Isn't it irony that the people who stand for peace are the ones who are most violated? While Tibet and more recently Afghanistan are big-time, there's a small place called Lumbini that's in the news these days, too, though the acrimony is more amusing here.
This place that falls on the border of Nepal and India and where the Buddha is believed to have lived most of his life now has Nepalese and Indian scholars orally debating over which country it originally belonged to and therefore over which country the Buddha belongs to. Recent studies by British archeologists excavating the area found some evidence that the Buddha lived in Nepal. But Indian research scholars repudiate that, insisting that the Buddha belongs to India.
The verbal combat will probably take its time to resolve, but our own Department of Culture is not bothered about such trivialities, and is celebrating the Lumbini Festival amidst much fanfare starting on the 5th of May.
During the festival a photo exhibition will take place with photographs of various Buddhist places and relics on display. Apart from this, a series of cultural programs like a Hindi drama "Leheronki Rajhans" and Kuchipudi dance ballets "Amrapali" and "Jaya Mangal Gatha" will be staged as a part of the celebrations. And on the final day, there will be a Peace Walk with lighting up of lamps along the Hussain Sagar and fireworks to mark the end of the celebrations.
Please contact Kishan Rao at 345-2492 for further details.
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