1. FESTIVALS: Hanuman
Jayanti which falls on Chaitra Poornima, April 6th this year, is
celebrated to worship venerated God Hanuman also known as Bajrangbali,
Pavanputra, Mahaveer etc. It is celebrated at different dates in different
parts of Bharat , Margshirsh in Southern Bharat,
Vaishakh in Odisha and Andhra etc. On the day of Hanuman Jayanti, people flock
to temples, apply Sindhur to the murthi of Hanuman and observe fast. Religious
foods, coconut and flowers are distributed among people. Many devotees recite
the Hanuman Chalisa.
Hanuman is the ardent
devotee of Sri Rama and symbol of energy and strength. He is upheld as the
model for human devotion to God. He is an epitome of Brahmacharya and also one
of the seven ‘Chiranjiv’ (Immortals).
2. Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi
Sabha (ABPS) meeting of
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was held in Nagpur on 16, 17, 18 March 2012. First of all
shraddhanjali was given to Sangh adhikaris and other prominent personalities
from social life passed away during the year. Sarkaryavash Suresh (Bhaiyyaji)
Joshi presented the annual report. In 2011, a total of 69 Sangh Shiksha Vargs
were held in the country. In Pratham Varsha Vargs a total of 11507 trainees
participated from 7322 places; 2781 trainees came from 2102 places for Dwitiya
Varsha. A total of 732 trainees from 675 places attended regular Tritiya Varsha
and 447 trainees from all over country attended Vishesh Tritiya Varsha.
At the concluding program of the Samanya Tritiya
Varsha Varg Pujya Jayendra Saraswati Maharaj, Peethadheesh of Kanchi Kamakoti
Math, delivered his benediction. Sri Gana Raju of Vijayawada was the Chief Guest.
Sarsanghchalak Mohanji Bhagwat also addressed the swyamsevaks.
There are 40891 Shakhas in 27978 places. Saptahik
Milans are 8508 while Sangh Mandalis are 6445. In the Akhil Bharatiya Shareerik
Varg held at Vadodara 227 karyakartas participated.
This year in Purva Andhra 'Jaibheri', in Chhattisgarh
'Nadsangam', in Deogiri 'Rashtra Chetana' special camps of Ghosh Vadaks (Bands)
were organized. An All Bharat baithak and orientation of Prant Bouddhik
Pramukhs and workshop for speakers were organized after the Sangh Shiksha
Varg. Various training programme were
held by Prachar Vibhag in 2011-12 on subjects like panel discussion, press
conference etc under the guidance of some media experts.
'Sewa Sangam' programs were organized in 10 places by
Sewa Vibhag. 3153 representatives including 480 women of 706 organizations from
17 prants participated in these programmes.
With the positive effects of Vishwa Mangal Go-gram
Yatra and active participation of our swayamsevaks in village development,
nearly 200 villages have been converted as 'Prabhat Gram'.
Vishesh Vritta of Dakshin Tamil Nadu, Hindu Shakti
Sangam Maha Shibir in Uttar Karnataka, Paschim Andhra, Gond Samaj Sammelan, Devgiri
Prant, Gujarat Prant, Malwa Prant, Madhya Bharat Prant, Mahakoshal Prant, Punjab
Prant, Meerut Prant, Dakshin Bang, Earth Quake Relief Work in Sikkim, Programs
held against Communal and Targeted Violence Bill -2011, were included in the
report of Sarkaryavahji.
The report mentioned launching of massive popular
campaigns for bringing in Jan Lokpal Bill and bringing back black money from
banks abroad.
It was stressed that the draft of Communal and
Targeted Violence Bill 2011 needs to be rejected lock, stock and barrel by
all sections of the society including all political parties and religious and
social leaders. The decision of the Union Govt. to extend 4.5% reservations to
Muslims out of the OBC quota of 27% following the recommendations of the Sachar
Committee was opposed tooth and nail.
It was resolved that in 150th birth Anniversary year
of Swami Vivekananda we should endeavour to inspire our society of crores
with a divine message, kindle pure emotions in their hearts and, inculcate
discipline to use that collective strength with judiciousness.
ABPS passed two resolutions.
Resolution-1: Uphold Unity and Integrity of Our
Society as Paramount
Bharat is witnessing upsurge of popular movements in
different parts of the country over various issues like land rights, political
rights, dams and river water sharing, movement of people from one state to the
other, conflicts between different groups based on tribe, caste, religion etc.
The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha expresses concern over the growing ill
will among various sections of our society due to the actions of certain vested
interests of these movements.
The ABPS exhorts that mature polity should handle such
movements with utmost care and sensitivity. It should accord greater priority
to unity and integrity of the society while handling these issues.
Unfortunately what we experience today is exploitation of public sentiments for
political expediency resulting in harm to our social cohesion.
Media plays an important role in public education and
awakening. Sensationalism of sections of media in such matters will not only cause
harm to the interest of the movement but also adversely impact the social
fabric. Leaders of voluntary and Non-Government Organisations, who take active
part in several such movements, have an onerous responsibility of ensuring that
fissiparous tendencies don’t creep in and vested and foreign interests don’t
take advantage of the movements to vitiate the atmosphere of social harmony and
national unity. The ABPS calls upon the media and the NGO leadership to play a
constructive role in providing right direction to such movements.
There are bound to be genuine grievances and
complaints from each side in most of the issues that give rise to such
movements. However the ABPS appeals to the leaders and participant people of
these movements to never lose sight of the greater unity and integrity of our
society. Nothing should be said or done in the course of pursuing demands that
would create fissures in our social fabric and weaken our national bonds.
It is a matter of grave concern for the ABPS that the
actions of the Government in issues like Communal and Targeted Violence Bill
and Minority Reservations are potential triggers for creating disunity and
discord among various sections of the society. Anti-Constitutional decision of
the Union and certain State governments to
carve out 4.5% as Minority Quota from the OBC Quota of 27% reservations calls
for rejection by the entire nation. The ABPS exhorts that the national policy
should be guided not by short-term political gains but by the principle of One
Nation – One People.
The ABPS calls upon the countrymen in general and
Swayamsevaks in particular to play a proactive role in ensuring that the
attempts by some sections of our society to destroy our social unity for narrow
selfish ends never succeed.
Resolution-2: Draft National Water Policy-2012 Needs
to be Reconsidered
Natural wealth of the nation is sacred heritage of all
the living beings. Hence the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha is of the
considered opinion that our water resources, soil, air, minerals, cattle
wealth, biodiversity and other such natural resources should not be treated as
means of commercial profit. Our approach, policy and practices towards
utilization and conservation of these resources should be based on the
principle of our long sustained reciprocal coexistence of entire living
universe, rather than being based on short term motive of private profits. We
constitute 17 percent of the world population and are dependent upon 2.5
percent of the earth’s land mass and 4 percent of fresh water. In view of the
above facts, Government’s initiative towards private monopoly and commercial
profiteering in water which is one of the sacred elements among the
“Panch-Mahabhootas” is a matter of grave concern.
In the recently circulated draft National Water Policy
– 2012 of the Central Government while describing water as the basis of life,
has very cleverly incorporated the formulations and models of the World Bank
and MNCs. This clearly manifests the evil designs of the Central Government.
The proposals in the new draft on water policy regarding increase in water and
electricity tariffs in the name of rationalizing consumption of water and also
making it cost based, will only make water scarce for ordinary people and will
pave the way for earning massive profits by the corporates engaged in water
trade. As suggested by the World Bank, attempts at handing over the control of
water distribution in the hands of private monopoly in the name of
public-private partnership, indicates the intentions of handing over this vital
basic necessity of life totally in the control of private ownership and to a
large extent foreign multi-national corporations. Experiences of private
monopoly of water across the world have not been satisfactory with respect to
the quantity and quality of water supply, regularity of supplies and tariffs.
By accepting water as a tradable commodity or as an economic good in the water
policy, the Government is in fact supporting the logic of those international
business consultants who view privatization of water as booming trade
opportunity worth billions of dollars in Bharat and other developing countries.
ABPS is of the opinion that water is life line for our
entire living world. Therefore, rational water resource management ensuring
availability of pure water to each and every citizen, appropriate water supply
to agriculture and different meaningful economic activities at proper rates are
administrative imperatives for the Government.
Serious debate and deliberations from village panchayats to top level
regarding the National Water Policy, changes in land utilization and other
basic issues concerning management of natural wealth, should form the first
priority of the Government while formulating the policies.
In such a scenario, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi
Sabha calls upon all the countrymen to desist themselves from misuse, wastage
and all those activities which pollute this divine gift of nature. They should
leave no stone unturned in the conservation of water. The Pratinidhi Sabha also
expects from the Government that instead of handing over natural wealth like
water in private monopoly, it should adopt all appropriate measures to ensure
water conservation, harvesting and proper management. In view of the growing
demand, effective steps like reprocessing, desalination and optimum utilization
of river water should be taken for easy availability of water. For conservation
and augmentation of major sources of water it is necessary to curb pollution in
sacred rivers like Ganga and Yamuna. It is
also equally important to take effective steps for revival of the ancient river
Saraswati. The Government should also call upon the society, social
organizations and Dharmacharyas to co-operate in this endeavour. With respect
to the National Water Policy draft, the Pratinidhi Sabha also cautions the
Government that if it accepts the recommendations of the new water policy
document in toto and makes the water tariff cost based to ensure private profit
out of it, then it would have to face public wrath.
3. After Gandhi and Patel,
Modi third Gujarati on Time cover: Sixty-five years ago, on
January 27, 1947, the venerable American magazine Time had featured Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel on its cover. It was captioned: ‘Bharat’s Vallabhbhai Patel’.
But he wasn’t the first Bharatiya leader to make it to the cover of the world’s
largest circulated news weekly. That honour went to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
who appeared on the cover of the March 31, 1930 issue of Time. The caption
read: ‘Saint Gandhi’.
With the March 26 issue of Time hitting the stands,
Chief Minister Narendra Modi becomes the third Bharatiya leader from Gujarat to feature on its cover. The caption reads: ‘Modi
means business — But can he lead India?’ Inside the magazine, the
story is headlined: ‘Boy from the Backyard’. A blurb follows: “Narendra Modi
has defied humble origins to become the powerful leader of booming Gujarat. Here’s why Indians both love and loathe him.”
As Time puts it, Gujarat is today “India’s most industrialised and business-friendly
territory”, a state that can boast of “good planning - exactly what so much of India lacks”.
The credit for that goes to a leader with the “ability to get things done”.
Under Modi’s leadership, Time says, Gujarat
has “largely escaped the land conflicts and petty corruption that often
paralyse growth elsewhere in the nation”. Listing the many achievements of the
Government led by Modi, the magazine points out that Gujarat
is the only State in Bharat where both big businesses and small farmers can
expect uninterrupted power supply.
“Unlike many Bharatiya politicians, Modi doesn’t put
his faith on display. There are no religious icons in his office; the only
adornments are two statues of his hero, the philosopher Swami Vivekananda,”
Time says, adding, “In a country where nepotism and dynastic politics are the
norm, Modi’s family is invisible.” His brother, who works in the State
Government, hasn’t visited him even once at his office.
“To his loyalists,” Time points out, “Modi is a
decisive leader deserving a bigger platform than Gujarat, deserving, indeed, of
all India,
and of the prime — rather than just a chief — ministership.” Modi is “perhaps
the only contender with the track record and name recognition to challenge
Rahul Gandhi”, the magazine says, adding, when people “think of someone who can
bring Bharat out of the mire of chronic corruption and inefficiency — of a
firm, no-nonsense leader who will set the nation on a course of development
that might finally put it on par with China — they think of Modi”.
Gujarat’s success, “even Modi’s detractors
acknowledge”, is a “result of good planning”— something which, as Time
highlights, “exactly what so much of India lacks”.
Other Bharatiya leaders and politicians have featured
on Time’s cover, most notably Subhas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira
Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. The leader who has been featured on
the magazine’s cover the most is Nehru.
4. Educate mind & heart, Dalai Lama tells
DU: Spiritual
guru Dalai Lama, during his visit to Delhi
University on March 22,
spoke on the education of the mind and heart. He stressed on the knowledge of
the heart and soul along with the principle of meditation.
His Holiness Dalai Lama emphasised on the need for
analytical meditation while speaking at the Seminar Hall of the Vice Regal
Building. “Meditation
does not mean closing the doors from the world and going blank. Meditation
cannot be done with vacant mind,” he said.
Dalai Lama insisted that good meditation can be done
only with good reading and ideas in the mind. He added that for successful
meditation, self-analysis and focus were important.
5. TREE
PLANTING PROJECT IN KENYA: A major tree planting program
was set out by 55 representatives of Hindu Religion and Service
Center and Hindu Council of Kenya on
18th March 2012 at the Escarpment
Primary school, 45 km from Nairobi, at the slopes of the Great
Rift Valley. The Hindu Council of Kenya representatives were Vice
Chairman Dinesh Shah, Assistant Joint Secretary Bhimjibhai Patel and Sunil Shah.
The Hindu Religious & Service Centre was led by Chunibhai Shah. The group reached the School at 10.30 am.
The opening prayers were led by Ms Mary Wangari and
Damjibhai Koriya chanting the Gayatri Mantra and the Ekata Mantra. Escarpment Primary School was started in 1954 in
mud walled temporary shelters with the first class of less than 20 pupils. From
1972, permanent stoned wall buildings were erected with great assistance of the
Jani Family.
About 300 parents and children were invited to
participate in the exercise. 1200 trees were planted. 1000 were Bluegum and 200
were indigenous trees.
6. Festival welcomes spring and all its colors: If you found yourself at
Lacey’s Rainier Vista Park on March 18, you probably saw members of the South
Sound Bharatiya community laughing, running, playing games, enjoying a
traditional meal and doing it all covered head-to-toe in springtime colors,
such as yellow, orange, purple and red.
The Sunday afternoon event was organized by the Olympia chapter of Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh, and the celebration was the festival of colors – a
springtime tradition in Bharat in which the community gathers, in part, to
cover each other in a powdery form of paint.
Organizer Krishna Kumar said it was the event’s fourth
year in the Olympia
area and is a time for the community to come together and bond by painting each
other’s faces.
After the face
painting, there were games, such as tug of war and a water balloon toss.
The Olympia
chapter of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh is part of a national organization that
operates under the same name.
7. A Youth Day Camp at Woodlands Hindu
Temple: Hindu Temple of The
Woodlands (HTW), one of the newest temples in the Greater Houston area,
celebrated for the first time ever, two fun events over weekend. One was Holi
and the other, a day camp for kids and youth.
The day camp, on Saturday, March 17, organized by
HTW’s Education Youth and Service (EYS) committee was for kids and teens from
6-18 years in which 30 kids participated. The highlights of the camp were yoga,
jeopardy and skits. The participants were divided into groups and enacted
thematic skits centered around specific moral values.
Sunil Gopalkrishna, a young computer hardware engineer
and HTW adult scripture instructor, held an exclusive session only for the
youth, middle and high-school students.
On Sunday, March 18 Holi celebration was held at the
temple. The morning started with a puja performed by the temple’s priest.
Colored water was available for youngsters (and some older people!) to spray on
friends and families. Lots of colored powder was available to share and enjoy.
Various games and contests including a hula-hoop contest and a dance contest
for teenagers were part of all the fun.
8. DTU students develop lightweight aircraft for
surveillance: A team of under-graduate students at Delhi
Technological University (DTU) has designed and built a light Unmanned Aerial
Vehicle (UAV) that can be used for urban surveillance purposes.
The aircraft, Arush X1, has a high-definition camera
which can transmit images in real-time to a ground-based station, and is being
flight tested by the students. The team comprises 11 first- and final-year
students from different branches of engineering at the University.
The aircraft is made of a composite of carbon and
glass fibres and has been assembled using parts made in Bharat, most of them
sourced from Delhi.
The engine and the software have been sourced from outside Delhi, Gaurav said. The vehicle has now
completed six flight tests, attaining heights of up to 700 feet. The model can
work on auto-pilot mode and transmit signals to ground stations in a 30-km
range. It can take off and land in a runway length of 10 feet.
9. Community comes to rescue of Ladakh’s heritage:
Tsering Angchuk, a social worker from Basgo village in Leh district,
was recently awarded Bharat Jyoti Award for his meritorious service,
outstanding performance and commendable role in the field of conservation of
Ladakhi cultural heritage. The 10th-century Maiterya Buddha temple in Basgo
village was restored by the village community. In 2007, Basgo village was
conferred with the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award of Excellence.
A civil engineer by profession, he has been devoting
his spare time to promote the conservation of cultural heritage since 1992.
Angchuk is also convener of INTACH (Ladakh chapter).
10. BHARATIYA boy wins YouTube Space Lab
competition: Bangalore boy has been adjudged
the Asia-Pacific winner of the newly-launched YouTube Space Lab contest for
young minds conceptualizing and executing innovative scientific experiments in
space research. Eighteen-year-old Sachin S. Kukke came up with an experiment
exploring transfer of heat in ferrofluid – a special liquid that gets
magnetized when subjected to a magnetic field. It is touted as a study that can
help develop advanced cooling and heat transfer systems.
A student of mechanical engineering from Bangalore’s BMS College
of Engineering, Kukke is one of six global winners in the competition, hosted
by YouTube and Lenovo.
11. Google says Delhi boy’s 1 of 10 smartest kids: Abhishek knows computers,
and how. He can design websites with HTML, he can work Photoshop like a pro
and, if push should come to shove, he can code in C and C++!
Code In, one of the most prestigious of its kind, booted
up on November 21 last year. Open to children between the ages of 13 and 17, it
aims at introducing the world of open source software to teenagers. Each
completed task, depending on its level of difficulty, is worth a certain number
of points and contestants are expected to accumulate as many points as
possible.
Between November and January, the competition saw 542
students from 56 countries completing 3,054 tasks. The results were announced
on February 14. Of the 10 winners, five were from Bharat. Abhishek, second on
the list with 150 points, was the youngest of them all. Shitiz Garg, also from Bharat,
topped the list with 200 points. Gaurav Narula, Gautam and Aneesh Dogra are the
other winners from Bharat.
12. Now, a tablet that's also a mini lab for
doctors: Swasthya Slate (Health Tablet) - a first-of-its-kind diagnostic tool -
created by a US-returned Bharatiya biomedical engineer Kanav Kahol will not
only work as a diagnostic tool for multiple activities like conduct ECG, measuring
heart rate, testing quality of water and also takeing body temperature but will
also test blood pressure and blood sugar on the spot.
Kahol, who has worked with Nobel laureate Dr Lee
Hartwell at the University of Arizona's Biodesign Institute on creating
"persuasive technology," said the Slate will now help Auxillary Nurse
Midwives (ANMs) and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) working in
far-flung villages to diagnose diseases on the spot. Swasthya Slate is likely
to be ready for operation in next three months.
13. Ajab story: Online classes in Gujarat village: It's a typical 6 X 6
classroom of a village school - dimly lit and dusty with furniture crying for
repairs. But, what catches one's attention is a big TV monitor, a wireless
microphone enabling web conferencing and internet connectivity. At sharp 7 am,
students of Shri Krishna Vidya Mandir in Ajab village jostle for space in this
room keenly waiting for Chiman Delwadia who is about to log on from Birmingham
in Alabama, US.
When Delwadia appears on the TV monitor, students
throw a volley of maths problems at him and he patiently starts solving them.
The class continues for 90 minutes where students of classes 7, 8 and 9 learn
mathematics with fun.
They have also started conversing in English. The
tri-weekly online classes have ensured that a subject most dreaded by students
has become a favourite of nearly 36 children in this obscure village.
Delwadia, 58, born and brought up in Ajab, migrated to
the US in 1978 and works as a system engineer for Southern Company Services, a
utility company of four southern states in the US. Savan Nishu, who recently
took class X exams, said, "I don't fear maths anymore. I expect to get at
least 80 marks, thanks to these online classes."
14. SHRIMADBhagavadGita now
in Polish: Shrimadbhagvadgita, in Catholic-dominated Poland, the
sacred scripture has for the first time been translated into the Polish
language from its original Sanskrit text.
The present translation has been done by Anna
Racinska, who has spent almost a decade in Varanasi to master the nuances of Sanskrit.
Racinska is in her 60s and completed her doctorate from the Oriental Institute
of Warsaw University two years ago.
15. CLEAR STAND
ON RAM
SETHU AS
NATIONAL MONUMENT: SC TO
GOVT
The Supreme Court on 27th March asked the
Centre to specify within two days its stand on grant of national monument
status to the Ramsetu.
A bunch of petitions, including by Janata Party
president Subramanian Swamy and Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa, had questioned
the Sethusamudram shipping channel alignment on the ground that it was
breaching the mythological bridge, mentioned in epic Ramayana.
16. Kristin Cavallari says
yoga `helps with giving birth`: Kristin
Cavallari went for a yoga session on March 17 for the first time, after hearing
the exercise would make it easier for her to give birth to her baby.
The former ‘Hills’ star announced in January that she
was expecting her first child with NFL quarterback fiance Jay Cutler.
The actress’s bump could be seen through her
loose-fitting, long-sleeved top, which she paired with black yoga leggings. “About
to try yoga… I hear it helps with giving birth so sign me up! Whatever I can do
to help that process!” the Daily Mail quoted her as tweeting. She had briefly
split up with the 28-year-old Chicago Bears star in July, which had ended their
engagement. But they were back together by November.
17. Pak's deputy attorney gen
works off Taliban's sins at Delhi gurdwaras: A man in a maroon kurta
sits hunched on the floor on March 25 afternoon, polishing the shoes of
devotees at a room in Delhi's Gurdwara Rakabganj. This man is Pakistan's
deputy attorney general, Muhammad Khurshid Khan, who had requested he be
allowed to perform seva (community service) at the shrine.
Khan, 62, is an eminent lawyer and a devout Muslim
from Pakistan's Peshawar province. He is
in Delhi for a
judicial conference. Khan's tryst with temples and gurdwaras began in 2010 to
"heal the wounds of minorities in Pakistan by becoming their sevadar
(performer of service)". For him, it was a "penance" for crimes
committed by the Taliban.
In February that year, the Taliban had kidnapped three
Sikhs from Peshawar
and demanded a $235,000 ransom. Pakistan
army rescued two of them, but the third, Jaspal Singh, was beheaded by the
captors. After the killing, Khan performed service at a gurdwara in Peshawar.
18. China
tries in vain to quell growing protests in Tibet:
The
Tibetan unrest against the repressive policies of the Chinese authorities has
spread from the Tibetan areas of Western Sichuan to Qinghai.
The latter has been in a state of growing unrest since the beginning of
February, with large numbers of Tibetan monks and students frequently
protesting in the streets — separately as well as jointly. The spreading wave
of unrest started in the Nangchen County in Qinghai
Province’s Yulshul Prefecture
on February. At a local stadium, a large number of students and other civilians
gathered and shouted slogans like, “Freedom for Tibet” and “Long Live the Dalai
Lama”. The same day, another large group of Tibetans, including many monks,
gathered in the main monastery in Nangchen town, and chanted prayers for the
return of the Dalai Lama.
The spread of the non-cooperation movement seems to be
the result of local initiatives with calls for non-cooperation disseminated
through word of mouth, but the Chinese fear that there is a hitherto
unidentified Tibetan group which has been orchestrating the protest movement.
19. 5th missile hub in Andhra
Pradesh to fire up defence sector: Bharat's missile power is
set to get a boost with a surface-to-air missile unit set to come up at a cost
of Rs 30,000 crore at Ibrahimpatnam in Andhra Pradesh's Rangareddy district.
The foundation stone for the project by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) was laid by
chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on March 18. The infrastructure for the
project, spread over 630 acres, will be ready in three years' time. Once ready,
an estimated 6,000 missiles are expected to be produced at the unit.
Maj Gen Ravi Khetarpal (rtd), chairman and managing
director of BDL, said the Ibrahimpatnam unit would be the company's fourth
manufacturing unit in Andhra and the fifth in the country. He said the
Ibrahimpatnam project would kick off with an initial investment of Rs 2,500
crore.
20. Union Govt withdraws Gou Maans (Beef) Exports
Proposal: In 12th Planning Commission of Union Govt
recommendations, it was proposed that the ban on Gou Maans (Beef) exports be
lifted. Sadhu-Sants, VHP, other Hindu Organizations & Hindus in Bharat
opposed the move totally. In VHP’s nation-wide campaign the demand was made not
to allow such a brutal proposal to go through. Govt has issued a press note on
March 16, 2012 that there would not be Gou Maans – Beef – exports.
21. Coins in Tirupati temple
traced back to pre-Christian era: Members of a numismatic
scholars' committee, formed to segregate the huge collection of coins in the
famous Tirupati Tirumala temple, have found that some of the earliest coins in
the collection belonged to the Satavahana period and pre-Christian era. The
panel, which included 20 numismatic scholars from the south, has segregated
more than 36 tonnes of coins from the total 48 tonnes in three sessions.
The earliest coins found in the collection belonged to
the Satavahana period, pre-Christian and the Chola era. The remaining 12 tonnes
will be segregated in a couple of months, said T Sathyamurthy, one of the
members in the team and vice president of South Indian Numismatic Society.
22. ANNA NOW
PART OF SCHOOL SYLLABUS: Anna Hazare’s campaign for a Jan Lokpal bill is now
part of school curriculum Several
CBSE-recognised schools included a chapter on the anti-graft activist in their
general knowledge textbooks for Classes 7 and 8. Some have given him the
flattering epithet of ‘India’s
second Gandhi’. “Hazare is an Indian social activist recognised for his
participation in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement,” says a book written
by Dhiren M Joshi and brought out by a private publication. This introduction
is followed by a fill-in-the-blanks exercise on Hazare’s life and his
agitation.
23. BHARAT 2nd best for rapid growth among
emerging nations: Bharat has emerged as the second most promising market
after China in terms of maximum opportunity for rapid growth among emerging
market economies, says a survey by Tata Communications in association with
research company Vanson Bourne. More than half of the respondents believe China offers the maximum opportunity for rapid
growth opportunities, followed by Bharat at 46 per cent and Brazil at 26
per cent.
24. On 100th anniversary, Bihar gets state anthem,
prayer: Bihar on March 21, got its own
state anthem and state prayer when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released CDs
featuring these at a press conference. Earlier, a special Cabinet meeting
declared the selected songs as “Bihar Gaan” and “Bihar Prarthna Geet”.
The state government has prepared around 1 lakh CDs of
both songs. These will be distributed free in 76,000 schools across the state.
25. Lowly dhaniya fights
arthritis better than drugs: AIIMS study: An AIIMS study has found
that dhaniya or coriander plays a significant therapeutic role in managing
rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study, published in the latest issue of the
Indian Journal of Medical Research, evaluated the anti-arthritic activity of
the herb among rats. Dhaniya or Coriandrum sativum was found to inhibit joint
swelling and prevent progression of the disease among adult albino rats.
Dr Surender Singh, professor of pharmacology at AIIMS
and one of the authors of the study funded by the Indian Council of Medical
Research (ICMR), said: “Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints. This
swelling is triggered by the release of some mediator substances known as
proinflammatory cytokines. We have found that extracts of dhaniya seeds prevent
the release of these mediators in the body.”
26. IIT Kanpur makes prototype of lunar robot for
ISRO: IIT Kanpur has developed a prototype of a lunar robot for ISRO mission
to the moon. The project, which was started in 2010, has a larger objective to
send a mobile robot to the moon for performing experiments and developing maps
of the lunar terrain.
There were fundamentally two components which had to
be completed by IITK, Dr Ashish Dutta, Associate Professor of mechanical
engineering said. This included the
structured light based 3D map generation of lunar terrain that is being carried
out by Dr. K.S. Venkatesh, Associate Professor of Electrical engineering.
The second component is kinematics and path
planning. After the map is generated the
robot has to move to a desired location. As the lunar terrain consists of dust,
rocks etc the robot has to choose the safest path to travel by. The focus of
this part is to analyse all the possible feasible paths and then choose the
best path in terms of safety and least energy consumption, he said.
27. SHRI VISHWA
NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Saumitra ji Gokhale,
samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will tour Netherlands
(in the European Shibir from April 5-8) and UK in April. Shri Ravikumar,
sahsamyojak is on tour to Thailand,
HongKong, Singapore
and South Korea.
Dr.Ram ji Vaidya, sahsamyojak returned to UK
after ABPS in Nagpur and will tour Netherlands and
other European countries. Visitors: Devdutt Sethi – UK.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: All
power is within you. You can do anything and everything. Believe in that. Do
not believe that you are weak; do not believe that you are half-crazy lunatics,
as most of us do nowadays. Stand up and express the divinity within you. – Swami Vivekananda
JAI SHREE RAM
