Promod Puri's Blog: Hinduism:beyond rituals,customs and traditions, page 48

SANT KABIR’S CONTRIBUTION TO EVOLVING MODERN WORLD

“It did not take long to realize that the ‘modern’ world we inhabit had evolved not in one of its … More

SEEKING A NEW WORLD BEYOND LEFT AND RIGHT:WELCOME

LISTEN TO BIRDS BEFORE DEMOLISHING STATUES

They are the perfect landing pads for birds to take a break from their flying activities or relieve themselves. That … More

For Hindus to Defend Criminals Just Because They Are Hindu is un-Hindu

Sunita Viswanath and Deepak Joshi One of the core principles of Hinduism is ahimsa, or non-harm. And yet we are perturbed by a trend in our Hindu communities – that when Hindus perpetrate violence, especially against non-Hindus, other Hindus feel compelled to rush to their defence. Three years ago in Kathua, Jammu, an eight-year-old Muslim girl from a nomadic tribe was repeatedly gang-raped over a period of ten days inside a Hindu temple and then strangled to death. One of the alleged perpetrators was a Hindu priest. We were heartened to see Indians across the country and even the world express outrage …

Canada Day: Shall we cancel the celebrations or keep the tradition and move on?

by Promod Puri I am not enthusiastic to celebrate Canada Day this year, but I am not in favour of its cancellation. The horrific revelations of remains of 215 children in the former Kamloops Indian Residential School, followed by another shock of over 750 unmarked graves at a First Nation Residential School in Saskatchewan, have dampened the spirit of Canada Day. And the ongoing plight of Indigenous people on or off their Reserves, their incarceration in the back alleys of most Canadian cities’ downtown areas are the scenes that abhor celebration. My relationship and deep respect for the Indigenous people go …

THE POLITICS OF CRITICISING OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

Beijing is calling on the United Nations to investigate crimes against Indigenous people in Canada in response to Ottawa’s call for an international probe into China’s human rights violations in Xinjiang. The USA, Canada, and some central European countries are always upon their heels, critical of serious human rights violations in Russia, China, and other nations. So a quick response follows when Russia and China remind the Western block to look at its backyard how the indigenous people, the Blacks and other minorities get treated for a long time. After all, criticism by leaders disapproves faults of others because those …

GHETTO FORMATIONS AND OLD BAGGAGE:

There is an argument with a stereotyped conception that ethnic communities create ghetto formations and bring along old baggage while settling in Canada. And that they do not behave according to the antiquated adage “in Rome, you do as the Romans do.” Does ghettos’ creation encourage racism? Or the “old baggage” of ethnic identities from food to dress styles, language and even speaking English with an accent contribute to xenophobic hatred? Ghetto inceptions have been part of the ethnic pattern of settlements on the North American continent. Most major cities in the USA and even in Canada have Chinatowns, Italian, …

WHEN WILL WE BREATHE FRESH AND DIRECT WITHOUT A MASK?

I heard our neighbours south of the border are now going to public places and leaving their masks at home. Well, if the wave continues, we on this side of the fence will catch the tide too as a mask-free or mask-option Canada. Despite its introduction a year and a few months ago, I have never been comfortable wearing the mask for more than ten to fifteen minutes. My compassionate feelings emanate from those full-time working people wearing the face-covering nine to five. No doubt, masks have been a weapon of mass protection against the soon-to-be defeated enemy, thanks to …

ANTI-MUSLIM SPREAD IN CANADA

by Promod Puri It is wrong to assume anti-Muslim hatred in Canada only exists on the fringes of the far right. It resides in pockets of the nation’s social, political, religious, and non-Muslim ethnic communities. In all the opinion polls during the past five years, there has been consistent bias against Muslims in Canada. Participants in these polls also include members of ethnic communities. They are part of the opinion polls. The negative views as revealed thru periodic polls suggest a xenophobic attitude by all Canadians towards Muslims. It creates the breeding ground for violence and tragedies like this week’s …

CONSCIOUSNESS IMPACTS THE HUMAN MIND Consciousness is the...

CONSCIOUSNESS IMPACTS THE HUMAN MIND Consciousness is the most crucial aspect of our lives that certifies us to be living and fully aware of internal and external feelings and objects that we perceive and think. Our brains’ efficient neural machinery produces consciousness with internal awareness and external information we gather through our senses. Consciousness is a biological phenomenon with psychological implications. Consciousness impacts the functioning of the human mind and sets our behaviour. For that reason, studying the human mind’s functioning comes to be essential as how we treat our religious, social, and political messages the moment these are received …