These events once again confirm that India continues to be a land of contradictions. India embraces change and modernism without sacrificing tradition, but continues to neglect the essence of her rich heritage. Below, I present opposing viewpoints & urge you, the reader, to send your viewpoints by e_mail, paper mail, or facsimile. Again, please do take the time to reflect and share your thoughts with us.

(a) Over the years, Reita Faria, Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Diana Hayden, Yukta Mookhey, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra have been the proud winners of Miss World and Miss Universe contests. Reita won the Miss World contest in 1966, and in the last few years we have won six contests! Should we be proud of these achievements, or is it against our heritage to promote physical beauty because it generates lust? Are these winners the right role-models for our children or are they mere pawns in the hands of the cosmetics industry that wants to capture the third-world market with their unnecessary and wasteful products? Well, on the positive side, such wins can be viewed as a tribute to Indian womanhood. Does it lead to the emancipation of Indian women? It will give them renewed confidence to come out of the household, and pursue careers in the fashion and cosmetic industry. These winners also devote a full year to charitable causes & hopefully, it will inspire benevolent qualities in all Indians. It will help change the image of India in the Western media as not just being a land of cows, snake-charmers and women being burnt for not bringing enough dowry. What are the negatives? It promotes wasteful expenditure on non-essential products in a country where half the population still lives below the poverty level. It is not in line with our heritage, where the body is considered a mere vehicle for the betterment and nourishment of the soul. You decide & let us know your views.

(b) The Kashmir issue continues to vex politicians and leaders in India, Pakistan and ‘super-power’ nations that are worried about an escalated nuclear war around the sub-continent. Should India boldly give up the land north of the Line of Control and give independence to Kashmir, while giving limited autonomy to the Indian part of Jamu and Kashmir? If we do so, will we be stopping the killing in the valley, and will we root out cross-border terrorism? Once we achieve long-lasting peace, both nations will be able to invest greater resouces on socio-economic development, instead of defence spending. Will we finally accept a solution, which is inevitable since the ouster of British rule? Or will it spawn similar other movements in other parts of India (eg. North-eastern states)? And, will it really stop cross-border terrorism? Our heritage promotes non-violence, but also promotes 'Desh-Bhakti' and protection of our ‘Matru-Bhumi.’ What is the solution? You debate and let us know your viewpoints.

(c) India's national sport of cricket has been tarnished forever with the match-fixing and betting scandals. Five of our best players have been banned for a few years or life. The most shocking obviously is the fall from grace of our star and ex-captain Mohammed Azharuddin. Money, fame, power and greed got the better of him, and he betrayed the nation and his own conscience. He is accused of fixing at least three one-day matches. The South Africa vs. India match in Rajkot in 1996, which we lost by 5 wickets, and Azhar scored a mere 9 runs. There was the Sri Lanka vs. India game in Colombo in 1997, which we lost by 8 wickets, though he scored 81 runs. And, the Pakistan vs. India game in Jaipur in 1999 which we lost by 143 runs, and our hero scored 1 run. Should we pardon the fallen hero? Or should we keep the life-ban? What does our heritage teach us? He sold his nation's pride for money and probably badly damaged the game of cricket in the eyes of the next generation of players and fans. Should he be aggressively prosecuted? I believe so, but do you agree?

(d) Finally, it was disappointing, almost shameful that a land of a billion people produced merely one, single Olympian in bronze winner Malleshwari {women's weight-lifting event!} Our heritage boasts of skillful sportsmen like Arjuna in archery, and Hanuman in many sports. Our heritage boasts of yoga and meditation which help all sports-people to focus on their games, creating razor sharp mental alertness and absolute balance to win despite pressures. Yet we continue to fare badly in almost all events. Why? Lack of resources? Lack of attention on extra-curricular activities? Is there a lack of facilities to train and practice? Or are these just excuses for lack of leadership in our schools, colleges and social institutions? What should we do to get ahead in sports? First of all, we need realization from our leaders that sports is important for our young in order to channelise their energies in positive actions, in spurring their competitiveness and increasing team-work. What should we do? Let us know your viewpoints through Email to Nayanmitra1@aol.com or write a letter at the NY Ashram's address. Leaving with these thoughts in your mind, wish you a very happy and holy new year!!