Falgun Shukla 5 Vik Samvat 2069. Yugabda 5114: March 16, 2013



1. FESTIVALS: Baisakhi on 14th of April in 2013, the New Year's Day in Punjab, commemorates the founding of Khalsa Panth in 1699 by the tenth Sikh guru, Guru Gobind Singh, and distribution of amrit (nectar) to his first group of followers (Panj Piaras). Typically Baisakhi is celebrated every year on 13 April with the festival date falling on 14 April once every 36 years. It is believed that on this day, i.e. 13th April, the sun makes an entry into Mesh Rashi. Legend also has it that on this day Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodhgaya, which is why the day holds significance for the Buddhists. Baisakhi holds significance for the farmers as it marks the time for harvest of the rabi crop and on this day farmers express their gratitude to God for good yield. Baisakhi is popular in Assam as Rongali Bihu, and in Kerala it is known as Vishu.
2.  MAHA KUMBHA WAS CRASH COURSE IN HINDUISM: FRENCH FILMMAKER: French documentary maker Diego Bunuel, who spent 21 days at the Maha Kumbha in Allahabad, said it was more like a crash course in Hinduism. Diego, 38, was in the holy city in Uttar Pradesh to shoot an hour-long documentary “Inside The Mahakumbha” that covered the scale, details, quirks and moments of Maha Kumbha. It was aired on National Geographic Channel March 4 and Diego hosted it for the channel.
“Unlike Europe, where religion needs revival, in Bharat it’s very much alive and has diversity that can encompass everyone”, added Diego, who is of Spanish-French origin and grew up in the US harbouring a passion for travel and journalism.
He was also impressed by the logistics of the event, the facilities being provided at the location and the way the authorities managed such huge crowds with promptness. He felt it was “nothing less than a commendable military operation”. The filmmaker also felt that there is no need to revive the religion and culture in Bharat because he saw people “living it as part of their daily life” here. Dubbed in 26 languages, the documentary will be broadcast in 68 countries.  
3.  Yoga & Hinduism? It's all in the mind: The opposition to the introduction of Ashtanga Yoga in schools in California, US, on the grounds that it has religious connotations has flummoxed yoga experts in Bengaluru. "Can you say that Newton's Law of Motion is influenced by Christianity?" wonders H R Nagendra, vice chancellor, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA). "Such comments betray ignorance. Although the Vedic science developed in Bharat, but it does not mean it is inclined towards Hinduism or Buddhism or any other religion." he explains.
'Yoga belongs to all religions' - "I’ve students from all walks of life, all religions and nationalities. I've students who practise Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and many other religions. Yoga is a way to bridge the divide between the religions. It is all about how you connect with your own body, mind, with other people and the universe," says Sawmya Ayyar, an international yoga teacher and therapist.
Zeljka Ciganovic, a yoga teacher from Croatia,    based in Bengaluru, agrees with that view. "I've been practising yoga for 10 years. Yoga does not promote any religion; but it depends on the teacher. There have been instances when priests from various religions have spoken against this science. In our country, yoga was described as demonic by the pope himself. This is because most people do not know much about it,". H Suleman Sait, another yoga practitioner, says, "I disagree that yoga belongs to any particular religion. On the contrary, I believe, it belongs to Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and all other faiths. My wife too practises yoga regularly."
4. AKHIL BHARATIYA PRATINIDHI SABHA (ABPS) was held in Jaipur on 15, 16 and 17 March 2013, in which about 1300 members participated from all over Bharat. The visit of about 6000 of RSS swyamsevaks to border areas of Bharat and participation of lakhs of people in Shobha Yatras on the occasion of birthday of Swami Vivekananda ji and more than 2.5 crore in Surya Namaskar Yajnas on February 18 as part of the celebrations during 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda ji were specially mentioned in the baithak. A resolution on the plight of Hindu refugees and demanding provision of basic necessities to them was passed in the Sabha and a press statement was released on the present scenario of the country including economical, security, terrorism, appeasement and various issues related to the rivers of the country. Text of the resolution and that of the Statement of Sarkaryavah Shri Bhayyaji Joshi on Sufferings of the Sri Lankan Tamils are given below:
Resolution: ADDRESS THE CONCERNS OF THE PERSECUTED HINDUS OF BANGLADESH AND PAKISTAN: The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha expresses serious concern over endless persecution of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh resulting in large scale continuous influx of them as refugees into Bharat. It is a matter of great shame and sorrow that these hapless Hindus are being forced to lead pathetic lives both at their respective places as well as in Bharat.           
The ABPS condemns the recent attacks on Hindus including Buddhists in Bangladesh and their places of worship by the fundamentalist groups like the notoriously anti-Hindu and anti-Bharat Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh etc. This has become a phenomenon in Bangladesh for the last several decades. The Hindus and other minorities have been facing the brunt of Islamic fury for no fault of theirs time and again. The persecution and helplessness is forcing thousands to flee for their lives and dignity into Bharat. Such Bangladeshi Hindus and Chakmas have been staying in West Bengal and Assam as refugees for decades on and newer ones are joining them everytime there is fresh violence in Bangladesh.
The ABPS draws the attention of the nation towards the plight of the Hindus in Pakistan too. All available reports suggest that the Hindus in Pakistan lead most wretched lives deprived of security, dignity and human rights. Constant attacks on Hindus including Sikhs have become the order of the day. Forced conversions, abductions, forced marriages, rapes, killings and destruction of places of worship have become a part of the persecuted lives of the Hindus there. No constitutional entity of Pakistan comes to their rescue. As a result the Hindus of Pakistan too are forced to flee to Bharat seeking refuge.
The ABPS wishes to remind the government, political, intellectual and social leadership of Bharat that these hapless Hindus of Bangladesh and Pakistan have not become victims of Islamic persecution out of their own volition. It is a consequence of the utterly tragic and irrational partition of our motherland in 1947. The Partition of Bharat was thrust upon the innocent Hindus of Pakistan and Bangladesh by the political leadership. Overnight their motherland became foreign to them. It is a travesty that these unfortunate Hindus are paying the price of their lives for the omissions and commissions of their past political masters.           
The ABPS calls upon the Government of Bharat to revisit the entire issue of Hindu refugees and Hindu citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh. The government can't shy away stating that it is an internal matter of the respective governments. The Nehru-Liaqat pact of 1950 had expressly stated that the minorities on both sides would be accorded full protection and citizenship rights. In Bharat every Constitutional measure was invoked to accord not only protection and security but also many special provisions amounting to appeasement in favour of the so-called minorities. They are well-placed in our country today in terms of their demographic, economic, educational and social status.         
On the contrary the Hindus of Bangladesh and Pakistan have been subjected to continuous persecution resulting in severe depletion of numbers, absolute poverty, human rights abuse and migration. The Hindu population of East and West Pakistan at the time of the Partition was 28% and 11% respectively where as the Muslim population of what became truncated Bharat was 8%. Today while the Muslim population in Bharat has risen to 14% the Hindu population in Bangladesh has come down to less than 10% and in Pakistan to less than 2%.         
The ABPS insists that it is the responsibility of the Government of Bharat to challenge Pakistan and Bangladesh on the issue of violation of Nehru-Liaqat Pact conditions. Disappearence of millions of Hindus can't simply be brushed aside by invoking sovereignty principle. These two countries need to be questioned on the continuous influx of Hindu refugees into Bharat. While not a single member of the so-called minority community has ever gone over to these countries from Bharat as a refugee, millions have crossed over to this side and are continuing to do so.           
In view of this heart-wrenching scenario the ABPS urges the Government of Bharat to initiate new discourse on the question of Hindus living in these two countries, which is markedly different from Hindus living in other countries. The Government must:           
1. exert pressure on the governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan to ensure security of the Hindus there;  
2. draft a National Refugee Relief & Rehabilitation Policy ensuring dignified living conditions for all Hindu refugees from these two countries pending their return with safety and honour to their respective countries;     
3. demand compensation in appropriate form from Bangladesh and Pakistan for the Hindus displaced from their respective countries; and
4. demand international institutions like the UNHCR, UNHRC etc to play a role in ensuring safety and honour of the Hindus and other minorities in these countries.   
The ABPS is compelled to state that the apathy of our Government to the plight of these people is only due to the fact that they are Hindus. The countrymen should come out strongly against this callous and cavalier attitude. The entire nation needs to stand by the right of security, honour and livelihood of each and every Hindu living in Pakistan and Bangladesh including those who have been pushed out of those countries and become refugees.
Statement of Sarkaryavah Shri Bhayyaji Joshi on SUFFERINGS OF THE SRI LANKAN TAMILS: Around this time last year, just before the last meeting of the UNHRC at Geneva, we had issued a statement calling upon the Government of Sri Lanka to proactively take steps to alleviate the sufferings of the Tamils of that country and also to ensure proper rehabilitation, security and political rights to them. I am constrained to observe that one year down the line there has not been much improvement in the ground situation. If anything, the suspicions of the world community over the intentions of the Government of Sri Lanka have further deepened.      
I take this opportunity to once again remind the Government of Sri Lanka that it can't continue to turn a blind eye to the plight of the Tamils in the Northern Province who had suffered immensely during the 30 year-long war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Forces losing lives, livelihood, homes and temples. Tens of thousands of them had to flee the country and more than a lakh had arrived on the shores of Tamilnadu as refugees.
It is our considered opinion that lasting peace will return to Sri Lanka only when the Government of that country sincerely and amply addresses the grievances of the Tamils of the North and East as well as those refugees living in Bharat. We urge the Government of Bharat to ensure that the Sri Lankan Government acts in a responsible manner in rehabilitating and providing full civil and political rights to the displaced Tamils.   
It must also be borne in mind that this neighbourhood Indian Ocean island with millennia-old linkages with Bharat shouldn't be allowed to become a pawn in the great geo-strategic power game being played out by the global powers with the Indian Ocean as the battle-ground. Attempts to widen the gulf between the Sinhala and Tamil population of that country must not be allowed to succeed. Therein lies the key to lasting solution to the Sri Lankan crisis.
RSS Sarkaryavah Bhaiyyaji Joshi’s Statement on CURRENT SITUATION IN THE COUNTRY: The economic crisis aggravated by the myopic policies of the Government and neglect of the Agriculture, SSIs and such other employment oriented sectors is emerging as a serious cause of concern for the country. The growth rate of manufacturing sector has nose – dived to the lowest ever level since Independence. Growing unemployment due to this decline, unabated price rise, widening deficit in foreign trade and growing dominance of the foreign companies over the country’s industry, trade and commerce are pushing us to a grave economic crises and foreign dependence.
Besides, the growing scarcity of resources for Agriculture, Defence and Public Welfare on account of fiscal crisis is also a matter of serious concern.
Growing incidents of suicides by the farmers due to neglect of agriculture, dependence of increasing number of farmers on Contract Farming and the irrational obduracy of the Government in Land Acquisition matters, etc. are pushing the life of crores of farmers into grave crisis, besides, affecting Food Security of the country.
It is a matter of grave concern that multi-lateral trade agreements and free trade agreements have been restricting the Government in taking decision in all areas in national interest and leaving it without option. In the given circumstances urgent initiative is needed for restructuring the economy for self reliant development.
Rivers like Ganga and Yamuna on the one hand are held as centres of profound reverence, and on the other hand they sustain the livelihood of crores of people besides sustaining ecological order of a large part of the country. The Government’s attempts to obstruct flow of these rivers, its neglect of keeping them pollution free and its apathy towards the popular river protection movements by ignoring their sentiments are also matters of grave concern. The RSS welcomes all these popular movements.
On the other hand, river water disputes, like that of Cauvery, are also a matter of grave concern. Sharing of river water amongst the States must be done in a judicious and harmonious manner in the context of larger public good.
Likewise, the Ram Setu, besides being an object of faith for crores of Hindus, is effectively safeguarding the rare Thorium reserves, abundantly available in the region. The people in the country will never accept the obstinate attempt of the Government to go ahead with the Setu Samudram project by destroying the Ram Setu.
In the past as well, the Government had to give up before the wrath of the Ram Bhaktas, its attempt to start the work to build a shipping canal by destroying the Ram Setu. The affidavit filed by the Government in the Supreme Court, declining to adopt the alternative alignment, suggested by the Pachouri Committee raises the questions about its intentions.
We urge the Government to respect the popular sentiments and dare not touch the Ram Setu, else it will once again become a target of massive public fury. On all such issues, the Government should act in national interest, keeping in view the public sentiments.
5. New Dimensions of Youth Activism needed: Dattaji: RSS Akhil Bhartiya Sah-sarkaryawah, Dattatreya Hosabale in his address to a gathering of more than 150 alumni and other audience in Convention Center of JNU on ‘Glorious Traditions of Nationalist Movement in JNU’ mentioned three crises – those of character, of leadership and of consensus are affecting our overall development. The solution propounded by him to overcome these crises was to have character, intellectual honesty and intellectualism combined with action in our life.
Suresh Jain, former Delhi Sah Prant Pracharak, Umesh Upadhyay, Pro Vice Chancellor of a university in Raipur, Dr. Sunil Mohanty, also attended the program.
6. 'BHARAT FIRST': MODI: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Bharatiya diaspora in Edison, New Jersey, Chicago and Illinois, on March 9 at 8.00 pm, US local time saying his idea of secularism is "Bharat First".  Modi stated that Gujarat has become a symbol of development and no one can stop Bharat from becoming a world leader. "I don't want to criticise any government. My definition of secularism is simple - Bharat first." "Gujarat has become a symbol of development. Even during the worst times of recession, Gujarat was always developing in this competitive world. Gujarat always has been praised for its good governance, efficiency and cheap labour. Our focus is on skill development,” he added. "More and more Non-Resident Bharatiya youth are coming to Bharat for development of Bharat, which is a good sign. 19th century belonged to Europe, 20th to the USA and now 21st century is for Asia. Bharat and China are the main competitors," said Modi.
The event was organised by the OFBJP. Modi's address at Wharton Business School was cancelled under pressure from the school's management and alumni. In a Wall Street Journal poll on the Wharton snub issue, 92.5 per cent of nearly 5000 votes cast from around the world said the university had made a mistake in Modi's case.
7. Bharat Vikas 2013, KUWAIT: Swami Vivekanand’s speech delivered in Chicago was highlighted at ‘Bharat Vikas 2013’ programme organized by Seva Darshan, Kuwait at Marina Hall, Abbasiya on 25th February, 2013. Mohana Warrier, Vikas Project Trustee & Akhil Bharatiya Secretary, 150th Swami Vivekananda Jayanthi Celebrations Committee in his keynote address said that Swamiji emphasized the need for upholding our tradition and culture in front of the whole world. Subrahmanyan Viswananda Dy. General Manager, Karoor Vaisya Bank was also present on the occasion.
8.  Waytha begins hunger strike for Hindraf blueprint: in a drastic move, Hindraf chairperson P Waythamoorthy has embarked on a solo hunger strike to press BN and Pakatan Rakyat to endorse Hindraf’s five-year blueprint to solve the problems of the marginalised Bharatiya community. “The purpose (of the hunger strike) is for them (BN and Pakatan) to acknowledge that the human rights of Bharatiya Malaysians have been violated,” Waythamoorthy told reporters after prayers at the Rawang Hindu temple on March 10.
9.  All knowledge to us has come from BHARAT: Dalai Lama - Delivering the first convocation address at the Kushabhau Thakre University of Journalism and Mass Communication in Raipur, the Nobel laureate said he had learnt a lot from Bharat and its ancient traditions which stress compassion based on non-violence and religious harmony. "Bharat is our guru and we are her 'chelas' (disciples). All the knowledge to us has come from Bharat. he added. Speaking on the occasion, Chhattisgarh Governor Shekhar Dutt said Dalai Lama's teachings can help the students to touch great heights in their lives. Twenty-four gold medals and 425 degrees were conferred during the convocation ceremony.
10. World's largest magnet, weighing 50,000 tonnes, is being designed at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) at Trombay these days. It will be several times bigger than the one in the Compact Muan Solenoid detector at CERN in Geneva. The magnet will play a major role in the Rs 1,500-crore Bharat-based Neutrino Observatory coming up 4,300 ft below a cave in a mountain not far from Madurai, Tamil Nadu.
Vivek Datar, head of BARC's nuclear physics division, said the current plan envisaged the magnet having three modules and work on the engineering model was expected to be completed in about three years.
11.  US AND CHINESE Universities leARN human values from Ramayana: Students at many Chinese universities are getting lessons on human values from the great Hindu epic - Ramayana. Wise sayings from Valmiki's text are being adapted by the universities teaching Hindi in China and are being made relevant to the current world situations. At least six leading universities as well as colleges in different parts of China are teaching Hindi, which has become a popular foreign language in China. Similarly several universities in the US have included reading the Ramayana as part of comparative humanities and literature sessions on Asia.
12.  Highest statue of Lord Shiva in the world, towering 20 metres above the ground level was unveiled in South Africa. Nine artisans from  Bharat spent 10 months building and putting the finer details on the steel statue at Actonville in Benoni which features Lord Shiva on one half and Mother Shakti on the other.
“With so much emphasis in South Africa at present for the lack of respect for female gender, how appropriate for us as an organisation, is to honour the females and the mother of our community, Shakti. We have a murthi that is half mother, half father, symbolising the equality of gender,” said Karthie Moothsamy, the Chairman of the Benoni Tamil School Board.
13.  ‘A Spiritual Yatra’: (As narrated by a Chennai IT Milan swayamsevak) We, 25 Swayamsevaks of various IT milans in Chennai, started on Feb 22 evening by Kanyakumari express and reached Kanyakumari Saturday morning. We all walked to the Vivekananda Kendra which was a 10 minute walk from the rail station. As soon as we entered the sprawling campus dotted with pictures of Swami Vivekananda and his ever inspiring quotes a sense of purpose for the trip dawned on us. First of all, we visited the Kanyakumari Amman temple and bathed in the ocean.
After lunch all of us wore our Ganavesh and left for the beach to take a ferry to the Rock Memorial. Amongst our fellow passengers, a couple of German tourists asked us if we belonged to any particular organization. We briefed them about Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its noble mission. They were all ears and wished us the best in our endeavour. We all got on to the ferry and as soon as the ferry left for the Rock Memorial slogans like “Bharat Mata ki Jai” filled the air. As we were sailing through the turbulent ocean it made me think of the turbulence in the mind of Swami Vivekananda which prompted him to swim in such treacherous conditions to the rock and meditate upon Bharat Mata which fell from its pinnacle of glory and her beloved kids who were once the thought leaders of the world, now living in abject moral and monetary poverty.
With all these thoughts we reached the rock and went around visiting the Sri Pada Mandapam and the Vivekananda Mandapam. Then we assembled on the rock facing mainland Bharat and sung our RSS prarthana. By that time many people flocked around us in curiosity. Some tourists came and introduced themselves to us saying that they wanted to join RSS and some said that they used to attend shakha in their childhood. We sat around and sung patriotic songs for a while and returned back to the mainland.
Next day we visited few temples nearby and met Lakshmanji who was living in the Vivekananda Kendra. He narrated to us his role in reclaiming the rock from the Christian Missionaries who were trying to occupy it. It was an awe-inspiring story which brought tears in my eyes. We returned home with a sense of commitment to positively contribute to this great Motherland of ours.
14.  2 Muslim students WIN SANSKRIT medals in Gujarat University: Defying stereotypes, a Muslim boy and a girl have bagged all the three medals instituted for the BA course in the ancient Bharatiya language by the Gujarat University. Two of the medals for Sanskrit were won by Taiyab Sheikh, a student of Y S Arts and Commerce college in Devgadh Baria in Panchmahals district. The third went to Yasminbanu Kothari of the Adiwasi Arts and Commerce college in Santrampur in the interior of the state's tribal belt. Sheikh got 75.5 per cent marks and Kothari 68.5 per cent.
15.  With IQ of 162, NRI girl smarter than Einstein: A 12-year-old Bharatiya girl has recorded a score of 162 in one of the world’s toughest IQ tests that makes her smarter than scientist Albert Einstein and physicist Stephen Hawking neither of whom has taken the Mensa test but are estimated to have an IQ of 160. Neha Ramu, who migrated to the UK along with her doctor parents five years ago, achieved a score of 162 on IQ test. The score makes the girl one of the brightest people in the UK. A devoted swimmer, Neha wants to be a doctor like her parents and intends study at Harvard. She is also believed to have appeared in the SAT exam scoring 740 /800 in the test primarily designed for 18-year olds.
16.  Global honour for book on vegetarian food in Paris: Bharat made history in Paris, the world's gourmet capital, at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards recently. The prestigious Oscars of food awards were held at the historic Carrousel du Louvre, with over 171 countries in participation. And Rashmi Uday Singh's pathbreaking book A Vegetarian In Paris, a Times Group Books publication, is the only one from Bharat that won an award. The glittering ceremony, attended by the creme de la creme of the global culinary world, was presided over by Edouard Cointreau.
17.  Bali Shuts Down as Local Hindus Observe Nyepi: Bali's tourist hotspots were deserted on Tuesday, March 12 as the country's most popular island observed the day of silence known as Nyepi to mark the Hindu new year.    Balinese Hindus avoided regular activities in observance of the holiday, while visitors were told to respect the event by staying inside their hotels. Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport, the main entry point to the island, stopped a total of 334 flights to and from the airport from 6 a.m. on March 12 until 6 a.m. on March 13, Indonesian news portal antaranews.com reported. Sea ports including Benoa port in Denpasar, Gilimanuk Harbor which connects Bali and Java, Padangbai port which connects Bali to West Nusa Tenggara, and Tanah Ampo Harbor which commonly serves cruise liners, were all shut down for the holiday. Cars and motorcycles were also not allowed on the road. During Nyepi, which marks the beginning of the Balinese Hindu Saka New Year, people perform catur brata penyepian, or avoid four taboos, which are working, turning on lights, going out and enjoying entertainment. “Only sick people and women that will give birth may be taken to hospitals, after securing permission from pecalang [traditional village guards] and with their company,” said Ketut Teneng spokesman of the Bali provincial administration. Television and radio stations also halted broadcasting programs on March 12.
While Indonesia is a majority Muslim nation, the majority of Bali’s nearly 4 million population practice a local version of Hinduism.
18.  MPs for steps to save Yamuna, Ganga: MPs united across party lines to express concern over pollution in the Yamuna after leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj raised the issue, saying the river had become thoroughly polluted despite thousands of crores being spent on cleaning it. Congress, BJP, SP, BSP and RJD members joined Swaraj in expressing anguish over the state of Yamuna and Ganga, forcing environment and forests minister Jayanthi Natarajan to promise that she will work towards setting up a commission with powers to prevent "atrocities" against rivers. While BJP leaders referred to a march to save the Yamuna that reached the capital on March 11, other MPs like S P Singh Baghel of SP said the money sanctioned under various plans had been misutilized.
19.   SHREE VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Saumitra Gokhale, samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will tour Bali – Indonesia to attend World Hindu Youth Conference. Visitors: Dr.Radheshyam Dwiwedi – USA, Sardar Aridaman Singh – Canada.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors, and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views. - Abraham Lincoln
JAI SHREE RAM

A low-cost pre-school chain FOR rural Karnataka families
sARITHA rAI
In a classroom fashioned out of a cattle shed in Kyathanahalli, a village off the beaten track 110 km from Bangalore, three-year-old Likhith Gowda reeled off a breathless introduction in near-perfect English — "My name is Likhith Gowda, I am a boy, I study in pre-KG, my teacher's name is Geethanjali, I live in Kyathanahalli."
The toddler then walked to the long blackboard fashioned out of the sides of a cattle-feeding trough and proceeded to point out and recite the days of the week — "Sunday, Monday, Tuesday..." Once done, he headed back to the floor mat littered with Lego bricks in the well-lit shed with walls adorned with colourful charts of fruits, birds, shapes and numbers.
Gowda is one of the 36 students enrolled in the Kyathanahalli branch of Hippocampus Learning Centre, a low-cost pre-school chain in Karnataka. Its 77 branches already make it Karnataka's largest and among Bharat's fastest-growing pre-school chains, with a further 40 pre-schools due to open in the next couple of months.
What makes it unique is that its kindergarten centres are in the heart of rural Bharat where children's English rhymes reverberate through the verdant sugarcane fields and tall coconut palms. Its students are the children of cane and sheep farmers, silkworm rearers and rural traders, some of them the first in their families to step inside a school and a majority of them first-generation English learners.
Even more groundbreaking is the fact that the chain is a for-profit social enterprise backed by Rs 7.5 crore venture capital from Acumen Fund, Unitus and Lok Capital, all international funds which finance entrepreneurs building bottom-of-the-pyramid social ventures.
The founder is Umesh Malhotra, 44, an IIT alumnus who was earlier with Infosys and one of the first of a wave of stock option millionaires to leave the outsourcing firm to turn to entrepreneurship. The idea of a rural pre-school chain came to Malhotra, who earlier co-founded and sold an IT infrastructure firm and then launched a library chain (by the same name Hippocampus) and a restaurant business, when he partnered with an NGO to build libraries in rural government schools.
"In order to make a real difference and to build scale, we had to make this a commercial venture, but with a social heart," said Malhotra. "The parents at our school are not on dole, they are paying customers," he said.
Malhotra seeded the company in 2010 with Rs 2 crore from family and friends, before getting venture funded last year. In three years, the chain has grown to 220 teachers and 3,000 students.
The pre-schools are situated in large villages of Mandya and Chitradurga districts. The annual fees range from Rs 2,000-3,000, depending on the student's kindergarten level.
In many villages in Bharat, the only option for parents is to pack their children off to a ubiquitous network of government-run baalwadis or anganwadis, which are crèches rather than learning spaces. Only the very privileged and ambitious transport their kids to kindergarten in a nearby town, the mere logistics of such conveyance making it an expensive proposition.
Consequently, many rural chidren arrive at the local private or government school for first grade without having been in any prior school-type learning situation.
In contrast, by the time he "graduates" in three years, Likhith Gowda would have picked up the fundamentals of math, spoken and written English, Kannada, environment awareness, good manners and a bit of polish. The bi-lingual kindergarten combines many fun elements with learning basics drawn from Montessori and Playway methods.
Early childhood offers a powerful learning window which makes early intellectual nurturing critical, said C P Vishwanath, founder CEO of the Chennai-based Karadi Path which makes tools to teach English to early learners. "Initiatives like Hippocampus are critical. When a child from a rural or under-privileged background enters school, there is high probability that the child is starting with learning deficits due to poor nutrition and intellectual nurturing," he said.
Hippocampus' rural kindergartens aim to stimulate an environment where children can think and express, said its director of curriculum and training, Gayatri R P. "In rural Bharat too, 'convent' denotes a privately-run English-medium school, but the standard of education is very poor," said Gayatri. "We want to encourage creative thinking rather than learning by rote."
To keep costs low, Hippocampus trains and employs local women graduates or those who have passed Class 12 as teachers. As an additional revenue stream, each learning centre runs "after-school support" in the evenings where children in Class 1 to 5 from nearby schools are coached in English and Math. Nearly 1,800 rural children are enrolled in Hippocampus' after-school centres today besides the 1,200 kindergarten children.
The changes are already noticeable, said parents. The students are carrying their learning home in visible ways. They are neat, proudly identify English words on signs and often reprimand their parents for not washing hands or praying before a meal.
"The word in the village is that the children are learning well and speaking English too," said Krishna Kumar, a farm labourer at Kyathanahalli whose three-year-old son Hemanth does not want to miss a day of school. "We have not studied but we want our only son to get a good education," said Kumar who dropped out of school after Class 5.
But as with everything else in rural Bharat, it is not easy going. Malhotra said he is working on building acceptance among parents for the school's methods. "Parents want their children to write, write and write as they believe that is what constitutes education," he said. Instead, Hippocampus focuses on creative learning, where the learning outcomes are gradual but of high standard. "But we will not dumb down," he averred. – Indian Express, 2 March 2013.

Falgun Krishna 4 Vik Samvat 2069. Yugabda 5114: March 1, 2013



1. FESTIVALS: Elephant Festivals: In the 10-day Thirunakkara Arattu festival from 15th to 24th March each year in Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple, Kottayam, Kerala, the highlight is a procession of decorated elephants, accompanied by drummers and other performers, carrying the temple god to be bathed. In Arattupuzha Pooram festival in Arattupuzha temple in the Thrissur district of Kerala, one of the oldest temple festivals in Kerala, on March 25, 2013 a particularly large elephant pageant features around 60 elephants bearing brightly colored silk parasols. Legend has it that on the day of the festival, 101 gods and goddesses from the neighboring villages visit Sree Ayyappan, the presiding deity of the Arattupuzha Temple. In Jaipur, on the eve of Holi each year, March 26 this year, plenty of prized elephants are groomed and decorated to perfection, and paraded around the city.

2.  THREE CRORE SET World record in Mass Surya Namaskar Bharat set a world record in itself when more than three crore Bharatiyas performed ‘Surya Namaskar – Sun salutations at a time throughout the country on February 18, 2013. The event was organized by ‘Vivekananda 150 Birth Anniversary Celebration Committee’ throughout the length & breadth of the country. The participants included about two crore high school students. The ‘Surya Namaskar Yagya’ was organized at over 80 thousand places across the country.

At 10am Bharatiya time, the Samuhik Surya Namaskar Yagya began at various places. In about half an hour, the participants completed 13 Surya Namsakars each as per instructions. Each and every town & city, many taluka (tehsil) places & even small villages across Bharat witnessed the mass Surya Namaskar performed on the occasion of ‘World Surya Namskar day’ – Ratha Saptami. (Ratha Saptami this year was February 17.)
3. Empowering women can tackle gender disparity: Pranab – Rashtrapati Pranab Mukherkjee said in New Delhi on 18 February that gender disparity can be tackled only through economic empowerment of women and improving their role in governance. Speaking at the presentation of the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development for 2011 to Ela Ramesh Bhatt of Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA), Mukherjee emphasised that empowerment of women is the key for gender equality. "If women are under-represented in our economy, it is not only injudicious but also detrimental to social progress," he said.
4.  Five Lakh People visited THE 5th Hindu Spiritual and Service Fair: Fifth Hindu fair of the Hindu spiritual and Service Foundation (February 19-24) was inaugurated by former Dy. Prime Minister L K Advani at Chennai in august presence of Swami Ashutoshananda of Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, Swami Omkarananda of Chidbhavananda Ashram, Theni, N Gopalswami - Former Chief Election Commissioner and S. Gurumurthy, Chartered Accountant and Columnist and other organizing members.  Advani in his speech revealed that a suggestion had been made to the Rashtrapati Pranab Mukherjee that he should approach the United States Government to hold a special function in Chicago to commemorate 150th birth year of Swami  Vivekananda. 
Around 200 Hindu and Spiritual Organizations including Ramakrishna Mission, Sri Sathya Sai Baba Ashram, Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Sringeri Math, Art of Living Movement, Swaminarayan Movement, All World Gayathri Parivar, Arutperunjothi Vallalar Charitable Trust, and service organizations like Seva Bharathi, Samskrita Bharati, Rashtra Sevika Samithi, etc participated in the fair.  Hindu Religious Boards of the States of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala namely Travancore Devasthanam Board, Andhra Pradesh Hindu Religious Endowments Board, Karnataka Hindu Religious Endowment Board, Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanam Board of Tamilnadu, Singhvi Jain, Sourashtra Gujarati Mandal, etc. also participated in the Hindu Fair.
Sri Bhramaramba Mallikarjuna Swamy Ratham of Kurnool, Sri Kalahastiswamy Ratham of Kalahasti, Sri Kanipakka Varasiddha Vinayaka Swamy Ratham of Chittoor, Sri Kanakadurga Temple Ratham, Vijayawada, Sri Varaha Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy koil Ratham, Vizag and Viveka Ratham of Vijayabharatham attracted large visitors at the fair.
Competitions were held on various subjects including Rangoli wherein 1000 students from 66 schools participated enthusiastically. There were about 5 lakh visitors to the Spiritual Fair. They appreciated the efforts taken in organizing the fair.
5.  Nairobi Yogathon 2013: This grand event attracted over 1,150 people from all walks of life in its first year and is aimed to grow larger every year. The atmosphere at the Jamhuri High School Grounds on the morning of 17th February was highly charged as yoga enthusiasts, young and old, geared up to perform 108 Surya Namaskaras.  It was an inspiring moment to witness at the crack of dawn when children smaller than their yoga mats, walked in with excitement shining on their faces to learn something new.
The event was organized under the banner of Hindu Religious and Service Centre, in the spirit of promoting fitness and health and to celebrate Swami Vivekananda’s 150th birth anniversary.
6. Sanskrit IN KERALA SCHOOLS: With an aim to revive Sanskrit language, once considered the mother of all languages in Bharat , the government has decided to introduce Sanskrit as a second language from class I from the next academic year, in all state syllabus schools, said director of public instruction (DPI) A Shahjahan.
At present, Sanskrit is taught in 2,975 government, aided and private state syllabus schools in the state from class V. There are only around 2, 47,764 students studying Sanskrit, as compared to the 9, 82,103 students studying Arabic which is taught to students from class I.
7. SANSKRIT SAHITYOTSAVA UJJAIN: A 3-day Sanskrit Sahityotsava was organised in Ujjain from 22nd to 24th February in which more than 3,000 scholars – Sanskrit readers, teachers and disciples participated. “Sanskrit is not only Dev Bhasha (language of deities) but also the language of Vedas. During ancient and Vedic period, foreigners used to survive in forests and Bharatiya science was at par with the best in the world. Efforts are being made to revive the status of Sanskrit and it was one of the initiatives, which was taken by the government,” said Laxmi Kant Sharma, Culture Minister, Madhya Pradesh in the concluding ceremony of the event. Minister for Food and Civil Supply Paras Jain said there were nine gems in the court of Vikramaditya while there were thousands of gems in the court of Sahityotsava. The city of Ujjain was privileged to have august presence of such scholars. Chief guest Supreme Court Judge BN Shri Krishna delivered a speech in Sanskrit and said, “ Just like a woman usually looks for her necklace around her, though she has been wearing it on her neck, the same things happen with us and we are looking towards the western culture forgetting our own.” Rajya Sabha Member and former governor Dr Rama Jois, V- C of Somnath University Venketakumbh Shastri, M Raj Kaushi and chairman of Maharishi Patanjali Sanskrit Sansthan Manmohan Upadhyay also spoke on this occasion.
8. Jalianwala Bagh carnage shameful incident: UK PM - Regretting the Jalllianwala Bagh carnage, British Prime Minister David Cameron termed the 1919 massacre a shameful incident in British history. Cameron visited Golden temple and Jalllianwala Bagh on February 20. He paid homage to unarmed civilians who lost their lives in rampage firing. 
Cameron is the first British Prime Minister to visit Jallianwala Bagh after 94 years of the incident.
Hundreds of innocent and unarmed men, women and children were massacred at the Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919 by British forces led by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer when they opened fire on them. Approximately 1,650 rounds were fired that resulted in the death of more than 1,000 Bharatiyas besides leaving more than 1,100 injured.
9. Daughter of Sangh worker thrashed women-abusers on mid-night in the street: “I was breaking the silence. If I had stood mum listening to their verbal abuse, the scene would have worsened further,” this was how Amrutha Mohan described the incident that made her beat up two men who showered verbal abuse on her on February 14 night during her return from the event ‘One Billion Rising’ on Shangumugham Beach, Thiruvananthpuram aimed at bringing an end to the violence against women.  Amrutha, who had led the bike rally at the event, was returning on her bike and was accompanied by her friend and her family in a car. As the restaurants were closed, they stopped near a wayside eatery to have food. At that time, three men in a car stopped near them and showered verbal abuse.
 Other than Amrutha, two more women were present there at that time. “On seeing the two men getting beaten up, the other one escaped from the scene. “There were many people in front of the eatery at that time and so I was not the only one to react,” she says.
A final year Communicative English student at All Saints’ College, her martial arts lessons had proved useful for Amrutha. A five-time winner in drums at the State School Youth Festival, Amrutha is part of a seven-member band, ‘Skylark’.  In the band, the other six members are boys. Amrutha, 20, is a resident of Enchakkal. Her father Mohan was a RSS Pracharak formerly.
10. ANCIENT temple found in Peru:  A team of archaeologists discovered a ruined temple measuring 6.82 meters by 8.04 and a hearth some 5,000 years old at the El Paraiso archaeological complex east of Lima. In the center of the temple is a sloping rectangular floor, to which one gains access via a step 45 centimeters (about 18 inches) high. In the center of this sloping floor is the ceremonial hearth, a space where offerings to the gods were burned and has characteristics never seen before in the Lima area - in the right wing of the Main Pyramid at the complex, Deputy Culture Minister Rafael Varon said. "This find opens a new road for the El Paraiso Archaeological Complex, for research and comprehensive recovery of all the monument's secrets," he said.
11.  MY VISIT TO NORWAY AND NETHERLANDS: SHYAM PARANDE - The visit to Oslo was memorable: The snow-covered city, the mesmerizing Vigeland Sculpture Arrangements are memories to be cherished. The Nobel Peace Centre is holding an exhibition on Mahatma Gandhi’s life called “Eye on Gandhi”. It is a wonderful work by two Bharatiyas that would make every Bharatiya proud. Legendary documentary photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, a Norwegian, who had been in Bharat during the penultimate days of Gandhiji and his photographs, probably the last on Gandhi’s life, are on display at the centre now.
Another experience worth mentioning was the visit to the Parliament of Norway sans security that we are all used to in Bharat. The Parliament is right in the midst of the old city of Norway and close to the Royal Palace of Norway’s King. Made me think of the Raisina Hills in New Delhi without the stringent elaborate obscure security. My life time dream indeed!
Wijchen is a small place as compared to The Haque which has a large Hindu population and Amsterdam with richer Hindus. Yet a cluster of 25 Hindu families in Wijchen built the largest Hindu Mandir in the country. This surprises everyone who visits the place for the first time. The Shri Ram Mandir attracts many tourists and even some Dutch people visit the Mandir for offering prayers. It was more surprising that a group of scientists works from the Mandir and even conducts computer and science classes from the Mandir. A sizable room in the Mandir has been converted into scientific centre for the classes. The Mandir President Om Prakash Singh Lal Bahadoor and his brother Uday Singh are the motivating force for the establishment and development of this Mandir.
12. Vasant Panchami festival beckons the arrival of spring: The Hindu goddess of knowledge and music was celebrated in true Bharatiya style on February 16 as 160 people flocked to East Reading for the festival of Vasant Panchami. Park United Reformed Church came alive with the vibrant sounds and colours of traditional Bharatiya song and dance, organised by the Indian Arts Centre (IAC) in Purley, UK.
IAC chairwoman Sharmila Banerjee, from Purley, said: “Vasant Panchami is one of the most grand festivals to beckon the arrival of the spring. It is one of the first festivals of the year and is celebrated all over Bharat.”
To mark this auspicious day in Reading, a number of activities took place, with the puja (prayer) being the highlight. A sit and draw competition was held for young worshippers, with 30 children aged from four to 17 taking part. The students of IAC teachers Piyali Basu and Ananya Chatterjee then gave a dazzling performance with which all the parents and guests were delighted.
13. Nagas celebrate annual seed sowing festival of Lui-Ngai-Ni: Considered to be one of the biggest festivals for Nagas, Lui-Ngai-Ni, was celebrated in Chandel district in Manipur with pomp and gaiety, under the theme of "Weaving Peace through Culture". Naga folk dances like the war dance, weaving dance, and seed-sowing dance were showcased. Nagas were joined by members of other communities like Meiteis, Kukis and Gorkhas in the celebrations. The festival promotes peace, harmony and prosperity while upholding the rich Naga culture.
14.  Sita Kalyanam in Chennai holds Gen-X in thrall: More than 300 students drawn out from some of the best schools in Chennai, sat enthralled and watch Sita Kalyanam (The Marriage of Sita), a Bommalattam (puppetry) presented by a group of folklore artists from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu on February 16. The puppets, the dance, the music and the artistry were a new experience for the students who are brought up in an environment of rock music and more at home with internet games.
“I never knew Ramayana had such wonderful stories in it. What I liked most was the way the marionettes danced and spoke. They looked like original human beings,” Prem Kumar, an eighth standard student from Saraswathi Vidyalaya, said.
The Bommalattam in chaste Tamil was presented by Sourashtrians who have made Tamil Nadu their home for the last 500 years. No festivals and celebrations in rural Tamil Nadu could be said to be complete without Bommalattam. The enthusiasm of three families in Kumbakonam, sustaining this art form through generations, has taken Bommalattam to new heights. In villages, Bommalattam is performed only in the evenings. Stories like Vinayaka Puranam, Anjaneya Puranam and Bhakta Prahlaad are in demand.
15.   ‘Narendra Modi govt for Dalits as priests’: Gujarat's social justice department has proposed a new provision in the budget to train safai kamdars in Vedic religious rituals, a Brahmin monopoly till now. A provision of Rs 22.50 lakh has been made for the programme in the budget for 2013-14.
Under the proposed scheme, safaikamdars and their children will be trained for karma-kand at reputable institutions such as Sola Bhagvat Vidyapith and Somnath Sanskrit University.
16. LSE scholarship for 50 BHARATIYA students: Soon after British PM David Cameron announced there was no cap on Bharatiya students in UK, London School of Economics (LSE) director professor Craig Calhoun, who’s travelling with the PM, said LSE was introducing 50 new postgraduate scholarships for Bharatiyas. These will enable Bharatiyas fund a Masters degree starting 2013.
We want to ensure that LSEs doors are open to all talented students, regardless of financial circumstances, and are delighted to cement this relationship further by offering 50 scholarships, for graduate study, for students from Bharat, Calhoun said. LSE enrols between 300 and 400 Bharatiyas each year, with the majority in postgraduate programmes.
17.  Hollande lauds bharat’s ‘peace power’: Stressing the “exceptional” strategic partnership between the two countries, French president Francois Hollande urged New Delhi to play a greater global role, as the “security of the world needs Bharat’s presence.” President Hollande delivered the Madhavrao Scindia memorial lecture to a packed hall at Teen Murti house auditorium in New Delhi on February 15.
Hollande termed Bharat the “world’s greatest democracy” and a “power of peace”. He argued that given its strong democratic and secular credentials, and the example of religious tolerance that it offers, Bharat should more actively address issues threatening world peace.
After the lecture, French President Francois Hollande bestowed his country’s highest decoration, ‘Commandeur de la Legion d’Honneur’ (Legion of Honour) on Nobel laureate Prof Amartya Sen. Hollande praised Sen and quoted extensively from his works.
18. ‘Iron Fist’ sets desert sky ablaze: The skies of Pokhran came alive on February 22 with the Bharatiya Air Force’s first ever day-night full combat and fire demonstration, named “Iron Fist.” Rashtrapati Pranab Mukherjee, the supreme commander of the armed forces, was the chief guest at the event at Chandan Range near Jaisalmer. More than 200 fighter and transport aircraft, including Sukhoi 30, Mirage 2000, Jaguar, MiG 27, MIG 21, MIG 29, unmanned aerial vehicles and the Awacs, participated in the demonstration.
Indigenous aircraft like Light Combat Aircraft Tejas and Light Combat Helicopter Rudra also proved their calibre at the show. The other aircraft displayed were the C130J, the AN-32, the Embraer and the IL-76. The chopper fleet included Mi-8, Mi-17 1V, and the newly inducted Mi-17 V5 and Mi-35. Another new entrant, the Swiss Pilatus PC-7 Mk II basic trainer, also graced the sky.
19. MULJIBHAI PINDOLIA GETS 7TH BHARATVANSHI GAURAV SAMMAN: Glowing tributes were paid to the Bharatiya immigrants by Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, while conferring the 7th Bharatvanshi Gaurav Samman on Muljibhai Laljibahi Pindolia, President of Hindu Council of Africa and International Trustee of World Conference of Religions for Peace, at a function in New Delhi, on 1st February, 2013. Pindolia was presented a cheque for rupees one lac, a citation, a memento and a shawl. He was honoured for his outstanding contribution in the area of service to society.
Arun Jaitley said that Bharatiya diaspora remains constantly in touch with its roots. The colour of their passport changes but their mind does not and their loyalty is 100 percent with the country in which they live and 100 percent with the country of their origin.
His Excellency Donald Ramotar, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, was the Guest of Honour on this occasion. In his address Shri Ramotar appreciated the Bharatiya migrants for their remarkable contribution to the development of Guyana. He said that 175 years since the Bharatiyas migrated to Guyana they faced miseries and hardships and made tremendous struggle in Guyana. They never forgot Bharat and carried out Bharatiya cultural traditions firmly.
While thanking the Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Nyas for conferring Bharatvanshi Gaurav Samman, Muljibhai Pindolia said that the honour given to him does not belong to him only; it belongs to his elders, his family and his friends, who had done and were doing a lot to serve our country.
20.  Wipro's Premji joins Bill Gates' philanthropic mission: India Inc's philanthropist extraordinaire, Wipro chairman Azim Premji, has signed up for Giving Pledge, committing a substantial part of his wealth to philanthropy. Giving Pledge, founded by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffett, describes itself as "a commitment by the world's wealthiest individuals and families to dedicate the majority of their wealth to philanthropy".
The Wipro chairman is the only Bharatiya, excluding Bharatiya American entrepreneur Manoj Bhargava, to have signed up for Giving Pledge, and joins Oracle chairman Larry Ellison and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, among many other luminaries.
21. Vyas Samman for Narendra Kohli: Eminent Hindi litterateur Narendra Kohli has been selected for the prestigious Vyas Samman for 2012 for his historical novel ‘Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati’ based on Swami Vivekananda and the era he belonged to. Instituted by the K. K. Birla Foundation in 1991, the award is given annually for an outstanding literary work in Hindi published during the past ten years. The award carries a cash purse of Rs 2.5 lakh. ‘Na Bhooto Na Bhavishyati’, published in 2004, gives an account of the incredible impression that Vivekananda cast on the history of the country and its culture. Mr. Kohli, 73, is credited with re-inventing the ancient form of epic writing in modern prose. He has published 76 books including short story collections, novels and plays
22. Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram’s National Meet held at Howrah: Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram (ABVKA) held its national executive committee meeting at Krishna Bhawan, Howrah on 21st February 2013. ABVKA is a philanthropic organisation working for the welfare of 10 crore Scheduled Tribes of country through its 32 affiliated organizations. The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Jagdeoram Uraon and attended by its members and special invitees from various States.
Shri S.K Kaul, retd. IAS officer brought a resolution regarding the Bonded Labour issue prevailing in Bharat even after 66th year of Independence. Estimates about the number of bonded labourers in Bharat vary from 40 million people according to Human Rights Watch, to 11.7 million according to the International Labour Organization. Moren Sing appealed that the District administration should identify and rehabilitate the bonded labourer’s problem. The Executive committee took a resolution in this connection appealed to all social activists and workers of Kalyan Ashram to take up the matter at local level to bring the issue to a logical end.
The ongoing violence in the Rabha area of Lower Assam was discussed in length. Shri Jaleshwar Brahma explained his experience during his tour in the trouble hit area. ABVKA demanded a judicial probe into the firing incident on 12th February and the attack that followed on the indigenous people by alleged Bangladeshis. 13 people of Rabha Janjati community   died in the police firing which inflamed the people.  National Executive Committee appealed the Government to speed up the process of updating National Register of Citizen as per the Assam Accord 1985.
23.  WON'T TOLERATE ANY TAMPERING WITH RAM SETU: BJP : BJP , on February 24, warned the government against going ahead with the Sethusamudram project, saying the sentiments of crores of Hindus are attached to the issue and it will not tolerate any tampering with the Ram Setu.
"We would like to warn the government on the Ram Setu issue. It is ignoring the recommendations of the RK Pachauri committee report and going ahead with the project. This is an issue related to Hindu sentiments and beliefs," told party spokesperson Rravi Shankar Prasad on February 24. The pachauri committee, which submitted its report to the Supreme Court, has said the sethusamudram shipping channel project is not viable on economic and ecological grounds. Government has rejected the report and maintained that it intends to pursue the project which will cut through the so called adam's bridge, popularly known as Ram setu.
24. Bestseller: bharatiya authors write their way to the bank: In a country where the benchmark for a bestseller is a mere 5,000 copies, people who never set out to become writers are crossing the one lakh-mark, thanks to young readers who find their work ‘relatable’.
Earlier this month, Ravinder Singh left his job with Microsoft in Hyderabad and moved to Delhi to pursue writing full-time.
His first book, I Too Had A Love Story, became a bestseller in 2008. “I never thought my book would change my life and career,” he says.
While Chetan Bhagat’s rise to fame has been well-documented, authors such as Singh, Amish Tripathi and Ashwin Sanghi figure alongside him in the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list, which ranked people based on money and fame earned between October 2011 and September 2012.
In one year, Tripathi made about Rs. 10 crore, Bhagat Rs. 3.29 crore, Sanghi Rs. 98 lakh and Singh Rs. 42 lakh. So lucrative is the profession that Ravi Subramanian, a Mumbai-based banker and author of If God Was A Banker, managed to buy a BMW with his royalty money alone.
25. Zomi Nam Ni rocks Delhi: Cultural extravaganza and performances of traditional songs and dances marked the 65th Zomi Nam Ni (Zomi National Day) celebration in New Delhi on February 20. A strong contingent of Tribe leaders, MLAs and MDCs from Churachandpur district including renowned Zomi Artists graced the auspicious occasion. Oscar Fernandez, MP and Chairman Parliamentary Standing Committee and HS Brahman, Election Commissioner who were part of the celebration emphasized upon protection of rich culture, tradition for the Zomis as proud Bharatiyas.
26.  Yankee Doodle Desi: Ami Bera is the third Bharatiya American elected to the US House of Representatives. Bera think that he got elected because he is a Bharatiya American.  “We have a legitimate, elected leader”, said Shekar Narasimhan, a member of Obama’s campaign on finances.
Bera grew up, “an American kid in a Bharatiya family”. He played basketball in school — and was pretty good at it and did well in studies. He took up biological science in college at the University of California and went to join the medical school at Irvine. Congressman Bera now hopes to inspire others to follow him; he speaks of opening the gate. And many more will surely follow. A Bharatiya American with political plans is not so rare anymore.
27. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Saumitra Gokhale Vishwa Vibhag Samyojak will reach Bharat on Mar 6 for ABPS baithk. Shri Ravikumar sahsamyojak returned Bharat after finishing his tour to Singapore and Australia. Dr.Ram Vaidya sah samyojak has also reached Bharat. Visitors: Kamal Gupta – Kenya, Prof.Radheshaym Dwiwedi, Richard Benkin – USA, Prof.Azad Kaushik - Canada.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Let our workers keep their minds free and work for our people, our Dharma, in the right spirit, lend a helping hand to all our brethren who need help and strive to relieve distress wherever we see it. In this service no distinction should be made between man and man. We have to serve all, be he a Christian or a Muslim or a human being of any other persuasion: for, calamities, distress and misfortunes make no such distinction but affect all alike. And in serving to relieve the sufferings of man let it not be in a spirit of condescense or mere compassion but as devoted worship of Lord abiding the hearts of all beings, in the true spirit of our Dharma of surrendering our all in the humble service of Him who is Father, Mother, Brother, Friend and everything to us all.
And may our action success bringing out the glory and effulgence of our Sanatan – Eternal Dharma. – Sri Guruji M.S. Golwalkar.
JAI SHREE RAM

MIND YOUR LANGUAGE
With one language dying somewhere in the world every 14 days, it has probably the highest rate of extinction in the planet, much higher than those of plants, animals or birds. But with Anvita Abbi around, all is not lost, reports Eram Agha
I was surprised. First I thought it was a farce call, and someone was trying to humour my research-laden day by saying that I had been honoured with the Padma Shri,” says Prof Anvita Abbi, who was recently given the prestigious award by the Rashtrapati for her pioneering work as a distinguished linguist working on ‘minority’ languages of the Bharatiya subcontinent and for carrying out first-hand field research on all six language families of the country, including Indo-European, Dravidian, Munda and Tibeto-Burman. Her most significant work has been on the endangered languages spoken in the Andaman Islands — Great Andamanese and Onge-Jarawa.
For the past 35 years Abbi has been relentlessly working towards the preservation of lesser-known languages. Her work can be truly gauged — and appreciated — when one listens to what linguistic experts say: That one language dies somewhere in the world every 14 days. If one takes this assumption seriously (there’s no reason to disbelief it), then this is probably the highest rate of extinction being witnessed in the planet, much higher than those of plants, animals or birds.
“To be frank, when I started it never occurred to me that this documentation would be acknowledged. It was too remote to even think that a work like this can ever be awarded,” she says. Having been associated with Jawaharlal Nehru University as a professor in the School of Languages, Literature and Culture, she is the first one to get the Padma Shri from her centre of the university.
Born in the family of Hindi writers, Abbi went to an Ivy League school. She came back in 1976, with the objective of working in linguistics. “I studied all six language families of Bharat — from the Himalayan region to Andaman — and my finding that Great Andamanese is a separate family in Bharatiya languages is now corroborated by genetics,” she says. “Any place becomes a sealed fortress until its language is known,” she says, adding: “Every language has a unique structure; it is a product of biology and culture, and it is a co-evolutionary process. Culture is embedded in the structure of languages. I realised this while understanding the lesser-known languages.”
The value Andamanese give to kinship shines through when you hear the word raupuh. “It means someone who loses his or her sibling. They were surprised that we had no such word for a situation like this and asked me: ‘Don’t you get unhappy when you lose your sibling?’ This language has different grammar and that is a window to their history and perception of the world around them. Their grammar is construed from the conception of the body. They divide the body in seven parts and have abstract names for each part. They perceive the world through their body and that is so amazing. I think it is a very archaic language going back to the time when human beings were evolving. It was then they must have associated the world with their body,” she observes.
Abbi is calm even in the face of constant phone calls and the task of giving interview appointments. To keep this writer occupied she shows her dictionary on Great Andamanese language. “I started this task of compiling the dictionary for Great Andamanese, thinking it would be easy to do it with just 500 words for consideration. But by the end of it I ended up having 4,200 words and also a neck problem, which a doctor in Europe suggested should be surgically treated,” she says with a smile.
Through this compilation of words, she says, one will discover how attached are these tribes to their environment. “They have a separate word for a place where one can see underwater rocks. Through this you can encode the culture and their experience of living,” she points out. Abbi then says that the term for the opening in the forest with little growth is different from the term used for the opening of the forest with huge growth.
Abbi has another proposal in mind. “I would write to the Government of Bharat on giving the Andaman Islands their original names that are a mirror to their history and culture,” she says pointing at the map in her book that has given original names to some popular destinations — Little Andaman should be called Ilumi Tauro; Havelock Islands’ real name is Thi Lar Siro, which means “Land Near the Sea”; Port Blair’s real name is Lao Taro Nyo and it means “House of spirits and Foreigners”; Diglipur’s original name is Thitomaul, which means “Lots of Undergrowth”. Also, Andaman’s real name is Marakela. Andamanese society has always been in good terms with its nature. Even while collecting honey the locals boast that they don’t kill a single bee. It is done without the use of fire. “They rub mud on their bodies in thick packs, chew a leaf and spit its juice on the honeycomb that drives the bees out of their homes,” Abbi informs. Wonder why the bees don’t bite? They answer is: Bees never bite the mud.
Then there is Baralo, which is a kind of snake that doubles up as a beauty parlour for young girls. It is a particular kind of snake that lives in coconut trees, and is non-poisonous. “Young girls rub that snake on their body and with every rub it gives out a secretion that adds glow to their skin,” she says.
Abbi’s tryst with language has lead her to the road of love for the Andamanese lifestyle. “We have to respect their culture and not drive them towards ‘mainstream’. It will kill their society and, of course, language, which is a storehouse of knowledge. They have survived for 70,000 years without any mainstream measure, so they will survive thousands of years to come. A research was conducted on them and it was discovered that not one person was undernourished. They chew shells found on the shore that is rich in calcium. Their’s is a tropical climate and are comfortable without clothes, by bringing fabric in their lifestyle you are making way for economics,” she points out. Abbi, however, is not very hopeful about the future. “The way things are going, the Great Andamanese tribe will die in 10 years. They marry people out of their tribe and their numbers are dwindling fast. Only the queen of the tribe has married within the community, whereas others are intermingling with colonisers. The Onge-Jarawa tribe still resides in the jungle. Unless we develop alternative sea routes, we cannot safeguard the life, culture, language and identity of one of the oldest civilisations on this planet,” she concludes. -  The Pioneer, 23 February 2013.