SAMVAD

Bhadrapad Purnina, Vik.Samvat 2073. Yugabda 5118: September 16, 2016


1. FESTIVALS: Onam celebrations 2. DIVERSITY IS BHARAT'S STRENGTH, NOT A PROBLEM: BHAGWAT
3. 'Global Peace Leader' and 'Global Peace Ambassador' 4.  ABAP Silver Jubilee celebration
5. Trinidad Observes Ganesha Festival 6. GANESH UTSAV IN USA
7. Malaysia: Celebrating BHAGWAN Ganesha's birthday 8. WITH 11,000 VOLUNTEERS, RSS QUIETLY MAKES ITS MARK ON BIHAR FLOOD RELIEF
9. WHO CERTIFIES BHARAT YAWS AND MATERNAL & NEONATAL TETANUS FREE 10. Deepa Malik first Bharatiya woman to win Paralympics medal
11. DEVENDRA JHAJHARIA - 1ST BHARATIYA TO WIN 2 PARALYMPIC GOLDS 12. 'Swadesh Darshan' projects worth Rs 450 crore get govt nod
13. INSAT-3DR ANOTHER FEATHER IN ISRO'S CAP 14. ABVP SWEEPS DUSU 3RD TIME
15. MAJULI: NATION FIRST ISLAND DISTRICT 16. Three Bharatiya-origin students honoured by Michelle Obama
17. United Nations charter can now be read in Sanskrit 18. Christian priest, nuns visit Ganesh festival at RSS karyalaya in Mangaluru
19. Florida Cancer Center launching 'Mindfulness Yoga for Cancer' program 20. Thousand year old Hindu Shiv linga discovered in Thailand
21.  SANSKRIT DAY CELEBRATIONS: THE CONNECTING FACTOR 22.  Temple Doors Opened for SCs
23. VIGYANA BHARATHI HELD WORKSHOP ON UPCOMING HABITAT III GLOBAL SUMMIT 24. Yogalates among 1200 new words in Oxford dictionary
25. BHARATIYA-AMERICAN WOMAN TO BE FEDERAL JUDGE IN NY 26. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Article:

A TRIBUTE TO DEENDAYAL UPADHYAYA


1. FESTIVALS: Onam celebrations: The festival falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam (Aug-Sep). In Keral, the festival is celebrated with several cultural elements such as Vallam Kali, Pulikali, Pookkalam, Onathappan etc. The birthday of Sri Padmanabhan, the presiding Deity of Thiruvananthapuram, is on the Thiruvonam day in the month of Chingam. Thiruonam day is the most important day of Onam which falls on 14th September this year. Onam is also the harvest festival celebrated in Kerala by farmers. Like other harvest festivals celebrated in other parts of the country, Onam too has some special rituals, delicacies and traditional celebrations attached to it.

The first and the tenth day of the 10-day festival are considered the most important day. Celebrations begin from early in the morning and people celebrate Thiru Onam with a prayer at home or a temple. The floral carpet called Onapookkalam is made out of flowers entire inside the house or in the courtyard on all the ten days of Onam. Onam Sadya, the feast better known as Onam sadya is served on banana leaves. It consists of 26 dishes including sweets and other delicacies. -goTop

 

2. DIVERSITY IS BHARAT'S STRENGTH, NOT A PROBLEM: BHAGWAT: Stating that Bharat's diversity was a matter of "celebration" and not a "problem" as outsiders consider it to be, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Shri  Mohan Bhagwat on 11th  September urged the people to celebrate the festivals of all the religions to "strengthen" the unity of the country. He said people with "petty minds" divide the world on the basis of colour, language etc. And hence, Bharatiyas should strive to spread the message of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' (the world is one family).

He was addressing a gathering at the Siddhi Vinayak temple in Dandiya Bazaar locality in Vadodara on the occasion of Ganesh Utsav.  

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar was present on the occasion. Bhagwat was felicitated on his 66th birthday in the presence of prominent personalities including Gujarat Minister of State for Sports Rajendra Trivedi and city Mayor Bharat Dangar. However, the RSS chief told the people that he was not in favour of birthday celebrations.  -goTop

 

3. 'Global Peace Leader' and 'Global Peace Ambassador':  Indresh Kumar, member All Bharat executive of RSS has been bestowed the most coveted 'Global Peace Leader' and 'Global Peace Ambassador' awards by the Thailand-based World Alliance of Buddhist Leaders on 3rd September at Bangkok.  On the occasion he said: "Bharat and Thailand share close and historic relations and both sides will help each other in social and cultural development with mutual admiration". His visit signifies the important step in spreading the humanitarian ideology of the organization and thought process at an international level starting with Thailand, which shares its cultural heritage with Bharat. He also had meetings with workers from all the branches of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh in Thailand. Speaking at Chamber of Commerce, Indresh Kumar said that the main objective of the embassy should be to take care of its people in the foreign land. It is supposed to behave like the parents caring for their children, he explained while commenting on the role of Bharatiya diplomatic mission abroad.  -goTop

 

4.  ABAP Silver Jubilee celebration: With a pledge to make all efforts to ensure quick, affordable and satisfactory justice to the last man of the society, the Silver Jubilee celebration of Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad (ABAP) formally began in New Delhi from September 7. The legal fraternity all over the country joined the celebrations.

Addressing the opening ceremony Union Minister of Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad appealed to the lawyers associated with the Adhivakta Parishad to come forward for defending the human rights of the victims of violence. "Today it has become a fashion to defend the human rights of terrorists and separatists, while nobody thinks about the human rights of the innocent children, wives and family members of those who are killed by the enemies of humanity", he said. He also stressed the need to debate whether the educational institutions, which receive monitory aid from governments, should be allowed to enjoy the benefits of religious reservation.

Manan Mishra, president of Bar Council of India, BJP Rajya Sabha MP and national general secretary Bhupendra, Additional Solicitor General, Government of Bharat, ABAP organising Secretary Joydip Roy, National president of the Parishad Vinayak Dixit also addressed the gathering.   -goTop

 

5. Trinidad Observes Ganesha Festival: Hindus in Trinidad and Tobago celebrated the annual festival of Lord Ganesh Ustav from September 4 to 15. Hindus flocked to 300-plus temples, along with private and other public places, to seek Bhagwan Ganesh's blessings and guidance in all their spiritual and material undertakings. Bhagwan Ganesha Murtis, constructed from clay or mud, were worshipped and submerged in the ocean at the end of the celebrations. There has been an upsurge of young people participating in the observance. Trinidad and Tobago is a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society with 44 per cent of the 1.3 million populations belongs to Bharatiya origin.  -goTop

 

6. GANESH UTSAV IN USA: Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh inspired Saraswati Shakha of Chicago Vibhag celebrated Ganesh Utsav in Grays Lake Hindu Mandir, IL on Saturday, on Sept 10th.  Dr. Savita ji Joshi, and Dr. Joshi ji and Mr. Manoj ji Bhat from Mandir Trust were instrumental in this event. Pooja place was decorated by beautiful rangoli and deepaks. Aparna ji Verma from Art of Living started the event with few Ganesh Bhajans while Vikram ji Gokhale started Pooja in Shastrokt chanting while Yashaswini ji explained the importance of each step and spiritual way in our lives and relevance in today's lives.  About 50 people participated in the pooja.

Abhimanyu Shakha of Schaumburg - Illinois also organized Ganesh Puja during Shakha on Sep 10th.  Around 90 people including kids assembled to perform Ganesh Puja. All families brought Ganesh idol and puja items. Manish ji Joshi conducted the puja and explained the meaning of each shloka. Both parents as well as kids enjoyed the puja.  -goTop

 

7. Malaysia: Celebrating BHAGWAN Ganesha's birthday: Devotees converged at the Sri Sakthi Karpaga Vinayagar Temple in Jalan Berhala in Brickfields to celebrate the birth of the Vinayagar or Ganesha as he is commonly known. For over 50 years, the temple has led the chariot procession on the streets in Brickfields as devotees throng the place to catch a glimpse of Lord Ganesha as it is considered highly auspicious. Temple president S.K.K. Naidu said more than 10,000 devotees participated in the day-long festival. The Brickfields Karpaga Vinayagar temple however is considered special because of its rarity. Karpaga Vinayagar is the 33rd form of Lord Ganapathy and his trunk is curled towards his right, a rare depiction. In his hand is the Shiv Linga, a form of Lord Shiva.  -goTop

 

8. WITH 11,000 VOLUNTEERS, RSS QUIETLY MAKES ITS MARK ON BIHAR FLOOD RELIEF: Quietly and unobtrusively, the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) is making its mark among the Bihar flood victims.

Activists of six RSS affiliates, namely, Sewa Bharati, Ganga Samagra, Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Bajrang Dal, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, have fanned out in the state's flood-hit districts to provide relief including food, medicines and survival apparatus to the victims. "About 11,000 of our workers are in the service of the flood victims. We have reached out to about 66,000 victims so far. We are supplying them food packets and medicines every day", said Amarendra Kumar Singh of the RSS who is in overall charge of relief operations. -goTop

 

9. WHO CERTIFIES BHARAT YAWS AND MATERNAL & NEONATAL TETANUS FREE:  Bharat officially received certificates from World Health Organisation (WHO), declaring the country yaws and maternal and neonatal tetanus free. The certificates were presented to Union health minister JP Nadda at the 69th Session of the WHO regional committee for south-east Asia region held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Bharat is the first country to be officially acknowledged as being yaws-free. Bharat was validated for maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination in April 2015, much ahead of the global target date of December 2015.

The elimination of tetanus as a public health problem means that in Bharat, the annual rate of maternal and neonatal tetanus is now less than 1 per 1000 live births.  -goTop

 

10. Deepa Malik first Bharatiya woman to win Paralympics medal: Deepa Malik, a 45-year-old wheelchair-bound adrenaline junkie, from Gurgaon made history when she became the first Bharatiya woman to win a medal at the Paralympics, Rio. Her throw of 4.61m won her silver in the shot put F-53 event. "I want to use this medal to support women with disabilities in Bharat. This journey has been wonderful for me and my entire family. I am proud to be the oldest athlete in the team and win a medal," Deepa said immediately after she won the medal. A mother of two and wife of an Army officer, Deepa is a vocal spokesperson for paraplegic rights in the country with her Ability Beyond Disability movement.  -goTop

 

11. DEVENDRA JHAJHARIA - 1ST BHARATIYA TO WIN 2 PARALYMPIC GOLDS: Devendra Jhajharia, 36-year-old javelin thrower, who had lost his left arm below the elbow after being electrocuted as an eightyear old, won the second gold medal of his career in the Paralympics, creating history for Bharat. The native of Rajgarh in Churu district of Rajasthan improved on his own world record of 62.15m -set in Athens in 2004 when he won his first gold -in men's F46 category with a throw of 63. The state government announced a cash award of 75 lakh, a residential plot and agricultural land to him.  -goTop

 

12. 'Swadesh Darshan' projects worth Rs 450 crore get govt nod: The government has approved projects worth about Rs 450 crore under 'Swadesh Darshan' scheme for five states, including Uttar Pradesh. The scheme was launched with an objective to develop 13 theme-based tourist circuits, have been identified for development, namely North-East Bharat Circuit, Buddhist Circuit, Himalayan Circuit, Coastal Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Desert Circuit, Tribal Circuit, Eco Circuit, Wildlife Circuit, Rural Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, Ramayana Circuit and Heritage Circuit  in the country and the approval for five was given in a meeting of the central sanctioning and monitoring committee (CSMC) on September 5.

'Ramayana circuit' in Uttar Pradesh envisages development of two destinations - Chitrakoot and Shringverpur and it also includes Ayodhya with a project cost of Rs 70 crore was approved. 'Heritage circuits' in Madhya Pradesh which covers Gwalior-Orchha-Khajuraho-Chanderi-Bhimbetka-Mandu and Uttarakhand covers "Jageshwar-Devidhura-Katarmal- Baijnath" with costs of Rs 100 crore and Rs 83 crore, respectively. 'Coastal circuit' in Tamil Nadu with a cost of about Rs 100 crore and envisages development of Chennai-Mamamallapuram- Rameshwaram-Manpadu-Kanyakumari.  The 'North East circuit', with cost of Rs 95.50 crore, in Sikkim and it includes development of eco log huts, cultural centre, paragliding centre, craft bazaar, base camp for mountaineering and meditation hall.  -goTop

 

13. INSAT-3DR ANOTHER FEATHER IN ISRO'S CAP: Scripting success on the maiden operational flight of its heavy-duty rocket fitted with the indigenous cryogenic upper stage, Bharat on September 8 launched its advanced weather satellite INSAT-3DR onboard GSLV-F05 from the spaceport at Sriharikota.The 49.13-metre tall rocket lifted off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 4.50 pm, majestically soared into the skies and injected the 2,211-kg INSAT-3DR into a Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit about 17 minutes later.

INSAT-3DR, with a designed mission life of ten years, will provide service continuity to earlier meteorological missions and further augment the capability to provide various meteorological, search and rescue services. GSLV-F05 also marked a hat-trick of success for the indigenously developed complex cryogenic upper stage (CUS) after GSLV-D5 (January 2014) and D6 (August 2015) missions, which had launched GSAT-14 and GSAT-6 satellites into precise orbit.  -goTop

 

14. ABVP SWEEPS DUSU 3RD TIME: Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) bagged three of the four seats in the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections.

The ABVP won the post of president, vice president and secretary. The post of joint secretary went to Congress National Students' Union of India (NSUI). Amit Tanwar was elected as the president of DUSU while Priyanka Chabri won vice president's post. Ankit Sangwan and Mohit Garid have been elected as secretary and joint secretary respectively.

Meanwhile, the students' council elections also took place in 44 colleges where Congress-affiliated NSUI won the five-member panels in 33 colleges while the ABVP emerged victorious in 11 colleges.  -goTop

       

15. MAJULI: NATION FIRST ISLAND DISTRICT: Hopes were afloat in the shrinking and sinking river island Majuli on September 8 after the BJP-led Assam Government upgraded it to a full-fledged district. With this, Majuli, known as the largest river island in the world becomes the first and only island district in Bharat. Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also held a meeting of his Cabinet at the island on September 8, which unanimously resolved to take several steps not only to develop the island but also to boost conservation of the rich cultural heritage, eco-system, flora and fauna, which are under threat due to rampant soil erosion every year.

The island, which comprises only 352 sq km of landmass now, has already lost over 50 per cent of its landmass due to erosion since 1950. Known as the top seat of neo-Vaishnavite culture propagated by 15th century saint and reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, Majuli had remained backward due to long neglect by subsequent Governments at Dispur. The island had also lost 43 of the total 65 Vaishnavite Satras set up by Sankardeva and his disciple Madhavdeva.  -goTop

 

16. Three Bharatiya-origin students honoured by Michelle Obama: Three Bharatiya-origin students were honoured at White House by Michele Obama during the National Student Poets Program on September 8. Maya Eashwaran, Gopal Raman and Maya Salameh were among the five students felicitated by US first lady for their poetry skills.  Stella Binion and Joey Reisberg were the other two students.

Maya Eashwaran attracted a sizeable audience at the when she narrated a poem that shared her experience as an immigrant and how it was painful to replace her mother tongue Tamil with English. "I have lost more than I have ever lost in sixteen years. I have started shedding ethnicity like hair: Mother, I fear I'll go bald," Maya, 17, concluded reading her poetry "Ma, I haven't spoken in three years" amidst applause from the audience.  -goTop

 

17. United Nations charter can now be read in Sanskrit:  Bharatiya diplomacy has witnessed a very interesting development on September 7. For the first time the most important charter that binds the assembly of nations i.e. the United Nations, has been translated into Sanskrit. This is the very first attempt at translating such an important international document into one of Bharat's most fundamental and oldest languages. The translation work was promoted by the National Mission for Manuscripts in Bharat. In particular, the work was pioneered by Dr.Jitendra Kumar Tripathi.  -goTop

 

18. Christian priest, nuns visit Ganesh festival at RSS karyalaya in Mangaluru: On the occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi, Christian priest and Director of the Infant Jesus shrine Fr Elias D'Souza and nuns from Santa Cruz Convent visited Ganesh festival organized by Sangh karykartas. They paid homage to Lord Ganesh at Sangha Nikethan at Mangaluru. Speaking on the occasion, Fr Dominic, the former director of the shrine said, "Bharat is the only country having unity in diversity. The development of the country is possible only through harmony between the religions."  Earlier, functionaries of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh visited the Infant Jesus Shrine at Bikarnakatte and invited the Carmelite priests and the Catholics of the city for the upcoming Ganesha Chaturthi celebration.  -goTop

 

19. Florida Cancer Center launching 'Mindfulness Yoga for Cancer' program: Cancer Center of Martin Health System (MHS) headquartered in Stuart (Florida) is offering a six-week "Mindfulness Yoga for Cancer" program starting September 19. This free program uses techniques such as mindfulness meditation, yoga and stretching, breath awareness and body awareness. Kim Romer and Nancy Aldrich are the facilitators. According to US National Institutes of Health, yoga may help one to feel more relaxed, be more flexible, improve posture, breathe deeply, and get rid of stress. According to a recently released "2016 Yoga in America Study", about 37 million Americans (which included many celebrities) now practice yoga; and yoga is strongly correlated with having a positive self image.  -goTop

 

20. Thousand year old Hindu Shiv linga discovered in Thailand: Phra Kru Supakittayaporn, the honorary abbot (priest) of Wat Nang tra (temples) in the Tha Sala district of the province said that the discovery came into light during a construction work in the temple recently. While digging down the grounds, the workers discovered the symbol along with an ancient jar and 20 pieces of Buddha coins. The shiva linga measures 1 meter long, a base diameter of 47 cm. It has flowers carved in Tawaravadee style. The sculpture is still in good shape. The Fine Arts Department director, Anat Bamrungwong believes that these artifacts date more than thousands years old.  -goTop

 

21.  SANSKRIT DAY CELEBRATIONS: THE CONNECTING FACTOR: The celebration of Sanskrit Day on August 26, 2016 at Royal University Cambodia connects the bridge between the two countries. Sanskrit Diwas was first observed in the year 1969. The day is celebrated to spread awareness about the mother of all Bharatiya languages and the first of the ancient languages spoken in Bharat. But for the first time this programme was held with the efforts of Bharatiya embassy and Prof C Upender Rao. Prof Rao is now on ICCR chair as a visiting professor in Cambodia. The program was held in Royal University of Phnom Penh, on August 26, 2016.

An excellent video on 'Sanskrit Activities in Cambodia' was displayed on this occasion. Prof Rao said 'Sanskrit is the bridge' between two countries Bharat and Cambodia. He said that he had found many Sanskrit inscriptions in Cambodia.

Dr Chet Chealy, the Rector, RUPP, Phnom Penh, who was the Guest of Honour on the occasion, said that Royal university of Phnom Penh wanted to develop Sanskrit language. He described Sanskrit to be the richest language in the world. Then N Sitlhou, the first Secretary from Bharatiya Embassy, Phnom Penh explained how Sanskrit is the connecting factor between the two countries. Vote of Thanks was presented by Chunteng Hun from Khmer studies.  -goTop

 

22.  Temple Doors Opened for SCs:  It was a historic day for the people of Scheduled Castes in Jakkuva village under Mentada Mandal of Vizianagaram district Andhra Pradesh on September 5. The people who were denied entry into temple by some people on May 3, 2014 entered into the temple with leading saint Swami Srinivasananda and performed puja happily.

Deeply pained over the incident in 2014, the Samajik Samarasata Vedika (SSV) formed a committee to investigate into the matter. During the last two years, the Vedika supported the SC's to get benefits from the Government. Now involving the leaders of various parties including the TDP, BJP and YSRC, the SSV ensured the entry of Dalits into Ram Temple on September 5.

Under the leadership of Swami Srinivasananda, head of North Andhra Sadhu Parishad, the people of SC community along with other villagers entered the mandir chanting Jai Sri Ram. Later, the status of Mahatma Buddha, Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Dr. Ambedkar were unveiled by zonal convener of Samarasta Vedika K Shyam Prasad, Pujya Srinivasananda Swami, RSS Kshetra Karyavah Dusi Rama Krishna etc.  -goTop

 

23. VIGYANA BHARATHI HELD WORKSHOP ON UPCOMING HABITAT III GLOBAL SUMMIT: Vigyana Bharathi, an NGO, organised a national  workshop on 'Sustainable Development of Coastal Habitats in India' at Indian National Center for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) in Hyderabad, on August 29 - 30. This two day workshop was aimed at bringing various agencies and experts from different fields related to habitat and climate change on one platform to discuss holistically about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate change and Bharat's response for Habitat III, an upcoming global summit to be held in Quito, Ecuador on 17-20 October 2016.

Sri Jayanth Sahasrabuddhe, national secretary of Vigyana Bharathi, explained the back ground of this conference and further actions that the contemporary global thinking about how human settlements has influenced to a great extent by development in last two years.

The conference concluded with remarks made by Sri Dr Saraswat, member of Niti Ayog, stressing on the need for prioritisation of essential needs of coastal belts for an effective human habitats. The two day workshop was attended by Dr Saraswat, Sri Sathish Shenoy, director at INCOIS, Sri Vivek Pai, secretery of Vigyana Bharathi, Mayuresh, research officer at Habitat Lab, Mumbai and scientists working in INCOIS, IIT Hyderabad, Ocean studies also participated.  -goTop

 

24. Yogalates among 1200 new words in Oxford dictionary: Yogalates, the trend of combining Pilate's exercises with the postures and breathing techniques of Yoga, is among 1,200 new entries unveiled in the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). Michael Proffitt, the chief editor of the OED, said the latest update confirms the OED as one of the largest and longest-running language research projects in the world.  -goTop

 

25. BHARATIYA-AMERICAN WOMAN TO BE FEDERAL JUDGE IN NY: US President Barack Obama has nominated Diane Gujarati, a Bharatiya-American woman attorney, to serve on the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.  "I am pleased to nominate Diane Gujarati to serve on the United States District Court bench. I am confident she will serve the American people with distinction," Obama said.

She has been Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division of the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York since 2012.  -goTop

 

26. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: RSS sahsarkaryavaha Bhagaiah ji is on a tour to USA and Canada. Ravi Kumar, Vishwa Vibhag sahsamyojak will tour Japan and Hong Kong. Dr Ram Vaidya, sahsamyojak is on a tour to Nigeria, Secretary Sewa Internaitonal Shri Shyam Parande is touring USA, Guyana and Suriname and Trinidad. Visitors: Darshan Soni, Jignesh Borisa-USA, Sunil Pala, Suraj Taylor, UK.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: He who is rich in the knowledge of the Self does not covet external power or possession. - Upanishadas   -goTop

JAI SHREE RAM

 --

A TRIBUTE TO DEENDAYAL UPADHYAYA

Anirban Ganguly

In his centenary year, it is worthwhile to remember and pay tribute to the fact that it was primarily due to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's leadership that the Baharatiya Jana Sangh struck deep roots in the Indian political soil and spread across the country

In 2016, his centenary year, it is worthwhile to remember and pay tribute to the fact that it was primarily due to Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya's leadership, during a challenging and crucial phase, that the Baharatiya Jana Sangh struck deep roots in the Indian political soil and spread across the country. In shaping post-independent India's political evolution and in imparting it a distinct direction, Upadhyaya's contribution has been unparalleled and epochal. He joins the rank of Syama Prasad Mookerjee, BR Ambedkar, Ram Manohar Lohia and Jayaprakash Narayan as leaders who envisaged and aspired to shape an alternate polity and politics.

Yet, had it not been for the political party he worked to establish in India's national life or for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), to whose vision he had dedicated himself early in life with the aim of organising and re-vitalising the Hindu samaj, Upadhyaya would have been largely forgotten, subjugated by the multiple narratives that celebrated the one 'Pandit', who dominated Indian politics post-independence and whose legacy has been officially celebrated and patronised for decades.

Upadhyaya was essentially a political-philosopher, who brought back into the Indian public life and public lexicon, words that described the nation as a pulsating entity - an entity which possessed an identity-soul - chiti and whose frame was infused with virat, like the physical body was infused with prana. Just as prana infuses strength in various organs of the body, refreshes the intellect, and keeps body and soul together, argued Upadhyaya, "so also in a nation, with a strong virat alone, can democracy succeed and Government be effective." Such articulations brought back into the post-independent Indian polity, a tone that was in consonance with her intrinsic civilisational temper and worldview. While articulating the inner layers of a nation and the civilisational faith in its sacrality, one did not see Upadhyaya hesitate or become apologetic.

Yet, such a deep analysis did not evolve out of a narrow or constricted reading of political philosophy and thought. Upadhyaya's reading and his effort and quest in trying to understand the currents of world thought and the evolution of society and mankind's aspirations for models of society and development, was impressive as it was wide and prolific. In his comparative analysis of two thinkers "Deendayal and Marx", one of the avant-garde thinkers of the nationalist narrative, Dattopant Thengdi (1920-2004), for example, records Upadhyaya's readings.

It must, however, be noted that Upadhyayaji was well conversant with all the thought-currents of the West. Apart from Marxism, (and different versions of revisionists - from Eduard Bernstein to Josip Broz Tito) he was very well acquainted with the direct or indirect social experiments of Robert Owen, Joseph Fourier and Étienne Cabet; theories of Saint Simon: Socialist militancy of Gracchus Babeuf; agrarian socialism of O' Connor; proletarian socialism of O' Brien, 'minority conscience' theory of Blauqui; evolutionary socialism of Louis Blanc: The 'self-help' doctrine of Schulze- Delitzsch; and 'true socialism' of the German trio, Bruno Bauer, Moses Hess, and Karl Grun. He had also studied Lassalle, Sismondi, Lamennais and Proudhon. He had critically analysed all the pre and post-Marxian European thought-systems ranging from capitalism to anarchism and including all the varieties of 'socialism.'

While he exposed and immersed himself in examining the realm of Western thought and civilisational alternatives, Upadhyaya "had an additional advantage of being closely acquainted with different streams of traditional Indian thought. He had fully grasped the implications of the term 'Dharma' which is the characteristic gift of Hindu seers to humanity." It was this training that led him to evolve an Indian matrix of political thought through which he would ceaselessly try and evaluate, re-evaluate and re-state the Indian position and direction. By shaping a political philosophy that was essentially a quest to evolve a political framework and movement inspired by the Bharatiya civilisational ethos, Upadhyaya unleashed the possibilities of evolving a political discourse that was inspired by indigenous thought-roots of India. Unlike other political ideologies which had no roots in the Indian thought-evolution and which primarily derived inspiration from foreign frameworks and paradigms, the vision of integral humanism - or humanness, as propounded by Upadhyaya, sprung from the fountains of Bharatiya thought and aspirations. Post-independence, when models for India were being volubly debated often bordering on the raucous, when the dominant attitude was that of importing and grafting onto Indian conditions, models that were predominantly experimented with in the West, Upadhyaya displayed a spirit that was not overawed by the achievements or dominance of the West.

Instead, he chose to question, examine, analyse and weigh the viability, the success and the shortcomings of each proposition. He was not, as some have preposterously argued, opposed to Western science, instead he pointed out like many of his ideological and spiritual colleagues and mentors from the RSS, that while Western science was universal and needed to be absorbed if one were to move forward, the same could not be said to be true of the Western way of life and of its values. Upadhyaya refused to equate modernisation with Westernisation and in that, he was way ahead of his times and of the period when societies across the world would increasingly aspire to go back to their roots of identity which had seen gradual dilution due to a process of 'modernisation' read 'Westernisation.' The post-modern phenomena of seeking out the origins of identity and on that primal foundation to re-interpret and re-direct the march of collectivities was closely analysed by Upadhyaya long before the process had actually gained momentum and credence.

More importantly for the Indian contex, Upadhyaya spoke of dharma rajya, as a state, where inequality and divisiveness was eradicated. An economic system and a Government must be able to provide food, clothing and shelter and must "enable the individual to carry out his obligations to society by properly educating him" and in the event of "an individual falling prey to any disease, society must arrange for his treatment and maintenance" he argued. For him, a Government which was concerned with these was a Government which worked out the rule of dharma - otherwise it reflected the rule of adharma. Upadhyaya argued, basing himself on the Indian civilisational vision and framework of governance, that "Being responsible for the maintenance, protection and education of his subjects", the ruler was their true father.  (The Pioneer, 7th September 2016. The author is Director, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Foundation, New Delhi)  -goTop


Shri Vishwa Niketan vishwav@bol.net.in www.shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com 



SAMVAD

Bhadrapad Amavasya, Vik.Samvat 2073. Yugabda 5118: 1 September 2016


1. FESTIVALS: Festival Of Paryushana Cleanses And Purifies 2. WE MUST WORK TO REGAIN LOST GLORY OF BHARATIYA VARSITIES
3. Education should lead to homogeneous, exploitation-free society 4. 'Maintaining nation's integrity is everybody’s duty'
5. Sindhu, Sakshi, Dipa and Jitu receive Khel Ratna award 6.  Number of RSS shakhas up 61% in 5 years
7. British Prime Minister Theresa May Pays Respects To Pramukh Swami Maharaj 8. Now Diwali Stamp in USA
9.  Sri Ganesh Festival Celebrated in Italy 10. Bhaiyaji Joshi inaugurates Ambedkar Study Circle
11. SEWA: Inauguration of Mobile Medical Unit 12. Hindu American Olympic medal winner says religion taught him control on the court
13. Hindu chariot celebrations in Ealing draws crowd of more than 30,000 14. Louisiana Flood Relief Fund Appeal 2016: VHPA
15. Participate in Bharat's development, Govt to diaspora 16. Conservationist Bibhuti Lahkar nominated for IUCN Heritage
17. Bharat's Oldest Man Ever Says Yoga Key to Long Life 18. SHOBHAYATRAS TURN KERALA INTO GOKULAM ON KRISHNA JAYANTI
19. Bharat becomes the fourth country to successfully test the scramjet engine 20. Bharatiya-CanAdian  MP becomes Canada's 1st woman House leader
21. FORMER SINGAPORE PRESIDENT S.R. NATHAN PASSES AWAY 22. Shri Vishwa Niketan & Food for thought

Interview:

Hindu rashtra stands for the way of life in India: Manmohan Vaidya


1. FESTIVALS: Festival Of Paryushana Cleanses And Purifies: Paryushana is a major 10-day Jain festival (started on 29th August this year) celebrated during the month of Bhadrapada. In this period, participants practise self-purification, self-criticism and self-control in order to achieve self-improvement. Devotees during these days partake of simple and frugal meals once daily and abstain from worldly vices and addictions. They rededicate themselves to practise dharma as the scriptures define it.

Dasha Lakhsyana in Jainism is considered a prelude to attain nirvana or eternal bliss. It consists of 10 traits, which have been equated with 10 stepping stones leading towards realising this goal. Each trait is assigned one day of the Paryushana festivities. The last day of Paryushana is celebrated as the day of universal forgiveness. On this day, all people forgive and seek forgiveness from one another for any hurts or offences committed knowingly or unknowingly. -goTop

 

2. WE MUST WORK TO REGAIN LOST GLORY OF BHARATIYA VARSITIES: Rashtrapati Pranab Mukherjee awarded gold medals to two and degrees to 10 graduating students of Nalanda University (NU) at Rajgir on August 26 and said the intention through this University is to give the youth of the world the means necessary for pursuit of intellectual, philosophical, historical and spiritual studies as used to happen in the Nalanda of yore.

Addressing the first convocation of NU, Rashtrapatiji, said, "Renowned seats of learning like Nalanda, Takshashila, Vikramashila, Valabhi, Somapura and Odantapuri were magnets which attracted scholars from all over the world. They stood at the crossroads of many civilizations and spread knowledge far and wide. Sadly, Bharat's modern day universities are yet to reach the top position in world rankings. We must work towards regaining that glory of the past."

Bihar Governor Ramnath Kovind, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, NU chancellor George Yeo and founding Chancellor Amartya Sen were among the dignitaries present at the occasion. -goTop

 

3. Education should lead to homogeneous, exploitation-free society said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Dr Mohanrao Bhagwat on August 20 in Agra interacting with around 1000 teachers, vice-chancellors, registrars and others representing universities, colleges, IITs and management institutions. Shri Bhagwat pointed to the need for reforms in the present education system to get the desired results. He said that nothing will change in the education system even after the government spends 50 per cent of the GDP unless teachers decide to change themselves and stop being self-centred. Kshetra Sanghchalak Darshan Lal Arora, Prant Sanghchalak Jagadish ji and Vice-Chancellor of GLA University Durg Singh Chauhan were present on the dais. -goTop

 

4. 'Maintaining nation's integrity is everybody's duty': RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat hoisted the National Flag on Independence Day at RSS headquarters, Dr Hedgewar Bhavan. "The nation got Independence after a lot of struggle and sacrifices. It is the duty of every citizen to maintain the Independence, national unity and integrity," he said while speaking on the occasion.-goTop

 

5. Sindhu, Sakshi, Dipa and Jitu receive Khel Ratna award: On August 29, for the first time in the history of Bharatiya sports, the country's highest sporting honour was presented to four athletes: Rio Olympic medallists PV Sindhu and Sakshi Malik, gymnast Dipa Karmakar and shooter Jitu Rai. Rashtrapati Pranab Mukherjee gave away the awards in the presence of an august gathering at the Darbar Hall of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Awardees received a medal, certificate & cash prize of Rs 7.5 lakh. Shuttler Sindhu gave credit to her parents and coach P Gopichand. "I am thankful to my coach and parents because of whom I could pursue my dream. It's been a great day for me, to receive the award. I am very happy," Sindhu said. -goTop

 

6.  Number of RSS shakhas up 61% in 5 years: At 51,335 shakhas held daily across the country in 2015, an analysis of data on the number of shakhas conducted each year over the last five years shows a nearly 29% increase in daily shakhas, 61% increase in weekly shakhas and 40% growth in monthly shakhas across Bharat from 2010-11 to 2014-15.The largest increase in shakhas across Bharat over the last five years took place between 2013-14 and 2014-15. RSS growth has nothing to do with a BJP government at the Centre. Kerala, with over 4,500 shakhas, has the highest number in Bharat despite never having had a BJP government. RSS is also strong in West Bengal, where too the BJP presence was negligible till a few years ago.

In recent years, RSS shakha strength has increased as timings are adjusted to suit various age groups - students, working professionals and retired people. The spread of RSS is being experienced not only in cities but in almost every tehsil and over 55,000 villages of Bharat. -goTop

 

7. British Prime Minister Theresa May Pays Respects To Pramukh Swami Maharaj: UK Prime Minister Theresa May on August 16 expressed her condolences to the British Hindu community over the death of Swaminarayan sect's spiritual head Pramukh Swami Maharaj who passed away at the age of 95 in Sarangpur, Gujarat on August 13. "I would like to pay my condolences to British Hindus, especially the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, on the passing away of Pramukh Swami Maharaj," May said. "Pramukh Swami Maharaj inspired millions with his powerful motto: 'in the good of others lies our own'. This legacy of selfless service will continue to benefit humanity for a long time to come," she said. -goTop

 

8. Now Diwali Stamp in USA: The stamp, announced by the U.S. Postal Service, will be the first stamp honoring the Hindu religion, joining U.S. postage that has marked Christian, Jewish and Muslim holidays in the past.

Members of the Hindu community and their supporters have asked for years to join the long list of themes that have inspired stamp art - from Janis Joplin to Jimi Hendrix to Charlie Brown. Saunders said the first petition for a Diwali stamp was received in 2004. The Postal Service said it will start issuing the stamps on Oct 5. -goTop

 

9.  Sri Ganesh Festival Celebrated in Italy: On August 28 over two thousand people came to the Gitananda Hindu Matha Ashram Monastery of Altare (SV) for the celebration of the Sri Ganesh Festival, for many years an annual event for Hindus from all over Italy and neighboring European countries. The stream of devotees came walking the long dirt road that separates the monastery from the rest of the world: an oasis of peace transformed for a day into the home to the largest Hindu festival in Italy. The procession toward the monastery was headed by a cheerful and imposing bedecked chariot. More than one hundred Hindu communities (from various spots in Italy and other countries) had the opportunity to gather at this spot to share in song, traditional dance and devotion. -goTop

 

10. Bhaiyaji Joshi inaugurates Ambedkar Study Circle: Despite of all ill-effects in corporative sector, Nagpur Nagrik Sahkari Bank (NNSB) has been able to spread its good work and is evolving on the path of development, said RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi on August 18. Praising the efforts of the bank officials for their social responsibility he said securing trust of the society was the ultimate achievement of the NNS Bank. He was speaking at the inaugural function of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Study Circle organised by NNS Bank and Bharatiya Utkarsha Mandal in association with Youth Foundation at Umred near Nagpur. -goTop

 

11. SEWA: Inauguration of Mobile Medical Unit: Sewa International with Sewa Bharathi Tamil Nadu (SBTN) will provide healthcare facilities at the doorstep of the underprivileged affected during 2015 floods. A Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) will be deployed to provide healthcare to residents of 12 identified slums in Chennai.The inauguration of MMU was held at SBTN office in Chennai in the presence of nonagenarian social worker K. Suryanarayana Rao (Suru-ji) recently. Speaking on the occasion, Suru-ji recalled the relentless work done by the SBTN volunteers during the 2015 Tamil Nadu floods. -goTop

 

12. Hindu American Olympic medal winner says religion taught him control on the court: Venus Williams and Rajeev Ram of the United States won silver for the mixed doubles at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. For Hindu American children, Ram is a new role model, one of the first Americans who share their religion to take home an Olympic medal. Ram credits his parents, who were involved in their local Hindu community, with teaching him religious values that translated onto the tennis court. "Part of the Hindu religion teaches, more so than anything else, your control of your mind - your self-control, basically," Ram said. For many, that self-control applies to an individual's mastery over his moral and ethical choices. But for Ram, self-control also meant mastery of his body. "Obviously, your body's going to do what your mind tells it to do. If you can have that inner control, a sense of peace, your body's going to follow," he said.

-goTop

 

13. Hindu chariot celebrations in Ealing draws crowd of more than 30,000: The Chariot Festival of the Thurkkai Temple of Ealing (UK) on August 14 drew an estimated 30,000 people from all over the world. The streets of West Ealing were filled with colourful dresses, short robes around waists and a host of other Hindu attire for the chariot procession. It began outside the Shri Kanaga Thurkkai Amman Temple, which organised the event, in Chapel Road and made its way through nearby streets including Uxbridge Road, before returning to the same spot. Temple's chairman, Durairajasingham Ratnasingham, said: "It was very nice, we served up food for 30,000 people and the children and adults were worshiping. Everyone enjoyed it and the weather was very good - it drew people from all over the world." -goTop

 

14. Louisiana Flood Relief Fund Appeal 2016: VHPA: There had been devastating floods in the state of Louisiana in US. Over 4,000 people had to go to the shelters, but the number has been dropping. Longer-term, temporary housing hasn't been sorted out yet. The governor believes lack of media attention has led to fewer donations.

VHP of America requests your kind contribution to help the victims and their family who are affected by this devastation. VHP of America will work with appropriate agency to ensure that the donated funds only be used to help the victims of the flooding disaster in Louisiana. Your donations are tax deductible. Visit: www.vhp-america.org and click the link Louisiana Flood Relief Fund. -goTop

 

15. Participate in Bharat's development, Govt to diaspora: Bharat on August 26 invited its diaspora community to make financial contributions to the implementation of various development projects including Clean Bharat and Ganga rejuvenation, and get connected with their "roots". External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj called upon overseas Bharatiyas to send funds under the India Development Foundation (IDF) for projects of their choice which may even include building toilets in villages and rural areas.

"India Development Foundation is such a platform through which Bharatiyas settled abroad can send money for Bharat's development. The money will not be just a donation. It is a way to get connected with the roots. It is a way to pay back to your motherland. It will be a reflection of emotional attachment to the country," Swaraj said in a video message posted on MEA's twitter handle Bharatiya Diplomacy. She said people can even contribute a minimum of USD 100 to a pool fund which will be used for implementing major projects. -goTop

 

16. Conservationist Bibhuti Lahkar nominated for IUCN Heritage: Assam ecologist and conservation activist Dr Bibhuti Lahkar has become the first Asian to be nominated for the prestigious 'Heritage Heroes Award' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Lahkar is among five conservationists from across the globe to be nominated for this year's Heritage Heroes Award which is aimed at recognising the "outstanding efforts" of conservationists around the world in making a difference in the conservation of World Heritage sites in challenging situations, an IUCN release said. The conservationist has been working to save the grasslands, flora and fauna of Manas National Park area for the past two decades and is currently engaged as Manas Landscape Administrator for Aaranyak, an NGO working for biodiversity conservation in North East Bharat. -goTop

 

17. Bharat's Oldest Man Ever Says Yoga Key to Long Life: Looking remarkably unlined for his claimed 120 years, a Bharatiya monk who is the oldest man to have ever lived puts his longevity down to no sex or spices, and daily yoga. Hindu monk Swami Sivananda was born on August 8, 1896, according to his passport. Sivananda, from the holy city of Varanasi, grew up in extreme poverty and chose to become a monk, saying he owed his age to "yoga, discipline, and celibacy".

"I lead a simple and disciplined life. I eat very simply - only boiled food without oil or spices, rice and boiled daal (lentil stew) with a couple of green chillies," he said after a two-hour yoga session in Kolkata on August 18. Standing five feet two inches tall, Sivananda sleeps on a mat on the floor and uses a wooden slab as a pillow. Fit and without any medical complications, he lives independently and even travels alone on trains.-goTop

 

18. SHOBHAYATRAS TURN KERALA INTO GOKULAM ON KRISHNA JAYANTI: The entire State of Keral turned into a virtual Gokulam on August 24 when children dressed like Sri Krishna, Radha, Rugmini, Gopikas, etc filled the streets as part of the Shobhayatras held in at least 25,000 centres to mark the Sri Krishna Jayanti. Colourful Shobhayatras were held at Kannur, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Thiruvananthapuram and other major towns and villages.-goTop

 

19. Bharat becomes the fourth country to successfully test the scramjet engine:  The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully tested its scramjet engine on August 28 at Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC). The scramjet engine, also known as the air-breathing engine because of the technology it uses, was tested with the launch of a big sounding rocket. Bharat is the fourth country to demonstrate the flight testing of Scramjet Engine. -goTop

 

20. Bharatiya-CanAdian  MP becomes Canada's 1st woman House leader: Bharatiya-Canadian Sikh MP Bardish Chagger has been named as the new Leader of the government in Canada's House of Commons, becoming the first woman to hold the post in the country's history. Ms Chagger, the 36-year-old Waterloo MP and Minister of Small Business and Tourism, was among 19 Bharatiya-origin candidates who won in last year's general election."This is a tremendous opportunity. I have been involved in the political process for basically my whole life," Ms. Chagger told reporters on Parliament Hill after her swearing-in On Friday.-goTop

 

21. FORMER SINGAPORE PRESIDENT S.R. NATHAN PASSES AWAY: Former Singapore President Nathan passed away on 22nd August at Singapore. He guided his country on the path to progress. His death is a great loss to Siingaporeans in general and PIO community in particular.

Of Tamil descent, Nathan was born in Singapore on July 3, 1924. He was the sixth and longest-serving President of Singapore and served two terms from 1999 to 2011. -goTop

 

22. Shri Vishwa Niketan: Pravas: Man Bhagiah, sahsarkaryavaha RSS will tour USA and Canada, Shri Ravikumar sahsamyojak Vishwa Vibhag will be touring Japan and HongKong, Shri Shyam Parande, Secretary Sewa International will be touring USA, Suriname, Guyana and Trinidad, Dr Ram Vaidya sahsamyojak is on a tour to Kenya, Nigeria and Ethiopia Visitors: Dr. Anand Arya - UK.

Food for thought:  All human beings are miserable due to their own faults, and they themselves can be happy by correcting these faults. - Bhagwan Mahavir. -goTop

JAI SHREE RAM

 --

Hindu rashtra stands for the way of life in India: Manmohan Vaidya

 (RSS leader Manmohan Vaidya on the Sangh's vision for the country and its views on secularism, minorities and social divisions)

There are several theories about what the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) believes in, and they are variously employed to interpret the actions and intentions of the Sangh and its affiliate bodies across the country. A proper assessment of its ideas is important not only because it is a massive organization that arguably holds sway over right-wing thought in India but also because of its increasing prominence in social and public life.

In an interview, Manmohan Vaidya talks about the Sangh's vision for the country and its views on secularism, minorities and some of the fissures in society it is accused of widening.

Vaidya is from Nagpur, where the Sangh is headquartered. His father, M.G. Vaidya, has been one of RSS's foremost ideologues. Manmohan Vaidya became an RSS pracharak in 1983 and has since looked after HSS (Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh) work in the US and the West Indies, worked as prant pracharak of Gujarat, been inducted into the all-India team of the RSS, where he currently serves as all-India prachar pramukh.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

The RSS has been sceptical about the use of the word secularism in the context of India-why is that?

Secularism is the most misused word in Bharat and is invoked mostly to pamper communal forces. Secondly, the way it was introduced in the preamble of our Constitution creates doubts. During constitutional debates, inclusion of the word secularism was discussed, debated and it was decided against. Dr Ambedkar also thought it was not necessary.

Our Constitution already has all the provisions giving equal rights to all religious groups, including all minorities, to practice, preach and propagate their faith.

Still secularism was included in our Constitution, in 1976, during the Emergency, without any need, demand or debate-when many opposition leaders had been put behind bars by the Indira Gandhi government.

Secularism is irrelevant in Bharat. It originated in Europe as a response to theocratic states. In Bharat, we never had a theocratic state. Here, all religions have been treated equally for centuries. Look at the Parsis, the Jews, the Syrian Christians, all came from outside and settled in various parts, making Bharat their home and practicing their religion freely, without any persecution and discrimination.

Like Swami Vivekananda said in the Parliament of World Religions in 1893, "we go beyond tolerance and we accept all ways of worship to be true". The essence of Hindutva is spiritual democracy.

But what is the harm in the word being included in the Constitution?

We haven't got anything against the grammatical meaning of the term but due to bad intent and usage it has become synonymous with anti-Hindutva /anti-national ethos. In practice, secularism is being used to further a communal agenda-to favour one particular community over others.

Saying that Muslims have the first right on national resources, as Manmohan Singh did, is that a secular statement? Why should our state provide funds for Haj or any religious pilgrimage? Even Muslim countries don't give grants for Haj. I am told that Haj is fulfilled only if you do it with your own means.

Temples are subjected to government scrutiny and intervention, but minority places of worship are not. Is this secularism? The likes of (Asaduddin) Owaisi are not communal but very secular!

This minority-ism is fostering separatism and harming the unity of this ancient, great country. The idea of secularism has been misused by these so-called secular political parties to further their own interests.

Moreover, any discussion about misuse of secularism is dubbed as opposition to secularism and favouring theocratic state. This is a blatant lie and falsification of facts.

The RSS seems unconvinced about the idea of minority rights. Why is that?

In Bharat, traditionally, we believe that all religions lead to the same destination and hence are equal. Ninety-nine per cent of Muslims and Christians in India are converted, having origin in Bharat. Then how can a mere change of faith make them qualify as minorities?

In Bharat, Parsis and Jews are the actual minorities, because they have come from outside with their own religion. But they have refused to be tagged as "minority" and never asked for any special privilege. The talk of minority interests is nothing but vote bank politics.

If everybody is equal before the law why should we have a minority commission? A single human rights commission can address any injustice done to anyone.

But in light of communal violence such as the 2002 riots and the Sachar Committee report it can be argued that minority rights need protection.

The reason behind the poor state of Muslims as highlighted by the Sachar Committee is that the majority of them (65-70%) live in Bihar, Bengal and Uttar Pradesh-states that had been economically backward. These states were ruled by so-called secular parties for most of the time since Independence. According to Sachar Committee, the economic condition of Muslims in Gujarat is much better than in West Bengal.

As for riots, they have been happening before 2002 too. Let's not forget Bhagalpur, Maliana (Meerut), Kokrajhar. Who was ruling the concerned states when these riots happened?

Instead of blaming the ruling party, it is important to try and understand why these riots happen. If you look at the communally sensitive spots in riot-prone cities you will notice that they are invariably in Muslim majority areas.

Why don't riots happen in Hindu majority areas? I have never seen riots in Nagpur where I grew up but when I moved to Gujarat, in 1983, I noticed communal riots invariably happening during Hindu festivals in these sensitive areas. Riots are bad and must be avoided but talking only about 2002 riots is wrong.

Other instances of communal violence based on accusations of love jihad and cow slaughter are on the rise. How would you explain them?

They are separate issues. Sangh did not coin the phrase "love jihad". It was used for the first time by justice K.T. Sankaran in a Kerala high court judgment. He saw a pattern of people hiding their real identities while getting into relationships. We are not opposed to bonafide inter-religious marriages, but if it is a part of some kind of design then it is a serious matter that should be discussed and rebuffed.

As for cow slaughter, it is not a religious issue but an economic one. Importance of cows grew as we became an agrarian society.

It is observed that excessive use of chemical fertilizers is impacting our soil and affecting the food we eat. Importance of organic farming is increasing. The Indian breed of cow is important for organic farming. Medicinal properties of cow products helps everyone (people of all religions), not just vegetarians.

From Gandhi to Bahadur Shah Zafar, everyone has spoken about the protection of cows. Cow slaughter is already banned in J&K, a Muslim-majority state.

But the conversation about the importance of cows to our economy and society can no longer be separated from incidents in Dadri and Una.

We are opposed to violence in this matter and any other, but laws that exist should be enforced. Also, there has been a lot of false information circulated about Dadri and Una. Now the truth is emerging in the case of Dadri. As far as Una is concerned, the emerging facts indicate that it was stage-managed.

It is often said that the RSS has reservations about the Indian flag. Is that true?

The Indian flag as it was adopted by our Constitution must be respected by all. There have been people from the Sangh who have given up their lives to protect the flag so there is no question of us not accepting the flag. We are not interested in changing it.

Was there no objection to the flag when it was adopted?

The tricolour flag emerged in political scenario in 1921. It was Gandhiji's idea to have a flag representing all major communities. Hence a tricolour flag with red (not saffron) at the bottom, green in middle and white at the top representing Hindus, Muslims and Christians.

Then itself, lot of people objected, calling it a communal flag. The very idea of identifying each community separately and trying to forge unity among them was termed as communal thinking. They demanded to have a non-communal, national flag.

This demand was so strong that All India Congress Working Committee appointed a seven member committee (popularly known as flag committee) to look into the matter. After hearing both the sides, the flag committee came to a unanimous conclusion.

The flag committee report published in 931 says, "It was decided that our flag should be artistic, distinct and non-communal. It was decided unanimously that it should be of one single colour. And if there is a colour that is more distinct that another, one that is more acceptable to the Indians as a whole and one that is associated with this ancient country by long tradition it is the saffron kesari colour."

The flag committee recommended a rectangular saffron-colour flag with a blue charkha on top corner. The communalization of the colour saffron has happened post-Independence-particularly post the insertion of the word secular in the Constitution, when the definition of what is communal and what is secular began to get distorted.

Both the RSS prayer and oath feature a pledge to Hindu rashtra. How does the RSS define that phrase?

Rashtra is often equated with nation in English. But the evolution of nation in Europe is a phenomenon of 15th century, as a reaction to the theocratic state. This was never the situation in Bharat. Here the concept of rashtra (nation) has existed since Vedic times, based on a shared view of life by all people living in Bharat, evolving into a unique way of life, Sanskriti.

There is a distinction between nation and state. State is a political association, nation means the people. Well-known French philosopher Ernest Renan had this to say about "What is a nation":

"The soil provides the substratum, the field for struggle and labour, man provides the soul.Man is everything in the formation of this sacred thing that we call a people. Nothing that is material suffices here. A nation is a spiritual principle, the result of the intricate working of history, a spiritual family and not a group determined by the configuration of the earth.

"Two things which are really one go to make this soul or spiritual principle. One of these things lies in the past, the other in the present. The one is the possession in common of a rich heritage of memories and the other is actual agreement, the desire to live together and the will to continue to make the most of the joint in heritance.

"Man cannot be improvised. The nation like the individual, is the fruit of long past spent in toil, sacrifice and devotion. Ancestor worship is of all the forms the most justifiable. Since our ancestors have made us what we are. A heroic past, great men and glory, I mean real glory-these should be capital of our company when we come to found a national idea."

So, Hindu rashtra is an adjective of rashtra (people of Bharat) and stands for the way of life that people practise in India. The Hindu-ness of our society lies in recognizing the divinity within each human being but also in accepting that religion is a personal matter.

You can choose any path you like to your spiritual goals. Hindutva is the same as Bharatiya values. The confusion also arises because dharma is wrongly translated as religion in English.

So there is no contradiction between a Hindu rashtra and a secular nation?

No. The best way to understand this is through a quotation by Tagore about Bharat in his essay "Swadeshi Samaj":"To feel unity in diversity, to establish unity amidst variety-this is the underlying dharma of Bharat. Bharat does not regard difference as hostility, she does not regard the other as enemy. That is why without sacrifice or destruction she wants to accommodate everybody within one great system. That is why she accepts all ways and sees the greatness of each in his own sphere.

"Because of this virtue, in Bharat, by seeing others we wouldn't get frightened as we don't consider any society or people as our enemy. Each fresh conflict will enable us to expand ourselves. The Hindu, the Buddhist, the Muslim and the Christian will not fight each other and die in Bharat-here they will find a meeting point. That meeting point will not be non-Hindu, but very specifically Hindu."

Dr Radhakrishnan has observed that Hindutva (Hinduism) is not a religion: it is a commonwealth of many religions. If you accept the Hindu way of life you are free to follow any religion you like.

In that case, where does the impulse for initiatives like 'ghar wapsi' come from?

As Hindus we do not believe in conversions. There are many Muslims and Christians who attend RSS shakhas but we do not seek to convert them. They keep following their own faith. A senior ideologue of the RSS, M.G. Vaidya, was professor of Sanskrit in a college run by Scottish Church in Nagpur.

Once, one of his colleagues, a Christian, asked him if he can join the RSS. Mr Vaidya replied, "Oh! Sure! For that you need not leave your faith. Only you have to accept that there is salvation outside Church also." On this the Christian professor quipped that he cannot accept this as he will lose his zeal to convert people.

The great Sarvodaya leader, Acharya Vinoba Bhave said, "Salvation through this way only is non-Hindu and salvation through this way also is Hindu.

However, it is commonly known that a lot of people were converted en masse here and there is a growing urge among them to reconnect to their roots. Facilitating this urge to reconnect to roots is ghar wapsi or home coming. It can be seen as a process of de-conversion.

(Interview by Pragya Tiwari, a Delhi based journalist pursuing an executive master's in public administration from the London School Of Economics. Live Mint, 14 August 2016) -goTop


Shri Vishwa Niketan vishwav@bol.net.in www.shrivishwaniketan@blogspot.com