Ashwin Shukla 12 Vik Samvat 2070. Yugabda 5115: October 16, 2013

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Samvad team wishes all its readers and their families and wellwishers a very happy Deepawali and prosperous new year. 

1. FESTIVALS: Chhath	2. SAMSKARS HELP FIGHTING CALAMITIES —DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT:
3. ‘WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS’ BY VHPA CHICAGO:	4. UK DOCTORS IN HEDGEWAR RUGNALAY – AURANGABAD
5. BAL APTEJI WAS 'NATION FIRST' PERSONIFIED—BHAIYAJI JOSHI:	6. TECH FOR SEVA IN PUNE:
7. BHARATIYA COMMUNITY’S ROLE IN MALL RESCUE:	8. IMPROVE CAPABILITIES TO DEFEAT EVIL FORCES — SRIDEVI GOYAL:
9. PRE-EMPTING A DISASTER:	10. BHARAT TO PIP US AS TOP INFRASTRUCTURE GOODS IMPORTER:
11. BANGLADESH RATIFIES EXTRADITION TREATY WITH BHARAT:	12. TEMPLE ACCEPTS WIDOWS AS PRIESTS IN MANGALORE:
13. INDRAPRASTHA NAAD CONCLUDED:	14. GORAKHPUR GETS WORLD'S LARGEST RAILWAY PLATFORM:
15. BHARATIYA-AMERICAN JUDGE TAKES OATH HOLDING GITA IN HAND:	16. LIFE TERM TO EIGHT IN SWAMI LAXAMANANANDA MURDER CASE:
17. BHARAT BEGINS ELECTRICITY EXPORT TO BANGLADESH:	18. PRITHVI-II MISSILE TEST-FIRED NEAR ODISHA:
19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN:

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

SARSANGHCHALAK’S VIJAYADASHMI SPEECH AT NAGPUR

JAI SHREE RAM

1. FESTIVALS: Chhath which falls on Kartika Shukala Shashti, November 8 this year, is a festival dedicated to the Sun God – Surya also known as Surya Shashti. Chhath Puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. The Sun is worshiped to promote well-being, prosperity and progress.

Chhath is observed over four days which include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prashad and aragh to the setting and rising sun.

It is celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern UP and the Terai regions of Nepal and also major urban centers in Bharat & in Mauritius, Fiji, Caribbean countries etc.

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2. SAMSKARS HELP FIGHTING CALAMITIES —DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: “It needs samskars and practice, not the training to fight against any calamity or tragedy. The RSS does not impart any formal training to the swayamsevaks to fight against the calamities, rather it sows the seeds of samskars based on Hindu thinking, which help them to fight against any tragedy,” said RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr.Mohan Bhagwat while  addressing a gathering of swayamsevaks at the Maneri Sewashram in Uttarkashi on October 4. Shri Bhagwat also praised the sewa activities being carried out by the Keshav Sewashram in the Yamuna Valley. The function was presided over by noted saint of Swami Bhagwandas. Shri Vijay Dhasmana of the Himalayan Hospital was the distinguished guest.

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3. ‘WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS’ BY VHPA CHICAGO: Vishwa Hindu Parishad America (VHPA) Chicago chapter organized the "World Without Borders" program on Sept 27-28,  to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. An event cosponsored by more than 35 local organizations drew over 2000 participatants and efforts of 50 plus volunteers made it a milestone for Hindu community.

On Sept. 28th as delegates walked to the Art Institute of Chicago where Swami Vivekananda delivered his historic message, Swami Ramdev garlanded the statue of Swami Vivekanand outside the Art Institute. Others in the procession were, Swami Chidananda, Swami Varadanand of Vedanta society, Lokesh Muni of Jain Center, Subramanian Swami and many others dignitaries.  

In the hall, a representative of Governor's Office read a message from Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, proclaiming September 28th, 2013, as Swami Vivekananda Day.

In the concluding session at Jain Center , Children from local Bal Vihars enthused the audience by singing and dancing on patriotic songs. Jain Muni Lokesh sang a few lines praising the bravery of Swami Vivekananda and congratulated VHPA for bringing all dharmacharya and organization on one platform. Dr. Beena of Brahma Kumaris institute talked about her research on the teachings of Swami ji. In the concluding remarks Baba Ramdev talked about reestablishing the glories of Hindu traditions through reforms. He appreciated VHPA's united effort of celebrating Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary.

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4. UK DOCTORS IN HEDGEWAR RUGNALAY – AURANGABAD:. It has proven to be the biggest such effort so far. “The charitable organisation has been conducting similar free camps in Bharat for 11 years, and 750 poor patients have been operated upon. This year, the number of patients permanently cured of cleft lips and cleft palates were the highest,” told  Hedgewar Rugnalay’s ENT head Bharat Deshmukh,as a team of Northern Cleft Foundation - UK assisted by Sewa International Bharat carried out cleft lip surgeries at Dr.Hedgewar Rugnalay in Aurangabad in October first fortnight. Led by George Tutturswamy, a doctor originally from Pondicherry and now living in Britain, the team included surgeons and other specialist support staff. The doctors paid for their own travel, as did all the others who were part of the team. The Hedgewar Hospital organised the to-and-fro travel expenses for the patients and their families and many poor patients from parts of the state that are hard to access reached the hospital. Boarding and lodging expenses were also borne by the hospital. “This birth deformity is quite common, and occurs in one out of every 1,500 births. Though it costs only around Rs.50, 000 for the operation and other medical requirements, it is beyond the reach of the poor. This patient (Daulatbi) had to endure her cleft lip for 65 years before this opportunity suddenly came up,” Deshmukh explained. The team plans to return next year for similar camps in Aurangabad, Nashik and Nagpur. http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/uk-doctors-bring-new-smiles-in-maharashtra-1156013.html?utm_source=ref_article

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5. BAL APTEJI WAS 'NATION FIRST' PERSONIFIED—BHAIYAJI JOSHI: Nation First, a compilation of the selected speeches and articles by late Bal Apte was released by senior BJP leader Shri LK Advani in New Delhi on September 30. While RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi presided over the function, Sahsarkaryavah  Dattatreya Hosabale and Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe from Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini also spoke at the function.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Advani said no other organisation can match the amount of work that has been done in the field of nation building and national awakening as has been done by the Sangh and its associated organisations. Nation First, describes this ideology in a nutshell.

Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi said Bal Apte never compromised on the values. He said that Apteji’s was like a guiding star showing path to all.

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6. TECH FOR SEVA IN PUNE: Vijnana Bharati, in collaboration with Sewa Sahayog, Global Indian Scientists & Technocrats Foundation (GIST) and Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha (MKSSS) organised Tech for Seva, socio-technical conference on inclusive and sustainable social development on September 28-29 in Pune.

In the conference technological innovations and applications were presented and deliberated for addressing the core issues of health, environment, education and livelihood in Bharatiya society. The conference was divided into four parts—poster and paper presentations highlighting the success stories and problems to be addressed; expo - displaying relevant and appropriate technologies along with solutions manifested into reality; student competitions-mooting ideas to highlight the use of technology to solve social problems and  networking dinner: dinner for exchange of ideas between NGOs, corporate and researchers.

Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of Automic Energy Commission who delivered the keynote address, said “ Tthe initiatives like ‘Tech for Seva’ will pave the way for more balanced policy initiatives by combining ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches.” Chief Guest of the valedictory function noted scientist Dr Vijay Bhatkar said, ‘Tech for Seva’ has shown a very innovative way to find answers to many of the problems bothering our country.”

In the curtain raiser event more than 400 student innovators from around 50 colleges in and around Pune participated in a competition to mark the beginning of ‘Tech for Seva’.

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7. BHARATIYA COMMUNITY’S ROLE IN MALL RESCUE:  By Joanna Sugden In the aftermath of the four-day siege of a mall in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, the role played by the Bharatiya-origin community in the rescue operation has become clearer.

Bharatiya-origin doctors treated the wounded in hospitals founded by Bharatiya and Sikh community groups, while a neighborhood watch group from the Bharatiya-origin community was among the first on the scene offering assistance to emergency services as armed forces tried to take control of Westgate mall from militants.

Volunteers of Bharatiya origin provided tea and curry for soldiers and police at a makeshift triage center, while others dressed in black trash bags waited to carry out corpses as parts of the mall were secured, a report in The Times of London said.

At least 67 people were killed in the attack. Kenyan media reported Thursday that 71 are missing.

Manvinder Mann, a Kenyan of Bharatiya origin who has relatives in Ludhiana in Punjab, treated casualties as they arrived at M.P. Shah Hospital close to the mall. The hospital was co-founded by a Gujarati philanthropist, Meghji Pethraj Shah, who moved to Kenya when he was 15.

At Guru Nanak hospital, which was founded by a Sikh community organization, 25 victims from the shootings received treatment. Three of them were of Bharatiya origin, said S.K. Bamra, the hospital’s matron. She added that they have been discharged after receiving counseling.

The Times report said members of the Sikh and Hindu communities had buried 12 people, but they feared that up to 30 from their communities had been killed. (http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/09/26/indian-origin-communitys-role-in-mall-rescue/

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8. IMPROVE CAPABILITIES TO DEFEAT EVIL FORCES — SRIDEVI GOYAL: Women are storehouse of unlimited energy. Only they should strive to experience their power and demonstrate it as and when necessary to prove their equality, said S Sridevi Goyal, former Director General of Home Guards and Civil Defence. She was addressing the sevikas of  the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, on the occasion of Vijayadashami—its foundation day—function organised at the Shubhmangal Auditorium.

The Vijayadashami function was attended by Pramukh Karyavahika of Samiti Annaaman Seethakka, Vandaniya Ushatai Chati, Pramilatai Medhe were prominently present.

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9. PRE-EMPTING A DISASTER: Timely action blunts cyclone Phailin impact :Effective planning, co-ordination and implementation among various agencies ensured that the loss of lives was limited after a severe cyclone ravaged large coastal parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh late Saturday night. Less than two dozen people died, although damage to property and farmlands will run into tens of crores of rupees. While even one life lost is painful, worse could have happened. We need to only revisit the incidents of natural disaster that struck Uttarakhand some months ago and the storm that caused havoc in Odisha in 1999. In both cases, the disaster management regime failed to rise to the occasion, and there was a glaring lack of co-ordination among the various agencies concerned. As a result, more than 10,000 people died in Odisha (the cyclone was as severe if not more than the Saturday one) and close to 5,000 in Uttarakhand. Precious lives could have been saved had only the various Government agencies seen the disaster coming and taken prompt steps to evacuate people from the danger zones. But it must be said that both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have taken sensible steps over the years to manage natural calamities. The National Disaster Response Force has been working for some time now in the two States to put in place a plan of action and create awareness among the people on the need to be on their toes. The Indian Meteorological Department, for once, performed creditably, forecasting correctly and on time. It had faced flak over apparently failing to foresee the Uttarakhand disaster — although the IMD had put up a stiff defence, saying that while it had done its job, the local authorities had failed to act. Since many lives can be saved through pre-emptive action, the Government of Odisha evacuated more than eight lakh people from the danger areas and shifted them to relief camps before Phailin arrived. The Armed Forces were at hand for relief and rescue operations. Complementing their efforts was the widespread media publicity which ensured that people did not panic for want of credible information. It is to be hoped that the success in facing Phailin will drive the NDRF and other agencies to continue their good work elsewhere in the country. Meanwhile, although the cyclone has gone away from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, the States and various Government and non-Government agencies have a lot of work to do in terms of rehabilitation of the affected. It’s a challenge that is nearly as enormous as tackling the cyclone.

However, the celebration over countering Phailin has been marred by the tragedy that hit unsuspecting devotees who had gathered for Navratri festivities at a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district on Sunday. More than 100 people have lost their lives in a stampede on a bridge that led to Ratangarh temple. Reports say that the chaos happened after rumours of the bridge collapsing spread like wild fire. Some reports claim that the police resorted to a lathi-charge to keep the crowd in check, and that worsened the situation. An inquiry will reveal the details, but the message from the grim incident is that authorities must hone their crowd management skills. This is also true of religious spots in other parts of the country, which have, unfortunately, witnessed similar tragedies. (Editorial 15 October 2013 Daily Pioneer)

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10. BHARAT TO PIP US AS TOP INFRASTRUCTURE GOODS IMPORTER: Bharat will topple the United States as the world’s biggest importer of infrastructure goods by 2020 and is expected to hold this position till 2030, a report by HSBC said.The report says, the demand for materials needed for infrastructure projects like metals, minerals, buildings and transport equipment is expected to increase as the country invests in building its civil infrastructure. Meanwhile, China is set to become the top importer of investment equipment by 2030 as it continues to invest in manufacturing productivity.

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11. BANGLADESH RATIFIES EXTRADITION TREATY WITH BHARAT: Bangladesh's cabinet on Oct 7 approved a landmark extradition treaty with Bharat; nearly nine months after the two countries inked the deal, a move that could lead to the handing over of several jailed Bharatiya militant leaders like ULFA's Anup Chetia. The treaty would now require the approval of the Parliament and it could come into effect after both the sides exchange documents following legal procedures. The Bharatiya cabinet had already endorsed the treaty.

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12. TEMPLE ACCEPTS WIDOWS AS PRIESTS IN MANGALORE: Breaking all traditions, Sri Gokarnanatha Kshetra, a century old temple in coastal town of Mangalore in Karnataka is ready to accept two widows as the priestess enhancing the process of women empowerment in religious places.

The two women, who lost their husbands, have been given four months of training to perform duties of priest. They will assume their duties on October 6 at the temple with a grand traditional reception by the temple committee to perform their duties as priests.

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13. INDRAPRASTHA NAAD CONCLUDED: “We are taking different stands on key national issues; this is not good for the nation. The ghosh (band) teaches us to work in unison for common cause that goes beyond personal discords.” said RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi while speaking at the Indraprastha Naad, a display of ghosh by RSS Delhi on October 2. Around 25,000 people attended the ceremony. A total of 807 swayamsevaks participated in the training camp. The participants performed spectacular band drills and stunned the crowd by showing various formations such as arrow, Swastika, triple- circular formation and sudarshan chakra. Lt General (Retd) Ravi Sawhney. former Deputy Chief of Army Staff was Chief Guest. 70 per cent of the participants were from the age group 16-30.

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14. GORAKHPUR GETS WORLD'S LARGEST RAILWAY PLATFORM: The Gorakhpur railway station became the proud owner of world's longest home platform on October 6 after GM, North Easter Railway, KK Atal inaugurated the remodelled Gorakhpur Yard.

The remodelling work was completed on war-footing within the scheduled time. With the inauguration of the remodelled yard, Gorakhpur now has a platform measuring 1366.33 metres with ramp and 11355.40 metres without it. With this achievement, the NER has also secured a place in the Limca Book of Records.

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15. BHARATIYA-AMERICAN JUDGE TAKES OATH HOLDING GITA IN HAND: With his hand on the Gita and watched by family friend Gursharan Kaur, Bharatiya Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife, Chandigarh-born legal luminary Sri Srinivasan made history as he became the first Bharatiya American to be sworn in as a judge of what is often called the second most powerful court in the US.

Srinivasan, 46, was sworn in on September 26 an overflowing court room by retired Supreme Court judge Sandra Day O'Connor, in the presence of legal luminaries, friends and families as his mother Saroja Srinivasan held the Gita, the sacred book of Hinduism, before him.

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16. LIFE TERM TO EIGHT IN SWAMI LAXAMANANANDA MURDER CASE: Five years after the brutal killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge of Phulbani convicted hardcore Maoist Udaya and seven other accused in this case. The court sentenced them with life imprisonmnent.

It may be noted that on the night of August 23, 2008, Swami Laxmanananda was killed while celebrating Janmashtami at his ashram at Jalespata under Tumudibandha police station of Kandhmal District.

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17. BHARAT BEGINS ELECTRICITY EXPORT TO BANGLADESH: Indo-Bangla cooperation in the power sector on October 5 entered a new phase, with the two countries breaking ground for a 1,320-MW coal-fired power plant and inaugurating a joint transmission line that will export 500 MW from Bharat.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joined the function of the transmission line and the laying of the foundation stone for the Maitri Thermal Power Project through video conferencing, while his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina was present at a sub-station in western Bheramara. The inter-grid connectivity is part of an immediate solution which would go a long way in alleviating power deficit in Bangladesh.

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18. PRITHVI-II MISSILE TEST-FIRED NEAR ODISHA:: Bharat on Oct 7 test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur.

The surface-to-surface missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at about 9.14 a.m.“The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the total launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of DRDO as part of practice drill,” the sources said.

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19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr.Ram Vaidya sah samyojak Vishwa Vibhag is touring Ghana and Nigerai in October. Shri Shyam arande secretary Sewa International returned from his 10 day tour to Bali.Visitors:

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: I bow at His Feet constantly, and pray to Him, the Guru, the True Guru, has shown me the Way. – Guru Nanak

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JAI SHREE RAM

SARSANGHCHALAK’S VIJAYADASHMI SPEECH AT NAGPUR

 The Navami is celebrated all over Bharatavarsha offering worship to Goddess Sakthi and weapons. Dasami is known as the day for Seemolanghan, i.e. the day for transcending the boundary. Today these two auspicious occasions have come together…….

The economic condition of the nation has an instant and direct bearing on the day-to-day routine and life of the common people. Presently the common people in our country are reeling under the unbearable weight of unending price-rise. Just two years back, loud noises were being made about making our country an economic super-power of the world. But today we are in search of means to arrest the trend of fall in the value of rupee so as to tide over the imminent economic crisis; i.e. fiscal deficit, current account deficit and depleting foreign exchange reserve, and the resultant economic crisis have now become the hot topic of common discourse. Stagnating economic growth, steep rise in foreign debt in comparison to Gross Domestic Product, etc. bear ample testimony to the fact that we are taking our economy in the wrong direction. However, what is more surprising is the refusal of the government to change the course and its continuation with its rigid policies. In the field of production, policies are formulated in such a way to deny the ownership to domestic entrepreneurs and entrust means of production to foreign hands. Small-scale entrepreneurs, small-time industrialists, retail businessmen and others, who contribute the major portion of the national income, are pushed into a difficult situation by our own government, in which they are compelled to compete with foreign entrants on uneven terms. ………..Further, the situation has made life-conditions extremely difficult. Even after the exposure of the rampant corruption at the highest echelons of power, and the full play of public ire and resentment against it through the movements against corruption, the real culprits involved in such acts still roam about freely. And, instead of enacting stringent laws to curb such nefarious practices, the political leadership is bringing in laws that are intrinsically flawed and full of loop- holes. If only we develop an indigenous pattern of growth, based on our own genius and in sync with the present times, keeping in mind the positive and negative aspects of modern technology, current world economic systems and trends, we will be able to achieve a growth that, along with bringing its benefits even to the last man in the row, will make us self - reliant, create jobs, improve quality, and ensure equity, justice and freedom from exploitation.

Also, with the same view, it is necessary to bring about total transformation in the present educational policy that seeks to commercialise education, not only because the education under this policy is beyond the reach of the common people, but also for the reason that it is quite incapable of fostering good qualities and culture. It seems efforts are being made to invite foreign educational institutions here with an aim to bring the entire educational sector exclusively under their domain by discouraging the ongoing local efforts in this arena. ……..The provision to impart this culture to the new generation is available in our family system. And with this realisation, our family system is being studied and to some extent emulated all over the world. However, without understanding the significance of this system, attempts are made to turn the inter-personal relationships within the family into some sort of financial dealings, by bringing in unnecessary laws. Even if this is done with some good intentions, it is amply clear that neither any thought has been given nor any study made to assess the importance of our family system from the point of view of social security and social enterprise.

The shadow of dark clouds hovering around our national security continues to persist. China continues to test our mettle by frequent incursions across India’s borders, attempts to besiege us by increasing influence in countries in our neighborhood, and dumping their products in our markets. We, on our part, have not been showing the will or the resolve to respond to these threats with firmness and full might. The statements made by those in responsible positions to dilute the seriousness of such developments, whenever correct information percolates from outside, raise the question of our sensitivity and alertness related to our border security, sovereignty, etc, and that becomes a matter of concern. It has been proved time and again that Pakistan’s policy is based on its hatred for India. Knowing this very well, why we are pursuing a weak and meek policy that encourages Pakistan’s misadventure is beyond anyone’s comprehension. In the northeast, the neglect and suppression of patriotic people, and abetment and appeasement of separatist terrorist forces and infiltrators for the sake of vote bank politics is continuing unabashed. Neglect of those areas in matters of development continues as in the past. All these years, construction of border roads, development aimed at providing job opportunities for local populace, and introduction of measures to further strengthen and fortify the facilities for border patrolling, have made no satisfactory progress.

In view of the scenario created by these problems besetting our defense front, instead of taking measures to promote the interests of the people of Indian origin in Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Myanmar and South-east Asia, and strengthening our bond of love and friendship with those countries, we see the same complacency and duplicity being displayed. In the home-front also, let alone making our defense preparedness fool-proof and self-sufficient, communication system up-to-date, and effecting quantitative increase in defense forces and uplifting their morale, deliberations are on to invite foreign investments in defense production, and one after another, incidents are taking place that adversely affect the morale of our defense forces. As a result, how inimical forces are emboldened to pose challenges to us, both within the country and on the borders through their misadventures, is amply clear from the havoc wrought both by Pakistan and China through repeated ingressions into our territory, and the incidents like attacking our military camps, as happened at Hiranagar in Jammu.

The ordinary citizen is fed up with this situation, is angry, and wants a change. However, because of selfish motives, Indian politics enjoys bliss in the vicious circle of vote bank. In such a situation it is the majority Hindu society, traditionally living in this land from time immemorial without any precondition whatsoever that is suffering the most.

Recently shops of Hindu businessmen at Kishtwar in Jammu, where the Hindu population is a meager 15%, were attacked and ransacked by people motivated by communal hatred. …….By compensating the victims in lakhs, who sustained losses worth crores of rupees, the state government seems to be proud that it has discharged its duty. Also need was never felt to take stringent action against the perpetrators and the zealots who hatched the criminal conspiracy. Mind you, this is the very same Jammu and Kashmir state whose Chief Minister recently told a European delegations visiting the state that accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India was only conditional and not absolute merger. What he said clearly indicates the mindset of the forces active in politics there, who, while remaining in power, play all sorts of illegal deceptive tricks to banish those who are committed to India’s unity and integrity and consider the state as an integral part of India, from the whole of Jammu-Ladak-Kashmir region. The recent happening at Mujaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh are yet another example of the crooked politics detrimental to national interests,  in which, blinded by the craze for power, the national and patriotic forces were suppressed. Unilateral and one-sided atrocities committed by the lumpen elements of a particular religious community were not only ignored by the government, which was busy with the balancing act, but were also encouraged and protected. ……..After coming to power, at the instance of the ruling party, an I.A.S. Officer was suspended for the “offence” of discharging duties staying within the limits of power accorded by law. Whipping up an unsavoury controversy by imposing a ban on the totally peaceful and lawful Ayodhya Parikrama, the game stoking the flames of communal feelings in the cover of secularism was kick started. Such biased and anti-people policies resulted in a severe public outburst, and to control that the Government became indecisive and was totally paralysed. Even now, instead of facing the truth, efforts are made to shift the entire blame on the Hindu society and those who showed the courage to tell the truth, with the help of the section of the media. The communal, intolerant and terrorist forces behind all such atrocious acts, and the elements that hobnob with them and provide them strength, stand exposed through the gory incidents of manslaughter that took place from the mall at Nairobi to the church at Peshavar. But our politicians, blinded by their greed for power, are quite unable to see this truth, which is as bright as daylight.

The conditions prevalent in the nation have a direct bearing on the life of the entire population. We, who elect the political parties and leaders as our rulers, are all ordinary people. So, we have to discuss about any given situation not to get scared, but for finding the solution. Fortunately for us, a major segment of our population comprises youths who are full of vigour, conviction, and expectations and pure at heart. From this point of view, we have an immediate though temporary responsibility before us. In democracy elections may be a matter of politics for contestants but for us common citizens it is an opportunity to perform our mandatory democratic duty. ….So as to discharge our responsibility as voters, first and foremost, we have to ensure that our names properly figure in the voters list. ……….Our voting should be based purely on issues, to the parties who follow policies that serve our national interests and to the capable candidates who have integrity. …But our duty does not end just by voting and transferring the whole responsibility on the shoulders of elected persons. Any attempt at bettering strength and reformation should invariably start with our own personal life. …….Let us make a solemn resolve that we would earn fame and success by increasing our efficiency through strenuous efforts and use them not to serve personal selfish ends, but for the benefit of society, humanitarianism and service. On this sacred day, let us take a solemn pledge to transcend all narrow personal limitations and to heartily worship God in the form of our Rashtra, dedicating everything to it.

By actively addressing the social aspects, can’t we put an end to this centuries old evil of heresy, hypocrisy and discrimination? Can’t we throw open our centers of worship, sources of water, and crematoriums to all Hindus so as to enable Hindus to make a new beginning of harmonious life? This is the only means to bring the whole society on the side of Sad-dharma and good deeds, and string them together with the thread of ‘Bharat Bhakthi’. Also, there is no other way to bring about necessary changes in the policies and system of the nation and to keep it healthy. To provide living examples of such lofty behaviour in every village, colony, lane and by-lane is the only means to accelerate the process of social change.

It goes without saying that in all matters and discharging of responsibilities dealt with above, the Swayamsevaks should be naturally there before the society as the role-model. Because it is with the aim of bringing the society to an active, harmonious and organised state Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has been striving for the last 88 years.

Swami Vivekananda, whose 150th birth anniversary celebrations are coming to an end shortly, had also envisaged the very same means to rejuvenate our nation. He has made it clear to the society that only through the youths, who are ready to renounce everything for the service of the nation and become perfect examples themselves by attaining pure character, selfless mind and discrimination, with body as strong as a Vajra and an heart infused with indomitable enthusiasm and love, to consecrate our sacred Bharatmata on the throne of Vishva Guru.

(Excerpts from the speech of P.P,Sarsanghachalak Dr.Mohan Bhagwat delivered at Reshimbaug Nagpur on the Vijayadashmi day 13^th October 2013. Pl visit www.rss.org for full speech. )

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1. FESTIVALS: Chhath which falls on Kartika Shukala Shashti, November 8 this year, is a festival dedicated to the Sun God – Surya also known as Surya Shashti. Chhath Puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. The Sun is worshiped to promote well-being, prosperity and progress.

Chhath is observed over four days which include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prashad and aragh to the setting and rising sun.

It is celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern UP and the Terai regions of Nepal and also major urban centers in Bharat & in Mauritius, Fiji, Caribbean countries etc.

 

Samvad team wishes all its readers and their families and wellwishers a very happy Deepawali and prosperous new year. 

2. SAMSKARS HELP FIGHTING CALAMITIES —DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: “It needs samskars and practice, not the training to fight against any calamity or tragedy. The RSS does not impart any formal training to the swayamsevaks to fight against the calamities, rather it sows the seeds of samskars based on Hindu thinking, which help them to fight against any tragedy,” said RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr.Mohan Bhagwat while  addressing a gathering of swayamsevaks at the Maneri Sewashram in Uttarkashi on October 4. Shri Bhagwat also praised the sewa activities being carried out by the Keshav Sewashram in the Yamuna Valley. The function was presided over by noted saint of Swami Bhagwandas. Shri Vijay Dhasmana of the Himalayan Hospital was the distinguished guest.

3. ‘WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS’ BY VHPA CHICAGO: Vishwa Hindu Parishad America (VHPA) Chicago chapter organized the "World Without Borders" program on Sept 27-28,  to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda. An event cosponsored by more than 35 local organizations drew over 2000 participatants and efforts of 50 plus volunteers made it a milestone for Hindu community.

On Sept. 28th as delegates walked to the Art Institute of Chicago where Swami Vivekananda delivered his historic message, Swami Ramdev garlanded the statue of Swami Vivekanand outside the Art Institute. Others in the procession were, Swami Chidananda, Swami Varadanand of Vedanta society, Lokesh Muni of Jain Center, Subramanian Swami and many others dignitaries.

In the hall, a representative of Governor's Office read a message from Governor of Illinois, Pat Quinn, proclaiming September 28th, 2013, as Swami Vivekananda Day.

In the concluding session at Jain Center , Children from local Bal Vihars enthused the audience by singing and dancing on patriotic songs. Jain Muni Lokesh sang a few lines praising the bravery of Swami Vivekananda and congratulated VHPA for bringing all dharmacharya and organization on one platform. Dr. Beena of Brahma Kumaris institute talked about her research on the teachings of Swami ji. In the concluding remarks Baba Ramdev talked about reestablishing the glories of Hindu traditions through reforms. He appreciated VHPA's united effort of celebrating Swami Vivekananda's birth anniversary.

4. UK DOCTORS IN HEDGEWAR RUGNALAY – AURANGABAD:. It has proven to be the biggest such effort so far. “The charitable organisation has been conducting similar free camps in Bharat for 11 years, and 750 poor patients have been operated upon. This year, the number of patients permanently cured of cleft lips and cleft palates were the highest,” told  Hedgewar Rugnalay’s ENT head Bharat Deshmukh,as a team of Northern Cleft Foundation - UK assisted by Sewa International Bharat carried out cleft lip surgeries at Dr.Hedgewar Rugnalay in Aurangabad in October first fortnight. Led by George Tutturswamy, a doctor originally from Pondicherry and now living in Britain, the team included surgeons and other specialist support staff. The doctors paid for their own travel, as did all the others who were part of the team. The Hedgewar Hospital organised the to-and-fro travel expenses for the patients and their families and many poor patients from parts of the state that are hard to access reached the hospital. Boarding and lodging expenses were also borne by the hospital. “This birth deformity is quite common, and occurs in one out of every 1,500 births. Though it costs only around Rs.50, 000 for the operation and other medical requirements, it is beyond the reach of the poor. This patient (Daulatbi) had to endure her cleft lip for 65 years before this opportunity suddenly came up,” Deshmukh explained. The team plans to return next year for similar camps in Aurangabad, Nashik and Nagpur. http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/uk-doctors-bring-new-smiles-in-maharashtra-1156013.html?utm_source=ref_article

5. BAL APTEJI WAS 'NATION FIRST' PERSONIFIED—BHAIYAJI JOSHI: Nation First, a compilation of the selected speeches and articles by late Bal Apte was released by senior BJP leader Shri LK Advani in New Delhi on September 30. While RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi presided over the function, Sahsarkaryavah  Dattatreya Hosabale and Dr Vinay Sahasrabuddhe from Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini also spoke at the function.

Speaking on the occasion Shri Advani said no other organisation can match the amount of work that has been done in the field of nation building and national awakening as has been done by the Sangh and its associated organisations. Nation First, describes this ideology in a nutshell.

Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi said Bal Apte never compromised on the values. He said that Apteji’s was like a guiding star showing path to all.

6. TECH FOR SEVA IN PUNE: Vijnana Bharati, in collaboration with Sewa Sahayog, Global Indian Scientists & Technocrats Foundation (GIST) and Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha (MKSSS) organised Tech for Seva, socio-technical conference on inclusive and sustainable social development on September 28-29 in Pune.

In the conference technological innovations and applications were presented and deliberated for addressing the core issues of health, environment, education and livelihood in Bharatiya society. The conference was divided into four parts—poster and paper presentations highlighting the success stories and problems to be addressed; expo - displaying relevant and appropriate technologies along with solutions manifested into reality; student competitions-mooting ideas to highlight the use of technology to solve social problems and  networking dinner: dinner for exchange of ideas between NGOs, corporate and researchers.

Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman of Automic Energy Commission who delivered the keynote address, said “ Tthe initiatives like ‘Tech for Seva’ will pave the way for more balanced policy initiatives by combining ‘top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches.” Chief Guest of the valedictory function noted scientist Dr Vijay Bhatkar said, ‘Tech for Seva’ has shown a very innovative way to find answers to many of the problems bothering our country.”

In the curtain raiser event more than 400 student innovators from around 50 colleges in and around Pune participated in a competition to mark the beginning of ‘Tech for Seva’.

7. BHARATIYA COMMUNITY’S ROLE IN MALL RESCUE:  By Joanna Sugden In the aftermath of the four-day siege of a mall in Kenya’s capital Nairobi, the role played by the Bharatiya-origin community in the rescue operation has become clearer.

Bharatiya-origin doctors treated the wounded in hospitals founded by Bharatiya and Sikh community groups, while a neighborhood watch group from the Bharatiya-origin community was among the first on the scene offering assistance to emergency services as armed forces tried to take control of Westgate mall from militants.

Volunteers of Bharatiya origin provided tea and curry for soldiers and police at a makeshift triage center, while others dressed in black trash bags waited to carry out corpses as parts of the mall were secured, a report in The Times of London said.

At least 67 people were killed in the attack. Kenyan media reported Thursday that 71 are missing.

Manvinder Mann, a Kenyan of Bharatiya origin who has relatives in Ludhiana in Punjab, treated casualties as they arrived at M.P. Shah Hospital close to the mall. The hospital was co-founded by a Gujarati philanthropist, Meghji Pethraj Shah, who moved to Kenya when he was 15.

At Guru Nanak hospital, which was founded by a Sikh community organization, 25 victims from the shootings received treatment. Three of them were of Bharatiya origin, said S.K. Bamra, the hospital’s matron. She added that they have been discharged after receiving counseling.

The Times report said members of the Sikh and Hindu communities had buried 12 people, but they feared that up to 30 from their communities had been killed.

(http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2013/09/26/indian-origin-communitys-role-in-mall-rescue/

8. IMPROVE CAPABILITIES TO DEFEAT EVIL FORCES — SRIDEVI GOYAL: Women are storehouse of unlimited energy. Only they should strive to experience their power and demonstrate it as and when necessary to prove their equality, said S Sridevi Goyal, former Director General of Home Guards and Civil Defence. She was addressing the sevikas of  the Rashtra Sevika Samiti, on the occasion of Vijayadashami—its foundation day—function organised at the Shubhmangal Auditorium.

The Vijayadashami function was attended by Pramukh Karyavahika of Samiti Annaaman Seethakka, Vandaniya Ushatai Chati, Pramilatai Medhe were prominently present.

9. PRE-EMPTING A DISASTER: Timely action blunts cyclone Phailin impact :Effective planning, co-ordination and implementation among various agencies ensured that the loss of lives was limited after a severe cyclone ravaged large coastal parts of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh late Saturday night. Less than two dozen people died, although damage to property and farmlands will run into tens of crores of rupees. While even one life lost is painful, worse could have happened. We need to only revisit the incidents of natural disaster that struck Uttarakhand some months ago and the storm that caused havoc in Odisha in 1999. In both cases, the disaster management regime failed to rise to the occasion, and there was a glaring lack of co-ordination among the various agencies concerned. As a result, more than 10,000 people died in Odisha (the cyclone was as severe if not more than the Saturday one) and close to 5,000 in Uttarakhand. Precious lives could have been saved had only the various Government agencies seen the disaster coming and taken prompt steps to evacuate people from the danger zones. But it must be said that both Andhra Pradesh and Odisha have taken sensible steps over the years to manage natural calamities. The National Disaster Response Force has been working for some time now in the two States to put in place a plan of action and create awareness among the people on the need to be on their toes. The Indian Meteorological Department, for once, performed creditably, forecasting correctly and on time. It had faced flak over apparently failing to foresee the Uttarakhand disaster — although the IMD had put up a stiff defence, saying that while it had done its job, the local authorities had failed to act. Since many lives can be saved through pre-emptive action, the Government of Odisha evacuated more than eight lakh people from the danger areas and shifted them to relief camps before Phailin arrived. The Armed Forces were at hand for relief and rescue operations. Complementing their efforts was the widespread media publicity which ensured that people did not panic for want of credible information. It is to be hoped that the success in facing Phailin will drive the NDRF and other agencies to continue their good work elsewhere in the country. Meanwhile, although the cyclone has gone away from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, the States and various Government and non-Government agencies have a lot of work to do in terms of rehabilitation of the affected. It’s a challenge that is nearly as enormous as tackling the cyclone.

However, the celebration over countering Phailin has been marred by the tragedy that hit unsuspecting devotees who had gathered for Navratri festivities at a temple in Madhya Pradesh's Datia district on Sunday. More than 100 people have lost their lives in a stampede on a bridge that led to Ratangarh temple. Reports say that the chaos happened after rumours of the bridge collapsing spread like wild fire. Some reports claim that the police resorted to a lathi-charge to keep the crowd in check, and that worsened the situation. An inquiry will reveal the details, but the message from the grim incident is that authorities must hone their crowd management skills. This is also true of religious spots in other parts of the country, which have, unfortunately, witnessed similar tragedies. (Editorial 15 October 2013 Daily Pioneer)

10. BHARAT TO PIP US AS TOP INFRASTRUCTURE GOODS IMPORTER: Bharat will topple the United States as the world’s biggest importer of infrastructure goods by 2020 and is expected to hold this position till 2030, a report by HSBC said.The report says, the demand for materials needed for infrastructure projects like metals, minerals, buildings and transport equipment is expected to increase as the country invests in building its civil infrastructure. Meanwhile, China is set to become the top importer of investment equipment by 2030 as it continues to invest in manufacturing productivity.

11. BANGLADESH RATIFIES EXTRADITION TREATY WITH BHARAT: Bangladesh's cabinet on Oct 7 approved a landmark extradition treaty with Bharat; nearly nine months after the two countries inked the deal, a move that could lead to the handing over of several jailed Bharatiya militant leaders like ULFA's Anup Chetia. The treaty would now require the approval of the Parliament and it could come into effect after both the sides exchange documents following legal procedures. The Bharatiya cabinet had already endorsed the treaty.

12. TEMPLE ACCEPTS WIDOWS AS PRIESTS IN MANGALORE: Breaking all traditions, Sri Gokarnanatha Kshetra, a century old temple in coastal town of Mangalore in Karnataka is ready to accept two widows as the priestess enhancing the process of women empowerment in religious places.

The two women, who lost their husbands, have been given four months of training to perform duties of priest. They will assume their duties on October 6 at the temple with a grand traditional reception by the temple committee to perform their duties as priests.

13. INDRAPRASTHA NAAD CONCLUDED: “We are taking different stands on key national issues; this is not good for the nation. The ghosh (band) teaches us to work in unison for common cause that goes beyond personal discords.” said RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi while speaking at the Indraprastha Naad, a display of ghosh by RSS Delhi on October 2. Around 25,000 people attended the ceremony. A total of 807 swayamsevaks participated in the training camp. The participants performed spectacular band drills and stunned the crowd by showing various formations such as arrow, Swastika, triple- circular formation and sudarshan chakra. Lt General (Retd) Ravi Sawhney. former Deputy Chief of Army Staff was Chief Guest. 70 per cent of the participants were from the age group 16-30.

14. GORAKHPUR GETS WORLD'S LARGEST RAILWAY PLATFORM: The Gorakhpur railway station became the proud owner of world's longest home platform on October 6 after GM, North Easter Railway, KK Atal inaugurated the remodelled Gorakhpur Yard.

The remodelling work was completed on war-footing within the scheduled time. With the inauguration of the remodelled yard, Gorakhpur now has a platform measuring 1366.33 metres with ramp and 11355.40 metres without it. With this achievement, the NER has also secured a place in the Limca Book of Records.

15. BHARATIYA-AMERICAN JUDGE TAKES OATH HOLDING GITA IN HAND: With his hand on the Gita and watched by family friend Gursharan Kaur, Bharatiya Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's wife, Chandigarh-born legal luminary Sri Srinivasan made history as he became the first Bharatiya American to be sworn in as a judge of what is often called the second most powerful court in the US.

Srinivasan, 46, was sworn in on September 26 an overflowing court room by retired Supreme Court judge Sandra Day O'Connor, in the presence of legal luminaries, friends and families as his mother Saroja Srinivasan held the Gita, the sacred book of Hinduism, before him.

16. LIFE TERM TO EIGHT IN SWAMI LAXAMANANANDA MURDER CASE: Five years after the brutal killing of Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge of Phulbani convicted hardcore Maoist Udaya and seven other accused in this case. The court sentenced them with life imprisonmnent.

It may be noted that on the night of August 23, 2008, Swami Laxmanananda was killed while celebrating Janmashtami at his ashram at Jalespata under Tumudibandha police station of Kandhmal District.

17. BHARAT BEGINS ELECTRICITY EXPORT TO BANGLADESH: Indo-Bangla cooperation in the power sector on October 5 entered a new phase, with the two countries breaking ground for a 1,320-MW coal-fired power plant and inaugurating a joint transmission line that will export 500 MW from Bharat.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh joined the function of the transmission line and the laying of the foundation stone for the Maitri Thermal Power Project through video conferencing, while his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina was present at a sub-station in western Bheramara. The inter-grid connectivity is part of an immediate solution which would go a long way in alleviating power deficit in Bangladesh.

18. PRITHVI-II MISSILE TEST-FIRED NEAR ODISHA:: Bharat on Oct 7 test-fired its indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II missile with a strike range of 350 km from a test range at Chandipur.

The surface-to-surface missile was test-fired from a mobile launcher in salvo mode from launch complex-3 of the Integrated Test Range at about 9.14 a.m.“The missile was randomly chosen from the production stock and the total launch activities were carried out by the specially formed SFC and monitored by the scientists of DRDO as part of practice drill,” the sources said.

19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr.Ram Vaidya sah samyojak Vishwa Vibhag is touring Ghana and Nigerai in October. Shri Shyam arande secretary Sewa International returned from his 10 day tour to Bali.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: I bow at His Feet constantly, and pray to Him, the Guru, the True Guru, has shown me the Way. – Guru Nanak

JAI SHREE RAM

SARSANGHCHALAK’S VIJAYADASHMI SPEECH AT NAGPUR

The Navami is celebrated all over Bharatavarsha offering worship to Goddess Sakthi and weapons. Dasami is known as the day for Seemolanghan, i.e. the day for transcending the boundary. Today these two auspicious occasions have come together…….

The economic condition of the nation has an instant and direct bearing on the day-to-day routine and life of the common people. Presently the common people in our country are reeling under the unbearable weight of unending price-rise. Just two years back, loud noises were being made about making our country an economic super-power of the world. But today we are in search of means to arrest the trend of fall in the value of rupee so as to tide over the imminent economic crisis; i.e. fiscal deficit, current account deficit and depleting foreign exchange reserve, and the resultant economic crisis have now become the hot topic of common discourse. Stagnating economic growth, steep rise in foreign debt in comparison to Gross Domestic Product, etc. bear ample testimony to the fact that we are taking our economy in the wrong direction. However, what is more surprising is the refusal of the government to change the course and its continuation with its rigid policies. In the field of production, policies are formulated in such a way to deny the ownership to domestic entrepreneurs and entrust means of production to foreign hands. Small-scale entrepreneurs, small-time industrialists, retail businessmen and others, who contribute the major portion of the national income, are pushed into a difficult situation by our own government, in which they are compelled to compete with foreign entrants on uneven terms. ………..Further, the situation has made life-conditions extremely difficult. Even after the exposure of the rampant corruption at the highest echelons of power, and the full play of public ire and resentment against it through the movements against corruption, the real culprits involved in such acts still roam about freely. And, instead of enacting stringent laws to curb such nefarious practices, the political leadership is bringing in laws that are intrinsically flawed and full of loop- holes. If only we develop an indigenous pattern of growth, based on our own genius and in sync with the present times, keeping in mind the positive and negative aspects of modern technology, current world economic systems and trends, we will be able to achieve a growth that, along with bringing its benefits even to the last man in the row, will make us self - reliant, create jobs, improve quality, and ensure equity, justice and freedom from exploitation.

Also, with the same view, it is necessary to bring about total transformation in the present educational policy that seeks to commercialise education, not only because the education under this policy is beyond the reach of the common people, but also for the reason that it is quite incapable of fostering good qualities and culture. It seems efforts are being made to invite foreign educational institutions here with an aim to bring the entire educational sector exclusively under their domain by discouraging the ongoing local efforts in this arena. ……..The provision to impart this culture to the new generation is available in our family system. And with this realisation, our family system is being studied and to some extent emulated all over the world. However, without understanding the significance of this system, attempts are made to turn the inter-personal relationships within the family into some sort of financial dealings, by bringing in unnecessary laws. Even if this is done with some good intentions, it is amply clear that neither any thought has been given nor any study made to assess the importance of our family system from the point of view of social security and social enterprise.

The shadow of dark clouds hovering around our national security continues to persist. China continues to test our mettle by frequent incursions across India’s borders, attempts to besiege us by increasing influence in countries in our neighborhood, and dumping their products in our markets. We, on our part, have not been showing the will or the resolve to respond to these threats with firmness and full might. The statements made by those in responsible positions to dilute the seriousness of such developments, whenever correct information percolates from outside, raise the question of our sensitivity and alertness related to our border security, sovereignty, etc, and that becomes a matter of concern. It has been proved time and again that Pakistan’s policy is based on its hatred for India. Knowing this very well, why we are pursuing a weak and meek policy that encourages Pakistan’s misadventure is beyond anyone’s comprehension. In the northeast, the neglect and suppression of patriotic people, and abetment and appeasement of separatist terrorist forces and infiltrators for the sake of vote bank politics is continuing unabashed. Neglect of those areas in matters of development continues as in the past. All these years, construction of border roads, development aimed at providing job opportunities for local populace, and introduction of measures to further strengthen and fortify the facilities for border patrolling, have made no satisfactory progress.

In view of the scenario created by these problems besetting our defense front, instead of taking measures to promote the interests of the people of Indian origin in Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Myanmar and South-east Asia, and strengthening our bond of love and friendship with those countries, we see the same complacency and duplicity being displayed. In the home-front also, let alone making our defense preparedness fool-proof and self-sufficient, communication system up-to-date, and effecting quantitative increase in defense forces and uplifting their morale, deliberations are on to invite foreign investments in defense production, and one after another, incidents are taking place that adversely affect the morale of our defense forces. As a result, how inimical forces are emboldened to pose challenges to us, both within the country and on the borders through their misadventures, is amply clear from the havoc wrought both by Pakistan and China through repeated ingressions into our territory, and the incidents like attacking our military camps, as happened at Hiranagar in Jammu.

The ordinary citizen is fed up with this situation, is angry, and wants a change. However, because of selfish motives, Indian politics enjoys bliss in the vicious circle of vote bank. In such a situation it is the majority Hindu society, traditionally living in this land from time immemorial without any precondition whatsoever that is suffering the most.

Recently shops of Hindu businessmen at Kishtwar in Jammu, where the Hindu population is a meager 15%, were attacked and ransacked by people motivated by communal hatred. …….By compensating the victims in lakhs, who sustained losses worth crores of rupees, the state government seems to be proud that it has discharged its duty. Also need was never felt to take stringent action against the perpetrators and the zealots who hatched the criminal conspiracy. Mind you, this is the very same Jammu and Kashmir state whose Chief Minister recently told a European delegations visiting the state that accession of Jammu and Kashmir to India was only conditional and not absolute merger. What he said clearly indicates the mindset of the forces active in politics there, who, while remaining in power, play all sorts of illegal deceptive tricks to banish those who are committed to India’s unity and integrity and consider the state as an integral part of India, from the whole of Jammu-Ladak-Kashmir region. The recent happening at Mujaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh are yet another example of the crooked politics detrimental to national interests,  in which, blinded by the craze for power, the national and patriotic forces were suppressed. Unilateral and one-sided atrocities committed by the lumpen elements of a particular religious community were not only ignored by the government, which was busy with the balancing act, but were also encouraged and protected. ……..After coming to power, at the instance of the ruling party, an I.A.S. Officer was suspended for the “offence” of discharging duties staying within the limits of power accorded by law. Whipping up an unsavoury controversy by imposing a ban on the totally peaceful and lawful Ayodhya Parikrama, the game stoking the flames of communal feelings in the cover of secularism was kick started. Such biased and anti-people policies resulted in a severe public outburst, and to control that the Government became indecisive and was totally paralysed. Even now, instead of facing the truth, efforts are made to shift the entire blame on the Hindu society and those who showed the courage to tell the truth, with the help of the section of the media. The communal, intolerant and terrorist forces behind all such atrocious acts, and the elements that hobnob with them and provide them strength, stand exposed through the gory incidents of manslaughter that took place from the mall at Nairobi to the church at Peshavar. But our politicians, blinded by their greed for power, are quite unable to see this truth, which is as bright as daylight.

The conditions prevalent in the nation have a direct bearing on the life of the entire population. We, who elect the political parties and leaders as our rulers, are all ordinary people. So, we have to discuss about any given situation not to get scared, but for finding the solution. Fortunately for us, a major segment of our population comprises youths who are full of vigour, conviction, and expectations and pure at heart. From this point of view, we have an immediate though temporary responsibility before us. In democracy elections may be a matter of politics for contestants but for us common citizens it is an opportunity to perform our mandatory democratic duty. ….So as to discharge our responsibility as voters, first and foremost, we have to ensure that our names properly figure in the voters list. ……….Our voting should be based purely on issues, to the parties who follow policies that serve our national interests and to the capable candidates who have integrity. …But our duty does not end just by voting and transferring the whole responsibility on the shoulders of elected persons. Any attempt at bettering strength and reformation should invariably start with our own personal life. …….Let us make a solemn resolve that we would earn fame and success by increasing our efficiency through strenuous efforts and use them not to serve personal selfish ends, but for the benefit of society, humanitarianism and service. On this sacred day, let us take a solemn pledge to transcend all narrow personal limitations and to heartily worship God in the form of our Rashtra, dedicating everything to it.

By actively addressing the social aspects, can’t we put an end to this centuries old evil of heresy, hypocrisy and discrimination? Can’t we throw open our centers of worship, sources of water, and crematoriums to all Hindus so as to enable Hindus to make a new beginning of harmonious life? This is the only means to bring the whole society on the side of Sad-dharma and good deeds, and string them together with the thread of ‘Bharat Bhakthi’. Also, there is no other way to bring about necessary changes in the policies and system of the nation and to keep it healthy. To provide living examples of such lofty behaviour in every village, colony, lane and by-lane is the only means to accelerate the process of social change.

It goes without saying that in all matters and discharging of responsibilities dealt with above, the Swayamsevaks should be naturally there before the society as the role-model. Because it is with the aim of bringing the society to an active, harmonious and organised state Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has been striving for the last 88 years.

Swami Vivekananda, whose 150th birth anniversary celebrations are coming to an end shortly, had also envisaged the very same means to rejuvenate our nation. He has made it clear to the society that only through the youths, who are ready to renounce everything for the service of the nation and become perfect examples themselves by attaining pure character, selfless mind and discrimination, with body as strong as a Vajra and an heart infused with indomitable enthusiasm and love, to consecrate our sacred Bharatmata on the throne of Vishva Guru.

(Excerpts from the speech of P.P,Sarsanghachalak Dr.Mohan Bhagwat delivered at Reshimbaug Nagpur on the Vijayadashmi day 13^th October 2013. Pl visit www.rss.org for full speech. )