Know All About Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi

New Delhi: Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi the head of the Kanchi Mutt died on Wednesday in Tamil Nadu s Kanchipuram. He suffered from cardiac arrest. The rites of the 82-year-old guru described as Brindavana Pravesha Karyakramam in vedic parlance will commence on March 1 from 8 am according to the mutt. His samadhi will be placed closer to his predecessor and guide Chandrashekarendra Saraswati. The website of the organisation announced The 69th Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal attained Siddhi at 9 am today - Shukla Trayodashi - 28 Feb 2018 at Sri Kanchi Kamakotii Peetam Sankara Matam Kanchipuram. The Kanchi Mutt tweeted: Brindavana Pravesha Karyakramam of HH Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal will be performed tomorrow ( 1 March 2018) from 8 am.- KanchiMutt (@KanchiMatham) February 28 2018The acharya was not keeping well for over a month and was rushed to a Kanchipuram hospital early in the morning after he complained of breathlessness. He was unconscious when he was brought to the hospital. His vital parameters including blood pressure and pulse were weak. He died despite doctors efforts to revive him.Here are 5 facts about Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi:1. Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam a matha or mutt is a prominent Hindu monastic institution in Tamil Nadu s Kanchipuram. Its head is known as Shankaracharya .2. The mutt was founded by Adi Shankaracharya in 482 BC and runs several schools eye clinics and hospitals. It has a huge following in South India.3. Born in Irulneeki a village in Tamil Nadu s Tiruvarur district as Sri Subramaniyam on July 18 1935 Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi was heading the Kanchi Mutt since 1954. He was its 69th pontiff. CommentsClose X 4. The junior pontiff Vijayendra Saraswathi will succeed Jayendra Saraswathi as http://promodj.com/978045646112 the 70th pontiff of the mutt according to the mutt rules.5. Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathiwas among those charged in a 2004 murder of a Kanchipuram temple employee. In 2013 he and 22 others were cleared of the charges.
Think silk and for the average person in Tamil Nadu Kanchipuram comes to mind. But when it comes to weaving pure silk saris Salem is no behind. Traditional weavers at Chinthamaniyur Panchukalipatty and Semmandapatty villages in the district have carved a niche for themselves with saris that bear the silk mark. They say a little-known fact is that many shops in Kanchipuram sell saris made in Salem. These fourth-generation weavers had been selling silk saris across the world. In those days there were no weavers in Kanchipuram M Saravanan a weaver at Chinthamaniyur told TOI. He says Kanchipuram is famous more for selling silk than for weaving it. Silk saris woven in Chinthamaniyur Panchukalipatty and Semmandapatty villages are being sold in almost all major cities across the country and exported to many countries including Singapore Malaysia Australia USA UK and UAE. Travelling on the Salem-Mettur state highway just after Omalur huge advertisement hoardings welcome you. Panchukalipatty village comes first. Its streets are lined with shops selling silk saris. Chinthamaniyur is 4km away and Semmandapatty another 3km. These villages have more than 20 big shops. Over 10 000 families weave silk saris round the clock. Wholesale shops will be buzzing with activity round the year especially in marriage seasons. A variety of saris are on sale - soft silk sari pure jute silk sari dupeon silk sari pure Kanchipuram silk sari wedding designer sari party design sari half-half design sari and brocade design. These cost anywhere between Rs 2 000 and Rs 2 lakh. The shops at Chinthamaniyur Semmandapatty and Panchukalipatty sell saris at wholesale prices. Retail shops will price our sarees at least 40% more said C P Saravanan owner K Perumal Silks at Chinthamaniyur whose family has been in the business since 1967. He says people flock to the village from across the state to buy saris because of the attractive prices and good quality. S Jamuna came to Chinthamaniyur from Salem to buy saris for a function at her house. She said she had been coming to the village for more than a decade to buy saris as they were pure the saris had silver woven with the silk thread. They also have silk mark to confirm its authenticity she said. Besides all the shops stock fresh supplies.
Written by Shahid A. Abbasi | Published: February 28 2018 7:00 pm The head of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Jayendra Saraswathi passed away on Wednesday (Express Archive) In the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage in 2002 and the communal polarization that ensued I published a few articles demonstrating similarities in the messages of the Bhagvad Geeta and the Koran. I showed that Islam sanctifies Sanatan scriptures and acknowledges their contribution in the evolution of Islam. The articles attracted the attention of the Vishwa Hindu Parished (VHP). Their then Vice President Mr Vedantam who was looking after Tamil Nadu from his Chennai office came to Puducherry for a long discussion with me. He then suggested that I should meet His Holiness the Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram. The suggestion was hugely surprising as well as flattering. The Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi was one of the prominent national figures then having tried to negotiate a settlement of the Babri Masjid structure dispute with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). Cabinet ministers belonging to the BJP in the then NDA government used to visit him for advice and blessings. President APJ Abdul Kalam had publicly declared that Saraswathi was one of the most wise and inspiring persons known to him. READ | Who was Sri Jayendra Saraswathi? Devotees used to line up in the hot sun for hours just to get a glimpse. The high and mighty waited for days and weeks to get a minute s worth of his hearing. In contrast I was less than nobody unknown even to AIMPLB! But somehow Vedantam thought there was meaning in taking me to the Sankaracharya. He went a step further to ensure that for a full two hours during the scheduled meeting no one or nothing else not even a phone call should disturb His Holiness. On a balmy Kanchipuram afternoon I found myself walking barefoot along with Vedantam and an aide of his to the Sankaracharya a peetham. Vedantam s presence opened all the otherwise formidably closed doors and soon I was being ushered into the Sanctum Sanctorum the living room of the Sankaracharya. The room turned out to be as spartan as the sage s dress with only a modest cot on which he was sitting wearing little except a single-piece wrap. While Vedantam and his aide greeted the sage by lying prostrate only touched his feet sheepishly explaining that being a Muslim I can prostrate myself only before the unseen God. As the three visitors squatted on the floor for the meeting Vedantam told Saraswathi Professor says that if it is proved that the Babri Masjid was constructed after demolishing a functioning temple Muslims should immediately forfeit all claims . I elaborated saying In Islam it is a sin to damage any place of worship be it a temple a church or any other. No mosque can have sanctity if it has been constructed by destroying another functioning place of worship . A long and potentially acrimonious discussion then ensued. The VHP side presented their version of history as per which hundreds of temples have been destroyed in the past to build mosques. I presented my and a vastly different version of history. I mentioned the case of Mahmud of Ghazni which had been narrated in a gathering by none other than the RSS ideologue K. R. Malkani. When Mahmud of Ghazni offered some of his loot to the Chief Qazi of Samarkand for building a mosque there the Qazi contemptuously spurned the offer saying how can a mosque be built with money tainted by sin . The VHP side insisted But there are stones and pillars bearing carvings of Sanatan gods and goddesses in many mosques which proves that those mosques were built by destroying temples . I said on the other hand it shows the inclusiveness of quintessential Islam. If while building a mosque the Muslims of those times had found remnants of any old and fallen temple they would have honored those remnants by including them in the building of their mosques . I also pointed out that had the builders of those mosques been inimical to other religions they would have avoided polluting their mosques with signs of other religions. With both sides trying to prove their point the debate went on and on. On more than one occasion Saraswathi with an unconcealable tinge of irritation intervened. You may believe this but this is not how it is he said. Mostly though the debate was peaceful. It was a far cry from the expletives and innuendos that fly thick and fast on TV. So said His Holiness if it is proved that the mosque was constructed after destroying a temple the Muslims will give up their claims on it what if it does not get proved and the court judgement is in favor of Muslims? Then I said all true Muslims should immediately gift the site to our Hindu brotheren because true Islam like the true Sanatan dharma by which it has been inspired is a giving religion . By way of some sort of conclusion I said in either case a grand Ram temple should come at that site . If this is how Muslims feel asked Saraswathi why don t they give up their claim to that site now itself? I replied that giving up the claim now will have no honor. Saraswathi spoke about the intransigence of some Muslims on the issue and the necessity that persons like me educate such Muslims. Then he added all Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims. I replied with Sir in the 1970s the world spoke of Irish terrorism. Then it was Khalistan terrorism. It is only from the 1990s that we have begun hearing about the so-called Islamic terrorism .it has as little to do with Islam as Khalistan terrorism had to do with Sikhism or the Irish terrorism had to do with Christianity . On this note the meeting came to an end. Do come again said the Sage. I too very much wished to keep in touch with him. But soon the storm of the Sankaraman case was to break upon his life. He was eventually exonerated but the years of his national prominence were abruptly cut short. They were not destined to return. Shahid A Abbasi is a columnist who also writes ghazals in English and Hindi. An Emeritus Professor at Pondicherry University he can be reached at ) For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More From Shahid A. Abbasi Singing Vande Mataram in a changing India For someone like me whose childhood was inseparable from Vande Mataram the mere mention of it now causes unease. If I don t sing it some Hindu boy meets Muslim girl or vice-versa? It s love all We have had both prem-dharmayuddh and love-jehad in our families so we are acquainted with both versions of love... Mohit GroverFeb 28 2018 at 7:21 pmHe was involved with the murder of his disciple he cannot escape that BAD KARMA(7)(12) ReplyKKamal PashaFeb 28 2018 at 10:10 pmWhen reicarnated he will suffer a lot and beg for death which will not come till he is 82 like now.(1)(2) ReplyCChanduFeb 28 2018 at 10:29 pmAnti Hindus tried to blame and tried to create this. Guru ji is more knowledgeable and great human being they don t harm anyone. They do chathurmasya because they don t want to hurt insects born during rainy season. That s the kind of at ude they will have. Its the Anti Hindu and conversion politics tried to blame him so that what ever good things he is doing for Hindus gets suppressed.(2)(2) Reply

Kanchi Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati dies, aged 82

CHENNAI: Anointed a pontiff of the ancient Kanchi mutt when he was barely 19 years old Sri Jayendra Saraswathi came to wield enormous say in matters affecting the Hindu religion in the country including the Ayodhya issue. Regarded as one of most influential spiritual leaders of his time Subramania Mahadeva Iyer was born on July 18 1935. He was chosen to be deputy of Sri Chabdrasekara Saraswathi and 69th pontiff of the revered Kanchi mutt in 1954. READ ALSO: Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi passes away In 1994 he became head of the mutt which during his stint rose to be a spiritual and financial power house running several hospitals and educational institutions including a medical college. At one point he was negotiating peace in the Ayodhya dispute and no Union minister prime minister and President of India would draw an itinerary to Tamil Nadu without a stop-over-darshan at the mutt. http://univer.tneu.edu.ua/user/arfplayer/ The year 2004 must rank as the most forgettable year for the mutt in general and the senior pontiff in particular as it was in that year he was arrested in connection with the Sankararaman murder case. The mortal remains of Kanchi seer. (TOI photo by C Suresh Kumar) For the sensational murder of Sankararaman who was then manager of Varadaraja Perumal temple in Kancheepuram Jayendra was arrested on a Diwali day on November 11 2004. READ ALSO: All you need to know about Jayendra Saraswathi and Shankarachrya tradition The acharya had been in jail till January 5 2005 when he was released on bail. He and all others were acquitted of all charges by a Puducherry special court in 2013. The territorial administration which became the prosecuting state after trial was shifted out of Tamil Nadu decided not to go on appeal against the acquittal. The murder case and the shock arrest of both Jayendra Saraswathi and his junior pontiff Vijayendra Saraswathi robbed the spiritual shine of the Kanchi mutt so much that it stopped getting VVIP visits for several years thereafter. It was former President Pranab Mukherjee who broke the taboo when he made a visit to the mutt weeks before he was to lay down his office. People pay tributes Kanchi seer. (TOI photo by C Suresh Kumar) Now it is back to its spiritual bustle. And the death of the senior pontiff will weigh heavily on everyone associated with the Kanchi mutt for several years to come. MUTTS AND THEIR SEERS
There were the sages of old and now there are the new age gurus with all the latest apparatus. Jayendra Saraswathi was a little different from both. He was a sage from the old order willing to push the borders of orthodoxy to be in line with demands of contemporary India. He tried to and succeeded to a large extent in treading this delicate and dangerous tight rope. File image of Kanchi mutt pontiff Jayendra Saraswathi. Image courtesy: KA Vishwanathan He was a master of scriptures and shastras accessible to all with his disarming smile and childish enthusiasm. He preached profound matters in simple terms. He combined piety with practical wisdom. Small wonder he was a devotee s delight and a very popular person. At the same time he understood the nuances and demands of the modern world. He believed that service to people is service to God. He felt that if Hinduism were to be relevant in the present and future it needs institutions as much as it needs temples and ashrams. For this he hid not hesitate to bend if not break the Kanchi Order s convention of the incumbent seer keeping himself restricted to the physical space of the Mutt. The number of hospitals hospices colleges and schools and not surprisingly veda patashalas and temple renovations and rejuvenation of are eloquent testimony to this strong belief of his. These will now be everlasting monuments of his memory. It was ultimately his foray in to the material realm that cost him much distress. The last fourteen years were truly turbulent for the Kanchi Mutt and him. Treading on the unfamiliar and treacherous territory of politics he stepped on some sensitive toes. He became the target of an unrelenting political vendetta that saw him jailed for a few months. It humiliated him and sapped his body and soul. He was no match for a power-wielding chief minister who was bent on scoring political points at his expense. His Holiness lost out to Her Highness or more precisely Her High-handedness. All said what will remain in memory are his services to humanity and Hinduism. This personal anecdote is a good way to end this tribute: My wife Kaushalya and I have had many interactions with him. During one such interaction last year we asked him: Does Karma chase sages too or are they exempt? His simple reply: Yes and I am fortunate to have been bestowed this janma. I pray that with all this suffering my quota is over he said and laughed his trademark child-like laughter. I would like to think of that as probably his last laugh on those who hunted and haunted him and pray that his quota is indeed over. The writer is a senior Chennai-based journalist.
By: Express Web Desk | New Delhi | Updated: February 28 2018 12:44 pm Born in Tamil Nadu s Thiruvarur district Jayendra Saraswathi was chosen as the successor to Parmacharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi when he was only 19. Related News Jayendra Saraswathi (1935-2018): Spiritual leader who expanded Kanchi mutt s business servicesKanchi Seer Jayendrar Saraswathi passes awayKanchi seers 22 others acquitted in 2004 Sankararaman murder caseThe senior seer of Kancheepuram Sankara Mutt Sri Jayendra Saraswathi Swamy passed away at a hospital in Kanchipuram. He was 82. The mutt administration issued a brief statement on their website. The 69th Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamigal attained Siddhi at 9.00 am today Shukla Trayodashi 28 Feb. 2018 at Sri Kanchi Kamakotii Peetam Sankara Matam Kanchipuram. He will be succeeded by Vijayendra Saraswathi who will be anointed as the 70th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. Disappearance Born in Tamil Nadu s Thiruvarur district Jayendra Saraswathi was chosen as the successor to Parmacharya Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi when he was only 19. In 1987 Jayendra Saraswathi mysteriously disappeared from the mutt. He reportedly left behind his sacred thread and other articles of faith in his living quarters. Jayendra Saraswathi however was traced in Karnataka s Talacauvery three days after he went missing. His chosen successor Sankara Vijayendra Sarasvati was given charge of the mutt s daily rituals in Jayendra Saraswati s absence. Jayendra Saraswathi till date hasn t fully explained the circumstances surrounding his sudden disappearance. Nearly forty years after he was chosen as a successor Jayendra Saraswathi succeeded Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi as the 69th Shankaracharya of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1994. Sankararaman murder case Jayendra Saraswati s role as the senior-most seer increasingly came under the spotlight in 2004 after he was named as an accused in the murder case of Sankararaman a temple manager. In 2000 when Jayendra Saraswati intended to visit China Sankararaman sought the court intervention to stop the senior seer from travelling abroad. Sankararaman argued that a Hindu would lose his/her religion if he/she crossed the ocean and as the head of the Kanchi mutt Jayendra Saraswati should have known better. Jayendra Saraswati was forced to abandon his plans. Sankararaman was allegedly barred from entering the mutt owing to differences between the two. He even wrote open letters to Jayendra Saraswati warning him against abusing his position at the mutt and threatened to move to court seeking his removal. The junior seer and his successor Vijayendra Saraswathi was also named as an accused in the case. Jaynedra Saraswathi was however acquitted in the case in 2013 after a prolonged legal fight. In 2004 Sankaraman was attacked by five men at the Debrajasamy temple and stabbed him to death. For all the latest Who Is News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Related News Hearing in Sankararaman murder case adjourned to September 6 Bond of Music Tags: Jayendra Saraswathi PPriyamvadaMar 1 2018 at 3:26 amWhat a one-sided article on one of India s leading Gurus! No mention of all the social welfare schemes like Jana Kalyan and Jana Jagaran no mention of the orphanages and hospitals founded during his tenure as pontiff. I expected a better article from The Indian Express. Very disappointing.(1)(0) Reply RRaviFeb 28 2018 at 3:14 pmHighly biased article. Mentioning only the controversial parts of his life. He had several noble work done during his life time.(6)(0) ReplyJJVkumarFeb 28 2018 at 4:12 pmWell documented one(0)(2) Reply RramakrishnaFeb 28 2018 at 12:48 pmThere is no death ---SIVAIKYAM---GURU PADARAVINDAM SIRASA NAMAMI MNASA SMARAMI------- ATTAINS ONENESS(5)(1) Reply SSuhasFeb 28 2018 at 12:15 pmAfter srideve died our media gave 24 7 hrs coverage. All news channels showing only sridevi. But no one knows who was jayendrs saraswathi. That is the respect we give to our guru and to cine personalities. Sridevis death is very very sad but the way media is covering it 24 7 for last 5 days is nothing but pervrt obsession of media. I feel like vomiting bt seeing the type and time of coverage. Absolute humbug. That does not mean i am not sad about her death. But media coverage has crossed all limits of pervert level of obsession. This coverage by media is an insult to the viewers.(0)(0) Reply
ALSO READ President PM condole Kanchi Shankaracharya s demise Shankaracharya overcame ordeal of murder charge in 2013 Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati passes away at 82 Shankaracharya s face emits calm body taken to mutt s vantage spot Kanchi Shankaracharya passes away span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi hailed as a social reformer and known for his efforts for resolution of the vexed Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute died at a hospital here today at the age of 82. The Hindu seer who was the 69th acharya of the mutt which many believe was founded by Adi Shankaracharya himself nearly 2 500 years ago had his share of both glory and controversy as he was arrested in 2004 connection with the murder of a temple manager. He was acquitted by a sessions court in the case in 2013. Jayendra Saraswathi had been unwell for the past few months. He complained of uneasiness this morning and was rushed to the nearby Adi Bhagavadpada Cardiac and Dialysis Centre a facility sponsored by the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. He breathed his last at the hospital according to mutt officials. His mortal remains in a traditional seated posture as followed for seers have been placed at the mutt for people to pay their last respects. Condolence poured in for the revered seer with many recalling his contribution to philanthropic activities and his efforts to reach out to dalits and other socially backward communities. President Ram Nath Kovind Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu Prime Minister Narendra Modi BJP Chief Amit Shah Congress President Rahul Gandhi and other leaders condoled the death of the seer. According to officials the body will be kept for people to pay their respects till tomorrow morning before it is taken for last rites. Jayendra Saraswathi was heading the mutt since 1994 after taking on the mantle from his predecessor the late Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi. The junior pontiff Vijayendra Saraswathi will succeed Jayendra Saraswathi. The body will be laid to rest adjacent to his predecessor within the mutt premises tomorrow its manager Sundaresa Iyer said. Tomorrow morning at 8 am we will be starting the formalities as per the rules of the mutt. Rituals will be performed similar to the way they were done for Mahaperiyava (Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi) he told reporters. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami his deputy O Panneerselvam and DMK Working President MK Stalin among others who condoled Jayendra Saraswathi s demise. DMDK founder Vijayakant and sidelined AIADMK leader TTV Dhinakaran visited the mutt to pay homage to the late seer. Born as Subramanian in Irulneeki village in Tiruvarur district Jayendra Saraswathi was appointed as junior pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam in 1954 by Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi at a young age of 19. Jayendra Saraswathi was credited for his outreach to various sections of the society. Once considered close to the late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa he even attempted at finding an amicable solution to the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Majid issue. He held discussions with stakeholders on both sides in 2003 during the then BJP-led NDA regime at the Centre but could not make much headway. The pontiff had earlier courted controversy in 1987 when he suddenly disappeared from the mutt only to be found out later. However his most challenging period came in 2004 when he was arrested on eve of Diwali in connection with a murder of a temple manager A Sankararaman during the Jayalalithaa regime. The trial court had later acquitted him and others including his deputy Vijayendra Saraswathi in the case. Sankararaman manager of the Sri Varadarajaperumal temple here was brutally murdered in his office room in the temple on September 3 2004. He had levelled charges of financial misappropriation in the mutt administration against Jayendra and Vijayendra Saraswathi. The two seers were booked for murder and criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code. Jayendra Saraswathi was arrested on November 11 2004 from Mahbub Nagar in Andhra Pradesh. The senior pontiff was granted bail by the Supreme Court on January 10 2005 after he had spent two months in Vellore jail. Vijayendra Saraswathi was arrested from the mutt on January 10 2005 and was released on bail a month later. They later moved the Supreme Court and got the case transferred to Puducherry in 2005 on grounds that the atmosphere in Tamil Nadu was vitiated and there may not be free and fair trial. In November 2013 the Puducherry Sessions Court acquitted both the seers. Besides them 21 other accused were also acquitted by Puducherry Principal District and Sessions Judge C. S. Murugan. Sad to hear of the passing of Jayendra Saraswatiji the Shankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. Our country has lost a spiritual leader and social reformer of rare eminence My condolences to his countless disciples and followers President Kovind said on Twitter. Naidu and Modi expressed sadness at his demise saying he will live on in the hearts and minds of devotees due to his exemplary service to society. Deeply anguished by the passing away of Acharya of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Jagadguru Pujyashri Jayendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Modi said in a tweet. He will live on in the hearts and minds of lakhs of devotees due to his exemplary service and noblest thoughts. Om Shanti to the departed soul he added. Congress President Rahul Gandhi said he was saddened to hear about the death of the Shankaracharya. He was revered by lakhs of believers all over the world for his teachings. May his soul rest in peace Gandhi said.(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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TIRUVARUR: A pall of gloom descended on Irulneeki -- the native village of Kanchi seer ayendra Saraswathi -- in Tiruvarur district after news of pontiff s death reached there on Wednesday morning. Jayendra Saraswathi was born as Subramanyam to Mahadeva Iyer and Saraswathi Ammal on July 18 1935. He completed schooling at Irulneeki primary school and at a middle school at nearby Aathichapuram village. Then he shifted to a vedha padasala at Thiruvanaikoil in Trichy. The villagers paid floral tributes to the seer after placing his portrait in front of the house where he was born. All the villagers skipped their work on Wednesday. A holiday was declared for the government middle school in the village. The pontiff s classmate Sattanathan 83 who is a priest said Subramanyam had been very pious since childhood. We studied together at Irulneeki up to Class III. Then he moved to Thiruvanaikoil. Whenever he visited our village on holidays we played marble and killi-thandu . He constructed a house for my family he added. President of the All Farmers Associations Coordination Committee P R Pandian who was also a native of Irulneeki village paid homage to the seer. The seer had done many things to our village including construction of an overhead water tank and buildings for government schools. He had also made arrangements to impart skill training to the women including stitching and weaving training. He had constructed houses for the people in below poverty line. A small hospital constructed for the benefits of the villagers is still functioning he said.
Written by Shahid A. Abbasi | Published: February 28 2018 7:00 pm The head of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Jayendra Saraswathi passed away on Wednesday (Express Archive) In the aftermath of the Godhra train carnage in 2002 and the communal polarization that ensued I published a few articles demonstrating similarities in the messages of the Bhagvad Geeta and the Koran. I showed that Islam sanctifies Sanatan scriptures and acknowledges their contribution in the evolution of Islam. The articles attracted the attention of the Vishwa Hindu Parished (VHP). Their then Vice President Mr Vedantam who was looking after Tamil Nadu from his Chennai office came to Puducherry for a long discussion with me. He then suggested that I should meet His Holiness the Sankaracharya of Kanchipuram. The suggestion was hugely surprising as well as flattering. The Sankaracharya Jayendra Saraswathi was one of the prominent national figures then having tried to negotiate a settlement of the Babri Masjid structure dispute with the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB). Cabinet ministers belonging to the BJP in the then NDA government used to visit him for advice and blessings. President APJ Abdul Kalam had publicly declared that Saraswathi was one of the most wise and inspiring persons known to him. READ | Who was Sri Jayendra Saraswathi? Devotees used to line up in the hot sun for hours just to get a glimpse. The high and mighty waited for days and weeks to get a minute s worth of his hearing. In contrast I was less than nobody unknown even to AIMPLB! But somehow Vedantam thought there was meaning in taking me to the Sankaracharya. He went a step further to ensure that for a full two hours during the scheduled meeting no one or nothing else not even a phone call should disturb His Holiness. On a balmy Kanchipuram afternoon I found myself walking barefoot along with Vedantam and an aide of his to the Sankaracharya a peetham. Vedantam s presence opened all the otherwise formidably closed doors and soon I was being ushered into the Sanctum Sanctorum the living room of the Sankaracharya. The room turned out to be as spartan as the sage s dress with only a modest cot on which he was sitting wearing little except a single-piece wrap. While Vedantam and his aide greeted the sage by lying prostrate only touched his feet sheepishly explaining that being a Muslim I can prostrate myself only before the unseen God. As the three visitors squatted on the floor for the meeting Vedantam told Saraswathi Professor says that if it is proved that the Babri Masjid was constructed after demolishing a functioning temple Muslims should immediately forfeit all claims . I elaborated saying In Islam it is a sin to damage any place of worship be it a temple a church or any other. No mosque can have sanctity if it has been constructed by destroying another functioning place of worship . A long and potentially acrimonious discussion then ensued. The VHP side presented their version of history as per which hundreds of temples have been destroyed in the past to build mosques. I presented my and a vastly different version of history. I mentioned the case of Mahmud of Ghazni which had been narrated in a gathering by none other than the RSS ideologue K. R. Malkani. When Mahmud of Ghazni offered some of his loot to the Chief Qazi of Samarkand for building a mosque there the Qazi contemptuously spurned the offer saying how can a mosque be built with money tainted by sin . The VHP side insisted But there are stones and pillars bearing carvings of Sanatan gods and goddesses in many mosques which proves that those mosques were built by destroying temples . I said on the other hand it shows the inclusiveness of quintessential Islam. If while building a mosque the Muslims of those times had found remnants of any old and fallen temple they would have honored those remnants by including them in the building of their mosques . I also pointed out that had the builders of those mosques been inimical to other religions they would have avoided polluting their mosques with signs of other religions. With both sides trying to prove their point the debate went on and on. On more than one occasion Saraswathi with an unconcealable tinge of irritation intervened. You may believe this but this is not how it is he said. Mostly though the debate was peaceful. It was a far cry from the expletives and innuendos that fly thick and fast on TV. So said His Holiness if it is proved that the mosque was constructed after destroying a temple the Muslims will give up their claims on it what if it does not get proved and the court judgement is in favor of Muslims? Then I said all true Muslims should immediately gift the site to our Hindu brotheren because true Islam like the true Sanatan dharma by which it has been inspired is a giving religion . By way of some sort of conclusion I said in either case a grand Ram temple should come at that site . If this is how Muslims feel asked Saraswathi why don t they give up their claim to that site now itself? I replied that giving up the claim now will have no honor. Saraswathi spoke about the intransigence of some Muslims on the issue and the necessity that persons like me educate such Muslims. Then he added all Muslims are not terrorists but all terrorists are Muslims. I replied with Sir in the 1970s the world spoke of Irish terrorism. Then it was Khalistan terrorism. It is only from the 1990s that we have begun hearing about the so-called Islamic terrorism .it has as little to do with Islam as Khalistan terrorism had to do with Sikhism or the Irish terrorism had to do with Christianity . On this note the meeting came to an end. Do come again said the Sage. I too very much wished to keep in touch with http://www.unionspringsal.gov/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/93829/Default.aspx him. But soon the storm of the Sankaraman case was to break upon his life. He was eventually exonerated but the years of his national prominence were abruptly cut short. They were not destined to return. Shahid A Abbasi is a columnist who also writes ghazals in English and Hindi. An Emeritus Professor at Pondicherry University he can be reached at ) For all the latest Opinion News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More From Shahid A. Abbasi Singing Vande Mataram in a changing India For someone like me whose childhood was inseparable from Vande Mataram the mere mention of it now causes unease. If I don t sing it some Hindu boy meets Muslim girl or vice-versa? It s love all We have had both prem-dharmayuddh and love-jehad in our families so we are acquainted with both versions of love... Mohit GroverFeb 28 2018 at 7:21 pmHe was involved with the murder of his disciple he cannot escape that BAD KARMA(7)(12) ReplyKKamal PashaFeb 28 2018 at 10:10 pmWhen reicarnated he will suffer a lot and beg for death which will not come till he is 82 like now.(1)(2) ReplyCChanduFeb 28 2018 at 10:29 pmAnti Hindus tried to blame and tried to create this. Guru ji is more knowledgeable and great human being they don t harm anyone. They do chathurmasya because they don t want to hurt insects born during rainy season. That s the kind of at ude they will have. Its the Anti Hindu and conversion politics tried to blame him so that what ever good things he is doing for Hindus gets suppressed.(2)(2) Reply

Congress tweets on Sridevi's death and Twitter is fuming

Written by Ishita Sengupta | New Delhi | Updated: February 25 2018 2:50 pm People on social media were furious with Congress for politicising Sridevi s death. Related News Sridevi funeral: Fans pour in from across the nation to catch a last glimpseSridevi s last journey: Mumbai bids adieu emotions run highTelescope: Watching the worst in usBollywood actor Sridevi passed away after a cardiac arrest on Saturday (February 24) night. The actor was 54 and was in Dubai attending the wedding of Mohit Marwah with husband Boney and younger daughter Khushi. The news has come as a major shock to her fans and members of the Hindi film fraternity. People still cannot believe the news and social media has been flooded with condolence messages. Fans have taken to the Internet to share their favourite photos of the actor their favourite Sridevi movies and instances of when they last saw her on the screen. However amidst all this a tweet from the official handle of The Indian National Congress (INC) has come under heavy criticism by people on social media. We regret to hear about the passing away of Sridevi. An actor par excellence. A legend who will continue to live in our hearts through her stellar body of work. Our deepest condolences to her loved ones. She was awarded the Padma Shri by the UPA Govt in 2013 read the tweet. Was that by the UPA Govt really necessary INC in a condolence message? :( pic.twitter.com/BkgrYEKYCh Karthik (@beastoftraal) February 25 2018 People on social media are furious for making the death of the actor political. You could have also mentioned that she was born when Congress Govt was in power and died when BJP govt is in power wrote one while another added I would not be surprised if they extend she was alive when indira and rajiv were prime ministers but died in modi govt. Shameful. The tweet however has been removed and the revised tweet reads We regret to hear about the passing away of Sridevi. An actor par excellence. A legend who will continue to live in our hearts through her stellar body of work. Our deepest condolences to her loved ones. Another tweet from the handle reads She received a multitude of awards including the fourth highest civilian award the Padma Shri in 2013 by the Govt of India & 6 Filmfare awards the first at the age of 14. Sridevi started her career at the age of 4 in Thunaivan . Her Bollywood debut was in Julie at 12. This was the previous tweet. Was that by the UPA Govt really necessary INC in a condolence message? :( pic.twitter.com/BkgrYEKYCh Karthik (@beastoftraal) February 25 2018 And this is how people reacted. She Was Awarded The Padma Shri By The UPA Govt In 2013 . Are You Serious? Is That Line Even Necessary To Pay Tribute To A Legendary Actress? Please Stop Politicising The Death. You Guys Are Disgrace To Humanity. Shame On You Congress. #Sridevi #RIPSridevihttp://t.co/gdPHFEIWE4 Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) February 25 2018 You could have also mentioned that she was born when Congress Govt was in power and died when BJP govt is in power Amit Saha (@saha_amit) February 25 2018 Dear @OfficeOfRG you make an award sound like a favour granted. More importantly #PadmaAwards is an honour given by the country (hence @rashtrapatibhvn) to its citizen not by any political party. Shows Congress sense of entitlement. By this tweet you have insulted #Sridevi GhoseSpot (@SandipGhose) February 25 2018 Also mention she was born when Nehru was the prime-minister. Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) February 25 2018 I would not be surprised if they extend she was alive when indira and rajiv were prime ministers but died in modi govt. Shameful. Shaifali Malukani (@sp_malukani) February 25 2018 Seriously? Was the UPA bit for giving her a Padma Shri really necessary in a condolence message. What kind of idiots are you guys Masakadzas (@Nesenag) February 25 2018 After much flak @INCIndia deleted the tweet mentioning PadmaShri by UPA but now replaced with photo of PadmaShri ceremony. Changed from UPA to Govt-Of-India . What a Shameful scavenging on the dead when #Sridevi isn t even cremated yet @OfficeOfRG @divyaspandana pic.twitter.com/ijMxsGCLYg #Intolerant भ रत य (@goyalsanjeev) February 25 2018 For all the latest Trending News download Indian Express App Get assembly election result LIVE updates from each constituency in Tripura Nagaland and Meghalaya IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Related News To Sridevi from a fangirl People are leaving HATS and GLOVES to help the homeless stay warm in Bristol Tags: Social media viral Sridevi Rajinder Krishan SharmaFeb 25 2018 at 10:20 pmcongress s bankruptcy of thoughts is well known.it reflects poor leadership . SRIDEVI is a legend in the hearts of her millions of friends.her demise at such early age is an irreparable loss to indian film industry. india is stunned.my condolences to the bereaved family.(1)(1) Reply SsrikanthFeb 25 2018 at 1:20 pmThe party will do anything for votes. The party is full of potheads. It s a pity politics has been reduced to such a level.(23)(18) Reply RRajanFeb 25 2018 at 1:00 pmat any cost congress has to come back to power...late sridevi please bless them in return...Rahul wants to come back and take the empire....family ruling back(21)(22) Reply DDr Anita KumarFeb 25 2018 at 12:40 pmWelcome to Sathya Hospital Specialist hospital that . Do you wish to in exchange of money? If yes. Then contact us today to get a reliable and good transaction for good money. Contact via below information email: sathyaspecialisthospital call me 918553685819 WhatsApp number: 918553685819(0)(19) Reply .story-content span .story-content p .story-content div color:#000!important;font-family: open sans Arial!important;font-size:15px!important ALSO READ Karti sent to one-day CBI custody in INX Media case Paid Karti 700 000 through foreign subsidiaries claim Indrani and Peter INX Media case: Karti Chidambaram arrested by CBI in Chennai say reports INX Media case: CBI detains Karti Chidambaram for manipulating tax probe Aircel-Maxis INX Media cases: ED raiding Karti s kin in Chennai Kolkata span.p-content div id = div-gpt line-height:0;font-size:0 Senior Indian National Congress leader Palaniappan Chidambaram cancelled his engagements in England and returned to Delhi immediately after arriving at London s Heathrow airport on Wednesday morning when he heard of his son Karti s arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Chennai the same morning. Chidambaram and his former Cabinet colleague Salman Khurshid travelled together. Among his engagements was a debate at the high profile Oxford Union on the motion This House Regrets the Partition of India on Thursday evening. An observer described the former Indian finance minister as looking extremely distraught . This was soon after he came to know about Karti s detention. He then decided he was not going to proceed with his programme and instead rushed back home on the first available flight to support his son. The Chidambarams have been targeted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the time the father was still a minister in the Congress-led government that preceded the current dispensation. Having succeeded in painting them as corrupt in the perception of a section of the public and thereby also portrayed the Congress as generally corrupt the BJP intensified its pursuit of them after winning power in 2014. However even after four years of relentlessly accosting them and kangaroo trials by media it has so far failed to bring a charge against them. Last week P Chidambaram approached the Supreme Court of India seeking protection of his fundamental rights under articles 14 19 and 21 of the Indian Constitution including the right to privacy amid repeated summons to Karti and raids by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with cases related to Arcel-Maxis and INX Media. A first information report filed by the CBI in May 2017 had claimed irregularities in the Foreign Investment Promotion Board s decision to allow INX Media to receive funds of Rs 3.05 billion in 2007 from outside India. In his application he sought to defend his right to privacy and the right to live along with members of his family in dignity . He argued: The CBI and ED as part of political vendetta have made vexatious searches issued repeated summons unreasonably questioned persons long hours unlawfully attached fixed deposits maliciously leaked false information to the media and otherwise caused extreme harassment anguish and humiliation to me and my son and to other persons who are normal business and social friends of my son. He asserted he was the real target of the alleged witch-hunt and sought a direction from the apex court to prohibit the CBI and ED from continuing with their illegal http://pokemonworld.vforums.co.uk/profile/arfplayer activities. However before the case could be heard the CBI struck. After the rebuff in the high profile 2G spectrum award case in which an erstwhile minister belonging to the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam A Raja was acquitted after the judge found there was no evidence the CBI could be under considerable pressure to perform. It has sensationally produced claims by Indrani Mukerjea who is in prison charged with murdering her daughter to detain and question Karti Chidambaram. BHUBANESWAR: Naveen Patnaik s Biju Janata Dal delivered a thumping victory in a bypoll that his party and the Bharatiya Janata Party contested like everything was at stake. The ruling party s candidate Rita Sahu widow of three-time Congress Bijepur MLA won with 102 871 votes leaving behind BJP s Ashok Panigarhi imported from the BJD by a margin of 41 933 votes. While the Indian National Congress candidate Pranaya Sahu was left out of contention winning only 10 274 votes a mere 5.65 per cent of the polled votes. An unusually cheerful Patnaik sought to read in the bypoll verdict his party s fortunes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Such an enormous victory with a margin of over 40 000 votes will have an impact on future elections said the four-time Chief Minister. A year ago the BJP using its gains in zilla parishad numbers in a four-tier rural polls had made similar projections. The BJP s party president Amit Shah on a visit to Odisha had declared the party would come to power winning 120 of the state s 147 assembly seats in 2019. In 2014 it had won 10 seats. The Bijepur bypoll was a litmus test for this claim as much as it was for the popularity of Patnaik s BJD now almost two-decades in power. Both parties fought it accordingly not holding back on resources antics or show of strength that resulted in the death of a person on the last day of campaigning. Two incidents in particular a person throwing slippers at the CM in a rally in Barpalli and an attack on BJD leader Sushant Singh s brother that killed his driver may have proved critical in swinging votes BJD s way. It is still an acknowledgment of the BJD s astute electoral management that the party cornered 56 per cent of the polled votes in a constituency it had lost the last three times and which the BJP had swept in the rural polls held only a year ago. Dharmendra Pradhan Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas who had led the BJP s campaign told ET We are politely accepting the verdict. In an editorial published in a paper he edits BJD MP Tathagat Satpathy had warned the odia voter never forgave violence. Patnaik reiterated the view on Wednesday Odisha is a peaceful state; the people will not stand for violence in a democracy. The BJP can take comfort in the fact that its votes doubled from what it had won in 2014. There is almost nothing that can be said in defence of the Congress s performance Bijepur as its leaders have candidly admitted. Noting the Congress elimination from the equation Pradhan added Our responsibility as primary opposition party in Odisha has increased and we will continue to expose the CM s poor governance of the state. BHUBANESHWAR: Former Union Minister and Indian National Congress leader Srikant Jena has asked the Odisha government to set up a refinery of its own instead of facilitating bauxite to Vedanta s Lanjigarh refinery. At a press conference on Monday Jena accused the Odisha government of providing bauxite at a discount to Anil Agarwal s Vedanta under the long term linkage announced last week. His government including party president Rahul Gandhi had played a key in opposing a mining of the Niyamgiri deposit in Kalahandi that left Anil Agarwal s next door refinery with no captive raw material. For its two million tonne operation at the Lanjigarh the company currently sources bauxite from commercial suppliers in Guinea Gujarat and Chhattisgarh. Naveen Patnaik s government has extended a policy already in place for iron ore and chrome to bauxite a mineral whose rights rest largely with Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC). The state owned miner has just begun operating the first standalone bauxite mine at Kodingamali on the border of Koraput and Rayagada districts. Under the policy approved last week by the state cabinet OMC would provide long-term linkages to end users at a price derived through e-auction of a third of the bauxite it mined. The core issue is since both the other players (Aditya Birla s Hindalco and Nalco) have surplus bauxite there will only be one buyer at the auction. How can OMC get a fair price when Vedanta decided the price? said Jena. He claimed the average landed cost of bauxite that the company was buying today was Rs 4000 a tonne even if it were to pay Rs 1000 to OMC Vedanta still stood to save Rs 3000 a tonne claimed Jena. Will OMC assure long-term linkage if a group of tribal youth in Koraput today decided to set up a small alumina refinery? The policy was fundamentally a contradiction of the Supreme Court judgement mandating auction of all natural resources he added. Calls and messages made to OMC Managing Director R Vineel Krishna went unanswered. One contender for OMC s bauxite will be ANRAK the distressed aluminium maker in Andhra Pradesh whose refinery like Vedanta has no captive supply. Lanjgarh was to be fed with bauxite mined by OMC from the nearby Niyamgiri deposit under a JV that has long been cancelled. Ironically the Odisha government s new long-term policy is a result of its prior obligations to Vedanta. The government had constituted a committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary to make appropriate recommendation on the nature and detailed modalities for supply of bauxite ore by the OMC to the Lanjigarh alumina refinery as and when any bauxite leases are operated by the OMC said the government press note explaining the Cabinet s decision. Vedanta s spokesperson could not be reached for comments. An official speaking on condition of anonymity pointed out that under this linkage the price of ore would effectively be decided by competitors participating in the e-auction. Vedanta not only stood to gain nothing but was only vying for 1.26 million tonnes of bauxite from Kodingamali s approved capacity currently against its annual requirement of six million tonnes. The company s experience in Odisha hasn t been an easy one. After multiple brushes with regulatory agencies and courts its Lanjigarh refinery was finally up but is the only one in the state without captive raw material. Anil Agarwal may also be relocating his dream project a university for which land had been acquired in Odisha to neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. The Congress leader s allegations come after a bitter by-poll fought in the western district of Bijepur largely between the BJD and BJP. Vedanta he alleged was being favoured both by the BJP whose government at the Centre had granted environmental and forest clearances to this long-dormant mining project and by Patnaik s government in the state which was facilitating bauxite from it to the company. Breaking News BHUBANESWAR: This is unprecedented such extensive preparation and arrangements may have never been made for any assembly bypoll in Odisha said Superintendent of Police Jai Narayan Pankaj in way summing up the three weeks of campaigning in Odisha s Bargarh district. Polling for the Bijepur assembly constituency will take place on Saturday. Results are to be announced on February 28 and could settle how 2019 fares for Naveen Patnaik s Biju Janata Dal and its new challenger the Bhartiya Janata Party. The district administration has decided to notify as critical 155 or more than half of the total 281 booths which will be provided with armed policemen. Pankaj who was appointed to the district earlier this month along with a new collector Yamini Sarangi pointed out that in 2014 when polling had last taken place in this constituency there were only 21 critical booths. Now you can understand how serious we are to ensure a free fair and transparent election he said addressing a press conference on Friday. In short the seat was thrice won by the Indian National Congress whose popular MLA Subal Sahu died last year. Sahu had in 2014 beaten veteran BJD leader Prasanna Acharya. His widow is now BJD s candidate while BJD leader waiting in the wings all these years has been snapped by the BJP. The saffron party which hopes to unseat Patnaik in 2019 did impressively well from this region in the rural polls last year. It needs to prove this wasn t a blip on account of the Congress sleepwalking through the 2017 panchayat polls. There was no let-up either in the BJD or the BJP s exhaustive and expensive efforts to win this bypoll possibly the last before the next general and assembly elections. Five CRPF companies will be joined by 36 platoons of state police to ensure the polls take place without any more drama. Late on Thursday night the brother of the state Labour Minister and local leader Susant Singh traveling with three others was fired upon and injured in an attack that the party blames its political opponents for. A month before campaigning began unidentified men had opened fire on the house of a local BJP leader. Money and liquor have been seized and the Chief Election Officer of Odisha Surendra Kumar has received one and sometimes multiple complains almost every other day. Kumar wasn t spared either. The BJP has accused him of taking sides. The party whose campaign has been spearheaded by Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan accused the CM s officers of misusing state machinery. The BJD in turn accused Pradhan of using his Ministry to shut a petrol pump. Earlier in the week slippers were thrown at the 71 year old leader CM who was spending two days in the district already hosting half his MLAs. Ironically the lowest point in the campaign may have been carried out by a random individual known to act nutty. Following the incident a nondescript village found the reserved Patnaik making a late night visit to plead for his candidate. Meanwhile the Congress which had thrice won this seat insists it is not a bystander. It s leaders claimed to be working overtime to make up for the delay in announcing their candidate. Said Congress leader Srikant Jena The question to ask is why is Naveen Patnaik so desperate to win this seat. After all his father whose footsteps he wants to follow in never campaigned for a bypoll.