Pausha Shukla 3, Vik. Samvat 2077, Yugabda 5122 : 16 January, 2021:SM 2020 (For Private Circulation only)
1. FESTIVALS: VASANT PANCHAMI: Vasant Panchami,
celebrated on Magha Shukla Panchami (16th February this year) is a festival that
marks the preparation for the arrival of spring. The festival is dedicated to
goddess Saraswati who is goddess of knowledge, language, music and all arts. It
also marks the agricultural fields' ripening with yellow flowers of mustard
crop, which is associated with Saraswati's favourite colour. People celebrate
the day by wearing yellow (white), eating sweet dishes and display yellow
flowers in homes. Many families mark this day by encouraging their young
children to write their first words with their fingers, an auspicious start to
formal education. Many educational institutions arrange special prayers or pujas.
2. DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT CELEBRATES PONGAL AT CHENNAI: RSS
Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat participated in Pongal celebrations by visiting
the Sri Kadumbadi Chinnamman Temple in Ponniammanmedu on 14th January. 
Dr Bhagwat was on a 2-day tour to Tamil Nadu where he also addressed young
professionals and start-up owners.
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3. "UNTIL WE DON'T UNDERSTAND SWADHARMA, WE CANNOT
UNDERSTAND GANDHIJI'S SWARAJ": DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: The Centre for Policy
Studies, in association with Har Anand Publishers published the book 'Making of
a Hindu Patriot' authored by Dr. J K Bajaj and co-authored by Prof M D Srinivas,
on 1st January. RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat released the book in the
presence of Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel and
other dignitaries. 
The Sarsanghachalak echoing the thought put forth by Gandhiji added that "In
order to understand what Swaraj is, we need to understand what 'Swadharma' is?
Until we don't understand Swadharma, we cannot understand Gandhiji's Swaraj."
Minister of State for Culture Prahlad Singh Patel stated that the context and
the timing of the book is significant and congratulated the authors about the
release.
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4. WELLESLEY HINDU COMMUNITY ASSISTS WITH COVID RELIEF:
HSS USA chapter at Wellesley Massachusetts donated about 2500 pounds of food at
the South Worcester Neighborhood Center (SWNIC) drop-off location as part of
their Nationwide SewaDiwali initiative (sewadiwali.org). Wellesley residents and
local chapter members, Dr Lakshmi Thalanki and the staff of Family Orthodontics,
Hudson, made notable group donations of more than 850 pounds while the Batch of
‘95 from Hostel-4 at IIT Bombay donated 550 pounds. 
5. BHARATIYA NGO DISTRIBUTES FOOD TO NEEDY IN MYANMAR:
An NGO, ‘COVID-19 Hindu families Relief Group' formed by the Bharatiya community
is providing free food and medical aid to those affected due to the COVID-19
pandemic in Yangon and other parts of Myanmar. 
6. BHARAT SENDS RELIEF TO CYCLONE-AFFECTED PEOPLE OF FIJI:
The first consignment of relief materials from Bharat for the
cyclone-affected people reached Fiji on 2nd January. Another consignment also
followed around 6th January.
Despite challenges posed by the pandemic, over 6 tons of relief supplies were
put together in a short span of time by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)
and were airlifted to Fiji with the help of Air India and Fiji Airways via
Sydney, Australia.
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7. 16TH PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIWAS 2021: PM urges youth to
use technology to take forward Bharat's pride and culture across globe
Inaugurating the 16th Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention through virtual mode on
9th January, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi urged the youth to use technology to
take forward Bharat's pride and culture across the globe. He said, in the past
years, Non-Resident Indians have strengthened their identity by showing their
commitment for the betterment of the society. He added that he feels proud to
hear heartwarming stories of NRIs coming forward and helping those in need.
Rashtrapati Ramnath Kovind, while concluding the PBD-2021 said that Our diaspora
is our face to the world, and champions Bharat’s cause on the global stage. It
has always come to Bharat’s aid, whether it is for advocacy regarding
international issues of concern to Bharat, or contributing to the Bharatiya
economy by way of investments and remittances, The Rashtrapati said that we are
indebted to Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee whose vision re-energised the links with
our diaspora. The Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations started in 2003 when
Atalji was the Pradhan Mantri of Bharat.
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8. PRAVASI BHARATIYA SAMMAN AWARDS-2021: The Pravasi
Bharatiya Samman Award (PBSA) is the highest honour conferred on overseas
Bharatiyas. PBSA is conferred by the Hon’ble Rashtrapati of Bharat as part of
the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas Convention on Non-Resident Indians, Persons of
Indian Origin or an organization/institution established and run by the
Non-Resident Indians or Persons of Indian Origin in recognition of their
outstanding achievements both in Bharat and abroad. The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman
Awards were conferred by the Hon’ble Rashtrapati at the PBD Convention in the
valedictory session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas celebrations.
9. SEWA USA HONORED IN PBD AT CGI OFFICE NEW YORK: In
recognition of Sewa International’s services to the community Consulate General
of Bharat awarded Sewa USA on the eve of PBD 2021. Rajesh Sharma, Rashmita
Shanbhag and Mani Venkat received the award on behalf of Sewa International. 
10. HSS SNY 2021 UPDATES: SUN SALUTATION IN SCHOOLS:
Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS USA has announced the Fifteenth annual "Health for
Humanity Yogathon" or "Surya Namaskar Yajna". The 16-day event, starting on 16th
January, aims to create awareness about Yoga and its advantages in achieving a
healthy body, mind, and spirit. Surya Namaskar integrates simple Yoga postures
in 10-steps that, along with easy breathing technique, can provide immense
health benefits to both the body and the mind.
11. GLOBAL INDIAN SCIENTISTS & TECHNOCRATS MEET: Bharat
is blessed with a large vibrant diaspora community, including in the Science &
Technology (S&T) sector. With exceptional contributions where they work, they
are eager to share their knowledge, experiences, and connect Bharat to the
emerging technologies for the development of Bharat.
Global Indian Scientists & Technocrats GIST forum is an initiative to bring
together such talent. As part of the India International Science Festival (IISF
2020), GIST Meet was organized with objectives to empower the rural masses
through application of technologies and to develop partnerships for creating and
applying S&T based solutions.
The GIST Meet concluded after a special address by Jayant Sahasrabudhe (National
Organizing Secretary, Vijnana Bharati) and concluding address by Dr. Shekhar C.
Mande, Director General, CSIR.
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12. SEWA UK RIKSHAW RUN 2019 VEHICLES DONATED: Sewa
International UK had organized Rikshaw Run 2019 from Kanyakumari to Karnavati (Ahmedabad)
for fundraising for divyang community in December 2019. 90 riders from UK and
Australia participated. The vehicles used in this program were also meant for
donation to organizations working for differently abled people. 
13. RAM TEMPLE TO BE SYMBOL OF BHARAT'S SELF-RESPECT AND
PRIDE: DR KRISHNA GOPAL: "The temple will be a symbol of self-respect and
pride of the country”, said RSS Sah Sarkaryawaha (Joint General Secretary) Dr
Krishna Gopal while briefing Press at Gandhinagar on 7th January. He was
interacting at the culmination of 3-day Akhil Bharatiya Samanvay baithak
(meeting of key karyakartas from various affiliated organizations) near
Gandhinagar in Gujarat. 
Around 150 karyakartas participated in the meeting and deliberated on various
programs and activities.
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14. AYODHYA MANDIR WORK TO BEGIN BY JANUARY-END: The
work on the foundation for Sri Ram Mandir at Ayodhya will start by the end of
January. General Secretary of the Shri Ram Janmasthan Teerth Kshetra Trust
Champat Rai said in a press conference at Kanpur on 4th January that the temple
will be completed in 36 to 39 month’s time from the day construction starts.
Engineers and experts from around 10 institutes, including the National
Geophysical Research Institute (Hyderabad), Central Building Research Institute
(Roorkee), IIT-Bombay, IIT-Guwahati and IIT-Madras, were engaged in the study,
he added.
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15. PANGONG LAKE OPENS TO TOURISTS: The Ladakh
administration has re-opened Pangong Lake, the region’s most prized picnic spot
and one of the main theatres of the ongoing standoff between the Bharatiya and
Chinese armies, for tourists from 10th January after nearly a year.
The decision to reopen Pangong came a day ahead of Bharatiya army’s move to hand
back a Chinese soldier, who was apprehended by the Bharatiya side in the
southern bank of Pangong Tso. The soldier had transgressed to this side.
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16. TOP FRANCE AWARD TO IISC PHYSICIST ROHINI GODBOLE:
Prof Rohini Godbole from the Centre for High Energy Physics (CHEP) at the Indian
Institute of Science (IISc) Bengaluru has been awarded the “Ordre National du
Mérite”, or the National Order of Merit, considered among the highest
distinctions bestowed by France.
A renowned Bharatiya physicist and academic, Godbole has worked extensively on
different aspects of particle phenomenology over the past three decades and was
involved in research in a collaborative effort between French ‘Centre national
de la recherche scientifique’ CNRS and IISc, named the Indo-French Laboratory in
Theoretical High Energy Physics (IFLTHEP).
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17. EFFECTIVENESS OF BHARAT'S MARITIME PREPAREDNESS TESTED
IN TWO-DAY MEGA EXERCISE: Bharat's preparedness to deal with all possible
challenges in the maritime domain, including contingencies from peace to
war-time, was tested in a two-day multi-agency military exercise, January 12-13,
that covered the 7,516 km-long coastline and exclusive economic zone.
The second edition of exercise 'Sea Vigil' particularly focused on the efficacy
of the measures initiated to plug gaps in the coastal security set up following
the Mumbai terror attack in 2008.
"The conceptual and geographical expanse of Sea Vigil included the entire
coastline and exclusive economic zone of the country and contingencies from
peace to war-time were exercised. In addition, mitigation measures, on shore, in
case of any breach in coastal security were also validated," the Navy said in a
statement.
In addition to assets of the Bharatiya Navy, a large number of platforms of the
Marine Police and the Customs Department were also deployed during the second
edition of the mega drill.
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18. SWAMI HARSHANANDA PASSES AWAY: The Bengaluru head
of Ramakrishna Ashram, Swami Harshananda, passed away due to a cardiac arrest at
the ashram on 13th January noon. He was 91 years old, and was suffering from
age-related illnesses. 
He worked in Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Allahabad and Belur Mutt in West
Bengal (headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission). He was a polyglot and an
expert in Sanskrit, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Bengali and English, sources said,
adding that he has several books to his credit, including ‘A Concise
Encyclopedia of Hinduism’.
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19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: We have no enemy — neither in this world nor in this
nation. There are people who might be considering us as their enemies. Our job
is to not get affected by them and instead take them also along with us. This,
in reality, is the ‘Hindutva’. - Dr. Mohan Bhagwat, P.P. Sarsanghachalak, RSS (Yashaswi
Bharat)
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JAI SHRI RAM
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A TIME FOR SELFLESS SERVICE
CAMILLE HUNTE
SewaTT is ‘Express’ Community Group of the Year 2020...
Sewa International TT (SewaTT) represents what a non-governmental organisation
really should be.
This is according to SewaTT chairman Revan Teelucksingh, who said yesterday he
was humbled that the organisation’s efforts at bringing aid to those in need is
being recognised with the Express newspapers’ Community Group of the Year award.
The award, which is in its 42nd year, is presented annually to the group or
organisation which has made a significant contribution within its communities or
nationally.
The organisation is completely run by a network of volunteers and financed
solely by public donations. It receives no Government assistance, but each year
is able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and relief items,
which are distributed to those in need.
Volunteers receive no salary or stipends and often use their own resources to
help others, meaning that 100 per cent of funds donated to the organisation is
used to provide aid.
Rising to the challenge
The organisation has since branched out to organising blood donation drives, as
well as providing food, books, clothing and other relief items to those in need
locally, as well as sending disaster relief items to other Caribbean islands.In
2016, 2017 and 2018, SewaTT responded to severe flooding which occurred in areas
of North, Central and South Trinidad by coordinating the provision of meals,
groceries, cleaning supplies, health care and laundry services to people who
had been severely impacted.
Additionally, in 2017, the organisation arranged the donation of basic
necessities to citizens of Dominica who experienced the devastation of
hurricanes Maria and Irma.
In 2020, SewaTT rose to the challenge yet again, taking a leading role in
providing relief to those impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Teelucksingh said
the pandemic created an even-greater need for the organisation’s services as
many families struggled to meet their basic needs during this time. SewaTT
partnered with a number of supermarkets, implementing a system where members of
the public could purchase “food packs” at subsidised prices to donate to needy
families.
Covid relief
Through SewaTT’s efforts and the generosity of donors, 6,100 families benefited
from food support while another 805 relief kits were provided to families with
special needs during the Covid-19 “lockdown” period.
Financial support was also provided to families whose needs exceeded food
support while some 3,000 individuals were assisted with the means to fill out
and print grant application forms.
Front line medical staff were also in receipt of aid, with SewaTT having
provided hundreds of meals to medics during the period of restaurant closures.
The organisation also stepped in to help pupils who did not have the means to
participate in virtual classes by donating refurbished tablets and laptops to
underprivileged pupils. Additionally, the NGO embarked upon a mask donation
drive, producing and distributing 22,000 reusable masks to members of the
public, 3,800 masks to the Prison Service, and donating 41,800 surgical masks to
health workers across T&T.
Meanwhile, the group continued to provide upport to its usual clients,
including distributing meals to the Court Shamrock Homeless Shelter.
Great opportunity
The organisation’s charitable activities in 2020 are too numerous to list, but
Teelucksingh said 17 major projects were undertaken involving a network of 400
volunteers and 17,792 volunteer hours, which benefited some 57,218 people.
SewaTT has already set a 2021 goal of ramping up its diabetes prevention
programme, which Teelucksingh says has been a success thus far. It is a
partnership with the Indian High Commission in promoting yoga as an adjunct
therapy in the control and management of diabetes.
“It is wonderful. I think it is one of the most prestigious recognitions that we
could get because we have not been recognised much for the work that we do. This
is a big thing for us because it will expose us to more volunteers. This
recognition is a great opportunity for us to reach more volunteers to continue
doing the work that we do,” he said.
Teelucksingh encouraged those who want to become involved to sign up on the
SewaTT website, sewatt.org. (31 December 2020 www.trinidadexpresss.com)
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SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in http://shrivishwaniketan.
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