Hindu gods Ram and Hanuman get summons from Indian Court!

BBC News, Friday, 7 December 2007
By Amarnath Tewary,Patna

A judge in India has summoned two Hindu gods, Ram and Hanuman, to help resolve a property dispute.  Judge Sunil Kumar Singh in the eastern state of Jharkhand has issued adverts in newspapers asking the gods to "appear before the court personally".

The gods have been asked to appear before the court on Tuesday, after the judge said that letters addressed to them had gone unanswered.  Ram and Hanuman are among the most popular Indian Hindu gods.

Judge Singh presides in a "fast track" court - designed to resolve disputes quickly - in the city of Dhanbad.  The dispute is now 20 years old and revolves around the ownership of a 1.4 acre plot of land housing two temples.

The deities of Ram and Hanuman, the monkey god, are worshipped at the two temples on the land. Temple priest Manmohan Pathak claims the land belongs to him. Locals say it belongs to the two deities.

The two sides first went to court in 1987.  A few years ago, the dispute was settled in favour of the locals. Then Mr Pathak challenged the verdict in a fast track court.

Gift

Judge Singh sent out two notices to the deities, but they were returned as the addresses were found to be "incomplete".

This prompted him to put out adverts in local newspapers summoning the gods.

"You failed to appear in court despite notices sent by a peon and later through registered post. You are herby directed to appear before the court personally", Judge Singh's notice said.

The two Hindu gods have been summoned as the defence claimed that they were owners of the disputed land. "Since the land has been donated to the gods, it is necessary to make them a party to the case," local lawyer Bijan Rawani said.

Mr Pathak said the land was given to his grandfather by a former local king.

Related Links:

• No historical and scientific evidence to establish the existence of Lord Rama or the other characters in Ramayana - says Centre
  


• Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister M Karunanidhi says Lord Ram is an imaginary character
  


• Students clashed following a debate on Lord Ram's existence

Indian army terrorising Bishnupriya Manipuris and Meiteis in Barak

Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 12: Tension continues to grip Borobekra area of Jiribam sub division bordering Assam after people belonging to Bengali and Muslim communities allegedly bashed up three Bishnupriyas publicly in the presence of Army personnel on September 7. Denouncing the assault, the minority Meiteis and Bishnupriyas had been imposing indefinite general strike at the area inhabited by about 3000 people and brining to a screeching halt normal activities.

PRO of Assam Rifles, Colonel Rajesh Mishra when contacted dismissed the allegations as totally baseless and concocted saying “it was an attempt to malign the image and reputation of the Army.

Giving his side of the story, Mishra said that the three men were manhandled by a mob of about 2000 drawn from different communities, other than the one to which they belong.The three then ran towards the Army post at Sotobekra, where they were given shelter and later dropped at their respective places.“If it was not the Army, then how could they have reached their places,” he countered.

As to why they were targeted by the mob, the PRO said that on the said day (September 7) a huge convoy of the security personnel left the post for flood relief operations at Assam.

“The mob thought that the security personnel were leaving following hectic lobbying and instigation by the three persons,” he explained.

The three – Pukhrambam Jiten (42), Pukhrambam Rakeshwar (5 and Thokchom Anilkumar (34) who fled from their homesteads fearing reprisals from the both the Army and the majority communities are currently staying in the State capital. Recounting the incident, Jiten told reporters here that he along with Rakeshwar and Anilkumar were invited to attend a meeting held at a ground adjacent to the post of Rashtriya Rifles (RR) at Sotobekra (under Borbekra Gram Panchayat) on Friday last.

The meeting convened by the majority Bengali community centred around shifting of the Army post from Sotobekra. Amid the meeting one-army personnel called him out and before long “I along with Rakeshwar and Anilkumar were charged of plotting to shift the post and forced us to tender an apology”.

Before long the majority community members led by the Bengalis, who attended the meeting began thrashing all three of them and finding no way for their rescue they rushed inside a room of the Army “but instead of saving us we were chased out by some Army men and they too joined the bashing by using sticks”.

Finally the Army put the situation under control and handed them over to Jiribam police station. On Saturday they were admitted to Jiribam hospital, Jiten said adding that at the hospital some Army men came and asked them to testify that they (Army) didn’t bash them in the incident.

They however declined to endorse the Army’s plea. “We have nothing to do with the shifting of the Army post from Sotobekra nor is it our business”, Jiten said while disclosing that before fleeing to Imphal they lodged a complaint on the matter at Jiribam police station against the Bengali community and the Army for their highhandedness.

The Army hate the minority Meiteis and Bishnupriyas because the latter communities always declined to oblige forced labour ordered by the former, the trio said while opining that this could be the main reason for them (Army) to support the majority Bengalis and Muslims.

Owing to the heavy thrashing the trio complained of pain in the chest, stomach and back. They appealed to all concerned to intervene immediately so that to bring normalcy can be restored at Borobekra.


Related Links:
Communal tension at Jiri following Mayangs attack on three Bishnupriya Manipuris
Sept 7 Barak Valley violence instigated by Army, say victims

Poultry Firming can be an escape key for unemployment trap

It seems approving some stereotypes like wearing Sharee's and Lungis, talking in a non-manipuri accent, eating onions and eggs, practicing choturtho-mongols and birthdays, replacing Ima-githani with Hindu Demis, observing Durga or Diwali gonna constitute somebody's pride at being MODERN and LIBERAL. But can we be liberate ourselves enough to take Poultry Firming as an effective scheme for getting rid of poverty and in developing the economic state of our people?

Don't you think Poultry Firming can be an escape key for unemployment trap most of Bishnupriya Manipuri youths experiencing? Only seven weeks are required to produce a broiler and five months to produce a laying hen. As a result of modern technological development, a dozen eggs can be produced with less than 1.8 kg (less than 4 lb) of feed. Whereas egg-producing hens once produced about 100 eggs each year, such hens can now produce up to 280 eggs each year.

It was good to see our over-romantic society-girls and boys are very much liberal about issues like marrying an outsider. We hope, they will be also liberal in their attitudes and have a progressive blend of mind towards economic development of the society.

From the time of adoption to Vaishnavism Bishnupriya Manipuris refrained from eating meat and eggs, but did Hinduism refrain our people from keeping cattle, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese for commercial purpose? Lets discus how do we educate our people to dynamically engage in economically contributive activities rather than sticking hard to religious taboos.

Why Durga Puja ?

It is a sad case that this ten-armed weapon holding goddess of local Bangali and Assamese(note that Durga is celebrated only in west bengal and some other Bengali
localities of Tripura, Assam and Bangladesh) people becoming the most important
festival for Bishnupriya Manipuris day by day. This is against the thought and philosophy of our ancestors and also much against the very philosophy of Gaudiya Vaishnavism our people adopted. There are solid reasons to oppose the observance of Durga -

a) According to philosophy of Chaitanya Vaishnavism nothing short of prem(love of god) can give us the pure state of salvation. The ultimate aim and purpose of human life is the attainment of the spiritual form of Krisha. I had asked some ISKON gurus and devotees they told me that when you are devoting toward the Lord himself, you dont need anymore devotion toward any shakti like Durga, Kali, or whatever.

b) Durga is a meat-eating blood-thirsty deity, so Durga puja require animal sacrifices, which cannot be carried out by a non-meat-eater conservative manipuri Vaishnav.

c) Durga celebration is very costly, expensive and going to become costlier day by day. Even in the rural areas the picture is very terrifying. A community with a very low average income spending 50/60 thousands of taka or even more money for observing a very unimportant ritual of vaishnavism with a luxuries manner. Whats the benefit we get from that? Our eminent great leader late Bimal Singha was against the celebration of Bengali custom Durga puja.

d) Only handful of brahmins benifits from Durga puja and they succseed in keeping alive the pourahit rules.

Durga orininated from Saivism and historical materials available till date doesnt give us any proof about Saivism or the phallus cult of Indus valley at Manipur before 18th century. The main tanets of Saivism, viz, Pati, Pasu and Pasa are lacking in Manipuri thouht. No kapalikas,Kanphates, Aghories, Bahikathas found in either in Manipur or in our people ever.Saktism also a very recent origin, came to occupy our religion by the hands of some manipuri brahmins by misidentifying manipuri traditional goddess Nompok-Panthoibi/ Leimaren /Imagithani with Durga. Apart this none of our folklore suggests that our forefathers ever had any pronounced worship of male/female reproductive organ together with shakti which was a local culture of tantric hindu people of Bengal.

Just give me one good reason why should we continue worshipping the mayang goddess Durga?

Chaturtho Mongol for IDIOTS!!

I am just being unable to restrain myself from notifying about the observance of "Chaturtho Mongol" in the 4th day of marriage, which is going to take a important place in Bishnupriya Manipuri marriage schema. As far as I know, "Chaturtho Mongol" is completely Bengali or Mayang origin and it's very unreasonable and ridiculous to import a culture which doesn't have any cultural significance to us. It is a disappointment that some people instead of learning our own culture and feeling proud of it, running after the mayangs, stimulating by the attitude that "anything mayang is great!"

I think, our marriage observances and rituals are very sensible, colorful and gorgeous, even more gorgeous than any mayang marrriage, particularly customs like Waroupath, Heijapath, Lohong, Koina Thilkarani,Tindinkar Chana, Pachor bat are very fascinating. I feel proud of our very forefathers who build a rigid foundation considering every aspects of living in a civil way. And the rules are so logical and scientific, duhan ritir kotha ehanat na-matle na choler -

i) Daan'e-Udani: lohongor dine gang-goror manu'e koinagorang rupa daan'e ditara, ehan koinagor malok/bapokor kaje dangor arthik sahajya ahan matani yakorer, kungoi koti dila ehanou lehiya thoitara jate porobortite uta althok dena sombhob or.

ii) Polleng Chana: lohongor dine damangorang marup-machang baro attiyo sojone polleng chana uhan amar Bishnupriya Manipurir ritihan. Ehan damangor kaja , bisesh koriya leirapa utarkaje dangor arthik panglak ahan.

Ebaka Choturtho Mongol buliya je nuwa kumei ahan hanjasi uhante kitarhan, kittaou nagoi, misti plate ahan khaweya khuttol panar bebsayik buddhihan, jehan Bangali'ye kortara. Esade osustho sonskritir cholte thaile akdin Daane-Udani baro Polleng-Chana' r osade riti uthiya jitoiga, kiyabulle manu agor pokkhe habihanit ongso nenar arthik songoti nao thaite pare.

I just pity the idiots, the so called modern idiots, cant they live with self dignity? And our scholars, social leader may be renowned in their respective field, but they have no right to misled future generation, why they want themselves to be identified with the mayangs?

We don't need cultural adoption any more, we are okay with what we are. Our forefathers were very civilized people and they had built a good foundation for us; it's our time to build a house on that. Let us ban all reckless and idiotic activities like "Choturtho Mongol", which can be a threat in preserving our own way of living.