Desh Videsh Magazine 15 Women Who Shaped the Indian Constitution April 2021

Desh-Videsh APRIL 2021 - VOLUME 28, ISSUE 04 Women’s History Month: 15 Women Who Shaped the Indian Constitution

Contents 16

Cover L ast month, t he world celebrat ed

Women’s History Month by recognizing remarkable women across all fields. In India’s own history, there are 15 women who are seldom discussed, despite being the most progressive, powerful thought leaders of their time. Without the contribution of these Indian women, the Indian constitution may not have been inclusive and would have looked much different.

Bangladesh at 50: A Nation Created in Violence and Still Bearing Scars of a Troubled Birth

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March 26 marks 50 years since the start of B a n g l a d e s h’s l i b e rat i o n wa r, a b l o o dy n i n e month campaign that culminated in the nation’s independence on December 16, 1971.

Historic Dandi March

Historic Dandi March

By Raj Shah

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A 61 year old man, 91 years ago, walked 241 miles in 25 days, which included three rest days, at a pace of nearly 11 miles per day. That man is not other than our own Mahatma Gandhi ji and that walk was called the Salt March.

How Kids Can Benefit from Mindfulness Training

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Now that 2021 is here, many are looking for new ways to manage stress. Although mindfulness and meditation are not new – there is evidence suggesting that humans have been practicing meditation for more than 5,000 years – many are turning to these techniques to improve overall well-being.

How You May Benefit from Another Government Stimulus Plan 42 For the second time in 10 months, the US Congress has approved a fiscal stimulus plan that is designed to provide a financial boost to a wide range of Americans in response to hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes individuals, businesses and other organizations.

Overcoming Anxiety with Knowledge of Your True Self

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The modern world can seem like a very stressful place, especially now with all the fear about disease, sickness, and death. There is seemingly so much to do on a daily basis, just to keep yourself and your family healthy, happy, and secure. Modern technologies meant to make life easier often over complicate our lives.

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Article

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Women’s History Month: 15 Women Who Shaped the Indian Constitution

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Bangladesh at 50: A Nation Created in Violence and Still Bearing Scars of a Troubled Birth 22 Historic Dandi March

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How Kids Can Benefit from Mindfulness Training

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How You May Benefit from Another Government Stimulus Plan 42 Overcoming Anxiety with Knowledge of Your True Self

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What is Sanatana Dharma According to You?

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Must Read Books

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Oscar Awards: Bollywood Shines Bright

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British Government Must Apologize for Jallianwala Baugh Massacre 62 Community News

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Bollywood Today

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Words to Live By: Women in Hindu Scriptures

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Desi TV Duniya

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Advertisers Index

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Edito r’s View Dear Readers, The March issue of Desh-Videsh was a wedding issue, so some important events from this month were not covered.

Allow us to cover those historic events in this issue. And as you know the month of March is an eventful one that includes the first day of spring, a celebration of women’s history, Holi, the anniversary of the Dandi Salt March among many others.

First, let’s discuss Women’s History Month. Every year, several organizations worldwide celebrate the month by remembering successful women and their accomplishments in various fields. But what about all those unknown women who made enormous contributions towards making this world a better place? In this issue, we remember 15 Indian women who spent their lives not only fighting for India’s independence, but also and equally important, in shaping the Indian Constitution. You may recognize some of the names such as Sarojini Naidu, Hansa Jivraj Mehta, and Sucheta Kriplani, but there are others worth remembering and honoring.

What better way to accomplish two things in one issue? This month’s “Words to Live By” article features lessons from Hindu Scriptures, but more importantly, also describes what those verses teach us about respecting women and womanhood.

This issue also features several articles about historic events that occured in March and April. The article “Historic Dandi March” recaptures the history of what 61-year-old Gandhiji was able to accomplish by walking 241 miles in 25 days. The article also documents what American journalist Webb Miller reported over international media about the British regime’s atrocities carried out against thousands of peaceful demonstrators. This article also includes Gandhiji’s speech that took place on the eve of the Dandi March. Throughout Gandhiji ‘s fight against British Raj, his message was very clear: non violence and utter faith in God. To reiterate this noble principles, he says in his speech: I have faith in the righteousness of our cause and the purity of our weapons. And where the means are clean, there God is undoubtedly present with His blessings. And where these three combine, their defeat is an impossibility.

Even though some of India’s Congress leaders including India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru did not agree with the reasons behind the Dandi March, Gandhiji had full confidence in his actions and vision. So at the end of the march, he confidently tells the world and specifically to the British Empire, “With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire.” And so he did.

Speaking of the atrocities of the British regime towards innocent people in India, let us not forget what happened at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. British General Dyer ordered open fire on over 10,000 men, women and children who were celebrating Baisakhi. The firing lasted for 15 minutes until all 1,650 rounds of bullets were fired killing more than 1,000 people and over 1,500 injured. At least 52 victims who died in the massacre were younger than 18 years old. To make matters worse, when General Dyer returned to Britain, he was given a hero’s welcome.

Now let me turn to atrocities created by a Pakistani military dictator with the help from none other than the US government. Last month, Bangladesh celebrated 50 years of independence. As the article “Bangladesh at 50” describes, it was a bloody and very violent struggle for Bangladeshis. As an Indian American living in this country for more than 50 years, I have seen the US government being on the wrong side of issues numerous times. And Bangladesh’s fight for their independence against Pakistan was no exception with the Nixon administration definitely on the wrong side.

The administration had close ties to Pakistani military dictator Yahya Khan. Henry Kinsinger, then Secretary of State, labeled Bangladesh a “basket case” when reporting to the Nixon administration and US congress. What an arrogantly filled discriminatory statement!

Now let me talk about an interesting and thought provoking article by Maria Wirth, a German writer who is more Hindu than many Hindus I know. Her article “What is Sanatana Dharma According to You?” was thought provoking and gave me the idea of inviting Hindus to answer this very interesting question.

Please submit your thoughts for a chance to have your views published in an upcoming issue of Desh-Videsh.

Let me close my column by wishing all of you a safe and healthy spring. And don’t forget about our upcoming MyShadi Bridal Expo on May 23 in Orlando!

Raj Shah Managing Editor

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Women’s History Month: 15 Women Who Shaped the Indian Constitution

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ast month, the world celebrated Women’s History Month by recognizing remarkable women across all fields. In India’s own history, there are 15 women who are seldom discussed, despite being the most progressive, powerful thought leaders of their time.

Without the contribution of these Indian women, the Indian constitution may not have been inclusive and would have looked much different.

With the 60th anniversary of India’s independence approaching, it is important to recognize the many individuals involved in creating and influencing the Indian Constitution. Out of the 392 members of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution, 15 were women, all enlightened leaders by their own right.

Durgabai Deshmukh Durgabai Deshmukh was the only woman on the Panel of Chairman in the Constituent Assembly.

She played a significant role in implementing several social welfare laws.

Begam Aizaz Rasul Begam Aizaz Rasul was the only Muslim woman to be a member of the Constituent Assembly, and she was a great enthusiast of secularism. It was her initiative that played a key role in making the Constitution secular.

Meet the 15 women who made a mark on India’s history, and in particular, played a role in drafting a constitution that was inclusive and liberating.

Sarojini Naidu Known as the ‘Nightingale of India’ for her poems, this freedom fighter and feminist was the advocate of voting rights for women in India.

The principle of Universal Adult Franchise was established mainly due to her ideas.

Hansa Jivraj Mehta A strong supporter of gender equality, Hansa Jivraj Mehta was a member of the Fundamental Rights Sub-committee, the Advisory Committee, and the Provincial Constitutional Committee. It was her initiative that changed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Article 1 from “All men are born free and equal” to “All human beings are born free and equal.”

Dakshayani Velayudhan The only Dalit woman in the Constituent Assembly, Dakshayani Velayudhan, from Cochin, was the youngest member at only 34. She raised many caste-based discrepancies and injustices during the assembly debates.

Without the contribution of these Indian women, the Indian constitution may not have been inclusive and would have looked much different.

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Ammu Swaminathan A woman belonging to the upper caste, Ammu Swaminathan was a freedom fighter elected from Madras Presidency. She strongly opposed the caste system and helped Ambedkar in many caste-based matters.

Kamla Chaudhary Kamla Chaudhary, from Lucknow, took an active part in the freedom movement.

A member of the Constituent Assembly from 1947 to 1952, she raised her voice against gender biases, the misery of widows and exploitation of peasants through her writings.

Malti Choudhary A firebrand freedom fighter, Malti Choudhary was an active worker for the welfare of the downtrodden. She became a member of the Constituent Assembly in 1948. She never hesitated to protest anything that she opposed.

Leela Roy The first woman member of the Constituent Assembly from Bengal, Leela Roy was an eminent social activist with strong feminist ideals.

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Purnima Banerjee Purnima Banerjee, from Uttar Pradesh, was an active participant in the freedom struggle and faced imprisonment several times.

Rajkumari Amrit Kaur Hailing from Punjab, Rajkumari Amrit Kaur was the founder of All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), Tuberculosis Association of India, and the Central Leprosy and Research Institute.

Renuka Roy A strong supporter of women’s rights including the right to parental property, Renuka Roy, from Bengal, incorporated women’s rights as a member of the Constituent Assembly.

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Sucheta Kriplani The first woman Chief Minister of India, Sucheta Kriplani contributed to the governing principles of Indian states as a member of the Constituent Assembly.

Vijay Lakshmi Pandit An eminent politician and diplomat, Vijay Lakshmi Pandit was the first woman to become the President of the United Nations General Assembly. She played an important role as a member of the Drafting Committee of the Indian Constitution.

Anne Mascarene A politician and freedom fighter from Travancore, Anne Mascarene played a significant role in the incorporation of Travancore into the Indian Union.

These 15 women were the stalwarts of shaping the Indian Constitution. These forward thinkers and leaders should be recognized for the role they played during India’s fight for independence.

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arch 26 marks 50 years since the start of Bangladesh’s liberation war, a bloody ninemonth campaign that culminated in the nation’s independence on December 16, 1971.

It was a violent birth, with some of its roots in the 1947 partition of India – when Pakistan was created as a separate nation.

As the British Empire left the subcontinent, an estimated 200,000 to 1.5 million people were killed in sectarian violence associated with the partition and 10 million to 15 million were forcibly displaced.

Newly independent Pakistan comprised two separate geographical areas separated by over a thousand miles of Indian terrain. While both regions included significant Muslim populations, West Pakistan was made up largely of Punjabi, Pashtuns, Sindhis, Baloch and other smaller ethnic groups. In contrast, the population of East Pakistan, which became modern-day Bangladesh, was predominantly ethnically Bengali, as the territory was formerly part of the Indian region of Bengal.

Deepening fault lines From early on, the issue of language was a difficult one. In 1948, the founding leader of Pakistan, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, emphasized that only Urdu, spoken by Muslims in the north and northwest in British India,

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should be the state language of the country. Bangla, spoken overwhelmingly by East Pakistanis, was considered by West Pakistani leadership as a “non-Muslim” language.

The Urdu-only policy aimed to create a single identity out of two culturally distinct regions united by a common religion – Islam. More broadly, it aimed to consolidate the national identity of the recently independent Pakistan.

In East Pakistan, the declaration was followed by the banning of Bengali books, songs and poetry by Bengali Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore. Bangla language as the medium of education and primary mode of instruction was also banned. All currency and official documents, including postal stamps and railway tickets, were printed in Urdu.

The language ban deepened tensions that had already emerged between West and East Pakistan. A major reason for this was significant economic disparities between the two regions. West Pakistan controlled the country’s industry and commerce while East Pakistan was predominantly the supplier for raw materials, setting up a situation of unequal exchange.

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In 1959-60 the per capita income in West Pakistan was 32% higher than in East Pakistan. By 1969-70, it was 81% higher in West Pakistan. Investment policies including in educational infrastructure consistently favored West Pakistan.

East Pakistanis had little access to the central government, which was located in the West Pakistani city of Islamabad. They were severely underrepresented in politics. West Pakistani political leadership did not see Bengalis as “real” Muslims. Both in political circles and socially, Bengali cultural practices were considered of a lower social status.

Mass uprising The efforts to “Islamize” East Pakistanis through Urdu and “purify” Bengali culture from “Hindu influences” resulted in massive nonviolent demonstrations and strikes.

was reluctant to accept the results because it did not want an East Pakistani political party heading the federal government. This resulted in the start of a civil disobedience movement in East Pakistan.

As the demand for Bengali autonomy grew, the Pakistani government launched Operation Searchlight,” a military operation to crush the emerging movement.

According to journalist Robert Payne, it killed at least 7,000 Bengali civilians – both Hindus and Muslims – in a single night.

On March 26, Bangladesh was declared independent and the liberation war began.

The violent birth of Bangladesh The liberation war was fought mostly by civilians – men and women, Muslims, Hindus and non-Bengali Indigenous people.

On February 21, 1952, Bangladesh’s students and other independence activists launched a struggle took place language movement in the broader called the “Bhasha context of the Cold A big turning point came the same Andolon,” which War, which meant demanded Bangla actors year when the sole majority political party external be recognized as the were involved in in East Pakistan, led by Bengali politician state language for East the conflict. During the Cold War, India Pakistan.

Thousands Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide allied with the of school and college victory in national elections.

Soviet Union, while students protested, the U.S. allied with defying Section 144 of Pakistan to counter Soviet influence in South Asia and the Criminal Procedural Code, which prohibited assembly to protect its geostrategic interests vis-a-vis Afghanistan of five or more people and holding of public meetings. and China.

The crackdown that followed claimed several lives. From 1950 to 1969 it also galvanized a growing movement for autonomy across East Pakistan. A mass uprising in 1969 was brutally put down by police and led to the imposition of martial law.

In 1970, a devastating cyclone called “Bhola” in East Pakistan claimed 300,000 to 500,000 lives. The indifferent response of the West Pakistan government further inflamed tensions.

A big turning point came the same year when the sole majority political party in East Pakistan, led by Bengali politician Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, won a landslide victory in national elections. The Pakistani leadership

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When the Pakistani military intensified its campaign to quell the independence movement, it did so with the knowledge and support of the Nixon administration. The Pakistani military and its local collaborators specifically targeted Hindus, who in the 1961 census represented 18% of East Pakistan’s population of 50 million.

An estimated 10 million Bengalis became refugees in India. A further 20 million were internally displaced.

An estimated 200,000 to 400,000 Bengali women were systematically raped.

Independent research estimates 500,000 to 1 million people were killed in the genocidal campaign. The

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Bangladesh government maintains that 3 million Bengalis were killed in the war.

On Dec. 3, India officially entered the war on the side of Bangladesh. Ten days later, in one of the last military operations, over 300 Bengali academics, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists and teachers – Hindus and Muslims alike – were massacred by Pakistani soldiers and their local collaborators.

On Dec. 16, 1971, the Pakistani military surrendered to the Indian Army, marking it as Bangladesh’s Victory Day.

On Dec. 3, India officially entered the war on the side of Bangladesh.

Ten days later, in one of the last military operations, over 300 Bengali academics, doctors, engineers, journalists, artists and teachers – Hindus and Muslims alike – were massacred

by Pakistani soldiers and their local collaborators.

Challenges today Soon after its independence, in a meeting between officials of the United States Agency for International Development and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, Bangladesh was labeled a “basket case.” Years of economic inequities, the 1970 cyclone and the war had left over 70% of its population living below the poverty line.

However, in the 50 years since its independence, Bangladesh has made some significant strides. It has aggressively tackled infant mortality, gender inequality and economic development. Today, with a booming economy, it is on track to graduate from the United Nations’ least developed country category.

Nevertheless, Bangladesh still faces enormous challenges. Violence against women and girls, corruption and lack of press freedoms remain serious concerns.

Founded on the principles of secularism, the country today faces a rise of Islamists.

The divide between those who participated in the independence struggle and those who collaborated with the Pakistani military continues to shape Bangladesh’s political landscape today.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

About the Author Tazreena Sajjad, Senior Professorial Lecturer, American University School of International Service, currently serves as Senior Professorial Lecturer in the Global Governance, Politics and Security Program in the School of International Service at American University in Washington D.C. Sajjad’s recent publications include “Refugees Welcome? The Politics of Repatriation” and “Return in a Global Era of Security: The Rohingyas in Bangladesh’ in Displacement: Global Conversations on Refuge.”

On Dec. 16, 1971, the Pakistani military surrendered to the Indian Army, marking it as Bangladesh’s Victory Day. 26

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Historic Dandi March

By Raj Shah

A

A 61 year old man, 91 years ago, walked 241 miles in 25 days, which included three rest days, at a pace of nearly 11 miles per day. That man is not other than our own Mahatma Gandhi ji and that walk was called the Salt March, also known as the Salt Satyagraha, Dandi March and the Dandi Satyagraha.

armed constables. He was arrested and held without trial near Poona.

Following Gandhi’s arrest and imprisonment, the nonviolent demonstration continued under the leadership of Sarojini Naidu, a woman poet and freedom fighter, who warned the satyagrahis, “You must not use any violence under any circumstances.

You will be beaten, but you must not resist: you must not even raise a hand to ward off blows.”

Last month we celebrated the 91st Gandhi ji began the Dandi March with 78 of his anniversary of trusted volunteers. Growing numbers of Indians that Historic Dandi March joined them along the way. When Gandhi broke that shook the British Raj salt laws at 6:30 am on April 6, 1930, entire British Raj. Gandhi it sparked large scale acts of civil disobedience ji began his against the salt laws by millions of Indians.

Dandi March on March 12, 1930, from Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad, Gujarat and Thousands of satyagrahis joined Sarojini Naidu. The arrived in Dandi, Gujarat, on April 5, 1930, and broke the British soldiers clubbed these satyagrahis with lathis. oppressive British Salt Law. United Press correspondent Webb Miller reported: Gandhi ji began the Dandi March with 78 of his trusted Not one of the marchers even raised an arm to fend volunteers. Growing numbers of Indians joined them off the blows. They went down like ten-pins. From along the way. When Gandhi broke British Raj salt laws at where I stood I heard the sickening whacks of the 6:30 am on April 6, 1930, it sparked large scale acts of civil clubs on unprotected skulls. The waiting crowd of disobedience against the salt laws by millions of Indians. watchers groaned and sucked in their breaths in On April 6, 1930 morning, after a prayer, Gandhi raised sympathetic pain at every blow. Those struck down a lump of salty mud and declared, “With this, I am shaking fell sprawling, unconscious or writhing in pain with the foundations of the British Empire.” Fifteen grams of fractured skulls or broken shoulders. In two or three salt were distilled from the fistfull of saline mud Bapu minutes the ground was quilted with bodies. Great picked at Dandi beach. This act to produce illegal salt was patches of blood widened on their white clothes. repeated by thousands and thousands of men and women The survivors without breaking ranks silently and all over India. This led to the arrest of an estimated 100,000 doggedly marched on until struck down ... Finally Indian men and women who participated for the first time the police became enraged by the non-resistance ... in mass public demonstrations. It shook the foundations They commenced savagely kicking the seated men of the great British empire. Every grain counted, so did in the abdomen and testicles. The injured men every step, every mile, every day on the march. writhed and squealed in agony, which seemed to After making the salt by evaporation at Dandi, Gandhi inflame the fury of the police ... The police then continued southward along the coast, making salt and began dragging the sitting men by the arms or feet, addressing meetings on the way. Around midnight on May sometimes for a hundred yards, and throwing them 4, 1930, as Gandhi was sleeping, the District Magistrate of into ditches.

Surat drove up with two Indian officers and thirty heavily

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On April 6, 1930 morning, after a prayer, Gandhi raised a lump of salty mud and declared, "With this, I am shaking the foundations of the British Empire." Fifteen grams of salt were distilled from the fistfull of saline mud Bapu picked at Dandi beach.

Miller’s reporting in international news media moved many around the world to sympathize with the Indian cause. Gandhi was finally released from prison and the Salt Satyagraha ended on March 4, 1931, with the signing of the Gandhi-Irwin pact and an invitation for Gandhi to attend Round Table talks in London to discuss the possibility of Indian independence.

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Gandhi ji's Speech on The Eve of the Historic Dandi March Editor's Note: On March 11, 1930, the eve of the historic Dandi March, more than 10,000 Gandhi followers were gathered at the evening prayer held at Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad. At the end, Gandhiji delivered a memorable speech on the eve of his historic march: In all probability this will be my last speech to you. Even if the Government allows me to march tomorrow morning, this will be my last speech on the sacred banks of the Sabarmati. Possibly these may be the last words of my life here.

I have already told you yesterday what I had to say. Today I shall confine myself to what you should do after my companions and I are arrested. The programme of the march to Jalalpur must be fulfilled as originally settled. The enlistment of the volunteers for this purpose should be confined to Gujarat only. From what I have been and heard during the last fortnight, I am inclined to believe that the stream of civil resisters will flow unbroken.

But let there be not a semblance of breach of peace even after all of us have been arrested. We have resolved to utilize all our resources in the pursuit of an exclusively nonviolent struggle. Let no one commit a wrong in anger. This is my hope and prayer. I wish these words of mine reached every nook and corner of the land. My task shall be done if I perish and so do my comrades. It will then be for the Working Committee of the Congress to show you the way and it will be up to you to follow its lead. So long as I have reached Jalalpur, let nothing be done in contravention to the authority vested in me by the Congress. But once I am arrested, the whole responsibility shifts to the Congress. No one who believes in non-violence, as a creed, needs, therefore, sit still. My compact with the Congress ends as soon as I am arrested. In that case volunteers.

Wherever possible, civil disobedience of salt should be started. These laws can be violated in three ways. It is an offence to manufacture salt wherever there are facilities for doing so. The possession and sale of contraband salt, which includes natural salt or salt earth, is also an offence. The purchasers of such salt will be equally guilty. To carry away the natural salt deposits on the seashore is likewise violation of law. So is the hawking of such salt. In short, you may choose any one or all of these devices to break the salt monopoly.

We are, however, not to be content with this alone. There is no ban by the Congress and wherever the local workers have self-confidence other suitable measures may be adopted. I stress only one condition, namely, let our pledge of truth and nonviolence as the only means for the attainment of Swaraj be faithfully kept. For the rest, everyone has a free hand. But, then does not give a license to all and sundry to carry on their own responsibility. Wherever there are local leaders, their orders should be obeyed by the people. Where there are no leaders and only a handful of men have faith in the programme, they may do what they can, if they have enough self-confidence. They have a right, nay it is their duty, to do so. The history of the is full of instances of men who rose to leadership, by sheer force of self-confidence, bravery and tenacity. We too, if we sincerely aspire to Swaraj and are impatient to attain it, should have similar self-confidence. Our ranks will swell and our hearts strengthen, as the number of our arrests by the Government increases.

Much can be done in many other ways besides these. The Liquor and foreign cloth shops can be picketed. We can refuse to pay taxes if we have the requisite strength. The lawyers can give up practice. The public can boycott the law courts by refraining from litigation. Government servants can resign their posts. In the midst of the despair reigning all round people quake with fear of losing employment. Such men are unfit for Swaraj. But why this despair? The number of Government servants in the country does not exceed a few hundred thousands. What about the rest? Where are they to go? Even free India will not be able to accommodate a greater number of public servants. A Collector then will not need the number of servants, he has got today. He will be his own servant. Our starving millions can by no means afford this enormous expenditure. If, therefore, we are sensible enough, let us bid good-bye to Government employment, no matter if it is the post of a judge or a peon. Let all who are cooperating with the Government in one way or another, be it by paying taxes, keeping titles, or sending children to official schools, etc. withdraw their co-operation in all or as many watts as possible.

Then there are women who can stand shoulder to shoulder with men in this struggle.

You may take it as my will. It was the message that I desired to impart to you before starting on the march or for the jail. I wish that there should be no suspension or abandonment of the war that commences tomorrow morning or earlier, if I am arrested before that time. I shall eagerly await the news that ten batches are ready as soon as my batch is arrested.

I believe there are men in India to complete the work begun by me. I have faith in the righteousness of our cause and the purity of our weapons. And where the means are clean, there God is undoubtedly present with His blessings. And where these three combine, their defeat is an impossibility. A Satyagrahi, whether free or incarcerated, is ever victorious. He is vanquished only, when he forsakes truth and nonviolence and turns a deaf ear to the inner voice. If, therefore, there is such a thing as defeat for even a Satyagrahi, he alone is the cause of it. God bless you all and keep off all obstacles from the path in the struggle that begins tomorrow.

Source: Selected works of Mahatma Gandhi Volume Six

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How Kids Can Benefit from Mindfulness Training

By Hiliary A. Marusak, Assistant Professor Wayne State University

Now that 2021 is here, many are looking for new ways to manage stress. Although mindfulness and meditation are not new – there is evidence suggesting that humans have been practicing meditation for more than 5,000 years – many are turning to these techniques to improve overall well-being. Mindfulness is a technique that involves paying attention to what’s happening now in the present moment, in an accepting, nonjudgmental manner.

There are mindfulness apps for managing stress, anxiety, chronic pain, weight loss, better sleep and quitting smoking.

Mindfulness and meditation are also a part of mind-body activities and exercises such as martial arts, breathing exercises and yoga, and are integrated into evidencebased clinical treatments for chronic pain, anxiety and depression. And for good reason. Researchers have found that practicing mindfulness and meditation can improve your immune system, lower blood pressure and even change brain structure and function.

Some mindfulness practices have you simply notice your thoughts, feelings and sensations, like focusing on your breath. You can try this now – your attention might go to the tip of your nose or the sensation of your chest rising and falling.

Mindfulness and meditation are also a part of mind-body activities and exercises such as martial arts, breathing exercises and yoga, and are integrated into evidence-based clinical treatments for chronic pain, anxiety and depression.

Almost all of the research has been done in adults, but recent studies suggest that mindfulness and meditation can also be beneficial for children and teens. As a developmental neuroscientist, I have been interested in studying how mindfulness affects the brain in children and teens because the brain is still developing.

I believe that mindfulness and meditation may be especially beneficial for children and teens because these skills may strengthen brain circuits that control the ability to focus and concentrate and to regulate emotions, which are maturing during this time. Establishing these habits early in life may also set the stage for good habits later in life.

What is mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a mental capacity that differs among individuals, which means that some people are more naturally mindful that others. Mindfulness can also

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be strengthened through practice, and many types of mindfulness training programs have sprouted in recent years. Techniques that include mindfulness are often a part of established clinical treatments for a variety of health problems, including depression, chronic pain and addiction.

You are not being mindful when you are lost in thought or when your mind is wandering. The tendency for your mind to wander, or to lose focus on the present moment, appears to be a “default mode” of brain functioning and can be beneficial.

If used correctly, mindwandering can spark creativity and help you understand what others are thinking.

However, mindwandering can go awry, and this can be bad for your health. Some types of mind-wandering – like excessive worry, focus on negative things or ruminating on the past – are linked to mental disorders, including anxiety, depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. One research study used a phone app to ping over 2,000 people throughout the day and found that their mind was wandering almost half of the time and also that people were less happy when their minds were wandering than when they were not. So techniques that can help you stay focused on the present moment, like mindfulness, may actually make you happier.

Mindfulness can also help reduce distraction. Kids, just like adults, can become distracted. This can interfere with their ability to do schoolwork, to manage relationships with friends or family, or to effectively regulate their emotions. This is an even bigger problem in today’s fastpaced world with distractions all around. It may be even harder to stay focused while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Effects of mindfulness on the developing brain Research on the potential benefits of mindfulness and meditation has exploded over the past several decades.

In the 1970s there were only a handful of studies each year, and now, on average, more than seven studies are published every day.

Thanks in part to advances in brain imaging, neuroscientists have begun to understand how mindfulness and meditation can affect the brain.

My research team and I wanted to better understand mindfulness in kids. We conducted a study to examine how mindfulness relates to brain connectivity in children and adolescents by scanning the brains of 42 7- to 17-year-olds using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We also measured their degree of “trait mindfulness,” which measures how naturally mindful they are.

More mindful children are better able to act with awareness and to observe and accept their internal experiences without judging them. We found that more mindful youth reported lower anxiety levels, and that their brains more frequently transitioned between different connectivity states throughout the scan.

This means that the more mindful children in the study were more able to flexibly shift in and out of different brain states throughout the course of the scan. Also, the more flexible their brains were, the less anxiety they reported.

These brain states were associated with different patterns of connectivity between brain networks involved in mind wandering, attention and emotion processing.

More brain flexibility may help explain some of the positive reported benefits of mindfulness training in children and adolescents. Research shows that mindfulness is linked to lower stress and anxiety, and improvements in self-control, attention, resilience and better academic performance in youth. Mindfulness-based therapies have also shown to be effective for treating common childhood disorders like anxiety, which affects around one in three, and ADHD, which affects about one in 10 children and teens. We have recently shown that a martial arts-based therapy that integrates mindfulness and meditation techniques can help children with cancer and other chronic conditions cope with pain and emotional distress.

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Mindfulness goes to school Many schools have adopted mindfulness programs as a way to help students better recognize their thoughts and emotions and to better understand how these thoughts and emotions influence their actions. Schools that have implemented mindfulness programs frequently report better cognitive performance, lower stress, improved classroom behavior, better social skills and even better math grades among their students. Mindfulness may also help students cope with the negative effects of bullying.

Mindfulness-based schools programs can improve student mental health while improving overall academic performance.

This new year, give mindfulness a shot – even if it’s just once. One study found that a brief 30-minute introduction to mindfulness was able to lower pain and negative emotions in a group of 17 people who had never tried meditation before. There are also simple mindfulness exercises for adults and kids of all ages that you can try at home.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

About the Author Dr. Marusak is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University (WSU) School of Medicine in Detroit Michigan. Dr. Marusak received her PhD in Translational Neuroscience from WSU and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Dr. Christine Rabinak’s Translational Neuropsychopharmacology lab in the WSU Department of Pharmacy Practice. Dr. Marusak directs the WSU THINK Lab, which focuses on pediatric anxiety, understanding the impact of childhood trauma/ adversity on neural development, and using that knowledge to improve interventions that can enhance mental health in pediatric populations. Dr. Marusak received postdoctoral fellowships from the National Institute of Mental Health and the American Cancer Society, and is currently funded by a K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award from the National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Marusak is also a Science Advisor for the nonprofit organization Kids Kicking Cancer, and is a Scientific Member of the Karmanos Cancer Institute.

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How You May Benefit from Another Government Stimulus Plan - By Supal Vora, Private Wealth Advisor

F

or the second time in 10 months, the US Congress has approved a fiscal stimulus plan that is designed to provide a financial boost to a wide range of Americans in response to hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes individuals, businesses and other organizations. The legislation was part of a comprehensive package that passed both the House and Senate on December 21, 2020 and was signed into law on December 27.

While the $900 billion+ package is structured somewhat similarly to a stimulus program put forward in March 2020, the level of benefits are generally reduced from that time. Nevertheless, it does offer some help for those struggling due to the economic fallout from the continuation of the pandemic. Here are five key areas of support included in the plan:

Direct payments of up

1 to $600 per person

Economic impact payments of $600 will be made for individuals earning up to $75,000 per year based on

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adjusted gross income (AGI) in 2019. Married couples with AGI of up to $150,000 will receive $1,200. In addition, a $600 payment is provided for each dependent child. Payments phase out for those with higher incomes. Single taxpayers with a 2019 AGI of $87,000+ or married couples with a 2019 AGI of $174,000+ are not eligible for any payments under this plan. If the IRS has direct deposit information for one of your bank accounts, you will receive the money that way. Others will receive a physical check in the mail.

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Added unemployment benefits

With millions of Americans still unemployed, Congress has approved a modest expansion of benefits by up to $300 per week. This added benefit is scheduled to run until mid-March 2021. Provisions also extend the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program that offers benefits to those in non-traditional employment such as gig workers and the self-employed.

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assistance 3 Rental The legislation addresses what has been touted as a potential avalanche of evictions of renters. It extends until January 31, 2021 a moratorium on evictions that was slated to expire at the end of 2020. It is possible that the federal government will extend the deadline beyond that date. Included in the bill is $25 billion in emergency assistance to renters to help cover their rental costs.

These funds can be used to pay past due and future rent payments as well as utility bills. It is not clear exactly how that money will be distributed.

assistance 4 Childcare Additional funding is provided to give states the flexibility to provide child care assistance to families.

The bill also includes funding (managed by each state) for direct financial support to childcare providers to help cover their operating expenses.

More financial backing for

5 business owners

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provides forgivable loans to eligible businesses, is included in this package. $284 billion of funding is earmarked for first and second PPP loans. While small businesses are a primary target, the funds are also available to non-profit organizations, churches and faith-based organizations.

An additional $15 billion was set aside to support live

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performance venues, independent movie theaters and cultural institutions.

Also included under the business-related provisions is a clarification on tax treatment of expenses covered by PPP loans. Businesses that received loans and had them forgiven are still allowed to deduct the costs covered by those loans on their federal tax returns.An additional provision in the measure reinstates a full tax deduction for corporate meal expenses. This had been limited to a 50 percent deduction under previous law.

This is a time when you want to be sure to balance decisions that address your short-term financial obstacles with your long-term financial plan. Touch base with your financial advisor to discuss your situation and best strategies to cope with this challenging time.

Investment advisory products and services are made available through Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser. Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. Member FINRA and SIPC. © 2021 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author Supal Vora, AAMS®, APMA® CRPC®is a Private Wealth Advisor Chief Executive Officer with Pahal, Vora and Associates a private wealth advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, LLC. He specializes in fee-based financial planning and asset management strategies and has been in practice for 18 years. Visit www.pahalvoraandassociates. com or call (904) 571-1495.

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T

he modern world can seem like a very stressful place, especially now with all the fear about disease, sickness, and death. There is seemingly so much to do on a daily basis, just to keep yourself and your family healthy, happy, and secure. Modern technologies meant to make life easier often over complicate our lives. Each time you get a new gadget— smartphone, tablet, notebook, etc.—there is a learning curve to get it going and to maintain it. When you watch the news, there are disturbing stories that create additional fears and worries in your nervous system.

The news media fails to report the many people in the world that are safe and sound, neither victims of crime, illness, nor natural disaster. Rather mass media focuses its attention mainly on tragedies. Politicians

harp on the potential horrors if their opposition prevails and boast all the great and wonderful things to come, if you give them your vote. However, these future projections are often not founded on the facts or their ability to provide them.

By meditating on this awareness of Pure Consciousness, the Knower, the mind settles and you come to know this stillness and remain peaceful.

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All of these situations create anxiety as the mind becomes filled with the fears of present or future suffering. Even everyday communications with co-workers, family, and friends can turn unpleasant and stressful causing your mind to needlessly ruminate—endlessly replaying an interaction—even though it’s over and cannot be undone. Even though the names that someone calls you cannot break your bones, you still suffer needlessly when someone insults you.

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It is very common to experience anxiety when you wake up in the morning with disturbing thoughts.

Before you get out of bed, you can begin to repeat a mantra—as it breaks the habit of the ruminating thoughts.

It’s like if you step on a thorn, you need a strong shoe to stop the prick.

The mantra is like your protective shoe. You can keep dwelling on this positive thought and taking deep breaths until the anxious, disturbing thoughts pass. I repeat a maram hum, madhuram hum [ahmah-rahm hum mahdhoo-rahm hum], a Sanskrit mantra that means: I am immortal, I am blissful. Or you can repeat an English mantra: I am pure, free, and forever, or any mantra that uplifts you.

It may seem like you are repeating something you do not fully believe or understand, but that doesn’t matter. The point is to free your mind from the cycle of negative thoughts.

These thoughts keep occurring even without your invitation or desire.

Repetition of a mantra replaces them with more constructive and opposing thoughts.

Just continue repeating the mantra, whether you feel it’s working or not. By repeating a mantra unhelpful thoughts are no longer entertained and given attention and eventually they disappear and the helpful thought prevails. You don’t need to change anything else in your life, just start meditating and repeating mantra and your life will change.

though you don’t want to think a certain thought, your mind decides to keep thinking it. You cannot always control the mind but you can focus on the one who is watching or knowing the mind. The Knower is not affected by the mind. You are that Knower. Once you become conscious or aware of the thought, by knowing that you are the Knower of the thought, you have the ability to change your thoughts so you are not confined to nor limited by the

mind is not active, you are fine, even if you were troubled or pained in the waking state. Problematic thought patterns only seem to occur when the mind is active and you become their victim instead of remaining the knower of the thoughts. When you are the Knower you can watch the mind and watch the one who is watching the mind. Then, you are not affected by whatever thoughts are there—as if these thoughts were happening in someone else’s mind— you are uninvolved.

Problematic thoughts have power over you when you identify with them and believe them. You have the strength, by knowing the Knower, not to believe these thoughts.

Thoughts keep changing, arising without your invitation, and then staying for some time before leaving. You, the Pure Space, never changes. Just as air can be a refreshing breeze or a hurricane force gale, it still exists as air, throughout, the same element in both manifestations.

Whether your consciousness is still and calm or moves and becomes thought waves, it hasn’t changed from being consciousness. When you, the Knower, tune-in to this Pure Consciousness, that is the same whether moving or unmoving, you know that this Knower is who you truly are. Established as

Each time you get a new gadget— smartphone, tablet, notebook, etc.— there is a learning curve to get it going and to maintain it. When you watch the news, there are disturbing stories that create additional fears and worries in your nervous system.

It is notable that the mind works without your conscious control. Even

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mind’s thought patterns.

When you focus on the Knower then you realize that your true nature and core essence is pure, free, and forever. In deep sleep, when the

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the Knower you can be free from destructive thinking!

By meditating on this awareness of Pure Consciousness, the Knower, the mind settles and you come to know this stillness and remain peaceful.

That, which persists throughout and remains when all the thoughts have dissolved into space, is You, Self, Pure Being—free, and forever.

About the Author Sherrie Wade, M.A., (Shree) Director of Transformation Meditation Online Institute has come to realize that the peaceful meditative state is our true nature.

She has spent over 16 years training meditation teachers with her home-study courses. She speaks and writes with clarity and wisdom as to how one can unfold this awareness and transform one’s life. She is a certified meditation instructor, Himalayas, India, where she has spent over twenty years in self-inquiry and study. For more information, please visit her website: www.transformationmeditation.com

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What is Sanatana Dharma According to You?

By Maria Wirth

S

omeone asked me this question recently.

Sanatana Dharma is so vast; it has so many aspects.

How to put it briefly? Let me try:

Sanatana means eternal and Dharm is difficult to translate. It means: to do what is right in a given situation, to do one’s duty.

How to know what is right? Our conscience tells us in most cases what is right. The human being is equipped with a moral barometer which gives the right direction. Only in some cases, there may be a genuine doubt. In those cases, texts like the Bhagavad Gita, the Ramayana or Dharma Shastras can prove helpful, or the advice of a trusted guru.

But, is the main thing in life to be an honest, upright, compassionate human being?

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It is probably the most important part, because only on this basis, the other important aspect of Sanatana Dharm can be understood. Being honest and following one’s conscience makes one susceptible to finer layers of awareness, and such refinement is needed to understand the truth.

And the truth about us and the universe is the other very important aspect of Sanatana Dharma. The Vedas, Upanishads and innumerable other ancient texts contain wisdom which a human being cannot easily discover.

This wisdom was “seen” by the Rishis and has never been proven wrong.

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The main point of this wisdom is: you are not what you think you are, but you are one with everything.

In other words: You are not a small person in a big world but your Essence is the one blissful Awareness which is the basis of the universe and beyond – SatChitAnanda. Or again in other words: your person is like a wave on the infinite ocean. In essence the wave is nothing but the ocean.

of those unbelievers e it h e r by p u s h i n g conversion or even by killing to please their God/ Allah.

The Vedas, Upanishads and innumerable other ancient texts contain wisdom which a human being cannot easily discover.

This wisdom was “seen” by the Rishis and has never been proven wrong.

From this claim (that we are not a small person in a big world) follows naturally that the goal of life is to realize this Oneness, to “know” it as clearly as true as one now knows that one is a human being and not a dog.

Plenty of tips are given how to discover this Oneness.

Probably the best guide is the Bhagavad Gita, which explains in detail Jnana Yoga, Bhakti Yoga and Karma Yoga. Jnana means to approach unity (Yog) by reflecting deeply on the truth, Bhakti by devotion and surrender to that great Intelligence and its divine forms, and Karma by dedicating one’s actions and leaving their result to that great Intelligence.

There are many more helpful means, like poojas, mantras, meditation, pranayama, yog asanas, temple visits, vegetarianism, etc.

It follows that Sanatana Dharma fosters good humans who are aware that SatChitAnanda is within them and in all others, including in animals and nature. It gives them inner strength, and it makes them kind to other living beings and respectful to nature. It’s the ideal basis for society.

Now in comparison, Christianity and Islam, both of which claim to be the only true religion, do not foster universal goodness in humans, and also do not have the wisdom about the Oneness of all.

Both religions demand that the doctrine of their religion must overrule one’s innate knowledge of good and bad. The most important claim of their doctrine is that the Highest loves only the followers of their respective religion. Therefore, Muslims and Christians are taught from childhood that non-Muslims, respectively non-Christians, are inferior and will be rejected by the one Almighty. Their goal of life is to make the world free

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And to hide that they have no proof whatsoever for their strange beliefs, they keep attacking Hindus as superstitious, c a s t e - r i d d e n , et c . to put them on the defensive and prevent them from exposing them.

Fortunately, Hindus are waking up and see through their game. And even s e v e ra l c o nv e r t e d Indian Christians and Muslims wake up and realize that the almighty Creator cannot possibly be such a terrible tyrant, who enjoys making billions of people suffer for all eternity in hellfire

About the Author Maria Wirth is a German who came to India on a stop over on her way to Australia after finishing her psychology studies at Hamburg University. She visited the Ardh Kumbh Mela in Haridwar in April 1980 where she met Sri Anandamayi Ma and Devaraha Baba, two renowned saints. With their blessing she continued to live in India and never went to Australia.

She dived into India’s spiritual tradition, sharing her insights with German readers through articles and books.

For long, she was convinced that every Indian knows and treasures his great heritage. However, when in recent years, she noticed that there seemed to be a concerted effort to prevent even Indians and the world from knowing how valuable this ancient Indian heritage is, she started to point out the unique value of Indian tradition also in English language and shared them on her blog. She also wrote the book Thank you India – a German woman’s journey to the wisdom of yoga.

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Death in Colaba Bay: A Colonial Bombay Mystery

by Ambika Subramanian Death in Colaba Bay is a thrilling tale of Victorian Bombay, a city where dreams are realized, and nightmares are lived. In the bustling and modern port city of Bombay in 1898 —home to great wealth and great deprivation— crime is ever present. Three young girls go missing from a prominent ‘native’ school in the city. Their families are frantic with worry.

Tara Bai, a young widow and heiress, with strong social connections, is an alumnus of the school. Intrigued and alarmed by the case, at the behest of the school founder and principal, she agrees to help the grieving parents.

Arun Rao, a young and promising police officer, is assigned to the case. His track record of solving complex crimes has led to his transfer to the Bombay Police, from Poona.

Soon, one of the missing girls is found dead on the shores of Colaba.

The current crime has uncanny similarities to older cases from Central India involving the royal family of Jaiwar. A chance encounter at the home of one of the victims brings Tara and Arun together and they join hands to unmask a murderer who has already struck once and will not hesitate to kill again.

Sita: Now You Know Me

by Sini Panicker As she contemplates hymns and the very meaning of life, we see a woman evolved far beyond her time, a woman who speaks to us today, out of the narrative of one of the oldest epics.

Set in the Vedic times of ancient India, Sita narrates the story of her turbulent life intimately, detailing her deepest despairs, grief and horrors, and her profound love for Ram. This is a spirited

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and enduring Sita calmly recollecting her transformation at various stages of her life, from an abandoned infant to a cherished princess, a delightful bride to a dissolute hermit in exile, a captive of an enemy to a queen, and culminating as a poor, homeless mother of twin boys in an ashram.

Ancient India’s geographical, social, intellectual and cultural portraits accompany Sita gracefully, throughout her journey.

The Long Road Home: An Indian Billionaire romance

by Sapna Bhog

The Long Road Home is the fifth book in the Sehgal Family & Friends Saga, and can be read as a stand-alone. Enter a world of glamour, wealth and beautiful people. Enter the world of the Sehgal family and friends. Losing the boy she loved nearly destroyed Mehak Khanna.

But letting him in a second time can be more dangerous for her. Rishi Sehgal has left a steady stream of broken hearts in his wake and if Mehak is not careful then she may just end up becoming the next victim of his dashing charisma. But Rishi is everywhere with his charm, his wit, and that devastating smile. Now Mehak has to fight a daily battle to not fall for him again.

Rishi Sehgal has never forgotten Mehak, the girl who broke his heart when he was very young. Thanks to her, he has his rules—no relationships, no staying the night, and no promises. But all his hard rules fly right out of the window when Mehak returns into his life. Now Rishi has to decide if he can open his heart to Mehak a second time.

Some things, however, are written in the stars and sometimes you have to move beyond the past and choose to believe in love. However, what destroyed their relationship the first time will once again test their love.

Will they survive a second test, especially with Mehak’s life on the line? Will Rishi and Mehak learn that true love is worth fighting for?

APRIL 2021 - WWW.DESHVIDESH.COM

LOCKDOWN 2020: A Psychological Study of Professionals Working Life

by Swati Singh Akhil Gupta, Kajal Priya, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Yash Srivastava COVID-19 has shaken the core of the word by storm since 2020, but seldom studies have been conducted to understand the level of stress among working professions due to strict measures taken by various countries i.e., lockdowns to which India is no exception. Life is not a bed of roses and COVID- 19 is testament to it. COVID-19 has paralyzed the lives of people. Underlying the believe in welfare of the society the authors have tried to comprehend the adversities that this pandemic has brought in. So, it’s an endeavour to understand the psychological repercussion on the lives of people.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared Coronavirus a pandemic and on March 20, 2020, the government of India took the step towards first lockdown that resulted in four phases. The present study is an attempt to assess the efficiency and level of stress among working professionals and students in India before and after lockdown regarding to work from home for the first time in history i.e., virtually. The data is from people scattered across the country residing in different states and cities. It was observed that among all the working, the ones with day-to-day income source were comparatively less efficient in their working from home experience & professionals with day-to-day income source showed higher stress levels due to work from home. Moreover, those persons who found it difficult to work from home were more likely to be able to predict the early end of lockdown than others.

The Art of A Happy Exit: How Smart Entrepreneurs Sell Their Businesses

by Srikrishna ‘So, what’s your exit strategy?’

The question often leaves most entrepreneurs stumped as running a business leaves little time to think about anything else.

While business owners recognize that they may have to exit their business at some point, few give enough thought to how they will sell it. And fewer prepare for it. Invariably, when a prospective buyer appears or an offer is made, or when an unforeseen health or financial contingency arises, they scramble to respond. Even those rare entrepreneurs who have given thought to an exit often end up with seller’s remorse.

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The Art of a Happy Exit helps entrepreneurs get prepared for all that selling their business entails. The book covers not just the Outside game-positioning, prospecting, finding professional partners, negotiating, structuring, and executing, but the critical Inside gamethe mental and emotional preparation needed even while retaining customers, employees, and the business.

K. Srikrishna tells the stories of twenty entrepreneurs from India and the United States who’ve sold their businesses to varying degrees of happiness. Between the stories, he lays out the typical steps involved in a business sale, each with its own practical checklist. The result is a book that will help you gain greater self-awareness of what you seek and how best to go about it, and ensure the happiness of all involved with the outcome.

Godsong: A Verse Translation of the Bhagavad-Gita

by Amit Majmudar Born in the United States into a secularized Hindu family, Amit Majmudar puzzled over the many religious traditions on offer, and found that the Bhagavad Gita had much to teach him with its “song of multiplicities.” Chief among them is that “its own assertions aren’t as important as the relationships between its characters . . . The Gita imagined a relationship in which the soul and God are equals”; it is, he believes, “the greatest poem of friendship . . . in any language.” His verse translation captures the many tones and strategies Krishna uses with Arjuna--strict and berating, detached and philosophical, tender and personable. “Listening guides” to each section follow the main text, and expand in accessible terms on the text and what is happening between the lines. Godsong is an instant classic in the field, from a poet of skill, fine intellect, and--perhaps most important--devotion.

God and the World’s Arrangement: Readings from Vedanta and Nyaya Philosophy of Religion

by Nirmalya Guha, Matthew Dasti, Stephen Phillips The work of three present-day Sankrit-philosophers, God and the World’s Arrangement allows readers to engage directly with writings of the classical Indian philosophers Śaṅkara and Vācaspati, as well as some of their most acute critics, on the question of

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whether the existence of a creator God can be known by reason alone. Carefully selected and annotated with the needs of students foremost in mind, these new translations will be of interest to anyone wishing to see up close a newly set gem of our philosophical inheritance from global antiquity.

Finding the Raga: An Improvisation on Indian Music

is also a meditation on the differences between Indian and Western music and art-making as well as the ways they converge in a modernism that Chaudhuri reframes not as a twentieth-century Western art movement but as a fundamental mode of aesthetic response, at once immemorial and extraterritorial. Finding the Raga combines memoir, practical and cultural criticism, and philosophical reflection with the same individuality and flair that Chaudhuri demonstrates throughout a uniquely wide-ranging, challenging, and enthralling body of work.

by Amit Chaudhuri Amit Chaudhuri, novelist, critic, and essayist, is also a musician, trained in the Indian classical vocal tradition but equally fluent as a guitarist and singer in the American folk music style, who has recorded his experimental compositions extensively and performed around the world. A turning point in his life took place when, as a lonely teenager living in a high-rise in Bombay, far from his family’s native Calcutta, he began, contrary to all his prior inclinations, to study Indian classical music.

Finding the Raga chronicles that transformation and how it has continued to affect and transform not only how Chaudhuri listens to and makes music but how he listens to and thinks about the world at large. Offering a highly personal introduction to Indian music, the book

A Sense of Time and Other Stories

by Anu Kumar Born in India, Anu Kumar has an MFA in Writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, and has other degrees in management and history as well. Apart from being the author of best-selling historical fiction novels, she has also published novels and collections of short stories. She also wrote to the prestigious The Economic and Political Weekly.

For more detailed information on this article or to view additional pictures, please visit deshvidesh.com/April2021

Subscribe to Desh-Videsh Today!

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O

n April 25, audiences worldwide will gather around their television sets for the glittering glamour of Oscar Awards night. The Golden Knight with a crusader sword is the epitome of excellence and achievement in the field of movies and movie making.

Nicknamed the ‘Oscar,’ the awards given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is the most well known international award in the movie industry.

Over the years, several Indians, Indian Americans and Indian films have received or been nominated for Oscars Awards in different categories.

To date, 13 Indians have been nominated and eight have won Oscars including in the scientific and technical awards category.

At the 30th Academy Awards, Mehboob Khan’s 1957 Hindilanguage film Mother India was India’s first submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film category. It was nominated alongside four other films and lost to the Italian film Nights of Cabiria by one vote. In 1983, Bhanu Athaiya became the first Indian to win an Academy Award for designing the costumes for the film Gandhi. Ravi Shankar

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was nominated for Best Original Score for the same film.

In 1992, filmmaker Satyajit Ray was given an Honorary Academy Award “in recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures, and of his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world.” He is the only Indian to date to receive the honor. As of 2021, apart from Mother India, only two other Indian films have been nominated for an award, Salaam Bombay! and Lagaan.

Music Maestro A R Rahman and Resul Pookutty won the Oscar Award for Best Original Score and Best Sound Mixing respectively for the film Slumdog Millionaire.

Rahman also shared the Best Original Song Award with Gulzar for the song “Jai Ho” from that film. A R Rahman is the only Indian to win more than one Academy Award.

Several Indians and Indian Americans have received the Oscars in the technical category such as Rahul Thakkar, Cottalango Leon and Vikas Sathaye.

There were a total of 366 films nominated for best movie for the 2021 awards. Among these 366 movies, two movies from India were also selected for multiple categories including the Best Movie

APRIL 2021 - WWW.DESHVIDESH.COM

and Best Director. One is the Tamil movie Soorarai Pottri directed by Sudha Kongara and the other is Kalira Atita an Odia movie directed by Nila Madhab Panda. However, even after competing in the first few rounds, the films did not make it to the final list of nominated movies.

Soorarai Pottru Soorarai Pottru is a Tamil movie directed

by Sudha Kongara was digitally premiered through the OTT platform Amazon Prime Video on October 30, 2020. Lead actors include Suriya, Paresh Rawal, and Aparna Balamurali.

The film was nominated for the Oscar awards in several categories: Best Movie, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Original Score. Based on the life of Air Deccan founder GR Gopinath, the movie received encouraging reviews. Soorarai Pottru was selected as one among ten Indian films to be screened under the Best Foreign Film category at the 78th Golden Globe Awards. Missing the

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Oscar nomination is unfortunate, but still encouraging and heralding a new beginning.

Kalira Atita Kalira Atita is an Odia movie directed by Nila Madhab Panda. Lead actors in the 2020 film include Pitabash Tripathy, Basant Sahu, Sonali Sharmistha Mohanty among others. The film tells the story of a man devastated by the destructive cyclones of Odisha. The film was nominated for Best Movie, but in the end, did not make the final cut. Being based on the director’s personal experience, this movie is also a trend-setter for the future of Indian cinema and a campaign for environment protection.

For more detailed information on this article or to view additional pictures, please visit deshvidesh.com/April2021

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British Government Must Apologize for Jallianwala Baugh Massacre

By Sumit Ganguly

In 2019, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby visited the site of a brutal massacre, Jallianwala Baugh, which happened in 1919 under British colonial rule in India and offered his personal apologies. He expressed his “deep sense of grief” for a “terrible atrocity.”

The former U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May told the House of Commons that the episode was “a shameful scar on British-Indian history.” However, she stopped short of apologizing.

The massacre is still remembered in India as a symbol of colonial cruelty. Here is what happened one hundred years ago.

Killing unarmed protesters After World War I, the British, who controlled a vast empire in India, agreed to give Indians limited selfgovernment due to India’s substantial contribution to the war effort. These reforms, named the MontaguChelmsford reforms after the secretary of state for India and the viceroy of India, promised to lead to more substantial self-government over time.

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However, around the same time the British had passed the draconian Rowlatt Acts, which allowed certain political cases to be tried without trial. And the trial was also to be conducted without juries. The acts were designed to ruthlessly suppress all forms of political dissent. The Rowlatt Acts were designed to replace the constraints on political activity that had been embodied in colonial rules, known as the Defense of India Rules, which had been in force during World War I. Not surprisingly, there were widespread public protests, led by the noted Indian nationalist leader, Mahatma

APRIL 2021 - WWW.DESHVIDESH.COM

Gandhi.

As part of this nationwide agitation, some 10,000 individuals gathered in a park in the northern Indian city of Amritsar on April 13, 1919. Since this protest was in defiance of a curfew which prohibited political gatherings, Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, who was stationed in the nearby city of Jalandhar, decided to take action.

Rabindranath Tagore, protested by renouncing his knighthood, which he had received from the British Crown in 1915.

Writing to the viceroy, Tagore decried “the disproportionate severity of the punishment inflicted upon the unfortunate people.”

Troops under his command blocked the sole entrance to the park, called Jallianwallah Bagh.

Without warning they opened fire.

The British officially estimated that 379 people died. The unofficial count was more.

Close to 1,200 were injured.

Troops under his command blocked the sole entrance to the park, called Jallianwallah Bagh.

Without warning they opened fire.

The British officially estimated that 379 people died. The unofficial count was more. Close to 1,200 were injured.

Dyer’s men stopped firing only after they had run out of ammunition. The soldiers did not offer any medical assistance to the wounded, and others could not come to their aid because of the imposition of a curfew on the city.

An apology long overdue Then viceroy of India, Lord Chelmsford, convened an inquiry commission that led to Dyer being relieved of his command.

However, upon returning to the United Kingdom, he found support for his actions among a segment of the British population.

In India, there was widespread shock and horror over this wanton use of force. The Nobel Laureate in literature,

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As a political scientist who has written on the impact of British colonialism on India, I believe that the legacy of this episode, along with a host of other ugly events, continues to trouble Indo-British relations.

Britain, for the most part, has failed to come to terms with its tragic colonial heritage in South Asia and elsewhere. In the wake of the archbishop’s apology, I believe, it is time for the British government to follow suit.

An unequivocal apology to the memory of the victims is long overdue.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts.

About the Author Sumit Ganguly is a Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Tagore Chair in Indian Cultures and Civilizations at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana.

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Easter Telugu Prayer Service

When : 04/04/2021, 10:00 AM Contact : 703-652-2392 Host : Telugu Church

Meditation for Children

When : 04/04/2021, 13:30 PM Contact : 972-254-5562 Host : Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center

Raja Yoga Meditation

When : 04/06/2021, 08:45 PM Contact : 972-254-5562 Host : Brahma Kumaris Meditation Center

IACA Talent Show

When : 04/08/2021, 04:00 PM Contact : 770-310-3998 Email : IACAGJC@gmail.com Host : Indian American Cultural Association

Tamil Comedy Special

When : 04/10/2021, 09:30 PM Contact : 940-241-7989 Email : unitedmaap@gmail.com Host : United Media

Vasanthothsavam-Vocal concert

When : 04/10/2021, 09:30 PM Email : treasurer@southindiafinearts.org Host : South India Fine Arts (SIFA)

Nammerica Natakotsava

When : 04/10/2021, 11:00 AM Email : nammerica.news@gmail.com Host : Nammerica

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Music For The Soul

Jyoti Bajaj Live

When : 04/11/2021, 04:00 PM Where : 11422 West State Road 84 Davie, FL 33332 Contact : 954-370-4750 Email : apaiart@comcast.net Host : Association of Performing Arts of India

When : 04/18/2021, 02:00 PM Contact : 212-725-7833 Host : Stardust

iWalk 2021

Tamil New Year Celebrations

When : 04/11/2021 Contact : 214-717-8076 Email : murali@giftofvision.org Host : Sankara Eye Foundation

Indie Meme Film Festival 2021 When : 04/18/2021, 11:00 AM Contact : 512-266-1203 Host : Ananyaa Ravi

When : 04/24/2021, 05:00 PM Contact : 727-366-7427 Email : secretary@sfts.org Host : South Florida Tamil Sangam

Annual Protecting Our Children

North Meets South

When : 04/24/2021, 8:00 PM Contact : 212-302-0720 Email : info@tabla.org Host : Pittsburgh Chapter of Chhandayan

When : 04/11/2021, 09:00 AM Contact : 503-222-4044 Email : info@nicwa.org Host : National Indian Child Welfare Association

Rhythms of India

When : 04/24/2021, 04:00 PM Contact : Chand Akkineni, 404-915-0497 Email : rhythmsofindia2021@gmail.com Host : Indian American Cultural Association

TCA Ugadi When : 04/17/2021, 09:00 PM Email : c_maruthi@hotmail.com Host : Houston Telugu Cultural Association

MyShadi Bridal Expo When : 05/23/2021, 12:00 Noon Where : Hilton Orlando 6001 Destination Pkwy, Orlando, FL 32819 Contact : 954-784-8100 Email : info@deshvidesh.com Host : Desh-Videsh Media Group APRIL 2021 - WWW.DESHVIDESH.COM

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Thalaivi Trailer Released

Shanaya Kapoor to Debut under Dharma Production

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T

he trailer of the much discussed Jayalalitha biopic Thalaivi was released on March 23, 2021. The film is directed by Vijay and it will be released mid-April of 2021. The film also casts Arvind Swamy, the famous Tamil and Hindi star of Roja and Bombay fame as MGR. The film is made in three languages: Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. The cast and crew include producers Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Shaailesh R Singh, music director Ankit Balhara, Sanchit Balhara and G.V. Prakash Kumar and actors Samuthirakani, Prakash Raj, Bhagyashree, Raj Arjun, Niloy Rashid Jaki, Thambi Ramaiah.

Thalaivi portrays the rise of Jayalalitha as a star, her relation with mentor MGR and subsequently her entry into politics and becoming the chief minister of Tamil Nadu. The film’s release date was on the birthday of the lead actress Kangana Ranaut and it was truly her day as the trailer got a positive response from viewers. Social media pages were flooded with praises for the Queen actress Kangana.

In Tamil, thalaivi means leader, and the film is all about the life, struggles and success of a tremendous leader, Jayalalitha, fondly known as ‘Amma’ in Tamil Nadu. From the acting prowess of Kangana Ranaut, movie buffs are expecting a path breaking performance from her.

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he latest child of famous actors to join the Bollywood bandwagon is Shanaya Kapoor, the beautiful daughter of actor Sanjay Kapoor and Maheep. She is being launched by none other than Karan Johar under the new talent management wing of his Dharma Production DCA, Dharma Cornerstone Agency.

Shanaya Kapoor, 21, is a regular on social media with almost half a million followers on Instagram. Being a member of the film family of Boney Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and his father Sanjay Kapoor, Shanaya has been acquainted with the film world since her childhood. Along with her father and uncles, she has illustrious cousins like Sonam Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, and Jahnvi Kapoor all of whom have successful Bollywood careers. She shares a special bond with her cousin Khushi Kapoor, the youngest daughter of late Sridevi and Boney Kapoor.

Shanaya Kapoor has good friends like actor Ananya Pandey and Suhana Khan (SRK’s daughter). She has the beauty, ideal height, an hourglass figure and a wonderful fashion sense like her cousin Sonam. However, her first experience in films was as an assistant director in the film Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl, under the Dharma banner. Therefore launching under K Jo was quite natural.

The shooting of her debut film starts in July.

For more detailed information on this article or to view additional pictures, please visit deshvidesh.com/April2021 APRIL 2021 - WWW.DESHVIDESH.COM

National Award for Kangana Ranaut

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angana Ranaut does it again. The Queen gets another National Award for best actress of 2019 for two films: Manikarnika and Panga. The names of the recipients of the 67th National Film Awards were announced on Monday March 22, one day before her 34th birthday.

From the Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, Kangana had no film background or a Godfather to launch her. She achieved success by her talent alone. She debuted in Anurag Basu’s Gangster in 2006. Followed by the Mohit Suri directed Woh Lamhe and then again Anurag Basu’s Life in a Metro. Her acting was highly praised by critics, who even compared her to legends like Shabana Azmi and Smita Patil.

Kangana received her first National Award for best supporting actress for Madhur Bhandarkar’s film Fashion in 2008. The second award was for best actress for the iconic film Queen directed by Vikas Bahl in 2014. She received the same award the following year for the film Tanu Weds Manu Returns. And this year she received it again. She has earned a total of four national awards in her 15 year career!

Priyanka Chopra’s Restaurant at NYC

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riyanka Chopra Jonas has added a new feather to her cap. The actress recently opened an Indian restaurant, Sona, in New York City, and welcomed foodies from all over. She collaborated with the famous restaurateur Maneesh Goyal for this project. Chopra recently shared some pictures of the Pooja ceremony her restaurant held in September 2019. The restaurant was supposed to open in 2020, but was postponed due to the Covid 19 pandemic. However, now it is ready and a gala opening ceremony is awaited.

According to the actress, she poured her love for Indian food into the concept for her restaurant. It is very close to her heart. In her words, “SONA is the very embodiment of timeless India and the flavours I grew up with.” The chef of the New York City restaurant is the famous Hari Nayek.

The menu of the restaurant has Indian delicacies like Kofta Korma,Thalassery biryani, Appam and many others.

Sona has a spacious décor with color themes of brown and gold. It has a bar with a private dining arrangement for 30 people.

Priyanka Chopra’s brother Siddharth Chopra also has a restaurant (lounge) in Pune named Mugshot. It was inaugurated by the doting sister Priyanka in 2014.

Chhichhore Gets National Award

S

ushant Singh Rajput would have been the happiest man to see the acknowledgement of the film for which he worked so hard. However, it happened after his sad demise. SSR’s 2019 film Chhichhore got the National award for Best Hindi Movie. The film was produced by Sajid Nadiawala and directed by Nitesh Tiwari.

The story of Chhichhore is very relevant and relatable to new-age parents who constantly pressure their children for success and achievement. One such stressed child, whose parents’ roles were played by Sushant Singh Rajput and Shradhdha Kapoor, attempts suicide and is hospitalized in critical condition.

The divorced couple who were college buddies once, come together for their only child. Along with them come their friends who narrate their college days to the boy

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and convince him to let go of the stress.

They explained that it’s the journey of life that is more important than a few achievements and milestones.

They were able to assure the boy who was completely cured and entered the journey of life with a smiling face.

The success of Chhichhore has been dedicated to the late SSR. Shradhdha Kapoor shared the award news on Instagram where she thanked the entire team and The National Award Committee and mentioned that all of them missed SSR.

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Women in Hindu Scriptures

By Raj Shah

"Hinduism has the strongest presence of the divine feminine among major world religions, from ancient times to the present” says Edwin Bryant, an American Indologist and professor of Religions of India at Rutgers University.

respect of women. Maharishi Manu speaks wisely and offers noble ideas about women and womanhood.

Whatever misquotes we come across against women citing the Manusmriti are from an adulterated portion of the ancient text.

The goddess is viewed as central in Shakti and Shiva Hindu traditions. Matriarchal theology is quite prevalent in Sanskritic traditions and village Hinduism relating to the worship of Shakti, and there are numerous Hindu communities that are matriarchal.

Here are two famous quotes among many respecting the women in Manusmriti. yatra nāryastu pūjyante ramante tatra devatāh. yatraitāstu na pūjyante sarvāstatrāphalāh.kriyāh.

²~¢ Ý¢²üS¼é ÐêÁ²‹¼ï Ú¹‹¼ï ¼~¢ ¨ï±¼¢: J ²~¢ñ¼¢S¼é Ý ÐêÁ²‹¼ï „±¢üS¼~¢¢ÈUH¢: çRU²¢: JJ The divine are extremely happy where women are respected; where they are not, all actions are fruitless.

Manusmriti 3.56 Prajnarth mahabhaga pujhra grihdipatyaIstriya triyashc geheyshu na visheshosti kashchan

Ðí¿¢¢ƒZ }¢ã¢|¢¢ïx¢æ Ðê…Ú¢ x¢ëëãç{Ðç¼ §ç¼ çRU²¢ ~¢è²¢„ x¢ïï㢲¢„é Ý¢ ç±à¢ïࢢïïSÅè ÜU¢à¢™¢Ý It means that women bring good luck to a household through procreation; they deserve respect and reverence; they irradiate the house with their presence. In fact there is no difference between the goddess of wealth and women.

Manusmriti 1.26 June McDaniel, Professor of Religious Studies and Director of the Religious Studies Program at the College of Charleston states, “The Devi Sukta ideas of the Rigveda are further developed in the relatively later composed Shakta Upanishads where the Devi asserts that she is Brahman, from her arise Prakŗti (matter) and Purusha (consciousness), she is bliss and non-bliss, the Vedas and what is different from it, the born and the unborn, and the feminine is thus all of the universe. She is presented as all the five elements, as well as all that is different from these elements, what is above, what is below, what is around, and thus the universe in its entirety.”

Maharshi Manu is the first great man of the world to have given society the highest ideals about women, which adds remarkably to the dignity, status and self

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Ancient texts of Hinduism expound a reverence for the feminine. The Rigveda, for example, asserts the feminine to be the supreme principle behind all of cosmos through the following slokas: May you be empress and lead all.

Rigveda 10.85.46 O brilliant woman, remove ignorance with your bright intellect and provide bliss to all.

Rigveda 4.14.3 O woman, you are the motherly force that provides direction to our life.

Rigveda 2.41.16

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The way a powerful river breaks down even the strongest rocks and hills, in the same manner an intelligent woman destroys the fraud propagated by perverted ones. May we bow to such intelligent women.

Rigveda 6.61.2

O woman, you do not deserve to be defeated by challenges. You can defeat the mightiest challenge.

Defeat the enemies and their armies. You have valour of thousands. Please us all.

This philosophy is also found in the Yajurveda, the Atharva Veda, Tripuratapani Upanishad and the Bahvricha Upanishad.

May the scholarly woman purify our lives with her knowledge, noble actions and guidance.

O woman, may you be strong and powerful like a rock.

May you gain the brilliance of the sun and have a long prosperous life that benefits all.

Atharva Veda 14.1.47 O woman, realize your potential. You are a lioness who can destroy criminals, ignorance and vices and protect the noble ones.

Yajurveda 5.10 O woman, you provide bliss and stability to the world.

You are a source of valour.

Yajurveda 10.26 O woman, you are as strong as earth and are on a very high pedestal. Protect the world from path of vices and violence.

Yajurveda 13.18

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Yajurveda 13. 26

Yajurveda 20.84 Noble woman motivates us to be on the path of truth, love and harmony.

Yajurveda 20.85 Whenever I am hurt emotionally or physically, women – as a mother, wife, sister etc – provides healing touch and rejuvenates me. I bow in humble respect to her.

Atharva Veda 7.57.1

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Dipika Kakar Returns to Sasural Simar Ka 2

Sasural Simar Ka, the popular family drama on Colors TV is back with a sequel. Sasural Simar Ka 2 airs soon, though the telecast date is yet to be announced.

Sasural Simar Ka is a story of Simar, a middleclass girl from Vrindavan married to Prem, the eldest son of the Bharadwaj family. The family is led by Mataji, the grandmother of Prem. Eventually, Simar’s younger sister Roli gets married to Prem’s younger brother Siddhant.

The story centers on how the two sisters become the ideal housewives managing all aspects of duties and responsibilities.

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Dipika Kakar played Simar and became a household name. Shoaib Ibrahim played her husband Prem, however, he quit the show midway and was replaced. Dipika was already married when she started shooting for Sasural Simar Ka. However, she fell in love with Shoaib and after her separation from her first husband in 2015; she married Shoaib in February 2018.

Sasural Simar Ka Season 2 focuses on the younger generation and new themes. There is a buzz that Shoaib will be back as Prem.

However, no confirmation has been made yet. Avinash Mukherjee, Akash Jagga, will also be playing lead roles in the show.

Bigg Boss 14 Winner Rubina Dilaik Back on Shakti Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki Rubina Dilaik, the winner of Bigg Boss 14 is re-joining the serial Shakti Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki on Colors TV portraying the role of Saumya, a transgender. She quit the show and joined Bigg Boss 14, where she won it all. After the win, she was approached by the producer Rashmi Sharma to portray Saumya again.

Her Bigg Boss fame also created a public demand for her return.

Rubina, 33, began her acting career on Chotti Bahu, a serial on Zee TV. She was also cast in the sequel. In 2012, she acted in Sony TV’s series Saas Bina Sasural.

Her trendsetting role was that of Saumya, a transgender on Colors TV’s serial Shakti Astitva Ke Ehsaas Ki from 2016 to 2020. Rubina also played Sit a i n L i fe OK ’s s e r i a l Devon Ka Dev Mahadev.

Rubina married TV actor

and model Abhinav Shukla in 2018. She has t wo sisters, Rohini and Naina. Both Rubina and her husband entered Bigg Boss 14. Though Abhinav was evicted, Rubina emerged the winner.

Rubina is quite excited to be back in Astitva. In the promo declaring her return, she expressed her e a g e r n e s s t o m e et t h e audience. She also stressed that her return to Astitva is not for a brief period, but a longer one.

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Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah Soon an Animated Series The famous sitcom of Sony SAB Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is coming to audiences as an animated series. The promos have already been released and people are eager to watch the animated version of this popular serial. The sitcom began in 2008 and continues with an impressive TRP ranking.

The series centers on the Gokuldham Cooperative Society in Mumbai. The residents live like a family, and they face simple problems of daily life and solve them eventually. In the majority of episodes, Taarak Mehta solves the problems faced by a resident Jethalal, his best friend. Every festival is celebrated here unitedly.

The serial spreads different socially relevant messages in its episodes.

The cast of Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah includes Sailesh Lodha as Taarak Mehta along with Dilip Joshi, Disha Vakani, Amit Bhatt, Mandar Chandwadkar, Bhavya Gandhi, Tanuj Mahashabde, Munmun Dutta, Sonalika Joshi, Neha Mehta, Gurcharan Singh and others.

The animated series of Taarak Mehta will be telecast on Sony Yay! Disha Vakani playing Dayaben has been out of the show for reasons unknown. However, the animated series will have unique styles that were very popular among the audience.

Indian Idol 12: Rishi Kapoor Tribute Episode Indian Idol 12 is paying a heartfelt tribute to the ultimate idol of Bollywood, the versatile Rishi Kapoor, in one of its forthcoming shows. The top 10 contestants will sing songs from his films. To cherish the memory and relive the romance, the late actor’s wife Neetu Kapoor will be present as the chief guest.

Indian Idol is a music reality show telecast on Sony TV. Season 12 began on November 28, 2020.

The judges of this season are Himesh Reshammiya, Vishal Dadlani and Neha Kakkar. The show is hosted

by Aditya Narayan. Some of the winners of the earlier seasons of Indian Idol include Abhijit Sawant, Sandeep Acharya, Prashant Tamang, Sourabhee Debbarma, and Vipul Mehta.

The Rishi Kapoor special episode will be a journey down memory lane. The presence of Neetu Kapoor will grace the episode to a different level. She will share different stories of her married life with Rishi Kapoor and many other unknown stories of their romance and the Kapoor family. The pictures of the shooting have already become viral on social media. It is going to be a memorable episode remembering the evergreen Rishi Kapoor and the famous songs of his films.

Sidharth Shukla to Celebrate Holi with Fans There is good news for the Sidharth Shukla fans. There is no need to wait for his appearance in a new series. The handsome hunk is going to celebrate Holi with his fans. The Holi bash of Colors TV Rang Barse 2021 will feature Sidharth Shukla’s performance with colors, dance and rendezvous.

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also been seen that he is practising dancing on the famous Salman Khan song ‘Jeene Ke Hain Chaar din.’

The promo and videos of his rehearsal and prep for the show has become viral on social media. It has

Sidharth Shukla, model and actor, became the World’s Best Model beating 40 contestants across the globe in 2005.

In 2008, he began his acting career with Babul Ka AangannChootey Na. In 2014 he portrayed the role

of Shiv in the BalikaVadhu serial on Colors.

He became the champion of Bigg Boss 13 and Khatron Ke Khiladi Season 7. His Bollywood debut was with a supporting role in Dharma Production’s Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania.

And now, the Colors TV promo says Sidharth is waiting for all of his fans to celebrate Holi together.

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