Marghshirsha Krishna 12 Vik. Samvat 2078, Yugabda 5123 : 1 December, 2021:SM 3017 (For Private Circulation only)
1.
FESTIVALS: SHABARIMALA MANDALAKAALAM: Shabarimala Mandalakaalam started on
November 16 this year. The Shabarimala temple is located in the Shabari Hills,
towards the east of Pathanamthitta District in Kerala. The annual pilgrim season
to Shabarimala begins with the Mandalakaalam season and continues in the 
3. SARSANGHACHALAK ATTENDS VARIOUS PROGRAMS: On November
16, RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat interacted with eminent invitees
during his three day visit to Kolkata. He expressed concern over non-transition
of ‘family values and belief systems from one generation to another in today’s
fast life and stressed the need for a ‘value-based family system’. 
On November 25, Dr. Bhagwat attended a program to launch the book “Vibhajankalin
Bharat Ke Sakshi” by Krishnanand Sagar. Speaking on the occasion in Noida, Uttar
Pradesh, he said that partition of the country was an extremely painful incident
and the pain will be lessened only if the country is united again.
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6. DIWALI CELEBRATED AT ROSEVILLE & FOLSOM IN CALIFORNIA:
Over 100 Bharatiya Americans in Roseville - a suburban city of Sacramento in
California, USA – came together on November 7 to celebrate Diwali with the
‘Parade of Lights’. They were dressed in traditional Bharatiya attire and
showcased their cars with decorated lights depicting the spirit of the Diwali
festivity. Many local Americans also joined the parade.
Earlier, on November 6 Sewa held a similar car parade in the neighboring city
Folsom in which more than 50 Indian Americans participated.
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8. SEWA CANADA ACTIVITIES: An “atmospheric river”
brought a deluge of rain and flooding to the southwest and central parts of
British Columbia (BC) in Canada. 7000 residents of the town of Merritt were
forced to evacuate to Kelowna on November 15. Sewa Canada volunteers in BC
procured heaters, air mattresses, jackets, blankets, water bottles, energy
drinks and dry food rations (around 500Kgs) and flew them into Merritt airport.
Sewa Canada International has released CAD$ 10,000 from its emergency funds to
provide aid to the needy in Merritt.
Sewa Canada in association with ICICI Bank Canada volunteered to support the
office of the Consul General of Bharat in providing 'Life Certificates' to
Senior Citizens at the premises of Laxmi Narayan Mandir (LNM), Scarborough.
In another initiative, Sewa Canada International in collaboration with Sewa
International Bharat sponsored a 150 litres per minute (LPM) Oxygen plant. It
was installed and commissioned into service at Anjali Charitable Hospital which
serves rural and tribal areas of Sabarkantha district, Gujarat. This is the 1st
of 8 Oxygen plants in Bharat funded by Sewa Canada International.
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10. EKAL FOUNDATION RAISED OVER $4 MILLION AT VIRTUAL
‘FUTURE OF INDIA’ GALA: On November 13, the Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation raised
over $4 million in a virtual gala - “Future of India”. It featured eminent
Bharatiya American speakers and highlighted Ekal’s accomplishments and
contributions of the youth to its mission. The event was co-chaired by Mohan
Wanchoo and Kamlesh Shah, both successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists. The
funds raised at the gala were for specific projects such as tailoring training
centers, E-shiksha, Ekal-on-Wheels, Telemedicine, Gramotthan Research Centers
and Integrated Village Development.
12. SEWA INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES IN BHARAT: Cuddalore,
Vellore, Tirupattur, Tiruvallur and Thiruvannamalai districts in Tamil Nadu were
hit by the torrential rains and opening of various dams after heavy rains
resulted in flooding. The peasants lost their homes as well as livestock which
were the sole source of income for many of them. Sewa International along with
Seva Bharathi volunteers provided them with food, blankets, mats and other
supplies. On November 20, 1500 mats and mosquito nets were procured and
distributed.
15. 18TH CENTURY IDOL OF GODDESS ANNAPURNA INSTALLED AT
KASHI VISHWANATH TEMPLE: An 18th century idol of Goddess Annapurna, brought
back from Canada, was installed at a newly-constructed area inside the Kashi
Vishwanath temple corridor in Uttar Pradesh on November 15.
17. FIRST-EVER PHYSICAL NATIONAL YOGA CHAMPIONSHIPS BEGIN:
The first-ever Physical National Yogasana Sports Championships kick-started
in Bhubaneswar on November 11 with a vibrant opening ceremony in the presence of
560 bright, young athletes from 30 States aiming high for 50 medals in a
uniquely-designed competition. Odisha Sports & Youth Services Secretary R Vineel
Krishna encouraged the athletes.
19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors: Gaurav Singhal, Prof. Yashwant Pathak - USA, Vikrant Thakur - Australia
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: When you have men who are ready to sacrifice their
everything for their country, sincere to the backbone - when such men arise,
country will become great in every respect. It is the men that make the country!
- Swami Vivekananda.
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JAI SHRI RAM
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THE SELFLESS MODELS OF ‘CIVIL SOCIETY’
The people
who work for and with the society, do not seek any publicity. They do not
manipulate issues to subvert the national unity by creating division. They
Inspire others by being selfless trend-setters. Eshwar Samman Awardees are
turning out to be the role models of real ‘Civil Society’
He has also started the Gita Utsav every year with the help of Sanatan Satsang
Samiti to provide the rural people with an opportunity to listen to the
spiritual discourse.
Name: Shantaram Budna Siddhi; Place: Karnataka -
Shri Shantaram Budna Siddhi works tirelessly for the development of tribal
communities. In 1986, he founded the Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram.
Many forest dwellers are nowadays working in high positions of Government after
receiving education from this hostel. Some of the students are also serving the
Indian Army.
Name: Sukumar Roy Chowdhury; Place: Dakshin Dinajpur,
West Bengal - Shri Sukumar Roy Chowdhury, a nonagenarian, has spent
all his life developing and making Barail Sub-Jati Kalyan Sangh Ashram a success
story.
For over five decades, the Ashram has been teaching the young generation about
the need to provide selfless service to marginalised sections of society and the
meaning of nation-building. The Ashram works for the betterment of tribal
communities and backward classes in the areas of education, health, and
development.
The Ashram also provides homeopathic treatment and accommodation to the aged. At
present, more than 50 children and a dozen senior citizens reside here. All this
is due to the hard work, commitment and discipline of Shri Sukumar Roy Chowdhury.
Name: Megha Urav; Place: Ranchi, Jharkhand -
Megha Urav of the Jharkhand Adivasi Sarna Vikas Samiti aims to make the people
of economically backward classes aware of their religion and culture.
It also runs an awareness programme against superstition and evil customs.
Megha also runs a programme to arrange marriages for the underprivileged. Blood
donation camps are also conducted by Jharkhand Adivasi Sarna Vikas Samiti.
From 2000 onwards, Megha struggled and fought for the interest of the poor who
were vulnerable to get converted by Christian missionaries. A total of around
200 persons have reverted to Hinduism due to awareness programme initiated by
Megha Urav.
Name: Ashish Kumar; Place, Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh -
Ashish Kumar and his wife Ragini Gupta run a ‘Jeevika Ashram’ in
Jabalpur village have sown the seeds of a traditional Indian system that offers
an alternative Indian lifestyle. The Ashram operate like the ancient Gurukula
did. It has several unique features of the local area-a museum with unique
artefacts, a library related to its subject, and a collection of works of
artisans.
Dharambir proudly explains the importance of organic farming and domestic cow
rearing in his village that lies in the Jind district.
With the passage of time, Dharambir Chahal has managed to create awareness on
how cow ghee, milk and urine can be used in treating cancer, high BP, diabetes
and other diseases. Through YouTube he has earned more than 45 lakh followers.
Name: Dr Nirupama Sunil Desh Pandey; Place: Amarvati,
Maharashtra - Sampoorna Bamboo Kendra has been functioning in Melghat,
a forest-dwelling area in Amravati, for the last 26 years. Forest dwellers,
youth and women are taught various skills such as craftsmanship and furniture
jewellery. The credit for all this goes to Dr Nirupama Sunil Desh Pandey.
More than 4,500 people have been trained in basswork. The organisation has
planted more than 2,000 women have been given employment. Special toilets have
also been built by them. Folk art Sanskar camp is also organised for the
development of the children.
Name: Chiranjeev Malhotra; Place: Delhi -
Chiranjeev Malhotra, fondly called as ‘Ambulance Man’ by those who come into
contact with him, has made significant contributions in Delhi when Covid-19 was
at its peak. This Karol Bagh resident has cremated more than 30,000 dead bodies
free of cost, irrespective of their faiths. He also provided nutritious food to
over 7,000 people per day from beginning of the pandemic. He has also
distributed free medicines and oxygen to the needy. He also works in the service
of cows, dogs, and feeds birds and animals.
Name: Birsa Seva Prakalp; Place: Patna, Bihar -
Birsa Seva Prakalp Project, a non-government organisation, conducts health
camps at different places in Patna.
Birsa Seva Prakalp’s work for the vulnerable can be seen from the way it
distributed food and essential products to 3,200 people who suffered from floods
in North Bihar.
Birsa Seva Prakalp is also running 11 Sanskar Kendras for children and is
providing financial assistance to them. The organisation also operates 5 schools
having 5600 students.
Name: Amruthavarshini Bal Kalyan Ashram; Place:
Anantapuram, Andhra Pradesh - Bal Kalyan Ashram, run by Vishva Hindu
Parishad, is basically an orphanage that was started in 1986. It has drawn
inspiration from Sri Upidi Pejavar Teertha Swamiji. Over 100 orphan children
reside here and Rs 25,000 is spent on each students.
The Ashram provides facilities like kitchen, dining hall, reading hall, clean
water and toilet, playground and computer education. Discipline, national
integrity, and service culture are taught to children at a tender age in the
ashram. Doctors and health teams are available round the clock in the service of
children.
Name: Arya Chavda ;Place: Ahmedabad, Gujarat -
Arya Chavda, a 12-year-old started her journey as an environmental warrior. She
has raised funds for cancer patients by writing articles and painting. So far
she has written 8 books on significant themes like – Heritage conservation,
non-violence and peace, the current climate crisis, girl child education and
fundamental rights of Children. The books are preserved and published by NCMB
New Delhi. UNESCO Digital Library and UNESCO Global Citizenship Education have
also published her writings on its digital platform.
Name: Vivekananda Seva Mandal; Place: Thane,
Maharashtra - Vivekananda Seva Mandal works for promoting rural
education, youth consciousness and health, apart from working for social
awareness.
Yuva Seva Mandal was established after being inspired by the Sadhu Swamiji.
Every Saturday and Sunday, students are taught science and mathematics at the
Government schools of Dombivili Municipal Corporation.
For 18 years, the Seva Mandal used to teach only rural children. It also
supports the youth of the Mandal by paying their fees. Today there are more than
8,000 books in the library of Vivekananda Seva Mandal. More than 10 thousand
engineers from Dombivili and the neighbourhood have benefitted from this
library. With the help of villagers, the Mandal has develops three dams for
water harvesting.
Name: Atma Nirbhar-EK Challenge; Place: Kamrup, Assam -
Atma Nirbhar – EK Challenge, set up in July 2015, gives an opportunity to
divyangs (physically challenged) to become self-dependent. They are trained in
making tea leaf envelops, decorative bags and plant pots. 
Through its second project, this organisation aims at reducing poverty in the
Northeastern State. It is an economic rehabilitation and empowerment project.
Over 1000 people have so far benefited from this imitative. – Organiser,
December 5, 2021 -GoTop
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