1. FESTIVALS: Makar
Sankranti, Lohari, Pongal: Makara Sankaranti, the transition
of Sun from Dhanu rashi (Sagittarius) to Makara rashi (Capricorn) takes place
on January 14. It generally falls in the Bharatiya month of Paush. It is
celebrated with distinct names and rituals in different parts of the country. On
this occasion, people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar (the point where
the river Ganges meets the Bay of Bengal) and
Prayag and pray to the Sun. In southern parts of Bharat, it is celebrated as
Pongal, and in Punjab as Maghi and Lohari. In Gujarat, people offer their colorful oblations to the Sun
in the form of thousands of beautiful kites.
Makara Sankranti identifies a period of
enlightenment, peace, prosperity and happiness. Laddus of til made with jaggery
are the specialty of this festival. In Maharashtra
it is called 'Tilgul' while in Karnataka it is called 'Yellu-Bella'.
2. BhagwadHwaj UNFURLED at Antarctica: Rashtriya Swayamsevak
Sangh Swayamsevak Rajesh Asher has unfurled the Bhagawadhwaj at Antarctica, the earth’s southernmost continent,
containing the geographic South Pole, at 2.02 am on December 7. Rajesh Asher, a
professional Chartered Accountant, hails from Chembur in Mumbai. He went to Antarctica along with the team, reached the Southern Pole
on Dec 6 late night. At 2.02 am early morning of Friday – Dec 7, Rajesh Asar
went to unfurl the Bhagawadhwaj, the saffron flag. Later he enchanted the RSS
prayer, ‘Namasate Sada Vatsale Mathrubhoome’.
3. DR. PRASAD
DEODHAR GETS PROF. YESHWANTRAO KELKAR: YOUTH AWARD (YUVA PURASKAR) 2012 - The award is
given in the memory of Late Prof. Yeshwantrao Kelkar whose contribution was
like a foundation stone to build up and flourish ABVP , the world’s largest
student organization. The award is being given since 1991. It comprises Rs 50,000
in cash, a certificate and a memento.
While pursuing his graduation studies in Ayurveda, Dr.
Prasad Deodhar, out of his eagerness to dedicate to the cause of society at
large, led a team of his classmates to serve for 15 days in the rescue and
rehabilitation tasks after the earthquakes in Killari,Maharashtra
in 1993.
During his practice as a doctor in his own and
neighboring villages, Dr Deodhar came to know their shattered mental state. He
also closely observed that scarcity of resources and poor state of agricultural
produce in villages forced youth to migrate to cities creating the problem of
instability in their lives. At this juncture, Dr. Prasad Deodhar decided to
stay with these villagers and to devote himself entirely for bringing in an
awareness among them about advanced technology, scientific techniques for the
holistic development of villages, training of food production through organic
farming, biogas plants installation, facilitating quality education to
children, health, non conventional energy resources provision and women
empowerment through people’s participation.
His efforts resulted in the foundation of ‘Bhagirath
Gramvikas Pratishthan’ through which Dr. Deodhar has been actively working in
village Zarap and many more neighbouring villages in Sindhudurg district of
Maharashtra. Through public participation programs, scholarships are being
given to students, solar lights have been installed in 600 houses of students,
similarly, to achieve the goal of holistic and sustainable development, small
scale vocational facilities like goat farming, “women bachat gat (SHG)”
schemes, music training, school premises
development, are being given to the villagers. Dr Prasad Deodhar has been
devotedly working for all the above said projects and schemes.
4. ‘Secularism of Bharat alone can establish
true peace in the world’: Dalai Lama: Vishwa Hindu Parishad former President
Ashok Singhal, Tibet Prime Minister Sikyong Dr Lobsang Sangay, MLA V. S. Patil
and thousands of local Tibetans and monks attended the 23rd anniversary of the
conferment of the Nobel Peace Prize to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at Drepung
monastery in Mundgod Karnataka on December 11. HH Dalai Lama in his speech felt
that external attractions are destroying the tranquility. In spite of progress
in science, due to lack of values there is no peace in the world. Healthy mind is essential for good health.
Modern science has established this through research. Values, inner
modifications, and good thoughts direct mind to positive approach. In the same
way, emotional aberrations lead to faulty thought process. There is an urgent
need for an education system which train the mind to think in a positive way.
Unfortunately, present education system has not given priority to this aspect. 'My
decision to retire from politics was not because I felt hopeless or discouraged
about the Tibetan situation', His Holiness stressed.
Sikyong Dr Sangay also expressed the Central Tibetan
Administration’s undying gratitude to the people and government of Bharat for
their generosity, hospitality and assistance to the Tibetan refugees for these
many years. Hollywood actor Richard Gere also
attended the function
5. Bangladeshi infiltrators
influencing politics in North East: DR. Mohan Bhagwat: Claiming that
Bangladeshi infiltrators were influencing the politics in the north-east
region, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarasanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat
said these “unwanted elements” from across the border had taken over the
government in Assam.
“These infiltrators enroll their names in the voters’
list and influence the politics in the country. They have accessed the power to
run government in states like Assam,”
said Dr.Bhagwat while delivering a key-note address at the concluding ceremony
of RSS’s three-day ‘chintan shivir’ of
Chattisgadh prant at Raipur of Chattisgarh on December 9.
He also stressed upon having proper demarcation of
international borders so that it becomes easy to keep an eye on the illegal
influx into the country.
He criticized the UPA government over FDI in
multi-brand retail saying it would result in small retailers and traders losing
their livelihood, which would also put the country’s food security at risk.
6. ‘DEEPAVALI’
LIGHTS UP FEDERAL PARLIAMENT: The Hindu Council of Australia’s celebration of
Deepavali festival at Federal Parliament on November 27 once again not only
ignited the spiritual longing of many people but also lit up the hearts and
minds of many who come to associate the festival with fun and joy – a lovely
social and cultural occasion. Brightening the normally somber feel of the
Senate Committee room, the vibrant celebration brought warm smiles and
favourable comments from the Parliamentarians, esteemed dignitaries and the
most welcome attendance of the Honourable Prime Minister of Australia, MS Julia
Gillard, MP.
Kanti Jinna, Vice Chairman and Prakash Mehta, Director
of Development, Hindu Council of Australia, organized the event under the kind
auspice of the Office of Senator Hon Kate Lundy, Minister for Multicultural
Affairs and Office of the Bharatiya High Commissioner, Biren Nanda. The annual
event held at Parliament House since 2004, is a celebration raising the profile
of the various Hindu communities and is growing in stature each year. This
opportunity to build friendships and links was very valuable with more than 80
organisations in attendance representing a broad range of Hindu, Sikh, Islamic
and Community Groups such as the India Australia Association of Canberra, The
Federation of Indian Association in the ACT, the Federation of Islamic Councils
of Australia, Royal Commonwealth Society, the Canberra Inter-Faith Committee
and the Canberra Multicultural Community Forum, from as far as Brisbane and
Adelaide.
7. Gurudakshina UTSAV at Sunnyvale Yuva
Shakha, US
was performed on the morning of 2nd December. 22 swayamsevaks participated
in the event in spite of heavy rains.
Vaiyaktika geet "Vishwa Guru tawa archana mein"
was presented by Sreenivas. Sanjay Tripathi gave an inspiring baudhik. He
mentioned the importance of Guru in our tradition and why it is necessary to
respect him. After the bauddhik, the Guru Puja and samarpan took place. In the
end prarthana was recited and prasad was
distributed.
8. Gita Finale competition in Vancouver: Samskrita Veena Foundation conducted
Shrimadbhagwadgita Shlokochcharan Pratiyogita second time on Dec 1st.
Navneet Kaushal delivered the inaugural address and introduced the judges Dr.
Sukumar from Vancouver and MC Ms. Suchita Raman. There were 34 registrations
out of which 5 recited the entire chapters of Gita and mesmerized the crowd
with their amazing and difficult performance. 7-year old Siddhartha Ganesh
chanted the entire 7th chapter of Gita, Subramanyam Janaswami,
8-year old Nikitha Shivaram and
14-year old Ms. Suchita Raman recited 15 chapter of Gita each, and Shraddha
Kaushik recited 12th chapter of Gita.
Founder President of Samskrita Veena Foundation
Navneet Kaushal a.k.a Narayan Shastry spoke about importance of preserving the
ancient language Sanskrit and ancient traditions. 26 and above age group
followed one after another with break time in between while judges prepared the
judgment for each group.
6-year old Miss Shreyanshi Vala was the First Grand
Gita Finale Winner, whom a special trophy was awarded. 7-year old Vishnugupta
Dixit and 6-year old Miss Vedanshi Vala tied for the second place and the third
prize went to 5-year-old Mr. Udhay Ganesh.
9. Blind PIO named to head US agency for the
disabled: US President Barack Obama on November 30 named a
visually impaired Bharatiya-American to an independent US agency devoted to
easing the hard life for people with disabilities, continuing a half-century
old American drive to improve nation-wide access for the physically challenged.
The White House notified that Sachin Dev Pavithran, programme director of the
Utah Assistive Technology Programme at Utah State University's Center for Persons with
Disabilities, will soon become a member of the Architectural and Transportation
Barriers Compliance Board. The agency, known simply as the Access Board, was
created in 1973 to ensure design standards across the US to enable
access to the physically impaired.
The Access Board and the laws that led to its creation is the reason
why sidewalks across America have become wheelchair-friendly, parking spots
closest to entrances and exits are reserved for the physically challenged, and
the disabled and handicapped have easy access to metros, subways, ATMs etc
though specially-designed ramps and elevators.
Pavitran has over a decade of experience as a disability policy analyst
and consultant, and is among the group that drives developing of and training
in assistive technologies. Blind himself, he has served on the research and
development committee of the National Federation of the Blind.
10. LONDON CELEBRATES 150th
BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF MAHAMANA MALAVIYA: Nehru Centre in Mayfair London was graced by
dignitaries and Alumni of BHU on Saturday 10 November 2012 for the celebration
of 150th birth anniversary of Mahamana Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya. The event was enhanced by the presence of
Justice Giridhar Malaviya as Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker.
Celebrations started with the screening of a
documentary ‘Life and work of Manamana’, which gave the audience a visual and
factual information about Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya. Director Nehru Centre
Ms Sangeeta Bahadur recalled the invaluable contribution of Mahamana in
establishing BHU where a large number of students had acquired exceptional
knowledge enabling them to contribute towards Bharat’s progress.
Dr Shankar Tatwawadiji addressed the gathering – narrated
his experiences. He recalled how Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya had contributed
towards Bharat’s Independence
and freedom. He added that Mahamana’s achievement in providing the highest
education as founding father of Banaras
Hindu University
has been monumental. Pandit ji brought the best of East/West on campus at Banaras. He was also member of the Imperial Council.
Justice Giridhar Malaviya said Malaviyaji was a great
patriot. He started taking part in politics from a very young age. He
participated as a delegate in the 2nd convention of Indian National Congress
held at Allahabad
in 1886 when he was only 25 years of age. In that convention he impressed the
delegates and even the Chairman Dadabhoy Navroji by his brilliant speech.
The Kul Geet was recited by UK Alumni ladies - led by
Shrimati Kusum Mishra; wife of Dr Mishra,
a Medical Alumnus. Dilraj Singh and party sang 2 patriotic songs and a
bhajan. The audience comprised of Bharatiyas from several states of Bharat and
some who were born outside Bharat though of Bharatiya parents.
11. ‘Hindutva unites every citizen of this
nation’: Dr. Krishna Gopal: RSS Sah Sarakaryavah Dr.Krishna Gopal addressed a
gathering of select intellectuals at Jain College Auditorium, JC Road, Bangalore
December 8.
A minister from Britain,
while on a recent visit to Bharat, remarked when Bharat got Independence, they had predicted that the
country would disintegrate in a short time but even after 60+ years Bharat has
remained as one country and our prediction has been proved wrong. So what is
that which unites us all? What is that which does not allow us to disintegrate?
That is ‘Hindutva’. Ancient sages found that the ultimate truth is the
‘Parabrahman’ and everyone had the same understanding in our nation. They saw
the same ‘Parabrahman’ everywhere, in everything and in everyone. People in
ancient Bharat understood and lived by this principle. Our forefathers believed
in ‘Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah’ and welfare of one and all, in-spite of the
numerous attacks on us.
This nation is just like the ‘masala’ prepared by
mixing many spices by grinding them to powder. Even atheists, who do not
believe in god, and those who do not believe in ‘Parabrahman’ also have a place
here. But even such people believe in
this ‘Motherland’ and her generosity and are thankful to her.
Dr. Krishna Gopal said that a ‘shakha’ is the
foundation of a Swayamsevak’s character which helps him later in life. He said
a Swayamsevak gets a direction and confidence in life through a ‘shakha’. He
said that lakhs of people attend Shakas all over the world even while they are
in college and in other professions.
12. 130th Birth Anniversary of Bharathiyar: Mahakavi
Subramanya Bharathiyar's (a dynamic poet and social reformer) Jayanthi was
celebrated on December 11 at Kamakoti Hall, Krishna Gana Sabha, T Nagar,
Chennai. Speaking on the occasion RBVS
Manian, Vice President of VHP said, "Bharathiyar-a great patriot,
journalist, poet lived a simple life.
God and Our Motherland are our eyes-this is the maxim of
Bharathiyar. He always insisted that our
Country is a Hindu country. His poems
stand out facets of his love for our Motherland and used more words like
Hindusthanam, Bharatham (sethamilaadha hindusthanam vendum entru kooradi papa).
He had a great vision that even before attaining independence he sung a song
mentioning that we have attained freedom. (aaduvome pallu paduvome, aananda
suthandiram adainthuvittom entru..) Well
versed in other languages like English, Hindi, Telugu and French he shaped a
great freedom fighter Neelakanda Brahmachari." Comparing Bharathiyar with Swami Vivekananda,
he said "Both have many similarities.
His Birth and death occurred exactly after 19 years. Both lived only for 39 years. If both these mahans were not born in our
country, we cannot imagine how our country would have been now. After meeting
Sister Nivedita his iconoclasm stood to recognize the privileges of
women"......
In Thiruvallikeni at Bharathi Illam-where Bharathiyar
lived, Swayamsevaks of Sangh Parivar celebrated by rendering pushpanjali to
him. L Krishnamurthy garlanded the
Bharathi Statue. Chandran (ABVP), Smt
Kanthamani Narayanan (Sevika Samithi), Nagarajan (Vibhag Boudhik Pramukh) were
present.
13. USE SOFT
POWER AND A BIG STICK, SAYS PROF V P NANDA: Use of soft power
and a big stick should become cardinal principles of Bharat's foreign policy in
order to meet strategic challenges emerging largely from neighbouring countries
like China and Pakistan. Delivering
the 22nd annual lecture of the Panchanad Research Institute on Dec 7 at
Chandigadh, the US-based eminent
international jurist Prof Ved P Nanda
expressed grave concern at the manner China has been aggressively
pursuing expansionist policies, economically and territorially, which, he said
needed to be addressed urgently. Since both, Bharat and China, are the potential super-powers in the region,
it was imperative that Bharat engaged China diplomatically, commercially
and culturally.
Prof Nanda, who has been a John Evans University
Professor at the University of Denver and Director of the International Legal
Studies Program Sturm College of Law, suggested that Bharat, in tune with its
cultural and historical heritage, should diplomatically use "soft
power" to increase its influence in the region and wield a small stick as
well to dispel the impression of being a soft state. He said Bharat had never
demonstrated expansionist tendencies in its foreign policy. "Our culture
in which mottos like universal brotherhood and well-being of entire humanity
have been the cornerstones, should become the language of our diplomacy and
foreign policy to increase our influence on foreign lands",
Mr Shyam Khosla, chairman of the Institute, called
upon the nation to be prepared for a prolonged war of attrition with China and Pakistan.
14. Bharat could be economic powerhouse in 2030:
US intelligence: US intelligence has predicted that in 2030, Bharat
could be the rising economic powerhouse of the world as China is seen today and
that it will continue to consolidate its power advantage over Pakistan.
“In 2030 Bharat could be the rising economic
powerhouse that China
is seen to be today. China’s
current economic growth rate — 8 to 10 per cent — will probably be a distant
memory by 2030,” said the fifth installment of the ‘Global Trends 2030:
Alternative Worlds’, of National Intelligence Council (NIC), released on
December 11. According to the report, the total size of the Chinese working-age
population will peak in 2016 and decline from 994 million to about 961 million
in 2030.
“In contrast, Bharat’s working-age population is
unlikely to peak until about 2050,” it said. Bharat’s economy is already nearly
eight times as large as Pakistan’s;
by 2030 that ratio could easily be more than 16-to-1,” the US report said.
15. घर में
था सिर्फ संस्कृत बोलने का नियम: लखनऊ के ताड़ीखाना इलाके का एक मोहल्ला। एक घर का
नाम है -'संस्कृतालय।
ग्वाला अली हसन की बेटी अलीजा रोज दूध लेकर आती है। जोर से पुकार लगाती है - 'दुग्धम आगतम। इस घर में संवाद सिर्फ संस्कृत
में ही होता है। इस घर के मालिक वीरभद्र मिश्र, सिर्फ संस्कृत के लिए जिए। वे अब नहीं हैं, मगर उनका घर ही नहीं पूरा आसपड़ोस संस्कृतमय
है। मोहल्ले का नाम है - संस्कृतनगरम।
मिश्र लखनऊ
के केकेवी डिग्री कालेज के संस्कृत विभाग के प्रमुख थे। उन्होंने अपना जीवन ही संस्कृतमय
करने की ठानी। इसीलिए शादी अनीता से की जो खुद संस्कृत में पीएचडी थीं। ताकि बच्चे
केवल संस्कृत ही बोलें। 1993 में जन्मी
बेटी का नाम रखा-संस्कृता। उसके बाद सर्वज्ञ और सुविज्ञ का जन्म हुआ। 11 साल तक बच्चों की षिक्षा घर में हुर्इ।
दसवें साल में उपनयन संस्कार हुआ। फिर एक वर्ष तक वैदिक षिक्षा। इस दौरान बच्चे जमीन
पर सोते। बिना सिले वस्त्र पहनते। उनका कोर्इ दोस्त नहीं था क्योंकि वे हिंदी बोल ही
नहीं पाते थे।
कक्षा नौ
से उनका प्रवेष स्कूल में हुआ। यह पहला मौका था जब बच्चों ने बाहरी जगत में पांव रखे।
लखनऊ के महानगर ब्वायाज स्कूल में दाखिले के बाद बेटा पहले दिन जूते बाहर उतार क्लास
रूम में गया। यह देख सब चकित थे। टीचर भी और बच्चे भी। बच्चों को संस्कृत के अलावा
किसी भाषा का ज्ञान नहीं था। इसलिए मुषिकलें आइं। लेकिन टीचर और सहपाठियों की मदद से
वे मुख्य धारा में शामिल हो गए। तीनों बच्चों ने कभी न तो कोचिंग की, न टयूषन।
आज बच्चों
में पिता के अनूठे प्रयोग के कुछ निषान बचे हैं। सुविज्ञ और सर्वज्ञ प्राइवेट कंपनियों
में साफ्टवेयर बनाना चाहते हैं। संस्कृता जरूर संस्कृत में पीएचडी कर रही है। उनकी
प्रतिभा लोगों को तब पता चली जब चार साल की उम्र में एक कार्यक्रम में भाग लेने के
लिए वह कष्मीर गर्इ थी। लोग उसे सिर्फ संस्कृत में बात करते देख हैरत में थे। संस्कृत
के लिए मिश्र का नाम सभी याद करते हैं। तत्कालीन प्रधानमंत्री राजीव गांधी ने नइ षिक्षा
नीति बनाकर जब संस्कृत को बाहर कर दिया तो मिश्र ने दिल्ली तक मार्च किया था। लखनऊ
में संस्कृत अकादमी के नाम को लेकर भी वे उनका कहना था कि संस्कृत इतनी सक्षम है कि
उसे अन्य भाषा के शब्दांेकी जरूरत नहीं है। उनके तर्क मानकर सरकार ने अकादमी का नामकरण संस्कृतसंस्थानम किया। उन्होंने
संस्कृत में सर्वगंधा नामक मासिक प्रत्रिका भी निकाली। 14 भाषाओं के जानकार वीरभद्र का निधन 2001 में हो गया। सर्वज्ञ-सुविज्ञ मानते हैं कि
पिता का यह प्रयोग कभी उनके विकास में बाधक नहीं बना। उन्हें गर्व है कि वे उस भाषा
में पले-बढ़े, जिसने संसार
के सबसे प्राचीन ग्रंथ माने जाने वाले वेदों की रचना की।
16. A day for differently-abled: Akhil Bharatiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram
organised different activities for the physically challenged persons in
Jashpurnagar on December 3, in which 167 differently abled gathered at the
Kalyan Ashram headquarters ground. Twelve of them participated in a drawing
competition, while 18 participated in 100 metre race. Five boys and girls
participated in a song competition. The dance by Kumari Mona received applause
from all, while Vinod Ram Yadav stood first in 100 meter race. Kumari Seelmina
stood first in drawing competition by making a bouquet by her legs, as she does
not have hands. Bhanu Pratap Sai got first prize in song competition.
District Disabled Rehabilitation Centre distributed
Braille watches, wheel chairs, hearing aids, etc. to the differently-abled
people.
17. International book fair remembered Mahatma
Ayyankali: VJT Hall at Thiruvananthapuram, the most famous
auditorium in Kerala where all the social reformers met together and also
happening lot of cultural fiesta should be renamed in the name of Mahatma
Ayyankali the most dynamic social reformer of Kerala in the same decade when
Sree NarayanGurudev also done the same. The demand was put forward by Kummanam
Rajasekharan at a grand seminar conducted at the venue of 16th International
book fair in Kochi.
He also demanded a venture for making film about Ayyankali and the cultural
department of the state government should make it fast.
18. Seminar on role of women in nation building
held: A seminar on the topic ``Role of women in developing
the personality of a human being and nation building'' was organised by J&K
Chapter of Mahila Samanvaya led by Mamata Singh in Jammu on December 7. The
main objective of the seminar was to educate the women about their importance
and role in nation building. National president of Mahila Samanvaya Geeta Tai
Gunde was the chief guest and main speaker on the occasion. RSS Prant Sangh
Chalak Brig (retd) Suchet Singh graced the occasion as guest of honour.
19. Nepal
girls in mass Hindu Kanya Puja prayer ceremony: More than 11,000
girls took part in a mass Hindu prayer ceremony in western Nepal, one of
the biggest of its kind ever to be held in the country. The traditional Kanya Puja
ceremony honours girls as incarnations of the Goddess Bhagawati. It included
girls from different ethnic communities and castes. Many girls taking part in
the ceremony at Ramnagar in Nawalparasi district wore school uniforms and
performed Hindu devotions and chants.
The Kanya Puja is to be followed by the two-week-long
Mahayagya - another Hindu ritual which is typically performed by priests using
fires to carry out symbolic sacrifices. The main objective of the Mahayagya is
to preserve Hindu traditions, philosophy and values of life. Formerly a Hindu
kingdom, Nepal
was transformed into a secular republic six years ago.
20. IIT placements draw big firms, 10% higher pay:
Companies like Facebook, Samsung, Google and other foreign majors
began across IIT campuses, offering
about 5-10 % higher salaries than last year. It is projected that by the end of
slot zero, 150 students on each campus will be hired. Average domestic salaries
were in the mid-Rs 20 lakh range on the first day.
But Facebook continued to be the most aggressive employer this year
too, making its presence felt at IIT campuses from Bombay
to Guwahati to Madras.
It has offered $136,000 (Rs 75 lakh) per annum to a student from IIT-Guwahati
besides a plum relocation bonus and a one-time signing amount. Twitter is not
far behind with a gross salary offer of $110,000. Artificial advertising solutions
provider Rocketfuel is close as well. Algorithmic trading firm Jump Trading is
keen to hire staff for its UK
office and offered 70,000 as gross salary. But the top offer so far was an
annual package of $150,000 (Rs 81.6 lakh) from South Korean conglomerate
Samsung, which is at IIT-Bombay and IITMadras. Google has offered $135,000 (Rs
73 lakh) in a pre-placement offer at IIT-Kharagpur. IIT-Bombay has 35 companies
(up from last years 34) on slot zero with first timers like LinkedIn, Twitter
and Blackstone.
21.
AMMA ADDRESSED UN ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATIONS IN SHANGHAI:
“When we engage others with respect, understanding and acceptance, then
we will be able to communicate at the level of the heart” said Amma - Mata
Amritanandamayi in her address at the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations’
(UNAOC) Regional Consultations for Asia-South Pacific, held in Shanghai on Nov 29-30.
Amma, the only spiritual leader invited to the conference, gave her
speech on the subject of “Coexistence and Engagement between Cultures.”
Amma explained how globalization has affected our coexistence both
positively and negatively, emphasizing that “coexistence is possible only when
culture and modernization are in balance.” She warned that “efforts at
coexistence fail when we claim ‘We are all one,’ but we disrespect each other’s
ancient customs and traditions.” Proceeding to offer solutions, as well, Amma
spoke, “we have to acknowledge the fact that even though we are one in essence,
externally, we are different,” then she urged the assembly to respect diversity
—Amma was speaking in her native tongue Malayalam, and it was simultaneously
translated into English. The Shanghai
event, titled “Harmony through Diversity and Dialogue”, was jointly organized
by the UNAOC and the UN Association of China.
22. AN APPEAL: Efforts are on to
mount a documentary on the life and works of Sudarshanji, the fifth
Sarsanghchalak of RSS. Sudarshanji visited a number of countries in his life
time. Visuals only make a documentary rich and truly informative. It is
requested that our swyamsevaks in different parts of the globe may kindly send
at the earliest all the visual material – photos, text of speeches of
Sudarshanji, any videos taken in
different events and eye-witness accounts of interesting events. The
material may be sent either directly to Vishwa Vibhag or to Shanti Prasad
Agrawal, Wz 701, 1/2, Vaibhav Khand, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad-201014. Mobile
9818558720. Email-spagrawal2@gmail.com.
23. SHRI VISHWA
NIKETAN: Visitors: Dr. Anand Arya – UK, Ramyavaran ji and family – Australia.
Pravas: Dr. Sadanand Sapre sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag finished his tour to Mauritius and is now in South Africa and Kenya. Shri Shyam Parande,
secretary Sewa International returned from his tour to UK and Europe.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: He is not obtained by mouthing mere words, but by rooting out ego from
within. – Shri Guru Granth Sahib.
JAI SHREE RAM
ON DECEMBER 6 LET’S REFLECT “WHO ARE WE”
Rakesh Sinha
The judgment on the historic title of the site of the
former Babri Masjid came neither as a victory for the Hindus or defeat for the
Muslims. It's time we recognised December 6 as a day of reconcilement and
understanding
The Ayodhya movement was more than a mandir-mosque
controversy. In its essence, it has reshaped the debate on the prevailing
notion and practices of secularism and the idea of nationhood. The demolition
of the disputed structure on December 6, 1992 has been interpreted as an
aggression of majority over minorities. But it is the most fallacious way of
interpreting core principles of the movement. No nation can rise without its
own heroes and history as they inspire, energise and provide moral support. Ram
Manohar Lohia considered Ram, Krishna and
Shiva as the matchless personalities who carry the faith of millions for
generations. Can our civilisation be imagined, understood without these figures
on the one hand and Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, Ramayana and Mahabharata on the
other?
Modern Indian history is full of such warnings and
examples. The Constituent Assembly of India witnessed an introspective debate
on the question of secularism and nationhood. It asserted religion's role to be
confined to the private domain and reasserted the Indian tradition of
secularism. It categorically rejected the notion of minority. Is it not
surprising that the debate is missing from the textbooks? Have you ever found
quotes of its members like Tajamul Hussain, a practicing Muslim or Dr H C
Mookerjee, who was a Christian? Is it not a result of intellectual fascism on
the part of the Marxist-Nehruvian intelligentsia?
It was the introspective mind that decided to
reconstruct the Somnath
Temple demolished in the
11th century. It led a debate among the top politicians of the time, who,
however, unlike the present day politicians, had perspective and intellectual
depth. It was two mindsets contending with each other. For Jawaharlal Nehru, it
was an act of revivalism. However, Dr Rajendra Prasad, KM Munshi, Vallabbhai Patel, NV
Gadgil and others took exception to Nehru's approach, which failed to weld the
medieval and modern political history of India with its ancient cultural
heritage. Such heritage monuments, whether Somnath or Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath
or Krishna Janmbhoomi predate the advent of Semitic religions, for India's
pluralism cannot be delineated only in terms of presence of Islam or
Christianity.
India is plural in ethos and spirit; Hinduism continued to
give birth to new sects and philosophies, many of them contradicting and
challenging one other. Semitic assertion is an attack on India's
characteristics of paving the way for new ideas, philosophies and complete
freedom to quest for knowledge even questioning the supreme authority, sacred
scripts and highest religious authorities. It is core to Indian tradition of
multiculturalism. Is the Semitic temperament prepared to negotiate with the
Indian spirit? Dr Prasad described aptly by saying, "Our attempt is not to
rectify history. Our only aim is to proclaim our attachment to the faith,
convictions and to the values on which our religion has rested since immemorial
ages."
Nehru's isolation was axiomatic. Much before the controversies over Ayodhya or
Somnath arose, Balgangadhar Tilak set the agenda for renovate and reconstruct
all those historical places of emotional significance. A stray article by Tilak
in Kesari on April 23, 1895 gave an impetus to the repair of Shivaji Tomb at
Raigarh in Kolaba. The tomb's repair energised the anti-imperialist movement. L
K Advani's rath yatra contested secular fundamentalism. The Leftists used their
hegemony to carry out intellectual fascism, tried to impose their views through
school textbooks. Their intellectual fraud has been exposed on two important
accounts. Archaeological findings in the case of Ramjanmbhoomi have been
rejected by those who were not archaeologists. They even tried to discredit the
professionalism of the Archaelogical Survey of India.
Another instance has been more disturbing. The
judgment of the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court in the same case in
2010 was shamelessly contested by these scholars. They said, "The most
objectionable part of the judgment is the legitimisation it provides to
violence and muscle-power. For all these reasons we cannot but see the judgment
as yet another blow to the secular fabric of our country and the repute of our
judiciary. Whatever happens next in the case cannot, unfortunately, make good
what the country has lost. If judges can be made to feel that intellectuals can
convert any judgment into a moral crime, the evil purpose of intellectual
fascism is served. Judiciary should not become object of suspicion or target.
Actually, the judgment provided an opportunity for a new beginning and
self-fulfillment. The RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remark has been the most
notable in this regard. It said, "It was neither the victory of one party
nor the defeat of the other." But those who dream for a balkanised Indian
society fail to understand this. December 6 is day for neither joy nor the day
of shame but it should inspire us to resolve the question "who are we?'
-- The Pioneer Dec 1, 2012
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