श्री विश्व निकेतन
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN
2076 Yugabda 5121:
16 June 2019
1. FESTIVALS: Dev Shayani Ekadashi
2. Building National Character Main Motive of Sangh: Dr Mohan Bhagwat
3. HSS celebrates GuruVandana – Teacher’s Appreciation Program
4. Bharat to have own space station
5. Hayagriva Madhava temple
6. Bharatiya becomes UAE's first permanent expat
7. Bharat to grow at 7.5 per cent in FY19-20
8. HSS Arizona Sakhi Sammelan
9. Memorial Day Parade participation
10. RSS inspired Samartha Bharata organizes 1 Crore Sapling Plantation
drive in Karnataka
11. Vietnam's Ruined Hindu Temple Complex Among CNN's "Abandoned Sacred
Places"
12. Chandrayaan-2 set to take off on 15 July, land on moon by 7
September
13. Identical Twins Graduated From Indian Military Academy Together
14. Piped water at every rural home in 5 years
15. Yoga event at gateway to Mt. Everest
16. When Presidents Held Umbrellas for Modi
17. Shri Vishwa Niektan
Food for Thought
Article:
election cements “Hindu nationalism” into government, and Modi tweets
about “an inclusive India”
FESTIVALS: Dev Shayani Ekadashi :
Devshayani Ekadashi is observed on Ashadh Shukla 11, ( 12th July this year ). This is also known as Ashadhi Ekdashi or
Ashadhi.It is known as Toli Ekadashi in Telugu. On this day images of Vishnu and
Lakshmi are worshipped, the entire night is spent singing prayers, and devotees
keep fast and take vows on this day, to be observed during the entire chaturmas,
the holy four-month period of rainy season. These may include abstinence from
all grains, beans, cereals, certain vegetables like onions and certain spices or
fasting on every Ekadashi day.
It is believed that Vishnu falls asleep in Ksheersagar - on Sheshanaga, the
cosmic serpent. Thus the day is also called Dev-Shayani or Hari-shayani Ekadashi
or Shayana Ekadashi. Vishnu finally awakens from his slumber four months later
on Prabodhini Ekadashi – Kartik Shukla 11, This period is known as Chaturmas. A
fast is observed on Shayani Ekadashi.
The famous ‘Vari’ which is a pilgrimage on foot to Pandharpur undertaken by
thousands of devotees culminates at Pandharpur in Maharashtra on this day.-GoTop
Building National Character Main Motive of Sangh: Dr Mohan Bhagwat:
“National character is as important as personal character. Sangh tries to build
up the national character in the people from all walks of life. Sangh Shiksha
Varg is the manifestation of national character arising out of the true devotion
to Bharatmata” said RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat on the valedictory
ceremony of the Sangh Shiksha Varg, Tritiya Varsh held on 16th June at Smriti
Mandir, Reshimbag, Nagpur, Maharashtra.
The Varg was inaugurated on May 23. Total 828 participants from across the
nation attended the course.
Commenting on recent election results he said that although some expectations of
the people remained unfulfilled in the last tenure of the government, people
didn’t lose confidence but gave another opportunity in anticipation of the
fulfillment of the same. Thus the responsibility on the government has
increased.
He lamented the 'political violence' in West Bengal and said calling those
protesting against such killings as "outsiders" was wrong.
Prof Aniruddha Deshpande, Sarvadhikari of the Varga, Ram Harkare Vidarbh Prant
Sanghachalak and Rajesh Loya Nagpur Mahangar Sanghachalak were on the dais.
-GoTop
Program:
The U.S. celebrates the first week of May as “teachers’ appreciation week” and the Tuesday of the same week as “National Teachers Day.”
Hindu philosophy and culture considers the Guru, or the teacher, who invokes and
sustains the light of knowledge while eliminating the darkness of ignorance. To
acknowledge and appreciate our Gurus who silently shape our lives, HSS
nationwide organizes this event and celebrates the “teachers’ appreciation week”
in a unique manner called “Guru Vandana”.
Till now this year, Guruvandana was held at over 13 states and 23 locations.
School teachers from various school districts, university faculty, dance, and
arts teachers were appreciated during the events. Additionally, community
leaders, elected officials, and school superintendents also participated in this
unique event to appreciate the teachers. -GoTop
have its own space station, and modalities for it will be worked out after the
first manned mission, Gaganyaan, scheduled for August 2022, K. Sivan, Chairman
of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), said on June 13. “We want to
have a separate space station. We will launch a small module for microgravity
experiments... that is our ambition,” he said. Dr. Sivan said the proposed space
station is envisaged to weigh 20 tonnes and serve as a facility where astronauts
can stay for 15-20 days, and it would be placed in an orbit 400 km above earth.
The time frame for launch is 5-7 years after Gaganyaan, he added. The ISRO would
also join the international space community for a manned mission to moon and
beyond.
Speaking on the progress of Gaganyaan, Jitendra Singh, Minster of State in the
Prime Minister’s Office, said the project was on track to be realized by the
75th Independence Day or even earlier.
A GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle would be used to launch the Gaganyaan. Prior to
that, two unmanned missions would be undertaken, one in December next year and
the second, six months after that. The Gagayaan mission aims to send a 2-3
person crew to space for a period of seven days. The spacecraft would be placed
in a low earth orbit of 300-400 km.
ISRO had already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Air
Force for selection and training of pilots for the manned mission. Talks were
underway with the Navy and Coast Guard for the recovery of the crew module once
it lands in water after re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere, Dr. Sivan said.
After Chandrayaan-2, ISRO has set its sights on two interplanetary missions.
Mission Aditya-L1 is scheduled for next year to study the Sun’s corona, which
effects climate on earth, and another mission to study Venus in 2-3 years.
-GoTop
Hayagriva Madhava temple:
A centuries-old Hindu temple in Assam helps 'extinct' turtle back to life:The black soft-shell turtle is officially extinct
in the wild, but a centuries-old Bharatiya temple and its nature-loving
caretaker are helping them back to life. Freshwater turtles were very common in
Assam until a few decades ago. But their population massively depleted due to
habitat loss and over-exploitation. The black soft-shell turtle is now extinct
in the wild. They were declared extinct by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature in 2002. However, the Bharatiya soft-shell turtle and the
Bharatiya peacock soft-shell turtle are classified as vulnerable.
Meanwhile, the pond of the Hayagriva Madhav temple in the Hajo pilgrimage centre
has provided a safe haven to the soft-shell turtles. Because Hindus consider
them as sacred, the incarnations of Bhagwan Maha Vishnu, so they believe it is
their duty to protect them from harm. According to an international media
report, in January, 35 turtle hatchlings, including 16 black soft-shells
hand-reared at the temple, were released into a nearby wildlife sanctuary.
A key figure is the caretaker of the temple pond, Pranab Malakar, who long
before environmentalists became involved took a keen interest in the turtles'
wellbeing. He collects eggs laid by the turtles on the banks of the pond and
hatch them into an incubator. "No one harms them here as they are incarnations
of Bhagwan Vishnu. I was born and grew up here. We have been seeing the turtles
since our childhood. People respect them," he said.
The initiative has become a successful model so that they have identified 18
other temple ponds in the area which could be used for the same purpose.
-GoTop
Bharatiya becomes UAE's first permanent expat:
Abu Dhabi-based Bharatiya retail tycoon M A Yusuff Ali has become the first expat to get the UAE's first
gold card permanent residency. Unlike the long-term visa of 5-10 years for
businessmen and talented individuals, the gold card gives permanent residency of
the UAE to the holder. The LuLu Group chairman, who was ranked the richest expat
in UAE by the Forbes magazine, becomes the first of 6,800 investors with total
investment exceeding USD 27 billion to receive the gold card under a scheme
announced last month by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of
Dubai. Commenting on the honour, the Keralite billionaire said, "(It is) A very
proud and emotional moment in my life...I am sure this new Gold Card permanent
residency scheme aimed at key investors, who have played a defining role in the
nation building process, will further boost UAE's image.”
-GoTop
Bank: Bharat is projected to grow at 7.5 per cent in the next 3 years, supported
by robust investment and private consumption, the World Bank has said. The World
Bank, in its Global Economic Prospects released on 11th June , said that Bharat
is estimated to have grown 7.2 per cent in fiscal year 2018-19. A slowdown in
government consumption was offset by solid investment, which benefitted from
public infrastructure spending. As against a growth rate of 6.6 per cent in
2018, China’s growth rate in 2019 is projected to slowdown to 6.2 per cent, and
then subsequently to 6.1 per cent in 2020 and 6 per cent in 2021, the bank said.
With this, Bharat will continue to retain the position of being the fastest
growing emerging economy. Pakistan’s growth, on the other hand, is expected to
slow further to 2.7 per cent in FY2019-20, which begins July 16.
-GoTop
8. HSS Arizona Sakhi Sammelan: HSS Arizona Vibhag had
Vibrant Sevika sanghik called as Sakhi Sammelan on March 3rd. A total of 38
women attended. Program was started with wonderful geet - chal nirantar- chal
nirantar followed by various activities parichay (Ice Breaker) games , yoga ,
workshop ( karyashala ) , lunch - art & craft , games & ended with inspirational
Baudhik by Shailaja ji who is Sambhag Sevika Pramukh. All sevikas enjoyed being
together, had fun & few Praudh Gana Sevikas felt they were back in their teens .
As usual a memorable varg. -GoTop
parade at Sun Prarie Wisconsin in USA - Rani Lakshmi Bai Shakha of HSS USA
represented our HSS Yog Chap group. Group of kids and Tarun performed Yog Chap
marching with Ganavesh and HSS banner. Behind the Mayor of Sun Prarie during the
march, the parade was held for around 1.5 miles on Main Street with various
local schools, Police, Fire and veterans bands. The memorial day is observed in
USA on last Monday of May, May 27 this year, to honour those who died in the
military service. -GoTop
Plantation drive in Karnataka:
Samartha Bharata is organizing the 3rd Phase of state-wide mega campaign on planting 1 crore saplings from June 5 to August
15, 2019 across the state. This major campaign of ecological conservation is
supported by more than 600 reputed socially active NGOs of the state. An RSS
Inspired organization, Samartha Bharata is a Karnataka state level NGO which has
been promoting social voluntarism among Youth.
The details of the campaign were provided in a press conference on 5th June
which was attended by Trustees, state coordinators, conservationists and
volunteers.
It will be held at all Taluks of state. Planting will be done at appropriate
places, suitable public bare places or open fields and also at private lands,
with prior consent of respective persons and institutions.
Plants which ecologically plays a significant role are selected for the sapling
plantation campaign. The species will vary from place to place based on local
geography. As per suggestions by experts, few plants such as Acacia, Eucalyptus
etc are excluded from this campaign. -GoTop
"Abandoned Sacred Places":
A cluster of Hindu temples at My Son is on CNN's list of abandoned sacred places. The UNESCO heritage site My Son Sanctuary in
the central province of Quang Nam is a complex of abandoned and partly ruined
Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries by the Champa, a
united kingdom of various groups of the ethnic Cham. "Only 25 of 70 temples
survive, the rest were destroyed by U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War," CNN
said. This foremost sites in Southeast Asia is often compared with other
historical temple complexes in the region such as Borobudur in Java, Indonesia,
Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Bagan in Myanmar, and Ayutthaya in Thailand. Recently,
there has been some initiative by Bharatiya government to restore these sites.
-GoTop
by 7 September:
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) unveiled plans for its second unmanned mission to the moon on 12th June, in what would be
another milestone in the country’s space exploration programme. The lunar
spacecraft Chandrayaan-2 is scheduled for lift off at 0251 hours on 15 July from
the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. Chandrayaan-2
will have three modules, Orbiter, Lander (Vikram), and Rover (Pragyan). These
are designed to carry out various experiments, including mapping of the surface,
minerals, chemical composition, detection sparse water molecules above the lunar
surface and rock formations.
When successful, Bharat will join the US, the former Soviet Union, and China—the
only three other nations to have achieved the feat so far. Chandrayaan-2 is
expected to take a total of 58 days post launch in various stages of orbit for
the modules to reach the moon and an additional four days to land near the south
polar region. The lunar landing is expected to take place on 6 or 7 September.
-GoTop
Together:
Two brothers and identical twins Abhinav Pathak and Parinav have shared similar interests all throughout life. They did however part ways to
study engineering in Jalandhar and Ludhiana. Soon after, they realized they both
shared the same dream: to serve in the Bharatiya Army. Now, the twins, born just
two minutes apart, graduated on 8th June from the renowned Indian Military
Academy (IMA) together . This is where they part ways again since both brothers
are set to serve in separate units.
Abhinav, who is the older of the two, recalled their tales "Many times, the
drill instructor would call me instead of Parinav and vice-versa. Also, the
instructor would pass on training instructions meant for my brother to me.” On
the other hand, Parinav said their identity landed them in comical situations.
He said, "At times, when I would see my company's mess table crowded, I would go
to my brother's mess which had fewer cadets having food. Nobody was able to
identify me." -GoTop
more than 80% rural households yet to get piped water supply, the government
announced on 11th June to roll out a new mission to ensure “Nal se Jal” (water
from the tap) for each house in villages in the next five years as promised in
BJP’s election manifesto.
After a stock-taking meeting with ministers and representatives from all states
barring West Bengal, Union Jal Shakti minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said the
Jal Jeevan Mission will be launched to cover 14 crore households. Under the Jal
Jeevan Mission, both ground and surface water will be used to meet the
requirement. Union drinking water secretary Parameswaran Iyer said in villages
where the quality of water available is good, piped water will be sourced and
supplied at the village level. In other areas where water quality is poor, there
will be a trunk water supply system for a cluster of villages and piped water
will be sourced from other villages or localities wherever feasible.
-GoTop
Embassy in Kathmandu organized a yoga event to celebrate the fifth International
Day of Yoga at Nepal’s Thyangboche -- the gateway to Mount Everest. The main
objective of the programme was to highlight the importance of yoga in daily life
and to bring peace and harmony across the nations and among people. A large
number of people, including Ambassador of Bharat to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri,
locals, members of various women and youth organizations, officers of the
Sagarmatha National Park and foreign tourists, participated in the event.
Also, for the first time, Yoga Day was celebrated at the base camp of the Mount
Everest. At 17,600 feet above the sea level, mountaineer Bharat Sharma from
Gujarat along with other mountaineers created history by practicing yoga at the
base of the world’s highest peak.
On 14th June Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) troopers also performed yoga at
an altitude of 18,000 feet in freezing Ladakh.
-GoTop
Mantri Narendra Modi has been left humbled by presidents of two nations opting
to personally hold an umbrella for him instead of security staff who usually are
seen carrying them for world leaders.
Arriving in Bishkek for the SCO summit, Modi was extended a ceremonial welcome
by the Kyrgyzstan President Sooronbay Jeenbekov when the rains came down.
Similar scenes played out on June 9 when PM Modi was being accorded a ceremonial
welcome by Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena in Colombo.
When the skies opened up, Sirisena was seen holding an umbrella and providing
cover to himself and Modi.
As per sources, the gesture of both the Presidents has reportedly left Modi
deeply touched. -GoTop
17. Shri Vishwa
Niektan:Pravas: Suresh ji Soni—Sahsarkaryavaha , RSS and Shyam Parande, Secretary Sewa International finishes the tour to Tashkent and will
tour Mangolia and Buryatia—Russia. Vistitors: Pallavi Mundukochi —
Australia, Hinesh Shah —UK -GoTop
Food for Thought: The greatest error of a man is to think that he is weak
by nature, evil by nature. Every man is divine and strong in his real nature.
What are weak and evil are his habits, his desires and thoughts, but not
himself. - Ramana Maharshi. -GoTop
India’s election
cements “Hindu nationalism” into government, and Modi tweets about “an inclusiveIndia”
Prof Dr Ved Nanda
Elections in India
are a massive undertaking — 900 million eligible voters and a 67% turnout thisyear meant over 600 million people, almost twice the population of the U.S.,
voted. Polling officials traveled to the most inaccessible and dangerous
terrains. A booth was set up 70 kilometers inside a lion sanctuary in Gujarat
state for a single person to vote and for 126 voters in Himachal Pradesh a
worker took a three-day, more than 40-kilometer trek to reach the polling place.
Another polling place for 49 voters was located 15,256 feet above sea level, the
highest in the world. The Election Commission of India makes sure “that no voter
is left behind.” The electorate speaks 22 official languages and countless
unofficial ones. The entire process took six weeks over several phases, cost the
government approximately $7 billion and concluded with the counting of votes on
May 23.
My recent visit to India began on that day. In the morning, there was
uncertainty about the result: a coalition of opposition parties had hoped to
topple the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had won handily in
2014. After all, for the last 50 years, no prime minister had won a second
consecutive term because the electorate has been notoriously anti-incumbent. But
as the evening approached the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had secured a
stunning victory — an absolute majority with 303 out of 542 seats in the
Parliament. Many opposition leaders who had vociferously criticized Modi lost
their own seats.
Modi proved the political pundits wrong as the BJP transcended caste, class and
regional identities. And he silenced his critics who reiterated the narrative
that BJP is an anti-Muslim party, as his National Democratic Alliance won 14 of
46 parliamentary seats that have more than 35% Muslim population and also won
where minorities have a significant presence. Modi’s programs for the farmers
and the poor have been successful elements of his focus on development. The poor
voted for him, the so-called untouchables — “Dalits” — voted for him, and so did
the unemployed because, they said, under his rule they had a better chance of
getting a job.
On the 23rd evening, Mr. Modi addressed party workers, asserting, “We have to
end the fear among minorities and win their heart.” Minorities, he said, were
“exploited” by politicians during elections. His motto (as translated into
English) is “All together, all prosperous, with everyone’s trust and
confidence.”
I spoke with several people in Delhi, among them Yashwant Pathak, an academic
and university administrator at the University of South Florida, Tampa, who
credited Modi’s victory to the “pro-development electorate.” Pathak added,
“Corruption, money, and caste politics had no influence.” My driver, who uses
only his first name, Ganesh, told me, “The poor voted for Modi as they trust him
because he has improved their lot in his first term and they believe that he’ll
work for them in the next term, as well.”
A senior BJP leader, Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, whom I know well, commented that Mr.
Modi “has been a victim of misperception created by a section of the media and
intelligentsia,” and that the opposition should “look at his performance
objectively.”
In his first tweet after the results, Modi mentioned his goal is to create “an
inclusive India.” This was an apt response to those in the media, especially the
Western media, who have compared his “Hindu nationalism” or “Indian nationalism”
with extreme nationalism currently witnessed in Poland, Hungary, and Austria,
among other countries. But viewing it through a Western prism is not accurate.
India’s history is replete with the evidence of its warm embrace of persecuted
people, coming from different religions, ethnicities, and cultures. Over the
millennia, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and more recently, Tibetans and
Yazidis, have been warmly welcomed. Obviously, this is not an expression of
intolerance but a show of acceptance and even respect for different religions,
cultures and traditions. It is the living, guiding spirit of India to believe
that the entire human race is one family and “may everyone be happy, may
everyone be healthy.” It’s worth noting that during Modi’s entire first term
there were no Hindu-Muslim riots.
For full disclosure, I know Mr. Modi fairly well. As the Chief Minister of
Gujarat before becoming Prime Minister, he had invited me to assist him in
starting a National Law University there. I spent several weeks in Gujarat
working primarily with his law minister and found Modi to be a visionary who
worked extremely hard and selflessly. This aspect of his personality has served
him well in leading such a diverse country and earned him widespread respect.
Mr. Modi will be called upon to meet high expectations created by his renewed
mandate. In his second term, he will continue to follow principles of good
governance and work for sustainable development. Challenges that confront him
and the country include economic growth, unemployment, poor infrastructure,
rural development, the banking system, and bringing peace to Kashmir. His target
by the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022 is that all Indians must
get the basic necessities of food, clothing and housing and that an assertive
India finds its rightful place in the international arena. 1.3 billion Indians
hope that these goals are met.
Professor Ved Nanda is Distinguished University Professor and Director of the
Nanda Center for International Law at the University of Denver Sturm College of
Law. His column appears on the last Sunday of each month in the Denver Post. He
welcomes your comments at vnanda@law.du.edu. Courtesy :
www.denverpost.com
-GoTop
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