\SAMVAD  श्री विश्व निकेतन SHRI VISHWA NIKETAN

Ashadha Poornima, Vik. Samvat 2076 Yugabda 5121: 16 July 2019


1. FESTIVALS: JAGANNATH RATH YATRA 2. 1.5 LAKH PILGRIMS PERFORM AMARNATH YATRA
3. RSS POPULARITY GROWING IN YOUNG GENERATION 4. HSS PARTICIPATION IN CANADA DAY PARADE
5. RASHTRAPATI KOVIND OFFERS PRAYER AT ATHI VARADAR TEMPLE 6. UPA RASHTRAPATIJI CALLS UPON TO PRESERVE COUNTRY’S CULTURAL HERITAGE
7. NATION IS ALWAYS SUPREME: RASHTRA SEVIKA SAMITI 8. SWAYAMSEVAKS AND VOLUNTEERS OF UBSS RENDERED SERVICE DURING RATH YATRA
9. JAINA HOSTS 20TH BIENNIAL CONVENTION IN CALIFORNIA - ATTRACTS OVER 3,500 ATTENDEES 10. SEWA SUMMER INTERNSHIP 2019 REPORT WEEK 2 THROUGH 3
11. HARVARD RECOGNIZES VISION-AID FOUNDER RAM RAJU WITH DEREK BOK PUBLIC SERVICE PRIZE FOR 2019 12. THROUGH MURALS AND BALLETS, HINDUISM BEING KEPT ALIVE IN INDONESIA
13. MAGNIFICENT £5M SHREE SWAMINARAYAN HINDU TEMPLE COMING UP IN OLDHAM, UK 14. SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR RECEIVES HONORARY DOCTORATE FROM RUSSIAN UNIVERSITY
15. PINK CITY JAIPUR DESIGNATED UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE 16. SHRI SADHGURU INAUGURATES AAPI’S 37TH ANNUAL CONVENTION IN ATLANTA
17. 51% JUMP IN BHARATIYAS ACQUIRING PERMANENT RESIDENCY IN CANADA 18. US HOUSE PASSES BILL REMOVING CAP ON ISSUING GREEN CARDS
19. ANCIENT HINDU TEMPLE IN SIALKOT REOPENS AFTER 72 YEARS 20. BHARAT HANDS OVER 250 HOUSES TO MYANMAR
21. Shri Vishwa Niketan Food for Thought

Article: ANCIENT WISDOM, COMPASSION & MODERN EDUCATION


1. FESTIVALS: JAGANNATH RATH YATRA: JAGANNATH Rath Yatra began on Ashadha Shukla 2 corresponding to 4th July this year at Puri in Odisha. Lakhs of people witnessed Bhagwan Jagannath, Bhagwan Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra riding three giant wooden chariots as they travelled to Gundicha temple. As the story goes, on this auspicious day the three sibling deities – Bhagwan Balabhadra, Bhagwan Jagannath and Devi Subhadra wrap up their annual nine-day sojourn to Sri Gundicha Temple, their birth place and return to Srimandir riding their three majestic wooden chariots. On July 12, lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad witnessed ‘Bahuda Yatra’ – the homecoming of the Holy Trinity from Gundicha Temple to Srimandir on their chariots.-GoToTop

2. 1.5 LAKH PILGRIMS PERFORM AMARNATH YATRA: 144,058 pilgrims had darshan of the holy ice lingam in the Amarnath Cave during the first 11 days after the yatra started on July 1. This year's 45-day long yatra to the Amarnath Cave shrine will end on August 15, coinciding with the Shravan Purnima. Situated at 3,888 metres above the sea-level, the cave shrine houses an ice stalagmite structure that waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon. Devotees believe the ice stalagmite structure symbolizes powers of Bhagwan Shiva.
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3. RSS POPULARITY GROWING IN YOUNG GENERATION: “The young generation is actively joining the RSS. The RSS has also started six new activities keeping in view the changing atmosphere in the country. These activities include environment protection, village development, cow protection, social harmony and Kutumba Prabodhan,” said RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh Arun Kumar while talking to the media persons during the Yojak Varg organized at SR Engineering College, Jhansi. RSS Akhil Bharatiya Sah Prachar Pramukh Narendra Thakur and Prant Sah Karyavah Anil Srivastava were also present. A total of 140 workers from various parts of the country joined the Yojak Varg. Shri Arun Kumar pointed out that Sangh is continuously expanding since the year 2010 because the acceptability of the RSS has increased in society. He said there were 40,000 Sangh Shakhas in 2010, which increased to 60,000 in 2019.
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4. HSS PARTICIPATION IN CANADA DAY PARADE: For the first time in Canada, 65 HSS Swayamsevaks and Sevikas participated in the Canada Day parade on a two-kilometre long path on July 1 in Toronto. They had 3 ganas doing Ghosh, Yogchap, and Vyayam Yog. Kishor, Yuva and Tarun, both Swayamsevak and Sevikas were dressed in Ganvesh, in the presence of Bhagva Dhvaj and the Canadian National Flag. They had a chance to showcase their activities at many points in the parade, and while in motion, they had Path Sanchalan that visitors across the road enjoyed and complemented with cheers.
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5. RASHTRAPATI KOVIND OFFERS PRAYER AT ATHI VARADAR TEMPLE: Rashtrapati Ram Nath Kovind on July 12 had 'darshan' of Athi Varadar at Devarajaswami Temple in Kanchipuram. The 12-foot idol of Athi Varadar (made out of fig tree), lying in a silver casket underwater in the temple tank for the past 40 years, was taken out on June 28 early morning. Devotees were allowed to have 'darshan' for 48 days from July 1 to August 17 at the Devarajaswami temple, popularly known as Varadaraja Perumal Temple. The last time Athi Varadar was raised out of the water was on July 2, 1979.
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6. UPA RASHTRAPATIJI CALLS UPON TO PRESERVE COUNTRY’S CULTURAL HERITAGE: Upa Rashtrapati M Venkaiah Naidu was speaking after releasing the book “Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam: Preserving Antiquity for Posterity,” at a function in Chennai on July 13. Shri Naidu said Bharat has many priceless treasures of art and architecture, song and dance, poetry and theatre, mythology, philosophy, Mathematics and Material Science. He added that it is a sacred and patriotic duty of the present generation to preserve and protect the country’s antiquities for the next generation.
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7. NATION IS ALWAYS SUPREME: RASHTRA SEVIKA SAMITI: We are mortal beings but nation is immortal. A person, who considers nation above himself, will only consider himself as the means to raise the esteem of the nation because it is not he, but the organization and nation that are supreme. These thoughts were expressed by Chitra Tai Joshi, Akhil Bhartiya Sahkaryavahika, Rashtra Sevika Samiti in a seminar “Ideological Congruence – A Challenge” organized by Medhavini Sindhu Srijan, the Intellectual Wing of Delhi Prant Rashtra Sevika Samiti to commemorate 114th birth anniversary of Laxmibai Kelkar (Mausiji), the founder of Rashtra Sevika Samiti on July 6. She said that the ideology, with which Mausiji founded Rashtra Sevika Samiti in the fourth decade of last century, is still relevant and works as building block of the society. Lakshmibai Kelkar was born on July 06, 1905 (Ashadha Shukla Dashami) in Nagpur. She was affectionately called as “Mausiji”.
Founded on Vijayadashami day in 1936, Rashtra Sevika Samiti is today the largest women organization in the world upholding Bharatiya culture, values and traditions. It has 4356 Shakhas (branches) in 546 districts and more than three lakh Sevikas (women volunteers) actively involved in socio-cultural activities. Samiti also runs more than 855 service projects all over Bharat for the poor and underprivileged, without regard to religion, caste, creed, sect, gender or ethnicity. These include schools, libraries, computer training centres, free tuition centres etc.
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8. SWAYAMSEVAKS AND VOLUNTEERS OF UBSS RENDERED SERVICE DURING RATH YATRA: Utkal Bipanna Sahayata Samiti (UBSS), Bhubaneswar, Odisha in association with RSS swayamsevaks provided 8 different types of seva (service) during the recently concluded Rath Yatra in Puri. The Seva activities included first aid, distribution of medicines, sprinkling of water, distribution of drinking water, stretcher seva, provisioning ambulance services, creating corridor for ambulance & emergency services and attending to ailing patients. Stretcher Seva was coordinated by 25 Swayamsevaks. 8 volunteers took care of Ambulance services while many assisted in creating a corridor for the ambulance. 1200 Swayamsevaks and volunteers of UBSS also worked towards creating a smooth passage for the ailing pilgrims and also tended to ailing patients in hospitals as their bed side attendants.
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9. JAINA HOSTS 20TH BIENNIAL CONVENTION IN CALIFORNIA - ATTRACTS OVER 3,500 ATTENDEES: JAINA or the Federation of Jain Associations in North America, in partnership with the Jain community of Southern California, hosted its 20th biennial convention at the Ontario Convention Center in Ontario July 4-7, attracting over 3,500 attendees, many from the Bharatiya American community. The theme was “Celebrating Jain Religion in 21st Century.”
Convention convener Mahesh Wadher and co-conveners Dr. Nitin Shah and Dr. Jasvant Modi explained the theme and purpose of the convention and its five distinct tracks of learning about Jain principles and practices, representing the five elements – Seva, Satsang, Samarpan, Sadhana, and Self-Realization – and other tracks on focus groups, including for young Jain professionals, young adults, youths, and ‘Jain Connect’. The five tracks depicted in the convention logo represented the steps onto the path of progression of a spiritual journey towards achieving moksha, the final liberation. This convention was extraordinary also because over 600 youths and young adults were among the attendees.
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10. SEWA SUMMER INTERNSHIP 2019 REPORT WEEK 2 THROUGH 3: Sewa International, Atlanta chapter’s summer internship for high schools has 11 interns for tutoring classes for Bhutanese community in Decatur and 7 interns for Stone Mountain High School survey. The group of interns responsible for tutoring kids from the Bhutanese has been getting a steady attendance each day. The students are primarily from elementary school with a proportion of them being from middle school as well. There are two locations for the tutoring project – one at the English Oaks Apartment and the other at the Carriage Oaks Apartment. Overall there has been a steady and healthy attendance of 25 elementary and middle school children.
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11. HARVARD RECOGNIZES VISION-AID FOUNDER RAM RAJU WITH DEREK BOK PUBLIC SERVICE PRIZE FOR 2019: Harvard University announced on 1st June that Ramakrishna Raju, Bharatiya American founder and executive director of Vision-Aid, was honored with the Derek Bok Public Service Prize for 2019. Raju received the honor on May 30. The Derek Bok Public Service Prizes are prestigious awards given at Harvard University's commencement each year to graduating students from the Harvard Extension School. It carries a medal, a citation and a cash prize of $3,000. The award recognizes creative initiatives in community service or long-standing records of civic achievement. The Derek Bok Public Service Prize was instituted in honor of the former president of Harvard University, Derek C. Bok, for his interest in encouraging public service by all Harvard students. Raju has decided to give the cash award of this prize to Vision-Aid, saying he is grateful for the recognition it brings to the cause of Vision-Aid and its volunteers and beneficiaries. Raju began his journey at Harvard, with a master’s degree in information management systems at the Harvard Extension School in 2014 and graduated in May 2019.
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12. THROUGH MURALS AND BALLETS, HINDUISM BEING KEPT ALIVE IN INDONESIA: It is widely known that Indonesia was once ruled by a Hindu kingdom. In many parts of the country which has a predominant Muslim (approximately 83 per cent) population, Hindu temples, scriptures, murals and sculptures of Hindu gods and goddesses are still preserved. Sanskrit words are weaved into the local language. An example of this is the motto of the Indonesian Navy – Jalasyeva Jayamahe – which is in Sanskrit. Another major attraction in Yogyakarta city for locals and tourists alike is the musical rendition of the Ramayana that is performed at regular intervals at the historic 9th century Prambanan temple, which is now a UNESCO world cultural heritage. The influence of Ramayana is seen in Prambanan as well, where walls of the temple contain murals depicting the mythological story of Bhagwan Rama and his heroics. By establishing a connection with Hinduism, officials believe that tourism and an exchange of culture between Bharat and Indonesia can largely flourish.
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13. MAGNIFICENT £5M SHREE SWAMINARAYAN HINDU TEMPLE COMING UP IN OLDHAM, UK: Oldham Council have approved plans for the temple, which will feature a prayer hall, teaching and community spaces, gardens and up to 60 parking spaces. The building, on Copster Hill Road, will be the new home of the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir temple. Suresh Sorasia, speaking on behalf of the temple, said it would be a “landmark” building. The site of the new temple was previously used by housing association First Choice Homes as a local depot, which has since been demolished.
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14. SRI SRI RAVI SHANKAR RECEIVES HONORARY DOCTORATE FROM RUSSIAN UNIVERSITY : Global humanitarian and spiritual leader, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, has been conferred with an honorary doctorate for his contribution to the development of inter-cultural friendship between Bharat and Russia. The 63-year-old has received the degree from the Ural Federal University, one of Russia's largest institutions of higher learning named after the country's first President, BN Yeltsin. In his address, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar emphasized on the need for an education that is inclusive and humane.
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15. PINK CITY JAIPUR DESIGNATED UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE: Bharat’s nomination of the Jaipur City, Rajasthan got inscribed on July 7 on the World Heritage List of UNESCO during the 43rd Session of the World Heritage Committee held at Baku, Azerbaijan. The nomination of Jaipur City has successfully been done by complying with the various UNESCO guidelines of 2017. With Successful inscription of Jaipur City, Bharat has 38 world heritage sites that include 30 Cultural properties, 7 Natural properties and 1 mixed site.
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16. SHRI SADHGURU INAUGURATES AAPI’S 37TH ANNUAL CONVENTION IN ATLANTA: Shri Sadhguru, recognized around the world for his pioneering efforts to nurture global harmony, inaugurated the 37th annual convention, organized by The American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin July 4-7 at the Omni Atlanta at CNN Center and Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, US. Attended by over 2,000 delegates from across the nation, the event began with the welcome address by Dr. Naresh Parikh, Bharatiya American president of AAPI, highlighted some of the major accomplishments during his tenure, particularly pointing to the campaign to rid Bharat of TB with $9 million funds from the USAID. In his keynote address, Sadhguru said, “The moment we learn to see things as they are, we will be peaceful. No one can make me happy or angry. I do it to myself by choice. You need to treat the lifestyle illness. What happens within you is your choice 100 percent.” “Today doctors themselves are having serious illnesses. Those addressing health need to be healthy. Stress, tension, paperwork, rather than patient care, are contributing your health issues,” he told AAPI delegates.
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17. 51% JUMP IN BHARATIYAS ACQUIRING PERMANENT RESIDENCY IN CANADA: During 2018, more than 39,500 Bharatiya citizens obtained permanent residency in Canada under the express entry system. Canada admitted over 92,000 new permanent entry residents under its express entry system in 2018, a rise of 41 per cent over the previous year. It may be noted that permanent residency is similar to a green card in the United States. In 2017, Canada had admitted nearly 65,500 permanent residents through its express entry route, of which 40 per cent, or 26,300 odd, were from Bharat. However, the number of Bharatiya citizens obtained permanent residency in 2018 has increased by 51 per cent from 2017.
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18. US HOUSE PASSES BILL REMOVING CAP ON ISSUING GREEN CARDS: The US lawmakers on July 10 passed a Bill aimed at lifting the current seven per cent country-cap on issuing Green Cards. Passed by the US House of Representatives, the Bill, on being signed into law, would considerably reduce the agonizing wait for talented professionals from countries like India seeking permanent work and residency permits in the United States. It also seeks to eliminate the seven per cent per-country cap on employment-based immigrant visas. Additionally, it removes an offset that reduced the number of visas for individuals from China. Hindu American Foundation welcomed the Bill.
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19. ANCIENT HINDU TEMPLE IN SIALKOT REOPENS AFTER 72 YEARS: An ancient Hindu temple in Sialkot in Pakistan’s Punjab province has been reopened for worshippers after 72 years on the directives of country’s Federal government. Fulfilling the long standing demand of minority Hindu community, the Shawala Teeja Singh Temple was recently opened and inaugurated according to Hindu traditions.”For several years, the Hindu community has been demanding that the temple be opened,” said Syed Faraz Abbas, the deputy secretary of the Shrine. Abbas added that the work on restoring the temple will soon begin after estimating the renovation cost. The idols of Hindu deities will be brought in from Bharat. -GoToTop

20. BHARAT HANDS OVER 250 HOUSES TO MYANMAR: Bharat has handed over 250 pre-fabricated houses to Myanmar for use of displaced returnees from Bangladesh. The Bharatiya government had taken up the project under its Rakhine State Development Programme (RSDP) under which $25 million was allocated for a period of five years. The MoU on RSDP signed between Bharat and Myanmar in December 2017 aims to contribute to the socio-economic development of the area. The programme, said the Bharatiya embassy in a statement, includes creation of infrastructure in the areas of education, health, agriculture and allied activities, agro-processing, community development sectors and related training in these areas.
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21. Shri Vishwa Niketan: Pravas: Saumitra Gokhale, samyojak Vishwa Vibhag will travel to Caribbean countries. Visitors:
 

Food for Thought: “Karya Purusha Karena Lakshyam Sampadyate” : With determined human efforts, the task will surely be completed.. From Chankya Niti as quoted by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman in her budget speech on July 5 in Parliament.  -GoToTop

Jai Shree ram

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ANCIENT WISDOM, COMPASSION & MODERN EDUCATION

Rajiv Malhotra

The Dalai Lama is 84 years old today. Prayers resonate for his long life from across the world: From the land encircled by snow mountains/ You are the source of all happiness and good/ All-powerful Chenrezig, Tenzin Gyatso/ Please remain until samsara ends. The Dalai Lama is revered as an incarnation of Chenrezig, patron of Tibet, the living Buddha who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. This drives him to help others find happiness so profoundly that he chooses to remain eternally in samsara, as the prayer entreats, embracing the endless cycles of birth and rebirth in human form with its inherent struggles and suffering to serve all sentient beings. His Holiness describes India as Guru for Tibetans and himself. He passionately feels that India has the obligation and potential to serve humanity by combining its ancient wisdom with modern education, to address contemporary predicaments. One of his missions is to help with the Nalanda tradition, of which he is a much celebrated heir. Seminal to this tradition is the significance of karuna, compassion, not merely as an abstract virtue, but of practical value. It is what defines the Dalai Lama.
Individuals with psychological problems have an exaggerated sense of self. They frequently use the words – ‘I’, ‘me’, ‘mine’. When this extends to communities, corporations or nations, where self-interest transcends reasonable needs, they become seeds of inequity and disharmony. Compassion softens this obsession with self. Until recently, we believed that our brains were hardwired at birth and therefore, unchangeable. Today the science of neuroplasticity demonstrates that our thoughts can reshape our brains. Brain imaging demonstrates that when we help others, a circuit in the brain is activated, making us feel good – there is a powerful connection between compassion and happiness. We can train our minds to be compassionate by consciously changing our thoughts. The techniques have been available for thousands of years.
The Dalai Lama has worked with educators and scientists from around the world for decades to help traditional wisdom and modern science learn from each other. It has led to a curriculum to train young minds in Social, Emotional & Ethical Learning (SEEL). It works to nurture universal values, at the heart of which is the cultivation of compassion. It was released in early April this year in 19 languages in Delhi. His Holiness asks why we do not find time to train our minds – as the instrument through which we experience and craft our lives – though we spend decades training ourselves to be materially fulfilled. He continues to meditate for several hours each day on compassion, and the less easily accessible ‘shunya’. Till recently, he continued to receive instruction and oral transmission – sometimes from those younger than himself. It is hard work being a Dalai Lama.
Now old age and the infirmities that go with the human form have begun to creep up on Tenzin Gyatso, the ‘simple Buddhist monk’ as he describes himself. His cosmic laughter, his compassion and profound wisdom acquired over aeons of lifetimes juxtapose effortlessly with a beginner’s mind. They endure with a quality of effortless ease.
So does his determination to fulfil his favourite prayer: “For as long as space endures/ And for as long as living beings remain/ Until then may I, too, abide. To dispel the misery of the world.” (Times of India, July 6, 2019)
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Shri Vishwa Niketan  vishwav@bol.net.in