\ SAMVAD श्री विश्व निकेतन SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN
Shravana Amayvasya, Vik. Samvat 2076 Yugabda 5121: 1 August 2019
1. FESTIVALS: RAMAYANA MASAM
2019 : Ramayana Masam is an important observance in the state of Kerala. It
is observed in the month of ‘Karkidakam’ or ‘Karkidaka Masam’ of the Malayalam
calendar which corresponds to July to August. 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’
(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 also.
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2. CHANDRAYAAN-2 WENT UP SUCCESSFULLY AND DOING WELL:
Bharat’s ambitious moon mission Chandrayaan-2 was successfully launched at 2.43
pm when on July 22 the powerful GSLV-MkIII rocket lifted off successfully and
placed the 3,850kg spacecraft into the Earth orbit. “The GSLV-Mark III vehicle
has successfully injected Chandrayaan-2 in the defined orbit. In fact, the orbit
is 6,000 km more than what was intended. The satellite will have more life, more
fuel and more time to play with the manoeuvres. It is the beginning of a
historical journey of Bharat towards Moon and to land at a place near the South
Pole to carry out scientific experiments to explore unexplored [areas],” Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Sivan said from the Mission
Control after the launch. Muthayya Vanitha & Ritu Karidhal, ISRO's two women
directors in charge of the mission created history by leading the prestigious
moon Mission.-GoTop
3. WITHOUT SANSKRIT, BHARAT CAN NOT BE UNDERSTOOD FULLY:
MOHAN BHAGWAT: RSS Sarasanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat said on July 20 that
without knowing Sanskrit, it is difficult to understand Bharat completely. All
existing languages in the country, including tribal ones, are made up of at
least 30 per cent Sanskrit words, he said, speaking at the launch of the book
“Sanskrit Kakshaya” in Nagpur. "Every language in Bharat, even those in tribal
areas, has at least thirty percent Sanskrit words," Mohanji said. Without
knowing Sanskrit it is difficult to understand Bharat completely. Even, Dr
Babasaheb Ambedkar had said this. Sanskrit should be taught in such a way that
it can be learnt by everybody, Sarasanghachalakji said.-GoTop
4. RASHTRA SEVIKA SAMITI’S AKHIL BHARATIYA BAITHAK:
Rashtra Sevika Samiti’s Akhil Bharatiya Karyakarini and Pratinidhi Baithak was
held on 20-22 July in Nagpur. 269 karyakartris from all over Bharat participated
in the baithak. Sita Gayatri Annadanam, Pramukh Karyavahika of Rashtra Sevika
Samiti mentioned in her report that a total of 9452 sevikas were trained across
the country in the annual training camps of Samiti this year. 2399 shakhas and
958 service activities are run by samiti sevikas all over Bharat at present.
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5. GERMAN AMBASSADOR VISITS DR. HEDGEWAR BHAWAN, PRAISES THE
SPLENDOUR OF SANGH:Terming the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh a “mass movement”
in Bharat, German Ambassador Walter Lindner said his visit to the RSS
headquarters in Nagpur was part of his attempt to understand the ‘Indian
mosaic’. German Ambassador to Bharat Walter J. Linder had a long meeting with
Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur on July 15. In a tweet about the
meeting, he has written, “Founded in 1925, it is World’s largest voluntary
organization…..though not uncontroversially perceived through the history.”
Explaining the comment, He said as a German, he was conscious of the
organization’s history in 1930-40’s and discussed that with Shri Bhagwat. He
said that RSS is one part of the Indian mosaic that makes up India.
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6. SELFLESS WORK OF RSS ATTRACTED ME TO THE ORGANIZATION –
JACOB THOMAS: Former Kerala DGP, Jacob Thomas, as Mukhya Atithi at the RSS
IT milan’s Guru Dakshina program at Kochi said that RSS, being the biggest NGO
in the world, is doing wonders. While doing great works, the RSS members chose
to remain quiet and away from glare of media and fame. He said that this
selfless work of RSS is what attracted him to the organization.
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7. PM MODI FEATURES IN NETANYAHU'S ELECTION CAMPAIGN IN
ISRAEL: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi has been featured in Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's election campaign with his party using the visit
of the Bharatiya leader as an achievement for the government. In a campaign
video released by the ruling party, PM Modi appears along with Netanyahu. The
video shows PM Modi's welcome at the airport during his visit to Israel in 2017
and his visit to Haifa beach with Netanyahu to see a demonstration of the mobile
desalination unit. Other world leaders in the video include Russian President
Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. Besides the video, the Likud party
headquarters has a large picture of Netanyahu meeting with PM Modi on one side,
with pictures of Netanyahu meeting with Trump and Putin on the other side.
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8. PRITI PATEL, ALOK SHARMA AND, RISHI SUNAK: BRIGHT
BHARATIYA-ORIGIN STARS OF BORIS JONHSON’S NEW SQUAD: Bharatiyas in Britain
comprise about 1.4 million, which makes them the ‘single largest visible ethnic
minority population of the country’. The British Bharatiya community is the 6th
largest in Bharatiya Diaspora. Now making this presence more noticeable and
effective, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel and Alok Sharma are the three Bharatiya-origin
ministers amongst a new squad of new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Boris
Johnson unveiled his 31-member cabinet July 25 shortly after taking office,
naming the team he hopes will help him deliver Brexit by October 31.
Priti Patel and Rishi Sunak are one of the most prominent faces of ‘Back Boris’
campaign. Alok Sharma is one of May's Cabinet, who is now promoted by the new
charge of his own ministry. Rishi Sunak, the Oxford University, and Stanford MBA
graduate co-founded a 1-billion-pound global investment firm and specialized in
investing in small British businesses before his entry to the British Parliament
in the 2015 general election.
A Conservative party MP for Richmond (Yorkshire), Sunak was appointed the
parliamentary under-secretary of state in the ministry of housing, communities
and local government as part of a new year reshuffle last year in Theresa May
government. -GoTop
9. RITA BARANWAL SWORN IN AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR NUCLEAR
ENERGY AT DoE: The U.S. Department of Energy on July 11 announced that Rita
Baranwal has been officially sworn in to the post of assistant secretary for
nuclear energy in US Department of Energy. “It is an honor to be part of an
organization that is leading the U.S. in game-changing, innovative nuclear
technologies,” the Bharatiya American nuclear engineer said in a statement.
Baranwal becomes the first woman to lead the Office of Nuclear Energy. Baranwal
has a bachelor’s degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology in materials
science and engineering and a master’s degree and doctorate in the same
discipline from the University of Michigan.
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10. HSS DENMARK CELEBRATES VEGATARIAN FOOD FESTIVAL IN
DENMARK: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) Vegetarian food festival has become
an umbrella event & is now inspiring many other Bharatiya associations to do
similar food events in different parts of Denmark. 22 different teams
representing different states of Bharat participated in the Festival. House
cooked food at the Festival gave the participants a chance to know that their
food is like of so many people. -GoTop
11. HINDUS WELCOME ENGLAND’S HISTORIC ST EDMUNDSBURY
CATHEDRAL FOR HOSTING YOGA EVENT: Hindus have welcomed Church of England’s
St Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St. Edmunds (Suffolk, England) for hosting yoga
event, and urged all England cathedrals to do the same. St Edmundsbury
Cathedral, “a sacred space for over 1,000 years” in Diocese of St Edmundsbury
and Ipswich, reportedly hosted this “immersive Yoga event design to connect your
mind, body and soul, working in the Cathedral space to create a fully sensory
experience” on July four. History of St Edmundsbury Cathedral goes back to 1020.
Martin Seeley is the Diocesan Bishop, while Joe Hawes is the Cathedral Dean.
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12. BHARAT JUMPS 5 PLACES TO 52ND RANK IN GLOBAL INNOVATION
INDEX 2019: Bharat improved its rank in the Global Innovation Index to 52nd,
in 2019, making a significant jump of 5 places in a year. It was at 57th
position in 2018. The Index ranks innovative performances of 129 economies
around the world on 80 indicators including political environment, education,
infrastructure and business sophistication. Bharat has been performing well in
terms of innovation and newly-emerging technologies and has fared its position
by 29 places in the global index since 2015. The GII 2019 was released by
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in New Delhi on July 24.
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13. PAK'S SINDH OKS BILL TO END HINDU GIRLS' FORCED
CONVERSIONS: Pakistan's Sindh assembly has unanimously passed a resolution
demanding that the practice of forced conversions and abductions of Hindu girls
must be stopped and action be taken against those involved in such activities.
The resolution - moved on July 16 by Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) lawmaker
Nand Kumar Goklani - was supported by the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party as well
as MuttahidaQaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the
hardline Jamaat-e-Islami.-GoTop
14. MORE THAN 15 THOUSAND PEOPLE CAME FOR THE BUENOS AIRES
BHARAT STREET FAIR: As part of the celebrations of 70 years of diplomatic
relations between Argentina and Bharat, the "BACelebraBharat" took place on July
14. The public enjoyed the Hindu traditions: dances, gastronomy and much more.
The celebration featured 50 stands with typical foods, handicrafts, henna
tattoos, books, traditional clothes and Bharatiya tea. Around midday there was a
yoga masterclass and during the day there were 16 groups of music and dance that
showed their melodies, dances and traditional costumes on stage.-GoTop
15. BHARATIYA MUSLIM ASSOCIATIONA OF HOUSTON INVITES HSS
LEADER FOR EID MILAN: The Bharatiya Muslims Association of Greater Houston (IMAGH)
invited Ramesh Bhutada, a staunch supporter of many Hindu causes, Advisor to the
Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) and national Vice President of the Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), USA as the Chief Guest for their annual Gala. Bhutada’s
simple yet powerful speech on Hindu-Muslim unity was met with a long standing
ovation from every seat in the room including the Consul General of Bharat Dr.
Anupam Ray who was among the first to rise and applaud. Bhutada, a Houston-based
industrialist, wished the members of the Association Eid Mubarak and commended
IMAGH on their mission of fostering amity across cultures, communities and
religions. The RSS and HSS, he emphasized, are primarily involved in character
building of the youth so that its members can become proud citizens of the
country they live in. Bharatiya Consul General Anupam Ray expanded on the idea
of Bharat’s cultural heritage through stories that resonate in the Bharatiya
psyche like that of Kabir’s death or legend of Guru Nanak’s death.
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16. AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH SHOWS PRISONERS
“SIGNIFICANTLY” BENEFITTED FROM YOGA: A study authored by three Australian
National University (ANU) researchers concluded that some Australian Capital
Territory prisoners who participated in the yoga program “attained statistically
and clinically significant benefit from the program, demonstrated by
improvements in their levels of depression, anxiety, self-esteem,
goal-direction, negative effect, and non-acceptance”. This recently published
study in the “International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative
Criminology” further inferred: They also reported improved flexibility, sleep
and relaxation, pain reduction, and identified improvements in their mental
well-being, commenting that the program made them feel “calm” and “at peace.”
The researchers are “advocating for the expansion of such programs in Australian
prisons”.-GoTop
17. JAMMU AND KASHMIR: BHARAT’S BRAVEHEART AURANGZEB'S
BROTHERS JOIN ARMY TO AVENGE HIS DEATH: A year after the abduction and
murder of brave Bharatiya soldier Aurangzeb, two of his brothers – Mohammad
Tariq and Mohammad Shabbir, have joined the Infantry Battalion of Territorial
army.
Aurangzeb was abducted from Pulwama by Islamic terrorists and later his
bullet-ridden body was recovered on June 14 last year. His father Mohammad
Hanief, an ex-serviceman, said, "My two sons have joined TA Battalion. When
Aurangzeb was killed, I told Raksha Mantri and top officers of the Bharatiya
Army that I will dedicate all my six sons to the forces." He said, "My two sons
will avenge the death of my son."
Mohammad Tariq said, "After our training, we will fight against terrorism and
will take revenge for our martyred brother Aurengzeb. Today we feel proud of
joining the Bharatiya army and are proud of our country."
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18. WITNESS ABILITY IN DISABILITY: 175 Divyang children
artistes drawn from different states, cultural societies, institutions, civil
societies presented a cultural event ‘Divya Kala Shakti- Witnessing Ability in
Disability’ in G.M.C. Balayogi Auditorium, Parliament Library Building, New
Delhi on July 23 for the second time. The programme was anchored by 3 youths
with visual impairments disabilities; and performances were presented only by
children and youth with disabilities ranging from physical, visual, hearing,
intellectual, autism to multiple disabilities. The event was witnessed by
Rashtrapatiji, UpaRashtrapatiji, Pradhan Mantriji and many other dignitaries.
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19. HISTORY MADE - TRIPLE TALAQ BILL PASSED BY PARLIAMENT:
In a major political win for the Narendra Modi government, the triple talaq
bill cleared Rajya Sabha hurdle on 30th July. Put to vote after a lengthy
debate, the triple talaq bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha with 99 to 84 votes.
The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill will now go to
President Ram Nath Kovind for his assent. Once the triple talaq bill gets assent
of the President and notified by the government, it will replace the triple
talaq ordinance promulgated last in February. The Supreme Court had declared the
practice of instant triple talaq unconstitutional and a divorce pronounced by
uttering talaq three times in one sitting void and illegal.-GoTop
20. RSS EXTENDS HELPING HANDS TO FLOOD VICTIMS IN ASSAM:
Over 30 lakh people have been badly affected in the recent devastating floods
that caused havoc in 28 districts of Assam. The severity of the flood was so
intense that thousands of families have been forced to take shelter in high land
like the highway, side of Railway tracks and other high ground, wherein they had
to live in makeshift camps leaving the village behind. As per the, now well
known, Sangh tradition, the Sewa Bharati Purbanchal and RSS workers swung into
relief activities immediately after the floods. They are actively helping the
people in the flood-affected areas. They have organized various relief camps in
several districts with the support of the local people and organizations. Their
relief activities include free medical camp, free goods distribution camp (like
kitchen materials, etc.), cleanliness and hygiene products distribution. They
have also extended helping hand to the flood-affected people and their families
in the rescue operation. For cleanliness and hygiene, Sewa Bharati, Purbanchal
distributed Phenyl and Bleaching Powder to the families in the affected areas.
About 1500 litres of Phenyl and 1100 kg of Bleaching powder have been
distributed so far. Free Goods distribution camps were organized in various
flood-affected places. The goods included 50,000 litres of drinking water and
10,000 cartons of biscuit. Along with this material, some other goods and
materials like rice, pulses, clothes, mosquito coils, etc. have also been
distributed. Besides the relief camps, several volunteers of the Sewa Bharati
Purbanchal have rescued the affected families.
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21. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors: Ashish Puri & family — USA.-GoTop
Food for Thought: I would
like to know, are Kashmiris Indians first and Kashmiris next or they are
Kashmiris first and Indian next, or are Kashmiris first, second and third and
not Indians at all? This is a very important point which we have to settle. --
Syama Prasad Mookerjee in his maiden speech in Parliament on 21 May, 1952.-GoTop
JAI SHREE RAM
HEDGEWAR LIVES ON THROUGH THE ORGANISATION HE CREATED
Advaita Kala
He chose to create a different kind of parivar,
one that rose above caste and external divisions that plagued Hindu society.
A few days before Keshav Rao Hedgewar breathed his last, he stood before a
gathering of swayamsevaks and delivered what was to be his last address.
Channelling all of his depleted strength, the fiery orator and freedom fighter,
aware that his end was near, set forth his vision as a living testament for the
organisation he had created.
He began by saying, “Swayamsevaks have come from all over the country, and what
is it that draws our hearts and minds to each other? It is the Sangh that brings
us together.”
Fifteen hundred swayamsevaks had gathered to hear the first sarsanghchalak
speak, a modest number when compared to the numbers today, but this final
address was to be a day of parting. Dr. Hedgewar’s health had been failing him,
and his passing was thought to be a matter of time. The man who had since its
inception been at the heart of the Sangh knew he must even in his passing detach
the cult of personality from the RSS. His death and how it was to be handled was
to be his last act as sarsanghchalak.
With the end lingering, the organiser articulated what weighed heavy on the
minds of the swayamsevaks, who held a filial affection and regard for him. The
seeds of the parivar were already planted, although the RSS was only 15 years
old.
“You will return today to your own places. I bid you goodbye with all affection.
This is indeed a moment of parting but not of grief….Let each one of you resolve
unto himself that as long as there is life, he shall never forget the Sangh…the
Sangh exists not only for its swayamsevaks but also for those outside its
purview.”
In short sentences, the first sarsanghchalak articulated what is known to most
familiar with the RSS ideology: the Sangh is above the individual, even its
sarsanghchalak, and it doesn’t seek exclusion. And it is the Sangh which remains
eternal.
As he lay in bed on 20 June 1940, the great freedom fighter, Netaji Subhas
Chandra Bose visited Nagpur to meet him. It was already too late, as Doctor Saab
floated in and out of consciousness, at one point he asked a swayamsevak,
Yadavrao Joshi, if his last rites would be performed in a military style. Always
forthright and planning ahead, Dr. Hedgewar rejected this assumption stating
that the Sangh was a family and not a formal organisation. His last rites, he
insisted, should be conducted as one would for a family member. He knew, in
death as well that he set a precedent.
There is much to be traced in his life that brought him to this point of
complete clarity of thought, from his beginnings as an orphaned adolescent, a
revolutionary and a freedom fighter, his time in jail facing hard labour for
participating in the freedom movement, his imbibing of Swami Vivekananda’s call
to organise Hindu society, his conscious rejection of a comfortable life as a
qualified doctor despite his poverty and his turning away from marriage and
familial obligations instead choosing to create a very different kind of parivar,
one that rose above caste and the external divisions that plagued Hindu society.
The latter prompting Mahatma Gandhi to state, “I had visited the RSS camp years
ago at Wardha. At that time the founder Shri Hedgewar was alive. The Late Shri
Jamnalal Bajaj-ji had taken me to the camp, and I was impressed by their
rigorous discipline, the complete absence of untouchability and simplicity”
(published in the Complete works of Gandhi, section 89, page 193-194).
Since his passing, the Sangh has grown exponentially, its ideology attracting
lakhs into its fold. Its own definition of itself has evolved as has its
engagement with society. Dr. Hedgewar’s prescience and ability to view the
organisation above himself meant he left no hard and fast rules that tied the
organisation to him or his era, each sarsanghchalak that followed responded to
his times and hence the presence and the history of the Sangh became a
progressive unfolding as opposed to a listing or oracular telling. What the
Sangh will be a decade from today is hard to predict, but for its core guiding
principles, the only other thing that may be said with certainty is that the RSS
will evolve with the nation. It has since its inception tied its destiny with
that of Bharat.
Doctor Saab passed away 79 years ago, but the organisation he created is alive
and growing. However, prescience was not his alone but was also exhibited by V.D.
Savarkar, who said when news of Dr. Hedgewar’s death reached him, “Hedgewar is
dead, long live Hedgewar”.
The man who rejected attempts of a biography on him lives on through the
organisation he created.
(Advaita Kala is an author and award winning screenwriter. Article was first
published on Sundayguardianlive.com -- www.vskbharat.com July 14, 2019)
-GoTop
Shri Vishwa Niketan vishwav@bol.net.in