Embajada
de la República de Cuba
New Delhi, November 22nd, 2008
PARTIDO COMUNISTA DE PAQUISTAN
Esteemed ,
The Embassy of the Republic of Cuba has the pleasure to enclose herewith the
latest REFLECTIONS by Comrade Fidel Castro Ruz.
In the first and third one, “The Third Hurricane”, he refers to the
consequences of the previous two hurricanes that affected Cuba at the end of
August and at the beginning of September this year and to the preparations
that the Cuban people would have to do there in order to face Hurricane
Paloma. In the second one, “The Washington Meeting” and third one, “The
birth of the mount” he comments about the G-20 meeting recently hold in
Washington. In the fourth one, Meeting Hu Jintao, Fidel talks about his
meeting with the Chinese President who recently visited Cuba.
THE THIRD HURRICANE <>
THE WASHINGTON MEETING <>
THE BIRTH OF THE MOUNT <>
MEETING HU JINTAO <>
Due to the importance of the information contained in these documents we
recommend you to read it.
The Embassy of Cuba invites you to send us your considerations and, in case
you are not interested in receiving information about Cuba, feel free to
tell us and we will stop sending these documents to you.
Regards,
Mrs. Dallamy DÃaz Muñoz
Second Secretary
Press and Culture Office
Cuban Embassy
New Delhi, India
Telephone No. 29242467/ 468/ 470
Mobile 98 99 492 529
Fax No. 011-29232469
Embassy´s e-mail: embcuind@del6.vsnl.net.in
Embassy´s Web site: embacuba.cubaminrex.cu/indiaing
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa ,
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh !
I must state that when i recall the terrible conditions i witnessed in
the villages of Madya Pardes, India, i get very upset and my eyes well
up with tears. The villages are inhabitated by the Lubana Banjara
Sikhs,they are the forgotten Sikhs but who have never forgotten their
roots which are entrenched in proud acts of service to the Gurus and
especially the courageous act of Lukhi Shah Benjara.
Lukhy Shah was a courageous and true follower of the Gurus, it was
Lukhy Shah who took the body of Guru Tegh Bahader Ji after the
execution and placed it inside his house and set the house on fire so
that the body was cremated and didnt fall into the hands of the local
Mogul officials.His act of selflessness and devotion is remembered
throught the Sikh world. But i am sad to say that the Lakhy
Shah's Banjaras today are the poorest of the poor and live well below
the poverty line, in terrible conditions.
Most villages have a small Gurdwara with a small book of Sikh prayers
in Hindi.The Nishan Sahibs are at every Gurdwara but the cloth
covering is non-existant .The locals speak Hindi and Banjara
languages but their understanding of Sikhi is very limited due to them
being left on their own, isolated from the main stream Sikhs.But for
hundreds of years they have passed on20the limited knowledge of
Sikhi through word of mouth to the next generations.
I was invited by the wonderful Gurmat Gian College in Ludhiana ( local
partners of Khalsa Aid in Panjab ). They have a Gurdwara/Educationa l
Centre under construction about 60KM outside the city of Indore.This
Centre will be offering educational and religious guidance to the 32
villages in the sorrounding areas. I spent few days visiting many
villages to see how Khalsa Aid can offer the villages development and
humanitarian relief.I have been to many disaster hit areas and seen
much suffering but i was truly shocked at the conditions these poor
people have to endure daily and this is not even a disaster zone ! The
situation concerning clean drinking water is dire, i have seen people
in almost every village drinking water from badly polluted wells which
probably contain numerous amounts of deadly bacteria and pesticides
from the adjoining farmland.
Most of you can recall when there was a severe famine in Ethiopia in
the 80s,i remember one particular news item and that was when the Jews
of African origin were airlifted to Israel by the Israeli government.We
dont need to fly these poor people anywhere but we should lend them a
hand to escape the horrors of poverty,reach out and make them feel part
of Sikhi so that they too can feel that we are all followers of the
same Gurus, they have suffe
red more than enough in isolation.
Please read the blog from the link below and help Khalsa Aid to at
least provide these poor people with the basic of human needs,clean
drinking water !
http://apps. khalsaaid. org/Blog/ ?e=19273& d=11/21/2008& s=LIVING% 20BELOW%20
POVERTY
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa ,
Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh !
Ravinder Singh
Malaysia outlaws yoga for Muslims
By Robin Brant
BBC News, Kuala Lumpur
Many people see yoga as a way to maintain their health
Millions of people in Malaysia have been banned from doing yoga because of fears it could corrupt Muslims.
The Islamic authorities have issued a ruling, known as a fatwa, instructing the country's Muslims to avoid yoga because of its Hindu roots.
To most people yoga is simply a sport - a stress-busting start to the day.
Malaysia's National Fatwa Council said it goes further than that and that elements of the Indian religion are inherent in yoga.
Announcing the decision, the council chairman Abdul Shukor Husin said practices like chanting and what he called worshipping were inappropriate and they could "destroy the faith of a Muslim".
The ruling is not legally binding but many of Malaysia's Muslims abide by fatwas.
Yoga classes here are filled with mostly non-Muslim Malaysians of Chinese or Indian descent, but in the major cities it is not uncommon to see several Muslim women at classes.
Prayers and gym
For Muslims across Malaysia the day starts at 5.30 in the morning, as the call to prayer goes out.
A handful of the most devout arrive at a mosque in the western outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
In India, yoga is an integral part of the Hindu religion
Over the other side of the road, in the shadow of the Mosque's golden dome, a few others start arriving to start their day - at the gym.
Each is carrying a yoga mat, slung over their shoulder.
Adam Junid is a Muslim Malaysian who does both - prayers and gym, specifically yoga.
An engineer in his 30s, he goes to a weekly class for about 30 people.
"I don't think it interferes with the religion at all," he says.
"In fact it helps you, makes you healthy and more aligned and it helps you become self aware," he adds.
Adam is a rarity because it is mostly women and not many Muslims who do this.
Islam is able to cater to the needs of Muslims - spiritual needs, intellectual needs and other needs, material needs - there is no need to bring in elements from outside
Professor Osman Bakar
"The yoga masters repeat that it actually can be quite compatible with religion," he said. "It makes you a better person."
Yoga comes in many forms. For some it is a stress-busting sport. For others a serious bit of soul searching.
What Adam does once a week is the serious stuff. The class I sat in on was two hours long.
Spiritual experience
It included breathing exercises, with the help of the tick-tock of a metronome.
There was meditation, then half an hour of darkness for intense relaxation.
Before that some of the class managed a very stable headstand. Others could touch the back of their head with their foot.
"It can go with any religion," instructor Mani Sekaran told me.
"Or it can go with those who don't believe in any religion, because it's purely sports," he added.
He is also founder of the Malaysian Yoga Society. A bald and very fit man, he once did martial arts.
"If I want to train for an Olympic gold medal... whether I believe in a religion or not doesn't matter. I just keep on training."
Malaysia is a secular democracy where Islam is the official religion
"Based on that we can use yoga to enhance whatever we are doing, whether it is religion or whether it's spirituality. .. but it [yoga] is stand alone."
During the class I sat in on, yoga's Hindu roots were mentioned, albeit briefly. A spiritual experience was on offer for those who wanted it.
This is the point where some Muslims in Malaysia worry about yoga. They think it is encroaching on their way of life.
One Muslim student told me that she combined yoga techniques with prayers. That concerns some Islamic experts.
"If people want to practice yoga, the physical exercise, I think that is no problem," Professor Osman Bakar, from Malaysia's Institute of Advanced Islamic Studies, told me.
"Many Muslims would say fine. But they would object to the mixing of the two things."
"Islam is a complete way of life. Islam is able to cater to the needs of Muslims; spiritual needs, intellectual needs and other needs, material needs. So there is no need to bring in elements from outside," he added.
Adam's yoga class ended with a quick discussion about self-awareness, concentration and why people do yoga. I was not sure if this was a weekly occurrence or for my benefit.
He told me that yoga has made him a better person. He has no plans to stop.
http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 1/hi/world/ asia-pacific/ 7743312.stm
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