Ashada Krishna7, Vik.Samvat 2074, Yugabda 5119: June 16, 2017



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Ashada Krishna7, Vik.Samvat 2074, Yugabda 5119: June 16, 2017


1.  FESTIVALS: Guru Purnima 2. ENABLING BHARAT FOR GOD- ASSIGNED MISSION
3.  MATTER OF BREAD AND BUTTER 4.  RAMANUJACHARYA: THE PIONEER OF SOCIAL HARMONY
5.  Gujarat’s Class XII topper to embrace life of a monk 6.  An inspiring experience
7. 'Baahubali' rocket GSLV Mk-III has perfect launch 8. PANDITS THRONG VALLEY TO ATTEND KHIR BHAWANI TEMPLE FESTIVAL
9. Cow is like Ma, God: HC judge 10.  LEO VARADKAR, BHARATIYA-ORIGIN DOCTOR, TAKES OVER AS IRELAND'S YOUNGEST PM
11.  Tree plantation on death anniversary of Shri Guruji 12. A slice of Santiniketan, coming up in Houston
13.     THE   YOGA   VASISHTA    PATH   TO     LIBERATION 14. Kailash Mansarovaryatra 2017
15.   HCL, TCS and Wipro among top 10 global engineering services firms 16. PRIME Minister Theresa May visits London Hindu Temple
17. Sunnyvale Hindu Temple Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Religious Fervor 18. UK election: 2 Sikh MPs add to record Bharatiyaset in House of Commons
19. VHP to work for making Bharat Untouchability Free 20.  Canadian City Gets a New Hindu Temple
21. IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay, IISc among world's top 200 universities, says report 22. BHARATIYA-American Ananya Vinay wins Spelling Bee title
23. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Article
PANDURANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM DESH!


1.  FESTIVALS: Guru Purnima is celebrated on Aashadha Poornima, the full moon day of the Hindu month of Ashadha falling on July 9 this year. Devotional worship of the Guru - the preceptor - is one of the most touching and elevating features of the Hindu cultural tradition. It is through the grace and guidance of Guru that one reaches the highest state of wisdom and bliss. The preceptor for a whole society should be able to act as a perennial source of inspiration to the people, embodying the highest and the noblest national values and ethos. To the Hindu people, such a guru can be no other than the sacred BhagavaDhwaj. Real worship, for a Hindu, lies in becoming an image of the ideal himself. Shivobhutwashivamyajet - one has to become Shiva Himself if one has to worship Shiva. The annual function of Sri Guru Pooja presents a moment of introspection for us to check up how far we have progressed in this path over the last year, and take lessons from it and resolve to march faster in the current year. -goTop

 

2. ENABLING BHARAT FOR GOD- ASSIGNED MISSION: "Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has shouldered the responsibility of enabling Bharat to fulfill its God-assigned mission for the entire world. RSS works for Bharat, but Bharat has a global responsibility and we have taken up this fundamental task to prepare Bharat to fulfill that mission of spreading the message of peace, brotherhood and progress in perfect coordination with the nature," said RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat while speaking at the concluding ceremony of 25-day third year Sangh Shiksha Varga at Nagpur on June 8. General Rukmangat Katwal, former Commander in Chief of Nepal Army was the chief guest. Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal, his Cabinet colleague Hemant Biswa Sarma, Rajya Sabha MPs RK Sinha, Amar Sable, industrialist Anand Mahindra, were among the special invitees.  RSS SahSarkryavahV Bhagaiah, Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Dr Manmohan Vaidy and Rashtra Sevika Samiti Pramukh Sanchalika Shantakka etc., graced the occasion.Shri Bhagwat said RSS works for Bharat and Bharat lives for the world. Therefore, it has to become strong not to bully the weak but to protect them. Bharat by tradition and nature is a 'sajjan' (noble) country because of the Hindu society. Hence, the RSS is organising the Hindus. (Excerpt from a report by Virag Pachpore in Organiser, June 18, 2017.) -goTop

 

3.  MATTER OF BREAD AND BUTTER: "Cow protection is not the matter of faith alone. It is directly related to the economy, as cow is the basis of economic development, agriculture and farmers in the country," said RSS Sarkaryavah Shri Bhaiyaji Joshi while speaking at the concluding ceremony of first and second year Sangh ShikshaVarg in Pune on June 3. Bhanu Kale, editor of Marathi magazine Antarnaad was the chief guest. The function featured the spectacular demonstrations by 700 young swayamsevaks including Yogasana, Suryanmaskar and war manoeuvres. Local MPs, MLAs, retired army officers and citizens were also present.

Shri Joshi stressed that the RSS strength was growing and it in turn means that strength of Hindutva is increasing. Shri Bhanu Kale said that I am attending RSS programme for the first time and I am impressed by the display of discipline here. It is amazing for me that youngsters stay away from mobile for 21 days during the period of this camp. I congratulate the RSS, because in today's era this is nothing less than an achievement." -goTop

     

4.  RAMANUJACHARYA: THE PIONEER OF SOCIAL HARMONY:  "When the invaders attacked our temples, burnt the libraries, an urgent need was felt to motivate the demoralised society, Ramanujacharya prepared the people to face the challenge by explaining them our scriptures in Sanskrit, Tamil and many other languages," said RSS Sahsarkaryavah Dr Krishna Gopal while speaking at a function organised to celebrate 1,000th  birth anniversary year of the great saint Ramanujacharya at Srimad Andavan Arts & Science College, Srirangam, on May 28. The event 'Social Harmony, Equality and Co-existence' was organised by Tamil Nadu unit of Sri RamanujarAayiramvathu Jayanthi Vizhakkuzhu with the objective of taking every home the social messages of the Acharya. Seven more local organisations joined the programme. The 1,000th Jayanti year is being celebrated since May 2016. Dr Krishna Gopal further said Sri Ramanujacharya visited Badrinath, Mathura, Kashi and many other places to spread the message of Bhakti

Kendriya Samskriti aur Paryatan Mantri Dr Mahesh Sharma, who felicitated 12 eminent persons for their contribution in promotion of social harmony and equality, said Ramanujacharya taught us to deal with inequality and bring harmony and we should nurture the same. -goTop

 

5.  Gujarat’s Class XII topper to embrace life of a monk: Varshil Shah scored in the 99.99 percentile in the class 12 board examination, but he doesn't aim to be a chartered accountant or earn an MBA degree.

In fact, Varshil, 17, did not even collect his marksheet from school. He will not only renounce the rat race but also the world by embracing the life of a Jain monk. Varshil said. "Getting the top rank in board exams does not give happiness. I know that the material world does not give eternal happiness that millions seek. I chose to embrace Jain diksha because it makes it possible to experience eternal happiness without hurting anybody." -goTop

 

6.  An inspiring experience : Ven. Madhu Pandit Dasa Ji’s Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world's largest NGO-run mid-day meal programme daily serving wholesome school lunch to over 1.6 million (16 Lakh) children in 13,577 schools across 11 states in Bharat. During an interaction on the subject with this alumnus of Mumbai IIT and now a global figure, I asked him as to what did he think about people who did not get even a single square meal a day? He asked me where he could see such people! I immediately offered to show him such people.

We flew to Agartala (Tripura) on April 25, 2015, from where we drove 400 kms in mountainous terrain to North Kanchanpur (Tripura) to the IDP (Internally Displaced People) colony of 45-thousand Reang (Hindu Scheduled Tribe) people at Kasirampada, who were driven away by the Mizoram Government 18 years ago for not converting to Christianity. These IDPs do have no shelter, no clothing, no land, no education and not even a single square meal a day. Seeing such a pathetic condition, Shri Dasa-ji's eyes welled up. In the land of 'Jagannath' ('Lord of the Universe'), none could be 'Anaath' (forlorn/orphan), he thought. With blessings from Sri Bhagwan, he announced that his organization would soon open there a Langar/Pangat (community kitchen) for those people, a school for children, Weaving and Sewing centre for girls and a Motor Driving School for youngmen, a temple as the nucleus of all these projects and to oversee all these activities he would appoint a Daas/Servant of Sri Bhagwan from his organization.

He was very much true to his word. Immediately after returning, the Krishna Conscious Head, Krishna Bhakt Heart and Karma Yogi Hands of this decorated IITian, with great earnest and Purushaarth, mobilized his extensive contacts, manpower and resources and soon bought 2.50 acres of land at Kasirampada of Gachirampara, Tripura. The great temple and institution builder has now established a big Krishnaavataar Temple at the site. Its Praanpratishtha, consecration and opening ceremony took place on 29th March, 2017 (VarshPratipada Day) with the participation of over 5,000 people. As promised by Ven. MadhuPanditDasa, the Great India Talent School was also established at this site by the Great India Talent Foundation with the inspiration of the Akshyaypaatra Foundation. It was also inaugurated on March 29, 2017 with prayers and HawanYajna. It is for the marginalised families of Reang tribes of Tripura to recognise, nurture and build their talent on lines of the ancient Indian Gurukul philosophy.A total of 350 children have been admitted into the school at present. A Bhojanshala (Food Centre) under the auspices of the Akshyaypaatra Foundation was also inaugurated on the occasion by Ven. MadhupanditDasa and Ven. Swami JanardanDasa (N-E Incharge of ISKCON). The Bhojanshala will daily feed 20-thousand Reang children from the surrounding villages.

The said projects and programmes will run with the joint cooperation of the three bodies, viz., Great India Talent Foundation, the ISKCON Trust (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) and the "SadhakRatan Mani SevaSadan" (A Service Trust of Guwahati Vishva Hindu Parishad). The ISKCON Trust will provide teachers for the school. - By Y. Raghavulu, Joint General Secretary, Vishva Hindu Parishad -goTop

 

7. 'Baahubali' rocket GSLV Mk-III has perfect launch: After the rocket, nicknamed "Fat Boy", fired by a high-thrust indigenous cryogenic engine, lifted off at 5.28pm on June 5 from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, a four tone communications satellite, GSAT 19, the country's heaviest, was placed in geosynchronous transfer orbit 15.53 minutes later, a few seconds earlier than scheduled. ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar said, "The GSLV Mk III needs just one more developmental flight, planned in a year, before it can be declared operational. "The launch demonstrated an indigenous cryogenic engine, in the works since 2002, a strong foundation for ambitious future projects, including Chandraayan II, scheduled for the first quarter of 2018, and a manned mission. It also showed the capability to make a next-generation satellite with a high reach. -goTop

 

8. PANDITS THRONG VALLEY TO ATTEND KHIR BHAWANI TEMPLE FESTIVAL: The Khir Bhawani temple, located at Tulmulla, 25 kilometers from Srinagar has become a major congregation of Pandits in Kashmir over the past several years. The authorities make special arrangements to ferry Pandits from Jammu to attend the festival.Mukhya Mantri Mehbooba Mufti received the devotees and asked them to pray for peace and welfare of the state.

Interacting with the devotees, Mehbooba Mufti said people in Kashmir eagerly await the return of their Kashmiri brethren. She said the socio cultural milieu of Valley is incomplete without Kashmiri Pandits. A large number of Kashmiri Muslims had come to meet their Pandit brethren on the occasion. -goTop

 

9. Cow is like Ma, God: HC judge: A Hyderabad high court judge said on June 9, the cow is "sacred national wealth" and a "substitute to Mother and God." Justice B Siva Sankara Rao's observation comes days after a Rajasthan HC judge had said the cow should be declared the national animal. Rao also said it was a settled legal position that Muslims had no fundamental right to insist on the slaughter of healthy cows on Bakrid. -goTop

 

10.  LEO VARADKAR, BHARATIYA-ORIGIN DOCTOR, TAKES OVER AS IRELAND'S YOUNGEST PM: Leo Varadkar, a 38-year-old Bharatiya-origin doctor, scripted history on June 14 by becoming Ireland's youngest and the first openly gay prime minister of the Catholic-majority country, as he promised to build "a republic of opportunity".The former general physician, who is the son of an Irish nurse and a doctor from Bharat, won the Fine Gael party leadership earlier this month. Addressing the Dail (Irish parliament), after his election, Varadkar said, "I've been elected to lead but I promise to serve." -goTop

 

11.  Tree plantation on death anniversary of Shri Guruji: The 44th smriti divas anniversary of second RSS Sarsanghachalak Shri Guruji was observed in Jaipur with a difference. This year the local workers planted 44 medicinal plants to pay tribute to the visionary Sangh leader on June 5. The plants were planted by 44 Sangh Pracharaks who were attending a meeting at Sanganer. They included Kshetra Pracharak Durgadas, senior Pracharak Dhanprakash and Manakchand, Samarasata Pramukh Tulsinarayan, Ghumantu Pariyojana Pramukh Hemant Kumar, etc. -goTop

 

12. A slice of Santiniketan, coming up in Houston: Rabindranath Tagore's abode of peace, Santiniketan, is being replicated some 14,200km away, in Texas's largest city of Houston.The Tagore Centre for Arts and Culture, expected to be ready by the middle of next year, has been conceived by alumni and faculty members of Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur and has the full support of the Texas administration.The centre will be completed with a Chhatimtala, commonly called the scholar tree, for which a sapling will be specially flown in from Visva-Bharati.

The design of Houston's Chhatimtala will keep the spirit of the original alive, promised Ashok De Sarkar and his wife Ruma Acharya De Sarkar, both IIT-Kgp alumni from the chemical engineering department. The Sarkars are bringing this dream alive with the help of IIT-Kharagpur's architecture faculty. Joy Sen, head of the Ranabir and Chitra Gupta School of Infrastructure Design Management at IIT-Kgp, have designed the unique centre that is coming up on a 17-acre plot bought by the De Sarkars in a quiet residential neighbourhood. -goTop

 

13.     THE   YOGA   VASISHTA    PATH   TO     LIBERATION:  There comes a point in life when we find everything meaningless. Who we are and what we have done, suddenly appear to be inconsequential and worthless. When we look around, everyone else also seems to be confined in a similar 'futile' existence. In this context, we start losing hope and develop a gamut of psychological or physical disorders. Is this our destiny? Perhaps not, because, alongside the darkness, there exists abundant hope. This is because, since time immemorial, enlightened ones have grappled with gloom and realised the truth. We, too, can take the same route to transcend misery and reach salvation.

The one who we worship and venerate as Rama underwent a similar crisis wherein he figured out that both the mind and the external world are fraught with delusions. He concluded that under the spell of these falsehoods people go through multiple cycles of birth and death, without discovering happiness. Sage Vasishta dispelled all darkness that was engulfing the mind of Prince Rama, so that he could clearly see the path to liberation and break free of suffering.

This illuminating dialogue between Prince Rama and Vasishta has been narrated in the 'Yoga Vasishta'.

Vasishta reaffirms that because we are pure consciousness, we can choose to be free, by making an effort. The cornerstone of the path to salvation is this rigorous effort, which emerges from a deep knowledge of scriptures, instructions of a learned one and one's own determination. The only goal to live for is to be liberated and therefore we should try our best to realise it by working hard, every moment. This effort materialises, when the soul, mind and body are unified and we embrace whatever is pure and reject that which is impure.

The four crucial components of this effort are samo, quietude of mind; vichara, spirit of enquiry; santosa, contentment and satsang, company of realised ones. We can develop quietude by understanding that the reactions of pleasure and pain emerge from our cravings and bind the consciousness. Our true nature is beyond pleasure and pain and once we restrict our craving, we can be free from these baser reactions. Consequently, the mind becomes pure and is able to realise the truth.

The spirit of enquiry involves looking deeply into ourselves to understand who we really are and dismantling all falsehoods and conditionings. When the search is constant and serious, mental and karmic patterns of the current as well as past lives get destroyed, and the light manifests.

Contentment is cultivation of an attitude to accept whatever comes our way without depression or elation. We continue to work hard but our emotional calm is not disrupted by the returns. With this mental stance, there comes the realisation that whatever the world offers is trivial compared to the wisdom that is worth attaining; so one seeks only the truth. Vasishta said that keeping the company of realised ones and serving them wholeheartedly, is superior among all spiritual practices. When a person keeps such company, the veil of ignorance automatically lifts and the self gets anchored in Divine consciousness.

The crucial thing to realise is that happiness is a state that no one, including the Divine, can bestow upon us. It happens only when we assiduously work for it. If we are not getting there, it simply means that we need to enhance our effort. Therefore, one must leave all fatalism and cultivate rigorous self-effort.  - By Pulkit Sharma

(The writer is a clinical psychologist, Times of India, June 13, 2017) -goTop

 

14. Kailash Mansarovaryatra 2017: Videsh MantriSushma Swaraj on June 11 flagged off the first batch of pilgrims bound for the annual Kailash Mansarovaryatra for this year. "The reverence we have for Lord Shiva, we should have similar respect for his abode. Therefore, please do not sully the road that will lead you to Lord Shiva," she told the pilgrims.A total of 1,430 devotees will undertake the pilgrimage in 25 batches this year. Eighteen batches, each comprising around 60 pilgrims, will visit Kailash Mansoravar through the more arduous Lipulekh Pass route, while seven batches with 50 pilgrims each will take the newly-opened Nathu La route.The yatra will continue for the next four months. -goTop

 

15.   HCL, TCS and Wipro among top 10 global engineering services firms: Three Bharatiya firms - HCL, TCS and Wipro, continue to be among the 10 biggest engineering services firms in the world, and all three now have over a billion dollars in revenue from that stream, as per a study by US based HfS Research for 2016. In its study for 2015, HfS had estimated TCS and Wipro's revenues from engineering services at slightly less than a billion dollars. French firms Altran and Alten continue their firm grip on the top two spots. HCL, TCS and Wipro are at the fifth, seventh and eighth spots. Eight firms are in the over $1 billion club compared to six last year.TCS has moved up a notch to the seventh place, while Wipro slipped a notch down to the 8th spot. HfS estimates TCS's and Wipro's revenue in engineering services to be $1.10 billion and $1.05 billion in 2016. -goTop

 

16. PRIME Minister Theresa May visits London Hindu Temple: Prime Minister Theresa May visited BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden on June 3. Arriving to a warm but dignified reception and welcome from 3.500 devotees, the Prime Minister opened her address with "Jai Swaminarayan" and said, "British Hindus provide a shining example of how a community can integrate successfully and embrace British values whilst retaining their cultural heritage and identity.  British Indians provide inspiring role models across all walks of life, from business to medicine; finance to charities; and teaching to the creative industries." -goTop

 

17. Sunnyvale Hindu Temple Celebrates 25th Anniversary with Religious Fervor: The Hindu Temple and Community Center in Sunnyvale, US celebrated its Silver Jubilee, with the grand three-day celebration starting May 26 and culminating May 28. Each of the three days was packed with religious rituals, great food and cultural performances. The elaborate celebrations were kicked off with a Ganesh Havan in the morning followed by continuous religious rituals throughout day. In the evening, 108 ladies came together to worship Goddess Lalitha Devi by performing kumkumaarchana 100,000-times in a ceremony called LakshaKumkumarchana. The religious celebrations culminated with PanchaKalyanotsavam, which is a popular religious activity from the southern part of Bharat. -goTop

 

18. UK election: 2 Sikh MPs add to record Bharatiyaset in House of Commons: All 10 Bharatiya-origin lawmakers in the previous Parliament expectedly retained their seats, with Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) and Preet Kaur Gill (Birmingham Edbaston) - both Labour - taking forward the "Bharatiya" participation in British politics. The dozen include seven from the Labour Party and five from the Conservative Party.There were more than 50 Bharatiya-origin candidates from various parties in the fray. Jasdev Singh Rai of the British Sikh Consultative Forum said: "We will now have a voice in Parliament. The two are well respected within the community, are in touch with gurdwaras sangats and Sikh youth.-goTop

 

19. VHP to work for making Bharat Untouchability Free: The three day Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal meeting of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has stressed the need to accelerate efforts of making Bharat untouchability-free. About 250 saints from different parts of the country participated in the meeting presided over by Jagadguru Shankaracharya Swami Vasudevanand Saraswati. The resolution about social harmony was moved by Swami Govind Giri Maharaj. The resolution said every Hindu is equal and Hinduism has never recognized untouchabiltiy. The resolution expects the Hindu society to open the doors of all temples, water bodies and crematoriums for all without discrimination. -goTop

 

20.  Canadian City Gets a New Hindu Temple: On 22 April, members of the Hindu community flocked to Wyndham, Victoria, British Columbia for the opening ceremony of the city's newest temple. The Hindu temple in Wyndham is now the home of many sacred statues--called murtis--and their presence is already drawing devotees daily and in large numbers on the weekend."This is now a living, breathing house of God," said Pandit Radha Raman. The temple offers a community room free of cost to the people to have their special prayers, devotional functions, bhandaras, birthday havans etc, and even teaching Hindi. The temple is open to people from all walks of life and religion. The murtisthapana, which means placing of sacred murtis through religious ceremonies, was done over the course of two auspicious days. On the second day the murtis were made visible to public.-goTop

 

21. IIT-Delhi, IIT-Bombay, IISc among world’s top 200 universities, says report: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Bombay, IIT-Delhi and Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have found a place in the top 200 universities in the latest edition of the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. Bharat boasts of three of the top 200 universities in the world for the first time as IIT-Bombay grabbed the 179th rank this time from 219th last year, IIT-Delhi rose to 172nd from the 185th rank and IISc slipped by 38 places to 190.-goTop

 

22. BHARATIYA-American Ananya Vinay wins Spelling Bee title: Ananya Vinay, a 12-year-old Bharatiya-American girl, won the prestigious Scripps National Spelling Bee on 2nd June, taking home USD 40,000 cash prize after correctly spelling "marocain" to become the 13th consecutive winner from the community. A sixth-grader from Fresno, California, Ananya won the spelling competition after numerous rounds against Rohan Rajeev, another Bharatiya-American student, underscoring the overwhelming dominance of Bharatiya-Americans in the competition. Ananya and Rajeev were the last two standing of the initial 291 spellers. In a post-victory interview, Ananya told reporters she was able to recognise one of the final words as it had been mentioned in her social studies book. "You can find words in interesting places," she was quoted as saying by the USA Today. Ananya is the 13th consecutive Bharatiya-American winner of the competition and the 18th of the past 22 winners with Bharatiya heritage, a run that began in 1999 with Nupur Lala's victory, which was featured in the documentary "Spellbound." -goTop

 

23. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri Ravikumar, sah samyojak Vishwa Vibhag is on a tour to Singapore. Dr Ram Vaidya, sah samyojak will return to UK after pravas of Canada and USA. Shri Shyam Parande, Secretary Sewa International will visit Bali and Laos. Visitors: Rajiv Bharadwaj - Japan

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: जीवने यावदादानं स्यात्प्रदानं ततोऽधिकम्। What ever has been given to us in our life by the Parameshwar, we should give away more than that to the society. - From the Prarthana of Vivekananda Kendra. -goTop

JAI SHREE RAM

  --

PANDURANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM DESH!

(Part II)

Understanding Cham is not only understanding the Champa Hindus but also understanding the Cham Bani or Cham Muslim. Cham Bani is important factor because the declining Champa power and the rising Islam in the South East Asia, with Majaphit Hindu King adopting Islam, influenced the whole of South East Asian countries. What happened then, in what we call Indonesia now, also happened in Champa Desh in 16-17th centuries. Major part of the population converted to Islam but this was a different version of Islam called Cham Bani, totally localised version of Islam. Everyone born in the Cham community is a Hindu, even if born in Bani family. One has to undergo a ritual to be a Cham Bani. Marriages are very common among the Cham Hindu and Cham Bani and this is a bit complicated as every Hindu boy or girl marrying a Bani, has to first become Bani before marriage. However, this being a matriarchal society, the cremation or burial of the person has to connect to Mother's way of life. A Cham Hindu girl who marries a Cham Bani boy will become Cham Bani but will be cremated according to Cham Hindu rites as her mother is a Cham Hindu.

I am glad that I visited a sacred cremation ground which looked like a Mandir rather than a crematorium. A Cham Hindu is cremated at the crematorium and 9pieces of bones (Asthee- अस्थी) are picked up and preserved at home for some specific time. These are then submersed in the family's crematorium where the elder's remains (अस्थी) are also buried on a specific time. Similarly, for Cham Bani, the body is first buried temporarily at a place and after a year it is removed and buried for permanent in a separate burial ground. Both the rituals have to follow the auspicious time 'the Muhurt' (मुहूर्त), whether Hindu or Bani.

Cham Bani has evolved in a different way because the Islam has travelled to these countries from Bharat, it is mentioned often. Cham Bani worships in a mosque while they also worship in Mandirs without a miss. They follow a version of Quran but do not miss to follow 'Git' (गीत) and also have many other scriptures unlike the Arabian Islam. They have no problem with idolatry, that being important part of life. Cham Bani do participate in the Mandir festivals where Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh, the Trinity and Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati, the other Trinity, are also worshiped, an amazing indigenization. Scholars or experts will have to assess the demographic consequences of this kind of shared religiosity. Modern Wahabi Islam is already influencing the Bani mind, a worrying development in the region.

I could also visit some Mandirs which are well known. Po KlongGarai, a 13th century Cham Mandir, hosts a Cham festival with dancing and music and appearances by the last Cham queen. Cham Hindus and Cham Bani participate in this festival in large numbers. The two major feasts - Bon Kate (कते) in September or October and Bon Chabur (चबूर) in January and February - blend elements of Hindu Dharma and Islam, and feature five days of celebrations and rites for ancestors. The faithful Cham Hindus and Cham Banis, respect the sentiments of each other so much so that both do not eat Beef or Pork, when they come together or during any celebration/ festival.

Now, the vegetarians need not worry while they visit this land as they can get a bowl full of vegetarian soup with lot of vegetables that fills the belly with mere size of the bowl. Just that they will have to be careful about the ingredients. Fruits are also in abundance and unlike many other countries, life in this country is not costly. An Indian Rupee equals Vietnamese Don 235, one can be a millionaire for a while and enjoy. I had just less than two days at my disposal to interact with the community leaders, the High Priest, Cham literary figures, Cham Pandits, and youth apart from visiting the Mandirs in ruins and the Museum, an uphill task. It would need at least a weekdays to perform that task, I realised. I missed many important aspects of Cham life, frankly speaking.

My host InraJaka (इनराचाका) responds only to the questions. Making him speak his mind is a challenge. There was no other way to make him speak out his mind but to keep questioning. InraJaka is educated in Saigon, the present Ho Chi Minh City and speaks English very well. But rest of the Cham land speaks Vietnamese and some Cham language, and no other language. Inra’s father is a famous poet, living in Ho Chi Minh that is located in South but Inra has left all that to be among the Cham population and lives in a village doing agriculture and part time jobs for his survival while his wife supports him, teaching in a village school. Jaka dresses in the traditional way including the 'Pagri' that is Cham and is seen distinctly different from the rest of the Cham population who have abandoned the traditional clothing.We discussed as many things as possible like Cham Calendar, the traditional agriculture, the irrigation system including the dam and canals built by famous King Po KlungGarai in 13th century and helps irrigate the land even now, the festivals, the rites & rituals and a whole lot of things, while we roamed around on a motorcycle. The luxury of living in a hut was quite comfortable for me.

This story will not be complete if I miss mentioning the visit to Patau Blah (पतउ ब्लाह) which is the largest and earliest stone inscription found in whole of South East Asia. The Sanskrit inscription in Brahmeescript dates back to 2-3 century. This is a huge stone carving but uncared for, exposed to nature without efforts to preserve this treasure.  

The parting comment from a famous Cham author& poet with whom I had lunch was eloquent. Shri TraViya (त्राविया), known for his Cham language poetry and novels, said, "In you, I see a soul that visited the ChampaDesh 1500 years earlier, visiting us again. I have great hope in you and your organization".

Pandurang province in Vietnam country? Hope you don't ask me anymore!

(Shri Shyam Parande is Secretary, Sewa International and Secretary General, Antar Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad.  <shyamparande@gmail.com>) -goTop


SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN www.shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com vishwav@bol.net.in

Jyestha Shukla 7, Vik.Samvat 2074, Yugabda 5119: June 1, 2017



SAMVAD

Jyestha Shukla 7, Vik.Samvat 2074, Yugabda 5119: June 1, 2017


1. FESTIVALS: Festival Fever in Jail! Women prisoners in Odisha celebrated 'Bata Sabitri' 2. FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, A WOMAN CLAIMS TOP SPOT IN CIVIL SERVICES EXAM
3. Mother of two from NE on top of world 4. Our young children have the competence to face all odds and challenges - Rashtrapati
5. MANN KI BAAT: MODI WELCOMES 'CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM' OF THREE-YEAR RULE 6. MEANINGFUL LIFE MAKES A DIFFERENCE: Mohan Bhagwat
7. PM’S 'MANN KI BAAT' A BIG HIT ABROAD 8. SIKHS IN THE FOREFRONT TO PROVIDE HELP TO PEOPLE
9. BHARAT IS GURU AND WE ARE FOLLOWERS: DALAI LAMA 10. GOVT. OK'S 10 INDIGENOUS N-PLANTS
11. SENATE CONFIRMS AMUL THAPAR TO KEY JUDICIAL POST 12. DONATING FOR SOLDIERS
13. GST TO BOOST GROWTH, SAYS WORLD BANK 14. BHARATIYA NAVY JOINS FLOOD RELIEF OPS IN SRI LANKA
15. Bharatiya - American student wins National Geographic Bee contest 16. Swami Narayan Chair: New chair at IGNOU
17.  BHARAT MOVES FROM 'BRAIN DRAIN' TO 'BRAIN GAIN' 18. Nalanda University to introduce VedicStudies
19. Charkha museum unveiled 20. Tamil Nadu: Over 72,000 palm-leaf, paper manuscripts moved to Anna library
21. Boost in e-Tourist Visa: 63.4% growth in foreigners who arrived on e-Visa 22. Tamil Nadu Mukhya Mantri K Palaniswami releases Korean version of "Thirukkural"
23. 'Return of the Three Stone Sculptures from Australia to Bharat' exhibition kicks off 24. Mahatma Gandhi, Bharatiya Independence Movement In Oxford Curriculum
25. This desi helps refugees, one masala chai at a time 26. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN & FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Article:

PANDURANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM DESH!


1. FESTIVALS: Festival Fever in Jail! Women prisoners in Odisha celebrated 'Bata Sabitri': The women prisoners of Sambalpur NariNiketan celebrated 'Bata Sabitri' Festival on May 25 by wearing new saree for the day. In the evening of the festival day, a proper puja was conducted by calling a pandit which was arranged by the jailers.

After the puja woman prisoners broke their fast by accepting the Prasad. "I have been celebrating this festival since last four years and am happy to be a part of it again. I am glad that such festival is celebrated in jail", said Babita Pradhan one of the woman prisoners. Established in 1994, the Nari Bandi Niketan having only 25 inmates against its capacity of 55 is the only jail for women in the state. Out of the total inmates, thirteen are under trial prisoners (UTPs).-GoTop

 

2. FOR THE THIRD YEAR IN A ROW, A WOMAN CLAIMS TOP SPOT IN CIVIL SERVICES EXAM: A woman IRS officer from Karnataka, Nandini K R, has topped the civil services exam 2016. This is for the third year in a row that a woman has bagged the top rank in the elite exam, with Ira Singhal having topped CSE 2014 and Tina Dabi CSE 2015.Nandini, who bagged the top position in her fourth attempt, belongs to the other backward classes (OBC). Incidentally, last year's topper, Tina Dabi, was from the Scheduled Castes. The second and third rank went to Anmol Sher Singh Bedi from Amritsar in Punjab and Gopalakrishna Ronanki, respectively. "This is a very happy moment. I was hoping to do well this time, but the top position is a pleasant surprise," a gushing Nandini said. -GoTop

 

3. Mother of two from NE on top of world: AnshuJamsenpa of Bomdilla in Arunachal Pradesh became on May 21 the first woman to claim "dual ascent" of Mount Everest twice within a span of five days. She broke the previous record of Nepal's Chhurim Sherpa, who had climbed Mt Everest twice in a week in 2012.The 37-year-old is also the first Bharatiya woman to climb Mount Everest for the fifth time.

At the Everest base camp, general secretary of Everest Summitteers Association, Lhakpa Rangdu Sherpa, announced that Anshu, a mother of two, reached the top of the world's highest mountain at 7.45am on May 21, setting the record for a double ascent in a single season. Anshu had created her first mountaineering record by climbing Mount Everest on May12 in 2011and again on May 21 the same year, becoming the first mother in the world to summit the world’s highest peak twice within 10 days. -GoTop

 

4. Our young children have the competence to face all odds and challenges - Rashtrapati: Expressing his concern over the recent trends in education system Rashtrapati Pranab Mukherjee urged students to focus on quality education with the element of values. Addressing students of Lawrence School in Ootacamund on May 23, Rashtrapatiji articulated that education is nothing but developing and building a person. He further asked students not to become informed robots without any soul. On this occasion Tamil Nadu governor C Vidyasagar Rao was also present. Established in 1858, Lawrence school was set in the memory of Major General Sir Henry Lawrence to impart vocational education to the orphans and children of European soldiers in Bharat. Post-independence the Bharat Sarkar took over the management of the school. -GoTop

 

5. MANN KI BAAT: MODI WELCOMES 'CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM' OF THREE-YEAR RULE: During his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat', the pradhanmantri appreciated the opinion polls and surveys conducted over the last one month. A couple of days after celebrating his third year in power, Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi on May 28 welcomed constructive criticism of his government's performance because such an action "strengthens democracy". "I am also influenced by good and bad things like the aamaadmi (common man)," Modi said during his monthly radio show, Mann Ki Baat. "Constructive criticism strengthens democracy. For an aware nation, an awakened nation, this churning is very important." The Pradhan Mantri's remarks come amid rising concern over growing unemployment and alleged intolerance. Employment generation was a key promise of the Modi government. However, economists claim that even if six-to-eight million youths were to get jobs each year, there would still be a backlog of 117 million.

"Audits and assessments of the government's performance in the last three years have been happening on all TV channels, social media platforms and newspapers for 15 days now. Three years ago, you vested me with the responsibility of Pradhan Sewak - chief servant of the people. There have been many surveys and opinion polls in this regard. I see this entire process as a very healthy sign," Modi said.Addressing his first Mann Ki Baat in his fourth year of power, Modi spoke at length on the plurality of Bharat in the backdrop of the holy month of Ramzan. In a bid to reach out to Muslims, he said the country was "very lucky" to have a tradition where people from all communities and faiths co-exist in peace. "This is a country where theists and atheists, idolaters and non-idolaters live in harmony. We have adapted ourselves to myriad kinds of ideologies, various ways of worship, and imbibed the art of co-existential living" Modi added. -GoTop

 

6. MEANINGFUL LIFE MAKES A DIFFERENCE: Mohan Bhagwat: "The life should be meaningful than successful alone. Only then the knowledge that a human being acquires becomes meaningful. VidyaBharati is doing excellent job in this regard," said Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh Sarsanghachalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat while laying the foundation stone for the new building of Samarth ShikshaSamitischool at Bhalaswa on May 23. Samarth ShikshaSamiti is associated with the VidyaBharati.

He said the purpose of education is not only to earn livelihood. Its purpose is to become capable of giving something back to the society in which we live. It is necessary to ignite these feelings to make education meaningful. He said knowledge makes a human educated. It empowers children to maintain self-esteem. Knowledge cannot be attained by just attending schools, it also requires sacrifice and devotion by guardians and the family. "VidyaBharati is successfully trying to accomplish these jobs. In fact, VidyaBharati is a family comprising guardians, teachers and students. Lakhs of VidyaBharati volunteers have dedicated themselves to provide the type of education that is required to be given to students," Shri Bhagwat said. Chairman of National Book Trust Baldevbhai Sharma, general secretary of VidyaBharatiLalit Bihari Goswami and RSS Delhi Prant Sanghachalak Kulbhushan Ahuja were also present. -GoTop

 

7. PM'S 'MANN KI BAAT' A BIG HIT ABROAD: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi’s monthly address -'Mann Ki Baat' - being aired to about 150 countries - has evoked a "huge response" from people of Bharatiya-origin living abroad, AIR External Services Division Director Amlanjyoti Mazumdar has said. The address, telecast live in Hindi, is also broadcast in a translated version in English. Excerpts of the speech are aired in various other languages, including Russian, French, Urdu and Chinese.

The official said there was a "huge response" to Modi's address every time it was broadcast, and they had received a number of messages, mostly from African countries.Listeners also send in their responses from the Gulf countries, Australia, New Zealand and Canada, he said.Mazumdar said people across the globe can also log on to the broadcaster's website to listen to Modi live.-GoTop

 

8. SIKHS IN THE FOREFRONT TO PROVIDE HELP TO PEOPLE: From taxi driver Mann Singh to Sikh volunteers from Birmingham to local gurdwaras - members of the community were at hand to offer transport, food, water and shelter as people struggled to come to terms with the May 22 terror attack in Manchester. Members of the Sikh community with placards of 'I Love MCR' were among the most conspicuous in May 22 evening's vigil in Manchester, which was attended by thousands of people, mourning the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena blast.The four gurdwaras that remained open throughout the night of Monday-Tuesday were Sri Guru Gobind Singh Gurdwara Educational and Cultural Centre, Gurdwara Sri Guru Harkrisham Sahib, Dasmesh Sikh Temple and Central  ManchesterGurudwara.-GoTop

 

9. BHARAT IS GURU AND WE ARE FOLLOWERS: DALAI LAMA - The 81-year-old Tibetan spiritual Guru Dalai Lama called Bharat 'A guru and he as a chela of the Guru' and ascribed himself as the messenger of ancient Bharatiya values and knowledge. Addressing a seminar organised by the Social Justice Department of Karnataka to commemorate Ambedkar's 125th birth anniversary in Bengaluru on May 23 Tibetan Guru said, "He considers himself as a son of Bharat." Deprivation from social justice in the name of caste was not from religion, but it was from existing societal systems like feudal system, he added.-GoTop

 

10. GOVT OK'S 10 INDIGENOUS N-PLANTS: The Union Cabinet on May 17 approved a proposal for indigenously building 10 atomic reactors of 700 MW each. The Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) will be developed by the Department of Atomic Energy. The 10 reactors would be built at Mahi Banswara (Rajasthan), Chutka (Madhya Pradesh), Kaiga (Karnataka) and Gorakhpur (Haryana).

"Bharat currently has  6,780 MW from 22 operational plants. Another 6,700 MW of nuclear power is expected to be added by 2021-22 when currently under-construction projects come on stream in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu," said a Government statement.With likely manufacturing orders of close to Rs 70,000 crore to the domestic companies, the project is expected to help transform Bharatiya nuclear industry and generate more than 30,000 jobs in direct and indirect employment. -GoTop

 

11. SENATE CONFIRMS AMUL THAPAR TO KEY JUDICIAL POST: Amul Thapar, an Bharatiya-American legal luminary and US President Donald Trump's first nominee to a powerful appeals court, has been confirmed by the US Senate to the key judicial position. Thapar, the first Bharatiya-American to be nominated by Trump for the 6th US Circuit Court of Appeals, was confirmed by the Senate 52-44 in a vote on party lines. With this, 48-year-old Thapar becomes the second South Asian judge to be on the US Circuit Court of Appeals, which hears appeals from Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio and Michigan. "Judge Thapar will make an outstanding addition to the US Appeals Court for the Sixth Circuit," said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on May 25.-GoTop

 

12. DONATING FOR SOLDIERS:  Bhavnagar in Gujarat is known for social service. The city is known as 'Ganda nun Gaam', the city ofmental persons, because many mental patients travelling by trains are dropped here and many local people and organisations look after them. Shishuvihar and the late Maanbhai Bhatt are also known for such works. But now three persons of the city have come forward for the cause of soldiers. They are Janardanbhai Bhatt, Rakshaben Dave and Nimeshbhai Trivedi. Among them, Janardanbhai Bhatt is the highest donor. He donated whopping Rs 1.02 crore for the welfare of soldiers. And that too when he lives on pension!

Shri Bhatt retired from State Bank of Saurashtra as a clerk. Janardanbhai is an RSS swayamsevak. He used to go to NeelkanthShakha held at RuvapariDarwaja. He says, "My all social work is due to the samskar of the RSS. I learnt honesty, sincerity, integrity, devotion anddedication in the Shakha." He worked with Chandabhai Dave in the union, who is among the pioneer swayamsewaks.

From 1970, Janardanbhai started gifting sweets, fire crackers to orphan children. His union donated Rs 1 lakh forelectrification of a cremation ground. Janardanbhai has been doing this work because he has great support from his better half Padmaben who is SwadhyayPariwar worker. Both got married in 1955 and their marriage life has become inspiration model for many a couple. Janardanbhai donated Rs 6 lakh for dialysis to Bajarangdasbapa Hospital, Bhavnagar. His wife gave Rs 16 lakh to the same hospital next year in memory of her parents.  Janardanbhai could donate such a huge amount because his friend’s father advised him to invest in stock market long ago. This investment is now giving good returns.

After his initiative, significantly two persons came forward for donation. One is Rakshaben Dave. She is also retiredprofessor. She has donated Rs 1 lakh! One Nimeshbhai Trivedi donated Rs 25,000.

Rakshaben says, "When the news of video of soldiers complaining about food served to them broke out, she could not take her meal. I thought what could be done for them? Then I heard news that the soldier was detained." Rakshaben thought to do something for soldiers but didn't know how to do. She has written more than 70 books on Hinduism. So she thought, "When there is will, she will find way also." And then news came from Ashokbhai Pandya, a colleague of Janardanbhai Bhatt about donation. She is now thinking to donate Rs 1 lakh more on RakshaBandhan. Vandan to such souls! -- Jaywant Pandya from Ahmedabad.Full article in the Organiser May 28. -GoTop

 

13. GST TO BOOST GROWTH, SAYS WORLD BANK: The economy will grow 7.2% in 2017-18 and 7.7% in 2019-2020 and implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) will provide a big boost to overall economic growth and revenues, a World Bank report said onMay 29.According to Junaid Ahmad, World Bank country director in Bharat, the GST would reduce the cost of doing business for firms, reduce logistics costs of moving goods across states, while ensuring no loss in equity. -GoTop

 

14. BHARATIYA NAVY JOINS FLOOD RELIEF OPS IN SRI LANKA: Bharat rushed three Navy ships with emergency supplies to help Sri Lanka in the rescue and relief operations following a devastating flood situation there. The fist Bharatiya Navy ship - INS Kirch - arrived on May 27 morning at the Port of Colombo with the necessary materials. While expressing condolences at the loss of lives and property, PradhanMantriModi said, "Bharat condoles the loss of lives and property in Sri Lanka due to flooding and landslides. We stand with our Sri Lankan brothers and sisters in their hour of need. Our ships are being dispatched with relief material. The first ship will reach Colombo tomorrow morning. The second will reach on 28th May. Further assistance on its way," the PM said. -GoTop

 

15. Bharatiya-American student wins National Geographic Bee contest: 14-year-old Pranay Varada, an eighth grader from Texas has won the prestigious $50,000 National Geographic Bee competition, maintaining the dominance of the community in the contest.He was declared the winner as he won the first tie breaker question when he correctly identified the Kunlun Mountains as the 1,200 mile range that separates the Taklimakan Desert from the Tibetan Plateau. He gets $50,000 in scholarship and other prizes. Veda Bhattaram another Bharatiya-American from New Jersey finished third at the finals held in Washington on May 17, while Thomas Wright from Wisconsin was declared the runner up. Wright received $25,000 and Bhattaram got $10,000 in scholarships. Bharatiya-Americans have won the National Geographic Bee competition for the last six consecutive years. -GoTop

 

16. Swami Narayan Chair: New chair at IGNOU: "The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) is mulling over establishing a Swami Narayan Chair in its campus and start value education and spiritualism programmes by August 2017," announced Prof. Ravindra Kumar, Vice Chancellor, IGNOU, during a meeting with the representatives of the Swami Narayan sansthan recently. "With this collaboration, all the centres of Swami Narayan in Bharat and abroad shall be established as IGNOU study centres and exam centres for the programme," he informed.The course, titled as PracheenBharatiyaSabhyataAivamSanskriti for the syllabus is at the final stages of approval. -GoTop

 

17.  BHARATMOVES FROM 'BRAIN DRAIN' TO 'BRAIN GAIN': Soon foreign and NRI scientists will work in the country's scientific institutions for a period of one to three months that would help expose doctorate and post-doctorate students to global research culture. Union Minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, DrHarshavardhan said that in Modi era, Bharat has moved from the era of "brain drain" to "brain gain" as over 1,000 Bharatiya scientists have returned from foreign countries to work in the country during the period. "Now our scientists have access to the best facility and the returning scientists have joined almost all research areas," Harshvardhan said. "We have tried to take science out of the four walls of the laboratory and connect it with the people. We have aligned science now to all our national priorities." "In a short span of time, we have become the sixth country in the world with the maximum number of research. In the next two years, we aim to become number 4 or 5. In Nanotech research, Bharat has become third," he added. -GoTop

 

18. Nalanda University to introduce VedicStudies: "Within the existing schools, we will create new departments," Vice Chancellor SunainaSingh said in a statement. "In the School of Buddhist Studies, Philosophy and Comparative Religions, we plan to introduce Vedic Studies, Bharatiya Spiritual Tradition and Peace Studies," Singhsaid.Located in the Buddhist pilgrim town of Rajgir in Bihar's Nalanda district, the universitybegan its first academic session in September 2014 on a makeshift campus. -GoTop

 

19. Charkha museum unveiled: The muchawaited heritage charkha museum and steel charkha was unveiled by BJP president Amit Shah on May 21.The charkha museum consists of 14 vintage charkhas in collaboration with Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). KVIC chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said that Charkha is a memorial to the unknown rural masses who took to the demonstrated ways of self-reliance and dignity of labour following the call of the father of the nation. "The KVIC, in association with NDMC, has set up this museum, showcasing 50 to 100-year-old charkhas," he said. -GoTop

 

20. Tamil Nadu: Over 72,000 palm-leaf, paper manuscripts moved to Anna library: One of the largest libraries in South Asia, the Anna Centenary Library (ACL) in Kotturpuram will now house 72,000 palm-leaf and paper manuscripts as the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library and Research Centre (GOML) has been moved into the world class facility with all its rare collections. The rare and original palm-leaf and paper manuscripts at the library are 300-500 years old. The palm-leaf manuscripts include those of the Tamil classics Tirukkural, Manimegalai and Tolkappiam. The library also has 25,000 reference books in various subjects. This library was established in 1869 mainly to house Bharat's first Surveyor General Mackenzie's collection. The palm-leaf and paper manuscripts are available in Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Urdu, Arabic, Persian and Sinhalese.They offer an insight into subjects as varied as literature, Vedas, Agama Shastra, architecture and mathematics, astronomy and Siddha. -GoTop

 

21. Boost in e-Tourist Visa: 63.4% growth in foreigners who arrived on e-Visa: Foreign tourist arrivals (FTAs) to Bharat for the month of April this year has seen a growth of 23.5 percent as compared to the same period last year. Also, total of 1.14 lakh tourists arrived on e-Tourist Visa as compared to 0.7 lakh during the month of April 2016 registering a growth of 63.4%. -GoTop

 

22. Tamil Nadu Mukhya Mantri K Palaniswami releases Korean version of "Thirukkural": Fulfilling the poll promise of late MukhyaMantriJ Jayalalithaa, Tamil Nadu MukhyaMantri K Palaniswami unveiled the Korean translation of the classic "Thirukkural" on May 23. In 2015, J Jayalalithaa had announced in the State Assembly that "Thirukkural" would be translated into Korean language at a cost of Rs 36 lakh.Palaniswami presented the first copy of Korean translation to  Kim Hyung Tae, Consul General of the Republic of Korea. Expressing his happiness over the historic work Tae said, "I am very honoured to receive the Thirukkural's first print in Korean language, the Korean people would relish the invaluable book of wisdom".

The Thirukkural is a classic Tamil sangam literature consisting of 1330 couplets or kurals, dealing with the everyday virtues of an individual. -GoTop

 

23. 'Return of the Three Stone Sculptures from Australia to Bharat' exhibition kicks off: The scriptures that were stolen from Bharat were returned by the prestigious Australian art exhibition last year; this year's exhibition "Return of the Three Stone Sculptures from Australia to India" was inaugurated on May 23 by the Samskritiaur Paryatan Rajya Mantri Dr. Mahesh Sharma in National Museum, New Delhi. The exhibition was organised to mark the safe return of three stone sculptures (Seated Buddha, Worshippers of Buddha, and Goddess Pratyangira) from Australia to Bharat.National Gallery of Australia had bought the rock carving for Rs 5 Cr approximately from aBharatiya art dealer in 2005,while sculpture of Goddess Pratyangira was acquired for Rs 1.6 Cr. The Seated Buddha was bought for Rs 3.85 Cr. "I am happy that the efforts of the Pradhan Mantri bore fruit. The Australian government has been extremely nice to return these artifacts to us without taking even a single rupee from us," said Dr. Mahesh Sharma. -GoTop

 

24. Mahatma Gandhi, Bharatiya Independence Movement In Oxford Curriculum: The University of Oxford has introduced a compulsory exam paper for history students to include Bharatiya, Asian and Middle Eastern affairs in a bid to make its curriculum more inclusive. Possible topics include the Bharatiya independence movement and the 1960s civil rights movement, highlighting figures such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

The move comes as universities across the UK face protests as part of a wider "Why is my curriculum white?" campaign and demand that syllabus be "decolonised". At Cambridge University, Professor Sir Richard Evans said that they were changing the way the British Empire was taught. "It is being studied in a more balanced way," he said. -GoTop

 

25. This desi helps refugees, one masala chai at a time: A TV programme about Iraqis who fled to Europe has inspired a Bharatiya management consultant to start a chai stall business in London that employs refugees from across the world. Pranav Chopra, who was born and raised in Delhi, left his full-time job in London in February to focus full-time on Chaigaram [meaning 'hot tea']. He now has stalls at two London food markets manned by refugees and sells chai to more than 20 independent cafes.So far the business has helped seven refugees from Syria, Eritrea, Iraq, Sudan and Pakistan. They either work on the chai stalls or pack and blend the Fairtrade Assam tea.Serving a cup of £3 (Rs 250) steaming hot chai at Druid Street Market in South London, Chopra says his aim was to help refugees get a job in the UK. Working for Chaigaram and interacting with locals boosted their confidence, improved their communication skills and gave them critical work experience, he said.He now plans to open a series of tea stalls across London and offer them as franchises to refugees. "The idea is to promote entrepreneurship among them," he said. -GoTop
 

26. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Dr Ram Vaidya sahsamyojak, vishwavibhag is visiting Canada and USA. Visitors: Dr. Ranganath Mishra, USA.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: No matter how many lectures we give or listen, until we work like what is talked we should not expect our goal to be achieved even by mistake - Dr. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar, RSS founder. -GoTop

 

JAI SHREE RAM

 --

PANDURANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM DESH!

(Part I)

Bharatiyas will be surprised by the above title, more so those from Maharashtra and surrounding region where Panduranga is the most popular deity. But the province I visited last week was called Pandurang, located not in Maharashtra, not in Bharat, but in central or middle Vietnam till 1975. The province is divided into two now and one part is given a name in Vietnamese language called Phan Rang, that is Pandu Rang. Now, every reader will have to understand that 1975 is a water-shade year in the modern history of Vietnam. The country was liberated from the yokes of superpowers that year, and there being every reason to celebrate that. Secondly, the two parts- North Vietnam and South Vietnam became one country called Vietnam. Those days the JNU commies shouted a slogan "Meranaam, teranaam, Vietnam Vietnam".

However, the people in middle country lost something much more precious - their culture, tradition and heritage. The cultural heritage was Champa. The Champadesh was a prosperous and powerful kingdom. Apart from this loss, thousands of people had lost their lives during the war and also after the war.

Communism has done enormous damage to the culture and language around 1975, and for years after in that land. Cham had a language which has many words from Sanskrit that language is not taught anymore in the schools or University. Language is the force that propels the Cultural heritage and tradition, and what I experienced is that the young generation of Cham Hindus are totally unaware of their culture. The cultural heritage will be preserved in the Museum in Phan Rang and My Son, definitely, but will not be lived or experienced any more, if the tide is not turned. With culture, ethos of the society have already been lost. This was the community that was enterprising and industrious which seems to be less creative any more than harvesting paddy. Being agrarian society, of course is a relief in a sense. But the vices that have crept into the society replacing great noble ideas and valour are enormous.

I visited some villages to watch the rich handicrafts of Chams, nothing wrong if that is called Vietnam handicrafts. The splendour and opulence of the handicrafts, be it handlooms, be it pottery, be it painting, be it leather work, all are losing the sheen by passing time. In pursuance of the modernity and employment, power looms and other machines, like in Bharat, are causing damage to the exquisiteness of the creation through skill. What has been produced by the machine can never match the creation by hand, the creation that communicates and is lively.

Well, I visited a potter family in a village of the potters close to Phan Rang town. Every house in Hamu Craok village does pottery and is famous world over. Tourists from far and near visit the village. What amazed me was something else. The family I visited responded to my query by asking the grandmother to show me how she creates an earthen pot. I was searching for a potter’s wheel and was at loss not to find one in the house. There are these couple of villages that do not have a turntable existing from past till now. However, the grandmother in the family came volunteering, “I will demonstrate that right away,” she said. The lady picked up the loaf of mud that was already mixed and seasoned with water. She created an earthen pot with just bare hands, no winding the wheel, no tapping with the wooden plank, just the hands. Lo, it took hardly 10 minutes to create a pot that can go into the hearth to be burnt or roasted. Amazing, is it not? The visitors can also try their hand to be a potter for a while, assisted by the potters. This pottery connects you to the Cham Hindu culture.

Another ancient artisanship that is unique to Cham culture is the famous brocade making in the village called My Nghiep. The unique feature of this village is that the villagers weave the designs manually, keeping alive the ancient art alive. This unique brocade is imbued with strong Cham cultural links. The Cham artisans generally stylize and innovate designs to improve the product. Chams produced lot of silk which is lost to the time now but are struggling to preserve the patterns and designs. Some clothes resemble the silk but are not genuine. Obviously, the neighbouring China produces all that is deceptive. There is no dearth of such products in Bharat also, that we call fake.  

Visit to the Museum and cultural centre in Phan Rang was another lesson. The script of the Cham language, the Mandirs of the Chams, the clothes that they used to wear, the pottery on display, the silk patterns of the cloth, the musical instruments they played, and the Shiva Lingam at the centre of the Museum, everything in the Museum and Arts Centre connects back to BharatiyaSanskriti. Well, beyond that the bulls and the bullock cart resembling our own bulls and bullock cart, was reminder of close cultural links.

Champa Hindus ruled the Kingdom for almost 18 centuries. It is mentioned in the Museum that the influence was seen as early as 3rd or 4th century to be called a Hindu Kingdom sometime in 6-7th century. So, Hindu traders and priests and Pandits from Bharat might have landed couple of decades, if not centuries earlier. They continued till 1975 though there were periods when Chams were defeated by the Vietnamese from the North or the Chinese invaders. Chams used to take shelter in the hills along the Khmer border whenever they lost and regrouped to be back fighting, winning the wars and regaining the Kingdom. Their Kingdom at times expanded to present day Cambodia also. Fired by the philosophy of Hindu Dharma, they were dreaded warriors in the region, never ever accepting the defeat till 1975. They are losing the hope now!

The Cham Hindus are languishing in poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, rendering them to underprivileged class. It is not surprising that the Vietnamese are quite vigilant of this community even in this situation. The might of Chams might rise, they feel, to divide their country. This should never happen, I feel, yet developing Cham Hindus to contribute to their country in a big way is possible provided the Vietnamese establishment looks at them positively and helps them preserve their culture, tradition and heritage. Cham Hindus will have to stand with the country in return. Every Vietnamese I interacted or informed about my visit to Cham community, received the idea with some hesitation, rather there was silence sometimes which was more expressive. A tough task ahead in that country. -          Shyam Parande   shyamparande@gmail.com -GoTop


SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN vishwav@bol.net.in www.shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com