Gregor's Vipassana Voyage

2009-06-20T16:13:00.001-06:00

I have been down with Hep-C I get a biopsy on Friday, Hope to be blogging again soon, thanks for your patience, gregor

2009-03-01T13:44:00.001-07:00

I have been unable to update due to sickness and loss of my main web computer. I have ordered a
NEW COMPUTER. So PLEASE check back I expect to be updating soon, gregor

2009-02-27T15:41:00.000-07:00

Thai Temple Built From One Million Recycled Bottles

by Evelyn Lee

The Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew temple has found a way to bottle-up Nirvana, literally. The temple, which sits in Thailand’s Sisaket province, roughly 370 miles northeast of Bangkok is made of more than a million recycled glass bottles. True to its nickname, “Wat Lan Kuad” or “Temple of Million Bottles” features glass bottles throughout the premises of the temple, including the crematorium, surrounding shelters, and yes – even the toilets. There’s an estimated 1.5 million recycled bottles built into the temple, and as you might have guessed, they are committed to recycling more. After all, the more bottles they get, the more buildings they are able to construct.

The bottle-collection-turned-building started in 1984, when the monks used them to decorate their shelters. The shiny building material attracted more people to donate more bottles, until eventually they had enough to build the temple standing today. Bottle caps are also integrated as decorative mosaic murals. Going beyond use of glass as a sustainable building material, the bottle bricks don’t fade, let natural light into the space and are surprisingly easy to maintain. So if you’re looking to find Nirvana in a bottle, you might want to consider making a stop at the Wat Pa Maha Kaew Temple.

+ Yahoo News

Via NotCot

http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/10/27/temple-of-a-million-bottles/?rss

2009-01-30T10:15:00.001-07:00

Indigenous tribute to the Buddha Rahi Gaikwad — PHOTO: VIVEK BENDRE

Work in progress: The world’s largest stone dome, Global Vipassana Pagoda, near Mumbai.

Mumbai: Your eyes struggle to grasp the sense of vastness that greets you on stepping inside the dome. Sounds of hammer and chisel echo around in layers. Outside, away from the riotous sounds and smells of Mumbai, many pairs of hands are at work. Towering above them, ensconced in scaffolding, is the Global Vipassana Pagoda. One of the largest stone monuments in Asia is in its final stages of completion.

Modelled on the lines of the Shwe Dagon Pagoda in Yangon, the Indian version aspires to pay homage to the Buddha and his teachings. It also stands as a tribute to Myanmar, which has through history cherished Buddhist secularist traditions and thought.

The structure stands at an imposing 325 feet. Its dome, with a diameter of 280 feet, is the world’s largest stone dome. There are no supporting pillars.

Located on the green peninsular landscape of Gorai, the pagoda is an ambitious undertaking. It is a pinkish structure of sandstone brought from Jodhpur, cut and dressed.

The stone blocks were assembled in Mumbai using the technique of interlocking, thus making it an indigenous architectural marvel in its own right.

“We have used only stone and limewater. No cement or steel. We want the structure to last for at least a thousand years,” says Madan Mutha, who supervises the project.

Many heads have come together to conceptualise, plan and erect the pagoda. A team of Sompuras experts in ornate stone were engaged for their know-how. The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Mumbai was one of the consultants. IIT Chennai is working to improve the acoustics inside the dome.

The interior of the dome is a large meditation hall, a seamless expanse designed to accommodate 8,000 meditators. A giant golden wheel or the Dhamma Chakra is set in the centre from the inside. A four-tonne keystone bears Buddha relics. Two small pagodas outside the main one will also serve as meditation centres.

Large quantities of stone and much human effort have gone into the making of the pagoda. The foundation itself took 3,000 truckloads of stone, 1,000 truckloads of sand and 40,000 person-hours.

The estimated cost of construction is Rs. 80 crore, raised through donations. The site, which will be open to the public by the second week of February, covers an area of 11 acres.

The land was donated by a Vipassana student. The project has been spearheaded by the Global Vipassana Foundation.

Apart from being a wonder in stone, the pagoda is set to be an embodiment of the “non-sectarian, rational process of mental purification thorough self-observation” that is Vipassana.

2009-01-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sri Lankans mull an end to war

After the Sri Lankan army took the last key rebel-held town of Mullaitivu on Sunday, people across the island told the BBC about their hopes and fears for the future.

It has not been possible to contact people living in Kilinochchi and Mullaitivu districts.

MANAF RAZACK, COLOMBO, QUALITY ASSURANCE MANAGER, 38

I don't think this will make the country a safer place

Sri Lanka: Tamil diaspora voices

I was extremely happy about the capture of the last rebel base. The entire country has been suffering ever since I was young.

I have heard only of war in this country. This achievement is something none of the previous governments have been able to do. The LTTE [Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam]have always recaptured territory in the past.

The LTTE never stuck by their word. Despite a peace agreement, they continued with suicide attacks. I don't blame the government for not negotiating with them now.

But I don't think this will make the country a safer place. The war will be over and we are happy about that. But most people expect an insurgency like in Iraq.

There is just a bit of jungle left to capture and once that is done the government should opt for a political solution. They should not treat Tamils as they did in the 1980s.

As a Muslim, I am a minority myself but I love my country. I know many Tamils who do not trust the government. That is what they are taught to think.

We must now think of the people of the north and east and the government must look after their needs now.

NIMALKA FERNANDO, HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER, COLOMBO

From the manner in which the Sri Lankan government developed its military strategy over the past few years, it was very clear that they were not interested in coming to any political negotiation.

There was never any hope from my side that President Mahinda Rajapaksa would deliver any political solution to the ethnic conflict because the whole psyche of the Rajapaksa regime is a psycho of being a victor.

If you look at the songs that were written about him during his election campaign - they were calling him the king. If you have a king, you must have a kingdom.

The latest developments can be described as a geographical victory. But this is not the end of the struggle for Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka.

Nor will this provide a solution to the aspirations of the Tamil people as well as the aspirations of the Sinhala people who want a democratic country, democratic values, media freedom, human rights protected.

The actual struggle for Tamil nationalism will take a different form. Those who are lighting crackers in celebration have been given crackers for free by the civil defence corps. I am yet to find a poor Sinhalese family go into a shop to buy crackers.

This will definitely not bring security to Sri Lanka. This is a short-term military strategy that has gained access to certain territories that the army couldn't go hitherto. That has not given a solution to the ethnic conflict in this country.

We will see another cycle of violence.

ANONYMOUS TAMIL MAN, TRINCOMALEE, OFFICE WORKER

We are not feeling any different. Nothing has changed. As usual the government is pressing forward with its military advance.

We feel that the TNA [Tamil Nationalist Alliance] is the most representative Tamil body and they back the rebels broadly.

The government promises a lot of money for rehabilitation - that is just a political stance

We have been asking for a political solution for a long time but no solution has been forthcoming. We don't know how the government will react after it has claimed a full victory.

I don't know if it will help or abuse people. The government needs to give some solution but I don't know if all the Tamil people will accept what is on offer. We want a peaceful end to this, I don't mind about not having a separate state.

I don't think there will be any difference to my personal safety. I don't know if this is a victory.

The government promises a lot of money for rehabilitation. That is just a political stance. So far what they have done is not worthy of applause.

ASOKA JAYASINHA, COLOMBO, BUSINESS CONSULTANT, 75

The whole country was ecstatic. But there is a sense of disappointment that the LTTE, in their desperation, are causing harassment and problems to civilians who are in Mullaitivu and surrounding territory.

The government has announced a massive development programme for the area.

I think Sri Lanka will be a safer place now. Everybody wants to know where Prabhakaran [the rebel leader] is. He has said he will commit suicide if apprehended but who knows?

The most important thing is to give proper recognition to Tamils and acknowledge their rights. That can only be done with the support of the opposition party.

When the advance was announced, crackers were going off all over the place. People were so happy. There is a lot of goodwill towards Tamil people here. This is not a war against Tamils. No one is even thinking on those lines.

RAMILA WALGAMAGE, PROPERTY AGENT, GALLE

Everybody is very excited because everyone wants this war to end. Everybody has big hopes that it will finish soon. We are fed up with it. Every day people are killed.

The government has won a string of military victories in recent months

We don't have a problem with Tamil people - there are many Tamil businessmen in this area. It's just with the LTTE leader who wants this war.

I went all over the eastern provinces which used to be under Tiger control right after the elections. People seemed much happier, they can travel, vote.

The government is saying that right after they get the LTTE out they can call elections in the north.

People here are firing crackers, hoisting the Sri Lankan flag on vehicles, on homes. The people celebrating include many Tamils. The local shop-owner is Tamil and he says that whenever the LTTE set off a bomb he was worried about reprisals from Sinhalese people. They have had to close the shop before because people have thrown stones.

As a property agent I know there are people who want to buy property on the east coast. I see the area can boom. Once the war is over, Tamil people can come and invest. I know Indian clients who are looking to open boutique hotels in the north.

Everybody is optimistic.

2009-01-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Indian PM 'stable' after heart op

Mr Singh is likely to be in hospital for at least a week after surgery

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is "conscious and stable" after undergoing successful heart bypass surgery in Delhi, his team of doctors said.

During the 11-hour operation, surgeons performed five bypasses on the 76-year-old leader.

He is expected to remain in hospital for seven to eight days and should be "fully functional" in six weeks.

The ruling Congress Party says he will still lead the party in the forthcoming general election which is due by May.

"The entire country is rejoicing because our prime minister has come out successfully from the operation," Congress spokesman Veerappa Moily was quoted by AFP as saying.

Mr Singh, who previously had bypass surgery in 1990 and an angioplasty in 2004, had complained of chest pains earlier in the week.

He was admitted to hospital on Friday. The operation began at 0845 local time (0315 GMT) on Saturday and ended at 1930 (1400 GMT), his personal physician said.

The operation was performed at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India's top state-run hospital, by an 11-member team of doctors.

Succession speculation

According to the BBC's Jill McGivering, this is not a good time for the prime minister to be removed from the political fray, given tense relations with Pakistan in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

Mr Singh's physician Dr KS Reddy (right) says he is "very, very stable"

Congress has so far dismissed concerns that Mr Singh's health would interfere with its current election campaign.

But there has been widespread speculation that party chief Sonia Gandhi has been lining up her son, Rahul Gandhi, heir to India's powerful Gandhi dynasty, as the country's next prime minister.

Mr Singh has largely been in good health since he was sworn in as prime minister in May 2004, but he recently underwent prostate surgery and has also had cataract treatment.

Mr Singh, who studied economics at Cambridge and Oxford, became India's finance minister in 1991 when the country was plunging towards bankruptcy, and is widely regarded as the architect of the country's economic reform programme.

The quietly spoken economist-politician is also seen as the cleanest politician in India, a subject dear to voters' hearts.

Government officials said that Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee will take charge of cabinet meetings during the prime minister's absence.

2009-01-16T12:25:00.002-07:00

India Travel Basics - Basic travel tips and advice

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2009-01-14T13:09:00.001-07:00

Where should the elephants go?

VIEWPOINT
Amirtharaj Christy Williams

Elephants cannot win a battle with humans

There are no winners when elephants and humans compete for the same resources, says Christy Williams. But, he argues, intelligent buying by western consumers, and informed policies from governments in areas where elephants occur, could reduce the problem.

As night fell over the southern islands, I worked fast to fix a collar around an elephant's neck.

She had just sent me on an undignified flight through the air with a swish of her trunk - and this when she had been almost fully sedated.

To avoid a second hit, I crouched under the belly of a big camp tusker standing alongside her. An experienced veteran vital to our task of tranquillising and collaring wild elephants, this large male remained unruffled.

The brunt of the conflict is borne by local communities and the beleaguered giants who stand no chance against the destructive power of humans

But I was still disconcerted and nervous with the angry trumpeting of her family herd from just beyond the surrounding bushes.

This lot was being kept at bay by another camp tusker and his mahout who used mock charges and shouting to dissuade the distressed elephants.

By the time we finished, it was pitch black. Exhausted, we hit the sack.

That was November 2006.

We were in an illegal coffee plantation inside the Bukit Barisan Selatan (BBS) National Park in Sumatra, Indonesia. My WWF colleagues and Indonesian government partners had summoned me because villagers were threatening to kill the small "problem" herd.

The BBS herd had already suffered at the hands of humans, and their number was down from more than 30 in the year 2000 to six by June 2006.

Our solution was to create an early-warning system involving a Global Positioning System (GPS) collar fixed on one of the elephants in this herd.

The GPS location data from the transmitter on the collar - beamed via satellite to a website - enabled us to follow the herd and warn villagers ahead of the approaching elephants.

Tough choices

In the more than 15 years I have been involved in elephant conservation and research, the storyline of the Asian elephant is depressingly similar.

With fire in her eyes, she said that if people like me were so interested in conserving elephants, we should take the elephants with us and tie them in our backyards

The country, the people, the language or the retribution are different, but the cause for elephant-human conflict remains the same - humans displacing elephants from their natural habitat.

Twelve years ago, I trekked to a remote village in the Garo Hills in north-east India to investigate the death of a two-month old human infant, killed by an elephant.

A bull elephant had entered the village - a cluster of bamboo huts on stilts - in search of food.

During the commotion a couple rushed out in panic and left their sleeping infant inside their tiny hut. Before they could turn back, the elephant had pushed the hut down, crushing the baby to death.

It broke my heart to see the mother's raw pain and her tired and resigned eyes as she narrated the incident.

She asked why I was there and I told her I was doing a survey of elephants and elephant-human conflict.

With a sudden fire in her eyes, she said that if people like me were so interested in conserving elephants, we should take the elephants with us and tie them in our backyards.

Elephants can be seen differently in communities living close by

That comment stayed in my mind; but the significance of the words came to haunt me when I was doing my PhD fieldwork on elephants in Rajaji National Park four years later.

In 1998, I lived in a small field camp, and elephants would sometimes come to our camp and sniff about for the pinches of cooking salt we would strategically leave for them under a tree.

One night, a herd of pachyderms smashed my kitchen, took a bag of salt and spread it around the field camp.

For the next two months, elephants visited every night looking for salt in the soil around the camp.

It was a nightmarish experience. And I was living in a solid concrete building!

Imagine the psychological impact of elephant raids on villagers living in fragile mud and bamboo huts.

Being at the receiving end certainly helped me have a deeper understanding of what this conflict really meant.

Understanding the threats

In India, Nepal and Bangladesh, humans encroach on elephant habitats, which are further fragmented by roads, canals, dams, mines.

Across South East Asia, forest loss has been largely fuelled by legal (and illegal) conversion of elephant habitat to oil palm and other plantation crops including acacia, rubber, coffee and tea.

All these factors combine to worsen human-animal conflicts, and it is vital that any solutions we seek are based on our understanding of the behaviour of these intelligent animals.

Findings of studies across India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia reveal some general patterns that might help us to avoid the worst conflicts.

Generally, elephants need about 200 sq km of forest home range.

Villagers in Assam built this makeshift tree shelter because of elephants

A female elephant will almost always live and die inside the home range where she was born. Males disperse from their family groups when about 10 years and eventually find their own home range.

In large forest areas where all the elephant home ranges are contained within forested habitat, there is very little conflict.

As more humans move into forested habitats, elephant-human conflicts are born.

The encroachers, lacking technical help and access to effective and humane mitigation methods, retaliate by throwing burning tyres, shooting at the beasts with sharpened nails, even by laying out foods laced with killer pesticides.

In 2001, more than 15 elephants were killed in one incident near the Nameri Tiger Reserve when elephants ate pumpkins laced with Dimecron, a pesticide that is banned in Assam, but easily available nonetheless.

But more wholesale damage is caused by sanctioned habitat clearing at the hands of short-sighted government officials who encourage large areas to be set aside for monoculture cash-crop plantations or infrastructural and development projects.

Elephants are virtually led to the slaughter by the very governments mandated to protect them.

In India, we have seen this with the collusion of corrupt officials and academics writing fake Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) designed to serve the interest of a small group of politicians, industrialists or contractors who profit from the untruths.

"Mitigation" measures most often ignore elephant behaviour or ecology, since the teams that conduct the EIAs lack the expertise to deal with such delicate issues.

The brunt of the resulting conflict is borne by local communities and the beleaguered giants who stand no chance against the destructive power of humans.

No winners

Two months ago, I received word that the herd in BBS whose matriarch we had collared had killed a human mother and child in an illegal settlement within the park.

Today, our receipts can be almost as important as our vote

They were the only two who had not moved from the settlement despite being warned by our field team.

A few days later, I was sent images of two elephants that were killed in retaliation.

As an elephant biologist, I was filled with utter despair for the fate of the pachyderms.

As a father of two young children, I was wracked by the human tragedy that had unfolded, and remembered my own time in that dark forest building, as marauding elephants milled around me.

A dreadful realisation struck me - there are no winners when elephants and humans clash. Everyone loses.

What can we do?

Today, our receipts can be almost as important as our vote.

To ensure elephant habitat isn't needlessly destroyed, buy Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified timber and certified coffee; and if you aren't sure whether a product has been sustainably sourced or not, then ask.

Amirtharaj Christy Williams is a biologist with WWF's Asian elephant and rhino programme

The Green Room is a series of opinion articles on environmental topics running weekly on the BBC News website

2009-01-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

Slumdog Millionaire sweeps Globes

Slumdog Millionaire took home four awards, including best dramatic film

Slumdog Millionaire, a rags-to-riches tale of an improbable winner of game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, has swept the Golden Globe awards.

British director Danny Boyle's film won four trophies, including those for best film and best director.

Best original score composer AR Rahman became the first Indian to win a Globe and Simon Beaufoy won best screenplay.

The Globes are often regarded as an indicator of the films and actors who are favoured to win at the Oscars.

'Love song'

Collecting his award, Boyle thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organisers of the awards.

"Your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated," he said as he collected his individual award.

Rahman winning the award will take India on to a different platform

Madhur Bhandarkar, filmmaker

Wins for Winslet

"The film was made from the heart, really. We never expected to be here."

Boyle has described the film as "a love song" to Mumbai (Bombay) - the Indian city where it is set.

The composer of Slumdog's score, AR Rahman, has been described as the Mozart of Madras by Time magazine.

Madhur Bhandarkar, who has made several movies on the seamier side of Mumbai, said the recognition of Slumdog was "absolutely great".

"It is an excellent film which depicts real poverty and real life in India. Moreover, Rahman winning the award will take India on to a different platform. His music was internationally recognised but now it will be different."

Rafique Baghdadi, film critic, said it was "great news for Indian film industry", adding: "We will have Indian script writers working with filmmakers abroad soon."

AR Rahman is one of India's most celebrated composers

Actor and social activist Gerson Da Cunha said it was "extraordinary that it takes a foreigner to make a true, inventive film about Mumbai".

"This is a film which has raw material and facts fired by creative imagination."

The film's story revolves around Mumbai 18-year-old Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel, who wins the jackpot on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Jamal participates in the game show not for money but to reach his missing girlfriend Latika, played by Freida Pinto.

She is a devoted fan of the show and watches it without fail.

But when he wins the jackpot, he is suspected of cheating.

The film stars well-known Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor and Irfan Khan.

On Friday the film swept the Critics' Choice Awards in California, winning five prizes, including best film, best director and best composer.

Nominations for the Oscars will be announced on 22 January.

2009-01-10T12:51:00.000-07:00

http://www.vri.dhamma.org/general/goenka.html

S. N. Goenka

The only conversion involved in Vipassana is from misery to happiness, from bondage to liberation,____S.N. Goenka

Mr Satya Narayan Goenka (born 1924) is the Principal Teacher of Vipassana, the practical quintessence of the Buddha's teaching. A leading industrialist in Myanmar (Burma) after the Second World War, Goenkaji, as he is affectionately known outside India, is living proof that the mental exercise of meditation is necessary for a wholesome and beneficial life. Known for his humility, deep compassion, unperturbed composure, Mr. Goenka's emphasis on the self-dependant, non-sectarian and result oriented nature of Vipassana found appeal in a world searching for a practical path out of stress and suffering.

As an indicator of the increasing universal acceptance of the Buddha's scientific teachings, Mr Goenka has been invited to lecture by institutions as diverse as the United Nations General Assembly, members of the Indian Parliament, Harvard Business Club, Dharma Drum Mountain Monastery (of Ven. Sheng Yen) in Taiwan, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Smithsonian Institute, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Silicon Valley Indian Professionals Association.

Mr Goenka's success in service comes from being an inspiring example and an ideal, and of practicing what he asks his students to practice. "Develop purity in yourself if you wish to encourage others to follow the path of purity, " he told an annual meeting in Dhamma Giri, Igatpuri, on March I, 1989. "Discover real peace and harmony within yourself, and naturally this will overflow to benefit others."

Mr Goenka is a tireless worker. In 2002, at the age of 78, he undertook a remarkable Dhamma tour of the West. Accompanied by his wife Illaichidevi Goenka, a few senior teachers and students, he traveled for 128 days through Europe and North America, joyfully sharing the priceless gift of Vipassana. The second leg of the tour was a 13,000-mile road journey in a motor caravan through the United States and Canada.

On the 62nd day of this Dhamma Odyssey, on June 10, 2002, Mr Goenka told a crowded gathering at Sonoma State University, Santa Rosa, CA:

"Throughout life, one encounters things that one does not like, and is separated from things one likes.

The Buddha went to the root of this problem, and discovered the solution (of Vipassana) for liberation from all misery. He realized that we keep reacting to the pleasant and unpleasant sensations we feel on the body, with craving and aversion. And due to these mental impurities or habit patterns, we remain agitated and miserable."

In Vipassana, Mr Goenka found the way out of his miseries experienced in his early life. Born in Mandalay, Myanmar, in a business family of Indian origin, he became one of Myanmar's ranking business leaders, with offices in many countries. By age 30, he was elected president of the Yangon (formerly Rangoon) Chamber of Commerce and head of many social, educational and cultural organizations.

Mr Goenka had outstanding success, but not inner peace. Instead, stress brought on crippling migraine headaches, which the world's best doctors were helpless to treat, except with addictive and debilitating drugs. Besides, Mr Goenka said, he was a very short-tempered, egoistic, person making himself and others around him miserable.

It was at this point that Mr. Goenka met and was inspired by a unique personality in post-war Myanmar: Sayagyi U Ba Khin, the first Accountant-General of independent Myanmar. U Ba Khin also taught Vipassana and worked to spread its practice in public life

While Vipassana is firmly rooted in the true teachings of the Buddha, Mr Goenka emphasizes that it is not a religion and involves no dogma, rites, rituals, and no conversion. "The only conversion involved in Vipassana is from misery to happiness, from bondage to liberation," he told an applauding audience at the World Peace Summit at the United Nations, New York, in 2000.

Thousands of Catholic priests, Buddhist monks and nuns, Jain ascetics, Hindu sanyasis come to Vipassana courses along with other religious leaders. Vipassana is the practical quintessence of all religions, to develop the experiential wisdom to live a happy, productive life. In the words of Sayagyi U Ba Khin, Vipassana offers results that are "good, concrete, vivid, personal and immediate."

In 1969, U Ba Khin authorized Mr. Goenka to go to India and teach Vipassana, as his representative. Since then, the Ganges of Dhamma again started flowing in the land of its origin. From India, Vipassana is spreading worldwide, including in the USA, Europe, Asia-Pacific, China, Russia, Latin America, East European countries and now Africa.

Since 1969, Goenkaji and his wife are conducting Vipassana courses. Mrs Goenka, known fondly as 'Mataji' (meaning 'respected mother'), is also a Principal Teacher and a distinguished student of Sayagyi U Ba Khin. She has quietly supported and selflessly served in her husband's mission of gratitude to their beloved teacher, Sayagyi U Ba Khin: how to serve more and more beings in benefiting from the liberating path of Vipassana.
After arriving in India, Mr Goenka soon retired from his flourishing business and devoted his full time to teaching Vipassana. Besides being the gentle patriarch to a large joint family of his six sons and grandchildren, he is the benevolent guide of a growing, highly de-centralized and disciplined organization.

To meet the increasing demand, presently over 800 assistant teachers conduct courses on Mr Goenka's behalf, using recorded audio and video instructions, with the help of thousands of volunteers. There is no fee for the teaching. Neither Mr. Goenka nor the assistant teachers get any financial or material gain from these courses.

Mr Goenka elaborated in a talk at Dhamma Nasika, in Nashik city, near Igatpuri, India, on March 5, 2005: "Dhamma is invaluable. As soon as a fee is charged, it will become the Dhamma of the rich. Those who have money will try to gain peace by paying the highest price. But they cannot gain peace because when Dhamma becomes a commercial commodity, it fails to bring peace. No one should make the mistake, now or in the future, of turning a Vipassana centre into a commercial organization."

A prolific writer and poet, Mr. Goenka writes in English, Hindi and Rajasthani. He quotes the Buddha's words: "Those who have a strong feeling of gratitude, and a wish to serve others without expecting anything, are very rare people." With his over 50 years of dedicated Dhamma service, Mr Goenka belongs to that very rare category.

Message from Goenkaji
His travel programs

2009-01-06T12:34:00.001-07:00

India truck strike over fuel cost

Truckers are also protesting against toll taxes

A transport strike is beginning to bite in India with operators pulling millions of trucks off the roads to demand a lowering of diesel prices.

The operators are also protesting against "steep" road tolls imposed by the government.

Talks with the government broke down over the weekend and up to six million trucks went off the roads as the indefinite strike began on Monday.

A prolonged strike could push up costs of essential goods, analysts say.

Inflation

Truck operators say they have been hit hard by the rising oil prices and the economic slowdown.

"We are on an indefinite strike until our demands are met," news agency Reuters quoted Charan Singh Lohara, president of the All India Motor Transport Congress (AIMTC), as saying.

The organisation says it represents six million trucks in India.

"The government is giving concessions and bailout packages to so many industries. Why not us when we are struggling to repay loans with high fuel prices, high prices of tyres and numerous taxes?" he asked.

It is too early for the strike to have had any firm impact, but if the protest continues, prices of essential goods are likely to rise, correspondents say.

Indian consumers are yet to recover from last year's high inflation figures which reached double digits a few months ago before coming down in the past few weeks.

2009-01-02T11:00:00.001-07:00

Sri Lankan troops seize rebel HQ

Government troops have been advancing on Kilinochchi for months

Sri Lanka's military have seized control of the Tamil Tiger rebels' de facto capital of Kilinochchi, President Mahinda Rajapaksa has announced.

He described the taking of the northern town as an "unparalleled victory" for government forces.

A pro-Tamil website confirmed the news but said the town was mostly empty as the rebel fighters had moved out.

A suspected suicide bomber later killed two airmen in the capital, Colombo, the military said.

Correspondents say the loss of Kilinochchi will be a heavy blow to the rebel group.

See map of the region

The town is of huge symbolic importance to the Tigers, who had assembled there the trappings of a separate state they want for the ethnic Tamil minority.

We should pay the gratitude of the whole nation to those heroic soldiers who achieved that victory

President Mahinda Rajapaksa

In pictures: Kilinochchi advance

The Sri Lankan army has for months been advancing towards Kilinochchi, which has been in the hands of rebels for the last decade.

Both sides have recently claimed to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other in the north of the island.

But there have been no independent reports from the front line and it is impossible to verify either account of casualties.

Bitter fighting

"We should pay the gratitude of the whole nation to those heroic soldiers who achieved that victory," President Rajapaksa said in a nationally televised address.

He urged the rebel fighters to lay down their arms.

Sri Lankan troops fighting in the north of the country

The pro-Tamil website TamilNet reported the occupation of Kilinochchi, saying troops had entered a "virtual ghost town" as the civilian population and rebels shifted further north-east.

It said most of the buildings in the town had been destroyed by continuous military strikes and added that rebel casualties had been kept low despite the fighting.

In Colombo, a suspected suicide bomber attacked the headquarters of the Sri Lankan air force, killing at least two personnel and wounding around 30 people, including nine airmen, officials say.

The scene of the bomb blast outside Sri Lanka's air force headquarters

Earlier on Friday, government officials said troops had entered Kilinochchi from three directions and predicted the town would fall within a few hours.

Military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said troops had to overcome "enemy pockets" of rebel fighters.

On Thursday, the military said it had seized the strategically important junction of Paranthan, a crossroads north of Kilinochchi, in a bitter fight that lasted for hours.

It said the success at Paranthan had effectively cut the main supply line to several Tiger strongholds in the north of Sri Lanka.

Although the loss of Kilinochchi will be a blow to the Tigers, the head of its political wing, B Nadesan, told the BBC recently they would be able to continue fighting even if they lost the town.

The rebels would remain in possession of some territory to the east of the town down to Mullaitivu on the coast, although that too is under threat from government forces.

Correspondents say that while the government seems able to maintain the upper hand, heavy battles are likely still to lie ahead and there is concern about the fate of the large number of civilians in the Tiger-controlled north.

The rebels deny using them as human shields and reject allegations they are forcing people into their ranks to fight.

2008-12-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Vipassana Meditation

at http://www.dhamma.org/

Vipassana Meditation As Taught By S.N. Goenka
in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin

This is the international home page of the organizations which offer courses in Vipassana Meditation as taught by S.N. Goenka and his assistant teachers in the tradition of Sayagyi U Ba Khin

Vipassana, which means to see things as they really are, is one of India's most ancient techniques of meditation. It was taught in India more than 2500 years ago as a universal remedy for universal ills, i.e., an Art of Living. For those who are not familiar with Vipassana Meditation, an Introduction to Vipassana by Mr. Goenka and Questions & Answers about Vipassana are available.

The technique of Vipassana Meditation is taught at ten-day residential courses during which participants learn the basics of the method, and practice sufficiently to experience its beneficial results.

There are no charges for the courses - not even to cover the cost of food and accommodation. All expenses are met by donations from people who, having completed a course and experienced the benefits of Vipassana, wish to give others the opportunity to also benefit.

Courses are given in numerous Meditation Centers and at non-center course locations at rented sites. Each location has its own schedule of courses. In most cases, an application for admission to each of these courses can be made by clicking on a selected one of the listed course dates that appear in the schedule.

There are numerous Centers in India and elsewhere in Asia; ten Centers in North America; three Centers in Latin America; eight Centers in Europe; seven Centers in Australia/New Zealand; one Center in the Middle East and one Center in Africa.

Course locations ordered by Centers and Non-Center locations is also available. Ten-day non- center courses are frequently held at many locations outside of Centers as they are arranged by local students of Vipassana in those areas. An alphabetical list of worldwide course locations is available as well as a graphical interface of course locations worldwide and in India and Nepal.

Vipassana Meditation courses are also being taught in prisons.

A special 10-day Vipassana course especially for business executives and government officials is being held periodically at several centers around the world. For additional information visit the Executive Course Website.

Information on Vipassana Meditation is also available in the other languages shown below.

2008-12-21T14:16:00.001-07:00

India lunar craft problem 'fixed'

By Swaminathan Natarajan
BBC Tamil service

CHANDRAYAAN 1

1 - Chandrayaan Energetic Neutral Analyzer (CENA)

2 - Moon Impact Probe (MIP)

3 - Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM)

4 - Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC)

5 - Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)

6 - Chandrayaan 1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS)

7 - Solar Panel

Indian space scientists say they have corrected a major heat problem that threatened India's first unmanned lunar craft Chandrayaan 1.

They say that the craft is now functioning normally after the heat was brought down.

India launched its first lunar mission on 22 October. It reached lunar orbit in the first week of November.

But soon after that the temperature inside the probe went up to 50C, endangering the mission.

Project director M Annadurai told the BBC: "Due to various measures we took, now the temperature has come down below 40C.

"All the 11 instruments carried on board are working normally."

The heat rise had prompted scientists to take urgent measures.

The problem arose because of very hot temperatures during lunar orbit.

A lot of onboard equipment was switched off and the satellite was tilted by 20 degrees. "The lunar probe has also been brought back to its original position," M Annadurai added.

The Indian lunar mission aims to map the Moon's surface, look for traces of water and the presence of helium.

The mission is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.

2008-12-10T11:42:00.002-07:00

Want to know about India?

A Beginner's Guide to IndiaMike.com

By nadreg.

First of all... Welcome to IndiaMike.com – The India Travel Site. Taking the leap from lurking on the site and reading all the posts to registering and contemplating your first post about India travel is an important step. This article is meant to help all of you "newbies" (excuse the term) get acclimated to the community and take the fear out of making the first post!

Getting the Most Out of IM

Joining an online community can be an intimidating experience, even one that shares your interests. A lot of our members prefer to stay on the sidelines, reading the articles, searching the India travel forums, and never making a post on the site. While we’re perfectly fine with those that choose to do so, we’d prefer that you’d join and participate in our community. The more the merrier after all, and we do have a common love for India travel, don’t we?

So… here are some tips to helping you get the most out of your IndiaMike.com experience

Go to this URL:

http://www.indiamike.com/india-articles/a-beginners-guide-to-indiamike-and-getting-the-most-out-of-indiamike-and-india-travel/

2008-12-07T16:40:00.002-07:00

India unveils $4bn stimulus plan

Growth is slowing in India as the economic slowdown spreads

India has announced $4bn (£2.72bn) in extra spending to boost its economy as the global financial crisis unfolds.

The government said it was also planning a substantial spending increase in next year's budget.

The move came as the Reserve Bank of India cut its key interest rate by one percentage point, from 7.5% to 6.5%, on Saturday to encourage spending.

It is the third time since October the central bank has cut rates, which are now at their lowest since June 2006.

As well as the global financial situation, business confidence in India has also fallen in the wake of the Mumbai attacks that left at least 170 dead.

Growth stimulus

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's office said in a statement: "The government has decided to seek authorisation for additional planned expenditure of up to 200bn rupees ($4bn) in the current year."

The prime minister's office said the government was keeping a close watch on the economic situation and would take any additional needed to "maintain the pace of economic activity".

Under the plan, various categories of value-added tax will be cut by up to 4 percentage points to encourage consumer spending.

The package also includes measures to boost infrastructure spending, help businesses, and aid labour-intensive export sectors such as textiles and handicrafts.

Mr Singh, who recently took control of the finance ministry, last week forecast that India's economy would grow by 7.5% in the year to March 2009.

However, economists say growth could be as low as 6.8% this financial year, and 5.5% the following year.

Business leaders had hoped the government would do more.

Amit Mitra, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the package was pointing in the right direction, but "could have done even more" to help boost growth.

India's rising budget deficit means it can do far less than a country like China - which last month announced a $586bn stimulus package - to spend its way out of economic problems.

Until now, India has focused on using monetary policy to counter the effects of the global slowdown.

Since mid-September, the Reserve Bank of India has injected $60.2bn into the financial system to boost liquidity.

2008-12-06T11:18:00.001-07:00

Ignoring India's 'republic of hunger'

The BBC's Soutik Biswas travels to the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, one of six states holding key elections, and asks why malnutrition has not been a major issue with politicians.

Villager Tulsa says she cannot breast feed 18-month-old Sanju much "because I have very little milk". Photos: Soutik Biswas

When did baby Richa finally fall silent?

Social workers direct the question about the three-year-old girl to an extended family living in a mud-and-thatch hut in the bleak landscape of Jamoda in Madhya Pradesh. It is the country's second biggest state in size and also one of its poorest.

See map of states voting

The workers belong to a group that is raising the issue of chronic hunger and malnutrition.

"She died recently. She had measles. The quack gave her an injection, but she did not survive," says Kolai Bai, grandmother of the dead girl, matter-of-factly. She is now left with six grandchildren.

MADHYA PRADESH

Date of election: 27 November

Counting of votes: 8 December

Total constituencies: 230

Total voters: 36054717

Total candidates: 3179

State elections guide

In these parts, more and more children like Richa are "falling silent" because of diseases associated with malnutrition and hunger.

But their deaths remain cold statistics; they largely escape the attention of political parties battling to win the upcoming state elections.

Groups like the Right to Food Campaign insist that malnutrition is chronic in vast swathes of Madhya Pradesh.

Some 325 children, they say, have died of diarrhoea, measles and acute respiratory distress - diseases typically associated with severe malnutrition - in just four districts between May and October this year.

More worryingly, they say, the government is in complete denial.

Authorities blame illegal doctors for making matters worse and say the children are dying of diseases common elsewhere in India.

Children in the tribal countryside suffer from malnutrition most

However, the first India State Hunger Index (Ishi) this year found that Madhya Pradesh had the most severe level of hunger in India, comparable to Chad and Ethiopia.

Even federal health surveys show that 60% of children under the age of six in the state are malnourished - more than 12% of these severely so.

The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which rules the state, does not mention the issue in its manifesto.

The opposition Congress party takes note of it and promises to make Madhya Pradesh a "malnourishment-free" state if voted into power.

Life struggle

Jamoda is one of the 20 villages in Khandwa district where 62 children have died from diseases associated with severe malnutrition in two months alone - September and October - according to investigations by an NGO engaged with the Right to Food Campaign.

The derelict child feeding centres point to the neglect of children

Many other children are struggling to stay healthy and alive.

Eighteen-month-old Sanju Silale is one of them. The boy has bone for arms and legs and has already lost an eye to measles. He lets out a dull, incessant cry from his mother's lap.

The mother, Tulsa, says she lost her earlier child, a boy, when he was two years old. The father, Kamal, is away working on a farm in a neighbouring district because work is scarce in Jamoda.

"I could not breast feed my boy and he died. These days I cannot breast feed Sanju much because I have very little milk," Tulsa says.

In the dark recesses of another village hut, one-year-old girl Drupta weighs merely 2.5kg and coughs incessantly in her mother's arms.

"There's not enough food at home to feed an infant. Parents go out looking for work, leaving the children at home who end up sharing a roti (Indian flatbread) between them," says a family member.

Tribal decline

Why is there so much hunger and malnutrition in Madhya Pradesh's tribal countryside?

It is partly to do with the decline of the tribal way of life in India - the relationship between the animist tribespeople and forests is under threat.

Forests are being denuded and laws prohibit tribespeople from hunting and freely growing their crops in whatever is left.

The tribespeople say political parties do little for them

This, say social activists like Prakash Michael, has meant the dietary habits of tribespeople have changed from indigenous coarse cereals and game meat to the more "mainstream" mix of rice, bread and vegetables, which they mostly end up buying from the markets.

With farm incomes stagnating because of soaring prices for fertiliser and seed -combined with lower prices for crops - there is less money to buy food. Most families here earn less than 1,000 rupees ($22) a month.

To make matters worse, the state-run "ration shops" selling cheap rice and wheat as part of India's notoriously fickle and porous "public distribution system" have cut supplies from 35kg of rice and wheat per family per month two years ago to 20kg.

That's not all. The shops - essential to feed the poor - open three days a month these days instead of eight days a month earlier. (Last month, authorities, reacting to the deaths of children, ordered the local shops to open every day).

So if you miss going to the shop on the day it opens, you could end up going without food for a week or more.

"We should give a serious thought to why malnutrition is rife only among the tribal children in the state," says Prakash Michael.

Baby Drupta weighs merely 2.5kg and coughs incessantly

Jamoda offers a few grim clues. They point to the marginalisation of tribespeople in a state where they comprise nearly 20% of the 60 million population.

Set in a largely parched and stony countryside, it is home to some 450 families of indigenous Korku tribespeople - they comprise 80% of the 130,000 people living in the district's 147 villages.

The nearest government health clinic is 12km (8 miles) away, the nearest hospital 16km away. Most forests in the neighbourhood have been cut down.

The derelict state child-care centre, run by community workers, points to India's neglect of its children: the kitchen has no utensils or stove, doors and windows are missing, the roof is creaky and leaking and the unfinished floor is covered with stones and crude tiles.

"We give out packed food to 30-40 children here three times a day. We have no utensils to cook. We have to be careful about children who sit on the floor because there is no flooring and poisonous insects come out," says the centre's worker, Sushila Patil.

Many tribal children end up in local hospitals with hunger-related diseases.

"There," a local tribesperson says, "many doctors refuse to treat us because they find us dirty and smelly."

So who will the people of Jamoda vote for in the upcoming elections - the lotus (the symbol of the BJP) or the hand (Congress)?

A BJP tribal candidate has been winning elections in the area for the past few years without any competition, and a few saffron party flags fly weakly atop some of the huts.

Village elder Budhia Pati says they will vote for the party their neighbours do. Somebody has even told her that if she votes for Congress she would not be able to sell firewood any longer.

"Anyway, I will vote for somebody. Does it really matter? Voting for a party doesn't really bring any gain, does it?," she asks wryly.

2008-12-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

China: Free Prominent Tibetan Cultural Figure
Nations Should Protest 7-Year Sentence for 81-Year-Old Printer
Published on Dec 6, 2008

By: Human Rights Watch

Paljor Norbu Image: 2008 Private

(New York, December 5, 2008) - The international community should protest the imprisonment and secret sentencing of Paljor Norbu, an 81-year-old Tibetan traditional printer, and seek his immediate exoneration and unconditional release, Human Rights Watch said today.

Norbuwas taken by the police from his home in Lhasa on October 31, 2008, on suspicion that he had printed "prohibited material," including the banned Tibetan flag. During his detention, judicial authorities refused to inform his relatives that he was being detained, or to reveal the charges against him. He was tried in secret in November and sentenced to seven years in prison. A letter informing his family of the sentence was then hand-delivered to them. His current whereabouts are unknown.

"Just about any material on Tibet that lacks the Chinese Communist Party's explicit blessing is 'prohibited material,'" said Sophie Richardson, Asia advocacy director at Human Rights Watch. "But no one should be jailed for printing flags, books, or pictures just because a government would prefer to suppress those ideas - that's why freedom of expression is a basic right."

Although the authorities have not made public the details of the verdict, the nature of the initial accusations leveled against Norbu and the length of the sentence suggest that he was tried on charges of "inciting separatism" (article 103 of the Criminal Law). This vaguely defined crime has been used repeatedly to silence Tibetans resisting the tight and often arbitrary limits imposed on their freedom of expression by Chinese law.

A descendant of a family with a long history of printing and publishing Buddhist texts for monasteries, Norbu is an internationally renowned master printer. He used both modern and traditional woodblock printing techniques in his workshop, which employed several dozen workers. In addition to religious texts, the shop printed prayer flags, folk reproductions, books, leaflets, and traditional literature.

After Norbu's arrest, the police closed his shop, affixed notices of official closure on the door, and prohibited employees from returning. The police also confiscated books and woodblocks from the shop's collection.

"Instead of persecuting Paljor Norbu, the Chinese government should prize his contributions toward historical and cultural preservation," said Richardson.

Human Rights Watch said that Norbu was not granted even the minimal rights that are supposed to be provided under Chinese criminal procedures. Violations included the failure to notify his family of his formal arrest or of the trial date; the refusal to reveal where he was detained; the failure to allow him defense representation of his choice in court; the failure to communicate the full verdict of the trial; and, the refusal to inform the family of his current whereabouts and of where he will serve his prison term.

Human Rights Watch said it has observed an increase in the number of arrests and convictions related to exercising the freedom of expression in recent weeks, indicating that the crackdown that Chinese authorities threatened after Tibetan protests in March 2008 was extending beyond the people suspected of involvement in those demonstrations. Other recent cases include:

* Jigme Gyatso (lay name Jigme Guri), a senior monk from the Labrang monastery, who was re-arrested on November 4 after he described how he had been tortured by the police during his detention in March and who is now in custody in Lanzhou (Gansu province);

* Norzin Wangmo (Chinese name: Longzhen Wangmu), an employee of the Judicial Bureau of Hongyuan county (Sichuan province), sentenced on November 3 to five years of imprisonment after he told relatives abroad of the situation in Tibet; and

* Dhondup Wangchen, who had been detained in March in Tong De (Qinghai province), for his role in filming a clandestine documentary in the Tibetan areas. He is being held in the Ershilipu detention center in Xining.

"The Chinese government will almost certainly say that the charges brought against Paljor Norbu were 'in accordance with the law,'" said Richardson. "But, by definition, those laws restrict free speech, and until the government brings its laws into conformity with international human rights norms, we will continue to see peaceful critics like Norbu incarcerated for alleged 'separatism.'"

2008-12-05T11:29:00.001-07:00

This is from IndiaMike.com

Indian Railways RAC and Waitlists concepts explained

By steven_ber.

photo by happysnapper999 Now that waitlisted tickets can be purchased on the internet, it’s time we had an article explaining waitlists, waitlisted tickets and RAC tickets. (I’ll also explain a little about ticket allocation/quotas and how you can use them to your advantage)

Every day, Indian Railways sell millions of railway tickets for thousands of trains, considering how vast and complex the Indian Rail network is, I think they have devised an easy to understand system to ensure maximum occupancy in all classes on all bookable trains.

Most trains can be booked 91* days in advance, some short distance trains, normally daytime trains, can only be booked 30 days in advance, there are a few trains with even shorter booking periods, but none on the main tourist routes. (*details and example later)

If you book early (the earlier the better), you’ve got a good chance of getting a confirmed seat/berth in the class and train of your choice, this becomes more difficult the later you try to book your train. (and very difficult if your train departs during the Indian holidays)

This is when you start seeing some strange letters and numbers when you try to book a ticket, for example...WL 21/RAC 10 or WL 10/WL 4

A quick explanation of RAC and Waitlists

A very quick explanation of RAC (much more details, diagrams & photos at the bottom of this article.)

WL = Waitlist
RAC = Reservation against cancellation

An RAC ticket gets you on the train (A WL ticket doesn’t) and in your chosen class, but there’s a chance you could end up with just a seat. (very unlikely if you book early)

A berth is split into 2 seats for 2 RAC ticket holders, if there’s any last minute cancellations, or if any quota allocations remain unsold, or if any confirmed ticket holders are given a free upgrade (more later), an RAC ticket holder is given the empty berth, the other RAC ticket holder can then convert the 2 seats into a berth.

RAC tickets are only issued for 2-tier air con (4 seats per carriage), 3-tier air con (6 seats per carriage), non air con First Class (4 seats per carriage), and non air con Sleeper Class (up to 12 seats per carriage).

How do RAC and Waitlists all work?

When all the available seats/berths in an individual train/class have been sold, the railways start selling RAC tickets (2A, 3A, FC & SL only), when all the RAC tickets have been sold, then a waitlist is started for all the train classes, and you’re sold a waitlisted ticket.

As people cancel tickets, a RAC/WL ticket will move closer to a confirmed berth. Also, when the final reservation chart is prepared, any un-sold quota berths will be used to reduce the RAC/waitlist.

Tickets will be sold in the following order....(4 RAC places in this example)

Available 02
Available 01
RAC 01
RAC 02
RAC 03
RAC 04
WL 01
WL 02

and so on...

But my ticket has 2 numbers??

photo by sannna All RAC/WL tickets have 2 ’numbers’, the first is the position you join the waitlist, the 2nd is your current waitlist position.

So lets imagine you go to buy a ticket online (or at a reservation office), you find the perfect train, select your chosen class, enter your date of journey, then notice that the ticket offered is WL 10/WL 4, you buy the ticket, so we’ll use this as an example. (with 4 RAC places)

WL 10/WL 4 means that you join the waitlist at position 10, but due to cancellations (before you bought the ticket) you have already moved to waitlist position 4, the first number will not change, if there were another 3 cancellations, your new waitlist position will be WL 10/WL 1, another 3 cancellations would take you to WL 10/RAC 2, a further 2 cancellations would take you to WL 10/CNF (confirmed reservation, though you wouldn’t find out your carriage and berth number till a couple of hours before the train departs)

Think of standing in a queue, as you go to join the queue you are given a number indicating the position you join the queue (eg. WL 10), this number will remain the same as that IS the position you joined the queue, all those in front of you have either confirmed, RAC or better waitlist positions than you, if any of the people in front of you decide to leave the queue, you move forward, and closer to a confirmed seat/berth, some in front of you may have already left the queue before you joined, so if 6 people had already left the queue, you’d be joining the queue in position WL 10, but you’d already be at position WL 4.

The above ticket would move through the waitlist as follows: -

WL 10/WL 4
WL 10/WL 3
WL 10/WL 2
WL 10/WL 1
WL 10/RAC 4
WL 10/RAC 3
WL 10/RAC 2
WL 10/RAC 1
WL 10/CNF

So, can I board the train?

WL 10/WL 4 = is still a waitlisted ticket, you can’t board the train with a waitlisted ticket.

WL 10/RAC 2 = is an RAC ticket, you can board the train with an RAC ticket but you may only get a seat instead of a berth. (more later)

WL 10/CNF = is a confirmed ticket, you can board the train with a confirmed ticket and find your berth.

Will my RAC/WL position improve? Why?

RAC and waitlist positions always seem to improve, but it depends on many things, most notable-how far in advance you buy your ticket. Later I will explain how to find the likelihood of your individual RAC/WL position improving or becoming confirmed.

The 3 main reasons why RAC/WL positions improve are:

The charges for cancelling train tickets are very small, and lots of people cancel tickets, I’m not too sure why, maybe just a change of plans, but I’ve heard that some people book in a couple of different classes or a couple of different trains, or even book for a couple of different days, then as their date of journey approaches, they simply cancel the tickets they don’t want, and keep their preferred tickets, this way they can join a few waitlists and watch what waitlist has the most movement, then stick with that train. (Cancellation details and charges later)
All bookable trains have quotas (seats/berths reserved) for various groups (Handicapped, government, rail employees, military and many others), often these quota tickets are not sold and the unused seats/berths are used to reduce the RAC/Waitlist, though this doesn’t happen till the reservation chart is prepared. (I’ve got some real examples further down this article, you’ll be amazed at how much the waitlist can change after the final reservation chart is prepared), there’s also a ’last minute’ quota called the tatkal quota (more details later), if any of the tatkal quota remains unsold, the remaining seats/berths will also be used to reduce the RAC/waitlist.
Passengers can get upgraded to a higher class (free) if there are available berths (1A, 2A, 3A & SL only) in a higher class, and a waitlist in a lower class, passengers can be upgraded up to 2 classes above the class they pay for. (when the reservation charts are prepared a computer works out what passengers (if any) will get a free upgrade.)

However, on busy trains (especially during Indian holidays) there is virtually no chance of a free upgrade, as there is unlikely to be any availability in the higher classes.

I have to also mention, that during the busy Indian holidays, many trains can sell all their tickets, and have very long waitlists within minutes of tickets going on sale.

How can I check if my RAC/WL position has improved?

For any RAC/WL enquiry, you will need the PNR (passenger name record) number, this is a 10 digit (3+7) number and is located at the top left of your ticket (top right on an e-ticket).

You can check the current status of your ticket by one of the following methods:

Click on the following link and enter your PNR number.

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/pnr_stat.html

Online PNR enquiry service is available 04:00 - 23:30 IST (09:30 - 05:00 GMT)

If in India, telephone 139, this number can be dialled from anywhere in India, you’ll need your PNR number.

there are also PNR machines in most of the big railway stations, but they’re a pain to use.

Remember, the 2nd number is your new position, and CNF = confirmed.

How can I check if my RAC/WL position is likely to improve?

Go to the following website (Only between the hours of 04:00 - 23:30 IST (09:30 - 05:00 GMT))

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/inet_srcdest_names.html

Enter your departure station, destination station, date of journey, and enter your chosen class, then click on ’Get It’.

Next, select your train.

Next, select a date that’s about 85 days away from now, and then click on ’Get Availability’, this will show you the availability for 85-91 days in advance, the highest number you see will be the total quota in your class for your section of journey on that train, though some tickets may have already been sold 91 days in advance. Also remember that some trains can only be booked 30 days in advance.

So if the highest number you see is 8, then that’s how many berths are used for your quota, and the cancellations you need for your ticket to become confirmed will have to come from those 8 passengers, not likely if your waitlist position is WL 10.

You can then do an availability search for today’s date, this will give you the details of today’s train and the next 5 days trains, you can look to see how many cancellations there have been, but this isn’t totally reliable as many people cancel their waitlisted tickets when they realise there’s no chance of a confirmed berth, so for example WL 46/WL 16 may look like 30 people have cancelled their tickets, but if 10 of those were high waitlist ticket holders, their cancellations wouldn’t have helped the lower waitlisted ticket holders at all.

Next, do an availability search for 5 days before your journey date, then look at the booking patterns, then click on ’Get next 6 days availability’, again, look at the booking patterns, are some days busier than others? are Fridays busy? Is there a group of days that are very busy? This may indicate an Indian holiday.

None of the above are absolute, and an Indian holiday will severely reduce the likelihood of cancellations, but they at least give you an idea, and at worst, can show you that you’ve got no chance of your ticket becoming confirmed.

The same determining factors can be used when choosing a train.

But I really needed to use that train, what can I do?

I’ll go into detail later about searching for quotas from other stations and how this can find additional availability.

You can do an availability search using the Foreign Tourist Quota, when you search for availability, you’ll see a section on the left asking you to Enter Quota, next to it you’ll see a drop down box with General on it, click on that and you’ll see the following drop-down box:

Select Foreign Tourist Quota, then do your availability search.

However, Foreign Tourist Quota tickets can’t be booked online, and can only be booked from reservation offices that have a tourist window, you’ll also need to pay for these tickets in foreign currency, or show an encashment certificate (given to you when you exchange money), or show an ATM receipt, you’ll also need your passport to book these tickets.

Also, there’s only berths reserved for the Foreign Tourist Quota on about 200 trains, and only a few berths that may not be in your chosen class, and foreign tourists have a nasty habit of booking on this quota, so any berths may already be gone

Ladies Quota - forget it, on most trains there are 6 berths reserved in Sleeper Class for ladies, but these can be crowded, and I heard last year from a group of girls that their ladies quota berths were surrounded by men.

Tatkal Quota - Tatkal means ’last minute’, but tatkal tickets can be booked 6 days in advance, they can be a great way of getting berths on a train that you need to use, but they’re expensive, and they can sell out in minutes for busy trains, with Tatkal you have to book for the whole of the trains’ journey (with a few exceptions), though you can select a boarding station different from the originating station, you also have to pay an additional (very high) Tatkal charge.

Tatkal tickets can be purchased online, but on the 6th day before departure, they can only be booked from 08:00 IST (04:00 on the other days), this is to allow reservation office customers an equal chance of purchasing the tickets.

Never cancel any tickets until you’ve got better tickets, you don’t need to cancel until 2 days before the train departs, then the cancellation charges are minimal, see cancellation charges below.

Should I buy WL/RAC tickets?

I find it very difficult to think of a time when an RAC ticket isn’t worth having, I’ve had dozens of them, and have always got a confirmed berth, in fact I’ve only ended up in an RAC seat once in 20,000kms on Indian trains, and that was when I bought a WL 143 (SL class) ticket 2 days before departure.

Waitlisted tickets are different though, and it’s almost impossible to answer, it really depends on when you buy the ticket, the class, the train, the boarding station and the destination station, and it depends on the time of year as well.

Read the ’How can I check if my RAC/WL position is likely to improve?’ section above to get a rough idea if a waitlist number is likely to improve.

However, one major thing to remember with RAC and waitlisted tickets, couples and groups have a good chance of getting split up, this is because 1 person may cancel a ticket, and one of you will be given that seat/berth, then another person (maybe in another carriage) cancels, and the your partner (or another member of your group) will be given that seat/berth.

My WL/RAC ticket has changed to CNF (confirmed), do I need to change my ticket?

No, Even if you go from WL to RAC, then to CNF, you keep the same ticket, for the sake of this journey you will always be known by your initial waitlist number, let me put that another way, when you go to the platform to find out your carriage & seat/berth, you will look on the list for your initial WL number (eg. WL 10), when you find WL 10 on the list you’ll also find your carriage/seat/berth details next to it, the TTE (Travelling Ticket Examiner) will also go by your initial waitlist number.

My WL/RAC ticket has become CNF (confirmed), how do I find out my carriage/berth?

Carriage/berth details for RAC/Waitlist passengers are not decided till the reservation charts are prepared, this happens 2-4 hours before the train departs, the reservation charts for morning trains (up till 12:00 departure) are prepared the night before, often as early as 17:00.

You can find out your carriage/berth details AFTER the charts are prepared by using one of the following methods:

Click on the following link and enter your PNR number.

http://www.indianrail.gov.in/pnr_stat.html

Online PNR enquiry service is available 04:00 - 23:30 IST (09:30 - 05:00 GMT)

If in India, telephone 139, this number can be dialled from anywhere in India, you’ll need your PNR number.

When you go for your train, find the correct platform, then look for the reservation charts, they’re always easy to find, they should be pinned to a board close to where you enter the platform, the reservation chart consists of loads of sheets of paper, at the top of each sheet you will see the class, look for the sheets for your class (the longer the sheets, the lower the class), when you find your class, look for the ’RAC/WL’ sheet for that class, for 1A, ECC, 2A & FC the waitlist details should be at the bottom of the normal sheets, for other classes there should be a separate sheet, look down the left side of the sheet for your initial waitlist number (eg. WL 10), then look along the line, you’ll see your name, age, sex and you’ll also see your carriage and berth details (eg. S3-32, Sleeper Class coach 3, berth 32).

Indian Railways use the following letters to identify their carriages.

H = 1st class air con (1A)
E = Executive Chair Class (air con)(EC)
A = 2-tier air con (2A)
B = 3-tier air con (3A)
C = Air Con Chair Car (CC)
FC or F = First Class non air con (FC)
S = Sleeper Class (SL)
D = Bookable 2nd class seat (2S)
HA = 1st class air con/2-tier air con combination
AB = 2 & 3 tier air con combination
G & J are used for Garib Rath trains, G for 3 tier air con, J for Air con Chair Class

All carriages have a reservation sheet for that particular carriage, this sheet will be stuck to the outside of the carriage next to one of the entrance doors, if you’re travelling in an air con class, it can be quicker to find the air con carriages and look at the sheet on the door, the air con carriages are easy to find, look down the train for carriages without bars on the windows, these are the air con carriages, they’re almost always grouped together, and the vast majority of trains (that have air con) only have a few air con carriages.

(This method is unreliable if you’re not boarding at the train’s originating station as the sheet is often damaged or lost as the train starts moving)

The Travelling Ticket Examiner (TTE) also has a full reservation chart with him, he’s the man in charge of the train and he can normally be found by the air con carriages.

ALWAYS leave plenty of time to find your carriage, big stations can be massive places with many platforms, the bridges between platforms can be extremely crowded, trains can have more than 20 long carriages and platforms can be busy and confusing, you should arrive at a big station about an hour before your train is due to depart, about 40 minutes for a medium sized station, and 30 minutes for a smaller station, it’s difficult to be bored on a railway platform, so you won’t regret getting there early, you’ll also be more relaxed, thus making yourself a less attractive target for opportunist criminals.

I read something amazing a few years ago, at the time New Delhi station sold 50,000 platform tickets on busy days, 50,000, almost unimaginable, but the majority of middle/long distance trains carry more than 1000 passengers, then add all the family members coming to saying goodbye, then add all the luggage, then add hundreds of coolies (porters), then add dozens of vendors, then you can imagine how busy a platform can be, and sometimes there will be an important train on the platform next to yours, this really packs the platform, arrive early.

What if my ticket is still waitlisted after the reservation chart has been prepared?

If you buy your WL ticket on the net and it’s still WL when the chart is prepared, IRCTC will automatically refund your money to your bank account, RAC gets you on the train, so no refund.

There can be a lot of waitlist movement on the last day and when the chart is prepared, sometimes more movement than the whole of the last month, so don’t just assume that a waitlist number is too high to become confirmed, and the ticket cost will therefore automatically get refunded, see the examples in the ’hidden quotas’ explanation later.

What if I want to cancel my ticket?

Charge for cancelling confirmed ticket (more than 24 hours in advance, not including day of journey).

1A/ECC = Rs 70
2A/3A/CC/FC = Rs 60
SL/2S = Rs 40
RAC/WL cancellations = Rs 20 per passenger (all classes)

The cancellation charges increase massively (up to 50%) if you cancel later than the above stated time.

So how does it all REALLY work?

I think the only way to really explain is to use a real train and real waitlists, this will hopefully give you a good understanding of how the railway quotas work, I hope it’s not as boring as it sounds.

Train 0111 is the overnight train from Mumbai to Goa, one of the most popular trains used by tourists, it departs from Mumbai CST station (platform 15) daily at 23:05 and has 1A, 2A, 3A & SL, below is a diagram of the train, you enter the platform at the rear of the train and the Loco at the other end of the platform. (look on the arrivals board for train 0104, this train will become train 0111 and should take a minimum 45 minutes from arrival to be ready to depart)

LOCO-SLR-ll-ll--S10-S9-S8-S7-S6-S5-S4-S3-S2-S1-PC-B4-B3-B2-B1-A1-HA1-ll-ll-SLR

Thanks to Binaiks (a member of the Southern Railways discussion forum) for the rake configuration, very useful.

Below are the letters in the diagram, you’ll also find the letters displayed on the carriages of the train (next to the carriage door), eg. S4 = Sleeper Class carriage number 4.

LOCO = locomotive
SLR = Luggage/parcel van/guard van with some 2nd class unreserved.
ll = 2nd class unreserved
S = Sleeper Class (SL)
PC = Pantry Car
B = 3-tier air con (3A)
A = 2-tier air con (2A)
HA = 1st class air con (1A) & 2-tier air con combination

Train 0111 is a popular train and booking ahead is always advised, all tourists (and Indians) should first try the general quota when attempting to book tickets, probably 90+% of train tickets used by tourists are from the general quota.

Here’s the availability using the general quota from 30/6 till 28/9, all the info was gathered on the 30/6, the number of berths allocated to the general quota is listed below.

1A = First Class air con (total general quota = 6)
2A = 2-tier air con (total general quota = 18)
3A = 3-tier air con (total general quota = 150)
SL = Sleeper Class-not air con (total general quota = 362)

Showing all 91 days may seem over the top, but it’s the best way to show the availability fluctuations that occur sometimes months in advance.

Advance Booking Period

A quick explanation about advance booking period. It’s widely believed that trains can only be booked 90 days in advance, and this is true, however, the 90 days doesn’t include the day of the train’s departure, so in reality, the train can be booked 91 days in advance, however, online tickets for the first bookable day go on sale at the same time as the ticket offices open in India, 08:00 IST (02:30GMT).

Some trains can be booked 92, 93 and even 94 days ahead, for example, if you booked the Kerala Express from Jhansi to New Delhi, you could book the train 93 days in advance, this is because the train starts it’s journey 2 days before it gets to Jhansi, so you can book 90 days ahead (not including day of departure from your boarding station), then add the 2 days it takes the train to reach Jhansi, total = 93 days ahead.

Train 2625 (Kerala Express) departs Trivandrum on day 1 at 11:15, then Vijayawada on day 2 at 10:05, then Jhansi on day 3 at 06:42 and arrives at New Delhi at 13:20 on day 3.

Anyway, back to the overnight train from Mumbai to Goa, here’s the 91 day availability list:

Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again

If you search for availability, you may find - REGRET/WL 442 (or any other number), this means....REGRET that tickets will no longer be sold for this class in this train.

The railways will only sell tickets that have at least a small chance of becoming RAC or confirmed, they look at past waitlists and decide on the number of waitlisted tickets to sell for a particular class on a particular train, once that number is passed, they stop selling tickets.

Phew, that was a long list.

Did you notice how long a person would have to wait for availability in all the classes?

Then look at the waitlists for the 14th August, some 7 weeks before the travel date. (people going home for Independence day)

Then look at the waitlists for the 28th August till 5th September, nearly 9 weeks before the date of departure. (I’ve no idea why, must be some kind of holiday)

Then look at 11th September (12th September is the annual plastic duck painting competition in Goa, last year’s violence at the awards presentation obviously hasn’t put people off attending this year).

Other (hidden) quotas

I mentioned earlier that any unused quota berths will be used to reduce the RAC/WL, to explain this further I’ve done a table for train 0111 to demonstrate this.

I’ve explained the other quotas (listed in table) earlier, the Konkan quota is a number of berths that the Konkan Railway website sells (at inflated prices) for this train.

Here’s what I mean about unknown quotas and last minute cancellations helping to reduce the RAC/WL numbers, have a look at the following copied from the availability list above, I kept an eye on the availability after the reservation charts were prepared, and here’s what I found, the numbers in brackets are available berths AFTER the reservation chart was prepared (about 17:00 for this train), ALL RAC and WL ticket holders would have been given confirmed berths before any availability was offered to anyone else.

This last minute availability is only because the train wasn’t too busy, I tried again a couple of weeks ago and found no availability in any class for about 5 days, so don’t rely on this.

If you do see this kind of availability when you’re in India (after chart preparation), you can buy these tickets, but you have to go to the ’current reservations’ window at the train’s originating station, I don’t know if you can do the same at stations along the route, I’ll try to find out.

The Mumbai - Goa train is what I’d call a one-purpose train, this purpose is to take passengers from Mumbai to Goa, and although the train will call at other stations, all tickets for this train will come from the general quota.

The next train I’ll show you is what I’d call a multi-purpose train.

Train 4864 runs 4 days a week, train 4854 runs on the other 3 days at almost identical times; I’ll use train 4864 in the following example.

Train 4864 starts it’s journey in Jodhpur, then goes via Jaipur and Agra Fort to Varanasi Jn, Indian Railways recognises that passengers may want to use this train for only part of it’s journey, and whilst the railways would prefer passengers who travel the train’s full journey, they also don’t want to lose out on passengers who only wish to travel part of the route.

Now lets say (for example) the entire train was booked by people wanting to travel from Agra Fort to Varanasi Jn, that would mean the train running empty from Jodhpur to Agra Fort, so the railways had to devise a system that would give priority to longer distance passengers, but was also flexible enough to accommodate some shorter distance passengers, here’s how they do it (this system operates on most long distance trains).

The originating station (and some other stations close to it) has the ’General’ quota, some important stations along the route are then defined as ’Remote Location’ stations, these RL stations get their own quota, sometimes large with their own RAC and waitlist (RLWL), sometimes small and without RAC.

I maybe explained this better in a reply I give to a thread recently, so I’ll quote that reply.

The main quota for a train is called the General Quota, the General Quota is normally for passengers boarding at (or close to) the trains’ originating station, and travelling to the terminating station (or at least most of the route), when all the General Quota tickets are sold, a general waitlist is started. (GNWL or just WL)

Then along a train’s route a select few stations will have their own quota reserved on a train, these stations will be known as Remote Locations and their quota will be called a Remote location quota, these remote location quotas sometimes have a waitlist (if the quota’s big enough), this waitlist would be the RLWL.

Most of the remaining seats/berths (and there normally isn’t many) would be for the Pooled Quota, these would be for people not on the General Quota or the Remote Location quota, often people boarding at intermediate stations, and booking to another intermediate station, when these few tickets are sold, a pooled quota waitlist (PQWL) is started.

For train 4864, passengers travelling from Jodhpur to Varanasi will be given tickets from the General Quota.

The other stations before Jaipur also take their tickets from the Jodhpur general quota.

Jaipur has been selected as a ’Remote Location’ for this train, and as a remote location, it will have it’s own quota of tickets, it will also have it’s own RAC and RLWL, all stations after Jaipur and up to Idgah Agra will share Jaipur’s RAC and RLWL.

Agra Fort has also been selected as a ’Remote Location’ for this train, but the quota is too small to have RAC and a RLWL, all other stations after Agra Fort would use Agra Fort’s remote location quota.

One of the main reasons for mentioning this is, Jaipur’s quota is a lot bigger than Agra Fort’s quota, now, look at the following select stations from this train’s route, look at the distances as well.

Arrive	Depart	Kms	Station
	09:15	000	Jodhpur
15:30	15:50	313	Jaipur
15:56	15:58	318	Gandhinagar Jaipur
19:18	19:20	500	Bharatpur
20:51	20:53	552	Idgah Agra
21:10	21:15	554	Agra Fort
22:05	22:10	576	Tundla
08:15		1161	Varanasi Jn

Idgah Agra is on Jaipur’s quota, but it’s only 2kms from Agra Fort, now look at the quota numbers between select stations.

Jodhpur to Jaipur - 2A = 29, 3A = 103, SL = 624
Jodhpur to Gandhinagar JPR (and stations to Agra Fort) - 2A = 19, 3A = 75, SL = 410
Jodhpur to Varanasi Jn - 2A = 15, 3A = 65, SL = 386
Jaipur to Agra Fort - 2A = 6, 3A = 22, SL = 180
Jaipur to Varanasi Jn - same as above
Idgah Agra to Varanasi Jn - same as above.
Agra Fort to Varanasi Jn - 2A = 2, 3A = 8, SL = 16

So if you can’t get a confirmed berth from Agra Fort to Varanasi Jn, try booking from Idgah Agra.

Another example:

Train 4059, Delhi, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer/Barmer. Jaipur has been selected as a ’Remote Location’ (with RAC and and RLWL) for this train.

Arrive	Depart	Kms	Station
	17:40	000	(Old) Delhi
23:29	23:31	302	Gandhinagar Jaipur
23:45	23:57	308	Jaipur
05:26	05:28	618	Raika Bagh
05:35	06:00	620	Jodhpur
12:45		921	Jaisalmer

Part of the train splits at Jodhpur and goes forward to Barmer

05:35	06:00	620	Jodhpur
10:10		830	Barmer

Delhi (and all other stations) to Barmer - 2A = 0, 3A = 53, SL = 178
Delhi (& stations upto Ganhinagar JPR) to Jaisalmer - 2A = 17, 3A = 92, SL 118
Delhi (& stations upto Ganhinagar JPR) to Jodhpur - same as above.
Delhi - Jaipur - 2A = 27, 3A = 104, SL = 226
Jaipur to Jodhpur & Jaisalmer - 2A = 6, 3A = 8, SL = 86
Jodhpur-Jaisalmer - 2A = 6, 3A = 8, SL = 86 (Jaipur RL quota)
Raika Bagh-Jaisalmer - 2A = 6, 3A = 8, SL = 86 (Jaipur RL quota)

If you can’t get a confirmed booking from Jaipur to Jaisalmer, try booking from Ganhinagar JPR.

WL/RAC in the future

First, Indian Railways are looking at every train on every route with a view to improving occupancy levels by changing their allocation of tickets, if there is often availability from A to C, but B - C is always waitlisted, they will adjust their ticket allocation accordingly.

Second, TTE’s (The man in charge of the train) are getting computerised hand held devices, these will show the TTE the exact up to the minute availability info, not only from the originating station, but also from stations along the route, this will help the TTE allocate seats/berths more efficiently.

Third, Indian trains are getting busier all the time, and whilst Indian Railways are doing everything they can to maximise occupancy levels, there is a limit, high oil price will attract back customers who switched to airlines, freight will also see an increase and this will restrict the railways from running more pass trains on the popular golden quadrangle (GQ) routes, dedicated freight corridors for the GQ routs are planned, but it will likely take 10 more years for these to be built.

All in all, space for RAC/WL passengers may slowly reduce, and I’ve a feeling things will get worse before they get better, oil prices will soon look like they’ve come down, but in reality the greedy oil producers will still be looking at a massive price increase over a 12 month period, and the railways are probably best placed to deal with these increases, also, if the things I read are correct, Indian Railways have virtually no spare capacity on the GQ routes, so waitlist will continue to grow for a few more years, and are unlikely to significantly improve until the freight corridors are completed and Indian Railways start to run many more trains.

Miscellaneous Information

Here’s some availability numbers I found when researching this article.

AVAILABLE- 1412 (2S, Gomti Express, Lucknow-Delhi)
WL/AVAILABLE (A waitlist was started, but because of cancellations, there is now availability.
RAC 104/RAC 62 (Sleeper Class)
REGRET/WL 360 explained earlier.
WL 6/RAC 103 (many Sleeper Class trains)
AVAILABLE 646 (on day of departure, when total berths for the sector are only 624)
WL 598/WL 441 (SL, Amritsar – Delhi, cant remember the train, but it’s easy to find this type of high waitlist)
WL 102/WL 5 (3A, Golden Temple Mail, 32 days before departure)

Some useful threads.

How to find trains between 2 places, and availability.
Indian Railway maps. (and other maps)
Understanding Reservation Forms.

One final note, a very special Thank You goes to our member VSP, without his knowledge and very useful posts, I wouldn’t know half of the above, so thanks for all your posts and information, you’ve helped indiamike members all over the world.

RAC information - a recap and refresher

Some of the information below is repeated.

When all the available berths in an individual train/class have been sold, the railways start selling RAC tickets (2A, 3A, FC & SL only), when all the RAC tickets have been sold a waitlist is started (All classes) and you’re sold a waitlisted ticket, as people cancel tickets, a RAC/WL ticket will move closer to a confirmed berth, also, when the final reservation chart is prepared, any un-sold quota berths will be used to reduce the RAC/waitlist.

Tickets will be sold in the following order....(4 RAC places in this example)

Available 02
Available 01
RAC 01
RAC 02
RAC 03
RAC 04
WL 01
WL 02
and so on

An RAC ticket gets you on the train (A WL ticket doesn’t) and in your chosen class, but there’s a chance you could end up with just a seat. (very unlikely if you book early)

A berth is split into 2 seats for 2 RAC ticket holders, if there’s any last minute cancellations, or if any quota allocations remain unsold, or if any confirmed ticket holders are given a free upgrade (explained earlier), an RAC ticket holder is given the empty berth, the other RAC ticket holder can then convert the 2 seats into a berth.

However, if you do end up in an RAC seat for your whole journey, It won’t be a great journey, you’ll just have a seat, I ended up in an RAC seat in Sleeper Class from Jaipur to Agra, the train used to take a longer route and take about 7 hours, so I done the journey overnight, the man in the RAC seat opposite was not looking well, so I told him to turn the seats into a berth for him to sleep on, I slept on the floor, I’d normally be comfortable sleeping on the floor, but someone knocked over a bottle of water, so it wasn’t a great night.

The following diagram is the layout of a Sleeper Class carriage, a 3-tier air con carriage is the same length, but has one less section (only 64 seats/berths), so the side berths are a little longer, a 2-tier air con carriage is the same as a 3 tier carriage, but it has no middle berths (losing 16 berths) and 2 berths (inside, not side berths) are replaced by air conditioning units, making a total of 46 berths.

The photos below show non air con Sleeper Class (top) and 3-tier air con side berths (those used for RAC), the photos show the lower berth as seats and as a berth.

RAC gives a chance of ending up in a side lower berth, and this can be a problem in Sleeper Class, here’s the Side lower berth measurements:

Sleeper Class = L 166.5 x w 55cm
3-tier air con = 180 x 59cm

The following thread may be useful if part of your journey is during the day.

RAC for daytime portions of long distance trains.

Please Note, Garib Rath trains (3A only) and a few normal trains now have 3 side berths in both sleeper Class and 3-tier air con, this changes the layout of RAC seats, and I don’t know the seat positions used for RAC seats in these carriages, although I’ve heard there’s no RAC in these carriages.

Don’t be put off by massive RAC numbers, it just means there are more carriages.

2008-12-03T12:42:00.000-07:00

Tough choice between freedom and honour

By Emily Buchanan
BBC News world affairs correspondent

The officials can advocate for women who feel unable to face their families

For officials from the High Commission in Islamabad, rescuing forced marriage victims is a tough, frontline job.

Their latest case takes them on a tortuous five hour car journey into the hills of Kashmir. They have little to go on, except a brief call from a distressed teenager from the Midlands.

Her mobile phone battery low. She resorted to a few text messages to communicate where she was being held captive.

In the first nine months of 2008, the Foreign Office's Forced Marriage Unit handled more than 1,300 cases - about half of these involving minors.

The BBC obtained exclusive access to the Pakistani branch of the operation which rescues British nationals from such forced marriages.

Alia, not her real name, was forced by her parents to marry her 15-year-old Pakistani cousin.

She's been trapped with her in-laws for eight months with no means of escape. There's no public transport in this remote part of the country.

The consular officials, backed up by a police escort, eventually find the house and ask to speak to Alia alone.

Intimidated

She tells them she wants to leave her in-laws' house straight away. The prime mover in this rescue strategy is Albert David, a Pakistani working at the High Commission.

He has the delicate and sometimes dangerous job of breaking the news to the father-in-law.

THIS WORLD

Forced To Marry

Monday, 1 December, 2008

1900 GMT, BBC TWO

He comes back with the message that Alia's family wants to speak to her. She refuses, too intimidated to stand up to them in person.

Albert tells her: "We will go out this door with whatever possessions you've got. The car is waiting outside, so you don't have to face them."

Alia agrees immediately and they rush her out the back door into the consular car. So far, there's been no sign of her husband, but then he too is only a teenager.

Most cases of forced marriage involve British women of South East Asian origin. Often, their families' motivation is to help poor relatives obtain a spousal visa so they can live in the UK.

You think because you're a British girl you can stand up for yourself, but it's so difficult - you feel so lonely

Rubina

The British government estimates that two-thirds of forced marriages of British nationals are linked to Pakistan, and many of them involve poor families in remote rural areas.

Walking out of her marriage has been a momentous step for Alia - but she knows defying her parents' wishes will be seen as betrayal of the family, especially as the marriage was her grandmother's dying wish.

Every day, Albert David sees the price the women he rescues have to pay.

"This is a very big step for a young person. They know by doing this they are cutting themselves off from the family and they are going into a very uncertain future," he says.

Clan system

A special UK government unit tackles forced marriages

In rural Pakistan, centuries of custom dictate that preserving the clan through marriage is more important than individual happiness.

But forced marriage increasingly back-fires, causing women like Alia to run away, leading to deep rifts in the family.

After her rescue, Alia is taken to a safe house in Islamabad, where she can reflect and receive counselling for a few days.

A psychologist, Uzma Iram, explains to her how cultural pressures can distort parental love.

"Your father definitely loves you, but he's so bound in the clan system he doesn't know what to do," she tells Alia.

Alia is now back in the UK, but her father won't speak to her. She is currently seeking a divorce.

Last year, the High Commission Assistance Unit in Islamabad dealt with 131 cases of forced marriage, up from 85 the previous year.

It's often distressing work, especially when violence is involved.

Honour

Vice Consul Theepan Selvaratnam describes another woman he's just visited, a woman who we'll name Rubina.

"She's in a terrible state. She had injuries on her arms and neck. She said she'd been beaten, pushed against a wall, grabbed by the throat.

"Initially, she wanted to come with us. Then she spoke to her husband and decided to stay."

In the car on the way back to Islamabad, he and Albert discuss whether she decided to stay under duress.

"I think she was under their influence and felt threatened. She was worried about her mum and her sister," Albert says.

"If she leaves, what will happen to them?" he asks.

Three days later, Rubina's family allow her to visit the High Commission and speak to consular officials alone.

She is shocked at how hard it is, even with her British education, to stand up for herself against her husband.

"I've never seen anyone with a temper like this," she tells the staff.

"You think because you're a British girl you can stand up for yourself, but it's so difficult. You feel so lonely.

"There never used to be a day I didn't go out with my friends. But here your husband is supposed to be your everything."

Albert and Teepan talk to Rubina about her experience of forced marriage

The officials tell her she never need see him again. But Rubina hesitates.

"I can't do it, I know I can't. Parents feel that family is respect - and the honour of the family is in the hands of a daughter," she says.

Rubina just couldn't accept the lifeline being offered. She's now pregnant with her husband's child and will probably stay in the marriage.

Albert David worries about the dangers to women - those who stay with abusive husbands, or those who do manage to escape but are then punished by their families.

"Saving the honour of the family is the big thing over here. We helped a girl back to the UK. The family brought her back to Pakistan, where she was killed - just because she had 'dishonoured'."

The Forced Marriage Act in the UK now gives British courts the power to issue protection orders that can stop intimidation or violence and prevent someone from having to go abroad.

But even with better laws, it takes enormous courage to make that first phone call, and there will be thousands who never even dare to cry for help.

This World: Forced To Marry will be broadcast on Monday 1 December at 1900 GMT on BBC Two.

2008-11-27T14:04:00.001-07:00

Revealing What Is: Vipassana Meditation As Taught by S.N. Goenka

By Meera Sanghani

In the search for spiritual development, we inevitably consider the art and practice of meditation. If possible, we explore and experiment with a variety of techniques until we arrive at the style that meshes with our beliefs, values and personalities. Whether practicing transcendental or Zen meditation, we ultimately seek a sense of inner calm in the face of change.

With a strong desire to grow spiritually and a myriad of meditation options now "on the market," we can, ironically, impede our very good intentions to become better human beings by feverishly looking for bliss. By definition, meditation is deep reflection that invites us into reality, rather than taking us away from it. Meditation is not a hypnotic trance or some esoteric ideology.

Vipassana means "to see things as they really are." As one of the world's most ancient meditative techniques, vipassana is the form of meditation that the Buddha practiced to achieve enlightenment, and this is the method he taught for 45 years throughout the Indian subcontinent. The Buddha never taught a sectarian religion; he taught "dhamma"--the way to liberation--which is universal. If we can understand ourselves inwardly, completely and within the experience of our body, then liberation from burdensome mental habits and patterned thinking is truly possible.

S.N. Goenka, the foremost living teacher of vipassana meditation, addressed participants of the Millennium World Peace Summit in August 2000 and declared, "Peace in the world cannot be achieved unless there is peace within individuals. Agitation and peace cannot co-exist. One way to achieve inner peace is vipassana, or insight meditation--a non-sectarian, scientific, results-oriented technique of self-observation and truth realization. Practice of this technique brings experiential understanding of how mind and body interact…[and] reveals that mental action precedes every physical and vocal action, determining whether that action will be wholesome or unwholesome. Mind matters most."

S.N. Goenka's approach to vipassana meditation is introduced to students during a 10-day course in which participants are requested to abstain from verbal and nonverbal communication with others. Removing the interpersonal interaction affords the opportunity for students to look inward and observe and unearth mental habits. This approach offers insight into how our experience of the "outside" world is influenced by the tools of perception--the body and mind. Only when we undertake the work of looking at how we react (to pain and/or pleasure) can we understand how we may be "wired" for certain behaviors.

I attended a vipassana meditation course in the summer of 2001 at a retreat center in Plano, Illinois. I had heard from relatives and friends about the benefits of meditation; but, of course, experience is the best teacher. It is worth mentioning that the courses (taught all over the world) are free of charge for participants and funded by donations from former students who believe in the value of the vipassana technique. In a retreat setting, away from the bustle of urban living and in an environment in which all my energy could be directed towards self-work, many of my mental habits emerged during our group and individual meditation sittings.

One particular habit that I became aware of related to my father. Though he passed away almost ten years ago, I realized that I maintained a relationship to who he was. For example, without considering my own feelings, I found myself doing things that I knew he would have wanted me to do. This behavior stifled my ability to acknowledge his death and grow as an individual. Vipassana, however, is not some quick-fix for sorrow; but, rather, it allows all experiences, emotions, sensations and thoughts to surface so that we can truly observe them and recognize the change that is inherent to living.

Perhaps the biggest challenge of all during the course was to observe the body's reactions with stillness and the mind's reactions with objectivity. Vipassana meditation can indeed reveal what is.

Every evening the group would view a videotaped discourse of S.N. Goenka, in which he related instructive anecdotes from Gautama Buddha's life as well as shared his own experiences with vipassana meditation over some 30 years. Mr. Goenka also spoke of the way of dhamma and encouraged us to sit through whatever may arrive during our seated meditation, giving it our full attention. Vipassana does not encourage escapism but rather direct confrontation with who we are; and perhaps out of that encounter we can free ourselves from mental bondage.

Every year, over 100,000 people participate in such 10-day meditation retreats under S.N. Goenka's guidance. His relentless efforts to bring the technique to as many people as possible--including prison inmates and corporate CEOs--are evidence of his devotion to vipassana. Most importantly, Mr. Goenka stresses the universality of this practice, whereby ideological differences can be bridged and people of diverse backgrounds can experience deep benefits without fearing conversion.

2008-11-27T14:01:00.000-07:00

Forces fight through siege hotels

Security forces have freed some of the people trapped in two hotels

Commandos are fighting to clear the last gunmen from two luxury hotels in Mumbai, more than 24 hours after a series of attacks across the city.

The Taj Mahal hotel was nearly free of gunmen, officials said, but operations continued at the Oberoi-Trident hotel.

At a third stand-off, at a Jewish centre, seven hostages were freed, a security official said.

Indian PM Manmohan Singh vowed to track down the attackers, who have killed at least 119 people and injured 300.

Gunmen targeted at least seven sites in Mumbai late on Wednesday, opening fire indiscriminately on crowds at a major railway station, the two hotels, the Jewish centre and a cafe frequented by foreigners.

The attacks are the worst in the city since 260 people were killed in a series of bombings.

A security official said one gunman remained in the Taj Mahal hotel and that the military was in control of the situation.

Commandos were continuing their sweep of the Oberoi-Trident, where a number of guests were trapped in their rooms or being held hostage, said JK Dutt, of the National Security Guards.

See detailed map of the area

A home ministry official said earlier there might be 20-30 people being held hostage at the Oberoi-Trident. Owners said some 200 people were trapped in the hotel.

Cafe owner Farzed Jehani: 'A grenade was thrown into the restaurant'

But Maj Gen RK Hooda said he did not think there were any hostages there, and 39 people had been rescued.

"When the search was carried out from room to room these were the people, they had locked themselves into the rooms," he said.

One militant at the Jewish centre reportedly phoned local TV from the centre offering to negotiate over the release of hostages.

Israel's embassy in New Delhi had earlier said at least 10 Israeli nationals were trapped or being held hostage in Mumbai.

In other developments:

· The Indian navy said it was searching ships off the west coast following reports that gunmen had arrived in Mumbai by boat

· The UK Foreign Office said a British national, Andreas Liveras had died; a German, a Japanese man and an Italian are also among the dead

· The Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Toiba, which has been blamed for past bombings in India, denied any role in the attacks

In a televised address, Mr Singh said the government "will take whatever measures are necessary to ensure the safety and security of our citizens".

He said the attackers were based "outside the country" and that India would not tolerate "neighbours" who provide a haven to militants targeting it.

He described the attacks as "well-planned and well-orchestrated... intended to create a sense of panic by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners".

MUMBAI ATTACKS

Attacks leave India reeling

In pictures: Mumbai attacks

Are you in the area?

India has complained in the past that attacks on its soil have been carried out by groups based in Pakistan, although relations between the two countries have improved in recent years and Pakistani leaders were swift to condemn the latest attacks.

Maj Gen Hooda said authorities had intercepted conversations between some of the attackers speaking in Punjabi, an apparent reference to Pakistan-based militants.

Earlier reports said the attackers spoke Hindi, indicating they were from India.

But Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, in New Delhi for talks, said no-one should be blamed until investigations were finished.

"Our experience in the past tells us that we should not jump to conclusions," he told Dawn television.

Amid international condemnation of the attacks, US President George W Bush telephoned Mr Singh to offer his condolences and support.

Claim of responsibility

In the attacks late on Wednesday night, groups of young men, armed with grenades and automatic weapons, targeted at least seven sites including the city's main commuter train station, a hospital and a restaurant popular with tourists.

India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh: "Whatever measures are necessary"

Police say 14 police officers, 81 Indian nationals and six foreigners have been killed.

Four suspected terrorists have also been killed and nine arrested, they add.

At the height of the stand-off at the Taj Mahal hotel, gunfire and explosions could be heard from inside.

Earlier eyewitness reports from the hotels suggested the attackers were singling out British and American passport holders.

If the reports are true, our security correspondent Frank Gardner says it implies an Islamist motive - attacks inspired or co-ordinated by al-Qaeda.

A claim of responsibility has been made by a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen. Our correspondent says it could be a hoax or assumed name for another group.

Return to top

2008-11-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

India moon craft hit by heat rise

By Swaminathan Natarajan
BBC Tamil service

The lunar surface viewed by the Moon Impact Probe on its descent

Indian scientists are exploring various options to cool down a sudden surge of temperature inside the country's first unmanned lunar craft, Chandrayaan 1.

The temperature inside the satellite has gone over 50C, prompting scientists to take drastic measures.

They say that the problem arose because of very hot temperatures during the lunar orbit.

The mission is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.

Earlier this month the spacecraft sent a probe onto the surface of the moon.

Urgent measures

"Now the moon, our satellite and the sun are in same line this means our craft is receiving 1,200 watts of heat from the moon and 1,300 watts from the sun per meter square," said M Annadurai, project director of Indian's moon mission.

CHANDRAYAAN 1

1 - Chandrayaan Energetic Neutral Analyzer (CENA)

2 - Moon Impact Probe (MIP)

3 - Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM)

4 - Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC)

5 - Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)

6 - Chandrayaan 1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS)

7 - Solar Panel

India sets its sights on the Moon

In Pictures: India Moon mission

If the temperature is not kept in check, many instruments on board the orbiter may fail to perform, scientists say.

This has prompted them to take urgent measures. Most of the instruments are now switched off or being used sparingly.

"We have rotated the spacecraft by 20 degrees and this has helped to reduce the temperature of the craft. We have also switched off certain equipment like mission computers and this has resulted in the reduction of temperature to 40C now. At this temperature all the equipment can perform very well," Mr Annadurai said.

"Although we did factor in the thermal conditions in the lunar orbit, the temperature is a bit higher than we anticipated."

He insisted all the instruments carried on board of the satellite have been tested and were working properly.

While the turning-off of certain equipment will have an impact on lunar research, Mr Annadurai said that it was not worth "taking the risk to run it" at present.

Scientists also plan to raise the orbit of the Indian craft to cool it down. It is presently in orbit 100km (62 miles) from the moon. However Mr Annadurai said that would only be done as a last resort.

He said that the next month would be critical for the survival of the mission, which has an intended life span of two years.

"We are able to use terrain mapping cameras to take picture of the moon whenever required," Mr Annadurai said.

India launched its first lunar mission on 22 October. The mission aims to map the lunar surface, look for traces of water and the presence of helium.

The current difficulties are the first to be experienced by the probe, which has been praised for sending the probe onto the moon's surface.

2008-11-25T11:08:00.001-07:00

Mumbai - the city of foreign dreams

By Sanjiv Buttoo
BBC Asian Network, Mumbai

Mumbai has much to offer its expatriate residents

For the thousands of people who leave the UK each year and head for a new life in India, the world's largest democracy is certainly no third world option.

The growing numbers of British expatriates living in Mumbai (Bombay) - locally known as the Manhattan of the East - say that life here is not a cheap alternative.

According to the latest UK Government statistics, migration to South Asia is up by over 100% in the past five years and that trend looks set to continue.

It is not difficult to see why the statistics are moving upwards. Mumbai is a cosmopolitan city where you can get anything you want anytime you want it.

'Very expensive'

The only problem is that you have to pay for it and you will find you are not the only ones wanting the best table in that restaurant or that prime piece of real estate.

In reality you are probably at the back of a long queue where everyone's got money and they came here before you.

Mumbai is uplifting, it's fun, it's sexy, it's feminine and also provocative

Club disc jockey MaFaiza

Deepa Mehta has just moved here from Camden Town in London and is trying to find a suitable apartment in a favourable location.

She has viewed over 60 properties, has already seen one deal fall through at the last minute and is tired of living in a serviced flat.

"Real estate here is very expensive and a good place will cost me at least £4,000 to £5,000 a month to rent," she says.

"One of the big problems I am having is that I need a place where the kitchen is top notch as I like to cook. Here the kitchens are not that good because everyone has servants, so developers spend more time and money on living areas and bedrooms.

"I have just moved here and found it very easy to find a good location to set up my business and office, so I just hope I manage to find somewhere to live.

"But there as so many British expats here - the competition is fierce and all the estate agents know it."

It's not just property that has seen a surge in prices - the number of shopping malls and retail complexes are also booming.

Debenhams, Next, Marks and Spencer and Mothercare have all arrived in India looking for new business.

Each month others are joining them to quench the thirst for foreign products.

Designer brands such as Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Chopard have been here for years and say business is good.

Amrita Sanghera moved to Mumbai from the English county of Buckinghamshire one year ago and has settled down as an expatriate wife.

She is a regular shopper and says English stores remind her of home - but most of their pricing is higher than you would find in the UK so its not necessarily good value.

Mumbai is also lively, exciting and very expensive

"We feel more at home when we see English retailers on the Indian High Street and even though we could get the same products cheaper in the UK we still buy them as the quality is better than Indian products.

"Life here is great and the shopping is a plus as you can get authentic Indian products along side a pair of Marks and Spencer trousers".

Dalbir Bains moved from the UK to Mumbai - leaving behind a lucrative job buying lingerie for British Home Stores.

She opened an up-market boutique on the fashionable Juhu Tara Road one year ago and has not looked back.

"Indians don't know the quality and depth of products available in the UK," she said, "so I thought why not open a retail outlet here and bring my expertise to a city that will appreciate what I am trying to do?

"Many of my clients are Bollywood stars and rich housewives, but I also sell to the middle class shopper and of course the many British expats who are living here. So far my business is doing very well and I am glad I made the move."

'Not perfect'

Amid all the glitz of the city famous for its Bollywood film industry, Upen Patel started out as a model in London and still flies the flag for the British as an actor.

"I love it here and I think Mumbai is the best place in the world to live in. India maybe a developing country but the city in terms of pounds per square foot is the fourth most expensive place in the world," he said.

"My life in London does not compare. Here I cannot go out shopping, everywhere I go I have to use a driver, a bodyguard and have police security. It's not a perfect way to live but it's one that I have chosen and I have no regrets."

For many, the pros of life in Mumbai outweigh the cons

Club disc jockey MaFaiza came to India 15 years ago to "find herself" and ended up selling mix tapes on a beach in Goa. She soon realised that India was the place to settle down.

Her parents were concerned but are now pleased she is doing well. She works all over India and in Europe but calls the city of Pune, near Mumbai, her home.

"It's uplifting, it's fun, it's sexy, it's feminine and also provocative. India has allowed me to express my creativity. India is extreme, humbling and inspiring. Somehow here magic happens and everyday I can honestly say to myself thank-you for being here," she says.

In Mumbai the number of baby and toddler groups is rising and there are more social expatriate groups than ever.

Re-location companies and property agents are cropping up everywhere because there is so much demand from foreign workers.

It is difficult to ascertain the exact number of British expatriates living in India because many people of Indian origin now have long-term visas.

The Indian Government say it is aware of the shift in population and welcomes anyone who wants to come as both will prosper.

Indian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Shiv Mukherjee, says that British-born people of Indian origin "may have different coloured passports but they are Indian".

"If they want to see the mother country and in the process if they want to work, they are most welcome," he says.

You can hear Sanjiv Buttoo's reports on the Asian Network on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.

2008-11-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

Tibetan exiles at a crossroads

Delegates backed the Dalai Lama's policy of autonomy after a week of meetings

By Chris Morris
BBC News, Dharamsala

The Dalai Lama's temple compound in the foothills of the Himalayas was an appropriate setting for the final session of this week's meetings.

The Tibetan exile community may not agree on everything, but there's no doubt that they continue to revere the Dalai Lama as their spiritual and political leader.

His policy of non-violence was unanimously endorsed.

"The first and foremost thing is that we've been able to convey the message to the Chinese government," said Tsering Norzung, one of the hundreds of delegates who had travelled here from around the world.

"His Holiness the Dalai Lama is the supreme leader of the Tibetan people."

The delegates sat and listened with rapt attention as the Dalai Lama addressed them at length.

My faith in the Chinese people has never been shaken. People are always there, but sometimes governments change

Dalai Lama
Tibet's spiritual leader

He said he was pleased that so many different views had been expressed during the week, but when asked for his own opinion at a press conference he was suitably enigmatic.

"Wait for a month," he declared.

He also emphasised several times the need for greater contacts with ordinary people inside China.

Quite how that might happen remains a mystery, but the Dalai Lama insisted that most Chinese can't be held responsible for what he called the use of fear and brutal repression in Tibet itself.

"My faith in the Chinese people has never been shaken," he stressed. "In any dialogue there are two levels - dialogue with the government and dialogue with the people."

"People are always there," he said, "but sometimes governments change and certainly leaderships change."

So from his hilltop retreat in India the Dalai Lama is hoping for change in China.

Perhaps he knows that that could have far more influence on events in Tibet than anything the exile community can do.

But how long will people be prepared to wait?

New urgency

There's no sign at all of the current Chinese leadership making any concessions on Tibet, and that's why many Tibetans are frustrated - the Dalai Lama included.

The Dalai Lama warned against radical options raised for the first time

The majority view during these meetings was that efforts to negotiate with China on greater autonomy - the Middle Way Approach - should continue.

But for the first time other, more radical options have been given a formal hearing.

"This time what has changed is that we have adopted independence as the alternative," said Tenzin Tsundue, a prominent Tibetan activist. "We are going to give a short period of time for China to respond appropriately."

But that's not something with which the Dalai Lama appears to agree.

He warned the delegates that if they were not careful about their plans for the next 20 years, the Tibetan community would face great danger, and the possibility of failure.

One of the reasons he called for Tibetans from around the world to gather here may have been to foster a new sense of unity among them.

For now he seems to have succeeded. But many exile leaders accept that their movement has come to something of a crossroads.

The 14th Dalai Lama, widely known and respected as a Nobel peace laureate, is 73 years old and he won't be around for ever.

"It is my moral responsibility until my death to work for the Tibetan cause," he said.

But he's trying to prepare his people for what could be a complex transition.

2008-11-22T11:38:00.001-07:00

India 'to step up piracy battle'

India is expected to increase its deployment in the Gulf of Aden

India is bolstering its naval presence in the Gulf of Aden to tackle piracy off Somalia's coast, reports say.

The Indian navy is planning to send at least one more warship to the area, according to local media reports.

And Delhi has formally been given permission to act under a UN resolution allowing navies to pursue pirates into Somalia's territorial waters.

Piracy incidents have surged off the Somali coast and a number of Indian crews have been on hijacked ships.

On Tuesday, an Indian warship sank a suspected pirate "mother ship" after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden.

Earlier this week, a Saudi Arabian super tanker, the Sirius Star, was hijacked along with 25 crew. The tanker, loaded with oil worth $100m, is now anchored off the Somali coast.

Security Council mandate

According to local media reports, the Indian navy now plans to send at least one more warship to the Gulf of Aden.

INS Mysore - a destroyer - could be deployed as early as next week, reports say.

SOMALIA PIRACY

How sea piracy is hurting India

'I thought pirates would kill me'

Somali piracy: Your stories

UK hands over pirate suspects

The Navy refused to confirm the report, saying it did not discuss deployment of ships.

Under a UN Security Council resolution passed in June, states co-operating with Somalia's transitional government are permitted, for a period of six months, to enter its territorial waters to "repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea".

The international forces are allowed to use "all necessary means", in a manner consistent with relevant provisions of international law, according to resolution 1816.

India is among several countries currently patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

In recent weeks, there has been a growing demand for multinational efforts to fight the pirates, with more than 90 vessels attacked this year.

France, India, South Korea, Russia, Spain, the US and Nato also have a presence in the region.

'Pirate-infested waters'

India has called for greater co-operation between foreign navies to tackle the piracy threat.

India deployed INS Tabar in the Gulf of Aden on 23 October, and it has escorted 35 ships safely through the "pirate-infested waters", the navy says.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Shipping in India has confirmed that seven Indians are among the crew of the MV Delight, a Hong-Kong registered Iranian cargo ship, which was hijacked on Tuesday.

The 25-member crew includes two Pakistanis, seven Filipinos, seven Iranians and two Ghanaians.

The ship was carrying wheat and was bound for Iran.

A week ago, 18 Indian crew members of the Japanese-owned cargo ship MV Stolt Valor were released after being held by pirates for two months.

Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered continuing civil strife.

2008-11-19T11:23:00.000-07:00

In these troubling times, some videos from SN Goenkaji

Introduction (short)	A short video (2 min) about the observation of breath and bodily sensations in Vipassana Meditation can be viewed with the free Quicktime movie player.
Introduction	"A Simple Path" Interview with S.N. Goenka: This video gives an introduction to Vipassana Meditation technique. (19 min)
U.N. Peace Summit at United Nations, New York, Aug 2000	“Universal Spirituality for Peace” S.N. Goenka lectures about world peace and the role of religion. It was addressed to religious leaders from all over the world, that participated in the “Millenium World Peace Summit”. Real Video Format. (15 min)
WEF (World Economic Forum)	Interview with S.N. Goenka at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 2000. Real Video Format. (15 min)
Vipassana in Prisons	“The Dhamma Brothers”, view the trailer of the documentary film about the first Vipassana Meditation course held inside the highest level maximum-security state prison in Alabama, USA, 2002 (2 min)

2008-11-19T10:59:00.000-07:00

India 'sinks Somali pirate ship'

The Indian navy is now patrolling off the Somali coast

An Indian navy warship has destroyed a suspected Somali pirate vessel after it came under attack in the Gulf of Aden.

INS Tabar sank the pirate "mother ship" after it failed to stop for investigation and opened fire instead, an Indian navy statement said.

There has been a surge in piracy incidents off the coast of Somalia.

The latest attack came days after the Saudi-owned Sirius Star supertanker and its 25 crew were seized by pirates and anchored off the Somali coast.

Vela International, operators of the Sirius Star, told the BBC no demands had yet been received from the pirates. The company also said all the crew were safe.

Indian Navy spokesman Commander Nirad Sinha describes the attack

The biggest tanker ever hijacked, Sirius Star is carrying a cargo of two million barrels of oil - a quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily output - worth more than $100m (£67m).

Analysts say the pattern of other hijackings suggests a ransom request is likely to follow. Given the value of the tanker and its cargo, that is expected to be a sizeable demand.

Two of the captive crew are British. The UK Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, said the Royal Navy was co-ordinating the European response to the incident.

"The problem of piracy around Somalia is a grave danger to the stability in the region," he told the BBC.

Somalia has not had a functioning national government since 1991 and has suffered continuing civil strife.

Explosions

India is among several countries already patrolling the Gulf of Aden, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes which connects the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.

SOMALIA PIRACY

How sea piracy is hurting India

'I thought pirates would kill me'

Somali piracy: Your stories

UK hands over pirate suspects

The Indian navy said the Tabar spotted the pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles (528km) south-west of Salalah in Oman on Tuesday evening.

The navy said the pirates on board were armed with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers.

When it demanded the vessel stop for investigation, the pirate ship responded by threatening to "blow up the naval warship if it closed on her", the statement said.

Pirates then fired on the Tabar, and the Indians say they retaliated and that there was an explosion on the pirate vessel, which sank.

"Fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored in the vessel," the Indian navy said.

Some of the pirates tried to escape on two speedboats. The Indian sailors gave chase but one boat was later found abandoned, while a second boat escaped.

INS Tabar has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since 23 October, and has escorted 35 ships safely through the "pirate-infested waters", the statement said.

Last week, helicopter-borne Indian marine commandos stopped pirates from boarding and hijacking an Indian merchant vessel.

Ransoms

On Tuesday, a cargo ship and a fishing vessel became the latest to join more than 90 vessels attacked by the pirates this year.

THE SIRIUS STAR

Carrying 2m barrels of oil

Biggest vessel to be hijacked

The first vessel, a 25-crew cargo vessel transporting wheat to Iran, was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, while contact was lost with the crew of 12 on the fishing boat.

Piracy off the coast of East Africa and the Gulf of Aden - an area of more than 1m sq miles (2.6m sq km) - is estimated to have cost up to $30m in ransoms this year, a UK think tank has said.

The hijackings account for one-third of all global piracy incidents this year and the situation is getting out of control, according to the International Maritime Board.

The pirates who seized the Sirius Star are a sophisticated group with contacts in Dubai and neighbouring countries, says the BBC Somali Service's Yusuf Garaad.

Much of their ransom money from previous hijackings has been used to buy new boats and weapons as well as develop a network across the Horn of Africa, he adds.

Shipping companies are now weighing up the risks of using the short-cut route to Europe via the Suez canal.

However, travelling around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope would add several weeks to average journey times and substantially increase the cost of goods for consumers.

See Video:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7737294.stm

2008-11-18T10:02:00.001-07:00

On the wrong side of law

By Geeta Pandey
BBC News, Delhi

Chunchun Kumar's wound is still raw

For Chunchun Kumar of Bihar's Nawada district, it was just another evening as he lounged around at a tea stall in his village along with a friend.

But, then something happened that changed his life.

"It was 17 March of this year. There were six of them. When we first saw them, they were beating up the temple priest. He was lying on the ground, they were kicking and punching him," Kumar says.

"Then they started hitting two other men. Then they came into the tea shop and they beat us black and blue. Then they fired at us."

Kumar lifts up his shirt to show a bullet mark on his abdomen. The wound is still oozing.

The perpetrators were no ordinary criminals.

Says Kumar, "They were all policemen. I don't know why they were angry. They were all drunk, they were like drunk elephants, they went on a rampage."

The shocked villagers complained to the police authorities, and the offending policemen were suspended from duty and arrested.

'Very serious'

Additional director general of police in Bihar Anil Sinha confirmed the incident.

"Two of the policemen who were inebriated vandalised the tea shop and began firing despite protests from their other colleagues. They were arrested and, although they have been released on bail, they are facing criminal charges."

Kumar's fight for justice recently brought him to the Indian capital, Delhi, where he narrated his story at India's first National People's Tribunal on Torture.

Activists say torture by police is rampant in India.

"The problem of torture is very serious. Today we have around 1.8 million cases of police torture each year in India," says Henri Tiphagne of People's Watch, an NGO.

The police are often a law unto themselves, say campaigners

Mr Tiphagne says the victims mostly are from the poorer sections of society.

"They are generally the (low-caste) Dalits, the tribals and the Muslims. And torture is used by those who are in power, those who possess, the landlords and the companies who put pressure on the police to carry out torture," Mr Tiphagne says.

Mr Anil Sinha says cases of human rights violations involving the police are "exaggerated" by activists.

"It's a kind of stereotype being dished out by the NGOs and activists. And because police have a bad reputation, so people take such allegations to be correct.

"We do not condone any human rights violations by police in any manner, and such cases are rare. We have a mechanism in place to deal with such cases and penalise the guilty," Mr Sinha says.

Shankar Sen, a retired police officer and former member of the human rights commission, says: "The policeman's work is very complex, there are pressure on him to deliver results, the police are exposed to extraneous influences and pressures."

But, he says, that does not condone torture. "It's illegal, and as a policeman I know it doesn't work."

Mr Sen admits that police torture is prevalent. "Torture does take place, it's very common, but it's unacceptable. Some allegations against the police are shocking."

Meenakshi Ganguly of Human Rights Watch says nearly every police station in India can be held guilty of torture.

'Arbiter of justice'

In many parts of the country, she says, the situation is so bad that people will not got to a police station to file a case fearing prosecution and retribution.

"There is this pattern of impunity. The fact that police believe they can get away with it has added to the problem," Ms Ganguly says.

"The greater problem is that an average policeman believes himself to be the arbiter of justice. Instead of going to the court, he himself is delivering justice.

Arun Kumar's mental age has been reduced to one year

"The policeman is not supposed to punish the criminal, he is supposed to catch the criminal," she says.

For the victims of torture and their families, it is a long haul.

Arun Kumar of the southern city of Bangalore was picked up by the police after his employer suspected him of having an affair with his wife.

Kumar's parents, PP Raju and Lakshmi, say their family home was ransacked, Kumar was taken to the police station where he was beaten up and tortured for days.

Unable to bear the pain and the trauma, Kumar drank pesticides in an attempt to kill himself.

He survived, but his parents say their son's mental age has been reduced to one year - he is on medication and requires constant care.

The guilty policeman was suspended for a week, but reinstated later. The family has a long fight ahead of them.

'Deterrence'

Says Mr Tiphagne, "A case I initiated in 1981 ended in 2007 with the dismissal of the officer. So I have hope in Arun Kumar's case too."

But, he says, this long wait can be a huge deterrence for even the most determined.

Mr Tiphagne says nearly 2 million cases of torture take place in India every year

"The torture at the police station ends, but the torture of institutions continues. It's more of a psychological and mental nature, it is very challenging. Most people don't have the courage to withstand that, very few survive that," Mr Tiphagne says.

So while the victims continue to live with the trauma, most of the perpetrators get away.

They are also emboldened by the fact that India has no clear law on torture.

The country signed the UN Convention on Torture in 1997, but even 10 years later, it has not ratified it.

"We have to change our culture. We have to create awareness that torture is illegal. The civil society will have to get involved," says Meenakshi Ganguly.

"People will have to get past the fact that torture happens only to other people. And once that happens, it will change," she says.

2008-11-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Unusual rush of voters in Kashmir

In pictures: Kashmir votes

Protests fade as vote begins

In Indian-administered Kashmir, there has been an unusually strong turnout in the first phase of elections for a new state government.

Queues of hundreds of voters formed from early morning in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley, defying a boycott called by separatist groups.

Voters have also come out in strength in the Hindu-majority Jammu region.

Meanwhile, troops fired teargas shells and used batons to break up anti-poll protests in the Bandipora area.

Correspondents say that the turnout in Muslim-majority constituencies was just over 50%, slightly less than elections in 2002, with many Muslims taking part even though many do not accept Indian rule in their troubled state.

The election is being seen as a stern test for Indian rule of the disputed Himalayan region.

In recent months there have been huge pro-independence demonstrations in Kashmir which were met with force by the security forces, leaving many dead.

And dozens of separatist leaders have been detained to prevent them leading protests against the poll.

Voting is being held in seven phrases, lasting until 24 December. Counting of votes will take place on 28 December.

'Crowded'

The BBC's Altaf Hussain in Bandipora says the boycott call had little impact in the Bandipora and Sonawari constituencies.

The security presence in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir is high

"Unusually large numbers" of voters have turned up to cast their ballots in Ajas village, in Bandipora, in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley, he says.

The voters included men and women and they all said they had come to vote by choice, our correspondent reports, and were not deterred by the chilly weather. "The polling centre in Ajas was so crowded that we could not enter it."

One voter, Ali Mohammad, told the BBC: "We support azaadi (independence from India), but elections are important for the day-to-day administration. We need a government."

Meanwhile, security forces fired teargas shells and used batons to break up stone-pelting protests in Bandipora.

In one place, about 100 protesters held a march, chanting anti-India and pro-freedom slogans. Police and paramilitary troops used batons to disperse them.

Brisk polling was reported in the three constituencies of Poonch district in the Hindu-majority Jammu region.

Enthusiastic voters queued up since the morning to cast their votes early, the BBC's Binoo Joshi from Jammu reported.

The BBC's Damian Grammaticas visits a polling station in Bandipura

Security was tight across the state with armed soldiers and policemen deployed on every road and at almost every junction in the Muslim-majority Kashmir valley.

Half a million troops provided a massive security blanket.

Over the summer hundreds of thousands of Kashmiri Muslims staged some of the biggest protests in a generation against Indian-rule.

The row began after the state government allotted a plot of land to a Hindu religious shrine trust.

Following violent protests, the government revoked the land transfer order.

This led to violent protests in the Jammu region too.

Police broke up the demonstrations in the valley and the Jammu region and dozens of people were killed, many of them unarmed protesters.

The authorities have jailed or put under house arrest up to 100 separatist leaders who have called for a boycott of the vote.

They asked their supporters to march on polling stations.

The BBC's Damian Grammaticas in Srinagar says India is hoping the election will help restore its battered credibility here.

Depending on the number of people who heed the call to shun the poll, the legitimacy of India's rule over Kashmir may well be questioned, our correspondent says.

See Video:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7732745.stm

2008-11-16T17:10:00.000-07:00

The Universal Meditation Technique of S.N. Goenka

Norman Fischer interviews S.N. Goenka

Hundreds of thousands of people—from iliterate Indian farmers to Roman Catholic priests—have benefited from the famed 10-day meditation course pioneered by vipassana teacher S.N. Goenka. Drawing from the Buddha's earliest teachings, Goenka teaches a simple yet powerful technique of close attention to every sensation.

Norman Fischer: Please tell us, if you will, how you became involved in practicing and teaching Buddhist meditation.

S.N. Goenka: At first, I hesitated in getting into the Buddha's teaching. I was born and raised in Burma in a very staunch, conservative Hindu family. We were told from a very young age that the Buddha was wonderful because he was an incarnation of Vishnu. But his teaching was not considered good for us.

However in 1955, at the age of 31, I started experiencing severe migraines and couldn't get any help or relief. At that time, a very good friend—I have always been very grateful to him—said, "Go and take this ten-day meditation course." I hesitated. If I became a Buddhist, what would happen to me? I wouldn't believe in a soul, I wouldn't believe in God. Then I would go to hell. No, this was not for me.

I hesitated for a few months, but then my friend pushed me again: "Why don't you go and see U Ba Khin?" As well as being a teacher of vipassana (insight meditation), U Ba Khin was a householder, and in fact, a government official. When I went to see him, I immediately felt that he was a saintly person. The first thing I said was, "I have come for my migraine headaches." He said, "No, Goenka, I can't help you. Go to a doctor."

Because of that response, I was very much drawn to him. You see, at the time I was a very popular person in my own community. I was president of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as well as president or secretary of at least twenty social organizations, including hospitals and schools. Usually, a guru feels great about having such a prominent person as a student. But instead he said, "No, I won't take you." He had no attachment to name or fame or gain. He explained very lovingly, "Look, what I teach is a path of high spirituality from India, but our country has lost it. Don't devalue it. Don't make use of this technique to treat some physical disease. This technique is to take you out of all misery, not just the misery of a migraine."

His approach attracted me, but I was still doubtful. This was Buddhism, after all. Then he asked me a question: "You are a leader of the Hindu community here in Burma. Does your Hindu religion have any objection to sila [Pali: morality]?" No religion in the world would say that they are against morality. So I replied, "No sir, I have no objection to sila."

He continued: "How can you observe sila if you have no control over your mind? I will teach you control of the mind. I will teach you samadhi." In Hindu scripture, samadhi, concentration, is regarded as a very high thing. The rishis, the great meditators, all do samadhi. But we householders don't know what samadhi is. We revere samadhi, but we don't know what it is. If somebody wants then that is wonderful. "No sir," I replied, "I have no objection to samadhi."

Then he said, "Well, mere samadhi won't do. It will control your mind, but deep inside the behavior pattern is like a sleeping volcano. It will erupt again, and you will forget everything and you will break your sila. So I will teach you the purification from the deepest level of the mind, panna [Pali: wisdom]. Do you have any objection to panna?"

At the time, I was a teacher of the Bhagavad Gita. I'd been explaining prajna [Sanskrit: wisdom] to people, but I never really knew it, I never practiced it. It was mere talk. Many times after giving a lecture on prajna, I would come home and feel so sorry. Why had I spoken of all these things? I had no trace of liberation from craving, liberation from aversion. I had so much ego and yet I talked of prajna. So I said to U Ba Khin, "If somebody teaches me panna, no sir, I have no objection."

"Well Goenka," he replied," I will teach you only sila, samadhi and panna. Nothing else. Just accept that. If you accept that, then come." So I took the ten-day course and I found it good. The teachings of the Buddha were so complete, so pure.

Norman Fischer: In my Zen practice and in other forms of Buddhist practice, there is a lot of ritual, and also clergy and hierarchy. Do you feel there's any benefit or advantage for Buddhism in ritual?

S.N. Goenka: I don't wish to condemn anybody, but if my teacher had asked me to perform rites or rituals, I would have said good-bye. My own Hindu tradition was full of rituals and ceremonies, so to start again with another set of rituals didn't make sense. But my teacher said, "No ritual. Buddha taught only sila, samadhi, panna. Nothing else. There is nothing to be added and nothing to be subtracted." As the Buddha said, "Kevalaparipunnam." [Pali: "The whole technique is complete by itself."]

Norman Fischer: Can you please tell us about your course of instruction in vipassana-the details of it, how it goes, how you teach people?

S.N. Goenka: Everyone who comes to the basic ten-day vipassana course must take five precepts, because morality is very important as a basis. New students, at least for those ten days, must observe these precepts very scrupulously. If one keeps on breaking sila, one cannot practice at all. After the ten days are completed, students are their own masters. If they find it is good for them to continue with the precepts, then they can do so. Older students take eight precepts.

For the samadhi aspect of the program, we work with the respiration, the breath. We use the natural breath as it comes in and as it goes out, keeping attention to a limited area-the entrance of the nostrils. Then from the fourth day onward one is trained to observe the sensations throughout the body-pleasant, unpleasant or neutral-and understand their basic nature. Every sensation has the same nature: arising, passing away, arising, passing away.

Understanding this impermanence, one maintains equanimity as much as possible. One doesn't react, and not reacting starts changing the habit pattern at the deep level of the mind. Over time, one has built up and strengthened the blind habit pattern of reaction. Any pleasant experience-craving. Any unpleasant experience-aversion. This habit pattern has to be broken. It can be broken at the surface level, but the Buddha wanted to purify the totality of the mind, so we work at the deepest level.

Norman Fischer: Do practitioners simply observe whatever sensations arise in the body, or do they go systematically through the different parts of the body?

S.N. Goenka: We use a systematic approach. We want the students to reach the stage where they experience all kinds of sensations and experience them in every part of the body. If you work systematically, then the stage of experiencing all kinds of sensations throughout the body comes much earlier.

Norman Fischer: Is this a guided meditation, in which you say, "Notice sensations at the top of the head, notice sensations here, notice there."?

S.N. Goenka: Yes, very much so, in the sense that the students remind themselves to keep on moving systematically. If they don't notice any sensation, they stay for about a minute and then move on calmly. Whether some sensation crops up or nothing crops up, you keep moving.

Norman Fischer: The sutras speak of many kinds of people with many different tendencies. Do you find that this technique works better for some kinds of people than others, or that some people can't do it?

S.N. Goenka: In my experience, I haven't found a single person who has been unable to do it. The most illiterate people from the villages in India, people who had never heard what Buddha taught, and people who are long-time devotees of Buddha-all get equal results. It's so simple. When I ask them to observe the breath, they observe the breath. An illiterate person can also observe the breath. And they can take their attention to a particular part of the body. Why should there be any difficulty?

Norman Fischer: You addressed the World Peace Summit at the United Nations. What is the relevance to world peace of a meditation technique, which seems like a very personal thing?

S.N. Goenka: We want peace in the entire human society, yet we don't care whether there is peace in the mind of the individual. When we talk of human society, the human being matters most. And when we talk of peace, the mind matters most. So the mind of each individual matters most. Unless there is peace in the mind of the individual, how can there be peace in the society?

There may be different techniques. We don't say that this is the only way. For me it is the only way, but other religions say that they have another way for people to find peace and harmony. Very good, go ahead.

But what I am teaching is universal. Anybody can practice it, from any religion or tradition, and they will get the same result. We have people coming to vipassana courses from every religion in the world, and they all get the same result. I don't tell them, "Convert yourself from this religion to that religion." My teacher never asked me to convert to a religion. The only conversion is from misery to happiness.

Norman Fischer: The fact that there is no ritual makes it easier for people all over to join.

S.N. Goenka: More than two thousand Christian priests and nuns have taken the meditation course. One nun, a mother superior who was over 75 years old, told me, "You are teaching Christianity in the name of Buddhism. I should have learned this technique fifty years ago." Because there was no technique in her background. She had sermons on love and compassion for others, but they still left her asking how to actually practice love and compassion. With the vipassana technique you purify the mind at the root. Love comes naturally. You don't have to make an effort to practice metta, loving-kindness. It just comes.

Norman Fischer: So even though there is no conversion effort, others are nonetheless attracted to this practice?

S.N. Goenka: People are attracted by the results of the practice that they see in others. When a person is angry, the influence of that anger makes everybody unhappy, including themself. You are the first victim of your own anger. This realization is another thing that attracted me to the Buddha's teaching. In my early days, I believed that you lived a moral life in order not to disturb the peace and harmony of the society. In other words, as a Hindu I understood that one must live a life of morality to oblige society.

But when I took my first ten-day course, I started to understand that I was not obliging anybody else, I was obliging myself. Because when I performed any unwholesome action, I couldn't perform that action unless I had generated defilement in my mind. Every defilement, every unwholesome action, starts with an unwholesome mind. As the Buddha said, "Pubbe hanatu attanam, paccha hanati so pare"-"you first harm yourself and then you harm others." You can't harm anybody without harming yourself."

That was so revealing to me. Previously when I was angry, my mind was absorbed in thinking about the other person and the situation. My mind would just roll around in that without knowing that it is such thoughts that fuel the fire of anger. I had never been taught to observe myself. When I started observing myself, I discovered anger, lots of burning. My whole body burned, my heart rate increased, tension increased. I thought, "What I am doing? I am burning myself!"

Having practiced the meditation technique, now I know that when I live a life of sila I oblige myself first, not others. Others get obliged, which is good, but I am the first person to benefit. That is a wonderful difference in the Buddha's teaching from any other teaching I know.

Norman Fischer: I understand that you have a good friendship with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Can you tell us how that developed, particularly since His Holiness' tradition, with all its color and ritual, contrasts with your approach?

S.N. Goenka: In the first year when I moved to India from Burma, there was a big public function put on by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar's followers, who had become Buddhists. They invited me to their annual celebration of the day that Dr. Ambedkar converted to Buddhism. There were some one and a half million people in attendance. His Holiness the Dalai Lama was invited, along with me and the Japanese teacher Fuji Guruji. We were invited as chief guests, and each of us gave a speech. Mine was translated into Tibetan and His Holiness liked it so much that he said that he wanted to meet me and discuss things.

We started at nine o'clock the next morning and at two-thirty or three we were still talking-all about technique. He was very happy with my teaching. But when I said, "Quite a few people on the second day or third day see light," he responded, "No, no. That must be illusion. How can somebody see light in three days? It takes years to see light."

I replied, "Venerable sir, I saw light in my eyes. And so have many other people. I would not say it is an illusion. You better send a few of your lamas and let them experience it. If I am wrong, I will rectify it. I don't teach them that they must see light. It is merely a sign, a milestone on a long path, not the final goal."

So he sent three lamas to my next course in Sarnath. All three of them saw light, and they were so happy. When they went back and explained that to His Holiness, he was also happy. He said, "Goenka, come here and give a course to my people." Then I wrote him back, "When I give a course these are the rules. I don't want to hurt anybody's feelings, but if your high lamas don't agree to my rules, I cannot teach." He sent a message back to me, "Goenka, they will follow whatever you say for the full ten days. So don't worry; they will follow your rules."

The course took place in the Tibetan library in Dharamsala, not far from where His Holiness was living. On the first day, when I told all the very top-ranking lamas my rules, they protested: "But every day, we have rituals to perform, we have to chant so many recitations, we have to prostrate so many times."

"Nothing doing," I replied. "For ten days, nothing doing." And they said, "No, we can't break our life-long vow." So I sent word to the Dalai Lama, "Sir, I can't teach. Your people don't agree. I'm sorry, I have to go." And he sent word to the lamas through his private secretary, "You have to followGoenka's instructions, even if it means breaking your rules. Whatever he says, you must agree to do." They all did it, and they got the same result. Rites or no rites, rituals or no rituals, the technique gives results.

Normally I don't go out during a course, but the Dalai Lama wanted to discuss how it was going, so I visited him two times. We had long discussions in detail about the technique I teach and about his technique also-without judging, just exploring with inquisitiveness. We each enjoyed our discussions tremendously. Since then we have been friends.

I am not interested in any kind of politics. Of course I have great sympathy for whatever is happening to the Tibetan people, but I can't take up that cause. It's not part of my duty as a dharma teacher. Even the most undemocratic person, even the greatest tyrant, will be a good person if he practices. Just as Buddha was not interested in the politics of the different kings of his day, so that's not my job either. His Holiness understands that very well. We are not political friends, but rather dharma friends.

He did keep asking me about sunnata, emptiness. "You've got no sunnata?" he would ask. But after I explained my understanding of it, he accepted what I said: that when all solidity is dissolved in the technique, and there's nothing but vibration remaining, that is sunnata. Then you experience something beyond mind and matter-sunna-nothing to hold there. You have sunna of the mind and matter sphere and sunna of the beyond mind and matter sphere. His Holiness seemed to be quite happy with that explanation. He had no objection.

S.N. Goenka is a teacher of Vipassana meditation in the tradition of the late Sayagyi U Ba Khin of Burma (Myanmar).

Norman Fischer is a poet and Zen priest who served as abbot of San Francisco Zen Center from 1995 to 2000. He is now a senior teacher at the Center and the founding teacher of the Everyday Zen Foundation and co-author of Benedict's Dharma: Buddhists Comment on the Rule of St. Benedict (Riverhead).

The Universal Meditation Technique of S.N. Goenka, Norman Fischer, Shambhala Sun, September 2001.

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2008-11-15T11:45:00.002-07:00

Pollution fears over Delhi smog

By Alan Johnston
BBC News, Delhi

Smog in Delhi, 13 November 2008
People in Delhi can barely see the sun through the smog

For days the Indian capital, Delhi, has been shrouded in a blanket of smog that has put the city's dreaded pollution problems back in the news.

"Smoggy days are here again," read a front page headline in one paper. "Smog is back with a vengeance," said the Times of India.

Look out over the capital and you see trees and tower blocks starting to disappear into the lingering grey mist or haze.

It is as if Delhiites have been living through a perpetual fog, which the sun only penetrates in a weak and wintry way.

By the end of the day you can almost taste the pollution in the air. And all over the city people are snuffling and coughing, and blaming it on the smog.

There's a widespread sense that the city is losing ground in its anti-pollution battle.

'Unbearable'

Dr Sanjeev Bagai of Rockland Hospital said that there had been a 30% increase in the number of complaints from people with respiratory difficulties.

Chepuri Shri Krishna
Delhi resident Chepuri Shri Krishna says people are suffering

"It's too much, it's just getting unbearable," said Chepuri Shri Krishna, as he went about his business on KG Marg, one of city's major avenues.

"And you can see the consequences. A lot of people are suffering from asthma and breathing problems."

Much of the blame for the smog is laid on the ever growing torrent of traffic that streams through the city.

As India boomed economically in recent years hundreds of new cars were being registered in Delhi every day.

The government has made huge efforts to tackle the pollution problem.

Eight years ago all buses, taxis and rickshaws were switched over to ecologically friendly fuel - compressed natural gas.

And the government's Pollution Control Board claims to have made substantial progress. It says that carbon monoxide levels are down by 50%, and that the amount of sulphur monoxide in the air has been cut by nearly three-quarters.

Particles

The independent environmental watchdog, the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), agrees that these figures are correct on average across the year.

But a CSE spokesman said that under certain climatic conditions in the winter months there can be a build-up of pollutants.

And he said that while overall levels of gasses like carbon monoxide had fallen, the amount of dust, petrol and diesel matter in the air had been on the rise for the past three years.

On windless, winter days this "particulate matter" can combine to cause serious problems.

The spokesman said that the authorities had to work to continually think of new ways to combat the pollution menace.

He said that improvements to public transport were very much needed.

And he also called for better methods of alerting people to air quality problems, enabling those with respiratory difficulties to steer clear of the worst affected parts of the city.

2008-11-14T13:24:00.001-07:00

Indian probe touches down on Moon
Earth (ISRO)
Chandrayaan 1 sent back images of Earth earlier this month

India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft, Chandrayaan 1, has placed a probe on the surface of the Moon.

The probe, painted with the Indian flag, touched down at 2034 (1504 GMT), the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.

It will perform various experiments, including measuring the composition of the Moon's atmosphere.

The mission is regarded as a major step for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.

The BBC's Sanjoy Majumder in Delhi says the success of the mission has been hailed in India where many see it as another sign of the country's emergence as a global power.

Video journey

Earlier this week Chandrayaan 1 began orbiting the Moon some three weeks after it was launched from a space centre in southern India.

CHANDRAYAAN 1
Infographic (BBC)
1 - Chandrayaan Energetic Neutral Analyzer (CENA)
2 - Moon Impact Probe (MIP)
3 - Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM)
4 - Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC)
5 - Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)
6 - Chandrayaan 1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS)
7 - Solar Panel

India sets its sights on the Moon
In Pictures: India Moon mission

The dropping of the Moon Impact Probe (MIP), weighing about 30kg, concludes the first phase of the mission.

"During its descent from Chandrayaan 1, an onboard video camera transmitted lunar pictures to the ISRO command centre," spokesman S Satish said, AFP news agency reports.

In the days to come, the probe will measure the composition of the Moon's ultra-tenuous atmosphere, or exosphere.

For the next two years, Chandrayaan 1 will map a three-dimensional atlas of the Moon and also check for the presence of water-ice with the help of instruments built by India and other countries including the US, Britain and Germany.

The chairman of India's space programme, Madhavan Nair, has described the mission as 95% successful so far and has announced a second lunar mission to be launched by 2012.

"We have now successfully put our national flag on the lunar surface," he told a news conference.

Mr Nair has also said India is considering sending a satellite to Mars.

2008-11-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Britain lifts India nuclear ban
India's Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, located 30km from Mumbai (Bombay)
India wants access to international civilian nuclear technology

The UK Government has announced the lifting of a ban on exporting sensitive nuclear technology to India.

Firms had up until last month been banned from supplying equipment and material on the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) "trigger list" to India.

But the government says that items intended for civilian nuclear projects can now be exported.

The NSG agreed in September to lift a ban that had denied India access to the international nuclear market.

Last month the US and India signed a civilian nuclear co-operation accord to end 34 years of US sanctions.

Shortly before that, France - the world's second largest producer of nuclear energy after the US - signed an agreement with India which paved the way for the sale of French nuclear reactors to Delhi.

Russia has also been lobbying the Indian government hard on behalf of its firms.

'Explosive activities'

The change in the British government's position follows the NSG statement in September.

NUCLEAR POWER IN INDIA
Site of 1974 crater in the Thar desert area, southwest of Delhi
India has 14 reactors in commercial operation and nine under construction
Nuclear power supplies about 3% of India's electricity
By 2050, nuclear power is expected to provide 25% of the country's electricity
India has limited coal and uranium reserves
Its huge thorium reserves - about 25% of the world's total - are expected to fuel its nuclear power programme long-term
Source: Uranium Information Center

A win-win situation for India
Indian firms eye nuclear business

Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell told parliament in a written statement: "Since March 2002 UK policy has been to refuse all licence applications for Trigger List items to India.

"That policy has now changed and we will now consider on a case by case basis licence applications for peaceful use of all items... destined for International Atomic Energy Agency safeguarded civil nuclear facilities in India."

He said that the ban would remain in force on items destined for "unsafeguarded nuclear fuel cycle or nuclear explosive activities" or where there is an "unacceptable risk" the material might be diverted to those activities.

"We will continue to encourage contacts between UK nuclear scientists, academics and those working in or with the UK nuclear industry with their Indian counterparts, except where we consider that such contacts might be of assistance to the weapons-related aspects of its nuclear programme," Mr Rammell said.

"Where such contacts involve the transfer of technology which require export licences we will continue to consider applications for such licences on a cases-by-case basis, in accordance with the provisions of UK export control legislation."

2008-11-11T11:59:00.003-07:00

Indian satellite orbiting Moon
Moon paths
Lunar capture (LC) has been achieved; now for a closer orbit

India is celebrating the arrival of its Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft at the Moon.

An 817-second burn from the probe's engine on Saturday slowed Chandrayaan sufficiently for it to be captured by the lunar body's gravity.

The craft is now in an 11-hour polar ellipse that goes out to 7,502km from the Moon and comes as close as 504km.

Further brakings will bring the Indian satellite down to a near-circular, 100km orbit from where it can begin its two-year mapping mission.

Launched on 22 October, Chandrayaan is India's first satellite to break away from the Earth's gravitational field and reach the lunar body.

CHANDRAYAAN 1
Infographic (BBC)
1 - Chandrayaan Energetic Neutral Analyzer (CENA)
2 - Moon Impact Probe (MIP)
3 - Radiation Dose Monitor (RADOM)
4 - Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC)
5 - Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)
6 - Chandrayaan 1 X-ray Spectrometer (C1XS)
7 - Solar Panel

The mission will compile a 3D atlas of the lunar surface and map the distribution of elements and minerals.

Powered by a single solar panel generating about 700 Watts, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) probe carries five Indian-built instruments and six constructed in other countries, including the US, Britain and Germany.

The Indian experiments include a 30kg probe that will be released from the mothership to slam into the lunar surface.

The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) will record video footage on the way down and measure the composition of the Moon's tenuous atmosphere.

It will also drop the Indian flag on the surface of the Moon.

2008-11-11T11:53:00.001-07:00

Ana Pana & Vipassana - Quicktime Movie

Film Clip Describing What Vipassana Is in Context of a 10-day Course

2008-11-11T11:49:00.001-07:00

India Marxists 'guilty of murder'
By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Calcutta

Tapasi Mallick
Tapasi Mallick's body was found in a paddy field

A court in the Indian state of West Bengal has found two Communist leaders guilty of murdering a woman who opposed a Tata car plant near Calcutta.

Suhrid Dutta and Debu Mallick of the state's governing party were convicted of murdering Tapasi Mallick in 2006.

The two men were also found guilty of tampering with evidence. Sentencing is due on Wednesday and their lawyers say they will appeal against the verdict.

Months of protests over the factory led to Tata moving production elsewhere.

Land row

Eighteen-year-old Tapasi Mallick's charred body was recovered from a paddy field in Singur on 18 December 2006.

She was in the forefront of peasant protests against the acquisition of farmland to be used for the Tata Motors car factory at Singur.

Mallick's murder case was handed over to India's federal police, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), after an outcry.

Suhrid Dutta, chief of the state's ruling CPI(M) party at Singur, was arrested along with another party leader Debu Mallick, in July last year.

Lawyers say Dutta and Mallick could face the death sentence or at least life imprisonment for their crimes.

Tata, one of India's leading industrial groups, had planned to make what it said would be the world's cheapest car, the Nano, at the Singur factory.

After weeks of sustained and sometimes violent protests, Tata scrapped the venture last month and announced that it would shift production of the Nano to the western state of Gujarat.

The Communists have ruled West Bengal for 30 years and are desperately trying to attract investment to shore up the state's ailing economy.

But many projects face opposition from farmers who are unwilling to part with their farmland for industries.

2008-11-10T15:46:00.001-07:00

Outsourcing the law to India

By Chris Morris
BBC News, Delhi

Lawyers working outdoors in India
Traditional legal work may no longer be attracting the brightest and the best

When you think of out-sourcing to India, you tend to think of call centres and credit card help-lines and rows and rows of young people at computer terminals, carrying out the back office work of banks and financial institutions.

But the outsourcing industry is changing. It's becoming more sophisticated and is attracting more people with the very best educational qualifications, including those in the legal profession.

"In my final year of law school I made up my mind," says Divya Kohli, manager of legal support services at CPA India, one of the biggest legal out-sourcing companies in the country.

"I wanted to go into a new industry which had a lot of opportunities for a young lawyer."

'Recession benefits'

Tens of thousands of lawyers graduate in India every year and an increasing number are now taking on work from around the world, as companies look to cut costs wherever they can.

"Yes, we expect to benefit from the recession," says Matthew Banks who works in Mumbai for Integreon, a company engaged by the British legal firm Clifford Chance to help set up facilities in India.

Inder Dugal, CPA
Companies abroad are looking at (out-sourcing) as an extension of their organisation
CPA Vice President of Operations Inder Dugal

Mr Banks says more and more legal work will be pushed in India's direction as bad economic news in Europe and the United States begins to bite. Legal work can be done here for a fraction of the cost.

"But," he adds, "no matter how much money (companies) may be saving, even if they're going to save 50%, it's going to be a false economy if the work isn't up to scratch."

So quality is critical and the interest of global companies and legal firms suggests that - most of the time - the quality is first class.

That's partly because out-sourcing companies offer young Indian law graduates more money than they could earn working for a traditional law firm.

Even so, at the law campus of Delhi University students are split on whether it's a good career move.

"They pay you well," says one, "but the work is quite monotonous."

"I think it's going to take off very well in India," says another. "We're pretty good at providing services."

'Moving fast'

The head of the law faculty, Professor SN Singh, points out that the Indian legal system has plenty in common with the English and American systems, and that is another built-in advantage for India.

Is this a growth area in the future?

Law students at delhi University
Students say outsourcing may be boring, but it's lucrative

"Definitely," he says. "It's moving fast."

Across the Yamuna river from Delhi, in one of the satellite cities growing up around the Indian capital, the offices of CPA India can be found in a half-built commercial neighbourhood of glass and concrete.

It's a long way from the chaotic scenes often found at municipal court complexes, where lawyers sit under awnings hawking for business.

This is where a new generation of young lawyers are integrating with the global economy - working on intellectual property, contracts and even litigation cases.

And all the work they do is carefully costed in advance, with huge savings for companies in more expensive markets.

"Those kinds of efficiencies we have down to a science," says Inder Dugal, the Vice President of Operations at CPA.

"They (companies abroad) are looking at it as an extension of their organisation," he says. "It's a partnership and a long term strategy, not a short term 'help me reduce my costs right now' strategy."

And all this is happening in a country where tens of millions of legal cases are pending before the courts. India's creaking legal system probably needs all the lawyers it can get.

But outsourcing is attracting growing numbers to tackle legal issues from way beyond these shores.

During his presidential election campaign in the United States, Barack Obama warned of the dangers of out-sourcing jobs to countries like India.

So the former law professor may not be too pleased to find out that the legal community is far from immune to the outsourcing phenomenon.

2008-11-09T13:42:00.001-07:00

2 Clergymen Arrested After Brawl Between Monks Next to Jesus' Tomb Site

Nov. 9: Israeli police scuffle with an Armenian monk next to the site traditionally believed to be the tomb of Jesus Christ.

JERUSALEM — Israeli police rushed into one of Christianity's holiest churches Sunday and arrested two clergymen after an argument between monks erupted into a brawl next to the site of Jesus' tomb.

The clash broke out between Armenian and Greek Orthodox monks in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, revered as the site of Jesus' crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

It began as Armenian clergymen marched in an annual procession commemorating the 4th-century discovery of the cross believed to have been used to crucify Jesus. It ended with the arrival of dozens of riot policemen who separated the sides, seizing a bearded Armenian monk in a red-and-pink robe and a black-clad Greek Orthodox monk with a bloody gash on his forehead. Both men were taken away in handcuffs.

Six Christian sects divide control of the ancient church. They regularly fight over turf and influence, and Israeli police are occasionally forced to intervene.

The feud revolves around a demand by the Greek Orthodox to post a monk inside the Edicule — the ancient structure built on what is believed to be the tomb of Jesus — during the Armenian procession. The Armenians refused, and when they tried to march the Greek Orthodox monks blocked their way.

"We were keeping resistance so that the procession could not pass through ... and establish a right that they don't have," said a young Greek Orthodox monk with a cut next to his left eye. The monk, who gave his name as Serafim, said he sustained the wound when an Armenian punched him from behind and broke his glasses.

Father Pakrat of the Armenian Patriarchate said the Greek demand was "against the status quo arrangement and against the internal arrangement of the Holy Sepulcher." He said the Greeks attacked first.

Archbishop Aristarchos, the chief secretary of the Greek Orthodox patriarchate, said his monks had not initiated the violence. "I'm sorry that these events happened in front of the Holy Sepulcher, which is the most holy religious monument of Christianity," he said.

After the brawl, the church was crowded with Israeli police holding assault rifles and equipped with riot gear, standing beside Golgotha, where Jesus is believed to have been crucified, and the long smooth stone marking the place where tradition holds his body was laid out.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said police were forced to intervene after fighting was reported. They arrested two monks, one from each side, he said.

The feud is only one of a bewildering array of rivalries among churchmen in the Holy Sepulcher.

The Israeli government has long wanted to build a fire exit in the church, which regularly fills with thousands of pilgrims and has only one main door, but the plan is on hold because the sects cannot agree where the exit will be built. In another example, a ladder placed on a ledge over the entrance sometime in the 19th century has remained there ever since because of a dispute over who has the authority to take it down. More recently, a spat between Ethiopian and Coptic Christians is delaying badly needed renovations to a rooftop monastery that engineers say could collapse.

2008-11-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Tibet: trilogy of silent films from the 1940s, with a young Dalai Lama.

Posted by Xeni Jardin, November 6, 2008 9:56 AM

From the BFI National Film archive, via YouTube:

"Tibetan Scenes was made by Tsien-Lien Shen in the early 1940s - he was resident Chinese Commissioner in Lhasa from 1942-47. The colour film records many of the ceremonial events that took place in Lhasa, including the New Year ceremonies, and Shen himself appears in the film. There is also evidence of the presence of the Chinese in Lhasa.
Although the majority of the film focuses on Tibetan ceremonies, there are some invaluable scenes capturing everyday life in Lhasa, as monks, porters, market stall sellers and the occasional yak compete for space."

"This film was shot by Sir Basil Gould who succeeded Derek Williamson as Political Officer of Sikkim, Bhutan and Tibet in 1935. His films record two visits to Lhasa. The first, Lhasa (1936), shows his Diplomatic Mission to the Tibetan capital. His cameraman Frederick Spencer Chapman was commissioned by the BFI in 1937 to write an article for Sight and Sound magazine describing that visit ("Tibetan Horizon"). The film features an intriguing sequence of Tibetan women playing darts.

And more:

These extraordinary scenes were filmed in Tibet in the 1940s and include shots of the current Dalai Lama (then still a very young boy) and his family. The opening scenes show the Dalai Lama's parents and siblings, and a procession of high-ranking men and women. This is followed by a clip of a procession with the Dalai Lama in a golden palanquin, his presence indicated by the peacock feather umbrella being carried alongside. The final scenes, in contrast, show ordinary children dancing and ice-skating in Lhasa."

(Thanks, Clayton Cubitt)

2008-11-06T16:42:00.001-07:00

Monsoon link to fall of dynasties

The record came from a stalagmite found in Wanxiang Cave, China

The demise of some of China's ruling dynasties may have been linked to changes in the strength of monsoon rains, a new study suggests.

The findings come from 1,800-year record of the Asian monsoon preserved in a stalagmite from a Chinese cave.

Weak - and therefore dry - monsoon periods coincided with the demise of the Tang, Yuan and Ming imperial dynasties, the scientists said.

A US-Chinese team report their work in the journal Science.

Stalagmites are largely made up of calcium carbonate, which precipitates from groundwater dripping from the ceiling of a cave.

Chemical analysis of a 118mm-long stalagmite from Wangxiang Cave, in Gansu province, north-west China, told the history of strong and weak cycles in the monsoon - the rains that water crops to feed millions of people in Asia.

It also shows that, over the last 50 years, greenhouse gases and aerosols have taken over from natural variability to become the dominant influence on the monsoon.

Death of dynasties

Small variations in the forms, or isotopes, of the stalagmite's oxygen composition reflected variations in rainfall near the cave.

Proportions of the radioactive elements uranium and thorium in the deposit allowed the researchers to date the stalagmite layers to within an average of two-and-a-half years.

The stalagmite grew continuously from 190AD to 2003

By comparing the rain record with Chinese historical records, Pingzhong Zhang of Lanzhou University in China, and colleagues, found three out of five "multi-century" dynasties - the Tang, the Yuan and the Ming - ended after several decades of weaker summer monsoons with drier conditions.

"Summer monsoon winds originate in the Indian Ocean and sweep into China," said Hai Cheng, co-author from the University of Minnesota, US.

"When the summer monsoon is stronger, it pushes farther north-west into China."

These moisture-laden winds bring rain necessary for cultivating rice. But when the monsoon is weak, the rains stall farther south and east, depriving northern and western parts of China of summer rains.

This could have led to poor rice harvests and civil unrest, the researchers speculate.

"Whereas other factors would certainly have affected these chapters of Chinese cultural history, our correlations suggest that climate played a key role," the researchers write in Science.

But a weak monsoon could also be linked to changes further afield. The researchers say a dry period between 850AD and 940AD coincides not only with the decline of the Chinese Tang dynasty but also with the fall of the Mayan civilization in America.

Human influence

Subsequent strengthening of the monsoon may have contributed to the rapid increase in rice cultivation, a dramatic increase in population and general stability at the beginning of China's Northern Song Dynasty.

The monsoon record also matched up nicely with the advance and retreat of Swiss glaciers.

Scientists say the natural archive shows that climate change can have devastating effects on local populations - even when this change is mild when averaged across the globe.

In the cave record, the monsoon followed trends in solar activity over many centuries, suggesting the Sun played an important role in the variability of this weather system.

To a lesser extent, it also followed northern hemisphere temperatures on a millennial and centennial scale. As temperatures went up, the monsoon became stronger and, as they dropped, it weakened.

However, over the last 50 years, this relationship has switched. The researchers attribute this to the influence of greenhouse gas emissions and sulphate aerosols released by human activities.

2008-11-06T13:37:00.001-07:00

Can You Say ‘Foot Fetish’?

What do you get when 2016 participants decide to put their hands and feet together?

A New World Record of course!

On July 1st, if you happened to have been visiting Taiwan, you might have seen this wacky weird group trying for a world record for the most people to receive foot massages (reflexology) simultaneously.

1,008 reflexologists and 1,008 tourists from Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia and Singapore, all volunteered to rub, and be rubbed, for 40 minutes in this record event.

The Taiwan Tourism Bureau organized the record foot feat to promote their health tourism. “Reflexology”Â is among the most popular practices in Taiwan for relaxation and improving general health.

Guinness had set the requirement to have at least 400 participants receiving treatment for at least five minutes on each foot, a feat the 2016 participants managed with ease.

2008-11-06T13:30:00.001-07:00

Lavish coronation for Bhutan king

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck is the world's youngest monarch

The new king of Bhutan has been crowned in a lavish coronation ceremony in the isolated Himalayan kingdom.

King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 28, an Oxford-educated bachelor, becomes the world's youngest monarch.

He has become head of state of the world's newest democracy after his father abdicated in 2006 as Bhutan changed to a constitutional monarchy.

Bhutan held its first democratic elections for a new parliament and prime minister in March.

The coronation of the Buddhist nation's fifth hereditary king fell in what is known in Bhutan as the month of the male earth rat.

Prime Minister Lyonchhen Jigmi Y Thinley said three enlightened astrologers had jointly proposed 6 November as the most auspicious date for the "historic occasion".

'Gross National Happiness'

The ceremony comprised an ancient and colourful ritual in a white-walled royal palace in the capital, Thimphu.

THE KING'S ANCIENT TITLES

Supreme Protector Of The People

The Great Elected One

The Upholder Of The Law

Profile: King Wangchuck

Coronation in pictures

Thousands of foreign dignitaries, including India's President, Pratibha Patil, governing Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi and Bollywood stars were present.

The guests were surrounded by lines of local people dressed in their national costumes.

The crown was bestowed on the new king by his father, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, 52, who stepped down in 2006 as part of his five-year plan to gradually introduce democracy to Bhutan's 600,000 citizens.

"I am happy, my friends are happy and in general as a nation we are happy," Sonam Phuntsho, a civil servant, told the AFP news agency.

"He [the new king] is reaching out to the people. He is very smart and decent man," he said.

Prime Minister Lyonchhen said earlier the coronation would further consolidate the country's "sovereign independence and security and promote further unity, harmony, and peace in the kingdom".

But correspondents say that while 2008 will be remembered as the year democracy was introduced to Bhutan, revolutionary change is not on the agenda.

The transition to democracy has been deliberately designed to be slow and steady and the monarchy will continue to play a central role in Bhutanese life.

Both the new government and the opposition say they are committed to the royal philosophy of Gross National Happiness - or GNH - which aims to strike a better balance between the spiritual and the material.

2008-11-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

hai Temple Built From One Million Recycled Bottles