\ SAMVAD संवाद
Jyeshtha Krishna 6, Vik. Samvat 2078, Yugabda 5123:1 June, 2021: SM 3005 (For Private Circulation Only)
1. FESTIVALS: GANGA DUSSEHRA:
Ganga Dussehra, also known as Gangavataran, falls on Jyeshtha Shukla 10 (20th
June this year). It is a festival celebrating the avatarana of the Ganga from
heaven to earth. On Ganga Dussehra, devotees take a dip in river Ganga, light
diyas and perform aarti to seek blessings.
Ganga Dussehra is observed at many places, especially in six cities of religious importance on its bank namely, Rishikesh Haridwar, Garhmukteshwar, Prayagraj, Kashi or Banaras, and Patna. -GoTop
2. NINE AUSPICIOUS SHILAS PLACED AT THE FOUNDATION OF SHRI RAMMANDIR: Nine consecrated shilas were placed at the four corners of garbh griha of Shri Rammandir, some 14 meters below the place where Hon Pradhan Mantri did the Bhoomipujan on 5th August, on 17th May. Of special significance was the ‘koorma’ shila, where the murti of Ram Lalla would be installed once construction is over. RSS All India executive member Bhayyaji Joshi, trust general secretary Champat Rai, Nirmohi Akhara mahant Dinendra Das, and others were present at the ceremony.
Digging and excavation is continuing for creating a 40-foot deep foundation, which will be 400 feet long and 300 feet wide. This will be filled with 44 layers of engineered film material to provide hydrolytic stability and toughness. -GoTop
3. SWAYAMSEVAKS HELP TAUKTE AFFECTED VILLAGES IN GUJARAT: Cyclone Tauktae struck on the Western coast of Bharat near Bhavnagar in Gujarat on 17th May and caused massive destruction in districts of Somnath, Amreli and Bhavnagar. Over 17,000 households are destroyed and thousands became homeless, thousands of trees uprooted, electric lines snapped and roads damaged.
4. HINDU AND MAORI COMMUNITIES COME TOGETHER IN NZ: Hindu Youth New Zealand (HYNZ) and New Zealand Hindu Students Forum (NZHSF), divisions of Hindu Council of New Zealand (HCNZ), hosted a unique Marae Stay at Apumoana Marae, Rotorua.
5. HSS USA: GURUVANDANA IN PROGRESS: Hinduism attributes great respect to teachers and educators for their contribution in imparting knowledge, inculcating moral values in students and shaping them into responsible citizens of the society. In this regard, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) organizes “Guru Vandana (Teacher Appreciation) Event” every year, to felicitate teachers and show our respect and gratitude.
Similar utsavs were held at Sacramento, California, Downstate Illinois, McLean County etc. -GoTop
6. HSS CANADA YOGA YATRA: HSS Canada is organizing a Yoga Yatra for all and has invited all to participate in weekly Yoga sessions from 29th May to 20th June. It will be concluded on 21st June with the International Day of Yoga celebrations.
Yoga Yatra is an event to explore various yoga techniques and philosophy. -GoTop
7. SHAKUNTALA OF BHARATIYA DESCENT WINS WORLD FOOD PRIZE 2021: Dr Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, a global nutrition expert of Bharatiya descent, has won the prestigious 2021 World Food Prize for her groundbreaking research in developing holistic, nutrition-sensitive approaches to aquaculture and food systems.
“I am truly honoured to receive the 2021 World Food Prize, and I am deeply humbled to be placed in such distinguished ranks as those of past laureates,”
said Thilsted, who was born in a small village of Reform in Trinidad and Tobago. -GoTop
8. ALABAMA LIFTS BAN ON TEACHING YOGA IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Alabama has lifted a three-decade-long ban on allowing yoga to be taught in its public schools – though the word “namaste” and chanting ‘om’ will still be barred in classrooms.
9. S BALSUBRAMANIAM GETS MILLENIUM TECHNOLOGY PRIZE: Cambridge University professors Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman took home the 1 million euro ($1.22 million) Millennium Technology Prize for their work of over 27 years creating ever faster and cheaper ways to sequence the human genome.
10. SYDNEY TOWN HALL AND KUWAIT TOWERS LIT UP IN SOLIDARITY WITH BHARAT: The city of Sydney in Australia lit up its iconic Town Hall on 29th May to show solidarity with the people of Bharat who are battling the ongoing Covid-19 wave. Built in the 1880s, Sydney Town Hall has been a major landmark in the heart of the city for over 130 years.
11. BENGALURU GETS 50-BED CENTER FOR POST-COVID CARE: To aid holistic recovery of people discharged from the hospitals after battling coronavirus, Rashtrotthana Parishat has started a post-Covid rehabilitation center from 24th May in the city. It is said to be the first of its kind center located at SBSSB Bande Matha, Kommaghatta Road.
This center is among the five isolation centers started by the Parishat viz Rashtrotthana Vidya Kendra, Banashankari, Jaigopal Garodia Rashtrotthana Vidya Kendra, Ramamurthynagar, Mangala Vidyamandira, Yelahanka, and Vidyasagar Pre-school, Bhupasandra near Hebbal. These centers offer free facilities and house 350 general beds, 50 with oxygen supply and 10 special ones for children. -GoTop
12. BLOOD DONATION BY PUNJAB SWAYAMSEVAKS: The COVID vaccination drive for 18+ aged people in Bharat has already begun and according to the Ministry of Health, blood donation within 45-60 days of vaccination is not advisable. Considering this, RSS workers in Ludhiana city of Punjab have chosen to donate blood before getting vaccinated.
13. YOUTH FOR SEVA – COVID ACTIONS: Youth for Seva (YFS), a volunteer driven initiative in many cities of Bharat has embarked on various relief activities during Covid-19.
YFS in partnership with Infosys Foundation has embarked on an ambitious mission to provide Home Care Kits to the marginalized, home-isolated COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms in Mysuru. The program was launched on 21st May where 150 pulse oximeters and 150 thermometers were given to the city's Chief Commissioner, Mrs Shilpa Nag in presence of Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr Aswath Narayan.
14. SEWA INTERNATIONAL COVID RELIEF TO ARUNACHAL: Sewa International provided five oxygen concentrators of 10L capacity and 50 oximeters to Agola Sons Foundation from Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh on 30th May. Kiren Rijiju, Hon Minister of State - Youth Affairs and Sports, was present on the occasion.
15. HSS NEPAL QUARANTINE CENTER AT KATHMANDU: On 17th May, a free "Quarantine/Mild-Isolation Center" for doctors and frontline workers was inaugurated at Aggarwal Bhawan in Kathmandu by Ambassador of Bharat to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra. This Centre has been setup by Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Nepal in association of Aggarwal Sewa Kendra Nepal, Nepal Medical Association, Sewa International Nepal, and Upakar Sewa Nepal.
16. VOLUNTEERING HELP BHARATIYA COLORADANS AND OTHER COMMUNITY MEMBERS GET VACCINATED: Vinjamuri, Bettadapura, Shenoy and Joshi are helping out in Colorado, because Bharatiyas in the US haven’t escaped the pandemic at home either. They are all volunteers for the Colorado chapter of Sewa International.
17. OBITUARY: Anjaleebahen Pandya, Director of International Liasion, Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) passed away on 19th May at Gandhinagar, Gujarat at the age of 70. She battled cancer for last three years.
She was the moving force behind VHPA’s major conferences in 1984 and 1993, Dharma Samsads, Dharma Prasaar Yaatra, hosting of more than 100 Hindu saints and dignitaries for the United Nation’s Millennium Peace Summit, several Hindu Mandir Executives’ Conferences (HMEC), etc.
Besides being an active volunteer, Anjaleebahen was an artist. She was a good painter, decorator and a versatile singer. She leaves behind a son, daughter in law and two grandchildren. -GoTop
18. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what
good will they do you if you do not act on upon them? — Mahatma Buddha -GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
---
THE LITTLE ENGINE THAT CAN
Ramesh Rao
They advise us to not let a crisis go
to waste just as they point out that it is in crises that leaders emerge, that
it is in demanding times that organizations, otherwise off the media radar, can
rise to the challenge and prove their real worth. So it is that when the whole
world and very much the Indian government and Indian people seem to have been
caught with their masks down, and the second wave swamped the country that a
Hindu faith-based organization in the US, Sewa International, found itself
leading the charge to buy, pack, and ship much needed medical equipment like
oxygen concentrators and ventilators from the US to India.
In 2019, …...when the pandemic swept the world, and the US was one of the worst affected countries, Sewa International was able to motivate its volunteers and enthuse the leadership to really think bigger than they had over the 15 years of their existence. Harnessing the collective abilities and interest of over 500 dharmic organizations in the US, Sewa International was able to deliver something like $50 million worth of goods and services to underserved communities across the US.
The organization, started in India in 1989, but which had been registered in the US only in 2004 as a Hindu faith-based organization, had grown under the steady leadership of Prof. Sree Sreenath, a professor in the Electrical, Computer & Systems Engineering Department at Case Western Reserve University who helmed the organization from 2009 to 2020. Bringing his academic experience and his interest in global issues, including sustainable development to steer the organization, he had guided this volunteer-run little organization to a level of confidence in its own ability to rise to the occasion when disasters struck.
So, as the second wave of COVID-19 began to overwhelm India, the leadership realized they had to act quickly. Starting with a Facebook campaign called “Help India Defeat COVID-19” on April 23 to raise awareness here in the US Sewa volunteers began raising funds to launch the disaster relief work in India. Over the past four weeks, Sewa has raised over $7.6 million from more than 106,000 donors ....another $5 million has been raised through their website campaign, and some big donors, including Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, and multinational corporations, businesses have been generous in their support to Sewa International.
With lockdowns impacting livelihood of the poor, especially in rural and tribal areas, Sewa is also providing food and medicines to families, orphanages, and senior citizen centers across the country. Working with its partners in India, Sewa International has distributed more than 10,000 medicine kits, and more than 5,000 home isolation kits, with over 14,000 volunteers from 185 partner organizations engaged in this distribution efforts on the ground.
Sewa International, USA, works with its partner Sewa International, India, as well as other Sewa International organizations around the world. One of the big challenges initially was to figure out where and to whom the much-needed equipment had to be sent in India, and where was the most urgent need. So, a Digital Helpdesk was set up to provide critical information on ambulance services, hospital bed availability, and blood and medicinal supplies to people. There are over 200 volunteers managing this helpdesk. They have also launched a website — www.covidsewa.com — offering an up-to-date dashboard for self-help….
Sewa International has also partnered with eGlobalDoctors and the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) to provide daily free consultations to patients in India. As a part of this initiative, expert doctors from the US and the UK are offering relief to their Indian counterparts who are severely short staffed and in need of help.
Oxygen Generation Plants
The first fifteen plants will be a mix of 250 LPM and 500 LPM capacity and each can support about 20 to 40 ICU beds. Sewa International is working with forty to fifty hospitals across India to establish these plants, and the number of hospitals is expected to grow to more than one hundred depending on donor support.
“Control Center”
Big charitable organizations and international agencies have hundreds if not thousands of paid staff. … … However, Sewa International, with less than five percent administrative and overhead costs, none of their executive leaders paid a dime, and the 43 chapters across the US run by volunteers, cannot bring the spit and polish to their marketing collateral nor can they show and tell the world where they work from because most of them work from their homes, and use the talents and skills learned elsewhere to their work of passion and commitment.
Realizing the gravity of the disaster, a “Control Center” was set up at GC Ingredients, Inc., the business that is owned by Sewa’s Atlanta Chapter President. With some tables, chairs, a large TV monitor for beaming Zoom calls in a quickly readied room, the team members began their work with their personal laptop computers.
The team’s task was multi-fold: (1) seeking information from Sewa’s Indian partners about the need of specific equipment; (2) locating businesses and industries that manufacture and sell them in the US; (3) ordering those equipment and transporting them to the GC Ingredients warehouse for storing; (4) working with cargo carriers like UPS and commercial airlines that were offering to airlift the equipment; (5) ensuring that all needed paperwork at the US end is correct and ready for airlifting the medical equipment and medicines; (5) validating that the equipment arrived with the necessary documents for Indian authorities to quickly release them for pickup from our partners; and (6) sharing that information with the communication and marketing teams here to coordinate the work of some eighteen teams with about 550 people. This keeps the “Control Room” busy and humming all day and all night long.
Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam
Despite the usual set of anti-Hindu detractors and spoilsports, whose life-calling seems to be to spend all their waking time plotting the destruction of Hindu civilization, culture, organizations, and the nation Hindus revere as “matrubhoomi” and “punyabhoomi,” Hindu American organizations, including Sewa International, are quietly and diligently helping and serving the communities they live in. When volunteers from the Atlanta Chapter of Sewa International drive three hours to a church in Albany, Georgia, in their cars and vans, loaded with food, medicine, laptop computers, and personal protective equipment and give them away standing in the hot summer sun at a drive-through event, or when every weekend volunteers in the Bay Area Chapter unload three truck loads of food and distribute them in underserved areas, or when Houston Chapter volunteers spend evenings and weekends teaching and advising children in poor Latino and Black neighborhoods they are not doing it to win converts. They do not even tell the people they serve what religious faith they follow. They just do it. They do it because they are inspired the Hindu ideals of “Vasudhaiva kutumbakam” — the world is one family — and that “Nara seva” is “Narayana seva”.
For a little engine to work, and carry a big load, it needs hundreds of volunteers willing to give much of their life to seva, selfless service. (Excerpts from https://rameshrao-89399.medium.com/the-little-engine-that-can-a-hindu-faith-based-organization-in-the-us-responds-to-the-covid-surge-433e43232221 ) -GoTop
SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in http://shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com
