Jyestha Shukla 14, Vik. Samvat 2072.Yugabda 5117: June 1, 2015


-1. FESTIVALS: Kaliyattom

2. 75 years of RSS Prarthana

3. HSS Houston Organizes Hindu Sangathan DIVAS

4. Fourth Hindu Mandir priestS' Conference

5.  Path SANCHALAN BY Shiksharthis, 3rd year Sangh Shiksha Varg

6. Bharatiya-American kids win spelling bee title 8th successive year

7.   Anti-ship Harpoon missile fired from fighter jet

8.   Yeo to be the chancellor of Nalanda university

9.  Bharatiya origin voters played kingmaker in UK polls: Survey

10.  PIO Vaz in charge of UK's main opposition party for now

11. Sikh Youth Federation Celebrates Turban Up Event in Toronto

12. Bharat joins club of nations with ‘road runways

13. Bharatiyas 2nd biggest job creators in London

14.  British students scramble for bharatiya universities

15. Bharatiya-origin businessman Gautam Banerjee honoured in Singapore

16. Obama names PIO prof to key admin post

17.  Sikh man in NEW Zealand lauded worldwide for his selfless act

18. Iraqi Kurds revive ancient Kurdish Zoroastrianism religion

19. PRAVINBHAI PATEL GETS INDIAN UNSUNG HERO AWARD

20.  TOTOS SCRIPT THE BIRTH OF A DYING TONGUE

21. Kalyan Ashram Hostel in Mangaluru

22. Treat Ganga as mother

23. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Articles:

BHARATIYA EDUCATION: A HOLISTIC AND INTEGRATED APPROACH

HSS NEPAL EARTHQUAKE RELIEF ACTIVITY REPORT


1. FESTIVALS: Kaliyattom was celebrated on May 29 this year at Bhagavathi Temple at Kaliyattamukku, near Tirurangadi in Keral. People from different places of Malappuram and Kozhikode district gathered for the festival held on the last Friday of the Malayalam month of Edavam. Kaliyattom is a festival of agriculture. It has widely been considered a festival of seed procurement for the farmers getting ready for the upcoming monsoon. Groups of devotees from different parts of the district proceeded to Kaliyattamukku in vehicles, carrying Poikuthira (symbolic horse) made of coconut leaves and bamboo. The processions halted near the Muttiyara, near Thalappara, and paid homage at the graves of Muttiyara martyrs resting at the mosque graveyard. -goTop

 

2. 75 years of RSS Prarthana: RSS Swayamsevaks across the world remembered the 75th anniversary of Sangh Prarthana 'Namaste Sada Vatsale Matrubhoome'. The Sangh Prarthana was first publicly sung by RSS Pracharak Yadav Rao Joshi on May 18, 1940 in Sangh Shiksha Varg held at Nagpur. During the same period, in another Sangh Shiksha Varg held in Pune, the Prarthana was sung by RSS pracharak Anant Rao Kale. The prayer is in Sanskrit except that its last line 'Bharat Mata Ki Jay' is in Hindi. Prarthana was written by Narahari Narayan Bhide, a Sanskrit scholar under the guidance of Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, Madhav Sadashivrao Golwalkar and other senior RSS leaders during 1940. Each RSS shakha will have Sangh Prarthana at the end. -goTop

 

3. HSS Houston Organizes Hindu Sangathan DIVAS: The Houston chapter of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) held its tenth annual Hindu Sangathan Divas conference on May 30, at the Sri Govindji Gaudiya Matha in Houston. Representatives of over 50 Hindu organizations from the Houston area attended the conference. Hindu Sangathan Divas offered an opportunity to representatives of Houston area Hindu organizations to network with each other with the goal of synergizing the work of these organizations. Because these organizations serve the Hindu and mainstream community with a common purpose, they could exchange ideas, share material and resources, and learn from each other's experiences, while at the same time maintaining their autonomy.

The keynote address was delivered by Professor Ved Nanda, HSS National President. He emphasized that Hindu organizations should come together to promote the idea of "United we stand, divided we fall". He also mentioned that we Hindus are part of several thousand years of  legacy and great value system and it is every Hindu's responsibility to communicate it properly not only to our fellow Hindu but to world at large to promote the idea of "Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah". -goTop

 

4. Fourth Hindu Mandir priestS' Conference: More than 55 pundits, adults, and youth delegates representing temples and Hindu organizations across US attended the fourth Hindu Mandir Priests' Conference (HMPC) hosted by Hindu Temple of Minnesota (HTM), Maple Grove, Minnesota, on May 15-16. The conference had four sessions on role and relationship of priests, sustaining Hindu temples, community links and Hindu-American youth viewpoint. Professor Anant Rambachan from St. Olaf College, Minnesota, delivered the keynote address on the second day. Koteshwaran Gurukkal from Ganesh Temple, Nashville, Tennessee, Krishnarajan Devarajan from Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Lemont, Illinois, and S. Venkatacharyulu of Sri Venkateswara Temple, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, were the recipients of the 2015 award. Kandamangalam Gopala Deekshidhar was recognized for his service to HTM. -goTop

 

5.  Path SANCHALAN BY Shiksharthis, 3rd year Sangh Shiksha Varg: A Spectacular Path Sanchalan (Route-March) was held by RSS Swayamsevaks attending Truteeya Varsh Sangh Shiksha Varg in Nagpur on May 27th  evening. Dressed in RSS uniform called Ganavesh, RSS cadres marched with pride on major streets of Nagpur. RSS Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, Swami Madhava Priya ji from Swami Narayana Ashram, and many other senior RSS adhikaris witnessed the RSS Path Sanchalan. A total of 876 select RSS karyakartas from across the country are participating in this 25-day camp which began on May 11, 2015.  -goTop

 

6. Bharatiya-American kids win spelling bee title 8th successive year: Two Bharatiya-American kids blew past the competition to be declared joint winners of the 88th US National Scripps Howard Spelling Bee championships on May 28. It marked the eighth successive year that Bharatiya-American students have taken the title, extending a winning streak that began in 2008. Bharatiya-origin children have now bagged the title in 13 of the past 16 years, starting 1999 when Nupur Lala won the nerdy word crown. Kavya Shivshankar and Gokul Venkatachalam, both 13, spelled every word thrown at them with aplomb till the judges ran out of time and words and declared them joint winners. They were the last two standing from a field of 285 finalists who came to Washington DC for the widely-followed event that has become something of rite of passage for school children, and a specialty for Bharatiya-origin children.

Such is the ethnic Bharatiya dominance of the competition now that 60 of the 285 finalists who made it to the Capital (from a pool of 11 million of school children across the nation and beyond) were of Bharatiya-origin; 25 of the 49 who made it to the final televised segment on the last day were Bharatiya -Americans, and then it was seven out of the final ten under the klieg-lights, making it a foregone conclusion that one of them would win.

Even allowing for such dominance, Kavya Shivshankar and Gokul Venkatachalam were extraordinary, silkily slaying words such as myrmotherine (feeding on ants), hippocrepiform (shaped like a horseshoe), bruxellois (a native or resident of Brussels), pyrrhuloxia (a genus of birds), and scherenschnitte (the art of cutting paper into decorative designs). -goTop

 

7.   Anti-ship Harpoon missile fired from fighter jet: The Indian Air Force (IAF) launched an anti-ship Harpoon missile from a fighter plane for the first time at a pre-designated target in the Arabian Sea. The missile, built by US defence giant Boeing, was launched on May 22 from a Jaguar maritime strike fighter that flew 200 nautical miles off the west coast to carry out the mission. The fighter belonged to the IAF's maritime strike squadron based at the Lohegaon airbase outside Pune. The Jaguar was refuelled midair during the mission. An official confirmed it was the "first live firing" of the Harpoon from a warplane in Bharat after integration by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. "It was successful," he added. With a range of 124 km, the Harpoon is capable of land-strike missions too. -goTop

 

8.   Yeo to be the chancellor of Nalanda university: Former Foreign Minister of Singapore George Yeo will be the new Chancellor of the Nalanda University. 60-year-old Yeo, who was conferred Padma Bhushan in 2012, is currently serving as a member of the governing board of the prestigious university at Rajgir area of Bihar.  The former Singapore Foreign Minister has been playing a key role in reviving the the ancient seat of learning and has been praised for his contribution in the field of "public affairs". The idea to revive Nalanda University was first mooted in 2005 by then Rashtrapati APJ Abdul Kalam. The university is being built near the ruins of the historic academic place by the same name in Bihar and a number of member countries of the East Asia Summit grouping are involved in the project.  -goTop

 

9.  Bharatiya origin voters played kingmaker in UK polls: Survey: The Conservatives won a majority as a result of one million ethnic minority votes, research by British Future think tank has found. Nearly 6, 15,000 Bharatiya-origin voters were expected to vote in the May 7 elections this year. It found much higher support for the Conservatives among Asian voters this year with 50% in favour of Cameron's party and only 38% supporting Labour. Around 49% of the Hindu votes went to the Conservative Party while 41% went to Labour. Cameron had worked hard in drawing the Hindu vote, visiting the Swaminarayan temple and accorded it the same status as the Stonehenge and the Big Ben. -goTop

 

10.  PIO Vaz in charge of UK's main opposition party for now: Bharatiya-origin MP Keith Vaz has broken the glass ceiling of British politics by becoming Labour vice-chairman, the second most important post of the party. Born to Goan parents in Aden, 58-year-old Keith Vaz - Britain's longest-serving Asian MP - is virtually the top man in Labour for now as the party does not have a chairman after Ed Miliband quit after the recent election rout. Vaz's appointment reflects Labour Party's fresh interest in garnering an all-important Bharatiya origin support in the future, especially after a million ethnic minority votes helped put Conservative PM David Cameron back into 10 Downing Street.  -goTop

 

11. Sikh Youth Federation Celebrates Turban Up Event in Toronto: Toronto's Sikh Youth Federation celebrated an event called "Turban Up" in a bid to spread greater awareness about Sikhism and also to remove some myths about people who wore turbans. Almost 10,000 metres of fabric rolled in to mark the event. An organiser of the event, a 24-year-old law student at the University of Windsor,  Gurjiwan Singh, said, "About four years ago, an event like this, much smaller, was put on at the University of Waterloo. We wanted to take it to the next level. What better place than Dundas Square (it's the second year the event has been held here). It’s about breaking stereotypes, breaking barriers." People thronged Dundas Square and watched live performances of traditional Sikh swordsmanship, listened to music and ate free meals - the mandatory Sikh "langar" served to all in the community. -goTop

 

12. BHARAT JOINS CLUB OF NATIONS WITH ‘ROAD RUNWAYS’: A Mirage-2000 fighter successfully test-landed on the Yamuna Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on May 21. Though several countries, ranging from China and Pakistan to Sweden and Germany, have such "road runways", it was the first time that such a trial run was conducted in Bharat. "If an airbase is under attack or bombed during a war, the Indian Air Force will need a proper surface from which it can continue to operate," said a senior officer.
"The aim is to activate such road runways on different highways around the country, which we are in the process of identifying. All facilities like a make-shift air traffic control, safety services, rescue vehicles, bird clearances parties and other requirements were set up by our personnel from the Agra Air Force Station for the mission," he added. -goTop


13. BHARATIYAS 2ND BIGGEST JOB CREATORS IN LONDON: Bharatiyas have become the second biggest job creators in London in 2015. Latest data released by London and Partners on May 19 showed that Bharatiya companies have already created 504 new jobs this year in London alone - second only to the Americans who created 1983 jobs. The number of jobs being created by Bharatiya companies for Londoners has been increasing with every passing year. In 2012, Bharat created 404 jobs in London followed by 429 in 2013 and 438 in 2014. -goTop


14. BRITISH STUDENTS SCRAMBLE FOR BHARATIYA UNIVERSITIES: In a reverse trend, Britain is now seeing a mad rush among its students to know modern Bharat and become part of the country's amazing growth story. Over 6000 students from across British universities have applied to fill 400 spots under the first of its kind Generation UK programme - a project under which 25,000 British students will travel to Bharat over the next five years to understand the country and enhance their chances of employability in global Bharatiya business houses. An additional 400 British students have applied for just 100 positions to teach across Bharatiya schools.
The overall batch of 500 will leave for Bharat at the end of June. They will be placed across five Bharatiya universities - Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad), Indian Institute of Science (Bengaluru), Delhi University, Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay) and the National Institute of Design (Ahmedabad) -goTop

 

15. Bharatiya-origin businessman Gautam Banerjee honoured in Singapore: A Bharatiya-origin entrepreneur is among four persons conferred national honour in Singapore for their "instrumental roles" in the continued growth of the country's business landscape. Gautam Banerjee, who is senior managing director at Blackstone and co-chairman of its Asia operating committee, as well as chairman of Blackstone Singapore, was awarded the 'Public Service Medal' by President Tony Tan Keng Yam. 

Having left Mumbai at the age of 16, Banerjee worked with leading financial firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for more than 30 years, with nine years as its executive chairman, until his retirement in December 2012. 
Once nominated a member of parliament in Singapore, Banerjee currently serves on the board of Singapore Airlines Limited, the Indian Hotels Company Limited and is the vice chairman of the Singapore Business Federation. -goTop

 

16. Obama names PIO prof to key admin post: US President Barack Obama has named a Bharatiya-American professor from Yale University as a member of the prestigious National Council on Humanities. The nomination of Akhil Amar, Sterling professor of law and political science at the university since 2008, was announced on May 20 by Obama along with other key administration positions. Amar has been a professor at both Yale Law School and Yale College. -goTop

 

17.  Sikh man in NEW Zealand lauded worldwide for his selfless act: A day after a Sikh man from Bharat broke religious protocol by removing his turban to help a profusely bleeding child in New Zealand, people are praising him on the social networking sites for his humanitarian gesture. The story of 22-year-old Harman Singh has been shared tens of thousands of times on social media as he woke up May 16 to hundreds of messages from around the world praising his humanitarian effort.  Singh said he had changed his shift as a bakery delivery driver the day before. Singh said he was in bed when he heard tyres screeching and rushed outside. He saw a little boy lying in the road and there was a lot of blood coming from the back of his head. A lady was holding him and he wasn't moving. The boy was going to school with his sister when the accident happened outside his house in South Auckland on May 15 morning. Singh, who is from Bharat, is in Auckland studying a business course. His act is considered a hugely significant because it breaks strict religious protocol. The boy was thought to have suffered life-threatening head injuries but was recovering after surgery. -goTop

 

18. Iraqi Kurds revive ancient Kurdish Zoroastrianism religion: One of the smallest and oldest religions in the world is experiencing a revival in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan. The religion has deep Kurdish roots - it was founded by Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra, who was born in Iranian Kurdistan (the Kurdish part of Iran) and the religion's sacred book, the Avesta, was written in an ancient language from which the Kurdish language derives. However this century it is estimated that there are only around 190,000 believers in the world - as Islam became the dominant religion in the region during the 7th century, Zoroastrianism more or less disappeared.

Until - quite possibly - now. For the first time in over a thousand years, locals in a rural part of Slemani (Sulaymaniyah) province conducted an ancient ceremony on May 1, whereby followers put on a special belt that signifies they are ready to serve the religion and observe its tenets. It would be akin to a baptism in the Christian faith.

The newly pledged Zoroastrians have said that they will organise similar ceremonies elsewhere in Iraqi Kurdistan and they have also asked permission to build up to 12 temples inside the region, which has its own borders, military and Parliament.  -goTop

 

19. PRAVINBHAI PATEL GETS INDIAN UNSUNG HERO AWARD: The third edition of Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame was all glaze and glitters on 1st June. An evening studded with celebrities, stars and elites, witnessed more than 400 guests in The Great Room at The Langham.

The most awaited awards of the year for the Kiwi Bharatiya community were given out by the Prime Minister and the Chief Guest for the night, Rt Hon John Key. Pravin Bhai Patel won the Unsung Hero award for his continuous work towards the betterment of the Bharatiya community in New Zealand. Shri Pravinbhai Patel is Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS New Zealand Sanghachalak.

The young achiever award was given out to the very talented Prerna Sinha while Dr Kantilal Naranji Patel was inducted into the Kiwi Indian Hall of Fame for the year 2015 for his extensive work for the community through East Tamaki Healthcare and Nirvana Health Group.  -goTop

 

20.  TOTOS SCRIPT THE BIRTH OF A DYING TONGUE: In a remote village close to Bharat's frontiers with Bhutan, one of the country's most ancient tribes, Toto, has won the battle to save its dying tongue from extinction. Their language, which did not have a script, was declared critically endangered by the UNESCO. However, some neo-literate members of the community led by Dhaniram Toto recently gave birth to the script of their native language comprising 37 alphabets. Boosting their efforts further, an Australian linguist Toby Anderson is developing fonts for the script and making it adaptable to computers. Totos are endemic to the village of Totopara in North Bengal.

The architect of this success story, Dhaniram Toto, a poet and writer, has written two books on Toto folk culture and poems called Lokeshwar and Uttar Banga Lokpath. He was awarded by the West Bengal Government in 1997 in recognition of his writings.  -goTop

 

21. Kalyan Ashram Hostel in Mangaluru: A hostel exclusively for Vanvasi students by the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, the first one in coastal Mangaluru area and the 6th in Karnataka State, was inaugurated by Kajampady Subramanya Bhat, national convener of Parivar Prabodhan, on May 25. The hostel is located at Adkar near Sullia on Mangaluru-Mysuru Highway. The hostel building was dedicated to Kalyan Ashram by Lalita-Ganapati Memorial Trust which is headed by Bengaluru based Company Secretary Ramesh Bhat. In Karnataka,  -goTop

 

22. Treat Ganga as mother: Over 100 senior saints assembled at Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal meeting of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Haridwar from May 25 to 26. They called upon the countrymen to treat the river Ganga as mother and not to pollute her ghats as well as water at any cost. In a resolution passed at the meeting the saints stressed the need that the flow of Ganga must be ensured at every ghat and pilgrimage place.  -goTop

 

23. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Ravikumar sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag will be in USA, Hong Kong and Thailand.  

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Let our workers keep their minds free and work for our people, our Dharma, in the right spirit, lend a helping hand to all our brethren who need help and strive to relieve distress wherever we see it. In this service no distinction should be made between man and man. We have to serve all, be he a Christian or a Muslim or a human being of any other persuation: for, calamities, distress and misfortunes make to such distinction but affect all alike. And may our actions succeed bringing out the glory and effulgence of our Sanatan-Eterna -Dharma  - Shri Guruji M.S. Golwalkar. -goTop

JAI SHREE RAM

 

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BHARATIYA EDUCATION: A HOLISTIC AND INTEGRATED APPROACH

 Mukul Kanitkar

Social changes usually start as an idea. The seed thought of an idea can be the result of deliberate intellectual activity. However, most of the ideas that revolutionise society are spontaneously born. We see that a similar thought expresses itself across different societies within a short span as brief as a decade. If one can keenly observe and map such spontaneously germinating thought processes, it would be possible to predict the collective mind of humanity with relative accuracy. The prophecies of visionaries like Swami Vivekananda and even the 'prophets' are the result of such logical analysis, sometimes intentional, mostly intuitive.

If we observe the social trends of the last decade all over the world, we find that the most dominat current thought is that of 'Change'. All the nations are in search of an ideal and effective educational system. In Bharat also, this craving for total transformation of the education system is evolving in various forms at different levels.

On one hand, several small and medium scale experimentations of innovation in education are cropping up everywhere. There are some schools started by socially concerned activists, which follow an alternate model of education. Innovations in teaching methodology are being experimented by individual teachers, both in government and private educational institutions. On the other hand, government has also initiated a consultative process of formulating a new educational policy. Consultations at grass roots level in lakhs of villages have begun. The next step will be at the bloc level, then at the district level and finally at the State level; all of which will be completed within a year. The successful implementation of any policy depends upon the participation of people and when participation is at such a formative level of policy development, it involves the inclusion of all the aspirations of the majority of the citizens. This sensitivity of governance will inherently result in practical, friendly and effective policies.

Thus this is an opportune time to initiate and activate a thoughtful movement for the creation of an indigenous mode of education. The genuine patriots of Bharat have been constantly endeavouring to de-Macualise the educational system right from the time of Independence. Even during the Freedom Struggle, nationalist education was based on an effort to create an indigenous alternative to the colonial system of education. Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal was born out of this national urge of expressing its own core in the field of education. In 1984, a questionnaire was sent to more than 6,000 educationists, teachers, administrators of educational institutes and researchers of which feedback was received from 4,000 people. Based on this input, a comprehensive outline of education, Bharatiya Shiksha Rooprekha was prepared. It is a holistic and integrated treatise on the complete functioning of the educational system. It includes the aims of education, policy alternatives, and structural reforms. Recommendations on content and proposals for evaluation and examination are also present in this document. The outline proposes a flexible pattern of education where entry and exit at any level is possible without loss of years. Common education till the 8th standard will be followed by a structure that allows multiple scenarios according to the needs of the society. Those who are forced to work for their family after this stage would be considered apprentices and allowed re-entry with a bridge course at a higher standard. Those who opt to continue higher schooling are given ample choice to study the topics nearer to their heart without compromising their carreer opportunities. This pattern of 8+4+3 or 8+2+2 or 8+2+2+2+3 allows vertical as well as horizontal flexibility to accommodate individual interests engaging the complex needs of Bharatiya society. The section of the outline on autonomous self-governance of education, enlists ways of creating a structure of independent educationists to manage all levels of education, without overt interference from the government. Another special feature of this outline is the emphasis on implementation. The last chapter which is incidentally the largest one, elaborates the steps to be taken for gradual transformation of the educational system. Teachers, as the pivot of the education system, must be thoroughly prepared before any policy change is affected. Other changes are also to be brought in one step at a time, so no drastic upheavals are experienced by the society.

Since August 2014, the outline has been republished in various languages. Discussions on this outline are being conducted at district levels. A detailed feedback form is part of this publication. Shikshan Mandal has ignited a thought movement to mobilise an all encompassing public opinion by targeting people from all walks of life.  (The writer is Joint Org. Sect. of Bharatiya Shikshan Mandal) - Organiser 7 June, 2015. -goTop

 

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HSS NEPAL EARTHQUAKE RELIEF ACTIVITY REPORT

Nepal has been hit by two earthquakes in less than three weeks, killing thousands, injuring tens of thousands, and leaving millions more with the burden of rebuilding their lives. A large proportion of population is displaced from their damaged homes. Many structures of archaeological importance, centuries-old architectures, including several Muths, Mandirs, Gumbas (Buddhist monasteries) have been destroyed in different parts of Nepal counting those within Kathmandu valley. Seeing the scene of utter destruction, in the face of disaster, Sangh Parivar including organizations like Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Nepal, Jankalyan Pratishthan, Pragyik Vidyarthi Parishad Nepal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad Nepal, Pashupati Shiksha Prasar Samiti, Janajati Kalyan Ashram and Sewa International Nepal joined hands together to provide humanitarian relief. Assimilating with the grief of the people who lost their near and dear ones, the volunteers swung into the rescue and relief works just 3 hours after the devastating tremor. They started distributing drinking water, rice, Chiwda (beaten rice), noodles, snacks and tarpaulins as an immediate relief in many places of Nepal. Since then the relief material is being distributed for last 4 weeks by in all the 17 worst affected districts.

Working round the clock, racing against time, the volunteers travelled the worst-hit villages in remote districts of Nepal for the distribution of emergency relief to the quake survivors. The initial phase of the relief campaign has been wrapped up covering districts like Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Dhading, Kabhrepalanchok, Lalitpur, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Ramechhap, Sindhupalchok, Dolakha, Khotang, Okhaldhunga, Makawanpur, Sindhuli, Chitwan, Syangja, Gulmi etc. The needs there were incredible; however the volunteers coordinated well to meet them.

Areas served by the relief campaign:

1. Helpline: HSS Nepal established 'Help Desk' in Keshav Dham with Helpline numbers since 25th April for people to locate their near and dear ones who were stranded due to earthquake. People from various countries all over the world contacted here for locating and reaching their near and dear ones who had been in Nepal for pilgrimage, tourism or trekking.

2. Hospitals: Two batches of volunteers assisted the common peoples as well as the medical staffs to cope up with the rush of injured survivors in Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, Bir Hospital, Trauma Center, Kathmandu Medical Collage etc. within Kathmandu Valley. A team of volunteers also assisted the staffs in mortuary in tasks like fetching the dead bodies, embalming them, putting them in the bags and readying for transportation etc.

3. Airport and Bus parks: Thousands of people were escaping the capital, terror-stricken by powerful aftershocks and fearing shortages of food and water after the earthquake struck. Volunteers in various teams helped the stranded people in Kathmandu to get the appropriate vehicle to evacuate the valley.

4. Rescue activities: Volunteers assisted the rescue teams comprised of the Nepalese Army, Police and the rescue workers from other countries. They also helped stranded people to reach their near ones within and outside Nepal.

5. Clearing the debris: Volunteers swept the debris lying on the streets and cleared the roads blocked by rubbles in Bhaktapur and Kathmandu.

6. Medical Service: A team of medical experts launched their activities aimed at helping affected populations of 116 villages of Bhaktapur, Sindhupalchok, Lalitpur, Nuwakot, Dhading and Kabhrepalanchok.

7. Relief aid distribution: Quake-victims of 391 villages of 17 districts were provided with relief materials.

Future Plans: The need for rehabilitation services in Nepal is immense. In response to the need to develop rehabilitation services, HSS Nepal and other partner organizations have planned to:

1. Make provisions for the affected children by launching 'Aama Ko Maya Chhatravas' to provide them with food, shelter, education, sanskar etc.

2. To provide the students in affected areas with stationary items like books, notebooks etc. in coordination with the Government of Nepal.

3. To rebuild the demolished Muths-Mandirs-Gumbas in coordination with the local committees and communities in affected areas.

4. On the basis of the aids received, assist the people in rehabilitation, in coordination with the Government of Nepal.

HSS Nepal appreciates the support and cooperation of many local organizations like Marwari Sewa Samiti, Gaushala Dharmashala, volunteers, social workers from various towns & villages of Nepal in the relief operation.

HSS Nepal also thanks the organizations like Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Rashtriya Sewa Bharati, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and all the benevolent people of Bharat for rising to the occasion and sending the relief material on massive scale through Sewa International Bharat and Rashtriya Sewa Bharati which took pain to deliver the material on time and continues to send even now. It also extends words of thanks to the Swayamsevaks from Canada, USA, UK, Singapore, Qatar and many other countries.

HSS Nepal appreciates the officials of administration and Defense of Government of Nepal, Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, Journalists from various media houses etc. who extended their cooperative hands in the relief operation.

HSS Nepal will also like to extend thanks to the team of Doctors from Arogya Bharati, National Medicos Organization and many individual groups who joined the relief with medicines and medical kits that have saved many lives. HSS Nepal looks forward to international support in course of time for the long term rehabilitation program. -goTop