Women of Andhra - Stand Up!

In a state which represents its women as disgusting, undervalued entities in its movies, Andhra Pradesh can now be proud that one of its own has broken that stupid stereotype put out by the Movie Industry of Andhra.

I doubt any of Andhra's directors will be intelligent enough to actually change this stereotype however like Imtiaz Ali in Chak De India. Would the people of Andhra want to be better? Or do they want to keep putting up more symbols of the negative part of the Western world? Do they want to let the Christians take over Vijayawada? Keep the image of strong women away from your growing population then.

Smashing Saina transforms into sensation
Friday, December 26, 2008 01:14:14 pm, PTI

NEW DELHI: From being just another promising young shuttler to breaking into the world's top 10, the year gone by has seen the metamorphosis of Saina Nehwal into a sensation, whose exploits helped India rise up the world badminton chart.Riding on her success story, Indian badminton enjoyed a steep-rise over the past few seasons to leave its mark on the world sporting canvass.Keeping pace with her dreams, Saina had made her intent clear at the start of the year when she became the first Indian girl to enter a Super Series semi-final in Singapore Open before losing to Mi Zhou of Hong Kong.She also made it to the last eight of the Thailand open. With a new found optimism, the 18-year-old then sizzled at the Beijing Games, stunning world number five and fourth seed Wang Chen of Hong Kong in a three-game thriller to become the first Indian woman to reach the quarter-finals of the Olympics.The little Hyderabadi teen soon attained the tag of a 'giant killer' as she galloped her way to an impressive win in the Yonex Chinese Taipei Open, beating Li Ya Lydia Cheah of Malaysia 21-8 21-19 in September. (TOI Photo)

Strange How Sanskrit is Valued Outside India?

By Express News Service 29 Nov 2008 04:39:00 AM IST

Revered abroad, dumped in its homeland

BANGALORE: Considered the mother of all languages, Sanskrit is popular in many countries, but for its motherland. Foreigners who take to yoga and Ayurveda learn Sanskrit to get a better grip of the two. Indians settled abroad seek it for their wards so that they may remain rooted to their culture and ethos.In sum it means Sanskrit teachers are in demand abroad.

Vasuvaj of Samskrita Bharati, Bangalore, explained that the interest abroad is not just for Sanskrit as a spoken language, but for scholarly reading and writing in that language too.The School of Philosophy, a non-profit organisation, runs spiritual courses for people in Toronto. The organisation also runs 11 regular schools for children at various places, including the St James Independent School for Boys in England and John Scootes School in Dublin, Ireland. Students here learn Sanskrit as a compulsory subject.Samskrita Bharati conducts short-term courses for students studying in these schools. The Vice Principal of John Scootes School, Rutger himself is on a year’s study leave - learning Sanskrit.

Many countries across the world including Israel, France and Russia have published Sanskrit books.In contrast, the scenario here seems to be quite the opposite. Sanskrit is taught as first and third language subjects in high schools in Karnataka. Sanskrit scholars say that though there is a huge interest for learning the language, many government schools do not have Sanskrit teachers. There is not a single teacher to teach Sanskrit as third language.A handful of them are available to teach it as first language.“Many students in government schools are forced to opt for Kannada as first language because they don’t have an option,” a retired Sanskrit teacher said.Sanskrit lecturers too are few in number and many government colleges go without them. The few students who study Sanskrit in high school are therefore, left without any option when they enter college.

Making of Sanskrit University

It looks like the dream of having a Sanskrit university in the state is on the fast road to becoming a reality, with the appointment of Mallepuram G Venkatesh as special officer for the Karnataka State Sanskrit University. The government had earmarked Rs two crore for establishing the varsity, in the 2008-09 budget.In India there are only six Sanskrit universities and the one in the state will be the seventh.Venkatesh told The Express that the varsity was still in the fledging stages. The first phase of discussions with scholars is over. “We will visit other universities across the country to study the pro and cons,” he said.The basic idea of the university is to bring all the existing Sanskrit colleges under a single roof.However, when contacted, Chandrashekharaiah, president of the State Sanskrit Teachers Association, said that so far none from the university had contacted him.“They should taken our suggestions too,” Chandrashekharaiah added.Ramachandrapura Mutt had plans to establish a private Sanskrit varsity in Hosanagara of Shimoga district. But, it is yet to become a reality.

ashwini@epmltd.com
© Copyright 2008 ExpressBuzz

One More Indian to be Proud Of!

Mary Kom gets fourth consecutive World Championship gold
29 Nov 2008, 1420 hrs IST, PTI

NINGBO CITY: India's MC Mary Kom (46kg) re-asserted her status as the world's most successful woman boxer clinching an unprecedented fourth successiv


In a repeat of the previous World Championship final in New Delhi, the 25-year-old out-punched Romania's Steluta Duta 7-1 to grab India's only gold medal at the event. The other Indian finalist, N Usha (57kg) had to be content with a silver for the second successive time after she lost 1-6 to Chinese Qin Jian. The defending champions, who were here with a small seven-member contingent, thus finished the tournament with a haul of one gold, a silver and two bronze medals -- through Chhoto Laura (50kg) and L Sarita Devi (52kg), who lost in the semi-finals on Friday. Though she couldn't ensure that the team retained the overall title, Mary Kom was once again the star of the show for India. The Manipuri boxer remained away from the ring for two years to take care of her twin babies after completing a hat-trick of World Championship golds in New Delhi. The pint-sized pugilist returned to don the gloves this year at the Asian Championships in September where she failed to retain her gold and settled for a silver. She claimed the National title earlier this month before leaving for the World Championship to achieve the spectacular feat.

Sanskrit For Yoga Instructors!

If you are a yoga instructor, it is really nice to be able to speak the language of yoga, which is Sanskrit. Pronunciation and familiarity with the sounds of the yogic language is a key to becoming a great yoga instructor. What better way to learn Sanskrit than through a fun filled immersion course?

Every year, Samskrita Bharati is offers a three day intensive Sanskrit camp with a special class for those interested in using it to improve their understanding of yoga. This camp is called Jahnavi after the famous river that flows in India from the Himalayas.

Attendance at this camp will offer you an insight into the culture that makes up the heritage of the yoga philosophy. As well, you will meet other like-minded individuals interested in improving their understanding of Sanskrit. You will be able to speak in Sanskrit. This will give you the added ability over other yoga instructors. You can now offer correct pronunciation and understanding of yoga to your students. This will pass on the tradition in a time-honoured fashion.
Become an authentic teacher by attending this camp and getting to know the language of yoga better. You will learn to read and understand the Devanagiri script. You can then read the original yoga texts and get an understanding of them.

Patanjali was a sage who codified and systematised the yoga philosophy. Those who have studied yoga in its holistic format understand that the postures or asanas are only one part of the yoga methodology. Attitude is actually the first step. One must maintain a pure attitude towards oneself and the world. Patanjali wrote in Sanskrit. It will be possible to read these original sutras of Patanjali by attending this fun-filled Sanskrit camp called Jahnavi. Spend your Labour Day weekend getting to know the roots of yoga. Become a better instructor and get closer to the original yoga teachings. Become one with the language. You will not be disappointed.

Hema Murty is a volunteer for Samskrita Bharati, an organization devoted to bringing Sanskrit back into daily life. Hema teaches Sanskrit classes in Toronto for children and adults. For Sanskrit camp details go to http://www.samskritabharati.org/sb/jaahnavii This website also has contact info for Sanskrit classes in Toronto.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hema_Murty

Learn Sanskrit Easily!

Most people have a burning desire to learn Sanskrit but they just can't seem to find the ideal resource. Most books or courses require time. They want you to spend many hours in class and doing homework. At the end of the day, these traditional methods will not help you understand the priest at the temple or the Bhagavad Geeta. Here are some good tips to speed up your learning process. They are guaranteed to work. Many people have become proficient in Sanskrit just from following these simple tips.

1. Attend a Sanskrit camp. Many are held around the world during the calendar year. Look at the resources at the end of this note for web site locations. Jaahavii 2008 is coming Labour Day weekend. Be a part of it!

2. Listen to online Sanskrit resources. It might seem like a foreign language initially. Give it time.

3. Buy a great VCD set of audio/visual and watch any of the set for 5 minutes a day. Sounds small but adds up. You don't have to watch the whole vcd at one sitting.

4. Subscribe to a regular Sanskrit magazine like Sambhashana Sandesha. Seems difficult at first but exposure, exposure, exposure to Sanskrit is the key to learning it.

5. Buy Abhyasapustakam which is a beginners learning book. It is a great starter resource. Many people around the world have started on the path with this one book.

6. Buy a version of the Bhagavad Geeta which has word for word translation. Read one verse a day and read the word for word. Swami Chidbhavananda's version is a great example.

7. Make one sentence per day on your own about something commonplace. For example, you can say "aham gacchaami" for "I go".

Use these tips and plan to attend a Sanskrit Camp. There are North American venues during Labour Day weekend. Come and be a part of the Sanskrit wave sweeping the world. Don't get caught behind the wave. The waves of Jaahnavii (another word for the Ganga river) can't be stopped.

Hema Murty is a volunteer for Samskrita Bharati, an organization devoted to bringing Sanskrit back into daily life. Hema teaches Sanskrit classes in Toronto for children and adults. For Sanskrit camp details go to http://www.samskritabharati.org/sb/jaahnavii This website also has contact info for Sanskrit classes in Toronto. Samskrita Bharati has many resources for learning Sanskrit easily. Look for the resources mentioned in this article on their website.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hema_Murty