July 2K6 Volume 2 Issue 1 WBF Marches Ahead 2K6 Volume 2 Issue 1 WBF Marches Ahead World Brahman...

July 2K6 Volume 2 Issue 1

WBF Marches Ahead

World Brahman Federation (WBF) is marching full-steam ahead. Mr. Nirmal Choubey, the Founder President, had a whirl-wind tour to California, Texas, and to Canada where he found a tremendous support for the WBF. It is already active in its home state- New York and sur-roundings, where the WBF is registered as a Not-For-Profit organization. Strong support for the WBF has been expressed by the Brahman community in Mauri-tius, England, and, of course, India, the home land of all the Brahmans.

Now comes the Convention'06 on July 7-9 at New Jersey. The convention pro-vides family oriented fun and learning experience for the entire family. It gives an opportunity for the delegates to meet famous industrialists, philosophers, reli-gious leaders, artists, and science and technology experts. There will be inspi-rational as well as educative talks and discussions as well as cultural perform-ances including music, dances, dance dramas, and a Kavi Sammelan. The con-vention provides a unique opportunity and a forum for the community for inter-acting and networking. Special events are being planned for the children and youth- the Brahmans of tomorrow.

The keynote speech will be delivered by Ashok Trivedi who is the Chairman of IGATE Global solutions. He gave a memorable speech at the previous con-vention and is regarded as a role model for our youth. A special inspirational

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Eko’hum Publication of the WBF The Pre-convention Issue

Mr. Nirmal Choubey & Mr. Manoranjan Misra presenting Eko’hum to Mr. M. M. Joshi, the then cabinet minister of India, at the Delhi Convention in 2003

As a result of the interest shown by the Brahman community in the Toronto area, and to help them realize their full potential, WBF formed its Canada Unit, the WBF Canada, on May 27,06. It will be led by Dr. Azad Kaushik who is a WBF trustee. According to Mr. Nirmal Choubey, the WBF President, Dr. Kaushik is a man of strong conviction, soft spoken and courteous, and at the same time, a man of steel. His wife Ar-chana is just as courteous and friendly. They have a 20 year old son Manu who is equally committed to Brahmanism.

A Mega Event—Conv’06 at NJ Keynote Speaker Ashok Trivedi

WBF Canada– New Unit of the WBF

For the Brahmans, of the Brahmans, by the Brahmans

Eko’hum July 2006

As our headline says- WBF is march-ing ahead. A strong momentum has been built up largely due to personal efforts of Mr Nirmal Choubey. In his whirlwind tour across the continent, he found a tremendous enthusiasm for the WBF.

There is clearly a need for an organi-zation like WBF. What is unique in the WBF is that it transcends linguistic and regional barriers and aims to bring the community from across the world on a common platform. Most, if not all, other Brahman organizations are practically confined to specific regional or linguistic groups. Of course those organizations also have a role which the WBF recog-nizes and respects. The WBF considers all Brahman organizations as collabora-tors for a lofty cause and not as competi-tors but the WBF is much more far reaching in scope. It is a new model of an organization and its success is crucial for the future welfare of the community and the future generations. Like any new venture, we face problems time to time but the important thing is that every problem pushes us forward and does not pull us backwards.

As we move ahead, we must keep ask-ing ourselves– which way is ahead? It is not enough to bring the community on a common platform. We also have to iden-tify specific activities for ourselves and make a positive impact on the commu-nity. For example, shall we discuss and attempt to make a change on issues like reservations in India, the plight of the Kashmiri Hindus, and education for chil-dren? As we have clearly stated again and again, we don’t approve of the evils of the Hindu caste system. We only wish to preserve our own culture and identity with full respect to all human beings. Such issues will be discussed at the forthcoming convention. See you there.

Eko’hum published by the World Brahman Federation (WBF), 18 Fitzgerald Lane, Colum-bus, NJ 08022, USA. The WBF is registered as a not-for-profit organization in the state of New York. Editor- Dr. Vinod Tewary. All correspondence to Eko’hum should be addressed to the Editor, c/o WBF at the address given above, or e-mail to [email protected]

From Your Editor Dear fellow Brahmans: I just completed a 15,000 mile whirl-

wind tour of North America that took me to all its corners, from Toronto in the North to Houston in the Southwest, and from New Jersey in the East to Sacra-mento, San Francisco and Los Angeles in the West. I received a grand welcome wherever I went, and many saw it as a ‘homecoming’ trip. I was certainly moved by the experience. This trip gave me an opportunity to reconnect.

Everywhere I went, I found an un-quenched thirst for Brahmanism. Brah-manism that will solve the problems they are facing today, which ranges from lack of educational material suitable for chil-dren to the care of elderly. At the same time, they also have to wrestle with the issues of democracy, India’s caste based reservation system that has fractured Hindu society, status in the community of Brahman priests, safety and security of Kashmiri Pundits, territorial integrity of India where most of their brothers and sisters live, and world peace that is para-mount. The most intriguing part is that it all started nearly 15 years ago with a simple desire to preserve our identity as a Brahman in a land that considers itself bastion of freedom and democracy.

I can assure the community that the WBF is focused on the issues that are on top of their minds, and has ideas on how to address them. The community should come forward to give these ideas a criti-cal look, and work for those that seem to have a chance of success. The best part is that being an umbrella organization with individual membership, we have assembled the finest minds throughout the world. Convention 2006, being held next month, will provide another oppor-tunity for all of us to be together, and I urge every one to attend this event to exchange ideas, and show solidarity with the Brahman community worldwide.

Creation of WBF Canada in May was an extraordinary event. It empowered Brahmans in Canada to be responsible for their own destiny with full support of the world Brahman community. This development was a logical conclusion of our effort to empower the community worldwide as we did in 2005 by creating WBF India, Nepal and Mauritius.

I thank Dr. Tewary, for giving me the opportunity to express my views, and

From Your President bringing out this issue of Eko’hum. Let us hope that the community gives its full support so that it becomes a more regular event. — Nirmal Choubey

WBF organizers President: Nirmalendu Choubey, Co-lumbus, NJ; (609) 792-5927 Executive Vice President: Aswath N. Hansoge, Tabernacle, NJ; (609) 268-7414 Vice Presidents: Rajesh Shukla, Cliff-side, NJ, (201) 941-7704; Bharat Bhar-gava, Walnut, CA, (909) 594-3283 General Secretary: Sarma Chitti, Plainsboro, NJ, (609) 750-1975 Asstt. General Secretary: Sanjay Tri-pathi, Edison, NJ, (732) 635-0049 Treasurer: Manoranjan Mishra, Hoff-man Estate, IL, (847) 560-1390 Members of the President’s Counsel: Ravi Chandrasekhara, Dallas, TX ; Purnima Jha, Berkely, CA; Mahesh Prasad Kasinadhuni, Holmdel, NJ; Rathna Prasad Kasinadhuni, Holmdel, NJ; Azad Kaushik, Morriston, Ont, Ab-haya Maharaj , Sacramento, CA; Sen Pathak, Houston, TX; M.G. Prasad; Ra-manath Sharma, Honolulu, HI; Sriram Sonty, Vinod K. Tewary, Boulder, CO; Hitendra Upadhyaya; BVK Sastry. Editor, Eko’hum & Web Page: Vinod Tewary, Boulder, CO. Editors, Brahmodaya: Anoop Bhar-gava, Plainsboro, NJ; Sailesh Mishra, Ramanath Sharma, Vinod Tewary WBF Presidents of member organiza-tions in other countries: WBF, Canada: Dr. Azad Kaushik WBF, India: Mange Ram Sharma WBF, Nepal: Ramagya Chaturbedi WBF Mauritius: Vidyadhar Mishra Convention 2006 Director: Sanjay Tripathi, Edison, NJ, (732) 635-0049 General Secretary: Mr. Swaminandan Ojha , (609) 371-5771 Cultural Program Director: Anita Dubey, (301) 947-3366 Assistant Directors: Rajni Bhargava, (609) 275-1968; Geetha Prasad.

Next World Brahman Convention Mauritius, December 20, 2007

Details to be announced

Eko’hum July 2006

Oh! dear mind, harbor not the hate

By Dr. M.G. Prasad

I n the journey of life, harbor not the hate.

As a child’s mind you were free from hate. As an innocent child you saw through love. But as an adult you could see through hate. As a loving child you were harmless. As a hateful adult you are destructive. Path of hate leads to suffering and sorrow. Path of empathy leads to harmony and joy. You are the Universal God’s powerful gift to humans. You are a friend through love but cruel through hate. Know that you have a Master, the One Universal God. In comparison with Whom you are always a small thing. Pray deeply that you shall not harbor the hate. As we are all connected, the hate begets hate. Pray deeply that child’s love you had shall sustain. As we are all connected, the love begets love.

Understanding Hinduism (Sanatana Dharma)

Through questions and answers By Dr. M.G. Prasad ([email protected]) (www.taranga.us)

How was Hinduism founded? Hinduism is the name used for

‘Sanatana Dharma’ meaning eternal (Sanatana) principles and actions that hold all things and beings together (Dharma). It is founded on the experi-ences and works of innumerable rishis (seers) in spiritual and intellectual fields. It is not founded either by one person or a group of people.

What are the holy scriptures of Hin-duism?

The core of Hinduism is Vedas, which is infinitely large body of mantras heard by rishis in their deep meditative states. There is also an infinitely large literature based on Vedas that deal with medicine, arts, science, economics, linguistics, philosophy etc. The Ramayana and Ma-habharata (includes Bhagavad-Gita) are well-known epics that illustrate the Vedic principles. Thus the infinitely large collection of sacred scriptures in Hinduism deals with all aspects of life.

What is the purpose of human life according to Hinduism?

The natural instinct of humans is to seek happiness both materialistic and spiritual. Anyone that lives righteous (Dharma) life in this world with right-fully earned wealth (Artha) and enjoys rightful desires (Kama) will eventually reach one’s ultimate destination of spiri-tual freedom and everlasting bliss (Moksha).

Why do Hindus worship idols? The word idols should be replaced with

deities. Deities represent yogic vision of rishis of the divine energies in many forms. In order to help easier focusing of mind a material medium is used to repre-sent deities. Deity worship (Pooja) helps subjective connection with God through mind and five senses.

How many Gods are in Hinduism ?

The infinitely large literature of Hindu-ism declares that there is One God (Bramhan) that exists without form and also manifests in various forms. The various manifestations of One Reality (Bramhan) or Supreme Being are due to the diverse types and levels of seekers.

What is Yoga? Yoga is the Hindu way for anyone to

reach the Bramhan that provides ever-lasting spiritual freedom and bliss. The eight steps of yoga include the first two steps to achieve human qualities such as non-violence, truthfulness etc. Next two steps deal with holding firm postures and vital force (breath) regulation. The next two steps deal with control of senses and focusing of mind on Bramhan. The last two steps deal with uninterrupted dwell-ing of mind (meditation) and spiritual absorption into the Bramhan experienc-ing Spiritual bliss and freedom.

What is Karma? Karma is the law of causality that gov-

erns all thoughts, speech and actions. It provides rewards and punishments ac-cordingly. It governs the rebirth and transmigration process of an individual soul till its merger with Brahman.

The core of Hinduism is Vedas, which is infinitely large body of mantras heard by rishis in their deep meditative states

Sanjay Tripathi Convention’06 Director

Sanjay Tripathi is originally from Indore. He is a Graduate of Advanced Leadership Program at Rutgers Center for Management Development and an MBA. He is presently the Director of Global Business Operations at AIG.

Sanjay Tripathi has been in the USA for 10 years. His hobbies are: commu-nity development, trekking, camping, political activities etc. His wife Swati is also from MP, and was brought up in Baroda. She holds an Msc in Applied Maths. She is presently serving as QA Analyst and has been in the USA for 7 years. They have a son Tanush (2 yrs) and daughter Tanvi (born May 23,06).

Swami Nandan Ojha General Secretary of Conv’06 Mr. Ojha is originally from Semaria

Ojha Patti. He has been in this country for 9 years. He has a B.Eng in Civil Engineering and is the field of Soft-ware Architecture. The photo shows Mr Ojha with his wife Nita, son Shub-ham 9, daughter Sanjana 6.

Eko’hum July 2006

Purnima Jha The Star Dancer

Purnima, a higly decorated and accom-

plished dancer, is a perfect artist. For her, dance is life, life is dance. Her art has a certain lyrical charm that impresses not only the connoisseur but thrills even those who may not appreciate the techni-cal subtleties of the art.

As inheritor of both styles of classical North Indian tradition, Purnima Jha is a foremost exponent of both the softer, fluid, more expressive Lucknow, and the rhytmically controlled dynamic Jaipur styles of Kathak dance. Trained by her father, Shanker Dev Jha, legendary dancer and primary guru of Kathak dance, she carries on a dance lineage that traces back 2,500 years. She lives this legacy by sharing the movements, leg-end, and philosophies of this art form through the ancient discipline her father passed on to her. At the age of four her first performance was before the Dalai Lama of Tibet. Indian National Televi-sion broadcast a documentary film of her performance of Kathak dance for educa-tional, historical and archival purposes.

She was invited to the U.S. by the In-ter-Nation Music Center of San Diego in 1979. In 1980, she was presented by Maestro Ali Akbar Khan in San Fran-cisco and has performed numerous con-certs throughout the USA, Germany, India, Canada, and Hong Kong. Since the early 1980's Purnima has served as a Research Associate for the Center of Asian Studies at the University of Cali-fornia at Berkeley, and as a faculty mem-ber at the East Bay Center for Perform-ing Arts. 1n 1998, Purnima was awarded the National Intellectual Honor of India for lifetime achievement in the perform-ing arts.

Ashok Trivedi The Keynote speaker

Ashok Trivedi is the President and Co-

Founder of iGATE Corporation. Ashok recognized the role technology would play in the creation of a "global market-place." He was instrumental in making iGATE Corporation a $293 million com-pany, in 2002, with a presence in 15 countries around the world.

Ashok has been awarded honors for his entrepreneurship by Ernst & Young, Inc. magazine, the Pittsburgh Venture Capital Association, the American Society of Engineers of Indian Origin, the Associa-tion of Indians in America, and Robert Morris College.

Ashok holds a Master's in Business Administration from Ohio University and a Masters and Bachelors in Physics from Delhi University. He has also at-tended the Owner/President Manage-ment Program at the Harvard Business School.

Mrs and Mr Ashok Trivedi

speech will be given by Dr. M.G. Prasad. He is a spiritual disciple of Seer-Yogi Sriranga Sadguru, founder of Ashtanga Yoga Vijnana Mandiram, Mysore. The convention will be inau-gurated by His Holiness Sri Sugunen-dra Theertha Swamiji of Sri Puthige Matha and International President of World Conference of Religion and Peace (WCRP).

Exhilarating Cultural Programs will be presented by the community chil-dren and invited artists including dance drama & music programs by Anjali Nandakumar, Gayatri Suswaram & Asha Janardhan. Finally, the star attrac-tion is Purnima Jha who has been given

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Dr. M.G. Prasad Inspirational Speaker

Dr. M.G. Prasad is a spiritual disciple

of seer-yogi Sriranga Sadguru, founder of Ashtanga Yoga Vijnana Mandiram, Mysore, India. He is the chairperson of education committee of the Hindu Temple and Cultural Society, Bridge-water, New Jersey. He has given sev-eral lectures on Hinduism at several universities, temples and churches. He is a regularly featured speaker in the radio program “Bharat Darshan” aired on Sundays. He has written several books on Hinduism. He has been an instructor in several Hindu youth camps at temples in New Jersey, New York, Houston and Pittsburgh. He has organized several symposia on Hindu-ism, science and religion. He is an out-reach associate for the religion and ethics weekly program of PBS televi-sion. He has represented Hinduism in several inter-faith forums. Through Taranga, a non-profit cultural organiza-tion, he and his wife Geetha Prasad have written, directed and produced about 25 plays, dance-dramas with par-ticipation of children, youth and adults. These performances have been shown at several organizations and temples. Prasad is a professor of mechanical engineering at the Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey. He has published about 100 publications and presentations in acoustics and vi-brations, the areas of his specialization.

(contd. from column 1) the recognition award of the Daughter of India. She thrilled the audience with her superb Kathak dances at Convention'04. A souvenir magazine Brahmodaya will be published at the convention containing scholarly as well as informative articles with a special section by young au-thors. For detai ls, check out www.brahmanworld.org.

Eko’hum July 2006

Being a Brahman By Radha Rani Dixit

G rowing up in Houston since I was two years old...and being born in a well to d o B r a h m a n f a m -

ily...what did it mean to me as a child and what does it mean to me now as a mother of two children...? It has been an interesting journey to say the least! I am sure my parents had a little to do with my attraction towards Hinduism and my pride in being a Brahman.

The fondest memories of child-hood included listening to my mom read the Hanuman Chalisa every morn-ing and the hundreds of houses my par-ents frequented in order to perform Sat-yanarayan Kathas, weddings, and 24 hour Ramayans. For some reason I en-joyed listening to the rhythm and music at these events. Honestly I had no idea what my parents were chanting or say-ing. I understood Hindi since that is all my mom spoke but my parents really didn't have time to teach me Sanskrit or explain any details.

I do not know how to read or write Hindi and following my mom's sickness I barely spoke any Hindi by the age of ten. Following that time I think I adopted Hindi movies as a savior to my link to India! I was and still am an avid watcher of Hindi films. I never really spent any time in India as a child or teen and I was the typical ABCD minus the A since I was born in the villages of Azamgarh in UP India. I didn't know what Azamgarh was but twenty years later it would become a very imortant part of my life...just keep reading!

Growing up as a teenager in the 80s in Houston was great and I even went through the whole British music invasion thing with a Mohawk and shaved head. (Boy George and Howard Jones were in at that time so of course I had to dress like them) My dad never objected. I grew up looking wild but at the same time I graduated Salutatorian in high school and Magna Cum Laude at the University of Houston with a degree in Psychology. At that time I became really interested in people's thought processes, personalities, and beliefs. I thought about studying religion or social work. Of course there was no course in Hinduism at that time in Houston. I was

still thinking about it when suddenly the big issue came up.

My dad brought up marriage since I was a college graduate and 22 years old. He told me I could marry anyone Hindu but I needed to find someone soon so people wouldn't say he was a bad sin-gle parent. In the back of my mind I always cherished the memories of my mother. She barely ate onions and gar-lic, never ate meat but made it to keep my family happy back then. I remember her struggle with the differences in her background as an orthodox Brahman and my Dad's more "modern" family. She fulfilled her duties to keep her family happy contrary to her own belief system as a strict Brahman. Keeping these memories in mind I decided to finally take a trip to India to see where my par-ents grew up.

In all honesty I couldn't really find a Hindu boyfriend in Houston and my Dad started to really get anxious about me. I joked to my friends at college that I was going to finally visit India and hopefully marry a pandit with a dhoti and chulki similar to the way I saw people dressed at the Hare Krishna Temple. It was a joke but somewhere deep inside I believe that I really wanted to marry a Brahman who had the same beliefs as my mother so that I could learn more about what a Brahman really is.

I went to India and after a couple of days I met this really interesting person who was the photographer at a friend's wedding. His good looks and charm swept me away and soon I called my Dad and told him that I wanted to marry him. Of course my Dad was more than happy since he just happened to be from a very good Brahman family. We got married and I ended up living in In-dia for five years.

After having my first child, my hus-band sent me to his village home so his mom could take care of me while he worked in Calcutta. Guess where that village home was? That is right- Azamgarh. Here is where my education about the lives of Brahmans began in all strictness! I was washing more dishes for our Krishna who had his own bed-room than I did for my mother in law

and daughter! It was very interesting to see my mother in law go through her rituals everyday, to see the respect she received from others in the village, to see the way she dressed, to see the way she respected Krishna first thing in the morn-ing, to see her dedication to God. It was as if my own mother was with me again.

I can honestly say that those years in India were probably some of the best in my life. I think I learned more about myself in those years than I ever did in Houston. I hoped my husband would be as orthodox as my in laws but as he told me, it is hard to make a decent in-come as a pandit now not only in the US but also in India. In order to survive Brahman pandits need to get a job just like everyone else.

We came to Houston and thirteen years later I now have two children. The only difference is that now I have the under-standing of who I am and what my cul-ture, religion, and background means to me. I teach my children to respect God first and see God in everyone and in themselves. To lead a peaceful life with God as our goal in everything we do and pursue is the aim of life. My interesting life journey so far holds Azamgarh very close to my heart and quite honestly I am sure I will be back there again one day in the arms of my beautiful birthplace.

Another note to any youngsters reading this...the greatest respect one can give to his parents is to follow the path they do...to continue in their footsteps...and to lead their children to do the same as long as those footsteps are towards God. A true Brahman is one who can teach others about God and who follows the same principles he preaches. *

To lead a peaceful life with God as our goal in everything we do and pursue, is the aim of life.

Footsteps on the sand of time Pt. Onkar Nath is rearded as one of

the finest vocal musicians of India. He used to start his riyaaz (practice) early morning every day. A part of the riyaz consisted of his practicing only the first note “Sa” every day for several dcades. Once some body asked him how long would he practice just “Sa?”

“Until I get it right.” was the answer. Once he was asked about his own

most favorite piece of music. “It is the one which even hundred Onkar Naths can not produce,” said the maestro with his characteristic modesty, “the kal-kal sound of the flow of river Ganges.”

Eko’hum July 2006

Sacramento Meeting By: Dr. Chandra Mohan Dwivedi

(Held on May 13th, 2006 at the resi-dence of Mr. & Mrs. Abhay Nand & Sarvjit Maharaj, Sacramento, CA)

I am very pleased to report that we had a very successful WBF Meetings in Sac-ramento and the Bay Area on May 13, 2006. As a direct result of these meetings eight families became members of WBF (four life members and four annual members). In Sacramento, meeting was held at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ab-haya Maharaj where seven families be-came WBF members. Here are the high-lights of the two meetings:

Mr. Abhay Maharaj welcomed every-one at his home for the meeting. Mr. Upendra Shukla, President of BSNA Sacramento Chapter welcomed Mr, Nir-mal Choubey, President of WBF in his Chapter meeting, and provided an update of the ongoing activities in his chapter.

Mr. Nirmal Choubey identified and described the major goals and objectives of the WBF organization that included Brahman Unity and WBF Activities Worldwide, Erosion of Brahman Cul-ture, Discrimination of Brahmans in In-dia, Caste Based Reservation Systems in India, Suffering of Kashmiri Hindus, CA School Book Issue, and many others.

Mr. Madan Lal Sharma, BSNA BOT Member and others inquired about how WBF plans to be instrumental in ad-dressing the issues of Brahmans at home and abroad. Mr. Choubey, Mr. Maharaj and Dr. Dwivedi provided specific de-tails that resulted in an enthusiastic and lively discussion on how to unite Brah-mans and develop a strong Brahman Community. A unanimous decision was reached that we need to get united and organized under the WBF umbrella to demonstrate that we are ready to address the issues of Brahmans Worldwide.

Dr. Dwivedi described the details of the upcoming WBF Convention in NJ on July 7-9, 2006, and urged everyone to register and attend the convention. After two hours of very open and lively dis-cussions meeting was adjourned and we broke for a delicious lunch organized by Mrs. Sarvajit Maharaj and her sisters.

Mr. and Mrs. Maharaj were excellent hosts for this meeting. Their undivided

attention to guests was exemplary, and they provided an atmosphere where open and frank discussions could take place.

Bay Area Meeting took place at the Himalaya Restaurant in Berkeley where Ms. Purnima Jha joined us for dinner. She inquired about the ongoing activities of WBF, areas where she could contrib-ute, offered a 10- day Dance/Music Workshop for our youth prior to the WBF Convention, and became a life member of WBF. Overall, we had a very productive and successful day. We wel-come eight new members of the WBF.

President’s speech Dear fellow Brahmans of Sacramento, It is indeed a matter of great pride and

pleasure to be with you once again. Last time I was here, it was in 1999, to attend the BSNA convention. I have fond memories of that experience. I am happy to be here also because I am in the home of Sri Abhaya Nand and Sarvjeet Maharaj. Abhayaji is a founder of the BSNA Sacramento chapter along with Madanji, Janakji, Upendraji, Goswamiji, Shelatji and their families. These people together with their vision and hard work put Sacramento on the world Brahman map. I also recall how someone had told me earlier on that there were no Brah-mans in Sacramento. With the relation-ship Sacramento Chapter and I estab-lished, we successfully achieved the goals we set. It was with this kind of record of achievement that Abhayaji, and several others, founded the World Brah-man Federation in the year 2000 during the World Brahman Convention. Thus, this is another reason why I am happy today. I am in the home of a co-founder of WBF. We are proud of his vision and sincerity in pursuit of world Brahman unity in spite of various difficulties.

Before I proceed any further, let us thank the mothers for giving birth to excellent Brahmans who have given us the Hindu religion as we know today. Without them the world will not be the beautiful place that it is. So, Happy Mother’s Day. In next few minutes, I hope to tell you what WBF is all about and what we have achieved in the five years of its existence.

Even though our international involve-ment began in 1997 with the signing of an MOU with AIKB, the idea really took root in 1999 with an article written by

Dr. Vinod Tewary in the souvenir maga-zine Brahma Vivek. He wrote that the time has come when we must transform ourselves from a crowd to community. Later that year, I went to the United Kingdom to bring together the Brahmans of UK. It was in Sacramento itself that I met Sri Ram Chandra Tiwari who be-came the founding president of BSUK. It was the Sacramento Chapter which pro-vided me the name of Rabinder Pathak who is the president of BSUK today. You may also recall my meeting in the year 2000 with the Prime Minister of India, and attendance of AIKB conven-tion in Jabalpore where I gave the key-note address.

On return from India, we found our-selves in the middle of a crisis when the democratically elected government of Fiji was overthrown by force. Under the leadership of Dr. Chandra Mohan Dwivedi who is with us today, we launched a successful program to oppose the unlawful overthrow and energize our youth. All these developments were the forerunner to the breakout session in Valley Forge under the Chairmanship of Sri Abhaya Maharaj where WBF was formed and I was asked to lead this or-ganization. BSNA is the founding or-ganization of WBF along with AIKB, AIBMS and BI. As you can see, the history of BSNA and WBF is inter-linked, and we cannot change that. Those of us who were at the forefront of the founding of BSNA and WBF are deeply hurt when we find ourselves in the middle of a crisis between these two well- known and respected institutions. I am very happy to say that Dr. Dwivedi, one of the founders of BSNA, is also with us today, and he was with me last week in a very important strategy meet-ing of WBF.

Since July 2000, WBF has held several meetings in Delhi and USA, and held two major conventions. The convention in 2003 in Delhi was indeed historic. For the first time in the history of man-kind not that many Brahmans from so many countries had assembled as they did in 2003. It was a major news, and I recall flipping several TV channels that day, and not one TV station missed cov-ering that event. You can’t imagine the


President’s Whirlwind Tour Across the Continent– May, June 2006

Eko’hum July 2006

pride the Brahmans felt. Every Brahman minister in the central government was there and so were several ministers and governors from various states. I left India with a feeling of indebtedness and gratitude towards fellow Brahmans. I was no Prime Minister of a country or a wealthy man but I was their hope. I promised then not to abandon them, and that promise guides me even today.

The convention in New Jersey in 2004 was also historic. It was the first WBF convention in USA. It was also a con-vention which had about 25% South Indian representation. The authors of the souvenir magazine were mostly South Indians. I suggest you read those articles which you can find on our website. You will see that they are just as anxious as we are to break the linguistic and geo-graphical barriers while preserving their own unique group identity. You will also find that they are just as anxious for Brahman unity as we are, and possibly more. They are victims of discrimina-tion in their own home land and do not want to see others meet the same fate.

In 2005, we introduced the Interim Constitution that expires at the end of 2006. This constitution calls for a core group to be formed in North America, and allows for different regions of the world to form their own autonomous organization. I am happy to report that the WBF Core Group is already formed and functioning. We hope to have the final constitution and an election later this year. Along with the WBF, we also have WBF India, WBF Mauritius and WBF Nepal. These are totally autono-mous bodies and are being run by well known Brahmans such as Pt. Mange Ram Sharma in India, Pt. Vidyadhar Mishra in Mauritius and Sri Ramagya Chaturbedi in Nepal. WBF is an um-brella group. Any Brahman groups are free to join. We also allow individual membership. WBF is registered in the state of New York as a Not-For-Profit organization.

WBF has sponsored several initiatives, and I would like to spend some time on that. Any initiative that requires input from organizations outside North Amer-ica, we work with them to develop and implement those initiatives. The initia-tives on which we are working on today

are varied, including the Educational Initiative, Priest Status Improvement Initiative, Matrimonial Facilitation Ini-tiative, Conventional Initiative, Organ-izational Initiative and Government & Media Relations initiative.

I will just highlight the Government & Media Relations Initiative. Through this initiative, we are working on two issues in India. One is the reservation issue and the other is the restoration of the funda-mental rights of the Kashmiri Hindus. We are taking lead on the reservation issue in India and we plan to raise this issue in the U.S. Congress. Only a week ago, Pt. Mange Ram Sharma was a chief guest at a rally on the reservation issue in Lucknow where two lakh Hindus were present. He represented WBF India. Dr. Rajesh Shukla is in charge of this issue in North America. This issue has now become an identity issue for us. On the Kashmir issue, we have a supporting role. Dr. Dwivedi is leading the Con-vention Initiative and is coordinating all future conventions. We are working on one in Mauritius in 2007 and one in In-dia in 2010. We may have other WBCs in between, as well, depending on host availability. We attach a lot of impor-tance to conventions. It is the conven-tions that have opened our eyes to many of the issues of which we are not aware -- however, they are not enough. We need to go beyond conventions to solve the problems that our people are facing.

Let me summarize: WBF was founded by BSNA in year

2000. WBF is affiliated with WBF India,

WBF Mauritius and WBF Nepal, which are autonomous organizations.

WBF has a good working relationship with BSUK.

WBF is an umbrella organization with option for individual membership.

WBF affiliated organizations retain their unique identity.

WBF has several initiatives to help the Brahman community worldwide. We are working for the survival of our iden-

tity and restoration of fundamental rights for Kashmiri Hindus.

WBF is holding a convention in July in New Jersey to which you all are invited.

WBF is working on WBC 2007 in Mauritius and 2010 in India.

WBF history is closely linked with BSNA. WBF will work with BSNA to restore its rightful place when BSNA leadership is ready. We shall welcome them with open hearts.

WBF will work with any Brahman group to add value to their community.

Sacramento Chapter has a very unique place for me personally. They helped me advance the cause of BSNA when-ever BSNA was in trouble. I ask them to do the same today. What they do, I am sure, will be not only good for BSNA but also WBF.

Sacramento is the first stop in my jour-ney that will take me to LA tomorrow and then to Toronto and Houston. It was not a fluke that you are the first stop. There is a reason. I want you to send a message that will invigorate BSNA as well as WBF. I am sure you can do it. You have done it before.

Today, I am a lot older than I was in 1998. My hair is a lot greyer. I want to repeat my pledge that I gave to fellow Brahmans during 2004 convention. Un-til my last breath, I will not forget you, and hope you won’t either. Thank you.


The Weather Cycle A sweet poem by Kanupriya Bhargava (Gr. 8) As summer comes, The heat burns through the leaves Red, orange, yellow summer leaves And the heat turns into chills. Autumn leaves fall to the floor, Leaving the reminiscence of Summer heat and autumn chills To be swallowed By the great frozen sea falling from the sky. Winter is sneaking up. As spring walks on by, the monstrous frozen sea surrenders To the warmth of the Hummingbird's song. And we find ourselves back here again, The heat burning through the leaves, Red, orange, yellow.

I was no wealthy man ...I was their hope. I promised then not to abandon them, and that promise guides me even today.

Eko’hum July 2006

Los Angeles Meeting May 14, 2006 By Bharat Bhargava

The meeting was organized by Mr. Vishwa Nath Tiwari to honor the visit of Mr. Nirmal Choubey, President World Brahman Federation (WBF), USA to Los Angeles area on May 14th, 2006. The meeting was held at 2:00 PM at the Ir-vine Hindu Temple. Following attended the meeting: Mr. Nirmal Choubey , Mr. Sunil Pathak, Mr. Rohit Kaushik, Ms. Shashi Pandey, Ms. Seema Sharma, Mr. Ajay Sharma, Ms. Suman (Rajan) Shukla, Mr. Vishwa Nath Tiwari, and Bharat Bhargava.

Mr. Choubey explained the WBF or-ganization and its objectives. The WBF was founded on July 3, 2000 at the Val-ley Forge, PA. The main objective of the WBF is to bring the World Brahman families together and to take up issues of importance to the Brahmans. The WBF is registered in the state of New York as a Not-For-Profit organization. The WBF works with Brahman organizations throughout the world. It has also consti-tuted WBF India, Nepal and Mauritius to act as an umbrella group for Brahman organizations within those countries.

One of the major events, to meet the objective of the WBF, is to hold WBF conventions and bring the Brahman families together. These conventions are held for 2-3 days in USA and other countries as well. There have been WBF conventions held in New Delhi on De-cember 27, 28, 29th, 2003 and in New Jersey on August 7, 8 and 9th, 2004. The conventions have been very successful, well attended and provided an opportu-nity to meet personally. This year con-vention is being held in New Jersey on July 7, 8 and 9 at Crowne Plaza, 390 Forsgate Drive, Monroe Twp., NJ 08831. Mr. Sanjay Tripathi is the Con-vention Director.

Extensive information on the WBF activities and the convention - 06 is available at WBF website: www.brahm-anworld.org.The attendees were encour-aged by Mr. Choubey to visit this web-site and learn more about WBF. Mr. Choubey also distributed the fliers for the Convention ’06 and the forms to join WBF. The theme for this year conven-tion is “Sanatana Dharm in the New

Millennium”. Mr. Rohit Kaushik and Bharat Bhargava will also be attending the convention. Others promised to look into attending the Convention’06.

Mr. Choubey explained that the mem-bership of the organization is open to the Brahman organizations and also to the individual members. The individual members can join the organization even though they may not be directly associ-ated with a Brahman organization. The yearly membership for individual mem-bers is $ 25.00 per year and the Life membership is $ 250.00. Several atten-dees filled the membership forms.

Some of the major initiates that are being taken by WBF are: Educational Initiative, Anti-Reservation initiative, Priest Status Improvement initiative, Matrimonial Facilitation initiative, Con-vention initiative, Kashmiri Brahman initiative, Organizational initiative, Gov-ernment and Media relations initiative.

Mr. Choubey discussed the Initiatives briefly and stated that the information on these is also available on the WBF web-site. There will also be some exhibits on the Kashmiri Brahman issue being or-ganized by Mr. Rajinder Kaul. at the Convention, 06.

There were very lively discussions on the WBF activities by the attendees. Mr. Ajay Sharma, Mr, Rohit Kaushik and Ms. Shashi Pandey expressed lot of in-terest and support for WBF sponsored local activities and to form a group in LA/Orange County. Mr. Vishwa Nath Tiwari offered full support and also to provide the meeting facilities in the Ir-vine Temple. Bharat Bhargava men-tioned that there are several other people like Mr. Rajiv Paliwal, Mr. Dinesh Sharma and others who, in his opinion, would be very interested to follow up in forming the group for the local activities. Bharat Bhargava will help in coordinat-ing these local activities. Mr. Sunil Pathak also expressed full support and the appreciation for the work done by Mr. Tiwari and Mr. Choubey in the past for the Brahmans.

The meeting adjourned with thanks to Mr. Vishwa Nath Tiwari and others at-tending the meeting. After this meeting, Mr. Choubey also met Mr. Dinesh and Veena Sharma at their residence, who expressed full support for the WBF and agreed to attend the Convention’ 06.

Toronto Meetings May 27, 2006, 6.0PM (Morriston)

The meeting of a select group began with a welcome address by Azad and Archana Kaushik who were pleased to host a select group of Brahman families on a nice sunny afternoon. The meeting was chaired by Shri Nirmal Choubey, President, of the World Brahman Federa-tion (WBF).

The renowned Shri Surinder Sharma Shastri of Oakville temple offered prayers for peace, prosperity and happi-ness of humanity. This was followed with family introductions that went be-yond to highlight the current activities and thoughtful insights into matters of concern to Brahman community in North America, India and rest of the world. The key issues were: a. need for commu-nity to come together and demonstrate leadership to Hindu community and the world as this is the need of the current times (A. Kaushik); b. promote ‘sanskara’ for the advancement of Brah-mans as it is time tested and led Brah-mans to lead the Hindu community for thousands of years (Shri Surinder Sharma Shashtri); c. leading role being taken up by sanskari Brahmans today in Toronto area through their initiative of “Ganesh Parivar’ to advance the goals of Hindu community (Shri Chandrashekhar Parkhi and Shri Sanjay Acharya); d. The plight of Brahman community in general and, Kashmiri Brahmans I particular was highlighted as matter of concern requir-ing immediate attention (Shri Autar Ganju); the need for social activism was expressed very candidly during the course of introductions (Shri Anil Shringi); e. advancing Brahman values in Hindu society was also emphasized (Shri Navin Pandey).

Given the seriousness of Kashmiri Brahman issue, Shri Autar Ganju spoke at length to educate everybody about the history and current situation of Kashmiri Brahmans that showed the complexity of the issue. The continued torture, killings, forcible religious conversion and ‘ethnic cleansing’ has turned Brahmans into refugees in their own homeland. Unfor-tunately, all this is happening due to gov-



Eko’hum July 2006

ernmental inaction and under the pretext of ‘secularism’. The historical ‘Shankaracharya’ temple has been offi-cially named as “Suleman Takht” and all attempts are being made to destroy reli-gious places and all cultural moorings created by Brahmans. Shri Ganju asked all Brahmans to unite to fight for human rights of Brahmans in India and abroad.

President Shri Nirmal Choubey spoke about the initiatives taken up by the WBF outlined in a flyer (copy attached) that attempts to highlight the main issues of concern to Brahmans in North Amer-ica, India and around the world. He pointed out that Brahman convention to be held on July 7-9, 2006, in New Jersey is an important forum to bring such is-sues forward and to deliberate on best ways to respond to them. Shri Choubey agreed that Kashmiri Brahman issue is one requiring immediate attention and appreciated the dedication of the gather-ing to Brahman cause. Given the enthu-siasm and dedication of the gathered Brahmans, a number of questions and possible answers were examined and the need for Brahmans to work together and provide leadership to Hindu community was strongly felt. Shri Choubey high-lighted the educational initiative of WBF to create awareness among Hindus for which Brahmans need to be at the fore-front of ‘knowledge of their scriptures. Further, all Brahmans would need to be active in the socio-cultural arena that can not be ignored any further.

The meeting adjourned at 9.45PM.

May 28, 2006, 12.30PM (Shri Hanu-man Mandir, Brampton, Toronto)

This general meeting was attended by a large gathering of Brahmans (approximately 200) in the Hanuman Mandir and was arranged by Shri Bhim Sen Kalia (Bharadwaj) and moderated by Acharya Shri Shashi Kant Kaushik. The meeting agenda is attached. Shri Shashi Kant Kaushik provided the per-spective on Brahman community as a prelude to the meeting.

Azad Kaushik spoke about the need to promote Dharma in the society and asked that Brahmans should not be looked upon from the myopic perspec-tive of so called ‘caste system’ but for the actual system of ‘Brahminical val-

ues’ supported by the holy scriptures, enshrined in Vedas, upnishads etc., that have stood the test of time through cen-turies together that are the source of uni-versal values to humanity. Shri Kaushik introduced Shri Autar Ganju and the WBF President Shri Nirmal Choubey, the Chief Guest on the occasion.

Shri Ganju spoke about the current situation of Kashmiri Brahmans in India which was quite an eye opener to most people who were unaware of the degree of atrocities being committed on Brah-mans in Jammu and Kashmir. The audi-ence was aghast and speechless given the plight of Brahmans and governmental apathy. This was a matter of concern to all present. This led to prayers and chant-ing of ‘Bhajans’ in support of Kashmiri Brahman cause.

President Shri Nirmal Choubey spoke about the situation of Hindu priests who are not well paid despite their yeoman service to the community. For this rea-son, it is difficult to attract Brahmans to this important profession essential to Hindu community. Shri Choubey high-lighted the initiative of WBF towards this cause (copy of flyer circulated en-closed). The audience agreed with Shri Choubey that there was need to advance these spiritual goals of the society. Shri Choubey’s speech was followed by ‘Arti’ by all present in the Mandir.

Another closed group meeting in-volved brain storming session that in-cluded Shri Ravi R. Pandey of ‘Hindi Abroad’ and Shri Surender Tiwari, for-mer President, International Hindi Asso-ciation.

The meeting adjourned at 2.30PM. May 28, 2006, 4.0PM (Oakville)

A brainstorming session of a select group was held with a welcome by Prem and Rekha Sharma in Oakville.

A number of open issues of concern to Hindu and Brahman community were discussed at length. One of the issues related to matrimonial alliances in Hindu community that are cause of concern to most in the current scenario that require some remedial measures. The issue ex-panded to include a decline in the popu-lation and indifferent attitude of the new generation to Hindu cultural values (Adarsh Lakhanpal, Prem Sharma, Surinder Sharma). The discussions led to the emergence of the fact that there was

no salvation for Hindu community with-out brahminical values that need to be promoted in the society. Bhushan Bhatt spoke about the Kashmiri Brahman issue for which it seems that silent majority was not fully sensitized.

President Shri Nirmal Choubey out-lined the initiatives of the WBF and asked the community to be united to be able to meet these emerging challenges that need to be scientifically studied and deliberated for which the forums such as WBF convention (to be held on July 7-9, 2006) provide an important opportunity, apart from bringing all Brahmans to-gether.

The meeting adjourned at 6.15PM. Follow up action of the Meeting: Given the support and need to promote

brahmanical values in Hindu society, it was decided to form World Brahman Federation, Canada. The core group emerging from these meetings will ad-vance this goal.

President’s speech Dear fellow Brahmans, It is a matter of great pleasure for me

to be with you today. I recall the day in July, 1967, when I landed at Toronto airport, and felt just like home in India. It was a gorgeous day, and I was coming here having lived in England for three years where I studied engineering. The contrast in weather alone won my heart. Even though the weather, the future po-tential to advance my professional ca-reer, and the political situation, finally encouraged me to opt for USA, what I must tell you is that this is the place I got married, two of my three children were born here, and the people who worked with me inspired me to get into the power generation field that still is my passion. I love coming back to the area, and thank you for welcoming me today.

I am here to talk about World Brahman Federation, and I will soon tell you its beginning, where we have been lately, where we want to go, and how vital is your support for it.

Even though I am on the third leg of my 15,000 mile yatra that began two weeks ago in Sacramento, San Fran-cisco, today, here in Toronto, and next week in Houston, my journey actually



Eko’hum July 2006

began nearly 15 years ago. It started with the concern I had for the future of my children as a Brahman, however, today, it has transformed itself into a concern for Brahmans throughout the world, con-cern for the survival of Hinduism, and concern for the territorial integrity of India. I believe that a threat to Brah-mans, is a threat to Hindu temples, is a threat to Hinduism, is a threat to the in-tegrity of India, is a threat to world peace. That is why it is so vital that we understand how survival of Brahmans is tied to the world peace. If we do, we shall stop the quota system that is chok-ing the Hindu society, will stop putting our religious leaders into jails unless they are proven guilty, will start educat-ing our children our Vedic values and traditions in schools, will start giving Karmkandi Brahmans the respect they deserve, will start treating an attack on Kashmiri Pundits, an attack on Hindu civilization and on territorial integrity of India, and a threat to the world peace.

I am here to exchange my views on how to transform this concern to a set of ideas and plans of action so that we start addressing these concerns.

My fellow Brahmans, I did not have a revelation like many of our Rishis and Munis did even though some claim that Lord Krishna must have been guiding and protecting me. And I am thankful for that. I got here the hard way. As I said before, my journey began nearly 15 years ago out of a sheer concern for my children. I traveled more than a hundred thousands of miles in the USA and Can-ada to find out if my concerns were mis-placed. I found out that they were not. That is where the idea of first a directory for Brahmans, and then an organization emerged. The Brahman Samaj of North America was found on September 3, 1994, in Boston, the home of Drs. Anita and Anil Dubey.

A lot of people branded me as Hitler. To them, I was a threat to their culture, their values, and in fact their way of life. Many Brahmans also shied away from me, as they did not want to identify themselves with a group with the name ‘Brahman’. However, we kept on edu-cating the community about the aims and objectives of the organization, and the membership swelled to nearly 1,000

families. Our assets rose to nearly $100,000, and the world Brahman con-vention held in Valley Forge, Pennsyl-vania had a budget of around $100,000, and was attended by about 600 Brah-mans from all over the world.

The idea of a world Brahman conven-tion was no accident either. It was a series of developments that began soon after the founding of BSNA. However, it was in 1999 that Dr. Vinod Tewary wrote about transcending ourselves from a crowd to community. Later that year I went to United Kingdom where I had a series of meetings that resulted into the founding of Brahman Samaj of United Kingdom. A meeting with Karmakandi Pudits who talked about the substandard treatment they were receiving from their sponsors. What moved me most was the fact that they, nearly 27 of them, Pujaris of various temples in the Birmingham area, left their normal professional re-sponsibilities to meet me when I was not a representing a government, or a busi-ness house. Some how, they had pinned their hopes in me.

Few months later, in the spring of 2000, I was invited to meet the Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee. Pt. Mange Ram Sharma, introduced me as ‘our man in America’. Later, he explained, “I wanted the Prime Minister to know that Brah-mans were not alone.” They also had friends in America just the way, India had, in Bill Clinton, who was to visit India only a week or two later. I had a meeting right here in Toronto with then the Vice President of Guyana, Pt. Reepu Daman Persaud, where we discussed the issues that the Brahman community faced in Guyana and other Caribbean countries with sizable Indian population.

I recall a phone conversation I had earlier on with the wife of the vice presi-dent who said that, in Guyana, they can not find Brahmans who are willing to adopt priesthood as a profession, and thus they were now accepting non Brah-mans. I told her that she should look at the reasons because the reason that is preventing the Brahmans today from accepting the priesthood, will also apply

to non-Brahmans tomorrow. Brahmans who have history as well as tradition on their side will be happy to continue with the priesthood if the community only took the time to address the reasons.

On my return from India in 2000, we were soon hit with a rebellion in Fiji when I received a frantic email from a man whom I had met in London. He informed me that the Prime Minister Chowdhary had been taken hostage and he was uncertain about the fate of the Indians. He pleaded with me to take a lead to inform the public about their situation. And we did. We energized the community and got the message across. Our children, who were some what aloof from BSNA had suddenly found the reason to be part of BSNA.

So, my fellow Brahmans, with all this in background, under the leadership of BSNA, World Brahman Federation was founded on July 2, 2000, in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania with the help of All India Brahman Mahasabha, All India Kanyakubja Board, and Brahmin Inter-national. It was found with a purpose to bring together the world Brahman com-munity to address the issues that the community was facing. Gone were the days that the Brahman community was solely in India, and it was important that we all came together if our culture and tradition was to survive. It was also a recognition to the fact that survival of Brahmans in India was essential to the survival of Brahmans every where. At the same meeting, I was asked to volun-teer my services as President of WBF which I accepted in spite of my reserva-tions in the beginning. As we have de-liberated since its founding, it has be-come very clear that Brahmanism, Hin-duism, territorial integrity of India, and world peace, are closely tied together, and WBF is the only organization of its kind that can make the difference.

World Brahman Federation’s first con-vention, World Brahman Convention 2003 in Ashoka Hotel, New Delhi, was truly a historic event. Important indi-viduals in the government of Prime Min-ister Vajpayee, participated in the event, and the Chief Minister of Delhi, Ms. Shiela Dickshit, hosted the dinner. It was the talk of the town, and fully cov-



… it was important that we all came together if our culture and tradition was to survive.

Eko’hum July 2006

ered by the media. Here again, I wit-nessed a long line of people willing to take their picture with me and invite me in their homes. Here again, I wonder why, as I did not represent any govern-ment or a business house. The next day we met in Brindaban, UP where 5000 people had gathered to listen to us. It is in there that one person stood and spoke, and urged us to pay attention to the plight of Kashmiri Hindus. It was not all that difficult to see that he was clear in his conviction, and had the full support of everyone there. In BSNA, we had shied away from this issue as we feared, it could be classed as Brahman issue when it was an India issue, and world peace issue. However, it was on that day, that we decided to adopt this issue as our own issue, and have not looked back since. We wanted to declare our full sup-port for the safety and security, and safe return of all those who were forced to run away from their homes in Kashmir.

To address the issues that we face, WBF has adopted several initiatives. These initiatives are:

Organizational Initiative; Education Initiative; Priest Status Improvement Initiative; Matrimonial Facilitation Ini-tiative; Government and Media Relations Initiative; Kashmiri Pundit Initiative; and Convention Initiative.

We are in the process of developing milestones, action plans, result verifica-tion techniques, budgetary and talent resource requirements, and they all will take time. What is important that we have identified the issues and started soliciting comments. Let me say where we are on each of these initiatives:

Organizational Initiative: Put to-gether an Interim Constitution that be-came effective on January 1, 2005, and will expire at the end of 2006. We are in the process of putting together a consti-tution committee under the Chairman-ship of Mr. Aswath N. Hansoge that will write the permanent constitution.

We are putting together programs and policies that will attract organizational as well as individual membership. Our goal is to become the single voice for the world Brahman community. We want to do it in a way that the identity of each and every organization is preserved.

Set up WBF affiliated organizations

outside North America. We already have WBF India, WBF Nepal and WBF Mauritius. We have working relation-ship with several Brahman organizations throughout the world.

Education Initiative: Under the chair-manship of Dr. M G Prasad, Prof. at Ste-vens Institute, we are developing pro-grams that will educate our children about our history, our values and our culture.

We want to build on the fact that Brah-mas are custodians of knowledge and they should impart that knowledge.

We support teaching of Sanskrit in schools and colleges.

Priest Status Improvement Initia-tive: Under the chairmanship of Dr. M G Prasad, Prof. at Stevens Institute, we are developing programs that will address the education and the financial rewards issue associated with the priesthood. We shall seek alliances as necessary.

We recognize that for Hinduism to continue, there must be Brahman priests in the temples imparting knowledge.

We recognize that Karmakandi Pundits are the human face of Brahmans today that the Hindu society interacts with, and therefore, it is important that their status in the society is at par with other premier professions or others in similar profes-sions.

Matrimonial Facilitation Initiative: This initiative works on the premise that Brahmans must marry Brahmans for Hinduism to continue.

We want to use all our resources to bring marriage age boys and girls to-gether so that they can make their most important decision of their life.

Government & Media Relations Ini-tiative: This initiative is being devel-oped under the chairmanship of Dr. Ra-jesh Shukla and Pt. Mange Ram Sharma, Chairman, WBF India.

This initiative fights discrimination against any and all caste based discrimi-natory practices. It is a taking a lead role on the reservation issue in India. We consider this issue to be a threat to Hin-duism and integrity of India.

Under this initiative, we firmly oppose interference by any government into the religious affairs of Hindus.

Kashmiri Pundit Initiative: This ini-tiative is being developed under the chairmanship of Dr. Rabinder Koul, a

Kashmiri Pundit himself. Under this initiative we want to play a

leading role to address the problem that Kashmiri Hindus face in and outside Kashmir.

We want to work towards restoring the dignity of Kashmiri Hindus and safe return to their homes.

We are hosting exhibition on Kashmir to educate the community.

Convention Initiative: This initiative is headed by Dr. Chandra Mohan Dwivedi who coordinates his activities through convention directors and WBF organizers through out the world

WE have found that conventions are very useful to exchange ideas and get to know one another in a family setting. This is where everyone enjoys a family wedding type atmosphere, and issues are discussed without fear.

We have held WBC 2003 in New Delhi, India, and WBF Convention 2004 in New Jersey. We are planning a con-vention on July 7, 8 & 9 in New Jersey.

We are planning world Brahman con-vention 2007 in Mauritius and 2010 in India.

Finally, we do not have an initiative called ‘Breaking Linguistic Barriers’ but this is something we are very con-scious of, strive for it on a daily basis, and do have results to share:

Nearly 50% of members of the execu-tive and members of the president’s counsel are South Indians

Nearly 75% of authors to Brahmodaya, the souvenir magazine, are South Indians

Nearly 25% of the attendees to the 2004 convention were South Indians.

I urge you to volunteer yourself for one or more of those initiatives. You can also suggest what more you want us to do. As a minimum, you should become a member today and also sign off on the attendee list.

To summarize, world Brahman Federa-tion is an umbrella organization that works for Brahman unity, promotes re-spect for Brahman priests, educate chil-dren, oppose caste based quota system, oppose government interference on reli-gious matters, and considers safe return of Kashmiri Pundits to their homes, the most urgent call of duty for all govern-ments and citizens. Thank you.


Eko’hum July 2006

Houston Meeting June 3, 2006 By Dr. Sen Pathak

We had an excellent meeting on Satur-day, June 3rd hosted by Mrs. Neena & Prafulla Tripathi.The meeting was at-tended by 10 Houston families. The meeting that started at 4 PM actually went up to about 10 PM even though officially it was adjourned at 7 PM.

The meeting started with prayer recital by Drs. Keshaw Shukla and Sen Pathak. Mrs. Neena Tripathi welcomed the atten-dees to the first WBF meeting in Hous-ton. Everyone introduced themselves. Mr. Choubey was introduced by Dr. Sen Pathak. It included his origin in Bihar, the education in UK and Canada, and service to the Brahman community for at least 15 years.

Mr. Choubey thanked Dr. Pathak for his introduction, thanked Prafulla and Neena for hosting this historic event, thanked the attendees for taking the time to come and listen to him. He recalled how pivotal Houston was in the founding of BSNA, and was happy to see many of those who supported him then. Pooran and Pratima Tripathi were remembered for their service to the Houston Brahman community, and their absence due to their move to India was certainly felt.

Mr. Choubey stated that he wanted to be here at the beginning of the 15,000 mile five city North American tour but could not do so due to the schedule con-flicts. However, his respect and devotion to the Houston Brahman community was still the same as it has always been.

Mr. Choubey described the origins of WBF into BSNA in year 2000 along with three other Brahman organization from India at the time of World Brahman Convention 2000 in Valley Forge, PA, an event that was also attended by Dr. Sen Pathak. The purpose of the new or-ganization was to bring together the Brahman community of the world.

Soon after its founding in 2000, there was a meeting in Delhi to explore the objectives further. In 2001,during BSNA LA convention, the objectives were ex-plored further in a breakout session cour-tesy of BSNA. Since then WBF has held conventions in India in 2003, and in New Jersey in 2004. They are planning an-

other one in New Jersey again in 2006, and a World Brahman Convention in Mauritius in 2007.

He said that the convention in India was a historic event. For the first time, Brahmans from 17 countries had assem-bled in one place. Convention in New Jersey was also historic in another sense. For the first time, there were Brahmans belonging to both Northern and Southern Indian linguistic origins assembled at one place in large numbers.

He said that WBF operated without a constitution until the January of 2005 when an Interim Constitution authored by Dr. Vinod Tewary was adopted. A new constittution will be in place when the Interim constitution expires in de-cember 31, 2006. Under the Interim con-stitution, WBF is an umbrella group with provision for individual membership.

He further said that the WBF was in-volved several Initiatives such as educa-tional, matrimonial facilitation, improve-ment of the status of Karmakandi Pun-dits, and safe return of Kashmiri Pundits.

After a brief summary of WBF activi-ties a Q/A session followed. Several questions related to BSNA were raised. Mr. Choubey was very positive in his responses and looked forward to a day when BSNA will resume its solemn duty as a founding WBF member. He ap-pealed to every one who was active within BSNA to work towards this goal. A suggestion was made for a matrimo-nial website exclusively for Brahmans that Mr. Choubey promised to explore.

After the Q/A session, The Tripathi family thanked every one and invited them to stay for the dinner, and then the meeting was adjourned.

The Attendee List: Prafulla & Neena Tripathi. Sadhu & Kasturi Kumar, Bal K Sharma & family, Sen Pathak, Keshaw Shukla, Chandra & Rani Tripathi, S. R Upadhyaya, R K Dhingra (Donated $108 to WBF), R. S. Mishra, Deepak & Nam-rata Shukla, and Nirmal Choubey.

President’s speech Dear fellow Brahmans, Neena and Prafullaji, I thank you for

hosting this event. Brahman community

and I feel indebted for this. It is a matter of great pleasure for me to be with you today. As you all know, Houston has a special significance for me. It was here that I came first to talk about publishing a directory of Brahmans as far back as 1992. I am glad that many of those peo-ple are here even today with notable ex-ception of Pooran and Pratima Tripathi who hosted the first set of meeting, and now has moved to India.

I am here to talk about World Brahman Federation, and I will soon tell you its beginning, where we have been lately, where we want to go, and how vital is your support for it.

When I was planning for my North America tour, it was Neena whom I called first. I very much wanted Houston to be my first stop, however, due to schedule conflicts, it did not happen that way. Today, I am on the last leg of my 15K mile yatra that began three weeks ago in Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Toronto, and in Houston.

My journey actually began nearly 15 years ago. It started with the concern I had for the future of my children as a Brahman, however, today, it has trans-formed itself into a concern for Brah-mans throughout the world, concern for the survival of Hinduism, and concern for the territorial integrity of India. I believe that a threat to Brahmans, is a threat to Hindu temples, a threat to Hin-duism,a threat to the integrity of India, and a threat to world peace. That is why it is so vital that we understand how sur-vival of Brahmans is tied to the world peace. If we do, we shall stop the quota system that is choking the Hindu society, will stop putting our religious leaders into jails unless they are proven guilty, will start educating our children our Vedic values and traditions in schools, will start giving Karmkandi Brahmans the respect they deserve, will start treat-ing an attack on Kashmiri Pundits, an attack on Hindu civilization, an attack on territorial integrity of India, and a threat to the world peace.

I am here to exchange my views on how to transform this concern to a set of ideas and plans of action so that we start addressing these concerns.

(Full text of the remaining speech available at: www.brahmanworld.org).


… Mr. Choubey was very positive and looked forward to a day when BSNA will resume its solemn duty as a founding WBF member.

Eko’hum July 2006

In today's world, every entity attempts to preserve its identity, shape and form in order to distinguish itself from the rest and survive the evolution. The Brahman community across the world is facing a similar challenge in preserving its iden-tity culture and tradition.

Brahmanism is a subset of Hinduism and there are several hindu festivals and Brahman rituals that are followed in In-dia and all over the world throughout the year. Almost every festival is marked for reverence to an incarnation of a God or Goddess or deeply connected to a tradi-tion. "Brahm" is the essence that unites Brahmans. Moksha or salvation is the ultimate destination and "Brahmanatva" helps align ourselves to that goal. Brah-mans have played a key role in shaping the history of civilizations since the be-ginning of "yugas".

The wisdom, acumen and in-depth knowledge of Brahmans always kept them at the pedestal of the society. However, the scene has changed in "Kaliyug" where Brahmanism has been on the decline. Today, Brahmans face several hardships in continuing with their profession and have to respond to the "survival of the fittest" challenge. There are several diverse classifications, gotras and criteria that seem to be divid-ing the Brahmans belonging to various regions, sub-castes and beliefs. At this time when anti-Brahman propaganda is high, the need of the hour is to unite together despite all our differences, pre-serve our rich cultural heritage and cele-brate the "Brahman" -- a spiritually ener-gized form of human body that connects to the Supreme Power and has served the world for several generations.

To recognize Brahmanism and cele-brate the accomplishments of Brahmans all over the globe and appreciate the ser-vices of the Brahman community, I would like to make a proposal for estab-lishing "World Brahman Day" or "Vishwa Brahman Divas". World Brah-man Day can be celebrated on a specific date or on an auspicious day that can be well accepted by all. Suggestions were invited from several Brahmans and Brahman organizations to establish this da y. The Brahman c ommu -nity responded with the following dates

1. Shraavan Purnima 2. Akshaya Trit-iya 3. January 14, 4. April 14.

Both January 14th and April 14th are already well recognized for several festi-vals all over India and may overshadow the significance of a World Brahman Day. Hence, we will consider the re-maining choices that are more closely tied to "Brahmans."

1.Shraavani (Shraavan Poornima) If on the full moon day of the August

month, the lunar asterism ‘Shravan’ is present, then the Vedic ritual called ‘Shravani’ is performed on this day. Shravani is a ritual in which one resumes learning and teaching after a long vaca-tion. It is also called ‘Upakarma’ or ‘Upakaran’. It should be performed on a chosen day, depending on the followers of the various Vedas. Shraavan Purnima is also the day on which we celebrate Raksha Bandhan. This day is of great significance to Brahmans since it is San-skrit Diwas and also Brahmans are called upon to change their Yagyopavit on this day. This "janeu" renewal day is a true symbolism of Brahmanism.

This Day is for the Brahman, just like Vijaya Dashmi is for the Kshatriyas and Diwali is for the Vaishyas, accord-ing to Acharya Ram Janam Mishra a prominent Astrologer from Varanasi.

The Mythological Reference to Shraavan Poornima

Right back in the Vedic period, on a 'Shravan Poornima' day (Full Moon Day of the Hindu month of Shravan), a fierce battle broke out between the gods and the demons. To the horror of the deities, the demons were on the verge of victory. Lord Indra, the king of gods was pan-icked as the situation was going haywire. Unable to see her husband in that pa-thetic condition Indrani, wife of Indra (also known as Shashikala) offered her prayers to the almighty. Being a pious lady, with all her powers she prepared a Talisman and tied it around Indra's right wrist. She believed that this Talisman would safeguard Indra from all the evil attacks. Lord Indra was safe and secure and the gods came out the battle with

flying colors. So it had been proved that one who

holds this Talisman would be protected by its mystique powers. Therefore it was called the 'Raksha Sutra' and the cere-mony of tying the Talisman was called 'Raksha Bandhan'. Above all, as this event took place on the day of 'Shravan Poornima', it has become a tradition to celebrate 'Raksha Bandhan' on the day of 'Shravan Poornima' ever after.

2. Akshay Tritiya The day of Akshay Tritiya is a very

auspicious day. People worship, do lot of charity. It is said that knowledge gained or charity done on this day is very fruit-ful. It is considered to be very lucky day to start new business or venture. Many people buy gold or property on this day. It is believed that Akshay Tritiya was the day, Bhagwan Parshuram was born and his birth is celebrated in India as Lord Parshuram Jayanti. Parashurama is con-sidered to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The icon is decorated with an axe, to depict Him in a heroic pose. Ak-shay Titiya is also an occasion for wed-dings, which are conducted in mass mar-riage ceremonies. It is considered an "unboojha muhurat" and no lagna needs to be considered on this day. The Mythological Reference to Ak-shay Tritiya.

In the "Puranas", the holy Hindu scrip-tures, there is a story where VedVyas once requested Lord Ganesha to help him compose the Mahabharata. Lord Ganesha accepted the offer only after laying down his own terms. He told Vyas that he would write the "Slokas" only if Vyas would tally with his speed. If he had to stop due to Vyas, he would discontinue writing. Vyas accepted the proposal with counter conditions, stating that Lord Ganesha had to comprehend the meaning of the "Shlokas" before he could pen them down. All terms and conditions agreed upon, Vyas started composing the epic and used very com-plicated Shlokas. The time lord Ganesha took to understand the meaning was enough for Vyas to compose new lines. It is said that it was the day of Akshay Tritiya, that Vedvyas along with Lord Ganesha started writing the Mahab-harata. According to other beliefs, this day marks the beginning of the "SatyaYug", the first of the four Yugs(eras ) , " Sa tyug", "Tre tayug",


Proposal for the World Brahman Day An Interim Report by Sailesh Mishra, TX, USA ([email protected])

Moksha is the ultimate desti-nation .. "Brahmanatva" helps align ourselves to that goal.

Eko’hum July 2006

Brahmanical Wisdom in the New Millennium

By Azad K. Kaushik Brahmanical wisdom has civilized

mankind and continues to enlighten hu-man minds around the world through the ages. At the advent of 21st century, we live in an era of information age with a major focus on economic growth and unabated consumerism where one can question anything or everything whether rightfully so or not. After all, same ‘words’ may mean different to different people and, thus, philistinism prevails in every field of human activity whether it is electronic or print media of present times as it helps achieve socio-political goals of those in power. It is not uncom-mon to see Brahmanical wisdom being questioned and portrayed in an inappro-priate context and without scholarly un-derstanding. This is not surprising since Brahman is the ultimate reality, supreme spirit, beyond all human understanding, time and space. He is the origin of all creation – pure intelligence, pure delight and pure being.

How should Brahman community re-spond to a situation when philistinism prevails under the pretext of civilized society? Perhaps, it may be best to learn from a Brahman sage who once upon a time expounded:

“Learn to know good from evil; Learn to shun all emotions; Learn to live in present, without the

past, that no longer exists, without to-morrow, that is purely imaginary.”

Such pragmatic pearls of wisdom from the old sage could not have been more appropriate at the current times when it is so essential to preserve Brahmanical knowledge and heritage for all times to come. This requires coming together of Brahmanical minds in an organized man-ner to be able to take up these challenges and turn them into opportunities for the advancement of human societies. The World Brahman Federation (WBF) aims at achieving this goal into the new mil-lennium and across the globe. The holy scriptures enshrined in the Vedas, Upani-shads and others should form the basis of achieving the goal through education and Brahmanical cultural practices.

The following simple golden rules de-scribed by Ms. Lizelle Reymond (1958) in her book, “My life with a Brahman Family” provide an insight into the tar-

geted areas of WBF activities: “Our actions reveal our feelings, our

speech our ancestry, our children our integrity, our bodies that which we eat and drink, and our expression our thoughts”

The Brahmanical values are what the WBF stands for that are so vital to the community at large and, especially, the coming generations into the new millen-nium. The WBF organizes and encour-ages Brahmanical cultural activities across the globe where Hindus stand in all humility and everlasting happiness acquired though the family ‘Sanskaras’. The promotion of Dharma in Hindu soci-ety by Brahmans would not only help sustain civilization but also help advance the humanity by inculcating those lead-ership qualities where highest support for morality prevails. All Brahmans are, thus, a stakeholder in the cause of WBF activities and must work together to-wards the larger goals of the humanity for which the community has made as-tounding contributions.

The final thoughts again return to the great Brahman sage who said, “Learn to know good from evil,” as this would lead to a turning point for the mankind where Brahmans would contribute their intel-lectual might into the new millennium.

Educational Initiative of the WBF

By Dr. MG Prasad The educational initiative is to focus

on the education of Sanatana Dharma. The initiative will use all media such as lectures, workshops, debates, exhibi-tions, print and electronic to develop the programs. The educational initiative will emphasize knowledge, devotion and activity. The educational material will be based on Vedic scriptures both original and translation from authentic authors. The initiative will also emphasize in the removal of people’s mis-conception about Sanatana Dharma and the transfer of knowledge and practice to next gen-eration. Any WBF member interested in becoming a member of educational ini-tiative team is invited to send their ideas and plans through an email to M.G. Prasad [email protected]

"Dwapar-yug "& Kaliyug." The proposal for World Brahman

Day (WB-Day) got worldwide atten-tion recently and Shri Ashwath Hana-soge, founder of USBrahmins internet group consisting of nearly 1400 Brah-man members, congratulated the WBF leadership for actively pursuing this idea We thank all the organizations that have endorsed this idea and indi-viduals who suggested ways to add value to this day. The proposed days will be discussed and evaluated at the World Brahman Federation (WBF) convention on July 7-9 in New Jersey, USA. The decision will be based on consensus and informed to the presi-dents of affiliated Brahman organiza-tions throughout the world. Let us join hands together to strengthen Brahmans for the good cause of promoting Brah-manism. Let us establish the World Brahman Day and make history for this great community.

(World Brahman Day- Continued from page 13)

Mr. Bhaw Dutta Shukla died sud-denly on Nov. 5, 2005 at Binghamton, NY. He was about 64 years old. He is survived by his wife Uma and daughter Neelu.

We remember Bhaw as a wonderful friend, an excellent person, an inspiring Brahman, and a great organizer. He was the treasurer of the WBF with which he has been associated since its inception. He played a leading role in the foundation and all the activities of the WBF. The last WBF convention in 2004 at New Jersey was made possible only because of his untiring efforts. Earlier he had helped in the foundation of the Brahman Samaj of North Amer-ica and was its treasurer for several years. He successfully organized the early conventions of the BSNA. The world Brahman community has suf-fered a great loss in his death.

We miss you

Eko’hum July 2006

From Ramcharitmaanas By Goswamy Tulsidas (Ramcharit Manas by Tulsidas is one of the best poetry ever written anywhere in the world. We will quote one piece from this epic as our tribute to a masterpiece of world literature) Vaari mathe ghrit hoye baru siktaa te baru tel. Bin Hari bhaje na bhav tarahi yahu sidhdhaanta apel Approx. translation: May be one get butter by churning water, may be one can even get oil from sand, but one can never cross the ocean of life without worshipping God.

On the first day of school, the Kinder-garten teacher said, "If anyone has to go to the bathroom, hold up two fingers. A little voice from the back of the room asked, "How will that help?" ****

A wife invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?"

"I wouldn*t know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say", the wife answered.

The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?" **** Lawyer: What is your date of birth? Witness: July fifteenth. Lawyer: What year? Witness: Every year. **** Lawyer: This myasthenia gravis - does it affect your memory at all? Witness: Yes. Lawyer: And in what ways does it affect your memory? Lawyer: I forget. Witness: Can you give us an example of something that you've forgotten? **** Q: Where in the world fast service is unwelcome, matches don't burn and love means nothing? A: Tennis

Ranjana Pathak was honored as an industry Rising Star by the Health-care Businesswomen’s Association, at its 2006 Woman of the Year award lunch-eon, Wednesday, May 10, 2006 at the New York City Hilton.

HBA Rising Stars are up-and-coming professionals in various sectors of the healthcare industry, including pharma-ceutical, biotechnology, advertising, public relations, medical education and market research, among other fields.

Ranjana is currently working as VP of Quality and Compliance for Endo Phar-maceuticals. She has been in the pharma-ceutical industry for 25 years in various capacities. She is also pursuing her doc-toral degree in Health Administration.

Ranjana is an accopalished dancesr who thrilled the audience at one of the earlier conventions. She has completed her Aarengeterum under the guidance of Padma Vibhushan Kamla Narayan.

Her motto: work hard and play hard, and live in the NOW!!

Anoop Bhargava an active member of the WBF and an editor of our Brahmodaya, has been awarded "Hindi Videsh Prasaar Samman" by "Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthaan" for out-standing contribution to promotion of Hindi abroad. The award will be given at a ceremony in Lucknow on the Hindi Divas , September 14th.

Anoop Bhargava is currently Secretary of "International Hindi Association" and has successfully organized Kavi Samme-lan tours of Gopal Das "Neeraj" in 2004 and Som Thakur in 2005. He is also the founder and moderator of vibrant Yahoo Group "eKavita" dedicated to poetry which has more than 300 members.

Anubhava Bhargava, who just turned 18, has won a prestigious award for his playwriting skills. He was one of the six winners of the third annual Youth Ink! Playwriting Competition, produced by High School Residency Coordinator Steven Borowka of the McCarter Theatre Education Depart-ment. The competition is an outgrowth of the McCarter education department's Youth Ink! program, which united teach-ers and students in four area schools with McCarter artists-in-residence for 10 ses-sions focused on the playwriting process. More than 210 plays from the students were submitted to the third annual com-petition in March, and the six winning entries were selected by a panel of McCarter judges. The winning plays were staged at the Youth Ink! Festival featuring student matinees June 5 through 10.

Bhargava family: Anoop and Rajni with son Anubhava and daughter Kanupriya

The Golden Couple

Mrs and Prof Ramanath Sharma cele-brated their golden wedding anniver-sary on June 11, 2006. Our best wishes to them for a happy and long life.

We are proud of you– our high achievers

From: WBF 18 Fitzgerald Lane, Columbus, NJ 08022, USA.

inside...

Conv’06—p 1 President’s tour– p6-12 Understanding Hinduism – p3

WBF Convention - 2006

July 7, 8 & 9 in Crowne Plaza, 390 Forsgate Drive, Monroe Twp., NJ 08831 (Exit 8a at NJ Turnpike)

Theme: Sanatana Dharma in the New Millennium

Inspirational Keynote Speaker: Dr. M.G. Prasad (A spiritual disciple of Seer-Yogi Sriranga Sadguru, founder of Ashtanga Yoga

Vijnana Mandiram, Mysore, India)

Keynote Speaker: Mr. Ashok Trivedi (Chairman IGATE Global Solutions)

Three days of stimulating, inspiring lectures and seminars by prominent speakers Family oriented fun and learning experience for both youth and adults Discussions on spiritual, educational, cultural, health, financial and social issues Opportunity to meet famous artists, science & technology experts in various fields Cultural performance by famous artists and Kavi Sammelan for enthusiasts For additional Information, please contact : Convention Director Mr. Sanjay Tripathi, 1-732-635-0049 [email protected]

Convention General Secretary Mr. Swaminandan Ojha, 1-609-371-5771 [email protected]

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