Durga Puja in India and some other countries

Photo 1: (L-R) Lord Ganesha, Goddess Lakshmi, Goddess Durga, Goddess Saraswati and Lord Kartikeya decorated for the 2009 Durga Puja celebrations in Cologne, Germany. Their cropped individual photos in the order of their appearance in the photo are below.

Photo 2: Lord Ganesha

Photo 3: Goddess Lakshmi

Photo 4: Goddess Durga

Photo 5: Goddess Saraswati

Photo 6: Lord Kartikeya (Lord Murugan)

Durga Puja, celebrated about a fortnight ago, brought in reports of celebrations in the rest of the world. So, in retrospect, here are some short notes, apart from the photos above.

Durga Puja is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates the worship of the Hindu Goddess Durga. The date of the celebrations is set according to the traditional Hindu calendar. Durga Puja also includes the worship of Shiva, Lakshmi, Ganesha, Saraswati and Kartikeya.

In India, Durga Puja is celebrated on a large scale mainly in the States of West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa and Tripura. It is also celebrated in other states including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Punjab, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Goa and other parts of India where Goddess Durga is worshipped.

Outside India, Durga Puja is celebrated by the Indian diaspora residing in different parts of the world, and others interested in Indian traditions and culture. Some of celebrations of Durga Puja outside India are reported from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, France, The Netherlands, Singapore and Kuwait, among others. In the U.K., recently, the immersion of the Durga idol has been permitted in the Thames River for the Durga Puja festival held in London.

In Germany, Durga Puja is celebrated along with Bhog distribution and Anjali in several cities including Cologne (Köln), Berlin, Frankfurt (Frankfurt am Main), Stuttgart, and Munich (München). Durga Puja in Cologne has become one of the most outstanding festivals compared to celebrations in other centers in Germany.

For the participants in the Cologne Durga Pooja celebrations, it is not only an occasion to worship Goddess Durga and other deities, but it also an event to nurture Indian culture, to refresh old memories, and an occasion to renew personal and family contacts. Various cultural events such as dance programs, music, etc. are also held during the celebrations. The Cologne Durga Puja also attracts a large number of Indians living in the neighboring countries such as France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg.

Nepal, with a predominantly majority Hindu population, and Bangladesh, with the second largest Hindu population in the world, celebrate Durga Puja on a grand scale.

In Singapore, the Bengali Association of Singapore (BAS) celebrates Durga Puja with Bhog distribution and Anjali along with cultural programs.

Meera Shankar: First Indian Female Ambassador to USA in 60 years

Photo: Meera Shankar presenting her credentials to President Barack Obama

India has now the first woman ambassador to Washington in 60 years; Meera Shankar, a career diplomat who was till recently posted in Germany.

Shankar, an Indian Foreign Service officer of the 1973 batch, succeeded Ambassador Ronen Sen. Earlier she had served as Director in the Prime Minister’s Office (1985-1991), Ministry of Commerce (1991-1995), and in the Ministry of External Affairs.

Now some of the core areas of her work involve India’s commercial negotiations with US companies for the supply of nuclear equipment under the landmark India-US civil nuclear deal, according to Meera Shankar’s statement to the press.

India’s nuclear spend is estimated at $150 billion, on which the US companies hoped for a major pie, but the biggest dampener for them turned out to be India's tough nuclear liability legislation that makes suppliers also potentially liable for eighty years.

Describing the deal as an instrument of transformation in India-US relations, Shankar said the growing defence cooperation between the two countries also reflected deeper mutual trust. ‘Bilateral defence trade between the two countries had rapidly risen to over $ 4 billion in the last few years with another $4 billion in the pipeline through the FMS route’, she said in an address on Tuesday on "Indo-US Relations: An Evolving Partnership" at Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University.

Another core area on which Shankar needs to concentrate on India’s interests is highlighting Indo-US common concerns of about terrorism and the closer counter-terrorism cooperation, the focus now being on strengthening exchange of intelligence and information sharing best practices and capacity building.

Lightning strikes 62-feet tall Jesus statue

On Monday, around 11:15 PM, lightning struck a 62-feet-tall, 16,000-tonnes statue of Jesus Christ setting it into flames, agencies reported. Jesus Christ statue was one of southwest Ohio's most familiar landmarks tat had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along Interstate 75 in Monroe, north of Cincinnati.

The sculpture of Jesus Christ, about 62 feet (19 meters) tall and 40 feet (12 meters) wide at the base, was made of plastic and fiberglass over a steel frame, and only the steel frame remained on Tuesday. Monroe police dispatchers said that the fire spread from the statue to an adjacent amphitheater but was confined to the attic area. Luckily no one was injured. Watch the video for the rest of the report.

Swami Rama, enlightenment and alleged sexual abuses

"Be happy and fearless. Remember that you are a child of Divinity. Loss and gain cannot even touch your shadow" - His Holiness Sri Swami Rama

The American securities broker Robert Walter’s website Son of a Swami welcomes visitors with the announcement, ‘Robert Walter was 12 when he discovered that his real father was his mother's guru, the renowned Indian yogi Swami Rama - not his alcoholic dad, Arne Walter’, and adds, ‘Robert hoped he'd finally found the strong, wise, and loving father he'd always yearned for. But he quickly realized that he was the guru's dirty little secret: Swamis are Indian monks who take vows of celibacy, and Robert was living proof that "His Holiness Swami Rama" was not the otherworldly saint his followers worshipped’.

Robert Walter who claims to be the son of Swami Rama and his mother, Shirley Walter, plan to publish a book, "Son of a Swami: A Life of Lies", a double memoir of their relationships with Swami Rama and their involvement with The Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy. When Swami Rama landed in USA to spread the knowledge of Yoga, meditation, spirituality, etc., Shirley Walter’s Yoga center became his first base of his operations in the United States.

In the proposed book 'Son of a Swami: A Life of Lies', the website says, "Robert explores his painful quest for a bond with his father… Robert becomes caught in a web of lies and false promises… Robert confronts the questions that have plagued him since he was 12, 'Is he the son of a sex addict, a yogi with extraordinary powers, or both?'" Shirley explores "how she became one of Swami Rama's earliest supporters and one of his sexual victims". She also details the price she paid for extricating herself from the Himalayan Institute, and examines the ways she failed to understand her son's need for a truthful reckoning until now.

Swami Rama (1925-1996), born as Brij Kishore Dhasmana, in the Garhwal Himalayas in India, became the lineage holder of the Sankya Yoga tradition of the Himalayan Masters, under guidance by his guru Bengali Baba. After many years of further practice in Himalayan caves, Swami Rama was encouraged by his guru to go to the West where he lived a considerable portion of his life.

Swami Rama is recognized as one of the first Yogis to allow himself to be studied by Western scientists. In the 1960s he allowed the scientists at the Menninger Clinic to research on his ability to voluntarily control body processes such as heartbeat, blood pressure, body temperature, etc., which are considered to be involuntary or autonomic. Thus Swami Rama had contributed enormously to yoga's surging popularity in the United States, as he could control his brain waves, heartbeat, etc. His feats were praised sky-high by the media across the United States, winning him many devotees, including Robert Walter's mother, Shirley Walter.

His first ashram was established at the outskirt of Kathmandu, Nepal, where he went on barefoot with nothing but a Kamandalu and a tiger skin mat. Known widely as His Holiness Sri Swami Rama, he founded the Himalayan Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy which has its headquarters in Honesdale, PA and branches in the rest of USA, Canada, UK, Europe and India. The Himalayan Institute's headquarters are located on a 400-acre (1.6 squire km) campus in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania, USA.

The Himalayan Institute declares its mission as 'to discover and embrace the sacred link - the spirit of human heritage that unites East and West, spirituality and science, and ancient wisdom and modern technology.' The institute uses techniques of Yoga, Ayurveda, integrative medicine, spirituality, and holistic healing.

Swami Rama authored several books during his lifetime, in which he described his journey toward becoming a Yogi and emphasized philosophy and benefits of practices such as meditation. One of the common themes expressed in such books as Enlightenment Without God and Living With The Himalayan Masters is the ability of any person to achieve peace without the need for an established religion. He criticized of the tendency Yogis to use supernatural powers to claim their enlightenment.

On September 4, 1997 in the United District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania a jury returned an award against the defendant Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA in the amount of $275,000 in compensatory damages and $1.6 million in punitive damages for the sexual misconduct of the Himalayan Institute's former 'spiritual leader' Brijkishor Kumar, popularly known as the 'Swami Rama'. The award was in favour of the 19-year-old Jasmine Patel (Jasmine Patel, plaintiff Vs. Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy of the USA).

Jasmine Patel was 13 or 14 years old, when she was introduced to Swami Rama by her parents who treated him as their enlightened spiritual guide and family guru. In the summer of 1989 Jasmine joined the Institute’s 'Self-Transformation Program' from when the swami started abusing her, ending up in full-blown sexual relationship, the American Court order states. It also states, several other women’s similar experiences with Swami Rama.

In the above quoted verdict, the American jury found that Swami Rama (a) had engaged in sexual relations with the plaintiff Jasmine Patel, (b) he had abused his position as the plaintiff's guru to secure her consent to the sexual relations; (c) he had breached the standard of care and fiduciary duties inherent in the relationship between him and the plaintiff; (d) he had intentionally inflicted emotional distress on the plaintiff; (e) had acted maliciously and with conscious disregard for the welfare of the plaintiff; (f) and he was acting within the scope of his agency relationship with the Himalayan Institute when engaging in sexual relations with Jasmine Patel.

Apart from holding the Himalayan Institute liable for compensatory and punitive damages on a respondent superior theory, the American jury also imposed direct liability on the Institute, finding that (a) it had been negligent in allowing Swami Rama to be a sexual predator for a number of years; (b) the actions and inactions of Himalayan Institute constituted the intentional infliction of emotional distress; and (c) the Himalayan Institute had acted maliciously and with conscious disregard for the welfare of the plaintiff.

According to some reports, Swami Rama is survived by a daughter and two sons, two of whom have been acknowledged in 'At the Eleventh Hour', a biography of Swami Rama written by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, the current head of the Himalayan Institute of the USA. The two are his son Mohit Dhasmana, and daughter Devyani Mungali, by Swami Rama's former wife in India, Lilu Kumar. Lilu and Mohit Kumar have been involved in several lawsuits in India, notably Original Suit No. 865 of 1997 filed in the Court of the Civil Judge, Senior Division, Dehradun, challenging the current leaders of the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, founded by Swami Rama.

Miranda Marbaniang, another woman from Shillong, India, claims she is Swami Rama's oldest daughter. Swami Rama's devotees and followers have not acknowledged either Robert Walter or Miranda Marbaniang as the guru's children, as he was supposed to have taken vows of celibacy (Sannyas).

While he was alive, Swami Rama said on the allegations of sexual abuse, "Do not defend me", as part of the discipline of Asian Yogis to live up to their ideals.

Gate of the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas

The City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, is a city situated in Talmage, Mendocino County, California, 180 km north of San Francisco. It was one of the first Buddhist monasteries built in the United States. The temple follows the Guiyang Chan School, one of the five houses of classical Chinese Chan.

The founder Hsuan Hua (16 April 1918 - 7 June 1995), was a revered Chan Buddhist monk who had an important role in the propagation of Western Buddhism in the United States. He is also known as An Tzu and Tu Lun.

Development of Zen (translated from the Chinese word Chan to Japanese, and originally derived from the Sanskrit word ‘dhyana’) is traditionally credited to be in China, in the Shaolin Temple, by the South Indian Pallava prince-turned-monk Bodhidharma, who came to China to teach the principles of Chan or Zen.

Address : 2001 Talmage Road, Ukiah, California 95482, USA

Website: www.cttbusa.org

The Jeweled Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas

The Jeweled Hall of Ten Thousand Buddhas at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, situated in Talmage, Mendocino County, California, USA. The city was founded by Master Hsuan Hua. Constructed in 1982, the Jeweled Hall is adorned with streamers, banners, lamps and a 20-foot (6 m) statue of a thousand-handed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The walls of the hall are adorned with 10,000 images of the Buddha molded by Master Hsuan Hua himself.

Avalokitesvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas, and one of the most revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism. In China, Avalokitesvara is often depicted in a female form known as Guan Yin. In India, Avalokitesvara is also referred to as Padmapani, Lokesvara or Tara. In Tibetan, Avalokitesvara is known as Chenrezig, and is said to be incarnated in the Dalai Lama, the Karmapa and other high Lamas. In Mongolia, he is called Megjid Janraisig or Xongsim Bodisadva.

A visit to the Space City Houston

One of the finest destinations to visit for those who like a kaleidoscopic panorama of tourist attractions in the United States is Houston in the State of Texas, home to NASA, and one of the busiest tourist destinations in the world. The two major attractions that most people would not like to miss are the Houston Museum District, home to many cultural institutions and exhibits, and the Theater District, known an active visual and performing arts scene offering year-round resident companies in all major performing arts.

Renowned as the most air-conditioned city in the world, Houston has some of the best hotels to suit every pocket and providing the best of hospitality for the celebrity traveler as well as the budget traveler. For instance, if you are to be around the Greenspoint Mall, a very popular place for visitors and home to some of the topmost brands in the world. It is a very convenient location to visit the most sought-after spots such as Splashtown, Old Town Spring, Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, and the Sam Houston Racetrack.

Local transport is what most travelers overlook while planning their vacations, but like most of the best hotels in the world. These destinations are comparable in accommodation as Ontario in San Bernardino County, California, famous for the Ontario Mills, and Ontario Motor Speedway, and Ontario California hotel where can be a preferred place for most visitors. Here, being very near to Ontario International Airport (ONT), and attractions like Ontario Mills Mall and San Manuel Amphitheater, the airport shuttle service offered by Ontario Airport Hotel can solve the problem for local transport.

Houston, nicknamed as The Space City, has also one of the largest concentrations of well-maintained parks in the world, about 350 parks, such as Hermann Park that houses the famous Houston Zoo, the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Lake Houston Park, Discovery Green, and Sam Houston Park. And a ‘must-visit’ destination is Space Center Houston, where many exhibits including moon rocks (brought back from the moon by space missions to the moon), a shuttle simulator, and many attractive presentations about history of NASA's manned space flights program are exhibited.

My choice of top 10 cities to visit in USA

To top the list of my choice of top 10 cities to visit in the United States, here is my personal favorite city, Boston (a.k.a Boston MA). The city was the location of several major events during the American Revolution, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, according to Wikipedia. This historical connection has made Boston one of the ten most-popular tourist locations in the country. It is a major shipping port and manufacturing center, apart from evolving as an intellectual, technological, and political center. Being one of the oldest cities in the US, Boston is very compact, and prices of Boston apartments witnessed an increase since the 1990s. There are a number of ornate theatres here. It is home to many renowned performing arts organizations such as the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and a major center for contemporary classical music. There are also many events and festivals that make Boston a favorite destination for people interested in entertainment and performing arts.

New York City, the City That Never Sleeps, exerts a strong influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment, is located on a large natural harbor. The most adored landmark here, The Statue of Liberty, has been greeting millions of people from all over the world to this city of skyscrapers. New York City is also the birthplace of many cultural movements, including modern painting, music genres like hip hop, punk, salsa and disco; and is the home of Broadway Theater. It has the most visited city park in the United States, the Central Park, many public beaches, lakes, zoo, a wildlife sanctuary, natural woods, and many more attractions.

The Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas, famous for its casinos, hotels, resorts, fine living and dining, has become a popular setting for films and television programs. This is one such city that most people, including most famous celebrities of the world head to for unwinding themselves and relaxing.

Miami, a global city due to its importance in finance, commerce, culture, print media and entertainment, is an international center for popular entertainment in television, music, fashion, films and the performing arts. The Port of Miami is the number one cruise/passenger port in the world, has many nightclubs, bars, restaurants, bohemian shops, beaches, many parks and gardens to make a vacation to this city the most memorable.

Philadelphia, also known as Philly, is the centerpiece of early American history. It was the social and geographical center of the original 13 American colonies and an important center of the American Revolution and American Independence. Now with its numerous glass and granite skyscrapers, the city is a commercial, educational and cultural center. It has a wide range of architectural styles, with Philadelphia's architectural history dating back to Colonial times.

San Francisco, the financial, cultural and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, is a center of liberal activism in the United States and a popular international tourist destination famous for the Golden Gate Bridge, Chinatown, unique parks, cable cars, beaches and many more attractions. The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is one of the most visited destinations in the United States. San Francisco city is famous for an eclectic mix of Victorian and modern architecture.

New Orleans, located in southeastern Louisiana, straddling the Mississippi River, is well known for its French architecture, its cross cultural and multilingual heritage. One of the most visited cities in the United States, New Orleans, is famous for its cuisine, live music, boutique stores, flea markets, antique shopping, nightlife, and many celebrations and festivals. /p>

Seattle, a major economic, cultural and educational center, is famous for many fairs and festivals such as film festivals, seafaring events, art and music festivals, and ethnic festivals, galleries and museums, etc., and centers for recreation. Having experienced significant growth in the cruise industry, especially as a departure point for Alaska cruises, Seattle attracts very large number of cruise passengers.

Los Angeles (L.A.), a major global center of international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, technology and education, is the home of Hollywood, which is leading the world in the production of motion pictures, television production, interactive games and recorded music. Important landmarks to visit in Los Angeles include Walt Disney Concert Hall, Kodak Theatre, Griffith Observatory, Getty Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Boulevard, Capitol Records Tower, City Hall, Hollywood Bowl, Watts Towers and Staples Center.

Honolulu, is the capital of Hawaii, is the best place to start when planning a visit to Hawaii. Its natural beauty, tropical climate, beaches and active volcanoes are a major attraction for tourists, surfers, biologists and researchers. Some of the tourist attractions are Ala Moana, Aloha Tower, Bishop Museum, Diamond Head, Hanauma Bay, Honolulu Academy of Arts, `Iolani Palace, Lyon Arboretum, USS Arizona Memorial, Waikiki Aquarium and Waikiki Beach.

Manmohan Singh meets Barack Obama

US President Barack Obama toasted Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the lawns of the White House at the first state dinner of his presidency to celebrate the "friendship" between India and the US. "Aapka Swagat Hai (you are welcome)," said Obama in Hindi.

A.R. Rahman’s live performance of 'Jai Ho' from the multiple award-winning movie Slumdog Millionaire resonated in the Whitehouse marquee during the predominantly vegetarian dinner. Indian dancers performed to the music of A.R. Rahman. The 300-plus strong guest list at the state dinner included some of the most powerful and talented Indians and Americans. Actors Alfre Woodard and Blair Underwood, legendary director and producer Steven Spielberg, Hollywood filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, Indian music composer and singer A.R. Rahman, writer Jhumpa Lahiri, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, author Thomas Friedman and new age guru Deepak Chopra were some of the celebrity guests. Vice President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Obama's aides like White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel, senior advisor and assistant to the president for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs Valerie Jarrett were among those present at the gathering. Indian billionaires Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani, Indian-Americans like Indra Nooyi, Anish Goel, South Asia expert in Obama's National Security Council Rajat Gupta were the other notable guests.

Dr. Manmohan Singh said the two countries must find new pathways of international cooperation that respond more effectively to grave challenges confronting the world, and said, "A strong and sustained engagement between our two countries is good for our people and the world. We are embarking on a new phase of our partnership".

Indian Dancers perform at the White House

P112409PS-1624, originally uploaded by The White House.

Indian dancers perform at the State Dinner hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama in honor of Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and his wife Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, in a tent on the South Lawn of the White House on November 24, 2009. The dancers performed to musician A.R. Rehman's live song 'Jai Ho' from his Oscar-wining score for the blockbuster "Slumdog millionaire".(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Please note the terms of usage of the photo as appended below the photo: This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with President Obama

091124-A-6595V-, originally uploaded by U.S. Department of Defense Current Photos.

In honor of Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of the Republic of India and his wife, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama hosted the first official State Dinner of the Presidency at the White House on November 24, 2009.