some good words

Know how to laugh when you are sad ...
know there is no shame in tears,
Scoff at cynics and beware of too much sweetness...
Sell ur brawn and brain to the highest bidders
Never to put a price-tag on your heart and soul.

Maximes

Francois De La Rochefoucauld (1613 - 1680)

French author & moralist


Good advice is something a man gives when he is too old to set a bad example.

[Advice]


Preserving health by too severe a rule is a worrisome malady.

[Health]


Why is it that our memory is good enough to retain the least triviality that happens to us,

and yet not good enough to recollect how often we have told it to the same person?

[Memory]


Gratitude is merely the secret hope of further favors.

[Gratitude]


We confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no large ones.


We always like those who admire us; we do not always like those whom we admire.


We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others.


The height of cleverness is to be able to conceal it.


He who lives without folly isn't so wise as he thinks.


A true friend is the greatest of all blessings, and that which we take the least care of all to acquire.


When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.


We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld Maximes (1678)

[Agreement]


It is a great ability to be able to conceal one's ability.

Francois de La Rochefoucauld Maxims, 1665

[Ability]


The glory of great men should always be measured by the means they have used to

acquire it.

[Fame]


To establish oneself in the world, one has to do all one can to appear established.


Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already possess it.

[Possessions]


We should manage our fortunes as we do our health - enjoy it when good, be patient when it is bad,

and never apply violent remedies except in an extreme necessity.


It is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible.


The pleasure of love is in loving.


When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.

, quoted in O Magazine, October 2002

[Relaxation]


Few things are impracticable in themselves; and it is for want of application, rather than of means,

that men fail to succeed.



When we are unable to find tranquillity within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.


What seems to be generosity is often no more than disguised ambition,
which overlooks a small interest in order to secure a great one.


No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.


Nothing is less sincere than our mode of asking and giving advice. He who asks seems to have a deference for

the opinion of his friend, while he only aims to get approval of his own and make his friend responsible for his action. And he who gives advice repays the confidence supposed to be placed in him by a seemingly disinterested zeal, while he seldom means anything by his advice but his own interest or reputation.


We should often be ashamed of our finest actions if the world understood our motives.


Small minds are much distressed by little things. Great minds see them all but are not upset by them.


To listen closely and reply well is the highest perfection we are able to attain in the art of conversation.

[Listening]


Our repentance is not so much regret for the ill we have done as fear of the ill that may happen to us in consequence.


Jealousy feeds upon suspicion, and it turns into fury or it ends as soon as we pass from suspicion to certainty.



If we had no faults of our own, we would not take so much pleasure in noticing those of others.


Few are agreeable in conversation, because each thinks of what he intends to say than of what others are saying, and
listens no more when he himself has a chance to speak.


Hypocrisy is the homage which vice pays to virtue.


However brilliant an action, it should not be esteemed great unless the result of a great motive.

, Maxims, 1665





Results from Cole's Quotables:

Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side.


Confidence contributes more to conversation than wit.


The mind cannot long act the role of the heart.


Results from Rand Lindsly's Quotations:




We often forgive those who bore us, but we cannot forgive those whom we bore.


Results from Poor Man's College:


Vanity makes us do more things against inclination than reason.


The defects of the understanding, like those of the face, grow worse as we grow old.



The confidence which we have in ourselves gives birth to much of that which we have in others.


To be deceived by our enemies or betrayed by our friends in insupportable; yet by ourselves we are often content to be so treated.


Pride does not wish to owe and vanity does not wish to pay.


Philosophy triumphs easily over past evils and future evils; but present evils triumph over it.


We think very few people sensible, except those who are of our opinion.


We would frequently be ashamed of our good deeds if people saw all of the motives that produced them.


Not all those who know their minds know their hearts as well.


Minds of moderate caliber ordinarily condemn everything which is beyond their range.


In jealousy there is more of self-love, than of love to another.


Hope is the last thing that dies in man; and though it be exceedingly deceitful, yet it is of this good use to us, that while we are traveling through life it conducts us in an easier and more pleasant way to our journey's end.


We are more interested in making others believe we are happy than in trying to be happy ourselves.


He who lives without folly is not so wise as he imagines.


The truest mark of being born with great qualities, is being born without envy.


We often do good in order that we may do evil with impunity.

B.C. Suttah

BC Sutta song is composed by The Zeest band,
an underground Karachi(Pakistan) based band lead by Skip.

Composed by Skip(lead of Zeest), BC Sutta is his 4-5 year old raw composition which
probably reflects his own life. He says:

“I was in college and used to live hand-to-mouth. It’s a situation almost every boy faces when he wants to
change his life, though it might be a quick, ridiculous, rebellious change. At that time, I used to smoke
with my friends, and when my father came to know that I had been smoking, he often used to say BC sutta peeta
hai in lafango (wastrels) ke saath. BC sutta - a catchy phrase that struck my mind and quickly became a joke
among my friends. So in the end, I got something to write about, which could portray my own life, though in
a satirical manner.”


Lyrics of the song -

COUGHHSSS....OK THIS SONG IS DEDICATED TO ALL THE SMOKERS AND DOPERS BY ZEEST THE BAND...SO LETS HIT IT....BC SUTTA!

Dosto Mai BaiTha Mai Soutta Pee Raha
Abba Nay Mujhay SouTTa Peetay Daikh Liya
Ghar JuBB mai Phoncha Mujhay DunDa HoGaYa
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla .......
----CHORUS----
B***C**** Soutaa MujhaY Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa MujhaY Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla

ColleGe Mai GaYa MujhaY piYar Ho GaYa
OsnaY Bhi Mujh seY MeRa Soutta Cheen liya
SaRko PaY GhooMa Mai TanHa ReH GaYa
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla .......
----CHORUS----
B***C**** Soutaa MujhaY Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa MujhaY Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla

ShaaDi Howi Mai HusBanD Bunn GaYa
Raat Bhurr Thooka Mai Thukk K GiRR GaYa
KhosHiYo Ki KhaTiR MeRa SouTTa Chinn Gaya
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla .......
----CHORUS----
B***C**** Soutaa MujhaY Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa MujhaY Soutta Na Milla
B***C**** Soutaa Soutta Na Milla

B***C**** M**C**** B***C**** M**C****
B***C**** M**C**** B***C**** M**C****
B***C**** M**C**** B***C**** M**C****
B***C**** M**C**** B***C**** M**C****
B***C**** M**C****...................


About the Band: Its an underground band in Karachi, it is a MISCONCEPTION that it is an Indian
Band situated in one of the IIT's. This misconeption occured because of the IIT Students' post about the song

Checking for a page break tag

A Line one
B Line two

smiley

every right handed software engineer uses his right hand more on the keyboard and the mouse .
Now but, my right hand was in a cast since 28th May 06 , i have arranged my work in such a way that i
could work by using my left hand on the keyboard and mouse , i have arranged it in such a way that i have to type less and most of the things i can do by copy+paste ,
yes it is that simple !!! A couple of days were a little arduous when i was making this arrangement , but since then life has become quite easy.

Hmmm... intially for some days working turned out to be practically impossibly for me
because i was psychologically so right handed. Even after i started working with my left hand i had this tendency of lifting with my right hand.

At the beginning , i was confined to bed for three weeks and I was told that for three weeks i would'nt be able to move my right hand and would go throuh hell , and I did. and yes i have typed most of this post with my right hand , and i am too happy about it.

Currently reading SHANTARAM
This is a test post for Hyper links

The moment one opens his mouth I know whether one is educated,
competent and successful--or just the opposite ( ot that is how i think). The words one uses and
how well he uses them tips me off instantly.

Studies show that how far you advance in your career, how much money you earn,
and even how successful you are socially are linked to your vocabulary.


Knowing what what a word means and how it is to be used correctly a lot of power and prestige.
Moreover, when you know the meaning of a word, you never have to feel left out or stupid
if someone else uses it in a conversation.

I remember a day in office when my boss said me that " Hey , when did u sneak in?" .
Well actually then i did not know what sneaking meant, but i answered
him "Yes , i did walk into the office very silently " guessing thats what he meant by
sneaking as per the circumstances then. But bro!! the next thing i did was use
the clause "define: sneak" in google search and to see what he meant and found
that i did not make stupid of myself in front of my boss.

Just so that you know, I do not believe in heroes. During the course of my life, given my well known ambitions,
I have often been asked (or in some cases told):

"Oh, you must really look up to xxxxx, right?"

The answer to this question and to other similar ones is a resounding "NO!"
In fact, I dismiss the entire concept of a "hero."

he-ro n. - In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great
courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods.
The reason I try not to admire anyone is because deep down inside I believe that all human beings
are fundamentally flawed and will never live up to your expectations for them (especially if you are
foolish enough to choose a hero who is a sports star or some other type of celebrity). I have preferred
instead to believe in myself as a sort of anti-hero because I know that I will never let myself down and
if I do then I can curse myself all I want. This doesn't mean that I possess delusions of grandeur but
rather that I believe in living an honest life and trying to set a good example by my actions.


wasn't always this cynical. Years ago someone that I admired greatly let me down and sent me on my path toward anti-herodom.

my nerdiness

Yahoo Mail
After the test i took to measure my nerdiness, this is the message i got:

Overall, you scored as follows:



23% scored higher (more nerdy), and
77% scored lower (less nerdy).

What does this mean? Your nerdiness is:

Mid-Level Nerd. Wow, it takes a lot of hard nerdy practice to reach this level.

A Praise sals

It was my second appraisal which i have faced at my work place , though the second looked better then the first one. but i dont know how is it going to affect my salary hike

Below is the letter which i got from my boss this year (it looks good aye...)

Dear Dharmesh Tripathi,

I recognize your contribution during the performance year 2005 and we look forward for your continued success at IBM.

Based on your self evaluation, customer’s assessment and overall results, I recognize you with rating of 2 (solid contributor).

You have demonstrated strengths in the following areas and I commend you for the same and wish you to capitalize on these for mutual benefit of yourself and IBM:

Quick learner
Good customer focus
Adopting to new changes
Working beyond the call of duty
Good knowledge on Portal billing application

Specific areas for improvement are:

Improve on presentation and communication skills.
Contribution to project and organizational initiatives.

In 2006, I foresee you taking more responsibilities and focusing on your areas for improvement.
Your skills and the experience that you have acquired are of utmost importance to IBM.


I am just waititng for the material benefits , which i shall get from this appraisal.

Rules for would-be winners of wars and life in general

This aint any S*** bro !!

I am writing these rules to win after doing a lot of analysis.


Rules for would-be winners of wars and life in general


1.)Know Thy Enemy, Know Thyself (Then Pick Your Spots)

"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

2.) Lie and Spy (or You're Sure to Die)
"There are no areas in which one does not employ spies."

3.) Consider the Ocean (or Even the River)
"A military force has no constant formation, as water has no constant shape."
Translation: be flexible, be creative, and take whatever advantage or opportunity your enemy gives you.
"Changing and adapting according to the opponent, is called a genius"

4.) Take Care of #1 (and the Rest Takes Care of Itself)
"Being unconquerable lies with yourself; being conquerable lies with the enemy."

5.)Win Fast (or Don't Fight)
"It is never beneficial to a nation to have a military operation continue for a long time."

Why does the Filipinos dislike India?

Yahoo Mail
One of the most inportant factors to get correct Polling Resiults is the selection of the sample , ( an what i personally feel is there is nno polling result in this wolrd can be 100 % accurate ) . You can never get the Correct analysis , because you don't know mindset, ethinicity,cultural background, their knowledge on the subject in question being polled , hence no one can assure True results.
A new BBC World poll says that people in the Philippines, South Korea, France, Finland and Brazil think India is a negative influence on the world (via Style Station).
Pakistan was not polled( Any way it is known what the polling result would be if it voted). On the other hand, Iran, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, the UK and Russia rate India highly. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the African countries polled are most neutral about India, while Sri Lanka and India are most neutral about the U.S.

Though India’s global profile has grown significantly over the last year, it fails to elicit strong feelings…
The exceptions are two Muslim countries with positive views: Iran (71% positive) and Afghanistan (59% positive).
The only country with widespread negative views is the Philippines (57% negative). Notably, India’s small neighbor Sri Lanka has a
mere 4 percent reporting negative views and a robust 49 percent expressing a positive one.

Europeans are divided about India. At the positive end of the spectrum is Great Britain (49% positive, 30% negative)
and Russia (47% positive, 10% negative), while at the other end are France and Finland—both being 27 percent positive and 44 percent negative.
The US leans slightly positively (39% positive, 35% negative).

India has the strange distinction of being most loved by the most hated, Iran. Forty-three percent of the Indians polled seemed only lukewarm about their own country:

Interestingly, Indians themselves are the most tepid or modest in their self-estimates. While in most countries a large majority
give their country a positive rating, among Indians only 47 percent give India a positive rating, but only 10 percent give it a negative rating. [Link]

The Philippines and Brazil are economic competitors of India. The others are more puzzling: South Korea is an economic partner,
France has long-standing cultural ties to India, and the Finns might enjoy the weather

Globally, the most disliked countries are Iran, the U.S. and Russia. The African countries polled and some where the U.S. assisted against political repression
(Poland, Afghanistan) are the most appreciative of the U.S.

Hinduism , how differently it developed in other parts of the world.

Hinduism , how differently it developed in other parts of the world.

I was surprised to meet to meet Hindu people here in New Zealand , who have migrated in here from the neighbouring country of FIJI in recent years. Hindus in FIJI , were brought into the country from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Western Bihar , the Bjoj Puri Belt in India , to work here as sugar plantation workers in and around late 19th century. Similarly , they were also taken to Suriname and Guyana.

The Indian subcontinent has not been the only source of major Hindu migrations in the last 50 yeah. Hundreds of thousands of Hindus have emigrated from the former British colonies of Trinidad and Guyana to America and England and from the former Dutch colony of Suriname to Holland. These communities, whose forefathers left India 150 years ago, have unique elements today, some the result of colonial policies, others customs preserved intact from the mid-19th century India of their ancestors. Hinduism Today Trinidad correspondent Anil Mahabir visited the region, meeting with religious leaders and lay Hindus. Here is his engaging report on the countries similarities and differences.

The day I arrived in Guyana, I traveled 45 miles by speedboat from one bank of the Essequibo River to the next. For the first time in my fife, I was standing on one side of a river unable to see the other side.

My whole country of Trinidad, in fact, would fit inside this river, only slightly overlapping the banks. We don’t have rivers back home, just streams, canals and ditches. Rivers aside, there was much that was similar to Trinidad-every Hindu home flies the jhandi flags in front, the Ramayana is the main text, the Deities and festivals are the same, the food is the same. The similarities are, in part, because of common origins in India, but also seemed to have been shaped by a shared Caribbean experience.

I was most struck by the temple culture of both countries. Wherever I went, I found simply-built temples that exhibited a most compelling beauty. I had not felt this way about the temples in my own homeland. Obviously the Guyanese and Surinamese take great pride in’ their temple buildings.

Despite the fact that Guyana and Suriname sit side-by-side, their histories are vastly different. Guyana was colonized by the British, Suriname by the Dutch. The obvious result of this was that Guyanese learned to speak English, while Surinamese learned Dutch. The colonial policy of each country was also very different with regard to religion. The Dutch pursued a “hands off’ attitude as far as the culture of the Hindus was concerned. In Guyana, explained Swami Aksharananda of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and Vishwa Hindu Parishad of Guyana, “The British sought to interfere, control and convert the Hindus and Muslims. Many missionaries were brought to Guyana to evangelize the Indian population and to destroy their language and culture. That is why Hindi has persisted in Suriname and not in Guyana.” This is the same tactic the British used in India. “During the colonial period,” Pundit Reepu Daman Persaud, head of the Dharmic Sabha and Guyana’s Minister of Agriculture (ministeragric@sdnp.org.gy), told me, “the Hindus were forced to convert to get jobs in the public service, even if they did not want to. Many who converted continued to be Hindus within the private confines of their homes.”

Devanand Jokhoe (jofanick@sr.net), an economist in Suriname, explained, “Conversion was not an official policy of the Dutch as it was of the British in Guyana. Hindus were not forced to convert as a prerequisite to get jobs. That is why less than five percent of all Indians living in Suriname are Christians. Some non-Indians can also speak Hindi, for example, the Javanese and Blacks who live in Indian villages.”

Suriname, who’s 121,500 Hindus comprise 27% of the population, is the only country in the Western Hemisphere where all the Indians speak Hindi. That this is so after so many years away from India-is amazing. In neighboring Guyana, where 238,000 Hindus form 34% of the population, it is the opposite. Almost no one speaks Hindi. Everyone speaks English. This is a perfect example of the differences in colonial rule between the British and the Dutch. The British sought to destroy everything Indian and Hindu, while the Dutch allowed it to flourish. So, from the youngest toddler to the oldest nani, the Suriname Hindus all speak Hindi.

I was struck by the divisions among Hindus in Guyana. There were people whom I met who did not want me to speak to others, and even went out of their way to prevent me from doing so. Perhaps this is related to the overall pessimism of the Guyanese. Even the very wealthy talk of migrating. Even so, paradoxically, most seem quite happy and go about their daily routines with smiles on their faces. They were also very hospitable to me. The country’s president himself, Bharrat Jagdeo, loaned me a car and driver to tour the capital. Where else would that happen?

In Suriname, my lack of any fluency in Hindi hindered a smooth rapport with several in the country, especially among those who spoke little English. Unfortunately, this included most of the pundits, and I found myself relying upon intellectuals, businessmen and others for information.

The first Hindus: It is generally agreed in both countries that it was India’s poorest who emigrated to the West. They were inclined to leave the India of the mid-19th century because of famine, drought and poverty. The first Indians arrived in Guyana on May 5, 1838. Pundit Reepu Persaud pointed out that these were the first to bring Hinduism to the Americas, not Swami Vivekananda. The first shipload of Indians to Suriname arrived June 5, 1873. Trinidad’s first group came in 1845. Slavery was abolished in Suriname in 1863 and in Guyana in 1834. Freed slaves refused to continue working the sugar plantations. Several nationalities were brought as indentured servants to replace them, but only the Indians adapted well to the harsh tropical climate.

The Indians came from Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Western Bihar, an area known as Bhojpuri’s Belt-Bhojpuri being a regional dialect of Hindi. Most were farmers, though a few Brahmins also came, even though this was against the policy of the British, who considered the more educated Brahmins as potential trouble makers. Perhaps ten percent returned to India from Guyana after their contracts were fulfilled, but later almost none did so. Pundit Persaud said his parents went back to India in 1930 and then returned to Trinidad. He said, “The West Indies was generally recognized as a place better to live than India.”

Between 1873 and 1916, 34,000 Indians came to Suriname. Nearly 23,000 stayed. As in Guyana, after an initial group which returned to India, hardly anyone left. If they did it was to go to Holland, as is the case today, according to historians Hassan Khan and Sandew Hira.

It is believed the ratio of migrants was 100 men to 20 women, creating enormous social problems. According to Swami Aksharananda, “Indian men forged unions with black women, not marriages.” I could not find out what became of the descendants of those unions, whether they were in the Black or the Indian communities of today.

The early years: The plantation system had a dramatic effect on Hinduism. People were not allowed to move from one plantation to another. They were sequestered and had to get passes to leave in any event, plantation work left very little time for anything else. According to Swami Aksharananda, “Only Sunday was left to the Hindus to practice Hinduism. Indeed, Hinduism became a kind of Sunday thing in the early days in Guyana.” The legacy of this is the popularity of Sunday morning temple worship in this part of the world.

During indentureship, there were tremendous efforts by the Hindus to assert themselves as Hindus. This was so even though the colonial policy of the British in Guyana was to crush Hinduism at all costs and Christianize “the heathens.”

“The policy of the Dutch in Suriname was more relaxed.” says Anoop Ramadhin. “Hindus were more at liberty there to practice there religion. There were no forced conversions,” he continued. “The Dutch separated the various groups from one another and allowed them to live in their own villages. That is why today you have Black, Indian and Javanese villages. Even the Bush Negroes are set apart.”

HVP Bronkhurst, a Euro-Asian missionary and writer says, “Hindu pundits in Guyana would go from home to home getting people to gather and sing the Ramayana.” The Gita became a major text. People would gather at nights. This was how they were able to maintain their religion. The only thing which kept them going was the memory of Rama and Hanuman. Similarly, in Suriname the Ramayana reigned supreme.

Later, Guyanese-born Hindus took up the cause of Hinduism. One of those early pioneers was Dr. J.B. Singh, who is credited with heightening Hindu consciousness, setting up Hindu organizations and fighting for the cremation rights of Hindus. In fact, he was the first Hindu to be cremated in Guyana, in 1956. Prior to that, Hindus had to be buried, even though this was very contrary to the Hindu faith.

Swami Purnananda came directly from Bengal in India in the mid-20th century. He established Bharat Sevashram Sangha, which is today called the Guyana Sevashram Sangha and run by Guyanese-born Swami Vidyanand. Swami Purnananda popularized the “Hare Rama, Hare Krishna” mantra. He printed a small book called Aum Hindutvam, which was the first catechism or question-and-answer booklet for Hindus in Guyana. He developed mantras for different occasions and popularized havan service (the fire ceremony). The present-day Guyana Sevashram Sangha is unique among organizations here. It is the only institution in the Caribbean which has produced its own swami. It is the only institution which trains young men to become bramacharis. It offers free medical services to all groups in society

The Surinamese I met did not seem to have quite the same keen sense of history as the Guyanese. In general they said it was the elders and the pundits who kept Hinduism alive in the early days. More recently, the name of Nanan Panday, leader of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha of Suriname, is mentioned as the key personality. “He has been at the helm of Hindu leadership for 40 years,” says Anoop Ramadhin. The names of Pundit Haldhar Mathuraprasad and T Soerdjbaille, leader of the Gayatri Mandir, have also been mentioned as playing key roles in the Hindu community of Suriname.

Conversion: Swami aksharananda is firm on this question: “Conversion is very high. In fact, conversion in Guyana is defined as ‘conversion from Hinduism to Christianity,’ nothing else. The Muslims hardly ever convert. The Christians do not convert. It is only the Hindus who are coaxed into dispensing with their religion.” At the beginning of the 2oth century, he says, “about one percent of the Indian population was Christians, now it is about 15%-a 15-fold increase in one century. The Pentecostals are doing the most conversions.”

Pundit Reepu Daman Persaud agreed, “The Pentecostals are studying the demography of the country. They attack rural areas where they believe the Hindus are more vulnerable, illiterate or weak. Since we have found out the strategy, the Dharmic Sabha is going into the same areas and combating their anti-Hindu propaganda.”

I met Parmanand Samlal, who visits the homes of converted Hindus and gets them to reconvert to Hinduism. I had never heard of such a program before. He said he has achieved four re-converts for the year 2000 so far. He is a member of the Dharmic Sabha and a “worshiper,” as he put it, of Pundit Reepu. Pundit Reepu is highly respected in Guyana as one who has always stood for the Indians and Hindus, even in difficult political times, whenever abandoned Guyana for better circumstances, though easily available to him in another country.

Dirgopal Mangal, says conversion is on the decrease. He told me of Blacks in Guyana who attend Hindu temples, giving the example of “Minister Collymore, who attends the temple every Sunday morning in Parika.”

Suriname is different. Radjen Koemar-singh of Suriname (radjenk@hotmail.com) told me there is some conversion from Hinduism but not much, due to the binding factor of Hindi. Accountant Anoop Ramadhin agreed, “Conversion from Hinduism in Suriname is less than one percent. Some Javanese are also Hindus.”

Schoolteacher Algoe Harrynarain said, “The Christian churches in Suriname pay poor Hindus to convert. They have funding from abroad. They are well organized. The Hindus do not have such funding.” He said the Jehovah Witnesses pay a salary to Hindus to convert to Christianity.

While conversion exists in both countries, it is not on a large scale, and meets active resistance from Hindus, even with their limited resources. In my entire visit, I did not meet a single Christian Indian, and I think this says a lot about the situation.

Intermarriage: As in Trinidad and Tobago, intermarriage between Hindu and Muslim Indians is very common in Guyana, constituting perhaps eight percent of all weddings. Black/Indian marriages are rare. Hindu activist Bharat Kissoon estimates that in six out of every ten Guyanese Hindu/Muslim marriages, the wedding follows the Islamic line. The result of the unions are combined names such as Kishore Mohammed (a Hindu), Salisha Singh (a Muslim) and Anil Khan- Such names are also common in Trinidad. Suriname is much different, and while I could not find any official statistics, intermarriage was obviously rare.

Hindu activists in Guyana say that intermarriage has been on the increase over the past ten years. Normally both parties are allowed to keep and practice their faiths, though some Hindu girls convert to Islam. It is very rare to see a Muslim in such a union convert to Hinduism. Hindu and Muslim leaders are silent on these unions for fear of possibly rocking the boat or destroying whatever Indian unity exists. Politicians dare not speak of it either.

Country politics: The prevailing view is that, culturally, Guyana is at it lowest ebb since Independence was granted in 1966. The “oppressive” reign of the Peoples’ National Congress PNC, the party of the Blacks, and what one person called its ethnic “insensitivity to Indian culture” is seen by most Hindus as one of the principal reasons why the Indian culture is undeveloped.

Another reason is the constant stream of emigration from Guyana to other parts of the world. “Migration took our best people,” says Pundit Persaud. “Our best artists, dancers, singers, musicians left for greener pastures because they simply could not make a living producing Indian culture in a country where the political directorate was hostile to Indian culture,” says one activist who declined to give his name.

Swami Aksharananda said, “The national culture in Guyana is often portrayed as a Black and Creole culture which neglects or deliberately shuns the Indian output. The present majority Indian government is often accused of being an ‘Indian government.’ [That is, partial to Indians.] They are afraid to develop Indian culture, afraid of being called racist. This is not my perception, but that of most Guyanese. Indian culture gets little funding. The National Dance School is a Black dance school, for example.” I was told that Guyana does not have a single all Indian radio or TV station.

There is more optimism and enthusiasm for things Hindu in Suriname. Indian musician Radjen Koemarsingh noted, “There is an Indian cultural center, seven radio stations with an all-Indian format and four television stations exclusively devoted to Indian programming.” Hindi is taught in some schools as an official language.

Schoolteacher Algoe Harrynarain commented, “Yes, emigration has hurt us, but there is a cultural revival right now. In any case because we all speak Hindi here, the situation is different to that of Guyana. It is difficult for the culture to be lost.”

Emigration is even more a factor here. Some 250,000 Surinamese now live in Holland, compared to just 450,000 in Suriname itself-making this country one of the most sparsely populated in the world. A dismal economic situation continues to motivate people to leave. I even met teachers and businessmen with stable jobs who were still anxious to migrate if they got the chance.

Hindu home life: Most Hindu homes in both countries have a small shrine or prayer house located at the front of the home. Like the houses, these will vary in nature and appearance, depending on the wealth of the owner. There is also a jhandi or flag hoisted on bamboo next to the shrine or by itself, as with one I saw in a rice field.

The main daily observance in both countries is the pouring of water early in the morning. Water from a brass pot is used to bathe a Siva Lingam located at the base of the jhandi. Some Hindus also chant bhajans and meditate afterwards. Those who are free from employment may go to the temple on a daily basis. One day a week is set aside for haven, or fire worship ceremony, and fasting from salt and meat. At least once a year, most Hindus will try to have a grand puja or Ramayana Yagna, an event where the entire community is invited to participate. The biggest festivals of the year are Diwali and Phagwa (Holi) in both countries. Lesser festivals include Ram Navami, Sivaratri and Karthik Nahan.

The main Deity in both countries is Hanuman, because of the conquering role he played in the Ramayana and His popularity in the Bhojpuri Belt, whence came most of the original Hindu immigrants. Other Deities include Siva, Durga, Kali and Ganesha.

There would seem to be more vegetarians in Suriname than in Guyana. Estimates are that about 10% of Hindus in Suriname are vegetarians. Less than five percent of Hindus in Guyana are vegetarians. They are mainly the pundits and the swamis and the spiritual leaders. However, Dr Satish Prakash of the Araya Samaj says that vegetarians among his group in Guyana are as much as 35%. Bi4t overall it is not popular. One activist told me, “When Lord Rama was in exile in the jungle with Sita, according to the Ramayana, were they not eating meat to survive 14 years? And if Lord Rama could eat meat, why can’t I?” I conducted a brief poll out of curiosity and I found that most Hindus I talked to in both countries do not know what ahimsa is, or that it is an integral part of Hinduism. Nonviolence remains an esoteric, opaque, Gandhian concept, not taught by the leaders or drummed in by the pundits. Little or no reference is made by anyone to the Vedas as the source of Hinduism, or the Upanishads or even the Mahabharata, except for the Bhagavad Gita. The Ramayana, as in Trinidad, is the main text.

As is unfortunately the case among too many Hindus, priest-bashing is common in both Suriname and Guyana. Many I met said the priests were “not up with the times,” “too concerned with ritual” and other complaints similar to what is heard in Trinidad. There are some legitimate concerns because of the emigration of some of the best pundits to other countries. This has broken up the traditional father-to-son training system, and now some become pundits without being properly trained.

Suicide in Guyana: Many people I talked to in Guyana expressed concern about the high rate of suicide among the Hindu community and the fact that virtually no one is doing anything to address the problem from a Hindu angle. Suicide is not a major problem, among Surinamese Hindus. Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan, a forensic pathologist in the Berbice district, said the suicide rate among Hindus in Guyana is “alarming.” In one three-year period in Berbice, there were 197 suicides, 160 of them Indian males, mainly Hindus. Brijmohan said, “It is a cultural thing. Hindus are more strict in the household than the blacks. Certain Indians have a longing for freedom, to go out at night, etc. Some of them do not get that freedom due to their strict Hindu upbringing. If makes them dissatisfied with life, depressed. Alcoholism and marijuana addiction is another cause of suicide.”

Swami Aksharananda runs AYUPSA: a National Centre for Suicide Prevention. He sponsors a national health program which attempts to eradicate the prevalence of suicide among the Hindu community. He does this by holding seminars, making press releases and going into the villages for direct contact with the Hindu people, particularly the youths.

Jailhouse preacher: Bharat Kissoon is a Hindu activist and retired economist who ministers to the Hindu inmates in the Georgetown prison every Sunday. He told me, “I was drawn to this work because of the particular case of a Hindu prisoner in Trinidad, Dole Chadee, who was hanged last year. The day before he was hanged he longed for a pundit to do his final rites. He could not find any Hindu who was willing to go. to the prison and, therefore, he had no choice but to resort to a Christian pastor.”

There is a famous story here, that of Salim Yaseen, a condemned prisoner who was about to he hanged on the 12th of September 1999. He allegedly told Bharat that before leaving he wanted to hear the Hanuman Chalesa, a traditional scripture in praise of Lord Hanuman. He got his wish, and he was not hanged due to a legal loophole. Now, according to Bharat, “all prisoners want to hear the Hanuman Chalesa.”

Connections with India: The Surinamese I spoke with said they don’t think that Hindus ‘in India even know there are Hindus living in Suriname. They could not recall any visit by a major Hindu leader, nor recount any significant assistance received from India in any way.

A few swamis have come to Guyana. Early ones, such as Swami Chinmayananda and Rishi Ram, came in the 1960s and helped develop Hinduism. But those coming today, said Pundit Persaud, “do not stay and assist us in developing Hinduism. They come to talk about yoga and meditation only.” In Trinidad, travel agencies often advertise “journey back to your roots” programs to India. In Guyana and Suriname there are greater economic restraints, and those who, have the money to travel use it to emigrate.

The future: Both countries have suffered from the chronic brain drain and seem to be perpetually entangled in the politics of racial and religious division. Both countries are relatively poor, but the people do not want to be labeled as such. They feel ashamed when people from the outside boldly come to, visit, analyze and recommend solutions for their assumedly insufficient social and economic existence. They are content with living very simple lives, not caring whether or not they have a cell phone or a computer. Dharma dictates daily how they should act. The jhandis flying proudly before every Hindu home, rich or poor, are their own statement of identity. From cower roaming the roads freely in Guyana, to pundits walking miles to puja service, I believe Hinduism, though simple, will never die in this part of South America