Religion God and Blind Faith for Blog:
Religious faith is embraced without questions or doubts, based on the belief that religious messages have come from the God. The religious-faiths are based on thousands of years old phenomena or stories, and we are asked to put our whole faith on them without question or doubt. This proposal certainly undermines our human intelligence. In my view, religion must have spiritual, logical, and philosophical basis, and it should be established through self-understanding and self-experiences, not through ignorance.
Religious faiths dominate our lives, and interfere with our daily affairs. Such interference often create various practical problems in our societies. The reason for this contradiction is the fact that – we have too many competing religions on earth, promoting contradictory guidelines that often clash with one another. People have been using God, and religions for various personal, political, social, and financial gains. In fact, religious-faith is the most exploited, distorted, manipulated, and misunderstood subject in the human history.
The ancient Indian spiritual/philosophical scriptures (Veda, Upanishad, Puran, etc.), address to all human-beings, not a particular sect. They were written long before Moses (1300 – 1150 BC), and there were no other known organized religions on the earth at the time, meaning they were written for the entire humankind.
There lived in North West Part of India then called Pear shaped Peninsula lived people who were guided by Wise-men. No ruler or king existed then. No religion or religious leader. Hindu Legend says; they were perhaps whispers of God, or maybe insights of the wise. They gave the world meaning and life a purpose. These chants relieved vedana, the yearning of the restless human soul, hence became collectively known as the Veda. Those who heard them first came to be known as the Rishis. Based on what the Veda revealed, the Rishis created a society where everything had a place and where everything changed with rhythmic regularity. The Brahmans were the teachers of this society, the Kshatriyas its guardians, the Vaishyas its providers and the Shudras its servants. Thanks to the Veda, everyone in this society knew that the life they led was just one of many. In other lives, past or present, the Shudra of this life would be a Vaishya, and the Kshatriya would be a Brahman, or perhaps a rock or plant or beast, maybe even a god or a demon. Thus everything was interconnected and everything was cyclical. The point of existence in this dynamic, ever-changing world then was not to aspire or achieve, but to introspect. It is a way of life and no clear religion. It was called Dharma way of living.
According to this faith, God established the religion on earth for humankind and He is the protector of his religion; humankind is asked to propagate His messages only. This faith espouses all embrace doctrines – such as – As many views, as many ways, and all paths lead to the same destination.
Preachers, Sadhus, Gurus, Sannyshis, etc. took advantage of this view and started to propagate their views or interpretations in their own ways, creating various sub-faiths within the umbrella of Dharma. Self interest of those propagators – superstitions and ritualistic practices have taken hold, and Dharma lost its central theme of self-liberation through spiritual knowledge, yoga, meditation, etc. Even though a few spiritual branches of Dharma exist in the world, primarily it is practiced as various sectarian ritualistic faiths, filled with superstitions. As one of the oldest religious faiths on earth, containing all views, Dharma could have been the faith of all human-beings. I believe – it did not happen that way due to the self-interest and sectarian politics of various propagators.
As per Darwin’s Theory of evolution (1859), the human race descended from the animal species, meaning human species are improvised animal species, evolved over millions of years. Therefore, it is natural that humans may still possess/share some of the animalistic characteristics. Humans have given up many animalistic characteristics as they evolved. We can find many in the society, who look just like human, talk like human – but behave like animals. Therefore, our behaviors can only differentiate us from the animal. The basic human characteristics that distinguish us from the animal are the tenets of the human religion (humanity).
All living beings play certain roles in maintaining the ecological balance, meaning we all have certain purposes as well as responsibilities on this earth. We need to respect the rights and privileges of all living-beings on the earth. The essence of a religion, is to provide knowledge and guidance to find our rights and privileges, and purposes of our lives. We should seek God through our intelligence, not through our ignorance, superstitions, and blind-faith. After all, God is a concept and religion is a practice.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple My real feelings
Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple
Main travel destination for domestic Indian travelers are to umpteen number of Hindu temples. . Sigandur Chowdeshwari temple is one of them. It is located in a small village of Sigandur also called Dasarighatta near Tiptur of Tumkur District.. It is in an area with back water of Sharavathi before it falls into Jog. It is 202 km from Bangalore and 317 km from Mysore. It is like 4 hours from Bangalore may be 6 hours from Mysore. You will have to reach Sagar and from there to a small village called Tumari where two ferries are launched run till 5:00 pm carrying vehicles and passengers to the other side of backwaters of Sharavathi to a village called Kalasavalli and Sigandur is like 10 km from this village. Karnataka Tourism advertises this temple is abode of Chowdeshwari incarnation of Parvathi who is suppose to be very powerful and just a visit and offering prayers to this Goddess; she will solve any problem before going to court. Large number of devotees come here, clearly to take blessing from this Goddess to solve their problem without them doing much.
We were at Shivamoga and took the journey from there to Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple. Route 206/148 Bangalore/Honavar Highway for 10 miles into it we reach a bifurcation where it Main Highway 206 continues to Sagar and a left sided State Highway 52 is road that takes you Kollur Mookambika. It is winding way becomes mountainous also called Sampekatte Kollur road has a distance to 72 miles to Kollur. Approximately 3 hours. Roughly 10 miles from Kollur there is deviation to Sigandur from 52. This road is called Sigandur road is under construction to an asphalt road still in gravel and mud stage. Driving is hard and slow bumpy. It is 37 km drive could take one hour or more. This way you could visit famous Kollur Mookambika and Sigandur in one trip in one day and return to Shivamoga.
Sigandoor is a small village can’t even make out or even completely missed it because of the Temple and surrounding areas are being developed using heavy construction materials. Soil here is like Iron ore containing soil of Kemmannugundi or Bababudangiri. Red and dusty, stains your clothes and footwear. After you park your vehicle and leaving your footwear you will have to walk on rough gravel road and enter inside a large hall covered with metal sheet where people congregate probably for meals offered by the temple and Homas are performed.
The Legend says; Long time ago there was a king in Kingdom of Nandavara is called Nandavaram in Telugu is located in the State of Andhra and is near Kurnool.
Nandavaram is a small village in the Banagana Palli town (mandal) of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. Nandavaram is earlier days called as Nandavarapuram and in much earlier days it is called as Anandavarapuram.
The village is best known for the famous Chowdeshwari Devi [KasiVishalakshi] temple. It is said that the Goddess Chowdeshwari has come all the way from Varanasi to Nandavaram via an underground tunnel [which you can see in the temple premises] in just one day.
The King of Nandavaram simply called Chakaravarthi of Nandavaram. He was an ardent worshipper of Goddess Chowdeshwari (Kasi Vishalaxi). Since there was no Chowdeshwari temple in Nandavaram, he went to Kasi every morning and returned by evening. This could do it because of some mystic Magical Power bestowed on him by Goddess Chowdeshwari.
Once Maharani wanted to come with him with the intention of spying on him and she went there although she was in her periods. Visiting a holy shrine by wife of devotee in periods will have bad consequences. Hence King of Nandavara lost all his magical powers. He could not return to Nandavara like he did with Magical Powers. As the King was worried and stuck in Kasi, he met a group of Brahmins who were worshipping and doing Chandi Homa for celestial powers. These Brahmins offered the king half of earned Punya and with that he got magical powers back. He was able to return to Nandavaram with his Queen the same day from Kasi He promised these Brahmins Land and place to live and left.
A few years later famine hit the Kasi area and Brahmins moved out of this place came to Kurnool area and met the king and asked him to give them the land he promised. King conveniently forgot the promise and thought he could brush aside these poor Brahmins and did not give them anything and treated them badly. Brahmins prayed to Goddess Chowdeshwari to remedy problem with the king. Chowdeshwari arrived by underground tunnel in one day to Nandavaram and King realized his mistake and offered the Brahmins the land he promised. These Brahmins settled down in Nandavaram. These Brahmins called themselves Nandavarks and Chowdeshwari became their Family Deity. There exists even today a Temple of Chowdeshwari on banks of Tunga at Kurnool District at Nandawaram. This temple was built by Nandavara Chakaravarthi.
Legend says that Chowdeshwari came from Varnasi thorough underground tunnel in one day. This deity was so powerful, people who visualized died of heart attack instantly. So temple Garbagudi was shut permanently and another deity idol made which resembled the original. The temple structure is elevated so that the current deity sits exactly above the place where he original deity resides. There is a flight on the East side of this elevated temple to go to the Garbagudi of the original Deity, but no one is allowed to go there. The Local Brahmins who arrived here before the Varnasi Deity arrived here are called Nandavareeka Brahmins who are originally from Kasi or Varnasi. They have contributed to this temple’s development and are only Brahmins allowed inside Garbhagruha to perform pooja.
300 years latter this incident, a Palegar called Jasavantha Raya of Tiptur went to Nandavara and prayed sincerely to Chowdeshwari and request her to accompany in all his conquests and she did. Latter on she wanted to settle near Tiptur because it was a natural beauty with river valleys and mountains. This place then called town of Jasavantha raya now called Dasarighatta or more popularly Sigandoor.
This Mythological story of Sigandoor and legend appears farfetched. It is after all a Myth. It looks like Chakaravarthi Nandavara lived soon after the fall of Vijayanagara Empire around middle of 1500. Although he was called Chakaravarthi, he was only a king of a small town of Nandavaram near present day Kurnool AP. It is highly improbable he travelled to Varnasi and returned the same day. It is distance of 1500 km by national highway from Kurnool to Varnasi. It is a jet travel to a cover a distance of 3000 km in few hours. I have a feeling this mythological story was somehow floated during those middle ages when people believed in their Kings as Vickers of God. A king of small kingdom former vassal of larger empire of Vijayanagara had now to prove his mettle when he carved out his kingdom. He let this myth spread. The fact that he left early morning at 4:00 am and returned by night indicated that his effort to maintain the clandestine story. It is possible that the King hid in his Harem along with the queen so people can believe that he is in Kasi praying to Goddess Chowdeshwari or Kasi Vishalaxi for their well being. As you know after the fall of Vijayanagara Empire there was a real fear of invasion from Muslim expansion by Deccan Sultanates and threat to their religious institutions. Similarly whole story of him and his wife who could not return to Nandavaram because of loss of Mythical Power and subsequent restoration of it by Varnasi Brahmins is also farfetched. It is possible King was tired of being boxed in his Harem decided to lead a more normal life. The famine in Kasi and subsequent arrival of Brahmins from Varnasi and establishing in Nandavaram and arrival of Goddess Chowdeshwari through underground tunnel in 24 hours to teach the king a lesson and being entombed in a under the ground Garbagudi to prevent harm to devotees and subsequent building of over the ground Temple and consecration of a locally sculpted Chowdeshwari idol right above the original ferocious idol underground, are equally mythical. There should be more earthly explanation for it.
Less mythical would be Palegar Jasavanatha Raya 300 years later probably when Moguls were being replaced by British in Indian Subcontinent. It is realistic to think Jasavanatha Raya was trying to expand his territorial power and established a Temple in present day Sigandoor. His entire story about Chowdeshwari travelling to Sigandoor from Nandavaram is an embellishment, more likely he brought artisans and sculptors from there and carved out a similar idols at Sigandoor and sanctified it.
The present day anecdotes of many personal problems especially involving Land Disputes are as believable as any other personal anecdotes. Govt. of Karnataka and other States who unlike any other Secular Democracies in developed countries has a total control over Religious institutions especially Hindu Temples. Their Travel Tourism Dept is promoting the beliefs of these anecdotes. Temple itself appears to have taken by this and sells Indulgences with a power to ward of house burglary and other forms of crimes against the public. I hope they will find something suitable for Chain Snatching. The sanctity of temple is diluted by turning it into commercial tourist attractions. State government blatantly indulged in diversion of the wealth of Hindu temples, and their use to fund non-Hindu purposes, is a flagrant travesty of the principle of separation of religion and State.
To the practicing Hindu all deities represent the One Supreme Reality and Being in diverse ways and forms that make the divine accessible to all levels of religious and spiritual temperaments. The images of our gods and goddesses are not just stone or metal idols. They are profound symbols and splendorous representations of the One in its many manifestations, they are holy reminders of the divine being everywhere, they are aids to meditation and worship, and they are also ceremonially sanctified centers of spiritual energy and divine grace. The exploitation of this mindset by politicians and others is a disgrace. Scientific Community calls it a Blind faith. Blind faith is preferred to modern science and reasoning by the faithful as science would reduce sanctity of supernatural to material cold analysis.
In a culture like ours where blind faith go back thousands of years, It is also a culture where social and educational systems do not foster, and in fact discourage, questioning minds. In addition our education system does not address the issues of rationality at all. It is very skills-focused and does not attempt to encourage people to question or to think independently. The traditional administrations of our temples need revamping for modern times, such reforms and reorganization should be led by practicing Hindus and their leaders, and not by outsiders from the government or non-Hindu constituencies.
Main travel destination for domestic Indian travelers are to umpteen number of Hindu temples. . Sigandur Chowdeshwari temple is one of them. It is located in a small village of Sigandur also called Dasarighatta near Tiptur of Tumkur District.. It is in an area with back water of Sharavathi before it falls into Jog. It is 202 km from Bangalore and 317 km from Mysore. It is like 4 hours from Bangalore may be 6 hours from Mysore. You will have to reach Sagar and from there to a small village called Tumari where two ferries are launched run till 5:00 pm carrying vehicles and passengers to the other side of backwaters of Sharavathi to a village called Kalasavalli and Sigandur is like 10 km from this village. Karnataka Tourism advertises this temple is abode of Chowdeshwari incarnation of Parvathi who is suppose to be very powerful and just a visit and offering prayers to this Goddess; she will solve any problem before going to court. Large number of devotees come here, clearly to take blessing from this Goddess to solve their problem without them doing much.
We were at Shivamoga and took the journey from there to Sigandur Chowdeshwari Temple. Route 206/148 Bangalore/Honavar Highway for 10 miles into it we reach a bifurcation where it Main Highway 206 continues to Sagar and a left sided State Highway 52 is road that takes you Kollur Mookambika. It is winding way becomes mountainous also called Sampekatte Kollur road has a distance to 72 miles to Kollur. Approximately 3 hours. Roughly 10 miles from Kollur there is deviation to Sigandur from 52. This road is called Sigandur road is under construction to an asphalt road still in gravel and mud stage. Driving is hard and slow bumpy. It is 37 km drive could take one hour or more. This way you could visit famous Kollur Mookambika and Sigandur in one trip in one day and return to Shivamoga.
Sigandoor is a small village can’t even make out or even completely missed it because of the Temple and surrounding areas are being developed using heavy construction materials. Soil here is like Iron ore containing soil of Kemmannugundi or Bababudangiri. Red and dusty, stains your clothes and footwear. After you park your vehicle and leaving your footwear you will have to walk on rough gravel road and enter inside a large hall covered with metal sheet where people congregate probably for meals offered by the temple and Homas are performed.
The Legend says; Long time ago there was a king in Kingdom of Nandavara is called Nandavaram in Telugu is located in the State of Andhra and is near Kurnool.
Nandavaram is a small village in the Banagana Palli town (mandal) of Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh. Nandavaram is earlier days called as Nandavarapuram and in much earlier days it is called as Anandavarapuram.
The village is best known for the famous Chowdeshwari Devi [KasiVishalakshi] temple. It is said that the Goddess Chowdeshwari has come all the way from Varanasi to Nandavaram via an underground tunnel [which you can see in the temple premises] in just one day.
The King of Nandavaram simply called Chakaravarthi of Nandavaram. He was an ardent worshipper of Goddess Chowdeshwari (Kasi Vishalaxi). Since there was no Chowdeshwari temple in Nandavaram, he went to Kasi every morning and returned by evening. This could do it because of some mystic Magical Power bestowed on him by Goddess Chowdeshwari.
Once Maharani wanted to come with him with the intention of spying on him and she went there although she was in her periods. Visiting a holy shrine by wife of devotee in periods will have bad consequences. Hence King of Nandavara lost all his magical powers. He could not return to Nandavara like he did with Magical Powers. As the King was worried and stuck in Kasi, he met a group of Brahmins who were worshipping and doing Chandi Homa for celestial powers. These Brahmins offered the king half of earned Punya and with that he got magical powers back. He was able to return to Nandavaram with his Queen the same day from Kasi He promised these Brahmins Land and place to live and left.
A few years later famine hit the Kasi area and Brahmins moved out of this place came to Kurnool area and met the king and asked him to give them the land he promised. King conveniently forgot the promise and thought he could brush aside these poor Brahmins and did not give them anything and treated them badly. Brahmins prayed to Goddess Chowdeshwari to remedy problem with the king. Chowdeshwari arrived by underground tunnel in one day to Nandavaram and King realized his mistake and offered the Brahmins the land he promised. These Brahmins settled down in Nandavaram. These Brahmins called themselves Nandavarks and Chowdeshwari became their Family Deity. There exists even today a Temple of Chowdeshwari on banks of Tunga at Kurnool District at Nandawaram. This temple was built by Nandavara Chakaravarthi.
Legend says that Chowdeshwari came from Varnasi thorough underground tunnel in one day. This deity was so powerful, people who visualized died of heart attack instantly. So temple Garbagudi was shut permanently and another deity idol made which resembled the original. The temple structure is elevated so that the current deity sits exactly above the place where he original deity resides. There is a flight on the East side of this elevated temple to go to the Garbagudi of the original Deity, but no one is allowed to go there. The Local Brahmins who arrived here before the Varnasi Deity arrived here are called Nandavareeka Brahmins who are originally from Kasi or Varnasi. They have contributed to this temple’s development and are only Brahmins allowed inside Garbhagruha to perform pooja.
300 years latter this incident, a Palegar called Jasavantha Raya of Tiptur went to Nandavara and prayed sincerely to Chowdeshwari and request her to accompany in all his conquests and she did. Latter on she wanted to settle near Tiptur because it was a natural beauty with river valleys and mountains. This place then called town of Jasavantha raya now called Dasarighatta or more popularly Sigandoor.
This Mythological story of Sigandoor and legend appears farfetched. It is after all a Myth. It looks like Chakaravarthi Nandavara lived soon after the fall of Vijayanagara Empire around middle of 1500. Although he was called Chakaravarthi, he was only a king of a small town of Nandavaram near present day Kurnool AP. It is highly improbable he travelled to Varnasi and returned the same day. It is distance of 1500 km by national highway from Kurnool to Varnasi. It is a jet travel to a cover a distance of 3000 km in few hours. I have a feeling this mythological story was somehow floated during those middle ages when people believed in their Kings as Vickers of God. A king of small kingdom former vassal of larger empire of Vijayanagara had now to prove his mettle when he carved out his kingdom. He let this myth spread. The fact that he left early morning at 4:00 am and returned by night indicated that his effort to maintain the clandestine story. It is possible that the King hid in his Harem along with the queen so people can believe that he is in Kasi praying to Goddess Chowdeshwari or Kasi Vishalaxi for their well being. As you know after the fall of Vijayanagara Empire there was a real fear of invasion from Muslim expansion by Deccan Sultanates and threat to their religious institutions. Similarly whole story of him and his wife who could not return to Nandavaram because of loss of Mythical Power and subsequent restoration of it by Varnasi Brahmins is also farfetched. It is possible King was tired of being boxed in his Harem decided to lead a more normal life. The famine in Kasi and subsequent arrival of Brahmins from Varnasi and establishing in Nandavaram and arrival of Goddess Chowdeshwari through underground tunnel in 24 hours to teach the king a lesson and being entombed in a under the ground Garbagudi to prevent harm to devotees and subsequent building of over the ground Temple and consecration of a locally sculpted Chowdeshwari idol right above the original ferocious idol underground, are equally mythical. There should be more earthly explanation for it.
Less mythical would be Palegar Jasavanatha Raya 300 years later probably when Moguls were being replaced by British in Indian Subcontinent. It is realistic to think Jasavanatha Raya was trying to expand his territorial power and established a Temple in present day Sigandoor. His entire story about Chowdeshwari travelling to Sigandoor from Nandavaram is an embellishment, more likely he brought artisans and sculptors from there and carved out a similar idols at Sigandoor and sanctified it.
The present day anecdotes of many personal problems especially involving Land Disputes are as believable as any other personal anecdotes. Govt. of Karnataka and other States who unlike any other Secular Democracies in developed countries has a total control over Religious institutions especially Hindu Temples. Their Travel Tourism Dept is promoting the beliefs of these anecdotes. Temple itself appears to have taken by this and sells Indulgences with a power to ward of house burglary and other forms of crimes against the public. I hope they will find something suitable for Chain Snatching. The sanctity of temple is diluted by turning it into commercial tourist attractions. State government blatantly indulged in diversion of the wealth of Hindu temples, and their use to fund non-Hindu purposes, is a flagrant travesty of the principle of separation of religion and State.
To the practicing Hindu all deities represent the One Supreme Reality and Being in diverse ways and forms that make the divine accessible to all levels of religious and spiritual temperaments. The images of our gods and goddesses are not just stone or metal idols. They are profound symbols and splendorous representations of the One in its many manifestations, they are holy reminders of the divine being everywhere, they are aids to meditation and worship, and they are also ceremonially sanctified centers of spiritual energy and divine grace. The exploitation of this mindset by politicians and others is a disgrace. Scientific Community calls it a Blind faith. Blind faith is preferred to modern science and reasoning by the faithful as science would reduce sanctity of supernatural to material cold analysis.
In a culture like ours where blind faith go back thousands of years, It is also a culture where social and educational systems do not foster, and in fact discourage, questioning minds. In addition our education system does not address the issues of rationality at all. It is very skills-focused and does not attempt to encourage people to question or to think independently. The traditional administrations of our temples need revamping for modern times, such reforms and reorganization should be led by practicing Hindus and their leaders, and not by outsiders from the government or non-Hindu constituencies.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Govt. Control of Hindu Temples in India
Govt. Control of Hindu Temples in India:
India and America are Secular Democracies. Constitution in both countries says to keep religion and State separate. It is done scrupulously in America not so in India. Not too many people are aware that State Govts. in India can take over Hindu Temples and their properties but no Non Hindu setups. Why is that? After independence the Congress Govt. enacted an act called Hindu Religious and Charitable Act to control mismanagement of Temples by Temple Authorities. The Non Hindu sectors Churches, Mosques, Guardwars, Jain and Buddhist establishments were left alone to function independently. British Govt. in 1878 enacted a similar act and started looting various Hindu temples starting from famed Puri Jaganath Temple in Orissa. After independence Indian Govt. continued to the same policy and enacted Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act (HRCE Act) in 1951 to control mismanagement by Hindu Temple Authorities.
Under its aegis, variously amended and often challenged by Hindu groups over the years, the state governments have taken over thousands of temples, generally under the pretext of preventing “mismanagement” by Hindus. In other words, Hindus, and only Hindus, are not considered capable of managing their places of worship without government oversight. Thousands of small and medium temples, in addition to nationally and historically important temples such as Jagannath in Puri, Tirupati, Kashi Vishwanath, Vaishno Devi, Shirdi,Guruvayoor, Chamundi Devi, Dattapeeth, Kali Mandir of Patiala, Amarnath, Badrinath, and Kedarnath, are now under government control, and have been so for decades.
Examples and Effects of Government Interference
The devastation caused to Hindu temples and other institutions, as a direct result and consequence of the HRCE act, can be illustrated by a few examples:
Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai
The famous Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai was “nationalized”, i.e. the state government took over its previously independent board of trustees, in 1981. Various political and government appointees have siphoned off crores of rupees out of the temple’s coffers. Some of this money is given out as ‘donations’ -- of Rs. 50 lakhs or more -- to other non-profit institutions, selected on the basis of political connections. These organizations may not serve Hinduism or Hindu devotees at all. Such donations continued even after the Bombay High Court issued a prohibitory order stopping them. During 2004-2005 alone, seven crore rupees were paid out to such beneficiaries out of the temple’s inflow. The government appointed trustees of this temple also spent over Rs. 24 lakhs of the temple’s money in two days on a lavish marketing event held at a seven star hotel to discuss how to promote temples as tourist attractions! In other words, the hard-earned money that devotees offer out of love and a sense of duty to a Hindu religious institution is being used not for the benefit of the Hindu community, or to promote Hindu religious activities, but for other purposes.
Karnataka
In 2002,
From the 2,07,000 temples in Karnataka the government took in revenues of Rs.72 crores
Returned Rs. 10 crores for temple maintenance, and granted Rs. 50 crores for madrasas,
and Rs. 10 crores for churches.
An estimated 50,000 temples have shut down during the last five years in Karnataka due to lack of resources. How can this happen if there is a surplus Rs. 66 crores of Hindu temple money in the hands of the government
Andhra Pradesh
Under the openly Christian evangelical regime of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.Samuel Rajsekar Reddy, the Tirumala Tirupati Devaswom (TTD) authority, which is controlled by his state, frontal assaults have been made on the very hills of the beloved temple of Lord Balaji in Tirupati. In March 2006, the government demolished centuries sold, 1000 pillar mantapam in the Tirumala complex. The state government has not
Govt. denied a charge that 85% percent of revenues from the TTD, which collects over Rs.3,100 crores every year as the richest temple in India, are transferred to the state exchequer. The non-temple use of this colossal amount of money is not fully accounted for by the government. Temple watchdog groups have alleged that the government has allocated Rs. 7.6 crores of TTD money towards repairs and renovations of mosques and churches in a recent year. JRG Wealth Management Limited, a Christian owned organization, was given a lucrative contract to procure materials for the Prasadam that is given to temple devotees. On January 21, the Chief Minister announced the sponsorship, using TTD money, of a hockey tournament in his parents’ name. An attempt to take over five of the seven hills that belong to Lord Venkateswara, according to legal deeds and hand them to Christian institutions, was thwarted last year only when Hindu religious leaders, under the aegis of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha united to lodge strong, and unprecedented, protests. TTD wealth is being distributed as gold bars “for the poor”, with no transparency as to who the “poor” are who will get the temple’s riches. There are plans to build a ropeway to the hills to make it a more appealing commercial tourist attraction. While owing the TTD Rs. 1,500 crores already from various earlier proceeds, the government is trying to take away another Rs 500 crores from TTD for state irrigation projects!
Elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh, out of 420,028 acres owned by temples in Vishakhapatnam, Kakinada, Guntur, Kurnool, Warangal, and Hyderabad, 60,843 acres were allowed to be occupied illegally by professional land grabbers. The state government, the inheritor of the responsibility under the HRCE Act to prevent such actions, did nothing to prevent these incursions, even though it has a staff of over 77,000people (paid from a 15% charge on temple revenues) to look after temple interests.
InAugust 2005, the state decided to sell 100,000 acres of the Sri Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam and other nearby temples.
On March 14, 2006, the government auctioned 3,000 acres of temple lands in East Godavari district. Proceeds from these sales rarely reach the temples, which have to depend on the same government for doles to light their lamps and pay their priests. 884 acres of endowment lands of the famous SriRama temple at Bhadrachalam have been allocated to Christian institutions by the current government.
In Simhachalam, 300 acres belonging to the temple have been allocated for churches and convent schools, who even exercise an illegal authority to stop devotees from visiting the temple atop the hill! There is also an attempt afoot to take over the 500year old Chilkur Balaji temple.
Sabarimala, Kerala
the forested hill with the famous temple of Lord Ayyappa in Kerala,2,500 acres of temple property have been sold by the Communist government controlled Travancore Devasvom Board to a non-Hindu group. Even though this Board gets about Rs. 250 crores every year in income, it is almost bankrupt today, after years of government diversion of funds. Rs 24 crores from the Guruvayoor Devasvom have been spent on a drinking water project in ten nearby panchayats, which include 40 churches and mosques. Some of these non-Hindu places of worship have larger revenues than the Devasvom, but none of them have been asked to pay towards the project, even though their members will be beneficiaries.
Bihar
Government control over the temples through its Hindu Endowments department has resulted, according to the Religious Trust Administrator,in the loss of temple properties worth Rs. 2000 crores.
More Government Control on the Horizon
While these tales of the terrible fate of Hindu temples under government control can be multiplied a thousand fold, and the collapse of the Hindu religious infrastructure as a direct result of government control can be documented in painful detail, it is more important at this point to pay attention to the even more ominous threats of assault that are now on the horizon. The Maharashtra government, literally bankrupt due to profligacy (including an Indian Enron scandal of mammoth proportions) and bad economic policies, is moving forward with a bill that would enable it to take over the 4.5 lakh Hindu temples in the state. The outpouring of contributions to temples by millions of Hindus is seen as a huge cash flow opportunity by politicians of all stripes all around India.
In Kerala, the communist state government has promulgated an ordinance on February 4, 2007 to disband the Travancore and Cochin Autonomous Devaswom Boards (TCDB) and usurp their already limited independent authority over 1800 Hindu temples.
In Orissa, the NDA state government is on its way to sell some70,000 acres of Jagannath temple endowment lands due to a financial crunch brought about byits own mismanagement of the temple’s assets.
The BJP government in Rajasthan is planning to auction off temples and transfer their control to the highest bidders,even if they are from the other religions Under the 'Apna Dham, Apna Kam, Apna Nam' scheme, a 30-year lease would be signed between the state government and private bidders on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)basis, similar to national highway construction projects! Many other outrageous proposals of the same kind abound across many states.
Response from the Hindu Community
The Hindu community, after decades of apathy, disunity, and sporadic court fights to secure their rights to practice their religion without government control, has now belatedly woken up to address these fresh assaults. Local leaders have formed coalitions to take matters to court to prevent new takeovers and the sales of temple properties. The existence of the HRCE Act makes it an uphill legal battle to challenge and overturn the government’s stranglehold over Hindu temples and their assets. Recent court victories in Karnataka and Rajasthan are encouraging in this regard. Online petitions and signature campaigns, often led by NRI Hindus who seem to be more aware and concerned about this issue than Hindus in India, have become a standard tool of the newly awakened Hindu community. Most of the mainstream media in India, especially the English TV and press, have a covert or overt anti-Hindu position, and stories of government atrocities against Hindu temples rarely make it into the news pages. Appeals often have to be made to the President of India himself for relief from open aggression against Hindu interests by state and district level government authorities. The collusion between missionary and communal forces and political parties hostile to Hindus, such as the communists and the Congress party, have further complicated the equation of elements that work against the religious freedom of Hindus. Thanks to blogs, websites, bulletin boards, and email forums that have recently sprungup, awareness about these issues is now starting to proliferate. Even as Hindu awareness grows, and the call for action mounts, the media and political parties are quick to slap on a Hindutva or fundamentalist label to discredit these grassroots efforts of Hindus to claim the same basic religious rights as Indian Christians and Muslims.
The attack on Hindu temples is an attack on the body and soul of Hinduism, because temples are the sacred and sanctified places where most Hindus practice their faith. Others may not understand our ways of worship, but to the practicing Hindu all deities represent the One Supreme Reality and Being in diverse ways and forms that make the divine accessible to all levels of religious and spiritual temperaments. The images of our gods and goddesses are not just stone or metal idols. They are profound symbols and splendorous representations of the One in its many manifestations, they are holy reminders of the divine being everywhere, they are aids to meditation and worship, and they are also ceremonially sanctified centers of spiritual energy and divine grace. Our priests should not be reduced to the status of government servants who have to depend on miserly salaries from the state that has usurped their traditional means of sustenance, and who are thereby forced to demand money, sometimes so aggressively, from devotees. Our Acharyas should not be sidelined to being helpless observers even as the institutions they are vested with leading are being reduced to insolvency.
The Way Forward
Through the millennia, Hindus have found in their temples succor for all their religious and spiritual needs, and vital sense of community with their fellow devotees. The sanctity of temples is diluted by turning them into commercial tourist attractions, their integrity as Hindu institutions is compromised when non-Hindus, or anti-Hinduism elements, are allowed to run them, and their very survival is threatened when the money of devotees is taken away by government appointees or politicians and diverted to fund external causes. Even if there had been some rationale for the HRCE Act to improve the administration of Hindu temples in the early days after India’s independence, the exclusive way that only Hindu organizations are so targeted is a blatant violation of the concept of secularism and the religious rights and freedoms of Hindus. If Hindu temples are mismanaged or corrupt, as often alleged to justify their takeover, the sad record of Indian state governments with regard to governance and corruption in general, and their sorry record with the temples they already control in particular, hardly makes them a better candidate to look after the welfare of yet more temples! If Hindutemples need better management, the communities which support them should form the independent bodies to do so. If the traditional administrations of our temples need revamping for modern times, such reforms and reorganization should be led by practicing Hindus and their leaders, and not by outsiders from the government or non-Hindu constituencies. The diversion of the wealth of Hindu temples by the states in the first place, and their use to fund non-Hindu purposes, is a flagrant travesty of the principle of separation of religion and
Government officials looking to take over and exploit yet more Hindu temples should instead consider appropriating some non-Hindu religious organizations first, to restore some balance and equality to their strange brand of secularism. If they dare not do so, they should immediately cease and desist from controlling Hindu institutions and liquidating their assets, even if there be misguided statutes that are in place that give them the legal right to do so. And full reparations should be made to all the temples that have been devastated over the decades through a combination of the HRCE Act and various land reforms that have selectively annexed only Hindu properties in so many states. A major breakthrough towards obtaining the freedom of Hindu temples from government control has been made with the establishment of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha in 2003. The convener of the meeting, Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, emphasized the need for Hindu religious leaders to have one common, united voice to speak for Hindus and their institutions.125 Hindu religious leaders -- peethadipatis, mathadipatis, jeers, acharyas, and mahamandaleshwars -- representing major traditions of Hinduism from all parts of India have since come together under this platform to free temples and other Hindu institutions from the clutches of the government. The Tirupati Declaration of 2006, spearheaded by the Sabha, was an effective voice to prevent various TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam) malpractices and imminent anti-Hindu moves. Currently the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha is pioneering a movement to challenge the constitutional validity of the HRCE Act and its derivatives, and to prevent further government incursions into Hindu religious affairs. Through the Forum for Religious Freedom (FRF),incorporated as a US non-profit organization, efforts are under way to support the Acharya Sabha with the financial resources needed to mount a legal challenge to overturn the HRCE Act, and to take other measures to prevent further annexation by the states of our religious infrastructure. The viability of Hinduism rests in the health and vitality of our temples. All Hindus should consider it their dharma – their duty and responsibility -- to make sure that this important mission of the Acharya Sabha is properly funded towards accomplishing this crucial objective. The reverse discrimination against Hindus and our institutions by a supposedly secular government cannot be allowed to continue any more. The time has come to secure for the majority Hindus of India the same secular rights and religious freedom that the followers of all minority religions already enjoy. Om Forum for Religious Freedom P.O Box Number 60425Staten Island, NY 10306-0425Website: http://www.frfnet.org Email: frfnet@gmail.comPhone: 240-506-0396
© 2007 Forum for Religious Freedom 7
Sources:
India and America are Secular Democracies. Constitution in both countries says to keep religion and State separate. It is done scrupulously in America not so in India. Not too many people are aware that State Govts. in India can take over Hindu Temples and their properties but no Non Hindu setups. Why is that? After independence the Congress Govt. enacted an act called Hindu Religious and Charitable Act to control mismanagement of Temples by Temple Authorities. The Non Hindu sectors Churches, Mosques, Guardwars, Jain and Buddhist establishments were left alone to function independently. British Govt. in 1878 enacted a similar act and started looting various Hindu temples starting from famed Puri Jaganath Temple in Orissa. After independence Indian Govt. continued to the same policy and enacted Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Act (HRCE Act) in 1951 to control mismanagement by Hindu Temple Authorities.
Under its aegis, variously amended and often challenged by Hindu groups over the years, the state governments have taken over thousands of temples, generally under the pretext of preventing “mismanagement” by Hindus. In other words, Hindus, and only Hindus, are not considered capable of managing their places of worship without government oversight. Thousands of small and medium temples, in addition to nationally and historically important temples such as Jagannath in Puri, Tirupati, Kashi Vishwanath, Vaishno Devi, Shirdi,Guruvayoor, Chamundi Devi, Dattapeeth, Kali Mandir of Patiala, Amarnath, Badrinath, and Kedarnath, are now under government control, and have been so for decades.
Examples and Effects of Government Interference
The devastation caused to Hindu temples and other institutions, as a direct result and consequence of the HRCE act, can be illustrated by a few examples:
Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai
The famous Siddhi Vinayak Temple in Mumbai was “nationalized”, i.e. the state government took over its previously independent board of trustees, in 1981. Various political and government appointees have siphoned off crores of rupees out of the temple’s coffers. Some of this money is given out as ‘donations’ -- of Rs. 50 lakhs or more -- to other non-profit institutions, selected on the basis of political connections. These organizations may not serve Hinduism or Hindu devotees at all. Such donations continued even after the Bombay High Court issued a prohibitory order stopping them. During 2004-2005 alone, seven crore rupees were paid out to such beneficiaries out of the temple’s inflow. The government appointed trustees of this temple also spent over Rs. 24 lakhs of the temple’s money in two days on a lavish marketing event held at a seven star hotel to discuss how to promote temples as tourist attractions! In other words, the hard-earned money that devotees offer out of love and a sense of duty to a Hindu religious institution is being used not for the benefit of the Hindu community, or to promote Hindu religious activities, but for other purposes.
Karnataka
In 2002,
From the 2,07,000 temples in Karnataka the government took in revenues of Rs.72 crores
Returned Rs. 10 crores for temple maintenance, and granted Rs. 50 crores for madrasas,
and Rs. 10 crores for churches.
An estimated 50,000 temples have shut down during the last five years in Karnataka due to lack of resources. How can this happen if there is a surplus Rs. 66 crores of Hindu temple money in the hands of the government
Andhra Pradesh
Under the openly Christian evangelical regime of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.Samuel Rajsekar Reddy, the Tirumala Tirupati Devaswom (TTD) authority, which is controlled by his state, frontal assaults have been made on the very hills of the beloved temple of Lord Balaji in Tirupati. In March 2006, the government demolished centuries sold, 1000 pillar mantapam in the Tirumala complex. The state government has not
Govt. denied a charge that 85% percent of revenues from the TTD, which collects over Rs.3,100 crores every year as the richest temple in India, are transferred to the state exchequer. The non-temple use of this colossal amount of money is not fully accounted for by the government. Temple watchdog groups have alleged that the government has allocated Rs. 7.6 crores of TTD money towards repairs and renovations of mosques and churches in a recent year. JRG Wealth Management Limited, a Christian owned organization, was given a lucrative contract to procure materials for the Prasadam that is given to temple devotees. On January 21, the Chief Minister announced the sponsorship, using TTD money, of a hockey tournament in his parents’ name. An attempt to take over five of the seven hills that belong to Lord Venkateswara, according to legal deeds and hand them to Christian institutions, was thwarted last year only when Hindu religious leaders, under the aegis of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha united to lodge strong, and unprecedented, protests. TTD wealth is being distributed as gold bars “for the poor”, with no transparency as to who the “poor” are who will get the temple’s riches. There are plans to build a ropeway to the hills to make it a more appealing commercial tourist attraction. While owing the TTD Rs. 1,500 crores already from various earlier proceeds, the government is trying to take away another Rs 500 crores from TTD for state irrigation projects!
Elsewhere in Andhra Pradesh, out of 420,028 acres owned by temples in Vishakhapatnam, Kakinada, Guntur, Kurnool, Warangal, and Hyderabad, 60,843 acres were allowed to be occupied illegally by professional land grabbers. The state government, the inheritor of the responsibility under the HRCE Act to prevent such actions, did nothing to prevent these incursions, even though it has a staff of over 77,000people (paid from a 15% charge on temple revenues) to look after temple interests.
InAugust 2005, the state decided to sell 100,000 acres of the Sri Narasimha Swamy Temple in Simhachalam and other nearby temples.
On March 14, 2006, the government auctioned 3,000 acres of temple lands in East Godavari district. Proceeds from these sales rarely reach the temples, which have to depend on the same government for doles to light their lamps and pay their priests. 884 acres of endowment lands of the famous SriRama temple at Bhadrachalam have been allocated to Christian institutions by the current government.
In Simhachalam, 300 acres belonging to the temple have been allocated for churches and convent schools, who even exercise an illegal authority to stop devotees from visiting the temple atop the hill! There is also an attempt afoot to take over the 500year old Chilkur Balaji temple.
Sabarimala, Kerala
the forested hill with the famous temple of Lord Ayyappa in Kerala,2,500 acres of temple property have been sold by the Communist government controlled Travancore Devasvom Board to a non-Hindu group. Even though this Board gets about Rs. 250 crores every year in income, it is almost bankrupt today, after years of government diversion of funds. Rs 24 crores from the Guruvayoor Devasvom have been spent on a drinking water project in ten nearby panchayats, which include 40 churches and mosques. Some of these non-Hindu places of worship have larger revenues than the Devasvom, but none of them have been asked to pay towards the project, even though their members will be beneficiaries.
Bihar
Government control over the temples through its Hindu Endowments department has resulted, according to the Religious Trust Administrator,in the loss of temple properties worth Rs. 2000 crores.
More Government Control on the Horizon
While these tales of the terrible fate of Hindu temples under government control can be multiplied a thousand fold, and the collapse of the Hindu religious infrastructure as a direct result of government control can be documented in painful detail, it is more important at this point to pay attention to the even more ominous threats of assault that are now on the horizon. The Maharashtra government, literally bankrupt due to profligacy (including an Indian Enron scandal of mammoth proportions) and bad economic policies, is moving forward with a bill that would enable it to take over the 4.5 lakh Hindu temples in the state. The outpouring of contributions to temples by millions of Hindus is seen as a huge cash flow opportunity by politicians of all stripes all around India.
In Kerala, the communist state government has promulgated an ordinance on February 4, 2007 to disband the Travancore and Cochin Autonomous Devaswom Boards (TCDB) and usurp their already limited independent authority over 1800 Hindu temples.
In Orissa, the NDA state government is on its way to sell some70,000 acres of Jagannath temple endowment lands due to a financial crunch brought about byits own mismanagement of the temple’s assets.
The BJP government in Rajasthan is planning to auction off temples and transfer their control to the highest bidders,even if they are from the other religions Under the 'Apna Dham, Apna Kam, Apna Nam' scheme, a 30-year lease would be signed between the state government and private bidders on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT)basis, similar to national highway construction projects! Many other outrageous proposals of the same kind abound across many states.
Response from the Hindu Community
The Hindu community, after decades of apathy, disunity, and sporadic court fights to secure their rights to practice their religion without government control, has now belatedly woken up to address these fresh assaults. Local leaders have formed coalitions to take matters to court to prevent new takeovers and the sales of temple properties. The existence of the HRCE Act makes it an uphill legal battle to challenge and overturn the government’s stranglehold over Hindu temples and their assets. Recent court victories in Karnataka and Rajasthan are encouraging in this regard. Online petitions and signature campaigns, often led by NRI Hindus who seem to be more aware and concerned about this issue than Hindus in India, have become a standard tool of the newly awakened Hindu community. Most of the mainstream media in India, especially the English TV and press, have a covert or overt anti-Hindu position, and stories of government atrocities against Hindu temples rarely make it into the news pages. Appeals often have to be made to the President of India himself for relief from open aggression against Hindu interests by state and district level government authorities. The collusion between missionary and communal forces and political parties hostile to Hindus, such as the communists and the Congress party, have further complicated the equation of elements that work against the religious freedom of Hindus. Thanks to blogs, websites, bulletin boards, and email forums that have recently sprungup, awareness about these issues is now starting to proliferate. Even as Hindu awareness grows, and the call for action mounts, the media and political parties are quick to slap on a Hindutva or fundamentalist label to discredit these grassroots efforts of Hindus to claim the same basic religious rights as Indian Christians and Muslims.
The attack on Hindu temples is an attack on the body and soul of Hinduism, because temples are the sacred and sanctified places where most Hindus practice their faith. Others may not understand our ways of worship, but to the practicing Hindu all deities represent the One Supreme Reality and Being in diverse ways and forms that make the divine accessible to all levels of religious and spiritual temperaments. The images of our gods and goddesses are not just stone or metal idols. They are profound symbols and splendorous representations of the One in its many manifestations, they are holy reminders of the divine being everywhere, they are aids to meditation and worship, and they are also ceremonially sanctified centers of spiritual energy and divine grace. Our priests should not be reduced to the status of government servants who have to depend on miserly salaries from the state that has usurped their traditional means of sustenance, and who are thereby forced to demand money, sometimes so aggressively, from devotees. Our Acharyas should not be sidelined to being helpless observers even as the institutions they are vested with leading are being reduced to insolvency.
The Way Forward
Through the millennia, Hindus have found in their temples succor for all their religious and spiritual needs, and vital sense of community with their fellow devotees. The sanctity of temples is diluted by turning them into commercial tourist attractions, their integrity as Hindu institutions is compromised when non-Hindus, or anti-Hinduism elements, are allowed to run them, and their very survival is threatened when the money of devotees is taken away by government appointees or politicians and diverted to fund external causes. Even if there had been some rationale for the HRCE Act to improve the administration of Hindu temples in the early days after India’s independence, the exclusive way that only Hindu organizations are so targeted is a blatant violation of the concept of secularism and the religious rights and freedoms of Hindus. If Hindu temples are mismanaged or corrupt, as often alleged to justify their takeover, the sad record of Indian state governments with regard to governance and corruption in general, and their sorry record with the temples they already control in particular, hardly makes them a better candidate to look after the welfare of yet more temples! If Hindutemples need better management, the communities which support them should form the independent bodies to do so. If the traditional administrations of our temples need revamping for modern times, such reforms and reorganization should be led by practicing Hindus and their leaders, and not by outsiders from the government or non-Hindu constituencies. The diversion of the wealth of Hindu temples by the states in the first place, and their use to fund non-Hindu purposes, is a flagrant travesty of the principle of separation of religion and
Government officials looking to take over and exploit yet more Hindu temples should instead consider appropriating some non-Hindu religious organizations first, to restore some balance and equality to their strange brand of secularism. If they dare not do so, they should immediately cease and desist from controlling Hindu institutions and liquidating their assets, even if there be misguided statutes that are in place that give them the legal right to do so. And full reparations should be made to all the temples that have been devastated over the decades through a combination of the HRCE Act and various land reforms that have selectively annexed only Hindu properties in so many states. A major breakthrough towards obtaining the freedom of Hindu temples from government control has been made with the establishment of the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha in 2003. The convener of the meeting, Pujya Swami Dayananda Saraswati, emphasized the need for Hindu religious leaders to have one common, united voice to speak for Hindus and their institutions.125 Hindu religious leaders -- peethadipatis, mathadipatis, jeers, acharyas, and mahamandaleshwars -- representing major traditions of Hinduism from all parts of India have since come together under this platform to free temples and other Hindu institutions from the clutches of the government. The Tirupati Declaration of 2006, spearheaded by the Sabha, was an effective voice to prevent various TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam) malpractices and imminent anti-Hindu moves. Currently the Hindu Dharma Acharya Sabha is pioneering a movement to challenge the constitutional validity of the HRCE Act and its derivatives, and to prevent further government incursions into Hindu religious affairs. Through the Forum for Religious Freedom (FRF),incorporated as a US non-profit organization, efforts are under way to support the Acharya Sabha with the financial resources needed to mount a legal challenge to overturn the HRCE Act, and to take other measures to prevent further annexation by the states of our religious infrastructure. The viability of Hinduism rests in the health and vitality of our temples. All Hindus should consider it their dharma – their duty and responsibility -- to make sure that this important mission of the Acharya Sabha is properly funded towards accomplishing this crucial objective. The reverse discrimination against Hindus and our institutions by a supposedly secular government cannot be allowed to continue any more. The time has come to secure for the majority Hindus of India the same secular rights and religious freedom that the followers of all minority religions already enjoy. Om Forum for Religious Freedom P.O Box Number 60425Staten Island, NY 10306-0425Website: http://www.frfnet.org Email: frfnet@gmail.comPhone: 240-506-0396
© 2007 Forum for Religious Freedom 7
Sources:
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Unethical Medical Practices in India.:
Unethical Medical Practices in India.:
Anecdotal stories can be heard in many allopathic hospital and clinics in India. Unnecessary admission to ICU especially after minor surgery and post operative period, subjected to diagnostic tests and surgical procedures that are not needed to their condition in the hospitals and physician clinics.
This type of money-grab also happens at the service independent medical practitioners, many of who operate under clear conflict of interest. Doctors routinely accept kickbacks from drug and pharmaceutical companies – from coffee makers to exotic foreign vacations, in return to prescribing their drugs. There is also direct commission or kickback to the doctor for every diagnostic test prescribed, which can vary from a third to half of the price paid by the patient. Stent manufacturers give a cut to the surgeon for cardiac procedures that uses their products. A gift or kickback of substantial amount to a surgeon in for a knee replacement, often resulting in replacement of knees even for healthy young people. These types of financial incentives lead the medical professionals to over-treat the patients that results in iatrogenic damage to the patient, sometimes very serious and irreversible.
India is not the only country to iatrogenic harm caused by the medical system. In the USA, statistics show that medical intervention and treatment (not just medical errors!) cause highest number of deaths, more than heart disease and cancer. The medical system is vehemently trying hard to follow everything that is being done in the USA and the west. It not so in India
At the end of the day, the unsuspecting (and the suspecting) patient pays for the greed and callousness of medical practitioners and hospitals with their hard-earned money, sweat and blood, quite literally.
Hippocratic Oath that says “Keeping myself free from all intentional wrongdoing and harm” and “I will do no harm or injustice to them (patients)” are conveniently omitted in the current oath as stated by the Indian Medical Association. This seems to be very much in line with the current practices.
What can you do?
This is a tough one. In a system that is so corrupt and unethical, it is hard to protect ourselves from the harm caused by the system. But still, there are many things that we can do to protect ourselves.
Look for alternatives to Allopathic medicine. Ayurveda is a time-honored system of medicine that has very high efficacy. Homeopathy is another fantastic alternative – it strictly abides itself by one of the most important principle of the original in Hippocratic Oath – do no harm. Many people do not like Ayurveda and Homeopathy because they do not give instant results in many cases. But remember, they treat the underlying cause of the disease, not just the symptom. Even in these streams of medicine there may be dubious elements, so look for good doctors. At least here the kickback from Pharmaceutical and medical diagnostic companies are minimum.
Empower yourself with knowledge. It is important that you gain a good understanding of your body, such as its power of self-healing. Learn about diseases from the internet and also learn about the tests ordered are appropriate before jumping into it. Learn about medication and their side effects.
Stay physically and emotionally healthy.
Another common is Toxins in Modern Life
If you read the labels of most of the food this nation consumes (not to mention how it is produced, processed etc) you cannot tell with a straight face that it is as healthy as the food of 100 or 200 years ago. Add the water we drink, the air we breathe that in most cases is worse than in generations past, and there is definitely a problem.
The “toxin” meme has penetrated far. In terms of industrial pollution, that peaked in the middle of the 20th century in developed countries– developing countries are still reaching their peak. Yes, I can say with a straight face that there is no compelling evidence that the modern diet is less healthy than in previous centuries. In fact, the modern diet is better in many ways. We have access to fresh fruits and vegetable year round. We have refrigeration. We have a more varied and nutritious diet. Our problem is one of excess – mainly excess calories. Water supplies are not generally safe, safer than in the past.
Avoid toxic chemicals: Make sure that you avoid chemical pollutants and carcinogenic chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, cosmetics, home cleaners etc. Get rid of chemical emitting mosquito repellent, install meshed nets on the windows instead.
Eat healthy: Eat healthy food that is minimally processed. Try to eat raw fresh food that is locally sourced. Sprouted seeds, nuts and fermented rice are great options. Avoid eating in wayside restaurant and eateries.
Keep an all-round fitness regimen with another time-honored technique – yoga.
A big factor these days is stress. Stress did not exist 50, 100 or 200 years ago. Our society has become so altered in recent years due to the internet, increased communications and technology. We as a species see not only the very worst actions of our species on a daily basis, we also are presented with the very best or most lucky individuals (we see the lottery winner on TV; we don’t see the 100,000,000 individuals who lost) as if it is expected of us. Hence the rise of ‘fame obsession’ seen in social media and ‘mainstream media’. Be extremely wealthy/famous, or be a loser… There has been no time for our human psyche to evolve to adapt to this stress.
It is very difficult to measure, especially historically, something as vague as “stress.” What the psychological literature shows is that stress is relative. We tend to adapt and normalize to our situation, and find happiness and stress relative to our norm. I think it’s naive, however, to argue that people living one or two centuries ago were under less stress that today. They had to deal with problems that are much greater than our own – the death of many of their children, many more untreatable and common illnesses, harder and longer working conditions, etc. We have it comparatively easy today, but obviously many people do not realize how relatively brutal life was in prior centuries (and likely future centuries will look back at how brutal our lives are).
Avoid too much stress: Human beings need some level of emotional stress for stimulation and optimum fitness. But excessive and continuous stresses can breakdown the emotional system which plays a role in nearly every disease from heart disease and blood pressure to arthritis and cancer. Don’t work long hours in your sitting jobs. Do things that you enjoy after work and during weekends.
Talk to people. If you have had a bad incident yourself, spread the word to people you knows so that they do not become the next victim.
Find good doctors. In spite of the corrupt and unethical system, there are still a few good doctors and medical practitioners who have not sold out their souls to big money. Find the ones in your area.
Anecdotal stories can be heard in many allopathic hospital and clinics in India. Unnecessary admission to ICU especially after minor surgery and post operative period, subjected to diagnostic tests and surgical procedures that are not needed to their condition in the hospitals and physician clinics.
This type of money-grab also happens at the service independent medical practitioners, many of who operate under clear conflict of interest. Doctors routinely accept kickbacks from drug and pharmaceutical companies – from coffee makers to exotic foreign vacations, in return to prescribing their drugs. There is also direct commission or kickback to the doctor for every diagnostic test prescribed, which can vary from a third to half of the price paid by the patient. Stent manufacturers give a cut to the surgeon for cardiac procedures that uses their products. A gift or kickback of substantial amount to a surgeon in for a knee replacement, often resulting in replacement of knees even for healthy young people. These types of financial incentives lead the medical professionals to over-treat the patients that results in iatrogenic damage to the patient, sometimes very serious and irreversible.
India is not the only country to iatrogenic harm caused by the medical system. In the USA, statistics show that medical intervention and treatment (not just medical errors!) cause highest number of deaths, more than heart disease and cancer. The medical system is vehemently trying hard to follow everything that is being done in the USA and the west. It not so in India
At the end of the day, the unsuspecting (and the suspecting) patient pays for the greed and callousness of medical practitioners and hospitals with their hard-earned money, sweat and blood, quite literally.
Hippocratic Oath that says “Keeping myself free from all intentional wrongdoing and harm” and “I will do no harm or injustice to them (patients)” are conveniently omitted in the current oath as stated by the Indian Medical Association. This seems to be very much in line with the current practices.
What can you do?
This is a tough one. In a system that is so corrupt and unethical, it is hard to protect ourselves from the harm caused by the system. But still, there are many things that we can do to protect ourselves.
Look for alternatives to Allopathic medicine. Ayurveda is a time-honored system of medicine that has very high efficacy. Homeopathy is another fantastic alternative – it strictly abides itself by one of the most important principle of the original in Hippocratic Oath – do no harm. Many people do not like Ayurveda and Homeopathy because they do not give instant results in many cases. But remember, they treat the underlying cause of the disease, not just the symptom. Even in these streams of medicine there may be dubious elements, so look for good doctors. At least here the kickback from Pharmaceutical and medical diagnostic companies are minimum.
Empower yourself with knowledge. It is important that you gain a good understanding of your body, such as its power of self-healing. Learn about diseases from the internet and also learn about the tests ordered are appropriate before jumping into it. Learn about medication and their side effects.
Stay physically and emotionally healthy.
Another common is Toxins in Modern Life
If you read the labels of most of the food this nation consumes (not to mention how it is produced, processed etc) you cannot tell with a straight face that it is as healthy as the food of 100 or 200 years ago. Add the water we drink, the air we breathe that in most cases is worse than in generations past, and there is definitely a problem.
The “toxin” meme has penetrated far. In terms of industrial pollution, that peaked in the middle of the 20th century in developed countries– developing countries are still reaching their peak. Yes, I can say with a straight face that there is no compelling evidence that the modern diet is less healthy than in previous centuries. In fact, the modern diet is better in many ways. We have access to fresh fruits and vegetable year round. We have refrigeration. We have a more varied and nutritious diet. Our problem is one of excess – mainly excess calories. Water supplies are not generally safe, safer than in the past.
Avoid toxic chemicals: Make sure that you avoid chemical pollutants and carcinogenic chemicals such as pesticides, insecticides, cosmetics, home cleaners etc. Get rid of chemical emitting mosquito repellent, install meshed nets on the windows instead.
Eat healthy: Eat healthy food that is minimally processed. Try to eat raw fresh food that is locally sourced. Sprouted seeds, nuts and fermented rice are great options. Avoid eating in wayside restaurant and eateries.
Keep an all-round fitness regimen with another time-honored technique – yoga.
A big factor these days is stress. Stress did not exist 50, 100 or 200 years ago. Our society has become so altered in recent years due to the internet, increased communications and technology. We as a species see not only the very worst actions of our species on a daily basis, we also are presented with the very best or most lucky individuals (we see the lottery winner on TV; we don’t see the 100,000,000 individuals who lost) as if it is expected of us. Hence the rise of ‘fame obsession’ seen in social media and ‘mainstream media’. Be extremely wealthy/famous, or be a loser… There has been no time for our human psyche to evolve to adapt to this stress.
It is very difficult to measure, especially historically, something as vague as “stress.” What the psychological literature shows is that stress is relative. We tend to adapt and normalize to our situation, and find happiness and stress relative to our norm. I think it’s naive, however, to argue that people living one or two centuries ago were under less stress that today. They had to deal with problems that are much greater than our own – the death of many of their children, many more untreatable and common illnesses, harder and longer working conditions, etc. We have it comparatively easy today, but obviously many people do not realize how relatively brutal life was in prior centuries (and likely future centuries will look back at how brutal our lives are).
Avoid too much stress: Human beings need some level of emotional stress for stimulation and optimum fitness. But excessive and continuous stresses can breakdown the emotional system which plays a role in nearly every disease from heart disease and blood pressure to arthritis and cancer. Don’t work long hours in your sitting jobs. Do things that you enjoy after work and during weekends.
Talk to people. If you have had a bad incident yourself, spread the word to people you knows so that they do not become the next victim.
Find good doctors. In spite of the corrupt and unethical system, there are still a few good doctors and medical practitioners who have not sold out their souls to big money. Find the ones in your area.
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