\ SAMVAD संवाद
श्री विश्व निकेतन SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN
Ashwin A. Shukla 14, Vik. Samvat 2077, Yugabda 5122:1 October 2020: SM 2013 (For Private Circulation Only}
1. FESTIVALS: SHARADIYA NAVARATRA, DASHAHARA: Sharadiya Navaratra begins with Ghatasthapana on October 17, the first day of Aashvina Shukla paksha. Durga Ashtami and Maha Navami are falling on the same day, i.e., October 24 this year. October 25 is Dashahara, the festival of the victory of Dharma over the evil. October 26 is the birth anniversary of Shri Madhvacharya, the great proponent of Dwaita Vedanta.-GoTop
2. BABRI MASJID DEMOLITION VERDICT : ALL 32 ACQUITTED: A
special court acquitted, on 30th September, all 32 accused including former
deputy prime minister L K Advani in the demolition of the disputed Babri
structure at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
"The accused tried to stop the demolition," said special CBI judge Surendra
Kumar Yadav in Lucknow. The court said that the demolition was not planned and
some members of the crowds impulsively attacked the structure.
BJP leaders Advani, 92, Murli Manohar Joshi, 87, Uma Bharti, 61 and Kalyan Singh
former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh were not present in court and watched via
video link when the verdict was announced.
Advani welcomed the judgment. "The judgement vindicates my personal and the
BJP's belief and commitment towards the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
RSS Sarkaryavaha Suresh (Bhayyaji) Joshi tweeted ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
welcomes the decision of honour acquittal of all the accused in the case related
to the destruction of disputed structure by CBI special court.’ Welcoming the
judgment, VHP working President Alok Kumar called it victory of 'truth and
justice'. He said, "The decision in the criminal case related to the disputed
structure of Ayodhya has arrived and truth and justice have triumphed.
-GoTop
3. SARASANGHACHALAK IN WEST BENGAL : RSS Sarsanghachalak
Dr Mohan Bhagwat, during his two-day visit to Kolkata during 22-23 September,
engaged in various in - house meetings with karyakartas. Stressing for
sustainable development work mainly in rural areas, Dr Bhagwat asked karyakartas
to focus more on five ‘Gatividhis’ (activities) including education,
self-reliance, agriculture, health, and social environment. He took note of the
various social welfare works and the issues faced in the implementation of the
schemes. He asked the local units to have at least one ‘Shakha’ in each block of
the state. -GoTop
4. SEWA INTERNAITONAL SUPPORTS NATIVE AMERICANS: As a
part of continuous support to Native American community all over the USA, Sewa
volunteers donated sanitation and PPE items for the elders of Gila River Indian
Reservation in Arizona on 18th September. The donation was warmly welcomed by
the Board members and the Governor Steven. Bharatiya community, with the help of
various organizations, grants and most importantly donors, has donated relief
supplies worth $100K to Native Americans all over the USA through Sewa
International.
https://sewausa.org/event-3962382 -GoTop
5. REFLECTIONS@50: VHP AMERICA GOLDEN JUBILEE: Four
outstanding personalities from different walks of life set the virtual stage for
‘Reflections@50: Walking in Dharma’ – online golden jubilee celebrations of
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (World Hindu Council) of America on 19-20 September.
Interweaving references from the Bhagavad Gita, Vyomesh Joshi CEO 3 D systems,
spoke on ‘Authentic Leadership’ and how Hindu scriptures guided him in leading
global companies as well as dealing with triumphs and setbacks. Vandana Tilak,
CEO of Akshaya Patra USA, in her keynote address on ‘Seva – the First and Last
Frontier’ dwelt on her philosophy of looking beyond oneself and her service
through a leading non-profit organization - Akshaya Patra. Dr. Raj Vedam, an
acclaimed scholar and co-founder of think tank, Indian History Awareness &
Research, highlighted how Hindu identity has steadily come to be defined not by
Hindus but by others, subverting Hindu identity. Benny Tillman aka Balabhadra
Bhattacarya Dasa, a direct disciple of his Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami
Prabhupada, serving as the first African American President of the Vedic Friends
Association pointed out that society is confused about the real purpose of life,
which according to Vedic teachings should focus on self-realization as well as
material development.
Among the highlights of the two day-webinar were eight enlightening panel
discussions with well-known speakers - entrepreneurs, heads of organizations,
religious leaders, academicians, dignitaries, and youth leaders. About 3,200
people registered and participated in the virtual conference.
-GoTop
6. BHARAT’S BEFITTING REPLY TO PAK PM AT UNGA:
Exercising the ‘Right of Reply’ to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s
virtual address at the 75th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Mijito
Vinito, an IFS officer from Nagaland, the first secretary at Bharat's UN mission
to the United Nations, called upon Pakistan to vacate all those areas of Jammu
and Kashmir that it is in illegal occupation of. “Pakistan is the same country
that provides pensions for dreaded and listed terrorists out of state funds.
This is the same country that has the dubious distinction of hosting the largest
number of terrorists proscribed by the United Nations,” Vinito further said.
-GoTop
7. NAMAMI GANGE - LARGEST RIVER CONSERVATION PROGRAMME PM
MODI: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi inaugurated six mega projects in
Uttarakhand under the Namami Gange Mission through video conference on 29th
September. The projects include the construction of a 68 MLD (million liters per
day) sewage treatment plant, upgradation of the existing 27 MLD plant at
Jagjeetpur and construction of an 18 MLD sewage treatment plant at Sarai in
Haridwar.
PM Modi said that the Government moved forward with new thinking and new
approach and did not limit the Namami Gange Mission to the cleanliness of Ganga
and made it the largest and comprehensive river conservation programme in the
country.
Pradhan Mantri also inaugurated “Ganga Avalokan”, the first museum on Ganga
dedicated to showcasing the culture, biodiversity and rejuvenation activities
done in Ganga river. The museum is located at Chandi ghat, Haridwar.-GoTop
8. ‘VIDYA DAANAM’ SUPPORTS CHILDREN IN TRIBAL HAMLETS: A
team of RSS swayamsevaks and few like-minded NGOs have come up with the ‘Vidya
Daanam’ program for children in remote tribal hamlets of Kerala. As per the
program, the team raised necessary funds to install televisions required for
e-learning. As Keralites celebrated Onam, a group of Sangh swayamsevaks traveled
all the way from Pathanamthitta (district center where Sabarimala temple is
located ) to the hamlets in remote Gavi area through the dense forests. They
handed over three LED televisions to needy students in Gavi settlement colony.
Two televisions were installed at the local anganavadi, where students can
jointly attend classes. “It is important to ensure that more students come
on-board and therefore facilitation of e-learning process is significant”, said
the ‘Vidya Daanam’ team. The noble deed of ‘Vidya Daanam’ team has been well
received and applauded by the Janjati hamlets and its residents.-GoTop
9. BHARAT HAS A 1500-YEAR-OLD FRIENDSHIP WITH ISRAEL:
Senior RSS functionary and member of the RSS National Executive Indresh Kumar
said that Bharat has a 1500 year old friendship with Israel while speaking at
the national webinar organized by the Indo-Israel Friendship Forum (IIFF)
recently to mark the 102nd anniversary of the Haifa Victory Day. The topic of
the webinar was ‘Significance of Indo-Israel Cooperation in the New World
Order’. Though the modern state of Israel came into existence after the
martyrdom of the brave Bharatiya soldiers during the 1918 Haifa battle, Bharat
shares its friendship with the Jew Nation for the past 1500 years, Indresh Kumar
said. Mrs. Rony Yedidia-Clein, the Deputy Chief of Mission of Israel Embassy in
Bharat expressed her gratitude for the Bharatiya people for cherishing a long
and loyal friendship with Israel. V. Ravi Kumar Iyer, veteran RSS pracharak said
that Bharat and Israel share a historical relationship, which has flourished
after 2014. -GoTop
10. NEW JERSEY GENERAL ASSEMBLY COMMENDS HSS COVID – 19
EFFORTS : The New Jersey General Assembly has recognized the Covid-19 relief
efforts carried out by HSS USA in a citation and mentioned that the leaders and
members of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh rose to the occasion and raised more than USD
55,000 and organized numerous initiatives like ‘Mission Mask’ providing 74,250
cloth masks to hospitals, providing 11,300 pounds of food to senior citizens and
Covid-19 patients. Terming HSS as nation’s largest Hindu – American
organization, the assembly has praised HSS as ‘Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh has
established a model to emulate and set a standard for excellence toward which
other might strive.’-GoTop
11. JOY OF SHARING EVENT AT NORWALK CALIFORNIA: For 19
Sundays in a row, about 140 volunteers, at the behest of the Joy of Sharing
Foundation, based at the Sanatan Dharma Temple at Norwalk, California have
distributed 21,000 freshly cooked vegetarian meals and distributed 7,600 bags of
free groceries to 24,000 people living in 40 different cities that neighbour the
foundation’s premises.
While Bhikhubhai Patel spearheads the work of the foundation, others who joined
in to help included the father-son duo of Adhir and Shrenik Shah; the Gandhi
couple, Dr. Varun and Sheenika and the Gujarati Society of Southern California.
The Good Karma LA helped with its street team serving 2,500 hot meals and 1,350
masks to over 5,000 homeless people in Skid Row.-GoTop
12. BHARAT SUPPORTS NEPAL RAILWAYS JANAKPUR TEST DRIVE:
Nearly 100 years after Nepal’s first railway line was constructed to join Raxual
with Amlekhganj, the country has finally taken a new stride by test driving two
brand new Bharat-built trains on the 45km Jayanagar-Janakpur line on September
18. The gleaming new trains will be operated by Nepal Railways, and will be
extended 61km to Bardibas to connect in future to the East-Way railway line. The
railway project is being undertaken with the Bharatiya government assistance.
Besides the Janakpur train, the only other railway line in Nepal at present is
the 6km broad gauge from Raxual to the Sirsiya Inland Container Port that
connects landlocked Nepal to sea ports in Bharat. It was inaugurated in 2005 and
serves as an important link for Nepal’s trade with the outside world.
-GoTop
13. HOUSTON POST OFFICE NAMED AFTER SIKH COP DHALIWAL:
The US House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to honor
Bharatiya-American police officer Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal who was killed in the
line of duty in 2019. The bipartisan bill, Deputy Sandeep Singh Dhaliwal Post
Office Act, will name a post office in Houston after the slain Bharatiya-American
Sikh cop. Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher told the House on September 14 that
Dhaliwal was widely regarded as a role model for Americans of all faiths.-GoTop
14. 2 WOMEN TO OPERATE HELICOPTERS FOR BHARATIYA NAVY:
In yet another landmark decision defining gender equality in Bharatiya Armed
Forces, two women officers have been selected to join as ‘Observers’ (Airborne
Tacticians) in Bharatiya Navy’s helicopter stream. They are the first set of
women airborne combatants who would be operating from warships. Sub Lieutenant (SLt)
Kumudini Tyagi and SLt Riti Singh are a part of a group of 17 officers of the
Navy, including four women officers and three officers of the Bharatiya Coast
Guard, who were awarded ‘Wings’ on graduating as ‘Observers’ at a ceremony held
on 21st September at INS Garuda at Kochi. The group comprised 13 officers of
Regular batch and four-woman officers of Short Service Commission batch.
-GoTop
15. DRDO SUCCESSFULLY CONDUCTS FLIGHT TEST OF ABHYAS:
Defense Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) successfully conducted the
flight test of ABHYAS - High-speed Expendable Aerial Target (HEAT) from the
Interim Test Range at Balasore in Odisha. This can be used as a target for
evaluation of various missile systems.
During the trials, the user requirement of 5 km flying altitude, vehicle speed
of 0.5 mach, an endurance of 30 minutes and 2g turn capability of the test
vehicle were successfully achieved which means that two demonstrator vehicles
were successfully test flown.
Abhyas is designed & developed by Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE),
DRDO. -GoTop
16. INS VIRAAT’S FINAL JOURNEY!: Aircraft carrier INS
Viraat served the Bharatiya Navy for 30 long years. In March 2017, the glorious
era of INS Viraat culminated after being decommissioned at Naval Dockyard,
Mumbai. INS Viraat holds the world record as mentioned in the Guinness Book of
Records for being the longest-serving warship of the world. The ship was the
centerpiece of the Navy, housed the fighters Sea Harriers of INAS 300, Anti
Submarine aircraft Sea King Mk 42B and the SAR helicopter Chetak as an integral
flight. INS Viraat’s legacy as HMS Hermes under the British Royal flag was no
less glorious. Her role in Operation Mercy in 1974 and the Falklands War in 1982
are now textbook references for future navies.
-GoTop
17. SHIVANGI SINGH, RAFALE SQUADRON’S FIRST WOMAN PILOT:
Flt Lt Shivangi Singh becomes the first woman fighter pilot to get selected
for the Indian Air Force’s (IAF) Rafale squadron. She is undertaking training
and will formally become a part of the 17 Squadron, ‘Golden Arrows’ in Ambala
airbase. Commissioned into the IAF in 2017 as part of the second batch of women
fighter pilots, Flt Lt Shivangi Singh has been flying MiG-21 till now.
-GoTop
18. BHARAT’S PRIVATELY DEVELOPED CRYOGENIC ROCKET ENGINE:
Hyderabad-based startup ‘Skyroot Aerospace’ has unveiled Bharat's first
privately developed indigenous fully Cryogenic rocket engine Dhawan-I, on the
occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of the renowned Bharatiya rocket
scientist- Dr. Satish Dhawan and named it after him. The company, Skyroot
Aerospace has already tested a solid-fueled engine, but the cryogenic engine is
even more significant because of the extreme complexity in the technology and
the handling of its fuels. -GoTop
19. UNESCO HONOURS ODISHA'S TSUNAMI READY VILLAGES:
Odisha's two villages were recently honoured by UNESCO for being Tsunami ready
villages. Odisha has become the first state in the country and thus Bharat
becomes the first country in the Indian Ocean Region IOR to have any such
villages.
The villages are Noliasahi, Jagatsingpur district and Venkatraipur, Ganjam
district. These villages have received Certificate of Recognition and
Appreciation from UNESCO's - Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission ( IOC )
in a virtual event. Some of the criteria on which a place is recognized as
Tsunami Ready are :- Public display of Tsunami related information; Community
Tsunami risk education plan and annual Tsunami community exercise; Reliable
means for a 24 hour warning point to receive official tsunami threats and
issuance of round the clock Tsunami alerts to public etc.
-GoTop
20. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
प्रसन्नतां या न गताभिषेकतस्तथा न मम्ले वनवासदुःखतः।
मुखाम्बुजश्री रघुनन्दनस्य मे सदास्तु सा मञ्जुलमंगलप्रदा ।।
May the splendour of Sri Rama's lotus-like face, which neither grew brighter at
the prospect of His being installed on the throne of Ayodhya nor was dimmed by
the painful experience of exile in the woods, ever bring sweet felicity to me.
-- Ayodhyakanda of Shri Ramacharitamanas by Goswami Tulsidasji.
-GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
TRIBUTE TO
DATTOPANT THENGADI JI
A STALWART THINKER, ORGANIZER AND VISIONARY
Dr. Manmohan Vaidya
The time when the late Dattopant
Thengadi Ji set the foundation stone of Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, communism was
at its pinnacle across the world. Starting a grassroots national labour movement
rooted in the pure Bharatiya Darshan and building it brick by brick amidst odds
was a lofty task then. It called for conviction, devotion, and persistence on
his part. When I try to grasp the frame of mind he would’ve had then, I am
reminded of this allegory :
The spring breeze was still a distant memory.
Mango flowers had yet to appear on the trees.
Just then, a tiny creature stepped out from his warm earthly dwelling.
Indifferent to the rouge winter winds shaking his little frame, he began his
walk.
“Stay put,” his well-wishers tried convincing him, they warned him of the
impending dangers.
He, however, didn’t heed a single piece of advice.
At long last, after an arduous march, he reached the Mango Tree.
Taking a brief glance at the tall tree trunk he proceeded onto a steep upward
climb.
Perched on one of the tree branches, a parakeet was intently watching his moves.
Bending his neck, he finally asked, “oh earthly creature, what brings you here,
in this cold weather?”
“Mango nectar,” pat came a reply.
Laughing hysterically, the parakeet thought to himself, “he sure is the king of
fools.” “My bird’s-eye view has inspected each cranny. There isn’t a hint of
Mango here, Silly,” he smirked. Steadying his wobbly steps the little creature
retorted “You might be seeing what you see, but when I get there the Mango will
surely appear.” The response of that creature is like that of a yogi. One who
does not wallow in self-pity; who doesn’t fear unfavourable circumstances.
Without a trace of even a band of colour on the horizon, he believes the promise
of the inevitable dawn. He doesn’t doubt that each step of his walk is
consequential and will bear fruits. No matter how much the clever and the wise
try to beat sense into him, he remains true to the music of the drummer deep
within. His heart resounds the verse “absorb yourself in ‘Hari,’ find Hari in
everything that absorbs you.”
It is for all to see, as of today Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh is the largest labour
organisation in Bharat.
No matter how accomplished one is, an able organizer is open to his co-worker’s
thoughts and suggestions and promptly accepts the appropriate ones in the
interest of the organisation. Thengadi ji was such a gifted organiser. When the
decision to take up some organisational activity among workers (trade unions)
was made, the nomenclature contemplated was – “Bharatiya Shramik Sangh”. Yet the
discussion that ensued among the karyakartas illuminated the fact that the group
of the society that this organization will work with will find the word
‘Shramik’ too difficult to comprehend. People of some states might not be able
to even pronounce it. Therefore in place of ‘Shramik,’ the colloquial ‘mazdoor’
should be used. This suggestion was duly accepted and the organization came to
be known as ‘Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh.’
Working in an organization entails the journey from ‘me’ to ‘we’. This
transition is not easy for any extraordinarily adept person. Usually, such a
person is a shadow of his ego. This ego crops up from time to time. Sages, the
realised souls have illustrated the irony of the ego when they said, “it is that
evil which spares the ignorant and throttles the knowledgeable.” However,
safeguarding oneself from such self-criticism is necessary for those who work
within, for or with an organization. Thengadi ji had mastered this art. Even in
a casual dialogue, while expressing an opinion, offering an insight or a
solution he used ‘we’ and not an ‘I’. Elevating one’s sense of self so thin so
as to integrate all the people that one is associated with is requisite for an
organizer and Thengadi ji was a prolific organizer in this sense.
Another noteworthy quality of Thengadi ji was that he was warm and friendly to
all co-workers, their designation and qualification notwithstanding. Placing his
hand on their shoulders, he would promenade with even an ordinary worker, making
the worker indistinguishable from him. These gestures put the workers seeking
his counsel at great ease. Forgetting that they were speaking to a national
leader or a renowned thinker of the international stature, they came to see him
as their own family elder or a wise community member. While doing so, no
artificial efforts were required for Thengadi ji, it used to be effortless and
natural.
He was also very well-read person with an in-depth understanding. Often times
while in a conversation, he would refer to texts from many books and mention
anecdotes of several political leaders. But one trait of his that shines bright
in my memory is when a novice karyakarta like me would narrate an anecdote or
say a joke that was originally told to us by him, he would listen to it
sincerely. Such patience is extraordinary. Many senior karyakartas too are often
tempted to dismiss a conversation by saying “I know that.” But Thengadi ji
listened to each word intently, as if hearing it for the first time. Not only
that, he would go a step further and mindfully reflect upon that remark and
unmistakably add a new anecdote or joke thereon. Deep connection with
ground-level co-workers is indeed a sign of a great leader.
Despite the temptation, intention and efforts to broaden work undertaken,
avoiding needless hurry is also the quality of an excellent organizer.
Parampujaniya Shri Guruji would often say “Dheere-Dheere Jaldi Karo” (hasten
slowly). One must not be in a haste. A friend of mine was a senior leader in
Shri Sharad Joshi’s ‘Shetkari Sanghatana-’ a farmers’ movement in Vidarbha
region.
Eventually, he got disillusioned with the movement and came in contact with my
younger brother who was also an agriculturist at the time.
In view of Kisan Sangh’s recent commencement, my brother deemed connecting this
farmers’ leader to the organization appropriate. He introduced that man to me.
Thengadi ji was overseeing the operations of the organization in those days,
therefore I approached him with this proposition at Nagpur. Thengadi ji was
familiar with this person. I was optimistic that the association of an
established leader will aid the momentum of Kisan Sangh’s work and Thengadi ji
will welcome him in the organization. However, no sooner had I finished drawing
the backdrop and pinning my suggestion on top he declined it. I was baffled.
Later Thengadi ji explained to me that he rejected this leader because Kisan
Sangh was a small organization then. He was afraid the organization would not be
able to absorb a leader of that man’s stature and he, in turn, would engulf the
organization, diluting our efforts. He didn’t want that to happen. To which I
said, “if Kisan Sangh doesn’t absorb him then BJP will assimilate him in their
party and give him a ticket to contest the elections.” Unphased Thengdi ji
calmly responded, “BJP might be in a hurry, we are not.” His lucid and confident
response was enlightening and it was then that Shri Guru ji’s words, “hasten
slowly” had a new-found meaning for me.
Besides a great organizer, Thengadi ji was also a philosopher. Depths of
Bharatiya philosophy would subtly unravel in one’s dialogues with him. The
domination of communist thought on the labour movement was such that their
thought-process and terminology managed to percolate among almost all labour
organisations of that era, becoming apparent in their slogans. At that time he
replaced communism-oriented slogans with slogans that were pertinent reflections
of Bharatiya Darshan. “Udyogon Ka Rashtriyakaran – Nationalisation of
industries” was replaced with “Rashtra Ka Audyogikaran – Udyogon Ka
Shramikikaran aur Shramikon ka Rashtriyakaran” means “Industrialisation of the
nation – Nationalisation of labours – Labourisation of industries(worker-centric
culture in industries)” Inconsiderate and unreasonable slogans that intensified
the strife among workers and employers like, “Hamari Mange Puri Ho – Chahe Jo
Majboori Ho (fulfil our demands, no matter whatever be the constraints)” were
replaced with “Desh ke Liye Karenge Kaam – Kaam ke Lenge Poore Daam (we will
work for the nation and will also take the due compensation for the same)” in
the form of these minor changes, awakening the spirit of patriotism.
Besides Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh and Kisan Sangh, Thengadi ji was instrumental as
a key participant in setting a foundation for many other organizations. Akhil
Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Prajna Pravah, Vigyan
Bharati are a few among those. His essay on Bharatiya Kala Drishti (Indic
perspective on performing arts) became the intellectual foundation of Sanskar
Bharati.
Walking in the midst of a stalwart thinker, organizer and visionary like
Thengadi ji, witnessing the seemingly mundane yet exceptional activities like
the manner of his speaking, his style of conducting himself and being blessed
with his guidance are moments of bliss and a great honour for me. My humble
tribute on the auspicious occasion of his birth centenary.
(The author is Sahsarkaryavaha, RSS, http://www.vskbharat.com 17 September
2020 ) -GoTop
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in http://shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com
