VISHWA SANGHA SHIBIR–2010
December 29, 2010 – January 3, 2011
THE FIFTH VISHWA SANGHA SHIBIR was held in the precincts of Rani Laxmibai Girls Sainik School, Pirangut, 25 kilometres from Pune from 29th December 2010 to 3rd January 2011.December 29, 2010 – January 3, 2011
Total Participants : 517 Countries : 35
Purush : 330 Bhagini 152 Bal 35
More than one third of the participants were visiting Bharat for the first time. 87 years old Jagadish Chandra Shastri ‘Sharada’, one of the two pioneer swayamsevaks who started sangha shakha on the deck of SS Amara in August 1946 en-route Mombasa from Mumbai, was the centre of attraction throughout the Shibir.
For shakha, male swayamsevaks were divided in 16 ganas according to their age. Shareerik and games were the main constituents of Shakha. Sevikas concentrated on yogic practices an impressive show of which was put up by them on 2nd January in the Samarop karyakram. Children’s varga was held separately.
INAUGURATION: Inauguration of the shibir at 6.00 pm on 29th December was preceded by an impressive Shobha Yatra comprising male and female bands of dhol, tasa, nagara, ghanta, manjira etc.; girls on the horse-back; traditional dances; children representing gods and goddesses; colourful bullock carts; swayamsevaks in bhagwa turbans and sevikas in their colourful attire. Shibir was inaugurated with Vedpath by Madhav Kelkar and others and Shivasamkalp recital by Kshama Khare and her companions. Badrinath Murthy, President, Vishwa Adhyayan Kendra introduced various karyakartas of the shibir. In his inaugural address PP Narayankaka Dhekane Maharaj, the revered Yogi from Nasik, emphasized that Hindu religion is the highest religion which will carry the whole world to the goal of Vishwa Shanti and to fulfill that goal Hindus will encompass the whole world and that Praana Shakti is the common platform on which we can bring all the countries. Vishwa Sangh Souvenir; Secrets of RSS, Saga of Hindu Migration, Parmanand Madhavam books; and the calendar of Rashtra Sevika Samiti were released during the inaugural ceremony. RSS Sarkaryavah Ma Suresh alias Bhayyaji Joshi said that first Sangha shakha outside Bharat started on the deck of the ship SS Amara in August 1946 and a little later in Nairobi, Kenya in 1947. Wherever Hindus have gone they have stuck to their religion making the world a family, have maintained their traditions and the method of worship, and have contributed to the progress of the country of their residence.
Agewise Breakup Professional Breakup
Below 14: 35 Medical : 11
14-25 : 54 Academics : 26
26-45 : 157 Businesses : 61
46-65 : 155 Professionals : 82
Above 65 : 117
The day in the shibir started with Ish Chintan and progressed with morning and evening shakhas, vishesh shaareerik, interactive discussions and charchas on overall status of Sangh activities in different countries, and Bauddhik sessions of 75 minutes each in the evening. Samanantar( Parallel ) sessions were held on 30th December and 1st January. Some of the subjects and speakers of these samanantar sessions were: Pariwar Prabodhan by Krishnappaji, ICCS by Dr Yashwantrao Pathak, Shiksha Bachao Andolan by Atul Kothari, A New Approach to Ayurved by Dr Gyaneshwar, Awareness of Sanskrit in the World by Vasuraj, Hindupedia by Krishnaji Maheshwari, Veda and Vedanta in Today’s World by Dr N S Rajaram, e-shakha initiative by Heramb Kularni, A Peep in the Past through Archeology by Sharadrao Hebalkar, International Centre for Cultural Studies by Dr Radhey Shiam Dwivedi, Youth Activism in Present Context by Sunilji Ambekar, Concept of Pancha Koshiya ‘Personality Development’ by Laxminarayan ji Bhala, Rangoli Workshop by Madhuri Tai Apale, Tamil interaction by Raviji Iyer, Online Social Networks and Their Impact by Hetal Rach, Need for Cultural Tourism to Bali by Rajeshji Mudholkar and Dupalaji, and Go Raksha Andolan by Dr Ajitji Rawal.
SHAKHA VRUTTA: There are 75 shakhas in UK. Sangha Sandesh monthly is internally circulated in UK. Hindu Sevika Samiti has 27 shakhas with an average attendance of 400. 5,000 participated in the Hindu Experience held in summer. 5,000 in 90 odd groups participated in the National Seva Day organized by Seva International. Seva Day is also celebrated in collaboration with Jewish community.
Finland runs an e-shakha of the international level. Netherlands has had its shakha in 1988, the first shakha in Europe after England. It has 11 shakhas now while Norway and Denmark have one each.
About 60 shakhas are running in Trinidad and Tobago, Surinam and Guyana. There are mostly young workers. Vargas are being held there for the last 10 years. The problem there is that the swayamsevaks move out quite frequently. 137 weekly shakhas with an average attendance of 300 per week are held in US. More than 25 of these are the family shakhas. Hindu Yuva Shakhas are being held in 22 universities. Praudha shakhas are being held at 2 places. There are 5 pracharaks in US and 2 in the Caribbean countries. 10 shakhas are running in Canada. Sangha Shiksha Varg is being held there for the last 3 years. There is good contribution of youth there.
Dr. Shankarrao Tattwavadi, Sanyojak, Vishwa Vibhag gave an overall view of Sangh work in different parts of the world. Sangh work is going on in 5 continents. SAARC countries have shakhas with 150 daily shakhas in Nepal. HSS has presence in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji islands. 80 shakhas are running in war-torn Srilanka. Sanatan Dharma Swayamsevak Sangh is functioning in Myanmar since 1950. 2 shakhas are also running in South Korea. Seva work is going on among college students and the potential therein has been tremendous. 2 shakhas are running in Auckland and Hamilton in New Zealand. There are 15 shakhas are running in Malaysia. 582 sammilans have been there. Bali has 3 shakhas, out of which 1 runs in Jog Jakarta. No shakha in Sweden but Germany has one shakha in Hamburg. Kenya has 12 Sangha shakhas and 3 Samiti shakhas. Uganda has 5 while South Africa has 10 sangha and 1 Samiti shakha. Mauritius has 5 + 2 (Samiti) shakhas while Tanzania and Botswana have 1 each. Srilanka has 61 + 40 shakhas while Nepal has 145 shakhas. Singapore and Hong Kong have 2 each. Bal Gokulam. Indonesia and New Zealand have 3 each while Phiji and Korea have 2 each. Thailand, Japan and China have 1 shakha each.
BAUDDHIK PROGRAMS: There were 3 different shrenis ( groups ) namely Karyakarta, Swakeeya and Yuwa for bauddhik programs. 170 delegates enrolled in the karyakarta gat.shibir. There was a discussion on the problems faced in making the karyakartas and in retaining them on 31st December 2010 in the morning. Amita from UK said that language is a barrier. Sports competitions, Sangh internship, National Seva Day and University Seva Projects are running.
Digant Das from US said that family shakha concept gave way to Balgokulam and then to karyakarta. Varga, Sakhi Sammelan, Surya Namaskar Yajna, Hindu Sangathan utsav, Ganesh Puja etc. are giving it further impetus.
Vikas from Guyana said that concept of shakha there is as in Bharat. Shrikant Bhave from New Zealand said that in weekly parivar shakhas it is becoming difficult to retain those karyakartas who have been trained in Bharat. Communication between youth and old karyakarta, Ganesh Puja, Father-son, informal get together are proving beneficial to shakha work.
Dharmendra Dholakia from Canada said that the shakhas are family shakhas. Guruvandana and food drives are also held. Weather is the biggest challenge. Shakhas are 6 months outdoor and six months indoor. Distances, parents’ reluctance in running Balgokulam. Hindus move after 10-20 years. It is difficult to attract Tamils and Gujaratis.
Samir Kshirsagar said in Suriname there are no major challenges. In Trinidad swayamsevaks and sevikas come to the shakha together. How to make shakha understandable to parents is a chanllenge.
Raghu from Malaysia informed that annual camp-2010 was attended by 48 families. Bhajan, prarthana, story competition etc. were held in the camp. Karyakarta training centres will be conducted every month. Samskar kendras are also running.
Shri Kant Modi from Wisconsin, US said that they started Yog shakha in the Gurudwara which was welcomed by Sikhs and they requested to hold it daily there.
SHIVIR IN THE MAKING: Preparations for VSS 2010 started almost 2 years before with finalizing the venue i.e. Maharashtra Education Society’s ( MES ) ‘Rani Lakshmibai Mulinchi Sainiki Shala’ ( Girl’s Military Highschool ) on the outskirts of Pune. Situated on a hill, the picturesque landscape of the school was ideal for holding a residential shibir of 500 delegates. It already had a residential provision for 400 girls with a dining hall, well equipped auditorium and other amenities. The school authorities left no stone unturned for holding this shibir by augmenting the facilities with a new residential block, leveling a rocky terrain into a playground for Sanghsthan besides refurbishing the whole campus.
Paschim Maharashtra province of RSS and especially Pune city took up the responcibility of arrangements. Various departments were formed like accommodation, food, transport, fundraising and over 100 volunteers worked for 6 months planning and executing various tasks in this endeavour. Heading the team was a core group of members consisting of Sh. Badrinath Murthy, Chemical Engineer and Consultant alongwith Sh. Kailas Sontakke, Architect and Secetary Pune RSS, Sh.Atul Nagras – IT entrepreneur and secretary VAK, Dr.Pravin Dabadghav – medical professional and others. MES chairmen Ravindra Wanjarwadkar and school manager Sanjay Walimbe provided all support.
A team of about 200 volunteers from Pune and other parts was working 24x7 and ensured that the delegates did not face slightest of inconvenience. These volunteers comprising of youth, professionals and IT workers were happy to interact with fellow Hindu brethren from various countries.
Balu Shastri from US said that they are increasing sevika participation. They may not do pravas but at local level, they can do well. UK mothers’ toddler group can be tried in US also. We should get some memoirs published.
Ma Madandas ji addressed the group at the end. He said that there is no limit for experimentation. There should be selfless social welfare.
Challenges are there. The level of common man has to be raised but it has to be raised by common man only.
On 31st December, 2010 Ma Madan Dasji Devi took an interactive session on ‘Challenges faced in Karyakata Nirman.
Madan Das ji deliberated, how to bring a karyakarta into contact how to deploy him according to his ability and capacity, to introduce shakha to the generation born there and then to make them karyakarta, are all very important. We should have personal relationship with the karyakarta. Man changes with affection. Doctor Hedgewar was nothing but intimacy. Karyakarta is not made by artificiality, but he is made by heart to heart feeling.
In some other sessions Dr. Ram Vaidya coordinated a charcha on ‘Present Status of Sangh and Vividh Kshetra in Vishwa Vibhag.
Saumitra Gokhale co-ordinated two sessions viz.
‘Icebreaker Games’ and ‘Need of the Hour: Global Hindu Voice’. There was a bauddhik by Ma Dattaji Hosbale on ‘Present World Scenario and Role of Hindu Youth’.
On 2nd January, after Ish Chintan and shakha, there were three simultaneous sessions on Socio Political Scenario of the World and Our Work, Relevance of Ramayan and Mahabharat in Modern Life and Programs for Youth to Promote Hindu Thought. These were followed by the speakers Dr. Ved Prakash Nanda and Dr. Bal Krishna Naik on ‘Understand the Present World: Geo Politics and Dharma’; Interactive Geet Session and Bauddhik by Dr Manmohan Vaidya on ‘One Life One Mission’.
REPORTING SESSION : Swami Vijnanand informed about the activities of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is functioning in US for the last 29 years. Monthly Satsang are held there. One group is functioning in Canada. Twelve chapters and 3 temples are there in UK. One chapter is functional in Norway since 1987 and ISKCON has many activities there. In Germany, there is some activity in Frankfurt.
FIRST SHAKHA OUTSIDE BHARAT: I met Jagdish Chandra Shastri ‘Sharada’ on December 29 in the Vishwa Sangha Shivir. Shardaji is one of the two who started first shakha outside Bharat on the deck of SS Amara, on way to Mombasa from Mumbai in August 1946. He told me: “It was in the second or third week of August 1946. I was going to Mombasa, a port of Nairobi, from Mumbai on a teaching assignment. That day the weather was stormy and everyone on the ship was vomiting. There were three classes in the ship. In the first class there were mostly the English men. In second class there were businessmen – both English as well as Bharatiya. In third class there were only Bharatiyas. They were not provided beds and had to bring their own kambals etc. When one vomits the onlooker naturally vomits. I went on the upper deck. I was standing alone with the railing. The tendency to vomit disappeared. After few minutes, a 16-17 years old youth, Manik Lal Rugani in the Sangh nicker appeared on the deck. Bharatiyas used to come to Bharat during their holidays. This boy was going back after his holidays. We started Sangh prarthana from the next day. By the time we reached Mombasa, the number rose to 17.
First shakha in Nairobi came into being on Makar Sankranti day in 1947. By and by people began to ensemble. Hindus there began to believe if anyone can protect them, it is only the Sangh. Within one year the number of swayamsevaks rose to 100. Within ten years, swayasevaks who reached Mauritius, Seychelles, Madagascar, Uganda, Tanganyika and Zambia. Ten years later Laxman Rao Bhide came there and consolidated the work. During Laxman Rao Bhide’s tenure, Sangh shakhas started in 25 countries. Sangh’s biggest office outside Bharat is in Nairobi.
VHP is very active in Australia for the last 15 years. Its shakhas run in schools there. Bal Shakha Kendras are also running there. Yog Hindu Sanskruti Foundation and Hindu Social Service Foundations are doing commendable work there.4 chapters are functional there and Ved Pathshalas are doing yeoman’s service there.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad was registered in New Zealand in 2006. 3 national conferences have been held there. VHP has been registered in Hong Kong recently. VHP work is there in 14 countries.
There was also reporting from Seva Vibhag by All Bharat Seva Pramukh Sita Ram Kedialya ji. He said that 1,60,000 seva karyas – educational for children, social transformation and Balgokulam, the weekly gathering of children – are presently running in Bharat. More than 2,000 Balgokulam are functioning in Kerala alone. Samskar kendras are running in slums of Delhi which are visited by elite people regularly. Non-formal education is being imparted in 2-hour Ekal Vidyalayas. There are more than 5,000 Gram Arogya Rakshaks. We are also preparing Hindu missionaries and seva-vraties. Man making for seva-karyas is being carried out through Seva Sahayog and Youth for Seva.
Shri. Bal Apte, MP and Ram Lal ji said that there are presented an account of BJP.
Champat Rai ji, Associate Joint Secretary, Vishwa Hindu Parishad informed about current scenario on Ramjanmabhoomi.
E-SHAKHA: On 1st January 2011 there were seven samanantar sessions between 2-15 and 3.15 pm. In one of these sessions, a LIVE demonstration of the e-shakha, which is functioning since 17th December 2008, was given by Heramb Kulkarni of Finland. As modern life is quite hectic, distances are quite long and communication is not always instant, an actual one-hour shakha with video and audio among like-minded swayamsevaks situated at far off distances is the right answer. This e-shakha is location-independent, time-independent, there is no need of travelling, and is a family-e-shakha in which Sangh goes into the home and does not remain out of home. Presently it encompasses 5 continents, 27 countries and 52 cities in which 620 swayamsevak/sevikas in the age group 1-89 years take part. Routine agenda of the e-shakha is Dhwajarohan, Ekatmata Mantra, Parichaya, Surya Namaskar, utsavs and bauddhik varga etc.
In LIVE demonstration, everyone in the hall was requested to come closer to the laptop. Everyone stood up chanting Bharat Mata ki Jaya. There was dhwajarohan on the TV screen. Part of ekatmata mantra was recited and one Surya Namaskar was performed on the screen. (Swayamsevaks of the e-shakha perform it in their room.) Then parichaya was given by swayamsevaks participating from Finland, Malaysia, West Indies, Belgium, USA, Germany, Norway, UK, and Australia, as well as by 4 or 5 swayamsevaks from the Vishwa Sangh Shibir.
PUBLIC FUNCTION: In the evening, an impressive Samarop Karyakram (concluding ceremony) organized at Balewadi in Pune city, attended by more than fifteen thousand Puneites, exhibited sharirik, ghosh and yog skills of the swayamsevak/sevikas of Pune as well as of sevikas from all parts of the world. In his welcome address, Badri Murthy, President, Vishwa Adhyayana Kendra, mentioned that an e-shakha of the RSS exists in Finland. Dr. Shankarrao Tatwavadi, Sanyojak Vishwa Vibhag, gave an overview of the HSS work worldwide. Abhay N. Firodia, the Chairman & Managing Director, Force Motors, in his presidential address, said that the victory of Nitish and Modi in Bihar was the victory of unity and we need to establish such unity in other parts of the country too. “The present growth of our country is not because of the government but because the government relaxed its regulations. Even though growth is there, it is marred by irregularities and scams. The government has no transparency. As an industrialist, I would want more transparency.” After the solo song Hindudharmo vijayatam, Sarasanghachalak Shri Mohan Rao Bhagwat said that the victory of Hindudharma was not only the need of Bharat but of whole of the world. He said that Hindus believed in happiness of everyone. Whole of the world has become a village, we have to make it a family. Coming down heavily on the Congress-led government at the Centre, Shri Bhagwat alleged that the phrase ‘Hindu terrorism’ was coined to hide the government’s failure on many fronts. “It is an oxymoron. First, they termed it ‘Hindu terrorism’ and then they changed it to ‘saffron terrorism’. Now, they call it ‘majority terrorism’. Even Pakistan did not dare do that to us,” he added. He also said that Hindus were being targeted because those in power want to centralize it in their hands. But ultimately, it affects the nation’s reputation. He further said that Hindus bring everyone to a single platform and leave none. If Hindu is not respected in Bharat, he will be respected nowhere. Senior Sangh adhikaris Madan Das ji, former Sarasanghachalak K S Sudarshan, Suresh alias Bhayyaji Joshi, Dattatreya Hosbale, Rashtriya Sevika Samiti Pramukh Sanchalika Pramilatai Medhe, Shanta Bahen, Shibiradhikari Dr Bajranglal Gupta, Suresh Soni, Pune Sanghachalak Mohan Ghaisas, US Sanghachalak Dr Ved Nanda, UK Sanghachalak Dhiraj Bhai Shah, Navin Shah from Kenya and others were present on the occasion. Raghunath Rao Chitale, from famous Chitale Brotheres was the guest of honour. Entire program of Samarop was broadcast LIVE over the internet.
On 3rd January, during Samarop, out of the four shibirarthis who gave their impression of the shibir, two Bal shibirarthis narrated their visit to school and village. They said that they could never see a farm in their country. Dr Bajrang Lal Gupta, the Shibir Adhikari said that through this shibir he had travelled the world over without spending even a penny. He said that our work has four dimensions: vichaar, aachaar, vyavahar and upachaar. Sarasanghachalakji, in his valedictories, said that doing is important and not saying and, therefore, whatever you say translate it into action. The basis of our success is our work. Hanumanji could devastate the prowess of Ravana because he was a man of character which the later was not. In Sangh, you have to tread your path together. You have to compliment each other, without any conflict, whatsoever. What is done is acknowledged while what is said or spoken is forgotten. With our well-coordinated efforts only, we will build a Hindu strength working in different countries.
All the shibirarthies were bid adieu with a smriti-chinha.
SOME OTHER FEATURES OF VSS: An informative exhibition was on dispay in the VSS. It had pavilions on Seva, HSS around the world and Hindu achievements in 21st century. A multimedia exhibition showed various short films.
There were 35 bals ( age below 14 ) and some riveting programs including games, clay modeling, tour to a village and sinhgad fort were arranged for them.
Shibirarthis could get a glimpse of rich Maharashtrian culture and history through programs on ‘Maharashtra Folkart’ and ‘Shivrajyabhishek’. Entire audience was riveted when the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji was brought alive by the artists in all its glory and became the most memorable event of the shibir.
JAI SHREE RAM
( There were 3 common bauddhiks for all the shibirarthis. We give below excerpts from these 3 sessions. )HINDUISM IN TODAY’s CONTEXT
Ma Ranga Hari ji
Man to man all along 5 continents there is no difference. But man is different from his neighbor, brother and others. That is his personality. From childhood upto a certain age, twins are difficult to differentiate. Then differences are visible. Sahadev is very intelligent. Nakul is extrovert. More than 200 nations have outwardly many common traits. Internally, every nation is different on the basis of secularism, geographically etc. and a particular identity it develops. Hindutva is the identity of the people while Hinduism is a collectiveness. Hinduness is different from Hinduism. Nastik has no space in Hinduness but has it in Hindutva.Ma Ranga Hari ji
Fundamentals of Hinduness: Concept of Dharma second to none. Etymologically ‘Dharma’ that holds together. There are 100s and 1000s of paths of primordial energy. But there is a relationship between them, as in gravitation. Binding force of all the creation is ‘Dharma’. ‘Dharma’ is based on eternal law, only in Hinduness and nowhere else.
Sattvik Jnan: Oneness in dividedness. Holding it is knowledge. There are various names of God. Crores of gods in all the continents. But ultimate power one. Ekam Sad Vipraah Bahudha vadanti. Main deity is one. There are so many subsidiary gods. All gods represent one god. No difference between gods and gods. The biggest pagoda, the Golden Pagoda in Myanmar has inside Buddha but outside all Navagrahas. Absolutely no difference. Hindus have many gods but no god quarrels. Jesus of Nazareth and Jesus of Christians do not come together but in Hinduness we invite all the gods through fire in yajna. In Vedas, gods come together. Avibhaktam vibhakteshu. Difference only outwardly. Every man is different to other but I am born to this earth and this earth is my mother. Today none practices this. In the name of human rights anyone can seek asylum anywhere. But Jews ousted from their own land. In Hinduness follow any path – free, in no other country. In Pakistan, no independence. In Hinduness, presence of soul in all creatures. In other dharmas, not even in women. They say woman was born after man. When Shakuntala leaves the hermitage, even the leaves weep. She bids adieu even to the young deer. All the animals live together in Panchatantra of Vishnu Sharma. Ecobrotherliness in Hinduness and not ecofriendlyness. In Hinduness man has been given perfect freedom to think, scientific as well as spiritual. Bhagwan Buddha, Shankar and Swami Vivekanand, all of them were after the truth. Say I have found a truth. Never say I have found the truth. There are infinite ways to find the truth. Therefore, Hinduism is relevant today. Hinduism is better in child. Behavior is Hinduism. There have been seven swaras right from the time of Samveda. In 15th and 16th century octave, the eighth swara also came on violin. It is an integral part of South Indian music today. Oneness, power of accumulation, power of resilence is Hinduness.
Pursuit of Truth and its negation: Now coming down to man as a species, he has in him an uncommon faculty to think and reflect. He has been provided with intelligence and that distinguishes him from the rest of creation. Hinduness recognized this fact of nature and allowed man to have unfettered play of that singular faculty called intelligence. It agreed that each man is singularly original in his thinking and no curbs of any sort could be there upon that. Here it will do well to recall Bhisma who said to Yudhisthira ‘Dear Son, Infinite are the ways of the wise, as infinite as the trails of birds in the vast sky and tracks of fishes in the endless sea.’’ Hinduness does not put a full stop on human intelligence. It’s is a story of encouragement to all, at all times, to pursue Truth. The pursuit outwards was known as Science and the pursuit inwards as Darshan, both two faces of the same Single Truth. Here we may do well to remember poet Tagore. To explain the wholeness of the tree he said ‘the branches of a tree are its roots above the earth and the roots its branches beneath the earth.’ Similarly it can be said truth discovered outside is science, truth realized inside is spirituality. The only insistence here is ‘don’t say I have found the truth; say I have found a truth.’ It means Hinduness had the robust common sense to admit that there shall be no end to that pursuit. This gave it the natural breadth of vision and readiness to accept what is experienced by the seekers of Truth from wherever they are. That is why we find here scientists like Aryabhatta, Varahamihira and Bhaskara Acharya, despite their being against the then prevailing notion of sun’s and earth’s movements, were extolled to Rishihood. Similarly, seers like Buddha, Shankara and Vivekananda despite their open repudiation of the outgrown sterile customs and ceremonies were accepted and revered as Divinities. Learning from the history of Hinduness we can safely surmise, had Galileo, Copernicus and Bruno been born in Hindustan they too would have been honorably nominated to the Rishi Sabha! And Jesus would not have been crucified but considered as Parama Hamsa.
Persecution of man or a group is due to the total absence of this noble feeling. Bigotry and self-aggrandizement are the executors on stage here. This is what we witnessed in the case of Jews in the first century, Syrian Christians in the fourth century and Parsis in the eighth century. They were driven away from there home and country by the intolerant hordes. Here again it is the attitude of Hinduness that gave them refuge in the land of Hindus. Each group was granted unconditional freedom to safe-guard its community, customs and beliefs fastidiously. In the act of this beneficence Gujarat, Konkan and Kerala behaved in the same way. None was squeezed into nothingness as the minorities in Pakistan. – Bauddhik on December 30, 2010 at 6.30 pm.
HINDU PARIVAR IN THE PRESENT CONTEXT
Ma. Dhiraj Bhai Shah, Sanghchalak HSS UK
Family in an institution in Hindu Civilization. All our rushis talked about family. Family has become a core issue in many countries. In Japan, China and US one son/daughter and parents become a family. 14-16 years youth seldom talk to a person above 50. Young people never come in contact with an elder. There is no understanding elders and no respect for them. We, Hindus will favour more and more support to family. Media talks about partners and not husband and wife. Two gentlemen living together say we are a family. Serious thinking about family is going on presently. Annual conferences are being held on family.Ma. Dhiraj Bhai Shah, Sanghchalak HSS UK
When you talk about Hindu family, what is it? What are the qualities of a Hindu family? Laughing, enjoying, interacting, giving respect and talking with grandeur. A bond to live together. Caring and sharing. One feels secure in a family. Progressive on respect of the elders. Each one supports each other. A person in a car is lonely. Loneliness nobody likes. Expecting by décor. A Hindu house has a distinct identity. You need to put something which reflects you. Some slogan. Some picture.
What kind of activities? Going to the temple, yoga, relax, sitting together. In UK we are trying to promote Bhojan mantra. Once in a year, keep some function, havan etc. to give identity to your children. Western concept always looks young. They always look in terms of physical aspect. Shraaddha tells your children how their forefathers came. Listening about family, they will feel proud. Upto the age of 5 give love, so that the baby gets samskar. Teach them from 5-12 when they are very, very sharp. Upbringing a child is very important for the family. Many laws intrude in the family life.
We are exposed 16-18 hours to multi-activities, outside cultural values, and modern techniques. Luxury items make people individualistic. In family everything is sharable. Rajju Bhaiyya, a former Sarasangha-chalak, said family is more important, career can be picked up later. Big storm is coming in the society in the form of lifestyle advance.
Family values are to be discussed in shakha. Be positive about it. If a family eats together, prays together, talks together, the family stays together.
Pursuit of Truth and its negation. Bauddhik on 31.12.2010
HAMARI KAARYAPADDHATI
Vandaniya Pramilatai Medhe
In the evening of 1st January 2011, there was a Bauddhik ‘Hamari Karyapaddhati’ by Ma Pramila Tai Medhe, Pramukh Sanchalika, Rashtriya Sevika Samiti. PP Sarasanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat was also present. Ma Medhe ji described the day of 1st January as Kalpataru diwas because on this day Swamy Ramakrishna Paramahamsa who had become a kalpataru for his disciples departed from this world. She said that working of Sangha is that of a family. Family type work system, no formalities. We have ourselves to decide how to behave with each other. Hindu Samskruti and Dharma are the backbone of the success of Hindu family system. Everything scientific, principles noble. Importans aspect shakhas and samitis. Man-making process in which samskars are very persistent. Happens gradually. We change others, we also change. Gunadhishthanam. Link between various organs and mission. No clash, no conflict. Work in harmony for overall development of physical shakha. Some responsibilities are given No appointment. Responsibility and commitment to thought. Personality development, essence of shakha.One may ask what use is the playing of children. A girl got hurt in the shakha. Her family members and doctor were worried. The girl very confidently said, ‘Dust from our shakha maidan can spread no infection’. Sense of responsibility. Railway engine and carriages. There may be two engines but they go in the same direction. Couplings are our affection. If the blood circulation does not reach the last organ of our body, it becomes numb (sunna). Our karyapaddhati is lively. Locality-wise gatavyavastha for better contact. Gatanayak and gatanayika the easiest system to maintain contact.
Bauddhik, sharirik and khel – every aspect of our work is important for our development. Discipline is necessary for conducting a programme. Karyapaddhati is discipline but not rigid. Without any compromise to our principles. Sampark is most important. E-shakha. Life has become very fast. How can e-shakha be effective? Mechanical process. Mobile phones. E-mail harshest way of contact. Mobile-voice has the capacity to touch our heart. Giving a call effective mode of contact.
Very, very, very busy. Can we write letter, 1, 2, 4, 6 months later. Reply e-mail by a letter to make your contact lively. How can we maintain personal contact? That is the bane of our work. One-day individual shakha. E-mail is for exchanging our ideas.
Spirit of our organization. Ours is a team-work. Sharirik, bauddhik etc. aspects are to develop the team spirit. The work is not small or big. Let us do it with full efficiency and dedication. Daily practice is necessary for any work. Daily shakha gives us efficiency to perform difficult tasks easily.
Every work is important. There should be commitment to the cause of Hindu dharma and dignity. Spotless character, an icon. A Hindu person born in Bharat is a man of character. Every paisa should be accounted for.
Baithaks and Utsavs: In baithaks important decisions are taken for integrity development. Gurudaksina on the occasion of Gurupooja is not a donation or subscription but a voluntary contribution. Any responsibility is not dependent on how much gurudakshina you give. It cannot come under the purview of income tax. We are mad for our Bharatmata. Let us top the list of such mad persons. Dedicate ourselves fo Bharatmata. Vistaraks, pracharaks are very dedicated. Hindudharmo vijayataam. Bauddhik on Jan 1 2011.
