2. 'NATIONS SHOULD EMULATE BIHAR CM IN HEALTH SECTOR': For many, Bihar isn't a formidable example of change. However, the much-maligned state was the beacon of hope at the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva on May 17.
Bill Gates, IT czar-turned-philanthropist, went gaga over Bihar's extraordinary turnaround in the healthcare sector. He showcased the state's success to hundreds of world's top health administrators, heads of state and diplomats at WHA. He singularly praised Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar. "I was struck by the chief minister's popularity. People are hungry for visionary leaders, who not only promise a better future but also deliver upon that promise," he said.
He urged politicians across the world to emulate Kumar. "Leading a health ministry is a hard job. You face a multitude of complicated choices. The stakes are always life and death. And, you never have enough resources," he said.
"Just a few years ago, the Bharatiya state of Bihar was vaccinating about 30% of its children. Then, Nitish Kumar was elected. Under Kumar, the vaccination rate has more than doubled, and it's still climbing," he said.
3. BEASTLY BEHAVIOUR: Racist Americans have an attitude problem: The Government of Bharat has done well to support the legal action initiated by Ms Krittika Biswas, daughter of our vice consul Debashis Biswas at the Indian Consulate in Manhattan, for her wrongful arrest and confinement at the instigation of the principal and mathematics teacher of the New York school she attends, John Browne HS Senior, on charges that have been found to be entirely spurious. But extending support is not enough. The Government should step forward and hire the best lawyers to take the case to its logical conclusion. The issue at stake is not the damages ($1.5 million) that have been claimed by Ms Biswas who has filed a suit against the New York City Education Department: No amount of money can compensate for the indignity, trauma and humiliation she has had to suffer because of rude and racist Americans who think they are beyond accountability and do not have to answer for their boorish behaviour and worse, especially when Indians are involved. The nation’s prestige is at stake and even if it pains the Prime Minister to see Americans being put in the dock for abusing the freedom and dignity of Indians, he must step aside and let the Government robustly defend the rights of Ms Biswas. Nothing less than this shall suffice; the time has come to tell the Americans where they get off — their President cannot come looking for jobs in this country while they treat Indians like criminals in their country. Not only must New York City be made accountable, the arrogant school principal who still refuses to admit his mistake should be made an example of. Meanwhile, all diplomatic privileges extended to American diplomats posted in India, as well as their wives and children, must be immediately suspended till the US State Department apologises in writing and provides an assurance that such beastly acts shall not be repeated. There is no reason why we should continue to be needlessly nice to Americans who hold us in contempt.
This is not the first time that Indians, that too those who enjoy diplomatic immunity, are being subjected to harassment and humiliation in the US. Last December, India’s Ambassador to the US, Ms Meera Shankar, a top diplomat, was groped in the guise of a ‘pat-down’ at an American airport by officials who, we are expected to believe, found a person wearing a sari suspicious. Our Permanent Representative to the UN, Mr Hardeep Puri, also a senior and distinguished diplomat, was asked to take off his turban at another American airport. When he protested, he was held in a detention room. India’s former President APJ Abdul Kalam was asked to take off his shoes before entering an American aircraft, ostensibly because the American security officials thought he could be a potential shoe-bomber. In Ms Biswas’s case, even after she pleaded with the police that she held a diplomatic passport, that her father was employed with the Indian Consulate, she was handcuffed and frog-marched to a prison by American officials who rudely mocked at her. The American Embassy in New Delhi and the State Department in Washington, DC, will predictably wave aside the latest instance of American arrogance as a stray incident and offer lip-service to assuage hurt feelings. We must not get distracted by such hollow gestures which mean nothing. -- Editorial, The PIoneer, May 28, 2911.
4. AT 359 METRES, RAIL BRIDGE OVER CHENAB WILL BE WORLD’S HIGHEST: The world's highest railway bridge -- five times the height of Qutub Minar and 35 metres taller than Eiffel Tower -- will come up over the Chenab river on the under construction rail link to the Kashmir Valley.
The bridge will rise 359 metres over the Chenab, 65 km from Katra, on the 73-km Katra-Dharam section of the ambitious Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link Project. This section alone will cost around Rs 5,005 crore.
Konkan Railway Corporation, with experience of building 179 major bridges on the path-breaking rail link through the Konkan region, will execute this particular section.
5. SIMILARITIES BETWEEN SOUTH AMERICAN AND BHARATIYA CULTURES: Delivering Prof SW Bakhle Memorial Lecture on the occasion of foundation day of International Centre for Cultural Studies (ICCS) Nagpur, noted historian and erudite scholar Dr Sharad Hebalkar hinted upon a lot of similarities between the South American and Bharatiya cultures.
Though Bharat and South America are separated geographically by a distance of 16,000 km as the crow flies, and by 18,000 km by the sea route, there are striking similarities between the two cultures in their attire, hair styles, traditions and archaeological evidences, Dr Hebalkar said with his presentation of photographs taken during his recent visit to six nations of that southern continent.
Vice-Chancellor of Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Nagpur University Dr Vilas Sapkal, ICCS president Virag Pachpore, secretary Vijay Bhagdikar, director Research Dr Vinod Indurkar and vice-president Dr Vinayak Deshpande were also present on the dais.
Giving example of Manaus janjati of South America Dr Hebalkar said there are striking similarities between them and the Khasi janjati of Meghalaya in relation to their dress and dance, mode of worship, deity, housing pattern etc. The Manaus are idol worshippers and worship Sun and the Earth Gods. After studying various janjatis of South America it was found that their concepts relating to cosmology and cosmogony, concepts of God, creation etc. are akin to those of Bharatiyas.
6. FROM NO. 1 TO 10, SMALL TOWNS SCORE BIG IN IIT ENTRANCE: Hyderabad, Kota Prithvi Tej, the son of a small-time jeweller in a village in Andhra Pradesh’s West Godavari district, travelled every day to school in a neighbouring town before joining junior college in Vijayawada. From that to the top of the IIT-JEE list, which was declared on May 25, it has been a long journey.
Shubham Mehta from Kota was ranked second while Sumegha Garg from Bathinda in Punjab, with a 12th rank, topped among girls. Mehta is the first student born and brought up in Kota to secure a top three finish after 1986. Mehta’s classmate at a coaching centre in Kota, Nishit Lahoti, followed closely with an all-Bharat rank of five. For Tanmay Vittal Randhawne who came to Kota from Koppargaon in Maharashtra, computer gaming has always been a priority and now with a tenth rank.
Andhra had many reasons to rejoice apart from home boy getting the top rank — the third, fourth, sixth, eighth and ninth spots too were taken by students from the state in the general category, besides the state bagging the 5th and 7th ranks in the OBC category, the 8th rank in the ST category, and two 9th ranks in the Physically Handicapped and SC category respectively.
Up north in western UP, Saharanpur got its first ranker in the top 60. The son of a departmental store owner, Harshit Jain, has not stopped smiling since he found he stood 55 in the entrance exam.
7. MOHAN BHAGWAT JI FELICITATES MERITORIOUS STUDENTS IN CHENNAI: Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh Sarsanghachalak Mohan Bhagwat appreciated the efforts of meritorious students during his visit to Chennai recently. He was in the city to participate in Dwiteeya Varsha Sangh Shiksha Varga held at Vyasarpadi. Sushri Sandhya, a student of Vivekananda Educational Society, affiliated to Vidya Bharati, scored highest marks in Tamil Nadu i.e. 1191/1200 marks in her Plus Two Board Examinations conducted recently in March 2011. She took Sanskrit as her language paper.
8. “SCALE OF CORRUPTION IN SOCIETY IS A MATTER OF SERIOUS CONCERN”: “Corruption, today has grown to a large extent, the scale of corruption in society is a matter of serious concern. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) will support all genuine attempts to fight against corruption” says Dr Manmohan Vaidya, Akhil Bharatiya Prachara Pramukh of RSS on May 29.
He was addressing an Intellectual meet, on a topic Jan Lok Pal Bill, organised by ‘Manthana’ an intellectual forum of Vijayanagar, Bangalore.
Dr Vaidya said, “Political issues and the Politics itself is capturing maximum space in social life. The officers of all public offices should show courage to fight against corruption. CBI, a major investigative agency of Bharat is still hesitating in Hasan Ali case, even after a warning from Supreme Court. Hence all offices of public life should show courage against spreading nature of corruption. TN Sheshan after becoming Chief Election Commissioner has set an example of being courageous over corruption in elections. He has left such model footsteps by which rest of the election commissioners courageously work to minimise corruption in politics. We need people with strong courage and conviction on corruption-free communications”, Dr Vaidya opined.
Delivering a key-note address, VS Hegde, noted advocate, said that politicians are resisting in passing the bill since 1968 because of a fear that if they pass anti-corruption bill, they themselves will be punished at later intervals. Lokpal bill though underwent so many modifications since the time it was put forward, it is still a snake without teeth. To make it more powerful and effective, the demand is for passing Jan Lok Pal Bill instead of Lokpal Bill.
The Seminar was attended by a select audience in the premises of Sri Sharada Adhyatma Mandir at Vijayanagar organised by Manthana-Vijayanagar at Bangalore
9. FIRST BHARATIYA PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT ADDIS ABABA, SINGH WINS HEARTS: The first Prime Minister from Bharat to visit Ethiopia ever, Manmohan Singh, on May 27 won over the hearts of Ethiopian Parliamentarians, calling their country the cradle of humankind, a magnet for foreign investment, and one of the most stable and progressive states driving the engine of African growth.
“Ethiopia has the credentials to shape a new vision for Africa’s prosperity and development … The people of Bharat will stand with you every step of the way,” Singh said attracting thunderous applause from a packed house in his address to the joint session of Parliament of Ethiopia in Addis Ababa.
Bharat’s bilateral trade with Ethiopia is on course to touch $1 billion by 2015, and it is the largest foreign investor besides Ethiopian-born Arabs. More than 450 Bharatiya companies have committed upwards of $4 billion in investment till date, Singh pointed out.
During bilateral talks, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi said his country had decided to set aside 3 million hectares of fertile land for foreign investors to invest in agriculture.
10. THREE IAF WOMEN OFFICERS CLIMB EVEREST: In a first, three IAF women officers have scaled the 8,848-metre Mt Everest in keeping with the motto of their force: "Touch the sky with glory".
"Squadron Leader Nirupama Pandey and Flight Lieutenant Rajika Sharma reached the summit at 10.15 am on May 25. The first officer, Flight Lieutenant Nevidita Choudhary, performed the feat May 21," said an official.
The team of 11 IAF women officers, accompanied by a medical officer and eight other personnel, followed the South-East Ridge route, which was used by Hillary and Tenzing during the first-ever successful expedition to Mt Everest in 1953.
To undertake this challenge, the women officers underwent a strenuous training schedule, including a mountaineering course and winter training at Siachen in 2010 and 2011.
11. ARJUN VAJPAI YOUNGEST ON MT LHOTSE: A 17-year-old Noida boy, Arjun Vajpai, who had climbed Mt Everest last year, has become the youngest person ever to reach the summit of Mt Lhotse, which at 8,516 metres is the fourth highest peak in the world.
Arjun had climbed Everest as a 16-year-old last year, but his record was shattered about an hour later when a 13-year-old American reached the peak. On morning of May 20, however, Arjun was unambiguously the youngest to summit Mt Lhotse — just 332 metres lower than Everest but a much tougher peak to climb.
Arjun's next stop is the South Pole, where he aims to go this winter.
12. BHARATIYA KIDS BEAT GLOBAL SCIENCE GEEKS: A 16-year-old boy from Chennai bagged the first prize in chemistry at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the world's largest international pre-college science competition.
Raghavendra Ramachandran, from Chennai's St. John's International School, won over $9,000 in prize money for his research in the field of drug synthesis.
Some other winners from Bharat included brother-sister duo of Hetal and Ankur Vaishnav from Rajkot, who received the second prize in the environmental-science category for developing a novel and economic way of recycling rexine waste material. Manosij Ghosh from South Point School in Kolkata also got a second prize (mathematical sciences) for his work on integer partitions and sequences.
The global fair, which included over 1,500 students from 65 countries had around nine Bharatiya students participating, most of whom won some award or prize money for their science exhibits. Apart from these, the fair saw many NRI and PIO finalists, many of whom went on to win in their respective categories. Raghavendra, who was ecstatic after his win, said he had missed an entire year of school to focus on his research. The fair in Los Angeles was organized by Intel and the Society for Science and the public.
13. GURU VANDANA, AN HONORARY CEREMONY: On April 30, 2011 the event, Guru Vandana, hosted by the “Hindu Education Foundation” in Pearland at Nolan Ryan Junior High School was an honorary, invitational event in which several students showed their teachers the significance of the Guru in Hindu culture and tradition. Teachers from 20 schools representing 5 different school districts from the greater Houston area attended the ceremony. Smt. Shraddha Belsare showed a PowerPoint presentation on the origins of the bond between a Guru and their disciple, clearly emphasizing the holy reverence Hindus have for the learning and teaching of knowledge. Radha Danayak and Mayor Reid expressed their opinions of the importance of education. A cultural program with the honoring of the teachers followed, including dances (kolatam, bhangara), a skit (Satyameva Jayate), and instrumental performances. The keynote speaker for the evening Dr. Kalpalata Guntapalli, a medical doctor, a professor, and a Chief of Pulmonary and Critical Care at Baylor College of Medicine, talked about how she and her entire family was fortunate to be very well educated and conveyed the importance of being yourself by being truthful to native traditions; she stressed that ultimately your merit and true worth will be recognised no matter who you are and how you look.
14. GURUVANDANA ORGANIZED IN OTHER SHAKHAS IN US: Guruvandana programs to honour the teachers were organized in various HSS shakhas of US. At Shaumberg in Chicago, 25 teachers were honored in the program attended by more than 125 people on May 14. A Poster Exhibition on Hinduism and Bharatiya culture and an extravaganza of classical dances and light music were the center of attraction at the program.
At Lake County shakha, fourteen children extended the invitation to their Gurus with ten total guests being honored at the event on May 15. An exhibition and games added to the attractions of the occasion. Speakers highlighted the role of teachers in our lives.
At Sun Prairie—Madison, WI, on May 14 each student honored his Gurus with a memento which was a Goddess Saraswati Murti made up of Brass and was brought from Bharat.
At Naperville-Aurora Balagokulam Shakha of Chicago Vibhag, over 140 guests including around 30 teachers from Naperville-Aurora area schools attended the event on May 15. 40 students presented Pratyakshik/Pradarshan (Presentation): Shloka, Power Point Presentation on Balagokulam Festivals, Yogchap, Surya Namaskar Mantra.
At Colorado Springs shakha three teachers from two different schools attended the function on May 15. A bouddik on the importance of Guru in Hindu culture, shlok recital on Guru by children, bhajan and short story from Mahabharat were the highlight of the function.
The functions at every shakha ended with the serving of sumptuous food, mostly home cooked.
15. KISHORE NIVAASI VARG: A 3-day varg was organized at Pasadena in US for the teens from nearby shakhas. The teens were stayed for the two nights in different designated homes.
In the morning, the children were taken to a park where they were divided in two groups, one of those who had been to SSV before and one of the children who had not. They were taught danda, niyuddha and martial arts.
The next session was of the energetic games like kabaddi, a sankhya matching game, and piggyback relay. Then followed a fascinating discussion about monoculture, and how it had taken over our lives, individuality, and diversity. These were followed by a series of three games. The first one was a game involving different question to be answered, the next one to rank 10 leadership qualities from one through ten and lastly a game to challenge of turning a blanket over, with 20 people on it, who were not allowed to step onto the grass.
After an exhilarating discussion on problems faced by children like interactions with Bharat kids at school, they were taught Samata – ah rama, daksha and dakshina vrita followed by a vigorous game of Frisbee.
The teens were taken for sampark in a community of apartment homes where they sought and visited Bharatiya homes.
After a comfortable stay for night in different homes, the children met at Live Oaks Park for a feedback session of the whole varg. To conclude all the kishors ran the Pasadena shakha, ranging from the yoga sessions to the baudhik.
16. FLORIDA VIBHAG FAMILY CAMP: Florida Vibhag’s family camp was held at Camp Ithiel in Gotha, Florida, a quiet and serene suburb of Orlando. The camp was attended by a total of 24 families from across the state. The total sankhya was 79 and included 7 shishu, 10 bala, 16 kishore, 4 yuva, 19 mahilas and 25 taruns.
The camp started at noon on Saturday, May 14 and concluded at 2pm on Sunday May 15. Games, Charcha, Shakha, Vikas Ji’s presentation --- Impact of HSS In The Community, Talent Show (Dances, Kirtan, Music, Singing.), Camp Fire (A great session of antakshari), Yoga, Arun ji’s Presentation -- Setting Our Goals, Shakha Wise Discussions --- Tampa Bay, Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Vyam Yog, Dandha and Shloka were highlights of the camp.
17. HSS ORGANIZES BALASANGAM 2011 A GRAND, MEMORIAL AND UNIQUE EVENT FOR CHILDREN: The word “Balasangam” is a compound word made up of “Bala” or young children and “Sangam” meaning confluence. Balasangam 2011 was organized by HSS (Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh) on May 21 in DeAnza College from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. so that children of up to 8th grade living in South Bay Area could come together, showcase their talents, have lot of fun and learn few aspects of Hindu Dharma. Balasangam included competitions in Speech (English as well as Bharatiya Languages), Shloka recitation, group dance (Bharatiya classical and non-classical) and art.
The event was attended by 450 children and 450 adults. Vasuvaj Easwaramangalam - Program Director and International Coordinator for Samskrita Bharati inaugurated the event, children proceeded to the areas of their interest. There were many parallel activities that ran till 5 p.m. including the various contests, fun games, face paintings, balloons, magic show and Vedic Math tutoring. The chief guest of the event, Satya Kalra, founder of Path to Anandam-Blissful Living said, “Education without dharma can't build character” and encouraged parents to be part of the process.
18. GSAT-8 LAUNCHED, TO HELP DTH SERVICES: Bharat's advanced communication satellite GSAT-8 was successfully launched into its geosynchronous transfer orbit by Arianespace's launch vehicle Ariane-5 from Kourou in French Guyana on early May 21. Weighing about 3100 Kg, GSAT-8 is configured to carry 24 high-power transponders and a two channel GPS-aided GEO Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) payload.
19. ANNU IS FIRST BHARATIYA WOMAN PISTOL SHOOTER TO MAKE OLYMPIC GRADE: When the 27-year-old Haryana shooter bagged her first World Cup medal, finishing second behind Ukraine’s Olena Kostevych on the other side of the planet, his father Dr D.P. Singh was the first to realise, and did not need to be informed as is the custom, that his daughter had bagged another quota place for the 2012 London Olympics.
At the Rifle & Pistol World Cup in Fort Benning, USA, Annu became the first Bharatiya women pistol shooter to win a quota berth for Olympics. And it was only the second time after Abha Dhillon was given a wild card entry to the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Annu, who won a gold in 10m air pistol pairs at the Commonwealth Games and a subsequent silver at the same discipline at the 2010 Asian Games, eclipsed her personal best score of 386/400, by tallying 389 on May 17.
20. DRDO CONDUCTS SUCCESSFUL TEST OF DESI UAV: The Defence Research and Development Organisation on May 21 conducted a successful flight tes of the indigenous unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), Rustom1 from a private airfield at Hosur, Tamil Nadu. This marked the second successful flight test of the UAV, being developed by the Aeronautical Development Establishment.
21. YOUTH SPIRIT FOCUS OF CONFERENCE: “Hindu Youth conferences are organised to unleash the potential of the youth. The second New Zealand Hindu Youth Conference was successful in this endeavour,” said joint general secretary of the Hindu Coiuncil of New Zealand Pritika Sharma. The conference was inaugurated by Phil Goff, the Leader of Opposition. He said “Our young people are our future. We need to inspire them, give them hope and the confidence to know they can achieve whatever they set out to do. This forum gives young people an opportunity to make a positive difference in terms of their own lives and the lives of others in New Zealand.” MPs Dr Rajen Prasad and Kanwaljit Singh Bakshi also attended the ceremony.
22. WIDEN SWAMI LAXMANANANDA KILLING PROBE AMBIT, HC ORDERS POLICE: Dissatisfied over the nature and progress of the investigation into the sensational murder of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the Orissa High Court on May 24 once again asked the State Crime Branch (CB) police to expand the purview of its investigation and file a fresh affidavit in the court before the next date of hearing on June 29.
The 80-year-old Hindu seer was brutally murdered along with four of his disciples during the Janmashtami celebrations at Jalespeta Ashram in Kandhamal district on August 23, 2008.
Not satisfied with the CB investigation, the seer’s disciple Brahmachari Madhav Chaitanya filed a writ in the HC seeking an impartial inquiry by an independent agency. He also questioned why the investigating police were not probing the motive and conspiracy angle of the brutal murder.
Petitioner’s advocate Krishnamani also brought to the notice of the court that the CB police have not brought the reported resolution passed by a local Church, into the purview of investigation. Members of Beticola Parish Church Council of Baliguda had reportedly passed a resolution prior to the incident that Swamiji would be killed.
23. KHANDURI AND NITYANAND SWAMI FELICITATED: On May 10 former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Major General (retd) BC Khanduri was felicitated by Leader of Opposition Harak Singh Rawat at a public function organised by Uttarakhand Public Forum. The felicitation was for Khanduri’s sting as Union Minister for Surface Transport during the NDA government ranked 9th amongst the 50 historical works done in the country after Independence, by The Economics Times.
It was for the first time in Independent Bharat’s economic history when a major road project encompassing the whole country was launched. What it now needed was someone who could take the huge project forward. BC Khanduri was the man for the job. During 2004, the target of completion of the proposed 5,846 km was a challenge. National highways have more than doubled to 70,000 km in this period.
Speaking on the occasion Khanduri said the project needed sixty thousand crore rupees. It seemed an impossible task but all the hurdles were removed with strong will power and a vision. He said the whole credit for this project goes to only Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee. Leader of the Opposition Dr Harak Singh Rawat praised BC Khanduri for his vision and as an honest and successful politician.
24. KALYAN ASHRAM HEALTH WORKERS CAMP: A meeting of Kalyan Ashram health workers – 45 doctors from 25 states, was held in Vishakhapatanam. The meeting was inaugurated by Dr P Vishweshwar Rao and the Kalyan Ashram general secretary Kripa Prasad Singh, organising secretary of Kalyan Ashram Somaiyajulu, Dr Pankaj Bhatia (Agra), Dr Anuj Singhal (Waynad) Dr Shashi Thakur (Saga and Dr SN Agarwal (Gorakhpur) were present on the occasion.
Dr Anuj Singhal presented a paper on Sicklecell in Kerala along with other parts of the country. He also presented a CD on rural health working—how to start a dispensary, how to conduct survey and how to prepare a report, etc. Dr Shashi Thakur presented a paper on female health problems. Dr Pankaj Bhatia and Dr SN Agarwal also shared their experiences.
Kalyan Ashram health workers treated 19,08,948 patients during the year 2010. The target for the year 2011 is much higher. The Ashram runs about 2,400 health centres across the country. Dr P Vishweshwar Rao donated rupees one lakh for this noble cause.
25. MBA (DERBYSHIRE) OPTS TO BE SARPANCH: At a time when there is a mad race among the youth of the border belt of the Jammu region for going abroad in search of employment opportunities, 28-year-old Gurmeet Singh Bajwa rejected offers of lucrative jobs in the corporate world abroad and preferred to become the sarpanch of the Kaloen panchayat to serve the people of his native village. As Gurmeet was a highly-qualified young candidate among all contestants, he won the elections with hands down.
“The decision to reject offers of lucrative jobs is not so easy, as a few of my family members were against it despite the fact that ours is a political family,” says Gurmeet. “But I had made up mind. So, ultimately, I prevailed upon my family members,” he adds.
The Kaloen panchayat, one of the most socially, economically and educationally backward areas of the RS Pura sub-division, is located near the international border and the residents of this belt always bear the brunt of the hostility between Bharat and Pakistan. Bajwa is an MBA from Derbyshire Business School, Derby University, UK.
26. YOGA HELPS FIGHT BREAST CANCER, SAY SCIENTISTS: Practicing yoga significantly improves the quality of life of women suffering from breast cancer and undergoing radiation therapy, Bharatiya and American researchers have established and scientifically confirmed yet another benefit of the globally-popular, ancient Bharatiya practice. Yoga helps breast cancer patients more than generic stretching exercises, improving their physical functioning, general health and reducing levels of cortisol - the stress hormone - the scientists have said.
The findings are particularly significant because high cortisol levels have been associated with worse outcomes for cancer patients, they have said.
The research was performed by a team of scientists from the Bangalore-based Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana - Bharat's largest yoga research institution - and University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The findings will be presented next month to the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
27. THINK OUT OF BOX WHILE WRITING ON ANY ISSUE—DR BAJRANG LAL GUPT: “Before writing on any issue we should also study the views on the same issue which are against the established thinking. Only then we can present a balanced view with full facts and logics,” said RSS Uttar Kshetra Sanghachalak Dr Bajrang Lal Gupt. He was speaking at a workshop of writers organised by Vishwa Samvad Kendra in Jalandhar on May 8.
Dr Gupt appealed to the writers not to keep the doors of their mind closed and keep them open for modern and new ideas.
Dr Kuldip Agnihotri of the Bharat Tibbet Sahayog Manch stressed the need to preserve the rich treasure of Sanskrit manuscripts.
RSS Punjab Prant Pracharak Kishore Kant said the good works being done by certain people in the society like Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, Sant Sewa Singh Khadur Sahib and others should be highlighted as they inspire others.
28. BHUTAN LITERATURE FESTIVAL: FUSION OF ART & CULTURES: Any misgiving that an Indo-Bhutanese literary festival in Thimphu would be a unilateral parade of Bharatiya thought and art was put to rest at Mountain Echoes 2011. The outing in Bhutan's capital, which concluded on May 23, was a fair trade in ideas with each culture improving on its acquaintance with the other through readings and debate. "I worry about Gross National Happiness (GNH) being over-marketed and under practiced," said Dasho Kinley Dorji, secretary for information and communication and one of the architects of the concept, in conversation with Dr Chencho Dorji, Bhutan's only psychiatrist, on maiden day of the festival.
The session, called The Eye of the Dragon, was interpreted by Dasho Kinley Dorji as the underbelly of the Dragon, a reference to the scaly midsection of cultural transition, where mass media, introduced only as late as 1999, has been steadily replacing traditional forms as a moral compass for the youth.
29. NAK BROWNE TO BE NEXT IAF CHIEF: Air Marshal Norman Anil Kumar Browne, a top-notch fighter pilot with over 3,100 hours of flying to his credit, will be the next IAF Chief after Air Chief Marshal P V Naik retires on July 31. Air Marshal Browne has held crucial command and staff posts during his 39-year career in IAF, including being the chief of the operationally significant Western Air Command.
Air Marshal Browne will be at the helm for two-and-a-half years at a time when IAF is slowly transforming itself into an "expeditionary'' force with "strategic reach" to protect and project Bharat's geo-political interests.
30. A FUSION OF YOGA & TAI CHI: What do a 93-year-old yoga guru and a 117-year-old Shaolin master have in common? The fact that they practice their art for hours even at this age. Next month, yogacharya B K S Iyengar and the oldest Chinese martial artiste alive, Master Lu Zijian, will come together at an ambitious China-Bharat yoga summit to be held in Guangzhou. The agenda: a dialogue on the traditional fitness regimens of the two countries. There are about 15 millions yoga practitioners in China today. This summit will see the entire yoga industry spread across neighbouring Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau converge at Guangzhao.
Lu Zijian, who is fondly referred to as the Yangtze River's Great Chivalrous Man, lives in Chongqin and practises the evolved Tao-based martial art and healing system, bagua zhang.
31. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr. Shankar Tatwawadi, former Samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will be visiting UK and Canada in June. Shri Ravikumar, Sah-samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will be visiting Singapore and Hongkong in the second half of June. Shri Shyam Parande, Secretary Sewa International returned Bharat from his tour to Caribbean countries, USA and Canada. Visitors: Shri Dinesh Mani Dubey from Thailand; Shri Balkrishanan, Shri Krishna Kumar and others from Middle East; Shri Parag Singla from USA.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Then they (peasants) will think that you are worse than the Mughals. There is no need to force anybody or to tyrannize over anybody. We shall keep ourselves informed frequently, even everyday and deal out punishment where necessary. ---Shivaji in instructions to his soldiers.
JAI SHREE RAM
