Pittsburgh_Patrika_April_2013

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 18, No. 3, April 2013

Vol. 18 No. 3, April 2013

www.pittsburghpatrika.com

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The Quarterly Magazine for the Indian Diaspora

Vol. 18 No. 3 www.pittsburghpatrika.com April 2013

4006 Holiday Park Drive, Murrysville, PA 15668

Phone/Fax: (724) 327 0953 e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com

“Like” us on Facebook at

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Highlights in this issue... ... ...

Violence against Women Endemic in India

By Arun D. Jatkar and Kollengode S Venkataraman...............2

Dr. Subra Suresh — Carnegie Mellon’s New President

By Kollengode S. Venkataraman.......................................9

Legal Education Loses Gloss

By Kollengode S. Venkataraman..................................... 10

The Source of Everything -— Poetry in Hindi

By Vikush................................................................ 12

Traveling by Train in the North East

By Premlata Venkataraman............................................ 14

Who is A Corrupt Official in India?


Glimpses from Veerashaiva Vachanas


Pope Benedict Leaves A Scandal-Ridden Vatican


A Story from The Mahabharata

By Anonymous.......................................................... 27

Donald Trump, the Tasteless

From the Internet........................................................ 32

On the cover: Downtown Pittsburgh along Ft. Duquesne Blvd. seen

from the third floor of David Lawrence Convention Center in Spring. •

3


The Quarterly Magazine for the Indian Diaspora

Vol. 18 No. 3 www.pittsburghpatrika.com April 2013

Phone/Fax: (724) 327 0953 e-mail: ThePatrika@aol.com

Violence against Women Endemic in India

By Arun D. Jatkar 1 and Kollengode S. Venkataraman

In late 2012, the gang-rape of a college-going young woman returning

home from a movie in the evening with her male friend in New

Delhi drew wide coverage in the Indian and global media. That she was

gang-raped by six men right in front of her badly beaten-up male friend

and dumped on the road severely wounded only to die later, touched a raw

nerve among Indian women. After all, it could be any one of them.

Violence against women has always been an endemic problem in India.

Rape, particularly gang rape, is an extreme case. Social stigma is one

reason why rape cases are rarely reported to the police. Even in the US,

as an NPR story reported in mid-January, rapes and attempted rapes are

the least-reported crimes in Washington, D.C., the nation’s capital.

That is not the only reason. Indians have become cynical of their criminal

justice system for good reason: over 4.3 million cases are pending in

Indian High Courts alone (excluding subordinate courts). A judicial commission

reporting on the Delhi gang rape

stated the obvious: Lack of governance.

But this time, educated women in Delhi

protested against the gang rape publicly.

They feel they have silently suffered long

enough with the molestations by, and aggressive

behavior of, men in buses, trains

and other public places. After all, every

incident of rape occurs after several episodes

of aggressive behavior by men. With their economic independence,

working women came out protesting. Enough is enough.

Violence against women is a global problem. See here: http://tinyurl.

com/Delhi-Stbnvl. Rapes have multiple causes — some are generic, others

are specific to each society. The patriarchal nature of society is blamed

for it in the case of India. To varying degrees, almost all societies are

male-dominated and macho, if not “patriarchal.”

1 Arun Jatkar, a long-time Monroeville resident, edits Ekata, a Marathi

monthly published from Toronto, Canada.

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The urban, educated and affluent Indians have a selective and skewed

perception of “modern” India, which they project in the Indian

English media, in their interactions among themselves and with their global

contacts. What is galling and embarrassing to these Indians is that violence

against women, like rapes, dowry deaths, and female foeticides, stands

in sharp contrast to the skewed image they have created for themselves

and internalized.

The protestors were asking the

government to act forcefully on rapes,

while shaming the government in the

media.

But treating serious social crimes

against women as a criminal justice

issue misses the other socioeconomic

and cultural underpinnings. It is worth recalling what Ela Gandhi, the

granddaughter of Mohandas Gandhi and a social worker in South Africa,

said during her visit to India in January 2013:

“Law[s] alone cannot solve the problems of society. The attitude of the

people need to change … … The malaise in society lies in the divisions

of caste, class and gender, the three evils that result in societal problems,

and women were generally the first victim of all conflicts… … The divisions…

… deny access to education, food, healthcare and housing for all

in an equitable manner.”

It is well-known that socioeconomic and cultural conditions such as

education, wealth, religion, and social class (castes in India), have

no bearing on sexual violence against women. So, reducing sexual violence

against women needs a two-pronged approach that covers the whole

population spectrum that should focus on

a) changing the interpersonal dynamics among all teenage and adult

men and women, and

b) inculcating good behavior patterns in all children from pre-school

onwards.

The first one seeks to reduce the incidence of sexual violence committed

against women by men. The second one attempts to inculcate behavior

patterns in children to enable interpersonal relations and interactions conducive

to reducing gender-related violence when they become adults.

Regardless of how effective the protests are, the women staging

candlelight vigils and displaying protest placards in New Delhi

and other places have made one thing clear: women want to let everyone

know how livid they are about society’s tolerance for violence against

them. This movement needs to thrive. We need brigades of women activists

supporting the victimized women, helping them muster courage to go

against the centuries-old social customs and traditions that place a higher

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value on male perception of pride and family honor than on the physical

and psychological health and well-being of women.

To begin with, we ought to start with the recognition that women are

an integral, equal, and complementing part of humanity as men are, and

therefore are not less important than men. The dicta such as “Gods and

Goddesses rejoice where women are revered, 2 ” have long been held as the

essential teachings of Indian civilization. However no society, Indian or

other Oriental or Occidental, has truly lived by those dicta. These ethical,

moral, philosophical and intellectual underpinnings of civilization remain

locked up in scriptures. They are no more than decorations on the trees

of our collective delusion. Therefore, we need to concentrate on changing

the attitudes and actions of individuals and of groups of individuals.

Let us not kid ourselves into expecting that the initiative will come

from men. Men have made great strides in winning for themselves many

freedoms. However, they have not ensured that women have the very

same freedoms and not have to suffer the physical and/or psychological

trauma from gender-based violence.

So, refusing to accept unfair and unjust treatment from society has to

be a major part of the women’s resistance movement.

With women playing an equal role in all facets of life worldwide,

societies need to evolve towards a) tempering of male machismo, and

b) simultaneously steeling of women’s fortitude. It is a tall order given

the history of mankind over several millennia. But true education is that

which sensitizes everyone to each gender’s shortcomings in dealing with

the other gender.

In the last sixty years, the urban, English-educated and affluent India

— about 20% of the population — has become disconnected from its

languages and cultural hinterland. In the wake of globalization, with the

IT-based call centers providing 24-h technical support to global customers,

the relatively incredibly well-paid “lucky ones” have internalized Western

lifestyles. Now dating, going to bars for drinks, dancing in nightclubs and

late night soirees are the accepted and expected norms within this slice

of the youth population.

Such rapid changes affecting and benefitting a small segment of the

population leave the rest of the youth population way behind. Inevitably,

in the schools where India’s affluent and poor children are educated—and

in the homes where they grow up—widely differing behavior patterns

are instilled on the accepted and unaccepted behaviors between boys

and girls. These kids become adults with an unbridgeable cultural and

psychological gulf.

In urban India, out of necessity, affluent Indians and the working

poor live close to each other. But the working poor lag by decades, if not

2

1 य नायतु पूयते रमते त देवताः yatra nāryastu Violence pūjyante ramante ... continued on Page 15

tatra devatā(h:)

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Dr. Subra Suresh

Carnegie Mellon’s New President

Carnegie Mellon University’s Board of Trustees unanimously selected

Dr. Subra Suresh as the university’s ninth president. Succeeding Dr. Jared

Cohon, Dr. Suresh takes office on July 1, 2013.

Before taking up this assignment, Dr. Suresh,

an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology,

Madras, was the director of the National Science

Foundation (NSF) since 2010. The NSF’s charter

is advancing science and engineering research and

education.

Before joining NSF, Dr. Suresh was the Dean

of the School of Engineering at MIT between 2007

and 2010, where he headed the Department of

Materials Science and Engineering between 2000

and 2006. Dr. Suresh started his teaching/research

career at Brown University in 1983 as an assistant professor. He became

full professor at Brown in 1989.

Dr. Suresh went to Iowa State University in 1979 for his master’s

degree. He earned his doctoral degree from MIT in1981. He was also a

post-doctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.

In his career, Dr. Suresh has received innumerable awards from national

and international science/technology organizations. He has been elected

into ten national science and engineering academies worldwide.

In its press release on his appointment, Carnegie Mellon University

announced that “Dr. Suresh has earned a renowned reputation in education

and research, garnering numerous awards and honors during his illustrious

career as a scholar, educator and public servant.”

Dr. Suresh’s wife, Mary, is the former Director of Public Health for

Wellesley, Massachusetts. They have two daughters, Nina and Meera.

Nina, an MIT graduate, is currently a medical student at the University

of Massachusetts. Meera, a Wesleyan University graduate with a double

major in biology and French, is a post-baccalaureate fellow at the National

Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

In one interview Suresh recalled something that most of the 45-plus year

old readers can relate to: “I could not afford long-distance calls to India as

a poor US graduate student.” He has come a very long way from there.

Dr. Suresh Subra is the first India-born professor to lead any of the

five schools at MIT, the first India-born scientist to lead NSF, and the first

India-born president at CMU. By K S Venkataraman •

11


Legal Education Loses Gloss

It does not take too much research to know we are a litigious society.

Simply watch TV commercials by law firms offering help to get money

for victims of accidents, medical malpractice, malfunctioning of medical

devices, and complications of medicines… …

But still, you may not know how litigious we are. A 2011 Harvard

Law School study gives us that info. Here are the numbers:

Per 100,000 Australia Canada France Japan UK USA

Population

Suits filed 1540 1450 2410 1768 3680 5810

Number of judges 4.0 3.3 12.5 2.8 2.22 10.80

Number of lawyers 360 26 72 23 251 391

Now there are indications that the legal profession is losing its gloss

among youngsters. As reported in the New York Times, the number of

applicants seeking legal education has been shrinking over the years. In

January of this year, there were 30,000 applicants to law schools for the

fall, a 20 percent decrease compared to January 2012 and a 38 percent

decline from 2010. See here: http://nyti.ms/11iXUZX

Among the many reasons cited: The job/career prospects and earning

potential for freshly minted lawyers are not what they have been even in

the recent past; the availability of forms on-line; and the growth of Internet

on-line self-service legal help (as in www.legalzoom.com) for many

routine needs. With a reasonably good grasp of the English language and

knowing what you want, you can create contracts without the need for

even paralegals for many routine needs.

Besides, legal research is now done on-line, and is faster, easier, and

comprehensive, requiring fewer lawyers, or even paralegals. Also, legal

work is increasingly outsourced to less expensive West Virginia, or to

countries like India and Pakistan (West Virginians may not like that they

are compared to India or Pakistan).

A compounding factor is the huge cost of the 3-year legal education

for youngsters after their 4-year bachelor degrees. In 2001 the average

tuition for private law school was $23,000; in 2012 it was $40,500. For

public law schools the figures were $8,500 and $23,600. This is the case

for all undergraduate education as well.

But many law students finance their education through loans. And among

private law school graduates, the average debt in 2001 was $70,000; in

2011 it was $125,000. The American education system, like the medical

system, has been raising the cost for their service at twice or even three

12


times the rate of inflation.

It has reached a point where youngsters from homes with limited

resources see that unless they land in top-of-the-line law firms (which

gravitate towards applicants with law degrees from top schools), it would

be difficult to pay off the debt, and they are opting out.

Unlike business schools, where any drop in enrollment from applicants

within the nation can be offset by increases in applicants from overseas,

foreign students have no interest in American law schools.

In the years ahead, several not-so-top-of–the-line law schools will

be closed down, and others may see downward restructuring. The legal

education itself will be forced to look into structural reforms to adjust to

this changed reality.

But given our deeply-held penchant for litigation, do not bet that this

will make us any less litigious as a society. There will be always lawyers

who will come to you saying, “You will not pay us unless we get money

for YOU!” — By Kollengode S. Venkataraman •

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The annual opening gala of Silk Screen Film Festival this year is on

Friday on May 10 at the Rivers Club, Oxford Center, with the festival’s

first screenings of films from Asia

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The evening is filled with multicultural

events, samplings from Asian

cuisines, lots of music, and meeting

old friends and making new ones.

For the most up-to-date information

on the festival, and to contact the

organizers for your participation, visit

www.silkscreenfestival.org. •

13


The Source of Everything

By Vikush

This is a new and occasional feature for readers to compose verses in their native languages

– maatru bhasha. The writer, a long-time resident of our area, has used a pen name for

these Hindi verses. If you want to contribute, get back to us at ThePatrika@aol.com

Note: In the following verses, Ram not the puranic Ram of the Ramayana, but the Infinite

One, the very Prana or Life Force in all living beings.

Ask from where everything comes, why look up to clay puppet?

The Seed Word -- the One that runs the universe -- is imbedded in you!

Ask from where everything comes… …

Some are known for their wealth, some for bodily strength;

The attractive body is just a cadaver, once Ram has departed.

Ram is wealth, Ram is strength! Ram is wealth, Ram is strength!

Ram will carry you across to destination

Ask from where everything comes

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Life is a draft of wind — here today, won’t be there tomorrow,

“This is mine, that is mine.” All these will stay, but you will not.

Ram was, and will be here forever! Ram was, and will be here forever!

As eons and eons pass us by

Ask from where everything comes… …

Air, ocean, fire, earth — Creations of Ram’s grace.

By mixing these are made all the puppets.

But Ram is the heartbeat, Ram is the heartbeat in all puppets!

And Ram moves their breaths

Ask from where everything comes from… …

Ask from where everything comes, why look up to clay puppet?

The Seed Word -- the One that runs the universe — is imbedded in you!

Ask from where everything comes... ... •

Violence in India... continued from Page 8

centuries, behind the affluent ones in the mores on male-female relationships.

The youngsters lagging behind, already backward and stymied by

the difficult-to-cross Vindhya-like social boundaries, realize they can never

catch up. They end up as onlookers on the periphery enviously and resentfully

gawking at the social scene they see among the affluent youth.

This divide, caused by the benign neglect of social development of

children from India’s poor families by its professional class is an important

factor — there are many other compounding factors, no doubt — for the

boorish behavior of virile men towards women in India for what goes by

the term “eve-teasing.” See http://tinyurl.com/Story-in-TheHindu

If we fail to imprint proper attitudes and world views on young minds,

it is difficult to change the behavior of adults. They are swayed by hormones

and male hubris constantly nourished by the “anything-for-a-buck”

brand of media circus. The less we say about the way Indian cinema and

Western entertainment industry demean women, the better.

So, reducing gender-related violence in India needs a national commitment

a) to change the interactions between all adult men and

women now, and b) to educate the pre- and early-school children such that

boys and girls of all backgrounds are trained the same way on how to interact

with each other with civility and respect. This is a big challenge.

If India starts today to improve early education for all children, twenty

years down the road, we may see improvements in the interactions between

young men and women in both urban and rural India. Otherwise,

India will be only jumping from one candlelight vigil to the next for rape

victims. •

15


Traveling by Train in the North East

As I walked into Union Station in Washington DC I was filled

with the excitement usual at the start of the train travel. Long

train journeys are embedded into the psyche of people from India of a

certain age. I have travelled from Bombay when I was a child on steamengine-powered

trains to visit my grandmother in Kerala, an adventurous

2-day trip in those days. And at the end of it was the loving embrace of a

grandmother. And since you never slept in the train in the excitement of

travel, at least for a couple of days the movement of the train stays with

you long after you had gotten off.

But this train trip was a short one slightly under four hours. We were

going to meet friends in New Jersey/New York, people I haven’t seen in

decades. Getting on the Northeast Regional was a drama in itself. Standing

in a long line with the pre-Christmas hordes eager to reach families

was frantic enough to bring to mind the VT station during the evening

commute.

But once we got into the train cars — remember we used to call them

bogies in India — we settled into comfortable seats with plenty of legroom.

Hoping for amenities like the European transcontinental hi-speed trains,

I was disappointed at the old-world atmospherics inside. The Northeast

Regional did not have the large picturesque windows and the décor inside

was utilitarian. Though it did have free Wi-Fi, the train we were in did

not have the scrolling displays on the on-coming stations or arrival times,

or maps for passengers to verify their itinerary. This makes for a nervous

traveler constantly checking the schedule.

But the train did keep good speed as it sped through the cities of

Baltimore, Wilmington, and Philadelphia. Though I have travelled by

automobile to all these cities, the train journey as it ploughed through the

burrows of the cities portrayed a totally different view of the cities.

If you pay attention along the way, you will recognize that along the

tracks on either side you will see the remnants of old manufacturing

facilities, many of them dilapidated and some of them still buzzing

with activity, that were there in the first place because of easy access for

transporting of their raw materials and finished goods before the Interstates

became the preferred way to move goods.

Soon we arrived at our Metropark station, a small and compact station

in New Jersey, past Trenton. All the trains that traverse this route stop

here for the NJ suburbanites.

From New Jersey, during our 4-day stay there, we made several

trips to New York on the New Jersey rail transit (NJIT). We were

armed with plentiful information from our friends, who were so worried

Train Travel... ... Continued on page 22

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20


Who is A Corrupt Official in India?

By Kollengode S Venkataraman

Daily bribes, known as “mamool”:

Fruit vendor: Rs. 50

Vegetable vendor: Rs. 30

Street vendor: Rs. 30

For sleeping on pavement: Rs. 5

Sex worker: Rs. 100

Brothel owners: Rs. 2,500

Pub owner: Rs. 1,000

21

They are not the officials who take the bribes offered. They are the officials

who ask for bribe as a precondition. If you’re confused and wonder

what the difference is, you do not know how India works.

A recent news story in The Hindu on Bangalore, India’s high-tech city,

throws light onto the murky business of bribery. In Bangalore’s bazaars,

when police constables come for their daily evening patrols (beats), the

street vendors, on their own, without the constable even making eye

contact, stuff the police with cash. A policeman was candid: “I get Rs.

30,000 a month without asking anybody for bribe.”

A friend asked a police officer in Bangalore, “Who is an honest policeman?”

The officer replied: “One

who doesn’t go out of his way to

extort money.” In Bangalore, the

normal bribe rate is even formalized

so there is no misunderstanding.

See the box.

If this is the situation in Bangalore,

you can imagine how it will

be in Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi,

Mumbai, Kolkata and other cities. This system is the same in commercial

tax departments, customs clearing houses, public works departments, motor

vehicles departments, and even government hospitals.

Business people big and small factor these mamools as the cost of

doing business, similar to franchise and licensing fees and royalty,

and transfer the cost of the bribes to their customers. India is a shining

example of a nation whose ordinary consumers subsidize the lifestyles of

the corrupt officials and businesses.

Corruption in India is so endemic that nobody complains to the authorities

even though they may whine about it in private. Besides, India

has perfected corruption to such that everybody is simultaneously both a

victim and a beneficiary of corruption. When you benefit in one situation,

how can you complain when you are the victim in another?

Another reason why nobody goes through the criminal justice system is

simply because the criminal justice system — local policemen and judges

in lower courts — itself is corrupt. That brings to mind a Ramayana story

I’ve read decades ago in a Tamil magazine.

Rama was standing on a riverbank holding Kodandam, his bow, on

his side with one end of the bow sticking into the sand. Rama,

hearing a feeble moan from the ground below, looked down. The tip of


his bow was resting on the back of a frog, pinning the wretched creature

to the ground. Rama, known for his compassion, was horrified. He asked

the frog, “Why didn’t you call me for help?”

The frog replied, “Rama, if others hurt me, I can call you for help.

When you yourself are the cause for my pain, who shall I call?”

Indians feel like the frog in the Ramayana story. Besides, they know

only too well the criminal justice system is not anything like the

compassionate Rama. So, they rarely use their court system seeking

justice, whether it is for petty theft, violence against women, or even bigtime

land-grab cases. According to a recent report of the Indian Supreme

Court, 28 million cases are pending in India’s lower courts, or 28 cases

for every 1000 people. They don’t want to be harassed also by the police

and the lawyers. Enough already!

They wisely try to settle their disputes using bribes or highly effective

extra-judicial resources. These extra-judicial sources become the criminal

underworld. Working closely with the political class, they move up the

social chain, sometimes even becoming legitimate elected officials.

But then, every society, including the US, has its own version of this

model of social upward mobility. •

Train Travel... ... Continued from page 16

about letting loose a couple from the Burgh onto the maze of rail system

in their region where four independent rail systems — Amrak, NJIT, Long

Island Rail Road, and the New York Subway — intersect. We became

quite adept at changing over from NJIT, Amtrak, LIRR and the New York

subways so that we never had to take a cab to go anywhere.

It was a lot of fun, and the experience made me wish that Pittsburgh

had a half-decent railroad system interconnecting some of our neighborhoods.

It would be easy to have one with the downtown as the “hub,”

with four or five “spokes,” say up to Cranberry in the north, South Park

on the South, Greensburg to the east, and airport to the west. There is a

charm and style to taking mass transit traveling with people from diverse

backgrounds. It helps us see our immediate world with a better clarity

than through the flashing roads seen through your car windshield while

listening to your own echo chamber of radio talk-shows. But given the

state of the finance of our city, regional and state governments, sadly, it

is not going to happen anytime soon.

Note: Not used to traveling in trains, we lost our pocket-size digital

camera. So, be aware of having to take care of your personal belongings

when you frequently get in or get out of trains. •

22


Glimpses from Veerashaiva Vachanas

Veerashaivaas, also known as Lingaayats, are the followers

of a strong reform movement of the 12th century, and are in large numbers

in the Indian states of Karnataka, Maharashtra and parts of Andhra

Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. The movement’s founders defied the Hindu

orthodoxy of that era by rejecting the ossified birth-based varna system

of society then in existence. In the monotheistic Veerashaiva tradition, as

with other Hindu traditions, everyone is a repository of Divinity, which

one needs to experience through individual effort and bhakti without the

need for an intermediary, like a priest. It also rejected the propitiatory

and compensatory rituals.

Being egalitarian at its core, the Veerashaiva Movement did not differentiate

people based on birth (caste), creed, gender, or language. That

the Lingaayats eventually became a caste by themselves is an ironic twist

on how reform movements work in India.

The Lingaayat teachings are in vachanas, meaning “sayings,” rendered

in Kannada. The vachanas of Veerashaiva thinkers — Basava

Anna (Basava, the elder brother), Mahadevi Akka (Mahadevi, the elder

sister), Allama Prabhu, among others — are well-known. Like the writings

of the Tamil Bhakti poets who preceded them between the 5th and

10th centuries, Veerashaiva thinkers, wrote in the native language Kannada

for the understanding of their message by everyone.

The vachana composers addressed their sayings to the presiding deity

in the Shiva temple of their choice. The vachanas are pithy and sometimes

cryptic, needing commentaries. The vachana literature continues to influence

life in Karnataka and other places.

Starting in the late 19th and 20 centuries, the Lingaayats’ contribution

to school and college education throughout Karnataka is significant.

Here are two examples of vachanas. The first one by Basava (1134-

1196) is simple, yet profound in its meaning.

The translation is on the next page.

23


The Rich will build temples for Shiva. What can I, a poor man, do?

[But then] My legs are the pillars; my body, the temple.

And my head is the golden kalasha, the shining crown.

Listen, O, Koodala Sangama Deva (the Lord of the Meeting Rivers)!

The standing ones decay. The moving ones, never.

In his travels Basava would have seen dilapidated temples. So he declares,

“While the ‘immobile’ ones built with stones and mortar ultimately

perish, Shiva lives forever in the hearts of the initiated in each succeeding

generation.” Basava calls God’s devotees “walking” temples.

Here is a vachana by Allama Prabhu (born 1115 AD) a contemporary

of Basavanna. Allama Prabhu’s vachanas are addressed to

Guheshawara, which literally means “Ishwara (Divine Being) dwelling

in the heart-cave (guha, or guhe in Kannada).

Translation:

The fire in the stone, can it burn?

The tree in the seed, can it make the rustling noise?

Being Unseen, he does not appear in flashes to people.

The jeeva, in-dwelling one, knows the Guheshwara.

Here Allama uses imagery from nature to tell that only with contemplative

sensitivity, can one realize the Universal Self within.

When two hard stones rub against each other, the friction leads to

sparks that can ignite fire in dry leaves. Caught up in our daily pursuits,

we never recognize this potential for fire in simple rocks lying around.

Similarly, we do not see that a seed has within itself the potential for a

fully grown tree. We plant a seed. It sprouts, becomes a small plant, eventually

growing into a big tree with thick foliage. On a hot summer evening

in the gentle cool breeze, the leaves rustle, making gentle whispers.

Using these imageries, Allama declares that only the in-dwelling jeeva

can recognize the Infinite One within, the same One which pervades everything

around us. But to recognize this, we need to first see the divinity

within ourselves even in the midst of our daily grind.

— By Kollengode S Venkataraman. The author acknowledges Nayantara

Swamy from Florida and Lata Mallikarjuna from Monroeville for

their help with his rusty Kannada. •

24


Pope Benedict Leaves A Scandal-Ridden Vatican

By Kollengode S. Venkataraman

Life-time tenure is the privilege of a very few—Supreme Court

judges in the US, the Pope, and despots. All of them have something

in common: None can question their decisions. At least, US Supreme

Court judges can only decide on cases brought before them. Besides, we

have nine of them, all equal among themselves. Even tyrants and despots

are can be overthrown or killed, often with help from other powers.

But popes in the last 600 years have held on to their office till their death

despite the intrigues in the Vatican’s labyrinthine bureaucracy. Frank Bruni

has described the abject condition in which Pope John Paul II was kept

in office in his final days by the Vatican officials, who are the real power

wielders there. The Pope is also infallible. His power is absolute.

The Vatican is powerful — it is the only religious institution to have

diplomatic relations with nations in the rest of the world. It has over a

billion followers worldwide, which it manages with an obedient bureaucracy

that dwarfs even that of the Chinese in its hierarchical details and

obedience. Its assets, reach and influence are disproportional to its size.

So, tenure-till-death for popes, who typically ascend their throne in their

sixties, is no way to run the gargantuan multinational corporation of Roman

Catholicism in the 21st century confronting complex issues.

So, when Pope Benedict XVI resigned citing old age and ill health

to handle the stresses of the office, encomiums poured from all

over on his humility and candor for giving up the job. The stressful job

requires energy to attend to the serious policy matters of the church, daily

routines, and state visits. The last pope to

resign, Gregory XII, resigned nearly 600

years ago under schism when three others

were declared as popes by rival groups.

Pope Benedict XVI faced serious problems

during his tenure — shrinking influence

and declining church attendance in Europe

and North America, difficulty in recruiting

priests and nuns in Caucasian countries,

and finally, crimes of pedophilia committed

by clergy in North America, Europe, Australia, even Latin America. If

the shame of pedophilia was not enough, the world was stunned to know

that the archdioceses — including the archbishops — covered up the misbehavior

of their deviant priests. In the US many archdioceses filed for

bankruptcy to shield themselves from the financial obligation of judgments

against the errant priests in lawsuits.

25


Before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, as Cardinal Ratzinger, he

headed the Holy Office of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the

Faith, earlier known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman

Inquisition, or simply the infamous Inquisition. In this office, he had exclusive

access to all internal documents on wayward priests world-wide.

Ratzinger as a young man studied philosophy and theology, and was

ordained in 1951. He earned a doctorate in theology in 1953. For years

he was a professor of theology at various universities in Germany. He

was known for the depth and breadth of his intellect. He published many

essays, sermons and reflections, reinforcing his scholarly reputation.

As an ardent student of philosophy and theology, Ratzinger would

have studied other systems of approaches in mankind’s eternal quest for

spiritual growth. Further, as a priest he would have grasped the diverse

temperamental profiles of people even within an archdiocese. But Cardinal

Ratzinger, even before becoming Pope, was quite dogmatic on temporal

matters and on liturgies as he entered the 21st century, even as he saw

diversity of opinions on various issues confronting his church.

Ratzinger’s dogmatism extended to his interactions with

Cardinal leaders from other faiths. As we entered the new millennia, in the

late 1990s Anno Domini, the UN commissioned leaders of different faiths

to come up with a resolution on religious amity. A draft resolution was

circulated among the leaders from diverse faiths — Judaism, Christianity,

Islam, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism, Hinduism, Sikhism and others.

Cardinal Ratzinger led the Vatican delegation.

While finalizing the draft, Swami Dayananda Saraswati made his case

that the resolution should replace “tolerance” among the religions with

the phrase “mutual respect.” The Swamy’s point

was noteworthy. Tolerance may signify “no more

than forbearance and the permission given by the

adherents of a dominant religion for other religions

to exist, even though the latter are looked on with

disapproval as inferior, mistaken or harmful.” An

example given was, when we are invited as guests,

simply to be “tolerated” by our host is an insult. We

want to be treated with respect as equals. See here

for details: http://tinyurl.com/Tlrnc-Mtl-Rspct.

Swami

Dayananda Saraswati

It was revealing that Cardinal Ratzinger objected

to replacing “tolerance” with “mutual respect.” As

Rajiv Malhotra of Infinity Foundation notes, “If

religions deemed ‘heathen’ were to be officially respected, there would

be no justification for converting their adherents to Christianity” — or to

26


other religions.

Swami Dayananda Saraswati was under pressure to relent. But the

Swami persisted that it was time for the non-Abrahamic religions to be

respected as equals and not just tolerated by the three “religions of the

book.” At the last minute the Vatican conceded, and the resolution declared

that all religions would agree to respect one another. This was big news

and was broadcast widely among the non-Abrahamic religions.

However, within a month, the Vatican issued a new policy stating that

while “followers of other religions can receive divine grace, it is also

certain that objectively speaking they are in a gravely deficient situation

in comparison with those who, in the Church, have the fullness of the

means of salvation.” Even though many liberal Christians disagreed with

this policy, this still remains the Vatican’s official position.

Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation is worthy of recognition in the

background of many scandals that were decades in the making

exploding on his watch. Giving up absolute power is not easy for anyone.

However, the cerebral Pope’s and the Vatican’s intolerance in this day

and age to accept multiple approaches in mankind’s spiritual quest — with

or without the need for divine intervention — leaves in many, including

many Christians, an uneasy feeling. •

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A Story from The Mahabharata

Panchatantra and Hitopadesha stories are teach us how to get out of

sticky situations, and how we can use our apparent weakness to our advantage

to in precarious situations, using deceit and even treachery.

You can interpret the following fable from Mahabharata any which way

you want: as a simple bed-time story to children, or to understand

• fights among siblings, parents, and in-laws over property; or

• work situations with competing interests, alliances, constraints; or

• cold-blooded coalition building in temple politics to settle old scores

of perceived humiliations; or

• national politics on how to take advantage of your enemy’s weaknesses

and neutralize his/her strength; or

• what happens in the UN when nations with widely diverse constraints

on resources, internal problems, and global political objectives try to

negotiate to get the best deal for themselves; or

• long wars involving multinational forces where nations have conflicting

national, regional and global agenda, different constraints in weaponry,

money, manpower, and time lines. Conflicting interests vitiate wars with

no clear winners. Or military victory can lead to economic disasters.

Britannia won World War II, but the empire imploded.

We learn from these fables that ideologies are only smokescreens behind

which human interactions are motivated by unadulterated, unenlightened

self-interest to exploit the situations of the moment to one’s advantage.

In a forest lived Poonai, a fat cat, living off rats and small birds that

tried not to be in the cat’s way. One day, a hunter came to the forest

and spread his net to catch wild animals. He had sprinkled pieces of

meat inside the net as bait. The hungry Poonai went for the bait, and was

caught in the net. The sun was setting, and it was getting dark.

There came Eli, the mouse. On seeing his archenemy Poonai trapped

in the hunter’s net, he was gleefully happy.

But Eli also saw above an owl in a tree and a mongoose on the ground,

both eyeing Eli as their evening meal. Eli, seeing that his end was near

from the mongoose and the owl, quickly devised a plan.

It got inside the net. He told Poonai, “Dear Poonai, I feel bad for your

situation. I can release you by cutting the nets provided you give me shelter

for some time from the owl and the mongoose inside the nest.

Poonai thought, “Normally, Eli is my snack. But this time is not normal.

I need to use Eli to get my freedom.” Thinking thus, Poonai told

Eli, “You make a good point. Both of us are now in danger. Yes. I will

protect you from the owl and mongoose. You can stay inside. But if you

don’t keep your promise of releasing me to freedom before the hunter

comes, I will kill you before the hunter catches me.”

29


Fairy Tale ... ... Continued from page 29

So, here was the most unusual sight of a cat protecting a mouse inside

the net, with an owl above in the tree and a mongoose on the ground each

looking for the chance to catch the mouse.

Eli thought: “If I am going to release Poonai before daybreak, the owl

or the mongoose are sure to kill me. I should not be in a hurry to release

him anytime soon. Let me wait for daybreak.”

But Poonai was impatient and became apprehensive that he would

never be released. But Eli asked

Poonai to be patient.

Eventually, there were signs

of daybreak, with light on the

eastern horizon. Seeing light,

the owl and the mongoose ran

for their safety.

Eli felt safe from his external

threats, but still thought this:

“Poonai has not had anything to

eat all night. He is hungry. If I

release him now, surely I will

be his meal. But since his life is in my hands, he will not harm me even

when he is hungry. I will wait till I see the hunter far away. Then I will

quickly rip open the net. Poonai will have to run away from the hunter.

That will ensure my safety.”

Poonai, though frustrated, was forced to bide his time.

Soon the hunter appeared faraway. He was happy to see a cat trapped

in his net. But Eli quickly cut the nets giving enough space for Poonai to

escape, but not enough time for the cat to make a feast of himself, Eli.

Both Eli and Poonai ran for their safety and freedom. •

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32


Attention, Graduating High-School Seniors!

In the July issue of the Pittsburgh Patrika we have been publishing

the list of our graduating high school seniors going to colleges in their

onward journey in education.

The main purpose of publishing this list is to motivate and inspire our

children in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades so that they too can do well if they

stay focused in their high school years. So, help us to make this list.

We encourage parents and students to share with us the following

details as soon as you make your decisions: Your full name, b) the high

school from which you are graduating, and c) the university/college you

are going to attend in Fall.

Send your details by e-mail to ThePatrika@aol.com •

New Kuchipudi Dance Classes Offered

Bindu Madhavi Gutti, a Senior disciple

of the late legend Guru Vempati Chinna

Satyam and Smt. A.B.Bala Kondala Rao,

is teaching Kuchipudi dance for students of

all ages and every level of training.

The classes are held in two venues: 1) Sri

Venkateswara Temple, Penn Hills on Saturdays

2-6 PM, and 2) Chinmaya Mission in

Monroeville, on Sundays 3-7 PM.

New semester starts in January, 2013.

Contact: Bindu.Madhavi.Gutti@gmail.com •

Important Notes to Readers

• The Pittsburgh Patrika publishes articles from readers (after a review, of course) on

a wide range of topics. Please get in touch with us before you start working on your story

to save you time. Call 724 327 0953, or e-mail to ThePatrika@aol.com

• We also publish announcements (including photographs where appropriate) such as

for arangetrams, weddings, deaths, awards, and other transitions.

• If you move, give us your new address. If you do not want to receive the magazine,

please let us know. We will stop mailing the magazine to you.

• We provide a link between advertisers and our readers. Without subscription, advertisements

are the only reason we exist. These advertisements do not imply that we endorse

these goods and services. You, the consumer, are the decision maker.

— Editor •

33


Donald Trump, the Tasteless

While many of you drive to work, I travel to work. I have a long

commute. Besides, I need to go through a tunnel and a bridge. How long

is my commute? Well, if there are no traffic jams en route, it takes over

an hour each way. But these days are rare. Days of 90-min commute each

way are common. Sometimes, it even takes 150 minutes. Once the Parkway

freezes due to bad weather or accidents, automobiles only crawl, not only

on the freeway, but also on all the alternate routes.

I’ve tried several things to keep myself busy during my long commute

— like trying to memorize Sanskrit shlokas and Tamil verses — some of

the ribald and scatological; listening to NPR; rock or country music; or the

fire-and-brimstone or syrupy Christian preachers. But nothing like radio

talk shows. For a variety of reasons, most of the radio talk shows have

a strong right-wing tilt. Having listened to them for long, I have a high

threshold for their predictable rhetoric. So, I listen to Sean Hannity on

104.7 and his adoring fans on FM every day on my way home. Sometimes

Quinn and Rose on my way to work.

threshold could be high for right-wing rhetoric, but my tol-

My erance is rather low for tastelessness, as I found out recently

listening to Sean.

It was on January 24, and in the 3rd hour on Hannity’s afternoon

radio talk show, somewhere between the 20th and 40th minute. He was

interviewing Donald Trump. Hannity patronizingly admires Trump for

his business acumen, wealth, bravado, ambition, his expensive lifestyle,

and also for his charming wife and lovely children.

That Donald Trump is vainglorious and pompous is well known. But

vanity and pomposity can make one quickly slip into tastelessness, as it

happened that day.

Trump was responding to Hannity adoringly telling Trump how lovely

his daughter was.

I was astounded by Trump’s response. I did not get the exact words.

But this is the gist of what he said: “Sean, my daughter is so gorgeous

that if I were young today, I will date her.”

Trump is known for his garish tastes. But still, could he not have

found some other way of telling how gorgeous his daughter is? It ruined

the reminder of my long commute back home, as if getting stuck on the

Parkway staring at the tailpipes of the vehicles in front of me was not

bad enough.

My colleague at work once told me, “Venkat, you cannot buy taste with

wealth.” How true! Besides, as a Tamil saying goes, “For every crow,

its fledglings are the most beautiful.” — K S Venkataraman •

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