1. FESTIVALS: Santhal Tradition in its Pristine Glory: For a large section of Santhals from Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and
"It's not certain if this tradition is really seven centuries old. But it's been there for centuries and has held the Santhals together,” says Subhankar Maity, a researcher on Purulia.
2. DISPUTED SITE IS RAM BIRTHPLACE - HC: On September 30, the
3. JUDGES’ RESPONSE TO SIX CORE QUESTIONS:
Issue 1: Who has the exclusive possession of the disputed site? Justice Sudhir declined exclusive possession to either of the contesting parties as the members of both the communities visited the inner courtyard for the purpose of worship. Justice SU Khan held it was “unique and absolutely unprecedented” that inside the compound Hindu and Muslims worshipped at the same site. Justice D V Sharma ruled the entire property is the site of Janm Bhumi of Lord Ram.
Issue 2: What would be the status of the 2.77 acres disputed site? Justice Agarwal concluded the disputed site belonged to both communities. Ordered its partition into three portions. Specified that the site where idols are present would belong to Ram Lalla. Justice Khan declared both parties as joint title-holders in possession and directed the site’s partition. Agreed with Justice Agarwal on handing over the idols-site to Hindus, Justice Sharma held the entire site belonged to Hindus. Issue 3: Whether the disputed structure was a mosque built by Babar: Justice Agarwal held that it has not been proved that Babar or Mir Baqi built disputed structure. Justice Khan said there was no direct evidence that Babar got the disputed structure built. Justice Sharma concluded the structure did not have the character of a mosque as it was built against the tenets of Islam.
Issue 4: Whether the structure was constructed after pulling down a Hindu temple: Justice Agarwal held the disputed structure was constructed after demolition of a Hindu temple. Justice Khan said no temple was demolished and mosque was built over temple ruins. Justice Sharma cited the Archaeological Survey of India report, proving there was a Hindu structure.
Issue 5: Is the disputed site the birth place of Lord Ram? Justice Agarwal held the area covered under the central dome is the birthplace of Lord Ram as per faith and belief of Hindus. Justice Khan too said that Hindus had started believing that the place beneath the central dome was the exact birth place of Lord Ram. Justice Sharma declared the disputed site as Lord Ram’s birthplace.
Issue 6: Whether there were idols in the disputed structure: Justice Agarwal said the idols were under the shikhar “but not from time immemorial” and were kept there in the night of December 22 and 23, 1949. Justice Khan agreed the idol was placed for the first time beneath the central dome of the mosque. Justice Sharma said the idols were placed in the middle dome of the disputed structure.
4. RSS SARSANGHACHALAK MOHAN BHAGWAT’s STATEMENT ON THE AYODHYA JUDGEMENT: Through today's verdict the Allahabad High Court has acknowledged and ratified the age-old faith of crores of people of Bharat in Maryada Purushottam Sri Ram and his Janm Bhumi. Therefore, I welcome and congratulate the honourable Justices who delivered it. I also congratulate the battery of lawyers who were involved in this legal battle, all the saints who were leading the Ram Janm Bhumi movement and all others including the people of the country who participated in it in a big way. I offer my respectful homage to the sacred and inspiring memory of all those Karsevaks like Kothari brothers who have laid down their lives in the movement for reestablishing that faith.
Building of the Ram temple signifies the identity, honour, independence and valour of our country. Sri Ram is the epitome of the eternal, inclusive, caring and tolerant culture of our Bharat. The movement for
Hence this verdict, that facilitates building of a magnificent temple for Maryada Purushottam Ram, should not be seen by the society as a victory to any group or defeat to the other. Our joy and happiness should find expression in a controlled, peaceful manner within the limits of law and Constitution; uncalled for provocations must be avoided. This is an excellent opportunity to rise above all the past experiences in the spirit of our tolerant and inclusive national culture and strive to organise our diverse, multiple-lingual and multiple-religious society into a united, disciplined and conflict-free one inspired by a grand and sacred vision.
Hence I take this opportunity to heartily and affectionately call upon all our countrymen including the Muslims to forget all the ill-will and hard feelings borne out of the conflicts of the past decades and welcome the verdict of the judiciary, thus becoming active colla-borators in organising necessary constitutional and practical means for building the magnificent temple for Maryadapurushottam Sri Ram.
5.
Folk artistes performed Thanjai Sangamam that comprised Tamil folk arts at five different locations in Thanjavur. The town was beautifully lit-up and idols of Raja Raja Chola were kept at various places. An exhibition on Chola’s contribution to Tamil culture, art and music at
A symposium organized on this occasion was attended by Tamil scholars from different parts of the State. A conference on the architectural marvel of the
Chief Minister M Karunanidhi who arrived on September 25 witnessed a Bharatanatyam recital by 1,000 dancers led by Padma Subrahmanyam. Deputy Chief Minister M K Stalin, Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi,
At the valedictory function, Karunanidhi delivered a special address. The event was presided over by Anbazhagan. A postal stamp on King Raja Raja Chola was released by Union IT and Communication Minister A Raja. Also a coin on the
6. ISI CHIEF LIED TO CIA, BLAMED ONLY ‘ROGUES’ FOR MUMBAI ATTACKS: Less than a month after the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan’s spy agency chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha had admitted to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that the terror strikes had ISI links but claimed it was not an “authorised” operation and carried out by “rogue” elements, according to a new book.
However, CIA later received reliable intelligence that the ISI was directly involved in the training for Mumbai, says the book, Obama’s War, written by American investigative journalist Bob Woodward.
The author says the Mumbai terrorists spoke with handlers back in
7. ‘HUJI, NOT HINDU GROUP, BEHIND
NCTC director Michael Leiter, submitted as much in his ‘Statement for the Record’ before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, on September 22. Before the CBI took over the case, the
8. FIRST ASTROSAT TO BE LAUNCHED BY ISRO NEXT YEAR: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)'s Byalalu campus, 30km from
Earlier, Byalalu had helped Bharat coast through its first Moon mission Chandrayaan-1. It also houses Bharat's Deep Space Network (IDSN).
S K Shivakumar, director of ISRO's ISTRAC centre which oversees the Byalalu campus, said, ''Byalalu is ready for Bharat's first dedicated astronomy mission. The building, technology and equipment to handle the mission are ready. ISRO has installed technology for the Astrosat mission that is comparable to the best in the world. ISRO developed, designed and installed all infrastructure on its own.''
9. DESI FIRMS SCORE OVER MNCs IN ATTRACTING TALENT: With the Bharatiya economy growing fast and the job market picking up momentum , headhunters across the country are on a hiring spree. And this time around it is not the MNCs but the desi companies.
Industry experts say Bharat's mid-level executives which were once attracted to the glamour of MNCs, are now preferring financially robust Bharatiya firms. Experts are of the opinion that the definition of a Bharatiya company itself has changed over the years with a new face of Bharat Inc emerging and it's not just the Wipro or Infosys.
Staffing companies who provide manpower to companies agree that there's an increased interest among premium talent to be part of up-and-coming ventures across sectors like travel, telecom, healthcare, financial services, product development and IT. Some even estimate that there is 30%-40 % increased hiring in these companies in roles such as sales and marketing compared to MNCs.
10. IIT-M TO SET UP OBSERVATORY TO KEEP AN EYE ON
Each IIT, which is free to pick the country it wants to study, will establish an observatory and study the developments of nations strategic to Bharat. IIT-Madras, which mooted the proposal, is setting up a centre that will follow
11. A Divya First Woman To Get Sword Of Honour: Year after year, a gentleman cadet receives the ‘sword of honour’, the best all-round cadet award, at the passing-out parade of the Officers’
Daughter of Ajith Kumar, a Chennai-based businessman, Divya’s childhood ambition was to become an IAS officer. “But once I started interacting with Army officers in the NCC camps, I was clear about my career,’’ she says.
12. BMS TO
13. Kashmiris should be the focus, not separatists - Jaitley: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suggested to the Government that it should address the alienation of common Kashmiris before engaging the separatists.
"The common people are certainly alienated while the separatists are stoking the feeling of disenchantment for legitimising their azadi demand. The Government needs to create a distinction between these two. It must revisit its Kashmir policy, which has made the issue more complex in the last few decades," Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, who was part of the all-party delegation to
The party was seriously worried about the popular perception that military was out to kill the average Kashmiri — though not a single person has been killed by Army’s bullets—and wanted the Government to spread the message that the armed forces also had suffered heavy casualties. At least 2,500 security personnel are recuperating in various hospitals of
14. Rashtrapati Gives Grant To
Patil announced a grant of $246,000 for the school. This is the only engagement Bharat has with
The school has an interesting history, and an accidental Bharatiya association. First built in 1981 and named the
The Bharatiya Embassy recently gave financial aid for a new tube well and playing equipment to the school.
15.
According to a release issued by the Ministry of Environment & Forest (MoEF), the members have discussed initial steps in developing a regional cooperation framework for the sacred landscape, including a feasibility report, conservation strategy and environment monitoring plan.
The landscape includes the southwestern parts of Tibet Autonomous Region of China and adjacent Himalayan regions in Bharat and
The framework is expected to focus on trans-boundary biodiversity and environmental and cultural conservation, scientific and technical cooperation, information exchange and sharing, regional guidelines and policy mechanisms. The workshop had 25 participants representing 14 institutions and senior Government officials from Bharat and
16. SPEAKERS FROM BHARAT AT HINDU SWAYAMSEVAK SANGH MEET IN
They were utterly delighted to be among Hindus who have maintained the tradition and culture so much, so that they felt they were at home. An attendance of more than a hundred people had the opportunity to hear from the experienced speakers about their views on the visit to
17. GANESH PUJA IN US: Hindu Swyamsevak Sangh (HSS) celebrated Ganesh Pooja in many cities of US. Practicing Hindus and others gathered on September 19 at the Governor Hotel in
“This is a family,” Basavapatna said of the organization. “We learn together.” Mallik Bulusu asked the children to name Ganesha’s characteristics, many of which are deeply rooted in symbolism. “Big ears,” one child shouted, with the idea that we must listen more. “Small eyes,” another child said, meaning one should concentrate.
Participants, about 1000, varied from strict Hindus to those who were just becoming interested. Balaji Narayanan, who moved to the
Other attendees, including Les Peterson of Tumwater, had never attended a Hindu ceremony prior to Sunday. After growing up in a Christian household and dabbling in many religions, Peterson arrived at Hinduism, a religion he says lines up closely with his interpretation of modern science. He brought along his 13-year-old son to check out the ceremony.
In Naperville-Aurora Shakha on September 12, kids had made Ganesh Murthis. On September 19, 135 including 70 kids participated in the Ganesh Puja, 3rd year in succession. The Sevikas decorated the room with a flower rangoli and beautiful banners. Individual kits were prepared for each child to carry with them all the essentials for performing pooja.
The function began with a Bharatnatyam dance performance by Natasha Gupta, praising the manifestations of different forms of MahaVishnu. Balagokulam kids invoked the blessings of Sri Ganesh by chanting Ganapati. Kavya, a fifth grader then performed a beautiful Bharatnatyam dance to invoke the blessings of Lord Padmanabha and goddess Lakshmi. Ganesh pooja was led by Tushar and Jaya Bhawtankar and was performed individually by all the children.
18. HINDU HERITAGE CAMP FOR THE BHUTANESE REFUGEES was a great success. The camp was held in a shelter at
Twenty Bhutanese kids (mostly teenagers and some younger children) attended the camp. The prayers from the Ish Chintan, games like Sher-Bakri, Sudharshan Chakra, Dog and Bone, Cockfight, and Ram-Krishna; and Bouddhik on Prominent Hindus in
19. AMERICAN FOOTBALLER RICKY WILLIAMS TURNS TO HINDUISM: Welcoming well-known American football player Ricky Williams to Hinduism fold on September 11, a US-based Hindu group has suggested inclusion of yoga into practice routine of National Football League (NFL) teams. Hindu statesman Rajan Zed applauded Errick Lynne "Ricky" Williams Jr., running back for the Miami Dolphins of NFL, for 'resurrecting' his career reportedly through spirituality, yoga, meditation and ayurveda.
His spiritual journey, which reportedly transformed him to a healthy warrior at the ripe age of 33, could prove inspiring to other players. He reportedly visited Bharat, and is vegetarian and a certified yoga instructor. Name of one of his daughters is Asha and he has reportedly learnt selfless action and humility from Hinduism.
20. BHARAT TO RENOVATE 11TH CENTURY SHIVA
Wat Phou is a ruined Khmer temple complex in southern
"It is an ongoing restoration project which started in 2009. The work restarts again after the end of rainy season in Lao. It will take seven years for completion of the project. It will also help us to understand common cultural heritage of Lao," Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Vijaya Latha Reddy said.
The inscriptions found in the area suggest that the ancient city itself was founded around the middle of 5th century. The site is now a major centre of Theravada Buddhist worship.
In the 12 century, Wat Phou and Angkor Vat formed the axis of Khmer Empire which also were linked by a 200 km long ancient road between the two heritage sites.
21. SUPREME COURT ON CWG: RS. 70,000 CRORE AND RAMPANT CORRUPTION: The audacious corruption cultivated by the Commonwealth Games has irked the Supreme Court. In particular, the court is livid about the pedestrian bridge that collapsed near the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium earlier this month, just days after it was completed.
"In this country, payments are made without work being done. Newly constructed bridge collapsed like a pack of cards. 70,000 crores are involved. There is rampant corruption in the country. We cannot shut our eyes. Till October 15, Common wealth is a public purpose - thereafter, everything will become private purpose," observed the court.
The comments came during a case that establishes that the government has violated laws aimed at preserving the historic Jantar Mantar monument in the capital.
22. SEWA BHARATI TO REHABILITATE LEH FLOOD VICTIMS: The relief operation by Sangh swayamsevaks in flood hit areas of Ladakh is still going on. According to Srinivas Murthy, Uttar Kshetra Sewa Pramukh of the RSS, a total of 70 trucks relief material collected from Punjab, Haryana,
23. ALUMNUS GIVES 18.6CR IN ASSETS TO MADRAS UNIV: Bharat-born Rajasekar Sham, who specialized in nuclear medicine in the US, and his wife Lucila made extensive plans before attempting to end their lives two years ago.The couple cancelled their phone, stopped their social security benefits, and prepaid the years income taxes. They also drew up their wills bequeathing 50% of the money from their assets to the
24. BHARAT DONATES $20M TO UN TOWARDS PAK FLOOD RELIEF: Permanent Representative of Bharat to the UN Ambassador Hardeep Singh Puri on September 17 met Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and handed him a cheque for US$ 20 million as Bharat’s contribution towards the Pakistan Emergency Response Plan in presence of the Pakistani Ambassador to the UN, Abdullah Hussain Haroon in New York.
Mr Puri conveyed the messages of solidarity, sympathy and support from the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and external affairs minister SM Krishna to their Pakistani counterparts in the immediate aftermath of the devastating floods that affected parts of
25. PIRATE ATTACK NEUTRALIZED IN GULF OF ADEN: Striking yet another blow against piracy in the
26. THREE BHARATIYA-AMERICANS IN US ADVISORY COMMISSION: US President Barack Obama has appointed three eminent Bharatiya-Americans to key administration posts as members of his advisory panel on Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, a body aimed at increasing participation of the over 16 million-strong community in federal programs.
The three Bharatiya-Americans appointed to the commission are Farooq Kathwari, Chairman, President and CEO of Ethan Allen Interiors; Sunil Puri, President and sole owner of First Rockford Group, Inc, a real estate development firm he founded in 1984; and Amardeep Singh, co-founder and presently Director of Programs at ‘Sikh Coalition’, the US’ largest Sikh civil rights organization.
27. TWO-DAY WORKERS SAMMELAN OF NEPALI SANSKRITI PARISHAD: "Bharat is the only country in the world which can ensure security to all the ways of worship today. The reason is that majority of the Bharatiyas are followers of Sanatan Hindu culture. There is no country in the world other than Bharat, where the minorities are enjoying every kind of freedom and are fully safe," said RSS National Executive Member Indresh Kumar. He was addressing the concluding ceremony of a two day workers sammelan of Nepali Sanskriti Parishad in Siliguri on September 12. Indresh Kumar is also founder and patron of the Parishad.
28. VHP HONOURED SALIM ALI WHO CHASED JAMA MASZID SHOOTERS: Vishwa Hindu Prishad on September 25 honoured Salim Ali who chased Jama Maszid shooters on September 19. The highest spritual guru Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Vashudevanand Saraswati honoured him with a shawl, chunni & shri fal in a function organised by the
29. SENSEX AT ANOTHER 32-MONTH HIGH: On September 27 BSE benchmark Sensex closed at a fresh 32-month high, led by blue-chips such as RIL and SBI amid firm global cues. Rising for the second straight session, Sensex ended higher by 72.20 points, or 0.36 per cent, at 20,117.38 its best finish since January, 15, 2008, when the index settled at 20,251.09. The Nifty-50 index of the National Stock Exchange ended 0.29 per cent higher at 6,035.6. The Sensex shuttled between a high of 20,267.98 and a low of 20,082.26 points during the day's trade.
30. FINALLY, BHARATIYA PAVILION AT 2011
31. Pandits brush up mantras ahead of Puja: It was raining since morning. There was heavy waterlogging in most areas of
Purohits from across the State and even across the border had gathered here for the last 10 days to understand the rituals and mantras better. “It is imperative for these pandits to know what they are doing. Most often, they chant mantras and perform rituals without comprehending their significance,” said Jayanta Kusharya, a Sanskrit professor.
32. ADVANI LAUDS AMERICAN VEDIC SCHOLAR ON BLOG: BJP leader LK Advani has lauded great American Vedic scholar David Frawley aka Vamdev Shastri who has expertise in Yoga and Ayurveda and heads the American Institute of Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Advani, who participated in a function to felicitate the American scholar on his 60th birthday along with BJP MP Chandan Mitra and RSS leader Dattatreya Hosabale at senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu’s residence, has appreciated the invaluable work done by Frawley in his blog. He lauded Frawley for telling to the world, the values and concepts propounded by Hinduism, valid not only for Hindus but the universe.
Frawley, who works with Dr Deepak Chopra and Dr David Simon, has written many books his latest work is Universal Hinduism: Towards a New Vision of Sanatana Dharma.
33. AFSPA WITHDRAWAL NOT GOOD IDEA: ARMY CHIEF: Supporting the reservations Bharatiya Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal PV Naik has against the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Army chief General VK Singh too on September 25 expressed the doubt if the withdrawal would be a good idea.
Talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a passing-out parade at the Officers’
34. TV ANANDAN PASSES AWAY: Former Prant Karyavah and Prant Sanghachalak of RSS, Keral prant TV Anandan passed away at
35. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr.Shankar Tatwawadi, Samyojak Vishwa Vibhag has arrived in Bharat from UK.He will tour
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: "We want a temple constructed at the Janmabhoomi because earlier there existed a temple and it was demolished to humiliate the Hindu society. It was an act of invasion. This is only righting a wrong. Reconstruction of the temple is everybody’s responsibility. It is not fair to oppose it since Sri Ram is a symbol of our national identity." -- RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat speaking at the Indian Women Press Corps (IWPC) in New Delhi on September 14, 2010.
JAI SHREE RAM
