Magh Shukla 9 Vik. Samvat 2079, Yugabda 5124 : 16 January, 2023:SM 4020 (For Private Circulation only)
1. FESTIVALS: MAGH MELA is
an annual festival that is celebrated in the month of Magh (January and
February) at Triveni Sangam - the holy confluence of three sacred rivers Ganga,
Yamuna, and Saraswati - in Prayagraj.
2. PROGRAMS OF SARSANGHACHALAK DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT: On
January 8, RSS Sarsanghachalak Dr. Mohan Bhagwat attended the concluding
ceremony of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations of Prasad Prakashan in Pune.
Thirteen books by different authors were published by Prasad Prakashan and
Anahat Prakashan. Maharashtra’s Minister for Cultural Affairs Sudhir Munguntiwar
and veteran Indologist and former Chairman of Deccan College Deemed University
Dr. G. B. Deglurkarwere also present on the occasion.
On January 6, Dr. Bhagwat addressed a public meeting in Goa which was attended
by more than 5000 people. Speaking on the occasion, he said that if we want to
be happy and secure, the nation will have to be happy and secure and hence, we
need to strengthen the society to achieve the goal of becoming ‘Vishwaguru’. He
also said that the nation progresses only when the vision of the society is
clear and the understating is rich. He concluded by saying that we should
contribute to the nation and work for the betterment of the society.
-GoTop
3. FAMILY SYSTEM CAN BE BHARAT’S GIFT TO THE WORLD:
DATTATREYA HOSABALE: On January 8, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarkaryavah
Shri Dattatreya Hosabale said that the world is working to protect family values
and Bharat can give a family system to the world as a gift. He added that we
need to be in an ideal position so that the world accepts our example.
4. PRAVASI BHARATIYA DIVAS 2023: Bharat has celebrated
Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) on January 9 since 2003 to recognise the
contribution of the Bharatiyas living abroad to the growth of Bharat. The day
honours Mahatma Gandhi’s arrival in Mumbai on January 9, 1915, after travelling
to South Africa. PBD provides an important platform to engage and connect with
overseas Bharatiyas and enable the diaspora to interact with each other. The
17th edition of the PBD was conducted from January 8 - 10 at Indore, Madhya
Pradesh. Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi formally inaugurated PBD on January 9.
Prior to that, the ‘Youth Pravasi Bharatiya Divas’ was held on January 8.
According to a PBD press release, more than 3,500 diaspora members from around
70 countries registered for the convention. Suriname President Chandrikapersad
Santokhi was the Special Guest of Honour at the PBD and Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali,
President of Guyana was the Chief Guest.
The Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award was also awarded as part of the programme.
According to the official website, it is the highest honour conferred on a
Non-Resident Bharatiya, Person of Bharatiya Origin; or an organisation or
institution established and run by them. The award is to commemorate the
contribution of the Bharatiya diaspora to create a better understanding of
Bharat abroad, support Bharat’s causes and work for the welfare of the local
Bharatiya community. This year, Rashtrapati Droupadi Murmu presented the award
to 27 people from various countries including Australia, Ethiopia, Israel, Japan
and others. 
Addressing the inaugural session, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi hailed the
contribution of Pravasi Bhartiyas and described them as “brand ambassadors” and
“rashtra doots”. He said that when the world assesses the contribution of our
non-resident Bharatiyas, it hears the sound of a strong and capable Bharat.
5. HINDU AWARENESS CAMP CONDUCTED IN MALAYSIA: Hindu
Sevai Sangam, HSS Malaysia organised a Hindu Awareness Camp from December 30 to
January 1 at SJKT Ladang Midlands Shah Alam, Selangor. 90 participants from 4
states namely Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Perak attended the
camp. 13 sikshaks and 15 prabandhaks conducted the camp with the guidance of
senior karyakartas.
The concluding program of the camp was presided by the State Legislative Member
for Sentosa Dr Gunaraj. Former Member of Parliament for Klang Mr Charles
Santiago, Selangor Bharatiya Consultative Council Member Shri Gunasegaran
Kandaswamy, Headmistress of Midlands Estate Tamil School Shrimathi Thevamani
Raman and HSS Malaysia Saha Sanghachalak Shri Vesuanathan Suppiah also attended
the event. -GoTop
6. HSS GERMANY CELEBRATED GEETA JAYANTI: On December 23,
Wolfsburg unit of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS Germany celebrated the Geeta
Jayanti Utsav. The event included shlok recital and kirtans. Children performed
a skit in German language on the importance of Geeta Jayanti and the tarun gana
performed a skit on Arjun and Krishna. Shri Paramashreya Prabhu and Shri
Shivatma Prabhu from ISKCON Germany gave talks on the occasion. More than 50
swayamsevaks and sevikas attended the event. 
7. UTKARSH INITIATIVE STARTED BY SEWA BHARATI: Sewa
Bharati, along with National Medico Organization (NMO), started the Utkarsh
initiative some time ago as a Medical Camp for the people in need.
8. 1171 BHARATIYA PEACEKEEPERS AWARDED UN MEDALS IN SOUTH
SUDAN: In a proud moment for Bharat, more than 1,000 Bharatiya peacekeepers,
including five female Army personnel, have been honoured with UN medals for
their vital work in the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). For the first time,
the parade of the large contingent, consisting of infantry, engineers and
medical staff, was also led by a woman - Major Jasmine Chattha. According to the
UN, even though the Bharatiya contingent may be best known for its efforts to
build and repair critical infrastructure, protecting civilians is also a vital
and sometimes dangerous part of their mandate. -GoTop
9. BHARATIYA-AMERICAN IS NASA'S CHIEF TECHNOLOGIST: A
Bharatiya-American aerospace industry expert AC Charania has been appointed as
NASA's new chief technologist to serve as principal advisor on technology policy
and programmes. In a statement on January 9, NASA said that in his position, AC
Charania will align NASA’s agencywide technology investments with mission needs
across six mission directorates and oversee technology collaboration with other
federal agencies, the private sector, and external stakeholders. In a statement,
Charania said that there are incredible opportunities in partnerships within and
outside of NASA and he was looking forward to the opportunity to work with the
entire community to increase the rate of space and aviation progress. 
10. TWO BHARATIYA-ORIGIN DOCTORS RECEIVE 'GP OF THE YEAR
AWARD': Two Bharatiya-origin doctors - Dr Anju Aggarwal, a general
practitioner based in Sydney, and Dr Abhishek Verma from Victoria - have shared
this year's prestigious 'General Practitioner of the year award' given by the
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). The two GPs have been
recognised for their dedication to the profession of general practice,
excellence in primary healthcare, and participation in continuing professional
development and training. These awards are given for extraordinary service to
the community at large including rural and remote areas. According to RACGP
website, Dr Aggarwal was honoured for her involvement in educating, organising
and leading health promotion efforts in ethnic and CALD Communities through
health checks at community gatherings and Indian Doctors Networks at a national
and international level.
The website also noted that Dr Verma - medical educator, GP advocate and leader
in clinical governance - practices in Narre Warren and is committed to serving
socio-economically disadvantaged families, recent migrants and people with
mental health issues. -GoTop
11. OBITUARY: SRI SIDDESHWARA SWAMIJI: Spiritual leader
Sri Siddheshwar Swamiji of Jnana Yogashram, Vijayapura breathed his last on
January 2 after a prolonged illness. He was 81 years old. At a very young age of
14, Swamiji got his spiritual calling and became the discipleship of H.H. Shri
Mallikarjuna. Siddheshwar Swamiji had given Pravachans in Kannada, English and
Marathi for more than 50 years. Being widely travelled, both in Bharat and
across the world, Swamiji had a very wide knowledge of spiritual traditions from
many parts of the country and the world. In the last few decades, Swamiji had
written several books on Upanishads, Gita, Sharana philosophy and general
spirituality. 
12. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Vishwa Vibhag Sah
Samyojak Dr. Ram Vaidya will be travelling to Bharat. Visitors: Avneesh Tyagi -
Cyprus
FOOD FOR THOUGHT : All the time, circumstances are not going to favor us.
We shall have to face obstacles and adversities. Fearlessness is the first
virtue of a hero, the starting point of all other noble virtues. ― Madhav
Sadashiv Golwalkar ‘Sri Guruji’.
-GoTop
JAI SHRI RAM
---
EXCERPTS OF INTERVIEW WITH DR MOHAN BHAGWAT
RSS Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat addressed
several issues in an exclusive conversation with Hitesh Shankar, Editor,
Panchjanya and Prafulla Ketkar, Editor, Organiser. The full interview is
available at
https://organiser.org/2023/01/09/103855/bharat/retaining-the-core-essence-direction-of-sangh-during-the-favourable-times-is-the-biggest-test/
Excerpts:
For any organisation, completing the hundred-year journey is a stiff
challenge. One tends to deviate from the path or the journey ends. As the Sangh
marched towards this major milestone, when did it face its biggest challenge?
And what was it?
Challenge is a too lofty word. Yes, it has been a journey through an uneven and
difficult road. You have to face many unexpected turns on it. There were hurdles
and roadblocks too. But we had a mission at hand, which we had to see through;
this was all we focused on. Not losing our direction and our core essence, even
as we went through all that ordeal—this was our greatest challenge.
When I look at the present, those days of contempt and opposition are over.
Today, we get boundless love and affection from society. Time is conducive for
our thought too. In fact, the contemporary global scenario is also nudging
humanity in that direction. Willy-nilly, people have started thinking like us,
and this feeling will only get stronger with time. Because of this, our path has
become somewhat easy. This, too, is a challenge.
The thorns we encountered earlier on the road have changed their character. In
the past, we had to brave the thorns of opposition and contempt. Those we could
avoid. And at times we have avoided them too. But the newfound acceptance has
brought us resources, convenience and abundance. Our social esteem has soared.
The society has reposed its faith in us; expectations are high. It feels that we
will make a difference. Under these circumstances, our
popularity and resources have become thorns which we must brave. For example,
even though we do not want to go to media on many issues, we cannot avoid doing
so any longer. This may be counterproductive. They might wonder why we are
hiding in the shadows. We have to face the media. When we step out, press will
write about us; print our photos too. But we must not crave for publicity. If
today we have means and resources, they should be seen as no more than
instruments essential for our work; we should control them, they should not
control us. We should not be accustomed to them. Our old habits of facing
hardships must never die. Times are favourable, but that should not lead to
vanity.
A favourable climate brings along popularity—something we are very fond of. When
a crowd comes to greet you at the railway station, it feels good. But we must
stay watchful of the factors that lead to such feelings. At the same time, in
order to understand the feelings we must remain watchful of, we will have to go
through those very experiences. Our challenge is to have this realisation and
stay alert all the time. We are working tirelessly.
Our mission is moving forth, as we are working for the real and truthful
thought. Eventually, everyone comes around to embracing the truth. This reality
is the foundation on which we shall shape our future, and the future of this
country too. We are not worried about it. But we have to ensure that we do not
deviate as we complete our journey and keep our swatva (essence) intact
throughout the distance. So, from the point of view of these objectives, the
present phase—when our circumstances are the most favourable—seems the most
difficult. We must wade past this phase. This is our challenge.
There was a time when Sangh’s thought process and its style of working
followed the logic of ‘organisation for organisation’s sake.’ Now, as you have
been saying, Sangh needs to work for social transformation and humanity at
large. What changes do you see in Sangh’s style of working and its thoughts?
There is no change; I see it as progression. When a bud grows into a
flower, not all petals blossom together; some of the petals bloom early. Our
organisation remains the same; our methods remain the same. We still organise
for the sake of organisation. Otherwise we will get complacent and say that
given the work we already doing, even if we do not conduct shakha, there will be
people with us.
You see, we mobilise talent in our society at large. Many people join us by
birth due to their family. And yet we continue to hold our shakha. This
increases our workload. But the question remains: what purpose does organising
society serve? Why do we want to remain healthy? We want health because then all
our worked become healthy too. We retire, when we get old. Even if there is no
work at hand, we wish to remain healthy. During our childhood, we are not
burdened with the responsibility of supporting a family—there is little work to
do—yet we wish to stay healthy. And of course while we are working, health is a
priority. Organise for the sake of organisation—this principle is our polestar.
But for social service, we have swayamsevak to bring about social
transformation, we have swayamsevak to change the system, we have swayamsevak
for an entire spectrum of works. Sangh will only organise and do nothing else.
Swayamsevak will not leave any field untouched. We have been saying this and
today we can see manifestation of the same. This is progression. Back then also
people used to say we organise only for the organisation’s sake. And we agreed
because we have nothing to hide.
There’s been a tendency to view Sangh from the political prism. How do you
see Sangh’s relationship with politics?
For various reasons, in our society, political prism is a favourite
perspective. So not only Sangh activities, everything else also is viewed from
the political perspective. Generally, we remain unmindful to the good or bad
happenings in other walks of social life. Everything is politics centric.
However, right from its inception, Sangh has consciously kept itself away from
day to day politics. The politics of votes, the politics of elections, the
politics of humiliating oneanother— Sangh has no relation with any of these.
But, there are other dimensions of politics that affect our national policies,
national interest and Hindu interest. The Sangh has been always concerned about
whether the overall political direction is conducive to these issues or not;
right from the days of Doctor Ji (Dr K B Hedgewar, founder of RSS). If politics
takes a wrong turn and because of that our social awakening is adversely
impacted, we are concerned. We have always been vocal about national policy; and
whatever strength we have, accordingly we try to mobilise it to drive it in the
right direction. We do openly and without any hesitation. We have never been
secretive about it. This is true of the present time as well. We are not
concerned with day to day politics, but we are definitely linked to rasthra
neeti—the national policy. We have our opinion about the same. Today, as we have
gained adequate strength (through organisational network), we try to utilise it
in the national interest and we will certainly do so.
The only difference is, earlier, our Swayamsevaks were not in positions of
political power. This is the only addition in the present situation. But people
forget that it is the Swayamsevaks who have reached certain political positions
through a political party. Sangh continues to organise the society for the
organisation’s sake. However, whatever Swayamsevaks do in politics, Sangh is
held accountable for the same.
Even if we are not implicated directly by others, there is certainly some
accountability; as ultimately, it is in the Sangh where Swayamsevaks are
trained. Therefore, we are forced to think– what should be our relationship,
which things we should pursue (in the national interests) with due diligence.
For instance, there was a conference of traders to present the activities of
Sangh. At the end, there was a Q&A session. They were fine with the Sangh’s work
but had questions about Income Tax, GST and ease of doing business. They asked
everything concerning the Government, trade and commerce. And every time, I kept
telling that this is not our work. I repeatedly argued that the policy is one
side of this; the other side is the mindset (of making and implementing the
policies). But, they will naturally raise those questions. We have to go to the
extent of reassuring them that will convey your issues to the concerned people.
The only point is about political developments, if people are expecting
something, if they are facing any difficulty- that is conveyed to us then it can
be brought to the notice of concerned people, if they are Swayamsevaks. Even
when Swayamsevaks were not there in power positions, there were people who used
to pay heed to the advice of others. There will be such people in the future
too. We will keep approaching them with people’s concerns. Pranab Da
was Finance Minister in the Congress government. He was also looking after Nepal
affairs. We used to take our concerns to him. And he would listen to us too.
That is all we do. Otherwise, we have no business in other spheres of active
politics.
On many occasions, people on social media wonder whether the Sangh has
abandoned its earlier aggressive stance. How do you see this change? Is it
because of the transformation the Sangh has undergone or Sangh has strategically
changed its role due to changes in the society at large?
You see, Hindu society has been at war for over 1,000 years – this fight has
been going on against foreign aggressions, foreign influences and foreign
conspiracies. Sangh has offered its support to this cause, so have others. There
are many who have spoken about it. And it is because of all these that the Hindu
society has awakened. It is but natural for those at war to be aggressive. As
said (in Bhagwatgeeta), ‘yudhyasva vigata-jvarah’–“Become free from desire and
selfishness, and with your mental grief departed, fight!” It is not possible for
everyone to follow this maxim. However, there are people who took on the task of
social awakening
through Sangh. This tradition of social awakening is quite old — it started on
the day when Alexander, the first invader, arrived at our frontiers.
You may say that all those who undertook the task of social awakening—in the
great tradition of Chanakya—have cautioned the Hindu society against yet another
war. Unfortunately, we have not been thoroughly alerted to this impending
reality. This war is not against an enemy without, but against an enemy within.
So there is a war to defend Hindu society, Hindu Dharma and Hindu culture.
Foreign invaders are no longer there, but foreign influences and foreign
conspiracies have continued. Since this is a war, people are likely to get over
zealous. Although this is not desirable, yet provocative statements will be
uttered.
But at the same time, there are some internal issues concerning us. Shri Ram
symbolises our pride. His temple must be built. There was a movement for it.
Those in the movement exclaimed ‘Jai Shree Ram’. Such slogans obviously meant to
energise. Shri Ram strung together all jati and sects. But even today, people in
our country are getting whipped so much as mounting another’s wagon. Should this
not change? Everyone, who has carried forward that tradition of awakening, has
talked about this. Hindu society has hailed the sloganeering but not this
message of self-purification. Hindu society has not fully awakened to this
reality; it should happen. We keep talking about war, war, war (against someone)
but what about us? If war is there, what is our status? In a war we have to
think and understand the enemy. We also have to decide what to do and when.
If you see, after the Mughal aggression, the last experiment was that of
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Since then, there has been continuation and
imitation of his strategy. What was Shivaji Maharaj’s policy? He was aware of
the enemy but also conscious about self. He knew when to fight and when to avoid
it. After his coronation, Shivaji Maharaj extended a hand of friendship to the
neighbouring Muslim dynasties. He went to Golkonda and established friendly
relations with Qutub Shah with the condition that at least two of his Ministers
should be Hindus and atrocities against Hindus should stop. Qutub Shah had to
accept the same. It is different story that this was changed after the demise of
Shivaji Maharaj, as the fundamentalists among the Qutubshahi killed the Hindu
ministers. But, Shivaji Maharaj tried this, as he knew very well that noble
things advocated from the position of strength can become acceptable.
The other thing is, if the Hindu society understands itself, it will also find
solutions to the problems that assail it. Staunch Christians say they will
convert the entire world to the Christian faith. Those who do not fall in line
will either live at their mercy or perish. Staunch Muslims, followers of the
Abrahamic ideology, believers, non-believers, communists, practitioners of black
capitalism — all of them believe that others must accept their path as it is the
only true path. And if you refuse to do so, you will have to choose between
surviving on our mercy and death. We will destroy you. But what is the Hindu
worldview? Does a Hindu ever say that everyone should endorse his faith? This is
not how we think. We want to present an example for others to see. We want to
have a dialogue with everyone. Those who wish to improve will follow our
example. If they do not, we do not intend to harm them. But we must be watchful
that they are not able to harm us. We have gained enough strength in these
battles. They cannot harm us anymore. No one has the audacity to disturb our
political independence. It is now certain that Hindus will stay in this country;
they w ould not seek refuge elsewhere. Now, they are quite alert.
We must also capitalise on this opportunity to resolve our internal conflicts
and offer solutions to others. Today, when we are in a position of strength, so
we must do that. If not today, in the next fifty years will have to provide
this. And to ensure that we are able to accomplish this in five decades, we will
have to start right away. China’s present position of prominence was planned in
1948. They have been following that blueprint ever since. When we have acquired
sufficient strength, we should be clear about priorities for the future. Staying
perpetually into fighting mode will do us no good. In the national life, it does
not happen this way. To think that those who fight can accomplish everything is
also a mistake. Garibaldi led the war, but at once fighting stopped, he wanted
others to lead. At the end when they had to choose a monarch, Garibaldi refused
the mantle and said it should go to someone else. Of the three leaders who rose
to prominence during Italy’s rise, it was Garibaldi who led on the battlefield.
However, at the end, he distanced himself saying this is not my job. Likewise,
we too should change our discourse and language according to the circumstance.
The direction remains the same. Hindustan is a Hindu rashtra. This prosperous
and powerful Hindu society—Hindu Rashtra – Bharat—will reach to the pinnacle of
its glory and provide leadership to the world. If at all, there are shortcomings
in achieving this goal, then how to overcome them? If needed, we will fight by
choice. We should not change our strategy because others have challenged us. We
fight a battle according to our own plan. This is how the Hindu society should
think. -GoTop
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