Hinduism

by

Happy Ram Navmi 2019

Sydney, 14 April 2019

Happy Ram Navmi 2019!

Ram Navami is the occasion to celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Rama, who is the seventh avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu.

Hindus eagerly wait for the auspicious occasion of Chaitra Navratri, which is a nine-day long festival and on each day, a different form of Goddess is worshipped. Devotees pray to Goddess Durga for good health, wealth and prosperity. The festival of Navratri is celebrated twice a year—Chaitra Navratri comes during the springtime and Sharad Navratri, takes place ahead of the autumn.

As per the Gregorian calendar, the Chaitra Navratri festival takes place in the months of March-April. This year, Navratri began on April 6 and will culminate with Ram Navmi on the April 14.

Lord Ram was the eldest son of King Dasaratha and his wife Kausalya in Ayodhya. The festival is celebrated and observed across the country by reciting stories of Lord Rama, his journey through life, his teachings as part of Indian epic Ramayana.

Lord Ram followers visit temples and offer prayers on the occasion to celebrate the festival. People also send happy Ram Navami messages to their loved ones to spread blessings and create a better environment.

May the almighty Lord Rama bless you all with good things and perfect health. Happy Ram Navami!

(Info copied from https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/m.timesofindia.com/astrology/rituals-puja/ram-navami-2019-all-you-need-to-know-about-ashtami-navami-date-significance-shubh-muhurat/amp_articleshow/68831140.cms and https://www.google.com.au/amp/s/www.dnaindia.com/india/report-ram-navami-2019-whatsapp-facebook-messages-to-wish-your-loved-ones-2739167/amp)

Dr Yadu Singh

http://www.facebook.com/DoctorYaduSingh

http://www.twitter.com/dryadusingh

http://www.instagram.com/DocYaduSingh

by

Census 2011:My comments in Australian Financial Review story!

 

Yadu Singh

www.twitter.com/dryadusingh

www.facebook.com/dryadusingh

 

Australian Financial Review

21st June, 2012

India tops migrant mix

By PIP FREEBAIRN

First they were British and Irish, then Greeks, Italian and Vietnamese, but now the fastest growing wave of migrants to Australia are Indians.

The 2011 census showed yesterday that the number of Indian migrants in Australia has doubled since five years earlier with around 150,000 new migrants arriving here.

The proportion of Australian residents born in India rose from0.7 per cent in 2006 to 1.4 per cent in 2011 as their number increased from 147,106 to 295,362.

Their growing contingent joins longer-standing migrants such as Yadu Singh, the president of Indian Australian Association of NSW. He came to Australia in 1991 to train as a cardiologist and enjoys the quality of life. He denies that Australia is perceived as racist and dangerous.

“Despite all the nonsense, Australia is a welcoming country and Indians know that. It was the Indian media that overreacted to the events a few years ago.

“Indian migrants know while there are a few [racists], the rules and regulation of this country are not in anyway racist.”

Dr Singh is referring to a series of incidents in Melbourne in which robberies and assaults on trains and in public places were perceived as being racially motivated.

Most Indians live in NSW, followed by Victoria, and most are located in capital cities. Melbourne had the highest proportion of Indian-born residents, at 2.7 per cent. But a regional bonus in the points test for permanent migration status means some Indian migrants are now branching out to Newcastle, Wollongong, and Bathurst.

Indian-born Australians are most likely to speak English at home, followed by Hindi and Punjabi, a language spoken in Northern India and regions of Pakistan.

The census reveals that the number of Punjabi speakers grew the fastest of any language in Australia – by 207 per cent between 2006 and 2011.

The growth of Hinduism has also matched the growth of Indian migration. While only 1.3 per cent of residents identify as Hindus, its numbers of adherents have almost doubled from 148,000 in 2006 to 275,534 in 2011.

Census director Andrew Henderson said the growth of Indian migration meant the Indian-born had overtaken Italian-born as those migrants moved into their second generation. “It is fundamentally shifting the cultural mix in Australia,” he said.

Australia and India share a number of cultural touchstones, not least widespread English usage in both nations and a legacy of common colonial histories. Cricket also binds the two nations, with Test matches that involve India in Sydney and Melbourne attracting large vocal crowds in support of the visiting team.

Indian permanent migration to Australia hit a monthly peak of almost 1800 in early 2008, before dipping to 680 in 2010 but has recovered to 1350 arrivals a month in early 2012.

Many Indians come to Australia not just for economic opportunity but to take advantage of the education system. Dr Singh said Indians who came to Australia tended to be young and highly educated and were often seeking further training in accounting, medical degrees, or nursing.

Indian-born Australians tend to be younger than the median age of the total population, 36 compared to 47.

Hass Dellal, the head of Australian Multicultural Foundation,which advises government, said the new wave of migration indicated that Australia was engaging more in the region.

“But we are not taking advantage of the opportunities it brings, economically or culturally. We need things such as languages in schools so that we can make the most of the advantages of our multicultural society.”

Related articles
Australian Census 2011:what it says about India & Indians in Australia!
by

Australian Census 2011:what it says about India & Indians in Australia!

I was waiting for the latest Census 2011 data. This is out today. It has some very interesting information.

  • There are a total of 21,507,717 people in Australia.
  • 26% people were born overseas and 20% had one parent born overseas.
  • Top 10 counties by birth of migrants include India at 4th spot [295400 people]. UK, NZ, China are higher.
  • People of Asian background by birth have moved up in proportion of people born overseas [33% in 2011 Vs 24% in 2001].
  • Before 2007, UK was the top source of migrants but India is the top source of migrants in 2007-11. India now contributes 13.1% of migrants [2007-11] compared to 12% from UK. Most of the top 10 countries from where migrants are arriving from are Asian countries.
  • 47% of all Indians in Australia are Indians who have arrived in recent years [2007-11]. Corresponding numbers for Chinese is 35.
  • 200,000 Indians have arrived in Australia between 2001-11. Corresponding numbers are 176,200 and 127,700 for Chinese and New Zealanders respectively.
  • 98 males for 100 females in Australia but numbers skewed adversely for Nepalese [144 Males for 100 females], Afghanistani people [143 males for 100 females] and Pakistani people [143 males for 100 females].
  • 390900 [2%] people have identified their ancestry as Indian ancestry, compared to 866000 [4%] for Chinese ancestry. This number may be an underestimate as some second and third generation people of Indian ancestry may have identified themselves as from “Australian ancestry”.
  • Among those who identified as of Indian ancestry, 61% were born in India, 20% in Australia and 19% in other countries.
  • Among those who identified their ancestry as Indian, only 12.9% had one more ancestry, compared to much higher proportions from other groups. This means that marriages outside Indian segment is much less common. One explanation is that Indian community is a newer community in Australia. It is likely to change in years/decades.
  • Indian ancestry numbers may be an underestimate as a section of Indian community ran a campaign before Census to identify themselves as “Punjabi” ancestry, not Indian ancestry.
  • 61% people follow Christianity in 2011 compared to 68% in 2001 and 96% in 1911.
  • Non-Christian faiths have grown from 4.9% [900,000 people] to 7.2% [1.5 millions] between 2001 to 2011.
  • Buddhism is the commonest non-Christian religion [2.5%], followed by Islam [2.2%] and Hinduism [1.3%].
  • Hinduism had the fastest growth. It grew 189% between 2001 to 2011. 275000 people identify themselves as Hindu now. 275000 Hindus from a total of 391000 people with Indian heritage means Hindus constitute 70% of total number of Australians of Indian ancestry.
  • Growth of Islam and Buddhism have been 69% [476,300 people] and 48% [529000 people] in the last decade.
  • “No religion” category grew too from 15% to 22% between 2001 to 2011.
  • Over half [56%] people born overseas are Christian.
  • Hindi is one of the Top 10 language, other than English, spoken by people at home. 104900 people [0.5%] speak Hindi at Homes. Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese and Vietnamese are spoken by more Australians. Hindi is the only Indian language among the top 10 languages in Australia. Punjabi language is spoken by Punjabi sub-segment of Indian community significantly but I am not completely clear about the comparison between Hindi and Punjabi languages. There is some confusion about it. It is however safe to say that Hindi is the only Indian language in the Top 10 languages in Australia. I will study this data more carefully and will seek clarifications.
  • Among those who speak Hindi, 80.2% speak English very well.

My take is that increasing numbers of  young and highly trained Indians are choosing to migrate to Australia. This is despite a negative campaign against Australia, which was run by a segment of Indian media in recent years. It proves that Australia is a fantastic place to live, work and settle. Indians have rejected Indian media’s campaign to create a false characterisation of Australia as a racist nation.

One could argue that India is losing so many well-trained young people but I doubt it is a relevant factor anymore. There is unemployment and under-employment in India, which is made much worse by perpetual, if not permanent, reservation system which reserves 50% jobs/training positions and even promotion opportunities to people who have been historically discriminated.  India’s so-called loss is Australia’s gain. Australia should continue to attract and accept skilled migrants from all over the world.

Indian Australian community has grown significantly in recent years and will continue to grow in coming years. There is an urgent need to network this community [particularly newer migrants] for mentoring/guidance in regards to settlement issues and integration in the Australian community, and also pastoral care, when needed.

Indian community associations and leaders need to analyse how they can provide guidance to newer migrants, when such guidance and mentoring become necessary.

One does not need to be an Einstein to predict that Indian Australian community will achieve increasing importance in Australian politics. They will constitute significant proportions in many constituencies. I predict, and in fact hope, that some “good” people from amongst us will enter Australian Parliaments and Local Councils within next 5 years.

Dr Yadu Singh/Sydney/21st June, 2012

www.twitter.com/dryadusingh

www.facebook.com/dryadusingh

by

Diwali celebrations in NSW.

We are very pleased to know that NSW Coalition Govt led by The Hon Barry O’Farrell has decided to host Diwali celebration in the NSW Parliament this year. We are thrilled with it and look forward to participating and contributing to this celebration.

It is great that the NSW Govt is hosting the function and thus giving an official status to Diwali celebration. It is a big plus for Indian Australian community in NSW. More details to follow.

Premier, The Hon Barry O’Farrell, and Minister for Citizenship and Communities, The Hon Victor Dominello, deserve a big thank you from Indian community. This is indeed late by a few years, but “now” is better than “never”. NSW Govt hosts celebrations for many other communities. This is the first for Indian Australian community in NSW.

Diwali celebration in NSW Parliament is separate from The Diwali Fair, which is being organised by Hindu Council at Parramatta Stadium on 30th October, 2011. Apart from this, there would many more Diwali celebrations in Sydney.

I want to outline what Diwali is about and why Diwali deserved the honour of being hosted by NSW Govt. This is for those who might not be aware of the significance of Diwali.

Diwali is the biggest festival of India that celebrates the victory of good over the evil. It symbolizes the age-old culture of India which teaches mankind to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to drive away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali, the festival of lights even today in this modern world teaches us to uphold the true values of life.

“Diwali” is the easy-to-pronounce form of Deepavali or Deepawali. In Sanskrit “Deepavali” is the marriage of two Sanskrit words- Deepa meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. Indeed celebrating the row of lights forms one of Diwali’s main attraction.

While Diwali has a religious significance for an estimated 1 billion Hindus world wide, Diwali is clearly much more than that. It is a truly Indian festival which is celebrated by Indians throughout the world in a joyous mood, with zeal and enthusiasm. Diyas [oil lamp usually made from clay, with a cotton wick dipped in Ghee or vegetable oils] and candles are burnt in every home. People clean their homes, sweets are shared and people wish each other well.

It heralds the beginning of new year as per the Hindu calendar. Diwali is normally celebrated in October or November.

Diwali is also an important event for Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism.

Diwali is truly an Indian festival, not just a Hindu festival!

In NSW, Diwali celebration takes the highest spot on the Indian community Calender.
It is estimated that there are over 150 thousand people of Indian heritage in NSW. It can be safely said that Most of them celebrate Diwali each year in one or the other form. The number is growing each year  as more skilled migrants and students arrive from India and make NSW their home.

With multiculturalism recognised as part of the Australian way of life and as a valued asset of New South Wales, it is highly commendable that the Government of NSW recognised this major festival by hosting an official annual celebration at NSW Parliament for Diwali – the festival of light – symbolising and renewing the vows of the people of NSW to uphold the true values of life.

Indian Australian community believe in integration and participation of Indian Australians in the general Australian community. We are strong believers and supporters of multiculturalism and multicultural Australia.

We are thrilled with the new status of Diwali celebration and applauds NSW Govt for their decision to host Diwali celebration in the NSW Parliament. We are committed to working with the NSW government through the appropriate ministry, minister and agency to organise a grand Diwali celebration this year and in future.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 Reasons to Celebrate Diwali.
The Festival of Lights is for All

Why do we celebrate Diwali? It’s not just the festive mood in the air that makes you happy, or just that it’s a good time to enjoy before the advent of winter.

There are 10 mythical and historical reasons why Diwali is a great time to celebrate. And there are good reasons not just for Hindus but also for all others to celebrate this great Festival of Lights.

1. The Victory of Rama: According to the epic ‘Ramayana’, it was the new moon day of Kartik when Lord Ram, Ma Sita and Lakshman returned to Ayodhya after vanquishing Ravana and conquering Lanka. The citizens of Ayodhya decorated the entire city with the earthen lamps and illuminated it like never before.

2. Special Day for the Sikhs: The third Sikh Guru Amar Das institutionalized Diwali as a Red-Letter Day when all Sikhs would gather to receive the Gurus blessings. In 1577, the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid on Diwali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru Hargobind, who was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir, was released from the Gwalior fort along with 52 kings.

3. Goddess Lakshmi’s Birthday: The Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi incarnated on the new moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kartik month during the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthan), hence the association of Diwali with Lakshmi.

4. Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On the day preceding Diwali, Lord Krishna killed the demon king Narakaasur and rescued 16,000 women from his captivity. The celebration of this freedom went on for two days including the Diwali day as a victory festival.

5. The Return of the Pandavas: According to the great epic ‘Mahabharata’, it was ‘Kartik Amavashya’ when the Pandavas appeared from their 12 years of banishment as a result of their defeat in the hands of the Kauravas at the game of dice (gambling). The subjects who loved the Pandavas celebrated the day by lighting the earthen lamps.

6. Coronation of Vikramaditya: One of the greatest Hindu King Vikramaditya was coroneted on the Diwali day, hence Diwali became a historical event as well.

7. Special Day for the Arya Samaj: It was the new moon day of Kartik (Diwali day) when Maharshi Dayananda, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism and the founder of Arya Samaj attained his nirvana.

8. Special Day for the Jains: Mahavir Tirthankar, considered to be the founder of modern Jainism also attained his nirvana on Diwali day.

9. Special day for Buddhism: Newar Buddhists celebrate it because Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism on this day.

10. The Pope’s Diwali Speech: In 1999, Pope John Paul II performed a special Eucharist in an Indian church where the altar was decorated with Diwali lamps, the Pope had a ‘tilak’ marked on his forehead and his speech was bristled with references to the festival of light.

[With input and contribution from Tony Colaco, President, Goan Overseas Association of NSW].

UPDATE: Community Relations Commission [CRC] is the body on behalf of NSW Govt to organise/conduct Deepavali celebration in NSW Parliament on 10th Nov, 2011. 

Yadu Singh/Sydney/1st Oct, 2011
www.facebook.com/dryadusingh

www.twitter.com/dryadusingh

Related articles
by

The Telegraph [UK] coverage of “Ganesh Versus the Third Reich” play in Melbourne festival.

Lord Ganesh Sculpture

Image via Wikipedia

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8776050/Hindu-fury-over-Australian-play-that-pits-god-Ganesh-against-Hitler.html

The Telegraph [UK] covers the controversy involving a play in Melbourne which is going to use the image of Lord Ganesh.

Yadu Singh/Sydney/21st Sept, 2011

www.twitter.com/dryadusingh

www.facebook.com/dryadusingh

Related articles
by

Kyle sandilands of 2Day FM should be ashamed for making offensive comments against India & River Ganges.

Today Network
Image via Wikipedia

See the link below.

http://t.co/iDNuWrQ 

 It has the sound bites of the grossly offensive anti-India comments by Kyle Sandilands of 2Day FM.

They are hurtful, unnecessary and objectionable to Indian Australians, to whom India will always have a special place. Unlike Kyle, we do not believe India is a “shit hole”. River Ganges, which Kyle is ridiculing outrageously, is accepted as a sacred river by the followers of the Hindu religion. His comments are getting into the realm of religious beliefs of Hindus and he seems to be questioning them.

These comments are the products of arrogant,  insensitive and uninformed mind.

I wonder how much Kyle knows about India before he made these objectionable comments.

2Day FM management should ask him to apologise for his hurtful comments.

Dr Yadu Singh/Sydney/29th Aug, 2011

www.twitter.com/dryadusingh

www.facebook.com/dryadusingh