tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28863888161227163132024-03-13T12:07:03.598-07:00A Balancing ActA Life of thinking globally, acting locally, and seeking peace internally.Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-67726141650111951132012-03-12T17:13:00.002-07:002012-03-12T17:13:49.955-07:00Upcoming Presentations<br />
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March 21 at the Troy Museum & Historic Village at 7:30</div>
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<a href="http://troyhistoricvillage.drupalgardens.com/content/programs" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://troyhistoricvillage.<wbr></wbr>drupalgardens.com/content/<wbr></wbr>programs</a> </div>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Troy Historical Society Evening Lectures: Wednesdays at 7:30pm</i></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Our region is home to cultures from around the globe. In this series, we will explore ethnic groups, hearing their stories and how they found a place in Michigan.</i></span></div>
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<li style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>January 18: Arab-American</i></span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>February 15: African-American</i></span></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><strong style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">March 21: Indian-American</strong>, Padma Kuppa, Outreach Chair Bharatiya Temple & Executive Council, Hindu American Foundation</i></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">April 18: Japanese-American</span>, Mary Kamidoi, Japanese American Citizens League</i></span></li>
<li style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: initial; outline-width: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">May 16: Romanian-American</span>, Marius Sidau, Cultural Anthropologist</i></span></li>
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April 11 at Macomb Community College at 9:30.</div>
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<a href="http://www.macomb.edu/NR/exeres/82EAB13A-BCA8-4C0A-B589-C75129F22F27.htm" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.macomb.edu/NR/<wbr></wbr>exeres/82EAB13A-BCA8-4C0A-<wbr></wbr>B589-C75129F22F27.htm</a> </div>
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<i><b>Library Fair: A Vision of India<br />Religions of India<br />Speaker: Padma Kuppa, Executive Council member of the Hindu American Foundation</b></i></div>
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<i>Padma Kuppa will be speaking on the various religions of India. She is an Executive Council member of Hindu American Foundation, an advocacy organization for over two million Hindus in the US, focusing on interreligious cooperation. She has also served on the Advisory Council of Hindu American Seva Charities, a national service organization for Hindu Americans.</i></div>
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<i>Sponsored by the Macomb Multicultural International Initiatives (MMII).</i></div>
</div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-50522820961510235832012-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:002012-02-16T15:43:47.791-08:00Striving to be American...<br />
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<b id="internal-source-marker_0.928993979934603"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Super Bowl ads in and about Michigan this year really created an ache in my heart – creating images of an America that I believe we can be and also an America that we shouldn’t be. The</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PE5V4Uzobc"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Chrysler “Imported from Detroit” ad</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that was inspiring and the</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxw4uZAezaI"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MI Republican senate candidate ad</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that used stereotypes had me seesawing between these two images, and I wondered how we can move toward the ideal ensconced in Clint Eastwood’s call to America.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">America is a symbol of promise, the freedom to do something or to be free of something: freedom to worship, to create, or freedom from oppression, from want, from fear. The PBS show,</span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/usim.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Destination America</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> came out several years ago, to chronicle the immigrant experience. It was made about a decade ago, around the time that there were 11.5% foreign-born people in the US, close to the 15% high of 1910. More recently, PBS interviewed 12 famous Americans to answer two basic questions – </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What made America? What makes us? </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">– in</span><a href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/video/the-immigrant-experience-in-american-history/92/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Faces of America</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, another study of the immigrant experience. Both programs echo how much this country is shaped by the energy and diversity that immigrants bring to it. As Clint Eastwood said, “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We find a way through tough times, and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” The collective immigrant work ethic has helped create that attitude and is what makes America unique. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But as these shows illustrate,</span><a href="http://www.americancitizensforjustice.com/History.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">previous waves of immigrants have also faced difficulties, especially during tough economic times</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and our generation is no different. When the Hoekstra ad came out, I heard from friends across the Asian American community. The image of an Asian woman speaking broken English, who rides a bike through rice paddies as Asian-sounding music plays in the background smacks of a negative stereotype – one that many of us have railed against for decades. </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=q20svaUlR0s"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">An anti-Chinese sentiment was also heard in the chambers of the Troy City Council</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, and</span><a href="http://www.michigankoreans.com/news.php?mode=view&num=6432"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it too caused stir in the community</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">It seems that some people still have trouble accepting people welcomed to our shores or those they share the planet with – as evidenced not only by these two incidents, but the recent desecration of a Sikh house of worship in Sterling Heights, MI. The vandalism was reminiscent of the first hate crime after 9/11, where a Sikh (confused for a Muslim) was murdered. The gurudwara, still under construction, was vandalized around the same time as the Super Bowl, with graffiti using offensive language, racial epithets, anti-Muslim statements and references to 9/11.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Friends reached out to me about Hoekstra ad and the Troy Council comments – from</span><a href="http://www.apiavotemi.org/index.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">APIA Vote</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that serves the Asian Pacific Islander American community through civic participation, advocacy, and education; from</span><a href="http://www.americancitizensforjustice.com/Home.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Michigan Campaign for Justice</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a non-profit organization founded in 1983 as a civil rights advocacy organization to fight for justice in the aftermath of the baseball bat beating death of Vincent Chin. As soon as I learned of the desecration of the house of worship, I reached out to friends – to members of the Troy-area Interfaith Group, which was formed due to a 2005 incident of exclusion in Troy; to members of the Hindu community, represented by the Outreach Committee of the Bharatiya Temple of Metropolitan Detroit; to members of WISDOM, a women’s interfaith organization that seeks to build peace in our region and our world through creating friendships; and to my friends in the Sikh community.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And we are living out the promise of America… We came together for a</span><a href="http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/Community-bans-together-against-vandalism/-/1719418/8629664/-/8s8fms/-/index.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">press conference at the gurudwara</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in Sterling Heights, defending religious freedom and protesting bigotry. We came together to launch the</span><a href="http://www.apiavotemi.org/"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2012 Respect America, Respect Michigan Candidate Pledge</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, asking all congressional (and other political) candidates in Michigan to take the pledge to respect Michigan’s diverse communities. We continue to do what Clint Eastwood said Americans do…”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">We all rallied around what was right, and acted as one. Because that’s what we do. We find a way through tough times, and if we can’t find a way, then we’ll make one.</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span></b></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-20323440935358983562012-02-01T16:16:00.000-08:002012-02-01T17:15:19.266-08:00Losing Libraries, Banning Books... Abandoning Saraswathi<div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.7028875520918518"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">An </span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw3zNNO5gX0">ad campaign</a></span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> was used to help</span><a href="http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/07/07/news/local_news/doc4e15dfff7c09e599496353.txt"><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Save the Troy Public Library</span></a><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> in the summer of 2011 – one that was reminiscent of some horror stories in history books. The idea of holding a book burning party when the millage required to keep the library open failed to pass did not appeal to people. There were more votes the third time around in the battle to keep our library funded – and the residents of Troy, MI still have a (partially-funded, partially-open) library. Not far from Troy, another book-related controversy was reported on NPR in January 2012 in the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, a middle-class school district in Western Wayne County. Canton and Troy, located in nearby Oakland County are similar for their ethnic mix – especially in their public schools: we have many people of Indian origin and our school districts reflect the high academic achievement of many immigrant children. While these are seemingly disconnected – book-burning and book-banning – I found a common thread: few from the Hindu community are actively engaged in protecting Saraswathi.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The Indian community here in southeastern Michigan is largely Hindu. The Hindu community regards the Divine as both formless (</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Nirguna</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">) and beautifully-formed (</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Saguna</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">). Saraswathi is a deity, and symbolic of the beauty found in knowledge, learning and the arts. She is depicted wearing a white sari, holding the veena, a stringed instrument, and in one of her four hands is a book. While most non-Hindus may find the four arms curious (or downright strange), I would not have complained – but they are symbolic of different things, such as the four aspects of the human personality (mind, intellect, vigilance, and ego), or the four Vedas (the Hindu scriptures). The book, likewise, is representative of multiple things – Saraswathi’s mastery of the Vedas, the scriptures themselves, or literature particularly in the form of prose. A book can also represent Saraswathi herself, and thus my children – like many other Hindu American kids – have been taught never to step on, kick or move a book with their foot. They touch it in reverence if they do something accidentally. Books are sacred, as symbols of knowledge and learning – required on the path to realization or moksha – and worthy of one’s protection.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">But I am an actively engaged member of the Hindu community - and visibly (and loudly) protested our public library’s closure. For the tiny part I played in its survival, I even made it to the front page of our local Troy Times’s Year in Review issue, megaphone in hand, surrounded by children who would feel the impact of shutting down a community space serving our need for exchange of information, borrowing books and much more. Perhaps it is the interfaith activist in me that brought me to a City Council meeting to quote 20th century Roman Catholic Cardinal Terence Cooke, “</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The reflections and histories of men and women throughout the world are contained in books.... America's greatness is not only recorded in books, but it is also dependent upon each and every citizen being able to utilize public libraries.</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">” Or perhaps it’s just that I am an American and protest the banning of a book. “</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Congress Shall Make No Law Respecting an Establishment of Religion, or Prohibiting the Free Exercise Thereof; or Abridging the Freedom of Speech, or of the Press; or the Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble, and To Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances</span><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">.” When we stand for freedom, we should also stand for the freedom to hear opposing ideas. America was built on a stage of clashing ideas - the Constitution was hammered out only after different voices were heard. Laws that supported pluralism came into being, and eventually led to my activism, seeking to build a life devoted to its protection. </span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 13px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">From the Bible, “In the beginning there was God and... the word was God.” From the Vedas, “Let noble thoughts come from all directions.” Across faith traditions, we value not only scripture but also the written word. Keeping faith means supporting public libraries, and objecting to book bans. Let us not abandon the wisdom and knowledge of Saraswathi. </span></b></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-53982323072270552472012-01-18T16:27:00.000-08:002012-01-18T16:56:03.058-08:00An Invitation to Walk and Build the Beloved CommunityOn Monday Jan. 16, 2012, the City of Troy, MI - like many other cities and entities around the country - celebrated the life and legacy of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. <div><br /></div><div>As I have been doing for over ten years, I woke my children up, and we headed to the City's morning event, held at Athens High School, one of the wonderfully diverse schools in our community - a community that, unfortunately, has been struggling with new issues around which exclusion centers, again. When exclusivism and pluralism (the concept that people of different beliefs ) collided in Troy seven years ago, <a href="http://pluralism.org/reports/view/66">Harvard University noticed</a> - I remember, since I was in the midst of that maelstrom. We made it to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/23/us/michigan-city-of-troy-led-by-tea-party-mayor-rejects-federal-dollars.html?_r=2">New York Times</a> for our current difficulties. </div><div><br /></div><div>I decided to use a special opportunity to recognize the challenges our community has, and the young people who are at the center of what is happening now. What was that special opportunity?... I was welcoming people to the City's MLK Jr. event and leading a symbolic unity walk. Here's what I said:</div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><i>Good morning, and welcome to our annual celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In years past, I served on the Troy MLK Day Committee, drawing on the support of both the City of Troy and the Troy School District. Today I am honored to welcome you and walk with you as we remember why we are here. Troy, Michigan is home to many cultures, faiths, and people willing to build the Beloved Community that Dr. King spoke of and worked for. He walked in the footsteps of someone from the other side of the world, Mohandas K. Gandhi, otherwise known as Mahatma – the Great Soul. Gandhi was 61 when he walked 240 miles over 26 days, to protest against the salt monopoly of India’s British colonizers. Gandhi preached a fundamental Hindu practice or yama: ahimsa, nonhurtfulness in thought, word or deed. This wasn’t being silent, it was about doing something constructive, bringing people together. He followed the principle of Satya Graha, holding to the Truth, and took actions to create peace and justice in the world. He was an activist, and moved a nation to civil disobedience. This same “holding to the Truth” was something that inspired Dr. King and the civil disobedience that he inspired. Both King and Gandhi were great souls and activists who each inspired a movement, who walked the path to peace through action. They knew that while words are great tools, they are never enough. Dr. King wrote many calls to action through sermons, speeches, and several books, and the title of the last is relevant even today: <u>Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? </u><o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><i>We are here at Athens High School, where our football team and marching band have had an amazing season. For this reason, I couldn’t stop without bringing up Dr. King’s sermon about the drum major instinct: “</i>And there is deep down within all of us an instinct. It's a kind of drum major instinct—a desire to be out front, a desire to lead the parade, a desire to be first...<i>” He also said, “</i>If this instinct is not harnessed, it becomes a very dangerous, pernicious instinct. For instance, if it isn’t harnessed, it causes one's personality to become distorted. ...One ends up trying to push others down in order to push himself up. The drum major instinct can lead to exclusivism in one's thinking.<i>” So while we want to take the lead, we also have to find the balance, in order to seek peace and justice in our community - to determine where we go from here so that we are not in a state of chaos.<o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><i>We are here with high-schoolers Zack Kilgore and Skye Curtis, and many others like them – teenagers who have gotten up early on a day off. :) These young people have taken action, have voiced their opinions in the public square, have harnessed that drum major instinct, trying to build the Beloved Community that Dr. King dreamt of. <o:p></o:p></i></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%"><i>Let us all walk with them, together as a community, knowing that we have the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to celebrate today and everyday.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-13036540649912722552012-01-05T17:16:00.000-08:002012-01-10T19:35:34.314-08:00New Year, New Resolution... New Post<div><b id="internal-source-marker_0.6582437702454627"><span ><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I wanted to do something meaningful with my new year's resolution for 2012. My 2011 resolution was to NOT watch Lord of the Rings (the extended edition, mind you), in the hope that my activism would be less fierce. The reasoning behind this? Perhaps by abstaining, the obsession I have for the saga (in either movie or book form) with its objective to create peace in the world of Middle Earth, would diminish the obsession I have to create peace in mine.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I wanted my 2012 resolution to be something I was for – not something I was against. The reasoning behind this? In 2011, my community was divided by a group of people against things – against providing adequate funding for our public library, against certain lifestyles (our mayor, anyway),</span><a href="http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20111219/METRO02/112190407"><span style="font-size: 15px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 15px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">against a transit center that would boost the local economy.</span></a><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> I wanted my 2012 resolution to be something that looked forward, that would stay with my family in the years to come. The reasoning behind this? I wanted to look to the future, to create a ritual that my first-born can also take with her when she leaves the nest in 2013.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I examined the rituals I have – and some which I no longer hold. As an immigrant, rituals from India are critical in helping me hold on to the cultural connections I have with my mother’s land…such as wearing new clothes on my birthday. If I am lucky, it’s a trendy sari that my mom has sent me - and wrapping the six yards of material in the traditional way also cloaks me in the comforting memories of the garment that she always wears, and keeps me in touch with fashions half way around the globe. As an American seeking to put down roots, rituals acquired in my new homeland help me to acculturate and create a sense of belonging for my family. A family friend of my parents who became a second mother taught me to bake – and each Christmas season, I honor the season of giving as she taught me, by baking various cookies with my children, and sharing the bounty with friends and neighbors (yes, Santa’s Kisses are a favorite!). As a Hindu, rituals assist me in maintaining a link to my faith tradition, since as a minority, one always has to be cautious of not being swept away by the mainstream currents. While the local Hindu temples do a great job of providing rituals relevant to the tradition, not all of us Hindu Americans – even ethnic Hindus – find a connection. Ethnic Hindus from India celebrate festivals and holy days in many different ways, and not all are grounded in religious ceremonies. The pujas done at the temples don’t always make sense to other immigrants in my age bracket – let alone our children, who are often dragged to such services unwillingly. Several years ago, the compositions of a Hindu saint-composer, Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya, helped me to establish a relationship with the divine – through a monthly ritual. A couple who were IT professionals by day were also Carnatic musicians, and gathered a group of interested people every month to teach and sing the words of devotion found in his simple language. While my family still has the bond to the </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">bhakti</span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> in Annamacharya’s works, our monthly ritual has ended – our </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">gurus</span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> have moved, and the impetus to gather has waned. We also have pages of documents which I helped create – transliterating and translating the many </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; font-style: italic; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">keerthanas </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">we learned over the years from my mother tongue Telugu.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "></span><br /><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">I knew when determining my 2012 resolution that I needed to do something for me, and also something for my kids. And while the monthly singing of the holy hymns is no longer part of our routine, I can create other documents – and re-instate</span><a href="http://padmakuppa.blogspot.com/2008/12/pluralism-is-password-for-peace_03.html"><span style="font-size: 15px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> </span><span style="font-size: 15px; color: rgb(0, 0, 153); font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">the blog I began more than 3 years ago with an essay about my core beliefs.</span></a><span style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> I – like many others – have made resolutions to be more committed to physical exercise and yoga practice. And I am making one more resolution - to exercise my ability to write and revive the habit of posting to my blog. Happy 2012!</span></span></b></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-17980614153674910102011-09-04T08:13:00.000-07:002011-09-04T08:16:32.694-07:00Sept. 14 WISDOM event!!<img src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?ui=2&ik=a9811cdb3f&view=att&th=131fe4657c4651e1&attid=0.0.1.1&disp=emb&zw" />Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-91021445508298547752011-07-13T19:50:00.000-07:002011-07-13T19:52:03.325-07:00The Troy Public Library ... Keeps Troy StrongHere's the latest from the Keep Troy Strong blog:<div> </div><div><a href="http://keeptroystrong.blogspot.com/2011/07/regarding-that-ballot-language-and-dda.html">http://keeptroystrong.blogspot.com/2011/07/regarding-that-ballot-language-and-dda.html</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Keep the real information coming... </div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-35030270643301378192011-07-09T08:41:00.000-07:002011-07-09T08:54:21.413-07:00Save the Troy Public Library.. continuedPer <a href="http://keeptroystrong.blogspot.com/2011/07/tcu-plan-to-save-library.html">http://keeptroystrong.blogspot.com/2011/07/tcu-plan-to-save-library.html</a>:<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; "><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; position: relative; font: normal normal normal 22px/normal Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; color: rgb(213, 118, 41); "><br /></h3><h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; position: relative; font: normal normal normal 22px/normal Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; color: rgb(213, 118, 41); ">TCU Plan to Save the Library</h3><div class="post-header" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; "><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1084322069840334628" style="width: 536px; position: relative; line-height: 1.4; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">The Dave Henderson/TCU plan to save the library is as follows:</span><br /><br /><ol style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; "><li style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">Vote NO on the library millage on Aug 2</span></li><li style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">Let the library close on Aug 5</span></li><li style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">Support TCU candidates running for mayor and city council, including Dave Henderson</span></li><li style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">Elect them to office in November</span></li><li style="padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.25em; margin-left: 0px; text-indent: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">Wait for them to fund the library, by taxing tax-paying Troy residents who happen to be from other countries.</span></li></ol><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">And how are they going to do it? They are going to fire everyone, and put an extra tax on tax-paying foreign nationals and an extra tax on people from other cities whose towns have lending agreements with our library.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; ">What? The anti-tax extremists want to tax people TWICE? What people? Oh, <i>those </i>people.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div></div></span></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-31711773004631600822011-07-02T08:01:00.000-07:002011-07-02T08:44:41.347-07:00Prof. Ramdas Lamb's Take on Conversion<a href="http://www.hinduismtoday.com/blogs-news/hindu-press-international/dr--ramdas-lamb-s-take-on-conversion-challenges/11257.html">http://www.hinduismtoday.com/blogs-news/hindu-press-international/dr--ramdas-lamb-s-take-on-conversion-challenges/11257.html</a><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">"The problem of conversion will be solved if the Hindu parents live and practice Hinduism in their lives. Just preaching is not enough and it is not going to work. You have to walk the talk. Parents have to silently put Hinduism in action so that the children can observe and follow them. This is how I have taught my children and it has worked very well." These views were expressed by Dr. Ramdas Lamb, Associate Professor, Dept. of Religion, University of Hawaii while speaking on the subject- "Effects of Conversion on Native Cultures and Society" at a meeting organized by Vivekananda International Foundation on Thursday, 23rd June, 2011 in Delhi. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 15px; line-height: 22px; font-family: Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; ">There's much more at the link...</span></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-62290449851328469142011-05-09T19:44:00.000-07:002011-05-09T19:59:35.101-07:00A Car Lover's Guide on How to Bless a Car, Hindu American Style....<div>Gotta love it!</div><a href="http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11q1/how_to_bless_a_car-feature">http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11q1/how_to_bless_a_car-feature</a><div>...<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; ">Getting to drive a <a href="http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/11q1/2011_cadillac_cts-v_sport_wagon-long-term_road_test_intro" target="_self" style="font-size: 12px; outline-width: 0px; outline-style: initial; outline-color: initial; color: rgb(0, 109, 179); text-decoration: none; cursor: pointer; margin-top: 1em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Cadillac CTS-V wagon</a> for 40,000 miles is a blessing in itself, but with 556 horsepower on tap, we figured it couldn’t hurt to have our newest long-termer blessed by a Hindu priest. So we took it in for a <i style="font-size: 12px; ">pooja</i>, which is a Hindu ceremony popular with car buyers in India. <i style="font-size: 12px; ">Poojas</i> are often performed on everyday machines, tools, or objects. The ritual may seem odd to some Westerners, but the Hindu faith says that everything is connected to God, even material goods such as cars. Hindus bless a vehicle to ask deities to purify and safeguard the machine, to express appreciation, and to request that the car operate in a fruitful manner. Here’s how it’s done:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family: arial, helvetica, verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; "></span><br /></div><div><br /></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-54651590673558508892011-05-03T17:50:00.000-07:002011-05-03T18:14:52.045-07:00Save the Troy Public Library & more than simply that... it's our community!!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; ">From my friend Sharon MacDonell: </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse;"><i><br /></i></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; "><i>Hello Neighbors and Friends,<br />Next Monday, May 9th, Troy City Council will decide whether they will find a way to keep the library funded, open (and at what level) until we can have one, last, painful millage election on the library in August or November. They may even decide NOT to have a new millage election.</i><div><i>This is truly our last chance.</i></div><div><i>*Now is the time to send out emails to your friends.</i></div><div><i>*Now is the time to write to city council members (get their email addresses here -<a href="http://troymi.gov/Council/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">http://troymi.gov/Council/</a>)</i></div><div><i>*Now is the time to write letters to editors (see attached instructions).</i></div><div><i>*Now is the time to argue with those annoying people who keep spreading disinformation about the city (find the FACTS at <a href="http://trustroy.org/" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">http://trustroy.org/</a>)</i></div><div><i>*Now is the time to become informed.</i></div><div><i>*Now is the time to understand how we got here and vow to vote YES on a library millage! (read the Oakland Press Guest Opinion piece here: <a href="http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2011/04/27/opinion/doc4db8b2f6f3539452613082.txt?viewmode=fullstory" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 204); ">http://www.<wbr>theoaklandpress.com/articles/<wbr>2011/04/27/opinion/<wbr>doc4db8b2f6f3539452613082.txt?<wbr>viewmode=fullstory</a> )</i></div><div><i><b>It's GO TIME folks.</b></i></div><div><i><b>What have you done for the library lately?</b></i></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div></span></div></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-65764544705629461782011-04-02T19:47:00.000-07:002011-04-03T19:00:45.320-07:00Dharma is a complicated thing...My patheos essay is here... <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Path-of-Dharma-and-Just-War-Padma-Kuppa-03-31-2011.html">The Path of Dharma and Just War: Two Hindu American Perspectives </a>and the paragraph I took out is here: "As an activist, I read what they say at <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/">Common Dreams </a>about this Libyan military engagement, and agreed with Stephen Zunes in <a href="http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/03/27-6">this article</a>: “Though the intervention likely prevented a slaughter, there is no guarantee that it won’t simply protract a bloody military stalemate that could result in at least as many civilian deaths.” Zunes is a Professor of Politics and International Studies at the University of San Francisco, an associate editor of Peace Review and chair of the academic advisory committee for the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict. Which brings me back to that idea of ahimsa yet again…and my work as a peace activist." I wonder how that makes sense? Peace and activist? Ramdas Lamb says in <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ramdas-lamb/polytheism-and-monotheism_b_841905.html">Polytheism and Monotheism: A Hindu Perspective</a>: "All these names thus refer to a Qualified Absolute that is simultaneously beyond qualifications. For Hindus, this makes total sense. " So peace and activism? We can make it work. We just have to work at it and find a way.Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-30521150843163020032011-03-23T07:27:00.000-07:002011-03-23T07:37:41.181-07:00What is a Just War?David Crumm - the publisher of the book www.friendshipandfaith.com which represents the women's interfaith activism I am part of - recently published this article on his site, www.readthespirit.com.<br />http://www.readthespirit.com/ourvalues/libya-did-we-have-a-responsibility-to-intervene.html#comments<br /><br />I hope to write something about this in my upcoming Patheos column - but first I must reread Juan Mascaro's intro to his translation of the Bhagavad Gita (a Penguin classic), as well as the <a href="http://www.hafsite.org/media/pr/rajiv-srinivasan">Hindu American Foundation's 2009 essay contest winning entry from Rajiv Srinivasan</a>.<br /><br />Stay tuned...Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-61951772068346604232011-02-16T06:43:00.000-08:002011-02-16T06:47:34.840-08:00Remembering Reetika Vazirani...<pre><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I am writing again (thank you, www.Patheos.com, for helping me find the discipline to do so regularly) which means I am reading again. I saw this from SAWNET.org:</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And in reading again, I turned to SAWNET's bookshelf and found this.<br /><br />http://www.sawnet.org/books/writing/sisterhood.html</span></span><br /><br />For our Sisterhood.<br />by <a href="http://www.sawnet.org/books/authors.php?Parameswaran+Uma">Uma Parameswaran</a><br /><br />The slash of a wrist in a quiet house<br />on a quiet street in D.C.<br />sent Arctic chills down spines across the world,<br />and we, islands in cyberspace,<br />tried blindly to read the words undulating on the screen<br />like shimmering sand against Monsoon gold;<br />tried numbly to stroke away our pain alone,<br />tried mutely to voice our dismay at the act of one of our own.<br /><br />We, womanmotherpoet, raised our hands in unknowing grief,<br />asking Why, why, why?<br />And the answer came slashing across the sky.<br /><br />She sat at our table, yet we did not see the eyes<br />behind the bright eyes looking at tomorrows.<br />She knocked on our door, but we did not hear the words<br />behind the words that asked us for a Book.<br />We felt the vibes she sent us over wires<br />of her fears she'd hurt herself,<br />and we did not act,<br />but she did.<br /><br />We, womanmotherpoet,<br />Though schooled early in the alphabet of despair,<br />Could not decode in time the words slashed across the sky,<br />could not hear in time the voice that cried in our own voice.<br />And as the red flame spurted down our path,<br />We, transfixed islands in cyberspace,<br />stretched our hands in rage, in guilt, in grief,<br />and as we stretched we felt other hands in our own,<br />likewise stretched in unknowing grief, unknowing guilt,<br />and we knew we were not alone.<br /><br />Oh my sisters, my loves,<br />As we circle the flame the Muses have taken to themselves,<br />Let us pray they grant us the courage, if our time should come,<br />to let go of our woman strength, our mother love,<br />our poet pride of honeyed nuances that drop silent into flowers<br />so subtly no one else can see, hear, feel their awe-ful urgency.<br />The courage to let go of all and scream loud and clear<br />HELP ME! NOW!<br /><br /><br />July 24, 2003<br /></pre>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-18862564338020851622010-10-24T19:20:00.000-07:002010-10-24T19:26:23.455-07:00Stephen Prothero on Patheos.comhttp://www.patheos.com/community/takeandread/2010/10/11/prothero-responds-to-our-bloggers-questions-on-god-is-not-one/<br /><br />Oh, I so want to go take another course at ETS!!Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-9083264779891763902010-10-14T20:46:00.000-07:002010-10-15T16:46:52.223-07:00Rival Religions?... Let's Reconcile Religious Differences instead.The subtitle of <u>God Is Not One</u> - The Eight Rival Religions that Run the World - and Why Their Differences Matter – unsettled me, coming from academic Stephen Prothero whose book Religious Literacy highlighted what I always experienced – the ignorance people have about other faiths. I have been fortunate throughout my life to have experiences which enriched my understanding of my own faith as well as that of others. Both books were given to me, each by a Christian interfaith mentor and fellow peace activist, one from MI and one from the East coast. <span style=""> </span>So you may understand as a Hindu American interfaith activist who wants to help develop interreligious understanding, why the subtitle bothered me. <p class="MsoNormal">That there was a limit to the number of religions covered was surprising but easily understood in the first pages of the book. The author does say “Much is missing here…”<span style=""> </span>And there is an acknowledgement that, while the “religions appear here in discreet chapters, none really stands alone,” but I didn’t get a sense that this interdependence brings religious communities together. <span style=""> </span>There is a tension emanating from the “rival” in the title that in a work that seeks to “replace naïve hopes of interreligious unity with deeper knowledge of religious differences.” <span style=""><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">As I read the book, I could understand the justification provided that the eight religions are presented in the order of their influence, although why each was great wasn’t as convincing (great doesn’t mean good, by the way). <span style=""> </span>The presentation of Islam as the first chapter didn’t seem right, given the impact of Christianity’s proselytizing efforts around the world and over hundreds of years. Yet Islam seems to be the one with the most contemporary impact – and the fact that it is presented first is a great conversation starter for anyone reading this book. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The four-step approach to understanding the eight religions identified – Islam, Christianity Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Yoruba religion, Judaism, Daoism and a “brief coda on atheism” – is explained in the intro. I still wonder about this simplification, and what someone who is not religiously literate will interpret, since the nuances are missing. <span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">While daunted by Prothero’s assessment of some of my heroes – think Karen Armstrong, Ramakrishna, Gandhi, lumping them into a category he identifies as “perennialists, who identify all religions as one” – I agree that he is spot-on in his assessment of the need to move into Interfaith Dialogue 2.0. He clearly lays out the need for genuine dialogue across difference, particularly now when our world is filled with religious and antireligious name calling. He reiterates again the need for religious literacy, and the need to reckon with our religious differences. <span style=""> </span>But he raises Eboo Patel’s Interfaith Youth Core as an example, where “Patel actively discourages IFYC participants from discussing politics and theology.” And yet a few sentences later, he says we should find “a secular way to talk about religion, with some measure of empathetic understanding.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal">I was somewhat perturbed by Prothero’s presentation of the chapter on my faith, that which the Western world has identified as Hinduism. (He got the dissonance we have about the name Hinduism right). It is a family of faiths, it is not an organized religion, and yet, there it is, as number four on his list. In fact, on page two of the intro, he calls [Hindu] Swami Sivananda’s writing [that the essentials of all religions are the same] a dangerous, disrespectful and untrue sentiment. He calls Hinduism The Way of Devotion, and identifies Hindus as being god-besotted. Rather than give fair hearing to the new scientific evidence that is at opposition to the Aryan invasion theory, he identifies it with Hindutva, and the Hindu nationalist movement. He references Hindu nationalists several times, in a country where the impact of corrupt politics and predatory proselytizing is easily visible (I go almost every other year to spend time with family) – even while India still works to stay true to its pluralistic past. I could go on, as an insider offended by the inaccuracies, the clinical approach with which he explains my belief system and that of almost a billion others. But there are many points where he is spot-on again: acknowledging the resilience of Hinduism -“Rather than repelling new ideas, Hindus are forever absorbing them;” <span style=""> </span>“if you are confused at this point, you are not alone;” or identifying God as both “nirguna Brahman” and “saguna Brahman.”<span style=""> </span>He quotes scripture, stories and philosophers and seems to explain what a paradox this faith is. But in the end, he simplifies it beyond my understanding. My faith is not only that of devotion. He states, "It affirms that neither priestly sacrifice (a poor description of the karma yoga path I walk) not philosphical knowledge (jnana yoga) is necessary for release from the bondage of samsara." Being Hindu means I have a multifaceted approach to faith - with many ways, many yogic paths that I and millions of Hindus weave into our lives. <span style="">To me, he remains an academician with a Western lens who doesn’t understand what the late Indian president S. Radhakrishnan tried to explain in his 1939 publication Eastern Religions and Western Thought. In fact, Indian scholar C. Rajagopalachari said these words while introducing one of my favorite hymns, the famous Bhajagovindam. “The way of devotion is not different from the way of knowledge or jnana. When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life, and issues out in action, it becomes bhakti. Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature, is bhakti. If it does not get transformed into bhakti, such knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that jnana and bhakti, knowledge and devotion, are different from each other, is ignorance.”<b><br /></b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The hardest part of reading this book for me came not as a Hindu, but as an interfaith activist. Yes, we need humility, the awareness that we don't have all the answers, and we need interfaith dialogue 2.0 – but it will not come without interfaith dialogue 1.0, where people can discover common ground. <span style=""> </span>Reconciliation of our religious differences – like any other differences – requires tact and compassion. <span style=""> The cross pollination and the deepening of one's own faith that comes with inter-religious knowledge is not offered </span>up for consumption - think Gandhi's following the principles of ahimsa found in the Hindu saint Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, which inspired MLK to follow his Christian path of turning the other cheek with even more dedication. The book didn’t offer me hope – that religious literacy as gained through a book will help those of us who practice the world’s religions (or belief systems) find ways to solve problems created by other people who practice these same religions (or belief systems). Instead, it offered me reality: that religious differences matter, that we must continue to advocate for what we believe in, that we must continue to create friendships across faith lines, and nurture the idea that we should treat others as we wish to be treated. </p>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-45512546800554746712010-08-01T13:57:00.000-07:002010-08-01T14:09:07.466-07:00What's going on in my world...<span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >I thought I should share the following from my Bharatiya Temple Outreach activities report.</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><ul style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">In June, Outreach members Anjali Vale and Padma Kuppa participated in panels for the Women's Interfaith Solutions for Dialogue and Outreach in Metro-detroit. The panels entitled "5 Women, 5 Journeys: How Different Are We?" are part of WISDOM's effort to build bridges of understanding by creating friendships across faith and culture.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">The Outreach Committee hosted a variety of visiting groups at the temple - ranging from participants in the U of MI Worldviews Seminar in June to a preschool group in Aug. Our visitor traffic will increase in the fall once the academic year starts up, so we are always looking for new volunteers to join the committee.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Outreach Committee members were part of a few interfaith service projects, including providing breakfast </span><span style="font-size:100%;"> in June and July </span><span style="font-size:100%;">for Habitat for Humanity </span><span style="font-size:100%;">volunteers </span><span style="font-size:100%;">in Pontiac.</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >Upcoming dates:<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Aug. 29:</span> </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In 2010 Hindu American Seva Charities is partnering with </span><a href="http://www.serve.gov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><span style="color: rgb(246, 178, 107);">United We Serve - Let's Read, Let's Move</span></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="color: rgb(246, 178, 107);"> </span>initiative to organize a national </span>Yogathon <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">in temples and ashrams across America.</span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br /></span><br /></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><b>Sept. 11 - 12:</b> A-OK (Acts Of Kindness) Detroit - </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><span style="line-height: 115%;">Website for registration, donations, and permission slips will be available shortly.<span> </span></span><br />Interfaith Community Service Weekend - part of National Acts of Kindness Weekend<br />- Service project selection and coordination<br />- A morning kickoff rally to start the day<br />- All supplies and project materials<br />- Food<br />- Celebration to finish the day<br />Initiative and Work Partners include:<br /></span><ul style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;">WISDOM</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">InterFaith Leadership Council</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Leadership Detroit</span></li><li> <span style="font-size:100%;">ACCESS</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">City Year Detroit</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">1 by Youth</span></li><li> <span style="font-size:100%;">Greening of DetroitClark Park Recreation Center<br /></span></li><li> <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">Mercy Education Project</span></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Riverside Park </span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Detroit Environmental Vision</span></li></ul><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><b>Sept. 21</b> International Day of Peace event - details to follow - multiple events in region<br /><b><br />Oct. 2</b> Gandhi Day of Interfaith Service - details to follow<br /><b><br />Nov. 14</b> Bharatiya Temple hosts "5 Women, 5 Journeys" Panel discussion</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" > in MP Hall</span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" > from 2-4<br /><b><br />Nov. 21 </b>Bharatiya Temple hosts Troy-area Interfaith Group's 6th Annual Thanksgiving Celebration in MP Hall - 7 to 8:30 pm.<br /><br /><b>Jan. 30, 2011 </b>Twelfth Annual </span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" >World Sabbath at Temple Israel, 5725 Walnut Lake Road, West Bloomfield from 4-6<br />The World Sabbath is a service that is held on an Interfaith Holy Day of Peace among the religions, races and nations of the world. It consists of offerings of prayer from many beliefs and of a Children of Peace procession.<br /></span><span style="font-family: times new roman;font-family:times new roman;font-size:100%;" ><b><a href="http://www.patheos.com/" target="_blank"></a></b><br />Anyone available on these dates? Join me... :)<br /></span>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-38507951995943138982010-06-29T15:53:00.000-07:002010-06-29T19:33:18.369-07:00Patheos has my essay on the Future of Hinduism...<h1><a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html">Future of Hinduism</a></h1> <div> <p>From its traditional diversity and plurality to the sanatana dharma approach to Hinduism, this ancient faith is on the move. The future of Hinduism -- in its intellectual, political, artistic, and cultural facets -- has an increasingly globalized manifestation. Patheos addresses these developments as a part of its Future of Religion series. Contributing authors include: <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Biernacki">Loriliai Biernacki</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Chapple">Christopher Chapple</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Flood">Gavin Flood</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Forsthoefel">Thomas Forsthoefel</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Frawley">David Frawley</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Jain">Pankaj Jain</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Joshi">Khyati Joshi</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Juluri">Vamsee Juluri</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Kuppa">Padma Kuppa</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Lamb">Ramdas Lamb</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Pennington">Brian Pennington</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Rambachan">Anantanand Rambachan</a>, <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Sharma">Arvind Sharma</a> and <a href="http://www.patheos.com/Topics/Future-of-World-Religions/Hinduism.html#Shukla">Suhag Shukla</a>.</p> </div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-74965662802261287902010-03-17T19:32:00.000-07:002010-03-18T16:12:48.954-07:00Balanced Views of Religion and Spirituality at PatheosThe website Patheos, with a subtext of "Seek, Understand," had a Theoblogger challenge: "Who (or What) is God? in 100 Words or Less." First they asked Christians... Then, I was requested to respond from a Hindu perspective (as part of a multifaith panel).<br /><br />My reply is now live at Patheos here (scroll down a bit):<br /><a href="http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/God-in-100-Words?offset=2&max=1">http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/God-in-100-Words?offset=2&max=1</a><br /><br />All the posts are here:<br /><a href="http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/God-in-100-Words.html">http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/God-in-100-Words.html</a><br /><em>Since the beginning of human history, we have struggled to articulate our understanding of the Divine. How does one describe the indescribable? We decided to ask a dozen bloggers across faith traditions to answer that very question: Who (or What) is God? And to make it even more interesting, we challenged them to do it in 100 words or less. What follows are their evocative responses. </em><br /><br />http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/God-in-100-Words.htmlPadmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-85435496855421590172010-01-27T17:10:00.000-08:002010-01-27T17:18:36.144-08:00Hindu American Seva Charities off to a Great 2010!I am SOOOO behind on posting - not that I haven't worked on several things lately. Anyway, I HAD to share this from Hindu American Seva Charities, a nonrofit that I am active with. Anju Bhargava is a the Founder-Convener of HASC - www.hinduamericanseva.org. She arranged a conference call for many of us in the Hindu American community through her role as a member of the President's Council for Faith Based and Community Initiatives in mid-January. The Exec. Dir. of the Council, Rev. Joshua Dubois, addressed the group, told us about the Council's priorities (to be listed in another blogpost, I hope) <cite class="tagline"></cite>and answered a few questions. Here is an article from the Wall Street Journal about "US Community-Building in a Dharmic Environment" - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124875466922186053.html.Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-54886258985275458762009-11-16T05:28:00.001-08:002009-12-16T09:48:27.381-08:00Remembering Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami<span style="font-family: arial;">On Nov. 14th, 2009, they celebrated the life and work of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, founder of the Kauai Hindu Monastery and the wonderful magazine and resource HinduismToday. Almost two years ago, I wrote a reflection on this interfaith hero who speaks to me through the legacy he left this world. While I have received so much from my father and my Uncle Ralph, I rely also on the teachings of this guru, and recently discovered yet another of piece of his wisdom: http://www.himalayanacademy.com/resources/books/lws/lws_ch-41.html. (I was preparing for a Forgiveness Symposium at University of MI Dearborn). </span><br /><br />"<span style="font-style: italic;">To stop the wars in the world, our best long-term solution is to stop the war in the home. It is here that hatred begins, that animosities with those who are different from us are nurtured, that battered children learn to solve their problems with violence.</span>" So said Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, when he addressed the UN's Millennium Peace Summit of World Religious and Spiritual Leaders in 2000.<br /><br />Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami founded the first Hindu Temple in the USA and a magazine, Hinduism Today, which seeks to unite all Hindus, regardless of nationality or sect, and inspire and educate seekers everywhere. As an American (and Caucasian) Hindu leader, he ministered for 52 years around the world, strengthening ties within the Hindu community, while helping his local community in Hawaii, engaging in activities such as the futuring process, Vision Kauai. He was an articulate spokesperson for Hinduism in the West:<br /><br />in 1988 in Oxford, England, he was at the Global Forum of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders for Human Survival, joining hundreds of religious, political and scientific leaders from all countries to discuss privately, for the first time, the future of human life on this planet;<br /><br />in 1990 and 1992, he was at the Global Forums of Spiritual and Parliamentary Leaders for Human Survival; and<br /><br />in 1993, in Chicago, at the centenary Parliament of the World's Religions, he was elected one of three presidents to represent Hinduism at the Presidents' Assembly, a core group of 25 men and women voicing the needs of world faiths.<br /><br />Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's legacy includes precepts such as "Ethics must be established among all the religionists of the world. They must nurture an appreciation for each other, not merely a tolerance. Religious leaders, above all, must remain fair, despite their enthusiasm," and "It is our past that colors and conditions, actually creates, the future. We purge the past in the present, and we fashion the future in the present."<br /><br />My involvement in interfaith activism is relatively recent, although I have "lived interfaith" all my life, growing up in university communities in the Northeast and as a young adult and college student in India. Gurudeva's teachings and spirit are an inspiration, as I seek to be a Hindu voice in the interfaith dialogue that we must nurture to work together in our current war-torn world. As a founding member of the Troy Interfaith Group, whose mission is "to invite all faith communities to gather, grow and give for the sake of promoting the common values of love, peace and justice among all religions locally and globally. We believe that peace among peoples and nations requires peace among the religions," Satguru Sivaya Subramuniya Swami is my interfaith hero.Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-51528074790995934262009-11-06T08:17:00.001-08:002009-11-16T10:31:30.523-08:00Fighting Poverty with Faith.. Can there be an End to Poverty?Last month, I attended a lunch meeting on behalf of WISDOM (interfaithwisdom.org). We were about 25-30 people across diverse backgrounds, (the most well-represented faith was Jewish) that came together to discuss fighting poverty. It was part of a series of nationwide events to highlight a path to poverty reduction and economic recovery, which was led by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and Catholic Charities. We (WISDOM) are now part of an alliance of at least 34 organizations, which include Hindu American Foundation (<a href="www.hafsite.org">hafsite.org</a>) of which I am a member, and Hindu American Seva Charities, (<a href="www.hinduamericanseva.org">www.hinduamericanseva.org</a>) of which I am on the Board.<br /><br />Rebecca Salminen Witt, the director of Greening of Detroit, <a href="http://www.greeningofdetroit.com">greeningofdetroit.com, </a>came and talked about the past, present and future of the organization. The Greening of Detroit, is a 501 (c)(3) not for profit organization, established in 1989 to guide and inspire the reforestation of Detroit (the primary form of urban agriculture when she started there a few years ago). Their latest strategic plan reflects commitment to a clear sense of direction that will guide the organization's development over the next five years. A new vision was established, expanding The Greening's mission to guide and inspire others to create a 'greener' Detroit through planting and educational programs environmental leadership, advocacy, and by building community capacity. Their new motto - "Growing our future: from peas to trees."<br /><br />Greening has tree planting programs, educational programs (e.g., how to extend the growing season - currently 51 weeks), serve as a human network (about 6K volunteers a year), a source for materials (tool banks), a source for empowerment (85 gardeners sell their produce under the "grown in detroit" label and 100% goes back to the gardeners). They help over 1000 gardeners produce 200 tons of food annually. Greening also has a pilot program that provides 2 oz of fresh fruit per week in school lunches - this is indicative of the fact that the demand for locally grown produce is much more than what is available. The "grown in detroit" folks have even been contacted by Walmart. At Romanowski Park, they have a farm that works with OW Holmes elementary school which incorporates cultural diversity to grow some of the foods from the home countries of the community. They have a workforce development program in partnership with Proliteracy, and a Garden Resource Program with MSU, DAN and Earthworks Garden.<br /><br />Greening currently has 24 professional staff, and thousands of volunteers. While there is currently of lot of (vacant) land, some people are committed to rightsizing the city. They are currently seeking help in the following ways:<br /><br /> * Call your congressional representatives about the clean energy bill<br /> * Donate<br /> * Volunteer<br /> * Hire a team from their workforce program 313 237 8733 - more info at Greeningofdetroit.com<br /><br />Someone from DTE Energy Gardens was there with a brochure - much of the info is here: <a href="http://www.dteenergy.com/dteEnergyCompany/community/employeeVolunteers/gardens.html"> www.dteenergy.com </a>. DTE Energy in partnership with Gleaners Community Food Bank, is helping feed the hungry with produce grown at the DTE Energy Gardens - more than 100 acres are being held for future sites to Gleaners for farming and community gardens that supply food to the hungry. There are 8 DTE Energy Gardens located at DTE facilities in Allen Park, Auburn Hills, Birmingham, Detroit, Farmington Hills, Plymouth Township, South Lyon, and Southfield. So far this year, the gardens have produced over 17,500 pounds of food.<br /> <br />More info on the national initiative can be found at<a href=" www.fightingpovertywithfaith.com"> www.fightingpovertywithfaith.com</a><br /><br />This initiative ties in to a movie recommendation I recently got from my "famous Uncle Ralph" - The End of Poverty, <a href="www.theendofpoverty.com">www.theendofpoverty.com</a><br /><br />Both the sites and the movie are definitely worth checking out as we head into the Thanksgiving season... <br /><br />Faith can be a solution to the problem. We need to make it happen.Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-72838134056851207152009-11-02T10:29:00.001-08:002009-11-16T06:28:56.700-08:00Cultural Identity and Immigrants - Part IIHave you seen Ocean of Pearls? If you haven’t, I definitely recommend it, although not necessarily because I enjoyed it.<br /><br />In fact, I am not sure I did… Of course, it was wonderfully made; the story, casting, music and cinematography are awesome; it shows Detroit in a positive light. It brings up challenges that we need to confront and will definitely play your hearts strings even while it ends on a hopeful note. There will be those who don’t acknowledge the difficulty of the cultural generation gap or the racism that the movie depicts. There will be those who may not be able to handle the issue-(over)load: romance, career choices, generational conflict, acculturation/assimilation, racism, and religious identity struggle.<br /><br />The movie's subtitle - <span style="font-style: italic;">It is in the collision between the old ways and the new that we find out who we are - </span>is so relevant to the immigrant story and especially to development of identity. There are uncomfortable places that the movie takes me to, as an immigrant straddling many labels and cultures, and seeking balance.<br /><br />The one scene that replays in my mind is typical of the movie’s sadness and reality: the protagonist Amrit (a heart transplant surgeon who is held back due to race and religious identification) and his new potential love interest are discussing the hospital board’s denial of a promised position to Amrit. She suggests that Amrit take up the issue openly and legally, and he pushes that option aside. At times, I feel the same – why does the minority have to take an (antagonistic) stand? I guess the answer is that history repeats itself, and this is the film’s ultimate story – the story of taking a stand and being true to oneself, and this is not just true in the immigrant context.Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-73828704353398501822009-10-26T09:33:00.001-07:002009-11-16T05:52:19.836-08:00Cultural Identity and Immigrants - Part II got a book entitled Destination America from my local library and then went to this website as it relates to a PBS program of the same name: www.pbs.org/destinationamerica/ - the book tells the stories of various ethnic communities that have made America their destination. There is a wide range of reasons for people to have come here - Destination America delineates this into five Freedoms - to Worship, from Oppression, from Want, from Fear, to Create.<br /><br />While the book and program website are wonderfully illuminating and fascinating, I was surprised and disappointed about what info was provided in the book regarding India and Indian Americans. In almost every state listed in the appendices, foreign-born (FB) people from India are in the top ten, and yet a mere *two* pages are given to the topic of immigrants from South Asia and the Middle East. This is in significant contrast to the number of people in those regions and the number of immigrants from those regions that come to the US. The number of pages that are devoted to understanding other immigrant communities/countries is not proportional to their representation in society. Why is this important? Knowledge - and not misinformation or misconceptions - helps us live together more harmoniously.<br /><br />Knowing the stories of the peoples who make up America is critical to our future - the individual threads need to be woven together through a deeper understanding of each other to develop a fabric that is strong and resilient. While we are all "going global" around the world, there is a challenge that technology and ease of travel bring to the story of America. I appreciate the <span style="font-style: italic;">Ethnicity in Michigan</span> series - the first one is a slim volume by Arthur Helweg and Jack Glazier which so clearly underlines the challenges we face today. The authors lay out the stories of what ethnic communities make up MI and what the migration patterns are (yahoo, they start with the native people!). Many of the most recent immigrants are from South Asia and the Middle East, whose story Destination America doesn't lay out in much detail. The assimilation and acculturation (or lack thereof) of the recent immigrants as narrated by Helweg and Glazier underlines my favorite Diana Eck quote - <span style="font-style: italic;">Diversity is a given, pluralism is an achievement.<br /><br /></span>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2886388816122716313.post-53749896132389146712009-10-23T07:49:00.000-07:002009-10-27T14:06:16.778-07:00How to be more informed...<div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div face="times new roman,new york,times,serif" size="12pt" style=""> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div face="times new roman,new york,times,serif" size="12pt" style=""> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div face="times new roman,new york,times,serif" size="12pt" style=""> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div>...about the Afghanistan war. Attending this event on Nov. 14 at Royal Oak First United Methodist Church would be one way.<br />Eight years of war. No end in sight. Mark your calendar and plan to attend the following special event:</div> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> <div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <div style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 10pt;"> <div> </div> <div> <div align="center"><span style="background-color: rgb(191, 255, 255);font-size:100%;" ><strong>Confronting the Taliban and Al-Qaeda</strong></span></div> <div align="center"><span style="background-color: rgb(191, 255, 255);">The Good War or American Quagmire?</span></div> <div align="center"> </div> <div align="center">featuring Professor Juan Cole</div> <div align="center">and</div> <div align="center">U.S. State Department representative (invited)</div> <div align="center">in a dialog on American foreign policy in Afghanistan and Pakistan</div> <div align="center"> </div> <div align="center"><strong><span style="background-color: rgb(191, 255, 223);">Saturday, November 14 from 1:30 - 3:30</span></strong></div> <div align="center"> </div> <div align="center">Royal Oak First United Methodist Church</div> <div align="center">320 W. Seventh St.</div> <div align="center"> </div> <div align="center">Admission: $5.00</div> <div align="center"> </div> <div>This event provides an excellent opportunity to hear about the issues that are rarely discussed in the media or by the administration.<br /></div></div></div></div></div></div> <div style="font-family: times new roman,new york,times,serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style=";font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" >About Juan Cole</span></strong><span style=";font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><br />U. of M. professor of history and author of <em>Engaging the Muslim World</em>. A regular guest on PBS's Lehrer News Hour and has also appeared on ABC Nightly News, Nightline, the Today Show, Charlie Rose, Anderson Cooper 360, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Democracy Now! and many others.</span><span style=";font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:85%;" ><br />He is one of the country’s foremost experts on America’s troubled relations with the Islamic world. His Informed Comment blog at <a href="http://juancole.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">juancole.com</a> is among the most widely read blogs on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Cole is fluent in Arabic, Persian and Urdu, and has lived in various parts of the Muslim world. </span></div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Padmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13850048062366958761noreply@blogger.com0