SAMVAD

Pausha Amavasya, Vik.Samvat 2074, Yugabda 5119: 16 January 2018


 

1. FESTIVALS: MAHASHIVARATRI 2. ISRO LAUNCHES ITS 100TH SATELLITE
3. ONLY BHARAT CAN THREAD THE WORLD IN A NECKLACE OF MUTUAL RESPECT - DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT 4. PIOS BHARAT'S DEVELOPMENT ENVOYS: PM
5.  SPEAKER SUMITRA MAHAJAN LAUDS CONTRIBUTION OF PIOS AT MEET IN SEYCHELLES 6. AFTER CONSTITUTION, ARMY, RSS KEEPS BHARATIYAS SAFE: FORMER SUPREME COURT JUDGE
7. PRESIDENT KOVIND INAUGURATE ARSP PIO CONFERENCE 8. WORLD LOOKING AT BHARAT WITH HOPE: V-P NAIDU
9. YOGA BIG HIT IN NIGERIA 10.  HSS ANNOUNCES ELEVENTH ANNUAL "HEALTH FOR HUMANITY YOGATHON"
11. HYDERABAD RUNS TO ADD STRIDE TO SEWA BHARATHI'S PROJECT FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED GIRLS 12. NATIONAL ARCHIVES DISPLAYS SANGH’S STAND ON J&K PLEBISCITE
15. BAKULA THROUGH IMAGES 16. SHRI VISHW NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Articles:

NEUROSCIENTIST EXPLORES THE "SANSKRIT EFFECT"

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA: NURTURING THE ROOTS

 

1. FESTIVALS: MAHASHIVARATRI, falls on Magh Krishna 13, corresponding to 13 February this year. There is a Shivaratri in every luni-solar month of the Hindu calendar, on the month's 13th night/14th day, but once a year the month of Magh, it is celebrated as Mahashivratri. It is dedicated to Bhagwan Shiv.

The celebration includes maintaining a "jaagaran", an all-night vigil and prayers, as this night as meant for "overcoming darkness and ignorance" in one's life and the world. Offerings of fruits, sweets and milk to Shiva are made; some perform all-day fasting and some perform meditative Yoga. In Shiva temples, "Om Namah Shivaya", the sacred mantra of Shiva, is chanted through the day.

The major Jyotirlinga Shiva temples such as Varanasi and Somnath are particularly frequented on Maha Shivaratri. The Mahakaleshwar Temple, Ujjain is one of the most venerated temples consecrated to Shiva where a large number of devotees gather to offer prayers. It is also widely celebrated in Nepal and places like Mauritius.-GoTop

 

2. ISRO LAUNCHES ITS 100TH SATELLITE: Bharat on January 12 successfully launched its 100th satellite along with 30 other spacecrafts including weather observation Cartosat 2 series onboard the Polar rocket from Sriharikota.  This was Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle's longest-ever mission. With the successful launch, including 28 satellites from foreign countries, by the PSLV, Indian Space Research Organisation put behind a rare failure it encountered four months ago. "The launch of the 100th satellite by @isro signifies both its glorious achievements, and also the bright future of India's space programme," Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi said in a tweet. "ISRO is starting 2018 with the successful launch.. All satellites have been released. So far Cartosat performance is satisfactory," ISRO Chairman A S Kiran Kumar said at the mission control room. -GoTop

 

3. ONLY BHARAT CAN THREAD THE WORLD IN A NECKLACE OF MUTUAL RESPECT - DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat declared that Bharat is an immortal nation. Hindutva is our millenia old culture, threading all of Bharat in a necklace of mutual respect and strength. Hindutva respects all religions, castes and communities, all viewpoints and tries to hold them all in unity.

Addressing a two-day 'pravasi karyakarta sammelan' at Angul in Odisha on 25th December, he declared that the unity in diversity is our tenet to keep all united is the basic mantra of Hindutva. From times immemorial Hindutva has been holding us all together in this way to this day, whereas rich civilisations like Rome and Greece have become extinct.

Former chief justice of the Odisha High Court Justice Prafulla Kumar Tripathi Ji said our culture searches for faith even in the agnostics. Purva kshetra Sanghchalak Ajay Kumar Nandi ji, Sanghchalak of Odisha Purva prant Samir Kumar ji were other dignitries present on the occassion.-GoTop

 

4. PIOS BHARAT’S DEVELOPMENT ENVOYS: PM: Terming the Bharatiya diaspora as partners for country's development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said they have an important position in the Government's Action Agenda- 2020. Inaugurating the first Persons of Bharatiya Origin-Parliamentarian Conference on 9th January at Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra, Delhi, he urged the lawmakers from across the world to act as catalysts in the country’s economic growth.

A total of 141 lawmakers from 23 countries took part in the conference organised by Ministry of External Affairs to engage the diaspora as part of diplomatic outreach.

 "We neither have the intention of exploiting anyone's resources nor are we eye anyone's territory. Our focus has always been on capacity building and resource development," he added. Urging the POIs to invest in Bharat and be part of its growth story, Modi mentioned the string of economic reforms undertaken by his Government.  

The PM also praised External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj for continuously keeping an eye on issues being faced by Bharatiya citizens abroad. The PIO lawmakers heard Modi with rapt attention. For many it was another opportunity to touch base with Bharat, a country their forefather left decades ago. For several others it was a chance to explore their roots for the first time. -GoTop

 

5.  SPEAKER SUMITRA MAHAJAN LAUDS CONTRIBUTION OF PIOS AT MEET IN SEYCHELLES: Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan attended the Pravasi Bharatiya Celebrations' in Victoria, Seychelles, on 11th January.

Mahajan lauded the significant contributions of the people of Bharatiya origin in Seychelles and said they have not only enriched the culture there and imbibed it, but have also proved their mettle in diverse fields thereby contributing to the country's industrial and economic development.

The LS Speaker remarked that the exchange of visits of parliamentary delegations between the two countries has given tremendous impetus to bilateral relations.-GoTop

 

6. AFTER CONSTITUTION, ARMY, RSS KEEPS BHARATIYAS SAFE: FORMER SUPREME COURT JUDGE: After the Constitution, democracy and the armed forces, the RSS is the factor that has made people in Bharat safe, and that the idea of secularism should not be kept away from religion, retired Supreme Court judge K T Thomas has said. Addressing an RSS instructors' training camp in Kottayam on 31st December, Thomas also said, "If an organisation has to be given credit for freeing the country from the Emergency, I would give that to the RSS."

Thomas said he feels the Sangh imparts discipline to its volunteers for "protection of the country". He said: "Snakes have venom as a weapon to defend (themselves against) attacks on them. Similarly, the might of man is not meant to attack anyone. I appreciate the RSS for teaching and believing that physical strength is meant to guard (oneself) against attacks. I understand that the physical training of RSS is to defend the country and the society at the time of attacks."-GoTop

 

7. PRESIDENT KOVIND INAUGURATE ARSP PIO CONFERENCE: The President of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, inaugurated the International Conference of PIO Parliamentarians, organised by Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad - Bharat in association with the PIO Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, in New Delhi on 10th January.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that the Indian diaspora has climbed to appreciable heights in almost all the countries where it has found a home. It has contributed to the well-being of that country and of that society - enriching the economy and adding to intellectual wealth and local culture. Others on the dais included Shri SP Shukla, Minister of State for Finance; Ambassador Virendra Gupta, President ARSP.-GoTop

 

8. WORLD LOOKING AT BHARAT WITH HOPE: V-P NAIDU: Bharat is moving on the path of growth and reforms and the entire world is looking at the country with a hope, Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu said on 7th January while speaking at the convocation ceremony of Malviya National Institute of Technology at Jaipur. He said decisions like rolling out of GST and demonetisation were revolutionary steps and widely appreciated. They might have led to temporary pains but they are for long term gain.

He encouraged the students and parents to respect and speak their mother tongue at home and also motivated them to work for the motherland.-GoTop

 

9. YOGA BIG HIT IN NIGERIA: An Indo-Naija Yoga Fest has just been concluded in Nigeria. At the event in Lagos, people practised yoga with great enthusiasm as they have been doing of late in this country even while observing winter festivities like Christmas and the New Year Day, the second of which is just about a week away.

Nigerians are experiencing the immediate psychological effects of yoga: decreasing anxiety and increased feelings of emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. The local population is taking up yoga also as a form of mind-body exercise. It’s a widespread therapy used to maintain wellness and alleviate a range of health problems and ailments.

Yoga demonstrations had started at the event with the lighting of ceremonial lamps and prayer for the world's health and prosperity. Participants of a yoga competition held at the venue were judged by the way of their performance to reach the final stage of asana, perfect postures, exhibition of methods, the time for which one stayed in a given asana and the contestant's return to the original posture.

Awards were presented to outstanding yoga enthusiasts and committed members of the Afro-Asian Development Community as well as sponsors of the event. There were bouncing castles, food games for children and adults that graced the occasion.

President of the Afro-Asian Community Initiative for Development and Indo-Naija Yoga Fest Sanjayvipul Srivastava stated this at the 2017 Indo-Naija Yoga Festival which took place at the Bharatiya Embassy in Lagos with about 400 Nigerians along with 15 other nationalities living in the city including diplomats of various countries. The fest was attended by counsellor in Lagos Rakesh Sharma. He said that modern science had started accepting yoga and even the United Nations had started observing 21st June as the International Yoga Day. -GoTop

 

10.  HSS ANNOUNCES ELEVENTH ANNUAL "HEALTH FOR HUMANITY YOGATHON"! Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) announces the eleventh annual "Yoga for Health, Health for Humanity Yogathon" also known as “Surya Namaskar Yajna". The 16-day event from January 13th to January 28th, 2018 aims to create awareness about Yoga and its advantages in achieving a healthy body, mind, and spirit. Surya Namaskar integrates simple Yoga postures in 10-steps that, along with easy breathing technique, can provide immense health benefits to both the body and the mind.

HSS initiated this health awareness project in 2006. Since its inception, participants from 40 states actively took part via various Yoga Centers, community organizations, schools and colleges regardless of individual faiths and beliefs, have participated and collectively performed over 4 million Surya Namaskars. Community leaders and many elected officials across the nation have appreciated this initiative and encouraged their residents to participate and gain the benefits of an overall healthy lifestyle. -GoTop

 

11. HYDERABAD RUNS TO ADD STRIDE TO SEWA BHARATHI'S PROJECT FOR UNDERPRIVILEGED GIRLS: Gachibowli Stadium witnessed a run for a cause with title "Run for a Girl Child" on Jan 7th Morning. It was a Seva Bharathi's fundraising and awareness run for its Kishori Vikas project which aims at empowering underprivileged girl children living in slums.

Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Hon. Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture and Tourism and Civil Aviation flagged off the 5K run in which more than 7000 people ran from Gachibowli Stadium to University of Hyderabad. Prior to the run there were Surya Namaskaras, light exercises and Zumba Dance to warm up the enthusiastic participants.

During his talk Dr Mahesh Sharma said, "India is a land of Gods and Goddesses and our Goddesses have been sources of inspirations to us. Women like Lakshmibai and Sunitha Williams have done wonders to the country. It is high time we support the 50% of our population. "Bethi Bachao-Bethi Padao" is dream of Modi ji and Seva Bharathi's this Kishori Vikas project is a step in that direction."

Seva Bharathi's Kishori Vikas program is designed to educate and empower adolescent girls in slums, bastis and villages. Seva Bharathi is currently running more than 100 Kishori Vikas centers benefiting more than 2500 girls. Each Kishori Vikas center provides education, vocational, health and other developmental activities to 25 girls in a slum for 2 hours a week. -GoTop

 

12. NATIONAL ARCHIVES DISPLAYS SANGH'S STAND ON J&K PLEBISCITE: A month-long exhibition on Jammu and Kashmir, which opened at the National Archives on 11th January, seeks to highlight just how the founding president of Jan Sangh, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee, warned former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah about the far reaching consequences of getting the Instrument of Accession signed in Kashmir.

A portion of the exhibition is on Mookerjee's contributions in a section titled 'Shyama Prasad Mookerjee on Jammu & Kashmir issue' and on the agitation which sought full integration of the state with Bharat. Focusing on the Jan Sangh ideologue, the exhibit draws from four letters that Mookerjee wrote and that are on display; two each to Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah, a January 9, 1953, letter to Nehru said, "It is high time that both you and Sheikh Abdullah should realise that this movement will not be suppressed by force or repression. ..The problem of Jammu and Kashmir should not be treated as a party issue."-GoTop

 

13. BHARAT HAS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN LIGO RESEARCH, SAYS NOBEL LAUREATE KIP THORNE: Kip Thorne bagged the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2017 along with Rainer Weiss and Barry C Barish. The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational waves To a question on India’s role in the development of LIGO, he said, "That's absolutely right. There were three major directions of research here. One was the experimental side of things - development of detectors - and India didn't play much role in that. But the second thing was to understand the shape of the waves that we were likely to see, which was essential for us to compare and get information out, and there India played a major role with contributions especially from Bala Iyer (now head of India LIGO), who computed the shapes of the waves from black holes spiralling together and neutron stars spiralling together. The third strand was data analytics techniques; there the pioneer was Bernard Schutz from Germany who trained (Sanjeev) Dhurandhar from IUCAA, who did a lot of work along with Satyaprakash. India's role has been very big."

 

14. TWO BHARATIYA-ORIGIN MPS GET PROMOTED IN THERESA MAY'S GOVERNMENT RESHUFFLE: Two 37-year-old British Bharatiya MPs have moved from the backbenches to junior ministerial positions in Theresa May's government reshuffle. Suella Fernandes and Rishi Sunak are the same age and were both elected in 2015.

Ex-barrister Fernandes has been made parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) led by Brexit negotiator David Davis. The new role is a step up from her previous low-ranking position of parliamentary private secretary to HM treasury ministers.

Another Brexiteer and hedge fund millionaire, Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder and billionaire N R Narayana Murthy, has been appointed as parliamentary under-secretary of state at the new ministry of housing.-GoTop

 

15. BAKULA THROUGH IMAGES: Eminent Buddhist saint who is also known as the modern architect of Ladakh, Kushok Bakula Rinpoche is being remembered all over the country as part of his birth centenary celebration. A photo exhibition based on his life was organised at Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Art (IGNCA) on December 20. The exhibition was inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Kiren Rijiju in the presence of Ambassador of Mongolia to Bharat Shri Gonchig Ganbold, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sah Sampark Pramukh Shri Arun Kumar, Shri Lama Lobzang from Ashoka Mission and others.

Inaugurating the exhibition Shri Rijiju said, "Late Bakula Rinpoche was a monk-activist and helped in the cause of peace and spreading the teaching of Lord Buddha in different parts of the world." -GoTop

 

16. SHRI VISHW NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr Sadanand Sapre, sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag will tour Mozambique and South Africa. Visitors: Sumant Pathak, USA

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence. Rabindranath Tagore -GoTop

JAI SHREE RAM

 --

A NEUROSCIENTIST EXPLORES THE "SANSKRIT EFFECT"

James Hartzell

MRI scans show that memorizing ancient mantras increases the size of brain regions associated with cognitive function

A hundred dhoti-clad young men sat cross-legged on the floor in facing rows, chatting amongst themselves. At a sign from their teacher the hall went quiet. Then they began the recitation. Without pause or error, entirely from memory, one side of the room intoned one line of the text, then the other side of the room answered with the next line. Bass and baritone voices filled the hall with sonorous prosody, every word distinctly heard, their right arms moving together to mark pitch and accent. The effect was hypnotic, ancient sound reverberating through the room, saturating brain and body. After 20 minutes they halted, in unison. It was just a demonstration. The full recitation of one of India's most ancient Sanskrit texts, the Shukla Yajurveda, takes six hours.

I spent many years studying and translating Sanskrit, and became fascinated by its apparent impact on mind and memory. In India's ancient learning methods textual memorization is standard: traditional scholars, or pandits, master many different types of Sanskrit poetry and prose texts; and the tradition holds that exactly memorizing and reciting the ancient words and phrases, known as mantras, enhances both memory and thinking.

I had also noticed that the more Sanskrit I studied and translated, the better my verbal memory seemed to become. Fellow students and teachers often remarked on my ability to exactly repeat lecturers' own sentences when asking them questions in class. Other translators of Sanskrit told me of similar cognitive shifts. So I was curious: was there actually a language-specific "Sanskrit effect" as claimed by the tradition?

When I entered the cognitive neuroscience doctoral program at the University of Trento (Italy) in 2011, I had the opportunity to start investigating this question. India's Vedic Sanskrit pandits train for years to orally memorize and exactly recite 3,000-year old oral texts ranging from 40,000 to over 100,000 words. We wanted to find out how such intense verbal memory training affects the physical structure of their brains. Through the India-Trento Partnership for Advanced Research (ITPAR), we recruited professional Vedic pandits from several government-sponsored schools in the Delhi region; then we used structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at India's National Brain Research Center to scan the brains of pandits and controls matched for age, gender, handedness, eye-dominance and multilingualism.

What we discovered from the structural MRI scanning was remarkable. Numerous regions in the brains of the pandits were dramatically larger than those of controls, with over 10 percent more grey matter across both cerebral hemispheres, and substantial increases in cortical thickness. Although the exact cellular underpinnings of gray matter and cortical thickness measures are still under investigation, increases in these metrics consistently correlate with enhanced cognitive function.

Most interestingly for verbal memory was that the pandits' right hippocampus-a region of the brain that plays a vital role in both short and long-term memory-had more gray matter than controls across nearly 75 percent of this subcortical structure. Our brains have two hippocampi, one on the left and one on the right, and without them we cannot record any new information. Many memory functions are shared by the two hippocampi. The right is, however, more specialized for patterns, whether sound, spatial or visual, so the large gray matter increases we found in the pandits’ right hippocampus made sense: accurate recitation requires highly precise sound pattern encoding and reproduction. The pandits also showed substantially thickening of right temporal cortex regions that are associated with speech prosody and voice identity.

Our study was a first foray into imaging the brains of professionally trained Sanskrit pandits in India. Although this initial research, focused on intergroup comparison of brain structure, could not directly address the Sanskrit effect question (that requires detailed functional studies with cross-language memorization comparisons, for which we are currently seeking funding), we found something specific about intensive verbal memory training. Does the pandits’ substantial increase in the gray matter of critical verbal memory organs mean they are less prone to devastating memory pathologies such as Alzheimer's? We don't know yet, though anecdotal reports from India's Ayurvedic doctors suggest this may be the case. If so, this raises the possibility that verbal memory "exercising'' or training might help elderly people at risk of mild cognitive impairment retard or, even more radically, prevent its onset.

If so, the training might need to be exact. One day I was filming four senior pandit teachers demonstrating the different recitation speeds. Partway into one session all four suddenly stopped. "What’s wrong?' I asked. "One of us made a slight error," came the response. "I don’t mind," I said. "Yes, but we do," and they restarted the entire recitation from the beginning. ( scientificamerican.com, January 2, 2018) -GoTop

 ---

VIVEKANANDA KENDRA: NURTURING THE ROOTS

MR Lalu

The 40 years relentless servics of Vivekanand Kendra have emerged as torch-bearer of social change in the north-eastern region of the country

Nothing happens by chance. There is a reason behind everything. A seed to sprout and a child to be born in the world, everything happens with a reason. The reason and the output are correlated.  A seed sown on the ground sprouts and grows and becomes a tree. The purpose of the seed sown on the ground is to grow into a big tree. Every thought and every act ideally fulfills this seed theory.  Such was the process of sowing the seeds of quality education in Arunachal Pradesh by Vivekananda Kendra.

It was in the year 1977 that the organisation with its visionary founder president Shri Eknath Ranade's great efforts did start seven Vivekananda Kendra Vidyalayas (VKVs) in different areas of the state.

Tremendous was the hard work, unfathomable was the enthusiasm, immeasurable was the dedication and gigantic were the hurdles. But never did he give up half way. The goal was already set. The plan was worked out and the work was planned out. As an organisation that was the childhood stage and now the Kendra has branches across the country. Many young men and women who joined as full time workers were posted in different areas of the state to take up the task. They left their homes willing to embrace service as their mission and Arunachal as their home. Some are alive today, but some are not. The educational scenario of the state has changed a lot by now. But the days of tremendous hard work can never be forgotten.

Dedicated persons were appointed from different parts of the country as teachers. They belonged to all the states of the country, who left their luxuries as youth and decided to serve the land of rising Sun. Meager was their salary and minimum was the number of the students enrolled in the beginning.  Many of the parents did not want their children to be sent to school. They thought tilling the land was enough to fill their stomachs. Finding children for the school was one of the hardest tasks. Teachers climbed up the hills and crossed the rivers and slept in village huts in the intricate areas of the state to convince the villagers about the importance of education. They were initially misunderstood and doubted by the innocent villagers.

Convincing People

Convincing the public about the need of educating their children was not easy. Who would believe someone who comes from the other corner of the country wanting to take the kids to a far away school? What would happen to the kids when they are away in their schools living with strangers? All these questions were patiently heard by the life workers and the teachers.  They never argued when they were orally injured. They never complained when one of them fell sick. They silently took care of the other until he recovered. Sometimes they had to carry one among them on their shoulders to the distant medical centre, sometimes a dead body to the distant village. They walked for miles on foot and had blisters on their souls, but never slowed down their pace because the goal was already set; to bring education to the people of the state and help them come out of the world of illiteracy. Scholarships were granted to those children who were admitted to schools. Essential things like bathing and washing soaps and clothes and other materials were provided free of cost. The teachers helped the children to take bath and brush. Sometimes the teachers had to give the children a nice bath and dry them with towels. Life-workers and the teachers carried rice bags on their back to the schools. They went to the forest together to collect wood. They cooked food for the kids and took them to hospitals when they fell sick.

Shri A Balakrishnan, vice president of Vivekananda Kendra, the person who was instrumental in establishing VKVs in Arunachal Pradesh with Eknathji, elucidates an incident. "I personally had the opportunity to listen from him about the hardships of those days. Once a teacher fell seriously sick and had to be carried on the shoulder by him and another person to Tezu for further treatment. The man who was recently appointed then got seriously depressed and fell ill feeling isolated in the wilderness of the mountains in the interior village.  The teacher had to be tied on a long piece of bamboo and carried on the shoulders all the way to Tezu," says Shri Balakrishnan. The most thrilling part of the incident was that, the teacher having been treated and cured in his hometown in the southern part of our country came back and worked in the same school for some more years.

Steady Progress

Obviously, progress is a slow process. Nobody expects it to happen overnight. What we require to do for it is to have patience and wait as it happens in the case of a seed which falls in the land and sprouts and grows into a gigantic tree.  It happens with individuals and societies and even with nations. The stories of civilisations are the stories of this slow and steady progress. People often look at the top of the tree, its might, beauty and the fragrance of its flowers but never the roots that lie underneath gradually struggling to feed the branches. The underlining principle, which needs to be focused on, is the process of sowing the seed, without which dreaming a tree becomes impractical. The tree gives us shade and flowers and fruits and behind its expansion lies the selfless hard work of people who tilled the soil and watered it. Celebrating its 40 years of service in the state the VKVs are giving a tribute to those who sacrificed their yesterdays for our today.

By establishing schools with residential facility, the Vivekananda Kendra was reinstating the ancient Gurukul system wherein the students stay with teachers in a homely atmosphere. Slowly, situation began to improve. People were convinced of the purpose of Vivekananda Kendra's presence in the state. The systematic initiatives by the VKVs brought smiles to both parents and students. The entry of VKVs in the field of education began to accelerate the speed of educating the youth.  The concept of telephone, TV and internet was a remote idea in those days. Road connectivity was poor. Except for the letters, no communication with the family members was possible. Still the schools functioned and prospered. The teachers sat with their children and taught them. They sat together and had their food. Sometimes, they had to stay awakened throughout the night to fight the wild animals. They beat drums and yelled at a seasonal visitor, a tiger from the hills. Many a times it was difficult for them to save the bamboo sheds from the trampling of wild elephants. They washed and cleaned the others’ wounds. Such was the dedication and love they had for each other.

Thousands of children have passed out from different schools with flying colours. Let us remember the unsung heroes of those days who tilled the land for us. Many of the students became doctors, engineers, politicians, journalists, IAS officers and many hold good positions in the state administration. Above all, the underscoring contribution of the institution in the state has been its molding of a new generation with a great optimistic and patriotic approach for the society and the state and thereby for the country. It is a matter of great pride for the organisation and the state that the students who had come out of the VKVs have become the torch bearers of the state by becoming  the messengers of the man-making principles of the patriotic saint of India, Swami Vivekananda. The alumni of VKVs have been  instrumental in bringing out positive changes in the state with respect to education and social development. The State Government has always been helpful by strengthening the VKVs in its mission of imparting quality education.

The world is becoming more chaotic day-by-day with conflicts and skirmishes everywhere. The main thing that we can do to establish peace and tranquility in the world is to bring back an attitude of gratitude for everything which is capable of making positive changes around us. Everyone has one's squirrel's share to do and we in VKVs have been trying to make our generations of students aware of this holistic approach towards social life. We need to do a lot for the state and for the country just like the roots which lie under the soil, without being bothered about the name or fame but fully conscious and aware of their duty, to strengthen the tree, to help it flower and bear fruits and help it survive for years giving shade and solace to generations who take refuge under it. Celebrating forty years of service in a grand manner the Kendra is once again reminding its slogan to all the stakeholders that service to man is service to god. (The writer is coordinator of Vivek Kiran Project in Arunachal Pradesh, Organiser Weekly 14 January, 2018.) -GoTop


SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in www.shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com


 


SAMVAD

Pausha Shukla 14, Vik.Samvat 2074, Yugabda 5119: 1 January 2018


1. FESTIVALS:Vasant Panchami 2. 'Work Together for Larger Goal'
3. The Changing Dimensions of Hindus Globally 4. HSS UK Celebrates its Golden Jubilee with Parliamentarians
5. FISI Celebrates Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel Jayanti as Unity Day 6. Sad demise of Shri Jagdish chandra Sharda shastri
7. JAGDISHJI LEFT A DEBT ON ME WHICH I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO CLEAR 8. Tribute to the Perfectionist Subbarao
9. rashtrapatiji addresses World Telugu Conference 10. Telugu is the third-most common language spoken in the US
11. Hinduism an all-embracing religion: Advani 12. From zero to Mars, bharatiya genius on display in London
13.  Indonesia: Why did the Princess of Java become a Hindu? 14. REMAINS OF WORLD’S OLDEST SLEEPING BUDDHA STATUE UNVEILED IN PAKISTAN
15.  Sewa's Annual Banquet Appeals for Involvement in Community Services 16. Desi diaspora largest in the world
17. 'Made-In-India' Surface-to-Air Missile QRSAM successfully test fired from Odisha coast 18. BHARAT TEST-FIRES SUPERSONIC INTERCEPTOR MISSILE
19. Lok Sabha passes Triple Talaq bill by voice vote 20. Muslim teen's essay wins Gita contest
21. How Mahabharata and Gandhi influenced Emmanuel Macron 22. Accord National Heritage Status to Ram Setu: VHP
23. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Article:

The Beauty of Indic Thought

 

1. FESTIVALS:Vasant Panchami, falls on Magh Shudh 5, corresponding to 22 January this year, is the festival dedicated to Saraswati, the goddess of learning. Hindus all over the world celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm. Children are taught their first words on this day. Schools, colleges organise special worship of Saraswati.

People wear yellow clothes on this day. Rice and other items of food are given yellow colour using saffron in them. Mustard ripens in the fields around Vasant Panchami. Spiritually, the yellow colour is a sign of prosperity; it is the colour of love. -GoTop

 

2. 'Work Together for Larger Goal': "The objective of Bharat is to help the world move on the righteous path. If we fail to discharge this duty today effectively, the world would one day question us, the Hindus only, for it," said RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat, while addressing a Vishal Hindu Sammelan in Agartala on December 17. Dr Bhagwat further said: "Our ancestors, being part of the oldest civilisation and accepting it as their bounden duty, taught the world how to live a meaningful life. The entire world is aware of our rich history. That is why the world expects us today to come out with a way that shows the path to live a safer life. If Bharat does not fulfill this responsibility today who will be responsible for it?" Dr Bhagwat was on a five-day tour of Tripura since15 December to review the organisational work of the RSS in the North-Eastern region.

He urged the Hindus to get organised and trained at RSS "shakhas" (daily meetings), saying these were the only places where one could prepare for nation-building and self-development.-GoTop

 

3. The Changing Dimensions of Hindus Globally: RSS Saha Sarakaryavah Dattatreya Hosbale,in an interview style dialogue outlined an account of the reach that Hindus have achieved in all spheres and whilst integrating within the countries they have settled, how they have also maintained very strong cultural foundations. He was the keynote speaker at an evening hosted by Asian Voice and Gujarat Samachar in London on December 13 with selected guests from the business community exploring the topic of 'Changing Dimensions of Hindus Globally'. Shri Dattatreya expressed that "the UK Hindu business community, which is very successful, should think seriously about creating an endowment to support initiatives that will really influence the institutions of this country". GP Hinduja, Dame Asha Khemke, Rajesh Ram Satija, Shubash Thakrar, Shashibhai Vekaria and Vijay Goel were among the attendees. When asked to explain what is an RSS Prachaarak, loosely described as a full time volunteer for the organisation, the answer was poignant, he said "The RSS Prachaarak is the property of the Hindu Samaj.” -GoTop

 

4. HSS UK Celebrates its Golden Jubilee with Parliamentarians:  In a cross-party celebration, HSS (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh) UK brought its Golden Jubilee celebrations to a close on 30th November 2017 amongst distinguished guests and Parliamentarians. Hosted by Lord Jitesh Gadhia, guests enjoyed a brief glimpse into the wide-ranging activities which HSS UK has inspired over the last 50 years. Whilst the event highlighted the achievements of swayamsevaks and sevikas (HSS UK volunteers) over the last half century in the UK, the forward-looking message of hope from Dhiraj Shah, HSS UK's President, was for the wider British and Hindu community "To better understand and more importantly, articulate in practice the HSS UK principal tenets of Sanskaar (dharmic cultural values), Sewa (selfless community work) and Sanghatan (unity amongst diversity)".

Lord Gadhia highlighted that HSS UK's Golden Jubilee is "a proud moment for all Hindus in the UK". HSS UK has been a pioneer over the last five decades with outstanding achievements through many significant projects including Hindu Half Marathon  that became the UK's third largest road race, and the Virat Hindu Sammelan in 1989, which is still to date the largest Hindu gathering outside of Bharat, to name a few.

The event was graced with the presence of key community leaders and Parliamentarians, Lord Dholakia, Rt. Hon Theresa Villiers, Barry Gardiner MP, Bob Blackman MP and Shailesh Vara MP, who all shared with the audience their positive experiences of HSS UK. -GoTop

 

5. FISI Celebrates Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel Jayanti as Unity Day: Friends of India Society International, USA, Inc. hosted a program in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Nov. 5 to celebrate Sardar Patel Jayanti as Unity Day. Over a hundred people, mostly Bharatiya Americans, participated in the program. The speakers at the event included B.K. Agnihotri, Surindra Purohit, Sham Sachdev, Ashok Patel and Suresh Sevak. Sevak detailed the early life of Sardar Patel while Sachdev highlighted his contribution in the unification of Bharat. Patel reminded the audience about the political life of Sardar Patel along with his remarkable disciplined work habits. Purohit explained that Bharat's glory was accomplished by the dedicated contribution of Sardar Patel, including the merger of the princely states.

Agnihotri gave the concluding address and covered various aspects of Sardar Patel's life. -GoTop

 

6. Sad demise of Shri Jagdish chandra Sharda shastri: The senior most swayamsevak in Vishwa Vibhag Jagdishji Sharda breathed his last at Toronto about 1.45 pm local time on 25th December. He was 96.

Jagdish Chandra Sharda Shastri came to RSS shakha in Amritsar before 1942. He did his Sangh Shiksha Varg in 1942. He went to Kenya in 1946 to take over the job of a Sanskrit teacher there. He held first sangh shakha on deck of the ship itself and initiated first shakha outside Bharat in Kenya on Makar Sankranti day of 1947. Always cheerful and humble, Shastriji was instrumental in establishing sangh work in Kenya, UK and Mauritius before moving to Canada. He had attended most of the Vishwa Vibhag programs including many Vishwa Sangh Shivirs in Bharat.

Shraddhanjali by P.P. Sarsanghachalak: Shri Jagdish ji Sharda will be ever remembered by all who came in his contact for his cheerful smile and youthful persona.  I have experienced his warmth and sweet voice while meeting him in programs in Bharat and my visit to UK some years before.  He greeted with the same smile and sweet talk when we met at Vishwa Sangh Shibir, Pune in 2010 even though he was on a wheelchair.

Jagdish ji carried the spirit and thought of Sangh, imbibed in the Punjab, wherever he traveled across the world; be it Kenya, UK or Canada and tirelessly worked to spread that message. He is rightly credited as pioneer of shakha work outside Bharat and Pitamah in Vishwa Vibhag. Always active and ever happy to communicate with swayamsevaks of all age groups, he truly lived a 'Hindu Way of Life'.

Noble souls like him surely get a place the feet of SriParmeshwar and continue to inspire us all.

RSS sahsarkaryavah Dattatreya ji Hosabale has sent following message - "A great, veteran swayamsevak has gone into history. His memory and contributions will be cherished for long. No annals of Sangh history will be complete without a mention to his work." Others who expressed condolences were Dr Shanka ji Tatwawadi, former samyojak Vishwa Vibhag, Saumitra Gokhale - samyojak Vishwa Vibhag and many others. -GoTop

 

7. JAGDISHJI LEFT A DEBT ON ME WHICH I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO CLEAR: I had read about Jagdishji's organizing the first RSS shakha on deck of the ship in 1946 while he was on way to Mombasa from Bombay. Jagdishji came to Vishwa Sangh Shivir in Pune in 2010 and then I had a chance to meet him. During my US visit in 2014, my son wanted to send me to see Niagra falls but said that the next time I should come with a Canada visa as the falls are more enchanting from Canada side. In 2016, I went to US equipped with a Canada visa.

On 10th August 2016 my son drove me, his wife and two sons to Niagra falls and after enjoying Niagra falls, we reached Surendra Sharda's house in Toronto on 12th August. I had already hired a camera in Toronto. On 13th August I shot an exhaustive interview with Jagdishji in which he narrated how he met Manek Lal Rughani on deck of the ship and how both of them held a Sangh shakha there for 10-12 days before reaching Kenya. He also narrated beginning of Sangh work in Kenya and UK. I also interviewed his middle son and two other gentlemen from Canada.

I came back to Bharat on eve of the demonetization day in November and showed the interview to Sangh adhikaris. I wanted to edit the interview with supporting visuals from Kenya and UK. I requested the adhikaris going to the HSS camp in Kenya to bring some visuals of Kenya. We earnestly needed such visulas and a visit to UK and Canada was also discussed with Adhikaris. 

The visuals from Kenya and UK were indispensible for editing of the interview. And to get appropriate visuals my visit to Kenya and UK was essential. I met a Vishwa Vibhag Adhikari in the first or second week of December 2017 and apprised him that it will be better to edit the interview as soon as possible as Jagdishji was very eager to see it with his own eyes. Jagdishji many times offered to meet the expenses on getting visuals and editing but we were not ready to accept any money from him.  Shastriji has embarked on his eternal journey before such visit could materialize and Shastri ji thus has left a debt on me of not finalizing the editing of his interview and giving him a chance to see it. I will never be able to clear this debt. - Shanti Prasad Agrawal from SAMVAD editorial team.-GoTop

 

8. Tribute to the Perfectionist Subbarao: Senior Sangh Pracharak from Tamil Nadu, Subbaraoji, passed away on December 20. A swayamsevak from Chennai he became a Sangh Pracharak more than six decades ago. He was a Maths teacher in Government school. He resigned to dedicate himself to a greater social cause. He had been a Pracharak in all Vibaghs of Tamil Nadu and worked among the teachers through Desiya Kalvi Kazhagam and the Samskar Bharati. Subbaraoji taught Sangh padhati to numerous karyakatas all across Tamil Nadu. He has been a perfectionist and a creative person. He was a staunch believer of Swadeshi philosophy and used to insist that we should use our respective mother tongues in our daily conversations. -GoTop

 

9. rashtrapatiji addresses World Telugu Conference: Speaking on the occasion, Rashtrapati Shri Ram Nath Kovind said on December 19 that today Telugu is a global language. It can be heard and read and cherished across continents. It is the language of enterprise and technology. He congratulated all the delegates and particularly those who have come from abroad. Shri Kovind also said, 'I am happy to learn that my colleague and the Vice-President of our country, M. Venkaiah Naidu - who is a proud Telugu - inaugurated this Conference. -GoTop

 

10. Telugu is the third-most common language spoken in the US: According to the 2012-16 American Community Survey by US Census Bureau, data released from the last five years estimates that 3,21,695 people over the age of five speak Telugu at home in the USA.

Tamil also made it to this list, with 2,38,699 people speaking Tamil at home.Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft and Shantanu Narayen, CEO Adobe are from Hyderabad, where Telugu is the native language. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and other notable NRIs like actor Aziz Ansari hail from Chennai where Tamil is the primary language. -GoTop

 

11. Hinduism an all-embracing religion: Advani: Former Up-Pradhan Mantri LK Advani said in Mysuru on December 2 that Hinduism was an all-embracing religion that recognised the right of every individual to follow his or her religion and worship their Gods in their own way. Advani, who inaugurated the 3D projection mapping of the 45ft-tall Karya Siddu Hanuman statue at the Ganapathi Sachidananda Ashrama, said, "An individual will be a Hindu as long as one reveres his or her version of divinity in a dedicated and sincere manner. This principle defines the all-inclusive and embracing quality of Hinduism. Besides tolerating other religions, it recognizes their intrinsic values. I can confidently state that no other religion on this planet replicates this, and that is why we should all be proud to be Hindus."

Advani said that that the Hanuman statue carried the spirit of Hindusim further. "The 3D mapping is a shining example of how the younger generation can use technology to define the image of God," said the senior BJP leader. -GoTop

 

12. From zero to Mars, bharatiya genius on display in London:  Proving to be a hit among NRIs, 'Illuminating India: 5000 Years of Science and Innovation', a free exhibition at London's Science Museum, shows how scientific thinking and technological innovations have been at the heart of Bharat's ancient traditions and how it remains at the forefront in the computer age. Among the artefacts on display is a folio from the ancient Bakhshali manuscript (3rd or 4th century BC), which contains the earliest example of zero ever found. It was discovered in modern-day Pakistan in 1881.

Various other innovations displayed are a model of the camera on board Mangalyaan, C V Raman's spectrometer, Surgical instruments inspired by animal claws and teeth based on the Sushrut Samhita and Jagadish Chandra Bose's 1924 letter to Albert Einstein, his compound lever crescograph and oscillating plate phytograph are also on show.

"People think of Bharat as all about religion, but science is as strong and rich but not separated from religion, as it is in the West. The pursuit of reason is at the heart of Bharatiya philosophy and religion, and has shaped Bharat's attitude towards science," Matt Kimberley, head of content, who curated the vast exhibition said. Looking at a panchanga (Hindu almanac), he added: "Even to produce a Bharatiya horoscope you need some sophisticated geometry." -GoTop

 

13.  Indonesia: Why did the Princess of Java become a Hindu?: Kanjeng Raden Ayu Mahindrani Kooswidyanthi Paramasi, the Princess of Java, Indonesia, went through a Sudhi Wadani Ritual on July 17, 2017, in the Pura Luhur Catur Kanda Pat Sari of Bali. This ritual can be described as an initiation into Hinduism.Sudhi Wadani ritual of the Princess was led by a Hindu priest, Ida Sari Galuh Wiku Sri Bhagawan Putra Natha Nawa Wangsa Pemayun, who hails from Bali. After the ritual, the Princess of Java, Kanjeng Mahendrani, officially became a Hindu on July 17, 2017.The Princess has vowed that she will build a pasraman (ashram) in Bali which will boast of a blend of Javanese, Bali, and Nusantara culture.

"I am very grateful… today is a good day…because my own heart… and my brother supported it (move of adopting Hinduism)."

Why was the initiation done at the Pura Luhur Catur Kanda Pat Sari?

Pura Luhur Catur Kanda Pat Sari was chosen because it is a Temple dedicated to the Dewata Nawa Sanga who is associated with the strong tradition of Sedulur Papat in Java which is still practiced by the Java and the Kejawen Hindus.

The Princess was born in Rome, Italy in 1961 and is one of the major personalities of Indonesia.

(http://www.currentriggers.com/world/indonesia-princess-java-became-hindu) -GoTop

 

14. REMAINS OF WORLD'S OLDEST SLEEPING BUDDHA STATUE UNVEILED IN PAKISTAN: In November, the remains of a 1,700-year-old reclining Buddha were unveiled in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The statue measures 48 feet long and is located near Bhamala Stupa, a ruined Buddhist stupa and National Heritage Site. Carbon dating places the statue in the 3rd century AD, reportedly making it the oldest sleeping Buddha remains discovered so far. The unveiling was attended by Pakistan's opposition leader, Imran Khan, who called the archaeological site "an asset for our country." -GoTop

 

15.  Sewa's Annual Banquet Appeals for Involvement in Community Services: Sewa's third annual banquet was held on Dec. 2 at Campbell, California. Sewa International is a not-for-profit service organization and finds its roots in the larger movement that started in Bharat in 1989.The event aimed at recognizing donors, volunteers, and community service leaders who are associated with Sewa. With over 200 people in attendance, Sewa raised about $40,000 in donations from this fundraising event. Raju Reddy, Bharatiya American founder and former CEO of Sierra Atlantic presented the keynote address. He spoke about the important role corporates need to play to give back to the communities. Kriti Dogra, coordinator of youth activities for Sewa, showcased the star projects of the San Francisco Bay Area-based organization in the categories of family services, youth leadership etc.  -GoTop

 

16. Desi diaspora largest in the world: The Bharatiya diaspora is the world's largest, with slightly more than 15.6 million people from Bharat living overseas. The Bharatiya diaspora constitutes 6% of the total number of international migrants which was estimated at 243 million in 2015. The global figure has risen by 10% over that recorded in 2010, a recently released United Nations report said. -GoTop

 

17. 'Made-In-India' Surface-to-Air Missile QRSAM successfully test fired from Odisha coast: 'Made-In-India' Surface-to-Air Missile QRSAM was successfully test fired by the Defence Research and Development Organisation from a defense base off Odisha coast on December 22. The homegrown canister-based high-speed weapon system can deceive enemy radars making it difficult to be detected, is capable of destroying aerial targets, tanks, bunkers and short range missiles.The short-range weapon system was fired from a canister mounted on a rotatable truck-based launch platform at the Launching Complex-I (LC-I) of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea at about 2.30 pm.

"All subsystems incorporated in the missile have performed well. Though no target was set for the missile, it covered the entire range as coordinated. The mission was successful and it proved complete indigenization of surface-to-air systems," said a defense official. -GoTop

 

18. BHARAT TEST-FIRES SUPERSONIC INTERCEPTOR MISSILE: Bharat on December 28 successfully test-fired an indigenously developed advanced air defence (AAD) supersonic interceptor missile, capable of destroying an incoming ballistic missile at low altitude.The interceptor missile successfully hit an incoming ballistic missile head-on at an altitude of 35 km. The test was carried out from a test range in the country's eastern state of Odisha. "It was a direct hit and grand success. -GoTop

 

19. Lok Sabha passes Triple Talaq bill by voice vote: Crafting history for the gender justice, the Lok Sabha on December 28 passed the historic Triple Talaq Bill by voice vote.

The Bill christened as Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill, 2017 makes instant triple talaq illegal and void and provides for a three-year jail term for the husbands. -GoTop

 

20. Muslim teen's essay wins Gita contest: A self-confessed Sanskrit lover, 16-year-old Nadeem Khan has been declared the winner of a state-level Sanskrit essay competition on Bhagvad Gita in the Rajasthan capital. At a 'Gita Fest' organised by the Akshaya Patra Foundation that concluded on December 18, two other Muslim students from Jaipur, Zaheen Naqvi of Class II and Zorabia Nagori of Class IV, also bagged top positions in a contest on the recitation of Gita verses.

A student of Class X at a government school, Khan, the son of a labourer, has had a keen interest in Sanskrit language ever since it was introduced in his curriculum in Class VI. -GoTop

 

21. How Mahabharata and Gandhi influenced Emmanuel Macron: In the preface to his memoir, 'Revolution' - which was published in Europe ahead of the 2017 Presidential election and will soon be released in Bharat - the 40-year-old French President Emmanuel Macron draws parallels between the 'Make in India' programme, and his own 'Produce in France and Save the Planet' policy. "Both our countries have understood that forthcoming growth is not pitted against, but resides in combating climate change," Macron writes.

Macron says that Bharat has held a fascination for him for long. ".. India, at once so distant and so near, fascinates me," he writes, adding that he discovered the country through the Mahabharata.

"I discovered India in the path of dharma, which makes us responsible - each one of us in our respective fields and in solidarity with everyone - for the order of the world, in the principle of nonviolence in the quest for dignity and independence." Other influences he cites are Mahatma Gandhi and Amartya Sen. -GoTop

 

22. Accord National Heritage Status to Ram Setu: VHP: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) welcomed the statement made by American scientists, archaeologists and the Discovery Channel regarding the Ram Setu being it a man-made structure. VHP joint general secretary Dr Surendra Kumar Jain said NASA satellite images had already pointed towards the Ram Setu being a man-made structure. The new scientific findings clearly indicate that not only Ram Setu but Bhagwan Sri Ram also is a part of the rich history of Bharat. The VHP demanded that Ram Setu should be declared a monument of national importance so that no one ever dares to question it again. -GoTop

  

23. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Ma Suresh Soni sahsarkaryavaha , RSS returned from tour to South East Asian countries, Shri Ravikumar Vishwa vibhag sahsamyojak will return from Srilanka, Dr Ram Vaidya sahsamyojak reaches Bharat for various programs, Shri Shyam Parande, Secretary Sewa International returned from Singapore and Bali, Shri Suhasrao Hiremath - Akhil Bharatiya karyakarini sadasya will return from Kenya. Visitors: Smt and Shri Deepak Mehrotra - Canada, Anil Sinha - Switzerland, Vipul Mishra - Algeria, Ashutosh Agrawal & Sanjeev Bhakhari - Australia. -GoTop

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Do Not look back to see who falls-forward-onward! Thus and thus we shall go on, brethren. One falls, and another takes up the work. - Swami Vivekananda. -GoTop

JAI SHREE RAM

-- 

The Beauty of Indic Thought

Ram Madhav

A profound quest for eternal bliss that is yet to take its rightful place in the world

Indic thought is the most liberal that the world has ever produced. This is because it is the most democratically evolved of all. It is a product of the deep contemplation of great sages and saints, their great dialogues and discourses. A bhadra icchha, a benign wish had originated from that, and it was about abhyudaya, progress and prosperity.

Bhadram icchhantah rishiyah

swar vidayah, tapo dikshaamupanshed agre.

Tato raashtram, bala, ojasya jaatam

tadasmai devaupasannmantu

That bhadra icchha led to the evolution of the core principles of Indic thought several millennia ago. It explored all dimensions of human existence, and concluded that life is a celebration. 'Aananda', eternal bliss, is the ultimate objective of this. Indic Thought teaches us to celebrate life.

A few years ago, I was at a conference in China. A Chinese scholar had made a startling comment that Indians can never compete with the Chinese. I asked him to explain. "You Indians are worshippers of poverty," he insisted, saying that Indians worship loin cloth-clad saintly men as heroes, whereas the Chinese civilisation had always worshipped prosperity.

It prompted me to wonder whether they have misunderstood our worldview. We are one people who always strived for 'aananda', eternal bliss.

Alexander bumps into Diogenes, a half-naked man lying on the banks of a river on his way. He asks the man, "Who are you?" The man says he is Diogenes. And then he asks Alexander, "Who are you?" A little surprised and a lot annoyed, Alexander replies, "I am Alexander the Great.'' Hearing it, Diogenes laughs out aloud. "I am seeing a man for the first time who calls himself 'the Great'," he says.

They engage in a discussion. At the end, impressed by Diogenes' philosophy, Alexander promises to become his disciple. "Do it today, or it will be too late," warns Diogenes. Alexander hesitates, "I have a mission to conquer the world. I shall come back after that," he promises. "You can never," says Diogenes. "Can I do something for you?" asks Alexander. "Yes! I am enjoying my beautiful sun bath. You are coming in the way. Please get off," shouts Diogenes.

Alexander was looking for his happiness in wars, conquest and subjugation. Diogenes, a saintly man, finds it in his freedom to lie down by the side of the river in his sun bath. Freedom, absolute and unmitigated, is the Indic way.

"God is dead; Man is free," exclaimed Nietzsche. But we said, "No. God is here, and hence man is free." God is all around. He is in me. I am God, the unbound. Hence I am free. We are a society that cherishes freedom.

Our Dharma, a view and vision of life that has evolved out of this thought, is the Dharma of happiness and celebration. 'Sarve api sukhinah santu' is the daily morning prayer of us all. At one level, it is purely a material prayer. It says, 'Let all be happy;let all be free from disease; let all enjoy goods in life; let all be free of sorrow'. It is about material happiness.

But the operational word in this prayer is 'sarvepi' or 'all'. We pray that everybody should be happy. In order for all to be happy, all have to also sacrifice. 'Tyaaga', sacrifice, is thus made a virtue for the greater aananda of society.

Indic Thought is very profound, and yet very humble. It doesn't ordain any final word and demand that followers believe it. We are not 'believers', we are 'seekers'. Indic Thought is man's journey, an unending exploration of the Absolute.

Since we are seekers, we have to be ever open to new ideas. We shouldn't assume that all the Indic wisdom can be available in a single gathering. Humility, the quality of accepting our inadequacy to realise the Ultimate Truth, and a constant yearning for it, is best captured in the Indic concept of 'Neti Neti'.

Scholars have interpreted it in many ways: 'Neither this nor that’ etcetera. But Chaturvedi Badrinath's interpretation, 'Not just this alone', best captures the Indic spirit. In our seeking, we must not forget that what we explore is not the entire truth. We must respect the other; continue to seek.

The seeker has no boundaries. He can find virtue anywhere in the world. "Hold your own values with one hand, close to your heart. Stretch your other hand into the universe, and collect as much wisdom as you can," exhorted Swami Vivekananda. Indic Thought doesn't discard any idea based on its origin, East or West. It accepts all noble thoughts.

Any effort to restrict it in a framework will be the 'Victorianisation' of Indic Thought. It will be the death of it.

Indic Thought wants a human to evolve in inner spaces, not just in outer morals. Semitic faiths and Victorians have emphasised 'character'. This English word has two equivalent Hindi words: 'sheel' and 'charitra'. The latter is a discipline imposed from outside. Social norms, ethics, societal morals-all these form your 'charitra'. But 'sheel' is the blossoming of the inner self; it is not bound by external restrictions; it is an innate virtue.

Go to an uneducated old woman of the poorest household in a remote village in our country. Listen to her morning prayer. She might not have enough food to eat for the day, or enough clothes to wear. But her prayer will be: 'Ganga maiyya ki jai ho; gau mata ki jai ho', 'Glory to the Ganges and the revered cow'. And it will end with 'Lok kalyaan ho', 'Let the whole world be happy.' It was not taught to her; it is her 'sheel' speaking.

Religions have imposed so-called values externally. They wanted society to have character. One should never become 'dus-charitra', a man of bad character. But one shouldn't remain 'charitravaan', a man of external character, alone. One should become 'sheelvaan', a man of innate virtue. That is Indic Thought.

It is this virtue that might sometimes seem to go against societal mores, which is the real freedom that Indic Thought accords the individual. Because many a time, these norms that we construct-for 'charitra'-might end up subjecting some sections of people to injustice. Victims of this are true minorities. A minority is not defined numerically; it refers to those whose voice has been taken away. Discrimination on the basis of sex, caste or race, even in the name of social character, is against Indic Thought.

Draupadi is the epitome of 'sheel'. She is in a way the first feminist of the world. A woman with five husbands, but fiercely independent, as she is not to obey any of them, and only listen to her dear colleague Krishna. Draupadi was partly responsible for the epic Mahabharata War. Yudhisthira, being Dharmaraj, was willing to settle for five villages. But Krishna turns to Draupadi, and it was she who insists that she wouldn't settle for anything less, quite rightfully, than the blood of Dusshasana. It was Draupadi's 'sheel', not Yudhisthira's 'charitra' of peace and no-war that finally led to the victory of Dharma. We didn't call Draupadi an obdurate woman; instead, we call her Maha Sadhvi, an epitome of virtue.

Indic Thought is about promoting and respecting that 'sheel', irrespective of whether one is born as a man or a woman, or even a transgender.

Such a profound and evolved way of thought has still not taken its rightful place in the world. It is still regarded as regressive, obscurantist, etcetera. But as Gandhiji rightly used to say, "If there is something bad in your society, don't blame Dharma; blame yourself, that you have failed to realise it fully." We have to realise it. More importantly, we have to articulate it properly.

That is the challenge. I have another one to proffer: think of ways to make Indic Thought fashionable, something that a 21st century young man would like to wear on his sleeve.

(Ram Madhav is National General Secretary of the BJP and Director of India Foundation Adapted from his inaugural address on December 17th, 2017, at the Indic Thought Festival held in Goa) -GoTop


SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in www.shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com