What kind of Secular are we?

I came across this article at hanumant.com Thought would be nice to read for all. All credit to the source. What does Secularism mean? What does being Secular entail? I think these are important questions that we need to understand before we pass a judgment on who is and who is not Secular and this is what I am trying to address in this article. Let's see the dictionary meaning of Secular first: - of or pertaining to worldly things or to things that are not regarded as religious, spiritual, or sacred; - not pertaining to or connected with religion, concerned with nonreligious subjects. - not belonging to a religious order These seem to be fairly straightforward definitions. Anything that is driven by religion or religious edicts is not secular. Thus, a state that is governed by religious rules is not secular. States such as Iran, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia are not secular because they are governed by religious beliefs. That's simple, right? Well, consider this - one can practice and propagate any religion in France, US, and India, are they all Secular? France recently banned head scarfs in public, is it being unsecular? US allows Muslims to build a mosque near 9/11 site, is it being too secular? India pays money to Indian Muslims to travel to another country for religious purpose (Haj subsidy), yet no such money is given to Christians to go to vatican, is India being unsecular? As you can see, it is easy to identify extreme cases of non-secularism (Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, etc.) but nearly impossible to identify a perfectly secular entity or State. What one considers secular in one part of the world is totally unsecular in other parts of the world and vice-versa. In this respect, I wanted to learn what the legal systems of leading democratic countries that claim to be secular consider as secular. In other words, what do various countries mean by secularism. USA The majority in US is Christian. However, as per US Constitution Article 6, Section 3, "No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States;' Further, the First Amendment guarantees that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. The implications of these provisions are that the state is separate from any religion. The state has no relation to the religion. It doesn't take religion into consideration while making any decision. It doesn't favor any religion over another. Thus, public schools in US are prohibited from teaching any religion, employers are prohibited from discriminating against individuals for their religious beliefs. Not only that but the Govt. is actually prohibited from funding any religious activity. Public money cannot be used for furtherance of any religion. At the same time, the Government is prohibited from banning religious or non-religious speech and assembly. Indeed, one can see overzealous preachers reading bible aloud and ISKCON folks chanting "Hare Rama Hare Krishna" in downtown. Western Europe Many European countries such as England, Denmark, and Finland, recognize an official state church. This means that the State believes in a religion. The State has a religion. Countries Western Europe allows the governments to fund religious organizations, teach religion in public schools, and officially prefer one religion to another. This is in stark contrast to the concept of Secularism in US. Yet, these countries are still broadly categorized as "Secular" because people are free to practice and propagate their own religion. People are not, in civil service, discriminated based on their religion. India Indian concept of Secularism takes is colour from Article 15 (Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth), Article 25 (Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion), and Article 26 (Freedom to manage religious affairs). These articles are part of Fundamental rights that are inalienable. It is clear from these rights that a person in India is free to practice and propagate his own religion and that the State will not discriminate based on religion. Comparison The devil, as they say, is in the details. Notice the difference between the provisions of US constitution and Indian constitution. US constitution pretty much defines the intrinsic character of the State. It clearly says that State shall not recognize any religion. Thus, the state has no religion. Indian constitution, on the other hand, makes no such attempt. It merely states the behaviour of the State in terms of what it will not do (i.e. not discriminate based on religion). It does not say that the State has or has not a religion. It does not say whether State can or cannot participate in religion. It does not say whether State can or cannot spend public money on religious activities. It is precisely because of this ambiguity that India is able to recognize laws based on religion. Hindus, Muslims, and Christians are governed by their own religious laws. Law is state business and by recognizing separate laws based on religion, it is clear that the State recognizes religions. Because of this, India does not really fit into any definition of Secularism. It has, in fact, created its own definition of Secularism. Indeed, Supreme Court of India observed the same thing in the case of Aruna Roy vs. Union of India (SC AIR 2002), when it said Indian Secularism means ”sarva dhrama samabhav” and not “sarva dharma abhav”. Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing is a topic for another discussion.

Hoax of Mr. G Vaidyaraj and his Diamonds and hyper IQ Indian boys

Sometime ago a friend suggested me this story for this blog. The story goes like this.

Please forward this email to as many Indians!!!

Right now, India is the richest country in the world! Wondering how? It's really amazing.

 (1)  It's due to Mr. G Vaidyaraj, who donated all his wealth, about which he actually did not know.

 He is a descendent of Raja Krishnadev Raya from Mysore district.

 For the last 300 years or so, three stones were worshipped in his house.But nobody tried to see what it was, except this person, who is a lawyer by profession.
One day, when there was nobody in his house, he took the stone out to see what it was that they worship.
 Due to the dust deposited on it, from many many years, it looked only like a simple stone.
 But when he touched it, some portion of the stone was cleansed.
 And he saw a bright ray of light.
 He saw something which attracted his attention. And he was amazed when he cleaned all of them.The whole room was filled with light.
 He discovered they were diamonds of about 4600 carats each.

 He informed the Govt. of India and the news is censored with its security.
 It's now deposited in a Swiss Bank.  The cost of single diamond exceeds the GDP of USA + UK .

 Even World Bank does not have enough money to buy it. India can buy virtually 7 developing nations.

 One diamond costs thrice the debt of World Bank over India .

 One such diamond can buy 10 Bill Gates to you.
 And the World Bank has proposed the Indian Govt. that it can pay India in Installment if it wishes to do so.

India 's GDP is 34.25 billion dollars.

 Bill Gates property is 95 billion dollars approximate so that is the way 'nature changes'.

 Our Prime Minister has refused to sell it.

 He said it will be sold or mortgaged for credit when we need it. Otherwise right now we have no problems.

 You can go through Times of India with a small column on it a week ago.

 Star TV presented a 115 min documentary on it about 15 days ago.

 The Hindu with its half page article in it.

 After that it was censored as classified.

 (2)  Another good news is that in the Desert of Thar a deposit of Oil and Natural gas have been found. This stores what Kuwait has in its stomach.

India can go with this ONGC energy reserve with another 30 years.
 And moreover it can export it to other counties. It's incredible!! But true.

 (3)  An Indian boy in his 12th standard has disproved Einstein's 'Theory of Relativity'.
 Shocked? Read on...

 Sudarshan Reddy has theoretically proven the existence of a sub-atomic particle, which can travel at speed greater than that of light, thereby challenging one of the fundamental postulates of the 'Theory of Relativity'.

 In his recent research paper submitted to the Institute of Advanced Physics (IAP) at Trieste ( Italy ), Sudarshan has proved the existence of a class of sub-atomic particles called leptons', which can travel faster than light.
 The international physics community is shocked by this discovery.

 Dr.Massimo Martelli, President of the IAP has this to say about the paper submitted by Sudarshan. 'After long, careful and critical analysis, I can confidently say that Sudarshan's research papers show tremendous leap in our understanding of physics. His investigation mounts up on 'leptons'.. His work builds substantially on the work of Einstein and others in the field of relativity.'
 When physicists from Princeton University tried to measure Sudarshan's IQ with an IQ-meter (at the American Embassy in Delhi ), the meter broke down.
 Sudarshan, incidentally, is the brother of Madhu Reddy, the Indian whiz kid who developed an operating system superior to Microsoft Windows.
 We should all be very proud of these boys.

 Please forward this email to as many Indians!!!

You might have received any similar email and wondering if it is true. Here is your chance to peek into the truth of the story. When I started searching the content on the web, I found nothing related to it except the same copy and paste of the email. Then I found a website here where a gentleman named Shailesh Mishra rips the story apart and puts it into the dustbin. Giving below his research as it is..

"The cost of single diamond exceeds the GDP of USA + UK" Well now, here's the thing. The GDP of the USA is $11.75 trilllion. The GDP of the UK is $1.174 trillion. Adding those together you get $12.984 trillion. Now if you divide that by the diamonds weight of 4,600 carats, you get a cost of $2.8 billion PER CARAT. Some time ago someone brought his wife a half carat diamond, and it did not cost him $1.4 billion for it!

Now for some simple arithmatic:

"India can buy virtually 7 developing nations."

Meaningless statement. which developing nations? Tuvalu? Viet Nam?

"Even World Bank does not have enough money to buy it."

Why would they want to? What would be the point?

"One diamond costs thrice the debt of World Bank over India."

Make your mind up! First you say that it's worth $12 trillion, now you are saying they are worth 3 X $42 billion = $126 billion. Way less than $12 trillion we think you'll agree!

"One such diamond can buy 10 Bill Gates to you."

Here you go changing your mind again. Bill Gates is currently worth $43 billion (ish). Which now makes your diamond worth $430 billion.

"And the World Bank has proposed the Indian Govt. that it can pay India in Installment if it wishes to do so."

But why would it want to? What would be the point?

"India's GDP is 34.25 billion dollars."

No it isn't. India's GDP is $568 Billion.

The Hoax of the Indian boy in his 12th standard who disproved Einstein's "Theory of Relativity".

1. There is no such thing as the Institute of Advanced Physics in Trieste. (Update 09/04/13: One reader 'Vijnan' has pointed out that there actually is one such Instutute. So probably it's wrongly quoted. Thanks dear Vijnan..)
2. Dr. Massimo Martelli is a Cardiologist, not a Physicist.
3. There is no such thing as an I.Q. meter.
4. Sudarshan doesn't exist. Neither does his supposed brother, Madhu.
5. Anyone who thinks making a superior OS to MS windows is a Wizz, doesn't really know what he's talking about! Hasn't he heard of MAC - OS.

So in nutshell had the above two stories been true you would have heard from Govt. of India exclaiming a big YAHOO ! for being the richest nation.

HILARIOUS STORY OF A VICTIM OF HOAX CHAIN LETTERS

I wanted to thank all my friends and family who have forwarded chain letters to me in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 , 2008, 2009 and 2010 continuing it in 2011 also.......

Because of your kindness:

* I stopped drinking Coca Cola after I found out that it's good for removing toilet stains.

* I stopped going to the movies for fear of sitting on a needle infected with AIDS.

* Forwarded hundreds of mails but still waiting for FREE DESKTOP, LAPTOP, CAMERA, CELLPHONE etc….

* I smell like a wet dog since I stopped using deodorants because they cause cancer...

* I don't leave my car in the parking lot or any other place and sometimes I even have to walk about 7 blocks for fear that someone will drug me with a perfume sample and try to rob me.

* I also stopped answering the phone for fear that they may ask me to dial a stupid number and then I get a phone bill with calls to Uganda, Pakistan, Singapore and Tokyo.

* I also stopped drinking anything out of a Can for fear that I will get sick from the rat faeces and urine.

* When I go to parties, I don't look at any girl, no matter how hot she is, for fear that she will take me to a hotel, drug me, then take my kidneys and leave me taking a nap in a bathtub full of ice.

* I also donated all my savings to the Amy Bruce account. A sick girl that was about to die in the hospital about 7,000 times.. (Poor girl! she's been 8 since 2003...)

* Still open to help somebody from Nigeria who wants to use my account to transfer his uncle's property of $ 100 million. So much trustworthy.

* I have forwarded 35 emails to 400 people hoping that Ericsson or Nokia will send me latest mobile phones but those models are also obsolete now.

* Made some Hundred wishes before forwarding those Ganesh, Tirupathi Balaji pics etc. Now most of those "Wishes" are already married (to someone else..sobbing).

NOW IMPORTANT NOTE:
If you do not post it as your status in the next 10 seconds, a bird will Pee on your head today at 6:30pm.

Nothing has happened till now?..................... but who knows. So please post.

(This was received in an email sometime back. It looks funny but it pours light over so many issues in a funny way that how stupidly we beleive everything which is sent to us without first checking its facts.)

YOGIC LEVITATION (ANTI-GRAVITY FLYING) - IS IT POSSIBLE?

Levitation or self levitation is the act of ascending into the air and floating in apparent defiance of gravity. It is assumed that after certain yogic stages a person can defy gravity and can suspend or travel defying the gravity. Spiritual gurus and sadhus are often depicted as levitating known as Yogic Levitation. Some take the ability to levitate as a sign of blessedness or divinity.

Yogic Flying or Hopping

Others like me see it as a conjurer's trick. In truth no one can really levitate; they just appear to do so. Clever people can use illusion, "invisible" string, magnets, and other trickery to make things or people appear to levitate. Spiritual guru Mahesh Yogi made millions by showing this trick to Americans and westerners. Below is a video showing a yogi in that state. Pl see full video for full enlightment..(kidding).

Sometime back Godman Nithyananda also tried the trick to get back some publicity after his famous sex scandal, but just got more egg on his face. The godman, who is out on bail in that sex scandal case, claimed he can fight the law of gravity and also can make anyone levitate. ABRACADABRA....CHHOO..

One person from the media covering the event challenged his claim - Check below video !

There are people in Transcendental Meditation who will sit cross-legged and hop up and down on their butts, claiming that they are flying. Perhaps they are.. (coughing..should I say jumping like grogs) for a fraction of a second, a few inches off the ground, until gravity brings them back to earth. During that fraction followers will take pictures which are shown to allure the prospective followers.

You can also levitate at home without any Yogic Training. Just jump on the spring bed and ask someone to take pics while you are still up in the air. And voila there you go! There is fortunately another easy way out too. You just need to know how to photoshop :) ..

POISONING FROM RE-USE OF PLASTIC BOTTLES

You might have come across a same or similar scare that reusing of plastic water bottles (sometimes the email mentions only water bottles left in car), can cause cancer or any of the dreaded diseases. Some even mentions that the number given at the bottom of the bottle is number a bottle can be used safely, really? See what the experts say about it.

Quoted excerpts from emails:

“Some of you may be in the habit of using and re-using your disposable water bottles, keeping them in your car or at work.

Not a good idea. In a nutshell, the plastic (called polyethylene terephthalate or PET) used in these bottles contains a potentially carcinogenic element (something called diethylhydroxylamine or DEHA). The bottles are safe for one use only; if you must keep them longer, it should be or no more than a few days, a week max, and keep them away from heat as well.

Repeated washing and rinsing can cause the plastic to break down and the carcinogens can leach into the water that YOU are drinking.

Better to invest in water bottles that are really meant for multiple uses.”

Clarifications:

This one has roots in media coverage of one person's unsupported hypothesis. The idea that reusing plastic bottles can cause compounds in the plastic to break down into carcinogenic substances comes from a 2001 Master's Thesis by a student at the University of Idaho. Despite the fact that the thesis was not subject to peer review and, thus, lacking any degree of scientific authority, several media outlets picked up on it and ran the typical "what-you-don't-know-can-kill-you" stories.

Most convenience-sized plastic water bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a lightweight, shatter resistant and well-tested material. Based on the results of its extensive review, FDA allows the use of PET in both single-use and repeated-use food and beverage packaging. In fact, refillable bottles made with the same PET resin as single-use bottles are frequently reused in a number of other countries.

Contrary to this hoax, PET bottles are not made with DEHA, an FDA-permitted additive used with some types of plastics to impart flexibility and other desirable qualities.

It is true that many organizations and bottled water companies recommend against reusing their packaging, but the rationale is far less life-threatening. Rather, they caution that most bottles are not sufficiently cleaned and dried before refilling to prevent possible bacterial contamination.

Every plastic bottle has a number (generally within a triangle) written at the bottom, ranging from one to seven. The number registered has nothing to do with the number of times plastic has been recycled. It’s just the type of plastic which is used for that particular bottle. 5 is polypropylene and 1 is PET that is polyethylene terephthalate etc etc. The numbers below is useful while sorting the collected bottles while recycling. In other words it is plastic identification number.

1 – PET, polyethylene terephthalate
2 – HDPE, high-density polyethylene
3 – PVC, polyvinyl chloride
4 – LDPE, low-density polyethylene
5 – PP, polypropylene
6 – PS/PS-E, polystyrene / expanded polystyrene
7 – OTHER, resins or multi-materials

Tip: When you choose to reuse a plastic water bottle, don’t forget to clean it just as you would any drinking container. Be sure to wash with hot soapy water and dry thoroughly between each use. The concern is that bacteria can thrive in warm, moist environments, and once opened, bacteria can grow in virtually any beverage container under the right conditions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuse_of_water_bottles

HOAX - Lemon for artery blockage

A couple of months ago I received this in email. It sounded genuine (as our ayurveda is also based upon herbs) and scientific mainly because of the acedemic credential of the alleged author of the study. Still I had my doubts because I don't belive in anything which comes my way specially if it is sent in an email. So I tried to search internet with relevant keywords. To my shock this was available on internet at each and every herbal/ayurvedic and holistic medicine site with exactly the same wordings (BTW they call it plagiarism in technical terms i.e. to copy/paste in ditto).

It was already too much for me to digest so I searched the internet for Dr. Vikineswari's credentials and luckily found her on the university website with an email ID. I wrote to her enquiring about the research and, unbelievably, within minutes got her response. Can you believe what was her response? Scroll to the bottom to check for yourself.... and this is a living proof how fake information keeps on circulating the internet citing wrong or fake credentials and so one should be very selective in accepting the information from the web. FYI a similar email cures cancer by lemons-will explain some other time.

Excerpts from the email first:

Natural therapy for opening the veins of the heart. Please pass it to your colleagues or friends.  For Heart Vein opening:  Lemon juice              01 cup Ginger juice               01 cup Garlic  juice               01 cup  Apple vinegar            01 cup Mix all above and boil on low heat, approximately half  hour, when it becomes 3 cups, take off stove and let cool. After cooling, mix 3 cups of natural honey and keep it in bottle. Every morning before breakfast  use one Table spoon regularly. Your blockage of Vein's will open. No need now for any Angiography  or Bypass...  Please pass on this to your real well wishers...  Wishing you a healthy life.. Prof. Dr. S. Vikineswary Biotech Division Institute of Biological Sciences University of Malaya 50603 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Reply from the mentioned Prof. Dr. S. Vikineshwari: From: Prof. Dr. Vikineswary Sabaratnam [mailto:viki@um.edu.my] Sent: Thursday, March 17, 2011 14:29 To: Chand, Subhash Subject: Re: FW: No need for Angiography or Bypass Dear Sir, This is a chain/hoax  mail which is circulating and ever since I responded to my friend's query, it has been circulating as if it originated from me. I am not the original sender- I have not done research in this area – I am not a medical doctor. Pls convey this to your email list of friends - will appreciate that. . Caution!  The remedy stated below and sent around in chain email is unsubstantiated -  no research done by me   Rgds, Prof Dr. Vikineswary  S

INTRODUCTION - ASATO MA SADGAMAYA (Lead me from darkness of ignorance towards the light of truth)

The purpose or intention of creating this blog is what has been captured by the vedic mantra "Asato ma sad gamaya" means God lead me from darkness of ignorance towards the light of the truth or knowledge.

How does it fit the description of this blog is that there are a large no. of superstitions/old wives tales/urban legends/myths surrounding us that we are covered in false sense (or knowledge) of the surrounding world from head to toe. You think that some practice or act is logical because some of your guru or elder has told, therefore it must be true. Some practices are encient and you think because it has travelled through so many centuries therefore it must be having a time tested or real significance even if you  don't know what it is. But sadly most of the times this is not what science tests and proves.

We will tackle such issues in this blog. I'll try to explain the phenomenon in simple language (I am planning to add Hindi also later for a wider coverage) and will use external reference and material so as to save time & effort on my part as well as to give readers a sense of trust so that they can easily believe what is being said or explained. Also this blog will be 100% based upon scientific principles and the explanations and elaborations will use scientific methods. There is no space for holistic/mystical/spiritual explanations on this blog. All whatever will be said or discussed will be 100% tested and proved.

Well this is officially my first post on this blog. Hope you will enjoy the blog. Spread the word if you like the blog and also give your comments about the post. Also if you want me to find truth about any topic just just let me know. Critics are also welcome but criticism should be based upon scientific evidence (like material from websites of big reputed organisations like NASA, FDA, WHO, etc. will be considered scientific evidence and not some reply in Yahoo/wiki answers or excerpts from a spiritual/religious site).

Happy reading..

Regards,

Subhash Kamboj

Please consider the environment before printing this.