Indra’s Drishtikona (Viewpoint)

Some Interesting News

Posted : March 30, 2006 at 8:41 pm [IST]

 John Suhrhoff found a Louis Vuitton bag on a Sausalito park bench. Inside were a 12-carat diamond ring, pearl and emerald jewellery, a Cartier watch, and roughly $500 in cash. The contents were worth $1 million. But the respiratory therapist took the bag to police. The bag is now en route to a Toronto family who had been in California. “Every person I know or associate with would have done the same thing,” Suhrhoff, 56, said. “I’m glad to be able to help.”

 China, officially celebrating the ‘Year of Italy’, has reacted angrily to Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s comments. Berlusconi made the remarks on Sunday in reference to China under the reign of former Communist leader Mao Zedong.
“I am accused of having said that the (Chinese) Communists used to eat children,” he said. “But read ‘The Black Book of Communism’ and you will discover that in the China of Mao, they did not eat children, but had them boiled to fertilise the fields.”

 Andhra Pradesh’s American visa temple- In the past few years a Balaji temple in Chilkur village outside Hyderabad has become the pilgrimage destination for US visa-seekers. It has acquired a reputation among the dollar-driven, that the deity here is particularly powerful in granting an American visa. Typically, an aspiring American visa-seeker visits the temple a few days before his visa interview at the US consulate. During the visit, the devotee goes through the usual rituals of prayer, including three circumambulations of the inner shrine, and makes a vow. Then, they go off with their documents and dreams to convince the US consulate officer that they are worthy of receiving the visa. If they get their visa, they return to the temple, and fulfill their vow, which is to walk 108 times around the temple.

 Yesterday was a solar eclipse. When I reached near Shakti Temple, I found it locked. However, the Sai Temple was not. I could realize India still lives in many eras simultaneously. As reported, people across the country fasted as the Sun God was in trouble. Business deals were put off, as the day is not auspicious. Pregnant women stayed indoors, as the child womb may get affected. Gods too stayed out of bounds with doors locked. Are they so weak and helpless? How can they inspire their followers?

- Indra

Category: Religious/Social issues |