\Samvad

Phalgun Krishna 3, Vik. Samvat 2077, Yugabda 5122 : 16 March 2021:SM 2024 (For Private Circulation only)


1. FESTIVALS: ASHTANIKA

2. RASHTRAPATI KOVIND AT VANAVASI SAMAGAM AT SONBHADRA

3. ‘MAKE AVIRAL-NIRMAL GANGA DRIVE A SUCCESS’:DR. BHAGWAT

4. WORLD’S BIGGEST CAMPAIGN FOR RAM MANDIR UNIFIED BHARAT – CHAMPAT RAI

5. BHARATIYA ENVOY TO SRI LANKA OFFERS PRAYERS AT RAM SETU

6. HINDU SWYAMSEVAK SANGH (HSS) ACTIVITIES

7. ICAR GETS KING BHUMIBOL WORLD SOIL DAY - 2020 AWARD

8. SEWA BOSTON YOUTH CHAPTER’S FOOD DRIVE

9. ARCTIC STORM URI: SEWA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTES FOOD, WATER AND ARRANGES SHELTER, MEDICAL HELP

10. BHARATIYA DIASPORA’S TIRANGA CAR RALLY IN CANADA

11. PM MODI RELEASES 11 VOLUMES OF SHRIMAD BHAGWAT GITA MANUSCRIPTS

12. BHARAT - BANGADESH MAITRI SETU INAUGURATED

13. HINDUTVA IS IDENTITY OF BHARAT – DATTATREYA HOSBALE

14. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGTH

Articles:

MEET THE INSPIRING WOMEN PADMA AWARDEES OF 2021

 

HSS (UK) PERSPECTIVES: SANGH MEANS ‘TO CONNECT’


1. FESTIVALS: ASHTANIKA: Ashtanika is one of the important Jain festivals and is one of the oldest Jain ritual observances. The word Ashta means eight and Aanika means every day. This ancient festival is next only to Dashalakshanaparva in importance.

This festival is observed for eight days and takes place in every four months, i.e. in Ashadh, Kartik and Phalgun. It lasts for eight days and ends on the Purnima, thus this year Phalguna Ashtanika begins on 20th March and ends on 27th March.
This ritual helps to gain greater spiritual insight, and wisdom. The observance of this ritual brings wish fulfilment for the devotees. -GoTop

2. RASHTRAPATI KOVIND AT VANAVASI SAMAGAM AT SONBHADRA: Rashtrapati Ramnath Kovind said that the development of the country can never be complete without the development of the people of tribal and dalit communities. He was speaking at the tribal gathering Vanvasi Samagam at Chapki area in Sonbhadra district of Uttar Pradesh on 14th March. He inaugurated the newly constructed building of Seva Kunj Ashram and the two hostels Varunoday, Antyoday and Shabari Bhojnalaya for students at the ashram. He performed Prakriti Poojan and havan with 11 representatives of Baiga Tribe.
A grand welcome was given to him after reaching Chapki with over 100 tribal artists welcoming him with their traditional Karma and Shaila dance.
Ramchandra Kharadi, National President of Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram presided over the function in which Governor of the State Ananadi Ben Patel and Chief Minister of state Yogi AdityaNath were also present. -GoTop

3. ‘MAKE AVIRAL-NIRMAL GANGA DRIVE A SUCCESS’:DR. BHAGWAT: RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat has asserted that volunteers will have to make all out efforts while working for holy Ganga as the mammoth Nirmal Ganga Aviral Ganga campaign is connected with the conscience of Bharat. While addressing volunteers during his speech at Ganga Samagra, he appealed, “This work can be completed only by awakening God within the person. We should not depend on the Government for this. For this, Ganga Aarti will be conducted in coastal village every morning and evening, training rituals to pilgrim priests and efforts for cleanliness of ghats, large plantations, water storage in ponds etc.” 
On 20th February, volunteers from six states gathered at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad camp at Prayagraj in which detailed action plan for making Ganga more accessible was prepared. -GoTop

4. WORLD’S BIGGEST CAMPAIGN FOR RAM MANDIR UNIFIED BHARAT – CHAMPAT RAI: Even as the world’s biggest campaign, ‘Ram Mandir Nidhi Samarpan Abhiyan’ for construction of the grand temple of Bhagwan Shri Ram at Ayodhya was completed on 27th February, it unified Bharatvarsh from East to West and North to South. Addressing a press conference, Champat Rai, Vice President of VHP and General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (Trust) said that even after the campaign, the devotees who missed this contribution drive can still make their contributions to the bank account of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra through the website, viz., https://srjbtkshetra.org/donation-options/
There were about 9 lakh volunteers in 1,75,000 teams who reached upto 4 lakh villages and all the wards of the urban areas. It is estimated that about 10 crore families have been contacted and contributions were received from every nook and corner of the country and from people of all walks of social life.
During this drive, many occasions and episodes were such that it moved the minds and hearts of the volunteers. At many places, while the beggars made their contributions, the daily wagers and small farmers also solemnly made their prayerful offerings. The Samarpan of the Rambhakt Muslim society is also significant. Devotees from outside Bharat are requested to wait a little more. They will be notified upon completion of FCRA formalities, said Champat Rai.
The fund collection, depositing in banks and accounting was meticulously planned and executed with the help of 40 control rooms and 38,125 karyakartas. 23 qualified karyakartas led by two chartered accountants monitored the entire network and software designed by Dhanusha Infotech Company of Hyderabad.
Champat Rai said that even if the final figures are yet to come, it can be said that till 4th March, the Samarpan amount would cross INR 2,500 crores. Significant among the contributions are Arunachal Pradesh—4.5 crores, Manipur 2 crores, Mizoram 21 lakhs, Nagaland 28 lakhs, Meghalaya 85 lakhs. Updating about the work going on at the Janmbhoomi site, he said that the foundation digging and earth removal works are almost 60% completed and it is expected that the foundation filling work will get started in the first week of April 2021. -GoTop

5. BHARATIYA ENVOY TO SRI LANKA OFFERS PRAYERS AT RAM SETU: On 11th March, Bharatiya High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Baglay offered prayers at Ram Setu in Sri Lanka. Baglay was seen offering his prayers at the sacred place with a priest who was assisting him with the rituals.
Earlier in the day, Baglay also visited the Thiruketeeswaram temple in Northern Province in Sri Lanks and attended the Mahashivratri puja. Ram Setu is often referred to with several names viz Rama’s Bridge, Adam’s Bridge, Nala Setu and Setu Band. The structure is a chain of shoals between Pamban Island (Rameswaram Island) off the South-Eastern coast of Bharat and Mannar Island off the North-Western coast of Sri Lanka.  -GoTop

6. HINDU SWYAMSEVAK SANGH (HSS) ACTIVITIES: HSS USA: On 11th March , as a part of Interfaith Alliance of Irving, HSS volunteers donated canned food & various supplies to Irving Care. Hindu community along with other faiths donated 2110 lbs worth of items. Anand shakha and Vijay shakha families in Irving were involved in this drive. HSS Seattle served over 300 warm lunches to CFH Bellevue (120), Union Gospel Seattle (90), Catholic Church Veterans (70) and others through the ‘Annalakshmi Sewa’ on 7th March.
HSS Dallas helping in COVID Mass vaccination drive in Collin county
HSS Dallas is approved to help COVID Mass vaccination drive in Collin county in Dallas. HSS is one of the very few approved organizations in addition to rotary clubs, few Churches and City staffed organizations. HSS’s continuing engagement with civic personnel and Sewa activities were useful while passing through the screening phase for the organizations.
The support will be in terms of Outside Greeting & Screening, Outside Traffic Control, Inside Navigators, Inside Check In & Screening etc.
HSS Japan carried out Cleaning Sewa in Shri Shri Radha Govind Ji Temple (Tokyo) with the help of swayamsevaks from Vivekanand Nishi Kasai Shakha and Rash Behari Funabori Shakha.
Saraswati Puja was carried out by HSS Osaka and Kobe on 21st February. Saraswati Vandana was presented by Biswajeet ji and Preeti ji. Shri Hari Shankar Sharma nicely explained the importance of Mata Saraswati in Hindu Culture.
Various HSS activities, especially the work for Adarsh-nagar Hindu refugee camp was explained by Natasha ji in form of presentation and videos.
Shri Ram Kalani ji (Hon President, The Indian Chamber of Commerce, Japan) also joined and shared his valuable thoughts. -GoTop

7. ICAR GETS KING BHUMIBOL WORLD SOIL DAY - 2020 AWARD: Ambassador of Bharat to Thailand Suchitra Durai received the prestigious King Bhumibol World Soil Day - 2020 Award of Food and Agriculture Organization on the behalf of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICAR on 10th March. Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand Dr. Chalermchai Srion conferred the award in a ceremony held at Bangkok.
The international recognition was announced by the Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome on the eve of World Soil Day - 2020 in view of the ICAR’s excellent contributions in Soil Health Awareness on the theme Stop soil erosion, save our future during the last year. -GoTop

8. SEWA BOSTON YOUTH CHAPTER’S FOOD DRIVE: Youth members from the Boston Chapter of Sewa International recently conducted a food drive that benefited five organizations including Roland’s House at Marlborough. Aarya and Maurya Virmani, both students at the Advance Math and Science Academy (AMSA), participated in the drive and chose to direct donations of about 700-800 pounds of non perishable food to Roland’s House based on current need.
Food drives are run by the Sewa group twice each year. Commenting on the accomplishments of Sewa youth, Geena Virmani, mother of AMSA boys, said, "The youth program surprises me at this age that these kids know that community service is important. It brings the community together.” -GoTop

9. ARCTIC STORM URI: SEWA INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTES FOOD, WATER AND ARRANGES SHELTER, MEDICAL HELP: Sewa International distributed over 43,000 pounds of food and hundreds of gallons of drinking water on 20th February to families affected by winter storm Uri in Houston.
Sewa is planning to distribute a truckload (43,000 pounds) of food every weekend for the next several months. These food drives are part of the COVID-19 and winter storm Uri relief efforts. “More than a million pounds of food will be distributed by the end of these drives,” said Nikhil Jain, Sewa’s Houston Chapter Coordinator.
Sewa volunteers swung into action as they started receiving calls about burst pipes, flooding of homes, and lack of heating. With a plumber’s help they were immediately able to fix leaks in about 13 homes over the weekend. Sewa shared a list of more than 500 plumbers serving different areas of Houston with the community desperate for quick, skilled help.
A young couple with an eight-month pregnant wife, and an elderly couple did not have drinking water and electricity. Sewa volunteers were quick to respond and help. The elderly couple was provided a host family to ride out the storm. Another elderly woman living alone was one of the many that Sewa helped with accommodation , food and water. -GoTop

10. BHARATIYA DIASPORA’S TIRANGA CAR RALLY IN CANADA: A massive car rally was held in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area by Bharatiya diaspora to show their solidarity with the Bharatiya Government in regards with the new farm laws. The rally also showed its solidarity with the Canadian Government's decision to import Covid Vaccine from Bharat. More than a thousand families participated in this car rally held on 28th February. There were attempts to disrupt the rally at different points along the route but the car rally organizers ignored the bullying and harassment.
Tiranga, Maple car rally in Brampton: Bharatiya diaspora in Canada organized a massive ‘Tiranga and Maple car rally’ to celebrate the growing ties of Canada and Bharat.
Hundreds of cars participated at the ‘Tiranga and Maple car rally’ in Brampton on 28th February.
Naresh Chavda, a prominent member of Gujarati community and Indo Canadian Chamber of Commerce said that at the time of Covid-19 crisis, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Bharat’s PM Narendra Modi have come together to save millions of lives by approving and supplying millions of vaccines. -GoTop

11. PM MODI RELEASES 11 VOLUMES OF SHRIMAD BHAGWAT GITA MANUSCRIPTS: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi released 11 Volumes of Manuscript with commentaries by 21 scholars on shlokas of Srimad Bhagavadgita at New Delhi on 9th March. The manuscript, published by Dharmarth Trust, is written with extraordinary variety and nuance of Bharatiya calligraphy ranging from Shankar Bhashya to Bhasanuvada. Speaking at the occasion, Pradhan Mantri Modi said, Srimad Bhagavadgita taught us how to serve the world and the people. He added that Srimad Bhagavadgita is the source of our inspiration and as Bharat is completing its 75th year of independence, we should acknowledge how Srimad Bhagwatgita inspired all our freedom fighters during the freedom struggle.
Dr Karan Singh who is the Chairman Trustee of Dharmarth Trust, Jammu and Kashmir also highlighted the importance of Gita and its message. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha was also present on the occasion.-GoTop

12. BHARAT - BANGADESH MAITRI SETU INAUGURATED: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Maitri Setu’ between Bharat and Bangladesh on 9th March along with other infrastructural projects in Tripura.
While inaugurating the bridge virtually, PM Modi said, "The connectivity between Bangladesh and Bharat will prove to be very important for the northeast region and for India and Bangladesh trade as well. This is a new trade corridor between Bharat and Bangladesh."
‘Maitri Setu’, which spans 1.9 kilometres joining Sabroom in Bharat with Ramgarh in Bangladesh, has been built over the Feni river which flows between Tripura and Bangladesh. The bridge symbolizes the growing bilateral relations and friendly ties between Bharat and Bangladesh.
“With this inauguration, Tripura is set to become the ‘Gateway of North East’ with access to Chittagong Port of Bangladesh, which is just 80 km from Sabroom," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) tweeted. Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina also addressed the event and congratulated both the countries for the inauguration of the bridge. -GoTop

13. HINDUTVA IS IDENTITY OF BHARAT – DATTATREYA HOSBALE: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called upon the people to observe the service sense of RSS for understanding this unique organization while speaking after releasing a book on RSS written by senior RSS Pracharak and Akhil Bharatiya Sah Prachar Pramukh, Sunil Ambekar at Lucknow on 26th February.
Sah Sarkaryawah Dattatreya Hosbole in his speech said that Hindutva is the identity of Bharat. He said that Hindutva is not merely a religion, it is actually culture and tradition of real Bharat. He said if any individual wants to know about RSS, he or she must come in its Shakha and other activities.
The author Sunil Ambekar said that the book is an effort to answer the queries that normally come from the people. It may be mentioned here that Sunil Ambekar had earlier written a book titled, ‘The RSS-Roadmaps for the 21st Centuary’ in English and this book is the Hindi version of his earlier book.
Prominent among those who were present during the function included Sah Sarkaryavah Dr. Krishna Gopal and others. -GoTop

14. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Saumitra Gokhale Samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will reach Bharat from USA, Dr Ram Vaidya sah samyojak will reach Bharat from Kenya.
Visitors: Abhinandan—Botswana, Saurabh—Zambia, Sanjay Yadav—South Korea
Food for Thought: Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success. —Swami Vivekananda -GoTop

JAI SHREE RAM

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MEET THE INSPIRING WOMEN PADMA AWARDEES OF 2021

Padma Awards — one of the highest civilian awards of the country — were announced on 25th January. 29 women are among the list of 119 Padma awardees this year and below is a glimpse of their rare contributions in Bharat’s social, cultural and political landscape.

KS Chitra: Renowned Carnatic musician and playback singer. She has recorded more than 25,000 songs in many regional languages including Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Oriya, and Urdu, as well as foreign languages like French Latin, Arabic, and Sinhalese. Sumitra Mahajan started her political career as a corporator at Indore and rose through the ranks to serve as speaker of Lok Sabha. She was the longest-serving female Member of Parliament 1989 to 2019. Chutni Devi is known as the 'Tigress' of Saraikela in Jharkhand who single-handedly saved 60 women from witch-hunting. Anitha Pauldurai is a former captain of the Bharatiya women's national basketball team and holds a record of 30 medals in national championships in two decades.
Bhuri Bai from Madhya Pradesh is a Bhil artist proficient in Pithora paintings and first tribal woman to popularize the art of Pithora painting. Veteran Table Tennis player Mouma Das has represented Bharat and won medals in multiple Commonwealth and South Asian Games. Shanti Devi, inspired by Vinoba Bave’s Bhudan movement worked for the betterment of orphaned children and distressed women by setting up 'ashram' at a tribal-dominated village Khambesu Shankalpadar in Odisha.
Bombay Jayashri Rammath, a celebrated Carnatic singer has performed in several regional languages like Telugu, Malayalam, and Tamil. Radhe Devi, 88 is still pursuing the pledge she took when she was 25 — designing bridal wear and has protected Potloi Setpi weaving tradition in Manipur.
Sindhutai Sapkal runs orphanages in Pune area and has adopted over 1,000 orphaned children. Matha B. Manjamma Jogati is a transgender folk dancer of Jogamma heritage in Karnataka, the only trans woman to win the Padma Shri award this year. Lakhimi Baruah started the Konoklota Mahila Urban Cooperative Bank in 1998 in Jorhat, Assam to help women from underprivileged backgrounds become financially independent and secure. Sangkhumi Bualchhuak, a social worker from Aizawl, has empowered Mizo women and has played an instrumental role in promoting education, enterprise, and legal reforms for them.
Anshu Jamsenpa is a mountaineer from Arunachal Pradesh, who scaled world’s highest peak Mount Everest five times — twice in a record shortest time of five days. Uttar Pradesh’s senior litterateur Usha Yadav has authored more than 100 books, including the story collection 'Khme-piece Sukh', 'Dreams of the Rainbow' and novels 'Prakash Ki Oar' etc. Writer and politician Mridula Sinha was posthumously awarded the Padma Shri for her contribution towards literature and education in Bharat. A former leader of the women’s wing of the BJP, she became the first woman Governor of Goa.
Bangladeshi musicologist Sanjida Khatun has pursued her master’s and PhD from Visva Bharati , Shantiniketan. Her literary contributions were recognized with the Ekushey Padak by Bangladesh government in 1990 and Rabindra Award by Bangla Academy in 2010. Entrepreneur Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat bagged the Padma Shri for her simple yet successful business Lijjat Papads which financially empowered many homemakers in South Mumbai – who came to be known as Lijjat Sisters. Eighty-year-old Rajni Bector is a well-known entrepreneur from Ludhiana. Her one-woman venture of bakery products and condiments from home has grown into Rs 541 crore business. -GoTop

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HSS (UK) PERSPECTIVES: SANGH MEANS ‘TO CONNECT’

When I gaze out of the window I see the blue skies with the sun shining, interrupted occasionally by the drifting clouds. I see large evergreen trees at a distance, dancing with the wind. I see bluebells, daffodils, and roses rooted in the black soil, surrounding the green shiny grass. I see pigeons, robins, and sparrows gliding high and low, searching for worms. I see the bees buzzing about the flowers and the army of ants crawling up the bark. I see a plethora of colours. I see movement. Out of the window, I see a continually changing and delightfully diverse play.
What is That which enables this play?

It is the inherent unity of the universal order that enables this play. In Sangh, we believe in focusing on the sunshine not the drifting dark clouds. Not the negative agenda nor the detractors who chose to scare, emotionally silence or create divisions. HSS (UK) is proud of the courage of all our swayamsevaks and sevikas who in the face of dark clouds continue to focus on uniting and uplifting people all over UK. In Sangh we choose to connect for a more sustainable peaceful world.
Ordinarily in life, we see the separateness of black and white, up and down, believer and non-believer, left and right. From an analytical perspective, this all makes sense, for it helps us understand the world by abstracting away from reality and boxing it so that our minds will understand. One may even argue that language not only perpetuates this separateness, but even initiates it. Such is the play of words!
But perhaps the biggest hallucination in life is that we see ourselves as separate egos confined within a bag of skin. The ‘I’, though used only as a noun in a sentence, it starts to appear as real; so real that it guides every aspect of our lives. It is this ‘I’ – a sense of separateness that at once has led to the most remarkable feats of human endeavour, as well as the most atrocious acts of violence.
This feeling of ‘I’ is so strong that religions, ideologies and even science have been influenced by it. It is precisely here that Hindu sages and philosophers have seen things differently. Where the whole world saw separateness as a fundamental reality – either through religious belief (e.g. the separateness of God and man, believers and non-believers or heaven and hell), political ideology (e.g. left vs right wing) or scientific method (e.g. reductionism) – we, the Hindu civilisation, saw the inherent unity and interconnectedness of life. We proclaimed “Tat Tvam Asi” – Thou Art That – to boldly declare that You are not just You. You are You+Everything else. You go with everything you call the external world. This is Yog. This is the fundamental basis of Dharma. It is this lofty ideal which, in Sangh, we have managed to turn it into a living reality.
This feeling of connectedness between ‘You and Other’ is what we call Sangh. Sangh literally means ‘to connect’. It does not merely refer to an institutional setting. Nor do we mean connectivity through modern communications and technology. No. Every day, our purpose is to connect people at a deeper level. This is our focus.
To delve deeper, we may bifurcate this ethos of connectedness into two parts:
Sangh with Self
Sangh with Others

“Sangh with Self” means to connect with who we are. Everyday, we humans live with the anxieties of the future and the regrets of the past. We try to look good and showcase identity at the cost of understanding it. We build personas, that we take seriously, but forget they are just masks. We, as humans, are consumed by the shadow of the ‘I’ which then directs our life. When human life is trained to see pass the individual ‘I’, a new world opens up for us. By cultivating practices that enable ‘Samskārs‘ – constructive habits – we are able to see past our own limitations.
It is said in the Ramcharitmānas, that when Hanuman overcame his own shadow whilst crossing the ocean, ‘a cow’s footprint expanded to the size of the ocean, enemies became friends, poison became nectar and the great Mount Meru shrunk like a grain of sand’. Sages , ancient and modern, eastern and western, have provided innumerable methods and disciplines to train our minds to see beyond the ‘I’.An example of this is emulated in the game of Kabaddi, which breaks down the psychological barriers of ‘this is my space’ and ‘that is your space’. In fact, when we go for the tackle, the feeling of distinctiveness between the tackler, the tackling and the one being tackled, dissolve. They all become one. This same feeling of simultaneous oneness/difference transpires into our work.
Connectedness does not mean some fixed uniformity, nor a monotonous groupthink – these are reserved for those that do not see unity in diversity. We are all free to roam the playground as autonomous beings. Sangh simply reminds us that at a deeper level, we are connected.
“Sangh with Others” refers to our connection with the world. Specifically, it is how we engage with the world through our work – Karya. We may talk about selfless service or volunteering but these words are redundant when we say ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ – that the whole world is one family. The word ‘Charity’ comes from Old English and in turn Latin, to mean ‘A Christian love of one’s fellows’. Though the word has evolved to become much wider, a remnant of it still persists. For one, charity in this day and age has become a trend, a marketable activity to fuel fundraising and status. In the Hindu philosophy, Karya or Sewa is not the act of one person giving to another person. It is about two people coming together and enabling a more enriching state of living. When people connect at deeper levels, thinking beyond their own identities, and work towards a better future, we call this ‘Sangh with Others’.
Where Sangh, translated as ‘connection’ becomes the purpose – with the Self or with Others – an enabling methodology must also be present. Both purpose and methodology come together.
In Sangh, our most basic methodology for building connection is through a structured and regular activity that we called Shakha. Humans need a certain level of structure in their lives. Shakha is the regular discipline of activating physical, intellectual, social and spiritual energy on a regular basis. Fundamentally the purpose for is to motivate our swayamsevaks and sevikas to move beyond the ‘I’ and work in the society we live in – so it is not about improving lives just for those who participate in shakha or simply those that look and think like us and it is certainly not about a group that must believe in the same God or geographical region as ‘I’.
Deendayal Upadhyaya, an eminent philosopher who dedicated his life to Sangh in its widest sense once said: “Hegel put forward the principles of thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis; Karl Marx used this principle as a basis and presented his analysis of history and economics; Darwin considered the principle of survival of the fittest as the sole basis of life; but we in this country (India) saw the basic unity of all life.” (https://hssuk.org/hss-uk-perspectives-sangh-means-to-connect/ ) -GoTop



\Samvad

Falgun Krishna 2, Vik. Samvat 2077, Yugabda 5122 : 1 March , 2021:SM 2023 (For Private Circulation only)


1. FESTIVALS: HOLI

2. DR MOHAN BHAGWAT HONOURS BB LAL

3. MADHUKAR NIKETAN INAUGURATED AT MUZAFFARPUR – BIHAR

4. ONLY BHARAT CAN GUIDE THE WORLD – DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT

5. HINDU SWAYASEVAK SANGH USA NEWS

6. GREATER HOUSTON HINDUS SUPPORT BLACK YOGA TEACHERS

7. SEWA USA ASSISTANCE TO YEZIDIS IN IRAQ

8. 7TH ICCS CONFERENCE OF PEOPLE OF ANCIENT TRADITIONS

9. 200 BHARATIYA -ORIGIN PEOPLE OCCUPY LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN 15 COUNTRIES

10. FOR DR SWATI MOHAN—BHARAT HAND BEHIND MARS LANDING IT STARTED WITH STAR TREK

11. 1ST P. PARAMESWARAN MEMORIAL LECTURE AT THIRUVANATHAPURAM

12. 7 PAKISTANI MIGRANTS GRANTED BHARATIYA CITIZENSHIP

13. 'JANA GANA MANA' IN NAGALAND ASSEMBLY FOR FIRST TIME

14. SRINAGAR TEMPLE OPENS AFTER 31 YEARS

15. TWO SUCCESSFUL LAUNCHES OF VERTICAL LAUNCH SHORT RANGE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE (VL-SRSAM)

16. SUCCESSFUL TRIALS OF ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILE SYSTEMS HELINA AND DHRUVASTRA

17. KVIC BHARAT’S FIRST ECO-FRIENDLY COW DUNG PAINT

18. SEEMANT DARSHAN YATRA 2021 IN ARUNACHAL

19. OBITUARY : JUSTICE RAMA JOIS 20. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Article:  SEWA INTERNATIONAL USA CONTRIBUTES $50 MILLION IMPACT TO FIGHT COVID-19


1. FESTIVALS:  Holi is a popular festival, also known as ‘festival of spring’, the ‘festival of colours’, and the ‘festival of love’. The festival signifies the triumph of good over evil.

The festivities start on the evening of Phalgun Purnima which falls on March 29 this year. The first evening is known as Holika Dahan (burning of demon holika) or Chhoti Holi and the following day as Holi, Rangwali Holi, Dhuleti, Dhulandi, or Phagwah.
Holi is celebrated throughout Bharat but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the diaspora from the Bharatiya subcontinent. It is called Phakuwa/Doul in Assamese, Phaguwa in the local Bhojpuri dialect of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and Ukkuli or Sigmo in Konkani. Barsana, a town near Mathura in the Braj region of Uttar Pradesh, celebrates Lath mar Holi in the sprawling compound of the Radha Rani temple. Thousands gather to witness the Lath Mar Holi when women beat up men with sticks as those on the sidelines become hysterical, sing Holi songs and shout "Sri Radhey" or "Sri Krishna". -GoTop

2. DR MOHAN BHAGWAT HONOURS BB LAL: Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat visited veteran archaeologist B B Lal and felicitated him on 21st February at New Delhi. Prof BB Lal served as Director General Archaeological Survey of India from 1968-72 and it was he who proclaimed that a temple existed beneath the disputed structure at Ramjanmabhoomi site at Ayodhya.
He was awarded highest civilian award Padmabhushan in 2000 and Padmavibhushan in 2021.  -GoTop

3. MADHUKAR NIKETAN INAUGURATED AT MUZAFFARPUR – BIHAR: RSS always thinks and acts for the global welfare and good of the humanity, asserted Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat on 21st February at Muzaffarpur, Bihar.
He was speaking at the program after dedicating ‘Madhukar Niketan’ constructed under the aegis of Sanskruti Utthan Samiti. He said RSS has the capacity to achieve global unity because each of its swayamsevak thinks for the good of the humanity.
Bihar kshetra Sanghachalak Siddhinath Singh, Deputy Chief Minister Renu Devi and other prominent personalities were present at the function.  -GoTop

4. ONLY BHARAT CAN GUIDE THE WORLD – DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: The world is suffering for more than 2000 years now and only Sanatan Dharma can heal it, said RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat while releasing a book ‘Vishwa Bharatam’ by Dr Madugula Nagaphani Sharma on 25th February at Bhagyanagar ( Hyderabad ). He said Bharat has the endurance to overcome several challenges and the world looks towards it to overcome difficulties. While emphasizing the need for Akhand Bharat, he specifically mentioned that the concept of Akhand Bharat has nothing to do with power or imperialism.
“When we talk of ‘Akhand Bharat’, our intention is not with power but to unite through dharma which is ‘Sanatan’ (eternal), which is humanity’s dharma and of the entire world and today it is called as Hindu dharma,” he said. Former Dean of Sanskrit University, Rani Sadashiva Murthy and Padmasri Ramakanth Shukla attended the programme as chief guests.  -GoTop

5. HINDU SWAYASEVAK SANGH USA NEWS: HSS Dallas volunteers supported Bonham city residents after the severe impact post the snow storm in the third week of February.
There was a drive through distribution of hot meals, water and snacks to local residents. City officials highly appreciated all the help from HSS volunteers.
HSS USA launched a website of Balagokulam on 20th February. The key speakers for this website inauguration programme were HSS America Zone Sanghchalak Dr Ved Nanda and Shri Sriram Raghavan, an author and storyteller. The website is https://balagokulam.hssus.org/  -GoTop

6. GREATER HOUSTON HINDUS SUPPORT BLACK YOGA TEACHERS: In response to calls for racial justice last summer, ‘Hindus of Greater Houston’ donated about $8,000 to fund yoga-teacher-training for four Black students, each of whom is, in their own way, spreading the mind and body practice to marginalized communities.
“When the movement for justice for those racial minority members of our communities escalated last summer, my kids came to me and said, “We need to do something,” said Vijay Pallod, who is on the Board of Hindus of Greater Houston. Funding training for Black yoga teachers was the idea he came up with while in conversation with his friend Benny Tillman of Vedic Friends Association America.
Two recipients of the sponsorship, Adryn Mari and Alex Kaufmann, completed their training online in November and said that the HGH sponsorship made a tremendous difference in enabling them to participate in the program, which typically costs $2,999.  -GoTop

7. SEWA USA ASSISTANCE TO YEZIDIS IN IRAQ: Sewa International USA has made available much needed oxygen cylinders to the Yezidi community in Iraq during the Covid-19 pandemic times. Yezidi human rights
organization who oversaw the utilization of these devices on ground has thanked Sewa USA and Yazidi International for their continuous support.  -GoTop

8. 7TH ICCS CONFERENCE OF PEOPLE OF ANCIENT TRADITIONS: International Center for Cultural Studies ICCS organized an online conference on 20-21st February with the theme 'Ancient Cultures Championing Humanity'. More than 10 sessions spread over 3 time zones witnessed intense discussions that veered mainly around the challenges from materialism, climate change and the
path that all ancient traditions across the world can offer to the mankind for lasting peace and happiness. Almost all the speakers emphasized the need for these traditions to come together, share their ancestral knowledge to work for sustainable development and universal wellbeing. About 75 speakers from more
than 25 traditions from all the continents explained about their tradition and a few of them exhibited their rituals. The global keynote speech was delivered by Judy Ling Wong - a poet, painter and environmental activist and UK Director of Black Environment Network and octogenarian Shri Ranga Hari - veteran RSS pracharak, thinker, writer and ideologue.  -GoTop

9. 200 BHARATIYA -ORIGIN PEOPLE OCCUPY LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN 15 COUNTRIES: More than 200 Bharatiya origin people occupy leadership positions in as many as 15 countries including the United States and United Kingdom. Of these, 60 hold Cabinet ranks, according to the first of its kind list released by a US-based organization Indiaspora on 15th February.
"It is a huge source of pride to have the first woman and first person of colour as the Vice President of the world's oldest democracy be someone of Indian heritage. " said Indiaspora founder MR Rangaswami, a Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and investor. The list also includes diplomats, legislators, heads of central banks and senior civil servants from countries with significant histories of Bharatiya Expatriates’ migration, such as Australia, Canada, Singapore, South Africa, UAE, USA and UK. With more than 32 million people of Bharatiya origin or PIOs globally, Bharatiyas are the largest expatriate population in the world.
The officials on the 2021 Indiaspora Government Leaders List collectively represent more than 587 million constituents, and their countries account for an estimated USD 28 trillion in GDP, demonstrating the impact that these leaders are having globally.
While some of the officials are part of their country's first wave of immigration, arriving as refugees or for economic opportunities, others serving in their governments are part of subsequent waves of diaspora, who came for educational opportunities, or are of subsequent generations.  -GoTop

10. FOR DR SWATI MOHAN—BHARAT HAND BEHIND MARS LANDING IT STARTED WITH STAR TREK: “Touchdown confirmed. Perseverance is safely on the surface of Mars, ready to begin seeking the signs of past life,” announced Dr Swati Mohan, head of guidance, navigation and control operations at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California on 18th February.
Mars Perseverance Rover, deployed to explore Martian atmosphere and terrain, had just landed on the red planet after completing a tricky descent to Jezero Crater during what is better known as “seven minutes of terror”. But for Bharatiya -American Mohan, 38, who was responsible for landing the spacecraft after a seven-month, 300-million-mile journey, there was the additional responsibility of commentary.
Mohan grew up in a “traditional, vegetarian family”, with roots in Tumkur in Karnataka, which was extremely supportive when it came to education. Her parents Srinivas and Jyoti Mohan, both engineers in Bengaluru, moved to the US 37 years ago.
“I must have been in grade three and it was this episode which showed these beautiful scenes of how space looked like. I thought to myself that I want to go see that place. It was curiosity that kicked off the hobby,” says Mohan.
A graduate from Cornell University in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, she finished her Masters and PhD from MIT. Mohan joined the Mars Mission in 2013, three years after she completed her PhD.
While Mohan was overwhelmed by the attention and appreciation she got after the mission’s success, she was amused by the social media reaction to her “bindi”. “Wearing a bindi for me is a part of my identity and a common occurrence. I have been wearing it since I was a child. My colleagues at JPL are comfortable and I have never felt the need to limit or downplay any aspect of myself. ” says Mohan.  -GoTop

11. 1ST P. PARAMESWARAN MEMORIAL LECTURE AT THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Uparashtrapati M. Venkaiah Naidu called upon the people to follow the path shown by Sri Parameswaranji and strive to build a stronger, happier and prosperous Bharat. Delivering the first P. Parameswaran Memorial Lecture oganized by Bharatheeya Vichar Kendram on 25th February he emphasized
the need for Bharat that is free from social evils like casteism and corruption and takes pride in its rich cultural and spiritual heritage. Paying rich tribute to Sri Parameswaranji, veteran RSS pracharak, he called him a Tapasvi and humanist par excellence and said that Parameswaranji was among the great intellectual figures from Kerala who brought about cultural awakening and spiritual rejuvenation. Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan and Union Minister V Muraleedharan also spoke at the program.  -GoTop

12. 7 PAKISTANI MIGRANTS GRANTED BHARATIYA CITIZENSHIP: Seven migrants from Pakistan, including three couples, who have been living in Rajasthan were granted Bharatiya citizenship by Jaipur's District Collector Antar Singh Nehra in his office on 19th February. Gordan Das, who has been living as a Pakistani migrant for 9 years in Mansarovar, said that he came here from Punjab province' Rahimayar Khan situated in Pakistan.
"We came to India because of insecurity looming large over us as we could not see the future of our children there," he said.
After receiving the citizenship certificate, these citizens expressed confidence of getting all the rights to their children and the benefits of all the employment and government facilities and schemes.  -GoTop

13. 'JANA GANA MANA' IN NAGALAND ASSEMBLY FOR FIRST TIME: In a first, Bharatiya National Anthem was played in Nagaland Assembly session since its creation. The historical moment was witnessed before and after Nagaland Governor RN Ravi addressed the 7th Session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly on February 12.  
Dr PJ Antony, assembly commissioner and secretary, confirmed that playing of Jana Gana Mana was never a part of Nagaland assembly's convention. He added that the move was well appreciated and welcomed by members of all the parties.
Earlier, on March 23, 2018, the national anthem was played for the first time in the Tripura assembly, during the first session of the newly-elected House.  -GoTop

14. SRINAGAR TEMPLE OPENS AFTER 31 YEARS: The Shitalnath temple of Srinagar, located in the Habba Kadal area , that was closed due to growing militancy in the valley and outmigration of Hindus, reopened on 16th February. A special pooja was performed by the devotees for the reopening ceremony that coincided with the auspicious Basant Panchami.  According to the
devotees who went to the temple to seek blessings for Basant Panchami, unlike the conditions in the past years, the Muslim community of the valley was supportive of the idea to reopen the Shitalnath temple and it was Muslim community who stepped ahead to help in restoration and reopening of the temple in the absence of local Hindus.  -GoTop

15. TWO SUCCESSFUL LAUNCHES OF VERTICAL LAUNCH SHORT RANGE SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE (VL-SRSAM): Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO) conducted two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM).
The launches were carried out on 23rd February from a static vertical launcher from Integrated Test Range ITR, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. VL-SRSAM is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets. On both occasions, the missiles intercepted the simulated targets with pinpoint accuracy. Once deployed, the VL-SRSAM system will prove to be a force multiplier for the Bharatiya Navy.  -GoTop

16. SUCCESSFUL TRIALS OF ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILE SYSTEMS HELINA AND DHRUVASTRA: In a major development, the helicopter -launched version of the Nag anti-tank guided missile, ‘Helina’, and its Air Force variant ‘Dhruvastra’ developed by DRDO underwent a joint user trial in the desert range on 19th February. Helina and Dhruvastra are a third-generation, Lock on Before Launch (LOBL), fire and forget class anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) system that can engage targets both in direct hit mode as well as top attack mode. The
system has all-weather day and night capability and can defeat battle tanks with conventional armour as well as with explosive reactive armour. It is one of the most-advanced anti-tank weapons in the world.  -GoTop 

17. KVIC BHARAT’S FIRST ECO-FRIENDLY COW DUNG PAINT: Khadi and Village industries Commission (KVIC) launched “Khadi Prakritik Paint” , Bharat’s first cow dung based eco-friendly paint. This is an innovative and first-of-its-kind product. It is non-toxic and has anti-fungal, antibacterial properties. The paint is free from heavy metals like Lead, Mercury, Chromium, Arsenic, Cadmium etc. This odourless paint is certified by the Bureau of Indian
Standards. Khadi Prakritik Paint is available in two forms – distemper and plastic emulsion. It is priced at only Rs 120 per litre for the distemper and Rs 225 per litre for the emulsion.  -GoTop

18. SEEMANT DARSHAN YATRA 2021 IN ARUNACHAL: Arunchal Vikas Parishad (AVP) is a social organization working for all round development of Arunachal Pradesh. AVP organizes programmes to promote the indigenous faith, culture, tradition, language as well as the feelings of national integration and patriotism among the young generation.
On the eve of 72nd Republic Day, Arunachal Vikas Parishad organized a very inspiring programme “Seemant Darshan Yatra 2021” from 23-26 January to visit the border villages which share an international border with Myanmar, Bhutan and China occupied Tibet to meet the brothers and sisters of a remote area with the feeling of affinity.
The Yatra was flagged off by Deputy Chief Minister Shri Chowna Mein and covered 111 villages of 25 administrative circles of 12 districts of Arunachal Pradesh. The delegates of the Yatra conversed with 17 tribes residing on the border areas and visited 35 personal security camps (Army, ITBP, SSB, Assam Rifles etc.). On the occasion of Republic Day, they hoisted the National flag in 41 border villages.  -GoTop

19. OBITUARY : JUSTICE RAMA JOIS: Justice (Retired) Rama Jois, eminent jurist and former Governor of Bihar and Jharkhand died on 16th February. He was 89. Rama Jois was also a writer and historian.
Born in 1932 at Shivamogga in Karnataka, he became swayamsevak at very tender age. Veteran pracharak Yadavrao Joshi encouraged him to take up legal profession sensing his sharp intellect. Rama Jois took up the case of Janasangh leaders Atalji, Advani ji and others during emergency and later himself suffered imprisonment under MISA act.
Later, he served as Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court. He was also a senior Supreme Court lawyer and former member of the Rajya Sabha. Rama Jois had written several books on the topic of Legal and Constitutional History of India.
He was the Sarvadhikari for Vishwa Sangh Shibir held at Vaododara in 1995.  
Several prominent personalities including Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi paid tributes to Justice Rama Jois ji.  -GoTop

20. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr Ram Vaidya, sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag will tour Uganda and Kenya .Visitors: Narendra—Nebraska USA
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Sangh’s task is to create ideal individuals. These individuals then create an atmosphere in the society; they try to improve the behavior of the society. This is done through collective efforts done on our own…Sangh would do only one thing—creating good individuals, then these Swaymsevaks would go out in the society and do what needs to be done.” -Dr.Mohan Bhagwat,PP Sarsanghchalak, RSS (Yashaswi Bharat)  -GoTop

JAI SHRI RAM

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SEWA INTERNATIONAL USA CONTRIBUTES $50 MILLION IMPACT TO FIGHT COVID-19

Houston, TX–Hindu faith-Based Sewa International contributes $50 million to fight COVID-19, Sewa said in a statement.
“What a commendable effort, and what a fine example of bringing organizations together to serve the country during the pandemic,” said US Congressman Ami Bera, speaking as the Chief Guest at the unveiling of the Sewa International report, showcasing the $50 million impact the Hindu faith-based organization has had, partnering with more than 500 other organizations since the COVID-19 pandemic began affecting life in the country from early March last year.
The report, titled “Joining Hands: A Community Effort to Fight the COVID-19 Pandemic,” was released at a virtual event on Feb. 6, 2021. Congressman Bera is the Chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia and the longest-serving Indian American Member of U.S. Congress. As a trained physician himself, he said he understood how much of a challenge the pandemic had posed the nation and the world. “Sewa International’s work, and especially their ability to bring others to collaborate in tackling the pandemic, is therefore significant,” he said.

Representatives from national emergency and disaster management organizations took part in a roundtable discussion offering viewers their expert analysis of how the pandemic took by surprise most people, how community and disaster relief organizations can join hands and leverage the help and expertise of the national organizations. Participating in the discussion were Gina Cross, the Acting Director of AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), Dinusha Weerakkody, Emergency Management Specialist of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Carol Flores, Texas DCMP Grant Coordinator of the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), and Damian Morales, Manager of Disaster Services, OneStar Foundation.
The event began with a video summary of the work done by Sewa International and the impact it has had on communities across the country. Included in the video were commendations of Sewa’s work: Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who urged Sewa to keep up the good work and said that “Sewa International represents the best what America has to offer”; Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city was “thankful for Sewa’s work and charitable contributions,” and how Sewa had over the past fifteen years had grown from a small to a mid-size charity organization, and been recognized by The Houston Chronicle as “one of the top 100 charitable organizations in Houston”; Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living Foundation said that “this is the time we come together to serve humanity in whatever capacity to help people…”; Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji of the Avadhoota Datta Peetham offered a prayer to Lord Dattatreya to “bless Sewa International… so that it could help those in need”; Sandeep Chakravorty, Indian Consul General, New York, said that many Indian American community organizations had reached out to the Consulate and worked to ensure that those who needed help were “inconvenienced the least”; Chaitanyamurtidas Swami of BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha said that Sewa International’s work was of critical importance both to the larger American community as well as the Hindu communities across the country; and Sri Paripoornanda Swamiji of Sree Peetham urged organizations to “join hands with Sewa International… to bring both change and clarity” in this time of need.
Acting as the emcee was Prof. Anurag Mairal, Adjunct Professor of Medicine and the Director, Global Outreach Programs at Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, Stanford University. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business and a Faculty Fellow and Lead for Technology Innovation and Impact at Center for Innovation in Global Health. Moderating the roundtable discussion, he asked the experts from FEMA, AmeriCorps, NVOAD, and OneStar International what were the main takeaways, ten months laters, for how we can be better prepared to deal with COVID-19, what they learnt about community responses to the pandemic, and what advice would they offer community organizations about what should they avoid/do less of, and what should they do more of.
The event was streamed live via Facebook, and more than 1,400 people had logged on to view the event. The Sewa International report identifies 125 of the more than 500 organizations that Sewa volunteers worked with across the country raising money, distributing food, face masks and other PPE, offering help to stranded international students and travelers, participating in food and PPE drives, offering hot meals to the hungry, and managing ten hotlines responding to calls for help from around the world.
“We did not know what would be demanded of us in this pandemic situation. It was a first-time experience in dealing with the kind of medical/health disaster that has affected the whole world. Ten months into it, and more than a million volunteer-hour commitment later, partnering with hundreds of organizations who put their trust and faith in us, we believe we have made a difference in our local communities, across our forty chapters, in 28 states, around the country,” said Arun Kankani, President, Sewa International, inaugurating the session. “This report itself, compiled with the help of young student volunteers, is an emblem of the kind of work we do and of our philosophy of serving selflessly,” he said.
Detailing the nature and content of the report, Karuna Kankani, a member of the team that compiled the report said that a number of people, organized into numerous teams, were responsible for seeking the data, collating the data, editing the report, designing the report, and organizing the event for the release of the report.
“Disbursing more than $2 million that were raised through direct donations and government and institutional grants, and distributing about $50 million worth of food, PPE, medical supplies, and groceries, serving more than 750,000 people in big cities and small towns, our 5,000 volunteers from 28 states have made a bold statement about selfless service,” said Syam Kosigi, Vice President, Organization, Sewa International.
“As we realized that other Indian and Hindu cultural and religious organizations wanted to pitch in and offer their help and support, we started an initiative titled, ‘Sankalpa Patra,’ a ‘letter of commitment,’ that these organizations signed on to committing to work together in the time of this deadly pandemic. We have been honored and blessed to work with these dharmic organizations, those who identify themselves as Indian American and follow the precepts of serving selflessly, serving everyone without discrimination, and considering the world as one family. The ‘Dharma’ communities in the US represent only about one percent of the American population, but our work this past year shows that we can and do add a large drop into the bucket of good work done in the country,” Kosigi said.
“Our volunteers have been working hard to support and help people across the US, as well as in India and other countries where Sewa International has its presence. In the Bay Area, for example, people suffered not only because of the pandemic but also because of wildfires. Many people elsewhere suddenly lost their jobs, could not attend school, and had to fly back to their countries when international travel almost came to a standstill. The elderly, the sick, and the stranded had to be taken care of. It was amazing to see how our volunteers – with their special skillsets, community networking, and knowledge – set up and managed hotlines, monitored WhatsApp messages, and delivered aid and advice almost instantaneously. It was exhausting in the beginning, but it was satisfying too knowing what we could do to help dealing with this pandemic,” said Sandeep Khadkekar, Sewa International’s Vice President of Marketing and Fund Development. “We are truly a voluntary organization with our Board of Directors, our Executive Leadership Team, and our Chapter leaders all giving their time, their energy, their commitment freely. Our administrative costs are about three percent, and we have now partnered with hundreds of similar organizations to deliver help in these times of need,” Khadkekar said.
Sewa International, a leading Hindu faith-based Indian American nonprofit organization, has extensive experience in disaster rescue, relief, and rehabilitation operations having responded to 24 disasters in the US and abroad. In 2017, after Hurricane Harvey struck the Houston area, Sewa volunteers helped in the rescue of nearly 700 people and have served thousands of affected families since then through their case management service. Sewa raised over $3 million for Hurricane Harvey recovery, Sewa continues to rebuild homes and greenhouses that serve as a means of livelihood. Sewa International has also rendered relief in the wake of Hurricane Maria in 2018 and Hurricane Imelda in 2019. Sewa teams in the San Francisco Bay Area continue to build and donate tiny homes for those rendered homeless in the California Camp Fire of November 2018.
Among its other accolades, Sewa International has been recognized by Charity Navigator – the premier nonprofit rating agency – as the number five among the “10 Highly Rated Charities Relying on Private Contributions.” Sewa has for the last three years continuously scored the topmost-rated 4-star from Charity Navigator and has earned perfect scores for its Financial Health and Accountability & Transparency.— For more information on Sewa International and its activities, please visit www.sewausa.org. For more information on Sewa International’s efforts to support communities nationwide during the COVID-19 crisis, please visit https://sewausa.org/covid-19. (By India New England News -February 16, 2021) -GoTop