\ SAMVAD

Sharad Navratri 6, Vik. Samvat 2079, Yugabda 5124: 1October, 2022: SM4013(For Private Circulation Only)


1. FESTIVALS: DIWALI 2. RASHTRAPATI MURMU INAUGURATED MYSURU DUSHERRA FESTIVAL
3. DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT AT DIFFERENT PROGRAMS 4. LOKMANTHAN – CELEBRATION OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY
5. SAKSHAM’S WORK IS EXCELLENT : KERALA GOVERNOR 6. NEELAMPEROOR PADAYANI CELEBRATED ‘SWADHEENTA KA AMRITAVARSH’
7. HINDU YUVA HOSTS LARGEST HINDU STUDENT LEADERSHIP EVENT IN NORTH AMERICA 8. HINDUS OF GREATER HOUSTON HONORS 75 YOUTH
9. GURU PUJAN IN BELGIUM 10. HSS WOODBRIDGE DONATED BACKPACKS TO LOCAL KIDS IN NEED
11. INTERNATIONAL GITA MAHOTSAV CELEBRATED IN CANADA 12. INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY IN BHARAT
13. SEWA INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT HONOURED 14. HIGH COMMISSION CONDEMNS ATTACK AGAINST BHARATIYA COMMUNITY IN LEICESTER
15. HINDU CANADIANS CONCERNED ABOUT RISING HINDUPHOBIA: MP CHANDRA ARYA 16. NEW JERSEY HINDU AMERICANS DEMAND RESCISSION OF HATEFUL RESOLUTION BY TEANECK DEMOCRATS
17. OBITUARY: ACHARYA SWAMI DHARMENDRA MAHARAJ 18. OBITUARY: KESHAVRAO DATTATREYA DIKSHIT
19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT  
ARTICLE: LOKMANTHAN UNRAVELS CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL TREASURES IN THE NORTH EAST

 1. FESTIVALS: DIWALI: Deepawali or Diwali - celebrated on Karthik Amavasya (October 24 this year) - is a festival of lights which usually lasts five days. It symbolizes the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance. The festival is widely associated with Maa Lakshmi and Bhagwan Ganesh. Many other regional traditions connect the festival to Sita and Rama, Vishnu, Krishna, Durga, Shiva, Kali, Hanuman, Kubera, Yama, Yami, Dhanvantari or Vishvakarma.


During this period, Jains observe the final liberation of Mahavira, Sikhs celebrate Bandi Chhor Divas to mark the release of Guru Hargobind Sahib from a Mughal prison and Newar Buddhists celebrate Diwali by worshipping Lakshmi.
Along with the Bharatiya diaspora, many governments and their elected representatives officially celebrate Diwali in various countries around the world.
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2. RASHTRAPATI MURMU INAUGURATED MYSURU DUSHERRA FESTIVAL: On September 26, Rashtrapati Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the ten-day Mysuru Dusherra festival by offering prayers to Devi Chamundeshwari atop Chamundi hills. She extended her greetings to the people and sought the blessings of Bhagawati Chamundeshwari for the well-being of the nation and its people.

Rashtrapati Murmu also noted that the festival celebrates women's power and recalled the role played by Rani Abbakka Devi and Rani Chennamma in fighting foreign colonial powers, and Onake Obavva of Chitradurga who countered the soldiers of Hyder Ali. -GoTop

3. DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT AT DIFFERENT PROGRAMS: On September 25, RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat attended a public meeting at U Soso Tham auditorium in Shillong, Meghalaya. While addressing the meeting, Dr. Bhagwat said that the oneness of Bharat is its strength. He added that the mission of Sangh is to make the society organised in order to make Bharat attain all round development. On September 26, he joined the head priest of Seng Khasi, Skor Jala, for a prayer at the sanctum sanctorum of the sacred peak U Lum Sohpetbneng (Navel of the Universe) for the well-being, growth and prosperity of ‘Ka Mei Ri India’ (Bharat Mata) and all its citizens.
On September 18, Dr. Bhagwat addressed a gathering of swayamsevaks from Guruvayoor district and said that Hindutva is the name for divine qualities and not the name for any race, caste, creed, language or religion. Earlier, on September 15, he met Mata Amritanandamayi Devi and sought her blessings at Mata Amritanandamayi Math in Amritapuri, Kollam.
On September 19, Dr. Bhagwat launched the book "Connecting with the Mahabharata" in Delhi. The book authored by Neera Mishra and Air Vice Marshal (Retd.) Rajesh Lal is dedicated to B. B. Lal who carried out excavations at Hastinapur and Indraprastha as he worked to discover the historicity of Mahabharata. 
On August 22, Dr. Bhagwat met with many Muslim intellectuals and discussed recent controversies and ways to strengthen religious inclusivity in the country. The meeting was attended by many intellectuals like Former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi, Former Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung, Former Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University Lieutenant General Zameer Uddin Shah and others.
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4. LOKMANTHAN – CELEBRATION OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY : The 3rd edition of Lokmanthan - the Colloquium of Nation First Thinkers and Practitioners - was held at Guwahati from September 22 to 24. It was organised by Prajna Pravah along with like-minded intellectual and cultural organisations such as Sanskar Bharati, Vijnana Bharati, Sahitya Parishad, Itihas Sankalan Samiti and Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram. The theme of Lokmanthan was Lokparampara and it explored how lok traditions have kept our cultural consciousness intact and strengthened our feeling of National Selfhood.
UpRashtrapati of Bharat Jagdeep Dhankhar inaugurated Lokmanthan on September 22 in the presence of Governor of Assam Jagdish Mukhi and Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma.
The four-day convention brought together intellectuals and practitioners working to preserve cultural heritage and served as a landmark for accelerating the multifarious culture and traditions of North East Bharat. It provided a chance for all the ethnic groups and communities to bring forth their traditions in various spheres which are entwined in their cultural practices.
On September 24, chief guest of the valedictory function - Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammad Khan - quoted Rabindranath Tagore and said that Bharat cannot get its true independence until the people understand that independence comes from their mind itself. RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale, main speaker on the occasion, said that in the Bharatiya tradition, the ‘sthaan’ of ‘Maa’ is believed to be of highest repute. He added that a nation is built by Bhoomi, Jana, Sanskriti, and Niyam.
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5. SAKSHAM’S WORK IS EXCELLENT : KERALA GOVERNOR: On September 17, while inaugurating Saksham’s two-day National Delegate Conference at Elamakara Bhaskariyam Convention Center, Governor of Kerala Arif Mohammad Khan lauded Saksham for doing yeoman service among the physically challenged. He said that kindness, charity and dharma are the foundations of Bharat and Saksham is working based on the ideal of Manav Seva - Madhav Seva.
The conference was presided by the National President of Saksham Adv. S. Govindaraj and RSS Sah Sarkaryavah CR Mukunda delivered the keynote address. SAKSHAM is a charitable national organization registered at Nagpur. It was established with an aim to bring all physically challenged persons in the mainstream of our nation.
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6. NEELAMPEROOR PADAYANI CELEBRATED ‘SWADHEENTA KA AMRITAVARSH’: ‘Neelamperoor Padayani’ is a 2000 year old celebration of culture at the ‘Palli Bhagavathi Kshetram’ (Mandir of Devi Durga) in Neelamperoor, Kerala. According to the Malayalam calendar, it falls in the Chingam month (August/September) and involves celebration of the incarnation of Devi giving darshan to the masses. During the procession, exceptionally decorated effigies of various Devis come alive through a dance form in all its majestic grandeur and bursts of vibrant colours. The effigies are decorated with natural materials such as Ixora flowers, lotus leaves, coconut palm leaf, the stem of plantain etc.
As part of the ‘Swadheenta Ka Amritavarsh’, this year, the effigy of ‘Bharat Mata’ was added as ‘Bharatamba Kolam’ to celebrate the reawakening of Bharat. It was made with the same ritualistic divination as the other Devis and was received with reverence by the devotees participating in the Padayani.
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7. HINDU YUVA HOSTS LARGEST HINDU STUDENT LEADERSHIP EVENT IN NORTH AMERICA: As a celebration of 15 years of organizational growth and Hindu activism on campuses across North America, more than 200 Hindu student leaders from 64 universities gathered for ‘Charaiveti: The Hindu YUVA National Summit’ from September 9-11 in Chicago. Hindu Youth for Unity, Virtues and Action (YUVA) has 48 registered university chapters that practice, promote, protect and preserve Hindu Dharma on campus. The summit had the highest representation of universities among any Hindu student leadership event in North America.
The sessions were themed around the acronym YUVA: Youth for Unity, Virtues and Action. There were panel discussions reflecting on the need for Hindu representation in all aspects of society and how to address growing Hinduphobia in university spaces. Speakers also discussed the relevance of Hindu Dharma, and how their experiences can shape the way young leaders create change in society. Professor Ved Prakash Nanda, America Zone Sanghachalak of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, implored students and organization leaders to recognize that the “time is now that Hindus stand together and work in different facets of society towards the same vision.”
Leaders from BAPS Campus Fellowship, Hindu Students Council, National Hindu Students Forum (NHSF UK), Young Jains of America, Isha Foundation and International Society for Krishna Consciousness discussed the challenges faced by Hindu students on campus and how they could move forward together to address these challenges. Energized by the atmosphere of the summit and bolstered by the support of their peers, the Hindu student leaders returned more passionate than ever to represent the Hindu voice and contribute positively to their campus and community around them.
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8. HINDUS OF GREATER HOUSTON HONORS 75 YOUTH: At an event hosted by Hindus of Greater Houston (HGH) at Sri Meenakshi Temple on September 10, 75 youth were recognized and honored for their strong sense of community, fostering conversations about Bharatiya culture and inspiring the next generation of leaders with their contributions.
More than 500 people from around 44 organisations attended the event. The 75 awardees selected included those of Caucasian, African American, Caribbean, Nepali and Indo-American origin. Keynote speaker Partho Ghosh dwelt on how Vedanta philosophy’s tenets can drive better leaders. Deputy Consul General of Bharat in Houston, Sandeep Choudhary, congratulated the awardees and spoke briefly on the importance of connectivity of the youth awardees with those in Bharat. Kim Marby, Program Manager for Interfaith Ministry of Greater Houston, also attended the event.
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9. GURU PUJAN IN BELGIUM: On September 25, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS Belgium conducted the first in-person Guru Pujan Utsav in Leuven city area of Belgium.
Around 30 swayamsevaks and sevikas attended the utsav. In an interactive session, the children discussed their views on the idea of ‘Guru’. In his address, karyavah for Europe Mainland (EML) Abhinav Sharma explained the concept of Guru and touched upon the different forms of Guru that we encounter in our life. The significance of Bhagwa Dhwaj as Guru in Sangh and the concept of Guru Dhakshina were also introduced to the swayamsevaks and sevikas.
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10. HSS WOODBRIDGE DONATED BACKPACKS TO LOCAL KIDS IN NEED: In September, Woodbridge chapter of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS USA partnered with Goel CPA LLC and donated more than 40 backpacks and other school supplies to Woodbridge Township schools. This initiative was named ‘Vidyadaan’.
16 backpacks were donated to the Indiana Avenue School #18. Principal Christopher Chiera received the backpacks and appreciated the work done by HSS.
More than 24 backpacks were donated to Councilwoman Sharon McAuliffe who will in turn distribute the backpacks to individual students in need.
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11. INTERNATIONAL GITA MAHOTSAV CELEBRATED IN CANADA: International Gita Mahotsav was celebrated in Canada from September 16-18. According to a statement issued by Bharat Sevashram Sangha Canada, the Mahotsav commenced on September 16 in the Canadian Parliament.
The festival was celebrated at the Living Art Center of Mississauga on day two and it ended on Yonge-Dundas Square in the downtown Toronto community on day three with a parade.  Speaking at the event, Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament Nepean, House of Commons of Canada emphasized on his private member's bill to celebrate November as Hindu Heritage Month. Arya stated that the Canadian government should recognize the contributions that Hindu Canadians have made to the socio-economic development of Canada and their services to Canadian society.
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12. INTERNATIONAL COASTAL CLEANUP DAY IN BHARAT: International Coastal Cleanup Day is celebrated globally on the third Saturday of September every year. On September 17, the Government of Bharat along with other voluntary organisations and the local society conducted a cleanliness campaign - “Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar” - along Bharat’s entire coastline.
Efforts were undertaken to collect scientific data and information on Marine Litter in various matrices such as coastal waters, sediments and beaches. This campaign was launched by Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) in support of Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). Along with other social and educational organizations, Indian Coast Guard, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and Paryavaran Sanrakshan Gatividhi (PSG) participated in the event.
More than hundred thousand volunteers from around 10,000 organisations covered close to 900 locations in 11 states and union territories. More than 700 tons of waste was cleaned up during the drive.
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13. SEWA INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT HONOURED: Recognizing Sewa International's work during the Covid-19 pandemic in the US, Bharat and worldwide, the Federation of Indo-Americans of Northern California honoured Arun Kankani, President, Sewa International with the "Festival of Globe Hero Award" on August 21. Speaking at the event in Fremont, California, Arun Kankani thanked the Bharatiya American community for serving local US communities during the pandemic in 2020-2021 and supporting Bharat and nine other nations when Covid infections were at their peak.
He also said that Sewa International was able to serve all without discrimination as they believed the world to be one family.
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14. HIGH COMMISSION CONDEMNS ATTACK AGAINST BHARATIYA COMMUNITY IN LEICESTER: On September 19, the High Commission of Bharat in London condemned the violence perpetrated against the Bharatiya community in Leicester.
“We strongly condemn the violence perpetrated against the Indian Community in Leicester and vandalisation of premises and symbols of Hindu religion. We have strongly taken up this matter with the UK authorities and have sought immediate action against those involved in these attacks. We call on the authorities to provide protection to the affected people,” the statement read.
The cycle of violence was triggered on August 28 after Bharat won the Asia Cup T20 match against Pakistan. The police have made 47 arrests in this matter so far.
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15. HINDU CANADIANS CONCERNED ABOUT RISING HINDUPHOBIA: MP CHANDRA ARYA: Chandra Arya, an MP of the Canadian Parliament, urged the parliamentarians to take necessary remedial measures to address the increasing incidents of hate crimes against Hindus in the country. In a Parliamentary address in the Canadian Parliament, Chandra Arya said, "Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned about the rising Hinduphobia in Canada."  The MP further added, "The increasingly vocal and well organized Anti India and Anti Hindu groups in Canada has resulted in increasing Anti Hindu sentiments...I urge all levels of government to note this and take remedial actions now.
Let us all work hard, to make sure that people of all religious faiths continue to peacefully coexist in Canada." 
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16. NEW JERSEY HINDU AMERICANS DEMAND RESCISSION OF HATEFUL RESOLUTION BY TEANECK DEMOCRATS: Almost fifty-five Hindu American organizations representing more than 155,000 residents of Bergen County, NJ and surrounding areas signed a coalition letter condemning a hateful resolution recently passed by the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee (TDMC).  The resolution has outraged Hindu Americans who see this as a vicious, false and provocative act by Democratic Party activists in Teaneck to demonize the entire Hindu community, their activities, their beliefs and their political participation in New Jersey. 
Civic leaders and officials from the surrounding areas also expressed their support for the Hindu American community while condemning the Hindu hate campaign initiated by the TDMC. New Jersey State Senator Vin Gopal, in a strongly worded statement of support for the Hindu American community condemned the resolution and called for its immediate rescission.  Teaneck City Council Members Keith Kaplan and Michael Santiago Pagan also issued a strong statement in which they proclaimed that hate has no home in Teaneck.
Hindu American organizations, some of which were demonized by the TDMC resolution, collectively donated over 30 million pounds of food and over $50 million dollars worth of food, supplies and other essential services during the pandemic to help the elderly or lower-income communities hit hard by the COVID lockdowns.  The letter urged the TDMC to do the right thing by immediately rescinding their hate-filled resolution and apologizing for hurting the sentiments of the Hindu American community and for endangering the security, well-being, and safety of Hindus in New Jersey.
On September 12, Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee (TDMC) of Teaneck, NJ had passed a resolution that wrongly condemns almost every major Hindu American organization in the United States as an organization that promotes hate and terrorism.
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17. OBITUARY: ACHARYA SWAMI DHARMENDRA MAHARAJ: Shri Panchkhand Peethadheeshwar Acharya Swami Dharmendra Maharaj was under treatment at the Sawai Man Singh Government Hospital in Jaipur from August 28. He was put on ventilator support as his health deteriorated. However, he could not recover and passed away on September 19. He was 79.
Born on January 9, 1942, in Malvada, Gujarat, Acharya Dharmendra was one of the tallest figures in the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir movement. To stop cow slaughter, he started a massive movement in 1965 with a 52-day fast and many public awareness campaigns in the country. He had also served in the Kendriya Margadarshak Mandal of Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Many leaders, including Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have condoled his demise. PM Modi described Acharya's death as an irreparable loss to the spiritual world. In his condolence message RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat said that in the passing of Shri Panchkhand Peethadheeshwar Acharya Shri Dharmendra, Hindu society has lost one of its inspiring spokesman and a vigilant crusader of Hindu dharma and culture.
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18. OBITUARY: KESHAVRAO DATTATREYA DIKSHIT : Keshavrao Dattatreya Dikshit, a senior pracharak of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, breathed his last at a private hospital in Kolkata on September 20. He was 98. Keshavrao was born in 1925 at Pulgaon village of Wardha district in Maharashtra and he graduated in Marathi and Sanskrit from M.J. College, Jalgaon in 1949. He was a swayamsevak from a very young age and became a sangh pracharak in 1950.
Keshavrao came to Bengal in 1950 as a pracharak of RSS and guided the sangh work there for 72 years in various capacities. In a shraddhanjali sabha in Kolkata on September 28, RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat said that Keshavraos’s life teaches us to constantly and continuously work for the society and nation.
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19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Anil Vartak, Vishwa Vibhag Sah-Samyojak will be travelling to Thailand. Visitors: Vijay D. Y., Vivek Singh - USA

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Radiate boundless love towards the entire world. — Mahatma Buddha
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JAI SHRI RAM
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LOKMANTHAN UNRAVELS CULTURAL AND TRADITIONAL TREASURES IN THE NORTH EAST

RAJIB DUTTA

Lokmanthan, the churn of the nation, is a journey embarked upon by Prajna Pravah to seek the cultural and traditional treasures hidden in the various corners of our country. Lokmanthan is that intended churn which would provide a chance to all ethnic groups and communities to bring forth their traditional knowledge in various spheres which are entwined in their cultural practices. It is a platform to all thinkers and practitioners for whom the national interests are primary. The very concept of Lokmnthan is conceived as a “Colloquium of Nation First Thinkers and Practitoners’ that offers a common platform to not just intellectuals but all those who have excelled in their respective fields and contributed to realizing the idea of Rashtra (Nationhood).
For the last ten centuries India was in a state of insularity facing political and social precariousness which not only had an impact on its social and religious values, but also knowledge and economic prosperity. However, the essence of our Rashtriyata lays not in religious, political or administrative apparatus but on an immutable culture binding masses across the country. This is an attempt to connect intellectuals and practitioners in connecting the present to the past, and thus create a future which can secure our cultural heritage.
Lokmanthan was first organised in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in the year 2016 and the theme was “Decolonising of Indian Minds” which is an attempt to reinventing the national self-consciousness and linking the young generation to the lost roots of our culture. Similarly in 2018 Lokmanthan was organised in Ranchi, Jharkhand with the theme “Bharat Bodh-Jana Gana Mana”. Through Bharat Bodh, it is to remind that Bharat was well known throughout the world for its economic prosperity and philosophy, and was rich culturally and economically.
Lokmanthan 2022 is being organised in Guwahati, Assam in the month of September at Srimanta Sankardev Kalashetra and the theme is “Lok Parampara”. North East in context of Bharat is the “Isahan Kon” of the geographical region. It is the land of rising sun and connects north with the east which is considered as one of the holy place. Earth magnetic field travels from North to South and Sun magnetic field travels from East to West. These two magnetic field superimposition happens in the North East and is our believe that our gods are based in this region, Himalaya.
Since ages past, the North Eastern region of India has either been disregarded, unexplored, misunderstood, or inaccurately portrayed in both ethos and sentiments on one hand, and on the basis of theme, contextual, and logical reasons on the other hand. The widely held belief has been that the North Eastern region of our nation not only differs significantly in its Mongoloid details, but also holds a separatist, nonconformist, and dissident perspective on its historical past and cultural present.
The eight North East States including the seven sister states of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram, Meghalaya and the eight brother state in Sikkim have been obtrusive examples of the other’s blurred or ignorant gaze and the insider’s distorted or misunderstood perspective.
However, North East from the very Vedic period is very much bonded with Bharat and have given birth to many famous heroes. In Kalikapuran it is mentioned that Bhagwan Parashuram to evade his ills took bath in present Parashuram Kunda which is situated in Lohit River near Tezu, Arunachal Pradesh.
It is mentioned in Mahabharata that King Bhagadat was the king of Pragjyotishpur. The name Pragjyotishpur was mentioned more than 20 times in Mahabhrata. Undivided North East was known as Pragjyotishpur which means “Ancient”(Prag) “Jyotish” (Astrology) :City of Ancient Astrology”. In ‘Vishnu Puran’ the war between Krishna and Narakasur, King of Pragjyotishpur was mentioned.
Bhagwan Krishna married Rukmini the princess of Bhishmaknagar of Arunachal Pradesh. The Misimi tribes still consider them as the descendants of Rukmini. While returning from Bhishmaknagar, Krishna with his wife Rukmini took rest and Shiva and Devi Parvati welcomed them with flowers which is at present known as Malinithan. The name Malini got its name as Krishna used to call Devi Parvati as Malini.

The Akashiganga that is situated near Malinithan is regarded as one of the 51 Shakti Pith of Bharat. Nilmat Puran written by Saint Neel mentions that the Nag KanyaUllupi was married by Arjuna. The Dimasa of Nagaland consider themselves as the descendants of Hidimba, the wife of Bhim.
The Bodo community of Assam consider themselves as the descendants of Vishnu the creator and the Karbi’sof Karbi Anglong consider themselves as the descendants of Sugriva the younger brother of King Vali. Similarly the Tiwa community consider themselves as the descendants of Sita.
In contemporary history, Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva was a great saint-scholar, poet, playwright, dancer, actor, musician, artist social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of Assam, Bharat. He was instrumental in bonding the North East with mainland Bharat. “Hena jani naratanu nena aale jale, Katikhyan pora aashi dharileko kale. Devara durlava etu janma bharatat, Horai Chintamani jena janiba hatot” (from Bhagavata Adi Dashan) meaning It is very difficult for “Devata” (Demigoad) to be born in Bharata, so do not spend the human life in vain because a being never knows when death calls upon Him, so do the needful to serve Lord Krishna, or else you will let loose the most precious thing (Chintamani) from your hand. His main disciple, Sri Sri Madhabdev in his quote “Dhanya Dhanya Kali Kal, Danya Nara Tanu Bhala, Dhanya Dhanya Bharat Barikha”. Apa apa Jagya Tezi, Tumaro Charane Bhaji, Tuwa Naam Ghosibu Harise (Borget). Glory to the Kaliyuga blessed human birth and the land of Bharatavarsha; renouncing penance, sacrifice at your feet, let all sing in praise of Your name with blissful joy in praise of your name. It is worth mentioning that the great leader Lachit Borphukan defeated the Mughals 7 times and saved the entireSouth East Asia from the barbaric rule of Mughals. Historically, the Northeastern region had been an integral part of India's freedom struggle.
Kanaklata Barua was a freedom fighter who sacrificed at the age of 17 during the Quit India Movement.
One of the most revered figures of the Anglo-Manipur War in 1891 was Major Paona Brajabashi, a soldier of the Kangleipak kingdom (Kingdom of Manipur) under Maharaja Kulachandra.
Bir Tikendrajit Singh, the crown prince of Manipur, who laid down his life along with his General Thangal for protecting the territorial integrity of the state against British imperialist design, has gone down in the annals of history as a hero of supreme sacrifice and extraordinary valour.
“We are free people, the white men should not rule over us,” said a 13-year-old Rani Gaidinliu of the Rongmei Nagatribe in 1927, while issuing a clarion call to all ethnic Naga tribes from remote hills of the Northeastern region.
Haipou Jadonang, A Rongmei Naga leader from present-day Manipur, he was a spiritual leader, social reformist, and political leader who sought to emancipate the Naga people from the clutches of British colonial rule during the early decades of the 20th century.
Born in 1802, U Tirot Sing Syiemlieh was a native chief of Nongkhlaw, a territory in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya, wholed the Khasis in their fight against the British during the 1829-1833 Anglo-Khasi War.
Moje Riba became the first INC President from Arunachal Pradesh. For his sacrifices and contributions in the India's movement, he was conferred with Tamra Patra by the then PM of India, Smt. Indira Gandhi.
Born on 6 June 1890, Gopinath Bordoloi not only challenged the British, but also ensured that at the time of Independence, Assam remained part of India, and eventually became the first Chief Minister of undivided Assam.
Northeast India has over 220 ethnic groups and an equal number of dialects with rich and vibrant culture. At present prospective, if we explore and unravel, we shall find that the tradition of North East is very much related to the rest of Bharat. In Assam we celebrate “Bohag Bihu” in the month of April similarly in Northern India it is celebrated as Vaishakhi, as Vishu in Kerala and Puthandu in Tamilnadu. The North East communities had a close binding but was divided by the Britishers in the name of Tribals-Nontribals, Hills-Plains, and in the name of cast and creed. The conversion of people to Christianity by certain tribal policy during the British Rule divided the people of Northeast. In the name of protection the Bharatiyas of the plain needed passes and inner line permits to visit their own countryman in the hills and forest but the Christian missionaries were given easy and free access which helped them to fulfil their agenda of conversion.
The oneness that we seven sisters and one brother along with the Bharat with our similar Lok Parampara is an example of Akhanda Bharat. As famous Hindi Novalist and Historian, Shri Hazari Prasad Dwivedi said “The meaning of the word ‘Lok’ is not tribal or rural, instead, it is the whole people residing in cities and villages, whose practical knowledge was not based on texts. These people are more simple and trained in organic lifestyle in comparison with the city dwellers”. This Lokmanthan2022 will be a curtain riser for the people of North East to be in oneness and bring back the tradition and ethos of its own community and assimilate the region with Akhanda Bharat. (www.organiser.com)   
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