Monday, April 16, 2012

 

Vaishakh Krishna 11 Vik Samvat 2069. Yugabda 5114: April 16 2012


1. FESTIVALS: Buddha Jayanti also known as Buddha Purnima is the full moon day of Baisakh falling on May 6 this year. One of the greatest spiritual teachers of mankind which Bharat has produced is, undoubtedly, Buddha. Edwin Arnold has fittingly called him the ‘Light of Asia’. Buddha’s message has travelled far and wide and captured the hearts and minds of billions of people outside Bharat also.
According to the Buddhism, sorrow and desire are the main cause of all the evil and suffering of this world. Lord Buddha advocated the Eightfold Path consisting of precepts like right conduct, right motive, right speech, right effort, right resolve, right livelihood, right attention and right meditation to gain mastery over suffering. It is only after following this path one can reach the ultimate aim of Nirvana. Nirvana is the transcendental state of complete liberation. Buddha passed into eternity after completing his Sahasra Chandra Darshan i.e. thousand full moon days (80th year) on Vaishakha Punrima—the day of his birth and also of his Enlightenment. And to this day, Buddha lives on as a beacon-light to billions the world over, who yearn for the peace and well-being of all living creation.
2. BHAURAO DEORAS SEWA SAMMAN: Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh Sahsarkaryavah Dr Krishna Gopal said that RSS is doing excellent work in North-Eastern states to promote nationalism. But the missionary forces are doing exactly the opposite and are encouraging separatists. He was speaking at a function organised in Lucknow to present Bhaurao Deoras Sewa Samman for the year 2011-12. Dr Suresh Kumar Sangal of Vardan Sewa Sansthan, Ghaziabad and Rinomo Sungoh of Meghalaya Shiksha Samiti were felicitated with the Sewa Samman. Speaking on the occasion Swami Abhayanand Sarawati said the service to the deprived people is service of the God. He advised the people engaged in service activities to refrain from selfishness and. Senior BJP leader Rajnath Singh and many other prominent personalities were also present on the occasion.
3. AUDIO CD ON RSS FOUNDER DR HEDGEWAR: "Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar founded the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) with a certain motive and vision. Now the time has come to realise his vision of organising the good and virtuous people of the society to make Bharatmata the world leader once again. In this endeavor CDs like ‘Keshav Shatak’ will prove to be instrumental in arousing the innate strength of good people inspiring them to tread the path shown by Dr Hedgewar,” observed RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat in Nagpur on March 29.
He was speaking after the ceremonial release of the audio CD ‘Keshav Shatak’, a composition by senior RSS Pracharak Lakshmi Narayan Bhala ‘Animesh’ at the Scientific Society Auditorium. ‘Keshav Shatak’ is a poetic tribute paid to RSS founder Dr Hedgewar by way of 101 couplets of 28 poems beautifully composed by Shri Bhala who is popularly known as ‘Lakhhida’. It was first published by Burra Bazaar Kumarsabha Pustakalaya, Kolkatta, in 1989 during the centenary celebrations of Dr Hedgewar.
The CD, Keshav Shatak Swaranjali, has been produced by Sanskar Bharati, Jaipur under the music direction of Padmakar Mishra.
4.  MODI ABSOLVED IN GULBARG CASE: The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) has found no evidence against Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi in the riots following the killing of 58 kar sewaks in the Sabarmati Express inferno at Godhra on February 27, 2002. Metropolitan court, delivered its ruling on the application filed by former MP Ahsan Jafri’s widow Zakia Jafri, seeking a copy of the SIT report. Zakia Jafri had approached the Supreme Court accusing  Narendra Modi and 62 other leaders, bureaucrats and police officials of the Gulbarg Society massacre in which her husband, along with 68 others, was killed in 2002.
5. BHARAT ENTERS ELITE CLUB: Defence Minister AK Antony on April 4 formally inducted the Russian-made nuclear-powered submarine INS Chakra into the Navy at Eastern Command, Visakhapatnam. The submarine has been taken on a 10-year lease from Russia at a cost of more than one billion dollars. The induction of this Akula class submarine, takes Bharat into the elite league of the countries that have such submarines. The other countries are US, Russia, UK, Germany and France. Chakra is 100 metres long and weighs about 12,000 tons.
The submarine is powered by 190MW nuclear reactor and can attain a speed of more than 30 knots and dive up to 500 feet in the sea and remain submerged underwater for long periods of time thereby making its detection difficult by the enemy. It has a crew of 80 personnel and carries state of art sensors and an impressive array of weapons including cruise missiles and torpedoes.
6. LEADING THE WAY IN POLIO ERADICATION: The World Health Organisation has announced that there had been no new cases of wild polio virus in Bharat for one year. That leaves only three polio endemic countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. The achievement is a validation of the work of the United Nations, the public and private partners of the Global Polio Eradication initiative, the government and the people of Bharat, all of whom united to solve what seemed like an insurmountable problem. The victory over polio is evidence that fast-growing nations like Bharat can embrace economic development and sustainable development at the same time.
7. FIRST ANNIVERSARY OF HINDU HELP LINE: A 24X7 Hindu Help Line service started in April 2011 in Indore for helping Hindus in difficulties, like problems in travel such as car break down, accident, natural calamities while in travel away from home/office etc; medical emergencies such as need for urgent blood, ambulance, medicines, immediate hospitalization while away from home etc.; Teerth Darshan – facilitating visits to various temples, cultural, tourist places in Bharat etc; religious information like correct time for a particular worship, astrology, books & CDs, products made of panchgavya etc.
Speaking at the first anniversary of the helpline recently, VHP International Working President Dr Pravin Togadia said, “Hindu helpline strives to be a reliable friend of Hindus as much as it can. With such a rich cultural, economic, social & educational heritage, today Hindu as an individual feels lonely when in emergency. Hindu helpline aims at being his/her friend in need. The 1st Anniversary program had a Kathak & Folk Dance fusion by the noted classical dancer Sanjay Mahajan & his troupe. The ‘Hindu Ratna’ Award for the Nandan Samvatsar that is the year 2012 was conferred on Dr Yashodhar Mathpal, a 70 year old cave paintings & rock art expert.
8. BRAND BHARAT: The Tata Group is the largest manufacturing employer in the UK; Ireland's richest person - Pallonji Mistry - is a Bharatiya; Coal India is the single largest coal producer in the world; Bharat is the largest whisky manufacturer in the world and the Taj Group is the largest chain of hotels in Asia.
Brand Bharat today is not just about economics. According to Bhaskar Chakravorti, senior associate dean of international business & finance, The Fletcher School, Tufts University, this "soft" presence is Bharat's greatest asset in making sure it counts on the world stage. Household brand names such as Citigroup, Pepsi and Motorola are associated with a Bharatiya CEO.
Bharat is also working its way through innovations. Nano, the cheapest car in the world from Tata Motors; Aakash, the cheapest tablet PC in the world, priced at $46; and other cheap tablet PC initiatives by private companies.
However, "Bharat should surely move forward in the area of innovation where we can capture the value from our intelligent cheap resources from being just a provider of cheap labour. As of today, most companies (Apple, Microsoft, Google, Intel, etc) especially in IT that generate maximum value from innovation, rely on resources from Bharat and we are clearly not getting the deserved share of the value created,'' said Thomas Kuruvilla, MD, Arthur D Little, a consulting firm.
Richard Rekhy, head of advisory practice at KPMG, a global consulting firm, believes: "Bharat, with 100 companies of over a billion dollar market cap, has established its position globally which is why GE set up its first R&D centre outside US in Bengaluru. Bharatiya banks have only 2% bad loans versus 20% in China."
In the mid-90s, on a representation made by Bharatiya exporters, the government had removed the mandatory use of the 'Made in Bharat' tag from goods exported. But, today, no one is shying away from using the tag.
9. ‘DOCTORS FOR SEVA’: A project that provides health services to deprived sections of society in and around Bengaluru, has decided to extend operations to Gulbarga district. According to Sinu Joseph of the Youth for Seva Trust, the trust had decided to first concentrate on Afzalpur taluk where health parameters were low.
Started in June 2010, Doctors for Seva project comprises a team of medical professionals who are willing to provide medical service on a voluntary basis. While the team of paediatricians, dentists, gynaecologists, surgeons, psychiatrists, pharmacists, diagnostic labs, general & specialty hospitals, medical and dental colleges and students, a large number of non-medical volunteers assist in coordinating its various projects and activities. In Bengaluru, the trust, with the help of a network of doctors and hospitals, provides voluntary services to economically backward sections of society. There are 53 doctors and 27 hospitals who provide health services in Bengaluru schools and slums.
As per government records, Aland and Afzalpur taluks had no specialists in government hospitals.
10. BHARAT STILL THE WORLD'S BPO HUB: Bharat has successfully fought off competition from new and emerging outsourcing regions such as the Philippines, South Africa, East Europe and Latin America to retain its position as the world's BPO hub, shows data released by Nasscom.
While the emerging regions focus on voice-based work (essentially call centre jobs), Bharat has graduated to data analytics, accountancy, finance and other domain-specific work. It continues to have a 36% market share in global off-shoring work.
According to Nasscom, the number of people employed directly in Bharat‘s BPO sector grew by 17% from 2009-10 and 2011-12 to 8,76,000.
11. MODI CONTINUES TO GRAB EYEBALLS IN WESTERN MEDIA: The Time magazine featured Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on its cover last month. And on April 5, The Washington Post put the Modi story on its front page. The 1,400-word story begins with how widely Modi is being touted as a possible future Prime Minister of Bharat and how some in Bharat call him the country’s most competent leader, even a role model.
While sketching Gujarat’s rapid growth under his stewardship, it says how business leaders fawn over him for the way he has rooted out corruption and promoted an annual growth of more than 10 per cent since he took over in late 2001, something that has attracted investments not only from all over Bharat, but from American majors like Ford and General Motors.
 “Almost every village in Gujarat is served by a paved road and has a reliable supply of electricity and drinking water. Agriculture is also growing fast, thanks to investment in irrigation,” the Post report says, adding: “It is that record, his reputation for ‘getting things done,’ that has positioned him as one of the favorites to become Bharat’s next prime minister after elections due in 2014.”
 “Countries other than US are not so troubled by Modi’s record,” it notes, adding: “Modi’s warm reception on a visit to China last November would not have gone unnoticed.”
12. MOBILE DISPENSARY FOR NAXAL-HIT VANAVASIS: With an objective of providing healthcare and creating health awareness among the vanavasi brethren residing in the remote regions of Aheri, Etapalli, Bhamragarh and Mulchera regions of Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra, Dr Hedgewar Janmashatabdi Seva Samiti started a mobile dispensary in 1988 to mark the centenary year of RSS founder Dr Keshav Balirampant Hedgewar.
The samiti adopts one major village situated in the remote region where government aid cannot reach and provides healthcare to the people in the surrounding region. Petha village in Etapalli taluka, Kishtapur in Mulchera, Nagulwahi, Kolpalli, Guddigudam in Aheri taluka, and a number of villages in Bhamragarh taluka have been benefitted by this project.
The mobile clinic is being run by Dr Suresh Dambole from Aheri. Required medicines are arranged free of cost by seva samiti karyakartas. People from the region constructed a building for running this clinic regularly at Petha through shramdaan.
About 1500 patients are examined and treated per month through this mobile clinic. Patients affected by chronic ailments need to be shifted to the hospitals at Nagpur and Chandrapur in case of casualty. A woman needs complete healthcare during pregnancy. Meena Mattami, Sheetal Weladi, Munni Atram from the village have been given Arogya Rakshika training. Pregnant women in the village are regularly examined and are given necessary healthcare by these Arogya Rakshikas.
( www.newsbharati.com)
13. A NEW DOCUMENTARY ON SRI RAMJANMABHOOMI: Pune based Creations Entertainment has produced a 45 minutes documentary Ram Mandir: Adalat aur Aastha, both in Hindi and English.
 “The prime objective of producing this documentary at this moment is to back the aastha (faith) of the common man in Sri Ram and Sri Ramjanmabhoomi with the archaeological evidences that have been accepted by the court and also could not be questioned by the Muslims there.” said Smt Angha Ghaisas, producer of the documentary, while talking to mediapersons at Press Club in New Delhi on April 9.
Apart from providing historical background of Ayodhya and also the information about the battles for Sri Ramjamabhoomi, the documentary has comments from top Hindu religious leaders, experts, advocates and the legal luminaries. (Hindi version can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_MSXoWBiMs)
14. HSS WORKER SWADESH KATOCH GETS HUMANITARIAN AWARD: Swadesh Katoch, a prominent face of Bharatiyas in Georgia and who owner of an IT company has been awarded with a humanitarian award of $1000 by the Georgia Association of Physicians of Indian Heritage (GAPI) for his outstanding work for resettlement of Bhutanese Hindu refugees. Swadesh Katoch announced to use this $ 1,000 for an eye health project for Bhutanese and helping Hindu widows in Pakistan.
Swadesh is a volunteer of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh since his childhood.  He is Sewa Pramukh and Sah-karyawah of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh's Shri Sakti Sakha of Atlanta He has dedicated this award to thousands of Sewa and Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh karyakartas who are working relentlessly for the society around them. Sewa International USA provided financial help, essential materials such as blankets, winter jackets, clothes, toys etc. To make the refugees financially empowered SEWA provided employment assistance, job search assistance, and sponsorship of vocational training.
15. SIGNALS 'DISTURBING', BUT NOT 1991-TYPE SITUATION NOW: Reserve Bank governor D Subbarao has said that rising fiscal deficit and short-term debt levels are "quite disturbing" but the nation is not facing a repeat of a 1991 balance of payment crisis. While the 1991 crisis was triggered by high oil prices almost drying foreign reserves and currency crash, large fiscal deficit and current account deficit are lead indicators of stress building up in the system again, he said at a panel discussion on Bharat's economic reforms and development on March 14.
Stating that the structure of the economy has changed in fundamental ways, he said financial markets are more matured, more diverse and much deeper and have "resilience to absorb shocks".
While fiscal deficit was not entirely structural in nature, current account deficit was high because of high oil prices and gold imports, he said adding Bharat's foreign exchange reserves today are much larger than those in 1991.
16. BHARATIYA PARLIAMENT SHOULD PROVIDE SOLUTION TO BLACK MONEY: "It is time parliament gave Bharat solutions to three important problems - a solution to the ogre of black money, a solution to the related demon of corrupt practices, including the use of intimidation in elections, and a solution to what Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan (former rashtrapati) called widespread inefficiency and gross mismanagement of resources," said former governor of West Bengal Gopalkrishna Gandhi in Chennai on April 14 at a function organised by Prime Point Foundation to honour MPs.
Citing the laws against dowry, domestic violence, untouchability and right to information passed by parliament, Gandhi said the legislatures have responded to public opinion and campaigns.
Shiv Sena's Anandrao Adsul, BJP's Hansraj Gangaram and Arjun Ram Meghwal and Congress's S.S. Ramasubbu were awarded the Sansad Ratna Award-2012 for raising the highest number of questions and participating in parliamentary debates.
17. JAIRAM CALLS FOR INCREASED FUNDING FOR WOMEN SHGs: Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has called for bringing women’s self-help groups (SHGs) under the priority sector lending (PSL) norms and increasing the credit flow to them.
“I want women’s SHGs to get bank funds at the priority sector lending rates,” Mr. Ramesh said in Mumbai on April 15.
Calling for more flexibility in rural lending, Mr. Ramesh said flexibility was needed in lending to SHGs too.
18. LSR, IIT GRADS SET TO BECOME COLLECTOR AIDES IN NAXAL-HIT DISTRICTS: Katha Kartiki (B.A. in English Literature from LSR College, Delhi, and Masters from Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, UK); Rajendra Kondepati (B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT-Madras and Masters in Public Policy from Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore); are among the 156 set to become the Prime Minister’s Rural Development Fellows.
Following the training of two months, these  professionals of 21-30 age group will be assisting collectors in planning, coordination and monitoring of developmental activities in 78 worst Naxal-affected districts for a period of two years.
The 156 fellows — two for each district — were selected through a meticulous process of screening overseen by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). Over 8,500 had applied following the announcement of the fellowship late last year. .
19. NEW NORMS FOR SCHOOLS AS SC BACKS RIGHT TO EDUCATION:  The Supreme Court upholding the Right to Education Act or RTE Act has  directed all schools, including privately-run schools, irrespective of the board they are affiliated to, to admit from this academic year (2012-13) at least 25% students from socially and economically backward families. These students will be guaranteed free education from class I till they reach the age of 14.
This means the nature of the classroom will change. Until now, several schools were holding a separate shift for students from poor families after the main school was over. Under the RTE Act, they will have to induct these students in the main class - in other words, 25% of every class will have students from socially and economically disadvantaged families.
While many educationists feel the resultant social integration will make education more meaningful, the reaction of some expensive schools as well as of some parents hasn't been positive. Also, the need to give free education to 25% students is expected to increase the expenditure of schools, with  likely load of another round of fee hikes.
20. BENGAL SCHOOLS GET READY TO DUMP MARX FOR MANDELA: At long last Bengal is preparing to bid farewell to Marx, Engels and the Bolsheviks. On the contrary it is ‘welfare’ time for Rousseau, Voltaire, Mandela.  Ringing aloud the ideological bell of Paribartan (change), the State has decided to weed out of school text books Communist icons, seen as the legacy of the Basu-Buddha era.
Educationist Aveek Majumdar, the chairman of the designated syllabus committee, says the new programme of study is aimed not at manipulating young minds but “making available a bouquet of information” before them.
 “It will be wrong to suggest that the syllabus is loaded with anti-communist thoughts as we have only done away with chapters that were redundant and retained those which are contextual” he says insisting Lenin and the People’s Revolution of China had been retained in the syllabus.
Trinamool MP Derek O’Brien made it clear that the Government was not trying to doctor history. “Marx, I believe should be studied as a historical phenomenon but not at the expense of Mahatma or Nelson Mandela,” he said, adding “Bengal is redressing balance, not doctoring history.”
Interestingly the new syllabus is likely to have a chapter called “Dharma” or religion which would include information on Deen-e-Ilahi, Ramayana and Mahabharata, sources said.
21. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Saumitra Gokhale, samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will return to US after touring UK. Shri Ravikumar, sah samyojak will be going to Singapore, hongKong and South Korea. Visitors: Ma.Ramdevrai Sood – USA, Shravan Bajoria – Myanmar.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY:  Youth is not the prime of life, but a state of mind. You are as young as your faith and as old as your doubts; you are as young as your self confidence and as old as your fear. – Yadav Rao Joshi.
JAI SHRI RAM

STRONG CENTRE, STRONG STATES
S.K.SINHA
The recent Assembly elections have been an earth-shaking political event.
Mandalisation lost ground in Uttar Pradesh to development, as it did in Bihar last year. The Bihar election saw the eclipse of one national party and the Uttar Pradesh election the virtual annihilation of both national parties.
The regional parties in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, are now very strong. The regional parties have been repeatedly humiliating the government at the Centre, enfeebled by mega corruptions and trying to stick to power at all costs.
Whether over petrol price hike, FDI issue, Teesta waters, Lokpal Bill, the Railway Budget, or now the UN resolution on Sri Lanka, the Centre has had to eat the humble pie. Coalition dharma is now blatant survival dharma. The UPA is on life support and can brazen it out till 2014 or collapse earlier, when life support is withdrawn.
The longer this lame duck government lasts, the greater the harm to governance and the grand old party itself. Chances of it returning to power will also become much less. The Congress needs to reinvent itself as an Opposition to restore its health and come back to power after five years or even earlier, if the successor government fails to hold together. Indira Gandhi, after a stunning rout in 1977, came back to power in three years with a resounding victory.
There have been two recent incidents in the theatre of the absurd. First, former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi presented the Railway Budget approved by the Cabinet, which the Prime Minister and the finance minister publicly lauded but which Mamata Banerjee disapproved. She forced his resignation; a new railway minister was appointed and partial rollback made.
Second, the finance minister presented a lacklustre Union Budget while his minister of state from an alliance partner was not present in Parliament. He was supervising an Assembly byelection for his party.
Our Constitution has both unitary and federal features. Given our history of the past millennium, we need both a strong Centre and strong states. A strong Centre and weak states can degenerate into dictatorship, a taste of which we had during the Emergency. A weak Centre and strong states can lead to national disintegration. The Uttar Pradesh election has shown our two national parties in total disarray. While struggling for the third place, 60 per cent of the candidates of these parties lost their security deposit. And while one party is facing revolt in Uttarakhand and by-poll defeat in Andhra Pradesh, the other is trying to cope with blackmail in Karnataka and a by-poll defeat in its Gujarat citadel.
The Oracle of Delphi was asked as to what could destroy Sparta. It replied, luxury. If today the Oracle is asked what can destroy India’s two national parties, the reply will be sycophancy for the Congress and squabbles for the BJP. Our national interest demands that both these parties become strong. It is still not too late for them to reinvent themselves.
Sycophants have destroyed empires and emperors. The slogan of the Congress Party has changed from “Indira is India and India is Indira” to “dynasty is democracy and democracy is dynasty”.
A mortal blow was delivered to the dynasty in its family citadels of Amethi and Rae Bareily, with the loss of 10 out of 12 Assembly seats. Initially, Rahul Gandhi did well in refusing to be parachuted to the top, like his father in the special circumstances of 1984. The sycophants and the fawning media started projecting him as a youth icon and a messiah of the Indian nation. He rightly preferred to build the party before succeeding to his inheritance in government. He was misled by the army of sycophants.
He played the role of a benevolent prince showing concern for the poor and repeatedly harking back to his great ancestry. He was surrounded by smart, well-educated youth who are sons of old loyalists, but out of sync with the masses. He failed to develop ground-level party organisation, relying on abject appeasement policy. No doubt he worked extremely hard, but that was of no avail.
After the poll debacle the sycophants owned up responsibility to shield the heir apparent. The Congress observer in Manipur stated that the Congress had won a sweeping victory there due to the leadership of Rahulji, even though he never once visited that state during the election.
Rahul did well to discard the shield being provided by his sycophants and owned up full responsibility for the debacle. He needs to build his party from the ground level, discarding his sycophants and developing a mass base. A spell in Opposition will be good for his party’s and his own political health.
From a party with a difference, the BJP is now a party beset by differences. There are several capable leaders in the party who are prime ministerial material. However, quite a few BJP leaders are pulling in different directions. The BJP has two mass leaders with a national support base in the country. They are L.K. Advani and Narendra Modi.
The former was the architect of the BJP’s astounding progress from a mere two seats in Parliament to the single-largest party in the Lok Sabha in 1998, with close to 200 seats. Today, his long experience of public life, impeccable integrity, no filial nepotism in politics and physical ability at his advanced age are unmatched in the country. His detractors for their vested interests make heavy weather of his age. They ignore that at his age, Morarji Desai was Prime Minister and Prakash Singh Badal is chief minister of Punjab.
M. Kaurnanidhi is over three years older than him. An NRI millionaire in his 30s, who is an upstart and interloper in politics, had arranged to go to Rajya Sabha with the BJP’s support. He had the arrogance and audacity to suggest that older BJP leaders, particularly Mr Advani, should retire from the party.
Mr Modi has proved himself to be a brilliant administrator who has brought about miraculous development in Gujarat, appreciated not only within the country but also internationally.
He has been persistently demonised by the media, the so-called secularists and, of course, the minority. This hampers support for him from many. This can only be overcome after the law courts give him a clear chit in the ongoing cases against him. Unless the BJP chooses to put faith in one leader and all rally behind him, it has a bleak future.
A Third Front without a common positive ideology will not hold together. National interest may get overlooked by regional considerations, as happened over Teesta waters and over the Sri Lankan resolution. Regional parties may be very strong in their states but have hardly any presence outside. 
The foray of Janata Dal (United) and Trinamul Congress outside their respective states in recent elections drew a blank.
The need of the hour is both a strong Centre and strong states. The former requires a strong ruling party and a strong Opposition, and the latter no encroachment on state autonomy, as formulated in the Constitution. India is a nation of all Indians and not a nation of states.
The writer, a retired lieutenant-general,and has served as governor of Assam and Jammu and Kashmir.—The Asian Age, March 30,2012.

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Sunday, April 1, 2012

 

Chaitra Shukla 9 Vik Samvat 2069. Yugabda 5114: April 1, 2012


1.  FESTIVALS: Hanuman Jayanti which falls on Chaitra Poornima, April 6th this year, is celebrated to worship venerated God Hanuman also known as Bajrangbali, Pavanputra, Mahaveer etc. It is celebrated at different dates in different parts of Bharat , Margshirsh in Southern Bharat, Vaishakh in Odisha and Andhra etc. On the day of Hanuman Jayanti, people flock to temples, apply Sindhur to the murthi of Hanuman and observe fast. Religious foods, coconut and flowers are distributed among people. Many devotees recite the Hanuman Chalisa.
Hanuman is the ardent devotee of Sri Rama and symbol of energy and strength. He is upheld as the model for human devotion to God. He is an epitome of Brahmacharya and also one of the seven ‘Chiranjiv’ (Immortals).
2. Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) meeting of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was held in Nagpur on 16, 17, 18 March 2012. First of all shraddhanjali was given to Sangh adhikaris and other prominent personalities from social life passed away during the year. Sarkaryavash Suresh (Bhaiyyaji) Joshi presented the annual report. In 2011, a total of 69 Sangh Shiksha Vargs were held in the country. In Pratham Varsha Vargs a total of 11507 trainees participated from 7322 places; 2781 trainees came from 2102 places for Dwitiya Varsha. A total of 732 trainees from 675 places attended regular Tritiya Varsha and 447 trainees from all over country attended Vishesh Tritiya Varsha.
At the concluding program of the Samanya Tritiya Varsha Varg Pujya Jayendra Saraswati Maharaj, Peethadheesh of Kanchi Kamakoti Math, delivered his benediction. Sri Gana Raju of Vijayawada was the Chief Guest. Sarsanghchalak Mohanji Bhagwat also addressed the swyamsevaks.
There are 40891 Shakhas in 27978 places. Saptahik Milans are 8508 while Sangh Mandalis are 6445. In the Akhil Bharatiya Shareerik Varg held at Vadodara 227 karyakartas participated.
This year in Purva Andhra 'Jaibheri', in Chhattisgarh 'Nadsangam', in Deogiri 'Rashtra Chetana' special camps of Ghosh Vadaks (Bands) were organized. An All Bharat baithak and orientation of Prant Bouddhik Pramukhs and workshop for speakers were organized after the Sangh Shiksha Varg.  Various training programme were held by Prachar Vibhag in 2011-12 on subjects like panel discussion, press conference etc under the guidance of some media experts.
'Sewa Sangam' programs were organized in 10 places by Sewa Vibhag. 3153 representatives including 480 women of 706 organizations from 17 prants participated in these programmes.
With the positive effects of Vishwa Mangal Go-gram Yatra and active participation of our swayamsevaks in village development, nearly 200 villages have been converted as 'Prabhat Gram'.
Vishesh Vritta of Dakshin Tamil Nadu, Hindu Shakti Sangam Maha Shibir in Uttar Karnataka, Paschim Andhra, Gond Samaj Sammelan, Devgiri Prant, Gujarat Prant, Malwa Prant, Madhya Bharat Prant, Mahakoshal Prant, Punjab Prant, Meerut Prant, Dakshin Bang, Earth Quake Relief Work in Sikkim, Programs held against Communal and Targeted Violence Bill -2011, were included in the report of Sarkaryavahji.
The report mentioned launching of massive popular campaigns for bringing in Jan Lokpal Bill and bringing back black money from banks abroad.
It was stressed that the draft of Communal and Targeted Violence Bill 2011 needs to be rejected lock, stock and barrel by all sections of the society including all political parties and religious and social leaders. The decision of the Union Govt. to extend 4.5% reservations to Muslims out of the OBC quota of 27% following the recommendations of the Sachar Committee was opposed tooth and nail.
It was resolved that in 150th birth Anniversary year of Swami Vivekananda we should endeavour to inspire our society of crores with a divine message, kindle pure emotions in their hearts and, inculcate discipline to use that collective strength with judiciousness.
ABPS passed two resolutions.
Resolution-1: Uphold Unity and Integrity of Our Society as Paramount
Bharat is witnessing upsurge of popular movements in different parts of the country over various issues like land rights, political rights, dams and river water sharing, movement of people from one state to the other, conflicts between different groups based on tribe, caste, religion etc. The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha expresses concern over the growing ill will among various sections of our society due to the actions of certain vested interests of these movements.
The ABPS exhorts that mature polity should handle such movements with utmost care and sensitivity. It should accord greater priority to unity and integrity of the society while handling these issues. Unfortunately what we experience today is exploitation of public sentiments for political expediency resulting in harm to our social cohesion.
Media plays an important role in public education and awakening. Sensationalism of sections of media in such matters will not only cause harm to the interest of the movement but also adversely impact the social fabric. Leaders of voluntary and Non-Government Organisations, who take active part in several such movements, have an onerous responsibility of ensuring that fissiparous tendencies don’t creep in and vested and foreign interests don’t take advantage of the movements to vitiate the atmosphere of social harmony and national unity. The ABPS calls upon the media and the NGO leadership to play a constructive role in providing right direction to such movements.
There are bound to be genuine grievances and complaints from each side in most of the issues that give rise to such movements. However the ABPS appeals to the leaders and participant people of these movements to never lose sight of the greater unity and integrity of our society. Nothing should be said or done in the course of pursuing demands that would create fissures in our social fabric and weaken our national bonds.
It is a matter of grave concern for the ABPS that the actions of the Government in issues like Communal and Targeted Violence Bill and Minority Reservations are potential triggers for creating disunity and discord among various sections of the society. Anti-Constitutional decision of the Union and certain State governments to carve out 4.5% as Minority Quota from the OBC Quota of 27% reservations calls for rejection by the entire nation. The ABPS exhorts that the national policy should be guided not by short-term political gains but by the principle of One Nation – One People.
The ABPS calls upon the countrymen in general and Swayamsevaks in particular to play a proactive role in ensuring that the attempts by some sections of our society to destroy our social unity for narrow selfish ends never succeed.
Resolution-2: Draft National Water Policy-2012 Needs to be Reconsidered  
Natural wealth of the nation is sacred heritage of all the living beings. Hence the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha is of the considered opinion that our water resources, soil, air, minerals, cattle wealth, biodiversity and other such natural resources should not be treated as means of commercial profit. Our approach, policy and practices towards utilization and conservation of these resources should be based on the principle of our long sustained reciprocal coexistence of entire living universe, rather than being based on short term motive of private profits. We constitute 17 percent of the world population and are dependent upon 2.5 percent of the earth’s land mass and 4 percent of fresh water. In view of the above facts, Government’s initiative towards private monopoly and commercial profiteering in water which is one of the sacred elements among the “Panch-Mahabhootas” is a matter of grave concern.
In the recently circulated draft National Water Policy – 2012 of the Central Government while describing water as the basis of life, has very cleverly incorporated the formulations and models of the World Bank and MNCs. This clearly manifests the evil designs of the Central Government. The proposals in the new draft on water policy regarding increase in water and electricity tariffs in the name of rationalizing consumption of water and also making it cost based, will only make water scarce for ordinary people and will pave the way for earning massive profits by the corporates engaged in water trade. As suggested by the World Bank, attempts at handing over the control of water distribution in the hands of private monopoly in the name of public-private  partnership, indicates  the intentions of handing over this vital basic necessity of life totally in the control of private ownership and to a large extent foreign multi-national corporations. Experiences of private monopoly of water across the world have not been satisfactory with respect to the quantity and quality of water supply, regularity of supplies and tariffs. By accepting water as a tradable commodity or as an economic good in the water policy, the Government is in fact supporting the logic of those international business consultants who view privatization of water as booming trade opportunity worth billions of dollars in Bharat and other developing countries.
ABPS is of the opinion that water is life line for our entire living world. Therefore, rational water resource management ensuring availability of pure water to each and every citizen, appropriate water supply to agriculture and different meaningful economic activities at proper rates are administrative imperatives for the Government.   Serious debate and deliberations from village panchayats to top level regarding the National Water Policy, changes in land utilization and other basic issues concerning management of natural wealth, should form the first priority of the Government while formulating the policies.
In such a scenario, the Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha calls upon all the countrymen to desist themselves from misuse, wastage and all those activities which pollute this divine gift of nature. They should leave no stone unturned in the conservation of water. The Pratinidhi Sabha also expects from the Government that instead of handing over natural wealth like water in private monopoly, it should adopt all appropriate measures to ensure water conservation, harvesting and proper management. In view of the growing demand, effective steps like reprocessing, desalination and optimum utilization of river water should be taken for easy availability of water. For conservation and augmentation of major sources of water it is necessary to curb pollution in sacred rivers like Ganga and Yamuna. It is also equally important to take effective steps for revival of the ancient river Saraswati. The Government should also call upon the society, social organizations and Dharmacharyas to co-operate in this endeavour. With respect to the National Water Policy draft, the Pratinidhi Sabha also cautions the Government that if it accepts the recommendations of the new water policy document in toto and makes the water tariff cost based to ensure private profit out of it, then it would have to face public wrath.
3. After Gandhi and Patel, Modi third Gujarati on Time cover: Sixty-five years ago, on January 27, 1947, the venerable American magazine Time had featured Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on its cover. It was captioned: ‘Bharat’s Vallabhbhai Patel’. But he wasn’t the first Bharatiya leader to make it to the cover of the world’s largest circulated news weekly. That honour went to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who appeared on the cover of the March 31, 1930 issue of Time. The caption read: ‘Saint Gandhi’.
With the March 26 issue of Time hitting the stands, Chief Minister Narendra Modi becomes the third Bharatiya leader from Gujarat to feature on its cover. The caption reads: ‘Modi means business — But can he lead India?’ Inside the magazine, the story is headlined: ‘Boy from the Backyard’. A blurb follows: “Narendra Modi has defied humble origins to become the powerful leader of booming Gujarat. Here’s why Indians both love and loathe him.”
As Time puts it, Gujarat is today “India’s most industrialised and business-friendly territory”, a state that can boast of “good planning - exactly what so much of India lacks”. The credit for that goes to a leader with the “ability to get things done”.
Under Modi’s leadership, Time says, Gujarat has “largely escaped the land conflicts and petty corruption that often paralyse growth elsewhere in the nation”. Listing the many achievements of the Government led by Modi, the magazine points out that Gujarat is the only State in Bharat where both big businesses and small farmers can expect uninterrupted power supply.
“Unlike many Bharatiya politicians, Modi doesn’t put his faith on display. There are no religious icons in his office; the only adornments are two statues of his hero, the philosopher Swami Vivekananda,” Time says, adding, “In a country where nepotism and dynastic politics are the norm, Modi’s family is invisible.” His brother, who works in the State Government, hasn’t visited him even once at his office.
“To his loyalists,” Time points out, “Modi is a decisive leader deserving a bigger platform than Gujarat, deserving, indeed, of all India, and of the prime — rather than just a chief — ministership.” Modi is “perhaps the only contender with the track record and name recognition to challenge Rahul Gandhi”, the magazine says, adding, when people “think of someone who can bring Bharat out of the mire of chronic corruption and inefficiency — of a firm, no-nonsense leader who will set the nation on a course of development that might finally put it on par with China — they think of Modi”.
Gujarat’s success, “even Modi’s detractors acknowledge”, is a “result of good planning”— something which, as Time highlights, “exactly what so much of India lacks”.
Other Bharatiya leaders and politicians have featured on Time’s cover, most notably Subhas Chandra Bose, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh. The leader who has been featured on the magazine’s cover the most is Nehru.
4.  Educate mind & heart, Dalai Lama tells DU: Spiritual guru Dalai Lama, during his visit to Delhi University on March 22, spoke on the education of the mind and heart. He stressed on the knowledge of the heart and soul along with the principle of meditation.
His Holiness Dalai Lama emphasised on the need for analytical meditation while speaking at the Seminar Hall of the Vice Regal Building. “Meditation does not mean closing the doors from the world and going blank. Meditation cannot be done with vacant mind,” he said.
Dalai Lama insisted that good meditation can be done only with good reading and ideas in the mind. He added that for successful meditation, self-analysis and focus were important.
5.   TREE PLANTING PROJECT IN KENYA: A major tree planting program was set out by 55 representatives of Hindu Religion and Service Center and Hindu Council of Kenya on 18th March 2012 at the Escarpment Primary school, 45 km from Nairobi, at the slopes of the Great Rift Valley. The Hindu Council of Kenya representatives were Vice Chairman Dinesh Shah, Assistant Joint Secretary Bhimjibhai Patel and Sunil Shah. The Hindu Religious & Service Centre was led by Chunibhai Shah.  The group reached the School at 10.30 am.  
The opening prayers were led by Ms Mary Wangari and Damjibhai Koriya chanting the Gayatri Mantra and the Ekata Mantra. Escarpment Primary School was started in 1954 in mud walled temporary shelters with the first class of less than 20 pupils. From 1972, permanent stoned wall buildings were erected with great assistance of the Jani Family.
About 300 parents and children were invited to participate in the exercise. 1200 trees were planted. 1000 were Bluegum and 200 were indigenous trees.
6.  Festival welcomes spring and all its colors:  If you found yourself at Lacey’s Rainier Vista Park on March 18, you probably saw members of the South Sound Bharatiya community laughing, running, playing games, enjoying a traditional meal and doing it all covered head-to-toe in springtime colors, such as yellow, orange, purple and red.
The Sunday afternoon event was organized by the Olympia chapter of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, and the celebration was the festival of colors – a springtime tradition in Bharat in which the community gathers, in part, to cover each other in a powdery form of paint.
Organizer Krishna Kumar said it was the event’s fourth year in the Olympia area and is a time for the community to come together and bond by painting each other’s faces.
 After the face painting, there were games, such as tug of war and a water balloon toss.
The Olympia chapter of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh is part of a national organization that operates under the same name.
7.   A Youth Day Camp at Woodlands Hindu Temple: Hindu Temple of The Woodlands (HTW), one of the newest temples in the Greater Houston area, celebrated for the first time ever, two fun events over weekend. One was Holi and the other, a day camp for kids and youth.
The day camp, on Saturday, March 17, organized by HTW’s Education Youth and Service (EYS) committee was for kids and teens from 6-18 years in which 30 kids participated. The highlights of the camp were yoga, jeopardy and skits. The participants were divided into groups and enacted thematic skits centered around specific moral values.
Sunil Gopalkrishna, a young computer hardware engineer and HTW adult scripture instructor, held an exclusive session only for the youth, middle and high-school students.
On Sunday, March 18 Holi celebration was held at the temple. The morning started with a puja performed by the temple’s priest. Colored water was available for youngsters (and some older people!) to spray on friends and families. Lots of colored powder was available to share and enjoy. Various games and contests including a hula-hoop contest and a dance contest for teenagers were part of all the fun.
8.  DTU students develop lightweight aircraft for surveillance: A team of under-graduate students at Delhi Technological University (DTU) has designed and built a light Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) that can be used for urban surveillance purposes.
The aircraft, Arush X1, has a high-definition camera which can transmit images in real-time to a ground-based station, and is being flight tested by the students. The team comprises 11 first- and final-year students from different branches of engineering at the University.
The aircraft is made of a composite of carbon and glass fibres and has been assembled using parts made in Bharat, most of them sourced from Delhi. The engine and the software have been sourced from outside Delhi, Gaurav said. The vehicle has now completed six flight tests, attaining heights of up to 700 feet. The model can work on auto-pilot mode and transmit signals to ground stations in a 30-km range. It can take off and land in a runway length of 10 feet.
9. Community comes to rescue of Ladakh’s heritage: Tsering Angchuk, a social worker from Basgo village in Leh district, was recently awarded Bharat Jyoti Award for his meritorious service, outstanding performance and commendable role in the field of conservation of Ladakhi cultural heritage. The 10th-century Maiterya Buddha temple in Basgo village was restored by the village community. In 2007, Basgo village was conferred with the UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Award of Excellence. 
A civil engineer by profession, he has been devoting his spare time to promote the conservation of cultural heritage since 1992. Angchuk is also convener of INTACH (Ladakh chapter).
10.  BHARATIYA boy wins YouTube Space Lab competition: Bangalore boy has been adjudged the Asia-Pacific winner of the newly-launched YouTube Space Lab contest for young minds conceptualizing and executing innovative scientific experiments in space research. Eighteen-year-old Sachin S. Kukke came up with an experiment exploring transfer of heat in ferrofluid – a special liquid that gets magnetized when subjected to a magnetic field. It is touted as a study that can help develop advanced cooling and heat transfer systems.
A student of mechanical engineering from Bangalore’s BMS College of Engineering, Kukke is one of six global winners in the competition, hosted by YouTube and Lenovo.
11.   Google says Delhi boy’s 1 of 10 smartest kids: Abhishek knows computers, and how. He can design websites with HTML, he can work Photoshop like a pro and, if push should come to shove, he can code in C and C++!
Code In, one of the most prestigious of its kind, booted up on November 21 last year. Open to children between the ages of 13 and 17, it aims at introducing the world of open source software to teenagers. Each completed task, depending on its level of difficulty, is worth a certain number of points and contestants are expected to accumulate as many points as possible.
Between November and January, the competition saw 542 students from 56 countries completing 3,054 tasks. The results were announced on February 14. Of the 10 winners, five were from Bharat. Abhishek, second on the list with 150 points, was the youngest of them all. Shitiz Garg, also from Bharat, topped the list with 200 points. Gaurav Narula, Gautam and Aneesh Dogra are the other winners from Bharat.
12.   Now, a tablet that's also a mini lab for doctors: Swasthya Slate (Health Tablet) - a first-of-its-kind diagnostic tool - created by a US-returned Bharatiya biomedical engineer Kanav Kahol will not only work as a diagnostic tool for multiple activities like conduct ECG, measuring heart rate, testing quality of water and also takeing body temperature but will also test blood pressure and blood sugar on the spot.
Kahol, who has worked with Nobel laureate Dr Lee Hartwell at the University of Arizona's Biodesign Institute on creating "persuasive technology," said the Slate will now help Auxillary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) working in far-flung villages to diagnose diseases on the spot. Swasthya Slate is likely to be ready for operation in next three months.
13.  Ajab story: Online classes in Gujarat village: It's a typical 6 X 6 classroom of a village school - dimly lit and dusty with furniture crying for repairs. But, what catches one's attention is a big TV monitor, a wireless microphone enabling web conferencing and internet connectivity. At sharp 7 am, students of Shri Krishna Vidya Mandir in Ajab village jostle for space in this room keenly waiting for Chiman Delwadia who is about to log on from Birmingham in Alabama, US.
When Delwadia appears on the TV monitor, students throw a volley of maths problems at him and he patiently starts solving them. The class continues for 90 minutes where students of classes 7, 8 and 9 learn mathematics with fun.
They have also started conversing in English. The tri-weekly online classes have ensured that a subject most dreaded by students has become a favourite of nearly 36 children in this obscure village.
Delwadia, 58, born and brought up in Ajab, migrated to the US in 1978 and works as a system engineer for Southern Company Services, a utility company of four southern states in the US. Savan Nishu, who recently took class X exams, said, "I don't fear maths anymore. I expect to get at least 80 marks, thanks to these online classes."
14. SHRIMADBhagavadGita now in Polish: Shrimadbhagvadgita, in Catholic-dominated Poland, the sacred scripture has for the first time been translated into the Polish language from its original Sanskrit text.
The present translation has been done by Anna Racinska, who has spent almost a decade in Varanasi to master the nuances of Sanskrit. Racinska is in her 60s and completed her doctorate from the Oriental Institute of Warsaw University two years ago.
15. CLEAR STAND ON RAM SETHU AS NATIONAL MONUMENT: SC TO GOVT
The Supreme Court on 27th March asked the Centre to specify within two days its stand on grant of national monument status to the Ramsetu.
A bunch of petitions, including by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy and Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa, had questioned the Sethusamudram shipping channel alignment on the ground that it was breaching the mythological bridge, mentioned in epic Ramayana.
16. Kristin Cavallari says yoga `helps with giving birth`:  Kristin Cavallari went for a yoga session on March 17 for the first time, after hearing the exercise would make it easier for her to give birth to her baby.
The former ‘Hills’ star announced in January that she was expecting her first child with NFL quarterback fiance Jay Cutler.
The actress’s bump could be seen through her loose-fitting, long-sleeved top, which she paired with black yoga leggings. “About to try yoga… I hear it helps with giving birth so sign me up! Whatever I can do to help that process!” the Daily Mail quoted her as tweeting. She had briefly split up with the 28-year-old Chicago Bears star in July, which had ended their engagement. But they were back together by November.
17. Pak's deputy attorney gen works off Taliban's sins at Delhi gurdwaras: A man in a maroon kurta sits hunched on the floor on March 25 afternoon, polishing the shoes of devotees at a room in Delhi's Gurdwara Rakabganj. This man is Pakistan's deputy attorney general, Muhammad Khurshid Khan, who had requested he be allowed to perform seva (community service) at the shrine.
Khan, 62, is an eminent lawyer and a devout Muslim from Pakistan's Peshawar province. He is in Delhi for a judicial conference. Khan's tryst with temples and gurdwaras began in 2010 to "heal the wounds of minorities in Pakistan by becoming their sevadar (performer of service)". For him, it was a "penance" for crimes committed by the Taliban.
In February that year, the Taliban had kidnapped three Sikhs from Peshawar and demanded a $235,000 ransom. Pakistan army rescued two of them, but the third, Jaspal Singh, was beheaded by the captors. After the killing, Khan performed service at a gurdwara in Peshawar.
18.  China tries in vain to quell growing protests in Tibet: The Tibetan unrest against the repressive policies of the Chinese authorities has spread from the Tibetan areas of Western Sichuan to Qinghai.  The latter has been in a state of growing unrest since the beginning of February, with large numbers of Tibetan monks and students frequently protesting in the streets — separately as well as jointly. The spreading wave of unrest started in the Nangchen County in Qinghai Province’s Yulshul Prefecture on February. At a local stadium, a large number of students and other civilians gathered and shouted slogans like, “Freedom for Tibet” and “Long Live the Dalai Lama”. The same day, another large group of Tibetans, including many monks, gathered in the main monastery in Nangchen town, and chanted prayers for the return of the Dalai Lama.
The spread of the non-cooperation movement seems to be the result of local initiatives with calls for non-cooperation disseminated through word of mouth, but the Chinese fear that there is a hitherto unidentified Tibetan group which has been orchestrating the protest movement.
19. 5th missile hub in Andhra Pradesh to fire up defence sector: Bharat's missile power is set to get a boost with a surface-to-air missile unit set to come up at a cost of Rs 30,000 crore at Ibrahimpatnam in Andhra Pradesh's Rangareddy district. The foundation stone for the project by Bharat Dynamics Ltd (BDL) was laid by chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on March 18. The infrastructure for the project, spread over 630 acres, will be ready in three years' time. Once ready, an estimated 6,000 missiles are expected to be produced at the unit.
Maj Gen Ravi Khetarpal (rtd), chairman and managing director of BDL, said the Ibrahimpatnam unit would be the company's fourth manufacturing unit in Andhra and the fifth in the country. He said the Ibrahimpatnam project would kick off with an initial investment of Rs 2,500 crore.
20.  Union Govt withdraws Gou Maans (Beef) Exports Proposal: In 12th Planning Commission of Union Govt recommendations, it was proposed that the ban on Gou Maans (Beef) exports be lifted. Sadhu-Sants, VHP, other Hindu Organizations & Hindus in Bharat opposed the move totally. In VHP’s nation-wide campaign the demand was made not to allow such a brutal proposal to go through. Govt has issued a press note on March 16, 2012 that there would not be Gou Maans – Beef – exports.  
21.  Coins in Tirupati temple traced back to pre-Christian era: Members of a numismatic scholars' committee, formed to segregate the huge collection of coins in the famous Tirupati Tirumala temple, have found that some of the earliest coins in the collection belonged to the Satavahana period and pre-Christian era. The panel, which included 20 numismatic scholars from the south, has segregated more than 36 tonnes of coins from the total 48 tonnes in three sessions.
The earliest coins found in the collection belonged to the Satavahana period, pre-Christian and the Chola era. The remaining 12 tonnes will be segregated in a couple of months, said T Sathyamurthy, one of the members in the team and vice president of South Indian Numismatic Society.
22. ANNA NOW PART OF SCHOOL SYLLABUS: Anna Hazare’s campaign for a Jan Lokpal bill is now part of school curriculum  Several CBSE-recognised schools included a chapter on the anti-graft activist in their general knowledge textbooks for Classes 7 and 8. Some have given him the flattering epithet of ‘India’s second Gandhi’. “Hazare is an Indian social activist recognised for his participation in the 2011 Indian anti-corruption movement,” says a book written by Dhiren M Joshi and brought out by a private publication. This introduction is followed by a fill-in-the-blanks exercise on Hazare’s life and his agitation.
23.  BHARAT 2nd best for rapid growth among emerging nations: Bharat has emerged as the second most promising market after China in terms of maximum opportunity for rapid growth among emerging market economies, says a survey by Tata Communications in association with research company Vanson Bourne. More than half of the respondents believe China offers the maximum opportunity for rapid growth opportunities, followed by Bharat at 46 per cent and Brazil at 26 per cent.
24.  On 100th anniversary, Bihar gets state anthem, prayer: Bihar on March 21, got its own state anthem and state prayer when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar released CDs featuring these at a press conference. Earlier, a special Cabinet meeting declared the selected songs as “Bihar Gaan” and “Bihar Prarthna Geet”.
The state government has prepared around 1 lakh CDs of both songs. These will be distributed free in 76,000 schools across the state.
25. Lowly dhaniya fights arthritis better than drugs: AIIMS study: An AIIMS study has found that dhaniya or coriander plays a significant therapeutic role in managing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The study, published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research, evaluated the anti-arthritic activity of the herb among rats. Dhaniya or Coriandrum sativum was found to inhibit joint swelling and prevent progression of the disease among adult albino rats.
Dr Surender Singh, professor of pharmacology at AIIMS and one of the authors of the study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), said: “Arthritis is an inflammation of the joints. This swelling is triggered by the release of some mediator substances known as proinflammatory cytokines. We have found that extracts of dhaniya seeds prevent the release of these mediators in the body.”
26.  IIT Kanpur makes prototype of lunar robot for ISRO: IIT Kanpur has developed a prototype of a lunar robot for ISRO mission to the moon. The project, which was started in 2010, has a larger objective to send a mobile robot to the moon for performing experiments and developing maps of the lunar terrain.
There were fundamentally two components which had to be completed by IITK, Dr Ashish Dutta, Associate Professor of mechanical engineering said.  This included the structured light based 3D map generation of lunar terrain that is being carried out by Dr. K.S. Venkatesh, Associate Professor of Electrical engineering.
The second component is kinematics and path planning.  After the map is generated the robot has to move to a desired location. As the lunar terrain consists of dust, rocks etc the robot has to choose the safest path to travel by. The focus of this part is to analyse all the possible feasible paths and then choose the best path in terms of safety and least energy consumption, he said.
27.  SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Saumitra ji Gokhale, samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will tour Netherlands (in the European Shibir from April 5-8) and UK in April. Shri Ravikumar, sahsamyojak is on tour to Thailand, HongKong, Singapore and South Korea. Dr.Ram ji Vaidya, sahsamyojak returned to UK after ABPS in Nagpur and will tour Netherlands and other European countries. Visitors: Devdutt Sethi – UK.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: All power is within you. You can do anything and everything. Believe in that. Do not believe that you are weak; do not believe that you are half-crazy lunatics, as most of us do nowadays. Stand up and express the divinity within you. – Swami Vivekananda
JAI SHREE RAM

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