Dharman Dharmaratnam

I believe no one has read my statement about switching pictures around on the page. Please discuss before removing pictures. (Ghostexorcist 18:35, 23 February 2007 (UTC))

Excusez Moi

I did not delete anything, period!--Dharman Dharmaratnam 12:50, 24 February 2007 (UTC)

I was not accusing you of removing pictures. Perhaps I did not make myself clear enough, for that I am sorry. I meant that discussion should be attempted before removing pictures (this is in reference to your friends—Dipendra2007 and MrinaliniB—who like to remove the Kali photo).

Brand new editors, such as yourself and your friends, need to learn that ALL editors on Wikipedia can edit the page. But because there are practically millions of people who can make changes to the page, discussions need to be used to determine what the best course of action is, not just deleting a picture and then talking about it on a user page. All discussions in reference to a page should take place on the talk page.

Your friends can get in trouble with administrators if they continue to revert a page. I’ve been on Wikipedia for a while and so I know what can happen. These abrupt changes can lead to being blocked from editing. This can be for a short while or forever. (Ghostexorcist 13:14, 24 February 2007 (UTC))

Ghost Exorcist:

Just a clarification. I do respect Dipendra's contributions, not just on this subject but elsewhere. We need to listen to what he says with an open mind rather than reject it off-hand.--Dharman Dharmaratnam 10:55, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

What have I rejected? Was it the fact they repeatedly deleted a picture from an article without discussion? I have been extremely kind in the last few days. I could have treated them like vandals and had their accounts blocked. (Ghostexorcist 11:23, 25 February 2007 (UTC))

Ghost Exorcist:

Dipendra is hardly a vandal. He makes intelligent contributions in several places. He mentioned that he was new to wikipedia. Give him the benefit of the doubt.

You have rejected what people like Xuchilbara, he and I are trying to say.

Anyway, you did get me looking at the Kali page a lot more than I would have. --Dharman Dharmaratnam 11:31, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

I think I've pounded my keyboard into dust trying to teach Dipendra and MrinaliniB that all changes should be discussed before anything is done. I've given them the benefit of a doubt more times than what I should have. Their blankings of the page could have gotten them blocked from editing on wikipedia for quite a while, but I refrained from doing anything major. If administrators decided to do anything to MrinaliniB, they will most likely block them from editing for a 24 hour period. Hopefully this will serve as a lesson to them or any more new comers who feel they can freely delete what they deem is not proper from an article. These articles belong to millions of people. We should not delete a picture from the page just because 2 people out of untold numbers don’t like it, hence the discussion.

I was not trying to be mean throughout the discussion, I was being realistic. I’ve been editing on Wikipedia for quite a while, so I know about what works and what doesn't. Header photos are supposed be a clear, detailed example of what the deity looks like. I mention this because The traditional photo that I said looked like a child's drawing did not amply depict Kali at all. I’ve seen my fair share of traditional Indian, Chinese, and Japanese drawings.

I am extremely glad that you are looking at the page more. I hope you add more material to it and to all Hindu related articles. Just make sure that you support it with viable, verifiable sources. I admit that I’ve only written a couple of articles on Hindu related stuff, but their subjects are something I am interested in. However, they are not the best in the world by any means. I’ve been focusing my attentions on other articles recently. (Ghostexorcist 12:47, 25 February 2007 (UTC))

I read your entry on persecution of Buddhists in China. You may want to do a similar piece on Korea under the Yi dynasty. Korea had its fair share of persecution under a Confucian resurgence.

If you can, do try to accommodate the Xuchilbara picture - the one where the top half of Kali is depicted. I found it beautiful though I hear you that you are not sure about it copyright status.

Dipendra writes good stuff. I liked his input in several places.

cheers.--Dharman Dharmaratnam 13:10, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

That Buddhist persecution article is okay. I'm sure someone that has better Chinese literacy and access to actual historical documents could do A LOT better job. You are right; I don't know the copyright status of Xuchilbara's picture. Wikipedia does not allow random photos found on the net to be uploaded. Each photo has to have a source (who created it, when it was created, etc.). There are some exceptions, where a photo is over 100 years old, but a source is still needed. What articles has Dipendra2007 contributed besides Kali? (Ghostexorcist 13:22, 25 February 2007 (UTC))

Ghostexorcist:

Look at the my contributions section of Dipendra.

I would read more of your pieces in the coming days and give feedback on your talk page. Here's another suggestion for you. In addition to the persecution of Buddhists in Yi dynasty Korea, one can also document the military participation of Buddhist monks in the civil wars of medieval Japan. This refers to the Kamakura and Ashikaga periods - je crois.

cheers.--Dharman Dharmaratnam 14:31, 25 February 2007 (UTC)