Chaityabhoomi:Mahaparinirvan Din celebrated by lakhs of people; little national media attention

Mahaparinirvan Din celebrated by lakhs of people; little national media attention
December 06, 2010 04:15 PM |
Raj Pradhan and Abhishek Rajak

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As 1,50,000 people converge at Chaityabhoomi to pay homage to Babasaheb Ambedkar, the architect of India’s Constitution on his 54th death anniversary

A sea of humanity descended from all over the country at Chaityabhoomi, Dadar, in central Mumbai, to pay homage to the architect of the Indian Constitution Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, on his 54th death anniversary today.

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar, passed away on 6 December 1956. The day is observed as Mahaparinirvan Din. The last rites were performed at Chaityabhoomi near Shivaji Park, Dadar.

As has been the tradition, hundreds of people began coming to the city some days ago and today the queues were unending. This has become possible with the growing support of all political parties. While arrangements for hygiene and sanitation still leaves a lot to be desired, the crowd management and overall discipline of the people has been commendable.

The queues of people looking forward to a glimpse of the statue of Dr Ambedkar in the sanctorum stretched for a few kilometres, around the historic Shivaji Park nearby, to adjacent Worli and disappearing into the fishing village there. Moneylife photographed images of the awe-inspiring occasion on a walkabout along the route the queues had formed and right into the inner sanctum, this afternoon.

The civic departments made elaborate arrangements for the convenience of the people converging at the Chaityabhoomi. Water tankers, wash rooms and about 200 toilets were set up and over 800 workers were engaged to maintan cleanliness in the area where the people have been camping.

Hundreds of volunteers were distributing food and water. Many were even busy helping families trace some members who were lost in the crowds.

With shops around Shivaji Park prudently opting to remain closed, the pavements were taken over by hawkers selling books, photographs, candles, flowers and a variety of charms and trinkets for out-of-town visitors.  Strangely, this gigantic annual gathering of over 1,50,000 (estimates by the police control room) found hardly a mention in the mainline English media this morning.

However, while the sponsored visit of the crowds to Mumbai may improve, it is clear that even the best civic and police administrators cannot prevent the accompanying chaos and hardship to those who live in the area. So, some residents even leave the area for a couple of days, to return after the crowds have departed. The one blessing this occasion does bring, is that during these days people in the area receive water supply round-the-clock.

Perhaps one solution that can be considered is to provide more space for this enormous gathering of people by developing a part of the neighbouring government-owned Indu Mills as a place of homage and remembrance for a leader, who seems to be growing in stature even decades after his demise. One blessing in the past year is the Worli-Bandra sealink that allows north-south commuters to skip the Veer Savarkar road, which runs through the area, and avoiding the previous nightmarish traffic jams on the day.

http://www.moneylife.in/article/78/11923.html

Two more Mayawati parks for 150 crores

Lucknow: Caring little about allegations of misuse of funds for erecting parks and statues, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati will inaugurate two more as a tribute to Dr B R Ambedkar on his birth anniversary on December 6.

To be named after the architect of the Constitution, both the parks are coming up in the city’s Gomti Nagar locality, where a grand memorial in the name of Amebdkar exists already.

While one is being developed over a sprawling 22 acres of land featuring the city’s biggest and most spectacular musical fountain, the other is coming up over 23 acres on the banks of river Gomti ‘bandha’ and would have the first four-faced statue of the iconic leader, an official said.

“Cast in marble, the 18-ft high statue has been sculpted in Jaipur. Another 12 feet high statue of Dr Ambedkar has been put up inside a huge pavilion at one of the parks”, he said.

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The state government has sanctioned around Rs. 150 crore to develop the two parks.

With well laid out pathways, flower beds and lights, the entire 45-acre stretch of Gomti Barrage is being beautified to provide a visual treat to visitors.

“There will be a mix of light, music and colours. The hi-tech musical fountain has cost Rs. 2.5 crore”, the official said.

The Lucknow Development authority (LDA) earlier wanted to sell this reclaimed land along the Gomti river for the construction of a hotel.

However, the idea was shelved after the High Court shot down the proposal on a public interest litigation challenging the move.

Opposition parties including Congress, BJP and Samajwadi Party have been alleging that Central funds were misused by Mayawati government for construction of parks and statues.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/two-more-mayawati-parks-for-150-crores-70150?cp

 

How Buddhists Invented Democracy

 

Buddhists may not have invented democracy. History professors argue that the Athenians invented democracy ca. 500 BCE. However, as democratic government was getting underway in Athens, the First Buddhist Council convened in India. The Council, which met about 480 BCE, give or take, was an exercise in democracy.

According to tradition, the Council consisted of 500 of the historical Buddha’s disciples, who met after the Buddha’s death to discuss how to preserve his teachings. The assembly listened to the monk Upali recite the rules of the monastic orders and the monk Ananda recite the Buddha’s sermons. The assembly came to agreement that the recitations accurately reflected the teachings of the Buddha, and so they were preserved as the Vinaya-pitaka and Sutta-pitaka of the Pali Canon.

Historians, who often are no fun at all, argue that there is little corroboration that the Council took place, and if it did it was probably a smaller gathering than what is described in tradition. Even so, the Pali Canon, which reached final form before the Common Era, contains other descriptions of people making public decisions through assemblies, moots and parliaments.

Historian Steve Muhlberger argues that early Buddhist literature contains rich evidence that democratic governments flourished in India during the time of the Greek democracies and the Roman republic. So, while Buddhists may not have invented democracy, there is a tradition of democracy strongly rooted in the earliest days of Buddhism.

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http://globalbuddhist.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-buddhists-invented-democracy.html