SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN

1. FESTIVALS: DEEPAWALI: Deepawali or Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated on Kartik Amavasya and falls on 15th November this year. The festival is associated with Lakshmi, goddess of prosperity, with many other regional traditions connecting the day to Sita and Ram, Vishnu, Krishna, Yam, Yami, Durga and Kali, Dhanvantari or Vishvakarma. It is a celebration of the day Bhagwan Rama returned to his kingdom Ayodhya after defeating the king Ravana. During Diwali people wear their finest clothes, illuminate the interior and exterior of their homes with diyas and rangoli, offer puja to Lakshmi, light fireworks, and partake in family feasts, where mithai and gifts are shared.

On this festive occasion additional cerebrations are there such as Jains mark the final liberation of Mahavira, the Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas to mark the release of Guru Hargobind from the prison of Mughal Empire, while Newar Buddhists celebrate by worshipping Lakshmi. The main day of the festival of Diwali (the day of Lakshmi Puja) is an official holiday in Fiji, Guyana, Bharat Malaysia, Mauritius, Myanmar, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. -GoTop

2. VIJAYADASHAMI AT NAGPUR: Vijayadashami Utsav of RSS at Reshim Bagh Nagpur was a low key event due to restrictions on social gatherings. After ceremonial Shastra Puja, Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, RSS Sarasanghachalak began his udbodhan, with the mention of abrogation of Article 370, Supreme Court’s unambiguous verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case, and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). About CAA, he said that although the Act does not oppose any particular religious community, yet those who wanted to oppose this new law misled our Muslim brothers by propagating a false notion that it was aimed at restricting the Muslim population. About corona, he said, that in comparison to many countries, Bharat stood strong in the face of adversity and dealt with the calamity effectively. Besides appreciating Government efforts and corona warriors, Dr. Bhagwat applauded the efforts of the volunteers who are known and unknown, those who are alive and who laid their lives for service, medical practitioners, municipality workers and all other agents of service from different sections of the society.

He said that the corona pandemic has brought lives to a total and complete standstill. Within one week of lockdown, we noticed a marked difference in the quality of the air we breathe. Humans have once again realized the importance of family systems and the need for harmonious coexistence with nature. The philosophy of ‘Swadeshi’ has trumped once again. It is time to redefine these adages in view of the current Bhartiya context and to rebuild paths that will lead us back to our time-tested values and traditions.
On China’s unleashing terror on the borders of Bharat and boisterous efforts to invade our territories, Dr. Bhagwat said that we intend to be friendly with all.This is our nature. But mistaking our benevolence for weakness and attempts to disintegrate or weaken us by sheer brute force is unacceptable. Regarding Hindutva, Dr Bhagwat said, Sangh believes that it is the word applicable to all the 1.3 billion people who call themselves the sons and daughters of Bharatvarsh, whose everyday life is a striving towards an alignment with its moral and ethical code and who are proud of the heritage of their ancestors who successfully traversed the same spiritual landscape since time immemorial. The word ‘Hindu,’ features in almost every statement of Sangh, yet it is being discussed here because several related terms have gained popularity in the recent past. ‘Swadeshi’ is one such word which is oft-discussed nowadays. The ‘Swa’ or ‘self’ here refers to the same Hindutva. Late Shri Dattopant Thengadi ji claimed Swadeshi cuts beyond goods and services and stands for attaining a position of international cooperation by achieving national self-reliance, sovereignty and parity.
There is a need to decentralize agriculture and manufacturing sectors by supporting small and medium scale enterprises, creating employment opportunities, aiding the self-employed, initiating eco-friendly businesses and self-sufficient production units aiming to bolster the economic progress.
The collective resolve of a society is the preceptor and the foundation of the nation’s development. The consciousness that has prevailed in the aftermath of corona, viz, realization of the true meaning of ‘self,’ spirit of oneness with all the people, the importance of cultural values and environmental awareness plus the need for remedial actions to restore its balance should not be disregarded by our society. Gradual and consistent practice of right conduct and responsible behaviours of an entire society alone can bring rewards. Starting with small incremental changes, conducting regular awareness initiatives can cause this behavioural shift. Each family can be a part of this movement. Once a week all family members can get together to jointly do some prayer and have homemade food followed by two to three hours of informal discussion.

प्रश्न बहुत से उत्तर एक, कदम मिलाकर बढे अनेक |
वैभव के उत्तुङ्ग शिखर, पर सभी दिशा से बढे अनेक ||
|| भारतमाता की जय|| -GoTop

3. LIGHT A LAMP FOR SOLDIERS: PM'S DUSSEHRA GREETING ON ‘MANN KI BAAT’: "Lots of festivals like Eid, Diwali will take place at this time of the year. During these festivals, we also have to remember our brave soldiers who have also stood at the borders. We have to light a lamp at home, in honour of these brave sons and daughters of Bharat Mata," PM Modi said in his monthly radio address ‘Mann ki Baat’ on All India Radio on 25 December.
He urged people to celebrate festivals with restraint and to remember the resolve of ''vocal for local'' while shopping. " he added. -GoTop

4. HINDU UNITY MEANS ELIMINATION OF INEQUALITY – DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: “Dattopant Thengadi, till his last breath, thought about harmony and elimination of inequality. Harmony was his faith. He was visionary. Through this vision he had formed organizations in various fields. While doing all this, he maintained the motto of organization of Hindu society i.e. elimination of inequality,” asserted RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat. He was talking on ‘Social Harmony from the Perspective of Dattopant Thengadi’ organized by the Shraddhey Dattopant Thengadi Birth Centenary Celebration Committee on 14th October at Pune. Govinddev Giri Maharaj, National Member of the Celebration Committee presided over the function. He further said quoting Thengdi ji that harmony is created in the society only when we have to bend down a little to uphold those who are left behind in the society. -GoTop

5. DUSSEHRA-MILAN BY HSS JAPAN AT TOKYO JAPAN: Dussehra Milan is being organized by HSS Japan for the last 5 years for connecting various Bharatiya — Japanese cultural organizations, It was celebrated virtually this year on 25th October. As a result of the sincere team effort of Karyakartas from more than 20 Shakhas in Japan, it turned out to be the biggest event so far. Apart from usual programs like geet and subhashit presentation, there were two group songs by Balas and an interesting skit in Sanskrit performed live by the Yokohama Shakha. During the virtual event, around 55 organizations were briefly introduced and virtually appreciated by HSS Japan for their

contributions and activities for society as well as highlighting some of the great work being done at the times of COVID. Representatives of various Hindu Temples in Japan including ISKCON temple, Swaminarayan Temple, Shiv Temple, and Temples in Osaka and Okinawa enthusiastically participated in the event. Representatives of Nepali community, Bangladeshi Hindu community, Shri Lankan Professional Group, Tibet community were also present during the event.
Brief updates on various activities being carried out by HSS Japan were also shared during the event. Thompson Marsh Professor of Law at University of Denver Dr Ved Nanda spoke on the occasion and appreciated the activities of various organizations. -GoTop

6. GRAND HINDU TEMPLE HALL INAUGURATED IN MADAGASCAR: A grand Hindu temple hall was inaugurated in Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, on the occasion of Navratri 2020. An island located in the Indian Ocean with a population of over 26 million, Madagascar is home to over 20,000 people of Bharatiya origin. Most of them are from Gujarat. A grand Hindu temple is also under construction, which will be the first Hindu temple in

Antananarivo, Madagascar when completed within 3-4 months. Bharatiyas arrived in Madagascar in the late 18th century, mostly from Gujarat in small boats to engage in Indian Ocean trade and since then have greatly contributed to the development of trade and commerce in Madagascar and between Bharat and Madagascar. The new temple hall will help the Hindu community in the island to get together more often and keep their culture and heritage alive. -GoTop

7. VIJAYADASHMI UTSAV AT HSS MELBOURNE: This utsav was planned and carried out virtually by the Melbourne Mahanagar Sevika Vibhag. Boudhik by the veteran RSS Pracharak and highly respected thinker Shri Ranga Hariji touched different aspects of Bharatiya values that make us feel proud.

Hon V. Muraleedharan, Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Parliamentary Affairs as the Chief Guest covered current achievements of Bharat in his speech.

8. EMIGRANT FROM HIMACHAL ELECTED PARLIAMENTARIAN IN NZ: A Himachal-origin man was elected as a member of parliament MP in New Zealand on October 18.

Dr Gaurav Sharma, who belongs to Hamirpur district and immigrated to New Zealand around 20 years ago, won the election from Hamilton West electorate as a Labour Party candidate. In his mid thirties, Sharma is a bachelor of medicine and surgery and works as a general practitioner in Nawton, Hamilton. -GoTop

9. PULWAMA SOON TO BE THE PENCIL DISTRICT OF BHARAT: Kashmir’s Pulwama, a militancy hotbed, is soon to be called the pencil district of the country because it produces more than 70 per cent slats for making pencils in the country. Dozens of units in the district are engaged in preparing slats inside homes from a special tree that grows only in the wetlands of the district.

The locals say that the wood of these trees grown here has the right amount of moisture for making pencils."The region gives 90 per cent of these slats. I think there is an initiative in the offing to declare Pulwama as the pencil district. The government is trying to ensure all possible help is provided to the unit holders", said Mubashir Ahmad, local industries official. -GoTop

10. BHARAT TO BECOME ATMANIRBHAR FOR HING PRODUCTION: Council of Scientific and Industrial Research Institute of Himalayan Bio-Resource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) has planted Hing in the Lahaul valley of Himachal Pradesh. The institute is further planning to cover 750 hectares under the Hing cultivation. The institute has also standardized the protocol to produce the spice as per Bharatiya conditions. Hing needs cold and dry climate for it's cultivation. Bharat imported the spice largely from Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Iran. However, recent geo - political dynamics has pushed Bharat to become self reliant in the spice production.

Bharat is a consumer of a total 40 per cent of the world’s Hing. Bharat imports nearly 1,200 tonnes of Ferula Hing which is worth US $130 million every year. Apart from being used as a spice in kitchens, Hing is also widely used in Ayurveda and pharmaceuticals. -GoTop

11. BRAHMOS MISSILE HITS BULL’S EYE: Bharat successfully test fired the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos from the navy’s indigenously-built stealth destroyer on 18th October.The missile which was fired from INS Chennai in the Arabian Sea hit the target successfully with pin-point accuracy after performing high-level and extremely complex manoeuvres.

BrahMos as a ‘prime strike weapon’ will ensure the warship’s invincibility by engaging naval surface targets at long ranges, thus making the destroyer another lethal platform of Bhartiya Navy, the Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO) said. -GoTop

12. BHARAT’S ANTI-TANK MISSILE NAG READY FOR LADAKH DEPLOYMENT: DRDO successfully completed the final trial of Nag anti-tank missile using a live warhead on a dud tank at Pokhran army ranges on 21st October. A four-kilometre range missile with an imaging infrared seeker will now be inducted in Bharatiya Army.

The need for anti-tank missile was sorely felt after PLA amassed artillery, rockets and tanks in occupied Aksai Chin to deter Bharat. -GoTop

13. THERE SHOULD BE A PUBLIC DEBATE ON UNIFORM CIVIL CODE— DATTATREYA HOSABALE: Speaking at a virtual interaction organized by think tank India Foundation on 25th October, RSS sahsarkaryavaha Dattatreya Hosabale said, “ UCC is mentioned in the Constitution under the Directive Principles of State Policy.

It is for the government to decide whether it is a good time or not to (to bring a Bill on UCC). We have to educate people about it first," “People did not know what Article 370 or Article 35A was. Educating people is important," he said, referring to the provision on special status to Jammu and Kashmir that was scrapped in August last year. -GoTop

14. MANDIR CONSTRUCTION IN SMALL VILLAGE – GRAMVIKAS EFFORTS BY RSS: Bhavani Wadi is a small village of about 70 houses in Palghar district. Surrounded by nature, this village has exhibited a beautiful example of unity and collective will among the villagers. Bhumi Pujan of Shri Ram Mandir was held in this village on the auspicious occasion of Dussehra on 25th October.

This village made many efforts for the last 3-4 years to build this temple. Local Sangh karyakartas and Konkan pranth Sangh adhikaris took initiative in motivating the villagers to come together for the temple construction. Proposed temple is being built with the help of local cooperative banks and guidance of sangh karyakartas. -GoTop

15. BHARAT GETS RE-ELECTED AS PRESIDENT OF INTERNATIONAL SOLAR ALLIANCE: Bharat is again going to lead the International Solar Alliance as it has been re-elected as the President of the organization for a term of two years during the virtual meeting of the third assembly of the International Solar Alliance on 15th October. The event was attended by 34 ISA Members ministers. A total of 53 member countries and 5 signatory and prospective member countries participated in the Assembly. The ISA is an initiative that was launched by the Pradhan Mantri of Bharat and the President of France on November 30, 2015, in Paris on the side-lines of the COP-21. -GoTop

16. BHARAT GETS CHAIRMANSHIP OF ILO GOVERNING BODY: Bharat, after a gap of 35 years, assumed the Chairmanship of the Governing Body of International Labour Organization. Apurva Chandra, Secretary (Labour and Employment) has been elected as the Chairperson of the Governing Body of the International Labour Organization (ILO) for the period October 2020- June 2021. Apurva Chandra will be presiding over the upcoming meeting of the Governing Body to be held in November 2020. At Geneva, he would have the opportunity to interact with the senior officials and social partners of the member states. -GoTop

17. AUM ASHRAM SAN ANTONIO TX - BHUMI-POOJAN: On the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami, October 25, the community in San Antonio, Texas area came together to celebrate the ground-breaking ceremony for a dharmic community center, which will be known as Aum Ashram. The concept of AUM school draws its inspiration from the DAV Hindu Montessori school in Houston. After visiting the school in 2016 , the idea of replicating the model in San Antonio was born.

After a successful summer camp in 2016, Aum School San Antonio, was launched on Deepavali 2018 at a rental location at a local church. Since then AUM school has been providing full-time Pre-K classes and after-school activities, along with seasonal camps. Aum Ashram will complement Aum School as it will provide a center for mainstream subjects and culture-based learning, Additionally, the Ashram will include a playground for children, a community garden, Gaushala, a silent walking and meditation area among dense Bamboo grove.
The Bhoomi pujan ceremony was graced by the presence of Saumitra ji Gokhale, the global coordinator of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, and Arun Ji Kankani, the President of Sewa International USA. The event was blessed with numerous other personalities representing various dharmic organizations such as Hindu Temple, Sai Temple, Chinmaya Mission, ISKCON/Hare Krishna Devotee, Gayatri Pariwar, Sikh Dharamsala Gurudwara, Basava Kuta, and many linguistic organizations. -GoTop

18. COVID RELIEF IN MYANMAR: Sanatan Dharm Swayamsevak Sangh SDSS Myanmar has taken initiative to form a committee, ‘Covid- 19 Hindu family relief group’ to carry out relief activities , especially providing fresh vegetarian food to the Covid affected patients during the recent rise of corona cases in Myanmar.

A total of 6,550 food packets, 4,200 masks, PPE sets, Infrared thermometers and other materials had been distributed to about 30 hospitals and quarantine centers. Grocery kits have been distributed to about 1,400 needy families at different places in the country. An ambulance has also been provided for transportation of the patients. -GoTop

19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: What extracts from the Vedas I have read fall on me like the light of a higher and purer luminary, which describes a loftier course through purer stratum. It rises on me like the full moon after the stars have come out, wading through some far stratum in the sky. -- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American author, poet and philosopher. -GoTop

JAI SHREE RAM

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RASHTRA SEVIKA SAMITI AN ORGANISATION OF WOMEN, BY WOMEN, FOR THE NATION
Aparna Singh

The journey of the plight of women in India and indeed, across the world was in huge contrast. While ancient India, guided by the philosophy of the Vedas, always regarded women as the source of power and prosperity, the same was not accorded to the women in other parts of the world which was mostly under the influence of Semitic philosophy which regarded women as inferior beings. Under the influence of such Semitic philosophy and the medieval degradation of our society, the plight of women in India also became deplorable. Many socio-cultural movements took up the task of reinstating the old glory to women. Surprisingly, most of such movements were initiated by men. West never had any past to look up to for the respectable place of women in society. They saw exploitation by men as the reason for their pitiable condition, and it was this that gave rise to the male-female dichotomy, which dominates the feminist discourse around the world, including India. Rashtra Sevika Samiti, the world's largest voluntary organisation for women, has remained outside the national discourse on women either out of choice or has been purposely denied its legitimate place. They labelled it as traditional, orthodox and communal which does not stand for gender concerns and reinstates patriarchy. If we dive down the structure, function and the life of the sevikas, one will not find a match for its contemporaneity.

Pic Samiti Service in pandemic Covid 19
As early as the 1930s and 40s a sevika named Bakultai Devkule, a shooter, motorist, swimmer, first sevika and the all India General Secretary (karyavahika) of Rashtra Sevika Samiti, married a non-RSS affiliate, against the wishes of her father. There are numerous examples which defy that Samiti is orthodox and patriarchal. The founder, Vandaneeya Lakshmi Bai Kelkar (Mausiji) herself becoming a widow at a very early stage undertook the task of forming such a vast organisation on October 25, 1936. She, along with another lady named Vandaneeya Saraswati Tai Apte took the organisation across the country. Modernity can be gauged from the fact that sevikas, consisting of married and unmarried women, bow before them every morning in the shakhas. Their contribution to nation-building made them sacred transcending their identities as widows, the mere sight of whom is abhorred by the orthodox elements of the society.
Since its inception Samiti has always stood for a strong and determined role of women in nation-building, the feminist movements could not find resonance with this organisation because it was anathema to their basic understanding of the relationship between men and women as binaries. Samiti advocated that they are complementary to each other unlike any other feminist organisation around the world or even within the country, who always saw conflict between them. Samiti is often accused of not upholding the rights of women. It was, therefore, denied a place in the national discourse. Not playing victims and taking up a more responsible role in nation-building was seen as a dent on the feminist agenda. The three ideals of Samiti for matrutva (motherhood), kartrutva (duty consciousness) and netrutva (leadership) in Jijamata, Ahilyabai and Rani Lakshmi bai respectively are themselves stark examples of denying the gender roles ascribed to women of the contemporary society. Beauvoir, a protagonist of feminism in the western world, was a lady who stood for individual rights and liberty to the extent that she openly displayed her bisexuality and even resorted to child abuse as an expression of female liberty. Taking the inspiration from such proponents for women rights will instil similar ethos in the movement which we are witnessing is the blatant display of women as a commodity. Succumbing to the western idea of feminism and women rights, which was in perpetual competition with men, Indian feminist movement also fell prey to such ideas.

Rashtra Sevika Samiti took up the cause of women not considering them as victims but to unlock the potential of the 50 % of the population necessary for nation-building. Labelling it as orthodox is to delegitimise its genuine efforts to make women take a lead role in its endeavour to bring glory to the motherland. It reiterates that economic strength cannot be the sole factor deciding the capability of a person to make a constructive impact on the existing social structure. Economic independence for women to secure their safety post-marriage tussle, as advocated by the feminist is a lesser objective of Samiti. Imagine if every man claimed to be economically dependent only to support himself, what would happen to the existing social system where most women are dependent on men for their economic needs? For Samiti earning a livelihood is not to just become self-dependent but to become dependable for their children, family and particularly for the Nation.
When Samiti refers to women as matrushakti it not only refers to a biological mother but the one who sows the seeds of empathy, character, sensitivity, morality and affection among the upcoming as well as contemporary generations. Such tasks are also shouldered by pracharikas (full-time workers) who have chosen to never become biological mothers but are referred to as matrishakti because they instil the moral character and love for the Nation in their sevikas. Samiti has held that women are more capable in many skills not only because mythology or the dharma says so, but it has also been proved in many pieces of research in the modern world. A 2018 research report of Robby Berman in the World Economic Forum found that at any hour of the day women are capable of doing more work than men. Another study published in BMC Psychology found that women are better at multitasking than men. Just like reproduction, the capability of women is not their achievement, but their anatomy, similarly capability to do more work is because of the genetic makeup of the brain. Samiti acknowledges these differences not to look down upon the other gender but as a greater responsibility to contribute towards the family, society and the Nation.
Mausi Ji, addressing the annual meeting of all India Rashtra Sevika Samiti held in Mumbai in 1953, said that 'woman is the charioteer of life and man is the hearse (jeevanroopi rath kisaarthistrihaiaurpurushrathihai). She wondered if man represents motion then who has put him into motion? It is the woman who puts the man into motion. Unlike the claims of the feminists that Samiti is a traditional organisation which seeks to uphold Brahmanical rituals, it has always kept its mission of nation-building above everything else. During the annual meeting of all India Rashtra Sevika Samiti held in Wardha in 1961 from November 13-15, the sister in law (wife of Mausiji's husband's elder brother) of Mausiji, who was also her very close associate passed away. She performed the final rites and joined the meeting on the 14th evening and on the 15th, she was there till the finale. She said that 'Person's loyalty is not important but loyalty to element is important (vyakti nishtha nahitatva nishtha hi mahatvpurnhai). Setting an example before her sevikas that no ritual, no tradition is as important as the task of reinstating Bharat Mata to her past glory.
Samiti works pan India and in more than 18 other countries. With more than 2700 shakhas and 475 plus sewa projects Samiti proactively addresses the challenges before the society. During the pandemic, it distributed 4,26,237 gloves, masks and PPE kits, 1,09,696 ration kits and served 4,23,794 food packets. Samiti is aware of the vices existing in the society and vehemently opposes subjugation and oppression of women and also prepares its sevikas to confront and oppose such situations. But it sees the permanent solution not simply in legal protections and perpetual competition with men but in preparing a generation with virtues. Samiti takes up this task on themselves as the first teacher of their child. It is the only organisation by the women, of the women and for the Nation, which talks about its duties first and their rights later. - The author is a State Tax Officer and a research scholar in XLRI, Jamshedpur and writes on economics and socio-cultural issues 25-Oct-2020 https://www.organiser.org/Encyc/2020/10/25/Rashtra-Sevika-Samiti-An-organisation-of-women-by-women-for-the-Nation.html -GoTop

SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in http://shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com

SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN

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