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Hindustan Times
44 minutes ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Dalai Lama expected to speak on reincarnation, emanation on 90th birthday: French scholar
Shimla, Spiritual process rooted in centuries of Tibetan tradition of 'incarnation and emanation' must remain free from political interference, Claude Arpi, noted French scholar and expert on Tibetan affairs, said here, cautioning against China's attempts to "hijack" this sacred tradition. Dalai Lama expected to speak on reincarnation, emanation on 90th birthday: French scholar Addressing a seminar 'Interwoven Roots: Shared Indo-Tibetan Heritage' held at Army Training Command here on Saturday, Arpi said that Tibetan Spiritual head Dalai Lama is expected to speak something on this issue on his 90th birthday and the choice regarding reincarnation or emanation lies with him. In his keynote address, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Central Command, emphasised the significance of cultural diplomacy in national strategy and underscored the Army's commitment to preserving India's territorial and civilisational integrity, a statement issued here said. Arpi recalled that Dalai Lama spoke extensively on the meaning of reincarnation and emanation in a religious conference convened in 2011 in Dharamshala in which over 100 senior monks and representatives of all Tibetan and Buddhist sects participated. He said that the Dalai Lama had said that he would say something on incarnation on his 90th birthday, which falls on July 6. Arpi also flagged concern over the steady decline in the Tibetan population in India and said that nearly 40 per cent of Tibetans have left India. He called for stronger efforts to rebuild cultural and strategic links, especially across border regions like Ngari and Western Tibet. In his address, Lt Gen Sengupta highlighted the deep-rooted Indo-Tibetan linkages. Asserting that "India and Tibet are two ancient civilisations with interwoven roots that continue to shape a shared identity," Sengupta said that the seminar is a platform to explore the profound historical, cultural, spiritual, and strategic ties that bind India and Tibet." Delving into the strategic dimension, he said, "From the 1962 war to the Nathu La clashes, we have seen that the terrain demands not just readiness, but surveillance, technological connectivity and a nuanced strategy. The seminar concluded with a call to strengthen border area development, promote archaeological research, facilitate archival access and revive cultural exchanges, including opening new routes for Kailash Yatra, improving local radio broadcasts beyond borders and preserving endangered Himalayan languages. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
Shimla: Indian Army hosts seminar on Indo-Tibetan heritage; emphasises strategic, cultural, spiritual linkages
Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], June 28 (ANI): The Surya Command of the Indian Army on Saturday organised a day-long seminar titled 'Interwoven Roots: Shared Indo-Tibetan Heritage' at the headquarters of the Army Training Command in Shimla. The event brought together a wide spectrum of participants, including the Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police personnel, civil administration officials, Buddhist monks, scholars, students, and civilians to reflect on the enduring civilisational, spiritual, and strategic ties between India and Tibet. Delivering the keynote address, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief (GOC-in-C), Central Command, highlighted the deeply rooted Indo-Tibetan linkages and stressed the seminar's role in understanding their significance in today's geopolitical context. 'This seminar is a platform to explore the profound historical, cultural, spiritual, and strategic ties that bind India and Tibet. These are two ancient civilisations with interwoven roots that continue to shape a shared identity,' said Lt Gen Sengupta. 'This is not a shared past we're discussing; this is about engaging in meaningful dialogue that will guide our future in light of evolving geopolitical challenges,' he noted. Drawing parallels with a similar seminar held earlier at Nalanda University, the Army commander stated that the Himalayan belt has never been a barrier, as once believed by colonial administrators, but a corridor of civilisation where goods, philosophies, and ideas flowed freely along ancient trade routes like the Silk Route. 'From the diplomatic missions between Nalanda and the Tibetan plateau to the spiritual journeys of Indian masters like Guru Padmasambhava, the Indo-Tibetan exchange has been vibrant and transformational. Even today, the monastic institutions of Himachal Pradesh continue to serve as living repositories of this dialogue,' he said. Speaking on the strategic dimension, he underscored that India's northern borders remain sensitive and require constant vigilance. 'From the 1962 war to the Nathu La clashes, we've seen that the terrain demands not just readiness, but surveillance, technological connectivity, and a nuanced strategy. Our heritage is not just spiritual, but strategic,' Lt Gen Sengupta added. Renowned French scholar and expert on Tibetan affairs Claude Arpi, who also addressed the gathering, delivered a wide-ranging historical and political overview of Indo-Tibetan relations, tracing them from the early Buddhist period to contemporary challenges. He emphasised the importance of Tibetan spiritual traditions and touched upon the sensitive issue of the reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama, which he said has global implications. 'Whether the Dalai Lama chooses reincarnation or emanation, that decision lies with him... What we do know is that the Panchen Lama, recognised by Tibetans, disappeared in 1995, and the child named by China was reportedly told to follow a political script. This issue remains unresolved,' he said. 'I've always been wary of politicising reincarnation. China's attempt to decide religious succession, a deeply spiritual matter, undermines the entire system... His Holiness has already said clearly that he will not be reborn in China. He has indicated in his writings that he may reincarnate in a free country, likely India,' Arpi noted. 'From the ancient kingdom of Zhang Zhung and figures like Rinchen Zangpo to the Zorawar Singh expedition in 1841, we must study these as part of our shared political archaeology... The importance of the Kailash Yatra, the role of trade along the Silk Route, and monasteries as centres of diplomacy all speak to our intertwined legacies,' he further added. Arpi also flagged concern over the steady decline in the Tibetan population in India, noting that nearly 40 per cent of Tibetans have left India, and called for stronger efforts to rebuild cultural and strategic links, especially across border regions like Ngari and Western Tibet. A message from the organisers welcomed participants with the aim to 'deepen understanding of the contemporary dimensions of Indo-Tibetan relations, encompassing historical, cultural, and economic linkages.' It stated that the seminar aims to illuminate the shared past, inform the present, and guide the future of these interconnected regions. The seminar concluded with a call to strengthen border area development, promote archaeological research, facilitate archival access, and revive cultural exchanges, including opening new routes for Kailash Yatra, improving local radio broadcasts beyond borders, and preserving endangered Himalayan languages. Both speakers, Lt Gen Anindya Sengupta and Claude Arpi, underlined the need to protect the civilisational ethos that India and Tibet have jointly nurtured and emphasised that this heritage must continue to inform both security policy and cultural diplomacy in a changing global order. (ANI)
Hans India
8 hours ago
- Business
- Hans India
Need for improving infra for tourism development stressed
Vijayawada Additional secretary, tourism, Government of India, Suman Billa said tourism sector acts as a best growth engine for economic development and stressed the need for increased share of tourism sector in GDP from existing 5 per cent to 10 per cent. Addressing AP Tourism Conclave Tch AI 2.0 here on Friday, the additional secretary said that the tourism sector was playing a key role in economic growth around the globe by contributing 9.1 per cent. He said the sector also turned a major employment provider and 2.5 crore jobs will be created by 2029. He said the tourism sector is netting 2.49 lakh crore foreign exchange. Stating that with improved infrastructural facilities in India, now it is time to tap tourism. He said 800 flights are being operated in the country and in the next five years, another 1,000 flights will be added. When we look forward towards bottlenecks despite improving infrastructure, Billa said that there was a huge gap between supply and demand in tourism sector, with supply is not keeping up with demand. He said 1.9 crore tourists are visiting India and the domestic tourist footfall stands at 254 crore. When we segregate the domestic tourists, 47 crore tourists are making pleasure trips for holidaying and shopping. He said 47 crore tourists is bigger figure than population of 150 countries and the number is expected to be triple by 2029. He stressed the need for discouraging domestic tourists from going abroad for holidaying by attracting them towards holidaying within the country. Suman Billa said that Rs 10 lakh crore investments needed for improving infrastructure in tourism sector in the country. Citing the example of temple town Tirupati, the additional secretary said that as per the pilgrims rush, Tirupati needs 10,000 rooms. He said infrastructure should be improved to provide any one an opportunity to stay back for three days in Tirupati along with his family. Stating that AP's Tourism Policy is the best policy, Billa said that AP has more potential to tap tourism with Buddhist sites, eco tourism in Araku and Papikondalu. He said as tourists from Arab countries are looking forward for eco tourism, AP can tap the potential by improving infrastructure by developing eco tourism townships. He said Konaseema, the jewel of AP, has rich potential to promote rural and country tourism. Appealing the investors that it is right time to invest in tourism sector, the additional secretary said that the long coastline in AP also has potential to develop beach and cruise tourism.
Hindustan Times
9 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Re-wind: The loud history of the alarm clock
We don't think of them as a luxury exactly, those few extra moments of sleep after one hits snooze on an alarm. But that's really what they are. A knocker-upper uses a long pole to wake workers in the Netherlands. (Wikimedia) Through most of history, it was impossible to set a personalised wake-up call, unless one were royalty or nobility. Before we get to how alarms have worked, through the centuries, have you ever wondered why the default snooze duration is nine minutes? Do you secretly think it's because the phone manufacturer is trying to help you cheat, and knows 10 would simply be too much? It isn't that; well, not exactly. Long before smartphones, the snooze feature existed in mechanical timepieces. Because of the way their gears were designed, it was nearly impossible to allow exactly 10 minutes of extra sleep before the alarm went off again. What clockmakers could manage was either a little over ten minutes, or a little under. They chose the latter, rightly assuming that 11 would be pushing things too far. And so the nine-minute snooze was set. Digital clocks, and then smartphones, preserved this pattern. It was, by this time, habit and tradition. Today, it lives on still. Meanwhile the alarm, in some form, has been around for millennia. Clocks — not mechanical or electronic, but water-based, star-based, shadow-based — have marked the hours for thousands of years. But the idea of a sound-based wake-up system? That's where it gets interesting. In the 4th century BCE, Plato is said to have devised a kind of alarm for himself and his students: a system using vessels of water that would gradually transfer liquid until a final container emitted a whistle-like sound. About 150 years later, the inventor Ctesibius in Egypt was experimenting with water clocks in which a series of falling pebbles triggered a gong. The early versions weren't loud enough so he reworked it to have more clang, ancient records indicate. Fast-forward about 1,000 years and, in 8th-century CE China, the Buddhist monk and astronomer Yi Xing built a water-powered alarm that used gongs and bells to mark time and served as a sort of astronomical device, to predict phenomena such as eclipses. Saved by the bell Today, alarm clocks such as the Clocky and Robot can even be set to run away from you to force you to start the day. What about the modern world? Well, centuries before the wristwatch and bedside alarm, as cities around the world grew and became busier, people generally woke to public sounds. Then, in medieval Europe, from about the 13th century on, town clocks and church bells began to standardise time, ringing on the hour or at fixed hours. These clocks ushered in a sense of shared schedule that bound a community. Perhaps more importantly, the first gong of the morning woke the exhausted labourer in time to begin the day's work. (Most church bells and clock towers still sound their first gong at 6 am.) India had its own soundscapes that served this purpose. For millennia, the blowing of conches and ringing of temple bells have marked the beginning of morning rituals, indicating the time for prayer and for the commencement of the day. The first azaan at mosques serves this purpose too. Even today, in many homes, it is these acoustic cues that trigger the first sleepy shufflings of the day, as we proceed to bath, prayer, and the lighting of lamps. It would be the 15th century before the first mechanical alarm clocks appeared in Europe. They had metal bells that could be wound so as to ring at a specific moment. These gadgets were expensive, and so the church and town clock continued to play their role. Hour heroes The 19th century changed all that. Industrial life demanded greater precision, and this meant, among other things, punctuality. Assembly lines, railway schedules, the postal service and office hours all required people to wake up and show up on time. Delays were now measured not in quarter- and half-hours but in minutes, and each delay had the potential for cascading inconvenience. Still, most city-dwellers could not afford the alarm clock. So, in industrialising Britain, a service of 'knocker-uppers' emerged, men and women who woke especially early (who knows how they managed it) to do the rounds of the neighbourhood, knocking on windows with long sticks or shooting dried peas through straws to rouse the working-class. Parallel cues emerged, and these still signal the arrival of morning: the milkman's bicycle bell, the long whistle of the first train pulling into a nearby station. Then, in a rush, came the clock, the watch, the telephone. With new technology, exciting new options became available. One could log a request with one's telephone company for a wake-up call, and someone would call on the landline at the requested time (a practice often followed when one had an early train or plane to catch). The human operator was eventually replaced by an Interactive Voice Response System or IVRS. I don't know of anyone who uses it anymore. Instead, in the 21st century, no two people need wake up to the same thing. One may pick a gentle chime, easily ignored by others in the room. Or set a smart watch to vibrate so only you are alerted. One may set a white noise machine to ease sleep away with ocean sounds or whale calls. Or choose a rising melody or raucous bird call on one's phone. With pen and paper gone, we also set alarms for the smallest things, and the biggest: anniversaries and birthdays, to pick up the laundry. We programme gadgets to ask, 'have you been drinking enough water today?' We say, 'Alexa, remind me to turn off the stove in 10 minutes.' Some things remain unchanged, amid it all. One is the joy of having a little extra time to snooze. Another is the fear that one's alarm won't ring as it's meant to. Do you have a back-up alert set too, 'just in case'? With no one tapping at my window, I know I do.
Winnipeg Free Press
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Cartoon characters teach children about faith
CHRISCROSS, Sumuslim, Ninjew and Taekwonhindu are not your average superheroes. True, they are all part of a team that fights injustice, rescues people in trouble, demonstrates powers and prowess beyond their years, and are stars of their own action-adventure animated television series. Unlike most superheroes, however, they also are all characters with a deep connection to their individual faiths. That's why they, and their cartoon series, are known as God's Gang. Chriscross is a Southern Baptist preacher and karate master who can deflect any object that is thrown at him. Sumuslim is a hulking sumo wrestler who uses his hypno-storytelling power to combat evil doings. Taekwonhindu, as her name implies, is a taekwondo expert who deploys her telepathic powers to thwart villains, and the fourth member of the gang, Ninjew, has laser vision and access to a Kabbalah sourced invisibility powder. In each episode, the gang receives an assignment from the angelic Ms Dogma, a dog working from heaven, and is assisted by a French accented aerial reconnaissance gatherer, Le Dove, who is a dove. They travel to their missions in a van that can transform into other kinds of vehicles and are sometimes helped out by their Buddhist friend Kungfuda. YouTube Taekwonhindu (from left), Ninjew, Chriscross and Sumuslim are all characters in the animated series God's Gang. By combining their powers and the shared values inherent in their separate faiths, the gang demonstrates the good that can be accomplished when people from different backgrounds and with different beliefs respect one another and cooperate. With God's Gang, faith is a concept that unites rather than divides. God's Gang was created by Israeli hi-tech entrepreneur Nimrod-Abraham May and written by the Emmy and Grammy award-winner Rob Kutner. It premiered on YouTube in September 2024, with Love Is in the Air Hole, an episode revolving around the gang's mission to rescue endangered blue whales. Another episode, We Didn't Start The Fire: Wildfire & The Mysterious Hero was released this past winter, and many more episodes are currently in the works. In an interview on TikTok Live, May explains that he came up with the idea for the gang about 20 years ago, but waited to pursue it until he felt he had the necessary knowledge and spiritual grounding to do so. 'I was lacking the understanding of spiritualism and the understanding basically of what the world is made of, why we are here and where we come from,' he says in the interview. Sundays Kevin Rollason's Sunday newsletter honouring and remembering lives well-lived in Manitoba. 'So,' he continues, 'I went on a 15-year search for God. Obviously the first place you look is religion. And I started looking to Judaism because I'm Jewish and then I decided it's not enough. I want to see what Christianity has to say and Islam and Hinduism and Buddhism and that only created more curiosity to learn more.' That curiosity in turn led him to delve into Kabbalah's Book of Creation, the Sumerian scripts and many other sources of spiritual knowledge. Then, when he finally felt ready to pursue his vision, May invited Buddhist and Hindu experts, imans, a Baptist pastor, and a rabbi to sit on an interfaith council. That council advises May, his animators and writers and ensures that the faith depictions in his cartoon are accurate and inoffensive. While May adds that he plans to introduce characters from the Sikh, Druze and other smaller religions in future episodes, he also emphasizes that God's Gang, in spite of its content and title, is not intended to promote religious adherence. 'We are not a show about religion,' he says. 'We are not trying to preach and we are not coming up with a one world religion. We are basically an entertainment company that wants people to come together to unite through shared values, the values that we believe are based on the bright side of life, which are kindness compassion, integrity and truth and love.' swchisvin@ The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER
