\ Samvad
Pausha Krishna 2, Vik. Samvat 2077, Yugabda 5122 : 1 January, 2021:SM 2019 (For Private Circulation only)
1. FESTIVALS: GANGASAGAR MELA: Gangasagar Mela is regarded
as the second largest fair after the Kumbha Mela which is held every 4 years.
Gangasagar mela is celebrated during 13th – 15th January every year and attracts
thousands of pilgrims from all around the world. It is held at the Sagar’s
Island, about 100 km from Kolkatta, which is situated on the tip of the Ganges
delta at the top of the Bay of Bengal. The preparations for the mela begin from
13th January and end on 15th January.
2. DR MOHAN BHAGWAT INAUGURATES KESARI WEEKLY’S NEW HQ:
RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat inaugurated Kesari Weekly’s new Headquarters
in Calicut, Kerala on 29th December. The new headquarters will house Kesari
Media studies and research centre and a digital library.
The book goes in detail about the problems faced by RSS in Kerala. Its workers
were tortured by the hooligans of CPM with the support of state machinery.
The Organizing Committee President P R Nathan, O Rajagopal, MLA, Swami
Chidananthapuri, Swami Narasinhananda Saraswathi, and the Chinmaya Mission
regional head Swami Tejomayananda were among those who were felicitated at the
function. -GoTop
3. CONSTRUCTION OF RAM MANDIR – RASHTRA MANDIR: In an
intensive and extensive campaign from upcoming Makar Sankranti January 15 to
Magh Purnima February 27, VHP Karyakartas would reach out to 110 million
families of 400,000 villages of the country and propagate and flourish Ramatwa
by connecting the common man directly with Shri Ram Janmabhoomi, said Shri
Champat Rai, Secreatry of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Tirth Kshetra trust in a
press conference at Delhi recently. With the support of people of every caste,
creed, sect, region and language of the country, the Ram Mandir would actually
take the form of a Rashtra Mandir. 
4. HSS (UK)’S UK PARLIAMENT WEEK ACTIVITIES GO NATIONWIDE:
Over 40 shakhas (activity centers) and 2,000 members of the Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh HSS UK recently came together to host UK Parliament Week. UK
Parliament Week is an initiative founded by the House of Lords and the House of
Commons to inform and educate British citizens on the work and role of
Parliament. It began in 2011 and last year over 1.2 million people took part in
it nationwide. Through interactive activities, HSS UK engaged members of the
public in polling, petition drafting, letter writing and more. The week-long
virtual conference was attended by 41 MPs, including Sir Graham Brady, Alex
Chalk, Theresa Villiers, Bob Blackman etc. 
5. HRSC KENYA: DONATION DONE AT WAMBA: Hindu Religious
Service Center, Kenya recently donated maize meal, sugar, salt, cooking fat and
tea leaves at Wamba Nomadic Girls Child Rescue Centre to one of the conservancy
(Namunyak Conservancy), out of the 39 conservancies managed by North Rangelands
Trust.
6. TRUMP PRESENTS LEGION OF MERIT TO PM NARENDRA MODI:
US President Donald Trump presented the prestigious Legion of Merit to Pradhan
Mantri Narendra Modi on 21st December for his leadership in elevating strategic
partnership of the two countries and emergence of Bharat as a global power.
The Legion of Merit, in the highest degree of the Chief Commander, is a
prestigious award conferred by the US President, typically upon heads of state
or heads of government of other countries.
Trump also presented the Legion of Merit to Australian Prime Minister Scott
Morrison and the former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
-GoTop
7. JOINT CHAIR IN HINDU AND JAIN STUDIES IN CALIFORNIA:
Over two dozen families, individuals and foundations have come together to
create a joint Endowed Chair in Jain and Hindu studies at California State
University, Fresno. The Endowed Chair will be housed in the department of
philosophy in the College of Arts and Humanities and will be an integral part of
the university’s religious studies program.
A professor who is an expert in both the religions’ traditions will be appointed
as interim chair in 2021. Additionally, the Chair also will support Jain and
Hindu scholarly endeavors for students including scholarships, stipends and
research funds. -GoTop
8. WANT GLOBAL COMMUNITY TO INNOVATE IN BHARAT: PM MODI:
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi invited the global community to innovate in Bharat,
invest in the country and its talent and said the government is ready to accept
any challenge and improve research environment in the country. 
He said the government's efforts are aimed at making Bharat the most trustworthy
centre for scientific learning. -GoTop
9. SII’S BHARAT’S 1ST - WORLD’S CHEAPEST PNEUMONIA VACCINE:
The Serum Institute of India (SII) launched Bharat’s first homegrown
pneumonia vaccine called Pneumosil on 28th December. The vaccine, aimed at
preventing deaths due to pneumonia, is also claimed to be the world’s cheapest.
10. PM PROPOSES CREATION OF LIBRARY OF BUDDHIS LITERATURE,
SCRIPTURES IN BHARAT: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi addressed the Bharat-Japan
SAMVAD conference on 21st December and proposed the creation of a library of
traditional Buddhist literature and scriptures in Bharat.
Pradhan Mantri stated that the library will collect digital copies of all such
Buddhist literature from different countries and will aim to translate them, and
make them freely available for all monks and scholars of Buddhism. PM Modi said
that it is his honour to be addressing the sixth Bharat-Japan SAMVAD conference.
-GoTop
11. WEST BENGAL'S FIRST OIL AND GAS RESERVE TO NATION:
Dharmendra Pradhan, Minister for Petroleum & Natural Gas and Steel, dedicated
West Bengal's first oil and gas reserve, the Bengal Basin, to the nation.
The Union Minister also said that the production has started from the petroleum
reserve and the extracted oil is sent to the Haldia refinery of Indian Oil
Corporation (IOC). It is worth to mention that the crude oil discovered at the
Ashokanagar reserve is of high quality. -GoTop
12. HOW THIS VILLAGE IN PALGHAR IS BLOOMING ON BAMBOO:
Mumbai-based professional Gaurav Shrivastav started his journey with Keshav
Srushti, a not-for-profit organization at Bhayandar, way back in 1992. Under the
Keshav Srushti Gram Vikas Yojana (KSGVY) which works for the upliftment of
tribal people, Shrivastav adopted a village called Tetawali in Vikramgad taluka,
Palghar.
“Backed by Keshav Srushti, I organized a trainer for them, who taught the women
and youth to make hand-crafted products from bamboo. And after mastering the
craft, their products found a way to Mumbai markets in turn bringing them
monetary benefits,” Shrivastav passionately explains.
Sounding like a proud parent who has seen his child grow, Shrivastav says, “They
also received an award worth Rs 52,500 from UMED, a government body, for their
mesmerizing designs. In fact, in Diwali last year, they got a huge order from
the UK to make bamboo auto-rickshaws, for which they received a handsome
amount.” Shrivastav adopted nine more villages and trained them in making 90
products (10 different products per village), and one village was trained in
bamboo construction (making livable structures).
“Today, we have managed to empower 300 women and youth from Vikramgad who are
making a living through bamboo-made handicrafts. The group has successfully
managed to launch an e-commerce platform (https://projectgreengold.com/), where
one can buy products made by these women. Over the past one year, all the women
associated with Project Green Gold have managed to earn Rs 12 lakhs in total —
the money is directly credited to their individual accounts,” Shrivastav adds.
(https://www.freepressjournal.in/mumbai/
- December 19, 2020) -GoTop
13. RECYCLING THE FLORAL WASTE: It’s the evening of an
auspicious festival and temples all over the southern city of Hyderabad are
crowded with worshippers, most bringing offerings of flowers: marigolds, lilies,
roses and chrysanthemums. The faithful leave the temples with blessings, but
they leave behind piles of blossoms and leaves too.
Hyderabad-based entrepreneurs Maya Vivek, 43, and Minal Dalmia, 41, say the
city’s lack of waste management for dead flowers paved way for their niche
start-up, Holy Waste. It is one of a number of small commercial enterprises in
the country using the dead flowers to make incense–instead of using charcoal and
sawdust, or other ingredients – as well as soap, dyes, or coloured powders for
Hindu religious festivals such as Holi.
Floral waste is collected four times a week from 20 Holy Waste collection bins
near a number of Hyderabad temples. The start-up produces handmade incense
sticks, soap, compost and personalized gifts. Vivek and Dalmia’s primary aim is
to convert the left-behind offerings into eco-friendly and child-safe products.
“Ten women are involved in packing the raw material and supplies. We pay the
women for their work or buy back the finished product,” says Vivek. Such
initiatives are also producing wonderful results in cities like Kanpur, Gaya,
and Mumbai etc. The Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP)
based at Lucknow lends its support to such initiatives. (https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/fashion-beauty/article/3113838/recycling-indias-floral-waste-how-flowers-left-temple):-GoTop
14. SELFLESS DEDICATION IS THE DRIVING FORCE FOR SANGH
WORKERS: DATTATREYA HOSABALE: “Countless books have been written on the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and every book has its own significance. But
when a book is written by a Sangh worker, the book has not only his experience
with the organization but also his deep feeling. 
15. BHARAT HAS TO BECOME YASHASVI – DR KRISHNA GOPAL:
Junaptithadheeshwar Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Awadheshanand Giri released
‘Yashasvi Bharat’, a compilation of speeches by RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan
Bhagwat at New Delhi in the presence of RSS Sahsarkaryavah Dr Krishna Gopal and
Auditor General of Bharat Rajiv Maharishi on 19th December. The book has been
published by Prabhat Prakashan.
Earlier, a compilation of speeches of the then Sarsanghchalak Shri Madhav
Sadashiv Golwalkar ‘Shri Guruji’ was published. Preface of ‘Yashwasi Bharat’,
has been written by former Prachar Pramukh Shri M.G. Vaidya.
Dr Krishna Gopal underlined that we have to become prosperous and powerful, but
beyond this, Bharat has to become Yashasvi.
The book ‘Yashasvi Bharat’ contains a compilation of 17 speeches given on
different occasions by Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat. The 286 page book was
edited by Shyam Kishore, editor of Lok Sabha TV.
-GoTop
16. ICONIC PASHUPATINATH TEMPLE OPENS AFTER 9 MONTHS:
Nepal’s iconic Pashupatinath Temple, the 5th century holy Hindu shrine, opened
for pilgrims on 16th December after being closed for nine months due to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
The devotees were allowed to offer prayers inside the temple going through all
the health safety protocols. Although the temple has been opened for visitors,
the special puja, singing of hymns and ritual activities would begin gradually
as per the temple authorities. -GoTop
17. SPORTS MINISTRY FORMALLY RECOGNISES YOGASANA AS
COMPETITIVE SPORT: The Sports Ministry formally recognized yogasana as a
competitive sport which will enable the ancient practice to avail government
funding.
Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and Minister of AYUSH (Ayurveda Yoga and
Naturopathy Unani Sidda Homoeopathy) Shripad Yesso Naik formally promoted
yogasana as a competitive sport during an event on 17th December. 
A National Yogasana Sport Federation of India (NYSFI) was also established for
preservation and development of yoga as a competitive sport. It was recognized
by the sports ministry as a National Sports Federation (NSF) last month.
The Sports Minister also said yogasana will be inducted in future Khelo India
Games programme. -GoTop
18. GATKA, KALARIPAYATTU INCLUDED IN ‘KHELO INDIA’ YOUTH
GAMES 2021: The Sports Ministry has approved the inclusion of four
indigenous games to be a part of ‘Khelo India Youth Games 2021’, scheduled to
take place in Haryana. The games include: Gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-Ta and
Mallakhamba.
19. KVIC BRINGS ALIVE 1000-YRS OLD MONPA HANDMADE PAPER:
The 1000-year old heritage art – the Monpa Handmade Paper of Arunachal
Pradesh – which was driven to the extinction, has come to life once again, with
the committed efforts of Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC).
The art, originated over 1000 years ago, gradually became an integral part of
local custom and culture in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh. Once produced in every
household in Tawang, this handmade paper was a major source of livelihood for
the locals. 
The fine-textured handmade paper, which is called Mon Shugu in the local dialect
has great historic and religious significance as it is the paper used for
writing Buddhist scriptures and hymns in monasteries. The Monpa handmade paper,
will be made from the bark of a local tree called Shugu Sheng, which has
medicinal values too.
Back then, such was the scale of production that Monpas used to sell these
papers to countries like Tibet, Bhutan, Thailand and Japan as no paper making
industry existed in these countries at that time.
-GoTop
20. M. G. VAIDYA: END OF AN ERA: RSS ideologue and
veteran journalist Madhav Govid Vaidya passed away in Nagpur after a brief
illness on 19th December. Shri M G Vaidya was the first official spokesperson of
RSS. 
Tributes were paid to Shri Vaidya by Rashtrapati Ramnath Kovind, UpaRashtrapati
Venkaiah Naidu, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi and many other dignitaries.
Born on 11 March 1923 in Wardha district of Maharashtra, M G Vaidya became a Sangh
Swayamsevak at the age of eight, when Dr Hedgewar was the Sarsanghchalak. In his
nine-decades-long journey as a swayamsevak, he was closely associated with
Guruji and all other Sarsanghchalaks of the Sangh. He held several important
responsibilities in the Sangh like ‘Akhil Bharatiya Baudhik Pramukh’ and ‘Akhil
Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh’ and national spokesperson. He was a Professor of
Sanskrit, Editor of ‘Nagpur Tarun Bharat’ and also member of legislative council
in Maharashtra from 1978-84. Shri Vaidya has written dozens of books on various
topics, ranging from politics to literature. His popular column titled “ Bhashya”
in “Tarun Bharat” ran for 25 years, and is considered one of the longest-serving
newspaper columns.
Shri Vaidya is survived by his wife , five sons and three daughters. His son Dr
Manmohan Vaidya is Sahsarkaryavah of the RSS, while his youngest son Dr Ram
Vaidya is also a pracharak based in UK.
Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagweat and Sarkaryavaha Bhayya ji Joshi paid their
tributes in a message : The demise of Shri Madhav Govind alias Baburaoji Vaidya
is the loss of a senior guardian for all the karyakartas of RSS. His life was a
prosperous and fine life, deeply aligned with Sangh’s thoughts and values, and a
manifestation of Sangh’s core values in all four vistas of his life viz.
personal, familial, social and professional. Through his characteristic style of
employing lucid words, logical approach and experiential interpretation in his
speeches and writings, he endeavoured to rightly present Sangh to the world all
his life.
BabuRao ji’s life has taught all of us the paramount importance of fulfilling
one’s duties in a steady and unwavering manner at every stage of life. While
following these messages from his life and implementing them in our own lives,
we pray that the Vaidya family and all of us get strength to bear this loss.
-GoTop
21. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr Ram
Vaidya, sah samyojk Vishwa Vibhag reached Bharat. Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Whenever I have read any part of the Vedas, I have felt
that some unearthly and unknown light illuminated me. In the great teaching of
the Vedas, there is no touch of sectarianism. It is of all ages, climes and
nationalities and is the royal road for the attainment of the Great Knowledge.
When I am at it, I feel that I am under the spangled heavens of a summer night."
-- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American philosopher and writer
-GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
ROOTED
IN RSS TRADITION, M G VAIDYA STROVE TO UPHOLD INDIAN INTELLECTUALISM
RAKESH SINHA
M G
Vaidya, who passed away on December 19, was a familiar name in the intellectual
life of India, and his contribution to many prominent discourses is invaluable.
In fact, his name is synonymous with RSS’s intellectualism. He worked with six
RSS sarasanghachalaks, including its founder K B Hedgewar. Vaidya joined the
Sangh at the age of eight in 1931 and his zeal for organisational and
ideological matters remained undiminished till the last breath.
He was appointed the Sangh’s first spokesperson and interacted energetically
with the media, with the objective of removing the then prevalent myths about
the RSS, and confronting secularist lies.
Vaidya accorded primacy to ideas, not personalities. This is one reason for his
popularity in the RSS. In a condolence meeting for Hedgewar, his successor M S
Golwalkar said, “RSS is not a votary of individualism.” Vaidya remained true to
this tradition all his life.
He was born in Taroda, a village in Maharashtra’s Wardha district on March 11,
1923 and received his primary education from the same school in Nagpur as
Hedgewar. His academic excellence led him to be a teacher at Morris College,
Nagpur. Vaidya later served as the chief editor of Tarun Bharat, a Marathi daily
run by the RSS. He also served as a member of Maharashtra’s Legislative Council.
He was among national leaders like Dattopant Thengadi and Nanaji Deshmukh, who
returned to the RSS after years in politics, without losing any of their
original ideological inclination. Vaidya believed in inclusive intellectualism,
which led him to develop friendship across ideological streams. This uniqueness
kept him free from intellectual or ideological orthodoxy. He never hesitated to
speak the truth. Books were his unfailing friends and his reading habits made
sure that Vaidya was never obsolete in any discourse.
In 2019, I requested him to write the foreword to my book, Understanding RSS.
This piece was, perhaps, his last serious contribution in the field of ideas.
Succinctly summarising the objective of the RSS, he wrote, “The RSS never aimed
at establishing an organised group within the society. Its mission has been to
organise the entire society. And everyone knows that any society is a complex
existence — it functions through various spheres of activities. Politics is one
sphere but not the only one. Organising the society means organising all these
spheres.” He believed that the organisation is a living instrument of
harmonising groups and communities, including political classes — not a
harbinger of conflicts. Vaidya unequivocally believed “politics is one sphere,
not the only one” and, therefore, it was a myth that the RSS existed for
political gains.
He was a voracious reader of the works of European thinkers but never submitted
to the Eurocentric intellectualism which has, unfortunately, trapped a large
number of our social scientists. He argued that contemporary Indian
intellectuals miss the distinction between the state and the nation.
Vaidya endorsed Ernest Barker’s definition of state as “a living body of
effective rules and in that sense, the state is about law”. The identity of a
nation, in contrast, is much greater and older than that of the state. For a
nation, the sentiments of the land in which people live for generations, a
common sense of history and the adherence to a certain value system, culture,
were essential. That is why the RSS’s mission is civilisational and is
represented by cultural nationalism in contemporary context.
Conviction in ideological movements is mostly confined to participants. The RSS
has initiated a new tradition. Its ideology is carried forward by values.
Without values, ideology loses its engine of effective transmission. Many
ideological movements have faced such dilemmas, and declined. The RSS emphasises
that a swayamsevak’s family should understand the organisation’s functioning and
ideological tradition: In other words, charity begins at home. That is why the
sons of several RSS workers have become the organisation’s pracharaks. Mohan
Bhagwat was inspired to become a pracharak as his father had served as one for
decades. M G Vaidya’s case is unique: His two sons, Manmohan Vaidya and Ram
Vaidya, are Sangh pracharaks. He would be remembered as an intellectual who
never practised ideological untouchability and was never a reactionary
theoretician. His life is a lesson for all those striving to uphold the Indian
tradition of intellectualism, and trying to give rigour to the idea of India.
—December 21, 2020 , The Indian Express
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in http://shrivishwaniketan.
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