I went through this site for the first time today - www.thegita.net

Inspired by their work, I wrote them this message:

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Dear Gita network team Great work! All glories your sincere Seva! Today I posted this comment on your recent post:

@@ >> Gita Jayanti is coming! Spread The Net wider! https://vimeo.com/23108716 Let all believers in Mother Gita observe Her birthday! It is really easy to sing the verses of the Gita with this simple tune and large slideshow format. All resources freely downloadable at www.gitajayanti.ning.com Become a member of the Gita Jayanti International Network and promote singing the Gita in your circles! << @@

I know I am foolish and I incapable, yet since the mid 90's, by the mercy of Sri Guru, I have been involved in the service of promoting the Gita through promoting Gita Jayanti as a cultural observance (under the disguise of 'Hindu Unity) in 7 countries. By the mercy of Sri Guru and Lord Sri Krsna, it has become the biggest annual event (lasting two months each year) for all hindus in Singapore (i am a 3rd-generation Singapore citizen by birth, and i do not know any Indian language, thanks to my British education)

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Their official site is www.gitajayanti.org.sg (After getting the program off the ground in 1997, I handed it over to the Singapore Hindu Endowments Board (H.E.B.) to run and coordinate from 1998 onwards (i was the Hon. Secretary for that first event in 1998 - see my article in the magazine http://www.tiny.cc/gj98sg-magazine )

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Each year since then, the Chairmanship of the organising committee is given by the H.E.B. to a different leading Hindu/Indian/spiritual organization or temple - there is usually a 5-year long queue for this!), and the members of the organizing team come from ALL the various organizations. @@ At the event itself, all are welcome to bring their various Gurus photos and place them below the picture of Gitopadesh, demonstrating clearly Unity in Diversity! Krsnam vande jagat gurum! Eko shastram devaki putra gitam..!

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We know Gita is for all living beings, not only for Hindus, but by promoting Her birthday amongst hindus (like a Christmas Day for all Christians), a wide net is cast at least amongst those who already believe in her but may not be regularly reading Her.

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I was so happy to visit your site for the first time today and to see your invitation to cooperate in promoting Mother Gita, therefore i am writing to you so we might network together for the common good of everyone.

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2 key elements which I humbly beg you to kindly consider for promoting the Gita globally are:

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@@ A) The modern Indian is sadly uninterested in mastering devanagari, but we have a wonderful universal, easy-to-read yet phonetically accurate Romanized Sanskrit http://en.wikipedia.org/IAST for the #lossless# transliteration of Sanskrit.@@

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@@ B) Chanting Sanskrit verses with chandha is not easy for children, people who are not very familiar with devanagari, and for those Indians who either hate devanagari because of South Indian politics our because they have been brainwashed by the Macaulayan British education tho reject everything Indian as inferior. @@

@@ These problems can be side-stepped by

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@@ A) using large format simplified romanized script (dirghas emphasized with red slashes) (All text and audio files can be downloaded easily from the 'Downloads' tab at the top of my humble facebook-linked social network www.gitajayanti.ning.com) @@

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@@ B) Sing the verses slowly with a nursery-rhyme or ABCD-tune Such bhajan-style singing is very easy to participate in for anyone, especially if the verses in the above mentioned simplified large format are projected on a screen.

@@ We have real life experience that even with audiences who know no Indian language, by the 3rd chapter, the entire crowd is singing along. (We even have the karaoke version also downloadable from the GJI site - one can change the playback speed easily with that few software: slower for kids and beginners, faster for experts and the impatient!) @@

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(In case you have worries about the accuracy of the pronunciation if romanized text is used, please let me share my experience with you. I have discovered some very easy and effective ways to teach perfect Sanskrit pronunciation and some of these techniques i have put online in video clips on this page www.tiny.cc/sanskrit At the bottom of that page, you will see certificates from scholars of Sanskrit, in particular Dr Mohan of Chennai, who appreciated the fact that "lippi (script) does not matter" as long as the sound produced is accurate - we may use Tamil or gujarati or romanised or any script at all! www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/40294587/embed?access_key=key-2hlv5rs51fvvkh65zdhf&width=400 )

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You have all done so much work and collected so many Gita lovers in your network. All glories to your sincere Seva!

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I know what i am promoting is unconventional, but i beg you to meditate deeply on it and try to realize that we have nothing to lose by casting the net wider by lowering the entry qualifications to start singing or reciting the Gita...there are millions our there who cannot chant fast in chandha and who can never learn the 400+ alphabets of devanagari...yet they believe in the Gita, but just can't recite it.

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If that problem goes unaddressed for another generation, and the majority of Indians continue to believe that "Sanskrit is difficult", then future generations will definitely lose all connection with the Gita.

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Therefore, alongside your effort to promote the Gita to the devanagari-reading & traditional chanting people, please reach out to the wider, younger audience who can read Roman script easily and who can sing any nursery-rhyme-tune SLOWLY.

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There is no use if the masses out there believe in the Gita BUT CANNOT QUOTE OR EXPLAIN EVEN ONE SINGLE SLOKA! History shows the over-orthodoxity of the caste Brahmins worked against the propagation of sanatana dharma. Let us not curb the fame and popularity of the Gita by sticking ONLY to the orthodox and traditional way of reading and reciting it. We may judge the effort by the result it produces - 'phalena pariciiyate'

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Please there fore study carefully the mission and vision of our GJI network, which is truly universal and non sectarian: www.tiny.cc/gji-mission, and if you can, then please give your whole hearted support too!

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The idea to promote Gita Jayanti as an HOLY DAY (holiday) is very important. Just as every Christian, even if he is not a church-goer, knows when Christmas is and will observe it in his own way at home, no matter which sect he belongs to, in the same way, we must not limit Gita Jayanti to merely organising one big event and convincing many to attend...that will appear sectarian. We should capture the mood that many do believe in the Gita but don't know when Gita Jayanti falls and do not know how to observe it. So we provide the skills they need to be able to observe their Mother's birthday (...amba tvam anusandadhami bhagavad gite....) and share the resources with them so they can just download it (text and audio - www.tiny.cc/gitasinging ) and try to inspire all believers to sing along at least one chapter on that holy day. Surely Mother Gita will bless them if they do, and, one day, when problems come to them, they may know how to turn to the Gita for wisdom and God's personal guidance!

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Our vision is that eventually

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  • ....continued... (last para of my above message to thegita.net team)


    Our vision is that eventually G J shd be declared a public holiday in many countries, but please note...we do not believe that this should be accomplished by trying to gain politicians' support for they will misuse its popularity for their own 'vote-bank' politics. Rather, by promoting the skills and sharing the necessary resources in the simplest possible formats with the masses and thus empowering them to sing and thus study the Gita, let millions begin observing the event in their homes first...then when masses are observing it sincerely, NATURALLY it will become a holiday, without disturbance or manipulation by un holy politicians!. I

    I hope you all will see the importance of what i have shared for furthering the teachings of the Gita, and i humbly beg your kind cooperation and networking for that purpose. Please consider promoting the GJI social network site www.gitajayanti.ning.com through your wonderful site once you are convinced and also become members of the network and encourage every believer to recite at least one chapter on that holy day, if not every day! Jaya Shri Krishna! Gita Mata ki..... Jaya! Thank you for reading all this.

    Sincerely yours,
    In service of Mother Gita,

    Dina A Das
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