Phalgun Krishna 8, Vik. Samvat
2076 Yugabda 5121: 16 February 2020
1. FESTIVALS: Shivaji Jayanti: Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great warrior King who established the Maratha Emprire, was born in Vikram Samvat 1686 on Phalgun Vadya Tritiya, falling this year on March 12.
Shiv Jayanti was started in 1870 in Pune by Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, who discovered the tomb of Shivaji Maharaj on Raigad a year earlier and wrote the first and the longest Ballad on his life. Since then Shiv Jayanti expanded on a large scale.
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PADMA VIBHUSHAN PARAMESWARANJI 
NO MORE WITH US
P Parameswaran, one of the
senior-most 'pracharaks' of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS),
former leader of the erstwhile Bharatiya Jana Sangh and the founder
director the Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram took his last breath at 12.10
am on February 9 while undergoing Ayurvedic treatment at Ottappalam in
Kerala's Palakkad district. Parameswaran, 91, who had worked with
leaders like Deendayal Upadhyaya, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani
during the Jana Sangh days, was honoured with Padma Vibhushan, the
country's second highest civilian award in 2018 and Padma Shri in 2004.
Fondly called as Parameswar ji by Sangh Parivar and Bharatiya Janata
Party leaders, Parameswaran was a prolific writer, poet, researcher and
a widely-respected RSS ideologue. He was the Bharatiya Jana Sangh's
secretary (1967-1971) and vice president (1971-1977), as well as the
director of the Deendayal Research Institute (1977-1982), New Delhi.
--Go Top
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3. KUMBHABISHEGAM AT HISTORIC SRI BRAHADEESWARAR TEMPLE AFTER 23 YEARS: Tens of thousands of people thronged Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu’s Cauvery delta to witness the kumbhabishegam (consecration) ceremony at the Sri Brahadeeswarar Temple on 5th February morning. The last kumbhabishegam ceremony in 1997 was marred by a fire at the yagasalai, which triggered a stampede in which more than 40 pilgrims were killed. The 1,000th year of the temple was celebrated in 2010.
4. WOMAN PRIEST SOLEMNIZES WEDDING IN CHENNAI : Perhaps in a first in southern Bharat, a woman priest duly solemnized a wedding following Hindu rituals and religious practices in Chennai on February 7. Much to the pleasant surprise of relatives and friends, the woman performed the rituals of two communities to solemnize the wedding of Sushma Harini, a Telugu, and Vignesh Raghavan, a Tamilian, at Dakshin Chitra on the city outskirts.
5. DEVELOP COMPETENT WORKERS TO DEAL WITH SOCIAL CHALLENGES: SHRI MOHAN BHAGWAT
RSS Sarasanghachalak Dr. Mohanrao Bhagwat appealed for developing competent workers through the Sangh network to deal effectively with the social challenges and outdated bad customs in vogue in the society. Addressing the concluding session of a coordination meeting of various organizations at Bhopal in Sharda Vihar on February 7, Dr. Bhagwat said that people have posed their confidence in the RSS and accepted the Sangh as their own. He appealed to the workers to spread the Sangh work through all such organizations to create disciplined, courageous, competent voluntary workers to face the challenges and bad customs in the future.
6. OPPOSING BJP DOESN'T MEAN BEING AGAINST HINDUS: RSS SARAKARYAVAH - Shri Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi on February 9 said that opposing the BJP does not amount to opposing Hindus. Joshi was speaking during a question-answer session as part of his lecture on 'Vishwaguru Bharat' at Dona Paula near Panaji in Goa. "We should not consider opposition to BJP as opposition to Hindus. It is a political fight that will continue. That should not be linked with Hindus," he said responding to a question- 'Why Hindus are becoming the enemy of their own community?'."A Hindu fights against a fellow (Hindu) because they forget the religion. Even Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj faced opposition from his own family," he said. Joshi further said that the Communist rulers in West Bengal claim that they are against Hindus, but when it comes to heading Durga Puja mandals, they are always in the forefront."Similar is the situation in Kerala, where Communists want to be president of temple committee," he added.
Swamiji further stressed on generating awareness on protection of the environment. “Nature is part of our worship and we need to preserve our tradition and preserve it for the next generation. We should share our resources with humans and other living beings. This is what is taught in Thirukural, Bhavagatham, Ramayana and Aacharakovai, which will lead to the fulfillment of the heart’, he added. He said the Sangh is a place where swayamsevaks have joined voluntarily and they have extended support in all the aspects either during a natural disaster or normal times.--Go Top
7. CULTURE BINDS US ALL TOGETHER: ’Ekata, Maitree and Sadbhavana are the pillars of Bharat and the nation has been making progress in spite of various forces bent upon destabilizing these three pillars. Everyone should strengthen these pillars”, said Swami Shankara Vijayendra Saraswati from Kanchi Mutt while addressing the RSS Ambattur Bhag Sanghik held on February 2.
8. ENHANCE KNOWLEDGE WITH GURU-SHISHYA DEBATES: SURESH SONI - “We need to think as to how the knowledge can be enhanced through Guru-Shishya debates and discussions at the educational institutions”, said RSS Sahsarkaryavah Suresh Soni, while speaking at a seminar on January 19. The seminar titled ‘Bharatiya Perspective of Life was organized as a part of the inauguration of new building of Ved Vigyana Maha Gurukula in Bengaluru. RSS Sahsarkaryavah Mukund CR, Prof. Ramchandra Bhat and other were also present on the occasion.
9. INDRESH KUMAR DEDICATES WORLD’S FIRST NETAJI BOSE’S TEMPLE IN KASHI: Inaugurating and dedicating the world’s first temple of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose in Varanasi on his 123rd birth anniversary senior RSS Pracharak and patron of various social organizations Indresh Kumar said that this temple will continue to inspire the people of the country to dedicate them for the service of the motherland. Mahant Balak Dasji, Mahant of Patalpuri Muth was also present at the inauguration and dedication of this unique temple.
10. SANSKRIT IS SPIRITUALLY PURE OF ALL LANGUAGES: An international conference on languages held in Sarawak, Malaysia between February 5 and 8, selected Sanskrit as the language which emits the ‘most positive vibrations’ and ‘spiritually pure in nature’.
The Conference on Asian Linguistic Anthropology (CALA 2020) analyzed the findings on the research held in eight national and 11 international languages and came to the conclusion that ‘languages in written and spoken formats can emit either positive subtle or negative subtle vibrations’. --Go Top
11. BAPS HINDU MANDIR ABU DHABI NOT TO USE STEEL, IRON : The first Hindu temple coming up in Abu Dhabi will not use steel or ferrous materials, it was revealed during the first fly ash concrete pouring for its raft foundation on 13th February. A large contingent of expatriates from Bharatiya diaspora gathered at the site of the Mandir to witness the major construction milestone.
12. INDONESIA'S FIRST HINDU STATE UNIVERSITY INSTITUTED:
13. TRINIDAD CELEBRATES WORLD HINDI DAY IN FINE STYLE: World Hindi Day is celebrated every year on January 10 in order to promote Hindi as an important language of the world. The first World Hindi Conference was held in Nagpur on January 10, 1975, where 122 delegates from 30 countries participated in the program. Ever since it has been organized in different countries like Mauritius, United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago, among several other countries. The High Commission of Bharat hosted World Hindi Day Celebrations on January 18, 2020 at the prestigious Southern Academy for Performing Arts (SAPA), San Fernando.
14. HSS KENYA ACTIVITIES:MAKAR SANKRANTI UTSAVS: NAIROBI VIBHAG celebrated Makar Sankranti Utsav on 12th January combined together Samiti & Sangh. Kumari Jiyaji Sagar sang melodiously the Ekal Geet. Dr Ramji Vaidya then gave the Bauddhik for the Utsav. He explained the importance of the Karyakarta.
15. SECOND ANNUAL ‘SEWA DIWALI’ NEW JERSEY:
16. A FITTING TRIBUTE! : Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra and Foreign Service Institute RENAMED AFTER SUSHMA SWARAJ: Honoring the legacy and invaluable contributions of former External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the Narendra Modi-led NDA government has decided to rename Pravasi Bhartiya Kendra located in New Delhi and Foreign Service Institute after her. The announcement has been made to honour the legacy and decades of public service of the former External Affairs Minister ahead of her 68th birth anniversary on February 14.
17. 'STATUE OF UNITY' BECOMES HIGHEST-GROSSING MONUMENT:
18. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Saumitra Gokhale, Samyojak Vishwa Vibhag is on a tour to Australia. Dr Ram Vaidya sahsamyojak will tour South Korea, Japan and Mauritius.
Visitors: Hemang - Netherlands, Suresh Jain—USA
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul. - Swami Vivekananda. --Go Top
JAI SHREE RAM
J. NANDKUMAR
As the legendary poet, Rabindranath Tagore said: Death is not extinguishing
the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come. For us,
Parameswarji is an ever-burning lamp, the divine lamp that never ceases to burn.
He will continue to be a light on our path as ever.Mere words cannot describe the many lives of Shri P Parameswaran. Parameshwarji, as we fondly call him, was an original thinker, a prolific writer, a first-rate poet, an eloquent speaker, and above all, a great human being and an ideal Swayamsevak. He was often called a Rashtra Rishi even by his peers in the Sangh. ‘He was a lamp for our feet, a light on our path’.
An embodiment of modesty and humility, Parameswarji earned respect from all including the ideological foes, that is nearly impossible for a human being with a ‘stigma’ of being Swayamsevak in the most hostile political environment of Kerala, a result of prolonged hate campaign run by the Communist propaganda machinery. Amidst all smear campaigns against the Sangh and Sangh functionaries, even Marxist leaders of his time held high regard for Parameswarji and the leaders of the stature of EMS Namboothiripad and P Govinda Pillai enjoyed a very close relationship with him. He urged Marxists to shun the path of physical violence, inviting them for ideological debates in an attempt to put an end to the political violence in the state.
During my college days, I stayed at the Sangh Karyalaya in Kochi where all senior Sangh Pracharaks make frequent visits. I often recall an incident associated with Parameswarji, which I always cherish. Once, as an inmate of RSS prant karyalaya in Kochi, I happened to walk past Shri Parameswarji’s room, carrying former Communist leader K Damodaran’s book, Indian Thought. Shri Parameswarji called me to his room and asked me to show the book. For a 16-year-old student, it was a rare occasion to show off his choice of the book before an erudite pracharak. I showed him the book. After glancing through it, he asked me: ‘Hope you have studied all the principal texts of Hindu Darsanas?’ I got the hint. He wanted to tell me that one has to become firm on the fundamental principles of a subject before straying out for secondary sources and interpretations. It was a great lesson. He moulded and corrected us mostly in such occasional brief conversations. I consider myself very fortunate to live with Parameswarji, an intellectual giant and a remarkable personality of our times.
As a prolific writer, Parameswarji is best known for his penchant criticism of Communism, Islamism and Evangelism: the three threats to an open society. However, beyond his head-on ideological confrontations with his counterparts in the Communist parties, his scholarly analysis of the spiritual renaissance of Kerala and the lives of Sree Narayana Guru, Sri Aurobindo etc. have to be critically evaluated. The biographical studies on the lives of Sree Narayana Guru and Sri Aurobindo still remain unequalled for content and quality. Vivekananda Kendra Prakashan did a commendable job of compiling his selected articles into three volumes, titled ‘Heart Beats of Hindu Nation’.
In 1957, he was deputed to build the Jan Sangh in Kerala as its State Organising Secretary. In 1968, he became the All India General Secretary and later Vice-President of the Jana Sangh. He underwent two years of imprisonment during the Emergency. In 1977, he stepped back from Politics and entered the realm of social thought and development. He was appointed the Director of the Deendayal Research Institute at New Delhi for four years. In 1982, he returned to Kerala with a new vision. A rare institution builder, he founded the Bharatiya Vichara Kendram, a nation first think tank modelled on the Deendayal Research Institute (DRI) after being inspired from his stint in New Delhi. He built its headquarter, Samskriti Bhavan in Thiruvananthapuram, precisely at the location where he attended the first Sangh Shakha.
Parameswarji was not just chronicling the history of the spiritual renaissance movement of Kerala led by Sree Narayana Guru that transformed the society from lunatic asylum to a holy land. Taking a step forward, apart from confining himself to the role of a chronicler, he laboured hard to take forward the legacy of the real spiritual renaissance of Kerala that faced a stumbling block with the spread of Communism, which sought to replace the unifying spirit of the great Hindu movement with divisive agenda of caste and political violence. As a part of that, he organized Vishala Hindu Sammelan, giving the clarion call-“Hindus are one”. He infused a tradition in Hindu society as a custom, observation of ‘Ramayana Month’ in Karkadakam-the last month in Malayalam calendar. In 1998, he also proposed observation of 'a Bhagavad Gita decade', seeking to build an enlightened Kerala.
Parameswarji constantly warned against the imminent disaster, which the budding generation of Kerala is going to face, is that if the vacuum created by Communism is not filled with positive ideas, it will soon be filled with ‘garbage’ because nature does not like empty spaces. He prophetically said: "Without Kerala, Bharat will be incomplete; Without Bharat, Kerala will be dangerous.” Now, the present scenario in Kerala suggests that we are bracing for the disaster, which he warned against. His thoughts on ‘little traditions’ without which one cannot even think of building a national organisation. His scholarly written thesis on Fourth Wave also created ripples in the intellectual realm, not only in Kerala but across the nation. Among the many intellectual lives Parameswarji lived, journalism has a pre-eminent place. His fame as a social thinker and activist has, in a way, eclipsed his outstanding contributions to the field of journalism. He has been editing various Malayalam and English publications for the last seven decades. He was the editor of Malayalam weekly magazine 'Kesari'. He became the editor of monthly research journal 'Manthan' during his stint with the Deendayal Research Institute, New Delhi. He also edited a quarterly Malayalam research journal 'Pragati'. He has been the chief editor of the monthly 'Yuva Bharathi' and the quarterly 'Vivekananda Kendra Patrika' till he breathed his last.
A real repository of knowledge, Parameswarji left behind a vast literary universe. He has authored dozens of books in Malayalam and English. Among his noted works are ‘Marx and Vivekananda: A Comparative Study’, Sri Narayana Guru, Bhagavad Gita: The Nectar of Immortality, Heart Beats of Hindu Nation etc. Parameswarji was appointed as the member of the Court (Senate) of Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi in 2000. The nation honoured him with Padma Shri in 2004 and Padma Vibhushan in 2018.
My words fail to capture emotions and moments, which I spent with him that I cherish throughout my life. Who will fill the vacuum Parameswarji left behind, is a misplaced question. As the legendary poet, Rabindranath Tagore said: “Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.” For us, Parameswarji is an ever-burning lamp, the divine lamp that never ceases to burn. He will continue to be a light on our path as ever. (J Nandakumar is Akhil Bharatiya Samyojak, Prajna Pravah.) -- 10-Feb-2020 www.organiser.org --Go Top
Shri Vishwa Niketan
www.shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com
vishwav@bol.net.in
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