> > Hi > it may be out of place > > but my pride wouldnt stop me. > india just got a gold medal in the olympics. > abhinav bindra in 10 metre shooting > > venketesh >
A creditable acievement. Congratulations, Abhinav.
Especially when seen with the news below:
India's last Olympic gold medal was from hockey (8th gold) at the 1980 Moscow Olympics . Bindra's feat betters the silver medal effort of double trap shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore at the Athens Games in 2004.
With our population touching 100 Crores, if we could not get ONE SINGLE GOLD MEAL in Olympic, it was not befitting the vastness and populative nature of our Nation..
the training facilities of bindra can match any shooter's resources thro out the world. as his father said the shooting range within the house was done at great cost after the family decided to go all out for their son. he said it was the family 90% and the govt 10% even abinav echoed the same sentiment- " its my family's medal."
venketesh
just imagine the similar range can be used by a dozen shooters only i--- In [email protected], "Vijay Kumar
.best of coaches, equipment, training facilities, > allowances and liftime pensions - medical > covers /insurance ....compare this against the pure grit, empty > stomach, bare feet ( cant afford even normal shoes let alone thermo > moulded space age tech shock abosrobing.........) of our PT Usha's > and Shiny Wilsons. I salute thee
Hi vijay its a two edged sword
the athelete from south africa Pistorius wants to be the first amputee runner to compete in the Olympics. But despite his inability , he is facing resistance from track and field's world governing body, which is seeking to bar him on the grounds that the technology of his artificial leg prosthetics may give him an unfair advantage over sprinters using their natural legs.
Congrats to Abhinav for bringing home something that we have never got so far.
Hi Vijay - this is apples to oranges. Usha was yester year, she trained with discipline, i can relate her work to 'Thavam' and she had support from her near and dear, that day India is different from today's India. She is a legend and will always remain one. Going forward, today we have all that is availble in across the globe for our atheletes... the best is available for us now, however we have only one to bring home the top deal. Does the individual however do the 'thavam' model of work ? I believe Abhinav did it, reading the articles on his training.
My .02 cents:
There seems to be various ideologies, socio-political and economic issues that come together in evolving today's youth. Unless a strong high command is available - leading by example, we are headed into a roller coaster time.
The only thing we are close to china is in population at this time.
I can only hope and pray for a stronger youth as what Swami Vivekananda wanted.
> > Hi satish > > dont see the meaning of vasudeva kudumbakam here - can you elaborate.
Vijay,
An american saying 'long live India'. Though globalization has brought the world closer, i thought this is a noble gesture. Whether you accept or not, it takes a big heart to say that. As I mentioned, our own country men do not say 'vande mataram' - i salute my motherland and there was a huge protest for this.
Vivekananda got a 2 minute standing ovation in Chicago religious conference, just for 6 words..'my brothers and sisters of america'. As far as I know, no country or no religion teaches universal brotherhood and this was new to the west and thats the reason for 2 minute standing ovation. If he had said that in India, its just part of the game and no one would have noticed.
Our scriptures say,'vasudeva kudumbakam' - the entire human race is vasudeva's (krishna/vishnu) family, meaning all are brothers and sisters and there should be love and no hatred.
So when Kathie said 'Jai Hind', it gave me a pleasant feeling and at the same time pain (for the 'vande mataram' incident). I thought its a good sign for a true universal brotherhood concept.
Maybe I am going too far, but when Indian's and Indian politicians make a mockery of our country/system (you even elaborated on the sports system) an american saying 'Jai Hind'....I am moved.
> > An american saying 'long live India'. Though globalization has brought > the world closer, i thought this is a noble gesture.
kathie has one more reason to say so......
guess what?
an indian american won a bronze in gymnastics today.
thats globalisation for you.
venketesh
Whether you > accept or not, it takes a big heart to say that. As I mentioned, our > own country men do not say 'vande mataram' - i salute my motherland > and there was a huge protest for this. > > Vivekananda got a 2 minute standing ovation in Chicago religious > conference, just for 6 words..'my brothers and sisters of america'. As > far as I know, no country or no religion teaches universal brotherhood > and this was new to the west and thats the reason for 2 minute > standing ovation. If he had said that in India, its just part of the > game and no one would have noticed. > > Our scriptures say,'vasudeva kudumbakam' - the entire human race is > vasudeva's (krishna/vishnu) family, meaning all are brothers and > sisters and there should be love and no hatred. > > So when Kathie said 'Jai Hind', it gave me a pleasant feeling and at > the same time pain (for the 'vande mataram' incident). I thought its a > good sign for a true universal brotherhood concept. > > Maybe I am going too far, but when Indian's and Indian politicians > make a mockery of our country/system (you even elaborated on the > sports system) an american saying 'Jai Hind'....I am moved. > > Regards, > Satish >
Jeffrey Archer during his latest tour of India, for promoting his book, said this "One day every person in this world will be an Indian". There are Indian origin players in the US gymnast team, probably 90% of the English cricket team is of Indian origin, etc...i dont think we are talking about globalisation here. "Indianisation" would be a more apt word.
Ya, thats true, Thats why our Tamil lines "Yaadhum oorey, Yaavarum Kelir' is written in a Japanese University in thier language. How amazing and makes us feel proud.
Please let us show some degree of caution while labelling american indians as indians or for that matter all people of indian origin as indians. I have learnt this the hard way believe me. Deepak Chopra once made a controversial statement that he was not a Hindu (after adopting and explaining several hindu practices and making millions of $). In the same fashion several american indians completely disown their origins. Our identity is not just a biological/geographical fact, it is something we accept and integrate as our own.
To be fair, being accepted and integrated into predominantly white american culture is an extremely hard task for brown kids. They get teased and isolated mercilessly - and unless the home is very stable and parents are very mature that often times turns into a strong dislike and hatred of indian origins.
Bottom line - if someone calls himself of indian origin and is proud of it fine, being brown skinned and born in America makes him more American than Indian that is all.
I concur with every word Satish has said. It is one thing to appreciate/accept a foreigner for likeing and accepting our cutlure, but how tough that is one can only see if you have travelled and understood popular conceptions (or rather misconceptions) of our culture and how deep rooted they are. I have had educated americans ask me about tigers and elephants on the streets of India, of child marriage and Sati like those things happen every day.
As for that crowd that will not sing 'Vande materam' - well they have to come here and see what that can do in public (of course in private every democracy allows freedom). Try condemning one word of the Bible down south in public. Try arguing about why the currency used every day by every human has 'In God we trust' (or better still try not to use it!!!).
Venkat, yes it does everywhere. Perhaps the hardest hit are young children in schools since they face radically different environments at home and school. The majority of immigrant parents do not think deeply about raising kids in another culture, they just 'settle down' because they got their green cards and life is indeed cleaner and more comfortable. When children grow up they are shocked because for all reasons children speak in a completely alien accent, cannot communicate with grandparents or cousins in India, and do not share their own sentiments on our culture. Let us face it, cultures are differnt. Although we want a 'vasudeva kudumbakam' we often come face to face with totally different ways of living, almost like people are from a different plant. Immigrant children who run into such differences chooose 'their planet' that is the land they are in, for survival more than anything else. It is immature to think they are 'indians' in the literal sense of the word although many do seek a connection and community back home especially after they are older.
> > Our scriptures say,'vasudeva kudumbakam' - the entire human race is > vasudeva's (krishna/vishnu) family, meaning all are brothers and > sisters and there should be love and no hatred.
Hi
That was precisely why i asked you that question.
1) As per vaishnava tradition - the entire world was born of the golden egg ( hiranya grabha)....the cosmic egg that floated on the cosmic ocean - a creation of vishnu from which sprung brahma ( i am still searching for the story of how brahma sprouted from vishnu's navel - giving him the name naabeeja ....) who then created rudra....Am i right. and that is why the above usage... so if you are using vasudeva as a name of vishnu then the above makes sense...
now coming to say krishna>>>>
2) Please dont mistake me but enlighten me - on the use of the term vasudeva.
In Hindu mythology, Vasudeva is the father of Krishna, the son of Surasena, of the Yadava dynasty. The closing chapters of mahabartha portray a vivid picture of destruction and massacre. distraught at the loss of her sons, gandhari breaks her vow by removing her blindfold and seeing the mass of bodies in front of her - pins the blame on sri krishna and curses the entire yadava dynasty to die of internecine conflict....there is even a lovely amarchitra katha version of this - recollecting from memory now - pl correct if i am wrong
....the yadava youths making fun of a rishi - by posing one of their boys as a pregnant lady ( he bundles a stone pestle in his belly)...the rishi sees though the ruse and curses that he will indeed give birth to a pestle that will the cause for the end of the yadhava clan....the birth takes place and in fear - they try every method to destroy the pestle- to no avail - finally it is ground to dust ( the last piece - with which you hold on to while griding - akin to grating a carrot was left behind)....all which we thrown in the ocean....a fish ate the last piece....the rest washed ashore and from which grew some wild grass....the yadavas were playing there got into an argument ...and they hit each other with bunch of this grass and loo...died... the fish was caught was a hunter who in turn used the last piece to fashion an arrow - krishna had come to the end of his stay here - and was resting under a tree...from the thick folliage the hunter mistook his big toe to be a deer and shot the fatefull arrow....( achilles heel!!) .....so if all of vasudeva kudumbam aka yadavas were illfated / to die....
Malathi, I have been here for a decade but yet to meet any one who ask such questions. I believe there is a divide in the regions also in the US which makes some people totally ignorant of oher geo's. I think the south is more conservative than north, correct me if i am wrong.
I am sure though when laced with such talks, your rebuttal must have been strong.
Ah..Ravi, you have to really befriend and talk to people for all those things to come out. I mean nobody will walk upto you and ask like that. If you be friends for a while you can understand what they know, which is often times downright stupid ideas. I have lived up north too, generally am of the opinion that the average american's knowledge of other countries and cultures is a little pathetic - I don't mean exceptions like our Kathy here.
More often than not it is ignorance, I mean how many indians have ignorant ideas about western culture, same way. But one does get more upset because the avenues for seeking and learning in this country are way way better than in India, so really there is no excuse for ignorance other than that people don't want to learn.
Dear friends, I don't think you can generalize about American regions. It all depends on a person's education, I think. There are many different Christian denominations, and some it's true, are very narrow-minded. They don't think there is any salvation for anyone not of their sect. Roman Catholicism taught that and many Fundamentalist Protestant sects.
Also, there are parts of the US where public education is very poor & sometimes controlled by rigid religious school boards, that don't believe in science or thinking for oneself, sad but true.
People I know [I'm in the Northeast, its true] are always asking me about my interest in India and most want to travel there, if they haven't already. Kathie
Well there are ignorant people across the globe, infact, america is a new country,it is normal to have people less concerned about outside geo's, it is more or less like 'enna valam illai intha thiru naatil'. America sources itself, like how India was.
And Malathi, I have a lot of very close american friends,but all are in IT, may be that could be a fun stopper :-)
Yes it is true that it varies around the country and also that it is a new country and so on. Also with globalisation more people travel especailly in IT and find out what it is like for themselves, of course travel it self does not mean a broadened mind but it is one way to develop one.
I believe it is one of the issues with capitalism - that thrives on people making quick and less informed choices. I am not talking of some farmer in Kentucky having ignorant ideas, it is educated people, degree holders - later on I learnt most colored people, not just indians face the same, stereotyped ideas and racist ignorance.
I don't want to disregard the fact that us indians many times hold stereotyped ideas all the time (I have met several racist indians who think their american neighbor is racist but have no problems addressing an african american 'kallu' or having stereotyped ideas about them. But am not sure we are known to be a liberal country either, our prejudices are centuries old and we inherited most of them. It is sad to see the degree of ignorance in a country that is a melting pot of so many cutlures and has little by way of prejudiced baggage (comparatively that is).
Malathi, you struck a chord there. I lived in US for about 8 years. Mostly in LA(3 years) and in Omaha, Des Moines, Scranton, Greenville and Atlanta(about a year each in these places). My general observation is that people in the mid-west and the south were culturally conservative but were most fun. I was invited for thanks giving dinner in Omaha, Greenville and Des moines by different people. Given that usually the family congregates for thanks giving, I think the gesture made was more than just symbolic. I was living alone in LA before I got married and moved to Iowa. My wife remember the Iowa/South Carolina/Penn days as the best as she made a lot of friends in the apartment community we were living. That said, when we enrolled our son in a local catholic school for his pre-kindergarden, thats when we noticed that my son was not very happy about school and had problems moving with other kids in school. His only friend was a Indian girl in his class. Though we got our green cards by that time, we decided to move out and settle back in Chennai for his sake as much as our sake. Its been 2 years since, I dont know whether it was a right decision or not but I am seeing my son having more friends and more importantly for me, he now is more closer to his cousins and is happy to go to school(I mean, he really likes his school). May be, its just that I panicked but I think I made the right decision to come back. I am planning to settle down back in Madurai may be in another 10 years time. Like I was telling my friends here, I was chasing the dream of leaving Madurai and landing in United states for the first 22 years of my life and now I am chasing the dream of settling back in Madurai for the past 11 years and hopefully will do that in another 10-11 years. Life is crazy, aint it?
Muthu, am sure you and your wife did what was right for your child, according to your priorities. I wish more indians would admit what is important to them and do the same instead of making excuses such as needing more money, or raising kids 'indian' and so on. I have no issues with people raising their kids abroad as long as they understand what the child goes through, and provide for some outlet for the child's needs for community and companionship. Wealthy gujarati and some telugu families are able to do that since they are large communities settled together.
Children grow up in india with family ties, granted increased modernization has perhaps taken away some old values but still no drugs, no promiscuity, and no guns in school. A lot to be grateful for (I think). Am also reminded of Thoreau's quote at the end of the journey we come back to where we started and begin all over again (or something like that).