Regional Bureau / Dehra Dun January 18, 2006
In its quest for becoming "energy state", the Uttaranchal government is now exploring nuclear option.

Besides making efforts to tap the potential of hydro and gas, the government has now established contact with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), a public sector undertaking spearheading India's nuclear power programme, to explore whether a nuclear power plant can be established in the state.

In this regard, Power Secretary N Ravishanker is touch with NPCIL Chairman-Cum-Managing Director (CMD) S K Jain. "I have requested them to see whether a nuclear power plant like Narora and others can also be established in Uttaranchal," Ravishanker said.

After having detail talks, Jain has now sought a detail report from the government regarding the seismic and geographical conditions in the state. "We are of the view that for establishing nuclear power plant, you need an isolated area. We are full of such areas. So we are hopeful in this direction," Ravishanker said.

When asked as to what kind of nuclear energy could be used, Ravishanker only said the issue very premature to comment upon. "We first want to complete basic formalities regarding nuclear plant. Other issues would come later," he said.

The government is presently keen to develop hydro power projects for which it has already identified 20000 MW of power potential in the state.

The state government has adopted a target of achieving generating capacity of 500 MW every year and 3000 MW in five years.

At present projects of 5307 MW capacity are under construction and projects of 6735 MW capacity have been allocated for implementations to big companies like NTPC, NHPC and THDC.

In addition to hydro, the government has roped in the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) to jointly examine various project opportunities for natural gas in the state and undertake extension of the National Gas Grid to Uttaranchal.

For this purpose, the State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttaranchal Limited (SIDCUL), a government enterprise which has developed several modern industrial estates, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GAIL recently.
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Govinda In Rishikesh

2006-01-18T10:35:00.000-05:00

Govinda impresses 'Salaam-E-Ishq' team By Taran Adarsh (IndiaFM) Wednesday, 18 January , 2006, 10:56 Govinda has turned a new leaf. Known for his late-coming habits and erratic schedules, the actor turned politician, who is back to studios, has decided to take his film career very, very seriously this time. "I am having a blast shooting with Govinda," Nikhil Advani, who is filming a major chunk of Salaam-E-Ishq with Govinda in Rishikesh currently, called to say, "I had heard horrible stories of his unprofessional attitude, but it's far from truth. Call him on the sets at 7.30 a.m. and he's right there on the dot, despite the biting cold temperatures. He is one of the most disciplined actors I've encountered in my career."

Nikhil cites an incident to illustrate his point. The director of KAL HO NAA HO reveals that Govinda left Rishikesh at 1 p.m. on Sunday [January 15] to attend the Stardust Awards in Mumbai, attended the event in the night, rushed to the airport to catch the next available flight to Delhi and reached Rishikesh the next morning, even before the unit had reached the location. "I couldn't believe my eyes when I was told that he had already returned. Frankly, I thought we'd have a forced holiday. But he proved us wrong," Nikhil sounds ecstatic.

Govinda too sounds serious this time. "I am not taking chances. I don't want people to complain," the talented actor tells me, "I wish to add that I am enjoying working in Salaam-E-Ishq and with Nikhil in particular. He brings out the best in his actors," he adds. In fact, the actor goes to the extent of saying that it's after a long time [after SWARG, to be precise] that he's enjoyed working in a film.

The latest on this multi-starrer is that Nikhil has shot with Salman-Priyanka [4 days], followed by Anil-Juhi [20 days] and is canning the Govinda-Shanon Esra track at various panoramic locales of North India. Next on the cards are schedules with Akshaye-Ayesha, John-Vidya and Sohail-Perizaad, besides Salman-Priyanka's portions.

http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=14122270 -- http://sanjaytewari.blogspot.com http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/ http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/

I'national Yoga Fest - Rishikesh: Passageway to tranquility

2006-01-16T08:19:00.000-05:00

I'national Yoga Fest - Passageway to tranquility India Post News Service RISHIKESH: Yoga means "union". It is a union of breathes to the body, of mind to the muscles, and most importantly of self to the divine and what better place to become "united" than on the sacred banks of Mother Ganga, in a land which rishis and sages have flocked for millennia? International Yoga Festival, hosted at Parmarth Niketan Ashram, Rishikesh (Himalayas), India, in cooperation with the Uttranchal Tourism Development Board, a yearly conglomeration where world's renowned yoga gurus meet and disseminate information about yoga, will be celebrated from March 1-7. While the conglomeration will discuss all the aspects of yoga, the focus will be on yogasanas, pranayama, and meditation. The festival will include: • Kundalini Yoga, taught by world famous Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa of Golden Bridge Yoga, Hollywood, California, USA. Gurmukh is one of the world's most renowned Kundalini Yoga teachers and is one of the highlights of every year's Festival. • Yoga, Vedanta and Ayurveda, taught by David Frawley, a world-renowned expert on Vedanta, Ayurveda and their synthesis with yoga. He is the founder of the American Institute of Vedic Studies, and author of "Yoga and Ayurveda" and "Yoga and the Sacred Fire". • Iyengar Yoga and Pranayama, taught by Birjoo Mehta, one of the longest and closest disciples of Yogacharya B K S Iyengar, as well as the managing trustee of the Light on Yoga Trust, Mumbai. Birjoo is a renowned Iyengar yoga teacher who has taught in nearly 20 countries around the world. • Ashtanga Yoga and Philosophy, taught by Ganeshanath, director of the Latin America School of Yoga, and president of The Argentine Republic Federation of Yoga. • Power Yoga taught by world famous Brahmachari Vishwa Pal Jayanti. • Reiki taught by Reiki Master Rohini Khatri. • Yoga Nidra and Nada Yoga taught by Sadhvi Abha Saraswati. • Meditation taught by Sadhvi Bhagwati Saraswati. • Pranic Healing and yoga therapy. The festival will also witness yoga gurus and philosophers like Swami Chidanand Saraswati, Shankaracharya Swami Divya-nand Teerth and Veda Bharati and others speaking on various aspects of yoga. The peace-seekers can also clarify their doubts related to 'yoga - the art of attaining spiritual highs.' Divine Ganga Aarti will be performed to end each day of the festival. -- http://sanjaytewari.blogspot.com http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/ http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/

Elephant threat on Dehradun-Rishikesh route

2006-01-15T23:43:00.000-05:00

Tania Saili Sunday, January 15, 2006 (Dehradun): Uttranchal state boasts of India's biggest population of Asian elephants but as man enters the animals' territory the conflict is getting increasingly dangerous. Travel between Rishikesh and Dehradun has become a daunting task because of the presence of elephants on the route. Three weeks back 52-year-old Rajsharath Yadav was traveling after sunset when a tusker attacked. Yadav managed to escape but his friend was not lucky. "It was around 8 pm when we started from Dehradun. I sighted the elephant and warned Thakru Sahib who panicked and stopped his scooter," said Yadav. I jumped into the gorge along the roadside. The elephant strolled up to the scooter, destroyed it, and then came and stood above us. I was sure he would kill us". Businessman Amit Goel who also travels on the route is scared of such incidents. "We use this road daily to drive to Dehradun, which is dangerous in the mornings and evenings because of elephants." Goel added, recently a herd of elephants caused traffic jam that lasted for 30 minutes on the route. Experts say protecting the elephants' habitat is among solutions to the problem. "Make the habitat good for elephants, by freeing disturbance caused by people, said Dr AJT John Singh, an elephant expert with the Wildlife Institute of India. He also suggested sufficient food and clean water for the animals in the forests. But Singh is not confident if the measures will work. http://www.ndtv.com/morenews/showmorestory.asp?slug=Elephant+threat+in+Uttranchal&id=83733&category=National -- http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/ http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/

Yoga benefits extend to moms and babies:Tiny Toes keeps exercise in the family

2006-01-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

Radhika Panjwani
Jan 14, 2006

The yoga studio located at the corner of Lakeshore and Helen St. has baby carriers discreetly tucked away in the corner. Brightly-coloured soft toys, bottles and other accessories are scattered around the space. Gurgling and cooing babies, along with their mommies, are in the midst of an hour-long yoga session.

The Tiny Toes Yoga class for babies and moms was started by a young mother, Carole Czyrski, 30, who experienced first-hand the benefits of doing yoga during her two pregnancies. She decided to share her expertise and experience with other new mothers. She says the yoga sessions help new mothers relax their tense muscles and cope with the postpartum depression some women suffer.

"It gives the mom an opportunity to do something fun and interactive with the toddler," Czyrski said. "You can do yoga at home, but you won't get as much benefit as coming out because you get to meet other moms, socialize, exchange notes and not feel so isolated.

"A part of the problem with postpartum depression is isolation and feeling helpless," Czyrski said. "You go from being a career woman to feeling as though you're trapped at home."

Karin Inghammar and her seven-month-old daughter Freya are regulars at the Tiny Toes Yoga classes. Inghammar, who recently moved to Mississauga from the U.K., said the stress of moving, and coping with the demands of a small baby were overwhelming, until she decided to enrol in the class.

"I feel as if I have done myself a favour," Inghammar said. "Yoga on Mondays starts my week in a wonderful way and helps me de-stress."

Czyrski, who works for Manulife Financial, is currently on maternity leave. She hit upon the idea for combining an idea for business and an opportunity to spend time with her two children.

When she put out the initial posters for Tiny Toes Yoga, she knew in order for the business to sustain itself she needed at least four moms to enroll, but as the buzz about the class began to spread, Czyrski's classes became well-attended. She said she's willing to start classes anywhere in the city as long as she has four or more participants.

Czyrski has recently started classes for toddlers and moms, and, in the spring, she plans to initiate stroller-fitness classes that will combine cardio exercises with lunges and squats.

"A lot of postures in yoga are named after animals," Czyrski said. "With kids you can improvise, so if you're doing tiger posture, you can roar like a tiger. It is helpful for toddlers because it helps them develop their gross motor skills."

More on Tiny Toes Yoga can be found by visiting www.tinytoesyoga.

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS
http://www.mississauganews.com/mi/people/story/3264392p-3779619c.html
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Wheel power: This Brit is full of grit;Sixty-year-old is biking across Asia to savour the flavour of the continent

2006-01-14T09:37:00.000-05:00

Avantika Bhuyan

Pune, January 13: Englishwoman Linda Bootherstone fell in love with motorbikes when she was a teen and even joined a local bikers' club. That love made the 60-year-old woman, who lives in Spain now, embark upon a world tour a few months ago.

Astride her Suzuki 650 cc bike, Bootherstone has traversed the terrains of Germany, France, Slovakia, several East European countries, Iran, Turkey and even Pakistan before coming to India. She reached Pune on Tuesday and is on her way to Goa from Aurangabad.

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''Each Asian country has a flavour of its own,'' says Linda, adding,''I feel very safe in India." This, despite the fact that she was robbed of half her belongings in Jodhpur.

Surprisingly, in India, the traffic conditions don't bother her. "I've got used to it. The traffic in Iran was much more frightening, it was just so fast," she explains.

Otherwise, she says, her trip has had special moments. She spent time with her nephew in Rishikesh and celebrated her birthday in Mussoorie. "The Ajanta and Ellora caves were incredible,'' says the multi-faceted lady who also sings and writes songs. "I have taped live music throughout my trip and have something from Iran and Pushkar."

Bootherstone has been staying alone in Spain for the past 12 years. "If I am upset, I have only myself to talk to. That's why I learnt yoga in Rishikesh, so that I can be physically fit and at peace," says the lady who also declares India has the most interesting cuisine.

She was in Pakistan when the earthquake struck. ''It was a traumatic experience. I wasn't worried for myself, as I was safe in a tent. There were others running helter-skelter looking for shelter," she says. As for the most scenic images she will carry back are those of Karakoram Highway and North Pakistan.

Bootherstone has been camping around and staying in low-cost hotels and dharamshalas to save money to go to Australia, which will mark the end of this trip. As for the next one, South America is on her mind.

http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=165470

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Millsaps offers yoga and tai chi classes

2006-01-13T23:15:00.000-05:00

By Jack Sunn jacksunn@jackson.gannett.com

Q: In the Health Scene section, there were great articles on the benefits of yoga, tai chi and other methods of exercise and relaxation. We'd like to let you know that Millsaps College Community Enrichment Series offers quality, noncredit classes in tai chi, yoga and meditation. Please call (601) 974-1130 for details. Thanks. — N.G.

A: Thanks for the heads up. Yoga has really blossomed in the Jackson area in recent years and we're happy to see it. For more sources for classes, check out Yoga Instruction in the Yellow Pages.

Q: Several days ago a reader wanted dried okra. My family grows okra, and we have a couple of rows left. I might be able to salvage some dried okra pods. How many? Where to mail them? This is my first time noticing your column. What is the scope questions received? I might need you some day.— L.M., Mashulaville

A: We've passed your contact information on to L.W., so any scrounging won't be in vain.

Some days, its seems the scope of questions is from here to eternity. Generally, they center around but aren't limited to Mississippi. Try us, and we'll try to help within the confines of time and space.

Ask Jack Sunn appears Monday through Saturday. To send in questions, write Jack Sunn, The Clarion-Ledger, Box 40, Jackson MS 39205-0040 or e-mail jacksunn@jackson.gannett.com.

http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060113/COL0205/601130312/1144 -- http://sanjaytewari.blogspot.com http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/ http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/

Practitioners using yoga therapy to mend bodies and spirits

2006-01-12T09:45:00.000-05:00

By Michelle Goodman
As Tisha Satow stretches into the standing yoga pose known as Warrior II, she encourages Shaun, one of her students, to adjust his feet. Clad in sneakers, jeans and a Seahawks T-shirt, Shaun playfully calls his instructor a "pumpkin head." Across from Shaun, fellow yogi Susan, who travels with a baby stroller occupied by three teddy bears, grips a metal folding chair for balance.

The dimly lit, brick-lined gymnasium is noticeably devoid of the soft world music, wafting incense and pricey spandex that mark most Seattle yoga classes. Instead, the room fills with Shaun's cheerful buzzing about football and Susan's intermittent declarations that she's doing the best she can (each time earning her an encouraging thumbs up from Satow).

Welcome to yoga therapy, one of the newer recreational activities available to clients of Seattle Mental Health on Capitol Hill. Shaun and Susan, adults who live in group homes and are diagnosed as both developmentally disabled and mentally ill, are regulars in this class, taught weekly by Satow or one of her co-workers at the Samarya Center, a Seattle nonprofit organization devoted to providing yoga to everyone it can, regardless of health issues or finances.

What is yoga therapy? Simply put, it's the adaptation of yoga breathing, stretching, even chanting techniques to help people with health issues alleviate pain, gain energy and basically feel a heck of a lot better. Who can benefit from it? Anyone from typical backache sufferers to the terminally ill.

"Science is beginning to catch up to this, is beginning to validate this," says John Kepner, director of the International Association of Yoga Therapists, which has about 1,400 members worldwide. He points to an unprecedented study by Seattle's Group Health Cooperative published in a December 2005 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, which finds yoga more effective at relieving low back pain than conventional exercise or thumbing through a book on the topic.

For the Seattle Mental Health clients, who often attend less glamorous classes such as anger management and checkbook balancing, yoga seems a breath of fresh air. Shaun, who's shy yet quick to share a laugh with his classmates, says he likes the stretching best. And Susan, who calls yoga "fun" and likes that it gives her a chance to "see people," shows off her biceps after class so instructor Satow can feel how strong she's getting.

Get yourself in a twist

Interested in taking or teaching a yoga class that caters to or welcomes students with various physical or life challenges? These studios and organizations can help:

Samarya Center in Seattle: Classes, individual movement-therapy sessions and teacher trainings that benefit adults and children with chronic pain, illness, injury, autoimmune disorders, and other challenges. Works with clients on site or off. Sliding-scale and free classes available (www.samaryacenter.org or 206-568-8335).

Yoga Barn in Issaquah and Fall City: Gentle, adaptive yoga for people who need a slower pace and extra TLC. Beneficial for those with autoimmune disorders and structural challenges such as chronic back and neck pain. Also holds a public class for seniors at Overlake Hospital in Bellevue. To register, contact Overlake Hospital (425-688-5800) or the Yoga Barn (www.yogabarn.com or 425-427-0038).

Plus-Size Yoga (one-day class): One-day gentle yoga workshop for students and teachers taught by plus-size, San Diego — based instructor Lanita Varshell. Held Jan. 28 at 8 Limbs Yoga on Capitol Hill. (Registration: 206-325-8221 or www.8limbsyoga.com/events/
advanced_training).

Punk Rock Yoga in Capitol Hill and Belltown: Yoga in unconventional spaces using unconventional music — sometimes even live musicians. Everyone welcome, no matter what your shape, age, or hair color (www.punkrockyoga.com, info@punkrockyoga.com).

Street Yoga: Free yoga and wellness education to homeless youth in the Pacific Northwest. Teachers should contact: Joaquin Uy at the 45th Street Clinic (206-633-7639 or Terry Monaghan, terry@streetyoga.org, www.streetyoga.org).

Jailhouse Yoga: Promotes awareness of the opportunity to teach yoga within correctional and detention centers locally and throughout the country. Teachers should contact: Gary Fernandes at (freedom@jailhouseyoga.com or 425-269-6658, www.jailhouseyoga.com).

Michelle Goodman
"It's something they do that's normal," says Molly Kenny, founder and director of the Samarya Center, which also brings "bedside yoga" to terminally ill residents of Bailey Bouchet House, a Seattle hospice facility for AIDS patients.

"The yoga program is an amazing way to bring a new type of health care to an audience that likely wouldn't have any other exposure to it," says David O'Neal, program manager for the developmental-disabilities program at Seattle Mental Health. "How rewarding is yoga! We're giving them the physical exercise, we're giving them the social connection."

Yoga, redefined

Back at the Samarya Center — which boasts a sunny, inviting studio in the Central District — Kenny and business partner Stephanie Hager, both longtime yoga teachers and licensed clinical therapists, continue to revise their definition of yoga.

The center specializes in working with adults and children battling injuries, illness, chronic pain, grief, depression, ADHD, autism and other hardships, both in the public classes and individual movement-therapy sessions they offer on a sliding-scale basis. And though the studio's classes draw the usual youthful, agile crowd, the gentler sessions are often peppered with people older than 70, on crutches, or overweight.

"At the Samarya Center, they don't just say, 'do it,' they figure out how to make it work for you," says Deborah Rosen, 37, who weighs more than 200 pounds and has been frustrated in the past by yoga instructors who couldn't help her adapt the poses to suit her plus-size physique.

Kenny knows that a budding yogi (the term for one who practices yoga) doesn't want to be singled out for her physical differences or made to feel like she can't participate in a regular class.

"People have told us that if they go to an MS-specific class, they feel like, 'Now I have MS and I'm going to be identified as that,' " she says. "Rather than the perspective of clinical pathology — 'you have MS and you have something wrong with you' — we look at people and say, 'Wow, you're interesting. How can we make your life easier?' "

Joanne Hjort, 61, who has multiple sclerosis and walks with crutches, credits her three years of classes at the center not just with making her life easier, but with helping her stay on top of her game physically and spiritually.

"They are very adaptive," she says of the studio's instructors, who will give her a chair to support herself during standing poses. "They operate from a point of view of do what you can with what you have, rather than striving for more."

"Small center of peace"

People with unique physical and mental needs aren't the only unlikely populations in town benefiting from yoga. Thanks to a handful of volunteer instructors aligned with organizations such as Portland-based Street Yoga and Seattle-based Jailhouse Yoga, local homeless youth and prisoners are getting a turn on the mat, too.

At the 45th Street Clinic in Wallingford, which offers health services for homeless youth, a tiny waiting room doubles as a mini yoga studio once a week. Christina, the lone student on a stormy December evening, was thrilled to hear about the free class from someone she met at the University District's Wayward Café earlier that day. Although the second-floor room reverberates with the chatter of clients and case workers in the downstairs lobby, Christina, who's been doing yoga for seven years, immediately shuts her eyes, inhales deeply, and softens her face as she eases into the first stretch.

"I think there's a small yet dedicated group who utilize homeless yoga because they find one small center of peace within the hurricane of their lives on the streets," says Joaquin Uy, lead outreach worker at the 45th Street Clinic. On the street, teens live moment to moment, always on guard, always in survival mode, he explains, adding, "It's not always guaranteed you're going to get into a shelter or find a Dumpster to sleep in."

Jailhouse Yoga

Gary Fernandes, who founded Jailhouse Yoga in 2001 to help ease the minds and bodies of adult and teen prisoners, is bursting with tales of people living at King County Jail and Juvenile Detention Center finding that momentary respite — even euphoria — through yoga.

"It seems like the inmates themselves are the ones that sell the program," says Fernandes, who's an electrical engineer by day. From the get-go, his students at King County Jail were bringing yoga back to their cells and teaching their fellow inmates the poses. Many have told him they plan to continue the practice after they're released. And at the youth detention center, blissed-out, love-drenched expressions and comments like, "Whoa, what did you do, hypnotize us?" are not uncommon at the end of class.

But it's not just the stretching and deep breathing the inmates respond to. Fernandes has incorporated chanting into many classes, even a children's song with the lyric, "I am happy, I am good," which yogis at King County Jail not only sang, but accompanied with hand movements similar to the age-old "Itsy Bitsy Spider."

"Imagine men at a jail singing this song!" Fernandes says. Yet "it has an immediate impact on them. You suddenly see them laughing, giggling, and you see their stress melt away."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2002731990_yogatherapy11.html
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Stretch your mind, body with poetry, yoga at the library

2006-01-12T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jan. 10, 2006 12:00 AM

If you think Gilbert's library is limited to books and reading, think again.

This month, residents can sample yoga and try their hand at writing poetry.

Classes have been offered in flower arranging, English as a second
language, infant massage and American Sign Language.

And the best part: All classes are free.

Community members who have always longed to write prose will have
their chance to develop their skills with teacher Andrew Chanse.

The 28-year-old Gilbert resident began working as a librarian at the
Southeast Regional Library four months ago after completing an
undergraduate degree at Arizona State University and a graduate degree
at the University of Arizona.

Along with his university classes, Chanse developed a passion for
poetry, taking graduate level workshops and developing his own style.

Chanse said he is hoping to encourage others who have always wanted to
write a poem.

Offering a 16-week course with eight classes, the class will allow
others to develop their own writing style.

"I want to help people find their own voice. That's the hardest part,"
Chanse said.

The class will include sharing each other's writing and some tips, Chanse said.

Chanse, who moved to Gilbert in August 2002, said he enjoys being part
of the community and is looking forward to sharing his talent with
others.

If poetry isn't your passion, maybe a bit of stretching and moving is
your style. Angela Pryor, who moved to Gilbert 18 months ago, will
teach a yoga class.

When a yoga studio opened in September near Pryor's home, she was one
of the first to join.

A yoga fan, Pryor said she was so impressed with the concept that she
has become the director of marketing and sales at Vitalize Studios
Yoga for Everyone.

The studio, at Warner and Lindsey roads, has its own yoga technique.
Workouts are short and can be geared to any level.

The free class at the library is designed to make yoga more desirable
and accessible for residents.

"It's an intro class for those who have never done it, or tried it and
didn't enjoy it," Pryor said.

The hourlong class will start with a question-and-answer period
followed by a demonstration of some of the basic moves.

Yoga allows those who haven't exercised for years as well as those who
are fit to benefit, Pryor said.

The Vitalize Studios yoga classes are 45 minutes, shorter than most
yoga classes. The studio's three owners developed the Vitalize
program.

Pryor said she enjoys her new job and loves the Vitalize program.

"I love it because I'm able to use all my practical business
experience from the past with something that's really good to offer to
the public," she said.

To register for either class at the Southeast Regional Library, call
(480) 539-5119.
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A problem of plenty

2006-01-12T07:50:00.000-05:00

Aabhas Sharma / New Delhi January 11, 2006 Crowding the Ganga's white waters could cost tour operators dear.

It's getting crowded on the rapids and issues of boat jams, pollution and ecological damage are beginning to raise their ugly head on the banks of the Ganga, near Rishikesh.

On the Shivpuri stretch, where river rafting was first introduced in the early '80s, a war is likely to break out over where the 48 licencees will pitch their tents in a bid to grab a slice of the rapidly growing rafting market in India.

Pioneered by tour operator Avinash Kohli (who is currently president of the Indian Canoeing and Kayaking Association), the initial hurdle had to do with importing the right equipment and ensuring safety processes for the nascent sport in the absence of any regulation. Having overcome those to some extent, the industry will now have to grapple with the more serious issue of oversupply.

Seen by some to be easy pickings, the number of promoters of white water rafting on the Ganga has grown exponentially. The 18 companies that were operating at Shivpuri as recently as 2002, will increase to 48 by end-2006.

The sharp increase in those applying for allocation of space on the river's banks has much to do with government policy. The state government issues only one-year licences to tour operators, making them register sub-companies in a bid to ensure that they stand a good chance of getting at least one of their licences approved.

These tour operators say that unless there is a guarantee that they will get a licence, they cannot promote the sport to their overseas principals (which requires selling a year to two years in advance), nor would they be able to spend on quality equipment.

A spin-off is the overcrowding of licenced operators that has led to a price war, cutting into profits (and the ability to spend on better tents and boats). This, in turn, is detrimental to the long-term safety of the sport.

Tour operators unsure whether their licenses will be renewed are reluctant to invest in quality equipment. For instance, a raft alone costs Rs 2 lakh. Add to that the cost of lifebelts, jackets, head gear, canoes and kayaks, and trained lifeguards.

Given the competition, tour operator R K Sharma says a fallout is likely to be quality arising from lower tariffs charged from visitors, which could imperil safety. But those aren't the only problems.

Already, he says, "We are working against odds to keep the rafts afloat. The major areas of concern that need top priority are infrastructure by way of proper roads and coordination between government departments on the issue of licenses and permits."

And now there are newer issues, such as the holding capacity of Shivpuri, where (and how) waste is disposed, and possible damage to the environment.

Avinash Kohli, though, appears optimistic: "Rafting, is being recognised as a potential for attracting tourists to Rishikesh from all parts of the country," he says.

"If the government continues to support the operators then there is no doubt it will do a lot of good to the tourism of Uttaranchal."

But what's good for the state's coffers in the short-term might just deal the death-blow to its interests in the long-term. But is anybody listening?

http://www.business-standard.com/common/storypage.php?storyflag=y&leftnm=lmnu2&leftindx=2&lselect=1&chklogin=N&autono=211288

Trial 4

2006-01-12T07:26:00.000-05:00

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Tourists flock to India, inflow up 13% in ’05

2006-01-12T07:17:00.000-05:00

Tourists flock to India, inflow up 13% in '0

In contrast, in '04 around 3.4m inbound tourists brought in around $4.7bn or over Rs 21,600 crore in foreign exchange. As per the latest data by the tourism ministry, the rate of growth in foreign tourist arrivals in the country declined year-on-year from 26.8% between '03 (2.7m) and '04 (3.4m) to a low of 13.2% in '05 (3.9m).

Similarly, the jump in forex earning in '05 was a modest 16.5% over '04. In '05, December was the high point for foreign tourist arrivals in the country at 4.6 lakh, an 11% jump as against 4.2 lakh in the previous year.

Industry players note that that the growth in foreign tourist flow could have been more with the increase in number of hotel rooms in the country and improvement in visa-processing infrastructure.

The government may talk highly of the success of the Incredible India marketing campaign, India's performance pales in comparison to annual tourist arrivals in hotspots like Singapore (8m) and China (100m). Outbound tourist flow from India is growing at a faster rate and was pegged at 5.2m in '04. This figure is expected to cross the 6m mark in '05.

Over the last couple of years, destinations like Kerala and Goa are scoring over traditional favourites like Rajasthan and Agra for foreign tourists with newer states like Chattisgarh and Uttaranchal also giving tough competition to established players.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1366641.cms

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Pilates and Yoga for the 'Burg!

2006-01-11T19:19:00.000-05:00

Harrisonburg Laura Speakman

A new year could mean a new workout plan and it looks like a nationwide craze is hitting the valley just in time. A new yoga and Pilates center has just opened. This could be the trick to keeping those resolutions. "We try and get rid of what's going on outside you know just come into this place it's like a little oasis," said Suzanne Perrine, Instructor and Owner of The Center. This oasis can be found right in the heart of Downtown Harrisonburg. It's sole purpose...yoga and Pilates classes. "It just feels like the right thing to offer this space for people who don't want to go to a gym and pay money for things they're not going to use," said Perrine. The Indian concepts used in yoga are more than 5000 years old while Pilates, the younger of the two, planted it's German roots about 60 years ago. Both focus on linking your mind and body with different moves. Of course there are the physical benefits. "I think Pilates is a good thing for being really strong but not necessarily adding a lot of bulk you get stronger but it's a lot of lean muscle," said Sara Prince, student. "You sweat you definitely feel that you have a good workout but it doesn't feel as punishing to your body," said Debbie Phillips, student. Perrine says you become so aware of what your body is doing, you can use the techniques well after leaving the studio. "You can apply this to your everyday life you know how am I picking up my kid or how am I cooking, how am I standing how am I holding myself," said Perrine. That's why she feels people really stick with it. You just leave feeling really great you know you feel leaving physically great mentally great and that what keeps people coming back If you're what to learn more about these classes contact The Center at 540-383-0438 or visit their website at www.thecenterdowntown.com.

Rapelling

2006-01-11T13:59:00.000-05:00

Rapelling
Originally uploaded by ~life~.

india

2006-01-11T13:56:00.000-05:00

india
Originally uploaded by tor77.

Peeping

2006-01-11T13:55:00.000-05:00

Peeping
Originally uploaded by prateekrr.

Main Temple @ Rishikesh

2006-01-11T13:54:00.000-05:00

Main Temple @ Rishikesh
Originally uploaded by Vikas-2005.

Forest officials worried as over 70 dead eagles found Uttaranchal

2006-01-11T12:57:00.000-05:00

By Atul Chauhan, Ranikhet (Uttaranchal) : Conservation officials have cordoned off the Ghinghalikhal area near Ranikhet in Uttaranchal after a large number of protected eagles, a vital link in the food chain, were found dead under mysterious circumstances.

A number of eagles were found dead at a garbage dump on Monday.

Joginder Singh Bisht, secretary, people's forum, Ranikhet, said that they are taking all precautions and combing the forest areas.

"The official counting till today is 51. We are still recovering bodies of eagles from other areas. Hence the count has gone up to over 70. We are taking all precautions. The forest and administrative officials are combing the forest areas for recovering any other bodies," he said.

Veterinary officials, after conducting a post-mortem of the birds, have sent some samples to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly, Pantnagar University, Bhopal to know the exact cause of the deaths.

Uttaranchal Chief Wildlife Warden Srikant Chandola said that the entire area has been cordoned off.

"Probably, the eagles died after consuming some poisonous substance in the garbage. But the exact cause can only be known from the laboratory reports," Chandola added.

Locals believe the eagles died after consuming poisonous meat. "We have found traces of poultry in the birds," Dr Ashok Bisht, Veterinary Officer, Ranikhet, said. Innards of poultry and meat residue from the nearby Kumoan Regimental Centre (KRC) of the Army and Ranikhet town is dumped at the site, along with garbage

http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=83020 -- http://sanjaytewari.blogspot.com http://spaces.msn.com/members/sanjaytanya/ http://spaces.msn.com/members/uttaranchalnews/

Tourists flock to India, inflow up 13% in ’05

2006-01-11T09:10:00.000-05:00

TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2006 12:15:29 AM]
NRIs Rang De Basanti FREE DVD
DELHI: India's booming tourism story scripted a new high with foreign
tourist arrivals into the country registering a 13.2% jump in '05,
crossing 3.9m-mark, raking in over Rs 25,000 crore or $5.7bn in
foreign exchange.

In contrast, in '04 around 3.4m inbound tourists brought in around
$4.7bn or over Rs 21,600 crore in foreign exchange. As per the latest
data by the tourism ministry, the rate of growth in foreign tourist
arrivals in the country declined year-on-year from 26.8% between '03
(2.7m) and '04 (3.4m) to a low of 13.2% in '05 (3.9m).

Similarly, the jump in forex earning in '05 was a modest 16.5% over
'04. In '05, December was the high point for foreign tourist arrivals
in the country at 4.6 lakh, an 11% jump as against 4.2 lakh in the
previous year.

Industry players note that that the growth in foreign tourist flow
could have been more with the increase in number of hotel rooms in the
country and improvement in visa-processing infrastructure.

The government may talk highly of the success of the Incredible India
marketing campaign, India's performance pales in comparison to annual
tourist arrivals in hotspots like Singapore (8m) and China (100m).
Outbound tourist flow from India is growing at a faster rate and was
pegged at 5.2m in '04. This figure is expected to cross the 6m mark in
'05.

Over the last couple of years, destinations like Kerala and Goa are
scoring over traditional favourites like Rajasthan and Agra for
foreign tourists with newer states like Chattisgarh and Uttaranchal
also giving tough competition to established players.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1366641.cms

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A problem of plenty:Rishikesh

2006-01-10T21:49:00.000-05:00

Aabhas Sharma / New Delhi January 11, 2006
Crowding the Ganga's white waters could cost tour operators dear.

It's getting crowded on the rapids and issues of boat jams, pollution
and ecological damage are beginning to raise their ugly head on the
banks of the Ganga, near Rishikesh.

On the Shivpuri stretch, where river rafting was first introduced in
the early '80s, a war is likely to break out over where the 48
licencees will pitch their tents in a bid to grab a slice of the
rapidly growing rafting market in India.

Pioneered by tour operator Avinash Kohli (who is currently president
of the Indian Canoeing and Kayaking Association), the initial hurdle
had to do with importing the right equipment and ensuring safety
processes for the nascent sport in the absence of any regulation.
Having overcome those to some extent, the industry will now have to
grapple with the more serious issue of oversupply.

Seen by some to be easy pickings, the number of promoters of white
water rafting on the Ganga has grown exponentially. The 18 companies
that were operating at Shivpuri as recently as 2002, will increase to
48 by end-2006.

The sharp increase in those applying for allocation of space on the
river's banks has much to do with government policy. The state
government issues only one-year licences to tour operators, making
them register sub-companies in a bid to ensure that they stand a good
chance of getting at least one of their licences approved.

These tour operators say that unless there is a guarantee that they
will get a licence, they cannot promote the sport to their overseas
principals (which requires selling a year to two years in advance),
nor would they be able to spend on quality equipment.

A spin-off is the overcrowding of licenced operators that has led to a
price war, cutting into profits (and the ability to spend on better
tents and boats). This, in turn, is detrimental to the long-term
safety of the sport.

Tour operators unsure whether their licenses will be renewed are
reluctant to invest in quality equipment. For instance, a raft alone
costs Rs 2 lakh. Add to that the cost of lifebelts, jackets, head
gear, canoes and kayaks, and trained lifeguards.

Given the competition, tour operator R K Sharma says a fallout is
likely to be quality arising from lower tariffs charged from visitors,
which could imperil safety. But those aren't the only problems.

Already, he says, "We are working against odds to keep the rafts
afloat. The major areas of concern that need top priority are
infrastructure by way of proper roads and coordination between
government departments on the issue of licenses and permits."

And now there are newer issues, such as the holding capacity of
Shivpuri, where (and how) waste is disposed, and possible damage to
the environment.

Avinash Kohli, though, appears optimistic: "Rafting, is being
recognised as a potential for attracting tourists to Rishikesh from
all parts of the country," he says.

"If the government continues to support the operators then there is no
doubt it will do a lot of good to the tourism of Uttaranchal."

But what's good for the state's coffers in the short-term might just
deal the death-blow to its interests in the long-term. But is anybody
listening?
http://www.business-standard.com/

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YOGI AND COMMIE STAR

2006-01-10T08:13:00.000-05:00

- Leading people by example and powdered bones Writing on the wall / Ashok V. Desai

Brinda Karat is suing a Trivandrum publisher who published a photo of hers together with a quotation from an interview of hers to the effect that yoga was the secret behind health and beauty — although he published an apology the next day. I would stressfully clarify that nothing in this column purports to be a comment either on Brinda's appearance or views on yoga. The word "star" is strenuously dissociated from the sense in which it is applied to film stars; it only refers to a rising member of the CPM leadership with bright prospects. Nor is there any intention, notwithstanding anything said below, to compare the subject to a shooting star.

In a column I wrote last January, I tackled Calcutta's problem — that all too often, trade unionists disrupt traffic at its centre with demonstrations. My solution was that the West Bengal government should move to a hill station, and should locate itself on top of a steep hill, so that left-wing processionists would arrive breathless and exhausted. Little did I realize that I was giving ideas to the agitators. For hill stations have a paucity of roads; some of them are just settlements along a single road. So it is much easier for trade unionists to disrupt day-to-day life in a hill station than in a big city. They do not even have to march; all they have to do is to sit down in the main square, and all traffic will come to a halt.

To prove this theory, CPM held a conference on January 15 and 16 last year in Rishikesh, the point of entry to a string of holy towns, and the home of Indian Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, which a militant trade union had helped along into bankruptcy. CPM bussed in "students" from ten districts. Slowly, they crawled along Hardwar Road and Lakshman Jhula Road, shouting death to sundry oppressors. Then 108 delegates — 45 from the middle class, 38 from the peasantry, 12 from the working class, and five agricultural labourers — gathered together. Amongst those who spoke, Brinda Karat attacked the BJP for having passed the UP Reorganization Bill in 2000, which created Uttarakhand but discriminated against it, and the Congress for not having implemented the common minimum programme despite having been in power at the Centre for eight months. The "ruling class party" — read the Congress — was no different from the BJP. The solution? The people of Uttarakhand must vote CPM next time. Meanwhile, whenever the situation demanded, the CPM would support people's struggles. It would become the champion of the regional aspirations of the working class and socially oppressed people. The local branch was set targets to raise membership to 15,000 workers, 15,000 women, 30,000 farm workers, 10,000 students and 15,000 other youth.

Then all was quiet till the end of winter. On April 18, CPM held its 18th congress in Delhi; there the strategy to be followed in Uttaranchal was honed. On May 5, workers in the ayurvedic pharmacy of the Divya Yog Mandir Trust in Hardwar, refused to take their salaries. Instead, they started shouting. On a cue, local CPM agitators came and joined them. Since they were not prepared to work, the workers were terminated. Others took their place; but no one has come forward yet to champion their cause.

The dismissed workers said the pharmacy used powdered human skulls and animal organs. Promptly Brinda Karat called for a high-level probe — and also that the pharmacy should be brought under the Factories Act, so that it could not dismiss workers. In June, she went to Hardwar and shouted slogans outside the ashram with her cohorts for a day. Acharya Balkrishan, who runs the pharmacy, invited her to go and visit it, but that did not suit her purpose.

Over the next three months, CPM activists went around eight districts and plotted the next move. On September 19, Brinda Karat arrived in Kathgodam, and proceeded up the hills. In Haldwani and Gair Sen she gave press conferences, in which she said the hill people had been discriminated against in every way. In Rudrapur, Almora, Gopeshwar and Rudraprayag she marched about with protestors shouting slogans. She took delegations with long lists of complaints to the district magistrates of Almora and Chamola.

In Dehra Dun and Hardwar, she repeated noisy obstructions. Then on September 29, the party struck all over Uttarakhand; suddenly, CPM brought the state to a halt by occupying highways and road junctions in Pauri, Hardwar, Rishikesh, Lansdowne, Kotdwara, Shaktinagar, Rudrapur, Sitaganj, Haldwani, Bageshwar and Almora. That was a busy day, a successful day, an inspiring day for party leaders; they were ecstatic that they had disrupted the lives of so many.

Although Brinda Karat went repeatedly to Uttaranchal and raised mayhem, hardly anyone outside the state noticed. I certainly did not know about it. Then at the end of December she repeated the charges against the Divya Yog Mandir pharmacy — that it used powdered human skulls and animal bones; this time she added animal fat too.

Then I got interested. I am not keen on yoga or sadhus; nor am I an early riser. So I had missed Swami Ram Dev, whose empire the pharmacy belongs to. Then I read the little piece by Paul Zakaria in the year-end issue of Tehelka, that sprightly secular magazine, saying how Ram Dev broke down Zakaria's allergy to Hindi nationalism and improved his health, and I took notice.

This man wears a mini-dhoti, and instead of a shirt, drapes himself in a kind of scarf. What struck me was his face. He has long hair, and a flowing, lopsided black beard. His left eye is a bit unruly. Altogether, he is quite unlike a dour sadhu. He is lively and human. He speaks simple, unfussy Hindi, unlike the pidgin Sanskrit the Hindutwits speak. Before the TV camera he does some dozen yogic asanas from time to time. They are not elaborate exercises; most of them are movements of the arms, the torso or the stomach. They do not interrupt his flow at all; he talks all the time. His is do-it-yourself, anytime-anywhere yoga; watching him, one can build the basic movements into one's daily life. Many people say that he has made them better, and seeing the crowds he draws, many people believe he does. So therefore do I.

Some of what he says is nonsense. He calls colas toilet water; he tells people to give up fast food. He goes on against multinationals. But he also talks a lot of common sense. If I were capable of being a devotee and a practitioner, I would find him quite a paragon.

So my conclusion is that Brinda Karat is a pracharak, bent on spreading trouble and unrest across India at the CPM's behest. Ram Dev, on the other hand, is leading people by example, and leaving them happier and healthier. She is bent on making his life difficult; he has asked her repeatedly to verify the truth herself. Between the two, I would rather watch and listen to Ram Dev and his asanas than Brinda and her speeches. If that makes me a male chauvinist, so be it. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1060110/asp/opinion/story_5703213.asp

Letters From Rishikesh

2006-01-09T21:59:00.000-05:00

Letters From Rishikesh Fiction > TV Drama Director: Daniel Waxman

77 minutes, Hebrew, English, English subtitles, Israel 2004

Alex Weisman, a 45 years old widower, travels to New Delhi to meet his daughter Anna. Anna sets a time and place but never turns up. With the help of an Israeli woman journalist who knows Anna, Alex starts searching for his daughter. Father and daughter are far apart, the past being a hurdle that Anna can't easily rid herself of. But Alex is not willing to give her up and although she runs far, Alex, now sincerely sorry for his past deeds, is close behind. Slowly he is introduced to her world, her new friends and the man she loves, a young Israeli who becomes an integral part of the journey. Learning about his daughter's life, Alex comes to terms with himself and his past. Lonely in their quest for internal serenity, Anna and Alex move in adjacent circles, searching for common ground in a foreign land, drawing their relationship as close as it will ever get.

History of Yoga

2006-01-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Pre-Vedic (ca. 6000 - 3000 BCE [?]) An Indus Valley seal possibly depicting Pashupati in a yogic pose

The history of yoga may go back anywhere from two to eight thousand years, depending on the perspective of the historian. Pre-Vedic findings are believed by some to show that "yoga" existed in some form well before the establishment of Aryan culture in the north Indian subcontinent: A triangular amulet seal uncovered at the Mohenjo-daro archeological excavation site depicts a male figure sitting cross-legged on a low platform, with arms outstretched. His head is crowned with the horns of a water buffalo. He is surrounded by animals (a fish, an alligator and a snake) and diverse symbols. The likeness on the seal and understandings of the surrounding culture have led to its widely accepted identification as "Pashupati", Lord of the Beasts, a prototype and predecessor of the modern day Hindu god Shiva. The pose is a very familiar one to yogins, representing Shiva much as he is seen today, the meditating ascetic contemplating divine truth in "yoga-posture." (Ref. 1, 2)

Another seal found at the Mohenjo-daro site shows a figure standing on its head, which may depict the practice of yoga. Vedic (ca. 2000-1500 BCE) Yoga was was first clearly expounded in the great Vedic shastras (religious texts). David Frawley, a Vedic scholar, writes: "Yoga can be traced back to the Rig Veda itself, the oldest Hindu text which speaks about yoking our mind and insight to the Sun of Truth. Great teachers of early Yoga include the names of many famous Vedic sages like Vasishta, Yajnavalkya, and Jaigishavya." Ideas of uniting mind, body and soul in the cosmic one, however, do not find real yogic explication until the most important mystic texts of Hinduism, the Upanishads or Vedanta, commentaries on the Vedas. Upanishadic (ca. 800-100 BCE) Explicit examples of the concept and terminology of yoga appear in the Upanishads (primarily thirteen principal texts of the Vedanta, or the "End of the Vedas," that are the culmination of all Vedic philosophy) While protracted discussions of the ultimate, infinite Self, or Atman, and realization of Brahman, are the true legacy of the Upanishads, the first principal Yoga text was the Bhagavad Gita ("The Lord's Song"), also known as Gitopanishad. In the Maitrayaniya Upanishad (ca. 200-300 BCE) yoga surfaces as: "Shadanga-Yoga - The uniting discipline of the six limbs (shad-anga), as expounded in the Maitrayaniya-Upanishad: (1) breath control (pranayama), (2) sensory inhibition (pratyahara), (3) meditation (dhyana), (4) concentration (dharana), (5) examination (tarka), and (6) ecstasy (samadhi)." Reference: [1]

In the Katha Upanishad yoga surfaces as: "When the five instruments of knowledge stand still, together with the mind and when the intellect does not move, that is called the Supreme State. - III.10 This, the firm Control of the senses, is what is called yoga. One must then be vigilant; for yoga can be both beneficial and injurious. - III.11" "Having received this wisdom taught by the King of Death and the entire process of yoga, Nachiketa became free from impurities and death and attained Brahman. Thus it will be also with any other who knows, in this manner, the inmost Self. - III.18" Commentary "In the Kathopanishad there is a hint given to us as to how we can practice Yoga. There are one or two verses in the Kathopanishad which give the sum and substance of the practice of Yoga, which is also the same Yoga explained in greater detail in the system of Patanjali. The Kathopanishad says, in these verses, that the subtle essences of objects are superior to the sensory powers, they are higher in their degree and in quality. Higher than these essences of objects is the mind; higher than the mind is the intellect; higher than the intellect is the cosmic intellect called Mahat. It is also called Hiranyagarbha. Higher than that is the peaceful undifferentiated causal state called Avyakta. Higher than that is supreme Absolute, Purusha. The same Upanishad mentions the system of practice in another verse. The senses have to be rooted in the mind. The mind has to be centered in the intellect. The intellect has to be fixed in the Cosmic Intellect, and the Cosmic Intellect has to be united with the Peaceful Being. Sometimes this Peaceful Being, Shanta-Atman, is identified with the Isvara of the Vedanta. This is how we have to control the mind." Reference The Essence of The Aitareya and Taittiriya Upanishads by Swami Krishnananda The Divine Life Society Sivananda Ashram, Rishikesh, India [2] See also: , Classical (ca. 200 CE) Patanjali's Yoga Sutras After the Bhagavad Gita, the next seminal work on Yoga is the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The Yoga Sutras are a compilation of Yogic thought that is largely Raja Yogic in nature, it was codified some time between the 2nd century BC and the 3rd century by Patanjali, and prescribes adherence to "eight limbs" (the sum of which constitute "Ashtanga Yoga") to quiet one's mind and merge with the infinite. These eight limbs not only systematized conventional moral principles espoused by the Gita, but elucidated the practice of Raja Yoga in a more detailed manner. Indeed, his "eight-limbed" path has formed the foundation for Raja Yoga and much of Tantra Yoga (a Hindu deific, Shiva-Shakti yoga system) and Vajrayana Buddhism (Buddhist Tantra Yoga) that came after. It goes as follows: * Yama (moral codes) * Niyama (self-purification and study) * Asana (posture) * Pranayama (breath control) * Pratyahara (sense control) * Dharana (concentration) * Dhyana (contemplation) * Samadhi (veridical meditation)

Patanjali, whose own life is virtually unknown, had the impact of further spreading in compact form the essence of Raja Yoga. Some legends speak of his being Adinaga, the first snake, the lower half of his body being that of a snake, upon which the great Hindu God Vishnu reclines. Many say that he was the same Patanjali who wrote commentaries on Panini's singular masterwork on Sanskrit grammar. Others speak of the legends of his birth. A few even dispute his existence and attribute the Yoga Sutras to many authors, but this is highly unlikely due to the structural, linguistic and stylistic uniformity of the short work. His base is Hindu Samkhya philosophy and shows itself to have been highly influenced by the Upanishads. His Yoga Sutras espouse a threefold system for attainment of samadhi through tapas (austerities; discipline; literally "heat"), swadhyaya (self-study) and ishwar-pranidhana (contemplation of God). While Patanjali accepts the idea of what he terms "ishta-devata" (worship of deities as manifestations of the single Brahman), his overall "ishwar" is not a conventional God with personal form and speaks more to a universal, attributeless Brahman, an impersonal, unknowable, infinite force that is all and transcends all. Together, the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras form the theoretical and philosophical base of all yoga. However, as far as Raja Yoga (meditation yoga) goes, it is most precisely captured by Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. 450 - 850 CE The Yoga-bhasya, Veda Vyasa's commentary on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali could have been written as early as 450 CE. Professor J. H. Woods, places the date of the Yoga-bhasya between 650 CE to 850 CE. Trevor Leggett places the date closer to 600 CE based on a commentary to the Yoga-bhasya published in Sanskrit in 1952 in the Madras Government Oriental Series #94 by Polakam Sri Rama Sastri and S. R. Krishnamurti Sastri. Evidence strongly suggests that this sub-commentary was written by Sankara who lived about 700 CE. Vacaspati Mishra's Tattva Vaisharadi, a commentary on the Yoga-bhasya was written in ca. 850 CE. An authoritative translation of this work can be found in "The Yoga System of Patanjali" by Professor James Haughton Woods. Reference: "Sankara on the Yoga Sutras" Trevor Leggett, Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi, ISBN 81-208-1028-7 Reference: "The Yoga System of Patanjali" James Haughton Woods, Harvard Oriental Series, 1914, (out of print) ISBN 81-208-0577-1 (reprint: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers, Delhi)

This statue of a yogini goddess was created in Kaveripakkam in Tamil Nadu during the 10th century. There were 64 such yoginis worshiped in a cult later incorporated into Hinduism. 1350 - 1400 CE Hatha Yoga Pradipika In the West, outside of Hindu culture, "yoga" is usually understood to refer to "hatha yoga." Hatha Yoga is, however, a particular system propagated by Swami Swatamarama, a yogic sage of the 15th century in India. After the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras, the most fundamental text of Yoga is the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, written by Swami Swatamarama, that in great detail lists all the main asanas, pranayama, mudra and bandha that are familiar to today's yoga student. It runs in the line of Hindu yoga (to distinguish from Buddhist and Jain yoga) and is dedicated to Lord Adinath, a name for Lord Shiva (the Hindu god of destruction), who is alleged to have imparted the secret of Hatha Yoga to his divine consort Parvati. It is common for yogins and tantriks of several disciplines to dedicate their practices to a deity under the Hindu ishta-devata concept (see Patanjali's Yoga Sutras) while always striving to achieve beyond that: Brahman. Hindu philosophy in the Vedanta and Yoga streams, as the reader will remember, views only one thing as being ultimately real: Satchidananda Atman, the Existence-Consciousness-Blissful Self. Very Upanishadic in its notions, worship of Gods is a secondary means of focus on the higher being, a conduit to realization of the Divine Ground. Hatha Yoga follows in that vein and thus successfully transcends being particularly grounded in any one religion. Hatha is a Sanskrit word meaning 'sun' (ha) and 'moon' (tha), representing opposing energies: hot and cold, male and female, positive and negative, similar but not completely analogous to yin and yang. Hatha yoga attempts to balance mind and body via physical exercises, or "asanas", controlled breathing, and the calming of the mind through relaxation and meditation. Asanas teach poise, balance & strength and were originally (and still) practiced to improve the body's physical health and clear the mind in preparation for meditation in the pursuit of enlightenment. "Asana" means "immovable", i.e. static, and often confused with the dynamic 108 natya karanas described in Natya Shastra and, along with the elements of Bhakti Yoga, is embodied in the contemporary form of Bharatanatyam. By balancing two streams, often known as ida (mental) and pingala (bodily) currents, the sushumna nadi (current of the Self) is said to rise, opening various chakras (cosmic power points within the body, starting from the base of the spine and ending right above the head) until samadhi is attained. Ida and pingala are represented in the dynamism of natya yoga by lasya (female) and tandava (male) aspects, and bear direct reference to the Taoist dualism. By forging a powerful depth of concentration and mastery of the body and mind, Hatha Yoga practices seek to still the mental waters and allow for apprehension of oneself as that which one always was, Brahman. Hatha Yoga is essentially a manual for scientifically taking one's body through stages of control to a point at which one-pointed focus on the unmanifested Brahman is possible: it is said to take its practitioner to the peaks of Raja Yoga. In the West, hatha yoga has become wildly popular as a purely physical exercise regimen divorced of its original purpose, and thus, devoid of its original efficacy. Currently, it is estimated that about 30 million Americans practice hatha yoga. But in the Indian subcontinent the traditional practice is still to be found. The guru-shishya (teacher-student) relationship that exists without need for sanction from non-religious institutions, and which gave rise to all the great yogins who made way into international consciousness in the 20th century, has been maintained in Indian, Nepalese, and some Tibetan circles. In India, whose Hindu population combines to a staggering 800 million, Yoga is a daily part of life. It is common to see people performing Surya Namaskar (a yogic set of asanas and pranayam dedicated to Surya, the Hindu God of the Sun) in the morning or speaking about food diets and body therapy entirely based on Yoga or the Hindu healing system of Ayurveda. The age-old tradition of Yoga has continued uninterrupted by the its popularity in the west (although more established schools like the Bihar School of Yoga work from within India to produce Yoga texts to send abroad). In addition, hundreds and thousands sanyasins (renunciates) and sadhus (Hindu monks) wander in and out of city temples, village country sides and are to be found smattered all across the foothills of the Himalaya and the Vindhya Range of central India. For India's holy-men, Yoga is as fundamental as lifeblood. To see a man meditating at the steps of a temple, or even wondering contemplatively on the roadside, is not uncommon even to the more Westernized crowds. It is the same in Tibet, where the Buddhist establishment's lifestyle is permeated with the Yoga or yogic practices, which is ultimately not a once-a-day routine, but a constant immersion in self-discovery. See also: Modern growth of yoga in the West @

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Gentle Yoga Restores A Stressed-out Body

2006-01-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

By JEANNINE STEIN & LOS ANGELES TIMES Published on 1/8/2006

Among the many forms of yoga, one often gets overlooked: restorative. This type emphasizes relaxation and a sense of well-being through gentle poses that help the body recover from stress. "YogaNap" by Kristen Rentz (Marlowe & Company, $15.95 ) offers a guide for achieving that calm.

The book offers copious restorative exercises, which are organized into groups for "ultimate relaxation," boosting the immune system, curing insomnia, relaxing at work and others. The simple floating body rest, for example, is done with blankets supporting the knees, back and neck, and encourages deep physical and mental relaxation. The more challenging lifted camel pose uses a table and blankets to support the back in a modified back bend. Each pose is described in detail and accompanied by hand-drawn illustrations by Kajiah Jacobs. Many incorporate simple props such as blocks, blankets and straps.

Restorative poses were a way for "YogaNap" author Rentz to cope with the stress of law school. Now a Los Angeles entertainment lawyer and yoga instructor, Rentz says such poses are important for maintaining balance.

"People want to take care of themselves, but they're not sure of the best way to do that," she says. "We're moving fast at work and moving fast at home, and it's hard to shift gears and go in the opposite direction. But doing this I feel more energized and awake."

New Study Finds Yoga May Heal Chronic Back Pain

2006-01-08T14:00:00.000-05:00

New Study Finds Yoga May Heal Chronic Back Pain

Dr. Mallika Marshall

(CBS4) BOSTON Yoga has been around for centuries, but modern medicine continues to learn more benefits from the exercise. A new study finds it may be able to do wonders for a sore back.

Anne Marie Salmeri likes to stay active. She's been an avid runner for years, but had to quit because of constant back pain.

Pain relievers only masked the problem, so Salmeri turned to yoga.

After just two months of doing the stretching and strengthening poses, Salmeri says her back pain is much better and she's jogging once again.

Millions of Americans suffer lower back pain and many may be hesitant to believe yoga can help. But a study in the annals of internal medicine says the ancient exercise can be effective. And physicians are becoming believers.

Dr. Joseph Herrera, of Mt. Sinai Medical Center, has started prescribing yoga for some of his back pain patients.

"Not only are you addressing the physical component of low back pain, you're also addressing the psychological component," said Herrera.

The psychological component involves breathing and meditation. And it's not just for back pain.

Studies have shown yoga can improve symptoms involved with asthma, arthritis and even diseases like AIDS and cancer.

How?

Some believe the practice settles the mind and body.

Similar relaxers like massage, acupuncture and even prayer have been shown to improve health. But instructor April Puchiata believes yoga offers another benefit.

"It strengthens the muscles … you do a lot of abdominal strengthening, which helps back pain," said Puchiata. "It strengthens the back muscles."

Whatever it is, Salmeri is happy with the results and plans to stick with yoga on a regular basis.

http://cbs4boston.com/seenon/local_story_362155152.html

YOGA contest

2006-01-08T10:30:00.000-05:00

YOGA contest Hindu - Chennai,India PONDICHERRY: The Thirteenth International Yoga Festival conducted by the Department of Tourism, which began on Wednesday, was marked by brisk participation by ... <http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/07/stories/2006010707470300.htm>

SENA comes out in support of Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai,India MUMBAI: Extending support to Yoga Guru Swami Ramdev, Shiv Sena on Saturday came down heavily on the CPI-M, accusing it of raking up the medicine issue in the ... <http://dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1006133>

WB minister stands up for yoga guru Newindpress - Chennai,India KOLKATA: Subash Chakraborty, senior CPM leader and minister in the Buddhadeb Government has stood up for yoga guru Swami Ramdev against his own party's ... <http://www.newindpress.com/NewsItems.asp?ID=IEH20060107120908&Page=H&Title=Top+Stories&Topic=0>

UMA Bharti slams Left charges on Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev Webindia123 - India Bharti, who was expelled from the BJP for indiscipline last month, slammed the Communists, saying that Ramdev had popularised Indian medicines and yoga abroad. ... <http://news.webindia123.com/news/showdetails.asp?id=212849&cat=India>

INDIAN yoga guru accused of using human bones in medicines Haveeru Daily - Male',Maldives NEW DELHI, India, Jan 4 (AFP) - A popular Indian yoga guru whose classes attract hundreds of thousands of morning television viewers has been accused of using ... <http://www.haveeru.com.mv/?page=engdetails&id=6537>

Sanskrit Yoga Sutra translated

2006-01-07T15:44:00.000-05:00

2006/1/7 Carmen Russell The China Post

As people around the world are becoming more health-conscious, yoga centers have been gaining popularity as a way to keep fit and healthy. According to Jini , however, physical health is only half the story.

"When most people think of yoga, they think of stretching," Chen says. "They think that is yoga, but it is really only a small part. People don't know the philosophy behind it."

Rather, yoga, she explains, is an entire way of living, a lifestyle intended to bring one to a state of peace.

Chen might know a little about it. Never mind yoga has been a significant part of her life for the last 23 years, never mind she has spent years studying with masters of the art, and never mind she has frequented India for research. The essence of yoga, she says, is in the Yoga Sutra, which Chen has translated into Chinese for the first time in known history.

The Yoga Sutra is actually a collection of sutras that were written 2,500 years ago in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit. While the philosophy of Raja Yoga may have been around for more than 5,000 years, the 196 sutras as penned by Patanjali Maharishi is seen as its principle text.

While Chen didn't master the Sanskrit language for the job, she translated the late Yogi Sri Swami Satchidana's interpretation, with whom she studied in the U.S. Satchidana, a guru of the art painstakingly interpreted the sutras from Sanksrit into English and added his own commentary to the new version. As the sutras themselves are merely a few words each, the commentary, Chen says, is essential to understanding them.

"The interpretations are very important."

Chen came to yoga, or rather yoga came to Chen, in a conspicuous way. Noting that many people start practicing as a result wanting to overcome sickness, lose weight or "have a nice figure," Chen's introduction came from a chance meeting with a local teacher was looking for an interpreter for visiting masters.

"I really think that meeting was arranged by God," she says. Initially she just worked the job and didn't join in, but eventually she had to try it. "The way of thinking just pulled me in."

That sparked a lifelong search for Samadi, the yoga equivalent of nirvana. Chen started to devour everything she could about yoga and ventured to India, started writing on the subject and sought yogis to study under.

Eventually, she came across Satchidana at the Light on Truth Universal Shrine in Virginia in the U.S. Early on, in front of a group of others, Satchidana, referring to Chen, announced "Molike is going to translate the Yoga Sutra into Chinese." It was news to her.

"As soon as he said it, I felt a great responsibility and I knew that I had to do it," Chen says now. At the time, she merely answered "I would be honored."

Naturally, it wasn't easy. Chen who is fluent in English and even speaks some Hindi labored over the text for three years, despite the fact it wasn't exceptionally large. She reasoned that she had to do it right to do it justice and ensure it kept its meaning intact.

"If there was something I didn't understand, I went to India," she says. She made five trips for the book, each time visiting a master to help fully understand different passages. "I didn't want to make any mistake in the meaning because then people would make mistakes in their thinking."

Describing the book, she relates how it is a lifelong journey towards Samadi separated into four parts. The first part, Samdhi Pada, introduces Samadi which Chen describes as "the most quiet state of your mind where you don't feel your body anymore." Next comes Saphana Pada, which details the "eight limbs" - the steps one takes to get to Samadi. Vibhuti Pada discusses the challenges following completion of the practice and Kaivaiya Pada discusses the final goal of yoga: liberation from worldly inclinations.

In addition to translating the original sutras and Satchidana's interpretations, Chen included commentaries of her own.

"I want people here to understand what yoga really is," she says. She makes circle with her hands to explain. "Inside the circle there is space, but it is limited. Outside the circle there just space, too, but it is infinite."

Yoga helps you break out of the physical world into the infinite, she says.

"The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" launches this weekend. Chen herself will be available at a launch party Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Howard International House Taipei (No. 30, Xinsheng Road, Sec. 3)

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/art/detail.asp?ID=74944&GRP=h

A nice view from the look out

2005-12-19T23:28:00.000-05:00

A nice view from the look out
Originally uploaded by canadianguy78.

0503290137

2005-12-19T23:26:00.000-05:00

0503290137
Originally uploaded by MiRea.

0504090006

2005-12-19T23:25:00.003-05:00

0504090006
Originally uploaded by MiRea.

0505210110

2005-12-19T23:25:00.002-05:00

0505210110
Originally uploaded by MiRea.

0507080057

2005-12-19T23:25:00.001-05:00

0507080057
Originally uploaded by MiRea.

0510040071

2005-12-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

0510040071
Originally uploaded by MiRea.

31-Local Youth2

2005-11-08T14:06:00.000-05:00

31-Local Youth2
Originally uploaded by yakidunietz.

25-View from Room4

2005-11-08T14:05:00.001-05:00

25-View from Room4
Originally uploaded by yakidunietz.

30-Local Youth1

2005-11-08T14:05:00.000-05:00

30-Local Youth1
Originally uploaded by yakidunietz.

10-Rishikesh Aarti1

2005-11-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

10-Rishikesh Aarti1
Originally uploaded by yakidunietz.

13-Rishikesh Aarti3

2005-11-08T14:02:00.000-05:00

13-Rishikesh Aarti3
Originally uploaded by yakidunietz.

on the banks of Ganga.....Rishikesh

2005-10-31T09:11:00.000-05:00

on the banks of Ganga.....Rishikesh
Originally uploaded by Sanzen.

on the banks of Ganga....Rishikesh

2005-10-31T09:10:00.000-05:00

on the banks of Ganga....Rishikesh
Originally uploaded by Sanzen.

Trail from Picaso2

2005-10-22T20:26:00.000-04:00

Strong Himalayan quake could affect rivers: Study

2005-10-16T23:03:00.000-04:00

Can high intensity geotectonic movements like the devastating earthquake in the Himalayan range that occurred recently in Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan affect the course of rivers like the Ganges and the Indus?
The possibility cannot be ruled out, according to a senior scientist with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) who has been tracking the course of the Vedic age river Saraswati which, according to him, disappeared over 5,000 years ago due to a major geotectonic activity.
The scientist PS Thakker had recently presented a paper describing the geotectonic effect that led to the disappearance of the river Saraswati at the Madhya Pradesh Council of Science and Technology and also at the Marine Archeology Seminar at Goa early this month.
His major work relates to tracking the palaeo course (ancient course) of river Saraswati and its tributaries using satellite imagery.
He says any major tectonic activity such as earthquake or volcanic eruptions can affect the course of rivers -- especially if they occur nearby.
"River Saraswati, which was considered to be the holiest and mightiest river, had totally disappeared precisely because of this reason," he said.
However, it does not mean that every tectonic activity should necessarily affect the course of the rivers, he added.
In Gujarat, the formation of the Gulf of Cambay (Khambat) and Gulf of Kutch is attributed to geotectonic activity. Thousands of years ago, the sea level in this region was very low but geotectonic activity altered the landmass resulting in the formation of the Gulf in these two regions, he added.
He said during the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat which had its epicentre near Bhuj, a channel appeared in the Great Rann of Kutch which was nearly 100 kms long and 200 metres wide.
The most interesting feature of this channel was that different water samples taken from it showed the age of the water ranging from 12,000 years to 89,000 years old. The age of the water samples were determined by using the scientific method of Radon dating, he added.
Thakker, in his work of tracking the palaeo course of Saraswati, has studied using satellite imageries and described how this river used to come up from Kapalthirth in the Himalayas in the west of Kailash passing through Mansarovar and Raksastal in Tibet, Manapas in Uttaranchal, Rishikesh and Haridwar, Delhi, Jodhpur in Rajasthan and finally the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat where it used to join the Arabian sea.
The interesting part of the satellite imagery is that one can identify the existence of river which has totally dried up. One can also know the course of the river and its tributaries and also whether it has shifted its course. The parts in the satellite imageries where rivers existed appear as dense region having different colourations.

TRIAL sucessfull

2005-10-16T22:17:00.000-04:00

THE TRIAL was successful.

The trial was successful, thanks.

Technorati

2005-10-08T11:09:00.000-04:00

Technorati Profile

Ottawa, Police and Peace Officers Memorial

2005-10-08T10:49:00.000-04:00

PICT4835
Originally uploaded by Sanjay TEWARI.

This was on 25th Sept., 2005.

Flickr

2005-10-08T10:13:00.000-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

2005-09-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

Limerlost

2005-09-28T21:25:00.000-04:00

Bridge to US from Hill Island

2005-09-28T21:23:00.000-04:00

White tail deer-St. Lawrence Island National Park

2005-09-28T21:21:00.000-04:00

White tail deer-St. Lawrence Island National Park