Hari Sampath and his CBI Connections

[THX_1138]

Haha, it is a funny story actually, he was and still is an avid ISKCON devotee, we were 3 roommates, this guy is a very nice guy who believed in ISKCON whole heartedly, so he tried convincing me to join ISKCON, dragged me to their temples etc. Before that religion was something, that didnt play a big part in my life, I was indifferent, I will go to temples with friends and parents whenever they asked me to without thinking twice about it, I always considered that as a hassle but something that I did. When this guy started giving me these philosophical and spiritual speeches, I started reading up about religions as such online very extensively, read the Gita, bible, quran etc, finally convinced myself it is just stupid and became an atheist. Before this, I never had friends who were overtly religious, so it was a new and weird experience for me, and it helped me think it through properly so I am thankful to ISKCON.

they are quite radical indeed, and had your roommate introduced you to a more moderate organization, maybe you would not have applied reason as expensively to matters of divinity... to be an iskcon devotee, it seems you need to subscribe to their entire package... a bit like how in the george bush government, people were appointed to positions of power only if they were loyal 'bushies'... i.e. pro gun, pro capitalism, anti abortion, anit legalization of drugs, anti immigration etc etc... similarly, to be an iskcon devotee who is able to enter the inner sanctum of the more influential devotees you need to renounce evolution, the big bang theory, abortion rights, observe numerous rituals and dietary constraints etc etc. the weird thing is that there are numerous doctors who are iskcon devotees and how is it that they reconcile their fictitious beliefs with the science they learnt and observed, well thats beyond my comprehension.

[triam]

they are quite radical indeed' date=' and had your roommate introduced you to a more moderate organization, [b']maybe you would not have applied reason as expensively to matters of divinity... to be an iskcon devotee, it seems you need to subscribe to their entire package... a bit like how in the george bush government, people were appointed to positions of power only if they were loyal 'bushies'... i.e. pro gun, pro capitalism, anti abortion, anit legalization of drugs, anti immigration etc etc... similarly, to be an iskcon devotee who is able to enter the inner sanctum of the more influential devotees you need to renounce evolution, the big bang theory, abortion rights, observe numerous rituals and dietary constraints etc etc. the weird thing is that there are numerous doctors who are iskcon devotees and how is it that they reconcile their fictitious beliefs with the science they learnt and observed, well thats beyond my comprehension.

Yup, as I said I am inherently lazy, so I would not have put forth the effort to read about religions and think through it, without some major incentives. One of the major reasons I read so much was to just argue back effectively with that guy when he used to justify the rituals and beliefs.

[flamy]

Yes, I asked some questions once, and got some unsatisfactory answers. Religion really messes up things. I, too used to chant every day, but mostly due to habit, rather than devotion. My family are ultra-cool and haven't forced anything on me till date except education :--D I took up ISKCON by myself after listening to my music shop guy talk about it. I must say, I felt a great joy and intangible peace when I first entered the temple in Bangalore. They do maintain it well and do good work like donating food etc. I even gave up non-veg for a whole year including eggs. Finally, my dad told me I was still too young and maybe I should enjoy life a bit more. I gave in on my dad's birthday devouring a bucket of KFC :D I don't know about God. But, I do hate religion and their politics of fear. However, Consciousness fascinates me. I am 90% sure that we are more than our corporals and I'm working my way towards that centum slowly but surely.

[flamy]

Oh, and I must add I got bored of chanting too, and sometimes had to force myself... and would feel anything but devotion and love, which really defeats the purpose :D

[Kartikey]

just found his blog and an artice he wrote about cricket: http://harisampath.blogspot.com/ Although this article was written by me 5 years back, there are some relevant points to be noted in view of the current Indian debacle in the World cup. More specifically, it is pertinent to note what coaches say after disastrous games, and this is more relevant now in view of Greg Chappell not accepting that he is accountable to 1 billion Indians. ************************************************************ A matter of (W)right ? by Hari Sampath The approach of the Indian XI in the Lord's test is in stark contrast to the England team in terms of strategy and focused priorities. The most atrocious comment I have heard in the past couple of days is that of the Indian coach John Wright saying that more runs were expected from tail enders, after the top batsmen in the side fell tamely to a mediocre English attack on a placid wicket. Wright had said the same thing in the West Indies when Indian batting performed pathetically to lose the series. I fail to understand the thinking of the coach. It is really a simple matter, and leaves no room for confusion. Batsmen are selected to score hundreds, and bowlers are selected to take 5 wkts and bowl teams out. Whatever else these specialists do is a bonus, and not what you expect as a matter of right (Wright?). Sachin getting 3 wkts on an odd occasion or Agarkar getting a hundred are not things you count on to win a Test match or for that matter , lack of the above incidents happening is hardly the principal reason cited for defeat. This is absurdity in midseason form. Sachin has to get hundreds that propel India a long way towards victory, so do Dravid and Ganguly. When India is reeling at, say, 30-3 facing 300 to avoid a follow on, these world class specialists have to get 150 notout and do the job. When India needs 350 to win on the last day, and are 20-2, some top class batsman has to put his hands up, and say “I shall get 120, and we will win , just support me". If India is defending a last innings target of 180 runs , Zaheer Khan, Nehra or Harbhajan should come forward to say " count on me, I will get a fiver.... we bowl them out and win today". If these things do not happen, then the team management should be pointing the finger at the specialists, and ask tough questions publicly... not coverup for the failures of those expected to deliver the goods, by picking on those not expected to do so, and divert the focus. Here is where we need to take a leaf out of England's approach, I remember a test match in 1981 when the Off Spinner Geoff Miller got 98 in a test match but was dropped for the next game. Reason? He didn't bowl well enough to be selected as a bowler, and the 98 didn't mean a thing, as there were batsmen expected to do that job! Take the case of The Waugh brothers being dropped. Reputations don't count in a game. Runs and wickets do. Last season's form or a decade of records is no escape from today's crunch situation. All batsmen walk in with the scoreboard reading 0 not out, and even bowlers like Muralitharan with hundreds of wickets will be clobbered if they bowl badly. Cricket is a great leveler and an unforgiving game, last game's 100 or 5 wickets is not counted in the scoresheet for today's match. What ails the Indian Cricketer? Simple. An overwhelming inner attitude that dictates some minimum statistical performance individually to stay in the side for the season. This goal itself defines and decides what the collective performance of the team is going to be. See the Lord's test and the statistics. Dravid gets a couple of 40s and 50s, so do Laxman, Sehwag et al. Zaheer, Kumble and Nehra pitch in with a couple of wickets. All said and done, nothing wrong individually and you cannot drop a player after these satisfactory performances. Result? A crushing defeat against a mediocre side on a placid wicket. Maybe I shouldn't say mediocre, it is wholly unfair to England, they were a great side. A collection of ordinary individuals, with no tag of the "World's best batsman or bowler", and no records behind them, but collectively producing the champion team performance when it counts. Well deserved winners, as it should be. Cricket has a funny way of really rewarding team effort, and mocking at individual statistical glory. The 1983 Prudential cup finals is a telling example of this great axiom. A cricketer should be made to understand before the Toss that he needs to make a difference towards his side winning the game, not merely make some contribution to be barely considered for selection in the next game based on performances of the past few years. Raise the bar, raise the expectations and standards. Tell Kumble that even if he has got 200 wkts, he cannot assume that it is insurance for a place in the side by merely taking 2 wkts today. Tell Ganguly and Tendulkar that thousands of runs and dozens of 100s of the past don't make the slightest difference if they fail in succession and India loses today. Let the Tendulkars and Gangulys and Kumbles be ever aware that they need to score match winning hundreds and turn in decisive 5 wkt hauls and win games. This is a job requirement. The failures that are part and parcel of the game, the bad form etc, are perfectly understandable. But the key is “an in form Kaif with no test 100s, is a better bet than an out of form Sachin with 30 hundreds". The moment the Tendulkars, Gangulys, Dravids and Kumbles realize this, they will raise their own standards and deliver for the team. A matchwinning 80 from a less renowned batsman, or an important 2 wkt spell by a rookie bowler, is a lot more valuable than an insignificant 100 from a star batsman in a lost or drawn game, or an uninspiring 3 wkt haul that saves the bowler a place in the side. Nowadays there are efforts to "grade" a player based on past experience and performance. Among others,my good friend of 2 decades and former India captain Kris Srikkanth too has been an advocate of this system, arguing that " a player who has played a 100 tests cannot be expected to be paid the same amount as a player playing in his first series". My dear Cheeka, I beg to differ.... try saying this to the umpires!! “A player who has played 100 tests cannot be given leg before the same way as a debutant. A seasoned veteran should not be clobbered for a six for bowling a full toss, but a rookie can”. Cricket disagrees! A debutante's run is the same as a Star's run, as are the wickets. If a debutant takes 6 wkts or scores a 100 and wins a match for India today, why should he be paid lesser for the day's work, when the star batsman or bowler , having miseraby failed is raking in 10 times more money ?? Imagine the complacency this promotes in so called established stars, and the despondency among the aspiring stars. The solution? For winning games, have an overall pay packet, and divide it after the game based on performances that contributed to the win, based on evaluation. A crucial 35 notout by a new player when the side is chasing 190 to win and is 120-7 is far more valuable than a 60 made by a star coming in at 285-4 in the first innings. Same is the case with bowling and getting 2 wickets when defending 150, as opposed to getting 4 wkts when the opposition side is slogging to declare the innings. Who gives a damn whether Dravid or Sachin has played more and is paid more based on that , if India doesn't win. All of Sachin's 29 past hundreds couldn't save India yesterday. One single 200 from a new player could well have done so. Why all this ? Because like 1 billion other Indian fans... I care... I want my country to win... always win...never lose. And I am not paid to feel more for my country, and the least I can expect from those who are paid to satisfy the aspirations of millions like me is a 100 % effort to give their lives on the field trying to win games for our country. Be devastated when they don't... be ashamed....don't show their faces.... turn back their match fees.... offer to step down from the side, apologise to the fans and the country for not winning, at least, for not trying 100 %. This and This alone entitle the players to the glories that come when they do win. It is a matter of RIGHT for me, the Indian cricket fan, to expect this.

[veeru_rocks]

Yes, I asked some questions once, and got some unsatisfactory answers. Religion really messes up things. I, too used to chant every day, but mostly due to habit, rather than devotion. My family are ultra-cool and haven't forced anything on me till date except education :--D I took up ISKCON by myself after listening to my music shop guy talk about it. I must say, I felt a great joy and intangible peace when I first entered the temple in Bangalore. They do maintain it well and do good work like donating food etc. I even gave up non-veg for a whole year including eggs. Finally, my dad told me I was still too young and maybe I should enjoy life a bit more. I gave in on my dad's birthday devouring a bucket of KFC :D I don't know about God. But, I do hate religion and their politics of fear. However, Consciousness fascinates me. I am 90% sure that we are more than our corporals and I'm working my way towards that centum slowly but surely.

So what exactly was offensive aboout ISckon.. Mind you I have no clue abouot what they do so please be specific.

[flamy]

So what exactly was offensive aboout ISckon.. Mind you I have no clue abouot what they do so please be specific.

Well... lot of rituals. And lots of restrictions (like no non-veg, no onions, no masturbation :omg:). And I didn't get good reasons. But, it is not ISCKON. It is any religion. They have to clamp you down. Otherwise it won't work. Because, it is rooted in that limiting belief that you have got to work hard for something. And, if you find an easier way, it is tantamount to cheating. So, all the peeps who follow the rituals religiously will have earned the right to be called a 'true devotee' and a ticket to 'heaven'. So, if religions don't make you struggle, they don't work. Well.. I don't like struggle. Getting back, like I said, there are no rituals in my family. Come festival time, we will do the pujas and stuff. Go to Tirumala every year because it is en route to native village. My dad is not the most religious man. My mom is. My grandpa is a Brahmin and does puja everyday. But, there are no rituals and shackles. As a teen, I really struggled because of this. I had nothing to rebel against :(( Anyways, ISCKON was my first introduction to formal religion initiated completely on my own and now 'graduated' by my own intention. It's been a good journey.

[triam]

Well... lot of rituals. And lots of restrictions (like no non-veg, no onions, no masturbation :omg:). And I didn't get good reasons. But, it is not ISCKON. It is any religion. They have to clamp you down. Otherwise it won't work. Because, it is rooted in that limiting belief that you have got to work hard for something. And, if you find an easier way, it is tantamount to cheating. So, all the peeps who follow the rituals religiously will have earned the right to be called a 'true devotee' and a ticket to 'heaven'. So, if religions don't make you struggle, they don't work. Well.. I don't like struggle. Getting back, like I said, there are no rituals in my family. Come festival time, we will do the pujas and stuff. Go to Tirumala every year because it is en route to native village. My dad is not the most religious man. My mom is. My grandpa is a Brahmin and does puja everyday. But, there are no rituals and shackles. As a teen, I really struggled because of this. I had nothing to rebel against :(( Anyways, ISCKON was my first introduction to formal religion initiated completely on my own and now 'graduated' by my own intention. It's been a good journey.

Forgot you were a fellow gult, I hated going to tirumala the crowd and the stampede is unbeleivable there, I used to go there every year too. P.S. what is your native village?

[flamy]

Kurinjillam :D You wouldn't have heard of it earlier, but now it is there on the web because of Kalki Bhagwan. Try and get Hari Sampath started on that :D

[triam]

Kurinjillam :D You wouldn't have heard of it earlier' date=' but now it is there on the web because of Kalki Bhagwan. Try and get Hari Sampath started on that :D[/quote'] Haha kalki bhagwan, have you seen the video of kalki and another god man fighting in live tv??

[flamy]

Haha kalki bhagwan' date=' have you seen the video of kalki and another god man fighting in live tv??[/quote'] lol no :cantstop:

[triam]

lol no :cantstop:

This is old happened around 2000 I think, let me see if I can find it online.

[triam]

Having a tough time finding it, the video was between two swamis one being kalki ( i may be wrong and it could be some other swami), and there is an anchor it was in sun or vijay tv. Both of them argue for a while why their philosophy is correct and one swami loses his cool takes out his thundu "towel" and starts beating the crap out of the other guy. The anchor had to come between it was hilarious.

[flamy]

:hysterical::hysterical::hysterical:

[THX_1138]

So what exactly was offensive aboout ISckon.. Mind you I have no clue abouot what they do so please be specific.

nothing offensive, its just their philosophy that is lacking in rigorousness when applied to everyday problems. and their minimalistic approach towards life is not much better than that advocated in islam. amongst all hindu religious organizations, they are the only ones pushing for a "Krishna Consciousness compatible curriculum and science". They are the only Hindu organization to have filed a "friends of the court" motion in support of teaching intelligent design in high school biology. Apart from that, they can be nice blokes to hang out with, they make some incredible prasadam, but their theology is as hollow as any other.

[THX_1138]

Kurinjillam :D You wouldn't have heard of it earlier' date=' but now it is there on the web because of Kalki Bhagwan. Try and get Hari Sampath started on that :D[/quote'] no i want you to tell me...

[flamy]

nothing offensive, its just their philosophy that is lacking in rigorousness when applied to everyday problems. and their minimalistic approach towards life is not much better than that advocated in islam. amongst all hindu religious organizations, they are the only ones pushing for a "Krishna Consciousness compatible curriculum and science". They are the only Hindu organization to have filed a "friends of the court" motion in support of teaching intelligent design in high school biology. Apart from that, they can be nice blokes to hang out with, they make some incredible prasadam, but their theology is as hollow as any other.

being in the west as influenced them u reckon? and I've got nothing to tell abt Kalki. I've never been to the Ashram. But, some white chicks get lost from time to time and end up in our fields or near our house and we point them back in the right direction if they are lucky enough to catch us when we are vacationing. When they do meet us, they are amazed that the aborigines speak English. :--D

[triam]

being in the west as influenced them u reckon? and I've got nothing to tell abt Kalki. I've never been to the Ashram. But, some white chicks get lost from time to time and end up in our fields or near our house and we point them back in the right direction if they are lucky enough to catch us when we are vacationing. When they do meet us, they are amazed that the aborigines speak English. :--D

Almost all these organizations are very cultish, meaning very strict rules and regulations, and inherent superiority complex over others who are not part of the group, complete control given to their gurus (which is dangerous and can be exploited by devious men, which we see often). They all have similar game plans, first cut off relations from family and friends (if they dont belong to this group), slowly you are surrounded by people who are all part of the same organization, and incredible amount of rituals, which overwhelm you,but since you get constant adulation and praise by the people surrounding you, you feel good about yourself, in a while you have spent substantial time, money and effort for the organization that getting out is not an option and you will justify anything that the organization does or says. IMO even some fringe groups in the west have the same mojo, Scientology etc.

[flamy]

Yea, I have heard many such stories. And yea, it is hardly a desi problem.

[h4te]

Mods' date=' can i have the power to ban people for just one day? please? you can undo whatever i do the next day... i just want to experience divine control for a brief moment (h4te you best watch out...).[/quote'] what did i ever do to you?? :((