\SAMVAD श्री विश्व निकेतन SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN
Ashwin Krishna 7, Vik. Samvat 2075 Yugabda 5120: 1 October 2018
1. FESTIVALS: Ganesh Chaturthi and Ganesh Puja was celebrated in Bharat and worldwide with usual gaiety and fervor. For many years, Hindus living outside Bharat are making preparations for this festival, encourage locals to join them and celebrate this festival and Ganesh Visarjan with processions etc. At Boeding –China, the festival was celebrated for 5 days on 6th consecutive year with good participation of local Chinese people. Hundreds of worshippers including Mick Skeels – Tendring Council’s cabinet member participated in the Ganesh Visarjan ceremony at Clacton Beach UK. It was also observed at Botley – UK, Bahrain and many other places across the globe. -GoTop
2. PERMANENT SECRETARIAT PROPOSED FOR HINDUS WORLDWIDE: Hindus worldwide should become more visible as positive change makers in their respective countries they call home, wherever they may be today, is the main consensus emerging from World Hindu Congress 2018, Dr. Abhaya Asthana, convener of the conference said at the concluding session of the World Hindu Conference at Chicago on 9th September.
The Hindu Political Conference, a subset of the WHC has suggested the need for a permanent secretariat in the US or UK for the cause of Hindu rights around the globe. To accomplish this task, a group of eminent persons will be recruited.
The congress hosted six other parallel sessions, on youth, media, economy, women, education, and Hindu organizations.
The media conference called for activist media entrepreneurs who are not profit driven and making writing contemporary and relevant to the present generation and make it “cool”.
Finding new ways to open trade, further regulatory reforms in Bharat, skill development, building ecosystems providing capital to startups and mentoring programs for young entrepreneurs were the recommendations of the economic conference.
A strategy for developing scholarship in religious studies and a strong international network of Hindu scholars were the outcomes of the Education conference.
The WHC drew delegates from 60 countries including countries like Peru and Guatemala. -GoTop
3, BHARATI’S FIRST VEDIC RESEARCH CENTRE TO BE SET UP AT BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY: The foundation for the country’s first Centre for Vedic Research was laid by Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi on 18th September at Banaras Hindu University. He launched this centre during his two-day visit to his home constituency on the occasion of his birthday. The centre as proposed will explore forgotten ancient Vedic texts and conduct multidisciplinary research. Envisioned to study and popularize the scientific approach and vision of the Vedic sciences and seers, the centre will also collect Vedic manuscripts for publication.
The centre will host a state-of-the-art research laboratory to study the effect of Vedic mantras, rituals, yoga and meditation on the human mind through neuro-psychological studies. -GoTop
4. BHARAT SUCCESSFULLY TEST-FIRES SHORT-RANGE BALLISTIC MISSILE ‘PRAHAR’: Bharat successfully test-fired an indigenously developed surface-to-surface short-range ballistic missile ‘Prahar’ from the Odisha coast on 20th September amid heavy rains. Notably, it is a huge success from Bharat’s point of view and will increase the strength of its security forces.
The test of sophisticated missile ‘Prahar’ developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) was done from launch pad-3 of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur at about 1:35 pm from a mobile launcher. ‘Prahar’ is a solid fuelled short-range missile fitted with an inertial navigation system. It is a quick reaction, all-weather, all-terrain, highly accurate battlefield support tactical weapon system and has various tracking radars as well as electro-optic equipment to track and monitor the missile's trajectory. -GoTop
5. AAPI HELPS BUILD RESTROOMS IN TWO CHENNAI SCHOOLS: The New York-based America Tamil Sangam and Shri Vari Foundation recently inaugurated ten restrooms at two corporation schools in Chennai, which have been adopted by them. The construction was done partly with the donations made by the Bharatiya American organizations American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI ) of Queens and Long Island, and the Indian Association of Long Island, New York. The two associations jointly donated around $15,000 to the Chennai flood relief fund of the Tamil Sangam two years ago which was now utilized to construct restrooms for girl students in two schools. -GoTop
6. BHARAT SUCCESSFULLY TEST FIRES ANTI-BALLISTIC MISSILE ‘PRITHVI DEFENCE VEHICLE’: Bharat made its dream come true on the midnight of 23rd September as it successfully conducted first night trial of its indigenously developed Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) from a defense facility off the Odisha coast. The test is considered to be a major milestone in developing a two-layer Ballistic Missile Defense system.
Bharat has become the 4th nation in the world to have a robust BMD system after US, Russia, and Israel with this successful testing. The hot standby interceptor missile Prithvi Defence Vehicle (PDV) which is capable of destroying enemy weapon systems at high altitudes of above 100 km, was flight tested against a target missile fired from a warship anchored in the Bay of Bengal. -GoTop
7, HAIFA DAY OBSERVED ON 23rd SEPTEMBER: ‘Just like we have ignored true history in our country, we also have ignored true heroes of the nation’ said Sri Prakash Belavadi, theatre and film personality addressing the program organized at Bengaluru by Manthana to commemorate the centenary of the victory of Haifa by the Bharatiya cavalry soldiers fighting as British Army against Ottoman empire during the first world war in 1918.
Similar programs were organized at Delhi, Jaipur and other places. Union Minister of State for External affairs Gen VK Singh was the Chief Guest at the recently renamed Teen Murti Haifa Chowk in Delhi. Shri Ravikumar, author of the book ‘Indian Heroism in Israel’ was the main speaker.
The Bahai community also celebrates this day as the day of the liberation of Abdu’l-Baha. In celebration of the centenary year of the battle of Haifa the Israeli government has issued a special first day cover and a set of commemorative postage stamps. -GoTop
8. MODI ROLLS OUT 'BIGGEST HEALTH SCHEME' Ayushman Bharat: Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi rolled out the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY)-Ayushman Bharat in Ranchi on 23rd September and termed it a "game-changer initiative to serve the poor".
"PMJAY-Ayushman Bharat is the biggest government-sponsored healthcare scheme in the world. The number of beneficiaries is almost equal to the population of Canada, Mexico and the US taken together," Modi said.
The magnitude of the Ayushman Bharat scheme could be gauged from the fact that more than 1,300 ailments are covered under it, including heart diseases, kidney and liver disorders and diabetes. The ambitious Ayushman Bharat scheme aims to provide coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually, benefiting more than 50 crore people for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization through a network of empanelled health care providers. -GoTop
9. PIOS HAVE DONATED MORE THAN $ 1.2 BILLION TO US ALMA MATERS SINCE 2000: Alumni of Bharatiya-origin have given more than $ 1.2 billion to American institutions of higher education since 2000, reveals a new survey.
The most prevalent recipient fields of donations were business (23.5 per cent) and medicine (20.6 per cent), closely followed by South Asia Studies (17.6 per cent) and engineering and computer sciences (13.3 per cent), according to a monitor of university-giving compiled by Indiaspora, an organization that seeks to transform the success of Bharatiya Americans into meaningful impact in Bharat and on the global stage.
Bharatiya -Americans are by far the best-educated and highest-earning ethnic group in the US with a median family income of more than $ 100,000 pa (compared to a national figure of around $ 60,000). About 32 per cent of Bharatiya-Americans have bachelor's degrees compared to 18 per cent for Americans and 38 per cent of Bharatiya Americans have Advanced Degrees compared to 10 per cent of Americans with advanced degrees. -GoTop
10. OVER 270 MILLION PEOPLE MOVED OUT OF POVERTY IN BHARAT SINCE 2005-06: According to the 2018 global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) released in New York by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), 271 million people moved out of poverty between 2005-06 and 2015-16 in Bharat. The poverty rate in the country has nearly halved, falling from 55 percent to 28 percent over the ten-year period.
Bharat is the first country for which progress over time has been estimated. Between 2005-06 and 2015-16, the number of multi dimensionally poor people in Bharat fell from 635 million to 364 million – an historic shift. Among states, Jharkhand had the greatest improvement, with Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, and Nagaland only slightly behind. -GoTop
11. HINDI MOST SPOKEN BHARATIYA LANGUAGE IN US: Hindi continues to be the most widely spoken Bharatiya language in the US, followed by Gujarati and Telugu. However, in terms of percentage increase, if the data of 2010 is compared with the most recent figures for 2017, the number of Telugu speaking individuals has risen the most — by 86%.
Hindi continues to be the most widely spoken Bharatiya language in the US, followed by Gujarati and Telugu. According to a report, over a seven-year period from 2010, the number of Telugu speakers has risen exponentially by 86% The corresponding rise as regards Hindi and Gujarati speakers was just 42% and 22% respectively. Hindi had 8.63 lakh speakers in the US, followed by Gujarati (4.34 lakh) and Telugu (4.15 lakh). -GoTop
12. MALDIVES: BHARAT WELCOMES SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF POLL PROCESS: Bharat has welcomed the successful completion of the poll process in the Maldives, said External Affairs Ministry in a statement from New Delhi. Bharat said, the election marks not only the triumph of democratic forces in the Maldives but also reflects the firm commitment to the values of democracy and the rule of law.
Opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the Maldives' presidential election. Outgoing President Yameen has systematically tried to repress opposition challenge during past years and neglected international opinion. He had declared an emergency and arrested Supreme Court judges in February who ruled to release opposition leaders including former President Mohammed Nasheed.-GoTop
13. PM MODI GETS UN'S HIGHEST ENVIRONMENT HONOUR: UN Environment has awarded Pradhan Mantri Narendra Modi with the United Nations' highest environmental honour for his leadership of the International Solar Alliance and pledge to eliminate single-use plastic in Bharat by 2022.
PM Modi’s contribution in creating change with taking a stand to curb pollution, his bold environmental leadership on the global stage has garnered immense attention and applause. Under PM Modi’s leadership, Bharat pledged to eliminate all single-use plastics in the country by 2022. French President Emmanuel Macron and PM Modi have been jointly recognized in the Policy Leadership category for their pioneering work in championing the International Solar Alliance and promoting new areas of levels of cooperation on environmental action. -GoTop
14. NEPAL BECOMES FIRST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD TO DOUBLE THE TIGER’S POPULATION: Doing a bit in saving the environment and nature’s beauty of wildlife, Nepal has become the first country in the world to double the tiger’s population. While the number of tigers in many countries is witnessing a decline, a recent survey led by the Government of Nepal has shown that the population of tigers has almost doubled in under a decade in the country.
According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), an organization dealing with wildlife conservation and endangered species, this news can help Nepal become the first country to double its national tiger population since the ambitious TX2, a goal to double tiger numbers in the wild by 2022, was set in 2010. -GoTop
15. AMARNATH YATRA ENDS PEACEFULLY FOR 285,000 PILGRIMS: The two-month-long Amarnath yatra concluded peacefully on 26th August with the holding of prayers at the cave shrine of Bhagwan Shiva nestled in the South Kashmir Himalayas at an altitude of around 13,500 feet. Puja was held when the Chhari Mubarak (holy mace) depicting Bhagwan Shiva and Goddess Parvati arrived at the shrine. According to Bhupinder Kumar, Additional Chief Executive Officer of the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB), 285,006 yatris paid obeisance at the cave shrine. Last year, 260,000 pilgrims had performed the yatra. -GoTop
16. SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN: Pravas: Shri V Bhagaiah Sahsarkaryavaha RSS returns from his pravas to USA and Caribbean countries. Visitors:
Amit Nandlaskar – Australia,
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it, because the answer is not separate from the problem. – J Krishnamurthy -GoTop
JAI SHREE RAM
THE SANGH ‘AS IT IS’
Calling upon all the communities to come close to the Sangh and understand its working, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Sarsanghchalak Shri Mohan Bhagwat concluded his three-day lecture series on the topic ‘Future of Bharat: An RSS Perspective’ at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi from September 17-19, 2018. Ending the lecture series with a call to the society to come together to work for the nation, Shri Bhagwat reiterated that the RSS solely works with the aim of training people to be responsible citizens of Bharat. In the process, he not just presented the idea of Sangh and the core concept of Hindutva in the most precise and lucid manner but also subtly busted the myths that were created about the nationalist organisation with relevant examples.
“You need not believe all that I have said during the last three days. But I believe firmly that once you understand the Sangh, you will desire to be a part of it,” Shri Bhagwat said in his concluding remarks.
The three-day lecture series was intended to reach out to a cross-section of people who have excelled in their fields but hailing from outside the Sangh fraternity. As the prominent economist and Uttar Kshetra Sanghchalak Dr Bajranglal Gupt explained in his inaugural speech, there has been an immense curiosity among the people as to the working and objectives of the RSS. The lecture series was organised to satisfy all questions in the public mind regarding the Sangh, its functioning and views.
Day One
The Man-Making Methodology
On the first day, while addressing the galaxy of prominent personalities who were specially invited for the three-part lecture series, Shri Mohan Bhagwat began his speech by saying that the Sangh’s work is so unique that it is un-comparable with any other organisation. He made it clear that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh does not believe in its domination, but in strengthening and enabling the society to take the nation forward.
“I will explain the working of the Sangh. My intention is not to convince you. Your judgement is your prerogative. If you want to check out the facts that I give you, you must come closer to the Sangh and check for yourself,” he started the lecture for the audience who were not swayamsevaks.
“To understand the Sangh, one must understand who its founder Dr Keshav Baliram Hedgewar was,” he said and went on to relate the life and experiences that shaped Dr Hedgewar and subsequent formation of the Sangh. He related various anecdotes about Dr Hedgewar’s life, his participation in the Independence struggle and how he became convinced about the imperative need to train the people to create a strong and united society.
He quoted many leaders and thinkers such as Rabindranath Tagore, Communist thinker MN Roy, former President Dr Abdul Kalam who came to believe that the society needs to be awakened to realise the strengths of its traditional values. Dr Hedgewar, he said, regularly interacted with leaders from different ideologies and concluded that everybody is genuinely fighting for the national Independence, but no one has time to address the root cause of foreign rule, that is the divided society that has lost pride and conviction about its identity. He felt the need to organise the society and train people to work towards positively transforming the society and the nation. “It was with this objective that he announced the formation of the Sangh on Vijayadashmi Day in 1925,” he said.
“RSS is a methodology. What it's only working for is “Vyakti Nirman” (making good human beings). There should be good swayamsevaks in every village and Mohalla”.
“Dr Hedgewar said the Sangh would work towards uniting the entire Hindu society – nothing else. So much diversity in languages, cultures, religious practices, food habits, etc is there. How to take everybody along? The traditional value system that has the strength to connect and unite everyone in Hindusthan is Hinduness (Hindutva). No other word can describe this unifying factor across Bharat,” Shri Bhagwat said.
“Since generations, Bharatiya society has traditionally taught us how to live together. Whenever we have forgotten our values, we have suffered,” he said. “People get the impression that RSS is a very dictatorial organisation. They think that the ‘chief’ of RSS decides everything and everyone has to follow. In reality, RSS is very different. If you want to see the largest democratic organisation in the world, you have to see and understand the RSS. But don’t believe me, come close to Sangh to check out the truth,” he said.
“Every swayamsevak has the right to question, share his thoughts and there is a system how swayamsevaks’ thoughts are taken into consideration at each level, till the Pratinidhi Sabha (the highest decision-making body of the Sangh),” He explained with an example of a fourth standard Swayamsevak inquiring about his presence in his parent Shakha in Nagpur.
“Sangh is a self-sustaining organisation. We organise all funds for our activities from within and do not take even a penny from outside. Swayamsevaks look at the saffron flag as their ‘Guru’ and an annual exercise of ‘Gurudakshina’ raises funds for the yearlong activities of the RSS,” Shri Bhagwat explained.
“We do not want Sangh domination. We think quite the opposite. If in history, it is written that something good happens for the nation because of the Sangh then it would be a defeat of the Sangh thinking. Our vision is to strengthen the society, which will take the nation forward. The community feeling is the basis of Sangh philosophy. Our swayamsevaks do a lot of good work, but we do not propagate their names. Every citizen must work for the nation selflessly because it is the duty of all of us to give back to the nation in whatever way possible.”
“Our objective is simply to motivate and train every swayamsevak to bring about a positive change in the society,” he said. On the question of women participation in the RSS, Shri Bhagwat made it clear that Rashtra Sevika Samiti works on the same lines as the Sangh and women participate in a big way in all social service projects run by swayamsevaks. “Most of our swayamsevaks are family men, and their families’ contribution is vital,” he said.
“The Sangh wants to organise the entire society and no one is an outsider in this process. Even those who oppose us are ours, is our firm conviction. We only ensure that their opposition does not harm us. We are for the Sarvlokyukta (all inclusive) Bharat and not somebody Mukta (excluding) one…..then the fundamental question comes that why we are doing this only for Hindus,” he said while concluding the first days lecture and setting the tone for the day two.
Day Two
Hindutva: Philosophy & Practice
The Sarsanghachalak elaborated on the concept of Hindutva while presenting the RSS’s future vision during his address on the second day. The Sangh aims to build an able society that embodies equality and is free from exploitation,” he said.
“Bharat is a democratic nation, and we respect all symbols of democracy. The Constitution of India is one of the prime symbols of democracy because it is the outcome of our collective consciousness,” he said while reading out emphatically from the Preamble.
“The Hindu dharma is universal dharma, based on humanity as a whole. We have never considered ourselves different from the entire world. ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ is the basis of Hindutva,” he said.
“There are three fundamentals of Hindutva; they are patriotism, ancestral pride and culture,” he said.
“The word 'Hindu' is derived from abroad. We don't get this word in ancient Indian texts. Acharya Mahavir Prasad Dwivedi wrote that when Zoroaster reached Persia, he was asked about his identity. He replied that he came from the lands of Sindhu. In Persian, 'Sa' becomes 'Ha'; hence Sindhu became Hindu. As we had trade relations with Israel, the word 'Hindu' reached the Jews. Through the seas, the word reached our western coast, and from there entered into our intellectual space. In the 9th century, it reached our texts but never in our colloquial language.”
“When invaders began attacking the diverse belief systems they grouped them as ‘Hindu’ and began converting them. It was then that the word 'Hindu' entered the colloquial language.”
“We refer to Hindutva as a value system. There are those who prefer to call it ‘Indic’, others call it ‘Bharatiya’ – we accept all these terminologies as the same,” he proclaimed while insisting that the content is important than the terminology.
“What is called as Hinduism today, is not the same as the religion of Hindus. There exists no specific Hindu ‘shastra’ because they were composed before the word Hindu became prevalent. Our ancient scriptures are meant for everyone, not limited to a few.”
“We believe that Bharat is not merely a geographical term because the geography of Bharat has been changing. Bharat is the name of a disposition whose crux is clearly explained by the word Hindu. Hence, Sangh is insistent on using the word Hindu.”
“While speaking in Parliament about Hindu Code Bill, Dr Ambedkar asked what religion is— a value or a code. You consider it as a code or as a religion? A code changes but not values. Our perspective towards dharma is that it is made of values.” he reminded the audience.
“Hindutva is essentially all-inclusive. It will be the basis of a strong and prosperous Bharat. Hindutva is a balance between the interests of everyone, a belief that welfare of all is the welfare of individuals and welfare of individuals is the welfare of all. Living life with this discipline is Hindutva. It is the collective wisdom of all the sects originating out of India. That is why we say ours is a Hindu Rashtra,” he said. “Hindu Rashtra does not mean that it has no place for Muslims. The day it is said that Muslims are unwanted here, the concept of Hindutva will cease to be. Hindutva believes that the world is a family,” he stated.
“The image of Bharat is that we accept and welcome all the diversities, it is the global Dharma that was nurtured here. Bharat is a trustee for all this knowledge and has given it to the world from time to time.”
Shri Mohan Bhagwat specifically addressed the oft-asked question about Sangh and politics. “There are questions regarding the political ambitions of the Sangh. Right from inception, the Sangh had taken a conscious decision to stay away from electoral politics. No office-bearer of the Sangh is allowed to be a member of any political party and will stay away from politics,” he said.
He emphasised that the Sangh focuses on man-making (Vyakti Nirman), but does not dictate what a swayamsevak will do in his social life. Swayamsevaks take various programmes which are for society's benefit into their hands. They execute according to their capabilities and preferences while in dialogue with the organisation.
“It is not our concern as to why other political parties do not have a large number of swayamsevaks. Why don't they (swayamsevaks) feel like going to other parties, is the question they (other political parties) need to think on. We don't ask the swayamsevaks to work for any specific party,” he stated.
“The swayamsevaks have the freedom to follow their conscience. The influence of RSS increases due to its social work, but we don't specifically work towards increasing our influence. It happens by itself.” Referring to speculations of Sangh influence in politics and governance, he said “We do not presume to give directions to political leaders. We do not give them any advice either unless asked. Only because they are acquaintances we meet them.”
“Though we stay away from politics, we do have views regarding national policies like illegal migration for instance, and if we have the strength, we pursue those policies with that strength. And we do not do it secretly but in full public glare,” Shri Bhagwat said.
Once again speaking on the issue of women in the society, He said women are equal partners and equally responsible for national reconstruction and hence should be treated accordingly. “In fact, in some fields, women are more capable than men.”
“We need to be economically, strategically and morally powerful, for the global welfare”, the Sarsanghachalak stressed. While articulating his views on the Future Bharat, he underscored the fact that once the all-inclusive Hindutva is the basis of our unity and integrity, “our vision document would not be for economic expansion but for would be for providing the equal opportunities for the nations who are lagging behind.” He said, “We all have to come together for this national responsibility and for which we have to be deserving,” while giving a call to all to join the process of national reconstruction.
Prominent personalities who attended the lecture series were Metro man E. Sreedharan, Narendra Jadhav, Manisha Koirala, Malini Awasthi, Manoj Tiwari, Chetan Chauhan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Amar Singh, Swapandas Gupta, Madhur Bhandarkar, Hansraj Hans and leaders of BJP and Union Ministers.
Future of Bharat – The RSS Vision (Question-answer session)
Reservation
“We support reservation as the Constitution of India provides for it. Reservation should stay till those communities who get the benefits of reservation themselves decide that they no longer need it.
Reservation is meant to correct the inequalities that creeped into our society over the last few centuries. It’ll take time to correct the situation and we must patiently wait for the right time. Reservation is not the problem, it is the politics of reservation that creates problems.”
Caste system and inter-caste marriages
“The Sangh supports inter-caste marriages, which should become a process for promoting homogeneity in the society. In fact you will find the best percentage of inter-caste marriages among swayamsevaks across Bharat.”
SC/ST Act controversy
“One cannot deny that victimization exists in our society. Laws to secure people against victimization should be made and implemented properly. But we must also ensure that laws are not exploited and misused – something which is being unfortunately happening today.”
Ram mandir
“A grand mandir for Shri Ram should be built at the Ramjanmabhoomi in Ayodhya as soon as possible. Many communities across religions look up to Shri Ram as their ideal. It is only right that a grand mandir should be built at the place Bhagwan Ram was born.
The building of Ram mandir will end a major issue of friction between Hindus and Muslims. And if it is done amicably, it will automatically silence those who point fingers at the Muslim community.”
NOTA
“In any democratic system, it is not possible to get a 100 per cent perfect option. The best available option has to be chosen. It is human nature and it has been so since the time of Mahabharat. When the Yadavs were discussing who they should choose between Kauravas and Pandavas, the opinion was divided between both sides. The Pandavas too had made many mistakes, it was pointed out. At this point Shri Krishna guided that perfection is not possible, hence the best available option has to be selected. That holds true even today.
“It is not advisable to choose the NOTA option, because if we don’t select the best available option, the worst available options will be the ones to benefit.”
Population policy
“A comprehensive and balanced policy should be made on the issue of population. The policy makers must envision the next 50 years and plan accordingly. The policy, once it is made, should be applicable to all communities. And wherever the situation is more complicated, it should be implemented on a priority basis.”
‘Pollution’ during Hindu festivities
“Environment and pollution are important national issues and every community needs to think and act responsibly during their festivals. This should apply across all communities. But why are only Hindu festivals being selectively targeted in the name of pollution? Hindu traditions have always evolved according to times and we should be ready to change systems that are harming the environment. This should apply to everyone.”
Conversion
“Since everyone says all religions are the same, what is the need for conversion? Those who promote conversion are not promoting spirituality. Their objectives are sinister. My personal beliefs should be my own prerogative. Religion cannot be sold in the market. We respect those who move into another religion out of their own conviction. But all of us know how conversions are done. If money exchanges hands to force conversions, we will speak against it.” -GoTop
(Inputs from www.organiser.org and IVSK Delhi )
Shri Vishwa Niketan www.shrivishwaniketan.blogspot.com vishwav@bol.net.in
