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The Indus Valley Heritage of Punjab, Sindh, and Gujarat

Artist Visualization of Indus Valley Port The people of Indus Valley have practiced the act of survival as an art. Its obvious that these people were merchants and traders by profession and not a militarized colony under a sovereign. In my opinion, most researchers have  failed to study the evolution of this business community in that region over last 5000 years.  Merchants of Indus Valley - artist visualization The Harrappan people of Indus Valley were engaged in trade with China, Persia, Mesopotamia, and Near East.  The Indus cities were connected with rural agricultural communities and distant resource and mining areas through strong trade systems. They used river boats and bullock carts for transport. This trade is reflected in the widespread distribution of exquisite beads and ornaments , metal tools and pottery that were produced by specialized artisans in the major towns and cities. Jewelry from Indus Valley Cotton, lumber, grain, livestock and other food stu

Godmen, Godmothers, Bhagwans, Bapus, Swamis, Maas, and Gurus ...

I have compiled published news articles and videos published on some well known Godmen, Godmothers, Bhagwans, Bapus, and Gurus from India. Some of these are currently or in the past involved in scandals, controversies, and accusations of fraud. Whats in a Title? Some of Indian Godmen assume titles such as Baba, Bapu, Sant, Maa, Guru, Satguru, Sai, or Swami. Others add suffix to their names such as 108, 1008, 420, etc. Many of you know must have heard about The AOL (Art of Living) and its founder SSRS — a.k.a Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, a.k.a His Holiness, the Maha Param Pujaniya Gurudev Prabhuji Vishwa Vidhaata Bhagwan Mahadevji  Sriman Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji Maharaj or  HHMPGPVVBMSSSRSM for short. To be fair, Sri Sri has done a lot of propagation of Hindu thoughts across the globe and took part in a number of interfaith activities. He has also been respectful to Sikh Gurus during visit to Punjab. But what's with this extra long name and the list of titles? Amul Cartoon on Baba

Story of My Grand Uncle

The Story of my Grand Uncle: Dr.-Major Shivdev Singh On the east coast of India in the Bay of Bengal are two islands called Andaman & Nicobar. In the capital city Port Blair , there is a road named “Dr. Shivdev Singh Road”. This road is named after my grand uncle, who I used to call "Daddy Uncle" and whose story I find very fascinating and would love to share. I have fond memories of Daddy Uncle taking me (4-6 year old at that time) for walks to the beautiful and picturesque Central Park surrounded by the inner circle of Connaught Place in the heart of New Delhi. Yes, it was long before ugly Rajiv Chowk and Palika Bazar was constructed in the park lands. Dr.-Major Shivdev Singh, MBE, Burma star  Early Life Dr. (Major) SHIVDEV SINGH was born on the 11th of June 1911 at the Dinga , District Gujarat (West Punjab) to Subedar Sham Singh , OBI BAHADUR , who himself was a veteran of the First World War and served in the Indian Army for a period of 32 years.

Hindi, Hindu and Hindustan

One Nation, One Identity, and One Language The debate continue to rage on the terms coined by right wing Hindu organization for one nation, one identity, and one language. After all the People's Republic of China has been able to execute this philosophy successfully. Then why can't India do it? This assumption is based on incorrect interpretation of history and the terms concerned. Hindu and Hindustan Let's engage in this discussion with open mindset. The term - Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion (i.e. Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism or Sikhism). In common use today, it refers to an adherent of Hinduism. Historically, the word Hindu is derived (through Persian) from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the native name for the Indus River

Banana Republic and Monkey Courts

India is projected as the largest democracy in the world because of ever increasing population of the country, But how good is the democratic system? Looking closely you will find that Indian democracy is sham and a lie. Corrupt politicians, arrogant civil servants, terrorizing police, and demoralized minorities make of the nation. The Indian judicial system consists of monkey judges who pass judgement under order from their political masters. Indian Judiciary System - a mockery of justice Here are some of the reasons why Sikhs feel betrayed by Indian constitution, political, judicial, and economic system: 1. Eversince independence, Delhi governments have systematically discriminated against Punjab state and favored neighboring state Haryana. Lack of investment have set the economy of state from 1st to 13th position. Why? Is it because Punjab has been ruled by non-Congress party or is it blatant discrimination? 2. During British Raj, the Sikhs represented 35% of army p

Indira Gandhi - Heroine or Monster?

Spooky similarity between Indira Gandhi and Cruela De Vil from 101 Dalmatians With her "Cruella DeVil" hairstyle, Indira Gandhi reminds me of the comic vamp from Disney movie 101 Dalmatians who hunted for dalmatian puppies for her fur coat. History will cast Indira Gandhi as a manipulative, divisive, and a cruel dictator who had blood of thousands of  innocent Indian citizens on her hand. Indira Gandhi as Goddess Durga Indira manipulated the Punjab situation with an eye on the forthcoming 1984 general election in India. In the past her strategy had been to divide the Hindu votes on castes and win elections on minority support. But the rise of Hindu right wing and success of BJP's movement to liberate the birth place of Hindu God Rama under the "Ram Janambhoomi" program had shaken her calculations. She saw Hindus united under one banner. She schemed a different strategy for the next elections. Her strategy was clear - paint minority Sikhs as &

Teach Your Sons to Respect Women

Women as Object - "Bhand" The heroic struggle of "Nirbhaya" the gang rape victim from Delhi is finally over. The brave girl wanted to live  .. she said this to her mother but alas ... this was not to be and we lost this brave daughter of India today. As we all ponder over her sad struggle, its time to think that she could have been our sister, daughter, or mother. A woman brought you in this world and you do not have the right to disrespect one or treat her like an object. This was the teaching of Guru Nanak, one of the greatest spiritual teacher form India and the founder of Sikhism. Asa di Var  is a collection of hymns from the Guru Granth Sahib which are sung early in the morning. The word  bhand  means woman as object, and is the theme of one of the  Asa di Var  hymns written by Guru Nanak. The great teacher tells the men of his time to not treat the women like a "Bhand" or object because we are all born from the same object. Guru Nan