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THE FINAL KANTDOWN - PART 4
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE HARE KRISHNA MOVEMENT? The Founder and Guru, His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, arriving in the West from India in 1965 who founded the famous Hare Krishna Movement has been poisoned physically and spiritually since November 14 1977 by usurpers (trisexuals) within the Movement. The World and India are without his guidance as a result. In 1977, the Founder wanted the American and European "K" alphabet shape changed because the shape symbolises suicides according to ancient scriptures however the shape has not been made non-suicidal by the usurpers (trisexuals). The Founder's books and philosophy have been changed by the usurpers (trisexuals). This posting reflects on this continued poisoning and sees evil, suicidal and demoniac changes happening around the World and his birth country India. Below are various stories as a result of this..... The days have elapsed since the usurpers in the Hare Krishna Movement removed the Hare Krishna Founder: His Divine Grace A C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, from spiritually being the initiating spiritual master a ------------------------------ >From 11/14/1977 (m/d/y) to 2/8/2007 (m/d/y) is: 10678 days, or 1525 weeks and 3 days ----------------------------- (Further information can be sought from the following websites: http://Kalphabet.googlepages.com. http://Rathayatra.googlepages.com http://GauraPurnima.googlepages.com http://GundicaMarjana.googlepages.com http://DowryJones.blogspot.com This is a public message that is for periodic posting, omittance of this message does not necessarily mean that things have correctly changed, there could be other reasons, such as the poster of this message cannot get to post this message or that the poster is ill or has died in which case it is suggested that the reader should take self-responsibility about whether things have correctly changed or not.) - Social change started with on-screen kiss - 400 mil. in middle-income bracket - Melting glaciers, sinking isles: Warming hits India 1 EMERGING INDIA/Social change started with on-screen kiss The Yomiuri Shimbun The following is the fourth installment in a series of articles reporting on new developments in India, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence this year, and where the nation is heading. Yomiuri Shimbun Asian General Bureau Actress Mallika Sherawat has emerged as one of India's top film stars after starring in the 2004 film "Murder," in which she performed "daring" kissing scenes and other sensational scenes--explicit portrayals that could not be found in Indian movies prior to that time. With a slim figure and bright smile, the 25-year-old could capitalize on her beauty to sustain her popularity. However, she is not satisfied with this alone and is proud of taking a prominent stand to lead a new India. "Murder," a suspense film about a woman involved in an extramarital affair, caused much controversy across the country when the film was released. Sherawat's father, a landlord in Hariyana State, a conservative agricultural area in the northern part of the country, has not spoken to Sherawat since her film debut in 2002. However, Sherawat remains undaunted. She says she is supported by India's younger generation, who have had their eyes opened to the world via the Internet and satellite TV, adding that they are different from the hypocritical older generation. Indian movies are called "Bollywood movies," as Bombay, now Mumbai, has been compared to Hollywood. In the commercial city of Mumbai, movie studios are everywhere. Indian movies have followed an established pattern for decades: Lovers are finally joined together after overcoming differences in family lineage and social positions, and family bonds are respected. In many movies, song-and-dance routines are crammed in, even if they bear no relation to the scenes that precede or follow them. This is because the movies have to be entertaining and have a broad appeal in the country. Kissing and sexual scenes have long been taboo with audiences due to social conventions. Over the past few years, however, new, experimental movies such as "Murder" have become more prevalent. Shradha Sukumaran, a film critic who writes for local papers, said that the number of movies with fewer song-and-dance scenes and a stronger emphasis on the storyline had increased. After India liberalized its economy in the 1990s, foreign film releases, especially Hollywood movies, increased in the country. Such a new trend for Indian movies is supported by those aged 35 years old and younger, who make up about 70 percent of the population of 1.11 billion (2006 estimate). Most of them grew up in the 1990s during the high economic growth period associated with the Internet, mobile phones and cable TV. Since the country is a rare example of a society dominated by young people, movie makers have focused on "strategies toward young people." In 2006, various public relations events that utilized digital media such as the Internet, as well as advertisements through corporate tie-ups, proved successful and major hit movies were released in quick succession, making it the "greatest year" in the history of Bollywood. The movie world in India has started to reflect changes in the country--urbanization, the spread of the nuclear family and advancement of information technology. One reason behind the growth in status of Indian movies in recent years is the high level of animation and visual effects using computers, reflecting the country's IT strength. Rhythm & Hues, a special effects and animation studio based in Los Angeles, established an overseas subsidiary in Mumbai in 2001 to meet increasing demand. Special effects depicting vivid backdrops in "The Chronicle of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "Superman Returns," both released in Japan last year, were produced at the Mumbai studios. In a dimly lit workshop covering about 30,000 square meters, animators busily but silently shuffle 200 computer mice. According to Saraswathi Balgam, director at Rhythm and Hues India, the parent company first looked at Australia and Canada as locations for setting up a subsidiary, but Mumbai was finally selected for its moviemaking tradition and abundant human resources. Toonz Animation India is an animation production firm based in Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum, the capital of southern Kerala State, about 1,200 kilometers from Mumbai. The company announced in December it will produce the animated movie "Dragonlance" with Paramount Home Entertainment and Commotion Pictures. Voice actors for the film include Kiefer Sutherland, the leading actor in the popular U.S. TV series "24." Toonz Animation India Chief Executive Officer P. Jayakumar said, "This is an incredible opportunity to create an exciting film with global appeal and iconic characters." Jayakumar also places an emphasis on swashbuckling films for domestic audiences, such as one in which the Hindu divine monkey Hanuman is the hero. India itself is a large market with 300 million children aged 12 years old and younger, said Jayakumar. In addition, the purchasing power of ethnic Indian residents now living in areas from East Africa and the Middle East to Southeast Asia has been increasing. The sheer demand for children's entertainment is almost immeasurable. "If we let our guard down, they may surpass us," a concerned senior executive of a major Japanese animation firm said. However, while Bollywood has been increasing its international profile, many critics point out its Achilles' heel--a lack of storylines. Among hit Bollywood movies are many films that blatantly copy Hollywood movies. Mahesh Bhatt, who directed and produced "Murder," said Bollywood has focused too much on entertainment at the expense of depictions of Indian history or social problems. "There's no denying that Bollywood...has become an identity that is linked to India and rising aspirations of the Indian people," he said, before adding that, unlike films from South Korea and China, Bollywood had failed to make inroads into markets dominated by Western movies. Bhatt said he was strongly influenced by British cinema giant David Lean, who is known for directing "Dr. Zhivago." Bhatt's new film was inspired by the 2005 terrorist attacks in London. It depicts the life of a young Indian Muslim living in Britain who joins a terrorist organization and his awareness of tolerance that saves him. Bhatt's efforts to create real Indian stories on the big screen will continue. -------- 2 EMERGING INDIA / 400 mil. in middle-income bracket The Yomiuri Shimbun Japanese cars are sold at this modern shopping mall that recently opened in a suburb of New Delhi. The following is the second installment in a series of articles reporting on new developments in India, which celebrates the 60th anniversary of its independence this year, and where that nation is heading. High levels of economic growth are changing the country, once referred to as a "giant sleeping elephant," to an emerging global power. Anand, a 33-year-old strategic consultant for a client company at a foreign-affiliated information technology company, and Anjali, a 23-year-old student trying to get a master's degree in business administration, married three years ago after they met on a matchmaking Web site. They now live in a quiet residential area in southern New Delhi. In India, it remains a common custom for parents to choose marriage partners for their children, but couples like Anand and Anjali have been gradually becoming more common, mainly in urban areas. Anand earns 800,000 rupees (about 2.08 million yen; 1 rupee is about 2.6 yen) a year. Since people earning 40,000 rupees to 180,000 rupees a year are considered to be in the middle-income bracket in India, he can be called a high-income earner. The couple is interested in buying a fridge and a washing machine. "We got an opportunity," said Anjali. "We're concerned with the quality rather than the price [of appliances]." Recently, household electrical appliances have been selling in huge numbers in the country. In fiscal 2004, India produced 9 million color television sets, 3.9 million refrigerators and 1.6 million washing machines--an increase of more than 10 percent from the previous year. Strong sellers are 21- to 25-inch flat-screen television sets priced at between 22,000 rupees to 30,000 rupees. As for mobile phones, about 5 million people become new users every month in the country. The total number of cell phone users reached 130 million in September. According to an estimate by the Indian Communications and Information Technology Ministry, the number is likely to reach 500 million, nearly half of the country's population, by 2010. Santosh Desai, 43, president of the major advertising company McCann Erickson India, said he believes there are at least 400 million people in the middle-income bracket in India, a figure exceeding the population of the United States. These middle-class people are playing the leading role in India's consumer market, which is now the center of attention in the business world. According to Desai, until a while ago, 20 million people, the number equivalent to Australia's population, are said to have joined India's middle-income bracket every year. But he said that the figure has recently increased to 60 million, close to the population of France. Indians who used to ride bicycles have now switched to motorcycles and then compact cars. In major cities, large, sophisticated shopping malls are being opened one after another. The diversification of payment methods, including credit cards, banking institutions and loan systems offered by each consumer electronics maker is boosting consumer spending in India. "In recent times, ICICI Bank has shown a two-time increase in the loan to consumer," said Ashwini Kumar, a sales executive with the major bank in New Delhi. India was once described as a country where the gap between the rich and the poor was so wide that there was no middle class. At present, the poor, who live mainly in rural areas, account for more than 30 percent of India's population and are often left close to death from starvation. Saving the poor is a big responsibility for the government. However, it also is true that the number middle-income bracket families is increasing sharply due to the country's economic growth, creating a gigantic consumer society. They are about to change India's image. Desai said that Indians can believe now for the first time in history that their life will be better tomorrow than it is today. His words reflect the dynamism India has today. The growing middle-income bracket is heating up the consumption spree in India. But the Indian government faces difficult challenges in improving living standards for the poor, who have not benefited from the nation's economic growth, and in narrowing the wealth gap in its society. There is a popular waterfront disco in the coastal city of Mumbai, India's largest commercial city, in Maharashtra State in the western part of the country. Behind a metal detector and a heavy door, about 50 men and women dance under glimmering lights. Tanvi Gandhi, 27, an employee of a television station in Mumbai, said she came to the disco at least once every two weeks. Gandhi said that she did not know where else to spend her money because she and her friends could spend twice as much money as they had before since cable TV stations and call centers were opened there. But the situation is dramatically different in the village of Sunna, about 900 kilometers east of Mumbai. The village of about 1,000 residents is located in the middle of vast cotton fields. Vijai, a 53-year-old farmer in the village mourned the death of his 26-year-old son, Ravi. "We don't know any proper plan in mind," Vijai said with tear-filled eyes. "How can we do? I am in too much shock to offer any future plans for my family." Ravi had committed suicide three days earlier by hanging himself from an electricity pole in a cotton field. The family had debts of 250,000 rupees (about 650,000 yen) to banks and other lenders due to a poor harvest. Ravi had been very worried that his family would not be able to pay for his sister's marriage expenditures as her wedding date was approaching. "My son didn't drink or smoke. He just worked hard for my family. He was pressed by his sense of responsibility how to do for a living as as householder," the father said. Ravi and his wife lived in a small room with a black-and-white TV set they bought 10 years ago. But the local electric power company had cut off electricity supply to the whole village as many residents had often failed to pay bills. In the Vidarbha region where Sunna is located, about 3 million people work in cotton farming. And in the same region, 1,140 people committed suicide between June 2005 and November 2006. Vidarbha People's Movement Society, a nongovernmental organization supporting poor cotton farmers in the region, made a map on which small skull illustrations marked places where suicides occurred. Soon the whole of the map was covered with the marks. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the Vidarbha region having taken the news of a "suicide village" seriously, and announced an emergency aid package including financial assistance for the coming five years. In late November, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar emphasized the effects of the aid saying, "The emerging trends in respect of this region indicates that the number of suicide by farmers due to agriculture-related causes is on the decline." However, Kishor Tiwari, 51, secretary of the NGO, said that three people per day had still committed suicide even after the prime minister's visit. "The government said a fraud," he said angrily. Mumbai and other big cities in India are in the midst of an unprecedented feverish wave of consumption. But for farmers living in the region, the prosperity is, according to one rural resident, a world "not relevant to us. This is only for rich men and bureaucrats." In the country's general election in 2004, the ruling coalition led by the Indian People's Party (BJP) suffered an unpredicted major setback despite a slogan of "Shining India" praising the recent economic growth. It was because those in poverty and other socially vulnerable people interpreted the coalition's policy of prioritizing economic growth as neglecting the weak. The current governing coalition led by the Indian National Congress Party insists that consideration should be given to "another India," where many people have no access to the benefits of economic growth. Sonia Gandhi, president of the party, has said that the country is now walking a tightrope between prosperity and achieving social justice. Singh, an economist, said that the coming 15 to 20 years will be the key, because the number of people in poverty can be reduced drastically if the economy grows 8 percent to 10 percent every year during the period. Conversely, India now has no other measure to save the poor than continuing to pursue more economic growth to enlarge shares of prosperity. (Feb. 1, 2007) ----- 3 Melting glaciers, sinking isles: Warming hits India By Nita Bhalla NEW DELHI (Reuters) - With India's Himalayan glaciers melting, its eastern islands sinking and freak rain flooding deserts, environmentalists say global warming is already taking its toll on this populous Asian nation. The U.N. climate panel issued its strongest warning yet on Friday that human activities are heating the planet, forecasting that temperatures would rise by between 1.8 and 4.0 Celsius (3.2 and 7.8 Fahrenheit) in the 21st century. In India, the signs already back up forecasts that as the mercury rises the Indian subcontinent, home to one-sixth of humanity, will be one of the worst-affected regions. "We are already seeing glaciers are receding at a faster rate and islands have disappeared and then there is all this freak weather phenomena," said Shruti Shukla, climate change officer for WWF India. Experts say the melting of Himalayan glaciers could have serious consequences as more than 500 million residents -- almost half of India's total population -- of the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra river basins rely on them for water supply. Research about the Gangotri glacier -- which feeds the Ganges -- has found the average rate of retreat has almost doubled to 34 meters (110 ft) per year compared to 19 meters in 1971. "Glaciers are like a frozen reservoir of water, so when glaciers recede ... proportionally, there will be a decrease in the water, which affects drinking water supply, irrigation, hydropower," said glaciologist Jagdish Bahadur. This is likely to exacerbate already widespread water shortages. VANISHING ISLANDS, DESERT SEAS Rising temperatures will also hurt the annual June-September monsoon rains, which India is heavily dependent on for its crops. It is estimated that a temperature rise of between 2 and 3.5 Celsius would result in a loss of between 9 and 25 percent of revenue from agriculture -- which makes up 22 percent of India's GDP and employs 70 percent of the workforce. Besides, researchers say rising temperatures will mean vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue fever will spread to higher altitudes known for being free of mosquitoes. In the Sunderbans, off India's east coast, scientists say two of the 104 islands have disappeared over the past decade partially due to rising sea levels. "Both islands were inhabited and thousands of people were forced to relocate to some of the other islands," said Sugata Hazra, who teaches oceanography at Jadhavpur University in eastern India, adding that 12 more islands were vulnerable. In western India, freak torrential rains flooded the desert state of Rajasthan, displacing hundreds of thousands and killing 140 people last year. Barmer district in the state recorded 58 cm (23 inches) of rainfall in just three days -- more than double the average it usually receives for the entire year. While India is not required under the Kyoto Protocol to reduce its energy consumption and cut greenhouse gas emissions at this stage, experts say its emissions are rising and could make it a significant contributor to global warming. "Clean technologies exist and the government should come out with an immediate policy and implementation framework to address the issue of energy for all while reducing carbon dioxide emission," said K. Srinivas of Greenpeace. |
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