\SAMVAD  श्री विश्व निकेतन SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN
Ashadha Shukla 3, Vik.Samvat 2075 Yugabda 5120: 16 JULY 2018

1. FESTIVALS: Ramayana Masam 2018 is from July 17 2. WORLD’S LARGEST PHONE FACTORY A MAKE-IN-INDIA FEAT: MODI
3. 17th World Sanskrit Conference held in Vancouver 4. ISRO conducts first escape test for BHARAT’s manned mision to space
5. GOPIO Chapters Honor bharateeya American Achievers 6. Italy’s second highest civilian honour to NRI
7. Bharateeya appointed head of top Chinese biz institute 8. BHARAT WORLD'S 6TH LARGEST ECONOMY
9. bharat climbs 3 spots to 57th in global innovation rankings 10. Neal K. Devaraj Honored with $250K Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists
11. ‘Bullet run’ of Hima Das makes country proud; becomes first bharatiya to win Gold in track event 12. Prominent bharatiya-American lawyer appointed US drug czar
13. KUMAR SANU AND ANURADHA PAUDWALHONOURED AT UK HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT 14. UK opens new visa route for desi scientists and academics
15. bharatiya American Executive Seema Nanda Named CEO of Democratic National Committee 16. AGARTALA AIRPORT RENAMED AFTER MAHARAJA BIR BIKRAM KISHORE MANIKYA
17. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Article:
Nation Remembers Moushiji

1. FESTIVALS: Ramayana Masam 2018 is from July 17: The Malayalam month of Karkidakam (July 17-August 16) is called the ‘Ramayana Masam’. Every Hindu home in Kerala reverberates with verses from ‘Adhyatma Ramayanam,’ written by Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, who is considered the father of Malayalam literature. 
Starting from the first day, every day during the Karkidakam Masam, all the members of the house gather, after sunset. After lighting the evening lamp, they sit close to the ‘Nilavilakku’ or the traditional Kerala lamp and narrate the verses of ‘Adhyatma Ramayana’ (the Malayalam version of Ramayana). The reading of Ramayana is managed in a way that it ends on the last day of the Karkidakam Masam.
Besides the practice of reading Ramayana during the Ramayana Masam in the households, the recitation of this epic is done in Bhagwan Vishnu temples. Several religious and spiritual organizations conduct plays, public discourses, recitals and quiz competition based on Ramayana during this month. Hindu devotees actively participate in these events with full enthusiasm. -GoTop

2. WORLD’S LARGEST PHONE FACTORY A MAKE-IN-INDIA FEAT: MODI: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi and South Korean President Moon Jae-in inaugurated world’s largest mobile phone factory in Noida on July 9. The Samsung’s smart phone manufacturing factory will double its annual handset production capacity to 120 million units by 2020. Speaking on the occasion, Modi said his Government’s pet “Make in India” initiative has propelled Bharat to become the world’s second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones as the number of factories in Bharat soared to 120 from just 2 four years ago.

 He said four lakh direct jobs have been created as the number of factories making mobile phones increased. Speaking on the occasion, Korean president Moon Jae In said Korean companies are taking part in the fast-paced growth of Bharat and plant like the Samsung factory will create more jobs for Indian people. -GoTop

3. 17th World Sanskrit Conference held in Vancouver, Canada from 9th July to 13th July. It was inaugurated by Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar. The purpose of this conference was to promote, preserve and practice Sanskrit language all over world by the people. The World Sanskrit Conference is being held in various countries across the globe once in every three years under the auspices of the International Association of Sanskrit Studies. So far it has been held thrice in Bharat. This year, more than 500 scholars and delegates from over 40 countries participated in this conference and exchanged their knowledge by presenting papers on various subjects followed by discussions from amongst the members.

Special panel discussion were held on over dozen topics like History & Education of Women in Vedic Literature, Mimamsa Beyond the Yagasala, Sanskrit Buddhist Manuscripts, The Yuktidipika Forging Place for Sankhya, Research on Gargiya jyotisa and Introducing Bhagavata Purana Commentaries. Over 500 papers on various themes were presented during the 5-day conference. -GoTop

4. ISRO conducts first escape test for BHARAT’s manned mision to space: On July 5th, ISRO took the first, small but significant step towards realizing human space flight by successfully conducting a test of the Crew Escape System that provides an escape mechanism for astronauts if the launch operation is aborted. “This is one of the critical technologies for a future human space programme,” said K. Sivan, chairman of ISRO.
 “Critical technology developments and demonstration for indigenous human space flight capability is in progress,” Sivan told Hindustan Times in an interview in June. “The crew module systems, space suit, recovery systems, crew escape systems and elements of environmental control and life support systems are already developed.”
The next step for ISRO will be to test the system for evacuating astronauts safely if an emergency arise during flight.
Only three countries -- USA, Russia and China -- have human space flight programmes. -GoTop

5. GOPIO Chapters Honor bharateeya American Achievers: The Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO)’s Central New Jersey Chapter honored U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. as a Friend of Bharat, as well as 10 Bharateeya Americans for their achievements in their profession and service to the community on June 3rd.
The Shri Krishna Nidhi Foundation was recognized for its longstanding community service with a mission to improve total well-being; Ashok Luhadia, founder of US Pharma Labs, and Siby Vadakekkara of MarLabs, were recognized as outstanding entrepreneurs; Rina Shah, the director and founder of AUM Dance Creations, was honored for her contributions to the performing arts.Two awards were presented for achievement in media to Sudhir Parikh, publisher of Parikh Worldwide Media Inc.; and H.R. Shah, chairman and CEO of TV Asia.
A special award was presented to Sparsh Shah, a 15-year-old multi-talented singing prodigy who was born with an incurable disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a condition that makes his bones extremely fragile and brittle.
Amit Jani, the president and co-founder of the NJ Leadership Program, was recognized for his contribution to the Bharateeya American community’s political involvement; and Pinakin Pathak was recognized for his contributions to public service. North American Telugu Association president Rajeswar  Gangasani Reddy was recognized for community service.
Similar programs were also held in Connecticut, Virginia etc. -GoTop

6. Italy’s second highest civilian honour to NRI: Dr Manoj Motwari was bestowed with the title of ‘Cavaliere dell’Ordinedella Stella d’Italia’ (Kinght of the Order of the Star of Italy) by President of Italian Republic Shri Sergio Mattarella and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Shri Angelino Alfano on June 25.

Dr. Motwani is the first Bharatiya to receive such an honour. He was born and brought up in Bharat, and moved to Hong Kong in 1993. A swayamsevak from his childhood, a journey which he continued even when moved to Hong Kong. Dr Manoj is general secretary of the Hindu Swyamsevak Sangh, Hong Kong, a trustee of Vishwa Hindu Prashad, Bharat and founding member of the World Hindu Economic Forum. He is also very much involved in the ongoing activities and development of the World Hindu Congress.
Dr. Motwani is also highly qualified with knowledge of various aspects of businesses. He has PhD in Finance, Master of Business Administration (MBA) and has also been awarded by the Hong Kong Management Association as a “Professional Manager” title. -GoTop

7. Bharateeya appointed head of top Chinese biz institute: Dipak Jain, 61, a prominent Bharateeya professor in the US, has been appointed as the European president of the Shanghai-based China Europe International Business School (CEIBS).  Jain, a former dean of two of the world’s leading business schools, the Kellogg School of Management and INSEAD, will work alongside his Chinese counterpart Li Mingjun.  Brought up in Assam, Jain, who lives in Chicago and works in Shanghai for 10 to 15 days each month, has been teaching marketing at CEIBS since September last year when he took on the president-designate role. -GoTop

8. BHARAT WORLD'S 6TH LARGEST ECONOMY: In 2017, Bharat became the sixth largest economy with a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD 2.59 trillion, relegating France to the seventh position, according to an analysis of data compiled by the World Bank. As per the IMF' World Economic Outlook released in April this year, the size of the Bharatiya economy was pegged at USD 2.61 trillion, ahead of France with a GDP of USD 2.58 trillion. The IMF pegged the size of the UK's economy at USD 2.62 trillion, slightly bigger than Bharat. -GoTop

9. bharat climbs 3 spots to 57th in global innovation rankings: Bharat has been consistently climbing up the Global Innovation Index (GII) since 2015 in the 126-nations list. The 2018 rankings, released in New York on July 10, put Bharat at 57th  position and China at 17th  as compared to their last year’s rankings of 60th  and 22nd , respectively, providing an insight into their growing innovation capabilities and results. The rankings are published by the World Intellectual Property Organization — a specialized agency of the United Nations — in association with Cornell University and graduate business school INSEAD. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is one of the knowledge partners which assist the GII team in bringing out the rankings. Bharat has maintained its perch at the top in the central and south Asia region, consistently moving up from 81st rank in 2015 to 57th this year. -GoTop

10. Neal K. Devaraj Honored with $250K Blavatnik National Award for Young Scientists: U.C. San Diego Prof. Neal K. Devaraj was announced as a recipient of the 2018 Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists by the Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences on June 27th. The Bharatiya American researcher, along with recipients Janelle Ayres and Sergei V. Kalinin, will receive a $250,000 prize — among the largest unrestricted scientific prizes offered to America's most promising faculty-level scientific researchers 42 years old or younger, according to the foundation — for being honored with the award. Devaraj won in the chemistry category — Ayres won in the life sciences field; Kalinin in the physical sciences and engineering — for his transformative work on the synthesis of artificial cells and membranes, creating an exciting new field of research that aims to address one of the great challenges in synthetic biology, the foundation said. Devaraj has made several game-changing discoveries including the development of new methods for labeling biological molecules, which have already been adopted by researchers globally, it said.-GoTop

11. ‘Bullet run’ of Hima Das makes country proud; becomes first bharatiya to win Gold in track event: Clinching the gold medal at Tampere in the 400 m finals at the IAAF World Under-20 Athletics Championships, the 18-year-old Bharatiya sprinter Hima Das on July 12th  scripted a history. Notably, Hima Das has become first Bharatiya to win Gold in a track event. Soon after the historic triumph of Hima, the whole country including PM Modi, Rashtrapati Ram Nath Kovind, Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore, former cricketer Virender Sehwag and Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan extended their wishes via social media.

PM Modi in a tweet said, “India is delighted and proud of athlete Hima Das, who won a historic Gold in the 400m of World U20 Championships. Congratulations to her! This accomplishment will certainly inspire young athletes in the coming years.” Notably, Hima Das clocked 51.46 seconds to claim the top position in the 400m finals. Andrea Miklos of Romania came second with a timing of 52.07 seconds to claim silver while USA's Taylor Manson took home bronze after clocking 52.28 seconds. -GoTop

12. Prominent bharatiya-American lawyer appointed US drug czar: Uttam Dhillon, a prominent Bharatiya-American White House lawyer, is the new Acting Administrator of the crucial Drug Enforcement Agency that combats the growing smuggling and use of narcotics in the US."With one American dying of a drug overdose every nine minutes, there can be no doubt that we are facing the deadliest drug epidemic in our history," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said announcing his appointment. The work of the Drug Enforcement Administration is critical to fighting this crisis, and President Donald Trump and he are committed to continuing to give it the strong leadership it deserves, Sessions added. Dhillon is a dedicated public servant who has served with distinction in the White House, the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, Congress, and as a career federal prosecutor taking on drug traffickers at the highest levels, he said.-GoTop

13. KUMAR SANU AND ANURADHA PAUDWALHONOURED AT UK HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT: Veteran playback singers Anuradha Paudwal and Kumar Sanu were felicitated by politicians from the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group at the UK Houses of Parliament.
The duo, who were at their peak in the 1990’s Hindi cinema, were honoured in recognition of their outstanding contribution in the field of music and social service, according to a press release.
Paudwal, who is involved in several social issues such as helping the families of martyred soldiers, electricity and malnutrition, said as a public figure it was their responsibility to give it back to the society.
Sanu, who has actively extended support to underprivileged children, said every kid has the right to education. -GoTop

14. UK opens new visa route for desi scientists and academics: The UK has launched new visas that will be open to overseas scientists and researchers, including Bharatiyas, to encourage the growth of the country’s research sector. The new UKRI Science, Research and Academia scheme, which is being added to the already existing Tier 5 (temporary worker - government authorized exchange) visa route, opened from July 6 for researchers, scientists and academics from outside the European Union (EU) to come to the UK for up to two years.“We must have an immigration system that makes sure we can attract leading international talent and benefit from their knowledge and expertise,” said UK immigration minister Caroline Nokes. -GoTop

15. bharatiya American Executive Seema Nanda Named CEO of Democratic National Committee: The Democratic National Committee, the decision-making body of the Democratic Party, has tapped Bharatiya American Seema Nanda to serve as its new CEO and handle day-to-day operations, making her perhaps the first from the community to be named an operational head of a key American political party.“This position is the opportunity of a lifetime, for which I am incredibly honored and humbled,” Nanda said on June 29.
Nanda is currently the executive vice president and chief operating officer at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the largest human and civil rights organization in the U.S. She will start later this month in her new position.
A member of the Massachusetts Bar Association, Nanda has a background in labor and employment law and has worked in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. A graduate of Boston College Law School and Brown University, Nanda has served on the board of directors of several nonprofit organizations. -GoTop

16. AGARTALA AIRPORT RENAMED AFTER MAHARAJA BIR BIKRAM KISHORE MANIKYA:   The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, gave its approval to rename the Agartala Airport in Tripura as ‘Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore Airport, Agartala on July 4. The decision comes in the wake of the long pending demand of people of Tripura as well as the Tripura Government for paying tribute to its last king, Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore.

Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore, who ascended the throne of the erstwhile Tripura Princely State in 1923, was an enlightened and benevolent ruler.  Agartala Airport was constructed in 1942 on the land donated by Maharaja Bir Bikram Manikya Kishore. As a visionary ruler, who had travelled extensively across the globe, he took several steps for the all-round development of Tripura. -GoTop

17. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr Ram Vaidya, sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag will travel to Mauritius in end July. Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Be conscious first of thyself within, then think and act. All living thought is a world in preparation; all real act is a thought manifested. The material world exists because an idea began to play in divine self–consciousness. – Sri Aurobindo.-GoTop
JAI SHREE RAM
Nation Remembers Moushiji
Nation remembers Laxmibai Kelkar, popularly known as ‘Moushiji’ on her 113th Birth anniversary today. Moushiji was the founder Pramukh Sanchalika of Rashtra Sevika Samiti, World’s largest women organisation founded in 1936 under the inspiration of RashtriyaSwayamsevak Sangh.

About Moushiji:  Vidarbha is a very fertile land producing enriching crops. Not only that but it has produced outstanding personalities who have preciously given a new dimension to the history this land. Realisation of the mantra is the prestigious honour of this small region. Sangh and Samiti, the two major Hindu organisations of Akhil Bharateeya status, have their origin in this region.
As the daughter of Shri BhaskarraoDatey and Yashodabai of Nagpur, Kamal was born on Ashadha Shukla Dashami in Shake 1827 i.e. 5th July 1905. Kamal was re-named as Laxmi during her marriage.
Kamal was very sensitive, having keen observation power she assimilated the sense of Service from her elder aunt. Deep devotion towards motherland, dauntless spirit, resoluteness, organising capacity and many such qualities were transfused in her from her parents. Shri Bhaskarrao Datey, V. Mausiji’s father, was working in A-G’s office at Nagpur. In those days of foreign rule, purchasing and reading newspapers like Kesari edited by Shri. Lokmanya Tilakji, was looked upon as an act of treason by the foreign rulers. Kamal’s mother Smt. Yashodabai, used to purchase that paper and have a combined reading, calling all the ladies nearby to hear. She professed that she was not a Govt. employee as such, not liable to be governed by the rules applicable to them and was therefore, free to do anything in her personal capacity.
After some hot discussion with the nun teacher of the mission school regarding school prayer, Kamal discontinued going to the missionary school. After the establishment of Hindu Girls School, Kamal was admitted there but could not continue her studies due to some inevitable circumstances. Her academic career came to an end. But by her vast general reading she got well acquainted with the history and culture of this land as well as the state of affairs prevailing in those days.

Kamal was determined not to marry a man demanding dowry. Fortunately she was successful and was married to Shri Purusottamrao Kelkar, a well known advocate of Wardha. She was re-named as Laxmi according to the custom prevailing in Maharashtrian families Shri Kelkar had two small daughters from his first marriage. Young Laxmi had to undertake primarily the role of being their mother more than being a wife of a husband. Destiny wanted to test her qualities of motherhood as she had to be the mother of a number of girls throughout the country and gain the capacity to bestow motherly affection on them.
Young Laxmi, gifted with the spirit of patriotism, sacrifice, social consciousness and service could not remain idle or be satisfied in doing household work only. She was just looking for a chance to be able to participate again in freedom activities, of which the centre was Sevagram near Wardha. It was difficult for the dignified family of Kelkar to digest this idea as a matter of natural course. Managing efficiently the home front, she won over the good will and co operation of her sisters in law and gradually started to attend the meetings, prabhatpheries and such other programmes. She also took the opportunity of hearing the top most leaders of freedom movement. Law defiance movement was at its top. Laxmi was taking note of the gradual change in the social psyche. It came to her mind that the defiance of law which was used as a means to harass the foreign power, may take an unwanted turn to lawlessness in free Bharat and may lead to a chaos, if not controlled sternly. Obtaining political freedom was a must, but a proper channel inspiring the people to devote themselves to social and national duties and to abide by the laws and rules of a free country was also utterly essential. Then only the long cherished ideal of Ramraj could be a reality. She thought that every citizen of free Bharat must come forward readily with the firm common will and a total identification with the national interests, ancient glories, culture and traditions of Bharat. The sense of self respect and service to motherland before self was to be encouraged. How to put it into practice was a problem. During this period some eminent personalities were putting efforts for women’s education and their all round progress. Due to western impact women were struggling for equal rights and economical freedom. That was leading to individual progress only, inviting self-centred-ness. There was every risk of women being non committed to love, sacrifice, service and other inborn qualities glorifying Hindu women. Of course, it was quite necessary to attain the prestigious position, in family and society, which was denied to her due to wrong ideas. Some periodicals published very cheap and vulgar pictures of women on the cover page. There was an outpour of news of sedition of women. Many women were attracted to the new easy going and showy way of western life. Forgetting their own self they were fascinated by the idea of equal rights and economic freedom. This unnatural change in the attitude of women might have led to disintegration of family, the primary and most important unit of imparting good Sanskaras. This was worrying Laxmibai. She heard Gandhiji advising the ladies to follow the life of Sita and Savitri. So she studied Ramayana as well as Mahabharat. She was also attracted towards the literature of Swami Vivekananda who professed that man and woman are equally important constituents of the nation, just like the two wings of a bird and both be equally trained for the national consciousness. Mausiji passed a restless time before coming to the conclusion that women should boldly come forward and bear the responsibility to solve the precarious problems.

In the meantime Vandaneeya Mausiji lost her husband in 1932 and was required to look after her eight children and a vast property. She gathered courage and faced the situation without surrendering her self respect. She was introduced to R. S. S. work through her sons. She was keenly observing the way of working based on individual contact, mutual love and voluntary discipline. It flashed to her that such organisational type of work amongst women, can meet the challenge of the time. Building up character, creating sense of patriotism and disciplined organisation was utmost necessary. Fortunately P. P. Dr. Hedgewar was to visit Wardha Shakha of R. S. S. With the help of local workers including Shri Appaji Joshi, she got an opportunity to see him. In their meeting Vandaneeya Mausiji expressed the urgency of organising the Hindu women on cultural and national basis. P. P. Doctorji, gifted with divine vision, was convinced and he conceded to the proposal provided V. Mausiji accepted all the responsibility in this respect. After having a number of rounds of free and friendly discussions, Rashtra Sevika Samiti came into existence in 1936 at Wardha on the auspicious day of Vijaya Dashami.
Pujaneeya Doctorji reiterated that in the interest of both the organisations, Sangh and Samiti should function independently but with mutual co operation, just like the parallel lines which go in the same direction, but never meet maintaining a specified distance between them. He promised all help and guidance in the beginning and abided by it. Still he stressed that Samiti should function independently.
P. P. Doctorji was the originator of the technique and mechanism of the science of orgnisation in modern era. Technique of any science is same for all creeds. Still the basic principles and philosophy of women’s life in Bharat is quite different from that of men. As such Vandaneeya Mausiji accepted the modus operandi of Sangh, but She herself sketched the working plan of Samiti’s work, and executed it to the minutest details very efficiently.
Vandaneeya Mausiji was good at nursing which is an important factor in curing any illness. It also proved very much beneficial in organisational work because she had to nurse a number of minds ailing from weaknesses of all kinds. It was really an ordeal in those days, for a young, socially and economically well placed widow to get engaged in such a type of work in which prestige, honour, publicity were far away nay they were never to be aspired for. Vandaneeya Mausiji had to face a lot of comments from her own people also. She faced them calmly but firmly. Though many tried to exploit the situation. Vandaneeya Mausiji got herself trained in all the physical exercises, cycling, swimming etc. In the beginning she was too shy in delivering speeches. Smt. Venutai Kalamkar used to do it on her behalf; but gradually through her perseverance and firm will, She acquired most of the qualities demanded to lead the organisation.
The physical training syllabus of Samiti was finalised by Vandaneeya Mausiji in consultation with her co workers as well as some well known physicians and Yoga vidnyana experts. She professed Hindutwa, the basic principle of Samiti with new relevance. She convinced many women to promote and protect it, through natural process of Sanskaras imparted in homes. The concept of Hindu women’s life was quite clear to her and she introduced the worship of Devi Ashtabhuja a symbol of realisation of Hindu women’s image. it is a symbol of integrated society, women’s chastity, purity, boldness, affection, alertness etc. It is the divine mother power that can build up a character based society.
Vandaneeya Mausiji toured with her small son to spread the network of Samiti Shakhas. In those days there were no facilities of berth or seat reservations. There was no schedule for buses also as most services were run by private parties. It was quite strenuous and risky to travel alone but having immense faith in God, Mausiji travelled with dedicated motive. She had to balance between her duties towards family and nation.
Through her planned exertion Samiti gradually attained Akhil Bharateeya status. But it was essential that all sevikas should also experience it. It was not sufficient only to arrange meetings, so Sammelan of Akhil Bharateeya nature was desirable and that was arranged first in 1945 at Bombay. Since then such Sammelans are being regularly arranged at every three years. V. Maushiji attended last the Bhagyanagar Sammelan in 1978, when she appealed all the sevikas to develop the seven inborn qualities of women, described in Geeta.
Vandaneeya Maushiji had felt the necessity of entering into the educational field long back in 1945. Some Shishu Mandirs were opened but in 1953 Gruhini Vidyalaya was opened in Bombay later on, to give it an Akhil Bharateeya Status, a new trust Bharateeya Shree Vidya Niketan was registered in 1983. The object was to reorganise the system of girls’ education, befitting to the traditions of this land.
V. Mausiji regarded Shri Ramayan, Mahabharata and Bhagawat as the vital source of energy. She studied these scriptures and epics very deeply in her young age and started delivering discourses on them, convincing the younger generation, that Shri Ram and Shri Krishna should be looked upon as national heroes. She felt that every woman must possess firm will, sanctity of thoughts and deeds, self-protecting spiritual power like Sita and Draupadi. A number of people thronged to hear her sweet, ringing voice and logical interpretation. She could obtain many ardent workers for Samiti through these means. Vandaneeya Mausiji was very punctual, particularly neat and clean. She had a high sense of appreciation for qualities and art noticed in others. Many picture exhibitions were effectively arranged because of her encouragement only. She was equally good at cooking. She had a high asthetic sense. Being self-reliant she took many decisions, which proved beneficial in the long term, though they were heavily commented upon in the beginning. She knew by heart most of the Samiti songs and it was her practice to sing the songs by rotation at the time of her daily evening prayer. The idea of leadership was quite clear in her mind. She used to say that the leader should be only two steps ahead, so that in the absence of the leader, the followers would be easily able to fill up the gap, not allowing any void. She never liked to centralize all attention toward her only. In her last illness she was very much displeased when the state meeting of one state was postponed because of her illness. Such an impersonal attitude is very rarely found in the present time. She had many future plans for the work but unfortunately could not put them into practice. She was very much affectionate and loving like a mother but was equally strict as a general in organizational work.
Death does not discriminate anybody and we are taught that whoever is born has to leave this world one day; but to leave it with powerful and deep imprints is something rare. Every Sevika thought that Mausiji loved her more and was overwhelmed with sorrow at her departure on 27th November 1978 i. e. Kartika Krishna 12, the day on which Sant Shri Dnyaneshwar attained Samadhi. The news of her sad demise was broadcast on the Akashvani. Individual intimation also passed on from person to person. Innumerable men and women rushed to pay their last homage. Even the doctors treating her in the Medical College Hospital had developed homely intimacy with her. They as well as the staff there were overwhelmed with grief. She had become a source of affection there and reverence also. Most of the staff started working only after wishing her well.

It was a unique experience and sight hundreds of women joining the funeral of any woman, in a disciplined way. On the way to Ambazari Ghat her body rested in Shree Shakti Peeth, which was her creation but unfortunately was turned into her memorial. Samiti Prayer and last Pranam was offered. On 28th evening her journey to eternity started, leaving behind ever inspiring memories. Next day on 29th, Rani Laxmibai’s birth, anniversary was celebrated as per her last desire, by giving a guard of honor by the Ghosh gana (Band Squad ) of Samiti.
Maushiji is not physically present now, her life will be a constant source of inspiration to thousands of Sevikasand also to many other woman social activists. (Organiser Weekly 6th July 2018) -GoTop

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