The Supreme Court today refused to allow a woman, who claimed to be a victim of sexual assault, to be a party in a pending case regarding alleged sexual harassment of some inmates at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Puducherry.

"We cannot allow you to intervene in the pending case at this stage," a bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud said.

The former inmate had moved the court seeking its nod to be made a party and alleged that the girls and women were being sexually assaulted in recent times as well.

The court is hearing the petition filed by another former inmate, who has sought a judicial probe into the ashram's affairs.

The row dates back to around one-and-a-half decades when a female member and four of her sisters were expelled from the ashram for violation of rules following which they levelled the allegations.

They challenged their expulsion upto the apex court, which in 2014 ruled that they be evicted.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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Aurobindo Ashram case: SC rejects woman's plea for being made - Daily News & Analysis

August 2, 2017 - By Dolores Ford

Shares of ASHRAM ONLINE.COM LTD. (BOM:526187) closed at 1.18INR yesterday. ASHRAM ONLINE.COM LTD. currently has a total float of shares and on average sees shares exchange hands each day. The stock now has a 52-week low of 1.18INR and high of 2.6INR.

The Indian stock market is one of the fastest growing equity markets in the world today. While it currently makes up only 12% to 14% of the countrys gross domestic product (GDP) far from the 70% corporate sector making up the entire GDP of the US, Indias corporate sector is rampantly thriving to become one of Asias leaders.

As of this month, nearly 8,000 companies are listed on the Indian equity market. More than half of these are listed on the two main stock exchanges in India combined the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE), representing about 4% of the countrys GDP.

Regular session on both the BSE and the MSE starts at 9:15 a.m. and concludes at 3:30 p.m.

The BSE, having been established in 1875, is the first stock exchange in Asia. It is also the first to acquire a permanent recognition under Indias Securities Contract Regulation Act of 1956.

Presently, the BSE is the 11th biggest stock exchange in the world with a total market capitalization of $1.70 trillion as of January 23, 2015. Moreover, it is also considered as one of the fastest stock exchanges in the world with a speed of six microseconds.

The BSE first touched its four-digit figure on July 25, 1990; the 5,000 mark on October 11, 1999; the 10,000 mark on February 6, 2006; the 20,000 mark on December 11, 2007; and the 30,000 mark on March 4, 2015, an event that was driven by the efforts of the Reserve Bank of India. ASHRAM ONLINE.COM LTD. is a stock traded on the Indian stock exchange.

The biggest declines on the BSE happened during the onslaught of the 2008 Global Financial Crisis and when the Chinese central bank had suddenly moved to devalue the yuan. On January 21 and 22, 2008, the BSE has lost more than 2,000 points while on August 24, 2015, it has dropped over 1,700 points.

The SENSEX 30 is the free-float index that measures the 30 most active stocks on the BSE. It weighs stocks based on liquidity, market capitalization, floating-stock-adjustment depth, and other factors.

The NSE was founded in 1992 as the 1st demutualized electronic stock exchange in the country. Presently, it supports about 230,000 terminals throughout India. The NSE is owned and operated by the Indian Index Services and Products (IISP).

The NIFTY is the index that measures the 50 most active stocks across 24 industries on the NSE. Consequently, it covers a broader portion of Indias corporate sector than the SENSEX 30. ASHRAM ONLINE.COM LTD. has relatively good liquidity.

The NIFTY has a base value of 1,000 and its base date is 1995. Like the SENSEX 30, it comprehensively weighs stocks based on liquidity, market capitalization, among others.

Investing in BSE and NSE stocks is strongly recommended for investors today. As the Indian economy continues to grow and become one of Asias biggest, it only makes sense to start betting on its equity market as early as now. Professional analysts might be interested how this will affect ASHRAM ONLINE.COM LTD..

Receive News & Ratings Via Email - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings with our FREE daily email newsletter.

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ASHRAM ONLINE.COM LTD. (526187) Is Yet to See Trading Action on Aug 2 - HuronReport

The Hindu

The think tank and the ashram The Hindu Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the centenary year celebrations of the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad. Between the official rhetoric of Gandhi and the disturbing silence of the civil society lies a huge void that one needs to talk ...

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The think tank and the ashram - The Hindu

AHMEDABAD: Commander-in-chief of Myanmar Defence Forces senior general Min Aung Hlaing began his two-day visit to Ahmedabad on Sunday . The commander-in-chief arrived at Ahmedabad on Sunday along with his wife Daw Kyu Kyu Hla, Myanmar Defence Forces and 15 other delegation members. The Myanmar delegation was received by General officer in Commanding of Golden Katar Division Major General Anil Puri. The commander-in-chief and along with his spouse visited Sabarmati Ashram and Riverfront on the first day of their visit. The commander-in-chief and his wife were very impressed by the teachings of Mahatma Gandhi. Spokesperson Wing Com mander Abhishek Matiman said commander-in-chief Hlaing and the delegation were enthralled to visit the focal point of `Non-violence' conceptualized by Mahatma Gandhi."The delegation was particularly impressed by the scenic beauty of the Sabarmati River front." said Wing Commander Matiman. Commander-in-chief Hlaing is scheduled to visit various commercial sites including Amul Dairy plant at Anand, TATA Nano factory at Sanand and Gujarat Energy Research and Management Institute on Monday.

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Myanmar defence chief, wife visit Sabarmati Ashram - Times of India

Mysuru, July 10:- Science Ashram, a city-based hands-on science education centre is conducting Young Innovator Hunt 2.0 shortly.

The first Young Innovator Hunt(YIH) was conducted last year and students from National Public School, Excel Public School,Pushkarni,Podar Intl. School, SVEI , Hari Vidyalaya, Acharya Vidya Kula, Rotary Brindavan, TLC, East West InternationalSchool, JSS Public Schools and a few government schools in and around Mysore city participated.

Like last year, this year too, Science Ashram has posed a scenario from Anglo-Mysore War II, wherein a British battalion was defeated.

The primary reason this battle was won was because of the scientific approach towards problem-solving and high order thinking skills used. This reasoning of Tippu Sultan gave rise to missile technology.

NASA has displayed a painting of this battle scene in their centre in the US. This was recognized by late Dr Abdul Kalam at Wallops Flight Facility, the base for NASAs Sounding Rocket Programme. The participants will be narrated this story and will be asked to devise an innovative solution assuming that they are in the times of Tippu Sultan and are fighting against the British from the island town of Srirangapatnam.

This type of problem/scenario-based question is known as project based learning. It creates immense curiosity-making children self-directed learners.

Each participant, as a token of appreciation, is given a fidget spinner from Science Ashram. The winnersare given an opportunity to visit ISRO and HAL along with the Science Ashram team. Interested Schools may contact Science Ashram: 99808 78105 or [emailprotected] (MR/KK).

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Science Ashram to hold Young Innovator Hunt 2.0 - citytoday

This desire to visit India wasnt terribly original for me. I had watched the movieEat, Pray, Loveand read the book (twice). There is a scene where Julia Roberts character says to her friend (and I paraphrase): I used to have a hunger for my life. And its just gone.

It didnt take much more than that to set me off on a quest to find that hunger again lest I forget that I was hungry at all. At first I cried. A lot. And then I booked the very next flight I could, visa permitting, to Mumbai.

But nothing can prepare you for India. No guidebook, no expert traveller advice, no hazmat suit, and definitely no cognitive processing. India is all about heart and being with your true feelings. We are readying for landing and the plane is circling the great city of Mumbai (or Bombay, if youre with Salman Rushdie). The night is dark. The world is different here. Its magical. I cant touch it. I cant describe it, but I can feel it.

I gather my small bag and hop into the nearest yellow-and-black rickshaw. Without a word, the driver takes off, dashing through the crowds of people, the dust and the life I have just uncovered. As we bounce over potholes, the Bollywood jingles amplify as the stereo underneath me vibrates. The gods are all with us tiny statues of Ganesh (my elephant friend) and Hanuman (my monkey friend) stare at me from the dashboard. Theyre crowned with flowers and shiny raffia, which creates some kind of talisman that will either make us drive faster or protect us from crashing. Perhaps both?

The next few days flash by as I immerse myself in the local culture. Roaming the streets of Mumbai, I feast at street carts frequented by the locals. I visit a movie house to see a new Bollywood dancing hit we stand to the national anthem before the showing. I walk along the citys beaches and promenades, and ride on Parmarth Niketan Ashram the back of strangers motorbikes in the organised chaos of the city. Its humid, but the wind from the ocean finds you when you need it most.

A quick flight to Dehradun airport, north of New Delhi, delivers the quiet mountain life. Stillness after the hustle and bustle of the city. I take a taxi to Rishikesh, to be found in an area called Swargashram, which means heavenly abode. Then the river, the great Mother Ganges, is what first comes into sight, its eternal movement evident, the giving of life obvious. I walk over the bridge cautiously, and follow the signs that read Parmarth Niketan Ashram.

Founded in1942 by Pujya Swami Shukdevanandji Maharaj, the ashram attracts people from all over the world, but locals too. Everyone has a single goal, much like my own: the need to take stock of their lives.

The pink palace invites you in with a giant statue of Shiva (in male destroyer form), sitting up straight in the water, facing the ashram, as if always in meditation. I check into the ashram, as you would a hotel. I have a shower in my basic, clean, room. I attend ayogaclass with a man thats over 100 years old, doing gentle asanas. I sit cross-legged on the floor in a communal dining hall, eating dinner with my right hand. I dream of the gods.

Mornings start with a yoga class before light comes to the ashram. In the semi-darkness, I walk to the big halls with their cold floors, to set up yoga mats for the other students and my teacher. Its aboutholding the position, and doing the ultimate mind work.

Meditationand chanting (in Hindi) are practised to learn to shut off the senses and go straight to the heart the head needs to be absent. The hardest part of my day is right here, of course. Body and mind have been taken care of nurtured, if you will. And therefore its time to rest the eyes, to allow the mind to process all of this newfound wisdom.

The days dont vary much, and this is the point. Your day, without your phone or even a book, becomes a rhythm. Your body carries you. Eventually my heart starts to open, my mind is clear.

I spend a few weeks, enjoying my day-to-day existence and finding pleasures in small, almost menial things, such as my daily seva (cleaning as service to others) of washing yoga mats and sweeping. I feel a deep sense of peace. It doesnt come cheap: silencing the monkey chatter of my mind has come at the price of early mornings, hard studying (which includes letting go of so many of my Western ideals), and endless yoga andbreathing(pranayama) classes that arent easy.

I run into the ashrams director one morning and beam as I share how content I feel and how happy I am. She smiles quietly at me. Well, she says. Its easy here at the ashram. What else are you going to do?

At first I am stunned. Easy? This?

And then she adds: When you leave next week and go back into the real world, that is when the work starts. Off with my egos head.

She tells me to stand in the freezing-cold water of the Great Ganga that moves down the Himalayas at a rather rapid pace, until I let everything that ever held me back from my truth completely go.

Wearing just my underwear, I stand in the water meditating. I stand for a long time. A. Very. Long. Time. I lose myself, my ego, my religion, and every judgment I have ever had about myself. I watch with my minds eye as the water takes it all away. I emerge from the water next to the statue of Shiva (now my mirror). I am no longer the version of myself I held so dear. I am no longer the persona of myself. I emerge with a hunger for this life and I am finally a witness. A witness of myself.

Book accommodation and yoga programmes online at the ashrams website:www.parmarth.com.

From Johannesburg and Cape Town, Turkish Airways flies via Istanbul to Delhi (with a quick hop to Dehradun). For more information and to book flights, tryturkishairlines.com.

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I Went Back To The Motherland For A Yoga Retreat Nothing Could Prepare Me For This - Longevity LIVE

A group of Muslim women led by social activist Nazneen Ansari sought blessings of Baba Balakdas, Chief priest of Patalpuri Mutt here, on the occasion of Guru Purnima on Sunday. The women offered a flower and angvastram to Baba as a mark of respect to him.

Ansari along with other Muslim women, including Khursheeda, Nazma Parveen, Nargis, Shabana Bano, Nisha, Rizwana and Asman presented a copy of Aarti of Lord Ram she penned in Urdu. While other women presented angvastram to Baba.

Moreover, Guru Purnima was celebrated across the city with religious fervour. Pupils visited their respective gurus and offered prayers to them. Gurus offered blessings to their pupils. In Vidya Mutt, Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati gave his blessings to devotees. At Baba Keenaram Ashram, Peethadhishwar Baba Siddharath Gautam Ramji offered blessings to the pupils.

A few foreigners too sought blessings of their gurus. The celebrations continued all through the day. The devotees from far flung areas visited their gurus. Pupils of Baba Adgadanad visited him at his ashram in Shakteshgarh. Many visited Garhwa Ashram and sought blessings of chief priest Baba Sarananand. Many others sought blessings of Sankatmochan Temple chief Vishwambhar Nath Mishra.

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Muslim women seek priest's blessings on Guru Purnima - Hindustan Times

By Our Representative Gujarat police on Friday detained two senior farmers leaders, Sagar Rabari of the Khedut Samaj Gujarat (KSG) and Alpesh Thakor of the OBC Ekta Manch, along with some of their colleagues soon after they began a 25-km farmers footmarch from Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar, the state capital. They were demanding farm loan waiver. The footmarch, which began at Khet Bhavan near Gandhi Ashram, first went to the Gandhi Ashram, where farmers garlanded the statue of Mahatma Gandhi. However, no sooner they moved out of the Gandhi Ashram and proceeded towards Gandhinagar, they were stopped by the cops standing off the Ahmedabad district collectors office. The police said the reason for the detention was the organizers did not taken requisite permission for taking out the rally. The farmers leaders, however, said they were forced to begin moving towards Gandhinagar in a peaceful rally because they were not granted permission, which is normal in Gujarat today. Jayesh Patel, president KSG, said, The Gujarat police routinely deny permissions, and cracks down on protests in the state, which has become a norm. The voice of dissent in Gujarat is sought to be smothered and democratic rights of people are under stress. Giving reason for starting the farmers protest rally, Patel said, The issues of farm distress in Gujarat are multiplying. Farmers are committing suicide, reeling under the enormous burden of nearly two decades of neglect of the farm sector by the ruling dispensation. He added, Instead of addressing their issues and, at the very least, entering into a dialogue with them, the state government is using every repressive tactic at its disposal. The agitation was organized part of series of protest actions rallies, demonstrations, footmarches to highlight the pitiful conditions of farmers in the state at various locations in Gujarat. On Wednesday, police detained hundreds of farmer-activists across Gujarat after they poured thousands of litres of milk on roads, demanding a waiver of all farmer loans in the state, where essential commodities have seen a sudden spurt in prices. Led by Alpesh Thakor, the agitation was dubbed Doodhbandi and Doodh Roko. Thakore also heads Kshatriya Thakor Sena. Thakore and 50 supporters were detained in Ahmedabad after his group blocked roads and poured hundreds of litres of milk on the Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway, which connects Ahmedabad with the state capital. The agitation was simultaneously held some several other towns. Earlier, On July 2, a group of 100 middle class women led by Hetal Parikh, were denied permission to hold demonstration at two different spots, after which they went and sat on dharna at Gandhi Ashram. Parikh told Counterview, We wanted to hold peaceful protest against Goods and Services Tax (GST), which has affected women most. However, Parikh said, No sooner we sat in Gandhi Ashram with banners, the police came and dismantled the banners and asked us to go, telling us that if we did not go, we would be detained. We had no other option but to move out.

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Gujarat farmers' leaders detained off Gandhi Ashram for holding footmarch to Gandhinagar "without permission" - COUNTERVIEW

(CNN)

His disciples maintain he is in a deep meditative state, others say he is dead.

Now a court in India has ruled that the followers of deceased spiritual guru Ashutosh Maharaj can continue to preserve his body in a commercial freezer, indefinitely.

Founder of Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan (Divine Light Awakening Mission), Maharaj was declared dead by authorities in January 2014.

But disciples at his 100-acre ashram in northern India claim he is in a state of samadhi -- the highest plane of meditation -- and will return to life after the fulfillment of his spiritual mission.

A court battle over the body began almost immediately after Maharaj's death.

Dalip Kumar Jha, who claims to be Maharaj's son, had filed a petition demanding the right to cremate his father's body in line with traditional Hindu rituals.

But on Thursday, the Punjab and Haryana High Court dismissed his petition.

The court cited "freedom of religion" and a "lack of cremation laws" in ruling in favor of the continued preservation of Maharaj's body.

Maharaj was apparently born in the northern state of Bihar and left his family to become a religious preacher. He founded his sect in 1983 in Punjab to promote "self awakening and global peace" amid a period of militancy and armed conflict.

Maharaj is a controversial figure in Punjab, with local media alleging he had faced protests and threats to his life from conservative Sikh groups in the region.

His sect claims it has over 5,000 volunteers and conducts more than 40,000 events across the world. Its followers took to Twitter to celebrate the court's decision.

The court also overturned a 2014 ruling by a lower court that had ordered the state to cremate the guru.

In a 40-page judgment, the court remarked that since no laws existed to make disposal of a body by the state compulsory, no action could be taken against the ashram or its preservation of the body.

"We thus, find ourselves in a piquant situation where in the absence of any law or obligation flowing therefrom, to give any directions to dispose of the body even if one were to venture considering to do so," read the ruling.

Link:

Court rules dead guru can be preserved in a freezer - WCVB Boston

Grace Vincent founded the Ashram Community with her husband, John, a Methodist minister

My friend and colleague Grace Vincent, who has died aged 83, was committed to the cause of social justice, and her example inspired many others.

With her husband, John, a Methodist minister, Grace founded the Ashram Community in Rochdale, Greater Manchester, in 1967. They were part of a movement that asserted the importance of following the radical example of Jesus in living a Christian life, with the aim of making a significant difference in the world. The community adopted both the eastern concept of building a spiritual resource and the western emphasis on commitment to working among people experiencing poverty.

Grace and John encompassed the very best of modern Christianity, combining vision with day-to-day application. This always took a bottom-up approach, working with people rather than on their behalf, both in community work and in style of worship. Through the Ashram Community, Grace provided support and encouragement to several generations of people living in disadvantaged urban areas.

Grace was born in Kodaikanal, south India, daughter of the Rev Wilfred Stafford and his wife, Dora (nee Johnston), Irish Methodist missionaries. The family remained in India until Grace was 14, when she was sent to school at Methodist college, Belfast. She later studied English literature at Queens University Belfast and in 1958 married John Vincent.

From the Rochdale mission, Grace and John moved in 1970 to inner-city Sheffield, where Grace taught English as a second language at local schools. She set up New Roots, a wholefoods shop for justice that inspired many, including me and other local students, with its evident call to environmental and social justice.

This stands alongside the inner-city work the Ashram Community established and still sustains, most notably at the Burngreave Ashram in Sheffield, which offers a weekly free meal to all (Grace last took part a week before her death) and where destitute migrants and homeless people are often housed. There are also a number of community houses in the area and those living in them work and volunteer locally. The Ashram Community has spread throughout the UK and continues to be inspired and guided by Grace and Johns vision, writings and dedication.

John and their three children, Christopher, Faith and James, survive her.

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Grace Vincent obituary - The Guardian