Home

 

 


People

Representing South Asia in DC:

Ambassador of India
Mr. Naresh Chandra

Ambassador of Nepal
Mr. D. P. Gautam

Ambassador of Pakistan
Dr. Maleeha Lodhi

Ambassador of Sri Lanka
Dr. W. Rasaputram


Heritage
Delhi - the resilient city


Feature

History Made Easy
The Mughal Portfolio
 - Babar
 - Humayun
 - Akbar
 - Jahangir
 - Shahjahan
 - Aurangzeb

South Asian Memories
Sunil Dutt


Bio-Sciences
Genomics - decoding genes


Communications
Optical Networks


Business & Technology
B2B - 'Killer Application'


Editor's Note



South Asian Shop

Old Prints

 

 

 

 

 


 

the-south-asian.com                         December 2000

  about us        advertise      back-issues       contact us          south asian shop    

 


Editor's Note

 

This issue of 'the-south-asian'  is an endeavour to learn from a journey of 1000 years. We began the millennium as one region-  and ended it as a divided one. In the course of the last ten centuries South Asia has witnessed and lived through wave after wave of foreign invasion, wars, carnage, religious persecution, acts of violence, hatred, and greed. The wealth and prosperity of the region enticed the Turks, Afghans, Mongols, Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British to take away whatever they could - in terms of riches and  resources.  The invaders also turned rulers. Yet - there was one resource that remained with us - the collective wisdom/knowledge, and cultural refinement of the people. This is one resource that could see us through as a united region in the coming decades. The spiritual and intellectual 'Greats' of the millennium - Kabir, Guru Nanak,  Sai Baba, Mahatma Gandhi - all left the same message - 'God is one - his names and manifestations many'.

'Ishwar Allah tero naam' - was sung in the twentieth century by Lata Mangeshkar and also by the fourteenth century Sufis. The past centuries have seen positive examples of intermingling of cultures and religions. Akbar married Hindu Rajput princesses who had the freedom to practice their belief. Akbar was evolved enough to recognise that conversion does not necessarily convert the other's spirit or what is within. Shahjahan was, in fact, three-fourths Hindu. His son Dara wrote a volume on the synthesis of Hinduism and Islam. It is time that these issues of 'who is what' become non-issues.

The conflicts within South Asia are self-destructive. The four South Asian Ambassadors we spoke with, believe in regional co-operation. The professionals and the young students we spoke with want to move ahead in life - they need impetus and thrust - not hostility.

The human mind is on the brink of decoding the gene - and yet there are minds caught in misguided, and meaningless, misinterpretations of linguistic form. We might just identify the gene of peace!

'the-south-asian' wishes all its readers Happiness, Contentment and Peace.

 

Roopa Bakshi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer 

Copyright © 2000 [the-south-asian.com]. Intellectual Property. All rights reserved.
Home