---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Press Information Bureau Ministry of I&B <pib.kolkata@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 1:44 PM
Subject: Releases.........pt1
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Law & Justice
Speech of Dr.M Veerappa Moily on the Occasion of Moortidevi Award on
March 18,2010
New Delhi: March 19, 2010
In his famous article, "Three Hundred Ramayanas," the great scholar A.
K. Ramanujan compares the 'Story of Rama' to a pool, and says: "Every
author … dips into it and brings out a unique crystallization, a new
text with a unique structure and a fresh context." My Sree Ramayana
Mahanveshanam, I humbly state, is in such glorious tradition of texts
"with a unique structure and a fresh context." Its 'unique structure'
is the result of pondering over many Ramayana-texts in the
Jain-tradition, Kannada re-tellings, and folk-traditions; its 'fresh
context' is that of the challenges faced by modern Indian society,
especially in the period of Globalization on the one hand and rise of
Fundamentalism on the other. Even though human civilization has
attained greater scientific and material development, Man has not
changed much; and many a time, he appears to have his animal instinct
intact. This epic poem is an attempt to discover, or rediscover, the
values and ways of thinking, which make it possible for mankind to
move upwards ('oordhwa mukhi') in the path of Creative Evolution.
Karl Jung, the great philosopher-psychologist, says: "The psyche of
man is the science of the future. We need to make mankind realize this
science to make the future domain safer. … Famine, floods,
earthquakes, atom or carcinoma may not be a big challenge. Man is the
enemy of man. Nothing can protect the explosion of human psyche
because this can be a peril greater than any other natural
calamities." My epic is primarily concerned with an exploration of
the various facets of human psyche; and my attempt has been to change
and reorient modern psyche towards the values and way of life of our
ancient Upanishads.
You may find in my re-telling of Ramayana cultural friction and
fusion. At the heart of the epic, there are three distinct cultures:
the Lankan culture of acquisition, pleasure, and power; the Ayodhya
culture of artistic and academic progress; and the culture of
Kishkinda, which is mostly tribal and backward in terms of development
in the modern sense. Initially, there is friction among these three
cultures. However, when Vibhishana the Rakshasa king and Hanuman the
Vaanara noble become allies of Rama the king of Ayodhya, all the three
cultures, ultimately, come together and fuse into one great culture
–the culture of 'Rama Rajya'.
Lessing, the German thinker, has this to say regarding human progress:
"Mere human values do not take man to heights, it is the process of
adaptation which alone takes him to greater heights. Man's perfection
and also growth depend upon the process of discovery. If god comes
before me and by holding absolute truth in his right fist and process
of discovery in his left fist, I will touch the left fist and say:
'Father, let the absolute truth be with you, but I need absolute
discovery of truth'." 'Process of discovery or quest,'
'Mahaanveshanam,' -- this is the 'maha mantra' of man's progress.
Now, what I intend to do is to present to you a few brief passages
from this work to give you an idea of what I mean by 'Process of
Quest.'
1) The first one in the context of Dasharatha's 'Putrakameshthi'
yajnya. Thousands of guests are partaking of the Grand Feast. At
that time, Dasharatha sees,
"An emaciated beggar in rags,
His back bent like a bow, nourishing a great desire
To eat a good meal, with his stomach harassing him
Like a heated pan, his lips cracked and bleeding,
A black body, a frame of ribs showing,
A child with him, a face withered in hunger,
Exhausted and crying, the tears of father and son
Now dried up and barren, crept inside eager for a meal.
Anxiously, Dasharatha hastened there.
"What is all this? Why did you ask for the left-over,
Without coming to the dining hall?
This should not happen. I cannot bear this sin of lapse.
Alas! Alas! I have not seen a sight like this ever.
All are equal here, there is no discrimination;
Where there are exploiters, there will be the exploited.
"Please forgive me; I have committed a great injustice.
To get rid of the sins of the world,
To make the yaga bear fruit, keep your feet
On my head. The dust of your feet is holy."
The above episode depicts the attitude of Dasharatha towards the
poorest of the poor; his feelings reflect true 'Rama Rajya'.
2) When Vishwamitra takes Rama and Lakshmana with him to his Ashram,
as soon as the main gates of Ayodhya are crossed, Vishwamitra stops
the Chariot and orders Rama and Lakshmana to walk. After a few days,
he says,
"I have made you walk through impassable forests,
On rocks, over pits. You have had experience
Of the pain and death among common people,
Too much comfort
Can be a curse, taking men into a world of forgetfulness!
"They see the world from the outside, unaware of the pain within.
Enamoured of various pleasures, they move on,
Oblivious of the continuous conflicts between
Justice and injustice, honour and shame.
That is, unless the rulers / administrators experience the pain and
suffering of the poorest and the weakest, they cannot be good in their
jobs.
3) The third instance is the episode of Sita's 'Fire Ordeal.' Even
after the demise of Ravana, Srirama cannot come to Ashoka Vana to take
Sita because he cannot enter any city including Lanka or Ayodhya till
the period of Vanavasa is over. But Sita, hurt and desperate,
prepares the fire and enters it. At that moment, Mandodari rushes
there and rescues Sita, and says:
Viewing Sita's act, Mandodari rushed in
Exclaiming, "what a ghastly act," and without looking back
She entered the womb of fire and lifting up Sita
Safely brought her out of the flame.
Everybody praised Mandodari for her brave act.
Pacifying Sita, making her sit on the lap,
And touching her chin affectionately,
Mandodari said endearingly:
"What's this, O daughter?
You jumped into the fire, and pulled me too into it.
Are you not satisfied with the fiery ordeal
Of life we have tolerated
And endured as women till now?
Only a man of the epoch can
Put an end to women's ordeal!"
4) Yet another instance of non- violence:
"Violence has many forms and
If you accept violence, then your thought process
Will be violent and that would cause
Unceasing movement from one form of existence
To another. Violence of intention, violence of
The beginning and the violence of occupation --
Reject all forms of violence as non-violence
Ensures liberation. Be aware that the transaction
In sword will breed violence. Never forsake
The path of ethics; never be desirous of a cruel path
As it will take you through a cycle of births and deaths.
The nature of Fire is to burn, of water to cool, and
Of the wind to blows; similarly, the true nature of the Self
Is to possess the ennobling spirit. Following the path
Of non-violence, you be an oarsman helping all
To cross the ocean of life!"
5) Lastly, let me read the passage which narrates the re-union of Rama and Sita:
Rama shed tears of joy.
Janaki, the virtuous wife, who had emerged victorious
From the ordeal by fire leaned against Rama's chest
And at once Rama embraced her endearingly.
What could be said of that sweet moment of union!
Their eyes and the faces said it all!
Silence drew them together beyond the realm of words.
The earth was thrilled and there was serene silence everywhere.
As the dusk approached, the horizon turned crimson.
As two hearts became one in the warmth of love,
The wind blew gently.
As the night descended,
Mother earth felt great joy!
The palm fronds swayed like the fan.
Faces bloomed with happiness; minds felt elated;
All the senses awakened;
The roar of the springs sounded like the musical notes
Cheering the union of Rama and Sita;
Like festoons, the clouds hung in the sky;
There was laughter and jubilation in the air.
The union of Rama and Sita brought immense joy to all!
Writing is my oxygen and source of energy in sorrows and joys. This
has continued to be my companion along with my beloved wife. I am
always energized if I start writing at 5 am. I am now writing a
classical epic poem on Draupadi and the epic poem is called 'Shreemudi
Parikramanam'. My literary journey will go on till the end of my life.
Nobody writes for an award. But, awards function as incentives for
the writer to have confidence in himself and continue his work more
zealously. On this occasion, I should remember Guru Prof. K.
Anantharamu, who guided me in my journey on Sri Ramayana Mahanvshanam,
and my wife Malathi who sowed the seeds of this great epic in my mind
and continued to assist me in making it perfect. My mother, who is no
more, has always been around me, who woke me up at 4.45 am every day
and did not allow me to sleep up to 12 at night.
I sincerely thank the Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust headed by Mrs. Indu
Jain for bestowing this prestigious award on my work. I thank the
Hon'ble President of India, Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Devsingh
Patil; Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India; and Sri Sri
Ravishankar Guruji, for their support and blessings. I am highly
obliged to them for their presence. The presence and enthusiasm of you
all make my will power perennial in all my endevours.
Dr. M. Veerappa Moily
vlk/dk/kol/13:39 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Communications & Information Technology
All India Postal weightlifting meet
New Delhi: March 19, 2010
The 25th All India Postal Weight Lifting, Power Lifting and Best
Physique tournament scheduled to be held from March 23, 2010 to March
26, 2010 in New Delhi. About 200 participants from 15 Postal Circles
will be participating in the four-day tournament being organized by
Delhi Postal Sports Control Board with an aim to promote, develop
welfare & sports activities among the employees of the department
The weight Lifting, Power Lifting and Best Physique competition will
be conducted in 28 different weight categories i.e. 8 in Weight
Lifting, 11 in Power Lifting and 9 in best physique competition. All
the Categories will be having 3 Awards i.e. Gold, Silver and Bronze
Medals. The Best Physique Participant from All 15 Postal Circle will
be adjudged 'Dak Sree' Award.
Last year championship was held in Ranchi, Jharkhand Circle and Delhi
Postal Circle had hold the II Position in 75Kg, III Position in 90 Kg
and 100 Kg Power Lifting. In Best Physique, Delhi Circle hold II
Position (65-70 Kg) and III Position (90+Kg)
sp/ncj/as/dk/kol/13:41 hrs.
From: Press Information Bureau Ministry of I&B <pib.kolkata@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 1:44 PM
Subject: Releases.........pt1
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Law & Justice
Speech of Dr.M Veerappa Moily on the Occasion of Moortidevi Award on
March 18,2010
New Delhi: March 19, 2010
In his famous article, "Three Hundred Ramayanas," the great scholar A.
K. Ramanujan compares the 'Story of Rama' to a pool, and says: "Every
author … dips into it and brings out a unique crystallization, a new
text with a unique structure and a fresh context." My Sree Ramayana
Mahanveshanam, I humbly state, is in such glorious tradition of texts
"with a unique structure and a fresh context." Its 'unique structure'
is the result of pondering over many Ramayana-texts in the
Jain-tradition, Kannada re-tellings, and folk-traditions; its 'fresh
context' is that of the challenges faced by modern Indian society,
especially in the period of Globalization on the one hand and rise of
Fundamentalism on the other. Even though human civilization has
attained greater scientific and material development, Man has not
changed much; and many a time, he appears to have his animal instinct
intact. This epic poem is an attempt to discover, or rediscover, the
values and ways of thinking, which make it possible for mankind to
move upwards ('oordhwa mukhi') in the path of Creative Evolution.
Karl Jung, the great philosopher-psychologist, says: "The psyche of
man is the science of the future. We need to make mankind realize this
science to make the future domain safer. … Famine, floods,
earthquakes, atom or carcinoma may not be a big challenge. Man is the
enemy of man. Nothing can protect the explosion of human psyche
because this can be a peril greater than any other natural
calamities." My epic is primarily concerned with an exploration of
the various facets of human psyche; and my attempt has been to change
and reorient modern psyche towards the values and way of life of our
ancient Upanishads.
You may find in my re-telling of Ramayana cultural friction and
fusion. At the heart of the epic, there are three distinct cultures:
the Lankan culture of acquisition, pleasure, and power; the Ayodhya
culture of artistic and academic progress; and the culture of
Kishkinda, which is mostly tribal and backward in terms of development
in the modern sense. Initially, there is friction among these three
cultures. However, when Vibhishana the Rakshasa king and Hanuman the
Vaanara noble become allies of Rama the king of Ayodhya, all the three
cultures, ultimately, come together and fuse into one great culture
–the culture of 'Rama Rajya'.
Lessing, the German thinker, has this to say regarding human progress:
"Mere human values do not take man to heights, it is the process of
adaptation which alone takes him to greater heights. Man's perfection
and also growth depend upon the process of discovery. If god comes
before me and by holding absolute truth in his right fist and process
of discovery in his left fist, I will touch the left fist and say:
'Father, let the absolute truth be with you, but I need absolute
discovery of truth'." 'Process of discovery or quest,'
'Mahaanveshanam,' -- this is the 'maha mantra' of man's progress.
Now, what I intend to do is to present to you a few brief passages
from this work to give you an idea of what I mean by 'Process of
Quest.'
1) The first one in the context of Dasharatha's 'Putrakameshthi'
yajnya. Thousands of guests are partaking of the Grand Feast. At
that time, Dasharatha sees,
"An emaciated beggar in rags,
His back bent like a bow, nourishing a great desire
To eat a good meal, with his stomach harassing him
Like a heated pan, his lips cracked and bleeding,
A black body, a frame of ribs showing,
A child with him, a face withered in hunger,
Exhausted and crying, the tears of father and son
Now dried up and barren, crept inside eager for a meal.
Anxiously, Dasharatha hastened there.
"What is all this? Why did you ask for the left-over,
Without coming to the dining hall?
This should not happen. I cannot bear this sin of lapse.
Alas! Alas! I have not seen a sight like this ever.
All are equal here, there is no discrimination;
Where there are exploiters, there will be the exploited.
"Please forgive me; I have committed a great injustice.
To get rid of the sins of the world,
To make the yaga bear fruit, keep your feet
On my head. The dust of your feet is holy."
The above episode depicts the attitude of Dasharatha towards the
poorest of the poor; his feelings reflect true 'Rama Rajya'.
2) When Vishwamitra takes Rama and Lakshmana with him to his Ashram,
as soon as the main gates of Ayodhya are crossed, Vishwamitra stops
the Chariot and orders Rama and Lakshmana to walk. After a few days,
he says,
"I have made you walk through impassable forests,
On rocks, over pits. You have had experience
Of the pain and death among common people,
Too much comfort
Can be a curse, taking men into a world of forgetfulness!
"They see the world from the outside, unaware of the pain within.
Enamoured of various pleasures, they move on,
Oblivious of the continuous conflicts between
Justice and injustice, honour and shame.
That is, unless the rulers / administrators experience the pain and
suffering of the poorest and the weakest, they cannot be good in their
jobs.
3) The third instance is the episode of Sita's 'Fire Ordeal.' Even
after the demise of Ravana, Srirama cannot come to Ashoka Vana to take
Sita because he cannot enter any city including Lanka or Ayodhya till
the period of Vanavasa is over. But Sita, hurt and desperate,
prepares the fire and enters it. At that moment, Mandodari rushes
there and rescues Sita, and says:
Viewing Sita's act, Mandodari rushed in
Exclaiming, "what a ghastly act," and without looking back
She entered the womb of fire and lifting up Sita
Safely brought her out of the flame.
Everybody praised Mandodari for her brave act.
Pacifying Sita, making her sit on the lap,
And touching her chin affectionately,
Mandodari said endearingly:
"What's this, O daughter?
You jumped into the fire, and pulled me too into it.
Are you not satisfied with the fiery ordeal
Of life we have tolerated
And endured as women till now?
Only a man of the epoch can
Put an end to women's ordeal!"
4) Yet another instance of non- violence:
"Violence has many forms and
If you accept violence, then your thought process
Will be violent and that would cause
Unceasing movement from one form of existence
To another. Violence of intention, violence of
The beginning and the violence of occupation --
Reject all forms of violence as non-violence
Ensures liberation. Be aware that the transaction
In sword will breed violence. Never forsake
The path of ethics; never be desirous of a cruel path
As it will take you through a cycle of births and deaths.
The nature of Fire is to burn, of water to cool, and
Of the wind to blows; similarly, the true nature of the Self
Is to possess the ennobling spirit. Following the path
Of non-violence, you be an oarsman helping all
To cross the ocean of life!"
5) Lastly, let me read the passage which narrates the re-union of Rama and Sita:
Rama shed tears of joy.
Janaki, the virtuous wife, who had emerged victorious
From the ordeal by fire leaned against Rama's chest
And at once Rama embraced her endearingly.
What could be said of that sweet moment of union!
Their eyes and the faces said it all!
Silence drew them together beyond the realm of words.
The earth was thrilled and there was serene silence everywhere.
As the dusk approached, the horizon turned crimson.
As two hearts became one in the warmth of love,
The wind blew gently.
As the night descended,
Mother earth felt great joy!
The palm fronds swayed like the fan.
Faces bloomed with happiness; minds felt elated;
All the senses awakened;
The roar of the springs sounded like the musical notes
Cheering the union of Rama and Sita;
Like festoons, the clouds hung in the sky;
There was laughter and jubilation in the air.
The union of Rama and Sita brought immense joy to all!
Writing is my oxygen and source of energy in sorrows and joys. This
has continued to be my companion along with my beloved wife. I am
always energized if I start writing at 5 am. I am now writing a
classical epic poem on Draupadi and the epic poem is called 'Shreemudi
Parikramanam'. My literary journey will go on till the end of my life.
Nobody writes for an award. But, awards function as incentives for
the writer to have confidence in himself and continue his work more
zealously. On this occasion, I should remember Guru Prof. K.
Anantharamu, who guided me in my journey on Sri Ramayana Mahanvshanam,
and my wife Malathi who sowed the seeds of this great epic in my mind
and continued to assist me in making it perfect. My mother, who is no
more, has always been around me, who woke me up at 4.45 am every day
and did not allow me to sleep up to 12 at night.
I sincerely thank the Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust headed by Mrs. Indu
Jain for bestowing this prestigious award on my work. I thank the
Hon'ble President of India, Her Excellency Smt. Pratibha Devsingh
Patil; Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Chief Justice of India; and Sri Sri
Ravishankar Guruji, for their support and blessings. I am highly
obliged to them for their presence. The presence and enthusiasm of you
all make my will power perennial in all my endevours.
Dr. M. Veerappa Moily
vlk/dk/kol/13:39 hrs.
Press Information Bureau
Government of India
* * * * * *
Ministry of Communications & Information Technology
All India Postal weightlifting meet
New Delhi: March 19, 2010
The 25th All India Postal Weight Lifting, Power Lifting and Best
Physique tournament scheduled to be held from March 23, 2010 to March
26, 2010 in New Delhi. About 200 participants from 15 Postal Circles
will be participating in the four-day tournament being organized by
Delhi Postal Sports Control Board with an aim to promote, develop
welfare & sports activities among the employees of the department
The weight Lifting, Power Lifting and Best Physique competition will
be conducted in 28 different weight categories i.e. 8 in Weight
Lifting, 11 in Power Lifting and 9 in best physique competition. All
the Categories will be having 3 Awards i.e. Gold, Silver and Bronze
Medals. The Best Physique Participant from All 15 Postal Circle will
be adjudged 'Dak Sree' Award.
Last year championship was held in Ranchi, Jharkhand Circle and Delhi
Postal Circle had hold the II Position in 75Kg, III Position in 90 Kg
and 100 Kg Power Lifting. In Best Physique, Delhi Circle hold II
Position (65-70 Kg) and III Position (90+Kg)
sp/ncj/as/dk/kol/13:41 hrs.
--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/
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