INDIA, January 21, 2015 (Newsweek): A recently released World Bank report has claimed that the chance of escaping poverty is now roughly the same in India as it is in the U.S. The report, called Addressing Inequality in South Asia, compares the share of consumption among three developing countries – Vietnam, Bangladesh and India – and the United States, divided along transitioning class lines – moving out of poverty, those moving from poverty into the middle class, falling back to poverty, falling out of middle class. The findings of the analysis were that ”within the same generation, mobility in earnings – measured by the ability to move out of poverty and into the middle class – is comparable to that of the United States.”
The report says that India between 2004-05 and 2009-10, 15% of the total population moved above the poverty line. By these measures, the report claims ”upward mobility within a generation in…. India was comparable to that of dynamic societies such as the United States.” The report attributed much of India’s upward mobility to increased urbanisation in the country, stating in a summary: ”Urban jobs have become a ticket to the middle class. Upward mobility is much stronger in cities, where even self-employment and casual work can lead to substantial gains in consumption.” While the report pointed to robust mobility, it also highlighted inequality in access to public services, which can largely be traced to factors such as gender, location and caste.
More at ”source” above.
INDIA, July 27, 2017 (The Hindu): Despite the clamour for environment friendly Ganesh statues, clay statue-makers are finding it difficult to find customers. Traditional potter families say that the flooding of plaster of Paris statues and mass produced by molds, have reduced the market share of clay statues. ”All this talk of eco-friendly Ganesh statues, without paint and harmful chemicals, is humbug,” says Maruti Jyotiba Kumbar, who is busy making clay Ganesh statues by hand, in a small shop near the Kapileshwar temple.
”Environmentalists keep talking about such things. But such statements are yet to catch the people’s fancy. Even the Belagavi City Corporation puts out advertisements asking people to stop using statues made of plaster. But all this is yet to sink in,” he said. ”At least 50,000-60,000 families may be buying statues and performing puja in their homes in Belagavi. I am sure nine out of 10 statues are made of plaster of Paris,” he said.
INDIA, August 4, 2017 (YouTube): The Somnath temple on the western coast of Gujarat, is believed to be the first among the twelve jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva. Short but beautiful video at ”source” above features the temple and its surroundings.
UNITED STATES, August 5, 2017 (Hindu American Foundation): HAF needs your help! We need Hindu American youth to take our survey on anti-Hindu bullying and bias in schools. Youth must be 11-24 years old to participate. No matter the amount of bullying or harassment you’ve experienced (even if it’s been none at all) please take this survey. All of your experiences are important parts of the picture. The results of the data will be published by HAF next year to help prevent and combat religion-based bias and bullying.
In 2016, we published our landmark report ”Classroom Subjected”, highlighting the bullying against Hindu American students. The results underscored the challenges young Hindu Americans face in their classrooms. Half of respondents said they felt awkward and socially isolated because of their religious identity, while one-third said they had been bullied for being Hindu. Survey data will be collected until December 1, 2017. Some participants may be contacted for a follow up anonymous interview.
Go to ”source” above to participate.
The sages, being filled with universal love for all beings, did not want to keep their enlightenment to themselves. They declared to all: ”O mortals, striving and struggling upon this Earth plane, weeping, wailing, buffeted by the vicissitudes of life: we have come upon a great discovery. There is something beyond these appearances, these vanishing names and forms that go to make up this universe. There is something beyond, which is the very source and support of all these objects of the phenomenal world. Why do you search in vain for happiness outside? Come, come, happiness resides within.”
— Swami Chidananda (1916-2008), president of Divine Life Society
