Beautiful piece by the RK Mission Mutt monk where he compared human minds to the fly hovering over the sweet displayed in the mithai shop and also to the bee going for only the honey gathered in the honey comb. The sweet shop invites flies that may sit on the sweets, then fly to the drain or sewer from where they may return to the sweet soiled, so on and so forth. The honeybees never go to the sewer. They have just the coveted honey that is just for them. Their odyssey is between the sweet smelling flowers blooming under a cheerful sun, to gather the nectar for their complex yet incredible honey comb that’s all.
Even though the swamiji used the simile to explain how a mature mind will stay in control than wandering from here to there, focused on higher goals in life, guess we may use the analogy for all of us especially women. I am still a Hindu, an Indian middle class nari who lives by the unwritten code of my conservative society. While I believe in equality of sexes, and women from my place have gone on to accomplish at global stage and mark our presence, I would still like to say, its always upto the women. Its for us to be the mithai shop sweet exposed and available for the dirty common fly or be the elusive honey that only the honey bee that does not feast on the sewer can have access to. Our mothers strictly belonged to the honey category. Values have started eroding from our generation. Our next is gone for a toss! Even for writing this piece I may be labeled a ‘sexist!’
Some of us women are not being rude or blunt. We don’t sell our soul that’s all.
Really enjoyed their match hahaha! Lasted some 12.2 seconds! Highly satisfying to note that I am equal to Bill Gates at least in this one department or may probably be even better (by a whisker only)! I too have no strategy up my sleeve, make my moves without thinking hard! Besides, these blitzes get my heart pounding. I get stressed by Chess which is why I have reduced my playing. Open for 20 min or 30 min tournaments. Not that I am a rated player hahaha! My range is only from 720 to maximum 1150. If i am lucky I sail upto 1100. If I am on bear mode, I fall drastically and touch new lows. Used to play online regularly for years. Play my sis who plays lot better chess. She is the winner always. My childhood friend Harsha has a rating of 1600 which is the highest of someone known to me when it comes to chess. Anyway enjoy the coup:
Will it be possible for me to play a game of chess with Bill Gates! We may be evenly matched!
The Gross Domestic Product GDP of a nation matters over the individual Per Capital Income (GDP Per capita). GDP is networth of a nation often in fact underestimated, typically as in the case of India. Per capita income is income per head. Oil based economies boast of highest PCIs in the world. Whereas USA, China, India, Germany, France, Russia and Japan are the leading world economies when it comes to sum total Gross domestic product.
INdia is very much underestimated in this list. America holds world’s largest bullion reserves and China is a feverish buyer for sometime now. But the gold held by Hindu temples and Hindu homes never is accounted for, which may exceed entire gold holdings of America and China and Middle east put together. Hindu temples are immensely wealthy flush with diamonds and gold coins and gold jewelry. Indian homes hold caches of gold and diamond jewelry passed over for generations as well as designer ones from present. Official bullion holding by govt of India may be far less.
Golden Mahalakshmi temple at Sri Puram, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India.
India is dotted with architectural marvels – our Hindu temples – millions of them, most of which are easily 2000 years old. These ancient sculptural feats hold within them panchaloka (5 metal), brass, bronze, silver statues worth billions of dollars. Most expensive silks of the world Benarasi and Kanjivaram are woven in India. World’s best mangoes grow in India. We are the world’s largest exporters of rice, wheat, milk, poultry products, beef. We export softwares and hardwares and automobiles and cell phones. Local manufacturing is strong. Even oil and gas are mined in India but we import both to cater to our industrial and domestic needs. We in India are looking forward to fossil fuel free world – that will forever liberate us from dependency on our oil imports. We welcome the green era with electric cars. That is bound to do wonders for a nation like India. These are the reasons I believe India is rightfully the 3rd largest economy in the world (not taking into account our natural resources, our farm bounties, our rivers, our mountains etc. One of the most blessed nations in the world that is timeless and ageless: that is my Bharat, India. We, some 1.3 billion Indians, share our motherland with native lions, tigers (highest count in the world again), Asian elephants and myriad species of other wildlife (including India’s own exclusive single horned rhinos) and flora and fauna and the avian families. Who will put a bill on all of this?)
Gulf nations are very tiny compared to vast countries like India or America or Canada or China or Russia. So concentration of wealth is in one or two or three cities that make them look richer. In my country India, wealth is SPREAD. Widespread. INdia’s wealth is not constituted out of her natural resources such as oil and gas. India’s wealth is MANMADE – acquired with the hardwork and dedication of our masses.
Which is why, its the GDP of nations that matters. The wholesome output of an entire nation and its share in the world market matters over individual per capita income. Even if we compute PCIs, at least two Indians are among the world’s 20 richest: the Ambanis and the Adanis. Adanis are among the world’s top 10. Their wealth is entirely based on production oriented manufacturing industries.
The quality of wealth, the ways and means of acquisition of wealth – all these matter. The wealth of India also lies in the manuscripts in Sanskrit, Tamil etc., that date back by thousands of years.
There is a deliberate miscalculation of dates and wrongful and willful misrepresentation of history and wars. This was the biggest mischief committed by the British. For instance, the British put the date of Adi Shankaracharya by 7th century CE. Whereas Hindu history reveals that Adi Shankara turned the river Poorna with his pleas and prayers so that his mother could have her ritual bath every day in her old age. Carbon dating now points to river Poorna diverging from original course to 3rd century BCE – which means the British made a huge error of judgment in charting Adi Shankara’s birth and history. Hindu history is easily 10000 years old. Most Hindu saints were born before the birth of Christ. Tamil and Sanskrit literature we read even today are from 500 BCE minimum. Advance grammar and standard of prose and poetry can have no precedence.
Our GDP also may include our railway networks, airports, shipping, defence, space industry, infrastructure including highways, investments in tech parks, metros in every city, mining, farming, fishing etc. World economies hardly take into account such a grand picture.
Only nation on earth to have Brahmos missiles now exported to the Phillipines:
India’s space agency ISRO, a chief contribution to Indian economy, launching for foreign clients:
Indian economy is very diverse. We don’t keep all eggs in one basket. Our pharmaceutical industry, health care industry, textiles, food industry, dairy, leather industry everything is a high performer. In Information technology (IT(n we are pioneers.
So it really shocks me that those in the west see only what they want to see like the Indian slums and put us down. The truth is: INDIA IS THE THIRD RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD after China and the US.
UK story is over since long. One reason for BBC to degrade India by propaganda is this: bitter envy. Dear BBC, even the Kohinoor of your Buckingham palace is originally STOLEN from Hindu temple of Mother Badrakali in Warrangal in India. UK lived a fancy rich life with stolen wealth from India, Asia, Africa. Now Brits are high on welfare aren’t they!
India is an all round robust economy, very well balanced. We look forward to shifting over completely to green gases in 10=20 years that shall cut down our oil and gas (fossil fuel) consumption. This can do wonders for the Indian economy and our environment.
I can’t help thinking about the spirit of our men who work in some of world’s harshest conditions to make life better for their beloved ones back home. I hear all the time about those working in oil rigs etc., at a 70 C temperature in peak summers. Rest of us can fly to our vacations because of these men.
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Happened to read this online although never got to watch ‘Aadujeevitham.’ Its heartwrenching real life story based in Saudi. It suffices to say that until this day, we have Najeebs still suffering for no fault of theirs in Arab states. This Najeeb was lucky to get liberated after all his ordeals. Its a miracle he survived not only his master but also the harsh living conditions and his adventurous escape panning the most horrid and arid deserts of the world, one fine day. His trek through this uninhabitable scorching sand dunes lasts for weeks. His goat days unwittingly prepare him for this desert voyage just like his underwater tough existence prepared him for his goat days. His mental balance is admirable and his physical fitness cannot be underestimated given the poor nutrition he ingests by way of sparse food intake. Finally his freedom from the Saudi jail becomes the true godsend. It crushes our heart to learn that he has been held as illegal labourer after all by his employer, without a proper licence. Through all this I could not help noting how devoted Najeeb is. How he pins every responsibility on Allah and pardons every single offender with a grace that is extremely rare to find. He only bemoans his own fate never someone to come up with accusations. Its a big takeaway for me really. In short, Najeeb comes across as a very sweet soul. For the kind of torment he is subject to, anyone could be ending his life or ending up like his predecessor buried beneath the desert soil. For a soft creature, Najeeb also comes across contrastingly as an emotionally intelligent person who learns how to wait it out patiently and when to play his cards smartly. He makes his calculated moves avoiding risks. His calm acceptance of his situation, resigning to reality and then working doggedly but quietly towards a solution speaks volume about his strength of character. Even the book is a very reluctant version of the statement pried out of real life Najeeb after repeated appeals by the author. Najeeb’s personality is also enhanced from the fact that he is not glorifying his heroic adventure but wants to stay low key.
Only yesterday, I was reading about the Kerala maid sentenced to death in Yemen, because in her attempt to flee from her torturous employer, she had to end his life. What drives the employees to such a sad state of affairs losing self-control. What brings out their wrath. In the circumstances it helps to remember those like Najeeb who retained his sanity and wisdom under most trying conditions. Its his life saver.
Those in the lowest levels of hierarchy sometimes undergo the worst experiences in middle east. Their semi-skilled state makes it easier for exploitative employers to manipulate them and use them to their advantage. I hear many sob stories emanating from the Middle east. But the Goat days by Benyamin which was originally penned in Malayalam is a nightmare unlike anything I have come across. HOwever let not some unfortunate cases let you imagine the worst about gulf states. YOu have to remember that millions of Indians also at the same time make it good here and happily make the GCC nations their second home. Even in Malaysia, a friend’s employers took possession of the family passports as far back as in the year 1997. And this was that of a working professional. Legally its an offence in all these countries trying to strip of their employees of their basic human rights. Expats first much educate themselves about their own rights. Secondly, always stay connected with the embassy at least online. Staying in touch with the NRI community is a must for your own safety. Thirdly, air your grievances immediately and seek solutions. Or spread the word. Appraise someone of your living conditions. Have your communication channels open for instance with the local grocery, your co-workers etc. IF something is fishy, REPORT to the embassy or High commission or fellow NRIs. It may save you from tricky situations. Keep your family updated and equip your family to act on behalf of you if they don’t hear from you.
Again, we find Indians as top CEOS of banks and hypermarket chains and industrial houses in the middle east. Even hospitals and academies and schools and other businesses are founded and managed and headed by Indian nationals. We don’t find Indian labour much because, INdian labour is supposedly expensive. Even 25 years back in Malaysia I was told that Indian labour is unaffordable, so the cheaper alternatives such as Pakistanis, Bangladeshis were the options. Semi-skilled labourers like aircon technicians, plumbers, electrical workers, supervisors etc., may be the lowest rung of Indians employed in the gulf states. You can’t even find fellow Indians as billing clerks or selling garments and lipsticks in the malls. To that extent, the Indian employment levels have improved and gone far ahead. Indian medicos are most sought after. Indian restaurants are the most crowded. Normally we have only mostly good stories to relate. Very few unfortunate cases are out there calling for our attention.
Those like Najeeb must have ended up in the sorry state because of the cunning of some unscrupulous recruitment agents. Indian govt banned Indian women from working as maids since long. Those Indian ladies who find employment in foreign countries as househelp do it illegally. You cannot find INdian women working as housemaids in any part of the world. However poverty may push some women to get work visa in one category and work as housemaids in reality. Same may be true about Najeebs of middle east. Those who end up in such tragic situations must have violated the stipulated norms of Indian government for NRI workers.
You are talking about Najeeb. What about the Kerala women and women from Pakistan, Nepal etc., who end up in the red light districts of Dubai etc. Women don’t get employment permit generally in the gulf states. They are eligible to work only as nurses in hospitals or teachers. Other working women in middle east normally are on dependent visas of their husbands. From the point of employment, their visa status may change. But we hear stories of Kerala women getting work visas in gulf states and ending up in forced prostitution. Once they go into that line, there can be no turning back. Although I have not directly come across any such case, these news keep floating in NRI circles always. Women are the worst victims. They may be recruited as staff nurse but be held as hostage and introduced to flesh trade as bonded labour. Fearing persecution of the society, they resign to their destiny. Women must double check their employer credibility before taking up an oversees job. But again, these are semi-literate, semi-skilled women dying to make a killing in middle east. They won’t listen to words of wisdom.
This book fascinated me as we have made middle east our second home in last some 15+ years. NRI now since 1997-98 although I keep shuttling between Chennai and middle east. There is good and bad everywhere, is all I can say.
I have to round up the review (if I can call that) with the observation that I find it really strange that someone like Najeeb who is the son of the soil living so close to the holy abode of Lord Aiyappa must be a follower of Islam. It really makes no sense to me at all. Some countries like the Philippines for instance have no god so they have embraced Christianity in total. Bharat is the cradle of human civilization. Hindu Dharma is the mother religion for other faiths that are too new. If you have to find god in the deserts of Arabia forgetting your local deities, then I guess everything you do has to be removed from reality. The master of Najeeb is the reality check for Indian muslims. Kerala people are obsessed with gulf money. Although we ourselves may have made our livelihood from middle eastern job, I am very proud of the fact that my home state Tamil Nadu contributes to LOCAL ECONOMY and those in my state have built their lives from contributing to domestic growth paying taxes. Kerala is superficial in everyway. No local glory. Shut out the gulf channels. They are finished. Tamil Nadu on the other hand like the other states of India, is economically independent. We have a robust and well oiled machinery of manufacturing and production line and employment systems that guarantee the livelihood of millions. We create job opportunities and engage the masses productively which is important in the long run to maintain balance and prosperity. Overdependency on foreign sources can make you vulnerable to transitions at a later stage. Loyalty of Kerala muslims is NOT to Allah but for the dirhams that come with their middle-eastern positions. Life is much easier. But remember, there are millions of Hindus who also make a living in middle east, entirely employed on MERIT basis. These Hindus are mere employees and their loyalty shall always be with Dharma and India. You don’t have to become the slave to your employer. You can retain your dignity. It irritated me to read how Najeeb for no reason other than Islam tolerated the utterly inhumane treatment meted out to him. Would the same Najeeb have put up with his situation had his master been a Hindu and the setting was somewhere in Rajastan in India?
That is why I say, nobody can be loyal to India the way we Hindus are. Nobody can love India the way Hindus will. And nobody can bomb India and damage-destroy India the way Indian muslims can! Nobody can betray India like the Indian muslims would – not even the Indian christians. The Indian christians are an educated lot. They use their brains. There was also this news yesterday in the media: of how 10 Indian muslims set fire to forest reserves in Uttarkhand. If anyone is capable of this kind of sabotage to the mother country where they eat their food, sleep on the earth and breath the air, it is the muslim ummah. Loyalty and gratitude have no meaning in their dictionary. If world is taking a critical view of the muslims, its not without reasons.
REading the Goat days, my heart ached because I am human and human suffering does not make me differentiate between people. I find Najeeb to be an exemplery character. His is a beautiful soul. It does not matter to me whether he is muslim or Hindu. But it also pained me to note that so much of a Kerala muslim’s faith, loyalty, gratitude etc., lies with the merciless Arab to who he will remain nothing but the underdog forsaking dignity. Converts are the worst hypocrites you may come across.
Having said that, hats off to the Indian embassy. So many nations don’t care. But India takes best care of her citizens in whichever part of the world they may be. We have even insurance covers now. A tremendous spade work was done in this regard by Smt Sushma Swaraj who was our external minister. Last heard, even rich arab sheikhs now prefer enrolling their kids in Indian CBSE schools that charge a single digit fraction of the kind of fees levied by international schools. And kids attending Indian schools have the competitive edge like none other. You also see the Hindu mandir coming up in Abu Dhabi. There are two sides to every coin. But being an Indian citizen, you know you are in far more advantageous position than other nationalities. If a Najeeb still happens, its because of the foolishness of individuals in which governments have no role to play.
Missed the Indian onions in Doha in last few months. Never settle for the Chinese. Sudan onion was there along with a few more. But there is simply no substitute to the great Indian onion! Spicy with its natural pungent odour, for garam masala gravies and for hot, simmering Indian curry, there can be no better alternative. Others come sweetish. Even as I was wondering why the famous fiery Indian onion was conspicuous by its absence, it registered in me that the Indian Lok Sabha elections were scheduled for April-May! Onion price rise turns masses against ruling government! Onion is emotion for India! Smart move by the Modi govt stopping onion export so foreign countries including the GCC nations had to switch over to other secondary options. Not only the Indian onion, a few more specifically Indian things sought out by international shoppers went missing from the supermarket shelves since the year beginning. Finally as phase by phase the elections are on, the onion is released by the Indian govt for supply in the overseas markets.
Why for some of us validation or proving a point NEVER matters:
LOved this whatsapp forward:
When Valmiki completed his Ramayana, Narada wasn’t impressed. ‘It is good, but Hanuman’s is better’, he said.
‘Hanuman has written the Ramayana too!’, Valmiki didn’t like this at all, and wondered whose Ramayana was better.
So he set out to find Hanuman.
In Kadali-vana, grove of plantains, he found Ramayana inscribed on seven broad leaves of a banana tree.
He read it and found it to be perfect. The most exquisite choice of grammar and vocabulary, metre and melody. He couldn’t help himself. He started to cry.
‘Is it so bad?’ asked Hanuman..
‘No, it is so good’, said Valmiki..
‘Then why are you crying?’ asked Hanuman.
‘Because after reading your Ramayana no one will read my Ramayana,’ replied Valmiki.
Hearing this Hanuman simply tore up the seven banana leaves stating “Now no one will ever read Hanuman’s Ramayana.'”
Valmiki was shocked to see this action of Hanuman and asked him why he did this, Hanuman said, ‘You need your Ramayana more than I need mine.
You wrote your Ramayana so that the world remembers Valmiki; I wrote my Ramayana so that I remember Ram.’
At that moment he realized how he had been consumed by the desire for validation through his work.
He had not used the work to liberate himself from the fear of invalidation.
He had not appreciated the essence of Ram’s tale to unknot his mind.
His Ramayana was a product of ambition; but Hanuman’s Ramayana was a product of pure devotion & affection.
That’s why Hanuman’s Ramayana sounded so much better.
That is when Valmiki realized that “Greater than Ram …. is the name of Ram!”
There are people like Hanuman who don’t want to be famous. They just do their jobs and fulfill their purpose.
There are many unsung “Hanumans” in our life too, our spouse, mother, father, friends, let’s remember them and be grateful to all.
In this world, where everyone is highlighting his work and seeking validation, let us just do our karma because he who matters, the almighty God, knows without telling him and in the end, it is actually just he who matters.
I saw this video on a Pakistan girl given the Indian heart. Humanity wins that’s all. I come down heavily on Islamic terrorism and on Christian conversion mafia but my peeves are for real causes. So far as basic me is concerned, humanity counts over racial, linguistic, geographical and religious divides. I have to thank my foreign residence chiefly for crossing that bridge that not many of my friends can and not even extraordinarily religious and god people who I have known in my life can. If anything is good about me, I would say, this ability to be able to look at human as just a human without any kind of identity tag. So when I see this Dr Balakrishnan who says he treated the teen from Pakistan from his pocket because she was like a daughter to him, I can completely agree with him. Really brought tears to my eyes. Plus, I have friends who boast constantly that they treat everyone equal and that they gave food to their maid in their home or gifted her nicely. What I don’t tell them is that, respect or equality lies in not giving lunch to your maid or inviting her to Navrathri golu. Respect is really return-respect: that these friends have to brace themselves and eat at their maid’s home if it comes to that. You must NOT have that mental block in you that can prevent you from treating someone as equal or worthy of your respect. To me this is what humanity is really. Respect and equality are NOT one way street. You cannot think about God all the time and actually think some people of to be unworthy of your respect. My perception of faith and spirituality happens to be vastly different from others in my circle. Nowadays I confine sharing of my beliefs to selected couple of friends who have the maturity to assimilate how I view things and why. Over years so I see drifting from everyone – although I am not sure whether its good or bad. Sometimes I feel you are lucky if you can get along with the herd than have some out-of-box thinking. Invite people home ONLY if you ready to eat at their dining table.
This is a beautiful video. One of the positives after a long time. Yesterday I was watching a video on love jehad in which a young muslim man repeatedly stabs to death a Hindu college girl for turning down his love proposal. Happened very recently in Karnataka. I felt such a surge of rage and intense hatred. But today this comes like a balm to our heart. Kudos to fellow Hindus who remind us that, whoever others are, let us be us. Just us. There can be no Shiva where the elephant corridor is stolen or destroyed leading to a quicker extinction of the species.
Extinction is sometimes good and preferable though. It means you don’t become the broiler chicken species or the cattle species impregnated within a month after delivering the calf by IVF and milked litres with painful injections. Any race or religion that multiplies mindlessly will meet with this kind of fate at one point of time when million men have to jostle for space and billion hands may be reaching out for every single morsel of food. Is that what we Hindus want to be? One of those weary pair of hands by the turn of the century? Go extinct instead, with honour and having lived well in your prime. Let history record us for our quality not quantity.
Another Chennaiite has done it. Gukesh is now the youngestw ever FIDE Candidates champion. All of 17, he is poised to become world no.1 in Chess in near future. The contenders for the Candidates championship included two more contestants from Chennai Pragnanandha 18 and his sister Vaishali. What a bouquet of wins and champions for the city and the nation! God bless the youngsters. They are so very down to earth, with a couple of them coming from modest backgrounds. Absolutely no airs. Their humility humbles me really. Especially Prag and Vaishali’s mother omg – she is sooo cute. So innocent. Even getting sponsors for some of these kids to come up to this level of playing must have been a struggle. Anyway they are here now. God bless India! There is no dearth of talent in my country. Oozing with brains really but sadly untapped in most cases, so unlucky.
Gukesh says Yoga and Meditation helped him. That sharpness of mind is impossible without discipline and emotional intelligence. God bless you beta, you made your parents and the nation proud! May Mother Goddess shower Her choicest blessings on you, being by your side always and bringing you many more laurels!
Finally having our own gene therapy or the T cell therapy is in India that has cut down costs from INR 4 crores to under 40 lakhs of rupees, making it affordable for not only cancer patients from India but for those from around the world. One medical practitioner has claimed to have come up with a vaccination that can cost a mere 100 bucks to prevent cancer! In any case, the race to inventing the cancer vaccine is on and India is a co-runner in the pack with America, China, Russia and other European nations. The T cell therapy that is now selectively available in US and European hospitals for treating cancer, is finally available in India as local hospitals warm up to the new idea. Unlike chemotherapy, the established standard medical treatment for cancer that is sold over-the-counter like ‘one size fits for all’, the T cell therapy has to be customized for each and every patient which will make it complex to administer. The success rate with volunteers so far is promising.
The miracle breakthrough was realized at Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai very recently. Kudos to our medical researchers and oncologists and the entire medical fraternity that shall be rendering very soon chemotherapy redundant. In a third world nation like India, this means a lot to the masses. As we pioneer in the newly developed medical technology, the costs of treatment are bound to go down. India will be seeing more or perhaps heavy load of foreign patients, we being a well established medical tourist destination already.
Emiratis from Abu Dhabi and Dubai reportedly broke their Ramadan fasting at BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi recently.
Co-existence is the nature of Hindus and the belief that this galaxy and beyond can hold more deities than all the stars that shine in the sky makes it possible for Hindus to accept and respect other faiths and gods.
God bless UAE! Having a Hindu Mandir can bestow the Arab nation with more prosperity. Look at those who tore down ancient Hindu temples: Pakistan and Afghanistan. The Vedas and Upanishads and mantras recited at Hindu temples are easily 4000 to 10000 years ancient that bring a special vibe with them. Homams/yagnas carried out in our mandirs invoke the deities because we view the agni/fire to be the holiest medium for our offerings to our deities. This holy fire is fed only organic materials such as ghee, turmeric, nuts, grains, flowers, fruits etc. Its a purification process of the atmosphere removing toxins in the air. Repeated invoking of deities with specific powerful mantra chanting can bring in peace and prosperity and stability in the long run. This is what we do in our Puja at home too. Hindu way of worship is way too different that a majority of Abrahamics have no idea about. Whereas we Hindus have basic knowledge about others ways of worship. This is why I am stating here why Hindu temples mean wellness for nations.
More than all that, the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi reflects the highest esteem at which the native Arabs especially the Emiratis hold Hindu Dharma and the followers of Sanathan Dharma (Hinduism) and Bharat (INdia) in general. Millions of Hindus work in Arab countries. One way the Arabs show their respect to the Hindus is by allowing us to follow our faith openly in their soil and honouring our ways of worship. Respect is mutually reciprocated. Trust is mutually earned. There are Hindu temples in Muscat, Oman and in Bahrain and also in Dubai, UAE but BAPS is the grandest of them all. Now gulf employed Hindus are flocking in thousands by way of pilgrimage to Abu Dhabi! Before we retire, we too want to touch this holy land that is even more sanctified now with the coming up of BAPS. Business reasons or whatever, it still takes a big, big heart to make BAPS Hindu Mandir a reality in Arab soil. It marks a sea change in the whole Arab outlook at the world in general and at Hindu India in particular.
Saudi Arabia now has Ramayan and Mahabharat, the great Hindu sagas in their school text book syllabus. In less than 20 years, Saudi will be building the first Hindu temple. What a turnaround. Very rigid Islamic nations are gradually changing but this change is visible only to those of us who are residents of Middle east now for years. BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi is the largest Hindu temple in Arabian deserts.
People change, nations change, cultures change. Nothing is permanent. God bless the Arab countries building more and more Hindu temples.
PS: When we were new to middle east, an arab presented my husband with Zam zam holy water from Mecca. I have placed it alongside Ganga Jal in my Puja. That is what Hindu faith has taught me. Hindu dictionary has never had words like ‘infidel’ or ‘divorce.’ These are entirely western concepts.
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