\ SAMVAD संवाद
श्री विश्व निकेतन SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN
Bhadrapad Krishna 12, Vik. Samvat 2077, Yugabda 5122:16 August 2020: SM 2010 (For Private Circulation Only)
1. FESTIVALS: GRAND RAM MANDIR BHOOMIPOOJAN: Describing the historic moment of bhoomipoojan of the grand Ram Mandir at Shri Ram Janmasthan on August 5, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi reiterated “Shri Ram Sab ke hain” i.e. Shri Ram belongs to all. He was addressing a select gathering of sants, acharyas, and social activists at the bhoomipoojan program organized for construction of a magnificent Shri Ram Mandir by Shri Ramjanmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Nyas. Chairman of the Nyas Mahant Nrityagopal Das Maharaj, RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohanrao Bhagwat, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present on the dais. Modiji donning the traditional golden-colored ‘dhoti’ and ‘kurta’ performed the vedic ceremony of bhoomipoojan of the Mandir. Pradhan Mantriji also performed poojan of a 40 kg silver brick. Sacred soils and waters of rivers etc. from over 2000 places all over Bharat were also used at the ceremony. -GoTop
2. RASHTRAPATI JI MENTIONS RAM MANDIR IN HIS ADDRESS:
Rashtrapati Ramnath Kovind, in his address to the nation on 14th August said
that the nation is indebted to doctors, nurses and other health workers who have
been continuously on the forefront in the fight against corona virus. He also
mentioned the members of police personnel, sanitation workers, delivery staff,
transportation, railway and aviation personnel, providers of various services,
government employees, social service organizations and generous citizens who
have been scripting inspiring stories of courage and selfless service. He also
remembered the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in Ladakh.
He emphasized the need for a human centric approach and living in harmony with
the nature. He thanked all the citizens of the country for respectfully
accepting the Supreme Court verdict on Shri Ram Janmabhoomi and expressed
happiness on the occasion of its Bhoomipoojan at Ayodhya.
-GoTop
3. ‘MAKE FOR WORLD’ ALONG WITH ‘MAKE FOR INDIA’ – PM MODI:
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi reiterated the importance of becoming
self-reliant, and added that self-reliance would help to increase Bharat’s share
in the world economy. He was speaking from Red Fort at Delhi on the eve of 74th
Independence Day of Bharat attended by 1500 corona warriors including 500 police
personnel recovered from infection.
While mentioning various schemes and achievements of the Government during the
last year, he proudly mentioned about the distribution of sanitary pads to over
5 crore women at Re.1 each. Making an announcement about 3 probable vaccines
against corona, he also mentioned upcoming projects like ‘National Digital
Health Mission’, ‘One Nation One Ration card’, joining the villages with optical
fiber cables and others. -GoTop
4. AFTER 30 YEARS OF STRUGGLE, RESOLUTION FULFILLED: DR
MOHAN BHAGWAT: We struggled for 30 years and in the 30th year, we've
attained the joy of fulfilling our resolution", said RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan
Bhagwat after taking part in Ram Mandir Bhoomipoojan program at Ayodhya. He said
that Bharat believes in ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ i.e. the world is a family and
that Bharatiyas believe in taking everyone along. “Today is a new beginning of a
new Bharat,” he added.
Remembering Shri Ashok Singhal and Mahant Ramchandradas Paramhans, Dr. Bhagwat
said that the beginning of temple construction proves that ‘we can do what we
want to do’. “We had taken a resolution. I remember the then RSS chief Balasaheb
Deoras telling us that we'll have to struggle for 20-30 years, only then this
will be fulfilled. We struggled for 30 years and in the 30th year, we've
attained the joy of fulfilling our resolution,” he said.
-GoTop
5. PIOUS SOIL FROM POJK USED IN RAM MANDIR BHOOMIPOOJAN:
Save Sharda Committee, Kashmir on invitation of VHP, had sent the pious soil and
a shila from Sharda Peeth in POJK and it was presented to the Mahant of Ram
Mandir. In a statement on 5th August, founder of Save Sharda Committee Ravinder
Pandita thanked the civil society members of Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir
– POJK, who had sent the pious soil and flowers from Sharda Peeth to him. Save
Sharda Committee has been struggling for more than two decades for the
exploration of Sharda Peeth situated along the Neelam river in POJK and
reopening of the pilgrimage. -GoTop
6. BHARATIYA COMMUNITY CELEBRATES RAM MANDIR BHOOMIPOOJAN
WORLD OVER: Hindus across the globe celebrated the Bhoomipoojan of Shri Ram
Mandir at Ayodhya on 5th August by lighting diyas and praying at homes and
temples and distributing sweets, displaying placards and huge billboards. In New
York, 17,000-square-foot wrap-around LED display screen and the giant NASDAQ
screen at Times Square, lit up with the image of Bhagwan Ram along with the Ram
Mandir together with Bharatiya tricolor. The display lit up from 10 am to 10 pm.
Besides, a large group of people also gathered near the digital billboard to
celebrate the event. In Washington, members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
America VHPA took out a tableau truck with the digital image of Ram Mandir, and
went around the Capitol Hill with chanting of slogans ‘Jai Shri Ram’. LED
Billboards were displayed at prominent places in Sydney. A program was held at
Hindu House Mauritius on behalf of VHP Mauritius and Hindu House in which
prayers were chanted and congratulatory messages were read along with speeches
from prominent community members. -GoTop
7. HOW METALLURGICAL ENGINEER ASHOK SINGHAL CAST RAM
JANMABHOOMI MOVEMENT: Ashok Singhal, a metallurgical engineer by education,
played a lead role in moulding the Ram Janmbhoomi movement since the gathering
of Hindu religious and spiritual leaders in 1984 at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi
where the matter of reconstruction of Hindu temples at Ayodhya, Mathura and
Kashi was formally taken up for the first time. In 1986, Singhal took over as
VHP general secretary and gave a push to the movement in a single-minded
pursuit. Over the next six years, several key events were organized to get the
movement to its feverish pitch. One of the most important event was ‘ShilaPujan’
in 1989, under which the bricks for the foundation of the proposed temple were
sent from across the country to Ayodhya. He led the Kar Seva in Ayodhya in 1990
from the front, when the then Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav
ordered firing on the Karsevaks. Two years later, on 6th December 1992, the
disputed structure was demolished in what became a defining episode of the era.
Ashok Singhal was born on 27 September 1926 in Agra. He got associated with the
RSS in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) and decided to dedicate his life to the
organization after finishing his Engineering studies. One of his peers from
Prayag, Rajendra Singh alias Rajju Bhaiya, became the third RSS Sarsanghchalak
in 1994. -GoTop
8. RAM MANDIR BHOOMIPOOJAN AN EMOTIONAL, HISTORIC MOMENT:
LAL KRISHNA ADVANI: BJP veteran L K Advani, who played a pivotal role in the
Ram Janmabhoomi movement and undertook Ram Rath Yatra, said on the eve of the
Bhoomipoojan that it will be a historic and emotional day not only for him but
for all Bharatiyas. Noting that Bhagwan Ram occupies an esteemed place in
Bharat’s culture and civilizational heritage and is embodiment of grace, dignity
and decorum, the BJP veteran said that it is his belief that the temple will
inspire Bharatiyas to imbibe Bhagwan Ram’s virtues. The former Deputy Prime
Minister also said that he believes that Ram Mandir will represent Bharat as a
“strong, prosperous, peaceful and harmonious nation with justice for all and
exclusion of none so that we can truly usher in Ram Rajya, the epitome of good
governance.” -GoTop
9. 160 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED RAM MANDIR BHOOMIPOOJAN:
Doordarshan’s live telecast of the ceremony at Ayodhya recorded massive
viewership of more than 160 million people resulting in viewership of more than
7 billion viewing minutes according to Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati.
He also revealed that DD’s live coverage of the event was carried by nearly 200
TV channels on August 5. Prasar Bharati also translated PM Modi’s speech in
multiple Bharatiya languages including Ladakhi, Odia, and Kannada.
-GoTop
10. WE NEED TO MOVE FROM 'GLOBAL MARKET' TO 'GLOBAL
FAMILY': DR MOHAN BHAGWAT "Mutual cooperation among self-reliant countries
while considering the world as one family and not one market seems to be the
economic model required for the post-COVID world," RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan
Bhagwat said while speaking at a virtual book launch event at New Delhi on 12th
August .
Elaborating on the concept of Swadeshi, Dr Bhagwat said that only those
technologies or materials may be imported which the country lacks traditionally
or are not available locally. Backing the idea of Atmanirbhar Bharat, RSS
Sarsanghchalak said swadeshi means to promote and give preference to indigenous
products or technologies and not necessarily boycott all foreign items. For
Atmanirbhar Bharat (Self-reliance), Atmabhan (Self-realisation) and Atmavishwas
(Self-Confidence) are essential, he added.
He also described the National Education Policy as a ‘step in the right
direction’ to make Bharat self-reliant. Dr Bhagwat launched books ‘Your Degree
is not Enough’ and ‘Tough Choices & Hard Decisions: Rebuilding India’, authored
by Prof Rajendra Pratap Gupta. -GoTop
11. LOKMANYA TILAK TRULY INDIANIZED FREEDOM STRUGGLE:
“Lokmanya Tilak truly Indianized freedom struggle. If any one made India’s
Independence struggle Indian, it was Tilak”, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah
while speaking at a webinar on the occasion of 100th death anniversary of
Lokmanya Tilak on August 1. He added that Tilak used every bit of his capacity,
his multi-dimensional personality, his intellect, his austerity for the welfare
of the masses. His every breath was for the country. The International webinar
on ‘Lokmanya Tilak: Swaraj to Atmanirbhar Bharat’ was jointly organized by
Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Deccan Education Society (DES),
and Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA). ICCR Chairman Dr. Vinay
Sahasrabuddhe, IGNCA Member-Secretary Dr. Sachchidananda Joshi and Vice-
Chancellor of Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth Deepak Tilak and former Pune Mayor
Mukta Tilak were present at the program. -GoTop
12. ILLUMINATE
2020 FOR 250 SCHOOL STUDENTS BY HSS UK: When most students would be enjoying
a lie in during the summer break, 250 students from across the UK joined a
unique five day online summer programme ‘Illuminate 2020’ from 8.30 am in the
morning until midday. The day started with chanting of various mantras from
ancient scriptures followed by a Yoga session led by expert instructors and a
high impact, high energy martial arts class. In one of the interactive
sessions, organizers encouraged participants to prepare a healthy drink or a
meal in 15 minutes!
A number of engaging talks were arranged covering Hindu History, Hindu Way of
Life and examples of exemplary individuals who have positively contributed to
society. Participants then had an opportunity to discuss the topics in smaller
groups using the Zoom platform’s breakout room option. 85 students enrolled for
Project Week which provided an opportunity to research a topic of their choice.
They were then asked to either submit a written piece, a presentation, a speech
or an interview. -GoTop
13. ONLINE ‘RAKSHA BANDHAN’ IN MYANMAR: Sanatan Dharma
Swayamsevak Sangh (SDSS) Myanmar, organized the Raksha Bandhan festival via zoom
cloud meeting on August 3. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi delivered a
message of loving kindness in her video clip to the event. Union Minister for
Religious Affairs and Culture Thura U Aung Ko made a congratulatory online
message for the festival, praising loving-kindness, peace, unity, freedom of
religion in Myanmar and recognition of the government to different faiths,
including Hinduism.
Bharatiya Ambassador to Myanmar Saurabh Kumar and other dignitaries also joined
the event. -GoTop
14. SEVA BHARATI AND RSS SWAYAMSEVAKS JOIN RESCUE
OPERATIONS AT KERALA FLOODS: Seva Bharathi came to the rescue in Kerala with
the onset of rains in the last week of July and beginning of August. Seva
Bharathi also came forward for the rescue operations in Idukki Rajamalai which
was hit by a landslide although heavy rains hampered the rescue efforts. The RSS
swayamsevaks joined the rescue and relief operations. At Pettimudi landslide
site in Rajamala, Kerala, hundreds of RSS swayamsevaks along with the NDRF team
worked selflesly to save the people. -GoTop
15. HSS DENMARK SEWA: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Denmark
team of volunteers did the gardening and cleaning up activity on 9th August at
the Danish Handicap Foundation Center Copenhagen which was frequented by many
long thorny bushes hampering free movement. Erna Christensen, head of the Center
appreciated the service given by the volunteers. The HSS Sewa team also
performed the cleaning of Copenhagen canals while kayaking by picking up garbage
deposited in the canals. -GoTop
16. SARSANGHCHALAK UNFURLS NATIONAL FLAG AT NAGPUR: RSS
Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat hoisted the national flag at Dr Hedgewar Bhavan,
Mahal, at Nagpur on 15th August as part of the 74th Independence Day
celebrations. Nagpur Mahanagar Sanghchalak Dr Rajesh Loya and few swayamsevaks
were present on the occasion.-GoTop
17. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: No matter how many lectures we give or listen, until we
work like what is talked we should not expect our goal to be achieved even by
mistake. . -- DR K. B. Hedgewar. -GoTop
JAI SHREE RAM
--
RSS IN THE TIME OF COVID: FROM PLASMA DONATION TO CONDUCTING LAST RITES
From the Covid-recovered donating
their plasma in UP, Delhi, Bengaluru, Guwahati and Surat to opening shelters for
returning migrants in Bihar; from distributing food packets in West Bengal to
providing masks and sanitisers in Karnataka; from donating TV sets for students
to access virtual classes in Kerala to organising vehicles during the lockdown
in Chhattisgarh — and helping conduct the last rites of victims in Maharashtra.
For the RSS and its nationwide network, the Covid outbreak and the lockdown have
brought about a realignment in strategy — shakha activities on the ground are on
hold and, instead, the entire machinery has been redirected to outreach and
relief work.
“During the lockdown, 5.07 lakh volunteers distributed over 4.66 crore food
packets and helped over 44.86 lakh migrant labourers. And since the lockdown
ended, we have been helping labourers get their jobs back,” says Parag Abhyankar,
who heads the RSS’s Seva Vibhag.
According to him, relief efforts were kickstarted by an appeal issued on April
26, a month after the lockdown was imposed, by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat: “Our
seva (service) must be without bias. Seva is not an obligation but our duty.”
According to the organisation, the vibhag ran over 92,000 relief centres in five
months. The other measures include: 483 medicine distribution centres; donation
of blood by over 60,000 workers; and, distribution of over 73.8 lakh ration
kits. The decision to focus on relief measures came after the outbreak put all
major activities of the group on hold. The annual Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi
Sabha in Bengaluru in March was cancelled. Another key annual event, the
fund-raiser called Gurudakshina, was postponed from July to September 15.
During this period, many workers and leaders, including joint publicity chief
Sunil Ambekar, were infected with four deaths — two in MP, one in Maharashtra
and another in Bihar. Today, the group’s Delhi office is almost empty with
leaders spreading out across the country.
From Bengal to Kerala, leaders of the RSS and its affiliates, such as Seva
Bharati and Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, said that focus has shifted fully to relief
work. The key highlights:
Maharashtra: Over 26,000 volunteers at 6,277 locations. Over 10 lakh ration
kits, over 87 lakh meals and over 5 lakh masks and sanitisers provided.
Assistance for over 1 lakh nomadic families. Over 24,000 people donated blood at
camps. Over 4,000 volunteers received training from municipal corporations on
using PPE kits. Over 1,000 temporary health facilities catered to 2 lakh people.
“Over 100 volunteers also helped conduct the last rites of those who had no
family support,” said Upendra Kulkarni, the region’s welfare chief.
West Bengal: Food items, cooked food, masks, sanitisers and medical awareness
sessions for 2.5 lakh families. Food packets, each with 5 kg rice, 1 kg pulses,
3 kg potatoes and 250-300g of salt and cooking oil, distributed weekly,
including to over 500 women in red-light areas. The group also opened over 80
camps for migrant workers, and medical helplines, said Jishnu Basu, secretary
(South Bengal).
Bihar: “We provided food packets and bottled water to migrants returning on
special trains. Our volunteers also distributed masks, sanitisers and food
grain,” said Ramdutt Chakradhar, a state office-bearer.
Rajasthan: Distribution of ration and food packets, preparing masks, shelters
for migrants and blood donation camps. “We have also helped set up stalls of
fruits and vegetables, small businesses and farmers’ groups,” said an
office-bearer.
In Jaipur, over 12,600 workers
distributed over 22 lakh food packets, 2 lakh family ration kits and homeopathic
medicines for over 52,000 people. Chhattisgarh: Volun-teers reached over 2 lakh
beneficiaries with food, ration, masks, soap and sanitisers. Vehicles arranged
for over 1,000 people to reach home during the l ockdown, apart from awareness
campaigns, blood donation drives and counselling sessions.
“We helped people on the highway, and in tribal villages and cities,” said
Surendra Kumar, state publicity chief. Karnataka: Over 8,400 volunteers
distributed 71,667 ration kits, 1,04,377 food packets and 51,920 masks to over
3.17 lakh beneficiaries. Food and ration distribution was carried out in
Bengaluru, Bagalkot, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi and Shivamogga, and blood
donation camps conducted. Kerala: Seva Bharati’s 42,000 volunteers distributed
food packets, grocery kits and medicine. They helped local bodies prepare Covid
centres and took part in sanitation campaigns. Seva Bharati also distributed TV
sets for students to access virtual classes. “So far, 42 lakh families in Kerala
have benefited from our voluntary work,’’ said Gopalankutty Master, state
general secretary. (By Shyamlal Yadav, Indian Express, August 10, 2020, New
Delhi ) -GoTop
---
RAM MANDIR IS NOT A MERE TEMPLE, IT IS THE SYMBOL OF OUR CULTURAL HERITAGE
Dr. Manmohan Vaidya
Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Rama,
is raring to turn the pages of history and usher a new chapter in its saga with
the construction of a grand Shri Ram Temple slated to commence on August 5. The
chronicle of this festival will be inscribed in golden letters in the cultural
history of Bharat. Not a mere block of concrete and stones, this temple is the
symbol of faith and aspirations of billions of Bharatiya people spread across
the world.
A landmark event, this day transports one back to the year 1951 when the then
Rashtrapati of independent Bharat, Rajendra Prasad, did prana pratishtha puja of
the Somnath Temple. Illustrious leaders of the country like Sardar Patel,
Mahatma Gandhi, Kanhaiya Lal Munshi, V P Menon, S Radhakrishnan, and Rajendra
Prasad had hailed the resurrection and restoration of the Somnath temple as a
proud moment in the history of independent Bharat - an affirmation of our
eternal legacy.
However, then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru deemed the act as “Hindu
revivalism”. In his book Pilgrimage to Freedom, KM Munshi, a minister in Nehru’s
cabinet, reproduced excerpts of a debate that ensued between the two of them at
that time. Today, given the backdrop of Ayodhya, re-invoking parts of that
debate is crucial to better understand the cultural significance of the
restoration of Ram Mandir, and also, why there is opposition to it.
The history of Somnath Temple is comparable to that of the Ram Mandir of Ayodhya
as the Muslim Turkic invader Mahmud of Ghazni attacked the Somnath temple and
successive Muslim invaders repeatedly demolished it, eventually destroying it
completely.
Temples that comprise the cultural heritage of civilization are not mere
physical symbols, they are an embodiment of the moral values and traditions that
bind and energize the whole society. Munshi writes: “In November 1947, Sardar
…visited the temple. At a public meeting, Sardar announced: ‘On this auspicious
day of the New Year, we have decided that Somnath should be reconstructed. You,
people of Saurashtra, should do your best.’”
The country’s leadership of that time was split into two opposing ideological
camps. Munshi writes: “At the end of the cabinet meeting, Jawaharlal called me
and said: ‘I do not like your attempt to revive Somnath. This is Hindu
revivalism.’”
Why did Nehru oppose this act as “Hindu revivalism,” while Munshi referred to it
as “Bharatiya collective-conscious” and saw the revival as a celebration for the
common man?
These two interpretations are in reality the two different ideologies that have
inhabited the Bharatiya mind. Nehru was not opposed to Bharat but the Bharat of
his dreams was a spin-off of the European view of life, which was diametrically
opposite to the Bharatiya view. It was “abharatiya”. Whereas the concept of
Bharat of leaders like Sardar Patel, Rajendra Prasad, and Munshi was steeped in
Bharatiya civilization. Munshi goes on to write: “On April 24, 1951, I wrote a
letter to him (Nehru) which I am reproducing next literally: ‘When the whole
scheme was discussed by Sardar with Bapu, he stated that it was all right except
that the funds necessary for reconstructing the temple should come from the
public. Thereafter, the idea that the Government of Bharat should finance the
reconstruction of the temple was given up… Yesterday you referred to ‘Hindu
revivalism’. I know your views on the subject; I have always done justice to
them; I hope you will equally do justice to mine… It is my faith in our past
which has given me the strength to work in the present and to look forward to
our future. I cannot value freedom if it deprives us of the Bhagavad Gita or
uproots our millions from the faith with which they look upon our temples and
thereby destroys the texture of our lives.’”
And so, the reconstruction went ahead. When the time came to install the deity,
Munshi approached Prasad and asked him to perform the ceremony, but added a
rider, “that he should accept it only if he was prepared not to fail us.” Munshi
says “when it was announced that Dr Rajendra Prasad was to inaugurate the
Temple, Jawaharlal vehemently protested”. Still, “Rajendra Prasad kept his
promise. However, his speech delivered at Somnath was published in all the
papers, but was cut out from the official organs.”
It is ironic that Nehru, the Bharatiya icon of liberalism and freedom of
expression, should make sure that the speech of the President is censored. In
this manner, despite opposition, Somnath was rebuilt and today the magnificent
shrine attracts millions of devotees. However, 60 years of rule of one regime
and the patronage of governments have proliferated the proponents of the
Nehruvian idea of Bharat in academia and the media. Hence, history is repeating
itself and the opposition to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is more vocal than the
opposition to the Somnath temple was. This does not dampen the spirits of
innumerable Bharatwasis who believe in the integral and holistic spiritual
tradition of Bharat.
Restoration of the national and cultural heritage of Bharat will begin with the
Ram Mandir construction on August 5. The DoorDarshan telecast of the inaugural
will enable people of Bharatiya origin across the world to witness this historic
moment. In observance of corona-related directives, this event will see fewer
participants in attendance.
It is my firm belief that the temple trustees also view this event as the
re-establishment of eternal Bhartiya legacy and pride and not just the
construction of a structure. This must be why senior representatives of various
faiths and sects like Jain, Bauddh, Sikh, Muslim, Christian, Scheduled Castes
and Scheduled Tribes, priests, Mathadhish, and spiritual gurus of our country
have been invited to grace this jubilant affair.
The Ram Mandir is not a mere temple, it is the symbol of our cultural heritage.
— The author is Sahsarkaryavah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. (News Bharati
5th August 2020) -GoTop
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in http://shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com
