Call for Papers
and
Participation in a Seminar
on
"A Framework for Temple Management in India"
(Moderated by: Prof. Subhash Kak)
This is a Call for Papers on the issue of Temple Management in India.
A seminar and a workshop on this subject will be held as part of the
Human Empowerment Conference in Houston during Sept 16-18, 2005. The
submissions and the ensuing debate at the conference among the
thinkers present is expected to culminate into a position paper on
this topic. The position paper alongwith the proceedings of this
seminar will be made available widely, and it is hoped that would
have a bearing on public policy in India.
A government should have no role in the management of temples, as is
presently the case all across India. The current situation is
responsible for corruption, looting of temple properties and income,
and lack of attention to the mission of education and social renewal
of the Hindu community.
Traditionally, many temples were run by families, and there were
complaints that they were not doing enough to improve facilities for
pilgrims and to allow access to all Hindus. These arguments have been
used by the government in the last half-century to take-over the
management of temples by forming temple trusts where the control
vests with the IAS functionary and the members are nominated by the
government.
The government-controlled temple system needs to be given back to the
public. This would require that the government come up with an
appropriate legal framework so that the governing trusts are elected
and managed by the community. Perhaps the model of the SGPC for the
Sikh temples could serve as the initial draft document to create a
Devasthana Prabandhak Parishad (DPP) for each state. Perhaps such DPP
could work at the district, tehsil and neighborhood/village level, so
that there is no concentration of power at the state or the national
level. It should be realized that the issue of temple management is a
national problem and not a partisan one. No political party has taken
initiative to bring reforms, including the two national parties, the
Congress and the BJP.
All organizational, legal, social, spiritual, cultural and religious
issues pertaining to this topic needs to be debated, culminating into
a consensus position paper that could become an ideological basis for
socio-political action by the Hindu community in India.
Academics, intellectuals, and thinkers are invited to submit papers
covering various aspects of temple management, including historical
and traditional aspects. How were the temples managed in ancient and
medieval times? What could be incorporated from those times, and what
needs to be discarded? Who should decide what rituals can be
performed in temples, and why? Who should conduct the management of
the temples, and whether there should be a strict separation of
powers for religious and temporal authority. Such issues need to be
thoroughly debated, before a socio-political movement can be launched
in India at the mass-level for the liberation of Temples.
Intellectual churning is required for any ideological development.
Hence, contrarian views are most welcome in this intellectual debate.
For background, see:
Hinduism and the Contest of Religions
http://www.sulekha.com/expressions/column.asp?cid=305994
The Assault on Tradition
http://www.sulekha.com/expressions/column.asp?cid=305983
A Looming Disaster
http://in.rediff.com/news/2003/sep/08kak.htm
The Seminar will be moderated by Prof. Subhash Kak, LSU, Baton Rouge,
LA, USA.
( http://www.ece.lsu.edu/kak/kak.html )
**********************************************
How to participate:
Abstracts or a brief statement of interest can be sent to :
Anand Rajaram
Session Coordinator
E-mail: temple-seminar@xxxxxxxxxxx
Academics, intellectuals, thinkers, legal professionals, accountants,
bureaucrats, journalists, businessmen, and community leaders alike are
invited to send in abstracts of their submission by 2nd week of
August. Final papers are due by 1st week of September. Prospective
participants are cordially invited to be present at the conference
during Sept. 16th-18th, 2005, in Houston, Texas, USA. Details of the
Human Empowerment Conference can be obtained from the Session
Coordinator. All prospective participants living in the U.S. and
Canada are highly encouraged to attend the seminar and workshop in
person. Participants from India and elsewhere can participate via
teleconferencing. Appropriate facilities for remote participation
will be provided by the conference organizers.
This is an invitation-only seminar, therefore all participants must
submit a Statement of Interest, in a few lines, explaining why they
are interested in this topic.
Further information about the conference is available from:
Third Annual Human Empowerment Conference 2005
Organizing Committee
Shri Dilip Mehta
Tel. 281-491-7299
Shri Vijay Kumar
Tel. 615-646-1875
Dr. Raj Dave
Tel. 847-274-0459
E-mail: temple-seminar@xxxxxxxxxxx
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