Kartik Shukla 1, Vik. Samvat 2077, Yugabda 5122 : 16 November, 2020:SM 2016 (For Private Circulation only)
1. FESTIVALS:
DEEPAWALI CELEBRATED IN BHARAT AND ABROAD: Deepotsav at Ayodhya: The Uttar
Pradesh government lit a record 5.84 lakh diyas at the banks of the River Saryu
in Ayodhya on the occasion of Diwali on 13th November. The event entered the
Guinness Book of Records for the largest display of oil lamps.
11,000 earthen lamps were lit at the Sri Ram Janmabhoomi in the evening. A grand Aarti was also held at the Saryu River.
Diwali was celebrated with gaiety and fervor amidst the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic throughout Bharat and in many parts of the globe. The restrictions have been relaxed in many parts of Bharat and people have started traveling and visiting markets and other places. An appeal made to use Bharatiya made earthen lamps, saw its huge demand and an appeal was also made to light a diya in the name of soldiers who are guarding the frontiers.
Dubai lauds massive Diwali celebrations
Bharatiya Consulate in Dubai organized an event to mark the festival of lights by inviting various UAE dignitaries and leaders of multiple religious communities on 12th November. Held in association with FOI Events, the event witnessed the participation of around 50 guests. It began with the national anthems of the UAE and Bharat, followed by the lighting of the traditional lamp by the main guests.
Consul General of Bharat in Dubai Dr Aman Puri thanked the Rulers for creating a cohesive and safe environment for celebrating Diwali even amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
A cultural programme was held at the Consulate General of Bharat in Dubai on this occasion.
The iconic Empire State Building New York was lit up in orange and famous Sydney Opera in a golden orange hue on the eve of Deepawali.
For the first time in South Africa, two kings of indigenous communities of the country have helped celebrate Diwali. The festival was held in Nongoma, around 30 km North of the coastal city of Durban, at the Osuthu Royal Palace of King Goodwill Zwelithini, the monarch of South Africa’s largest indigenous community, the Zulus.
Also joining the celebrations was King Makhosoke II of the Amandebele community. The festival was organised by Professor Ishwar Ramlutchman, the head of the Sivananda World Peace Foundation, who is also the only person of Bharatiya origin who has been anointed as a prince of the Zulu nation.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
hailed the Diwali spirit, victory of good over evil as he delivered a message of optimism about overcoming the corona virus pandemic for a first-of-its-kind virtual Diwali festival, 'iGlobal Diwali Fest 2020'.
"Just as Lord Ram and his Sita found their way home after the defeat of the demon king Ravana, their way lit by many millions of lamps, so too we shall find our way through this, and we shall do so triumphantly."
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
Extending Diwali greetings to Bharatiyas across the globe and in Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said "Diwali symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance, despite this dramatic shock in generations due to Covid-19, we have supported each other,
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern too wished on this Deepawali occasion. Diwali was celebrated in many countries and it is an official holiday in several countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, Trinidad, Guyana etc. -GoTop
2. SANSKRITIZATION OF ENGLISH WILL ENRICH THE LANGUAGE EXPERTS: Knowledge and proper understanding of the meaning of Sanskrit words is the prerequisite to negate all efforts to malign and mislead the masses about the real meaning and import of these words, said RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat. He was speaking at a virtual book release of a book 'Sanskrit Non-Translatables: The Importance of Sanskritizing English' written by noted scholar Rajiv Malhotra and Satyanarayan Das Babaji on 6th November.
Others who spoke at the program were Swami Govind Dev Giri, scientist Padmabhushan Dr. Vijay Bhatkar, Madhu Kishwar etc. -GoTop
3. VIVEKANANDA STATUE UNVEILED ON JNU CAMPUS: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi unveiled a statue of Swami Vivekananda in the JNU campus on 12th November and asserted that people may have ideological differences but ideology should be seen supporting and not opposing the nation in matters of national interest.
4. BHARATIYA ARMY CHIEF CONFERRED HONORARY RANK OF 'GENERAL OF NEPALI ARMY': In a huge moment, the Chief of Army Staff Bharatiya Army, General MM Naravane was conferred the honorary rank of General of the Nepali Army by Nepali Rashtrapati Bidya Devi Bhandari.
The practice follows a seven-decade-old tradition of conferring Army Chiefs of each other's country with the honorary title. Commander-in-Chief General KM Cariappa was the first Bharartiya Army Chief to be decorated with the title in 1950. In January last year, Chief of Nepali Army, General Purna Chandra Thapa, was also made the honorary General of the Bharatiya Army by Rashtrapati Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in New Delhi. -GoTop
5. VHPA INAUGURATED ITS FIRST HINDU CENTER IN USA : On 24th October, the World Hindu Council of America (VHPA) inaugurated its first Hindu Center in the city of Sugar Grove, IL.
6. COVID-19 CHAMPION AWARD 2020 TO HSS USA: On Saturday October 24, 2020, United Sherpa Association (USA), Inc, in collaboration with the Humanitarians of the World Inc. organized “COVID-19 Champion Awards and Dinner Gala 2020” at New York where many community heroes and Hindu organizations like HSS USA, VHPA were honoured.
7. HSS EXTENDS HELPING HAND TO HISPANIC COMMUNITY: The Southern California chapters of the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Sewa International and Ekal Vidyalaya conducted an event as a part of ongoing COVID-19 service activities, donating more than 10,000 pounds of groceries and over 1,500 face masks and gloves to needy families through Hearts and Hands Working Together, a non-profit charity organization on 13th October.
8. ‘INDIA UNITY
DAY’ MARKS 145TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF SARDAR PATEL: The Bharatiya American
community in Southern California and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America-LA
chapter, in coordination with other local organizations, celebrated Sardar
Vallabhbhai Patel’s 145th birth anniversary as “Bharat Ekta Diwas (India Unity
Day)” through a webinar on October 31.
9. SIX BHARATIYA SCIENTISTS AMONG TOP 10 IN THEIR FIELDS; 1500 IN WORLD’S TOP 2%: Six scientists from Bharat rank among the top 10 contributors to their fields globally, and 11 are among the 10 most cited in their fields over the past year.
Within their own subfields, 26 Bharatiya scientists figure among the top 50 most cited scientists in the career-long list and 66 among the top 100. The metrics over the past year are even better — 44 among the top 50 in their own subfields and 104 in the top 100. The Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, has an edge over all other institutes in Bharat, with 94 scientists on the all-time list and 97 on the past year’s. Next come the IITs — Delhi (64 all-time, 81 last year), Kharagpur (43 and 68) and Bombay (40 and 50). -GoTop
10. BHARAT'S FIRST SEAPLANE SERVICE STARTS IN GUJARAT: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi launched the seaplane service between the Statue of Unity near Kevadiya in Gujarat's Narmada district and Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad on 31st October.
This will also be the first of its kind of Sea Plane service in the country. It will be managed by private airline SpiceJet which will operate a 19-seater plane, that will be able to accommodate 12 passengers. There will be four flights a day between Ahmedabad and Kevadia on each side — which means four arrivals and four departures. -GoTop
11. WHO SELECTS BHARAT TO SET UP ITS GLOBAL CENTRE FOR TRADITIONAL MEDICINE: The World Health Organization announced on 13th November that it will set up a Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Bharat. PM Narendra Modi expressed confidence that just like the country has emerged as the ‘pharmacy of the world’, the WHO institution will become the centre for global wellness.
Traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda can play an important role in integrated people-centric health services and healthcare, but they have not received enough attention, the WHO DG said. -GoTop -GoTop
12. AKSHAY PATRA OFFERS FREE SCHOOL MEALS IN ENGLAND: A charity that feeds millions of poor children in Bharat has joined the drive to end holiday hunger in England and distributed its first meals from a new kitchen in Watford.
Recipients at Mora primary included Atika El Mir, a mother of two, who said money was tight because her husband has less work due to Covid. “Everything is hard times now,” she said. “This is a good idea. It is so kind.” -GoTop
13. 10 LAKH FAMILIES SERVED:RSS PASCHIM MAHARASHTRA PRANT: Living up to its tradition to help the masses during trying times, the RSS recorded a new milestone in Maharashtra. The Paschim Maharashtra Prant reached upto one million families during the period of corona outbreak, lockdown and thereafter. The massive assistance campaign saw a participation of 8,817 swayamsevaks for more than 100 days while the campaign included various service works in 1,556 villages.
14. EX-MLC SELLS HER GOLD TO GIVE 20L FOR DEFENCE FORCES: Former BJP MLC Nishigandha Mogal, on the occasion of her 75th birthday, donated Rs 20 lakh for the benefit of war widows and ex-servicemen. “I simply thought of doing my duty towards the brave men in uniform and decided to donate my gold ornaments for the welfare of the defense personnel. The PM writing to me was a big surprise,” said Mogal, who served as a councillor between 1996 and 2000.
15. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Perfect health, sincerity, honesty, straightforwardness, courage, disinterestedness, unselfishness, patience, endurance, perseverance, peace, calm, self control are all things that are taught infinitely better by example than by beautiful speeches. — Sri Aurobindo -GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
----
AYODHYA RAM MANDIR: BEYOND THE VERDICT
Niranjan
Marjani
November 9, 2020, marks one year of
the Ayodhya verdict which paved the way for the construction of Shri Ram temple.
With this verdict, the waiting period of more than 500 years was over. The
construction of Shri Ram temple at Ayodhya, the birthplace of Shri Ram, is not
just a fulfilment of the wish of millions of Indians, but the process that was
followed in reaching there is reflected in India’s approach to domestic and
international issues. Further, the same could be applied as a solution to the
conflicts that are currently witnessed the world over. It is important to
consider which issues have the Ayodya verdict has addressed.
Faith and Constitution-based mechanism
The most contested point in the Ayodhya issue has been that of the supremacy of
Constitution over individual faith. Right through the Ayodhya case the Muslims,
especially their political and religious leaders have been opposing the
construction of Shri Ram temple. The argument they presented was that
construction of Shri Ram temple was against the secular tenets of India’s
Constitution. Besides, there was a lot of opposition to construct a temple where
a mosque once existed. The Muslim leaders conveniently neglected the fact that
the mosque was constructed by destroying the temple which originally existed at
that site.
While the final settlement of the dispute was about the ownership of the land,
it started as the dispute between two faiths. Although the Muslims kept
reiterating their views about secularism and Constitution-based mechanism, the
Hindus have been more loyal to both the concepts in letter and spirit. The
Ayodhya dispute started with the destruction of Shri Ram temple at the hands of
Islamic invaders more than 500 years ago. It implies that the beginnings of this
dispute date back to the time when the current political and legal systems were
not in existence. Also, the destruction had implied undermining of one faith by
the other faith. So Hindus had every right to feel aggrieved since their place
of worship was desecrated and destroyed.
Despite this, the Hindus have followed the Constitutional system to settle the
dispute. The dispute had also come down to ownership issue in the final stages
of the resolution. Essentially the dispute has lasted over not just different
time periods but also different political systems. But Hindus conformed to the
current legal system in order to reach the resolution of the dispute. However,
the talk from the Muslims about Constitutional mechanism has faded after the
judgement and the start of construction of the temple. On the occasion of the
groundbreaking ceremony of Shri Ram temple, the All India Muslim Personal Law
Board expressed its threat saying that it does not accept the temple and once a
mosque is always a mosque. The duality about secular credentials and adherence
to Constitutions on the part of Muslims has been exposed with this verdict while
the Hindus won the case through the legal mechanism.
With the rise in conflicts in different parts of the world, the need for strong
institutions stands more pronounced. In India, the Ayodhya issue, which has
essentially been a clash of civilizations, was settled after a long but fruitful
legal process
The myth versus reality debate
The Ram temple issue had also raised the debate about the myth versus reality.
Over the years, the existence of Shri Ram temple or for that matter Shri Ram
himself has been disputed. Any existence of temple was denied. Similarly, Shri
Ram was considered as an imaginary person and not a real person. All this while,
the sensitivities of Hindus were never considered.
Hindus revere and worship Shri Ram. Also, Ramayan and Mahabharat have always
been called mythological epics. These are histories of India and not
mythologies. This factor has never been considered despite proof about the
existence of personalities and events of the two available.
The Ayodhya dispute only accorded an opportunity to the Hindus to prove the
existence of Shri Ram temple. Although a matter of faith, the Hindus presented
historical and archaeological evidence of the existence of the temple. These
were also corroborated with religious texts which were otherwise called a work
of fiction. These pieces of evidence spanned across various centuries. But
ultimately the existence of the temple was proved in the most scientific
manner.
India’s foreign policy in the past few years has been revolving principally around the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific Region. China’s strategic assertion has been a major concern for India as well as other regional and extra-regional powers with interests in the region. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s conduct of foreign policy has been one of a vocal proposition of freedom of navigation and rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific Region. At the same time, he has been calling for multilateralism whereby interests of all the powers are protected.
Further India’s policy has been the one that advocates democratization and strengthening of international institutional mechanism. While delivering the speech at this year’s United Nations General Assembly, Modi had emphasized on this very point. He called for more efficiency in the functioning of an organization such as the United Nations. It is important to have a strong mechanism in place so as to effectively deal with crises such as the ongoing COVID-19.
The verdict on Shri Ram temple has been the result of an institutional mechanism in place. While the issue has been a highly contested one, the Hindus who are in majority, had put faith in the legal process and had shown readiness to accept the verdict. The ruling party, BJP, has had in its manifesto the construction of Shri Ram temple at Ayodhya as one of its goals. In the last two general elections, in 2014 and 2019, the BJP won with an absolute majority. But the party and the government chose to follow the legal process to resolve the issue. There were even attempts to resolve the issue through dialogue and deliberation. When the resolution was not found through these methods, ultimately the legal method was relied upon.
With the rise in conflicts in different parts of the world, the need for strong institutions stands more pronounced. In India, the Ayodhya issue, which has essentially been a clash of civilizations, was settled after a long but fruitful legal process. The Ayodhya verdict has brought a long-standing dispute to a conclusion. A historical wrong has been corrected with this decision and the start of the construction of Shri Ram temple. This verdict is landmark since it encompasses several aspects and answers several questions that have been a part of the Indian society even beyond the temple issue.
(The writer is a Political Analyst and Researcher) 9 November 2020 https://www.organiser.org/Encyc/2020/11/9/Ayodhya-Ram-Mandir-Verdict.html -GoTop
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in http://shrivishwaniketan.
