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You may contact a person on this list by addressing an e-mail by the person's name and sending it to the following address. We will try to forward it to the addressee, if possible. Membership@SpiritualEducation.org Rajiv Anjaria's working background is in Dairy Technology, a branch of dairy industry which deals with processing milk into various products. His over 30 years plus work involves India, Germany, and Canada. He is interested in reading, and meaningfull conversations. There is got to be lot more to it. Rajiv would like to see a more cohesive, sincere effort towards evolving, and sharing spiritual persuits beyond human and geographical or perhaps even celestical boundaries. Zen Banduk received his B.A. and LL.B. degrees from Bombay University in India. He then went to Manchester College of Technology for a diploma in Industrial Administration. Zen worked in Bombay and Aden before immigrating to Canada in 1968. In Canada, Zen settled in Kitchener/Waterloo and worked at Revenue Canada for 18 years. Basically, Zen Banduk is a liberal minded person. He believes that all religions have a lot to contribute to humanity. Zen believes as his beloved wife Ummul did, "We go up different ladders in order to reach the same goal". He belives SHEN will contribute in achieving peace, harmony, and unity amongst humankind. C.M. Bhandari, born at Dehradun in 1949, received his Master's
Degree in Physics from IIT Kanpur (1970) and Professional Forestry Degree
(1972-74) from Forest Research Institute and Colleges, Dehradun in 1974.
He also has a Master's Degree (1991) from the National Defence College, New
Delhi affiliated to the Allahbad University. Besides lecturing for
two years at Christ Church College, Kanpur (1970-72), he has been a member of
India's Foreign Service since 1974 and served in various capacities at Bangkok,
Oslo, Lagos, Canberra, Phnom Penh and Toronto where he is presently Consul
General of India. Born in Nov. 1949, he studied in various parts of north India, concluding his education with a Masters in Political Science from University of Allahbad. He taught at a university college for three years before joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1972. He represented India in its various missions in Paris, Beirut, Brussels, Jakarta and Toronto. He has held important positions in the Government of India in Delhi. He is presently serving as India's High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya. General interests are: reading on eclectic subjects; writing on non-political issues; public speaking; and lately, golf. He comes from an extremely religious family, with his late father famous as a civil servant having reputation for probity in public service, and his mother with strong religious and spiritual interests. Since childhood, he has had much exposure to travelling saints, lectures on the Ramayana and Geeta at holy places such as Hardawar, and the opportunity to visit famous pilgrimage centres in India such as Varanasi, Prayag, Sarnath and Somnath. Has supported activities of many cultural, religious and spiritual institutions that specialize in projecting Indian culture and religions. Despite a strong spiritual orientation, he maintains a pristine secular outlook on Life. Born in Dec. 1952 in northern India, Kumkum spent a part of her childhood in the UK. The exposure thus to both Eastern and Western influences from the beginning brought a strong sense of balance and synthesis in her personality. She earned three academic degrees - in Home Science, Education and a Masters in Educational Administration (from the University of Toronto). She taught middle-school classes at a prestigious school in New Delhi. Her grounding in French (from her years with her diplomat husband in Paris) was considered an asset for the school. Kumkum too, like her husband Rajiv Bhatia, comes from a deeply religious family, with her mother being a dedicated activist in a Chinmaya Mission centre in India. She herself developed an immense fascination for the Geeta since her college days. This triggered in her an interest in an extensive study of Indian scriptures. She presented a Paper on the impact of Hinduism and Buddhism on Indonesia to an informed audience at the Dutch Cultural Centre in Jakarta. She contributed generously her time, advice and effort for the Chinmaya Mission in Toronto, and is currently doing the same in the Mission's centre in Nairobi. She has attended many spiritual camps. "Life without religion is meaningless", she says. Usually known as Bill, Rev. Blackmore is an ordained minister of the United Church of Canada. He is now retired after serving in three pastorates, two in Alberta at Elk Point and Vermilion and one in Ottawa. He earned his BA from Victoria College, University of Toronto and his Master of Divinity from Emmanuel College, University of Toronto. His Master of Sacred Theology is from Yale Divinity School, Yale University where he also was a Supervisor of Field Work. Bill has served as a Youth Secretary of the National Board of Christian Education of the United Church and as a National Secretary of the Interboard Committee on Church Vocations. Bill is also a qualified trainer in Human Relations and in Kerygma Biblical Studies. During the latter part of his ministry, Bill taught at Conestoga Community College, in the department of Humanities and Social Sciences, dealing with courses such as World Religions; Exploring Contemporary Moral Issues; Science, Technology and the Human Condition; Group Dynamics; Business Ethics; and Community Development. He is a long-time member and advocate of World Federalism and a strong supporter of Multiculturalism. "My interest in spirituality began some time ago with my exposure to
holistic medicine and the ensuing discovery that prayer and meditation have a
very positive impact on the well being of the individual, even when the person
has no knowledge of what is transpiring. As I became a senior, I was concerned
with what was enhancing or diminishing the human spirit with Dr. M. Darrol Bryant was raised on the prairies of North Dakota. He received
his B.A.in Philosophy and Political Science from Concordia College in Minnesota,
USA, his S.T.B. from Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University, USA and his MA
and PhD from the Institute of Christian Thought at the University of St.
Michael's College in the University of Toronto, Canada. He has been teaching
since 1967 and has taught at Renison College in the University of Waterloo since
1973. He is a Professor of Religion and Culture and has been the Chair of the
Department of Religious Studies at University of Waterloo. He has
authored/edited eighteen volumes in the study of religion including A World
Broken by Unshared Bread, God: The Contemporary Discussion, and Religion In A
New Key. He has just completed editing a volume on Muslim Christian Dialogue:
Problems and Promise. For the past twenty years he has been deeply involved in
interfaith dialogue and the dialogue of religions. He has spent two sabbaticals
in India, together with his family, exploring the many religious communities of
India. Ramesh S. Chahahuver, after completing his B.A.(HONS), B.Ed. & M.A. (Math) Degrees from India went on to Mathematics Institute, University of Warwick, Coventry, U.K. to finish his M.Sc. in Pure Math. Coming to Canada, he completed Specialist in Math from the University of Toronto. He then, went into Secondary School Teaching and acted as Head of the Mathematics Department for the last 28 years. During his career, he has also taught in colleges & universities in India, England & Canada. In the early eighties, the problems in Panjab, India prompted Ramesh to find the truth about religious conflict. About the same time, Ramesh was lucky to come in contact with Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra and started the study of ABSOLUTE TRUTH under his discipleship. At this time, Ramesh is very much interested in spiritualism and serving the people of all faiths in every possible way. Dr. Raj N. Dubey was born in 1938 at Biharsharif in the state of Bihar in India. He obtained a B.Sc. Degree in 1957 from Patna University with Mathematics Honours, and another B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering in 1961 from Ranchi University. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering by the University of Waterloo in 1966. He taught at the the University of Waterloo till his retirement in 1996. Raj Dubey's interest in spirituality and Indian Philosophy began in 1977 under the guidance of his guru, Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra. Raj translated two of his guru's books from Hindi into English. One of the books he translated was on the Bhagvad Gita, and the other on the yoga sutras of sage Patanjali. Currently he translating his guru's commentary on the Bhagvad Gita. He is also working on the Sankhya Philosophy. Virendra Gupta's primary reason for joining SHEN is the
expectation that it will offer an opportunity to learn from and share Fatima Kapasi came to Canada as a Ugandan refugee. She has a degree in Zoology from the University of London, England. She taught Science in East-Africa. In Canada, she obtained a degree in Social Development from the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON and a diploma in Social Services from Conestoga College of Applied Arts and Technology, Kitchener, ON. Since then, the focus of her work has been community development, and working with refugees and immigrants. Spirituality has always interested Fatima. She believes that through spirituality, one can attain peace, happiness, and recognition of one's innerself. In this regard, she has read many books. She believes that the work to be done by SHEN will benefit people of all ages. Dr. H.K. Kesavan received his undergraduate degrees in science and engineering from Bangalore, India, and his postgraduate degrees in electrical engineering from the Universities of Illinois and Michigan State in the U.S.A. During his career, he has served as Chairman of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, and later as the founding Chairman of the Department of Systems Design Engineering at the same university. In between, for a period of five years, he was the first Head of the Electrical Engineering Department at the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and also, concurrently, the Head of its Computer Center. Later, he was also the first Dean of Research and Development at the Institute. At present, he is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the University of Waterloo. Dr. Kesavan's research interests encompass two broad fields: first, system theory from the viewpoint of graph theory and secondly, the study of probabilistic systems based on the optimization of information-theoretic principles. He has numerous research publications in both areas and has coauthored several books. Dr. Kesavan has maintained a life-long interest in the philosophical aspects of science. Dr. Kesavan is the author of a book called Science and Mysticism - The Essence of Vedic Philosophy. This book presents a global view of Vedic philosophy from the insights that science and mysticism provide. The motivation for writing this book arose from his constant interaction with students of Indian origin at the The University of Waterloo, Canada. Dr. Kesavan is one of the prime movers of SHEN. His enthusiasm for SHEN is evident from his opening remarks at the founding meeting of SHEN. Born and raised at Amritsar, Punjab, India in a traditional family atmosphere, Manmohan studied at the local D.A.V. institutions; and later at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research at Chandigarh, also in Punjab, India. He worked at the latter institute before migrating to Canada in 1972. Since July 1974, he has been working at the Woodstock General Hospital, Woodstock, Ontario, Canada as a Medical Laboratory Technologist. Currently, he is the senior technologist in-charge of Blood Bank. "Despite the fact that I am financially content; satisfied with my job; have a good family and a good circle of friends; and am in a good state of health, stresses and tensions of daily living are enormous. Working for approximately 30 years in acute care institutions, I have seen all kinds of human pain and misery. I have seen many actual cases of near death experience and suffering, which can make anybody very humble. During my wide and varied experience, I have learnt that spirituality is a very good tool which enables one to counter the effect of most of the problems of modern living. The mechanics, how spirituality works (better understanding, diversion, mystical or some other) is irrelevant, as long as the end result is good and it brings harmony and peace amongt all human beings everywhere. My upbringing, educational institutions, work environment, and my circle of friends have all been contributing factors in my interest in the work of Spiritual Heritage Education Network." Russel D. Legge, BA (Transylvania University), STB. (Harvard
University), PhD (McMaster University). Professor of World Religions at the
University of Waterloo 1970-1996. Presently, retired and Professor Emeritus of
University of Waterloo. Dean of St. Paulıs United College 1986-1995. Director
of the UW Centre for Society Technology and Values 1986-1989. President of the
Canadian Council of Churches 1982-1985 and actively involved in promoting
dialogue among the major faith communities in Canada. Dr. James David Leslie received a B.A.Sc. in Engineering Physics from the University of Toronto, Toronto,Ontario, Canada. He then spent a year as a Lecturer in Physics at the newly founded University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He obtained an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Illinois in the U.S.A. before returning to the University of Waterloo, where he is currently a Full Professor of Physics. He started the University of Waterloo Correspondence Program and served as its Director for 12 years,which has led to a life-long interest in Distance Education in addition to doing research in solid state physics. He is also interested in the transfer of technology from university to industry and founded a company that is engaged in this activity. Dr. Leslie was influenced greatly by his experiences growing up in an ethnically-mixed neighbourhood in Toronto and the moral influences of his Scottish-Irish parents as well as lessons at the Sunday school of the local United Church. He has made the "Golden Rule" , "To do onto others as you would have them do onto you", one of his main guiding principles. He has also always acted to recognize the worth and dignity of people of all origins in the world. He views SHEN as an opportunity to provide Distance Education via the Internet on moral principles. Gita Morar immigrated to Canada in 1985. Her undergraduate degree, B.A.(Arts), and gradaute degrees, B.A.Hns.S.W. and M.A.Clin.Psych. were received from the University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa. She has since specialized in Brief Interactive Therapy at the renouned Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto, California, and Midfulness Based Stress Reduction in New York, U.S.A. During her career, she worked as a young social worker with Family Services in Durban, initiated the first service in mental health for East Indians in Johannesburg, practiced as a Psychologist, and taught Psychology at the University of Durban-Westville in South Africa. At present, she is practicing as a Psychotherapist at Cambridge Mind/Body Institute, Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. She is involved in many community organizations both at local and national level. Gita's involvement with spirituality and ethics commenced at a young age in the form of informal lessons and later structured courses, and has eveolved over the years through reading and exposure in this field. Coming from a family in which elders were Gandhians, from a country where the term Satyagraha itself was invented by Gandhi, and from the city of Pietermaritzburg where Gandhi was thrown out of a train, also influenced and impacted on her spiritual evolvement. Gandhi believed in "human comradeship which would transcend religious divisions". His actions and writings "compel us to reconsider our own considerations on how to act inter-religiously by responding carefully to the possibilities inherent in our committments to truth and human community." Gita states that such spiritual and ethical education and experience, had a significant impact on the development of her own values in life. She would like to see SHEN achieve its mission by providing an internet website to promote worldwide education, research and dialogue in a focused and disciplined manner. Dr. Josephine Cecilia Naidoo completed her undergraduate degrees in the Republic of South Africa. She received her M.A. and Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Illinois. Her academic career has been primarily spent at Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. At the point of her retirement in July 1997, she was Full Professor of Psychology. Dr. Naidoo has been engaged in research on South Asian women in Canada, multiculticultural issues, race relations and Asian/African indigenous psychology. In the late 80's and early 90's, Dr. Naidoo was an invited member of Federal Government studies on the mental health of immigrants/refugees and intercultural/interracial education in Canda. She has served as Secretrary-General of the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology, the main professional organization in her area of expertise. Dr. Naidoo was raised in a deeply Christian Roman Catholic family within the Hindu-Muslim minority community of Asian Indians in South Africa during the racist era of Apartheid in that country. Teachings that profoundly impacted on Dr. Naidoo's growing years and her life in general include (i) the Catholic concept of unity of humankind in the Mystical Body of Christ and by extension a concern for the welfare and empowerment of disadvantaged sectors of society and (ii) the Gandhian concepts of satyagraha (pursuit of truth) and ahimsa (way of non-violence) as a personal philosophy and as the underpinnings for political resistance strategy by disempowered peoples of the world. Graduated in Agricultural Engineering from Agra, UP, India and migrated to
Canada in 1960. Over the years, furthered professional education in Electronic
Engineering, and Business Administration respectively from Ryerson Polytechnic
and Wilfred Laurier University and working experience in sonar, space and
consumer products in various industries. Richard Payette received his Honours B.A. in English at the University of
Toronto, Victoria College and shortly after earned his Bachelor of Education
degree at Nipissing University. He began his teaching career working with
emotionally disturbed children, then moved to Waterloo County where he taught
juvenile delinquents for several years then accepted a position His interest in spiritualism began in mid-life when he realized that his career, his family, and his writing could only offer him so much. There was something still missing. He took a semester off teaching and wrote a novel to explore the spiritual realm and inadvertently stumbled upon a world that reconnected him to himself and to others, a world that transcended religion, race, and culture, a world in which we all are one. SHEN offered him the opportunity to share this learning with others the world over and it is his hope that all humans will be one day united with one universal purpose, constant self-improvement. Dr. Venkat B. Rao received his medical degree from South India and obtained speciality training in All India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi . He received fellowship from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and from the University of Ottawa. He has been in practice in Kitchener, Waterloo area in Ontario since 1970. Venkat is interested in spirituality, in general, and karma yoga and kriya yoga in particular. He has been involved as a board member in the management of Brahmarishi Mission and Yogashram. It is a natural for him to be part of SHEN. Jignesh Shah recieved his undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute(VJTI) & an MBA from Institute of Technology and Management, Mumbai, India. He immigrated to Canada in 1996 and upgraded his skills through some courses at University of Waterloo, Canada and also obtained the Microsoft Certification for Systems Engineer NT with specialization in internet technology. At present he works for one of the major banks in Canada as Technical Analyst, Operations & Technology. Because of the religious background of the family, he developed interest in the spiritual teachings by religious prophets and biography of different personalities. He would like to be a contributing member in integrating science, technology and religion to accomplish the SHEN mission. Through his involment in SHEN, he also expects to gain deeper spiritual insights. Professor Paul Socken received his Ph. D. from the University of Toronto in 1974 and has been on the faculty of the University of Waterloo for 26 years. He is currently Chair of the Department of French Studies and Chair of the Dean's Advisory Committee on Jewish Studies. He has published numerous articles and books on his speciality, French-Canadian literature, and has spoken at academic colloquia in Canada, the United States and Europe. Dr. Vijay R. Solanki is a 1976 graduate of dentistry from the University of Toronto. He has been in private practice in Kitchener, Ontario for 22 years. Born to devout Hindu parents in Johannesburg, South Africa, he was sent to India at the age of 11 years to escape the oppressive system of apartheid. Eight years in India formed a basis for his interest in the universal message found in Indian scriptures. Married to Brenda L. Hutton in 1971, the couple have four lovely children...Jay, Raj, Ram and Jyoti. Spiritual Heritage Education Network (SHEN) comes at a time when the world has shrunk to a truly Global Village. Instant communication and supersonic travel have made the once remote cultures of the world take a closer look at each other and indeed a gradual reappraisal is under way of one's value systems to accommodate the larger global human community. SHEN will help this worthy cause leading to a world full of respect for all life and harmony amongst the 5+ billion humans inhabiting our Planet Earth. Mary Step is currently completing her Ph.D. in communication studies from Kent State University in Ohio. Mary was introduced to the philosophy of the East via her Hatha Yoga practice. Shortly after beginning her practice, she was introduced to Didi Krishna Kanta, who is a disciple of Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra. Didi Krishna Kanta provided Mary with a means of accessing this ancient wisdom through meditation, readings, and daily life. Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra's message has provided Mary with the balance and perspective that she needed to experience serenity in her life. Renu Talwar received her undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from
University of Waterloo and her MBA from Wilfrid Laurier University, both of
which are in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. During her career, she has worked as a
software developer, design engineer in the construction industry and as a
management consultant. Dr. Shiv Talwar received his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering from Punjab University, Chandigarh, Punjab in India, and his postgraduate degrees from Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA in the U.S.A. and the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON in Canada. During his career, he has taught at Thapar College of Engineering, Patiala, Punjab in India and served as the Coordinator of Civil Engineering at Conestoga College in Kitchener, ON in Canada. Shiv's education in spiritual and ethical direction began informally in India on early morning walks when his parents used to engage him in discussion on such matters. This informal introduction was followed by some excellent formal education in scheduled courses at school. It is still continuing, thanks to his spiritual friend Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra. Shiv says that this education continues to enrich his life and shape his values in a significant way. He would like to see SHEN develop content for formal courses for students of different backgrounds and offer them on the Internet. The educational resources developed by SHEN can also be used for inclass presentation at different schools that may be interested. Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra was born in the village of Kanwal Gyanpur near Varanasi in India. He shyed away from school and had no formal education in his childhood. At the age of 18, he was attracted by a great yogi, His Holiness Bhagwan Chandra Mauli Ji. The yogi accepted him as a disciple. Under the guidance of his guru, Vishwatma Bawra renounced family life and received formal initiation in Vaishnav order from a great saint, His Holiness Swami Ram Swaroop Dass Ji of Sagrya Patti, Hanuman Garhi, Ayodhya in Utter Pradesh in India. He, then engaged himself in ancient system of education under the guidance of Baba Mani Ram Chhawani Ji of Ayodhya. He studied philosophical treatises under the guidance of His Holiness Swami Sarvbhom Shatdarshanacharya Ji of Ayodhya. Vishwatma Bawra entered into the realm of practical aspects of yoga under the direction of His Holiness Yogeshver Bhagwan Chander Mauli Ji at Ayodhya. He practiced mantra yoga, laya yoga, and hath yoga at Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, and Udaipur respectively. He achieved the highest states achievable in the various yogic practices. Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra is blessed with a photographic memory. He has studied most holy scriptures and philosophical treatises deeply and he has many holy scriptures and philosophical treatises committed to memory. He is a scholar of many languages including Sanskrit, and many subjects including, history, politics, ethics, and psychology. He has written profusely and is an author of a multitude of books and articles. Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra is extremely well travelled in the east as well the west. He has disciples all over the world. He established the Brahmarishi Mission in Pinjore, Haryana, India. Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra is the spiritual head of this mission. Now this mission has spread to many places in India and other countries as well. His mission is actively serving humankind's educational, social, cultural, and spiritual needs. Dr. Hendrik Hart Hendrik (Henk) Hart, Ph.D. (Free University), A.B. (Calvin College), joined the Institute of Christian Studies (ICS) at Toronto, Ontario in1967, and is professor of systematic philosophy at ICS. Hart is also the Academic Dean and Director of Doctoral Studies at ICS. Before coming to ICS, Henk served as the Head of the Philosophical Institute at the Free University in the Netherlands. He is the author of Understanding Our World: An Integral Ontology; Communal Certainty and Authorized Truth: An Examination of John Dewey's Philosophy of Verification; The Challenge of Our Age; and Setting Our Sights by the Morning Star. Henk has a long list of articles, contributions to books, popular academic publications and papers. He is currently at work on a new book about change. Didi Chaitanya Jyoti received her M.A. (1967) and an M.Ed. (1971) degree, both from the Punjab University, Chandigarh in India. She taught at a post secondary institution for 22 years. During her teaching career, she got introduced to Brahmarishi Vishwatma Bawra of Brahmarishi Mission at Pinjore, Haryana, India who accepted her as a disciple. Didi Jyoti's spiritual training began under the guidance of her guru in 1969 culminating into her initiation into the Sanyasa order on April 30, 1980. She has travelled afar, both in India and other countries, teaching vedantic spirituality and the practice of yoga. She has been the resident incharge of the Brahmarishi Mission of Canada with its head office in Kitchener ON, Canada. Born in Toronto in 1958, David Seljak is now assistant professor in the
Department of Religious Studies, St. Jerome's University at the University of
Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario. He is currently director of the St. Jerome's
Centre for Catholic Experience and the Istitute for Studies in Theological
Renewal. He is also the Secretary of the Canadian Society for the Study of
Religion. He teaches courses in religion and ecology, social ethics,
sociology, history, and world religions. He is currently working Dr. Seljak earned his PhD in the Sociology of Religion at McGill University in Montreal. His thesis addressed the reaction of the Catholic Church in Quebec to the secularization of nationalism in the 1960s. His current research interests are in the field of religion and modern society, social ethics, religion and ecology, and the Christian churches in Canada. He has published numerous articles and chapters in books on these topics. Dr. Dr Anand was born
in the state of Dr. Anand sees
things from the patient's perspective. He resolves patient problems, not merely
offers symptomatic relief. He sees doctor patient relationship as an evolving
journey. His medical practice is not limited merely to the prescription of
pharmaceuticals and surgery. It is holistic in nature including counseling,
stress relief and complementary therapies. Dr Anand thinks that stress causes
90% of patient visits to the doctor. He believes that medicine without health is
like religion without spirituality.
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