\SAMVAD श्री विश्व निकेतन SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN
Magh Shukla 11, Vik. Samvat 2075 Yugabda 5120: 16 February 2019
1. FESTIVALS: Mahashivaratri falls on the 13th night of Phalgun Krishna paksh. It symbolizes the wedding anniversary of Bhagwan Shiva and mother Parvati. Many however, believe, Shivaratri is the night when Lord Shiva performed the Tandava Nritya - the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction. Celebrating the festival in a customary manner, devotees give a ritual bath to the Lingam with the panchagavya - milk, sour milk, cow urine, butter and dung. Celebrations of Shivaratri Festival mainly take place at night. Devotees of Bhagwan Shiva throng Shiva temples and spend ‘the Night of Lord Shiva’ by chanting verses and hymns in His praise. The festival holds special meaning for the ladies. They pray to Goddess Parvati also called ′Gaura′, the giver of ′suhag′ for good husbands, marital bliss and a long and prosperous married life. Devotees strongly believe that ritual worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri absolves them of past sins and they are blessed with Moksha.
Kumbh: 1.5 cr take dip in the third ‘shahisnan': The chill in the atmosphere in and around the Sangam here failed to dampen the spirit of around 1.5 crore people who gathered on February 10 for the third 'shahisnan' at the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati. With this figures, the total number of pilgrims taking the holy dip during the Kumbh this year (up to February 10) has touched 16.44 crore.
The continuous cold breeze sweeping the mela area could not deter the devotees from taking the dip in Sangam. They chanted devotional hymns eulogizing various gods and goddesses. Chants of ‘Har Har Gangey' and ‘Jai Ganga Maiyya' filled the air as devotees poured in and around the bathing ghats. Mahashivratri on March 4 will mark the last bathing day of the Kumbhmela. -GoTop
2. Bharat will definitely become “Vishwa Guru”, asserts Bhayyaji Joshi: The world is accepting Bharatiya way of life. It has already accepted ‘Yoga’, and ‘Ayurved’ with respect and Sanskrit language is also being taught in a number of foreign universities. All these indicate to the fact that the rise of Bharat has begun and soon it will adore the top notch post of “Vishwa Guru”, asserted Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarkaryawah Suresh alias Bhayyaji Joshi. He was speaking at the inauguration of Sri Golwalkar Guruji Gurukulam of Kavikulguru Kalidas Sanskrit University at Ramtek, 40 km from Nagpur on February 5. Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, Union Surface Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and Swami Vishweshteerth were also present on the occasion.
Bhayyaji Joshi said that ‘Gurukul’ has a unique place and importance in the Bharatiya tradition where best education and knowledge was imparted to the students by the expert teachers.
Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao said that the late Golwalkar Guruji, the second Sarsanghchalak of RSS was a visionary leader. He steered the RSS clear of all the hurdles, the biggest being the ban imposed on the RSS after the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. This is creditable for the KKSU to have a building in the name of such a visionary leader and a spiritual person of very high order. -GoTop
3. Surya Namaskar Yagya at Donner Center: A yoga Marathon Event was conducted January 26 at Donner Center in Columbus, US. The Columbus chapter of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh organized Suryanamaskar Yagya from January 12 to 27, during which many people from different communities performed Suryanamaskar yoga (Sun salutations). At the Suryanaskar marathon at Donner Center, Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop and his wife Pam attended as the chief guests. The yoga marathon started with inaugural speech from the mayor and continued for 2 hours and 40 mins, with people performing 16 sets of Surynaskar. A total of 62 people participated in the marathon. -GoTop
4. DHARMA SANSAD IN PRAYAGRAJ: “Sabarimala is the collective struggle of the society. The Left Front Government of Kerala is going beyond the Supreme Court orders by mischievously ensuring entry of non-believers into Ayyappa Temple, while the Ayyappa devotees are being humiliated. We support this struggle of the society,” said RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat, while addressing the Dharma Sansad at Prayag on January 31. The Dharma Sansad was presided over by Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati. Saints from various parts of the country joined the Sansad.
Baba Ramdev stressed on introducing common civil code and measures of population control. Swami Gyananand Maharaj said the government should create a Gauseva Ayog without delay. In a resolution on Sabarimala, the Dharma Sansad severely criticized the communist government of Kerala and called upon the Hindus to launch an agitation so that this can transform into a national movement. In another resolution, the Dharma Sansad called upon the Hindus to reject pseudo secularism, casteism, regionalism, linguistic chauvinism and defeat the political parties that promote such anti-national and anti Hindu feelings.
In the resolution on Sri Ram Janmabhoomi, the Dharma Sansad called upon the Rambhaktas of the entire country to chant 13 crore Vijay Mantra (Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram) on April 6. Since elections are round the corner the sants decided not to give pseudo secularists the opportunity to drag Sri Ram Janmabhoomi into a political vortex and swamp. Therefore, they announced no new phase of the movement. But the Hindu society will continue to conduct awareness programmes. -GoTop
5. Mission Successful: GSAT-31 starts its journey to the skies: Adding new heights to its achievements, ISRO successfully launched Bharat’s latest communication satellite, GSAT-31 from the Spaceport in French Guiana during the early hours of February 6. GSAT-31 is Bharat’s fortieth communication satellite. The Ariane-5 rocket lifted off with it from Kourou Launch Base and placed it in the intended Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit. Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) immediately took control of the satellite from Hassan facility in Karnataka. With a lift-off mass of 2536 kg, GSAT-31 will augment the Ku-band transponder capacity in Geostationary Orbit. “GSAT-31 has a unique configuration of providing flexible frequency segments and flexible coverage. The satellite will provide communication services to Indian mainland and islands”, stated ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan. -GoTop
6. RASHTRAPATI JI lauds BHARAT’s growth in global GDP: Rashtrapati Ram Nath Kovind on January 31 said Bharat’s contribution to global economy has increased from 2.6 per cent in 2014 to 3.3 per cent in 2017 on the back of high growth rate during the last four and a half years. Addressing the joint sitting of the Parliament, he said the country’s GDP has been growing at a rate of 7.3 per cent on an average, making Bharat the sixth largest economy in the world. “Bharat is playing a significant role in international trade. While Bharat’s contribution to the world GDP was 2.6 per cent in 2014, it has increased to 3.3 per cent in 2017 as per the latest reports,” Kovind said. Rashtrapati ji noted that this is an opportune moment for the country to play a decisive role in the fourth industrial revolution. -GoTop
7. rashtra Sevika Samiti Pathsanchalan on Republic Day: “Women have to join hands in building the nation through sacrifice and service. They have also to realize the identity and culture of our nation,” said Smt. Parimala Murthy, Vibhag Samparka Pramukh of Rashtra Sevika Samiti while addressing a gathering of the Sevikas after an attractive pathsanchalan on Republic day in Dakshin Kannada District on Jan 26. “Spirituality is the soul of this nation and without spirituality it is just like a lifeless body without soul,” she said. She recalled how our Gurukul system, self-esteem and identity were destroyed by introducing the foreign education system in the country by the colonial forces and subjected us to slavery. It was after in 1936 that the Rashtra Sevika Samiti was formed to enable our women to lead a life with pride and emerge out of the shadows of colonial slavery. Over 650 Sevikas in full ganavesh participated in the pathsanchalan. Smt. Jayalakshmi Dhamle, Headmistress of Sneha Educational Trust presided over. -GoTop
8. Shun Colonial Mindset to Explore own Potential: Intellectual forum of North East, Dhanamanjuri University of Imphal, Department of Social work at Indira Gandhi National Tribal University and Centre for Manipur Studies of Manipur University, Canchipur, jointly organized a national seminar on ‘Revisiting Colonial Legacy in North East India, on February 2 – 3 at GP Women’s College of DM University. Addressing the gathering, national convener of Prajna Pravah Shri J Nandakumar said the seeds of British colonialism in Northeast Bharat were sown within the Treaty of Yandoboo signed between the King of Ava and the British Government on February 24, 1826 which started British rule in Assam. Manipur came under British rule following the defeat in Anglo Manipuri War of 1891. He said because of the colonial impact we have not been able to concentrate on our potentials to unite the country. Former Chief Justice of Supreme Court Shri KG Balkrishnan stressed the need to revisit the colonial legacies in order to better understand the present political scenario. Vice Chancellor of Central University of Himachal Pradesh Prof Kuldip Agnihotri said Bharatiya history would be complete only when the contributions of North East, North West and South Bharat were included; else it will remain as North Bharatiya history only. Minister of Education and Labour Empowerment, Government of Manipur T Radheshyam Singh said the colonial administrators exploited the local subjects and resources for their own interests. Rajya Sabha MP Rakesh Sinha said Bharatiyas should learn true nationalism, cultural unity and women empowerment from the north east. -GoTop
9. UNDERSTANDING THE ASPIRATIONS: “Daughters are not born, they are a manifestation”, said Odisha Rajyapal Prof Ganeshi Lal, while inaugurating an international conference on the topic of “The 21st Century Women’s issues Shaping the World” on January 11. The seminar was organized by the World Organisation of Students & Youth (WOSY). National organizing secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarathi Parishad Sunil Ambekar was also present. Many issues ranging from providing LPG cooking gas to rural women to women participatory role in global economic reforms were discussed at the Seminar. Impressive participation of enthusiastic young students from 53 countries was witnessed at the Seminar. A total of 487 delegates including 290 boys and 197 girls participated in the program. 315 out of 487 were international students.
The seminar was jointly organized by Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (Bharat). Pragik Vidyarthi Parishad (Nepal), Nepal Students Council (Nepal), Rashtriya Janashakti Students Union (Nepal), Federation of International Students Association (Bengaluru, Bharat), Federation of International Students Association (Pune, Bharat) and Association of African students in Bharat. -GoTop
10. ABU Dhabi temple: The foundation stone-laying ceremony of the first Hindu temple in Abu Dhabi will be held on April 20. The ‘Shilanyas ceremony’ of the BAPS Hindu Mandir will be presided over by the spiritual leader of the BAPS, Mahant Swami Maharaj.
Dubbed an icon of tolerance and religious harmony in the UAE, the temple is being built on 13.5 acres (55000 square metre) land gifted by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to the Bharatiya community.
In the Year of Tolerance, the UAE government has gifted an equal area of land additionally for building parking facilities in the temple premises, the priest in-charge of the BAPS Mandir said.
Swami Brahmavihari, senior priest of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha said with the generous gift of land from His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown prince of Abu Dhabi to build the first traditional stone temple, the world welcomed the UAE’s commitment to increasing tolerance, interfaith dialogue, collective coexistence and global harmony. -GoTop
11. Abu Dhabi includes Hindi as third official court language: The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department on February 9 said it has extended the adoption of interactive forms of statement of claims filed before courts by including the Hindi language alongside Arabic and English in labour cases. This is aimed at helping Hindi speakers to learn about litigation procedures, their rights and duties without a language barrier, in addition to facilitating registration procedures via unified forms available through the ADJD website, judicial body said.
The UAE population is estimated to be around five million of which 2/3rd are immigrants from foreign countries. The Bharatiya community in the UAE, numbering 2.6 million, constitutes 30 per cent of the total population and is the largest expatriate community in the country. -GoTop
12. New Hindu Temple to Be Built on South Main Street in masachussets uSA: For the past two years, the Boston Sri Kalikambal Shiva Temple has been offering prayer services and other gatherings for special holiday celebrations for its Hindu worshipers at the Bellingham Plaza, across from the Town Common.
In recent conversation with Muthu Meyyappan, a member of the congregation, and Muthubattar, it is learnt that the temple has taken steps to establish a permanent home for their congregation. After purchasing 17 acres of land on SoMain Street, in an area near Charlie’s Tire and Service Center, the temple worked with Andrews Engineering in Uxbridge to create a plan for their new building and has obtained all needed permits from both the Planning Board and the Conservation Commission. “The project will take place in two phases,” Meyyappan explained. “The first phase will be construction of the main temple, and the second phase will build residences for the priest and temple officials, as well as a hall for community gatherings.” -GoTop
13. Cincinnati Community Leader Honored with ‘She The Change Nari Udhyami Award’: Bharatiya American community leader Renu Gupta was honored on 23rd January with the ‘She The Change – Nari Udhyami Sanman 2019’ award for her efforts in bringing about a positive change in the lives of people in Bharat and the U.S.
The award, conferred by the Beti & Shiksha Foundation in Varanasi, Bharat, was presented by Tara Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi and Uttarkhand Governor Baby Rani Maurya. Gupta, 61, grew up in Rajasthan where she completed her studies in Sanskrit and English. Her marriage to Dr. Arun Gupta, a scientist, brought her to the U.S. where she plunged into a job, studies and community activities. She credits her maternal grandmother who instilled the values of Hindu dharma and her paternal grandfather from whom she absorbed the spirit of selfless service. A member of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad America for the last 36 years and now serving as VP of Seva in the VHPA, Gupta spearheaded a group of 15 likeminded women for “Seva, Shakti and Sadhana.” -GoTop
14. Three bharatiya American Judges Among 46 Appointed: A trio of Bharatiya Americans was among nearly four dozen judges appointed by Mayor Bill de Blasio to various posts throughout New York City. The 46 judges were named to the Family, Criminal and Civil courts by de Blasio. In total, 13 judges on the list are new hires, and 33 are being reappointed. Among those reappointed were Deepa Ambekar in the civil court and Raja Rajeswari in the criminal court. The new appointments include Archana Rao, who was named to a civil court post. -GoTop
15. bharatiya American Anthropologist Anneeth Kaur Hundle Named Sikh Studies Endowed Chair at UC Irvine: Anneeth Kaur Hundle has been named the Dhan Kaur Sahota Presidential Chair in Sikh Studies at the university’s School of Social Sciences. The $2 million endowed chair – housed in the Department of Anthropology – was created in 2017 with a $1.5 million gift from Drs. Harvinder and Asha Sahota and $500,000 from the U.C. Presidential Match for Endowed Chairs program.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to build on my existing expertise and advance Sikh studies scholarly research in local, transnational and global contexts, and I look forward to promoting cross-religious, -ethnic and -racial community outreach and engagement via Sikh studies and anthropology with this position,” Hundle said. -GoTop
16. Bharatiya American Sitarist Hasu Patel Honored by the UN: Eminent Bharatiya American sitarist/composer/educator Hasu Patel has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the United Nations for ‘Extraordinary Service to Humanity. ’Patel, who taught sitar, tabla and vocals at Ohio’s Oberlin College for close to two decades, was honored before her scheduled performance in August 2018 in Montreal, Canada, by Dr. Elaine Valdov, representative to the United Nations and president of International Peace Ambassadors. The Westlake, Ohio-based musician continues to train students and perform at concerts in the U.S. and abroad.
Patel, who earned her bachelor’s degree in sitar from the Faculty of Performing Arts, M.S. University in Vadodara and was a gold medalist, went on to receive her master’s degree in sitar with distinction from Ahmedabad’s Gandharv Mahavidyalaya. Patel plays sitar in a very special style known as Gayaki Ang (vocal style), where the sitar replicates the fluidity and subtle nuances of the human voice. She is the first woman to receive a music degree with a gold medal in the 75-year history of the Faculty of Performing Arts. -GoTop
17. PM MODI SERVES 3 BILLIONTH MEAL TO CHILDREN IN VRINDAVAN: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi visited Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh on 11th February and unveiled the plaque to mark the serving of 3rd billionth meal by Akshaya Patra Foundation at Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir. The Pradhan Mantri then served 3 billionth meal to underprivileged children from schools. He also addressed a gathering on the occasion. PM Modi also paid floral tribute at the Vigraha of Srila Prabhupad, the Acharya of ISKCON.
In its 19-year journey, the foundation has served mid-day meals to 1.76 million children in 12 states covering 14,702 schools. In 2016, it commemorated the serving of 2 billion cumulative meals in the presence of the then President of Bharat, Pranab Mukherjee.
Akshaya Patra serves as an implementing partner of Mid-Day Meal Scheme and the foundation works closely with the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and State Governments to serve quality, hygienic, and nutritious food to millions of children. The scheme is considered to be the largest of its kind programme in the world which aims o boost enrolment, attendance, and retention in schools and to improve the health profile of children in the age group of 6-14 years. -GoTop
18. American Social Activist Receives Award from Uttar Pradesh for Building Toilets for Dalit Girls: Bharatiya American businessman Sanjeev Rajoura was presented with the Uttar Pradesh Apravasi Bhartiya Ratna Puraskar award on January 22 for his work in building public toilets for Dalit girls throughout the state. Eight NRIs received the prestigious award that honors people with roots in Uttar Pradesh who have achieved excellence abroad in their chosen field or profession. Uttar Pradesh Rajyapal Ram Naik bestowed the awards during the three-day Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, which was attended by more than 5,000 NRIs from around the globe. Rajoura, a resident of Fremont, California said he had built 80 toilets over the past three years for Dalit girls, largely with his own funds. Rajoura has been living in the U.S. for the 14 years. His ancestral village is Khandoi in the Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh. -GoTop
19. World’s largest container shipping firm Maersk moves containers on NW-1 inland waterways: Maersk Line, the world’s largest container shipping company recently moved as many as 16 containers on the river Ganga (National Waterway-1) from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkata in West Bengal. The country’s first riverine multimodal terminal on Ganga was dedicated to the nation by Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi at Varanasi on November 12, 2018. PM Modi also received the country’s first container cargo on the same day that travelled on Ganga from Kolkata to Varanasi. Both the events marked watershed moments in the development of Inland Water Transport (IWT) in the country as well as broke grounds for a spurt in business activities on National Waterway-1, river Ganga. The Container cargo transport includes several advantages like reduction in handling cost, reduction in reduces pilferages and damage, easier modal shift. In addition to these features, it also allows cargo owners to reduce their carbon footprints. Under Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP), the government is developing National Waterway-1 from Haldia to Varanasi, covering a distance of 1390 km with technical as well as financial assistance of the World Bank at a cost of around Rs. 5369 crore. The project would allow commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1,500 to 2,000 DWT. -GoTop
20. Now, cricket commentary in Sanskrit in Varanasi: A man has been organizing exclusive cricket tournaments for Sanskrit scholars and students for the last 10 years in Varanasi. The special feature of the cricket matches is that the commentary is also in Sanskrit.
“This cricket tournament is organized annually for Sanskrit students to boost their enthusiasm. We are doing this for the last 10 years… The unique feature of this tournament is that the match commentary is done in Sanskrit,” Dr. Ganesh Dutt Shastri, tournament’s organizer said. -GoTop
21. Leicestershire crematorium gets UK’s first Hindu shrine: A cemetery in Leicestershire is believed to be the first in the UK to have an outdoor shrine dedicated to a Hindu deity. The white marble statue of Shiva, which weighs about 350 kg (770 lbs), has been placed in the grounds of Great Glen Crematorium. Care home owner Sailesh Raja, 58, who donated the statue, said it was “very important” for the Hindu community. Mr Raja said installing the statue was a “great achievement for the Hindus of Leicester”. He said it meant that mourners no longer had to pray to pictures of Lord Shiva following a funeral service. Instead, for the first time, worshippers can now perform an outdoor Shiva Abhishak, in which offerings are made to the god. Leicester has one of the largest Hindu populations in the UK, and its Diwali celebrations are among the biggest outside Bharat. The Hindu Council confirmed Great Glen was the first UK cemetery to allow an outdoor shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva. -GoTop
22. BHARAT Up 8 Places at 36th Spot on the International IP Index: Bharat jumped eight places to the 36th position on the international intellectual property (IP) index, the highest gain for any country this year, helped by recognition of specific reforms that better align the country’s IP environment with the international IP system. The index, which lists the IP climate in 50 global economies, is brought out by the US Chamber of Commerce’s Global Innovation Policy Center (GIPC).“The improvement reflects important reforms implemented by Bharatiya policymakers toward building and sustaining an innovation ecosystem for domestic entrepreneurs and foreign investors alike,” GIPC said in a statement on February 7. -GoTop
23. KISSY CHANDIRAMANI BECOMES THE FIRST HINDU DEPUTY IN SPAIN: Kissy Chandiramani, of the Popular Party, has taken office as a deputy for the constituency of Ceuta on 12th February, replacing Juan Bravo Baena, current Minister of Finance, Industry and Energy of Andalusia. In addition, Chandiramani has sworn to abide by the Constitution in its first session of the Plenary, acquiring in this way the full status of Deputy, as established in the Rules of the Congress. -GoTop
24. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr Ram Vaidya sah samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will reach Bharat from UK. Visitors: Kavit Shah – UK
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: We have to serve all, be he a Christian or Muslim or a human being of any other persuasion: for calamities, distress and misfortunes make no such distinction but affect all alike. And in serving to reliever the sufferings of man let it not be in a spirit of condescension or mere compassion but as devoted worship of Lord abiding the hearts of all beings, in the humble service of Him who is Father, Mother, Brother, Friend and every thing to us all. – Sri Guruji MS Golwalkar -GoTop
JAI SHREE RAM
Social work curriculum gets an Indian icon
Dr Bishnu Mohan Dash & Siddheshwar Shukla
The contribution of ancient Indian academicians has been recognised by their modern counterparts across nationalities, particularly in contemporary inter-disciplinary researches where social work needs to borrow ideas from Indian philosophy through cross-pollination
The conferment of Bharat Ratna to Nanaji Deshmukh is a great gift to academicians, professionals and students of social work discipline in India who have been celebrating his birth anniversary on October 11 as Indian Social Work Day or BharatiyaSamajKaryaDiwas and are dedicated to decolonising social work education in Indian universities.
Since time immemorial, Indian academicians have been working for the integrated and holistic development of society. Although termed in different typology, the ancient Indian academicians have developed various methodologies and models to engage with and address the concerns of society, from individual to family, community to nation and the whole world. They were the first to present the philosophy of international peace by presenting the concept of a global family or VasudhaivaKutumbakam. The contribution of ancient Indian academicians has been recognised by their modern counterparts across nationalities, particularly in contemporary inter-disciplinary researches where social work needs to borrow ideas from Indian philosophy through cross-pollination for negotiating functional deadlocks related to human behaviour.
In our school days, we were taught a lot about the great Indians who had done great social service and also spearheaded reform movements from time to time. However, at the university level we were made to learn that social work as a practice was alien to the Indian sub-continent before establishment of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai by an American citizen during British colonial rule in 1936. This is because in the social work curriculum, there is hardly any mention of the social service and reforms of the great Indian philosophers, academicians and legendary personalities who flourished from the century before Christ. Students of social work are also compelled to swallow that it is because of TISS that social work was gradually included in university curriculum and that we received it as part of our colonial heritage. Till date, the curriculum related to social work in almost all universities follows a pattern set in the British colonial period — import a template from Euro-American countries and implement them in Indian universities. Except some institutions with Indian academicians did design their curriculum on the basis of the Gandhian philosophy. This strategy of “import and execute” has been best explained by Kalyan Shankar Mandal in his research paper, ‘American Influence on Social Work Education in India and its Impact’, published in the Economic and Political Weekly on December 9, 1989.
We are not against idea exchange but this intellectual import in the discipline of social work has been unidirectional. The idea to dismantle this intellectual cage imposed on us by the colonial government of British India was always on the mind of our free-thinking academicians. A ray of hope came when the Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindu Vishwavidyalaya, Wardha, invited social work academicians from across the country to design a new curriculum for the discipline in a two-day national workshop titled “Bharatiyakaran of Social Work Curriculum” last June.
Over 40 social work academicians and practitioners from over two dozen Central and provincial universities participated. The academicians also adopted a 10-point action plan to decolonise the curriculum through an intellectual movement.
During the workshop, they unanimously recognised the academic and professional contributions of Nanaji Deshmukh to social work and adopted a proposal to celebrate his birth anniversary as Indian Social Work Day.
Bharat RatnaNanaji Deshmukh was a multi-faceted personality, a social worker par excellence, educationist and development economist. He was also active in politics but perhaps the only politician who voluntarily proclaimed his retirement at the age of 60 and became a full-time social worker. He not only developed his own model of integrated and holistic development of the villages but also implemented them in practice. He single-handedly turned the fate of over 500 villages in the drought-affected areas of Chitrakoot in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Maharashtra. He also established the Mahatma Gandhi ChitrakootGramodaya Vishwavidyalaya on February 12, 1991. This is the first university in India dedicated to rural development and is a great centre of learning his social work models based on the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and the integral humanistic philosophy of Pandit DeenDayalUpadhayaya.
Social service models, practices, reform movements, rural reconstruction experiments and socio-developmental philosophies of Nanak Dev, Jyotiba Phule, B. R. Ambedkar, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Narayana Guru and all those who evolved from the Indic perspective should be given due space in the curriculum of social work at various levels. There is need for high quality research and experimentation in this direction for which the government agencies should provide required resources. The conferment of Bharat Ratna is a welcome step and indeed a landmark for social work discipline in India but there is a long way to go. -(Dr BishnuModhan Dash is a Faculty in Social Work Department of Delhi University’s B.R. Ambedkar College. Siddheshwar Shukla has been Fellow in Makhanlal Chaturvedi University, Bhopal.) The Pioneer, 13 February 2019. -GoTop
