DANGER BREWING FOR THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY ESTATE AT ADYAR - Theosophy.Net2024-03-28T13:54:47Zhttps://theosophy.net/forum/topics/danger-brewing-for-future-of-adyar-estate?groupUrl=news&feed=yes&xn_auth=noThis is from Theosophy News
[…tag:theosophy.net,2018-03-02:3055387:Comment:1575832018-03-02T21:48:00.032ZJohnhttps://theosophy.net/profile/JohnEMead
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This is from Theosophy News</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[This is being emailed to all GC members and members who are interested in the welfare of TS and Damodar Gardens and also posted on Facebook Theosophy News as well as Theos-talk Yahoo Newsgroup.]</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> -- -- --</span></p>
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<p><b>Future of Damodar Gardens</b></p>
<p></p>
<p>Dear Sister/Brother</p>
<p>This is a followup on my last e-mail to you…</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">This is from Theosophy News</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[This is being emailed to all GC members and members who are interested in the welfare of TS and Damodar Gardens and also posted on Facebook Theosophy News as well as Theos-talk Yahoo Newsgroup.]</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 10pt;"> -- -- --</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><b>Future of Damodar Gardens</b></p>
<p></p>
<p>Dear Sister/Brother</p>
<p>This is a followup on my last e-mail to you regarding Damodar Gardens which was also posted on Facebook and Twitter on Theosophy News pages as well as distribution through Theos-talk Yahoo News Group.</p>
<p>There has been much concern on the part of many sisters and brothers around the world, although of course there were a few frustrated critics. Good news is that sisters and brothers are paying attention to the issue.</p>
<p>This e-mail is not to criticize anyone or cast aspersions, but only to raise legitimate and significant issues in the best interests of TS and its members.</p>
<p>The matter is very urgent now as the professional paid survey of the property is reported to be in progress and may be complete when you get this message. We all know that land is professionally surveyed when it is sold. So the die is almost cast. Several additional issues and concerns need to be addressed and are described below:</p>
<p>1. When the Olcott Education Society has run the Olcott School successfully over several decades, why should the new venture be handed over to the TVS Education Society, which is not acquainted with Theosophical education? We can look at help from organizations like Siemens Ltd. and the Azim Premji Foundation and also the TVSES itself for technical collaboration. These organizations feature prominently on the Internet. Bottom line is this way TS can retain control over the Damodar Garden property.</p>
<p>2. TS has long time experience in running schools. Olcott Memorial School is more than a century old. TS in Philippines has been successfully running Golden Link College for a long time. There are schools run by TS in Varanasi, as well as in Andhra Pradesh and Coimbatore by theosophists. So there is ample in house expertise in successfully running educational institutions.</p>
<p><b>We also have inhouse talent in Bro Gohil, GS of Indian Section who has run a Management School and has first hand experience in running educational institutions. So for expertise, we need not look too far!!!</b></p>
<p>When you bring in a third party (business driven) outsider to run a school, they are going to make money. There is a well known saying “there is no free lunch.” In addition, theosophical principles and philosophy would go by the wayside and profit motive will exploit the valuable Damodar Garden property in perpetuity.</p>
<p>3. There is a claim that funds generated from the TVSES will be available to to run TS schools. It is a fact that for TS to run schools does not require a huge sums of money. Any time there is a need to fund the operation of TS schools, an appeal to the members will bring in sufficient donations from members world-wide. A school can be successfully run in Damodar Gardens by the Olcott Education Society solely funded from funds generated within TS. This will also ensure that school would operate on the lines of Theosophical education, rather than by profit driven education industry. Anyone who knows what is going on in India would not buy the sales talk about “non profit charitable ventures.”</p>
<p>4. It is alleged that 3000 children will be trained in the planned vocational training centre. Also mentioned is planned International School in addition. As of now the current buildings in Damodar Gardens is totally insufficient to accommodate such large number of students.</p>
<p>This will require substantial additional construction that will ruin that part of the estate. Apart from this, the number of students enrolled in the Olcott School at present is less than 375, of which a small number of about 25 would graduate annually.</p>
<p>Most of them would opt to go to college and very few would be interested in vocational education. There is even one alumni of the school who is now in the prestigious Civil Service – Indian Administrative Service - after getting college education.</p>
<p>5. So the figure of 3,000 students touted for the technical training is totally unrealistic and no one would buy it. Can we not look at an internal option that can retain the greenery and the space and the appropriate needs of the underprivileged children? The vocational education can be handled in house and scaled up in due course.</p>
<p>6. Construction plans in the Damodar Gardens is fuzzy and will ironically be called development and value addition. Many policy details on the lease are not transparently laid out. For example what are the provisions in the arrangement if TS was not satisfied and decides to terminate the proposed arrangement? In the eventuality of TS terminating the lease, what is the cost of doing it? How much TS has to pay? This important aspect is apparently missing in the minutes of the GC meeting.</p>
<p>7. The minutes mention a world class football ground for the Olcott School children. But we learn that this plan has been completely shelved following the ongoing business deal with TVSES. This is a long term policy matter and needs clarification and transparency.</p>
<p>It would be greatly appreciated if the above questions are also taken up by the General Council members along with those raised in the previous e-mail. It is also be helpful if all interested members contact the President and GC members and demand full transparency that would protect the interests of TS. Fortunately today we have Internet to enable us to openly discuss such an important matter and the final outcome would be a win-win for theosophy and TS and all leaders would come out smelling like a rose!</p>
<p>Thank you</p>
<p>Fraternally yours</p>
<p>M K Ramadoss, San Antonio, Texas, USA</p>
<p>[This is being emailed to all GC members and members who are interested in the welfare of TS and Damodar Gardens and also posted on Facebook Theosophy News as well as Theos-talk Yahoo Newsgroup.]</p>
<p><b>Please feel free to forward this message to all Sisters and Brothers so that everyone is informed of what is going on.</b></p>
<p></p>
<p></p> Hi -
very interesting. If I s…tag:theosophy.net,2018-02-25:3055387:Comment:1575682018-02-25T18:47:40.977ZJohnhttps://theosophy.net/profile/JohnEMead
<p>Hi -</p>
<p>very interesting. If I saw it right, the article was from 11/2013 . Has anything more recent been published? Court Documents are also helpful.</p>
<p>This story sounds too familiar. It is sad.</p>
<p>It all sounds as if paranoia is present in the TS. </p>
<p>Hi -</p>
<p>very interesting. If I saw it right, the article was from 11/2013 . Has anything more recent been published? Court Documents are also helpful.</p>
<p>This story sounds too familiar. It is sad.</p>
<p>It all sounds as if paranoia is present in the TS. </p> Is this the root cause?
Theos…tag:theosophy.net,2018-02-24:3055387:Comment:1575652018-02-24T23:21:11.722ZBrittohttps://theosophy.net/profile/AntonyBritto
<p>Is this the root cause?</p>
<h3 class="r"><a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19810915-theosophical-society-workers-launch-strike-to-protest-against-dismissal-of-union-leaders-773211-2013-11-05">Theosophical society: A troubled charity…</a> <br></br></h3>
<p>Is this the root cause?</p>
<h3 class="r"><a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19810915-theosophical-society-workers-launch-strike-to-protest-against-dismissal-of-union-leaders-773211-2013-11-05">Theosophical society: A troubled charity</a> <br/><a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19810915-theosophical-society-workers-launch-strike-to-protest-against-dismissal-of-union-leaders-773211-2013-11-05" target="_blank">https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/indiascope/story/19810915-theosophical-society-workers-launch-strike-to-protest-against-dismissal-of-union-leaders-773211-2013-11-05</a></h3>