Building Bridges Through The Power Of Dhun

Like many cultures and religions, music plays a huge part within Hindu Dharma. Bhajans, aarti, sangeet and even entire scriptures are based around the power of music. In fact, the Bhagavad Gita, which means the ‘Divine Song’, was technically sung by Lord Krsna. So powerful is the beauty of music that when it brings together people from all backgrounds, of all ages, of all creeds, it simply cannot be overlooked.
On Tuesday 14th September 2010 at 8pm, Sadhguru Sewa Samiti, or SSS, begun what would be a truly amazing and inspiring adventure through non-stop 108 hours Ram Dhun. The word ‘Dhun’ literally means ‘tune’, and a Ram Dhun is the singing of ‘Shree Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram’ to different tunes. Very simple, yet incredibly powerful. The event took place at Slough Mandir, and for 6 days the doors of the mandir remained open for people from all across the UK to observe, take part and feel the incredible and inspiring power of Ram Dhun. 3 meals a day was provided and cooked by families, and there was the pleasant 3am chilli paneer surprise for those who were on night duties! This wasn’t the first time the group had organised such an event. Over the past few years independently they have had a 72 hour dhun, and they have helped NHSF emphatically with 12 hour Ram Dhun and Hanuman Chalisas in the north and central region of the UK. Each time they have been present, they have encouraged all the youth to get involved in singing, helping many students to open themselves up and really demonstrate how dhun has a place in all of our hearts. This time it was no different. People of all ages were singing together, in fact, at one point at 4am on Saturday morning, an elderly gentleman was out-doing the youth by singing non-stop for 3 hours!
The event took 9 months to organise, and involved countless meetings, e-mails and phone calls. There was even a timetable for each member with sleeping plans and other various duties.
SSS comprises of Hindus who all have one common goal – to build bridges through the power of love. Lord Hanuman and his army of Vaanars, through the sheer prem or love of Lord Ram, helped build the bridge to Lanka so that Lord Ram could save Sita Maa. Many of the group are aged from 15 to 30, and are ardent followers of Lord Hanuman. They come from all parts of the UK and aim to unite people from all backgrounds, which they do so with great success.
On behalf of NHSF, I would like to thank SSS for their dedication and commitment toward inspiring Hindu youth all over the UK and for selflessly supporting NHSF in all that we do. With that all I can say is:
Shree Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram!

Happily Never After

Summertime brings about much that is positive in life – sunshine, holidays, the melody of an ice cream van as it makes its way down your road and of course the definitive Indian Wedding Season. The Hindu wedding is a beautiful occasion. Celebrated with much pomp and joy, it symbolises the joining of not just two souls, but the unification of two families.
Well it should do. We must remember that there are two sides to every story. Although everyone appears to be happy during the wedding procession, a growing number of marriages are ending prematurely. Why? From a small sample of people asked that have been subject to failed marriages, the underlying commonality is the pressure from parents to get married young. Tradition, not religion, dictates that children should be married at a young age. In our grandparent’s time, it wasn’t uncommon for families to arrange the marriages of children from a young age. In fact, Gandhiji’s marriage to Kasturba was arranged when he was 6 years old! But as time has moved on, so have trends and traditions. The arranged marriage is now more of an introductory service, and the age to get married has substantially increased. However, a percentage of families still insist on adhering to tradition, not religion, and constantly reinforce the notion that ‘nobody will want to marry you after a certain age’. Seldom is this the case for the son, but it is prevalent in the case of daughters.
Nowhere in Hindu scriptures does it declare that a daughter must be married by a certain age. True, certain scriptures allow for daughters to be married at a young age, but there is no set law stating she MUST be married by that age. In fact, Dharma encourages us to adjust and adapt with modern day living, and in this case we have to understand that certain old village traditions are not feasible for life in the modern, western world. Long gone are the days of women being in the kitchen whilst men go out to work. Now both men and women are career-minded and wish to succeed in the working world before settling down. More often than not, girls are forced into marriage younger than their male counterparts, as they feel duty-bound by their parents to do so. Of course, obeying ones parents is paramount in fulfilling our Dharma, but so too should parents support and understand our need for succeeding in our respective fields.
So this summer, when you come home from a wedding, and ‘marriage fever’ manifests, ask your children first; are you ready for marriage? If they say no, then respect their decision – after all, the future is in our hands.

Purusharthas - The Goals of Life

Students often find themselves contemplating the mysteries of life; what purpose am I serving as a human being on this earth? Am I here to just eat, drink, sleep and attend lectures? Surely there is more to this? I am sure many of you have, at some point, questioned your own existences. This is perfectly natural. As human beings we have a tendency to question and contemplate deeper thought. Thanks to the beauty of Hindu Dharma, such mysteries need not exist. Such a system exists that gives meaning and depth to not only to an individual, but to society as a whole. Even more enlightening is that you need not be a Hindu to follow these objectives, these goals are called the Purusharthas.

The word Purushartha is a Sanskrit compound that directly translates to “human purpose”. This translation demonstrates the objectives are for Human society. Hindu Sadhu’s realised the four simple goals to leading a fulfilled life are: Dharma (duties), Artha (material prosperity), Kama (desire) and Moksha (liberation).
Dharma incorporates finding the truth by leading a disciplined life. One must fulfil their duty rather than be selfish. For example, it is an MPs duty to lead his whole constituency, not just those who voted for him. Honesty, truth, love and justice are the virtues which should be practised in life.

Artha recognises the need for material things in order to live a suitable life. As humans, we cannot be expected to live like animals in a forest. Everyone needs a home, food and money in order to live a worldly life. Money should be earned by fair and honest means and should be spent wisely on necessities. Gaining wealth should not be ones only objective – there is more to life than money.

Kama understands the need to enjoy worldly happiness through the five senses. However, we are warned that not all desires can be fulfilled immediately as the karmic effect would lead to unhappiness. Students should understand that the desire for sexual happiness is natural, but there is time set aside for it in life, called the Grihastha Ashram (family life). Therefore is a necessity to lead a disciplined life.

Moksha is the final objective of life and is to gain freedom from worldly sufferings and inevitably the continuous cycle of birth and death. This can be achieved by leading a virtuous, righteous and disciplined life.

Just as a student plans and studies for exams, so should one set a guideline to uphold and maintain these Purusharthas. This not only gives meaning to ones life, but benefits society as a whole - what better objective than understanding Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam – The Whole World is One Family.

ayam bandhurayam neti
ganana leguchetasaam
udharacharitanaam tu
vasudhaiva kutumbakam

'Only small men discriminate saying: One is a relative; the other is a stranger. For those who live magnanimously the entire world constitutes but a family.'
- maha upanishad (6.72)

Ayurveda - YOUR freedom, YOUR choice

For many, conventional Western medicine is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. Over the last 5 years, more ethical, traditional and dharmic practices are becoming the norm. Believe it or not, this practice is not something new to the world – in fact, it is regarded as one the oldest forms of healthcare, otherwise known as Ayurveda.
Ayurveda is a form of complementary and alternative medicine currently available in the UK. The word Ayurveda stems from the Sanskrit ‘āyus’ meaning ‘life’ and ‘veda’ meaning ‘knowledge’, thus signifying the science as ‘life knowledge’. The origins of the medical practice come from the Charaka Samhita, which deals with internal medicine and Sushruta Samhita, which deals with the surgical aspect of medicine, both dating back 2000 years. The practice itself dates back at least 5000 years. In that time frame, the number of reported negative effects from Ayurvedic treatment is pretty close to zero.
As Hindus, Ayurveda has become instrumental in every day living – often our elders produce a remedy consisting of perfectly natural ingredients and they work better than conventional Western medicine. Not limited to just medicine, Yoga constitutes a large part of Ayurveda too. Yoga is extremely beneficial for ones health, and has caught on massively in the West.
Why, therefore, should British Parliament plan to ban a system that has proved beneficial for thousands if not millions of people? The European Union has proposed a ban on all Ayurvedic herbal remedies which will come into effect in April 2011. That’s 7 months from now! Ayurvedic remedies consist of nothing more than regular plants and herbs, which are often used in every day cooking. To ban it would be absolutely preposterous – surely that would mean a ban on Indian foods? Suffice to say, many delicacies of Indian cuisine stem from Ayurvedic herbs and plants.
Let’s investigate this further; Ayurveda seldom produces a negative reaction, and it most certainly isn’t the root cause of diseases. On the other hand, alcohol, cigarettes and meat are all known to cause death in one way, shape or form. Can the UK Government honestly justify banning Ayurvedic remedies, whilst allowing these death-inducing products to be readily available? This point was quite rightly made by HH Swami Ramdevji at a meeting held recently in London organised by Amarjeet S Bhamra of the Save Herbal Medicine National campaign.
Thankfully, a large number of established Ayurvedic practitioners and organisations have joined together to help stop this ban. You too can help by clicking HERE and downloading a letter that you can post to your Member of Parliament. Remember, it’s your freedom of choice to use Ayurveda – don’t let anyone stop you from receiving what is rightfully yours.

A Meeting With Guantanamo Detainee #905

Just over a few years ago, I was working at a well known opticians in the heart of Britains Arabic community or “Sheesha central” also known as Edgware Road. A vibrant community, where most of the men wore simple traditional garments and showed very little sign of the great wealth they possessed, whilst the women flaunted the chance to show off designer bags, sunglasses and headscarves, almost as if they would be considered outcasts if they didn’t.
Being in the W2 area, the store was used to some of London’s rich and well known coming over. We also provided a hub for Nigerian businessmen, politicians and government officials whose dress was also simple, who came to the store as their first port of call to correct their vision (at this point might I add that most of these men had very little need for glasses, but I sense there was a need for expensive spectacles to enhance ones status in Nigeria, as they would spend hundreds on a couple of pairs without giving it a second thought). It was seldom a rare occurrence when two Nigerian families would bump into each other whilst in store, and start talking proudly about their most recent escapades in London.
There were a host of distinguished people that entered the store; each of them reminding me that regardless of how much fame had prevailed their lives, they were still only human. But one that keeps coming to mind when I look back at those days is one that will haunt me forever.
It was mid January time. With the Christmas and New Years spending having taken its toll, it was fairly quiet in store. A family entered. Husband and wife accompanied by their 5 young children. To most people they seemed like your regular family, despite the husband looking old enough to be a grandparent more so than a father. My manager was a man who was on the ball. He had a radar and seemed to know when somebody had entered the store. It was store protocol to approach anybody who walks through the door within 5 seconds, so often you would see the manager charging past the already waiting customers to greet and welcome any newcomers to the optical parade, or in layman terms, the optical “junglist massif”. This time there was barely anybody in the store, and we had been sorting the vast amounts of paperwork that was often left to the end of the day. He approached the family, welcomed them as asked how he could help. They had an appointment to see the optician, so he went to the computer to check the name and time, as well as other bits of information that were required. After confirming the appointment, he asked them to take a seat. My manager came over to me and showed me the name on the sheet he had just printed out. The name had no meaning to me whatsoever. He took me to the side and informed me that the man who was sat in the waiting area, peacefully smiling at his children who were playfully modelling ridiculously large glasses, had only a month earlier been released from the worlds most toughest detention facility – Guantanamo Bay.
Guantanamo Bay. Situated in an isolated area at the South Eastern tip of Cuba, it has been under the control of the US Navy since 1903. A prison that has more security personnel per person than some prisons employ on the whole. A prison that had $1 billion pumped into securing its perimeter. A prison that is so heavily secured that I imagine armed guards protect the security guards. You get the picture. I looked over at the man who was sat in quiet contemplation. A tall man, his shiny-grey hair was thin, long and wiry. His beard held the same characteristics. His face seemed devoid of the tanned colour it once appeared to have contained. His hands were big and frail. If you looked hard enough, you could see his hands still shaking from the memories of his incarceration.
I was asked to pre-screen this gentle giant. Pre-screening involves using two machines. The first gives you a basic prescription for the patient. The second checks the eye pressure. Both require a digital lens to look into the eye, which is shown on a mini-screen. I sat him down in the darkened room and asked him to place his chin on the chinrest. I navigated the first machine so I got the correct reflection of light that was needed to take an accurate reading. After taking the first reading, I realised that the screen in front of me showed the eye of a man who had just been held in complete captivity for the last 5 years, the eyes that were the window to the soul of a man who had experienced imprisonment beyond all imaginable degrees, the eyes that had held so much pain and hatred for so many years and were now trying to savour the freedom.
I hold firmly the belief that the eyes are the window of the soul. If you look deeply enough into somebody’s eyes, it holds the story of their life, the good times and the bad, the stresses and struggles, the love and hate. Have you ever experienced a time when you’ve bumped into a friend, looked them in the eye and noticed something wasn’t right? I think we can all relate to that. That is you looking through the window, into the soul. Well this story is no different. I sat and looked deeply into his eye. On the outside there was a moist glaze covering his eye. The veins in the eye were clearly showing, deep red in colour, protruding out from the iris. This wasn’t just the regular one or two veins. The eye was covered with them. The iris itself, although you could make out they were naturally dark brown in colour, had grey undertones forming. Looking deeper into the iris, into the eye as a whole, the years of torment and suffering this man had suffered stood out more than anything else. His eyes were reaching out in search for someone who could understand him. They were pleading for love and compassion. They were praying that he could just live life peacefully with his wife and children, and leave the past exactly where it happened – in the past.
I finished doing my various tests, and asked him to take a seat back in the waiting area whilst I took a reading from his previous pair of glasses. I use the term glasses loosely here, because the last pair he received were courtesy of the US Government whilst in confinement. They were rubber goggles, designed in such a way so that it contained no metal, presumably so the prisoners couldn’t take them apart and launch an attack using a few screws. After handing them back to him, he decided to take a walk around the store. I observed whilst he looked at various frames, because it seemed highly unlikely that he would like to stick to his current pair. I didn’t observe in any suspicious way, but more so out of curiosity. I wanted to know how a man that has been through what he has been through acts. What does he do now that he is not under 24-hour surveillance (again, I use that term loosely, because in reality you know we are being watch all the time)? He calmly walked to the men’s section, where he picked a few pairs to try on. Just from those actions you could see a humble man, who was fighting to find the peace and contentment within his life. He took the first frame, put them on, and looked at himself in the mirror. He took a little bit longer than most when looking at the mirror. It was at that moment I realised that this small action of trying on a pair of glasses was in fact a massive step to this gentleman becoming a part of regular society again. Such a simple action that I had taken for granted, was in fact an action that gave an individual a sense of being, a sense of worth, a sense that he belonged somewhere. No more would he be forced to wake up and be ready for inspection at a certain time. No more would he be watched like a hawk watches a field mouse. No more would he have to ask permission and receive clearance when he wants to use the toilet. In that extra second he took looking at himself in the mirror, I like to think that he thought all those things. That opening the arms of the spectacles represented the arms of society opening to welcome him back. And then the optician came and asked the gentleman to follow him to the testing room. The gentleman smiled, placed the glasses in the rack, and peacefully followed the optician.

I went home and me being me, Googled the gentleman’s name. I read the story of how he was arrested and incarcerated. I saw photos of him before he was locked away. Now he looks a shadow of his former self. A once well-fed, brightly tan skinned individual, with a sparkle in his eye, had lost that energy that projected out of him like rays from the sun. But he knew that he could start again, and surely enough, that energy will be back with him.
Once known as Guantanamo Detainee #905, the man born in Jericho, West Bank, who had flown to Gambia to finalise a peanut-oil business deal and whose only mistake it was to be carrying a battery charger in his hand luggage was in fact Jamil al-Banna. A Jordanian refugee living in the UK with his wife and 5 children, trying to lead a peaceful, normal life. Jamil al-Banna, a gentleman whose only link with a Terrorist organisation was to have known somebody who was suspected to have links with al-Qaeda. May you and your family find peace in freedom.

Jamil al-Banna: Before and After.

Without that Love

The below story is one that I read when a lady who follows the Krsna Conciousness faith came into my shop and passed on a book called "The Way of Love". Interesting read.

Once, a man in a forest heard the sound of a tiger. As he ran in fear, his eyes darted here and there looking for shelter. Finally he came across a "blind well", a well that is no longer in use. Grass and plants had grown over that well and a tree grew beside it. Taking help from two branches of the tree, the man lowered himself into the well, comforted by the thought that he was beyond the tiger's reach. As he descended the well, however, he saw beneath him many snakes. The snakes raised their hoods and hissed, ready to bite him.

As he hung from the two branches he realized that his predicament had only increased. At the bottom of the well there were many poisonous snakes waiting to bite him and at the top a ferocious tiger waited to eat him. He was suffering great anxiety.

Then, two rats - one black and one white - began gnawing the branches onto which he held. It was only a question of time before the branches would be eaten through and he would fall into the pit of snakes. To escape this predicament, he had to either climb out and be eaten by the tiger or descend into the well and be bitten by the snakes. Whatever he chose to do, his fate would be gruesome.

In this very dangerous situation, the man suddenly noticed a honeycomb on the branch of the tree. Because the tree was shaking, some honey was dripping and it just happened to be dripping very close to his face. Taking this opportunity to enjoy, he stuck out his tounge and took that honey into his mouth. He began to relish the flavour, thinkin, "Oh, how sweet! How sweet!" Feeling some happiness, he completely forgot the danger he was in.

All the components of this analogy represent our own condition. The man in this story exemplifies all souls who are attached to this world. We are in a dangerous situation, as we may die at any moment, and there is no way for us to be saved by our material endeavours. The snakes represent our many problems, coming at us one after another like waves in an ocean. We think, "Oh this is the last of my problems. I will be happy as soon as this problem is solved." But sometimes the next wave is larger still, and sometimes many wanves, or problems, come at once - five or six at a time. At the top of the well stands the tiger, who represents death, which is waiting for every one of us in this world.

The two branches represent the reactions to our fruitive activites - good and bad, pious and impious. We live our lives experiencing the reactions of our pious and impious activites. Combined together, these reactions comprise the duration of our life, and that duration is being taken away moment by moment. The black rat represent nighttime, and the white rat daytime. We are very happy when another day comes and goes, but actually the coming and going of days only means that the duration of our life is being gnawed away.

Amidst so many problems and dangers one drop of honey falls on ours tounges, and this drop is likened to the momentary happiness we may feel with friends and relatives of this world.

What is Prem?

There was a blind girl who used to hate everyone except her best friend. She always used to say that "I'll marry you if I could see you".
Suddenly one day someone donated eyes to that girl. When she saw her best friend, she was shocked to see that he was also blind.
When he asked "Will you marry me?" she simply refused him rudely.
Then, he did not say a word to her, smiled and went away leaving her a letter saying:
"Darling, take care of my eyes..."

PREM - Real, unconditional love.

Spirits at a Bar or Dynamic Spirits?

“Jay Sean’s coming down tonight… Session at mine. It’s gonna be sick! You’re coming yeah?”

You know you have a 9am lecture tomorrow, but you absolutely love Jay Sean, especially after a bottle or two. I’m sure most of us have encountered a similar scenario. You’re left with a decision to make. Do you become a ‘social visa card’, accepted in most places? Or do you risk becoming a social nobody? What influences the decisions you make in your social life?

Living the independent life at university will always be a challenge. For most of us it is the first time we’re living away from our families, so we look to our friends to become part of the “extended family”. There is nothing wrong in doing so. On the contrary, I strongly recommend that you find your family away from home. But the extent to which our chosen friend circles affect our decisions is something worth considering.

We are all warned about the effects of smoking, drinking and drugs, but at the end of the day it’s your life, and you have to choose how you want to live it. What are your priorities? What is your duty? You, and only you, can be the one who makes the decision, because come 9am tomorrow morning, you could either be sat in your lecture or you could still be hung-over and fast asleep. Should the latter be the case, you are the one who must face the consequences, not your friends. You are the master of your own destiny.

As Hindus, karma plays a bit part in our lives. For every action, there is a reaction. How often do we, as students, remember the laws of karma in our everyday lives? If our actions are positive, then the reaction will also be of a positive nature (aka “The Ripple Effect). Sometimes, maybe not straight away, but that is the magic of karma, that it will come back to us. It’s like knowing the results for an exam before even sitting it. I assure you, it does not get much easier then that! If we are consciously aware that each of our actions is being balanced on the scales of karma, I’m sure we would prefer the scales to be tipped fully to the positive side. All we have to do is make the positive decision.

Those of you who have dared to delve further into spirituality may have come across the “Happiness vs. Pleasure” debate. Do we strive for long-lasting happiness, or short-term pleasure? What truly makes us happy? There is much we can gain pleasure from, and as students we are increasingly pressurised to allow temporary pleasure to become our only form of “happiness”. With clubs offering alcoholic beverages at “student rates”, the increasing availability of drugs and so on, aside from the mental and physical implications of their use, one cannot possibly get in touch with the spiritual self whilst intoxicated. Many may argue that the drinking of bhang helps one to boost meditation and achieve transcendental states, but realistically, how many students do you know that use drugs to get a spiritual high? If the intentions are wrong, then we will achieve nothing good from it… simple karma.

Lest we forget what our scriptures say. The majority of us are aware of the free will exercised by Hindus, that we are not bound by sets of rules in order to maintain a Hindu identity, but given guidance by scriptures and Gurus that we can choose to accept or not. A basis of Hindu Dharma revolves around the “greater good”. Whatever our actions, we should take into consideration the effect on the bigger picture. Just like karma, where a positive action is responded to with a positive reaction, we demonstrate strength in character by making choices based on the greater good. So as students who are trying to maintain and promote our Hindu identity, we must take into consideration whether our actions are of a positive nature. Indeed, being positive will enhance the self to be more spiritual. There is not right or wrong, it is completely down to the self. But one thing to always keep in mind is that all actions will always bring about a reaction. So will you be a spirit at a bar or a Dynamic Spirit?

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey; we are spiritual beings on a human journey”
~ Stephen Covey.

(This article was featured in the booklet given out as a momento of "24seven- Live it : Breath it", a record-breaking conference held by the National Hindu Students Forum, at De Montfort University, Leicester.)