\SAMVAD श्री विश्व निकेतन SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN
Chaitra Krishna 14, Vik.Samvat 2074, Yugabda 5119: 16 MARCH 2018
2. Holi Festival in Dakar, Senegal
3. Pakistan Hindu Community Holi Celebration
4. Suresh BhaYyaji Joshi elected as RSS sarkaryavah for the fourth-term
5. GROWTH IN SANGH WORK IS ASSURING, ASSERTS SARKARYAWAH BHAYYAJI JOSHI
6. THE ‘ACHARYA ENVOYS’ WHO PROPAGATE BHARATIYA CULTURE
7. Hindus host First Lady during spiritual dialogue
8. Sports Yoga in Schools Throughout Uruguay until 2019
9. Sewa International’s timely help in Puerto Rico
10. Spain attack: PIO in UK gets bravery award
11. Pakistan’s legislature gets its first Dalit woman Senator
13. YOGIS FROM 92 NATIONS CONVERGE AT RISHIKESH FOR INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL
14. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport world’s best in flyers' experience
15. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT
ABPS RESOLUTION: NEED TP PROTECT AND PROMOTE BHARATIYA LANGUAGES
1. FESTIVALS: Mesha Sankranti (also called Mesha Sankramana) refers to the first day of the solar cycle year that is the solar New Year in the Hindu luni-solar calendar. The Hindu calendar also has a lunar new year, which is religiously more significant, and falls on Chaitra Shuddha Pratipada. The solar cycle year is more commonly used in Oriya, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil and Bengali calendars. Mesha Sankranti is one of the twelve Sankranti, the day of transition of sun into the Mesh Rashi - Aries zodiac sign.
Mesha Sankranti falls on 13 April usually, sometimes 14 April. This day is the basis for major Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist festivals, of which Vaisakhi and Vesak are the most well known. It is related to the equivalent Buddhist calendar-based New Year festivals in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, parts of Northeast Bharat, Vietnam and Xishuangbanna, China; collectively referred to as Songkran. -GoTop
2. Holi Festival in Dakar, Senegal: Bharatiya Embassy in Dakar celebrated, for the first time in Senegal, the Holi Color Festival. There was a carnival atmosphere in the esplanade of the Monument of African Renaissance. Despite the strong heat and the wind the Bharatiyas celebrated Holi accompanied by Senegalese. All were sprinkled with powder of colors of all kinds: blue, red, yellow, green, etc. They danced and jumped, all in an atmosphere of happy days. The "Dakar Tiranga Holi" marked the end of the festival "Tiranga 2.0" which opened on February 1st.
For more than a month, Bharatiya dance was in the spotlight at the Daniel Sorano National Theater. Rajeev Kumar, Bharatiya ambassador to Senegal, said that from now on, he will organize every year the "Dakar Holi festival". -GoTop
3. Pakistan Hindu Community Holi Celebration: On 1st March, 2018, Holi event was organized for Senior citizens with the efforts of Vedic Youth Society and Pakistan Hindu Seva Welfare Trust at Darul Sukun senior citizen home Karachi. The total number of participants was more than 100 people with different faiths and religions.
On 1st March, 2018, in history of Pakistan at Sindh Assembly building all members celebrated Holi with colors and cake cutting. Parliamentarians with their minority colleagues celebrated Holi in a traditional fashion. “We are feeling great and this sends the message that there are no differences,” said MP Mukesh Chawala. -GoTop
4. Suresh BhaYyaji Joshi elected as RSS sarkaryavah for the fourth-term: The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS), the highest decision-making body of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh re-elected Bhayyaji Joshi for a fourth term as the Sarkaryavah (general-secretary) of RSS on April 10. The general-secretary is the executive head of the organization who looks after day-to-day activities. Shri Bhayyaji Joshi was felicitated by veteran Sangh Karyakarta Shri Bajarang lal Gupta after his re-election as Sarkaryavah. Bhayyaji Joshi will be the second such incumbent to the post to get re-elected four times in consecution after the late H V Seshadri who remained as Sarkaryawah from 1987-2000. The Sarshanghachalak (chief) is the top post of RSS, its incumbent is seen in the role of a philosopher and guide leading the organization.
On the concluding session of the Pratinidhi Sabha, Sar-Karyavah Shri Bhayyaji Joshi announced the organizational changes as per the tradition. Till now, there were four Sah-Sarakaryavah namely Shri Suresh Soni, Shri Dattatraya Hosbale, Shri Krishnagopal and Shri Bhagayya. Now, Shri Manmohan Vaidya and Shri Mukunda will be additional Sah-Sarkaryavah. Shri. Manmohan Vaidya was Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh while Shri Mukundaji was Akhil Bharatiya Sah-Boudhik Pramukh till now.
Shri.Arun Kumar, who was till now Akhil Bharatiya Sah- Sampark Pramukh will be the new Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh. Shri Arun Jain is new Akhil Bharatiya sah pracharak pramukh. Shri Ramesh Pappa will be the new Akhil Bhartiya sah sampark pramukh.
Shri Ravikumar, till recently Vishwa Vibhag sah samyojak is now sadasya, Akhil Bharatiya sampark toli while Dr Sadanand Sapre – till now Vishwa Vibhag sah samyojak will now be sadasya – Akhil Bharatiya Toli of Prajna Pravah. Vishwa Vibhag will have Shri Rajendran ji and Shri Anil Vartak ji as sahsamyojaks besides Dr Ram Vaidya. -GoTop
5. GROWTH IN SANGH WORK IS ASSURING, ASSERTS SARKARYAWAH BHAYYAJI JOSHI: With the toil and dedicated hard work of the thousands of our karyakartas the state of Sangh work today in the entire country has reached a satisfactory state after continuous work for over nine decades, asserted Suresh alias Bhayyaji Joshi who was re-elected as Sarkaryavah during the second day of the three-day meeting of the RSS Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) at Nagpur. He was interacting with the journalists on 11th March at Reshambag premises where the ABPS was going on.
Bhayyaji Joshi said that it was not easy for an organization like RSS to reach 60,000 villages in 90 years and set up over 80,000 units or shakhas. Sangh is not a crowd or mass movement started to achieve some short-term goals and thereby gain popularity, he said adding that the purpose and mission of RSS was to instill good virtues, build men with character who will in turn take this nation to the glory. But the success Sangh could achieve in expanding its reach covering almost all the social segments and strata was remarkably satisfactory and is indicated by the fact that the acceptability of Sangh has increased manifold with most people wanting to know and understand more about the RSS. They even evince interest in joining the Sangh work, he noted.
In response to a question on Ram Temple at Ayodhya, the Sarkaryawah confidently asserted that Ram Mandir will be built. But a certain process was to be followed for this, he said. The case is pending in the court and we are waiting for its verdict on the title suit. After the court verdict on the title suit, the process on temple could begin. Consensus on this issue is welcome, he said in response to a question but hastened to add that it seems difficult to strike consensus. Those who are associated with this issue from the beginning should be consulted by anybody desirous of finding amicable solution to this vexed issue, Bhayyaji said responding to a question on mediation efforts by Sri Sri Ravishankar and others. -GoTop
6. THE ‘ACHARYA ENVOYS’ WHO PROPAGATE BHARATIYA CULTURE: In a new initiative by the Narendra Modi government, a band of Bharatiya officials posted to three missions in the U.S. now promote ‘Bharatiya culture’ as part of diplomacy.
Designated as ‘Yoga and Indian Culture Acharya’, the three officials in Washington DC, New York and Chicago are experts in Sanskrit, yoga and Hindu scriptures. They were selected by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) through a special recruitment process. Giving a glimpse into the initiative, Mokshraj, A PhD in Vedas from the Rajasthan Sanskrit University and one of the three ‘Acharyas’ who joined on January 12, says: “Jaisi drishti, vaisi srishti — you act according to your vision.”
“Twenty four Indian missions and cultural centres abroad now have this position,” he says.
Dayashankar Vidyalankar, an ‘Acharya’ at the Bharatiya Consulate in New York, tells “I taught yoga in Parliament House for nearly 15 years and serve on several advisory boards of government departments,” Prerna Arya, who completed her PhD from the Gurukul Kangri University in Haridwar serves at the Bharatiya consulate in Chicago.
These ‘Acharyas’ feel that yoga is being commercialized and, in the process, its spiritual dimension gets lost. They say the Bharatiya government, through this initiative, seeks to to teach yoga in its entirety. Mr. Mokshraj explains it similarly. “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam and Jiyo aur Jeene Do; these are two spiritual mottos that guide this initiative. How will this happen? When we think good of others... through the route of yoga and meditation... Our responsibility is to… take yoga to each individual, without cost, so that they could reduce their medical bills and lead peaceful lives.” -GoTop
7. Hindus host First Lady during spiritual dialogue: Morari Bapu, the revered spiritual guru opened the Ram Katha-Nairobi with a message of love, peace and compassion on February 23. First Lady Margaret Kenyatta, a special guest at the event, lighted the Diya at beginning of Ram Katha. Morari Bapu described Nairobi as his home adding that he had been touched and impressed by Kenyans and their friendliness. As a sign of goodwill, the renowned Bapu demonstrated his love for humanity by mobilizing his followers to raise Sh 500,000 (over 300,000 rupees) towards a national kitty for those facing food shortages. He said this was his contribution for Kenya.
The First Lady said she was greatly honoured to join the Hindu adherents during the opening of the Ram Katha presentation in Nairobi, adding that the country is privileged to host the first such dialogue and placing Kenya on the course of the historic pilgrimage of over fifty years. She said the principles of truth, love and compassion as taught during the Ram Katha discourses draw on teachings and wisdom of all world religions. -GoTop
8. Sports Yoga in Schools Throughout Uruguay until 2019: The Council of Initial and Primary Education of Uruguay decided to establish sports yoga in all the schools of the country until 2019. The initiative had already been launched as a pilot program and now it has been extended to rural and special educational centers. The advisor in Physical Education, Marta Machado, said that "I wanted to see how these new experiences worked in other types of places." She added that "these practices generate a space for children to become aware not only of their own moods and emotions, but also of what their colleagues are feeling. This proposal was approved after it was tested in School 125 of La Treja for two years and judged a success. -GoTop
9. Sewa International’s timely help in Puerto Rico: In the First week of December 2017, Bharatiya Association of Puerto Rico distributed the solar lights sent by Sewa International at university of Puerto Rico and other places in Puerto Rico. Bharatiya Association of Puero Rico distributed 6 Duromax 4,850-Watt Dual Fuel generators in Puerto Rico in the last week of December. Appreciation Letter from University of Puerto Rico: Please accept my most sincere thanks for the donation of 25 solar lanterns for our students, once the academic semester was reinstated after Hurricane Maria. These genuine gestures of kindness demonstrate the commitment of your Association with our students. -- by Carlos, I Gonzalez, PhD, Dean, University of Puerto Rico. -GoTop
10. Spain attack: PIO in UK gets bravery award: A Bharatiya-origin Birmingham man, who risked his life to help a fatally injured young boy in the last year’s Barcelona terror attack, has been selected for this year’s ‘Pride of Birmingham’ award. Harry Athwal, a project manager from Great Barr area of north-west Birmingham, was in Spain on holiday with a group of friends and family, including his sister Kinde Dehr, when a terrorist drove a van into pedestrians on Barcelona’s famous Las Ramblas tourist spot, killing13 people and injuring hundreds. He ran to help 7 year-old Julian Alessandro Cadman, who was among those hit, and defied police orders to evacuate the area to keep holding on to him until the emergency services came. -GoTop
11. Pakistan’s legislature gets its first Dalit woman Senator: Krishna Kumari Kohli, a human rights activist fielded by the Pakistan Peoples Party, became on March 3 the country’s first Dalit woman Senator. Kohli, 39, who hails from the remote village of Dhana Gam in Nagarparkar, Sindh, was elected to a reserved seat for women.
“I am a human rights activist and try to highlight the problems faced by the minorities especially Hindus. PPP could have nominated any other woman for the seat but they showed they have regard for minorities as well,” Ms Kohli said. -GoTop
12. bharatiya architect BV Doshi wins 'Nobel for architecture': Balkrishna Doshi, the legendary Bharatiya architect who designs not just buildings but institutions, is being honored with the Pritzker Architecture Prize, the Nobel equivalent for the field, it was announced on March 7 in Washington.
The Pune-born Doshi, who is 90, is the first Bharatiya to receive the honor, the highest in the profession. Previous winners include world-renowned architects like Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, IM Pei, and Shigeru Ban.
"Over the years, Balkrishna Doshi has always created an architecture that is serious, never flashy or a follower of trends. With a deep sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute to his country and its people through high quality, authentic architecture, he has created projects for public administrations and utilities, educational and cultural institutions, and residences for private clients, among others," the Pritzker jury said in its announcement.
An alumnus of the JJ School of Architecture in Mumbai, Doshi is known as an institution builder: the first founder Director of the School of Architecture, Ahmedabad, first founder Director of the School of Planning, first founder Dean of the Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (whose building he also designed), founder member of the Visual Arts Centre, Ahmedabad and first founder Director of the Kanoria Centre for Arts, Ahmedabad. -GoTop
13. YOGIS FROM 92 NATIONS CONVERGE AT RISHIKESH FOR INTERNATIONAL YOGA FESTIVAL: Upa-Rashtrapati M Venkaiah inaugurated the 29th annual International Yoga Festival (IYF) at Parmarth Niketan, on the banks of River Ganga from March 1-7 which saw more than 1,500 participants from 92 nations. The festival saw the participation of numerous renowned faith leaders, dignitaries and yogacharyas from nearly 200 countries across the world. There were daily classes from 4:00 am until 9:30 pm with more than 80 revered saints, yogacharyas, presenters and experts from around the world. Ashtanga Yoga, Raja Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Iyengar Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, Bharat Yoga, Ganga Yoga, and Somatics Yoga were just a few of the more than 200 different offerings throughout the week. There are also classes in meditation, mudras, Sanskrit chanting, reiki, Bharatiya philosophy and spiritual discourses to be held by revered spiritual leaders from Bharat and abroad.
Pujya Swami Saraswatiji, President, Parmarth Niketan and Founder, International Yoga Festival at Parmarth Niketan, said, “Today is truly a historical day — people from 94 countries and our Hon’ble Vice President together on the banks of Ganga! Yoga is an amazing gift to humanity. As sun and moon are for all, so yoga is for all. Yoga shows us the way from focusing on Wifi to focusing on Why I? Why I am on this Earth? Yoga is the way to a lifelong 3H programme — Health, Happiness and Harmony. So, love yoga, live yoga and be yoga.” The festival concluded on March 7 with participants playing Holi with revered gurus and renowned artists. The annual event was attended by over a thousand people and saw lectures and presentations by over 70 gurus, yogacharyas and experts. -GoTop
14. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport world’s best in flyers' experience: delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport is the best airport in the world in terms of passengers’ experience, according to the latest Airport Service Quality (ASQ) 2017 rankings released by Airports Council International. In 2016, South Korea’s Incheon International Airport was on top of the list. At present, ASQ is the only worldwide programme to survey passengers at airports. The programme measures passengers’ views on 34 key performance indicators and 74% of the world’s top 100 busiest airports are part of its network. The 34 parameters include airport access, security screening, check-in facilities, restrooms, stores, restaurants, etc.
The IGI airport has been ranked number one in the world in the highest category—airports with over 40 million passengers per annum. The airport surpassed the likes of Singapore’s Changi, Incheon and Bangkok airports in terms of passenger growth. The Delhi airport took the number two spot in the same category in 2016, while it was the number one airport in the world in 2015 in the smaller category of 25-40 million passengers per annum. -GoTop
15. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr Ram Vaidya sahsamyojak returned to UK after attending ABPS 2018. Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Love of others is my happiness, Love that is mine is happiness for others. And so, truly, deeds that benefit a man Must be a cause for other's happiness too. – Narayana Guru -GoTop
JAI SHREE RAM
ABPS RESOLUTION
NEED TP PROTECT AND PROMOTE BHARATIYA LANGUAGES
Akhil Bharatiya Praitinidhi Sabha is of the view that language is an important constituent of identity and active vehicle of the culture of any individual and society. The languages and dialects, prevalent in the country are most essential to protect our culture, noble traditions, excellent knowledge and vast literature as well as to promote creative thinking. The oral tradition of knowledge in the form of songs, idioms and folklores etc in various languages is many times more than the written literature.
The declining trend in the practice and usage of Bharatiya languages, elimination of their words and replacement by words of foreign languages are emerging as a serious challenge. Today, many languages and dialects have become extinct and several other are endangered. ABPS is of the opinion that the governments, other policymakers and the society, including the voluntary organizations should endeavour to undertake all kinds of efforts to protect and promote various languages and dialects of the country. In this regard, following efforts are worth undertaking:-
1. Primary education across the country should only be in mother tongue or any other Bharatiya language. For this, parents should also make up their mind and the governments should formulate suitable policies and frame necessary provisions in this regard.
2. Teaching, study material and option of appearing in the examinations in higher education in all faculties including the technical and medical should be available in Bharatiya languages too.
3. It is a welcome initiative that the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and examinations being conducted by the Union Public Service Commission have now been started in Bharatiya languages. Along with this, the same option should be available for all other entrance tests and competitive examinations still not being conducted in Bharatiya languages.
4. Preference should be given to Bharatiya languages in all governmental and judicial works. In addition to this, Bharatiya languages should be encouraged in Governmental and nongovernmental appointments, promotions and all kinds of functions instead of giving preference to English.
5. The entire society including the swayamsevaks should give preference to the mother tongue in conversations and day to day interactions in the family. The tradition of collecting and reading literature in these languages needs to be cultivated. At the same time, their plays, music and folk arts should also be promoted.
6. Traditionally, languages have been means to integrate the society in Bharat. So, while having pride of one’s mother tongue all should show a sense of respect for all other languages.
7. Central and State governments should take effective steps to protect and promote all the languages, dialects and scripts of Bharat.
ABPS is in favour of learning various languages of the world to acquire diverse knowledge. But, in a multilingual country like Bharat ABPS considers it most necessary to protect and promote all the languages of Bharat as the carrier of our culture. ABPS calls upon the society including the governments, voluntary organizations, media, religious organizations, educational institutions and intelligentia to make every possible effort to promote the use of Bharatiya languages and ascertain purity of their grammar, usage of words and the scripts. -GoTop
ABPS 2018 – ANNUAL REPORT
Answer to most problems of nation lies in success of sangh work: “Though there is an ever increasing response to Sangh in different parts of the country, there are elements and vested interested working hard to break the social harmony by inciting violence and internal strife, by hurting social sentiments and through expression of collective outrage. It should be our endeavor to hold high the respect and confidence in our justice and security system. Patiently and skillfully we have to move forward with persistence and hard work and with the faith that answer to most of these problems lies in the success of our work”, observed Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarkaryawah Suresh (Bhayyaji) Joshi in his Annual Report presented to the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) that concluded on 11th March at Nagpur.
The ABPS- highest decision making body of the RSS held its three-day conclave at Dr Hedgewar Smriti Bhavan premises from 9th March. RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohanrao Bhagwat and Sarkaryawah Bhayyaji Joshi together inaugurated the meeting by lighting the lamp and offering floral tributes to the statue of ‘Bharat Mata’. The three-day conclave was held in spacious ‘Vyasa Sabhagriha’ was attended by over 1500 elected ‘pratinidhis’ coming from all over the country.
Besides these two, Sah-Sarkaryawah Dattatreya Hosabale, Suresh Soni, V Bhagayya, and Dr Krishna Gopal, Prachar Pramukh Dr Manmohan Vaidya, Sah-Prachar Pramukh Narendra, and other senior office-bearers, members of the Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini Mandal, office-bearers of nearly 35 RSS associated organizations including VHP, BMS, BKS, Vidya Bharati, Rashtra Sevika Samiti etc. attended the meeting.
After paying tributes to sangh karyakartas and prominent personalities who passed away during the year, Shri Bhayya ji Joshi presented the annual report for the current year.
This annual report presented to the meeting noted the growing trust of people in Sangh work and along with that growing expectation from the RSS. It mentions the Hindu Sammelans held in Tripura and other north-eastern states were inspirational in many ways. It also underlined that the growing admiration by eminent personalities from social, religious, and industrial fields indicated the growing acceptability of Sangh work.
At the same time, the report sounded a warning bell about the divisive elements and fissiparous tendencies bent upon disturbing harmony and integrity of Hindu society and urged the swayamsevaks to foil their attempt by spreading the Sangh work with the firm and unshakable faith that the “answer to most of these problems lies in the success of our work”.
Some of the statistics presented in the report mentions the number of shakhas all over Bharat as 58,967 at 37,190 places. The number of weekly milans is 16405 while that of monthly milans is 7976. The participants in the Sangh shiksha vargas are 15,716 in Pratham Varsh, 3012 in Vishesh Pratham varsh, 3,796 in Dwitiya Varsh, 899 in Tritiya Varsh and 716 in Vishesh Tritiya Varsh. The number of participants in 7-day prathmik shiksha vargas is 95,318.
Sarsanghchalak meets dignitaries:
During the year under review Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohanrao Bhagwat had interaction with dignitaries from the various facets of social life. During the course of his countrywide tour Dr Bhagwat met President of Ramakrishna Math Swami Smaranananda, highly respected Bohra Muslim Community leader Syedana Saheb, Isha Foundation’s Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev, Pojua Bhole Maharaj and Poojya Mangala Mata of Hans foundation.
The RSS Chief also had a meeting with the President of India Ramnath Kovind during his tour program.
Dr Bhagwat had an interaction with renowned music maestro Padmashri Rashid Khan, cine actor Ajay Devgan, former soccer player Kalyan Chaube and G M Rao of the GMR Group.
His visit to integrated rural development project at Baripada village is worth mentioning. Under the able leadership of Chaitram Pawar, the villagers of this remote village are engaged for the last 25 years in achieving all round development of their village besides taking care of the environment and ecology in the surrounding. This project is a guiding example for those who are working in the field of rural development. During his visit Dr Bhagwat interacted with the villagers and inspected the development activities.
Sarakaryawah launches ‘Sewa Gatha’ website:
During his tour in the year under review Sarkaryawaah Bhayyaji Joshi launched the special website ‘Sewa Gatha’ developed by Sewa Vibhag of Sangh in Bhopal. This website gives stories based on experiences gathered while working in some service projects. He visited Hyderabad for a karyakarta camp of Telangana Prant which was attended by 1633 karyakartas while in Pune Joshi interacted with professionals in 35 shakhas. A harmony meeting was organized during his Odisha visit at Rourkela which was participated by 149 representatives of 42 communities.
Among other notable programs held in course of his nationwide itinerary a spectacle of many shakhas at one place in Dehradun, meeting of key persons of Bastis (localities) in Siliguri and meeting of karyakartas engaged in cow protection and conservation mission are worth mentioning.
Other activities:
The Sharirik Vibhag of Sangh organized ‘Akhil Bharatiya Prahar Mahayagya’ in which 4,45,811 swayamsevaks participated from 32,434 shakhas and 2306 weekly milans countrywide. Out of them 334,142 swayamsevaks were below 40 years of age.
The Prachar Vibhag held workshop for social media at Bhopal in which 148 karyakartas from 38 prants participated. The presence of journalists and masses in the Narad Jayanti programs is increasing. This year 40,000 people participated including 10,000 journalists. 1300 scribes were felicitated with Narad Puraskar.
The reach of Jagarana Patrikas is widening with 30 patrikas in 12 languages reaching to more than 2 lakh villages. 541 journalists participated in ‘Introduction to RSS’ program at various places. The Sampark Viubhag released ‘Coffee Table Book’ on RSS at Nagpur in presence of renowned industrialist Abhaykumar Firodia. The book presents the evolution of Sangh and lists important events in its march to development.
Besides, programs like Gau-Kathas, training of karyakartas engged in cow protection, and Panchgavya Chikitsa Seminars were organized. A meeting of karyakartas engaged in Samarasata activities was held.
Prant-wise programs:
Kerala organized a camp for Pravasi Karyakartas during the tour of Sarsanghchalak Dr Bhagwat in which 4308 karyakartas were present. In Telangana a special experiment was conducted on Vijayadashami by organizing a collective Vijayadashami Utsav of 10 districts. 11000 swayamsevkas participated from 765 localities in addition to 900 mothers and sisters.
Konkan Prant organized Hindu Chetana Sangam on January 7, 2018 in which on a single day gatherings were held at 255 places registering the presence of 34,448 swayamsevaks from 506 blocks, 2372 localities and 1471 villages. In addition to this 48,814 men and 24,268 women were also present.
Sant Sangam, a congregation of religious and spiritual leaders was held at Pandharpur in Maharashtra in which 327 sants participated. Sarsanghchalak Dr Bhagwat was present at the congregation. Swami Vivekananda Day was observed in colleges in Madhya Bharat during January 1 to 5, 2018. 112 colleges in 27 districts with 11, 213 students and 213 teachers participated.
Rashtrashakti Sammelan was held on January 23, 2018 in tribal dominated Patalkot near Chhindwara in Mahakoshal Prant in which 9245 men and 4500 women from 90 villages poarticipated. The participants resolved to protect five mothers viz. own mother, Narmada river, mother earth, gau mata, and Bharat Mata.
In Chittore 1355 Samajik Samarasata Meetings were held in which 26,764 men and 549 women from 35 communities and social groups participated.
Jaipur held a unique Ghosh shibir called ‘Swar Govindam’ on Nov 5, 2017 in nwhich 1251 instrumentalists participated from 108 blocks and nagars. Exhibition of 108 Rajasthani traditional music instruments was the center of attraction.
Similar Ghosh program called “Swar Sammohini” was organized on Novewmber 18, 2017 at Nagpur in presence of stalwarts from the field of music, cinema and instrumental music. They included Sri Sri Ravishankar, Suresh Wadkar and others. Sarsanghchalak Dr Bhagwat was prominently present on the occasion.
Haryana organized a workshop on organic farming in which 1200 farmers participated. A Samaras Ganga Mahotsav was held in Palwal on Dec 31, 2017 which witnessed participation of 18000 people from 298 villages.
The Rashtrodaya Swayamsevak Samagam at Meerut was unique in many aspects. It recorded a presence of 1,45,322 swayamsevaks in uniform amongst whom 1,01,712 were below the age of 40. They came from 7649 villages representing 987 mandals and 1553 bastis. Six lakh food packets were collected from three lakh families of three districts irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
A similar program titled “Luitporia Hindu Samavesh” was held at Guwahati on Jan 21, 2018 in which 31351 swayamsevaks were present in uniform. In addition 35000 common people were also present. Prominent persons from 75 tribal groups were present in addition to 65 sants and religious leaders reflecting the acceptance of Sangh in the society.
A massive Hindu Sammelan was held in Tripura on September 17, 2017 with more emphasis on reaching out to tribal societies. More than 26000 people and 800 karykartas participated in the mega event. (Visit www.rss.org for unabridged version of the report) -GoTop
