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Dalai Lama says 'Islam one of the great religions of the world'

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New Delhi: The Dalai Lama Tuesday hailed Islam as one of the great religions of the world, saying true jihad was about fighting “negative emotions” within oneself.

Speaking after receiving an honorary Doctor of Letters (D. Litt) degree from Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia university, the Tibetan spiritual leader said that some mischievous elements were bringing a bad name to Islam.

“I defend Islam,” the Dalai Lama said, “we should not generalize Islam due to few mischievous people. Such mischievous people are there among Hindus, Jews, Christians, Buddhists, and all religions”.

“Islam is one of the very important religions for many centuries, in the past, present and future it is the hope of millions of people,” he said.

“Some Muslims in this country (India) told me genuine Islam practitioner must extend love and compassion to all creatures. If a person creates bloodshed they are not Muslims,” he said adding, “the meaning of jihad is a struggle within ourselves against all negative emotions like anger, hatred, attachment, that creates problem in the society”.

He said though he received similar honour from many universities around the world, he was particularly honoured to receive it from a renowned Islamic institution of higher learning in India.
NEW DELHI: For Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama, receiving a honorary doctorate degree from Jamia Millia Islamia, “a university with a Muslim flavour”, was special.

“This degree from a university with Muslim flavour is special as I am committed to religious harmony. Since September 11, I have been defending Islam. For a few misguided people we should not blame a religion. Islam is one of the important religions in the planet, and hope for millions of people,” said the Dalai Lama on Tuesday.

The Degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) was conferred on the 14th Dalai Lama by vice-chancellor Najeeb Jung at Jamia`s annual convocation. Union HRD, science and technology and communication and IT minister Kapil Sibal was present.

In a short message, Dalai Lama urged the students to strive towards a peaceful world. He started his speech by requesting those present not to misunderstand him for use of wrong words because “my English is not so good”. “We should not generalize Muslims for a few mischievous followers of Islam. There are mischievous elements in all religions, including Hinduism and Buddhism. Problems we are facing in the world today are our own creation. To create a harmonious society, we need young people with vision and for that education and moral ethics should go hand in hand,” said Dalai Lama.

Paying tribute to the spiritual leader, Jung deviated from the conventional vice-chancellor`s address and urged those present “to soak in the presence of His Holiness and the values he shares with our ancient land”.

Lauding India`s pluralism, Jung said: “The Jamia envisioned by its founders, was a pioneering teaching institution that would make Muslims full partners in the great project that is Indian pluralism. This pluralism is sometimes simplified into Hindu-Muslim amity. But this is to diminish the grandeur of the pluralist ideal.”

A total of 3,529 degrees and diplomas were awarded to students from various faculties and departments of the university for successful completion of their postgraduate, undergraduate and diploma programmes in the academic session 2008-09. The university also gave 147 gold medals to toppers in different courses and awarded 127 PhD degrees to research scholars.

Sibal said: “On the education front, I forsee that the number of illiterate people will go down by more than 150 million in absolute numbers. Universalisation of primary education will be a reality. Every child will receive school education. The stock of graduates in the country will double to around 100 million. There will be around 1,000 universities of all types with nearly 50,000 colleges. Ten of our institutions/ universities will feature among the top 100 in the world by 2020.”

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Dalai Lama says 'Islam one of the great religions of the world'

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Nehru groveled in front of US seeking weapons against China

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NEW DELHI: Ironically, at a time when the US is said to be helping India emerge as a counter-balance to China, comes evidence that the fading superpower was of little value for New Delhi when it desperately needed help to keep the same China at bay in the 1962 war.

While bringing back memories of perhaps the worst humiliation independent India suffered, the disclosure in the US of details of letters written by then PM Jawaharlal Nehru to President John F Kennedy seeking “comprehensive assistance” from the US against China shows the pragmatic dimension of his policy of non-alignment.

According to reports, Nehru sought aid from the US in these letters, which have been made accessible by the JFK Library in Washington, in the form of air power including fighter aircraft and pilots to handle them and train Indian staff. While it was known even at the time of the 1962 war that Nehru had sought `general’ help from the US, the extent to which Nehru had gone in seeking military aid was not known.

The two letters are still classified by the White House and State Department apparently at the request of the Indian government. The Indian government in the past has denied existence of these letters.

While seeking comprehensive aid in the second letter, Nehru said India had not asked for more help, particularly air power, because of “wider ramifications” and because it did not want to embarrass its friends.

Admitting that Indians couldn’t use air strikes against the rampaging Chinese army for fear of retaliatory action, Nehru went on to specifically ask for 12 squadrons of supersonic all-weather fighters and a modern radar system. He also mentioned that these aircraft would have to be manned by US personnel while the Indians were still being trained.

Apart from it having the potential of embarrassing the Congress party, the disclosure has also been described by foreign policy experts, including former foreign secretary Kapil Sibal and former diplomat G Parthasarathy, as a clear case of US letting India down badly. “What has come out is factually correct. These facts came out after the event too but the important thing is that only after we got nothing from the US did arms supplies from the Soviet Union to India commence,” Parthasarathy said.

Sibal described the contents of the letters as Nehru’s desperate bid for help against all the principles he had espoused as a leader of the non-aligned movement even though he added that what Nehru did should be judged in the context of history. “Given the Cold War and Communism, it was the only available option for him. Our forces suffered a rout and it was a personal setback for an ailing Nehru given what happened to his Hindi-Chini initiative. The moral of the story is to build up a strong defence against China,” Sibal said.

AICC spokesman Manish Tewari, however, justified Nehru’s action. “It is part of historical record that India did request the major powers including the US for logistical help to repudiate the Chinese aggression. This is exactly what enlightened national interest means — that is putting the nation first,” he said.

Nehru groveled in front of US seeking weapons against China

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Nehru begged US for arms against China

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Image via Wikipedia

NEW DELHI: Ironically, at a time when the US is said to be helping India emerge as a counter-balance to China, comes evidence that the fading superpower was of little value for New Delhi when it desperately needed help to keep the same China at bay in the 1962 war.

While bringing back memories of perhaps the worst humiliation independent India suffered, the disclosure in the US of details of letters written by then PM Jawaharlal Nehru to President John F Kennedy seeking “comprehensive assistance” from the US against China shows the pragmatic dimension of his policy of non-alignment.

According to reports, Nehru sought aid from the US in these letters, which have been made accessible by the JFK Library in Washington, in the form of air power including fighter aircraft and pilots to handle them and train Indian staff. While it was known even at the time of the 1962 war that Nehru had sought `general’ help from the US, the extent to which Nehru had gone in seeking military aid was not known.

The two letters are still classified by the White House and State Department apparently at the request of the Indian government. The Indian government in the past has denied existence of these letters.

While seeking comprehensive aid in the second letter, Nehru said India had not asked for more help, particularly air power, because of “wider ramifications” and because it did not want to embarrass its friends.

Admitting that Indians couldn’t use air strikes against the rampaging Chinese army for fear of retaliatory action, Nehru went on to specifically ask for 12 squadrons of supersonic all-weather fighters and a modern radar system. He also mentioned that these aircraft would have to be manned by US personnel while the Indians were still being trained.

Apart from it having the potential of embarrassing the Congress party, the disclosure has also been described by foreign policy experts, including former foreign secretary Kapil Sibal and former diplomat G Parthasarathy, as a clear case of US letting India down badly. “What has come out is factually correct. These facts came out after the event too but the important thing is that only after we got nothing from the US did arms supplies from the Soviet Union to India commence,” Parthasarathy said.

Sibal described the contents of the letters as Nehru’s desperate bid for help against all the principles he had espoused as a leader of the non-aligned movement even though he added that what Nehru did should be judged in the context of history. “Given the Cold War and Communism, it was the only available option for him. Our forces suffered a rout and it was a personal setback for an ailing Nehru given what happened to his Hindi-Chini initiative. The moral of the story is to build up a strong defence against China,” Sibal said.

AICC spokesman Manish Tewari, however, justified Nehru’s action. “It is part of historical record that India did request the major powers including the US for logistical help to repudiate the Chinese aggression. This is exactly what enlightened national interest means — that is putting the nation first,” he said.

Nehru begged US for arms against China

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Commonwealth Games Post-Mortem

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Now that the Commonwealth Games are over Mani Shankar Aiyar and others who fled the city have returned to Delhi to resume their tirade against those who organised them.

I am in agreement with Mani Shankar as far as believing that a country which can’t afford feeding its people and providing them shelter had no business to squander thousands of crores on such a grand scale. However, I am happy to see our boys and girls made quite a haul of gold, silver and bronze medals. Apparently, our guests enjoyed our hospitality. According to a banner front-page headline news of the ‘Mail Today’, sewage pipes in the Games villages were clogged with used condoms and had to be opened up to let the water flow. Foreign and indigenous ladies of leisure did flourishing business. But what impressed everyone were the opening and closing ceremonies. I have never seen spectacles on so grand a scale, so artistically conceived and skillfully executed. I hope they are shown on TV for times to come. And those who planned and executed them be given gold medals studded with diamonds.

By sheer chance I got to know one who designed the costumes of the dancers and tribals who took part in them. It was Seerat Narindra, cousin of the actor Kabir Bedi. She was born in Milan in 1977 and spent many years in Italy. She enrolled in the University of Milan, and apart from other subjects got a diploma in dress designing. She put in skills she had acquired in Italy and India to make costumes authentic. I first met her when her uncle BPL Bedi (Kabir’s father) was on his visit to Delhi. He wanted to hear Qawallis before he returned to Italy and asked her to invite Gyani Zail Singh and me to the function. I was very taken by Seerat’s looks: tall, fair and well-proportioned. At our last meeting I asked her why with all her assets she had not got married. She gave me a withering look and replied tersely: “I’m married to my job.”
I construed it as telling me to mind my own bloody business and not to stick my dirty nose into her private life.

Sharing birthdays

My neighbour Reeta Devi Varma is very birthday conscious. She told me, “I was born the same day and year as Amitabh Bachchan — October 11, 1942. We are Libras represented by Scales of Justice. But see where he has gone — right on the top — and where I am — at the very bottom.” It is true the careers of the two are poles apart. He is an Uttarpradeshi of Hindi-Sikh lineage. She is Assamese Bengali and describes her religion as Hindu-Buddhist -Osho. He celebrates his birthdays lavishly, entertaining his friends and relations. Millions of his fans throughout the country also celebrate the occasion. He earns crores of rupees everyday. She earns nothing but goodwill. He is amongst the richest of the rich. She is a beggar ever asking for money from anyone she meets. She does not throw any birthday parties. Instead she drops in my home with a couple of stray dogs (she has picked up seven abandoned from the streets). She takes a sip of my Single Mart. I have kababs specially made for her dogs. I give her a birthday present which she accepts as her due.

Why do I take notice of Reeta Devi? She was a stunning beauty when I first set my eyes on her over 20 years ago. I did not know she lived in the neighbouring block. Her husband Bheem Varma (nephew of Maharani Gayatri Devi) had given up his job and spent most of his time feeding stray dogs and taking those sick to the vet. After he died, she took up the task. She received government allowance from Maneka Gandhi, who was then minister in the Central Cabinet. She found another patron — Kapil Sibal. He gave her a mobile clinic and money to hire doctors and nurses and buy medicines. Likewise, Sir Elton John gave her a second mobile clinic. So she is out from 6.30 am to 6.30 pm treating the poor in Delhi slums. Occasionally, she drops in on me in the evening and tells me triumphantly: “Today we treated 560 patients.” She has been promised a third mobile clinic by the Ansals and money to hire doctors, nurses and buy medicines. By the end of the year she hopes to heal over 1,000 sick men, women and children everyday.
I am sure there are thousands of men and women in our country who spend most of their time, energy and money looking after other people. I happened to know only one Reeta Devi Varma. That is why I look forward to celebrating her birthdays in my home.

Love makes mad

A lady who was not keeping too well asked her husband, “How much do you love me?”
Man: So much that after your death I will go mad.
Wife: Will you remarry?
Man: What can one say! A mad man can do anything.” (Contributed by Kuldip Salil, Delhi). Post mortem Khushwant Singh, October 22

Commonwealth Games Post-Mortem

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