my talk at Hinduism Studies Club at AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ on 11/17/88

[Thirumala Raya Halemane]

my talk at Hinduism Studies Club at AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel, NJ on 11/17/88

In 1988, I had duly applied for starting the Hinduism Studies Club, at AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ, and it was approved, 

and here below are my remarks at the inaugural first meeting. 

The club was very active for several years, when I was there, continuing later also, I think. and into the 1990s, 

I lost my job, was fired in March 1992, and in later years, there were very impactful company reorganizations.

page images of my talk are attached, and here below is an attempt to type out the contents. 

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T R Halemane   11/17/88   Hinduism Studies Club 

Hinduism is a misunderstood religion

 - not just among non-Hindus

     but among Hindus also - to the point that some are ashamed to call themselves Hindus

Often the problem is people try to see it through the eyes of Christianity

try to fit it into western theology

instead of examining it as a whole by its own merits

sometimes the problem is ignorance

sometimes it is due to the failure of government to enforce the law and of society to see that it is enforced

sometimes it is due to racism and refusal to understand 

= whatever the problem, get to the bottom of it, no rationalization

This club is not an answer for all the problems that exist today, but it is a step in the right direction

goals of the club

membership forms

regular meetings

suggestions for agenda

 volunteers to run club

Bylaws - 6 months

C S Sankar has video camera

==

In the absence of huge universities, buses and cars. Hindu society came up with the caste system 

(actually division of professions in the village) as the answer. 

The best way to pass along the skill of carpentry to the next generation was for the father to 

teach his son, in his house, where that skill was practised daily and a conducive atmosphere 

for that profession existed. 

Brahmins passed along the Vedas (where sound is important also, not just words) - 

in fact different sections of Brahmins took care of different Vedas. 

There were no tape recorders, libraries, paper at that time. So society organized itself well 

utilizing existing technology, knowhow, philosophy. 

  Now technology is developing in India, and although people have a notion of their caste 

(because as recently as 2 generations ago that system was in use), 

it is no bar on the freedom of individuals 

4) What does the "dot" signify on the women's forehead ?

A: It is makeup, to look nice. Nowadays, they have dots of different colors to match with the colors of saris. 

5) Why are women relegated to house work ?

In the olden days, work outside the house was physically very hard. So, women were treated very well 

by giving them housework. Also they needed to be in the house to take care of children. 

Working in factories and offices is only a recent phenomenon. 

So, there was no second class status for women. 

They were loved and respected.

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(this third image, of handwritten material appears to have a different date, (1/9/92 ?), not sure,

If so, it would be from a different later occasion. 

However, I have included it here, in this email / post, as it belongs to the same topic)..

OTHER TOPICS TO EXPLORE                       1/9/92

1. HOLY COW

symbol of service to others, of compassion, of not harming a benefactor.

2. ARRANGED MARRIAGE

      (many misperceptions exist about this)

Every marriage, everywhere in the world is arranged !

Question is how ? 

To find a life partner, a person of the opposite sex, is not easy without help from others.

- relatives, friends, computers, newspapers, parties, 

and of course parents (as well as one's own initiative)

The badly arranged marriages get newspaper headlines 

(like murders in New York City).

Ideally, one should manage one's own marriage,but definitely take needed help 

and advice from parents. friends, relatives etc 

3. MULTIPLICITY OF GODS

 symbols for different ideals and virtues and functionalities

One has to understand this in the context of the philosophical meaning of GOD

4. VEGETARIANISM

Not all Hindus are vegetarians. But concept is tied to compassion 

to other animals, peace and purity of diet.

(There is a feeling that vegetarianism is good, like education is good).

5, FATE AND ASTROLOGY

Perhaps, there is some statistical validity to this. However, note that an individual student's score 

contributes to the class average, but the average does not fully fix the individual score. 

I think a theory can be developed.

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[Thirumala Raya Halemane]