Ashadha 2 Vik Samvat 2067. Yugabda 5112: June 16, 2010

1. FESTIVALS: AMARNATH YATRA TO BEGIN ON JULY 1: This year's annual pilgrimage to the holy Amarnath caves in Jammu and Kashmir will begin July 1 and end on Aug 24. Claimed to be over 5,000 years old, inside the main Amarnath cave lies the Shiva Linga formed from ice. It waxes during May to August and gradually wanes thereafter. This lingam is said to grow and shrink with the phases of the moon, reaching its height during the summer festival.
Lakhs of devotees are taking the pilgrimage for last 20 years traversing the rough terrain and the weather amidst turbulent security conditions in Kashmir. The registration of the pilgrims for the Amarnath Yatra will begin June 5 at 121 designated branches of the Jammu and Kashmr Bank across the country, said RK Goyal of the shrine board.
2. POLITICS ENDANGERING NATIONAL SECURITY - MOHAN BHAGWAT: Addressing the valedictory function of the month-long Third Year traning camp of RSS at historic Reshim Bagh grounds of Nagpur on June 7, Sarsanghachalak Shri Bhagwat warned that China was laying railway lines along the Arunachal Pradesh borders to facilitiate supplies to the forces. But the Bharatiya forces still depend on the mules for transportation.
Drawaing a comparision he said the situation was exactly the same in 1962 when the Chinese attacked Bharat with full preparedness and inflicted a humiliating defeat on Bharat. The Bharatiya leaders then were busy blowing the trumpet of Panchasheel and our forces were not equipped even with the warm clothing and footwear necessary to stay in that difficult Himalayan region.
While explaining RSS stand on providing constitutional safeguards to those weaker sections of the society, the RSS Chief asserted that the organization always supported reservations to the sections of the society who remained neglected for hisotiral reasons. He however questioned the motive of the government behind this current exercise of caste-based census. The Chief Guest on the occasion Shri Jyoti Prasad Rajkhowa, former Chief Secretary of Assam, took a detail view of the problems facing the North-Eastern region.
Earlier, the swayamsevaks performed spectacular physical demonstrations such as Gopuram (pyramids), Niyuddha (unarmed combat drill), Yogasanas, and Vyayamyoga and of course the most attractive band platoon (Ghosh) presented the best symphony of music. Sarvadhikari Dr Darshan Lal Arora gave the details about the camp in his introductory remarks and welcomed the guests. Shri Ram Harkare, Vidharbha Prant Sah-Sanghchalak was also present on this occasion.
3. SRI P. PARAMESWARAM, HINDU OF THE YEAR 2010: As a thinker, a philosopher, a reformer and current president of Vivekananda Kendra, P. Parameswaran—the recipient of Hinduism Today’s 2010 Hindu Renaissance Award—strives to defend both Bharat and Hinduism, which to him are inseparably linked.
Parameswarji was born to a devout Hindu family in a small Kerala hamlet in 1927. A brilliant student all through school, he received a B.A. in history and became a pracharak of RSS. He worked with Jansangh, Deendayal Research Institute before he founded the Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram in Keral in 1982 aimed at national reconstruction through study and research. Parameswaran also founded the International Forum for Indian Heritage, a think tank to defend the subcontinent’s rich cultural roots. In 1997, in recognition of his effort in teaching the principles of Hinduism, Parameswaran was awarded the Bhaiji Hanuman Prasad Poddar Award instituted by Bada Bazaar Library of Calcutta. In 2004, the President of Bharat awarded him the prestigious Padma Shri—Bharat’s greatest honor for civilians.
The Hindu Renaissance Award was created in 1991 by the founder of Hinduism Today to recognize and strengthen Hindu leaders worldwide.
4. VESAK DAY CELEBRATION BY VSS SINGAPORE: Vivekananda Seva Sangam organised another event on May 28 to celebrate Vesak Day and to share knowledge about Buddha and Buddhism. This event, held at Buddhist Temple near Clementi Fire Station, started at 4:15 pm and continued unstopped until 6:15 pm. It got a spiritual touch in presence of 3 Buddhist Monks who enlightened audience with their thought provoking speeches. A big achievement of this event was that lot of new generation speakers emerged who proved that they are no less than experienced adults in speaking on highly intellectual topics like Buddha’s life, Buddhism’s principles, similarities between Hinduism and Buddhism and its expansion across Asia etc. Group also did a quick meditation to practically experiment Vipasana on Vesak Day. This event was another attempt by VSS to engage local Bharatiya & associations in furtherance of its vision of universal brotherhood.
5. BHARAT TO PATENT YOGA ASANAS: The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has prepared patent formats of nearly 900 yoga asanas (postures), to prevent European and American companies involved in fitness-related activities from claiming them as their own.
These asanas will all be included in the digitalised Traditional Knowledge Library (TKDL), set up by the council to collect and record traditional treatment therapy knowledge. Medicines and yoga asanas registered with it enjoy the status of being patented.
"Video recordings of the asanas are also being made and recorded to prevent them from being stolen," said TKDL director Dr VK Gupta.
Gupta said a number of countries had already laid claim to around 250 of these postures. Some foreign companies have even patented some of them. Foreign companies have been selling some of the yoga postures as therapies to relieve stress or backaches.
6. INDUSTRY GROWS 17.6% IN APRIL: Bharat’s factory output bettered expectations to expand at 17.6% in April, marking a near 20-year high achieved on the back of copious domestic consumer demand, a revival in exports and higher infrastructure spending but also got boosted by a low base effect. While the best show by the manufacturing sector since December 2009 raised hopes of an 8.5% GDP growth rate in the ongoing fiscal, it also reinforced expectations of a further rate hike by the RBI next month.
Analysts said the strong industrial showing in April coupled with a normal monsoon would put the economy on an 8.5% growth trajectory in 2010-11. "The industrial growth can be equal to the growth rate last year and, therefore, taking that into account and if agriculture performs reasonably well during the year, one should hope to get a growth rate close to 8.5%," prime minister's Economic Advisory Council chairman C Rangarajan said.
7. GOM CLEARS BILL ON VOTING RIGHTS FOR NRIS: Hoping to strengthen the Bharatiya diaspora's connection to their country, a group of ministers (GoM) on cleared a draft bill that will allow persons holding a Bharatiya passport but studying or working abroad to vote, if they are in their constituency on election day.
Overseas Indian affairs minister Vayalar Ravi said "This was a long standing demand of people holding Bharatiya passports especially in the Gulf. We hope to bring it in the Cabinet soon,''
"According to the present bill, Bharatiyas who are living abroad will be able to vote from their constituency. Their name will not be struck off the electoral list only on the basis of their absence,'' a source said.
There are an estimated 50 lakh NRIs globally and in a signal to their growing influence and strength, PM Manmohan Singh had announced in January that the government would make efforts to ensure that NRIs had voting rights by the next polls.
8. PAK NATIONALS ALLOWED LONG STAY CAN NOW EXTEND VISA: In a move which may pave the way for certain categories of Pakistani nationals to get Bharatiya citizenship in due course, the Centre has relaxed norms for those who have been staying in Bharat for long and asked states and Union territories to consider cases for extension of their long-term visa (LTV) without insisting for validity of their passports.
Pakistani nationals who come under such categories are: members of minority communities in Pakistan; Pakistani women married to Bharatiya nationals and staying in Bharat; Bharatiya women married to Pakistani nationals and who returned due to widowhood or divorce and having no male member to support them in Pakistan and cases involving extreme compassion.
9. BHARAT TO BUILD 50K HOMES FOR DISPLACED SL TAMILS: Bharat on June 9 announced major sops for Sri Lanka, including a programme to construct 50,000 houses for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the northern and eastern provinces. In his meeting with PM Manmohan Singh, President Mahinda Rajapaksa also expressed gratitude for the $800 million offered by Bharat for railway projects in Sri Lanka.
Singh and Rajapaksa also agreed on establishing Bhartiya consulates in Jaffna and Hambantota to reinforce consular cooperation. Hambantota is crucial for Bharat because of the increasing Chinese influence in the region. China is helping Sri Lanka build a major port in Hambantota.
According to foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, Singh emphasised the need for urgent steps to resettle the remaining IDPs and urged Sri Lanka to undertake speedy rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in the northern and eastern region. Rajapaksa, on his part, reiterated his determination to evolve a political settlement acceptable to all communities.
10. BHARATIYA-ORIGIN MIT DEAN IS OBAMA PICK FOR TOP SCIENCE POST: President Obama on June 4 announced his intention to nominate Bharatiya-American engineering scholar Subra Suresh, a 1977 graduate of IIT Chennai, as director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) even as his administration cranked up its engagement with Bharat on the science,technology,and education front.
Suresh, till recently dean of engineering at the famed MIT, will have to be confirmed by the Senate.The NSF, the science counterpart of the National Institute of Health, is a United States government agency that supports nearly a fifth of all fundamental research and education in America in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering.It has a budget of more than $7 billion.A 1977 graduate of IIT Chennai,
11. MUSINGS FROM A III YEAR SHIKSHARTHI: I got an opportunity attend the Tritiya Varsh Sangh Shikshaa Varg from May 9th, 2010 through June 8th, 2010 at Nagpur.
On May 9th, a lot of Shikshaarthis started arriving from all the different corners of Bharat. Very good arrangements were made to bring everyone from the train station. There were eleven vehicles, including two mid-sized buses, transporting Shikshaarthis from the train station. All in all – there were 881 Shiksharthis, 85 Shikshaks and 40 Prant Pramukhs at the Varg! Many of the Shikshaks were Jilla Pracharaks or Vibhag Pracharaks as well as Jilla and Vibhaag Karyakartas from different part of Bharat. Mananeeya Bhagaiyaaji was Palak Adhikaari for the Varg and as such he was present during the entire 30 days. His presence and guidance during the Varg was inspiring. The staying arrangements were Prant-wise for the first three days and after that it was Gana-wise. In each Gana, there were 22 Shikshaarthis from various parts of the Bharat. Bharat is divided into 40 Prants for Sangh Work and there were Shikshaarthis from each and every Prant as well as various sections of the society as well in terms of professional, educational, and economic stratas.
The entire vyavastha for the Varg was amazing. There were 38 different Vibhaags in Vyavastha including Jal (Water) Vibhaag, Bhojan Vibhaag, TransportationVibhaag, Vaidya (Hospital) Vibhaag etc. There were several Bal Swayamsevaks involved in Vyavastha with a lot of discipline and dedication. It was inspiring to see how each and every person in Vyavastha was dedicated for the entire 30 days to keeping everyone healthy and well during the Varg.
As we hear often about the experience of staying with Swayamsevaks from different parts of Bharat in Tritiya Varsh, it is truly unforgettable. The experience of Unity in Diversity is mesmerizing. Also, talking to Karyakartas from Kerala, North East and Jammu and Kashmir about the challenges and opportunities in terms of Sangh work was inspiring. There is certainly an optimistic sense prevailing in all areas of Bharat in general, in spite of severe and intense challenges facing Hindu Society in Bharat. Lot of exchange of information and ideas took place during the informal interactions among the Shikshaarthis, Shikshaks and Prant Pramukhs. Many Karyakartas had deep, real and experiential insights into the complex issues facing the country and Hindu Society. The dedication to the work of Sangathan was also amazing – there were Shikshaarthis who were missing their Siblings’ weddings to be in the Varg.
A few of the very memorable moments in the Varg were a MahaKhel as well as two Patha Sanchalan (one was in the late evening/night). MahaKhel involved the entire Varg – including all the Shikshaarthis, Shikshaks, and Prant Pramukhs. The Path Sanchalans were very good and had the feel and message of victory as the Mukhya Shikhakji said before starting the Patha Sanchalan:
Overall, the Varg was all that it was thought to be and more. The strength, reach and impact of Sangh is felt during Tritiya Varsh!
(Darshan Soni, USA )
12. THREE-DAY TRAINING CAMP OF HINDU JAGRAN MANCH for its workers in Delhi Prant, was organised at Sewa Dham from May 28 to 30. A total of 124 activists underwent organisational training at the camp.
Speaking at the concluding ceremony,Uttar Kshetra Sanghachalak Dr Bajrang Lal Gupt said Hinduism is the most modern way of life and is not outdated as is termed by some illiterate scholars. Earlier, inaugurating the camp Delhi Prant Pracharak Shri Prem Kumar stressed the need to activate the educated people in various social activities. Others who addressed the camp were Kshetra Sampark Pramukh Laxman Dev ji, and President of Hindu Manch, Delhi, Shri Jai Bhagwan ji Chauhan.
13. NRI DEVELOPS SINGLE-DOSE RADIATION THERAPY FOR CANCER: A Bharatiya oncologist is among 3 experts in the UK who have achieved a breakthrough in the treatment of breast cancer after a 10 -year trial that demonstrates that a single dose of radiation during surgery is just as effective as prolonged course of radiotherapy. Goa-origin Jayant Vaidya, at the University College, Royal Free and Wittington Hosptials, designed and led the trial called (TARGIT) involving 2,000 women along with oncologists Jeffrey Tobias and Mike Baum.
14. THAW IN KATHMANDU: The three-point agreement clinched by Nepal's three main political parties the Unified Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists, the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist has saved Nepal from a major political crisis. But now it seems that the parties are in agreement only on one issue: extending the term of the constituent assembly, which was to expire last Friday, for another year. Each party appears to interpret the other two points, namely, implementation of past agreements and the resignation of Prime Minister Madhav Nepal to pave way for a national unity government, differently. Hopefully, these parties will not let disagreements destroy the consensus to work together for a new constitution.
The points of contention between the parties are similar to ones that emerged after the 2008 elections. Nepal Maoists wanted their armed cadre to be inducted into the army. Other parties refused. Another outstanding issue is the Young Communist League of the Maoists, which other parties want disbanded. The Nepali Congress also wants property confiscated by the Maoists during the rebellion to be returned to its original owners. The NC and the CPN insist that these issues must be resolved before a national government under the leadership of the Maoists is formed.
The Maoists must realise that parallel state structures will not help the cause of multiparty democracy or the rule of law, both of which are promised in the draft constitution the party released this week. Nepal's political parties need to set aside their differences and work together to consolidate the gains of the anti-monarchy struggle. Otherwise, the future may be even worse than the past. (Editorial, Times of India, Delhi June 1, 2010)
15. SECOND CHICAGO HINDUISM SUMMIT CONCLUDES SUCCESSFULLY: Passionate speeches, a rapt audience, reverberations of an auspicious conch were just some of the highlights of the second Hinduism Summit held in Chicago on 5 June. The Summit was held by the Forum for Hindu Awakening (FHA) and the Lake County Hindu Temple. Around 100 attendees in person and 200 attendees online took the benefit of this event.
Shri. Dileep Thatte, an ardent student of Hindu philosophy, spoke on 'Learn the basics of Hinduism to counter misconceptions'. His lively speech spoke about how to get the youth of today interested in Hinduism.
Shri. Shrinarayan Chandak spoke about the anti-Hindu bias in the media. Shri. Chandak, a graduate of IIT Madras and IIT Chicago, is a founding board member of Sewa International that is serving the needy through healthcare and education. Shri. Chandak's presentation clearly illustrated the anti-Hindu bias in the media, its reasons and what can be done about it. The solutions he presented were based on Sree Krishna's teachings and resonated with the audience.
Others spoke during the summit were Smt. Kalpana Sharma, a volunteer of the Spiritual Science Research Foundation (SSRF), Shri Hakumat Shroff of Lake County Hindu Mandir, Dr. Richard Benkin, a human rights activist, author and speaker.
16. BHARATIYAS THE THIRD LARGEST IMMIGRANT GROUP IN US: The US is home to about 1.6 million Bharatiya origin people, making them the third-largest immigrant group in the country after Mexicans and Filipino, a Washington-based think tank has said.
Between 2007 and 2008, the number of Bharatiya immigrants surpassed the number of Chinese and Hong Kong-born immigrants for the first time since at least 1960, said the Migration Policy Institute in its latest report.
In addition, people with Bhartiya ancestry have also immigrated to the US from the Caribbean, East Africa, Canada, and the United Kingdom, said the report authored by Aaron Terrazas and Cristina Batog.
About one-quarter of Bharat-born men in the labour force work in the information technology industry. Nearly half of all Bhartiya immigrants resided in California, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, it said.
Of the 2.3 million members of the Bharatiya Diaspora residing in the US in 2008, 66.4 per cent were born in Bharat, including individuals born in Bharat to at least one parent who was a native-born US citizen.
In terms of academic achievement, Bharatiya immigrants were better educated than other immigrants and the native born. In 2008, 73.6 per cent of Bharatiya-born adults age 25 and older had a bachelor's degree or higher compared to 27.1 percent among all 31.9 million foreign-born adults and 27.8 per cent of all 168.1 million native-born adults.
17. BHARTI IS WORLD'S 5TH LARGEST TELECOM FIRM AFTER AFRICA DEAL:
Bharat's top telecom player Bharti Airtel said it has successfully concluded a $10.7-billion deal to acquire the African assets of Kuwait's Zain, making it the world's fifth largest mobile phone services company. 'Bharti is now among the five largest mobile operators in the world. This will further strengthen the historic Indo-Africa economic and social ties and provide a big boost to South-South cooperation,' said group chairman Sunil Mittal.
The total customer base of Bharti now stands at over 180 million in 18 countries. Prior to the deal, Bharti had operations in Bharat, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
18. NATIONS FIRST AND THE LARGEST SOLAR ELECTRICITY PLANT has been set up in Yalesandra village of Bangarpet taluk of Kolar district in Karnataka. situated in a rural place, Yelesandra farmers now can water their farms when sun shines. Nearly 20 neighborhood villages will also receive uninterrupted power supply during the day due to this solar power set up by Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL). The unit is set up in around 15acres and with the expense of 59 crores. About 15000 units of electricity will be produced per day. by this amount of electricity nearly 600 pump set are running of 10HP capacity.
19. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Ravikumar, sah samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will tour SriLanka in 3rd week of June. Visitors: Darshan Soni , USA.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Alongwith education, which generally deals only with acadmic accomplishments; we need to develop more altruism and a sence of caring and responcibility for others. – The XIV Dalai Lama
JAI SHREE RAM
MYSTERY OF OUR ORIGINS
DR. LALJI SINGH
SINCE the dawn of civilisation, man has been asking questions such as ‘who are we?’ and ‘where have we come from?’ Until 1858 it was universal belief that man is special creation of God. In 1858, based on phenotypic transition of various organisms including plant and animal species, Charles Darwin proposed the theory of evolution and wrote a book The Origin of Species. Eight years later in 1871, he wrote a book The Descent of Man. Based on the anatomical similarities, he declared that the chimpanzee and the gorilla are our closest living relatives and predicted that the earliest ancestors of humans would turn up in Africa, where our ape kins live today. Now it is widely accepted view that modern human diverged from a common ancestor of chimpanzee and human nearly 6-7 million years ago. Based on fossil records found in Africa, it is now believed that modern human originated from a single mother about 160,000 years ago in East Africa.
East-African mega-droughts between 135 and 75 thousand years ago, when the water volume of the lake Malawi was reduced by at least 95 per cent, could have caused their migration out of Africa. The obvious question to ask is which route did they take? Our study of the tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands using complete mitochondrial DNA sequences, and its comparison with the mitochondrial DNA sequences of the world populations available in the database, led to the theory of southern coastal route of migration through India, against the prevailing view of northern route of migration via Middle East, Europe, south-east Asia, Australia and then to India. Our earlier study revealed that Negrito tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, such as Onge, Jarawa, Great Andamanese and Sentinelese, are probably the descendants of the first man who moved out of Africa.
This raised many questions such as: (i) what is the origin of mainland tribal and caste populations?; (ii) are there any population(s) in mainland India, which are close to Andamanese?; (iii) how much affinities the Indian populations have with Andamanese?; (iv) did the Indians contribute to the early human spread?
In order to answer these questions and to explore the ancient history of India we have harnessed genomic technology.
Ancient roots for India’s rich diversity
India represents one of the largest human biodiversity pool in the world. There are 532 tribes, 72 primitive tribes and 36 hunters and gatherers. Although the genome sequences of any two unrelated people differ by just 0.1 per cent, that tiny slice of genetic material is a rich source of information. It provides clues that can help reconstruct the historical origins of modern populations. It also points to genetic variations that heighten the risk of certain diseases. In recent years, maps of human genetic variation have opened a window onto the diversity of populations across the world, yet India has been largely unrepresented until now.
To shed light on the genetic variability across the Indian subcontinent, we analysed 132 Indian samples from 25 groups on an Affymetrix 6.0 array, yielding data for 587,753 SNPs after restricting to markers with good completeness. To span the widest range of ancestry in India, we sampled tribal groups from 13 states and 6 language families (Indo-European, Dravidian, Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman, Great Andamanese and Jarawa-Onge). We also sampled caste groups mostly from Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh to permit comparison of traditionally "upper" and "lower" caste groups after controlling for geography. With tens of thousands of independent loci, we could estimate Fst (F-statistics) - accurately with just 2-9 samples per groups (with average standard error of + 0.0011). We also merged our data with 155 European (CEU), Chinese (CHB), and West African (YRI) samples from HapMap, and 938 samples from the Human Genome Diversity Panel (HGDP).
We analysed these data to address five questions about Indian genetics and history. Does the Indian subcontinent harbour more structure than Europe? Has strong endogamy been a long-standing feature of Indian groups?
Do nearly all Indians descend from a mixture of populations, one of which was related to Central Asians, Middle Easterners and Europeans and probably lived in north India? Are tribal groups systematically different from castes, and do some tribal groups provide a good approximation for the ancestral populations of India? What is the origin of the indigenous Andaman Islanders?
All mainland Indian groups have inherited a mixture of ancestries
We provide strong evidence for two ancient and genetically divergent populations that are ancestral to most Indian groups today. One, the "Ancestral North Indians" (ANI), is genetically close to Middle Easterners, Central Asians, and Europeans, while the other, the "Ancestral South Indians" (ASI), is not close to any group outside the subcontinent. By introducing methods that can estimate ancestry without accurate ancestral populations, we show that ANI ancestry ranges from 39-71 per cent, and is higher in traditionally upper caste groups and Indo-European speakers. Groups with only ASI ancestry may no longer exist in mainland India.
The finding that nearly all Indian groups descend from mixtures of two ancestral populations applies to traditional "tribes" as well as "castes". It is impossible to distinguish castes from tribes using the data. The genetics prove that they are not systematically different. This supports the view that castes grew directly out of tribal-like organisations during the formation of Indian society.
The one exception to the finding, that all Indian groups are mixed, is the indigenous people of the Andaman Islands, an archipelago in the Indian Ocean with a census of only a few hundred today. The Andamanese appear to be related exclusively to the Ancestral South Indian lineage and therefore lack Ancestral North Indian ancestry. In this sense, they are unique.
Understanding their origins provides a window to look into the history of the Ancestral South Indians, and the period of tens of thousands years ago when they diverged from other Eurasians. Our project to sample the disappearing tribes of the Andaman Islands has been more successful than we hoped, as the Andamanese are the only surviving remnant of the ancient colonisers of South Asia.
Medical Implications
Our findings revealed that many groups in modern India descend from a small number of founding individuals, and have since been genetically isolated from other groups. In scientific parlance, this is called a "founder event". It has medical implications for Indian populations. Recessive hereditary diseases - single gene disorders that occur only when an individual carries two malfunctioning copies of the relevant gene - are likely to be common in populations descended from so few ‘founder’ individuals. Mapping the causal genes will help to address this problem. The widespread history of founder events in Indian populations helps to explain why the incidence of genetic diseases among Indians is different from the rest of the world. For example, an ancient deletion of 25 bp in the cardiac myosin-binding proteins-C gene (MYBPC3) is associated with heritable cardiomyopathies as well as with an increased risk of heart failure. Its prevalence is high (~4 per cent) in the general populations from the Indian subcontinent. However, this mutation is completely absent among the people from the rest of the world.
The finding that a large proportion of modern Indians descended from founder events means that India is genetically not a single large population; instead it is best described as many smaller isolated populations. Founder events in other groups, such as Finns and Ashkenazi Jews, are well-known to increase the incidence of recessive genetic diseases; and our study predicts that the same will be true for many groups in India. It is important to carry out a systematic survey of Indian groups to identify which ones descend from the strongest founder events. Further studies of these groups should lead to the rapid discovery of genes that cause devastating diseases, and thus will help in the clinical care of individuals and their families who are at risk.
Indo-European family of language and the concept of Aryan and Dravidian
The story of Indo-European family of languages was proposed by Sir William Jones before the Asiatic Society at Calcutta in 1786 (Jones, 1786). The Indo-European concept was a real breakthrough of scientific linguistics, linking languages widely separated in space, forming two blocks - an eastern one of Persian and Indic languages and a western European block, separated from one another by Semitic and Turkic languages. The Indo-European concept was anything but obvious - the idea, that is, that the two blocks of languages, so distant from one another, are nevertheless related to one another. Its discovery by Jones and others not only created a new science of language but it radically recorded existing ideas about the relations among different natives or races of people. Jones (1746-1794) was an employee of the East India Company who developed the Indo-European concept. He also made important identifications of words in the Romanic or Gypsy languages with Sanskrit (Jones, 1786). Marsdens’ (William Marsdens 1754-1836) early paper, comparing the Gypsy language with Hindustani, makes him one of the co-discoverers of its Indian origins.
Max Muller, who was one of the first to apply the Aryan name to the Indo-European concept identified the racial-linguistic entity as racially white and was instrumental in the formation of the racial theory of Indian civilisation.
The kings of South India, like the Chola and the Pandya dynasties, relate their lineages back to Manu. The Matsya Purana moreover makes Manu, the progenitor of all the Aryans, originally a south Indian king, Satyavrata. Hence these are not only traditions that make the Dravidian descendants of Vedic rishis and kings, but those that make the Aryans of North India descendants of Dravidian kings. The two cultures are so intimately related that it is difficult to say which came first.
The present research findings are consistent with the view of one school of thoughts that the Aryans and Dravidians are part of the same culture and we need not speak of them as separate. However, it contradicts the second school of historians such as Max Muller who for the first time applied the Aryan name to the Indo-European concept. It strongly suggests that dividing them and placing them at odds with each other serves the interest of neither but only serves to damage their common culture.
Our study is important in highlighting important questions still open for future research. One priority is to estimate a date for the ANI-ASI mixture; this may be possible by studying the length of stretches of ANI ancestry in modern Indian samples. Inferring a date is important, as we expect that it would shed light on the historical process leading to the present day structure of Indian groups. A second priority would be to follow up on the observation that many Indian descended from a small number of founders. The groups with the strongest founder effects can then be analysed to identify genetic variants that we predict will account for substantial rates of recessive disease in these groups. Have Eurasians descended from the Ancestral North Indians? This is the question we would like to address in our future research activities.
Some Suggested reading:
1. Dandapany PS, Sadayappan S, Xue Y, Powell GT, Rani DS et al. (2009) A common Cardiac Myosin Binding Protein C variant associated with cardiomyopathies in South Asia. Nature Genetics 41, 187-191.
2. Reich D, Thangaraj K, Patterson N, Price AL, Singh L (2009) Reconstructing Indian population history. Nature 461, 489-494.
Scholz CA, Johnson TC, Cohen AS, King JW et al. (2007) East African megadroughts between 135 and 75 thousand years ago and bearing on early-modern human origins. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. (USA) 104, 16416-16421.
3. Thangaraj K, Singh L, Reddy AG, Rao VR, Sehgal SC et al. (2003) Genetic affinities of the Andaman Islanders, a vanishing human population. Curr Biol. 21, 86-93.
4. Thangaraj K, Chaubey G, Kivisile T, Reddy AG, Singh V, Rasalkar A, Singh L (2005) Reconstructing the origin of Andaman Islanders. Science 308, 996.
5. Trautmann TR (2004) Discovering Aryan and Dravidian in British India. Historiographia Linguistica. XXXI: 1, 33-58.
(Dr Lalji Singh, former Director of Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad, delivered the seventeenth Bhaorao Deoras Memorial Lecture in Lucknow on May 12. This article is based on that lecture. )

Jyestha 18 Vik Samvat 2067. Yugabda 5112: 1 June 2010

1. FESTIVALS: Hindu Samrajya Diwas, the anniversary of the Coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1674 A.D., at Raigadh in Maharashtra on Jyeshtha Shuddha Trayodashi of Aananda Samvatsara of the Shalivahana Era 1596 (or Vikrama Era 1731) falls on June 24 this year. The celebration of this day as Hindu Saamraajya Dinotsav carries the spirit of victorious resistance to foreign aggression and presents a glorious vision of national freedom rich with its Hindu content. Shivaji's military and organizational genius in creating his own valiant army and invincible generals out of the unlettered and untrained village folk; the building up of his own resources starting from a scratch; his ability in facing and humbling incomparably more powerful armies and seasoned generals with limitless resources of great empires; his humane policy of never indulging in massacres and inhuman atrocities even in the wake of momentous victories on the battlefield; his sublime traits of religious catholicity, reverence to womanhood, sterling personal character, justice and fair play in every field of administration - well, all these have made Shivaji a matchless hero not only in the military sense but one inspired with the noblest of human values, unsullied by any taint of personal ambition.
Swami Vivekananda said: "Shivaji is one of the greatest national saviours who emancipated our society and our Dharma when they were faced with the threat of total destruction."
2. RASHTRAPATIJI UNVEILS FIRST BHARATIYA STYLE BUDDHIST TEMPLE IN CHINA: Rashtrapati Pratibha Patil on Saturday May 27, inaugurated the first Bharatiya style Buddhist temple in China after a gap of 1900 years when two Bharatiya monks Kashyapamatanga and Dharmaratna helped establish the first Buddhist shrine. Patil dedicated the new temple, built in the same White Horse complex set up in 75 AD at Luoyang in Henan province, to the people of China. “The Bharatiya-style Buddhist temple is a gift from the people of Bharat to a sister civilization, one with which we share so many valuable associations and memories of interaction,” she told an audience comprising Chinese monks, officials, local visitors and the presidential entourage. The temple has been built with red sandstone, kota stone and Udaipur and Jaisalmer green that were shipped from Bharat over long periods. The Chinese government allotted 6,000 square meters of land after a deal signed during the prime ministership of Atal Behari Vajpayee in 2003. The White Horse temple or Bai Ma Si in Luoyang, 668 kms from Beijing, is regarded as a cradle of Buddhism in China. There is also a small Thai Buddhist temple nearby. The opening of the temple is regarded as a significant milestone in the development of relationship between two countries.
3. HINDU GRANDMOTHER IS TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO's FIRST WOMAN PM: Kamla Persad-Bissessar, whose forefather went to Trinidad and Tobago from Bharat as an indentured labourer, has been elected the first woman prime minister after the political alliance led by her emerged victorious and ended the ruling party's 43 years in power. Persad-Bissessar's People's Partnership won 29 out of the 41 parliamentary seats in the elections held on May 24.
A former Spanish colony, Trinidad and Tobago is located in southern Carribean. It is mainly made up of two major islands - Trinidad and Tobago - and covers over 5,120 sq km. 44% of the country's 1.3 million population is of Bharatiya origin.
Persad-Bissessar, 58, a grandmother of two and a devout Hindu, said: "I am grateful for the immense support from women and women's groups across the country and to the extent that this helps to break the barriers so many competent women face.”
4. RYAN ARJUN VAJPAYEE, YOUNGEST BHARATIYA TO CONQUER MT EVEREST: A doughty schoolboy from New Delhi added yet another feat to the annals of mountaineering by becoming the youngest Bharatiya to climb Mount Everest, the world's highest peak, on Saturday May 22. Arjun Vajpayee, a student of Ryan International School, who turns seventeen, next month, became the tallest twelfth grader when he planted the Bharatiya tricolour on the snow-clad summit of the 8,848 metre mountain.
Arjun set off for the last push at 10.45 pm on Friday night, making it to the top of the world at 6.18 am on Saturday.
Arjun was a part of a twelve member expedition team that has a record number of Bharatiya climbers trying their luck individually. Two hours later, Arjun's team member Mamata Sodah, a thirty year old physical education teacher at Shaheed Baba Deep Singh College of Education in Haryana, also stood on the summit, making it the fourth Bharatiya ascent this year.
On Monday May 24, two more Bharatiya members of the team, who had joined at the last moment after being refused a climbing permit by the Chinese authorities, had reached the summit.
Basanta Singha Roy, a forty seven year old veteran climber and bank employee, thirty seven year old Income tax official Debashish Biswas, became the first climbers from Nadia district in West Bengal to conquer Mount Everest.
Though Arjun began climbing only three years ago, he took to the sport immediately. He had no acclimatisation problems while taking up the Everest challenge.
5. KAILASH MANSAROVAR YATRA-2010 BEGINS: The first batch of 49 Kailash Mansarovar Yatris was flagged off from Delhi today by Surendra Singh, MLA, the Chairman, Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam in august presence of Uday Kaushik, Chairman Tirth Yatra Samiti, Delhi on June 1. The pilgrims are expected to reach Dharchula on June 2 and then they will start their 70 km trek to the 5334 metre high Lipu Lekh pass from Mangti. An ITBP officer said the pilgrims after crossing the Lipu-Lekh pass will enter Tibet. There are five camps along the trekking route to the pilgrimage at Gala (2018m), Bundi (2740m), Gunji (3300m), Kala Pani (3370m) and Nabhi Dhang (3370m) before the Liphu Lekh pass is crossed. 16 batches of 60 yatris each are scheduled to go on Kailash Mansarovar Yatra this year.
6. KARMAPA GRACES BUDDHA PURNIMA CELEBRATIONS: Delhi celebrated Buddha Purnima, the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. 27th May, enriched by the presence of hundreds of monks and lamas from all over the country besides Tibet and Nepal, including the Karmapa, one of the most important lineage holders of the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism.
The association organised special prayers at Karmapa International Buddhist Institute in Qutab Institutional Area in south Delhi, where His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje prayed and meditated for world peace and for spread of compassion among people.
The Karmapa is the spiritual head of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
'This is not only a day to commemorate but also to take an oath to spread the peace and happiness among all the people of the world and for that we shall have to work with dedication and passion with huge amount of enthusiasm,' the Karmapa said.
7. N-CAPABLE AGNI-II TEST-FIRED SUCCESSFULLY: The 2,000 km plus range surface-to-surface nuclear-capable missile Agni-II was on May 17 test-fired successfully by Strategic Forces Command (SFC) from Launch Complex 4 from the Wheeler's off the Orissa coast at 9.18 a.m. The missile achieved its full range and splashed down at the pre-designated target in the sea with high degree of accuracy after covering a length of 1395 km in a 660 seconds flight. Further data relating to various parameters of the mission's objectives were being analysed by scientists. With this test, all the three variants of Agni have been successfully testfird within 3 months.
8. RSS AGAINST CASTE-BASED CENSUS: "The RSS is following the principles of late Dalit leader BR Ambedkar. Right from the beginning, RSS is in favour of a casteless society and any attempt to dilute it will hurt the sentiments of people," Sarakaryavaha Bhayyaji Joshi told reporters in Nagpur on May 23 adding that nationality provision should be the basis in the ongoing national census and not caste.
According to him, preparation of a multi-utility identity card on the basis of National Population Register will be incorrect. "Therefore, RSS demands that identity cards be issued only after verification of nationality and the nationality provision should be the basis for NPR," Joshi said.
9. ITGF AT SINGAPORE: The first Indian Traditional Games festival (ITGF) was organized by Vivekanand Seva Sangh (VSS) Singapore on Sunday the 18th April 2010 at the Global Indian International School's East Coast campus. The festival was inaugurated by Professor A.N. Rao, founder member of Hindu Center in Singapore. After Ekatmata Mantra, Surya Namaskar and other Yoga demonstrations various Bharatiya traditional games were played at the venue. The games included gamut of games from the ever-exciting Kabaddi to the most mischievous marbles, from the fun-filled gilli-danda (bail and stick) to disciplined team game Kho-Kho and many more. Langadi (one-leg hopping), lattoo (top), skipping, Pitthoo (also called Lagori) were some other very popular games of the day. There were competitions for the team games like kabaddi and kho-kho. Over 500 members of Singapore's Bharatiya community zealously participated in the festival.
The enthusiasts also tried their hands at the art of Rangoli under the guidance of the experienced ones. Some of the dignitaries who graced the occasion were Swami Samachittanand of Ramakrishna Mission, Manish Tripathi – CEO Mediaring, Mr. Ashok Goyal – CEO Spice Group, Singapore, Mr. Shashi Kashyap – Vice-President of SIFAS, Mr. Rajesh Rai – Arya Samaj and Mrs. Vijaya Mohan.
Students of Temple of Fine Arts Singapore presented group songs at the grand finale ceremony.
10. CULTURAL COMMONWEALTH CAN SAVE THE WORLD FROM DOOM: SURESH SONI: Formation of cultural commonwealth is the need of the hour. To achieve this, the missing links amongst the ancient cultures all over the world need to be identified and strengthened. The institutions like International Centre for Cultural Studies (ICCS) should take up and accomplish this stupendous task, opined noted thinker, scholar and Sah-Sarkaryawah of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Suresh Soni. Soni was addressing the gathering of academicians, research scholars and social activists on the occasion of the Foundation Day of ICCS at its newly constructed office in Nagpur on Nrisimha Jayanti i.e. May 26, 2010.
Suresh Soni said that the formation of such cultural commonwealth was necessary to save the world from all the impending disasters. The ICCS should take initiative to form such cultural commonwealth, he stressed in his scholarly address. He said that the ICCS must conduct research and study in ancient cultures all over the globe and promote an activism to establish global peace, brotherhood and environment protection. The world has high hopes from Bharat because it is the only country in the world where the value system, traditions and culture of the yore was still alive.
In his presidential address, former MP Shri Banwarilal Purohit emphasized that the Bharatiya culture is the richest culture in the world.
Outstanding talented personalities of Nagpur, N W alias Nanasaheb Gokhle, who would be completing his century on June 3, 2010; Dr Ismail Kellellu, Head of the Department of Ancient Indian History, Culture and Arcaheology, Nagpur University, and Ku. Shrinkhala Kangale, the only ST candidate to have cleared the IAS examination from Nagpur, were honored with a memento and a floral bouquet by the dignitaries. The program was attended by large number of ICCS members and other scholars from Nagpur.
11. VHP LAUNCHES SHIVAJI HINDU HELPLINE: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Kerala chapter has launched Shivaji Hindu Helpline to offer assistance to the Hindus in distress including the girls who fall victims in the trap being laid by the 'love jihadis'.
The helpline, set up at the Hindu Cultural Centre at the Paavakkulam Temple complex at Kaloor in Ernakulam, has been receiving large number of distress calls. Though, the helpline will provide assistance such as legal and medical help to the Hindus, it is also meant to receive information on terrorist activities, cow slaughter etc. A counselling centre has also been opened in Kochi.
12. DALAI LAMA HAILS 'NEW-AGE' CHINA: The Dalai Lama, speaking at the inauguration of the Buddha Smriti Park in Patna on May 27, has said encouraging changes were taking place in China, with the new leadership having a positive outlook on the Tibet issue. However, he added that he would not return unless the people of Tibet were given their “fundamental rights”.
13. BHARATIYA-ORIGIN SCIENTISTS HELP CREATE ARTIFICIAL LIFE IN US LAB: Three Bharatiya-origin scientists are part of a team that has for the first time created a synthetic cell, controlled by man-made genetic instructions, which can also reproduce itself. The 24-member team included Sanjay Vashee, Radha Krishnakumar and Prashanth P. Parmar. Developed at a cost of $30 million by the researchers at J. Craig Venter Institute, the experimental one-cell organism opens the way to manipulation of life on a previously unattainable scale.
The new cell, a form of bacteria, was conceived solely as a demonstration project, though several biologists were certain that the laboratory technique used to birth it would soon be applied to other strains of bacteria with commercial potential.
14. JUST 2% OF PEOPLE IN J&K WANT TO JOIN PAK: Survey: A survey carried out across both Jammu and Kashmir and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir shows that only 2% of the respondents on the Bharatiya side favour joining Pakistan and most such views were confined to Srinagar and Budgam districts. In six of the districts surveyed late last year by researchers from the London-based thinktank Chatham House, not a single person favoured annexation with Pakistan, a notion that remains the bedrock for the hardline separate campaign in Kashmir.
15. AMMA RECEIVES DOCTORATE OF HUMANE LETTERS: The State University of New York (SUNY) presented spiritual leader and humanitarian Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma) with an honorary doctorate in humane letters at a special ceremony on May 25 at Lippes Concert Hall on the University at Buffalo North Campus, in recognition of her tireless efforts on behalf of global peace, for her commitment to education and for the far-reaching impact of her charitable organizations in relieving poverty and human suffering in Bharat and around the world.
Dr. John B. Simpson, the President of the University at Buffalo (State University of New York), said, “Through this conferral, we pay tribute to the far-reaching contributions of a distinguished educational leader, prominent humanitarian and esteemed spiritual leader. Through her leadership of Amrita University as well as through her humanitarian work, Chancellor Amma exemplifies the value of international dialogue and dedicated public service in the global arena. These are values at the core of the University at Buffalo’s mission as an internationalized public university seeking to prepare our students to contribute meaningfully to the global world.”
16. HOTA FORUM LAUNCHED IN NEW ZEALAND: The Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations (HOTA) Forum was launched during the 3rd New Zealand National Hindu conference. This was one of the milestone outcomes of the conference.
The conference was organised by the Hindu Council of New Zealand at the Hindu Heritage Centre, Auckland, on 15th and 16th May, 2010. The theme of the conference was "Sustaining New Zealand Through Strengthening Bonds Amongst Communities".
Swami Vigyananand, Coordinator, Civilizational Association of South, South-East & East Asia presented the concept of the HOTA Forum during the second plenary session "Collaboration Amongst Hindu Organisations, Temples, and Associations", and outlined the important role such a forum would play. Following his presentation and a group discussion, over 20 New Zealand Hindu Organisations, Temples and Associations joined the HOTA forum. More are expected to join over the coming weeks and months.
HOTA forum will meet at least once a year to discuss and deliberate the issues concerning Hindu society and collectively position Hindu society for a better future.
17. RSS IN RESCUE OPERATION AT MANGALORE AIR CRASH: Karnataka witnessed its worst ever air mishap as Air India Express flight carrying 169 passengers from Dubai crashed near Mangalore airport on May 22 on a cloudy morning with heavy rain, resulting in death of 158 including Air India staff. Rescue operation was not an easy task at the site as it was a rural and forest area. With the fire engine personnel and emergency staff, the local public especially the RSS Swayamsevaks extended timely help during the day long rescue operation at Mangalore air crash site. More than 100 swayamsevaks near the site of air crash, rushed to the spot within 10 minutes of the crash. Nalin Kumar, local MP also a swayamsevak led the entire operation. BG Chengappa, director of Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services also rushed to the spot and led the team.
18. NEPALI NEW YEAR IN USA: “Hindus settling in the western countries can lead their lives as proud Hindus and preserve their religion, heritage and culture,” Dr. Ved Nanda, president, Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS), USA declared.
Addressing a big gathering of Bhutanese Hindu Community of Colorado at the Nepali New Year celebration in Denver on April 25th, Dr. Nanda urged the community to continue their Hindu way of life in America and assured that they have the freedom and cultural environment to do so.
He asked the Bhutanese community to be vigilant and not fall prey to the proselytization efforts by the Christian missionaries. It is essential and possible to continue many Hindu practices such as daily Puja, Bhajan, Keertan and temple worship in the US, he observed.
Dr. Nanda, a renowned expert in International Law and the Vice Provost at the University of Denver has been a leading advocate of the Bharatiya American community in the USA.
19. ILLIONOIS AND MISSOURI, USA FAMILY CAMP: On 15th of May at Easter Seals Center along the banks of Lake Bloomington, was held a HSS Vibhag Family Camp. About 100 Swayamsevaks and Sevikas of St Louis, Peoria and Bloomington Shakas participated in it.
Ice breaker game “Bharat Yatra”, Kabaddi, Kho Kho & Dand goal, the Shakha with all the three groups having a Yoga session, and an enlightening baudhik on the importance of the Shakha by Sai ji Patil (National sevika pramukh) and Samaroop baudhik by Siddhesh ji Shevade (National Sah-Karyavah) were highlights of the camp.
20. HINDU DHARMASABHA IN AUSTRALIA: On 16th May 2010 Akshay Trutiya, the auditorium at the Shirdi Sai Baba temple in Camberwell, Melbourne reverberated with the auspicious sounds of conch blowing and Vedic recitations, commencing the first ever Hinduism Summit (Hindu Dharmasabha) in Australia. Eminent speakers were Pandit Abhay Awasthi of the Hindu Community Council of Victoria, Mahant Swami Shankaranand Saraswati of the Shiva ashram, Bhaktadas of ISKCON, Sean Clarke of the Spiritual Science Research Foundation & Rohan Mehta. Swami Paramanand Saraswati, President, Yo Veda was also present. A Souvenir on understanding, living and preserving Hinduism was inaugurated on the occasion.
After adopting 6 resolutions, the Summit concluded with speakers answering questions from the press and the attendees, on the direction ahead to understand, live and preserve Hinduism.
21. GREEN HINDUISM, A NATURAL FIT: United Nations has declared 2010 international year for biological diversity. On May 22, the Living Planet Foundation in UK convened what was believed to be the first global "green" Hindu event, calling on Hindus from the UK and abroad to reflect on how they can contribute to preserving biodiversity worldwide. Thousands of years ago, Hindu sages said we must preserve the environment and the ecological balance of our planet, recognising our own survival depended upon it. Hindu scriptures such as the centuries old Vedas, Upanishads and Vedanta are replete with spiritual and poetic references to Mother Earth, where the environment is alive and teeming with life; where trees, mountains and rocks become shrines and the river is respected as a source and support of physical and spiritual life.
The government of Bharat is pushing ahead with plans to drive a shipping canal through a particularly environmentally sensitive region. In the face of international opposition, Bharat plans to dredge the Gulf of Mannar, the shallow body of water separating Bharat from Sri Lanka. It will blast through the ancient limestone base of the gulf which is home countless endangered species, among them the dugong, the green turtle, and several species of sea snake. The devastation this single act of environmental terrorism will wreak is almost unimaginable.
Not only will a biodiversity hotspot be damaged, so too will be the sacred "bridge", known to Hindus as "Ram Sethu" and to Muslims as "Adam's Bridge". According to Hindu stories, this shoal of limestone is the bridge Lord Ram crossed in order to rescue his wife Sita from the clutches of an evil demon.
At UK meeting Kathy Goldsmith, the environmental campaigner, Ian Stephen of the Zoological Society of London, the Hindu ecologist and author Ranchor Prime, and Hindu priest Dr Raj Pandit Sharma, outlined the devastating consequences of this and other economically-driven projects that endanger our planet's future.
22. TWENTY FIVE DOCTORATES AMONG 881 SWAYAMSEVAKS AT RSS TRAINING CAMP: There are 25 doctorate holders among the 881 'Swayamsevaks' attending the month-long third year officers training camp (OTC) of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at Nagpur.
The trainees include 203 post-graduates, 412 graduates, 105 undergraduates, 128 who had completed their schooling and eight were in school. Age-wise, the highest number, 242 are from the 21-25 age group, while 160 are from the 36-40 group, 170 from the 31-25 group, 234 from the 26-30 group and 75 from the 18-20 group. 563 of them are employed, 188 are students, 140 are full-time workers. Among the employed, 172 are teachers, 6 are doctors, 6 engineers, 23 lawyers, 77 farmers, 4 journalists, 1 chartered accountant, 2 from other professions, while 132 are self-employed. The 881 trainees are from various states of the country and speak 19 different mother-tongues.
Volunteers of the camp undergo three phases, or 'years,' of training. The first year and second year training camps are held all over the country, but the third year training is imparted only at Nagpur, the headquarters of the organisation.
23. GUJARAT CONTRIBUTES SOIL, WATER TO GANDHI MANDIR: In a unique gesture, Chief Minister Narendra Modi on May 24 received pots of soil and water from more than 2,300 villages and five towns from all over Gujarat at the venue of the Mahatma Mandir being built in Gujarat. These soil and water samples, delivered to the Chief Minister by the respective sarpanchas of these villages, would go into the Rs 150 crore Mahatma Mandir, the foundation stone for which was laid jointly by Modi and BJP veteran LK Advani on May 1, the golden jubilee of formation of Gujarat state.
As an innovative idea, soil and water from each of the 18,000 villages and all towns of Gujarat would be brought for jal abhishek of the Mahatma Mandir which will also have a huge convention centre where future business summits can be held.
Soil and water from many other countries too were brought here by non-resident Indians (NRIs).
24. KERALA GETS ITS FIRST TEMPLE PRIESTESS: Eleven-year-old Jyotsna Namboothiripad has created history by becoming the first female temple priest (tantri) in Kerala by performing the ritualistic installation of the goddess’s idol at the ancient Painkannikkavu Durga Devi Temple at Kattur in Thrissur district.
For the Class VII student, the moment meant realisation of her most cherished dream but for Kerala, it symbolised the opening of a new era in the tantri system at Hindu temples. Jyotsna is daughter of Padmanabhan Namboothiripad of Irinjala-kkuda’s Tharananellur Math-om, one of the two schools of tantric rites in the State.
On May 23 morning, Jyotsna performed all installation rites at Painkannikkavu the renovated Goddess Durga shrine as required by the tantric system under supervision of the guru. After installing the idol, she performed Brahmakalasa Abhi-shekam and Parikalasa Abhishekam without faltering. Devotees outside the shrine chanted praises of Goddess Durga.
25. DEDICATED SATELLITE FOR NAVY BY YEAR-END: Bharat’s first dedicated military satellite should be up in space well within a year. Indian Space Research Organisation has fixed the "launch window'' of the naval communication and surveillance satellite between December 2010 and March 2011. "ISRO has assured us the naval satellite, with an around 1,000 nautical mile footprint over Bharatiya Ocean, will be launched as slated... The project cost is Rs 950 crore. IAF and Army satellites will follow in a couple of years,'' said a senior MoD official on May 19.
Coupled with induction of eight P-8i long-range maritime patrol aircraft between 2013 and 2017 under a $2.1-billion deal inked with US, the geo-stationary satellite will ensure a quantum jump in Navy's C4ISR (command, control, communication, computer, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) capabilities.
The dedicated satellite will help Navy network all its warships, submarines and aircraft among themselves as well as with operational centres ashore through high-speed data-links.
26. BHARAT's FIRST ARTIFICIAL REEF TO PROTECT : Bharat's first artificial reef was commissioned in the waters off the coast of Kerala's Kovalam beach on May 19.
Tourism minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan unveiled the 110-metre long reef about 100m away from the shoreline. Geo-textile bags measuring about 30m in breadth and filled with sand were stacked on the seabed to build the 'soft reef'.
The submerged structure will break sea waves taller than 1m letting only low intensity ones to pass through.
27. IIT CAMPUS IN SINGAPORE SOON: To be called the International Institute of Technology, it will come up with the joint effort of IIT Council, other centrally-funded technology and science institutes (NITs and Indian Institute of Science) and the Singapore government. The proposed institute will teach both humanities and science. Focus will be on research and innovation. Stress will be on "sunlight areas" like health, technology, communication and education. Even at the undergraduate level unique type of courses will be introduced.
HRD Minister Kapil Sibal said Singapore government had made this proposal to PM Manmohan Singh which has been accepted.
28. BHARATIYA AMERICAN WOMAN FOR GOVERNOR: Giving a major boost to the candidacy of Bharatiya American Nikki Haley for the Governorship of South Carolina State, top Republican leaders including Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney have endorsed her campaign. The impact of her endorsement coming from top two Republican leaders was evident as the latest opinion poll released on May 20 showed Haley way ahead of her closest rival.
While Palin was the Vice Presidential candidate for the Republican Party, Romney is considered to be one of the Republican Party presidential aspirant for the 2012 Presidential elections.
Daughter of a Punjabi Sikh immigrant from Amritsar, Namrata "Nikki" Randhawa Haley, if elected in the election, later this year, would be the second Bharatiya American Governor after Jindal; and the first Bharatiya American woman to become the Governor for an American State.
29. 15OTH BIRTH ANNIVERSARIES OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND RAVINDRA NATH TAGORE: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi suggested formation of four Yoga universities to train “stress buster” to help people cope with rising stress of modern life and a design school that does away with dreary “PWD-style architecture, in the meetings of committees convened by PM Manmohan Singh on May 20, to plan events related to the 150th birth anniversies of Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath Tagore.
At the meeting, the CM pointed out that Yoga could serve as the vehicle to make Vivekananda relevant in the 21st century with stress emerging as a major health and lifestyle concern. Modi pointed out that Vivekananda had been a youth icon and his appeal could be enhanced through AIR and DD programmes called "Vivekavani".
Though the PM largely spent his time conducting the meetings, he did feel that homage could be paid to Tagore's huge talent for the arts in all their forms by a design school that, as a part of its brief, would work to present alternatives to heavy and dull official architecture. "PWD-type architecture is inappropriate for the modern century," he is understood to have remarked.
30. CHAR DHAM YATRA -SHRINES REOPEN: The Char Dham Yatra began with the opening of the portals of Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines on May 16. The doors of both the shrines were reopened on the auspicious day of Akshaya Tritiya amid the chanting of Vedic mantras, shlaokas and beating of drums and other local musical instruments. Thousands of pilgrims reached the shrines to offer prayers on the first day. First the doors of the Yamunotri shine, situated at a height of 3,700 metres in the Uttarkashi district, were opened and then the doors of the Gangotri, situated at a height of 3,041 metres were opened.
The Char Dham Yatra collectively comprises of the pilgrimage to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines. The portals of Kedarnath, which is situated in Rudraprayag district, was opened on May 18 and the portals of Badrinath, which is located in Chamoli district at a height of 3,333 metres, was opened on May 19. The Yatra usually spans six months but this time due to Adhimas (an extra month of Hindu calendar), during which no auspicious rites can be performed, the opening of the four shrines has got delayed by about one month.
The Char Dham Yatra is considered to be the backbone of thriving religious tourism in the State that attracts nearly 15 lakh pilgrims every year from within the country and across the world.
31. BHARATIYA-ORIGIN FLORIDA BOY, 13, WINS NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC BEE: A 13-year-old Bharatiya-origin boy from Florida has won the 22nd annual National Geographic Bee - courtesy his knowledge about Haiti.
By correctly answering that Cap-Haitien is the largest city in northern Haiti that was renamed following Haiti's independence from France, Aadith Moorthy received a 25,000-dollar college scholarship, free trip to the Galapagos Islands and lifetime membership to the National Geographic Society. The 13-year-old Palm Harbor Middle School student also sings Carnatic, a style of southern Bharatiya classical music.
32. MAURITIAN HINDU COMMUNITY CELEBRATED KAVADI IN ITALY: The coast of Torre a Mare, a few kilometers from Bari, was transformed to look like Mauritius, or maybe, with a stretch of the imagination, like Bharat. A ceremony was done in the temple dedicated to Murugan, the Murugan Kovil of Bari Torre a Mare, by the Tamil Mauritians of Pugliese, organized by the Govinda Association.
The ritual is called Sittirai Cavadee and is dedicated to the popular God Murugan, particularly revered in the south east of Bharat. It began at 8:00AM with a procession departing from the temple on Valle Giglioli Partigiani street. Renganadun Mootoosamy. A Hindu priest from Mauritius, came to Bari to help with the ceremonies courtesy of the Union Tamoule de Maurice and Mauritius Tamil Temple Federation. There are over one thousand Mauritians in Bari.
33. RSS ON ENDING MANIPUR CRISIS: RSS on May 23 demanded immediate steps from the Centre to end the economic blockade faced by people of Manipur and for their safety.
"It was highly deplorable to shut both the national highways to Manipur for the last 17 days while opposing the entry of NSCN-IM leader T Muivah in Manipur", RSS Sarakaryavaha Bhayyaji Joshi said in a statement at Nagpur.
About 25 lakh people in Manipur are hit by the closure of national highways. Prices of essential commodities including rice, pulses, floor, diesel, petrol and kerosenes are skyrocketing. Dimapur-Imphal NH 39 and Jiribam-Imphal NH 53 are closed since April 11, he said.
34. FIRST INDIAN COMBAT CHOPPER TAKES TO SKY: The indigenously built light combat helicopter (LCH) debuted in the skies on Sunday the May 23, 2010.
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) began work on the LCH in 2006. It will be ready for induction in the army and air force by 2014-15, said R Srinivasan, who heads HAL's Helicopter Complex.
The heavily armoured helicopter is a bit obese. The 5.8-tonne helicopter has turned out to be 300 kg heavier than planned. HAL's designers are now figuring out ways to cut down its weight so it can carry a higher weapons payload.
The LCH is tailored for roles such as destroying enemy tanks, counter-insurgency operations and offensive deployment in urban warfare. It incorporates stealth features and can undertake night missions.
35. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Visitors: Shri Mangatram Sharma – Denmark, Pravas: Dr. Shankar Tatwawadi, Samyojak Vishwa Vibhag returned to Bharat after his tour of USA and UK. Shri Ravikumar, sah samyojak will be in Sri Lanka from June 17-27.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: May we unite in our mind, unite in our purposes, and not fight against the divine spirit within us. – Atharva Veda
JAI SHREE RAM