Texas Author's Revelations Re:Islam Censored

[Guest guest]

Note: This article was quickly removed from the source website.http://www.mckinneymessenger.com/articles/2006/10/03/lewisville_leader/news/0001news.txt I tracked it down. I also noted that the links to this author's book were removed from the publisher's overview website. Only by finding a direct link on a discussion forum was able to find the exact page listing the book. Fortunately I was able to gather all the relevant info and send it out.

Please support this young and courageous Indian-American author. It is rare indeed to find honest and accurate information regarding India's 'Islamic Experiance' in the US media. The article below is an example of the truth somehow or another finding its way into the mainstream media. Please share this article with others for the simple reason that someone does not want it to be read.

Vrndavan

Local author helping share Hindu, Indian culture

By Josh Hixson

One local author promises an enticing yarn about a princess, some Moghuls, some Afghans and the search for love.“Follow the Cowherd Boy” is the story of Princess Mira Ratan Rathore, who was born in Rajasthan, India during the 16th century. The area, located on the India and Pakistan border, was plagued by waves of attacks from invading tribes of Moghuls and Afghans. The conquering tribes tried to force the local Indian Hindu people to convert to Islam.

Local author helping share Hindu, Indian culture

 

By Josh Hixson

 

 

One local author promises an enticing yarn about a princess, some Moghuls, some Afghans and the search for love.

 

“Follow the Cowherd Boy” is the story of Princess Mira Ratan Rathore, who was born in Rajasthan, India during the 16th century. The area, located on the India and Pakistan border, was plagued by waves of attacks from invading tribes of Moghuls and Afghans. The conquering tribes tried to force the local Indian Hindu people to convert to Islam.

 

“(Mira) is basically a girl who has weaknesses and her weaknesses are the fact that she wants what no one else thinks is possible,” said J.A. Joshi, author of “Follow the Cowherd Boy” and a Lewisville resident. “She has dreams that reach so high everyone else thinks she is crazy. In a way that is her weakness and her strength. She’s 13, a princess and a granddaughter of the king. She has obligations that she has to fulfill.”

 

Joshi explained that the people of India have long been known for their strong oral traditions. She said it was natural for her to write a historical fiction novel about an Indian saint and folk hero.

 

“I really do believe that every single Indian person in the world is a storyteller,” Joshi said. “Because of this so many Hindus know so many different stories. Any single Indian person that you ask will know so many different Indian stories really well.”

 

As part of her research for the book, Joshi traveled around northern India meeting people and visiting holy sites. She describes her experience there as a mix of both positive and negative emotions.

 

“(Traveling to India) was enlightening, infuriating and uncomfortable but at the same time I loved it. We traveled everywhere by local bus. We thought ‘let’s do real India, let’s meet real Indian people,’” Joshi said. “I met the most insane characters. I remember waking up at six in the morning on this train because the guy in the next compartment was singing Indian folk songs at the top of his lungs. If I hadn’t been on that train I would never had thought those things were possible.”

 

Being in India gave Joshi perspective on life in India that she thinks she would not otherwise have.

 

“It was nice to have blessings (of the Indian people) as well,” Joshi said. “These were Mira’s people.”

 

While visiting India she noticed that those living during Mira’s time lived under the same threat of terrorism that people do today. Joshi feels that this makes the 500-year-old folk tale just as relevant today as it was when it was first told.

 

“The story of Mira is relevant today because it is the common story of everyone -- everyone is seeking something that is unreachable. Everyone wants love, everyone wants peace, everyone wants enlightenment,” Joshi said. “She was the daughter of a king at a time when the land was being invaded by Islamic fundamentalists. Even if (the Islamic fundamentalists) succeed in conquering our country, they won’t succeed in conquering our souls. The terrorists would force people to convert to Islam. They would skin the priests alive. It is not easy to hold onto your faith in the face of such evil. She triumphed in way that is so unusual. She triumphed, that is why it is relevant.”

 

Joshi said that she wrote the story to remind today’s Indian Hindu youth that they still have important connections to the past history of India. Having been raised herself in London she knows what it is like to feel disconnected from her heritage. She wants to encourage young Hindus outside India to rediscover their heritage.

 

“We are from them, even though we may not have been brought up like them, it is our identity, it is still part of us,” Joshi said. “One of the reasons I wrote this book is to remind people that they are still a part of this culture and heritage. As a writer, there is nothing greater you can hear than someone telling you that you have inspired them to go out and learn.”

 

Joshi said that her ultimate goal is to open the door for all cultures to gain a better understanding of Hindu culture and Indian folk story tradition.

 

“It’s a really good story; I can say this because I didn’t make it up,” Joshi said. “I heard the story as someone who didn’t know it before and I was gripped by it. It will show other people things about Hindu culture that most people don’t know. It will give people a sense of knowing this culture that was previously totally inaccessible.”

http://www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2006/09/27/lewisville_leader/news/0001news.txt

 

 

About the Author J.A. Joshi was born and raised in North London, England, the youngest of five children. Her parents fascinated her with stories about Krishna and India since she was a baby. Her fascination grew as she did. She always had passion for reading and writing which was lucky as she loved to read her own writing. By the time she was fourteen, it was a foregone conclusion that she would be a writer in a family of scientists and she completed an English Literature degree as a result. She began writing Follow the Cowherd Boy during her final year at university, completing it in 2004 when she was 22 years old.

http://www.trafford.com/4dcgi/view-item?item=11946

Follow The Cowherd Boy

by J.A. Joshi

390 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #06-0382; ISBN 1-4120-8626-4; US$27.50, C$31.50, EUR22.50, £16.99

Mira's in love with Krishna, Bhoj is in love with Mira, and Vikram is in love with Bhoj's throne. Uda wants peace, Ratan wants freedom, and Ravi wants more than anyone.

 

About the Book Mira, a princess of war-torn Merta, has been in love with Krishna since she was five years old. When her father arranges her marriage to Bhoj, the prince of the neighboring kingdom Merwar, she is devastated. She ultimately agrees to the marriage in order to save her people from invading Moghuls. The alliance between their kingdoms brings peace to the land but is fragile. Her marriage brings surprises not only to Mira but to Bhoj also. Then when Mira meets a wandering holy man by the name of Ravi Das, things get complicated. Ravi steers Mira through a spiritual journey that poets have sung about for centuries.

Unfortunately, Bhoj's corrupt cousin Vikram is not interested in peace. For him, Bhoj and his wife are pawns in his plan to usurp the throne of Merwar. He is a master of manipulation and Mira realizes what is happening too late.

Unbeknownst to all, there are even greater forces at work.

For more information please write to:

P.O. Box 295628

Lewisville, TX

75029-5628

U.S.A.

 

 

 

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[zjj 1]

Thanks for the support, Vrndavanji. I truly appreciate it.

 

Haribol!

 

Jai Joshi

author of 'Follow the Cowherd Boy'