Samvad team wishes a happy Diwali and prosperous new year to all its readers and their families. We seek your valued association with Samvad, e-samvad available on e-mail as well as on :1. FESTIVALS: Diwali , the annual festival of lights rightly described as ‘King of Festivals’ falls on Oct 17-19 this year. It is celebrated with usual fervour, devotion and gaiety. Two important events preceding Diwali are Vasubaras or Govatsa Dwadashi which falls on Kartik/Aashwin Krishna 12. It is a celebration held in honor of cows - regarded as mother by Hindus when women perrform 'puja' of cows having calf. Dhanatrayodashi which falls next to Vasubaras where, "Dhan" stands for wealth. On Dhanteras, the ‘Owl’ form of the Goddess Laxmi is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. Some also celebrate Dhanvantari Jayanti on this day to honor the great ancient doctor Dhanvantari.
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2. CHANDRAYAAN-1 CONFIRMS WATER ON MOON: Moon is not a parched dry land, but it has traces of water. Bharat’s Moon Mission Chandrayaan-1 delivered what the international scientist community has been exploring all these years. In a path-breaking discovery, which will intensify search for life outside the planet Earth, experiments carried out with the help of Chandrayaan have confirmed existence of water on the lunar surface.
Both the Bharatiya and American space scientists on September 24 announced what is seen as one of the biggest discoveries of the 21st century.
After ISRO chief Madhavan Nair confirmed Bharatiya media during the day about presence on water on the lunar surface, at midnight NASA put its seal of approval on the discovery and said Chandrayaan-1 had traced water molecules on the Moon. It also thanked the ISRO for making the discovery possible.
“We want to thank ISRO for making the discovery possible. Moon till now was thought to be a very dry surface with lot of rocks,” NASA said at a midnight Press conference. “Discovery of water is a major leap in our knowledge of the Moon. NASA’s instruments helped finding the water molecules in collaboration with ISRO,” NASA said.
The data was analysed by a team of scientists of Jet Propeller Lab in USA, and Physical Research Laboratory and Space Application Centre, both headquartered in Ahmedabad.
ISRO scientists JN Goswami and Mylswamy Annadurai, who made key contributions to the study, were ecstatic about the findings which could unleash another round of moon missions.
Amitabha Ghosh, a NASA scientist involved in studying Mars, said, “It is a very significant finding if we ever are to venture out to set up a base anywhere in the solar system, moon is the nearest destination.”
The Bharatiya Moon Mission which lasted 312 days as against originally planned two years has proved Bharatiya supremacy in the space. This is the first of the nearly 50 lunar missions in the history of the space exploration that found water on the Moon.
3. VIJAYADASHAMI BAUDDHIK: PP. SARASANGHACHALAK MOHANJI BHAGWAT: The path breaking work of RSS to organise the ‘Hindu Society' was launched on this very day Vijayadashami eighty four years back. The word ‘Hindu’ signifies an ancient culture, a way of life that has come down to us through ages. ‘Hindutva’ is this ancient culture of Bharat that teaches us a method of connecting and accommodating every one. Even the Supreme Court of Bharat has emphasised on this meaning of ‘Hindutva’.
When common people think (beyond their routine livelihood issues) about our country, the first issue that worries there mind is that of national security. We are well aquainted with the behavior and ultimate motives of Pakistan and China towards us. Bangladesh has also been creating problems for us. USA still continues to play its double game openly as well as clandestinely to protect its self interest in the Asian sub-continent. Earnest attempts are going on to bring countries like Nepal, Myanmar and Srilanka under this fold. Our parliament has resolved to bring back every inch of our land in Ladakh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh occupied by China during its aggression in 1962. China has almost cordoned Bharat by creating its influence in the neighbouring countries surrounding us. Though frequent wars and border infringements imposed on us after the independence have made us some what less complacent regarding our defense preparedness, we are still less prepared for any potential war as compared to that of China and it is necessary to make more potent arrangement to secure our borders. Immediate and severe steps need to be taken to curb continuous infiltration into our land from our porous borders and the infiltrators. As regards international diplomacy we have failed to take steps towards the realisation of the clearly defined long term goals of our country.
Years have elapsed since a national opinion was expressed by a unanimously passed resolution in the parliament that “The only problem remaining now is to liberate the POK and integrate it with the inseparable Bharatiya state of Jammu and Kashmir”. Instead of strengthening the indivisible and integrated national voice awakened by the Amaranth movement, the counter policies of the state government and administration are being supported. The fact that the legitimate rights of the people of Jammu and Ladakh are acquired not by the governments at centre or state but only by resolve, efforts and unity of people is not a healthy state of affairs. The patriotic forces in the Kashmir valley need to be strengthened. In view of this an arrangement for the return of displaced Hindus be mandated.
The antinational elements are having a field time in the north-east. In spite of the various court decrees and confirmatory reports of the intelligence agencies there is no evidence of a tough policy adopted to curb the infiltration of Bangala Deshis in either the north-east or rest of the country. The terrorists, separatists, foreign funded, proselytizing forces which we responsible for the recent bloody inhuman massacre to create enmity amongst the brotherly Jemi Naga and Dimasa tribes of north Kachar region, gain shelter from vote mongers.
The government has irrefutable information that joint association of ISI and many different foreign mercenary agencies, in tandem with antinational elements is not only behind the so called home grown Maoist extremism in the interior regions of the country and the Jehadi terror but is also active in fomenting the terrorism on both sides of the border. But there is no evidence of any policy having been put in place to immediately and effectively counter the menace. It is therefore urgently required to implement well thought out plans to provide for a ‘five pronged’ approach as brought out below:
1. Elimination of terrorist activities through simultaneous tough action by the government and administration.
2. Strengthening the security forces- modernisation and empowerment.
3. Capability enhancement of intelligence gathering and intelligence agencies.
4. Cover the entire population through extensive training and awareness programs on security of the individual and the society.
5. Early deliverance of society from unemployment, exploitation and corruption.
The fifth one relates to the issue of development. Bharat is also one of the countries in the world that can attain fast development and become economic super power. We shall have to devise a Bharat-specific concept, goals and road map of development based on our integral, holistic, human centric view of life. Bharat is still an agrarian country. What share of budget is spent on agriculture? 60% of the farmers cultivate on semi-irrigated or non- irrigated land. How many facilities such as subsidies are available for them? Majority of the farmers are either small or medium sized land owners. How many schemes are devised for them? Why does farmer, who feeds the world, is compelled to commit suicide? All the studies conclude that agriculture has become expensive. Mixed farming along with ‘Gopalan’ and ‘Gosamvardhan’ has become near extinct. Prices of agricultural produce are not decided on the basis of cost of production. The government and bank loans trap the farmers in a manner worse than old Sahukar system. Urban centric development has deprived us of security available in integral family system. We need to change the concept and path of development. We will have to come out of the vicious circle of discriminatory policies of World Trade Organisation.
Education must be self awakening that would boost self esteem and self confidence. Education should be governed by our own people. Commercialisation of education has made education exorbitant and hollow. Education that would unite the nation and connect us with the nation is completely missing from the texts and rather it is doing the reverse. The defense, economy and education policies that are centered to National-Self can only help emerge our nation an eternally affluent nation.
For the political leaders to accomplish this, the need to revolutionise our election system that will create a proper democratic set up is felt by one and all. This expectation has been clearly voiced in the three day discussion during parliamentary session that was held on the completion of 50 years of independence. National-Self, righteousness and culture are well protected in the actions and the behaviour of the society. The leaders are expected to exhibit behaviour and adopt policies that will protect and nourish unity, fellow feeling, harmony and self esteem in the society.
The basic nature of Hindu society is tolerant because ‘Hindutva’ accepts everybody and opposes none. However the culture that teaches ultimate inclusiveness, non violence and love, its deities and traditions are assaulted and chastised by monists and fanatics. Efforts are on to fragment and weaken Hindu society which shields national and humanitarian values by way of guile, deceit, force and enticement. Our politics, politicians and political system should not play with the identity, security and integrity of our nation. They should become honest and sensitive to the needs and miseries of the last person in the society.
It is necessary for every individual to be alert and active round the clock for the sake of nation. Sangha has developed this technique in the form of ‘shakha’. This is the only way to triumph over the present situation and to triumph over the situation is our desire, requirement of the world and the prerequisite for existence of Bharat. On the occasion of today’s festival of the triumph of humanity and divinity over demonic forces, let us have a resolve to follow this path.
4. ARYAN-DRAVIDIAN DIVIDE A MYTH: STUDY: The great Bharatiya divide along north-south lines now stands blurred. A pathbreaking study by Harvard and indigenous researchers on ancestral Bharatiya populations says there is a genetic relationship between all Bharatiyas and more importantly, the hitherto believed ‘‘fact’’ that Aryans and Dravidians signify the ancestry of north and south Bharatiyas might after all, be a myth. "This paper rewrites history... there is no north-south divide,’’ Lalji Singh, former director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and a coauthor of the study, said.
Senior CCMB scientist K Thangarajan added there was no truth to the Aryan-Dravidian theory as they came hundreds or thousands of years after the ancestral north and south Bharatiya had settled.
The study was conducted by CCMB along with researchers at Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health and the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT.
5. BALAGOKULAM MAKES AN IMPACT: 'Balagokulam’, a Sangh affiliated organisation of children, celebrated Krishna Jayanti throughout Keral on Ashtami Rohini, September 11, 2009. Named ‘Gitamritham 5011’, the highlights of the celebrations this year were ‘Goupuja’, ‘Vrikshapuja’, ‘Nadhi-puja’ in 5,000 different corners of the State in which lakhs participated.
On 12th evening cultural pageantry comprising of a large number of children dressed as Krishna, gopa, gopis, kuchelas, Pandavas and elephants along with traditional Kerala musical instruments, were organised in almost 500 centres in the State. A large number of parents, well-wishers and devotees participated in the cultural rally singing Hare Rama Hare Krishna and both sides of the road were packed with viewers.
Balagokulam, Kerala’s largest children’s organisation has crossed all boundaries of caste, religion, political, social and economic barriers. Even parents with communist background send their children to Gita and Purana classes of ‘Balagokulam’ and to the annual procession. Even comrades have no hesitation in participating in the procession singing bhajans. Christians and Muslims also crowd in large number to view the procession and encourage the children dressed in Puranic costumes.
6. IIT-IAN ARUN MAJUMDAR AMERICA'S GREEN CZAR: There was more than a hint of irony in the Obama White House on September 18 naming Arun Majumdar, a product of the best engineering schools in Bharat and US, as the first Director of the US Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), an agency tasked with reducing America's reliance on foreign energy supplies, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, and improving energy efficiency.
That an (Bharatiya) immigrant engineer-scientist should head the premier agency at a time Washington is hectoring the world, principally Bharat and China, to cut emissions, amid a growing trade and job protectionism, says something about the United States – and Majumdar was quick to articulate it.
A graduate (mechanical engineering) of IIT-Mumbai, Majumdar’s nomination continues the steady march of Bharatiya geeks and academics in the higher echelons of administration. The Obama administration picked Indian-Americans for the post of White House Chief Information Officer (Vivek Kundra) and Chief Technology Officer (Aneesh Chopra). Majumdar will effectively be the Chief Energy Officer.
7. GAU – GRAM YATRA LAUNCHED: With the continuous ten-minute shankhanad by world renowned shankhwadak Shri Shavantha, the 108-day Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra began from historic Theme Park in Kurukshetra on September 30. About 20,000 people including leading saints from different parts of the country, scientists, environmentalists and agriculture experts not only expressed their total support to the Yatra, but also firmly resolved to protect the cow, village and nature on the banks of the holy Brahma Sarovar. Beginning from Kurushetra the Yatra will conclude in Nagpur on January 17, 2010.
The Yatra was traditionally launched with the Gayatri and Kamdhenu yajnas and the formal rathchalan ceremony by Gokarna Peethadhishwar Shri Raghaveshwar Bharati Swamiji, film star Suresh Oberoi and many others. The dignitaries present included Pejawar Swami Vishwesh Teertha, Sadhwi Ritambhara, RSS Sarkaryavaha Bhayyaji Joshi, Ashokji Singhal and others.
8. BANGLADESH SEEKS UN STATUS FOR BANGLA LANGUAGE: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked the UN to adopt Bangla as one of its official language.Addressing the UN General Assembly Hasina said, “Bangla is spoken by over 250 million people worldwide, primarily in Bangladesh and West Bengal”.
She said given the rich heritage of Bangla and “its singular place as a symbol of people’s faith in the power of languages to sustain cultures, and indeed the identity of nations, I seek support of the membership of UNGA for its acceptance as an official language of the United Nations”.
Hasina also referred to a recent parliamentary resolution requesting the UN to acknowledge it as an official language as she delivered her speech in Bangla and became the second Bangladeshi head of the Government to speak in the language at the world body.
A graduate in Bangla language and literature Hasina is regarded as an ardent supporter of Bangla while she recently complained that Bengali language was not used appropriately and the Bengali culture was under threat.
9. 25TH NATIONAL CONFERENCE OF KALYAN ASHRAM IN KOLKATA: The Kendriya Karyakari Mandal of Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram which met in Kolkata on September 10 took a serious note of the issuance of fake caste certificates in Kandhamal district of Orissa and demanded an exemplary action against those officers who issued them.
It also demanded the constitution of an independent inquiry commission to look into the reasons and solutions of the violent incidents taking place in NC Hills region of Assam for last six months.
The National Conference on September 11 was inaugurated by Swami Devanand Brahmachari of Prem Mandir in presence of Kalyan Ashram president Shri Jagdevram Oraon. A total of 552 delegates from 32 states of the country participated in the meeting. RSS Sarkaryavah Bhaiyaji Joshi, Kshetra Pracharak Ajit Mahapatra, and other Sangh adhikaris attended the conference.
Joint general secretary of Kalyan Ashram Kripa Prasad Singh informed the conference that service projects run by the Kalyan Ashram increased to 14,441 and the number of full-time workers also increased to 1405. He said the grass-root workers of Kalyan Ashram established contact with 49,613 Vanvasi villages throughout the country. A total of 9,67,661 patients were treated during the last year through health centres and the number of beneficiaries of schools and hostels as well as single-teacher schools are 1,02,118.
A long colourful procession was taken out on September 12 by the delegates of Kalyan Ashram from Pathuria Ghat to Central Avenue’s Mahajati Sadan, where the annual function of Poorvanchal Kalyan Ashram was held. Speaking at the annual function, RSS Sahsarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosbale expressed concern over the plight of nine crore Vanvasis even after six decades of Independence. He severely criticised the procedure of acquiring the land of Vanvasis for so-called developmental projects and SEZs. Presiding over the function Shri Deendayal Gupta stressed the need for bringing back the Vanvasis to their original roots, who have been converted to Christianity or Islam. Praising the efforts of Kalyan Ashram he said Vanvasis today needed help in making them self-reliant and not charity for time being.
10. 3RD LADAKH AIRFIELD IN 17MTHS: In a first, IAF landed an AN-32 transport aircraft at Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground in eastern Ladakh, 23km from the Line of Actual Control with China.
The AN-32 aircraft, flown by Shaurya Chakra awardee Group Captain S C Chafekar, carried Western Air Command chief Air Marshal NAK Browne and Northern Army Commander Lt Gen P C Bhardwaj.
Nyoma ALG, at an altitude of 13,000 feet, is the third airfield operationalized by IAF in Ladakh in the last 17 months. It had opened an ALG at Daulat-Beg-Oldie (DBO), the worlds highest airfield at 16,200 feet, in May 2008. The second ALD was opened at Fuk Che in November 2008.
11. HINDU MANDIR EXECUTIVES CONFERENCE: Hindu mandir executives representing 111 temples and Hindu organisations from more than 25 states of US and Canada converged in Lithicum, MD, a suburb of Washington, DC, to attend the Fourth Annual Hindu Mandir Executives Conference (HMEC), from September 11-13.
Participation by several large Hindu organisations like Art of Living, Arsha Vidya Gurukulam, Arya Samaj, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Chinmaya Mission, Gayatri Pariwar, ISKON, Yogi Divine Society, Kauai’s Hindu Monastery, JKP and JK Yog, Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Sikh Center of Virginia, Devotees of Narayani Peetam and Sadhu Vaswani, and Hindu temples all over North America made HMEC an inspiring experience for the attendees.
Hindu mandir executives collectively deliberated on evolving social, religious, cultural, spiritual, and next-generational needs of 2.5 million strong, confident, diverse and vibrant Hindu-American community.
In the concluding session of the Conference, the delegates agreed on a series of action items, which emerged as a consequence of the deliberations and presentations which included observing Hindu Seva Diwas in mandirs, Develop software and e-services for mandirs, Develop training camps for Hindu ambassadors, training mandir adults and youths on essentials of Hindu dharma and Hindu society, so that they can effectively articulate the richness of our traditions to larger public etc.
12. ‘IDEOLOGY ANSWERS WHAT IS NEED OF GOVERNANCE’: BJP vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Bal Apte on September 25 said that governance does not mean just ruling over a State but also to ensure development, democracy and individual rights in the country. He said that ideology in politics means ideology in action.
Apte was speaking during a discussion on ‘Ideology and Governance’ on the occasion of the 93rd birth anniversary of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya organised by the Deen Dayal Research Institute in the national Capital.
“If ideology intends to bring a change in society, there is no harm in it being a part of governance,” said Apte. He said that governance in Bharat meant an honest government and that a pure form of governance is needed to get rid of corrupt political leadership and bureaucracy in the country, for which ideology is necessary.
13. FII INFLOW CROSSES $10 BILLION: Total inflow of funds by foreign investors in 2009 on September 22 crossed the psychologically-important mark of $10 billion. After a year of net outflow in 2008 - the first such event this decade - foreign institutional investors (FIIs) are back again in the Bharatiya market in a big way. Looking at the trend and the pace of flow, market analysts and brokers feel that FII inflows are set for an uptrend now.
A recent research report by foreign broking major CLSA noted that a number of large companies would list on Bharatiya bourses and that could also boost FII inflows.
14. IAF OFFICER SKYDIVES NEAR EVEREST PEAK: Indian Air Force officer Air Commodore Ramesh Chandra Tripathi on September 23 became one of the few adventurers in the world who skydived near the world's tallest peak Mount Everest along with two Britons.
Tripathi along with two Britons -- Leo Dickinson and Ralph Mitchell skydived out from a helicopter from 6,000 metre to land his skydiving chute at the Everest base camp at Gorak Shep situated at 5,164 meter, which is known as the highest point for skydiving.
15. 25,000 SWAYAMSEVAKS IN UNIFORM IN DELHI: More than 25,000 swayamsevaks in RSS uniform attended Sarsanghchalak Mohanji Bhagwat’s bauddhik varga at Dwarka, Delhi on October 2. RSS Delhi prant mobilized this massive gathering which exhibited Vyayam Yoga, Sooryanamaskar and Ghosh Pradarshan. Shri Bhagwat remembered Gandhiji, Lal Bahadur Shastriij on their birth anniversary and appealed to garner strength so that Bharat can guide the world to the path of peace and harmony.
16. COW’S ‘FIRST MILK’ WILL JOIN BATTLE AGAINST SWINE FLU: It will now be cow versus swine. As the world grapples with H1N1, cows in Anand, the country's milk capital, will provide the all-important ingredient to tackle the menace.
After giving the country utterly, butterly, delicious milk products for almost five decades, Amul is ready to take on deadly viruses as it joins hands with a Mumbai-based company to collect `first milk' - which provides immunity to the newborn calf - to come out with an oral spray that increases the human's immune system against viruses, including HIV and H1N1.
The milk is being collected from Amul's milk co-operatives and the product, Receptor, will be marketed by the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), which owns the Amul brand.
17. RS 1 LAKH BID TO SPEND A DAY WITH NARAYANA MURTHY: How much are you willing to shell out to spend a day with Infosys chief mentor N R Narayana Murthy? Perhaps Rs 1 lakh? That’s exactly what Indian School of Business (ISB) students bid in ‘Shadow a CEO’ programme.
Among the 26 business leaders who participated in this programme to celebrate the ‘Joy of Giving Week’ initiated by the Give India Foundation, the highest bid was for Narayana Murthy. Sources told TOI the next highest bid was Kumar Mangalam Birla but refused to divulge the amount.
The online bidding was between September 21 and 23 and process gathered momentum with the maximum bids received in the last 12 hours.
There were totally 1,196 bids, bringing the academic, corporate and social sector together. The top three bidders for each CEO will be evaluated and a final decision will be made.Management students will be able to spend a day with a CEO of their choice.
18. WORSHIP OF COW AND THE GANGA INTEGRAL TO THE NATION-SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR : "The cow and Ganga are the eyes of the nation. But both these eyes are in danger today. The government statistics say that there will be only 20 cows against 1,000 people in the country by the year 2011. These are government statistics, the real situation may be more alarming. We cannot even imagine this situation in our country," said Sri Sri Ravishankar. He was talking to mediapersons in Bengaluru on September 15. The Press conference was organised by the Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra Samiti at the Art of Living International Centre. Sri Sri Ravishankar has extended full support to the Vishwa Mangal Gou Gram Yatra. Sri Raghaveshwara Bharathi Swamiji of Ramchandrapura Muth and Sri Balagangadharanatha Swami were also present at the Press conference.
19. OCEANSAT-2 UP: WILL HELP KEEP BETTER WATCH ON SEAS, CYCLONES: Just past its 16th birthday and on its 16th mission, Bharat's Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) placed with characteristic perfection the country's 16th remote sensing satellite in a pre-designated orbit of 728 km.
It was the 15th consecutive successful mission for the 44-metre, 230-tonne launch vehicle, designated C-14 for this mission, ever since it failed on its debut on September 20, 1993.
"The PSLV is like old wine, it's improving with age,'' said ISRO chairman G Madhavan Nair after what he said was an excellent and precise launch. Oceansat-2, the country's second ocean studies satellite that aims to aid fishermen in identifying fishing zones and weathermen to forecast cyclones by measuring sea surface winds, was injected in a 728-km orbit, exactly 1,081 seconds after lift-off at 11.51 am.
Oceansat-2, which will ensure continuity in services provided by its predecessor Oceansat-1 since 1999, has the potential to considerably enhance these services, thanks to its three payloads, said R R Navalgund, director of the Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad. It will provide data on plant life in the ocean and changes in the oceans colour.
20. CHURCHES JOIN VIDYARAMBHAM: Several Christian churches in Kerala joined the Hindus in observing Vidyarambham, the ceremony of initiating tiny tots into the world of letters, on September 28, the Vijayadasami day, upholding the secular tradition of God’s Own Country. While some churches were doing it for the first time, several others kept their love for the ceremony alive by hosting the festival of letters once again.
At St Thomas Jacobite Church at Kakkanad, off Kochi, a trendsetter among the churches in hosting the ceremony, Fr Varghese Kallappara, wrote on the tongues of the toddlers the first alphabets of mother tongue Malayalam, English and their holy language, Syrian.
Hundreds of tots and parents reached the Madre de Dues Church in Thiruvananthapuram city, popularly known as the Vettukadu Church for the ceremony. The Vettukad Church had been conducting special Vidyarambham functions for the past five years.
400 children took part in the function at the church. The Vidyarambham ceremony here, led by Fr Joseph Chalil and Fr Alex, included special prayers also.
Vidyarambham ceremony was also conducted at the St George Orthodox Church at Spencer Junction and the Bishop House at Pattom in the capital city. At the Bishop’s House, four toddlers were initiated into the world of letters by Major Archbishop Mar Baselios Cleemis.
More than 30 toddlers were given the taste of letters at St George Orthodox Church in Thiruvananthapuram, which had been hosting Vidyarambham ritual for the past three years.
21. MADE-IN-INDIA 'INS SHIVALIK' TO BE INDUCTED SOON: Soon, very soon, Bharat will add another lethal punch to its growing ‘‘blue-water’’ warfare capabilities by inducting an indigenously-designed and manufactured ‘‘stealth’’ frigate.
The 5,300-tonne frigate, INS Shivalik, armed with a deadly mix of foreign and indigenous weapon and sensor systems, is currently undergoing ‘‘advanced’ ’ pre-commissioning sea trials.
Interestingly, apart from Russian Shtil surface-to-air missile systems, Klub anti-ship cruise missiles and other weapons, the multi-role frigate is also armed with the Israeli ‘Barak-I’ anti-missile defence system. ‘‘INS Shivalik is the first stealth frigate to be designed and built in Bharat. It’s a matter of great pride for the country. It should be ready to enter service in Navy in November’’, said director-general of naval design, Rear Admiral M K Badhwar.
22. FIVE BHARATIYAS ON AMAZON’S GREATEST MUSIC ALBUMS: Five Bharatiya artistes have made it to Amazon.com's 100 Greatest World Music albums of all time. The list includes albums of Asha Bhosle, Ustaad Ali Akbar Khan, Shujaat Hussain Khan and A.R. Rahman.
These artistes share space with some of the most popular and respected world musicians like Bob Marley, French-Algerian Rachid Taha and Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Amazon.com is an American multinational electronic commerce company and a major online music and video retailer across the world.
23. DIVINE ENERGY FOR THE COLOSSE TEMPLE OF REUNION: The Hindu temple of Colosse near St. Andre on Reunion Island has celebrated its kumbhabhishekam. A thousand worshippers attended the three-day consecration organized by the Pandialee Association. Many dignitaries were present for the big day, including the Consul of India (RS Badwal), the mayor of Saint-Andre (Eric Fruteau), the president of the Federation of Temples (Daniel Minienpoulle), and the president of Gopio (Paul Canaguy). The Association praised the four Bharatiya workers who worked on the decoration for two years, and gave thanks to the priests Adrien Ponapin, “Nono” Ponama and Andre Latchaya, to the devotees, and to RFO for its coverage of the festivities (TV and Radio). A book about the temple titled “Koloss,” newly published by Ocean Editions, was released at the event.
24. PANAMA GANESH FESTIVAL: A millennial celebration, full of color and traditions, is remembered every year by about three thousand Hindus living in Panama, who first came as nineteenth century immigrants.
This year was the first time the Hindu temple celebrated the Ganesh festival with a five foot tall clay statue that was brought from Bharat.
On the Veracruz beach, the image was placed on the seashore and, between songs and cheers, a brief ceremony was performed by Swami Bakulesh Vyas. Two boats were waiting in the water and a hundred yards offshore, Ganesh was immersed into the sea. On the beach, the women sang and danced in a final round of praise
25. AIIMS DOCS TO TREAT PATIENTS IN AFRICA, ONLINE: Telemedicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will go international from October 2009 when doctors sitting in Delhi will diagnose and treat patients in 54 countries across Africa. The project is the brainchild of former President of Bharat, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who on a visit to the continent in 2005 had promised medical assistance to African nations.
Thus AIIMS specialists will examine patients, diagnose their problems and direct their treatment — all of it online. Anticipating patient overload, AIIMS plans to divide the project into two parts — online and offline analysis. In the first, patient-doctor interaction will take place on the spot, while in the latter, specialists at AIIMS will be sent detailed medical histories of patients in batches through e-mail. which they can study at their own convenience.
26. BHARATIYA DOCTORS CURE THALASSAEMIA USING STEM CELLS: When others of her age played with dolls, eight-year-old Thamirabharani was taking blood transfusions. Born with thalassaemia, she has, however, found hope. She was detected with the disease when she was a year and a half and has been undergoing regular blood transfusions .
Haematologist Revathy Raj and his team from Apollo Gleneagles hospital in Chennai gave a new lease of life to the little girl from Coimbatore through stem cell transplantation. Doctors said she is now fully cured and has not needed a single transfusion since March. Doctors claimed this is the first success story in Bharat. using the stem cells from the umbilical cord blood of a sibling.
27. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Visitors: Pulakit Arya U.K., Mangatram Sharma , Sakshi & Priyanka Sharma Denmark, Ramkishor Gupta – South Africa.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: It is not today that I am saying that nationalism is a faith, it is a dharma (religion); rather I mean to say that Sanatana dharma is itself nationalism for us. Hindu nation was born with Sanatana dharma, it lives with this dharma and grows with dharma. When Sanatana dharma degenerates, so also does this nation; and if sanatana dharma could die, with it this nation would have died. Sanatana dharma is nationalism. – Sri Arvind (Aurobindo) in this famous Uttarpada speech.
JAI SHREE RAM
