In Pure Spirit

For open minds

The incredible living bridges of Meghalayas

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Meghalayas is a state in the north-east of India. The name is a Sanskrit word which means “Abode of Clouds” and about one third of the state is covered in forests. The forests are incredibly rich with biodiversity but also haunted by illegal mining. The capital city is Shillong which is one of the smallest cities in India. Tourists will struggle to find flights to Shillong and are likely to have to opt to a flight to somewhere like Kolkata and then fly Air India to Shillong.

The video below shows truly amazing living bridges ‘built’ from fig trees. They take two generations to grow but are able to survive the monsoon storms that make Meghalayas one of the wettest places on Earth.

In Pure Spirit

Are you impressed or do find the fig tree bridges to be underwhelming? Would the area be better off investing in traditional, human constructed, infrastructure instead? Is it practical to rely on bridges that take two generations of family to construct?

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Holy monkeys defeat automatic doors and run wild in hospital

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Hanuman is the Hindu deity; an incarnation of the Sir Rama in the struggle against demon King Ravana and a general for the ape-like, forest-dwelling race of vanaras. Vanaras are an interesting bunch of shape-changes; being described as childish, irritating, hyperactive but also loyal, courageous and kind.

It’s perhaps no surprise that the adventurous rhesus macaque monkey is associated with Hanuman. That’s why these monkeys, despite the problems they cause, are rarely trapped or killed in India.

The most recent problem with these rhesus macaque concerns their intelligence. These monkeys worked out how the newly installed automatic doors of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi worked. Once inside the hospital they ran, hid, stole food and played with medical equipment.

An unnamed doctor at the hospital has been speaking to the press;

“I was at the patient recovery room when a nurse cried out that a monkey had sneaked in,

“The monkey had somehow entered the main corridor and was hiding in the false roof. As soon as the security guard moved away, it jumped inside. The doors open once they detect any movement, and this is how the simian got in.”

The monkeys are a real problem for the hospital. You can imagine it simply is not possible to run a clean and orderly hospital that’s invaded by tribes of monkeys.

Fortunately a solution was found; more monkeys.

The hospital “hired” two grey langurs, larger monkeys, that hang around nearby and chase the macaques away if they come too close.

The holy monkey terror may sound like a bit of fun for people not caught up in the problem but they are a serious and significant problem in New Delhi. A number of years ago they were responsible for the death of the deputy mayor – as outlined in this news cast.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Has the hospital done the right thing by bringing in more monkeys to keep the macaques at bay? Or would it make more sense to change the doors?

Picture credit: Crazy Creatures.

Ghost expels 18 school girls from school

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In Balasore, India, 18 school girls were taken ill after morning prayers. The girls are now refusing to return to Hidigaon Panchayat High School claiming that it is haunted.

The Times of India has the story and they report that the incident began with one student – known as Mansai to the press – who the first to behave strangely and become frightened. Shortly after her two more girls started to act in the same way.

“They started trembling and vomited before falling unconscious. Later 15 others behaved in a similar fashion forcing us to seek medical help,” headmaster Gadadhar Jena of the school told local press.

One of the students effected, Ranjita Behera, described her experience, “We had entered the class room after prayers. Suddenly, I experienced a strange sensation in my body and started trembling. I felt as if someone within my body was forcing me to behave erratically.”

Indian doctors discount the ghost theory and are pointing towards mass hysteria as the more likely cause.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? School girls being school girls, a haunting or mass hysteria?

Indian yoga guru claims gay sex is a disease that yoga cures

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A recent Indian court ruling which legalises gay sex has been challenged by Swami Baba Ramdev. The TV star and popular yoga expert claims that the Delhi courts have made a mistake in decriminalising – what he describes as – “unnatural sex acts”.

Writing to the Indian Supreme Court, Ramdev said, “It can be treated like any other congenital defect. Such tendencies can be treated by yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises) and other meditation techniques,”

The Indian legal system allows anyone to challenge a court’s decision by raising the matter to a higher court. Swami Ramdev is already on the record as describing homosexuality as “mental bankruptcy” and “against God and creation”.

Ramdev is not the only Indian guru to have filed against the petition. The famous astrologer Suresh Kumar Kaushal’s petition to the court suggests that if gay sex is legalised that, “tomorrow people might seek permission for having sex with animals”.

In Pure Spirit

What’s your view on this? Are you surprised a yoga guru is so homophobic? Do you think this will reflect badly on yoga? Perhaps you think it’ll reflect well on yoga?

Extinction Sucks!

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Extinction Sucks is a new online TV program from the WWF. Each episode is half an hour long and will feature on  Panda.org and  Babelgum over the next six weeks.

Extinction Sucks is designed to bring quality conversation and green issue programs to the digital audience.

Babelgum commissioned Off The Fence, award-winning filmmakers based in Amsterdam, to produce the series in association with the WWF.

“We believe online audiences deserve the same quality and viewing experience as traditional television has offered,” says Babelgum’s commissioning chief editor Claudio Scotto di Carlo.

“We also believe passionately in the power of the internet to help protect threatened species. WWF are the world’s leading conservation organisation so it made sense for us to partner with them to bring this exciting series to life.

“Extinction Sucks breaks the mould of traditional wildlife programmes – both with its fast-paced, humorous style and by being online – and will appeal to a wide range of audiences. It’s a wildlife series for the digital age.”

“It was a first for us,” says Off The Fence boss Ellen Windemuth, “but it proves you can make funny, engaging wildlife programmes with a serious message for online viewing. Working with WWF meant we could get access to great stories, great characters and great locations.”

In the series, Ashleigh Young and Aleisha Caruso, two Australians travel the world in an attempt to raise money for the WWF’s conversation projects.  The first episode of Extinction Sucks features the elephant conservation program being run by WWF India as they battle against the illegal ivory trade and poaching.

Wild elephants in the Mudumalai National Park have also killed by speeding motorists and in the first episode of Extinction Sucks Ashleigh and Aleisha have a go at traffic management.

In Pure Spirit

Will you be popping over to Bablegum to watch these awareness programs from the WWF? Or do you believe Extinction Sucks! is an ill advised venture and the WWF would have been better spending the same money directly on aid?

India attempts to patent some yoga poses

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Will your yoga classes become illegal? Let’s take a look at what seems to be happening.

India has created a team of Hindu experts and scientists to identify all of the older asanas or yoga positions.

The goal is to stop other people from patenting the positions and stealing what Indian calls their traditional knowledge.

The country has had to battle attempts by American yoga teachers attempting to patent positions associated with their classes. Yoga is estimated to be a $225 billion industry.

The Telegraph reports that up to 600 asanas have already been added to the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library.

However, the American system has granded more than 130 patents, 150 copyrights and over 2,000 trademarks relating to yoga.

In fact, India’s attempts to patent yoga poses is most likely an attempt to keep the poses and asanas free and widely available to the public.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Has India made the right decision here? Should the country patent yoga positions before the American system grants patents to individual yoga teachers?

Vedic astrology

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Vedic astrology, also known as Jyotisa or Hindu astrology, is an ancient system which is still widely used today.

Vedic astrology is interested in the connections between the macrocosm and microcosm and the concept of bandhu from the Vedas. The sidereal zodiac is used (rather than the Western tropical zodiac) as this allows for the precession of the vernal equinox.

The Vedic system tends to look at Rashi (zodiac), Bhava (houses) and Graha (planets). The Bhava is a zodiacal division based on local time and location.

The Rashi

  • Mesa – Ram; Western Name: Aries; Element: Fire
  • Vrsabha – Bull; Western Name: Taurus; Element: Earth
  • Mithuana – Twins; Western Name: Gemini; Element: Air
  • Karka – Crab; Western Name: Cancer; Element: Water
  • Simha – Lion; Western Name: Leo; Element: Fire
  • Kanya – Girl; Western Name: Virgo; Element: Earth
  • Tula – Balance; Western Name: Libra; Element: Air
  • Vrscika – Scorpion; Western Name: Scorpio; Element: Water
  • Dhanus – Bow; Western Name: Sagittarius; Element: Fire
  • Makara – Sea-monster; Western Name: Capricorn; Element: Earth
  • Kumbha – Pitcher; Western Name: Aquarius; Element: Air
  • Mina – Fish; Western Name: Pisces; Element: Water

The Bhava

  • Lagna – Health, purpose of life, appearance
  • Dhana – Inheritance, wealth, family
  • Parakrama – Short journeyes, education, younger siblings
  • Suhrda – Home, mother, property
  • Suta – Lover, gambling, recreation, children
  • Roga – Enemies, foreigners, servants
  • Kama – Trade, death, honour, reputation
  • Mrityu – Dowry, sexuality, occult, suffering
  • Bhagya – Father, travel, luck
  • Karma – Power, status, business
  • Aya – Elder siblings, hopes, friends
  • Vyaya – Sleep, secret enemies, liberation, expenses

The Graha

  • Surya – the Sun; king, father, senior
  • Chandra – the Moon; queen, mother, mind
  • Mangala – Mars; ego, confidence
  • Budha – Mercury; examination, communication
  • Brihaspati – Jupiter; the great teacher, master
  • Shukra – Venus; pleasure, reproduction
  • Shani – Saturn; career, education, school of life
  • Rahu – Ascending North Lunar Node; Head of the Demon Snake; an Asura intent on chaos
  • Ketu – Descending South Lunar Node; Tail of Demon Snake; supernatural and occult influences

In Pure Spirit

Have you made use of Vedic astrology? How did it compare? Is it significant that Vedic astrology uses sidereal zodiac rather than tropical?

Indian schools to educate about witchcraft

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It is estimated that up to 750 people, mainly old women, have been killed in witch-hunts in India since 2003.

The slayings result when villages in the hinterland suffer from food shortages and blame is cast. In one instance a family of four in Assam were stoned and then buried alive after it was believed they had cursed the relative of the village elder.

It is hoped that by introducing witchcraft studies to the school syllabus that rural beliefs can be altered. India hopes to dampen belief in black magic.

However, academics claim that the witch-hunt phenomenon is purely financial. A proposed alternative solution is to introduce a pension for elderly ladies. This would mean that these women become a financial asset rather than a financial burden.

The pension tactic is widely credited to have been successful in South Africa where witch-hunting almost completely stopped in the North Province in the 1990s.

In Pure Spirit

What do you think? Is this an issue of education, belief or simple monetary gain? The Times has more on this story.

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