[Fwd: Announcement: IFIH]

[Guest guest]

Namaste:

 

This is a forwarded message from Michel Danino for your information.

 

Ram Chandran

 

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Friends,

 

I am happy to inform members of a new organization, the International Forum

for

India's Heritage. Its website is at http://ifihhome.tripod.com/ifih.html .

 

In India, a child can go through his or her entire schooling without

imbibing even a modicum of Indian culture. Since Independence, India's

heritage has not only been kept out of the educational system, but has been

increasingly neglected and denigrated by the Indian media and "elite." This

unnatural situation is behind the creation of this body of eminent and

respected

lovers of Indian culture, so they may come together and act together, instead

of

being isolated voices or helplessly silent.

 

The idea is not one more association or society, but an informal, flexible,

expanding forum-cum-network centred around a strong core of eminent academics,

artists, scientists, journalists, writers, social workers, environmentalists

etc. IFIH is a strictly non-political and non-ideological body, whose positive

mission is to promote, in India's national life to begin with, the best values

of India's heritage in its various aspects - spiritual, cultural, artistic,

educational, scientific, social, medical, archaeological, tribal, traditional,

etc. It will also seek to highlight India's contribution to world

civilization.

 

IFIH has over 150 founder members (the complete list can be found on its

website http://ifihhome.tripod.com/ifih.html ), including: Swami Dayananda

Saraswati, Dr. Kiran Bedi, Dr. Lokesh Chandra, Dr. P. N. Chopra, Dr. David

Frawley, Shri S. Gurumurthy, Dr. Kireet Joshi, Prof. Subhash Kak, Shri D. R.

Karthikeyan, Dr. Subhash Kashyap, Shri M. K. Kaw, Smt. Madhu Kishwar, Prof. B.

B. Lal, Shri Rajiv Malhotra, Dr. V. N. Misra, Dr. R. Nagaswamy, Shri C. V.

Devan

Nair, Dr. V. R. Panchamukhi, Prof. Prema Pandurang, Maj. Gen. Vinod Saighal,

Pandit Shivkumar Sharma, Prof. Ajay Mitra Shastri, Dr. L. M. Singhvi, Dr.

Padma

Subrahmanyam, Prof. Daya Nath Tripathi, Shri R. C. Tripathi, Prof. K. I. Vasu,

Dr. K. Venkatasubramanian...

 

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has endorsed IFIH's ideals and expressed his

support. His message can be found on IFIH's website.

 

IFIH was inaugurated exactly two months ago, on November 18, at a two-day

convention in New Delhi attended by 64 of the founder members and

inaugurated by Swami Dayananda Saraswati.

 

Its first task is to prepare a series on all important facets of India's

heritage. Each volume will be of small format, with fewer than 200 pages,

well illustrated and produced, and written in a living, entertaining

language aimed at the ordinary Indian rather than the scholar. Such a

"popular" series of high quality will be widely distributed, and also

adopted by numerous schools. It will then form the basis for a full-fledged

heritage course which educational institutions will be able to take up in

turn.

IFIH's heritage course will eventually be made available through

correspondence

and over the Internet. Audiovisual material, exhibitions etc. will be prepared

on the same basis. IFIH will also seek to collaborate with organizations

outside

India working along parallel lines so as to benefit Indians abroad and

non-Indians alike.

 

IFIH is now open to all individuals and institutions that support its

Charter, are genuinely concerned with the state of things and eager to do

something about it. The main focus will be on action more than discussion,

and action especially on the educational and cultural fronts. (IFIH also has

an

egroup open to its members.)

 

Preliminary reactions to IFIH in India have been very enthusiastic. Please

support this important initiative.

 

Regards,

 

Michel Danino

convener, IFIH

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