\ SAMVAD संवाद
Bhadrapad Shukla 14, Vik. Samvat 2077, Yugabda 5122:1 September 2020: SM 2011 (For Private Circulation Only)
1. FESTIVALS: PURUSHOTTAM MAAS: Purushottam Maas is the extra month added in the Bharatiya lunar calendar to align it with the solar calendar. This year, in Vikram Samvat 2077, there are two months of Aashwin, the Adhik Aashwin or the Purushottam Maas from September 18 to October 16. During Purushottam Maas, people perform various types of religious rituals such as keeping fast, recitation of religious scriptures, mantras, prayers, performing various types of puja and havan. Marriages etc. are not held during this month. -GoTop
2."RESPECT FOR NATURE'S CREATION IS INTEGRAL PART OF
BHARATIYA LIFESTYLE. " - DR MOHAN BHAGWAT: RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan
Bhagwat addressed the 'Prakriti Vandan' program organized by Hindu Spiritual
Seva Foundation HSSF and Initiative for Moral and Cultural Training Foundation
IMCTF Chennai in Association with Paryavaran Samrakshan on 30th August. "Bharatiya
way has been very different. Our ancestors understood the truth behind our
existence in its entirety. Since then they understood that we too are a part of
the whole nature. Just like the fact that our body can function only when
different parts of the body function. And as long as the body is alive, only
then a part of the body can function", he said in his address.
Noting the importance of Hindu traditional festivals like Nag Panchami,
Govardhan Puja or Tulsi Puja, Sarsanghchalak said that we have to now adapt
these to the modern day so that the new generation also learns from them. Urging
people to bring about gradual changes for a sustainable lifestyle, he said that
thinking about nature should not be a single day's affair.
Paryavaran Samrakshan is a wing of RSS which is working for environmental
protection. Thousands of enthusiastic participants performed ‘Vriksha poojan’ on
30th August at their homes throughout Bharat and in over 10 countries across the
world. Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi also wished success to the program through
his message. -GoTop
3. CHANDRAYAAN-2 COMPLETES A YEAR AROUND MOON: Accomplishing a dream with all its efforts and hard work paying off well, Bharat's second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 marked one year in orbit around the moon and it has completed more than 4,400 orbits around the Moon. It was launched on 22nd July 2019. On this occasion, ISRO said that all instruments are currently performing well and there is adequate onboard fuel to keep it operational for about seven more years. Chandrayaan-2 was inserted into the lunar orbit on August 20, exactly one year ago. -GoTop
4. VHP TRAINS OVER 5,000 DALITS AS PRIESTS ACROSS COUNTRY:
As part of its effort to end the practice of caste discrimination and
untouchability in society, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has succeeded in
training around 5,000 Dalits as priests across the country, Vinod Bansal,
National Spokesman of VHP has said. Many such priests have been taken on the
panels of government-run temples. "There is a large number of Dalit priests in
southern states. In Tamil Nadu alone, 2,500 priests have been trained. There are
a large number of Dalit priests in Andhra Pradesh also. Priests are given
certificates by Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) once they get proficiency in
handling different religious ceremonies and rituals, he added.
5. ECO-FRIENDLY COW DUNG GANESH MURTIS BY SEWA BHARATI
Seva Bharati Delhi, on the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi, made Shri Ganesh murtis
with cow dung to help the workers, which had a cost of only Rs 151. Delhi Seva
Bharati joint-secretary Nirbhay Shankar said, “We have made 6500 such Ganesh
murtis, out of which 5000 have been sold, and we are also ready for the
production as per demand”. The uniqueness of this murti is that there is a plant
seed in the Bhagwan Ganesh murti and on the immersion it will grow as a plant. -GoTop
6. MADURAI SEVA BHARATHI FELICITATED FOR EXEMPLARY SERVICE
DURING COVID-19: On 15th August, the District Collector, Madurai Dr.Vinay
presented a certificate and a medal to Madurai district Prachar Pramukh Raghuman
who was in-charge at Kesava Seva Kendra (Madurai) of preparing food packets to
people affected during COVID-19 lockdown period. This is for its exemplary
services to the people who lost their livelihood. Seva Bharathi Tamilnadu has
been preparing food packets and distributing them across different districts and
locations right from 24th March. Later, after assessing the prevalent situation,
Seva Bharathi also moved into distributing grocery kits to needy families. -GoTop
7. RSS LAUNCHES BAL GOKULAM KENDRAS TO TEACH STUDENTS:
With a view to providing education to students during the Coronavirus pandemic,
the RSS volunteers have launched Bal Gokulam Kendras in the areas Madhya Bharat
(part of Madhya Pradesh) on the advice of RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat.
A total of 516 Bal Gokulam Kendras have been launched in 31 districts of this
region viz Vidisha, Guna, Gwalior, Bhopal etc with swayamsevaks visiting houses
to teach the students so that their studies do not suffer during the pandemic.
Many workers of RSS and RSS-inspired organizations like Vidya Bharati, Ekal
Vidyalaya, Sewa Bharati have volunteered in this unique venture and offering
their services to teach the students by visiting their homes. Besides, the
syllabus, the students are imparted training in moral education and sanskaras. -GoTop
8. E-CONVOCATION AT IIT BOMBAY: The avatars of more than
2,000 students from the Indian Institute of Technology IIT Bombay were awarded
their certificates by an avatar of IIT director Subhasis Chaudhuri during a
ceremony on 23rd August. The Institute thought it best to arrange such a VR-convocation
for the graduating students so as not to put their health at risk but at the
same time, not deprive them of the sense of achievement and pride of passing out
of Bharat’s premier engineering institute.
"Students were also able to roam around a virtual campus, visit their hostels
and departments virtually, and bump into/meet their friends and faculty", it
added. "Honored to receive a Ph.D. degree at 58th Convocation @iitbombay. The
Committee presented everyone with cool personalized avatar," wrote Deepank Verma. -GoTop
9. SHARDA PUJA PERFORMED IN KASHMIR RIGHT ON LOC: On the
eve of Sharda divas on 26th August, Save Sharda Committee members in Kashmir
performed first-ever ‘Sharda Puja’ since partition in 1947, on the banks of
Kishenganga river in Keran sector right on LoC. Led by its head and founder
Ravinder Pandita, the followers started from Tikker in Kupwara to Keran at LoC
and performed Sharda Puja for all ancestors and deceased. It is worthwhile to
mention that oblations were also offered to those who were deceased unnaturally,
particularly in the ongoing violence, in Jammu & Kashmir. The Kishenganga river
is the dividing line on two sides of Kashmir and a heavily guarded zone between
the Bharatiya and occupying Pakistani armies. -GoTop
10. 150TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF SRI AUROBINDO: August
15, 2022 will mark the completion of 150 years of Sri Aurobindo’s birth and 75
years of Bharatiya Independence. As a part of this Sesquicentenary Celebrations,
Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Indian Culture (SAFIC), Sri Aurobindo Society,
Puducherry along with various reputed collaborating organizations, initiated a
two-year celebration to present Sri Aurobindo as the Rishi of Bharat’s
Renaissance through a series of 12 webinars over this period (One webinar every
two months) before the grand celebration happens.
In the first webinar of this series, on the Topic: Sri Aurobindo – The Rishi of
India’s Renaissance on August 12, eminent speakers including Dr Sampadananda
Mishra, Director, Sri Aurobindo Foundation for Indian Culture, Padma Bhushan Dr
David Frawley, Padma Shri Prof. Subhash Kak, a renowned scientist and Dr Anirban
Ganguly, Director Dr Shyama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation SPMRF
participated enthusiastically with their talks and deliberations on the topic.
Dattatreya Hosabele, RSS Sah-Sarkaryavah said that following Sri Aurobindo’s
views is essential for Bharat’s renaissance and that Bharat is at the threshold
of this reawakening. -GoTop
11. HSS USA RAKSHABANDHAN: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS
celebrates Rakshabandhan as ‘Universal Oneness Day’ by visiting local officials
, tying Rakhis to them and express gratitude towards the frontliners, who
protect the community. Shivray Shakha in Columbus celebrated Rakshabandhan with
the Police Department and met Police Chief and other officers.
Karyakrtas presented to them SEWA report and information about other community
outreach programs.
Volunteers from HSS Jersey City got chance to visit Jersey City Medical Center
to hand over Rakshabandhan greeting cards created by few of the kid volunteers
and greet the health workers. .
Similar programs were held by many shalhas across USA at places like New Jersey,
Oakland etc. -GoTop
12. HSS OAKLAND SERVICE TO BURMESE REFUGEES: The
Burmese (Buddhist) Refugee community of Oakland had been facing various
difficulties including rations etc. HSS Alameda team created a plan to support
these families by involving Balgokulam shakha families. Under the campaign,
‘Each One Feed one’ shakha families were asked to support with a grocery packet
for the month of June. It was extended for last two months based on the
requirement. Karyakartas visited the monks and other Buddhist families and now
plan to take care of various requirements such as education to kids, vocational
training to young ones and providing some transportation means etc. -GoTop
13. LONDON MANDIR’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS: The
year-long celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of BAPS Shri Swaminarayan
Mandir, London, culminated with a gripping documentary that explored the
Mandir’s rich history and profound international impact.
The journey began with an insight into the arduous search for suitable land as
well as the challenging economic climate in the early 1990s. Narrations from
senior swamis, volunteers and devotees revealed Pramukh Swami Maharaj’s
unshakeable faith and personal connection that inspired devotees to join a
‘labour of love’ and offer their heartwarming personal sacrifices.
Following its inauguration, the Mandir harnessed the efforts and collective
spirit of thousands of volunteers who served individuals and families to create
a better community, a better nation and a better world. This has been
acknowledged by some of the country’s most prominent individuals including HRH
The Prince of Wales and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson who have shared
their messages of goodwill and gratitude through personal testimonies. -GoTop
14. MORAYAA RE BAPPA MORAYAA RE!: Ganesh chaturthi
festivals are usually held in great fervor with the sthapana of decorated Ganesh
murti, aartis and Prasad. This festival was celebrated in restricted environment
due to Covid -19 restrictions in countries like Nepal, Australia, New Zealand,
Malaysia, Fiji, Mauritius, Carribean and European countries and USA etc.
Only two priests at a time conducted the daily prayer at the Ganesh Temple in
Flushing, Queens, New York. The Maha Vallabha Ganesh Temple in Flushing where
over 3000 prasadams are distributed daily each year, all the festivities were
held virtually this year but the temple was open for in person viewing and
prayer for five hours.
Hindus and Buddhists celebrated Ganesh Chaturthi in Pattaya Thailand with
Pattaya tourism advisor Rattanachai Sutidechanai and Chaiwat Dechnatee,
president of the Pattaya Ganesh Lovers Club inaugurating the festivities. It was
held for one day this year culminating in the immersion of murtis at sea shore. -GoTop
15. BHARATIYA FLAG UNFURLED FIRST TIME AT TIMES SQUARE:
It was for the first time that the Bharatiya tricolour flag was unfurled
alongside the American national flag at the Times Square on 15th August – 74th
Independence day of Bharat. More than two hundred Bharatiya Americans were there
to witness the Bharatiya flag soaring high in the skies of the United States.
Similar celebrations were organized across the USA at places like Milpitas and
San Francisco, Tampa and New Jersey etc. by Bharatiya consulates and other
organizations. In Tampa, Florida, Pradhan Mantri Modi told members of the
American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Florida Association of
Physicians of Indian origin during a virtual event and day-long Medical
Symposium, “Bharat’s not for money but for humanity. We are known to be
connected with humanity.” -GoTop
16. IRELAND'S 1ST HINDU TEMPLE INAUGURATED IN DUBLIN:
The temple is located in Walkinstown in Dublin and it is the first of its kind
for the Hindus of Ireland.
The temple named Sarv Sampradaya Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre was
inaugurated on the auspicious day of Ganesh Chaturthi on 22nd August. The temple
has been established by the Vedic Hindu Cultural centre Ireland (VHCCI), which
propagates the teachings of Sanatan Dharma in Ireland. Apart from being a place
of worship for an estimated 25,000-strong Irish-Hindu community, the temple will
also hold other activities such as yoga classes, language and Vedic classes,
music and dance workshops, etc. -GoTop
17. NAMASTE IS THE NEW HELLO! EMMANUEL MACRON WELCOMES
ANGELA MERKEL: The novel coronavirus has changed our lifestyle 360 degrees
including the greeting habits. More people, especially world leaders are opting
for the Bharatiya greeting way of ‘Namaste’ to greet each other rather than
going for a handshake. From US President Donald Trump to Israel Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, everybody is taking the namaste route to welcome each other.
And the recent one to join the club is German Chancellor Angela Merkel and
France President Emmanuel Macron who greeted each other with a ‘namaste’.
Macron welcomed Merkel for her first-ever visit to the presidential summer
residence with a namaste, palms pressed together and bending at the waist, in
observance of social-distancing guidelines against coronavirus spread. The
German Chancellor reciprocated as she too switched to namaste. -GoTop
18. 244 PILGRIMS VISIT MATA VAISHNO DEVI TEMPLE ON FIRST
DAY: After nearly five months, the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrimage in Trikuta
hills of Jammu and Kashmir resumed on 23rd August morning, with nearly 244
pilgrims proceeding to the holy temple from Katra.
On August 4, the Executive Committee of the Department of Disaster Management,
Relief Rescue and Rehabilitation for the Union territory decided to reopen all
religious places across Jammu and Kashmir from August 16, subject to observance
of standard operating protocol (SOP). This fixed a ceiling of 5,000 pilgrims
visiting the temple daily, after registering online. The Shri Mata Vaishno Devi
Shrine Board, however, has decided to allow only 2,000 pilgrims daily in the
first week.
The board has made face masks/face covers and thermal screening mandatory for
pilgrims. Children below 10 years, pregnant women, persons with co-morbidities
and those above 60 years have been advised to avoid the yatra in view of the
Covid-19 risks. -GoTop
19. IIT-INDORE TO TEACH ANCIENT BHARATIYA SCIENCE IN
SANSKRIT: IIT-Indore has introduced a one-of-its-kind course to teach
classical scientific texts to students in Sanskrit, starting with
Bhaskaracharya’s mathematical treatise ‘Lilavati’ which is almost a thousand
years old. More than 750 people from across the globe have signed up for the
course that started on August 22. The first edition will end on October 2;
Gandhi Jayanti. The institute has lined up fortnightly programmes to teach
metallurgy, astronomy, medicines and plant sciences in Sanskrit. Students can
study classical Bharatiya scientific texts in their original forms and converse
about them in the ancient language. -GoTop
20.SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care
about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. --
Swami -GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
--
BHARAT WITHOUT RAM WOULD NOT BE BHARAT
Maria Wirth
Hindus have shown immense restraint
and have waited for many decades, and indeed centuries, till finally the Supreme
Court gave the green signal for the construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on
the very place where 500 years ago the great Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir had been
destroyed by Muslim invaders and a mosque built in its place.
It’s a day for celebration on 5th August, when Bhoomi Pujan will happen, because
Ram is not only the beloved Prince and later King of Ayodhya, but an Avatar of
Vishnu, the sustainer of the universe, and he is alive in the hearts of Hindus.
Bharat without Ram is not Bharat. Ram personifies Dharma and Ram Rajya, just
rule, and has immense importance for Bharat.
Even I came to know about Shri Ram soon after I landed in Bharat and read about
his life. I remember an incident of 1985. Some boys had discovered me sitting at
the back of a shrine at the outskirts of Chamba near Tehri and typically for
Bharatiya kids, who are never shy, asked me, “Do people, where you are from,
also know about Ram?” “No, where I am from, people don’t know about Ram”, I
replied. They looked disappointed. Only then I realised that the crackling of
loudspeakers that I heard from a village downhill, was in preparation for the
Ramlila.
A year later, I attended the grand Ramlila in Varanasi, which is performed over
30 evenings in October/ November, and wrote about it for a German magazine to
let the people, where I am from, also know about Ram.
The article was over 6 pages with many photos. I reproduce it here shortened in
English, since a truly historic day is coming up for Bharat. After 500 years the
start is made so that Shri Ram is getting back his palace. Finally.
Here is my article from 1986:
Ram, the prince of Ayodhya, lived many thousand years ago. Yet even today most
people in Bharat know in detail his eventful life story, which is recounted in
the Ramayana. Not only in Bharat but in Nepal, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and
Indonesia, too, Ram had great influence on art and literature. An international
Ramayana festival last year in Bangkok made clear, how alive Ram is even today
and which great importance the Ramayana has in Southeast Asia. ‘If Asia has an
epic in common, it is the Ramayana’, was declared in Bangkok.
In Bharat, the land of its origin, however, the Ramayana is more than a grand
epic. It is a sacred scripture that contains all what one needs to know to live
a dignified life and to conduct oneself in an ideal way in the different
relationships. Ram is not only an exemplary human being, but an avatar, a
conscious embodiment of the divine principle that comes down to earth whenever
the bad is gaining the upper hand, and humanity strays from the dharmic path.
Valmiki, supposedly a contemporary of Ram, narrates in 24,000 Sanskrit shlokas
vividly the life story of the prince, who later becomes the king of Ayodhya. In
the 17th century Tulsidas wrote the story of Ram in colloquial Hindi and made it
even more popular. Ram is an ideal, an outstanding example for others – noble,
just, brave, ever protecting the weak, and doing the right thing at the right
time. He is ready rather to die than to break his word and prepared to wage a
war to rescue his wife Sita who had been kidnapped by the demon king Ravana.
Sita, the princess who marries Ram, possesses all the virtues, which a woman is
supposed to have according to the ancient rishis. She is modest, chaste, always
intent on the wellbeing of her husband, warm hearted, full of trust in God,
considerate, graceful – and exquisitely beautiful.
Feminist groups, which also exist in Bharat, are likely to find fault with Sita,
yet the majority of Hindu women do not care. They revere Sita as their ideal
even today.
For Ram to be a model for others, he has to have a difficult life. And he indeed
faces countless, unexpected complications and hardship. For example on the very
day, when the handsome, much loved prince is to ascend the throne, his father
Dasaratha, caused by an intrigue in the palace, has to send him into exile for
14 long years.It breaks his father’s heart. Ram calmly takes off the festive
robes and dresses in a simple gown. Sita and his brother Lakshman insist on
joining him. And so the three of them finally walk out of the town into the
forest – and the whole of Ayodhya weeps.
To my very western question when this happened, I always got the same answer:
“Many thousand years ago for sure. But the exact date is not important.
Important is, to let Ram come alive in your inner vision and learn from him for
your own life.”
This ‘present’ view or attitude has no doubt a valid point and is probably the
reason, why Bharatiyas do not get tired to listen again and again to Ram’s story
or to watch it in village plays. In Varanasi, I met a man who had attended the
Ramlila there 35 times. Each year he followed Ram with devotion and attention
for 30 nights.
The Ramlila in Varanasi is staged in Ramnagar on the other side of the Ganges,
under the patronage of the Maharaja, with great pomp, yet very traditionally.
There were no loudspeakers in spite of thousands of spectators and people were
not allowed to take photos with a flash.
The Ramlila culminates at Deepavali, when Ram returns to Ayodhya after his exile
and takes over as king, whose benign, selfless and just rule was unparalleled
and is still remembered. Every evening before the play, puja is performed for
the actors and thereafter they are considered to be true embodiments of their
roles. Many people touched respectfully the feet of the 12-year old boy who
played Ram, when there was an occasion during breaks. The actors were right in
the midst of the crowd. There was a festive atmosphere with food carts and
stalls selling trinkets. When Ram went into exile, several thousand spectators
walked with him around two kilometres to the place, where the next episode would
unfold. An amazing experience in itself.
The Maharaja moved high up on a fabulously decorated elephant through the crowd.
The Yuvaraj was sitting on another elephant, which was also splendidly
decorated.
I have fond memories of the journeys back across the Ganges in the middle of the
night after the play. Mainly men crossed over to the town on countless, crowded
boats in the stillness of the night – once it was even 4 o’clock in the morning.
They narrated excitedly to each other, how admirably Ram had conducted himself
today and how exemplarily Sita had reacted –as if it had just really happened
and they had had the good fortune of having been present. When the talking
occasionally stopped, they started singing “Siya Ram, Siya Ram” – everyone in
his own tune and rhythm. Towards the end of the boat ride, when we were gliding
past a Shiva temple on the ghats of Varanasi, they interrupted their “Siya Ram”
for a moment and full throatily shouted a salutation to Shiva: “Hara Hara
Mahadev!”
I was not afraid of riding alone in a cycle rickshaw at that late hour from the
Ganges to the tourist bungalow near the railway station through unusually empty
streets. My trust was never disappointed. Varanasi is a fascinating, intense
city, where life and death are present side by side and this world and the
beyond merge into each other. Kashi (light) was the name of the city in ancient
times. In all likelihood it is the most ancient of all towns on this earth and
has its origin in an age, when the world was still more transparent for its
luminous essence and less dense in the material sense. (August 4, 2020,
https://kreately.in) -GoTop
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in http://shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com
