Pausha Shukla 10 Vik. Samvat 2079, Yugabda 5124 : 1 January, 2023:SM 4019 (For Private Circulation only)
1. FESTIVALS: MAKAR
SANKRANTI: Makar Sankranti (on January 14) marks the transition of the Sun
from the zodiac of Sagittarius (Dhanu) to Capricorn (Makar). The Sun is regarded
to have moved from the southern hemisphere to the northern hemisphere (Uttrayana)
on this day. The festivities are known by various names in different parts of
Bharat like Magh Bihu in Assam, Maghi in Punjab, Maghi Saaji in Himachal
Pradesh, Sakrat in Haryana, Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Khichidi Sankranti in Uttar
Pradesh. The festival is also celebrated outside Bharat as Maghe Sankranti
(Nepal), Songkran (Thailand), Thingyan (Myanmar) and Mohan Songkran (Cambodia). 
2. PROGRAMS OF SARASANGHACHALAK DR. MOHAN BHAGWAT:
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sarsanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat said that Bharat’s
development will be based on the vision and aspirations of its people. He was
speaking at Birla Matoshree Sabhagriha, Mumbai on December 18 to mark the
centenary year of Suraj Prakash, the founder of Bharat Vikas Parishad (BVP). He
also said that Bharat is becoming strong and prosperous & Bharatiyas all over
the world are holding their heads high.
On December 16, GIEO Gita Ashram unveiled a 40-feet Vishwa Swaroop of Bhagwan
Krishna in the presence of Gyananand Maharaj, Sarasanghachalak Dr Mohan Bhagwat
and many other distinguished guests. Constructed of ‘Ashtadhatu’ and weighing
around 35 tonnes, it was installed at Jyotisar and depicts nine forms of Bhagwan
Krishna. Sharing his thoughts at the unveiling ceremony, Dr. Bhagwat said that
the Bhagwad Gita provides us with information about the world and helps us deal
with several real-life situations.
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3. FIRST VEER BAL DIWAS CELEBRATED: On December 26,
Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi paid tributes to Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh,
Guru Gobind Singh’s sons who laid down their lives while defending their faith
and said that ‘Veer Bal Diwas’ exemplifies the identity of Bharat.
4. SARKARYAVAH DATTATREYA HOSABALE PROGRAMS: On December
19, RSS Sarkaryavah Dattatreya Hosabale and other senior RSS functionaries
visited the inmates of a rehabilitation centre for leprosy patients in
Vijayapura. He inaugurated the daily feeding programme organised by Seva Bharati
and Lokahita Trust at the centre located in the Mahatma Gandhi colony. He
recalled that social worker Venkatesh Gurunayak had started the centre in 1980
and called upon youth to support such activities. Shri Hosabale urged people to
live by the motto of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam like brothers, forgetting all
differences of caste, creed, race and gender.
On the occasion of Centenary Birth Celebrations of Pramukh Swami Maharaj of BAPS,
a Sant Sammelan was organised on December 25 at Pramukh Swami ji Maharaj Nagar
in Ahemdabad.
5. REMAIN AWARE TO PROTECT AND ACHIEVE OUR GOAL: ARUN KUMAR:
RSS Sah Sarkaryavah Arun Kumar said that we lost our educational and other
institutions during the period of 500 – 600 years of the first phase of
religiously intolerant Islamic attacks from the west. We witnessed cruelty
against women and children which we had never experienced before in the history
of our existence.
6. KASHI TAMIL SANGAMAM CONCLUDED: The month-long Kashi
Tamil Sangamam concluded on December 16 with a grand celebration. On this
momentous occasion hosted at the BHU Amphitheatre, Amit Shah, Union Minister for
Home and Cooperation was the Chief Guest. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi
Adityanath, Governor of Tamil Nadu Ravindra Narayan Ravi, Union Minister for
Education Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Tourism, Culture G. Kishan Reddy
and other dignitaries attended the closing ceremony. In his address, Amit Shah
said that, in a way, it was the beginning of the meeting of two peaks of
Bharatiya cultures - culture, philosophy, language and knowledge of Tamil Nadu
and Kashi city. The Union Home Minister said that Bharat is a country with many
cultures, languages, dialects and arts, but its soul is one. 
7. HSS OBSERVES 75TH YEAR OF SOCIAL WORK IN KENYA: The
first activities of what later became Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS Kenya was
started in Nairobi on the Makar Sankranti day of 1947. To commemorate the 75
years of social work in Kenya, a residential camp was organised from December
23-27 in Nairobi. 404 participants from major towns of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania,
Bharat, United kingdom, USA and Australia, joined the milestone occasion.
8. KARYAKARTA VARG CONDUCTED BY HSS NORWAY: After almost
three years, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh HSS Norway organised a karyakarta varg on
November 26. 40 karyakartas participated in the varg which had a balance of
shareerik and bauddhik activities.
9. PENNSYLVANIA GOVERNOR SUPPORTS SURYA NAMASKAR YAJNA:
Governor Tom Wolf of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania supported Surya Namaskar Yajna
– Health for Humanity Yogathon – which is conducted annually by Hindu
Swayamsevak Sangh HSS USA. He said that HSS emphasises the importance of
maintaining a healthy lifestyle regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, faith, or
nationality through the practice of Yoga. The discipline of yoga – from its
origin in Bharat to its modern practice around the world – provides creative and
therapeutic lifestyles for man, and an avenue for all individuals to achieve a
healthy body, mind and spirit.
10. SEWA INTERNATIONAL NEPAL: On December 12, the fifth
'Skill Development Center' supported by Sewa International was inaugurated at
Bidur Municipality in Nuwakot district of Nepal. The center is operated under
the joint coordination of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Nepal and Sewa International
Nepal. On December 10, Janajati Kalyan Ashram Nepal - in coordination with Sewa
International Nepal, Sewa UK and, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Nepal - inaugurated
the 'Amako Maya Chhatrawas' building in Bhimeshwar Municipality-6, Dolakha.
11. SAUDI ARABIA SPORTS MINISTRY PROMOTES YOGA IN ARAB
WORLD: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been continuously promoting Yoga in
their country for a long time now. In yet another significant development, the
Sports Ministry of the country hosted an event aiming to promote yoga and
invited 11 Arab countries to participate in it. The event was held by the Saudi
Yoga Committee as a part of the Arab Youth Empowerment Program organized by the
Ministry of Sports. The aim of the event held in Jeddah on December 24 was to
introduce the importance of practicing yoga to improve the quality of life and
spread it in the Arab world.
12. UTAH, MISSISSIPPI TO INCLUDE SIKH STUDIES IN SCHOOL:
More than 24 million students in the US can now learn about Sikhs with two
more states voting in favor of new social studies standards that will include
the Sikh faith, in their school curriculum for the first time ever.
13. CLAIMS OF SOLVING SANSKRIT PUZZLE DEBUNKED:
University of Cambridge published a PhD thesis on its website by researcher
Rishi Rajpopat in which he claimed that he had decoded 2,500-year-old Sanskrit
puzzle called Panini Sutra “1.4.2 – vipratiṣedhe param kāryam”– in the event of
a conflict between two rules of equal strength, the rule that comes later in the
grammar’s serial order wins. Rajpopat rejects this, arguing that Pāṇini meant
that between rules applicable to the left and right sides of a word
respectively, Pāṇini wanted us to choose the rule applicable to the right side.
Leading Sanskrit experts have debunked the claims. They have said that there was
no puzzle or ambiguity as the rule of Panini is very clear and precise in the
application of rules of equal strength.
Samskrit Bharati, a leading organisation that promotes spoken Sanskrit has said
that the observations of Rajpoot is based on a very narrow assumption and is not
applicable to a very wide range of linguistic usages. It added that the
hypothesis is out of sync with and transgresses the grammatical tradition called
Trimunivyakaran, which has been in existence for thousands of years and
continued without any break.
Dr Shivamurthy Shivacharaya Mahaswamiji of Sri Taralabalu Mutt, Sirigere,
Karnataka said that the claim made by the researcher and his interpretation is
illogical, invalid and misleading. He added that this Sutra is well understood
in the Bharatiya tradition of grammarians and the researcher is only
misinterpreting it to his convenience.
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14. BHAGAVAD GITA NOW PART OF NCERT TEXTBOOKS: On
December 19, the Bharatiya government informed the Lok Sabha that NCERT
textbooks have included references to Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta in Class VI and VII
and its shlokas in Sanskrit textbooks of classes XI and XII.
15. BHARAT RANKED THIRD IN SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS: In
the global rankings for scientific publications, Bharat has jumped from seventh
to third position. This was informed by the Union Minister for Science &
Technology, Dr. Jitendra Singh on December 18 after a review meeting with the
senior officials of Department of Science & Technology in New Delhi. Quoting the
report of National Science Foundation (NSF)’s Science & Engineering Indicators
2022 of the United States, the Minister said that Bharat’s scholarly output has
also increased from 60,555 papers in 2010 to 1,49,213 papers in 2020. Dr
Jitendra Singh also took pride that Bharat now ranks third in terms of number of
PhDs in science and engineering.
He also apprised that the number of patents granted to Bharatiya scientists at
India Patent Office (IPO) during the last three years has also increased from
2511 in 2018-19 to 4003 in 2019- 20 and 5629 in 2020-21.
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16. PROF. THALAPPIL PRADEEP RECEIVES VINFUTURE SPECIAL
PRIZE: Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) professor
Thalappil Pradeep has won the VinFuture Prizes, which are awarded annually in
four categories. The special prize was awarded to professor Pradeep for his
development of a low-cost filtration system to remove arsenic and other heavy
metals from groundwater.
17. SPIRITUAL TOURISM LEADS TRAVEL RECOVERY: The travel
recovery in Bharat is driven by religious enthusiasm, reveals the latest edition
of OYO Cultural Travel 2022 Roundup Report. The report highlights that Varanasi
is the top religious destination for travellers across Bharat, followed by
Tirupati, Puri, Amritsar and Haridwar. Alongside these cities, Shirdi, Rishikesh,
Mathura, Mahabaleshwar and Madurai are the other spiritual tourism destinations
in Bharat witnessing maximum growth in visitors over the past year.
18. BHARAT SUCCESSFULLY CARRIES OUT NIGHT TRIALS OF 'AGNI-V
MISSILE': Night tests were successfully conducted for the nuclear-capable
ballistic missile Agni V which is capable of striking targets at ranges up to
5,000 kilometers with very high degree of accuracy. The test firing of the
missile was conducted from APJ Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast on
December 15.
19. BOOK ABOUT FREEDOM STRUGGLE IN NORTHEAST INDIA
PUBLISHED: As part of ‘Amrit Mahotsav’, a new book titled ‘Untold Stories of
the Freedom Struggle from Northeast India’ written by veteran Guwahati-based
journalist and author Samudra Gupta Kashyap has been published by the
Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
20. ‘DASAM SAMARPAYAMI’ CAMPAIGN BY SEVA BHARATI KERALA :
Desheeya Seva Bharati, Kerala, launched a state -level door to door
anti-drug campaign - ‘Dasam Samarpayami’ - at Ponnani. It was officially
inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Dr. E Sreedharan, Chairman of the facilitation
committee, Sevasangamam-2023 at the residence of Dr. KU Krishna Kumar,
Principal, Mural Painting Study Center, Guruvayoor in the presence of Desheeya
Seva Bharati team members.
21. 58% BHARATIYAS STOPPED BUYING 'MAKE IN CHINA' PRODUCTS:
According to a survey, about 58 percent of Bharatiyas have reduced their
‘Make in China’ purchases due to the current geopolitical situation while 26
percent said they found Bharatiya alternatives to be better in price and quality
when it comes to fashion, apparel, vehicle accessories, and gadgets categories.
About 59 percent of Bharatiyas surveyed said they do not have any Chinese app on
their phone while 29 percent still have one or more, according to data compiled
by the social community engagement platform Local Circles. The survey received
over 40,000 responses from consumers located in 319 districts.
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22. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Visitors:
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: “Through selfless service, you will always be fruitful
and find the fulfillment of your desires.” ― Bhagavad Gita
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JAI SHRI RAM
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VEER BAL DIWAS: THE CONTEXT AND THE LEGACY
JAIBANS SINGH
On 9 January, 2022, the Prakash
Purv (birthday) of Guru Gobind Singh, PM Narendra Modi declared observance of 26
December as "Veer Bal Diwas" (Children's Day) to pay tribute to the unparalleled
sacrifices made by the younger two sons of the Guru, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and
Sahibzada Fateh Singh (also referred to as Chotey Sahibzade), for the sake of
justice and freedom. The declaration soon found government sanction in the form
of a gazette notification issued by the Government of India, Ministry of Home
Affairs. Earlier Children's Day was celebrated in India on 14 November to mark
the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India.
In Sikh religious history, "Shaheedi Week" from 6 Poh to 13 Poh Birkarmi (that
roughly coincides with 21-22 December to 27-28 December in the western calendar)
marks the epic Battle of Chamkaur; the heroic falling in the battle of Sahibzada
Ajit Singh and Sahibzada Jujhar Singh, the elder two sons of Guru Gobind Singh;
the martyrdom at Sirhind of the Chotey Sahibzade and Mata Gurjar Kaur, the
mother of Guru Gobind Singh. The Saheedi Week has been observed with reverence
and piety in Punjab since the time of its occurrence. In times gone by, no
marriages and festivities were held mostly through the month of December and
particularly during the Saheedi Week. The merciless murder of the Chotey
Sahibzade by the barbaric Muslim regime that left a deep impression on the
collective psyche of the people of Punjab and mainly the Sikh community, is
observed with utmost devotion and respect.
26 December, 2022, marked the first observance of Children's Day in its revised
format of Veer Bal Diwas. The observance was spread across India with the main
function being held at Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, Delhi, and attended
by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It included a march past by 3000- school
children and recitation of Shabd Kirtan (Sikh Hymns) by 300 Bal (Child) Kirtanis.
Sardar Bhagwant Singh Mann, chief minister of Punjab, rose above party lines to
become a part of this sombre ceremony.
The Akal Takht, the highest temporal body of the Sikhs, chose to pass a
resolution demanding that the day be celebrated as the "Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas."
In an unfortunate development, the SGPC issued a statement opposing the
government’s move and appealing to the Sikhs to be aware of “the conspiracy to
undermine Sikh history.” In a democracy every person/institution has the right
to express an opinion. To that extent it becomes incumbent to study the context
of the resolution that the Akal Takth has passed.
The first step would be to understand the nomenclature and scope of Children's
Day. It is a UN sponsored international event celebrated on different dates by
several countries. The day selected invariably marks a significant event in the
country. At the international level too Children's Day is celebrated on 20
November to commemorate the Declaration of the Rights of the Child by the UN
General Assembly. The objective is to promote mutual exchange and understanding
among children and to uphold the ideals of the UN Charter for welfare of the
world's children. Observance of the martyrdom of Chotey Sahibzade as Children's
Day gives it an international signature. More and more people will get to know
about the chronicle which, in turn, will benefit humanity. In case it is
observed as Sahibzade Shahadat Diwas then its scope remains localised as has
been the case till date. The derivative of the above explanation is that if the
martyrdom of the Chotey Sahibzade is to be observed as Children's Day (Bal Diwas
in Hindi) it has to bear the name. It is notable here that Children's Day on the
birthday of Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru was not called Chacha Nehru Children's Day,
it was referred to as Children's Day only.
For many years there had been an aspiration within the Sikh community and
admirers of the Chotey Sahibzade to see the national Children's Day being
observed on the day of their martyrdom. There was no scope of this change being
brought about under Congress rule, hence, the demand picked up momentum only
when the BJP came to power. On January 16, 2018, The Delhi Shiromani Gurdwara
Management Committee (DSGMC) held a conclave under the aegis of the Shiromani
Akali Dal (SAD), which controlled DSGMC at that point in time. It was attended
by Sukhbir Badal, now President of the SAD. The conclave accepted the need to
request the Government of India to consider the feasibility of changing the
notification of the national Children's Day from 14 November to 26 December.
Later, in the same year, sixty Members of Parliament also requested Prime
Minister Narendra Modi to designate 26 December as Children's Day. The proposal
was subjected to many discussions and culminated on 9 January with Prime
Minister Narendra Modi agreeing to the same.
Now, because of the change in the political equation between the SAD and BJP,
the SGPC is retracting from its own initiative. The situation reinforces the
lack of autonomy within the august institution which impinges on its capacity to
take independent decisions. It is very sad to note that the SGPC, which was
formed as a voice of Sikhs has become the mouthpiece of a particular political
family and a single party. Most of the Punjabi/Sikh intelligentsia and civil
society feel that the Government has done well by naming the event as Veer Bal
Diwas, since the name will find acceptance among different communities across
the country and the world since it is simple and not difficult to pronounce. It
will create awareness about the nobility of the Sahibzadas on a wider platform.
The objection, many feel, is myopic and engineered to serve vested political
interests of a few; it has nothing to do with the interests of the Sikhs. In
this initiative the objective is to educate other communities along with the
Punjabi's and the Sikh's. SGPC could continue to observe the day as Sahibzade
Shahadat Diwas since observance of the significant day on multiple platforms
will give it more visibility and serve the purpose better.
In his address to the Nation during the ceremony organised in Delhi for
observance of Veer Bal Diwas, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the sacrifice
made by the Sikh Gurus and particularly by Guru Gobind Singh and his family as a
triumph of spiritualism over state terrorism by a repressive and deceitful
regime. “Any country with such a glorious history must be full of
self-confidence and self-respect, however, concocted narratives are taught to
infuse inferiority. There is a need to get free from the narrow interpretation
of the past to move forward,” he said. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, in the same
function, mentioned that more steps towards perpetuating the glorious legacy of
the Sikh religion need to be taken.
Veer Bal Diwas is a very strong platform to build upon a national character that
is infused with the spirit to stand up for all that is just and righteous . It
has the potential to transform the youth by inculcating a spirit of sacrifice
among them. It will help uphold our rich legacy and national identity. It is in
this contest that the initiative needs to be viewed. https://www.newsbharati.com/
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SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN samvadnewsletter@gmail.com http://shrivishwaniketan.
