CD-ROM
Graceful Gestures
India's paragon of the performing arts scintillates on "Indian Dance: Bharata Natyam," a first class CD from Chennai. Illustrations, slide shows, classical music and 75 video clips take you deep into this traditional temple art. First you study its evolution from the Vedas to its 20th century revival led by dozens of modern exponents. Next hear about the dance's every move and pose, the embellishing jewelry, the musical accompanists, the phases of a dance performance and sequence of a dancer's training–all supplemented with a huge Sanskrit glossary. Windows. US$99. Contact: Info-drive, 91 V.M. Street, Mylapore, Chennai 600004 India, email: infodrive@pobox.com.
SAGES
Expert Enlightener
Sage Ramana Maharshi lived at the foot of a mountain in South India and exuded mountaintop-perspective wisdom. "The body is the temple, the soul is God Siva. If one worships Him with the 'I am He' thought, one will gain release," teaches Ramana in one of four online books at www.rtanet.com/ramana/. Duplicated in Japanese and German, this big site has 465 rare, restored photographs and a pictoral tour of the main India ashram. Read how "environmental pollution and materialism" are threatening the once-serene ashram, and how you can help by writing to concerned parties.
DIALECTS
Say What?
Speech is a powerful tool. So, India thought, "Let's convey it in 800-plus ways!" The premier website for assimilating Bharat's languages and scripts is at http://tick.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/~gangultr/india/scripts.html. It links you with other sites in five groupings: 1) Indian languages (learn to speak them and obtain computer fonts); 2) Brahmi script: Historical Developments (Brahmi was ancient India's national script); 3) Manuscript Images (view photos of scriptures like the Isa Upanishad); 4) Calligraphy: Bijaksharas and Yantras (includes Om symbols); and 5) Classical Languages and Texts (with links to online Sanskrit dictionaries).
ANNIVERSARY
I Love India
Two major sites on the Web celebrate and ruminate upon Bharat's 50 independent years. At www.ilovein
dia.com, The gem is a slide show of 254 photos of Indian life. A virtual-reality Jukebox sounds forth 50 years of film songs. The Message Index posts your thoughts and others' replies. The Travel Planner has information on major cities. Register online to get India news by email, or to vote on issues. The other website (www.india50. com) is "under construction." So far you can read the PM's independence day address, peek into "The State of the Nation" TV series and view installments of "The Indian Emigré," a global photo journey.
I AM THE RULING QUEEN, THE AMASSER OF
TREASURES, FULL OF WISDOM, FIRST OF
THOSE WORTHY OF WORSHIP. IN VARIOUS PLACES, DIVINE POWERS HAVE
SET ME. I ENTER MANY HOMES AND TAKE NUMEROUS FORMS.
Rig Veda Samhita 10.125.3