Beatles, MJ, Shakespeare and the Gita

Press Trust of India, New Delhi, August 10, 2015


What connects The Beatles, Michael Jackson, William Shakespeare, Rudyard Kipling and J K Rowling? The message that the Bhagavad Gita seeks to send out finds its echo in their works.

Author Roopa Pai embarks on a spirited, one-of-a-kind retelling of the epic conversation between Pandava prince Arjuna and his mentor and friend Krishna and tries to bust several myths about the Bhagavad Gita in "The Gita For Children," a thought-provoking book for young adults published by Hachette India.

She infuses her retelling of, what she calls, India's blockbuster bestseller "Book With Answers" with wit and humour and even uses analogies of The Beatles, Jackson, Kipling, Shakespeare and Rowling among others.

According to Pai, two of the most beloved singer- songwriters of the 20th century Paul McCartney and Jackson had their own unique ways of conveying the message that the Gita does - everyone's the same on the inside.

"In his song 'Ebony and Ivory,' McCartney wondered poignantly why people who are different colours on the outside, cannot seem to live in friendship with one another, when the black and white keys on his piano keyboard do so with such perfect harmony, producing beautiful music together," she says.

"A generation later, in his similarly titled song 'Black or White', Jackson urged his listeners to understand that it wasn't colour or race that made people different from one another, but what they were like in their hearts and minds. Once you understood that, he said, anyone could become your brother (or sister) - it really wouldn't matter if they were black or white," the author says.

Even Shakespeare apparently agreed with Krishna that we have little control over the script of our lives, she argues. In "As You Like It", he said: "All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players."

Then the author draws an analogy with Rudyard Kipling's "If" to stress on Gita's philosophy.

Gita tree to be rid of bad 'karma'

The Times of India, Aug 3, 2015

CHANDIGARH: The legendary banyan tree at Jyotisar near Kurukshetra, under which Lord Krishna is believed to have delivered the message of Bhagavad Gita, is all set to get a new lease of life by August 21. Following orders from the National Green Tribunal, the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) has submitted that it would implement all measures suggested by the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun, to save the tree from possible harm.

The legendary banyan tree at Jyotisar near Kurukshetra

Following the assurance, the NGT had asked the district administration to deconcretize the tree without any laxity within 30 days. The NGT passed these orders after a plan to revive the tree was submitted before the tribunal by chief executive officer of the KDB on July 21. The board submitted that a committee was appointed to take over the management of Tirath Jyotisar in 2012 following directions from the Punjab and Haryana high court and also appointed additional deputy commissioner as its nodal officer.

The committee consulted the scientists of FRI, Dehradun, for preservation of the holy tree after which the experts visited the site on August 16, 2012, and suggested several measures to save the tree from decaying. It includes pruning of dead branches, removal of concrete and marble flooring around the tree, taking away all signboards, bells, chains and clamps nailed to the tree.

The board had also submitted before the tribunal that the work to revive the tree, located near the Shiva Temple of Jyotisar Tirath, would be undertaken and completed as per the suggestions of FRI within 30 days.

After this, the NGT disposed of the petition filed on the issue by renowned environmentalist and advocate M C Mehta through his NGO Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action.

Pleading that the tree is dying a slow death, the petitioner had submitted that the marble and concrete paving around the tree was harming its growth. Fancy lights and lamps were also nailed to the old tree and big bells were tied to it. The 'holy threads' tied by pilgrims had covered most of the lower branches, the petitioner had said. Lakhs of tourists visit Kurukshetra every year due to its mythological importance.

Steps to save tree

>>> Removal of the marble stones and concrete paving around the tree to expose the soil and facilitate aeration and water percolation

>>> Drilling holes around the tree for making openings for aeration and water percolation

>>> Periodical irrigation

>>> Removal of electric cables attached to the tree

>>> Removal of chains, bells, clamps, signboards

>>> Pruning of dead branches, apply choubatia paste (mixture of copper carbonate, lead oxide and linseed oil)

>>> Removal of the net covering the tree's canopy

Group gives out 3,000 copies of holy book to Tamil schools

Published by The Star: Tuesday July 28, 2015

Starting them young: Pupils lifting up copies of the Bhagavad Gita that their schools received during the programme at Komtar

A TOTAL of 3,000 copies of the Hindu holy scripture — Bhagavad Gita were handed over to all 28 Tamil vernacular schools in Penang.

Copies of the holy book were given to the primary schools in an effort to educate the young about the values in life to achieve unity and peace in the world.

The event was organised by Global Integrated Transcendental Association (GITA) of Penang.

Its president Madhusudan Das said through this event, the pupils would have the opportunity to learn anddiscover more about the Bhagavad Gita.

“Besides these Tamil schools, we will also hand out copies of the Bhagavad Gita to other educational institutions, libraries and participants of ongoing programmes by GITA.

“We aim to distribute 5,000 copies by the end of the year,” he said at the opening of the Penang Tamil schools’ GITA Programme at Komtar in George Town on Saturday.

He added that the copies, which were given out were in English and Tamil.

Madhusudan said GITA would hold a Gita Champion League, which would be a statewide competition on the reciting of the Bhagavad Gita.

“This competition, which will be held both in English and Tamil, is to encourage students to read the holy book and to understand it,” he added.

Details of the competition will be announced at a later date.

State Youth and Sports, Women, Family and Community Development Committee chairman Chong Eng, who was present at the ceremony, said good values were important for a community.

“Everyone can own the holy book, but it is more important to put in the effort to learn what is in the book and to follow it,” she said.

Gita has principles for leaders, says US Congresswoman

It was an evening of self-reflection at the Mythic Society here on Sunday. US Congress member Tulsi Gabbard took the audience through a spiritual journey talking highly about the Bhagavad Gita.

Gabbard, who is the US representative for Hawaii’s second congressional district, follows the preachings of the Gita. Her services are not limited to that of a political leader, she has volunteered for military services too.

Speaking to the audience here, Gabbard narrated the turning points in her life which led her to believe strongly in the Gita. In fact, after elections, she even took her oath by the Gita, she said. But what it means to her is more than the symbols of religion. For her, the teachings in the Gita are life principles that all leaders must follow. There is a dearth of leaders who are not selfish and who truly care for the society, she said.

Gabbard gave the example of Hawaiian greeting “Aloha” which means that you offer respect and you tell the person that your heart is open. “There are not many leaders who follow the spirit of Aloha. They take decisions with selfish interest.”

After the 9/11 massacre, Gabbard volunteered for military services. She felt that the world needed servant-leadership that transcends religion, artificial labels, faith and race. “Every single one of us should work in the spirit of Karma Yoga and Bhakti,” she said.




Source deccanherald.com

Bhagavad-gita Banyan Tree Dying in Haryana

The legendary banyan tree under which Lord Krishna is believed to have delivered his message of Bhagavad-gita to Arjuna is dying a slow death. Considered to be more than 5,000 years old, this tree at Jyotisar near Kurukshetra in Haryana is reportedly the only remaining relic from the time of the Mahabharata. Now, a tussle between the two claimants over the holy place on a puerile issue has left the tree completely neglected, putting it on the verge of extinction.

TOI found that the area surrounding the tree has been covered with marble pavement and it can't draw nutrients for its growth. Fancy lights and lamps are fitted with nails on the tree for lighting during night and big bells are tied all over it. The 'holy thread' tied by the visitors has covered most of the lower branches. Tying threads is considered to be wish-fulfilling. Sadly, chunks of branches were also chopped off recently by the caretakers without any expert advice.

The two stakeholders - Hindu Mission, a local religious body that has been taking care of the tree for years and the Kurukshetra Development Board (KDB) - are sparring over the ownership of the space where the tree is located.

Pandit Sukhpal, who is currently taking care of the disputed portion on behalf of Hindu Mission, said, "We have been looking after the holy tree and even constructed a marble pavement for its upkeep. Our gardener prunes it from time to time." Sukhpal added that there is no need of any scientific preservation of the tree because that would invite some 'problem' for this holy area, as the KDB would then levy fee on visit to this place.

When contacted, KDB curator Rajender Rana told TOI that for scientific assistance for maintenance of the tree, they had contacted officials at the Sunderbans in West Bengal, which has the largest forest cover of old trees in the world. He added that on receiving feedback from the Sunderbans, they had chalked out a plan for its preservation but the claim by some individuals over the area has prevented them from taking any concrete step.
A case between Hindu Mission and KDB is pending in the apex court, which has ordered to maintain status quo.


Source: harekrsna.com